Beauty Sleeps (Fairytale Shifter #2)(15)

Chapter Eight





Gwen




“You left me.” It all comes flooding back to me now, and I know why he seemed so familiar. How my brother seemed to know him and I didn’t. For some reason, it cuts deep and knocks the wind right out of me. Why does this hurt so much?

He diverts his eyes and sorrow shows clear on his face. A face that doesn’t look like it did years ago.

“Put me down, Xavier.” His eyes flash back to mine, and I see an inner battle play out. His shoulders slump forward a little. I don’t like this. I want the man who was here moments ago. He reluctantly puts me down, placing my feet on the floor, then takes a step back from me.

I reach out and snatch his wrist and growl. I’m upset, but my wolf is remembering that he once left us, and she won’t allow that to happen again. She’s taking over even if it still stings that he did it.

Pulling him by the wrist, I make my way to the bed. He doesn’t fight me, coming easily with me. I motion for him to sit and he does. It makes me smile. I love how he’s so willing to do what I ask. Some male wolves aren’t like that, but I don’t think my mate worries about who’s really alpha between us, because he clearly is. He seems to be more interested in making me happy.

When he sits, I climb onto his lap and fight the urge to slide him inside me once again. Some of the need has lessened, but I know it will be back soon and will only grow with each day until the full moon. I’m not sure how it’s going to be possible because I already feel utterly consumed. I’m not sure there’ll be anything left of us if we have to go at it for days.

He still shies away from looking at me, and I grab his face in my hands to make him look right into my eyes. A flash of his wolf comes through, and the hunger for me is there before he pulls it back and tries to look away.

“You said you’d always watch me,” I remind him, and I think back to when he used to watch me. It makes so much sense now. How I always felt so protected when he was near. The draw I felt towards him was something I’d never had for another person. Then he was gone, leaving an ache inside me.

Now he’s back. He’s my mate, and I only see traces of the man who was there before. I rub my thumbs along his prominent cheekbones, and now more than ever it’s clear he’s been in the wild. What caused him to leave me all those years ago? Sure, we didn’t know we were mates; we couldn’t have. I was too young and wouldn't have come of age until I was eighteen.

I still remember my eighteenth birthday. I was so scared I would find my mate amongst one of the local wolves, and now I know why I had that fear. In the back of my mind, I wanted it to be him.

When he doesn’t answer me, I push on. “I think you got hotter.”

His mouth parts at my words, and I lean down to take his lips. Pushing my tongue into his mouth, I taste his sweetness and moan at the flavor. He flips me over onto the bed so I’m beneath him once more. He deepens the kiss, his dominance returning. I love the way he makes me feel like a woman. I relish it for a moment before I strike.

I want back the confidence he had when he pinned me to the wall and f*cked me like he owned me. Grabbing him by the hair, I pull his head back from me, breaking our kiss.

“Why did you stop watching me?” I growl out the question, letting my aggression flow. I want him on edge with me.

“You deserved better. I couldn’t protect them. How could I ever protect you? Your brother gave me that reminder when he caught me watching you.”

I growl again and use my legs to flip him over. He goes to flip me back, but I place my hands softly on his chest and the gentle touch stops him.

His answer confuses me. “Who did you not protect?”

“My mother and sister. They were killed by hunters when I was…” I know what he can’t say. When he was watching me.

“Your brother caught me outside your window watching you sleep and told me what happened. He told me to stay away from you.” He takes a deep breath, looking deep into my eyes. “That day I lost everything.”

“Am I not here right now, Xavier? You haven’t lost everything.” He sits up with me still in his lap, pulling me so we are chest to chest.

“I don’t deserve you, but I’m keeping you. You’re here and you’ll go nowhere I’m not.” I should correct him and tell him I’ll go wherever I please, but I like the idea that he wants me by his side at all times. While it might not be possible, we can play with the idea for now.

I rub his long hair and beard and try to offer him some comfort. “You couldn’t have watched them every second of every day, my sweet mate.” I try to reason with him. Everyone shifts and goes out into the woods, oftentimes alone. I do it myself.

“I’ll never take my eyes off you. I’ve learned my lesson. No one gets close to you.” I ignore his words because that’s not something I’m going to touch right now. Not with the heat happening. I’m bound to get f*cked through the floor so he can prove his point. While it does sound appealing, I have a feeling I’m going to have my hands full with my wildly aggressive mate regardless of his having to prove anything.

“Where have you been?” I ask, changing the subject.

“In the wild.” He confirms what I thought might be true. It explains a lot. Why he’s so much wilder than the rest of us. I’m not sure if he’s even a member of our pack.