Page 69 of His Curse
“Lark, wait. Please wait.”
Damn psychic link.
All wolves are linked, all connected to be able to communicate telepathically while we're in our wolf form, and it's stronger when you’re part of the same pack or share blood, or a mate bond.
Of course he'd shift too and try to keep talking to me, it'll be easier for both of us despite the shit going on with our bodies. I’d like to say I hate him for being so smart but, unfortunately, I can’t because I feel like I’m dying, and it sort of impresses me.
“I don't want your help, Colton,”I snap.
“You're in heat.”
“No shit!”I growl before I howl in pain then race through the woods to get away from him. “What gave it away?”
“Let me help you! I can help you through this,”Colton groans.
“No!”Like an idiot, I glance back at him and almost trip over what I see.
I'm not sure why I was expecting that gigantic silver monstrosity of a wolf he was when I first met him. There was no response when Colton shifted to that, no communication whatsoever, and he honestly seemed like something completely separate from Colton or his wolf. So, why I thought that's what I'd see chasing my painfully horny ass through the woods is stupid, and it did not prepare me for what I actually do see.
My mate is beautiful as a man, so fucking sexy, but his wolf, hisactualwolf, is gorgeous.
And fuckinghuge.
Not quite as big as the silver one, but Colton is hands down the biggest wolf I have ever seen and he is so beautiful I can't even put it into words.
His fur is a deep mahogany color with blackish-brown tips.
The face of a fucking Alpha, Colton’s status unquestionable in this state, especially with his whisky eyes swirling bright gold and a touch of blue around the pupil, with his fangs extended and razor sharp. There is an obvious air of dominance, and so much power rolling off my mate in waves. Colton's wolf is a well-oiled machine, a beautiful, massive beast full of unmatched strength and control while still managing to be graceful with each fluid movement, and he’s not giving me hardly any time to admire him because those movements are eating up the space between us quicker than I realized.
So, I refocus and run faster, push aside my pain the best I can and ignore my mate’s pleas.
Right up until he forces me not to.
Colton gets closer and closer, his growls and barks louder with each foot he eliminates between us. He's so close I feel his ragged breath on the pads of my back paws and when I lose my balance from his proximity, when my pain causes me to lose my focus for a minute, that's when my mate makes his move.
He lunges for me, nips at my left leg then shoulders my hip hard enough to send me skidding slightly. Colton uses his momentum and his giant block head, butts it right into my side, and sends us both rolling to a stop before he pins me on my back.
“Fucking stop, already. I want to help you,”he growls down at me.
“No!”I narrow my eyes and snort in his face. “I don't want your help, or your pity. You know what this all means, know what would happen if you helped me. I'm not about to let you ease me through this shit just so you can hate me for the rest of our lives because, oops, looks like we mated.”
“Why the hell would I hate you because of that?”
I squirm beneath him and try to wiggle free, but Colton uses his front paws to hold me down. “Because youwouldend up mating me, jackass. You rejected me once, something I should have just accepted, but I felt... I thought it was because of what happened. I didn't want to believe it was because you didn't wantme, because I wasn't good enough and now…”An involuntary howl rips from my throat, the pain of my heat coupled with the pain in my heart too much for even my wolf to bear.
“And now what, Lark?”
I whimper and whine but don't look away. “And now that I look like a patchwork quilt, you made it obvious you're disgusted by me.”
Colton growls, growls low and menacing. “You think I'm disgusted by you? Think I don't feel like you're good enough for me?”
“You rejected me, Colton! You rejected me and our bond years ago, and when I saw you for the first time since then, you couldn't even look me in the eye. It’s clear that you want nothing to do with me outside of the information I can offer about the lab, and if you were to help me now, you'd just hate me even more because of what it would mean later.”
If wolves could cry, I'd be fucking bawling.
It's one thing to think these things, to feel them and think them on the inside by myself, but to voice them out loud, especially to my Colton... fuck, it really does feel like I'm dying.
Or maybe that's just the incredible pain radiating through my entire body.
