Page 48 of Lycans & Lattes

One eyebrow popped at my stubborn demand. “What is it?”

“You won’t let your family convince you that you’d be better off without me.”

He shook his head. “Not even the moon herself could convince me of that. You’re mine, Willow.” His voice dropped to a rolling rumble, heat filling his gaze. “Now, get out of here before I have to chain myself to the wall to stop myself from fucking you.”

My whole body pulsed. “One week is going to be torture.”

“I promise to make it up to the both of us,” he said, gesturing with a nod to the door. “Go on.”

I shook my hips a little more than normal as I left the apartment and relished the anguished groan that followed me.

All bedroom promises aside, we were stuck in the worst sort of limbo—almost mates, almost together, almost . . .

It hung in the air between us, a wish unfulfilled, and I knew I wouldn’t have any comfort until we could be together.

Eloise looked up at me as I descended the last few steps. “Wow, you two managed not to bang,” she noted, impressed. “You must be really fucking worried about this stalker thing.”

“Why would you say that?”

“Because if you two fucked, you’d be covered in Wyatt’s scent and they’d know all this talk of you two breaking up was a lie.” She shrugged as if that were an obvious statement, as if everyone in the town could smell him on me.

“I need to go take a shower,” I muttered, sniffing my shirt.

“If you two bang, it won’t help,” she taunted smugly. “Apologies for the paranormal cockblocking!”

“You know, I thought I had my hands full with one snarky little sister.”

“What’s one more, eh?” she called. “Hey, if it’s cool with you, I’m going to come crash at yours until Wyatt finds whoever is after you. I’ll be your personal bodyguard. No one messes with our family and gets away with it.”

“I already have Harlow and Jordyn keeping a close watch on me. I think witch protection is plenty.”

Eloise flipped the spatula over in her hand and caught it. “So it’ll be a slumber party,” she teased. “And your mate would be a lot less worried if his bitchy little sister were on guard-dog duty.”

“Ugh, fine,” I grumbled. “I’ll get the cot out.”

“See you tonight,” she called with a wink. “I’ll bring muffins.”

22

Wyatt

The celestial goddess smiled down on me as I stood at the edge of the clearing, the rest of the pack turned in my direction. I could feel their gazes lingering on me as I stepped into the moonlight. A few howls went up into the air.

Just as the full moon began to wane, so too did my powers. We were able to shift when we wanted to, but the pull wasn’t nearly as strong the rest of the month, and it felt like the perfect time to reintegrate myself back into my pack . . . and to weed out whoever was threatening my mate.

I joined my grandfather in the center of the circle as a sense of calm determination filled my bones. His weighty hand landed on my shoulder—a vote of confidence.

“We have waited for this night for many years,” he boomed, his voice easily carrying over the crowd. “And this will be a moment none of us will soon forget. We are all given a destiny only we can fulfill, and as we witness it in ourselves, we must witness it in each other.”

I hoped to one day have even half of my grandfather’s gravitas. Even at his age, not a single wolf would dare to openly challenge him. His unwavering support during the last four years had been a mix of duty, love, and respect. And it was time to repay him for that kindness—after I figured out who amongst us was hiding in the shadows and threatening what was mine.

I scanned the crowd, assessing each face. The matriarchs of my bloodline—my mother, Aunt Edie, Eloise, and Lulu—stood at the front of the group. Behind them were more cousins and family allies. Gregory stood proud as the head of one of the most treasured families in the pack behind the Sullivans. My eyes drifted beside him, finding Aisling and Liam, who flanked their other grandfather, Marcus.

It was no secret that Gregory and Marcus had arranged the match between Aisling and Liam’s parents. I had never seen the political machinations behind the matchmaking as cold until now. It had just been tradition. But as I took in the pack, I wondered how far each of them would be willing to go to elevate their rank.

Aisling offered me a tight smile as if to say it wasn’t her idea to be in their current position. Liam looked between his sister, me, and back to Marcus, a questioning arch to his brow. When his eyes met mine again, he looked straight down at his boots, but I noted it. He clearly knew something—something worth feeling guilty over.

I decided I would be paying Liam a visit soon. I didn’t think he had it in him to be the one threatening Willow, but he wasn’t completely oblivious either. I watched Liam make eye contact with his classmates—boys who were always up to no good around town.