Page 45 of Fractured Mates
I don’t need her shutting down like she did briefly in the car.
You know nothing about women, my wolf says dryly.
Excuse me?
She shut down, because if she tells you about her mate, she’s also telling you that she failed.
What the fuck are you talking about? I snap. You heard what Maciah said about that piece of shit. Sophie wasn’t at fault for a single thing.
And how do you think she felt not having his respect? At not being good enough to wait for? he points out. Her hand was forced, and while I’m sure she doesn’t regret what she did, I’m more than positive it still affects her.
Could she possibly blame herself for what happened? Looking over at the strong woman I’ve been getting to know, I want to say that’s not possible, but there’s a fragileness about her that contradicts that answer.
She’s not weak by any means—not in my eyes—but I can see why she might not understand her true value. I fully intend to make sure that no matter what does or doesn’t happen between us, she knows how incredible she is moving forward.
After pacing for several more moments, Sophie finally gives in. “Fine. I’ll shift. But don’t pout when you can’t keep up.”
She speaks with an edge to her voice that has me wondering if she’s trying to cover up more than her attraction.
I back up and start to shift, but before I can fully call my wolf forward, Sophie is already completing the transformation and holds me captive.
Her skin glows for a brief second, then her body begins to contort. The movements happen so quickly and fluidly that if I’d blinked, I might have missed the whole thing.
Her wolf appears, fur golden like a well-aged honey and eyes bright green. When her stare lands on me, I swear she winks, and I have to hand it to my own wolf. He’s rather insightful for being so quiet all the damn time.
The she-wolf yips at me, and I understand with ease. I need to shift.
Calling my animal forward, I sense a bit of excitement within him that I can tell he’s trying to hide from me, but that’s not necessary. Just because he didn’t want this attraction to Sophie—vehemently went against it, even—I’d never rub his change of heart in his face. Not when he had every reason to have reservations.
When we’re standing on all fours, Sophie’s wolf starts to come closer, then she darts to the left and begins to run.
She wants to be chased, my wolf says, a bit of pride in his tone.
Then I guess we better give chase.
And chase he does, because Sophie’s wolf isn’t keen on being caught.
We run and run for miles, zigzagging through the trees and never once getting close to her. But the view from behind isn’t anything to complain about, either.
They move with not only swift speed but agility that has them leaping off trees and larger rocks, gaining a lead ahead of us. I’m almost too intrigued with them to notice we’ve begun to circle back and are heading west.
Almost.
That devil of a woman.
She’s running toward her family home. She lied to me.
Or she just changed her mind, my wolf says.
Now you’re defending her? I’m not sure how I feel about that.
That’s not true. I’d rather he takes her side than wish we would stay away from her.
I encourage my wolf to run harder in an attempt to catch up with them, but that damn she-wolf is quick. It isn’t until she begins to slow down that we finally close the growing gap between us.
She stops, staying within the thick foliage, and is shifting back to human form when I finally get close enough.
I follow suit and point a finger at her, then at the vague bit of the house I can see beyond the branches. “This was not part of the plan today.”