Chapter 32
Mark
I close the door after sending Ethan home.
When I turn around, Sandra is standing in the middle of the room, pulling at the hem of her shirt, her bare feet on the carpet.
My gaze slides over her small, delicate body, swallowed up by my clothes, and something inside me purrs with satisfaction.
But her restless fingers on the hem of her shirt betray her tension.
"Come here," I murmur, offering my hand.
She hesitates for a second before intertwining her fingers with mine. Her skin is warm, soft, and just the touch calms me in a way that nothing else can.
She looks into my eyes with those beautiful eyes of hers, biting the corner of her mouth.
"Are you hungry?" she asks softly. "I know you took a nourishing potion a little while ago, but it doesn't satisfy hunger, it just nourishes... I can make you something to eat..."
I smile lupinely, letting my gaze slide slowly over her body. My eyes stop at the tips of her breasts, hard beneath the fabric of her white shirt.
My mouth fills with water.
"My hunger isn't for food, Kitten. I have much better ideas..."
Her eyes widen and a blush colours her cheeks.
"You look like the big bad wolf about to devour me."
I let out a low laugh and squeeze her hands in mine, pulling her closer to me.
"You have no idea how right you are, my Kitten. And I am a very, very hungry wolf."
I tilt my head and kiss the curve of her neck, running my tongue over the velvety strip of her choker.
She trembles, and I can feel her arousal mingling with mine in the air. I inhale deeply the natural scent she exudes, rubbing my nose against the spot behind her ear before murmuring:
"As much as I want to spread your legs and taste every part of you..." I bite her delicate earlobe and she purrs, pressing her breasts against my body. "I want to show you something first, and we need to talk."
I pull my face away from her neck and she blinks a few times, seeming to come out of a trance.
"A-all right," she whispers.
I squeeze her hand and pull her towards the stairs, guiding her to the guest room door. The room is practically empty, except for the wardrobe in the corner, which I used to use to store a few extra things. But now, it's hers.
I open the wardrobe doors, revealing what's inside: some cat products, clothes I bought the day I saw her in human form, dresses in the same style she wore, boots, sandals, underwear...
Everything she might need. For both her forms.
Her eyes widen as she touches the hangers with hesitant fingers.
"How...? When...?" Her breathing quickens. "You bought all this... for me?"
I cross my arms, watching her reaction.
"Who else would it be for? Of course it was for you."
She bites her lip, looking away.
"I don't know..." She shrugs. "I thought maybe it could have been someone else's before me. An ex-girlfriend..."
A low growl escapes my throat before I can stop myself. I hold her face, forcing her to look at me.
“There was no one before. There will be no one after. Only you. My female. Don’t ever doubt that.”
Her eyes shine, and she licks her lips before whispering:
"Okay..."
I can't resist any longer. I take her mouth in a deep kiss, savouring every soft moan she gives me, but I pull away before I completely lose control.
"You can get changed. Take your time, I'll be waiting for you in the living room."
She hesitates, biting the corner of her mouth.
"What if I want to keep wearing your shirt?"
My chest fills with possessive pride.
My wolf howls inside me, satisfied.
"You can do whatever you want, Kitten. Keep the shirt, wear a dress, stay naked... Here you have the freedom to be and do whatever you want."
She holds her breath, her green eyes widening.
"You said that before, didn't you?"
I smile.
"Yes, on your first night here at the cabin. Your essence was still imperceptible, but I felt the connection of a fated mate... And I wanted you to understand that with me, here, you will always be safe. That you would never need to be afraid. Not of me. Never of me."
"Mark..." Her voice breaks as she throws herself against me, rubbing her face against my chest and wrapping her arms around me.
I stifle a groan as the pressure on my bruised ribs intensifies. Earlier, while we were kissing, the pain was swallowed up by excitement; desire clouded everything, even my judgement. But now, without my cock rubbing between her legs, the pain appears, throbbing and insistent.
Still, I don't loosen my embrace.
There is no pain I would not endure for her.
She pulls away just enough to look at my face, and her smile fades when she sees my expression. She jumps away, agile as a cat.
"I'm sorry! I forgot about your injury again!" Her voice is tearful, full of guilt.
I chuckle softly and pull her towards me once more, this time guiding her hands to my shoulders, keeping her close but without pressing on the wound.
"I wasn't complaining, was I? I hadn't finished hugging you yet."
She sighs and hides her face in my neck, taking a deep breath. I do the same, inhaling the scent of her hair. The smell of my female.
"We really need to talk, I have to tell you something before I lose control again," her voice comes out low, hesitant.
I frown, tense.
"What?"
She pulls away slightly, meeting my gaze.
"I... I didn't stay in cat form just because I was too weak to transform, Mark. I was cursed."
My whole body shudders, the beast slipping beneath my skin, roaring, begging to be let out. Every fibre of my being, every instinct, every damn part of me screams to protect my female.
My breathing quickens, air rushing in and out in irregular gasps. My jaw clenches until the pain radiates across my face. My fists clench, ready to tear apart whoever dared to touch her, imprison her, curse her.
"Who?" My voice is low, but laden with a fury that makes Sandra flinch. "Who did this to you?"
She hesitates.
"Mark..."
"Tell me his name, now." My body vibrates, adrenaline burning in my blood, driving me to action. "I'll make him bleed, suffer, and beg for mercy until his last breath."
It doesn't matter that I'm injured. It doesn't matter that I can barely breathe without feeling pain in my ribs or that my essence is crawling like a slug inside me.
I'll find whoever did this and rip their throat out with my own claws.
"You need to calm down." She holds my arm, trying to restrain me, her warm palm pressing against my skin.
"You can't go out like this, you're still weak.
It's not that urgent right now, I can force the transformation for a few minutes.
.. sometimes even a few hours. It seems like the curse is weakening. "
I breathe in through my nose, trying to contain the rage that threatens to blind me. My body trembles with frustration. I should have realised. I should have protected her.
"Are you sure?" My voice comes out hoarser than I intend.
"Yes, Balthazar mentioned something about me being able to break it... if I know the key. But I have no idea what that is." She sighs, pressing her lips together.
The mention of his name ignites another spark of rage inside me.
"Balthazar knew this and did nothing?!" My roar fills the space. The window glass creaks with the vibration of my contained power.
Sandra flinches slightly but holds tight to my arm, anchoring me.
"It wasn't the right time, you were dying, Mark. We were trying to keep you alive, trying to understand what was preventing your healing, what was poisoning you... and then we had to take you to the old witch..."
The heat of hatred dissipates in an instant, giving way to a bitter cold that plummets into my stomach like an ice cube, sending shivers down my spine.
"No..." The whisper escapes before I can stop it. "You didn't go to her, did you?"
Sandra closes her eyes briefly, as if gathering strength to continue. My chest tightens even more when I see a single tear roll down her cheek.
"Balthazar did what he could, but he wasn't strong enough for the ritual that would save you. Few wizards are. The only option was the elder, Mark. He guided us to her, Ted carried you in his arms and..."
My eyes close tightly, and my body falters for a second. I know what this means. I know that no one gets away with making a deal with her.
I swallow hard before asking what I need to know.
"What did she charge? Ted... what did he pay for this?"
Sandra's shoulders shake, and another tear rolls down her cheek.
"He had nothing to offer. Not without hurting himself irreversibly. So... I paid." Her lips curve into a tremulous smile, a cruel contrast to the weight of what she has just said. "I paid with some of my extra lives to keep you alive. And I would do it again, Mark. If I had to."
The ground disappears beneath my feet. My chest tightens in a way I've never felt before, as if invisible claws are tearing me apart from the inside. My knees buckle, hitting the floor with a thud, but the physical pain is nothing compared to what consumes me inside.
My head lolls forward, and I bury my face in the belly of my female, my fated mate, the one I should protect at all costs.
"No..." The word comes out hoarse, broken, a lament, a plea, a curse against myself.
My arms wrap around her waist, my fingers digging into her skin as if, by holding her, I could undo what has been done.
But it's too late. The sacrifice has already been made.
She gave for me what I should never have allowed to be taken.
My entire body bows before her, in reverence, in guilt, in a plea for forgiveness that I may never be worthy of receiving.
"I don't deserve you."
She cups my face in her hands, the delicate touch contrasting with the firmness of the gesture, forcing me to look at her.
"You rescued me, sheltered me, protected me, healed me... You saved me in ways you can't even imagine." Her green eyes shine, intense as emeralds. "How can you think you don't deserve me?"
"Sandra..."
Her name escapes my lips like a prayer, hoarse, full of devotion.