Chapter 40
CHAPTER FORTY
Daphne
Small branches snapped under our feet as Travis led me deep into the forest, the path barely more than a game trail.
The sound of nearby crickets stopped as we passed them, then started up again behind us.
His bold, even strides told me he knew exactly where he was taking me.
This wasn’t just a random evening stroll through the trees.
“I hope that was a joke back there,” Travis said, his voice rough. “Because there is no one else. There will never be anyone else.”
“Travis, I know. You don’t need to—”
He put a hand to my sternum, pushed me against a tree trunk and leaned in close, his brows two dark slashes above his eyes.
“Yes, I do. If you have even a trace of doubt about the depth of my feelings for you, then I’ve failed as your mate.
There is no one but you.” Closing his wolf-yellow eyes, he took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I am not my father’s son.”
I stood on my tiptoes and pressed my mouth to his full lips. “I know you’re not.”
“And I am not him, either,” he growled, pulling me into his arms with a jerk, and burying his nose in my hair. He meant my ex-fiancé, so I was glad he didn’t say his name aloud in this moment. “I would never disrespect the woman I loved like that.”
Tears stung the back of my eyes and I melted into him. I loved the man that he was. “Are you going to tell me what you and Jada were talking about then?”
He mumbled something incoherent under his breath, then grabbed my hand and tugged me along the path again.
“Don’t tell me you’re going to take me somewhere to shift into your wolf and chase me down. If so, I should’ve worn running shoes.”
He cast me a sidelong glance, one brow lifted, and I swear, I saw a wolfish gleam in his eye. “Would you be into that sort of thing?”
I wasn’t really serious, but the way he asked made my heart race just a little. Some women had a masked man kink. Maybe I had a werewolf-chasing-me-through-the-woods kink.
I shrugged. “Depends on what would happen when you caught me. If murder is involved—namely mine—then probably not.”
The corner of his lip quirked. “Definitely not murder, but I can’t promise there wouldn’t be a little death or two.”
The terrain got a little rockier, the slope a little steeper, and soon we were standing on a bluff overlooking half the island.
Way down and to the right twinkled the lights of downtown Darkaway, while slightly behind us and to the left, you could see the lights of the ski resort.
Straight ahead, beyond the misty foothills barely visible in the darkness, was the Pacific Ocean.
“This view is incredible,” I breathed, stretching my arms out and taking it all in. “It’s like I’m on top of the world.”
When Travis said nothing, I turned. He had a faraway look in his eyes.
“I used to come up here after I had it out with my father, when I needed the clarity to think. Sometimes I even brought a sleeping bag when I couldn’t stand to sleep under the same roof as him, and unrolled it right over there.
” He indicated a flat spot near a large boulder.
“Alone?”
He nodded. “I’ve never brought anyone else up here until now.”
Warmth bloomed in my chest that he wanted to share this special place with me.
He spread out a small blanket he’d grabbed from the porch, and we laid down on the tall grass.
I snuggled into him and together, we watched the night sky.
Turned out, he knew the names of all the constellations without having to resort to a phone app.
Not surprising given his obsession with the moon.
A shooting star blazed into view and my breath hitched. I’d lived in the city for so long that I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen one. I tracked it until it fizzled out, while his hand lightly stroked the back of my arm.
“I realized something recently, but I didn’t think it was possible, so I told myself I was imagining things. Which is why I hadn’t said anything.”
I waited patiently for him to continue, my ear pressed to his chest.
“I confided in Matthew to get his opinion, and the bastard told Jada.”
A terrifying thought occurred to me and my stomach bottomed out. “Are you ill, Travis?”
A chuckle rumbled through his chest, and he gave my arm a reassuring squeeze. “No, nothing like that, my love. Quite the opposite, in fact.”
What was the opposite of sick? Being ultra-healthy? I couldn’t see how that was a problem.
“I don’t know how much you know about werewolf lore, and there’s a lot of horseshit out there, but some of it says that when the Alpha meets his fated mate, his inner wolf becomes absolutely feral for her. The rutting urge dominates his thoughts.”
He’d called me his fated mate at the final charm ceremony, and yes, we were having a lot of sex, but what did that even mean?
Irritation snaked up my spine at how male-centric it was.
“And what does werewolf lore say about the female in this scenario? Or is she just a vessel for the Alpha’s potent seed? ”
Travis snorted. “I told you it was horseshit.”
“So why bring it up?”
He took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “Lore says that during a full moon, the Alpha not only wants to mate with her, but the goal is to impregnate her.”
I stiffened. Was he bringing this up to broach the subject of wanting to keep me barefoot and pregnant so I could birth his ten children? A litter of pups that carried his DNA?
No, I told myself. He wasn’t like that. He gave off none of those vibes.
“If that’s what you’re concerned about, Travis, you know I’m on birth control.”
While the thought of having a mini-Travis or two running around the island was pretty appealing to my overactive ovaries, I certainly wasn’t in any hurry.
“No, that’s not it,” he blurted. “I’m not sure I even want to be a father. I didn’t exactly have the best example.”
I relaxed. We seemed to be on the same page after all.
He propped himself on his elbows and stared into the valley. “The only reason I’m bringing this up is that I’ve...noticed some things. Things that make me think that some of the lore may be legit.”
I frowned. “Like what?”
He sat all the way up and ran a hand through his hair. “So those ridges you feel when we have sex?”
A laugh burst from my throat. How could I forget them? “Travis, it’s one of your best features.” Just the thought of it rubbing against my clit made all my girly parts tingle now. “So how is that lore? I thought you told me that all male werewolves had them.”
“Lore says that during a full moon, once the Alpha is deep inside her, those ridges flare out, forming what’s essentially a knot. It locks them in place when they climax, thus giving him the best chance of getting her pregnant.”
To be honest, it sounded kind of hot. Damn. I didn’t have a breeding kink now too, did I?
“Since I’ve been on the island, hasn’t there been a full moon or two?” Being mated to a werewolf, I really needed to pay better attention to the moon cycles. “Or were we not fated at that point?” I didn’t understand how any of this worked, but I vowed to do better.
“My trips to Vancouver? Those were timed so I wasn’t around you then.”
“Let me see if I have this straight—you’re worried that no amount of birth control is enough to stop that potent Alpha seed of yours, so you had to leave the country?” I poked him playfully in the ribs, trying not to laugh at how ridiculous that sounded.
Instantly, he was on me, pushing me back on the blanket with a hand to my throat. Not enough to hurt, but enough that I gasped in surprise. Lips slightly parted, he gave a low, masculine growl, letting me know he did not find any of this remotely funny.
Okay, message received. A thrill chased through me at this unexpected show of dominance. “Fine. Sorry. I’m listening.”
He loosened his hold a little, but his eyes were dark, and he still looked mad as hell. “According to the lore, it can be painful for the female but impossible for the male to pull out. Even if he wants to.”
“Painful?”
“Extremely.”
My mind raced with what that meant. Like going through childbirth once a month? Losing your virginity every full moon? Yeah, good times.
I blew my breath out slowly. My man was deeply concerned about how this fated mates thing might affect me, that he would be the cause of my pain but would have no way to stop it.
And here I was, making a joke of it. With the White Wolf Moon right around the corner, he couldn’t just leave like he had before to keep me safe from him.
It would be impossible for us to be apart.
This was what had been bothering him these past few weeks.
He caged me between his muscular forearms and kissed me. Long and slow and deep. His tongue delving into my mouth, claiming me, as an aching heat pooled between my legs. I rolled my hips against the steel length of him pressed to my thigh, cursing the layers of clothing that separated us.
He drew back slightly, his breath hot against my skin. “And all of this is assuming the Alpha’s fated mate is a wolf. Who knows what it will be like for a human.”
My heart swelled as if it might burst from my chest. I loved his version of masculinity with every fiber of my being. The feral protectiveness. The intense desire to place my safety and comfort above all else.
I unbuckled his belt as he stripped off my jeans. Then he made love to me under the stars.