Chapter 233

He  herded me to a spot by the lakeside and pushed me into a crouching position, then he started to check my wounds and licked at any he found, starting with my injured shoulder.

His licking immediately soothed my pain. He could heal me because either he was the Alpha Heir, or we were fated mates. His power and energy sank into me, and in front of my eyes, my wounds began to close.

A feeling of contentment settled inside my belly, making me want to purr. For a second, I wondered if Jared the man would also do this for me and treat me so tenderly. But I was sure of one thing: I liked his wolf ten times better.

The black wolf licked me for probably half an hour, until he was sure he’d healed every wound.

My wolf grinned at him. The black wolf tilted his head. Then he trotted to the lake, dipping his muzzle into the water to wash himself clean before he returned to me.

The black wolf regarded me, liking what he saw. Tenderness, possessiveness, and protectiveness twinkled in the depths of his beautiful

 gray eyes. I swallowed and let out a wishful whimper. I’d hoped the man could have looked at me like that when he’d first learned I was his fated mate.

I gazed back at him, seeing my golden eyes like liquid flames in the reflection of his own. The black wolf rolled out his pink tongue and licked my healed muzzle in affection. I swayed my hips playfully, then I licked his muzzle, returning the favor and thanking him again.

The guards stayed at the edge of the forest to give us privacy. At this point, Viviane, her minions, and Jared’s close circle must all know that I was his true mate.

As I licked him again, a low rumble vibrated from the black wolf’s chest. He pressed his muzzle between my shoulder and my head to inhale my scent.

A sudden heat rose in me, pooling in my belly. I recognized it as the mating heat, even though the sensation was very different than when I was in my human form.

The black wolf nipped my fur, raw male need pouring off him. His tongue licked the back of my ear, sending a stronger wave of heat shooting into me.

I yipped and whimpered as primal, urgent need to surrender to my mate seized me and the mating call sang in my bloodstream. Jared gazed back at me through his wolf’s eyes, conflicting emotions darkening them to cold winter gray. The man also desired me, yet he didn’t think I was enough. He never thought I was good enough for him.

The beast might want me with his every fiber, but the man had rejected me. Even now, Jared didn’t exactly express that he would choose me.

Fated mate or not, I was no one’s bitch.

I’d be a fool to cave in now, even though the unbearable heat and need urged me to surrender myself to the Alpha Heir. But I was fortunate that even in my wolf form, I still thought like Pip. Cold logic told me that I had no standing in the shifters’ community. If I allowed myself to be the Alpha Heir’s plaything and side dish, I’d never get my dignity back.

And I’d lose more than my pride.

Cold clarity pierced through the mating heat, and an icy wind cooled my body, stopping me from making the mistake of rolling over and giving myself to the Alpha Heir, an asshole in my book.

 The black wolf pushed his heated muzzle into my neck, ready to pin me to the ground in the throes of passion. I used my strength and shoved him away hard.

He let out a low growl, not understanding why I’d suddenly grown cold. I stared into his questioning eyes to let him see and feel what I really felt.

His chest rumbled, and my wolf growled back before I turned and dashed away.