Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 64392 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 322(@200wpm)___ 258(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64392 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 322(@200wpm)___ 258(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
I’m hesitant to open any of the packages. They are all so nicely wrapped, I feel like my touching them would ruin them.
“What’s the matter?”
“I don’t know which one to open,” I whimper, wiping my eyes on the back of my arm. “They’re all so nice.”
“These are just the boxes from the store,” he says. “You’re not going to ruin anything by opening them.”
His encouragement is sweet, and I know that if I don’t start opening them, I’m going to seem weird. Well, weirder than I already seem. I pick the nearest box up and open it. There’s a dressing gown inside, soft and pink and quilted and lovely. It’s nicer than anything I’ve ever owned. I’m sure everything here is nicer than anything I’ve ever owned.
“Wow,” I say. “Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome,” he says, seeming quite bemused by my reactions. “I want you to be comfortable.”
There are slippers too, and several different pajamas, both the dress kind, and the pretend business suit kind, with the pants and the little pajama jacket.
“Thank you so much for all of these,” I say, trying very hard not to cry again. I don’t want to make a scene. “These are all very nice. But you don’t have to do any of this. I can take care of myself. I mean, I have pajamas. I mean…”
“I know you have some pajamas of your own,” he says. “But I am going to be looking after you from now on. You are my mate. And you will be my wife.”
I stare at him. “You will? I mean… I will? Don’t you have to… ask for that?”
It is his turn to stare. “You’re right,” he says, suddenly. “I should not have blurted that out. It is a question. One I will ask, and you will answer.”
This is the first time I have ever seen Cain Lupin seeming in any way awkward. I think I caught him off-guard by pointing out his little faux pas. I don’t think he’s had to ask anybody anything for a very long time. Maybe not even ever, really.
“You have a shower,” he says. “And then you can choose one of these to put on. They’re already laundered, don’t worry.”
“Oh… okay, sure,” I say, trying not to grin too hard at the news Cain intends to propose to me. It’s such an exciting thing to hear, that a billionaire wants to make me his wife. Oh, also, I’m a fucking wolf. That little fact keeps jumping in and out of my head with a sort of disturbing irregularity. I should be thinking about nothing else. But there’s thoughtful gifts, and the prospect of marriage, and for some reason, the idea that I am secretly a wolf feels like the least surprising of all those things.
“Go on,” he says, tapping my butt lightly. “You will need to sleep before we go.”
Cain
I send Kira off to the shower, very much pleased at her reaction to the gifts. She is so satisfied with simple things. I want to spend the rest of my life spoiling her. She is the sweetest woman I have ever encountered, and she is my mate. Those two facts alone are enough to make me want to give her everything.
I shouldn’t have assumed her desire to marry, though. She doesn’t know about our customs, or the mate bond. I am sure she feels it, but she may not know what it means. I have encountered hundreds of female shifters in my life, and felt attraction to some of them, but nothing like what I feel for her.
I am her first wolf. Her first lover. Her only lover, too. Her mate, forever.
That is a lot to tell a woman who seems to be as sheltered and innocent as she is. There’s so much to learn about her. We may have bonded deeply in the animal sense, but there is a great deal we don’t yet know about each other’s human lives.
There will be time for that later. For now, she needs to sleep.
My phone rings while she’s still in the shower.
It’s Abel and I answer, because there’s a chance it’s important.
“Yes?”
“How are you, brother?” There is a light chuckle on the end of the line, as if Abel finds this very amusing on some level. He wants to gossip. They say men don’t do that sort of thing, but they haven’t met my brother. He never met a piece of information he didn’t immediately sock away.
“Good, Abel.”
“Are you going to take her to the country estate today?”
“Once she’s had a sleep, yes.”
“Shall I set the conclave in motion?”
“Not yet, Abel. I want at least a week or two to settle with her. We need time to get to know one another.”
There is a pause on the line.
“Abel…”
“I might have already set the conclave in motion,” he admits. “I was excited for you, and I know that there’s supposed to be a conclave as soon as possible once an alpha meets his mate. And you did tell me to take care of everything. I thought that might have been one of the things I was supposed to have taken care of. So the staff is at Denholm already, the rooms are being aired, the kitchen is setting up for a banquet tomorrow night…”