Total pages in book: 182
Estimated words: 171176 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 856(@200wpm)___ 685(@250wpm)___ 571(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 171176 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 856(@200wpm)___ 685(@250wpm)___ 571(@300wpm)
“Overall,” Finley went on, crouching down beside my wolf, “she did well today. She even created a story about a sort of . . . quest for redemption that people seemed to buy. We might try to build a strategy around that, because—and I’ve thought a lot about this, and talked it over with the others—we’re going to release some of her products. Just a couple to start, but Vemar has been right all along. The things I asked her to do weren’t solutions, they were patches, and not enough to put Granny out of business. It’s time we think differently about this.”
She pulled her own clothes out of the sack.
“I haven’t told you this because I wasn’t really supposed to get involved, but . . .” Finley shrugged into her shirt. “She’s fucking amazing, Weston. She’s as hard to ruffle as you, with company as easy to keep as yours. She’s much, much smarter than you, though. Good thing for you everyone in her life has always taken that for granted, or it might’ve been a problem. A beautiful, intelligent, hardworking woman with a knuckle-dragger like you? Someone got lucky with their true mate.”
My wolf growled softly with the dig, showing his teeth. Finley laughed delightedly as our whole world lit up in pride. I’d known all of that, of course, confident in how incredibly lucky we were to have been paired with such an intelligent, enchanting woman. Hearing the queen say it, though, hearing her compliment our mate, knowing she could see the things we always had but that Granny had taken for granted or ignored . . . It was beyond special. Beyond magical. It felt like Aurelia was coming home.
“But seriously, she is really, really fucking smart, and she really wants to help people. After all she’s been through, that’s an admirable quality. It’s an alpha’s quality. I hope it works out for you, Weston. I really do. You both deserve to see some happiness.”
She paused there for a moment, watching the emberflies float over the grounds.
“Okay, seriously, did these bugs just start heavily procreating for her specifically? How are there now so many?”
I would’ve laughed if I could’ve.
She pushed to standing, finished dressing, and gave her farewell.
Aurelia’s wolf came jogging out of the woods not long after Finley had said her goodbyes. Her wolf’s tongue lolled from her mouth and she panted, having run hard. My wolf rose to his feet, eager to see her but holding his position only because her clothes waited beside him. She caught sight of him and put on a burst of speed, closing the distance quickly.
Her smell hit us when she neared; it was mouth-watering. My wolf ran his face along her neck and over her shoulders, breathing her in, feeling his ardor rise. She stood still as he nibbled along one of her shoulders, able to claim her right now if he wanted to. Wolves could do it as well as humans. He wanted the pack to bear witness, though. He wanted to make his choice—and her choice—known for all to see.
Instead, he pushed in close behind her, feeling the warmth of her body. Her tail swished and she moved, looking back over her shoulder.
“She’s not in heat,” I said as he pushed his upper body closer.
“I don’t care.”
I did. I knew this was inevitable if I ever took a mate, but now wasn’t the best time. But up he went, his paws on her back. He wasn’t quite lined up, but it didn’t stop him from ramming home. I could feel Aurelia’s confusion as her wolf shoved backward against him, and then her extreme discomfort. I would’ve laughed if I could’ve. Being a dragon for this part would be so much better. They got to at least fly really high and then tumble through the air. We just had to sit here on the ground as our wolves rutted away.
“Don’t knot her,” I told him. “I want to talk with the human.”
“You’ll wait your turn.”
Super.
I felt Aurelia sink down into the wolf body, grumpy, clearly trying to get away from something she hadn’t been prepared for. Still inwardly laughing, I pulled her tighter within the bond, feeling her emotions as though they were mine. The pleasure of our animals pulsed through the bond. I cuddled close, letting it all seep through us. My wolf hit his stride, then his finish, and Aurelia’s wolf followed not long after.
“I am not cutting it short for you,” my wolf said, standing on his own again. “I am doing it for her.”
He didn’t elaborate, and I wondered which her he meant.
“That was . . . strangely erotic, but also gross,” Aurelia said when she was back in human form. She reached down between her legs. “Yes, it was gross. I don’t care about it being natural for you—I was not prepared.” She paused again, obviously speaking with her animal. “I don’t want to think about that right now. I’ll deal with that when or if it happens.” Her fingers came away wet, and I gritted my teeth against the wave of arousal.