Silver Wolf Clan by Tera Shanley Page B

exposing the closed silver slash mark. “I heal quickly. What about you? You were bleeding last week, too. I could smell it.”
    “You want to see?” she asked.
    He’d studied every inch of skin exposed by her t-shirt. Maybe she’d cut her leg and her jeans hid it. Slowly, he nodded.
    She twisted in the chair and lifted the hem of her pink cotton shirt until the bottom of an impressive patch of road rash peeked out. He sucked air in through his teeth and pulled the shirt up until the entirety of the healing wound was exposed. It ran from tailbone to shoulder blades. He touched the jagged edges gently with the tip of his finger. “How’d this happen?”
    “He dragged me to that alley and my shirt came up. Yesterday was the first day it felt okay enough to wear a bra.” Her expression looked almost apologetic. “The black, lacy number is the loosest one I own.”
    “I like that black, lacy number.” Especially in a wet, white, basically see through t-shirt, but she didn’t have to hear that part. He straightened her shirt, and she turned.
    The color of deep roses rested in her cheeks and the corners of her mouth were turned up. “Why wouldn’t you look at me in the alley?”
    “Because I don’t want this for you, Morgan. I’m a monster, and you deserve better than what I can give you and Lana. My life, what I am—it’s dangerous. I planned on staying away, watching but never talking to you. I don’t want to suck you into my hell. I want you to be happy. I want…hell, I don’t know what I want.” Frustrated, he rubbed his hands through his hair. Likely it now stood out in all directions.
    “Grey? Grey, look at me,” she said. “None of this scares me. You can protect us. You’ve saved me twice now. Try for me, and if you can’t handle it, you can leave. I won’t make you stay out of guilt or anything, but there’s something between us, isn’t there? When you touch me—” A small shudder trembled through her. The unfinished words hung in the air between them.
    He should’ve run. Thanked her for dinner, walked out the front door and left her to find someone normal. She should be with someone safe, with normal friends and family, and a good role model for Lana. He would ruin her, and this was the part where he should decide not to cross that line. There were moments in life where the path of fate would change with a pivotal decision made. This was his moment. His gut quickened with her closeness. Instead of running, the coward in him admitted the inescapable truth. “Yes, there’s something. I can’t stop thinking about you.”
    He pulled Morgan’s chair forward until her knees brushed between his thighs, touched the side of her face. Her dark, green eyes were bottomless and her skin was silk beneath his touch. Slowly, he leaned forward and kissed her, tenderly, questioning. Is this okay? he wordlessly asked with his lips.
    Before long, however, Wolf basked in the touch of his mate and wanted more, as he so often did. Grey let out a soft growl, pulled back slightly, and then giving in, kissed her deeply, pulled her toward him until she was warm against his chest. Her heart beat so fast against him, and his head swam with her intoxicating scent. It was what a kiss was supposed to feel like. Like more wasn’t enough. Would never be enough.
    She moaned softly. His ears tingled at the sound, and he stopped. He was pushing too hard, too fast, and hurting her. He eased back, ready with an apology, but she was flushed and bright eyed because she’d enjoyed kissing him, not because he’d hurt her. He grinned like an idiot.
    After everything he’d admitted, she still wanted to be with him, to connect with him. Her giggle was elegant and tinkling and infectious. She looked like the cat that had caught the canary, and knowing he’d caused such an expression on her face had Wolf elated.
     
     

Chapter 7
     
    Two weeks passed in a breath. How could time go so fast after it had stalled for so long?