The Wolf Lord's Mate

Chapter Thirty-Five

I awoke in heaven.

Warmth surrounded me on all sides, pulling me from a blissful dream. I could not remember a time when I had slept so well without even waking once, sleeping through the whole night peacefully.

Humming, I tried to shift onto my back, but found that I could not move, something pinning me in place. There was a heavy pressure around my middle, a strong arm wrapped around my waist and holding me close.

Sunlight warmed my face, and I let out a small groan, burrowing further into the pillow that smelled so delicious it made my mouth water. Cinnamon and cloves, a delectable scent that spoke of comfort and safety.

It was the aroma of my favorite childhood sweet, of the sticky buns Mother would buy me from the bakery every birthday; the pastry soft and delicate enough to melt on the tongue. And that taste, that smell—sweet cinnamon and cloves. Their memory had always carried a deep craving with it, a desire to have something forbidden and just out of reach.

I was mere moments away from drifting back to sleep when I realized that it wasn't a pillow beneath my head. It was a bicep, the thick muscle connected to the source of warmth that surrounded me.

Blinking my eyes open slowly, my bleary vision focused on the hand resting on the bed next to me, prominent veins sticking out of the tanned skin. I stiffened, my stomach dropping as I remembered whose bed I was currently lying in, and whose arms enveloped me.

I had somehow managed to turn over onto my side, and Nathaniel's body was completely curled around mine. I tried to shift in his embrace, but the arm slung around my waist was too heavy to move, trapping me beneath it. Wiggling, I attempted to slide out from under it, but his grip merely tightened, tugging me back and closer into his chest.

A murmured sigh escaped his lips, and I felt the soft press of his lips on my neck, his hot breath on my skin as he nuzzled into me. A shiver ran down my back, relaxing my muscles and tempting my eyes to shut once more, but I was too aware now to fall back asleep.

"Nathaniel?" I nudged at his chest with my shoulder, but I received only a grunt in response. "Nathaniel, you need to get off of me."

"Go back to sleep," Nathaniel murmured, his voice husky with the sound of morning, "It's still early."

"There is daylight—I am not a Lord, and was not raised to laze about all morning." I wriggled in his hold, not ceasing until Nathaniel finally loosened his grip, letting me slip out from under his arm and slide as far to the edge of the bed as possible.

The moment my skin broke contact with his, the warmth surrounding me disappeared, replaced by an empty sort of cold. Every instinct willed me to crawl back into his arms, to reclaim the comfort that belonged to me.

Belonged to me?

Those words had popped into my mind far too easily, a strange possessiveness rising inside as I looked at Nathaniel's prostrate form.

That was new. In fact, the longing that I had felt before in his presence seemed to have doubled, my urge to be near him stronger than ever before. I narrowed my eyes at Nathaniel as he stretched, wiping sleep from the corners of his eyes.

Perhaps wanting to be near me was not the only reason he desired for us to share the same bed. Perhaps he had been eager for our nearness so that we might feed the bond, which had already been given more than enough fuel, especially after the long ride we had spent stuck together the previous day.

I had given in to another part of the bond last night, allowing him to hold me hours on end, and had unwittingly made it grow even stronger between us.

"There is a difference, my dear," Nathaniel leaned up in bed, running a hand through his tousled hair and stifling a yawn in his fist, "Between lazing and relaxing. You are not at the Manor and there are no chores or tasks to attend to here that must be taken care of right away. You are more than welcome to lay in with me. Consider me your personal pillow, my love."

Nathaniel fell back onto the pillow, the duvet slipping lower around his waist. The newly strengthened bond inside of me wanted nothing more than to cuddle up into his side, to let him hold me and stroke my hair the way he had done the night before.

"I'm sure that I can find something here that can fill my time, My Lord," I said, already shuffling my way out of bed, "I can wash the dishes from last night."

Nathaniel squeezed his eyes shut, rubbing at the bridge of his nose with a sigh, "Whatever you wish, little female." He swung his legs over the side of the bed, rising to join me.

"You do not need to help." I said, looking everywhere but his bare chest.

"I want to help," Nathaniel peered down at me, close enough now that I could see the stubble on his chin, "If you wish to spend your morning doing chores, then we will do chores. I would much rather spend it curled up in bed with you, but I will follow where you lead, My Lady."

"That is unnecessary," I huffed, "I do not—"
Nathaniel's hand appeared at the side of my jaw, his thumb pressing my lips shut before I could continue.

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