26. Whitley Whitt

Chapter 26

Whitley Whitt

Talk about a mane attraction .

I stare blankly at the steam-covered shower stall wall, watching two droplets of water race down it, only for more to form as the condensation rises on the cool glass. I suck in a deep and steadying breath.

I know I can’t stay in here forever, but I can’t help hiding out for just a little longer. I resign myself to facing Connor, who I can hear rustling about in the next room. What’s even weirder is I know it’s him because I can smell him even through the water. His scent is everywhere, stuck to every crevice of his suite, and it’s making my body pulsate. Even my damn nipples are hardening for some stupid reason, and I think it has something to do with the wolf shifting.

We barely spoke on the way back to the castle and I didn’t argue when he offered for me to take a shower in his room, especially after he insisted that he would give me privacy.

Now here I am, all clean, but still unsure of how I feel. A large part of me wants to leap into his arms—a warmth tingles in my middle at just the thought of him—but which him can I trust? The bosshole I first met, or the now seemingly kind, but secretive man slash lycan? How can I know what I’m getting into if he can’t explain himself?

I keep worrying that he’s going to be avoidant, and I’m going to wolf out in anger and jump out the window again.

He should at least explain what the whole mate thing means.

That tingle turns rapidly to nausea at the idea. Am I even ready for that? I roll my shoulders back as resolve straightens my spine. I purse my lips together and the many questions I have for him spin like a Rolodex through my brain as I get out of the shower and begin drying off. At the very least, I deserve an explanation , I tell myself as I exit the bathroom.

My thoughts stutter and come to a halt at the sight of him leaping to his feet from the foot of the bed, a hopeful expression on his face and a spread of clothes behind him. His hair is swept back, and he’s dressed down in a pair of light-gray sweatpants, running shoes, and a zippered jacket. The dirt smudges on his face are gone, and it’s obvious he freshened up while waiting on me in the shower.

I force my gaze away from the hope in his expression, only for my attention to snag on the outfit laid across his blue bedspread.

“I didn’t know what you would want to wear, but I assumed you would want comfort,” he says. He holds my pair of cupcake-covered flip-flops to his chest like they’re something precious, and his neck and the skin beneath his beard reddens with embarrassment.

I arch a brow, his obvious nervousness making my heart melt a bit. My fingers tighten around my towel as I move to touch a cropped sweater in a deep rose color, the material buttery soft beneath my hand, and I just know it’s going to be the most comfortable thing to ever touch my skin.

“When did you get this?” I ask.

He nods his head in the direction behind me, and I turn to see a pile of boxes so tall it would almost reach my hip in height on the other side of his bed. I blink, wondering how long he’s been buying things for me.

“I ordered them weeks ago when I noticed your lack of wardrobe. They’re just now arriving to the castle.” He pushes his fingers into the side of his hair and scratches. “I confess, I may have gone overboard,” he adds.

Butterflies erupt in my middle at how nice it is that he would do this, and more than a small bit of hope and relief floods me. It feels so awkward between us, but I want it to feel normal. Something was growing between us before all this strangeness happened, and I want to go back to that.

To how we were teasing each other publicly without a single person knowing what we were up to.

I want to trust him for once because I’m still so scared and I know I can’t do this alone.

My shoulders droop and I eye my flip-flops in his hands warily, feeling the corner of my mouth lift with a small, albeit weak, smirk. “And since when is cupcakegate over?”

A wide grin splits his gorgeous mouth, making him look young and happy. “Why don’t you get dressed, and we can take a walk? There’s something I want to show you, and I can answer any questions you have.”

I glance at the clothes again and squint my gaze up at him. “Fine, but you had better cough up answers before the night is over, buddy,” I tell him.

I snatch up the clothes and retreat to change away from his searching blue eyes, and the warmth in them that threatens to make me fold.

Ten minutes later, my flip-flops thwap against a cobblestone walkway that I’ve never seen before. The trees on this side of the castle are overgrown, and a large hedge blocks almost even the highest parapet so much that I can barely make out the windows I know are there.

“Where are we now?” I ask him, growing annoyed at the fur creeping along my arms as the wind picks up.

I force myself to relax against it, relieved when my skin shows again at my midriff as I shove my hands into the pockets of my new coat he pulled out of nowhere. I have got to be able to control this.

As we walk along the path. I recognize we are nearing the maze, and moonlight breaks over the trees just as he tugs my arm. Pulling us into a hidden side entrance, the faint sound of water moving reaches my ears.

“It’s a place where we can change, and you can meet your wolf. We will need to let her out.”

My head whips around at that, and my eyes go wide. “What do you mean, her ?”

I’ve read a couple books where shifters have other selves inside them that can talk, but if I start hearing voices, things are not going to be so cool anymore. I do good to keep myself sane now, thank you very much.

He puts his arm around me and rests his hand at the small of my back, ushering me toward another path in the maze I wouldn’t have taken had I been alone.

“By her I mean you . The middle of the maze is hidden from all sides. You can shift there, and no one will see the new you.”

The trickling sounds of water I’ve been hearing for a while now get louder and when we turn and head down a new path, a gorgeous white marble fountain comes into view.

“It’s beautiful,” I say as I stare up at the statue in the middle.

A huge marble woman sits in the fountain, mesmerizing and ethereal, especially with how the moonlight bounces off the water and bathes it, and her, aglow. What shocks me is her belly and hips are round, and her breasts are large, unlike anything I’ve ever seen—except in renaissance paintings. Her hands are held out in obvious supplication, and her head is bowed. I stare at it, wondering at the similarities between us.

I frown.

I could be her.

“I had her placed here two weeks after you arrived,” he says as he looks up at her round face. Then his head lowers so he can look towards the water and his lips flatten. “At first, you smelled like danger. It’s the only way I can begin to describe your effect on me.”

“So that’s why you were such an ass.”

He nods and starts pacing closer to the fountain. “Your scent triggered aggression in me, and I couldn’t figure out why, but it made my wolf want to come out.”

“I see. That totally explains your stance on how I needed a good shag, and you weren’t the one to do it.” I arch a brow.

“I lied, Whitley. I wanted you even then. It’s ridiculous I didn’t see it before, but when I found her on display at some old auction house, I had to have her. That was the week after I kissed you.”

His gaze pins mine, and I can’t look away.

“I was so jealous you would spend time with those buffoons that night, I couldn’t see straight. I didn’t realize it then, but I’ve had this possessive need to keep everyone away from you, despite knowing it was ridiculous because you were supposed to just be an employee. I’ve been battling how much I want you and knew it was best if I kept my distance from you.”

Warmth spreads through my limbs.

His brows come together across his forehead. “You challenge me every chance you get, and it makes me want to know more about how that beautiful brain of yours works. I’m not sure how this happened or why, Whitley, but I would be lying if I told you that I’m not glad you’re my mate. We can work this out.”

My mind races. This was not part of my plan. The only thing that has been keeping me going the last two years is the thought of owning my own bakery. Of course, who can plan for being mated to a lycan after taking a seemingly simple job at a castle?

One more month and I will have enough money to buy the bakery, and no more creditors, but now I have no idea what to do.

“I don’t know about all of this, Connor. You’ve gone from total bosshole to this semi-sweet man. I refuse to be put through any more emotional mood swings. You have to know I really like you, but I won’t lie and say I’m all in and not scared,” I tell him, before licking my lips.

I can’t help looking away when his brow pinches together and my stomach churns softly with anxiety.

“How could you not be? I’m bloody-well terrified,” he replies.

I blink, surprise washing over me that he wouldn’t try to argue or push me one way or the other and isn’t trying to hide it.

“I apologize for how poorly I’ve treated you. Paranormal beings can mate and pair off, go on to live their immortal lives with one another, but I have never met another of my kind. I don’t even know why you have changed. I can only guess.”

He reaches out to touch me and I allow it, letting him pull me into his warm embrace. The move is one of comfort and I would be lying if I tried to say his smell, the very feel of him in my arms, didn’t soothe some restless part of me.

“It’s only been a few hours, and I know it’s scary. Believe me, I know it is, but you’re doing much better than I did during my first turning.” He leans back to look into my eyes sincerely, his gaze flicking between mine. “I swear to you here and now, we can take this as slow or as fast as you prefer. Whitley, I have been waiting for you for more than three hundred years. Just allow me the chance to prove how much I care for you.”

Three hundred years . Wow.

I can sense trust forming between us the more he talks. It’s clear this is just as shocking to him as it is to me, but he seems more than willing to go at my speed. Maybe I can do this.

“Look, maybe you’ll feel better once you see what you look like? I can sometimes think more clearly in that form, and it could be the same for you,” he says, making me realize I’m coming to terms with the fact that I can change myself at all.

I nibble at my lips. “Okay. What do I do?” I might as well get a good look at myself.

“Well, first we have to get naked.” He wiggles his brows.

A smile pulls at my lips at his playfulness. I needed that, for him to act like this is normal.

He steps back and away from me, quickly shucking off his clothes as if it’s no big deal to be nude out of doors. I purposely keep my gaze above the waist and try to not squirm as he morphs and changes into his wolf. It starts at his chest, where a dark-brown tuft of fur spreads out and across his body, covering his limbs and spreading to his fingertips as claws begin to jut from their ends. He’s a good head taller than his human form and now basically a big, muscly, fur-covered humanoid creature. His eyes are a beautiful yellow, like burnt gold, framed by big wolfy ears and a snout.

I suddenly feel very Little Red Riding Hood, except I have firsthand knowledge of what the Big Bad Wolf can do with that tongue, and it makes my pussy throb.

Connor’s furry head almost touches the top of the fountain, and it’s about a foot away from topping the hedge. His long snout and big ears make me want to reach out and pet him.

Can I pet that dog?

I move to hug him on impulse and squeeze him tightly. He stiffens in my arms, as if he can’t believe what’s happening, but his arms loop around me to squeeze back. Claws gently stab into the top of my butt cheeks.

“You should be screaming and yelling at me, possibly fainting, but instead you offer hugs.” His gruff and scratchy wolf voice is all confusion.

My cheeks grow hot, and I push away, grateful he lets me go. I force myself to hold in a giggle when I notice his large bushy tail wagging happily.

Being in his arms now is somehow even better than before. It doesn’t help that most of my previous anger about being bitten in the first place is gone, now that I’ve had a moment to process a little.

“Alright, your turn, cupcake.”

I decide to be bold and take my clothes off in the same nonchalant way he did and set them in a pile next to his.

“You would test the willpower of the gods,” he bites out, covering his manhood.

I relax at his words; the low timber of his voice makes me feel beautiful.

“Now, breathe in deep, close your eyes, and think about changing.”

I do as he asks and shut my eyes, screwing them tight. Nothing happens.

“No, relax. Feel your true form just beneath your skin and let her stretch. Calmly.” Connor’s voice is low and soothing as he begins to rub gentle circles across my lower back.

Forcing myself to relax, I listen to the drip of the water, allowing my body to become still.

“Good. Now dig in and reach for her. She will show up,” he whispers, and steps away to give me space.

My brows twitch but he’s right, there is something there—a deep well of energy.

“It’s glowing,” I tell him, feeling a bright yellow fog of power well up inside me.

“Right. Now let it out.”

I do as he says, letting the feeling roll over me, and a warm sensation starts at my chest and spreads. A heavy weight settles in my tailbone, and I can feel a tail forming there. Surprisingly, it doesn’t hurt—it actually feels quite nice.

“You’ve done it. Come look.”

I open my eyes, and he gestures at the still blue fountain, so I edge toward him to look down at the water.

The sight takes my breath away.

My head is a bit larger than normal, and very wolf-like. I smile, and my snout is all ferocious-looking canine teeth.

I cup my cheeks, spreading my clawed hands around my face, staring down at large yellow eyes. “Wow.”

With how my arms are shaped, I assumed I would be creepy and grotesque, but I’m actually quite feminine. An image of Cheetah from a Marvel comic I saw once floats through my mind, sort of reminding me of myself, except I have way more curves than she ever did.

Plus, the fur coating my body is short all over. My hair magically grows, creating some sort of mane, which I can already tell is going to be the hardest thing to manage. I look down at my soft brown-colored chest and spot my now reddish-looking nipples under the thick fur.

Rubbing my hands over myself, I notice so many differences, and gasp when I reach my tail. It’s so strange to think I have one now!

“My mate is so fucking pretty—in every form,” his voice rumbles, sending shivers up my spine.

I bend over the fountain, looking this way and that, stretching my hands up as high as they can go.

“This is crazy.” Power hums beneath my skin and in my bones. I take a deep breath, and my fur stands on end.

“How do you feel? Does it hurt at all?” he asks, his voice concerned.

I turn to find him regarding me closely, and he’s still a good head taller than me. My stomach dips at how handsome his wolf form is, at how majestic and big he is, and how his size makes me feel delicate and womanly, even engulfed in fur.

“No. It just... it’s like my skin is humming. If you weren’t supposed to have a mate, how did this happen?” I gesture at myself.

“I don’t know, but trust me, we will find out—and I won’t let anything happen to you. I swear it.”

I hide my smile at that, since I’m pretty sure I’m now one of the X-Men and could kick some serious ass if I needed to. I may not have ninja skills, but I can definitely throw a punch, and with these guns, I think I can handle just about anything.

I turn to see him looking at me, a sweet smile on his face that sends my heart galloping. A warmth spreads in my middle, but I go cold as worry washes over me.

“I don’t know how to be someone’s mate,” I murmur. Mates sounds so much stronger than marriage, and I sucked at that.

His brow furrows. “We don’t have to figure anything out right now. We don’t even know how this has happened, and we have plenty of time.”

He reaches out to cup my face with one clawed hand and a purr rattles out of my throat. I openly laugh when his ears flatten as he wags his tail again happily. I have to stop mine from trying to imitate the movement.

“Okay. Do we have anyone that can tell us exactly what happened?” I ask, wanting to change the subject.

“Yeah. I have someone I can call, but it will take them some time to get back to me. This is not how I wanted this night to go.” The tone in his voice says he’s not very happy about it.

“Understatement. I wanted a date with a man I’m wildly attracted to, and was bitten, knotted, and fell in a moat.”

“You’re wildly attracted to me?” His lips smirk and a patch of fur raises above his eye like a brow would.

“As if you don’t know,” I scoff while rolling my eyes, turning my attention back to him.

“Even like this?” Connor asks, gesturing at his hulking form.

How can he not know how gorgeous he is?

“I could get used to it,” I say.

I’m not repulsed at all; in fact, his wolf form is super attractive. Maybe I shouldn’t have started watching Sabrina the Teenage Witch so young or Practical Magic , because if anything, while completely intimidating and shocking as hell, his wolf form is pretty cool. Actually, any media with shifters has been high on my to-be-consumed list. I may have even gotten off to a lot of it.

I turn to glance at him, refusing to acknowledge how I’m the opposite of repulsed by his huge wolf snout and fangs. “I’ve watched Vampire Diaries five times, the Originals twice, and Bram Stoker’s Dracula was my sexual awakening. Plus, you wouldn’t believe the books I’ve read.”

I chuckle, knowing how raunchy they are.

“What books?” he replies, his tone more curious than anything as he stretches, his attention on the nearby woods.

My fur raises at the sheer amount of smut I have read. Did I just give him more to tease me with?

Oh dear lord. Send help.