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He lay down next to me, then nosed at my neck, and at the fur behind my ear. His exhale washed over me, and having his scent so close soothed me, made my pulse slow down as exhaustion washed over. He pressed close, his warm bulk surrounding mine. Distantly, I knew this wasn’t appropriate, but the protest was faint, like a mosquito buzzing. Easy to wave away and ignore. Especially when I was so tired. And the king smelled so good. And he was so warm. And the den was so safe. I huffed an exhale and nuzzled closer.

Sleep, his voice rumbled. I’ll protect us.

Sleep fell over me like a heavy blanket, comfortable and warm.

When I woke up, enough time had passed that the early morning light was beginning to filter into

the opening of the cave. I hummed, blinking slowly into wakefulness. My whole body was deliciously sore, like the day after a particularly good sparring session, and my usually circling thoughts were finally quieted. I nuzzled closer to the warm body beneath me. The broad, muscular chest, steady beating heart, smooth, warm skin. He wrapped one arm around my waist, pulling me closer languidly in his half-sleep, so our bodies were pressed flush together.

Wait.

Oh, no. No, no, no.

I leaped to my feet so fast I nearly cracked my skull on the cave ceiling. My feet.

My human feet!

I’d been sprawled all over the king like he was a mattress! It was one thing when we were wolves—oh, Gods above, we’d run together as wolves—but to be flopped all over him in the middle of the woods? In our human forms? Nude?!

I clapped my hands over my mouth and muffled my horrified little shriek.

The king exhaled slowly, then slowly opened his eyes. Lazily, he propped himself up on one elbow.

I didn’t know if I wanted to shield my body, or my own eyes. He was gorgeous, that much was undeniable: broad, functional muscle, tan skin dotted with scars, his bare feet crossed at the ankles. Completely unselfconscious. Even with his manhood just—out there! Visible! Big! And I certainly wasn’t looking at it, and certainly wasn’t thinking about how it’d pressed against my thigh when he’d pulled me flush to his body.

Oh, Gods, help me.

“Good morning,” the king rumbled, his low voice rough with sleep. The sound made something hot curl in my gut. “Seems like you’re not quite used to waking up like this.”

“Like what?” I asked. I wanted to leave this cave, but crawling over his body to get to the entrance seemed like the worst thing I could do right now.

“Oh, you know,” the king said. An amused smile curled his lips—that cursed flirty, curious, smirky look that I was so familiar with. “Next to a naked man.”

“Of course not!” I snapped. “This is—and we—I mean—I’m a lady!” “That’s a cute way of saying you’re a virgin,” the king said.

My eyes widened. “How in the gods’ names did you know that?” I asked. How much information did the Nightfall court have? First all those questions about my mother and my lineage and now—

“I didn’t,” the king said with an infuriating smirk. “But thank you for confirming my suspicions.” He stood up and stretched out his shoulders, as best as he could in the confined space.

My face burned with embarrassment. I rushed by him and stormed out of the cave, into the freezing morning air. The forest was still and beautiful, with the birds beginning to sing their morning songs and the sky turning pink and gold in the early dawn. I wrapped my arms around my body and shivered. How far had we run yesterday? It couldn’t have been too far—maybe we’d gone in circles. If I strained my ears, I could hear voices.

The king strode out of the cave bare as the day he was born. He didn’t seem bothered by the cold at all, save for the faint rising of goosebumps down his arms and his breath exhaled in a cloud of steam. I swallowed. If I ran in this form, there’s no way I’d outrun him. I didn’t even want to. I didn’t know what I wanted.

Before I could decide, though, the king took my hand, unwrapping my arms from around myself.

He tugged me close to his body, flush again, and I couldn’t help but sigh with relief at the warmth of his touch. It was so cold, I couldn’t bring myself to push him away.

“I didn’t mean to embarrass you,” he said. “It’s just something else that intrigues me about you.” He smoothed one hand up and down my back, bringing warmth back to my bare skin. His voice rumbled so deep in his chest, it was like his growl was vibrating into my own body. “I like that no other man has touched you. I admit I’m a jealous creature. The thought of another man’s hands on you drives my wolf wild.”

I huffed an irritated half-laugh against his chest, even as my wolf preened internally at the possessiveness.

“I’m not some innocent flower,” I said. “Just because I’m a virgin doesn’t mean I’ve never…”

I snapped my mouth shut. What was I saying? He didn’t need to know any more about me than he already did. He’d just told me he was jealous—why would I tell him about Griffin?

“You’ve never what?” the king prompted. He pulled back a little to smile down at me, still holding me close. “Desired? Been with a man?” His eyes flashed gold. “Touched yourself?”

My pulse skyrocketed. The king’s nostrils flared. Could he smell me? Could he sense the way his words sent desire rushing through me? I shivered, and pressed my thighs together, but it wasn’t from the cold.