Page 40 of Choosing the Rejected Mate

My mouth goes dry.

He looks over his shoulder, sees my face, and smiles slowly.“Supervising again?”

“I was checking for injuries.”

“With your eyes?”

“I’m very thorough.”

His laugh is low and warm, and I hate how much I like it.

We slip out the back door and head through the alley toward the old mill.The town is quiet now, the air cool against my bare legs beneath the robe.Daniel walks beside me but leaves a careful distance between us.Not too close.Not too far.

My wolf notices, and so do I.

At the tree line, I stop.The woods stretch ahead, dark and silver beneath the rising moon.Pine and damp earth fill the air.Crickets sing in the grass.Somewhere deeper in, an owl calls.

My heart pounds.

Daniel stands a few feet away, his boots already discarded, jeans hanging open.“We don’t have to do this.”

“I know.”

“Do you?”

I turn to glare at him, but he only looks back, steady and patient.

I sigh.“Yes, Daniel.I know.”

“Good.”

“You’re bossy in a very quiet way.”

“You’re deflecting in a very loud way.”

“I liked you better when you were only fixing appliances.”

“No, you didn’t.”Unfortunately, he’s right, and I hate that too.

I untie the robe and let it fall.Daniel looks away immediately, and my stomach flips.Not because he does not look but because he wants to.I can smell the lust on him, hot and sharp but restrained.The knowledge slides over my skin, waking every nerve.My wolf preens, deeply pleased.

“Stop being noble,” I mutter.

His voice is rough.“Stop being naked.”

“I need to shift.”

“I’m aware.”

“Then suffer quietly.”

He laughs, but it breaks halfway through when I let my wolf rise, and the shift takes me.

Bones crack.Skin pulls.Heat and pain roll through me in a familiar wave.I drop to my hands and knees, breath catching as fur pushes through skin and my body reshapes itself.It hurts, but not badly.Not like it used to after the rejection.Not like dragging a wounded part of myself back to the surface.

Tonight, my wolf comes willingly.Eagerly.

The world sharpens, and scents explode around me.Pine.Moss.Night air.Daniel.I shake out my silver-brown fur and lift my head to find Daniel staring at me.