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Chapter 3 — Royally Fucked!

I try to shake off my shock as I stare down at the female in front of me.
I shouldn’t be surprised. I’ve known my mate would find me soon enough. Dream-pairing only occurs when a female is ready to mate, and over the past few months, my woman has come at me like a freight train.
She’s been nervous but eager in our dream encounters, almost as though she isn’t aware the dreams are real. I know it’s in a female wolf’s nature to play hard to get, so I thought that if I just bid my time, she’ll come to me. Because once a female wolf gets a taste of her male, she instinctively tracks him down. Distance isn’t a factor because instinct paves the way.
So yes, I’ve been expecting this. What I did not anticipate, however, is my mate showing up as a human.
Correction. Half-human.
She’s a combination of both—wolf and woman—each scent unique and undeniable. Judging by her response to me, she doesn’t even know what I am.
Damn it.
Everything’s beginning to come together, providing me with a clearer understanding of my mate. I’m almost certain she’s clueless about the fact that our dreams are a means of communication between us. If I’m correct, then I am royally fucked.
I draw in a breath so I can take in her scent.
Pure feminine heat assails me—clean and rich, the hot fragrance of her cunt slamming into my lungs. She smells good enough to eat—sweet and warm as honey. I can’t help but imagine drowning in her, lapping at her slit until she comes long and hard for me. And afterward, I’d bury myself inside her, fucking us both to oblivion, claiming her in every way imaginable.
Shit! I need to get it together.
My muscles temporarily lock as my wolf growls inside my head. I fight him for control, trying to dump buckets of ice on our desire.
She’s half-human. Not a full wolf. I could scare her if I don’t watch myself. If I’m not careful, I could also hurt her—and a werewolf never harms his mate.
I shake my head, caught off guard by my lack of control, by how she affects me. My primal urges are rushing to the forefront, my wolf ready to take over.
Then realization hits me, hard and fast.
She’s on the brink of her heat. That’s why her effect on me is so overwhelming.
Goddammit!
A part of me wants to rage at the injustice of her predicament. Due to her genetics, she might not be able to shift. Most wolves consider the inability to change a weakness. It’s one of the reasons wolves don’t mate with humans—unless the man can’t resist the nature of his beast. Being half-human, half-wolf isn’t easy, not if you live a life among a pack.
Fuck. The pack.
There’s a huge possibility that my pack, the Hollowbane Pack, will shit a brick when I introduce her to them—especially if she can’t shift. Stability is always an issue with wolves, but with the tension between packs in the area, things have become worse. The men and women who look to me for balance will expect their Alpha to do the right thing—to put their well-being over mine—even if it means turning my back on the one woman meant for me.
I suppress a snarl. I’m not going to allow my mate to walk out of my life. Not after I’ve waited so long for her.
Somehow, I’ll make things work. It’s my responsibility to protect my female and my people. At my age, I’ve seen and survived a lot of shit. I’ll be damned if I let my mating come in the way of what I’ve worked so hard to accomplish.
“My name’s Ronan Bane, and I own this establishment,” I finally say as I study her closely, resisting the urge to reach out and see if her skin is as soft as it appears. I don’t want to frighten her more than she already is. “Do you know why you’re here? Do you understand what’s happening to you?”
“What kind of question is that?” She frowns, her arched brows furrowing. “I’m here to get a tattoo.”
“I’m afraid that’s not going to happen.”
“Why not?” The frown lines at the top of her head deepen, tugging at the corners of her mouth as she sighs. “This is so weird. It’s almost like I know you, but I don’t. And I feel so strange. It’s like I took a trip down the Alice in Wonderland hole.”
I force my hands into fists, trembling with the effort not to pull her into my arms. My fingers itch with the need to touch her, my cock straining against the sharp bite of my zipper. The painful metal prongs subdue my wolf’s lust, and I welcome the sharp lance of pain on my swollen cock. This woman needs patience and gentleness—two traits I’m seriously lacking at the moment. I’ll take anything that helps put me back in control.
“Do you know what’s happening to you?” I repeat.
She doesn’t, but I need to know. I need to be certain so I can gauge just how fucked I am.
She cocks her head, a puzzled expression on her face. “Well, if you’re asking if I understand why you are looking at me like that and why I’m being slammed with all these strange hormones instead of running scared—especially after being attacked by a vampire on my way here—then I’d say I sure as hell don’t understand a damn thing.”
Something seems to dawn on her because her brows lift and her plush lips part. “Wait. Am I dreaming? Is that why all these things are happening? Why you’re here? That would make complete sense because the moon is not completely out, so supernaturals like vampires aren’t supposed to be harmful, and my dreams always involve you, so—”
“No, you’re not dreaming,” I reply, cutting her off. Then I frown as something she said hits me. “Wait—you were attacked by a vampire?” I ask, trying not to growl as my body becomes tense.
“Yeah, but the cops arrived just in time, which was after we’d crashed.”
My body tenses even more. She’d crashed? Are vampires attacking again? How come I'm not aware of this?
Too many things are coming at me at once. I need to compartmentalize, or my wolf is going to take control.
“Are you okay?” she asks, a smooth hand landing on my arm. “Is my being here causing you any trouble—or worse, am I in danger?”
At the feel of her hand on me, my breathing returns to normal, and I try not to grunt in satisfaction that she’s turned to me for answers. Her insecurity makes me want to shroud her in my strength, ensuring she’ll always be safe from harm.
It’s my responsibility and privilege to see to her needs—something I respond to on a primal level. “No, everything is fine. You’re not causing any issues, and you’re not in danger. Even if you were, I’ll protect you.” When she looks at me sceptically, I add huskily, “And just to clarify—this is not a dream. This is very real.”
“Are you sure?” She looks around the room and then peers up at me, her blue-green eyes wide, pupils dilated. Her legs shift as though she’s trying to stem her sexual excitement. “Because this doesn’t feel normal. Maybe I’m just overwhelmed by everything that has happened so far.”
Talk about an understatement. I’m going to have to handle the issue of the vampire with my pack later, as well as explain reality to my half-human mate. But first, I need to find out about her heritage. This has to be my first course of action if she’s to be accepted into our community.
Those blue-green eyes of hers indicate she’s from one of the most respected packs in the area—the Duskfang Pack - to be precise. Only Duskfang wolves have eyes the colour of sunlit seabeds. The shade is easy to identify.
Unfortunately, I’m at odds with their alpha. Territories aren’t always easily established, especially when wolves start crowding each other. Whoever impregnated Lyra’s mother would be in deep shit. Leaving behind a half-were infant is just asking for trouble.
But who would be stupid enough to do such a thing?
If I want to keep my mate safe, I’m going to have to find that out as soon as fucking possible.