Page 37 of Broken By Her Mate

Laila’s smile faded, and a nervous air came over her. “Goodness, I can’t believe I’m so anxious.”

“It’s okay. It’s been a while for you, after all. I’ll go first.”

She watched him with flushed cheeks as he undressed and then put his clothes in a neat pile beside a tree trunk. He seemed comfortable in the nude, basking in nature. Laila, on the other hand, was embarrassed to undress in front of him. She watched in awe as his body transformed, every muscle shifting seamlessly. Tolliver’s features melted into the form of a wolf—a sleek creature with luxurious chestnut fur that caught the moonlight and glistened.

The wolf’s glowing amber eyes were fixed on her as it inclined its head. Laila’s heart raced as she took a shaky breath.She felt both exhilaration and trepidation.It’s my turn.She could feel her wolf stirring, restless after years of being locked away. It was as if it were finally waking up, eager to surface to be closer to its other half… only Tolliver was no longer their other half in the romantic sense.

Laila shoved aside the familiar feeling of longing and began to undress. When she noticed Tolliver still looking at her, she paused and frowned. Gentleman that he was—even though he was now literally an animal—he turned away. However, Laila caught the hint of disbelief in his eyes, and it made her smile. She knew what he was thinking. He’d already seen every inch of her naked many times. But this was different. They weren’t in a sexual scenario, and she wasn’t as comfortable in her own skin as he was.

She shed her clothes and folded them beside Tolliver’s. The breeze brushed her skin, and she shivered slightly from both the cold and the anticipation. Inhaling deeply, she tapped into the familiar energy of her animal and coaxed it to the surface. Her skin prickled as the shift began, and she braced herself for what was to come.

The change began slowly, bones stretching and reshaping. Then heat spread through her body, rippling under her skin. Her shift wasn’t the smooth, practiced transformation Tolliver had gone through. Hers was halting and stiff, even uncomfortable. Her muscles tightened, and she winced as her bones snapped and her limbs bent.

Laila gritted her teeth against the pain and strange sensations. It was like she was rediscovering how to be a wolf all over again. Her vision blurred as her eyes adjusted to a new spectrum of sights. After what felt like an eternity, she stood on four legs. Her wolf’s coat was a rich brown—a few shades darkerthan Tolliver’s. When the lingering aches of her shift faded, she felt lighter and ready to move.

Tolliver approached and nudged her gently. She let out a triumphant howl as she looked up to meet his gaze. It sounded foreign to her ears because it had been so long since she heard it. With a playful glint in her eyes, she took off into the woods. Tolliver stayed behind her, never too far away. Each time she picked up speed, so did he. She knew he’d keep up—he was much faster than she was. He left her to enjoy the thrill of the run, and she appreciated it.

Her senses were sharper than she remembered, and the colors around her were more vivid as she sprinted between the trees. The scents and sounds were almost overwhelming because she had grown accustomed to the limitations of the human senses. But with each stride, she adjusted, and soon, everything experienced by her wolf felt natural again. As they sprinted deeper into the woods, a playful burst of energy surged through her. Laila increased her speed, veering around a cluster of rocks to test her limits. It turned out she’d wandered away from the cover of the thick forest and made her way to the road.

Tolliver appeared beside her with a growled warning, nudging her back toward the trees. Laila gave him a sheepish look and darted back between the foliage. She was careful after that to avoid any further reprimand from Tolliver. She ran until she was tired and had to slow down.

They reached a clearing, and Laila stopped, breathing hard and her wolf's chest heaving with exhilaration. Tolliver came to a halt beside her, his golden eyes gleaming with warmth. She met his gaze, feeling the embers of the bond that had once been between them flaring back to a full blaze. It made her heart jolt with the apprehension of getting hurt again. Still, she gave in to the feelings flooding her and rubbed her nuzzle againstTolliver’s neck in a gesture of thanks. He didn’t have to risk coming out to run, but he did it for her.

His wolf let out a soft sigh in response, and they went on to stare up at the crescent moon and enjoy being surrounded by the night for a while.

Chapter 15 - Tolliver

Tolliver slowly came awake. For a moment, everything felt right. Laila was beside him where she belonged, and her warmth radiating from her felt amazing. She was curled into him, her head resting on his shoulder, and her arm draped across his chest as if made to be there. He inhaled, taking in her soft floral scent. It was the same scent he used to bury himself in years ago.

As the seconds ticked by and reality seeped back in, a bittersweet ache started in his chest. Laila was in his arms, but she was still emotionally unreachable, it seemed. Everything was different between them—uneasy and fragile. After they left Cedar Ridge and went back to Bellefleur, their relationship shifted into something less hostile. Laila had softened toward him a little, and they became… friends.

Unfortunately, things changed again when Ryder and Zach came up with the idea of a fake engagement between Laila and Tolliver. According to them, the mysterious kidnappers had taken single women so far. If it were public knowledge that Laila was mated, maybe they’d lose interest in her. It was a weak theory since the kidnappers seemed just to be getting started, but they had to try something.

Laila hadn’t been pleased with their fake engagement. It meant they had to pretend to be in love in public. It wasn’t pretend to him, but to her, there was nothing left between them. It was driving him crazy. He ran a hand lightly down her back, barely wanting to touch her because he was afraid she’d wake and pull away like she had so many times before. In the span of a week, they’d become something more than friends but less than lovers. How crazy was it that he was now his mate’s fuck buddy?Tolliver sighed softly. He had no one but himself to blame for that insane turn of events.

Laila stirred, and he instantly stopped touching her and froze. Her eyes fluttered open. When her gaze met his, for a second, he saw something softer and vulnerable in her sleepy orbs, but it was fleeting. As he expected, she put distance between them and threw up her guard. He stifled a frustrated sigh and let her go.

“Morning,” she murmured, sitting up and smoothing her wild mass of hair.

“Good morning.” He lifted an eyebrow. “Sleep well?”

Laila glanced at his bare chest and blushed profusely. She had slept very well, wrapped in the comfort of his arms, but he knew she wouldn’t admit it. “I slept how I’ve always slept.”

Tolliver resisted the urge to roll his eyes. When had Laila become so stubborn? Gritting his teeth, he reminded himself that he had to be patient.

Barely meeting his gaze, she said, “I should get going. I have lots of things to do today.”

“Like what?” Tolliver’s eyebrows snapped together.

“Clean…” she said weakly.

He had allowed her to make a quick escape every other morning, but not today. “The house is spotless.” They’d moved to his place since his team had found the kidnapper lurking near her cabin.

“Well, I…” She shrugged. “I need to make breakfast and then work on dinner. Elena and Ryder are coming over for dinner.”

“It’s not even seven a.m. yet,” he challenged.

“There’s a lot to prepare, Tolliver,” she snapped. “So, I need to get started.”