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)
Seeing him now, like this, was like looking at a completely different person. Someone new, a comfortable stranger. That fact scared me for a moment, like I was losing the man I’d grown to know, the man I missed every time we were apart and the one I enjoyed waking up next to. The one I chatted with so easily, whom I was learning about gradually while being in his space and hearing about his life. I didn’t want to lose that man, even to this handsome stranger.
“You’re a fucking idiot,” my wolf said, her frustration with how long I had taken to get to this point at an all-time high.
I couldn’t blame her. It had taken me a long time. A really long time, maybe. I’d been downplaying all the amazing things he’d done, all the ways he’d tried to care for me. But now, right now, I knew, without a doubt, that I approved of nature’s plan. I approved of my primal desire for him. I agreed with my wolf. I was no longer teetering; I was ready to fall.
His gaze zeroed in on me almost immediately, and he ignored anyone saying hello as he moved through the crowd. I started forward, butterflies swarming my belly, really hoping he hadn’t had a personality change to match the image change. People cleared out of the way, giving us space as we met near one of the fires.
“Hey, baby,” he said, sounding fatigued. “I can’t stay long. I just stopped by to grab a bite, and then I need to go speak with the royals.”
“Is everything okay?”
He traced my jaw and slowly shook his head. “I can’t say more just now. Can you show me around?”
I grabbed him a plate and walked him to the roast, where Burt piled on some meat and then gave him a dash of vegetables. He looked at me. “Have you eaten yet? We’re running low on veg.”
“Oh no, that’s okay. You go ahead and serve—”
“No.” Weston handed me the plate. “Aurelia, this isn’t your old village. You don’t have to go without here. We have plenty of food in this castle. If you run out of something you have cooked, then they can eat elsewhere.”
“It’s fine—”
“It’s not fine.” His look was stern. “It is not fine. You need to eat.”
He was right, and I was hungry. I relented, but handed his plate back. “I can’t eat all of that.”
“Here.” Dante reached for an empty plate. “Hi, Beta. Here, Aurelia, use this.”
“Thanks,” I told him. He’d been trying to push food on me since I arrived.
Burt gave me too much food, despite my protests, and Weston led me away from the others to a chair, somewhat off to the side of the group. He was probably right in that people would stiffen up if he was in their midst, especially when he looked like this.
“We have to eat with our hands because Burt didn’t bring enough utensils,” I said as Weston sat down. He used one hand on my hip to tug me down onto his lap.
“I doubt anyone cares.” He groaned softly with the first bite, closing his eyes, and then gave me a funny look when he ate one of the cut-up vegetables. “What is this?”
I paused in eating my own, assessing the flavors. “Some books call that a rune carrot, while others just a wild carrot. They are all over this wood. I would’ve expected the cook’s crew or the garden crew to have picked them all by now.”
“Cook has his own gardens for food. He doesn’t grow this, though. Not that I have ever tasted. It’s good.”
“It’s strong. You have to simmer it down. It’s best in stews.”
“I see.” He smiled and continued eating. When he was done, and after a severe look at my half-full plate, he finished what I couldn’t. “Delicious, baby, as usual.”
“Weston.”
Hannon walked up quickly, and Weston stiffened. Frustrated rage filtered through the bond, his hand on my hip tightening for a fraction of a moment before I could feel his concerted effort to relax. He put our plates on the ground before gently nudging me up and standing up beside me, stepping back to give me some space as Hannon approached.
My heart hurt at the amount of effort I could see and feel. It also swelled. Sixten had been right—he’d gone against his instincts to make sure I was happy. He’d said to take my time, to figure out what—and whom—I wanted, and he’d meant it. He’d allowed me a choice—something Granny never had. That was incredibly honorable, and I felt so fucking lucky. I would treasure him for that always.
“We should’ve been claimed by now,” my wolf groused.
Hannon stopped in front of us, and I stepped closer to Weston, wrapping my arm around his waist.
A shock of desire rang through the bond as he realized what I was doing. My choice had been made in front of everyone: him. Only him.