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Tori danced around the room, singing off-key to the music and shaking that fine ass to the beat. She kept returning to an open cookbook on the counter, and I realized she was cooking of my favorites—I’d marked the page.
My little wolf was making my rabbit food—a frittata, a smoothie, and keto waffles.
My mouth watered at the entire spread before me. The food didn’t look bad, either. She was too adorable, and I couldn’t stop fantasizing about what life would be like for us here.
She started and stopped dancing, reaching for her chest like the holy ghost was trying to invade her body. “Shit, Ridge, you scared me.”
“Sorry, little wolf. Having fun?”
Smirking, she twerked her ass at me like she was a pop star, and I laughed.
“Don’t get used to this. I woke up hungry and figured with everything else going on, you were probably overwhelmed and deserved what you call a decent breakfast instead of the delectable selection of Pop-Tarts I would’ve preferred any day of the week. How your wolf copes with all this bunny food, I don’t know.” She rolled her eyes at me comically.
Laughing hard again, I watched her as she went about the kitchen as if I wasn’t there.
Getting rid of the hunters had always been the first thing I wanted to take care of, but now that I had Tori in my life, it was a desperate need. I wanted this, right here, to be our forever mornings. She was carefree and happy, and it was an honor that I got to watch and experience it all with her.
All my life, I’d wanted to right my ancestors’ wrongs, but now I also wanted to build a solid, happy life with my mate. My mind was consumed with thoughts of it, and I couldn’t wait for it to start.
Watching her like this settled my resolve, and I was determined to broach the subject of our being fated mates today. She had the right to know, and we both deserved happiness. After she’d shared her hunter past with me, it felt like we had a better understanding of one another. A better footing for a real relationship.
How she’d react to the news still scared me, but I’d convince her it was a good thing. That once we claimed each other, we’d be complete. I only hoped she allowed me to explain it all before deciding to run. Once she knew the truth, I’d have to keep a close eye on her, but I’d follow her to the ends of the earth and beyond if needed.
After last night, however, I really hoped that wouldn’t happen.
Telling her at my favorite star-gazing spot was the best place to do it. She’d opened up to me there, accepted her wolf, and voluntarily gone on a run. We’d also have privacy so we couldn’t be interrupted.
Hopefully, the spot would also remind her of the fantastic connection we shared. It would be an intense conversation, but I knew what we had was priceless.
Please, Moon Goddess, don’t let her run.
“Okay, wolfman, breakfast is ready.”
She fixed me a plate, handing it and my smoothie to me. I gratefully took them from her and kissed her cheek. I sniffed the food and moaned loudly, causing her cheeks to flush and her eyes to light up. I watched her the whole time, and my arousal perked up at the sight of her.
“This’ll be the best breakfast I’ve ever had.” I waited for it.
Tori rolled her eyes right on cue. Who knew I had a fetish for eye-rolling?
She grabbed her plate, and we sat at the breakfast nook, where I gave her another appreciative moan when I took my first bite.She rolled her eyes again, but she couldn’t hide how pleased she was that I enjoyed it. Just another thing that made me extremely happy.
“Little wolf, this is delicious. Thank you so much for making me breakfast.” Leaning over, I pecked her lips, and her mouth twitched.
“You’re welcome. I’m glad you enjoy it because I don’t know when or if I’ll make it again. Bunny food is a lot of work.”
Belting out a giant belly laugh, I dug back into my meal.
“You remember it’s the town fundraiser later today?” I asked her. “It’s a big tradition that helps raise money. We do it every year, and this year, Diana organized it. It’d mean a lot to her if we went. And, well, it’s expected of the mayor and his beautiful fiancée to make an appearance.”
She swallowed her food before answering. “That’s fine, and of course I want to support Diana. I’m sure she did a fabulous job, but before we go to that, I want to go back to the jail to ask Kyle what we should expect for Zander. He has to know something about what happens to shifters once they’re cure—I mean, once the dark witch strips them of their animals.”
I appreciated that she didn’t say “cured.” That was the worst thing it could be called. We had nothing to be cured of.
“I’ll go with you,” I said. “Clawson is wrapping things up with Mrs. Marrow, and he might need my help since this is a complicated and fragile case to process. It’ll take some fancy footwork to protect the shifters’ secrets while giving evidence of her crimes. There’s no way that woman wouldn’t gladly spout off about the existence of shifters during her trial.”
Tori got thoughtful as she chewed on her food. “You’re right. That’s messy. Is there anything I can do to help?”
I declined her offer. She already had a lot to worry about, and I didn’t want to add to it.
