Chapter 27

Odhran

Igripped the "oh shit bar" above the passenger side just as Larkin slammed on the brakes. I reached out with my left arm and placed it between her and the steering wheel, making sure her chest didn't connect with it.

"Sorry," she wheezed out, and I could see her white-knuckling the leather.

I chuckled and reached down to put the SUV in park.

We sat there in the comfortable silence I knew my girl liked so much. I knew she was somewhere else in her mind at that moment, as she gazed off into the distance.

Several days had passed since she'd been so strong and gone with me to meet Banner and Luna. And as soon as we'd gotten back to the estate, she confided in me that Luna had given her the number for a therapist who helped the Otherworld community.

I was frustrated to learn there weren't any others to help our kind, and I wanted to change that, but didn't know how. I'd never used counseling or help, never spoke to anyone about how I felt or what I was going through.

I used my aggression, my violence and anger to help me "heal." And it wasn't until I finally had Larkin back in my life that I realized I hadn't been healing at all. I'd been going in a downward spiral of self-destruction.

"Is it normal to be this nervous?" she finally asked softly, and squeezed and relaxed her fingers around the steering wheel before finally placing them in her lap.

When she glanced over at me, I gave her a smile, one I hoped was reassuring.

"I think it is, darlin'. It's something new. She's someone new." A very strong part of me wanted to hold her hand the entire time, be right by her side as she talked to the counselor.

But the bigger part of me knew she had to do this on her own. It was essential for her to move forward, to find some kind of peace within herself.

So I would stay back, force myself to give her the space she needed. I was an overbearing, possessive Lycan ninety-nine percent of the time, and now I needed to exert a loose hold around my girl.

She nodded but didn't say anything else on the matter.

The following days after the dinner with the royal family, I'd been keenly aware Larkin had been distant, lost in thought. But I hadn't pressed on what was running through her mind. I wanted her to tell me things when she was ready.

So I kept us both busy by teaching her how to drive, how to work many of the modern things in our home that she wasn't used to, and of course ensuring she took time for herself.

She visited the cottage I'd built for her a few times, and whenever she came back she always had a smile and a weightless look in her eyes, which made me feel lighter because it told me she was feeling better.

"I've been thinking." She looked out the front windshield and started biting on her lower lip.

My body instantly reacted. It was uncontrollable because my mate was so beautiful, especially when she was deep in thought, that brilliant mind of hers working overtime.

"I was thinking that maybe I'd like to go to school." She looked over at me. "I don't know anything about all of that, but after researching, I think…" She nodded slowly as if she'd come to a conclusion. "I think I'd really like to help people, Odhran. I think I'd like to be someone they can talk to, someone who will hear their voice and know what they went through."

My grin broke out before I could stop it. "I think that's wonderful, sweetheart. I think that's fooking incredible."

She started laughing, uncaring that I'd cursed, my girl having the most lighthearted spirit despite the darkness she endured.

I reached across and smoothed my thumb over her cheek, along her jawline, and touched her bottom lip. I felt so much happiness for her, and in turn it made me happy. Seeing my girl in a good place made me feel better than anything else.

I leaned in and kissed her. It was supposed to be something fleeting, soft, a physical gesture to show how happy I was for her, but like any time I touched Larkin, my wolf rose up instantly and I became aroused. My cock throbbed, feeling like a steel pipe in my jeans.

She moaned softly and opened for me. I plunged my tongue inside, stroking her, getting lost in the sweet flavor of her tongue against mine. And then I heard the gate at the front of the property open, followed by gravel being kicked up as a vehicle approached. I groaned in annoyance that I had to stop touching Larkin.

I rested my forehead against hers and for a second, we just breathed harshly. The scent of our arousal filled the interior of the SUV, and my cock throbbed again, my wolf growling, my mouth watering to mark her all over again. I saw the vehicle approach out of the corner of my eye and forced myself to pull back.

A compact car came to a stop in front of us, and the woman behind the wheel gave a bright smile and waved vigorously. Her hair was a mass of dark auburn curls that seemed untamable, and even from the distance I could make out the light gray of her eyes and splattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose.

Larkin noticed as well and started laughing. "I like her already. She's enthusiastic." Larkin leaned over and gave me a soft peck on my cheek, and then my girl was out of the car and meeting Bronwyn.

When the females smiled at each other and Bronwyn pointed to the forest, leading my girl into the woods, I stared at Larkin and watched her shoulders ease as she nodded.

I lifted a hand and rubbed the spot over my heart, the organ hurting in the best way. She didn't have to say anything for me to understand she knew this was the perfect decision for her.

And I'd be there and support her every step of the way.