Free The Lion's Arranged Mate: A Paranormal Lion Shifter Romance by Lilly Pink Page A

it – the burden of her bloodline had been expurgated by her own hands. Up until then, the world for Anastasia had been a narrow path, of which she could always see the end. Now the world had opened on its hinge, and there was so much of it, she could hardly pinpoint gravity. It was as if she were floating into a vast space.
    Alan tightened his hand around hers, and suddenly she wasn’t floating anymore. The world hadn’t shrunk any less, but at least she was tethered to something solid. Her breath shook out of her again and she steadied herself.
    “You did it,” he said, holding her, “it’s okay now.” He reached down and wiped at the corner of her lips, dispelling the dried blood. She was a wild woman, as dangerous as she was beautiful, and in measures that would make any less of a man quiver in his boots.
    But she welcomed his touch, and leaned against him, pulling a lock of red hair out of her eyes. “I can’t go back,” she said, realizing it for the first time in her life. “Not that I want to. It’s just… strange, to realize that. I’ve officially burned the bridge behind me. I don’t regret it, I just… it’s like wearing a bracelet for so long you forget it’s there. And then when it’s taken off, you can’t imagine having not worn it.”             
    “I’ll buy you another bracelet,” he murmured.
    Alan hugged her tighter, his beard scratching her forehead, and she giggled. “That’s the nicest, cutest, tackiest thing anyone’s ever said to me,” she said, returning the hug. “Thank you for not intervening.”
    “If you hadn’t beaten up Elias squarely, I probably would have. But… I had every confidence in you,” he said, hoping she wouldn’t know he was lying. I was half a second away from breaking free from the Cloud and helping you anyway , he wanted to say, but kept it to himself.
    Behind them a long piercing shriek of a bald eagle crackled the air like cellophane. A light wind trailed down from the high mountains behind them, smelling like the sharp crack of new ice and wild flowers, and the skin on Anastasia’s arms bristled with goosebumps. There was only the sound of the wind rustling through green stems and the distant gurgling of the creek that wound through the fields.
    Anastasia gestured with her head to a small knoll among a clump of purple lupines. “There’s only one problem with shifting back and forth between my wolf form,” she said, hiding her smile with her hand.
    “Oh, and what’s that?”
    She tugged on his hand, leading him away from the road towards the mossy outcrop. “I get rather horny afterwards,” she said without blushing, “and it’s such a lovely morning. Can we rest in the flowers… just for a while?”
    Alan laughed, a full hearty laugh that reached into his arms and legs as he bounded with her. Their clothes trailed behind them like clues, and the only witness was a lonely eagle circling on thermals and bannisters of cloud.
     
     
     
     

THE FINAL CHAPTER
    The day of the wedding finally came. It seemed as if the whole affair with the Stormfangs was nothing more than a bad memory, and the daily routines of the two seemed to return to normal. At Anastasia’s behest, Alan was able to cover for Elias’ apparent transgression of the Council’s edict – in truth, it would have only made matters worse if they got wind of it. Besides, as far as all parties were concerned, it was over.
    Anastasia had chosen a red Chinese-style dress for the occasion – it hugged every angle of her body with a supple grace, and Alan joked that if she was intent on wearing it, she’d have to worry about the rest of the bachelors at the wedding trying to imagine what was underneath.
    “Let them,” she said with a wink, “only you know for sure.”
    This time Alan did rely on Kyle for a suit, however. It was a dark charcoal number that felt a little snug around the chest. Nevertheless, he had to admit he looked more than a little suave