Wolf Girl (Wolf Girl, #1)(50)

I quickly brushed my teeth, slipped into the new clothes, including the walking boot, and towel dried my long blond hair. Then I stepped out of the room and froze.

“Sawyer, are you sure? If we call off the mating selection and she’s not the one—”

“She’s the one,” he growled, and my stomach bottomed out. A huge grin swept across my face and I wanted to run out there and jump into his arms, but I was totally snooping so I stayed where I was.

“Meredith is a safe bet,” his mother said, and the grin fled from my face.

“I don’t love Meredith.”

There was a deep long sigh as his mother seemingly weighed his words. “You don’t have to love them back, son. Our entire family is depending on you—”

“I’d like you to go now, Mother. I’ve made my choice. It’s Demi, it’s always been her.”

Holy fuck.

This conversation was so confusing but I didn’t care. The only part that mattered was that Sawyer basically just said he chose me.

“If you’re sure, I’ll call an early announcement for a few days’ time.” She sounded dejected.

“Thank you,” Sawyer responded, annoyance in his voice.

The clipped sound of high heels fled down the hallway and then the front door shut.

“You can come out now,” Sawyer spoke into the room and I flinched. How did he know I was there? Hopefully his mom didn’t.

I stepped out gingerly, limping on the walking boot, and Sawyer let his gaze rake up and down my body. It wasn’t his usual hungry gaze, he was searching for wounds.

He tipped his head to the door. “Did you hear all that?”

I shrugged. “Just the part about you choosing me … no big deal.”

A slow grin pulled at his mouth and he stepped closer to me and released a shaky breath. “From the moment I first saw you … I knew you were mine.”

It was like time stopped; my breathing definitely did; and maybe even my heart too. I think I actually died for a minute when he said it. It wasn’t in a possessive way, it was just matter of fact, like we were made for each other.

I swallowed hard and he stepped closer. “Well, my wolf knew. I didn’t want to freak you out, and I’m not sure if you feel the same because your wolf and you are so separate…” His face faltered. “Come to think of it, I’m probably freaking you out right now.” He ran a nervous hand through his hair. “I, uh … I dunno, Demi, I just … what I’m trying to say is—”

I cut his words off with a kiss, pressing my body flat against his, and was rewarded with a moan. His fingers gently came around the back of my neck to cradle my head as my lips parted and our tongues slid against each other. Sawyer thought my wolf and I were separate, and in a way we were, but I’d felt the same from day one about him, I just never wanted to admit it. Survival instinct, or whatever you want to call it, I just didn’t want to get hurt. Knowing that he felt the same, it smashed every wall I had built.

His hand trailed up the back of my shirt and I raked my fingers down his back, causing him to freeze. He pulled away and looked down at me and I frowned.

“What’s wrong? Did I hurt you?” I asked.

He shook his head. “No, I just … we need to talk about something. Can you come sit down?” He pulled away from me, taking the heat of his body with him, and I frowned.

Fuck. This was not what I expected we’d be doing right now after he all but declared his love for me.

Talking.

I sat on the couch next to him and he faced me, mouth in a hard line, eyes distant. His brokenness was close to the surface, and I knew whatever it was, it would be bad. But I wouldn’t judge him for it, Lord knew I had my own issues.

“I don’t know how to say this, it’s been a secret for so long … I don’t even know how to vocalize it.”

Okay … I was getting more scared by the moment. “Just tell me.” Because I was imagining the worst. He’s already mated and has a kid. He can’t marry me because of what I am. Out with it! I wanted to shake him, but it was clear he needed a moment.

“There’s … there’s a curse over my family,” he breathed, and I frowned. That was not what I was expecting him to say.

“Okay, like how?” Did he turn into an ogre at midnight, because not gonna lie, that would suck.

He chewed his bottom lip. “Sage doesn’t even know this, okay? It’s like top secret. I’m only supposed to tell the woman I choose on our wedding night.”

Whoa. The entire atmosphere in the room shifted and everything felt really scary all of a sudden. “Sawyer, just tell me, I’m freaking out.”

He grabbed my hands. “Okay, sorry, I mean, it’s not that big of a deal. Just … about a thousand years ago my great-great-great-great grandfather pissed off a Danai witch and she cursed our entire family line.”

I nodded, needing him to get on with what the actual curse was! My mind ran wild with fairy tales I’d heard as a kid. Did he turn into a frog? Would he die on his thirtieth birthday? What?

He swallowed hard. “By my twenty-third birthday, I have to find a wife to marry me who actually loves me for me.”

He breathed out like he had been holding in too much air.

I frowned. “Wait … what? You just have to marry someone that loves you? Okay … that’s easy. Obviously half the school loves you. I mean, twenty-three is a bit young but—”