“No,” he grunts, like his word is final.

“We can move faster if I run myself,” I try to protest, but he just pulls me closer to him, his intent clear. A spark of anger flares inside me, but his words wash it away instantly.

“I know how to care for my mate. I can make everything perfect for you. You’ll never want to leave me. I’ll never be alone again.”

I let my body mold into his, resting my head on his shoulder as he continues to run. I breathe in his scent, and it finally soothes the ache inside me.

After about twenty minutes and no sign of him slowing down and the last of daylight fading away, I try again. “Where are we going?”

“Home.”

Ruby said he lived in the woods. I’m all about being with my mate, but I don’t think I can live in the woods. A few days maybe, but living there full time? Not so much.

“Where is home?”

“I built you a new home. If you don’t like it, I’ll rip it down and start over and make it however you like.” His voice is filled with so much pride that I can’t bring myself to ask if it’s a cave or something.

“I’m sure it’s perfect.”

“Almost. I just need to get you inside it.”

Chapter Seven Xavier

Once we near the clearing, I feel my mate tense. She must scent we’re close. “Just through these trees,” I confirm, answering her silent question.

I carry her so carefully, holding her close and wanting to protect her, but not too tightly as I’m afraid my strength could harm her and her soft skin. When I step through the thick leaves and branches, she lets out a gasp. I look down at her, wondering if a stray branch has caught her long hair, but I know I was careful and took the brunt of the tree limbs on my back.

“What’s wrong, mate? Are you harmed?” The worry that I let something happen to her is thick in my voice. I’ve lost one family before, one I failed to protect. I won't lose her. Not a hair on her head will ever be harmed while I breathe.

“It’s…” I watch her expression and see her face light up, her bright blue eyes shining brighter as she sees the cabin I’ve built for her. “It’s beyond anything I dreamed of. It’s like something from a fairy tale.”

My chest swells with pride as I walk her to the house and up the stairs of the porch. I’m happy my mate likes the home I have made for her. It’s where we will raise our family. I will keep her happy here, and she’ll never want to leave. I’ll be the perfect mate for her.

“I thought maybe you lived in a cave or something.” Gwen says the words as if in wonder, looking around the place. I remember the conversation I had with Dom about how I needed to make a good home for my mate and pups. He was right, and I’m glad I worked so hard for her.

“I’m a good mate.”

She locks eyes with me, and I see the blush creep across her cheeks as she smiles at me. I smell her desire for me. Her heat is rising, and my need is becoming impossibly stronger. A growl sounds from my chest.

I’ve heard that when a shifter finds their mate, the pull is instant. I wasn’t sure if I ever believed that, but I wanted it to be true. Even more so after I spent so much time in the wild. I didn’t look like a lot of the shifters anymore. My features had changed after spending too much time in wolf form, I knew I was unattractive. If my mate was attracted to me instantly, she wouldn't care what I looked like. She wouldn't have a choice. It might not be fair to my beautiful mate that she’s stuck with me, but I would take any advantage I could to keep her. Even if it was just Mother Nature making her stay.

If the stories are true, we need to bond now or the need will just become more painful. Once my semen is released inside my Gwen, the full heat should hit us hard and the mating frenzy will begin and stay until the full moon.

Carrying her over the threshold of our home, I kick the front door shut behind us and take her straight back to our bedroom. I don’t break eye contact with her as I take her over to the bed. “You can see the rest of the house later,” I tell her, needing to have her now. Between the mating pull and them trying to take her from me, I need to bond to her. Mark her now so I know she’s really mine. That they can’t try and take her from me again.

“Yes. Later,” she confirms, her wolf rising a little closer to the surface, making her blue eyes shift to a darker blue. A deep growl sounds low in her chest, and it’s clear her heat is gripping her tightly, too. I’m glad she’s feeling it as much as I am. It’s eating me from the inside out.

I set her down softly on the bed and feel my own eyes shift as she takes a step back from me. I don’t like that she’s putting any kind of space between us. I’m still completely naked from when I shifted in the cell and ripped all my clothes. My cock is long and hard and I’m sure it’s pointing right at my mate.

I’ve been so caught up in everything that happened, I missed that fact that my cock had become hard for the first time in my life. Until you find the one, your cock will remain soft and unaffected, desiring no one. Once you find your other half, it finally comes to life, and I have a feeling it’s going to stay that way having a mate like Gwen. She’s utter perfection. Her beauty is unmatched and it’s all mine.

Reaching down, I stroke the hardness, testing it and feeling the warmth flow through my body as I watch Gwen. I had no idea it would feel like this. My eyes narrow as I watch her hands quickly go to her dress, ripping it off her body along with the rest of her clothes. In seconds she’s before me, completely naked, and my mouth waters. All I can do is stare at her. I’ve never seen a naked woman before, and she has to be the most beautiful in the world. How she got stuck with a beast more animal than man, I’ll never understand. She deserves someone who can give her both sides. I growl at the thought of someone else giving her that. I will earn her affection another way. I am strong and fast and will show her how my animal being so close to the surface will work in her favor.