Free Hers (Snowy Mountain Wolves) by Christin Lovell Page B

You assumed.” Her voice grew thicker as fresh tears gathered in her eyes. She choked back a sob. “You didn’t ask me. You gave me no options, just like… him. ”
    “You sure as hell didn’t seem to mind in there.” My temperature dropped as my anger blossomed, raising stubborn, internal walls.
    I was shutting down. Who the fuck wanted to hear their mate say they didn’t want to be with them forever?
    She closed her eyes, sighing. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. You’re…you’re an anomaly. I don’t know if you make me gay or make me straight with an exception. Hell, maybe I’ve been bi this whole time and didn’t know it.” She met my gaze. “You’re beautiful, but biting me proved we want different things. Just like him , you want a forever I don’t think I’m prepared to give someone like you.”
    I gave her some space by sliding over on the step. Crossing my arms defensively, I pushed for the truth. “And just what the hell am I like, honey, since you’ve got me all figured out?”
    She smiled wistfully, sniffing as her tears began to dry. “You’re sexy and confident; you’re fearless. You’re the opposite of all I will ever be. You deserve more, Ellie.”
    I scoffed. “That’s such a crock of shit. You’re just a scared kitty running from the wolf. Newsflash, sweet cheeks, I don’t plan to eat you. Contrary to popular belief, I’m more than a sexy bitch. I thought you saw that.”
    “I haven’t even known you a day. How could I?”
    My wolf was as quiet as I was; a deadly combination.
    I looked her up and down. My heart wrenched. I wished I could shut it off, be numb to what she invoked in me, the feelings she drew to the surface, but I couldn’t.
    Every time I saw those curves, I would want to strip and fuck ‘em. She fit perfectly against me. Dammit, she was perfect for me. I could already tell that she would balance me. That opposites attract crap tends to work best with our kind. We’re aggressive, opinionated and, sometimes, uncompassionate.
    Shit. Was I letting my ego destroy this?
    Fuck. This mating shit was hard. Everyone always made it look so damn easy, almost as if there was no choice, but also, no opposition.
    My wolf whimpered at the sight of Kate. She was our mate. I wanted to shake the truth into her.
    She was sexy. She was confident, when she told her conscience to fuck off for a while. She could be fearless and she already amazed me. She didn’t even blink when she discovered my wolf.
    Swallowing my pride, petting my wolf with assurance, I moved back into her space. I gathered her hand between mine. “You’re scared. I get that.” I laced our fingers. “I don’t want to scare you though. I want you running to me, not away from me. And as for a label, try Kate. I don’t give a fuck if you’re gay, straight or bi, as long as you give me a chance to be with you. I’ll do whatever it takes to be with you, Kate, even if it means going super slow and dressing like a man from time to time.
    She studied me sideways, biting back a smirk. “You’re too pretty to pass as a guy.”
    I shrugged my shoulders. “I’d do it for you.”
    This time, she didn’t hold back her smile. “Thanks, but that’s not what I want. No one should change who they are for someone else. Ultimately, that would doom us from the start.”
    “So there’s hope?” I tried not to be eager, but my poker hand might as well have been face up on the table at this point.
    She chewed her lip for a minute, keeping me on edge. Her brows furrowed as she stared at our conjoined hands. Exhaling softly, she said, “There’s hope, but there’s some stuff I have to get through first.”
    “Sure thing, sweet cheeks.” I squeezed her hand, glad to have salvaged our relationship for the most part, I hoped. “Now, come to bed. It’s lonely as hell in that massive beast.”
    Her gaze swept over me and back up to Jerry before she agreed.
    Standing, I kept hold of her hand and tugged her