Chapter 45

Chapter 45

“Why is there so much drool?” Ashley found herself asking with a sad shake of her head as she watched in horror as the large werewolf that was chewing on the camp counselor’s leg turned its attention to the woman who should have run when she had the chance.

“Why are we watching this?” came the question from the man who’d spent the last twenty-four hours showing her all the different ways that he could make her moan his name as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back against him.

“Curious,” Ashley said, taking her time selecting a peanut butter cup from the bag that she’d somehow managed to hide from Jacob and held it up so that Kale could take it from her, his lips brushed against her fingers as memories from the night before had her licking her lips as a trail of goosebumps raced over her skin. He’d spent hours touching, caressing, and kissing every inch of her body, telling her how good she felt and just how much he wanted her.

“Curious about what?” Kale murmured, finishing off the peanut butter cup as he pressed a kiss against the back of her neck, making it difficult to focus on anything other than just how good it felt to be in his arms.

“About what you look like when you shift?” Ashley said, settling more comfortably against him as she stretched out her legs alongside his and placed her arms over his.

“You’ll never find out,” he said, chuckling as he pressed a kiss against the side of her neck.

“Never?” Ashley asked, turning her head so that she could look at him and-

Couldn’t help but moan when he brushed his lips against hers. “Never,” Kale said with a teasing smile as he pulled back only to chuckle when she grumbled in disappointment.

“I don’t shift, mo ghrá,” Kale said, chuckling as he brushed his lips against hers again before adding, “Ever.”

“Not even one time?” she asked with a hopeful smile that quickly died with another grumble when he chuckled.

“Not even one time.”

“Tease,” Ashley mumbled with a pout that earned her another kiss.

“I don’t need to shift, mo ghrá,” Kale said as a thought occurred to her, something that had been bothering her since the night that he came home covered in demon blood.

“You’re not healing fast enough,” she said, worrying her bottom lip as she thought about the gunshot wound that should have completely disappeared by now.

“It’s slowed down over the years,” Kale said, kissing her again before adding, “I’m fine, mo ghrá.”

“But you would heal faster if you shifted,” Ashley pointed out, blinking innocently when he glared at her.

Sighing heavily, he brushed his lips against hers again as he stressed, “I don’t need to shift.”

He really was adorable when he glared, Ashley decided with a sigh as she pushed his arms away so that she could climb out from between his legs, turn around, and climb onto his lap. Once she was settled, Kale placed his hands on her thighs as she focused on the light pink scar that looked like it happened years ago instead of just a few weeks.

“How dangerous is your job, Kale?” Ashley asked as she traced the puckered scar with her fingertips.

“You worried about me?” he asked teasingly as he gently caressed her thighs.

“Yes,” she found herself admitting as she traced a circle around his scar, trying not to think about just how terrified she was that something bad was going to happen to him and she wouldn’t be there to take care of him.

“Nothing in our world is safe,” Kale said softly as he leaned in and pressed his lips against her forehead.

“That doesn’t answer my question,” Ashley said, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth only to remind herself that she was worrying over nothing. But she didn’t believe it even as she continued trying to convince herself that he could take care of himself.

He was a shifter, Ashley reminded herself as she pulled her hand away and-

He was a shifter, Ashley thought hollowly as she found herself staring at the mating mark on her wrist. She swallowed hard as she continued staring down at her mating mark as the realization of what that really meant hit her. Somewhere out there was a woman who would one day wear his mating mark and it wasn’t her.

It would never be her.

One day, he wouldn’t be hers and-

She loved him.

Oh, God…

She loved him, Ashley realized, feeling sick to her stomach as she pulled her trembling hand back and-

He wasn’t hers.

He would never really be hers, Ashley thought, swallowing hard even as she couldn’t help but admit that she hated his mate, hated that this woman that she’d never met was going to be the one that could give him everything that she couldn’t, hated that she wasn’t the one that was meant for him, and she-

Hated this.

She never should have let herself fall in love with him. She should have known that this was a mistake, Ashley thought as the first sob broke free before she could stop it and-

“Shhh, what’s wrong, mo ghrá?” Kale said, using the endearment that had meant the world to her, only now it was a cruel reminder of what she could never have.

Him.

“What’s wrong?” Kale asked, sounding concerned as he reached up and cupped her face, gently wiping away her tears as she struggled to hold it together. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

“It’s not fair,” Ashley managed to get out, her voice breaking even as she told herself that she had no right to be upset. She was mated whether she wanted to be or not and Kale…wasn’t.

“What’s not fair?” he asked, stopping her when she moved to pull away from him.

“Forget it, please,” she said, reaching up to push his hands away, but he wasn’t having it.

“Tell me what’s wrong,” Kale said, leaning in to brush his lips against hers before adding, “Please.”

For several minutes, Ashley didn’t say anything as she sat there, thinking about all the things that his mate was going to be able to give him and that she would never be able to and…

“I wish it was you,” Ashley said, looking up to meet his gaze.

“What?” Kale asked, frowning in confusion as he tried to make sense out of what she was saying.

“I wish that you were my mate,” Ashley said, watching him go still seconds before his emerald eyes slowly turned silver.

Reaching up, she frantically wiped away the tears that wouldn’t stop coming as she said, “It’s breaking my heart knowing that someone else is going to be able to give you all the things that I can’t. I don’t want my mate. I don’t even know him. I hate this. I hate knowing that one day you won’t be mine and I…I hate this, Kale.”

Swallowing hard, Kale said, “I already found my mate.”

“What?” Ashley said, frowning as she tried to make sense out of what he was saying, but it didn’t make any sense. If he’d already found his mate, then he wouldn’t have been able to make love to her last night.

Keeping his eyes locked with hers, Kale raised his right arm and removed the large watch that covered his wrist as he said, “I’ve already found my mate,” as her eyes landed on the mating mark that matched hers. Gently taking her hand into his, Kale pressed his mating mark against hers.

“You’re mine.”