The Wolf Lord's Mate

Chapter Thirty-One

Nathaniel's expression was almost unreadable, but I had spent enough time around him to notice the determined glint in his eye. "I will accept whatever you choose to give me, whether it is a moment of your time or the warmth of you in bed next to me. I will take you where you are, one step at a time."

"One step is all you will get." I said.

"For now." He smiled, eyes once more glinting in the low light.

Nathaniel brushed past my arm on his way over to the steps, my breath catching in my throat as a light flurry of tingles danced over my skin.

"Forever." I corrected, keeping a small distance between us as I followed him over.

Nathaniel grabbed a candle from the table, and stopped in front of the ladder steps, holding out a hand for me to take. I merely stared at him, waiting for him to go up first.

"After you?" Nathaniel offered with a coy smile.
"Certainly not," I offered a smile of my own, although mine was far less pleasant, "I'll let you lead, My Lord."

"I do prefer leading," Nathaniel climbed up the steps, locking eyes at me from over his shoulder, "I perform at my best when I'm in full control." I narrowed my eyes at his back as a series of images forced their way into my mind unwanted, most of which started with me rolling my eyes, and ended with me pinned beneath him.

Nathaniel opened the door at the top of the ladder-steps, ducking under the doorway, and holding it open for me as I entered after him.

The bedroom was small; the loft-style space giving it a cozy feeling and the roof slanted in an A-frame. A chest of drawers was pressed up against the same wall as the door, the only space it could fit, seeing as the majority of the room was taken up by the bed. It sat on a low frame, so wide that it touched both sides of the wall, with pillows stacked up against the window that looked out into the woods. A plush duvet draped across it, and stacks of blankets and furs spilled out of a trunk that sat at the end of the bed. Nathaniel placed the candle on the chest of drawers, the space small enough that just that tiny bit of light was enough to cast the space in a warm, golden glow.

My sore back practically screamed at me to bury myself under the bedding and never emerge again, but my feet were planted firmly on the wooden slats below my feet. Although the bed was bigger than necessary for two people, Nathaniel's stature was far larger than that of even the average Wolf. And with the walls on either side, I would have no place to escape.

I jumped as a warm hand came to rest at the small of my back, the touch featherlight through the fabric of my dress.

"I meant what I said," Nathaniel placed his finger under my chin, guiding me to look up at him, "I will move at your pace, and all I wish to do tonight is to sleep beside my mate." His expression was earnest, but there was a hunger beneath it. A desperate need for my attention, for my company, for—me. I had only ever felt fear before when I saw the intensity of his emotions, but I could not deny that there was something else mixed up in it now too.

Power, almost, that I was the one making him feel this way. And as terrifying as it was, I knew that I could trust him to keep his word. For now at least, Nathaniel was too desperate for me to like him to do anything that might scare me away. The question was how long that would last. I was sure that even the most powerful Wolf had limits to his self control, but hopefully I would have found a solution to this little mate-bond problem before we got to that point.

"We should be get ready for bed." I said quietly, and Nathaniel paused, almost as if he were waiting for me to change my mind.

"There are clothes for you in the drawers," Nathaniel motioned to the chest of drawers, "I had Leo purchase dresses similar to the ones I've seen you wear before."

"And nightclothes?" I asked, sliding open the top drawer and glancing inside. Similar, yes, but they were far nicer than my typical clothes, and the fabrics were of a fine make. I could not see any nightdresses, however, and I slid open the second drawer—no such luck. "Nathaniel, did you ask Leo to get nightclothes?"

I glanced back at Nathaniel, who simply looked confused, hands resting on his hips. "Nightclothes?" Nathaniel repeated.

"See, this is why you should have let me pack my own things," I sighed, sliding the drawers shut, "I can sleep in my slip." It wasn't ideal, as I had been wearing it all day, but if the alternative was sleeping naked, I would happily take the slip.

"Nonsense." Nathaniel reached past me, his body brushing against mine and sliding more of those delicious tingles across my skin. I stepped back, but there wasn't much room to get away up there, the space far too intimate. Nathaniel slid open the bottom drawer, and pulled out a cream undershirt, long-sleeved with a a string tie at the collar. "Wear this—It's large enough that it'll practically be a nightdress on you."

"Alright—but you'll have to turn around while I change." I took the shirt, "Or go downstairs."

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