I took his hand. “East, I need you to bite me.”
He stared at me for long enough that I knew he didn’t understand. Or think I was sane anymore.
“Cat, listen, you’re obviously in shock. I’m going to put you right here in the truck and go find Travis’s keys so we can get you back to town and have your leg fixed up.”
I grabbed his arm before he could walk away. “I’m not in shock.”
His expression made it clear he didn’t believe me.
“I saw a woman. Earlier. Inside the cabin. She said some things.”
His eyes narrowed. “What kind of things?”
I shook my head, knowing I wouldn’t get this right. “A mate for a mate is what the fates demand.”
I could feel his shock in the same way I could feel the pain of his wounds echoing inside me.
“What does it mean?” I asked.
“What did she look like?” East’s voice was hoarse now.
“Tall, thin. I can’t be sure because the lighting sucked, but I had the sense of serious resting bitch face.”
He growled, and I knew it all meant something. Something important. I had a feeling I already knew what. Now, I just had to accept it.
“East,” I said when he stared up at the moon. A vein in his throat was pulsing in the same place my own thudded with my erratic heartbeat, and I knew my gut instinct was correct on this.
When he looked back at me, I shoved the pain in my leg aside and gave him my “I mean business” face. “I need you to bite me. I think it’s the only way to save you.”
“This isn’t about me,” he said, squeezing his eyes shut in a desperation that meant we were running out of time. “This is about you, Cat. I can’t . . . If I bite you, I think it means…”
“Means what?” I demanded. I needed to hear him say it. To know I wasn’t crazy.
And we needed to hurry.
“Okay, listen to me.” He grabbed both my hands and squeezed tight. “I went to the witches. I met with their coven leader, and she said my healing wasn’t up to me. It was up to someone else. A woman whose fate was tangled with mine.”
My brows shot up. “And you don’t believe me because you have another woman in mind?”
“What? No, of course not.”
“Okay, so then why are we still arguing about this?”
“Because.” He hesitated and then said, “I think if I bite you . . . you’ll become a werewolf. Like me.”
Any other night, under any other moon—okay, if I wasn’t already bleeding out—I might have paused over that. But too much had happened tonight, and this was honestly not the craziest part, in my opinion. I didn’t even flinch as I said, “Don’t you think I’ve already figured that out?”
He dropped my hands, jaw hanging half-open. I filed that away for later. For once, I’d made him speechless.
It wasn’t nearly as satisfying as I’d hoped, though. Not when I could already see his refusal in his eyes. And I couldn’t blame him. He’d watched his werewolf father abuse his human mother over and over again. I knew he was terrified of doing anything to hurt me. But I wasn’t her, and East damn sure wasn’t his father.
I pushed ahead, impatience making the words blunt.
“If you don’t bite me, I’ll die. And so will you.”
“Cat.” Anguish shone in his eyes as he glanced down at the blood pouring steadily from my wounded leg.
“Is that what you want?” I pressed, my voice rough.
“Of course not.”
“Then what are you waiting for?”
“I don’t want you to regret it,” he blurted. “I don’t want you to regret me!”
I blinked, my anger draining away faster than the blood from my leg. Grabbing his hand, I pulled him close.
“I have never regretted you, East. Not once. Not even when you left me without so much as a goodbye text. And I won’t regret this now. It’s what I want. Even if it wasn’t a package deal.” My lips twitched. “And I’m hoping it is. But even if it wasn’t, I’d still choose to become a wolf. Now, stop being angsty and save my life already.”
East stared back at me, and for a second, I thought he’d still refuse. But then he growled, his expression flashing with determination as he shifted. I watched him approach, his enormous body taking up all the space in the open door of the truck where I sat. It was the first time I’d ever seen him fully shifted. He’d always been too afraid of hurting me to let me see him like this before.
When he hesitated, I knew he was still afraid of that.
I eased out of the truck and sat on the grass, my legs outstretched. I leaned against the truck bed and looked at East, smiling in reassurance.
“I know you don’t want to hurt me,” I said. “But if you don’t do this, you’ll lose me.”
He huffed.
“Please, East.”
He came forward, and when his lips pulled back to reveal sharp canines, I squeezed my hands together to keep from flinching. Then I turned so my throat was bared to him and closed my eyes.
“Do it,” I whispered.
Hot breath tickled my skin as he inched closer, but I braced myself, knowing there was more to come.
When he bit, I moaned. It hurt like hell, but the pain receded far quicker than I expected. In its place was a strange tingling sensation that started in my throat where he’d torn my skin and spread to the rest of me.
East whined and stayed close, his furry body pressing against my good leg for comfort. His large yellow eyes watched me sharply, and I did my best to hold his gaze, but as the pain disappeared, my lids drooped.
Exhaustion, like I’d never known, came over me.
I smiled as I gave in to it. “Thank you,” I whispered. “It’s okay now.”
As
