Zoey flinched back as if he’d slapped her when his words landed. They stung and not just because they were a shock. They hurt because she could feel the bond stretching between them, feel the worry and fear that must have been simmering inside of Rafe. The heat, the intense longing, had settled some since they mated but now she could feel everything else he was feeling. Like remorse, and God did that hurt.

She hadn’t wanted this. Just a few hours ago she hadn’t wanted Rafe. She hadn’t wanted a bond to him. Even when she’d felt the need to move towards him at the lodge she hadn’t truly wanted to do it. But the heat had taken over, had made the decision for her and now it was too late.

He was a part of her. Inside of her. In her heart. She could feel him and it hurt… It hurt to think that now that the heat had waned he didn’t want her.

He hadn’t bit her. The words made her head spin. Made everything she thought she knew turn upside down. Because he hadn’t bit her.

No. That wasn’t right. He had. He must have. The heat demanded they bond and it wouldn’t be sated if they hadn’t. But then the little voice in the back of her mind asked how much she really knew about the mating bond of werewolves.

She wasn’t one of them even if she’d grown up around them. And bonds were intimate. Special. They were between the two mates. Not many talked about the magical experience so everything Zoey knew was going off of lore, small-talk and gossip really.

It didn’t matter. She shook off the knowledge that she was in way over her head in this. Rafe had bit her. She knew he had. He’d said that she was his and he was hers. So he must have bit her…

But she raised her hand to her neck and found nothing but smooth, scarless, untouched skin.

Her memory of them in the woods played in a loop. The way he’d laid her down on the soft green grass. The way his eyes had blazed gold as he stripped her naked and followed her down. The heat of his kisses. The softness of his touch. The way he felt moving inside of her. The way her body had stretched to fit him as though it were made for him and him alone.

And yet, her eyes flashed back to his, “You…”

“Didn’t bite you.” Rafe confirmed softly.

She felt her bottom lip tremble, the rush of emotions from the half-formed bond was overwhelming. She couldn’t discern her emotions from Rafe’s. She felt so many different things all at once and she couldn’t seem to hold any of it back. She felt tears well in her eyes and her vision blurred.

“Oh, baby, no… no. Please don’t cry.” Rafe was there instantly, his big, warm hands cupping her face, smoothing her hair back and swiping the lone tear that escaped from her cheek, “Please?”

His touch was soothing yet electric. It sent a surge of need through her but at the same time, it made her want to curl into his arms for comfort. She knew letting him touch her right now would only confuse her emotions more but she couldn’t bring herself to pull away from him.

She wasn’t strong enough.

“I.. I…I don’t understand.” She met his worried gaze and shook her head, “Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why?” She demanded more forcefully when he seemed confused, “Why didn’t you bite me? You were supposed to and you didn’t. Do you… do you not want me as your mate? Is it because of the Michael thing or…”

Zoey could feel the panic beginning to clog her throat. He didn’t want her. He’d sated the heat but he didn’t want a mate. He’d given in to it because there was no fighting the magic when it called but he didn’t intend to seal it. Not fully.

This way, he could leave again. Leave Noir. Leave the pack. Leave her.

“Hey. Hey. Shhh.” He cut her off, “No. It’s none of that. No. Don’t even think like that, Zoey. I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anything. You’re mine. You’re my mate.”

“But…”

“But there are two parts to a claiming. My human half is yours, Zo. That’s why you can feel my emotions. You must feel how much I want you. Right?”

She swallowed hard but managed a nod.

He was right. She could feel him. She was almost certain that it was the rush of his emotions that had woken her up. The conflicting feelings of what he wanted versus what he thought he could have. She could feel him and it felt… right.

Or at least it had until he told her he didn’t bite her. He’d held back and mates weren’t supposed to be able to hold back, not in the midst of a mating bond. It was magic and moonlight. It was strong. Stronger than any other force. But somehow, he’d resisted it and she didn’t, couldn’t, understand why.

“The second half of the bond is the wolf’s claim.” Rafe met her eyes, making sure she was with him, “It’s a big deal to take a wolf’s bite, Zoey and I didn’t want to do it in the heat of the moment because there’s no going back from it. Not for either of us.”

“Is there any going back from… this?” She motioned between them, still confused.

Rafe sighed and released her to run a hand over his face, “If you wanted out…”

“I don’t.”

“Me either.” His face softened fractionally, “The bond is there between us but it’s only half formed until my other half claims you as well. I could’ve done it tonight, in the heat of the moment, but I wanted you to have a clear head and know what you’re getting yourself into. I want you to agree to it instead of just having to accept it.”

Zoey blinked but remained quiet instead of asking the dozens of questions on the tips of her tongue. Because Rafe was hurting. It was right there on his face but deeper than that, she could feel how worried he was. He had more to say and he didn’t know how she would take it so she waited for him to find the words.

Rafe finally sighed again, “Do you know what happens when a werewolf bites a human, Zoey?”

“I… uh… a werewolf bite is lethal to a human nine times out of ten.” She shook her head, “But not if the human is mated to the wolf.”

“Right. If the human is mated, what happens?”

“Well, um…” She chewed her bottom lip and shrugged, “I become like you.”

Rafe’s eyes glowed gold with his wolf and he smirked, “Yeah, you become like me. That’s the shorthand. You get a wolf, Zoey. Our bond will create a new wolf inside of you. You’ll be dual natured. You’ll change every full moon. You won’t be human anymore.”

Zoey was still confused, “I know all that, Rafe.”

“Okay… well…” He dropped his head into his hands and didn’t look at her, “What you don’t know is that if the wolf doesn’t do it right, it can be extremely dangerous.”

“Dangerous?” She was about to ask what he was talking about again but he pushed to his feet and paced away.

Rafe was rubbing his face. Scratching his head. His shoulders were tense and everything inside of her told her that he was contemplating walking out the door. Walking away from her because of some perceived threat that she didn’t even know about.

“Rafe!” She stood up too even though she felt a little dizzy when she did.

“Damn it, Zo.” He spun to face her and was instantly at her side, guiding her back down onto the couch and tucking the blanket back around her, “Your body is still recovering from the mating. You need to rest.”

“What I need is for you to tell me what’s going on.” She held onto him so he was forced to sit down beside her. “Why is finishing the bond dangerous, Rafe?”

“Because my wolf is dangerous.” He admitted softly, “Michael was right. My wolf is feral. He’s dangerous and I don’t trust him with you. I’m afraid he’ll hurt you.”

Zoey softened, “Rafe, I’m your mate. You’d never hurt me.”

“My wolf…”

“I’m his mate too.”

“Not yet. Not until he bites you.” Rafe pulled her into his lap and Zoey could feel how much he needed her touch, just as much as she needed his, so she cuddled against him and let him wrap her up tight, “Zo, in an ideal situation we’d have more time. More time for him to get to know you, to adjust to the idea of having his mate so close and to know that we finally found our home. But we don’t have time.”

She nuzzled under his chin, “Because the full moon is tomorrow?”

“Yeah.” He was stroking her hair softly, “The full moon is tomorrow and I don’t know if I can control him. He’s liable to go crazy and attack you just to sink his teeth in you and claim you and I’m not sure he’ll know when to stop.”

Zoey’s heart hurt with affection for this man. He was so scared that he would hurt her he was actually considering leaving her. Silly wolf. He wouldn’t hurt her. She trusted him. Even if he didn’t trust his wolf. Poor man. He was so broken but she could see it now, see that this was the first step in putting him back together.

“Rafe. He’ll stop. He won’t ravage me. I’m his mate.”

He rubbed his cheek against hers, “You can’t know that.”

“I trust you.” She tilted his face until they were eye to eye and she could see the worry in those fathomless depths, “I trust both of you.”

“Zo…”

She kissed him. She didn’t know how else to shut him up. And she wanted to kiss him. So she did. She pressed her lips to his and jolted at the spark of electricity that flared between them. The bond, it had to be. Attraction and lust and something deeper, something that she knew without a doubt would turn into a deep and unending love if they were open to it. She kissed him and he groaned slightly before taking control from her.

His lips devoured hers as if he’d been starving for another taste and she wrapped her arms around him. Dominant man. Her dominant man. Her mate. He kissed her just as passionately, as deeply, as he had when the heat was between them and she melted for him all over again. She was silently cursing the clothes he’d put on while she was sleeping when he nipped her lip and pulled away.

“Zo…” He groaned her name this time as if he was struggling. “I have an idea.”

“Me too.” She nipped his lips right back and he growled at her.

That sound. Oh, that sound was going to drive her crazy. It made her wet and needy and she wiggled in his lap until he securely held her still with his hands on her waist.

“Zoey, focus.” He met her eyes but there was a mischievous glint there that she thought she might become addicted to very, very easily, “I have an idea but I need to ask you something first.”

“Okay.” She bit her lip and nodded as seriously as she could manage with heat running through her veins again.

“Do you want me to bite you and give you a wolf? You won’t ever be rid of me if you do. I’ll never leave you. I’ll protect you from everything, including myself. I swear I’ll be yours and only yours and I’ll do my damndest to be the kind of man, and mate, that you deserve.”

Zoey tangled her hands in his hair, “Rafe, you’re already my mate. I trust fate. I trust you. And I trust your wolf. I told you, I’m yours.”

The relief that washed through her was his. She was already getting better at picking out her emotions from his. She was made for this. For him. She’d trust him enough for the both of them until he learned he could trust himself again.

“If I bite you tonight, my wolf might be more controllable tomorrow. Maybe. I don’t know for sure but… I think if I mark you then he’ll understand that you’re already ours and there’s no need to hunt you down and take you.”

She swallowed hard at the way he said it. His wolf hunting her down and ravaging her definitely didn’t sound like a nice way to spend their first full moon together. She wanted his wolf to like her, want her and trust her. That wouldn’t happen if he thought he had to take her, as Rafe put it.

“Then bite me.” She smiled softly, “Mark me. Claim me, Rafe. I want it. I wanted it in the woods.”

“Your head wasn’t clear in the woods. I’m still not sure it’s clear. The bond…”

“Is getting stronger, just like you said.” She cut him off with a soft kiss, “I know you’re scared but you don’t have to be. Not anymore. You’re not in this alone.”

He tangled his hand in her hair, a low sound coming straight from his chest that made her wince because it was so sad. He’d been alone for so long. He’d lost his family and his mind and control of his wolf that day in the woods. He’d left Michael behind and he’d lost the pack and his position in the process. He’d been out there running wild, all alone, ever since. But now he had her and she wasn’t going anywhere. He needed to understand that from the start.

Rafe pressed his forehead to hers, “The bite, it’ll bind us together forever. No going back. You’ll be a wolf and she’ll be as mated to mine as I am to you.”

Sweet, broken man, so worried about her that he was still giving her ways out of this but she shook her head, “Bite me, Rafe.”

“My wolf…”

“Mark me.” She cut him off.

“It might not…”

“Claim me.” She wrapped her arms around him and straddled his lap, “Claim me, Rafe. I’m your mate.”

His eyes looked pained as she pushed away the blanket he’d wrapped her in even as a low growl worked in his chest, “Zoey…”

“I trust you.” She met his eyes again, “Now, let me see him.”

Rafe frowned but his wolf was already so close to the surface she felt the ripple of magic and power even before his eyes flashed wolf. The gold glowed and the growl in his chest went from sexy to dangerous in a split second. She didn’t flinch, simply met those gold eyes and softly stroked her mate’s cheek.

“I trust you.” She told the wolf in her man’s eyes, “Don’t hurt me. Please.”

Rafe squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head firmly, “Never.”