Page 39 of Fated Obsessions

“I trust you with my life,” she said softly and tipped her head back to look into my face. “I’ve never trusted anyone more, Ren. I want to see him.”

And the sound of her saying she wanted to see my wolf had the beast rising up excitedly again, feeling pleasure that our mate wanted to see him fully.

I couldn’t deny her anything, even if it worried me that I’d terrify my mate with the sight of the feral creature I housed within me.

I leaned in and kissed her slowly before murmuring, “Okay. He’s yours the same as I am. Forever.”

Chapter 28

Ren

After we’d gotten dressed and ate a light breakfast of fruit and juice, homemade bread, pastries, and jam, I felt my female sigh contentedly in my arms. She was happy, because of me, and damn if that didn’t please me to no end.

It was as if she couldn’t be parted from me, and because I was more animal than man and was possessive of her and her time, this also fucking pleased me immensely.

The servants had been moving around the castle with purpose, and I could see she wasn't used to having people wait on her, but the more she saw them and how much they enjoyed their job, how well I treated them because I saw them as an extension of my family, the more I felt her get used to the idea.

I led her out of the manor and toward the house, wanting privacy for what I was about to show her. And I couldn’t help but look at her constantly, smiling at how fucking lucky I was. I found myself continuously thanking whoever listened that I’d been granted my mate after waiting for so long.

But even my happiness for her couldn’t dim how tense I was. My body was tight, because a part of me dreaded this. I worried about what she’d think about me after I showed her my wolf.

“I care for you, Ren. So much.” We stopped, and she rose on her toes to place her palms on my shoulders, smiling up at me. “Your inner animal is an extension of you, so your fear isn’t needed, because I’ll love him as much as I love you,” she said as if she read my mind.

I leaned down and kissed her for long seconds, continued to kiss her until she was breathless and I had to force myself to take a step back or I’d take her right up against a tree.

We walked for another ten minutes, my hand wrapped around her, keeping her close. Finally, I stopped, exhaling, feeling my wolf pacing in me, desperate to get this going and show our mate what he was. He wanted her to see how big he was, to know that he could protect her no matter what.

I stared at Mikalina, gathering my courage to do this. Although this was the most natural thing for me, to show her this side of me, frightening her when I just found her went against everything in me.

But our connection was undeniable. Unbreakable. Irrevocable. And as the years passed, it would grow. And I wanted my female to see me in all ways, to know what she was truly getting herself into by mating me.

I’d taken her to a secluded place in the woods on my property. Did she know all of this was hers,ours? For as far as the eye could see, from the edge of one town to the border of another, it was ours.

And today, I’d show a female—my female—my Lycan for the very first time.

I pulled her in close, kissing the top of her head and closing my eyes, just inhaling the sweet scent that filtered around her. She tightened her arms around me.

“I’m ready,” she whispered against my chest, and I nodded, even though she couldn’t see me.

I leaned down and kissed her once more before taking a step back and going for my shirt. I kept my eyes on hers as I started unbuttoning it before shrugging it off my shoulders. Then I stood there for a second, letting her gaze roam over my chest, smelling her heightened arousal coating the air. I couldn’t stop my body from reacting. My cock thickened, and a growl erupted from me.

Then I turned, showing her my back, hearing her gasp. I looked over my shoulder to gauge her reaction. She was staring wide-eyed at the wolf tattoo that covered the entire expanse from shoulder to waist.

“This is my Lycan.” During the claiming, I hadn’t been in a position to allow her to actually see my back, so frenzied and wild in the mating. But now, I let her look her fill.

She stepped closer and reached out, but before she touched my flesh, she curled her fingers toward her palm.

“No, love. Touch me. Touchhim.”

She traced the outer edge of the marking, and my Lycan rubbed against her touch, whether she realized it or not.

“It’s incredible,” she said with awe in her voice. “The artistry is amazing. So lifelike.”

I slowly shook my head and turned to face her, taking her hands in mine and bringing them to my lips to kiss her knuckles. “It’s a part of me. I was born with it, as is every male Lycan. That is, in essence, our inner animal, always with us even when it can’t be seen by the naked eye.” I gave her hands one more kiss before stepping back and going for my pants. I saw her eyes glaze over with arousal once I had them off, and couldn't help but smirk. My female was insatiable.

And then I closed my eyes and let my human side fall back, let my wolf come forward.

The change happened far too fast for me to feel anything but immense power claiming me. But I was aware of my skin changing to fur, my bones breaking and realigning, and my nails turning to claws. The shift didn’t bring me anything but pure, unadulterated freedom as I gave into everything that I was and let my other half rise up.