Loved by the Beast

g from the inside out. My whole body felt sore, heavy, like I'd been run over by something massive. My inner thighs ache

ept with

fevered nightmare brought on by exhaustion. But as I shifted, feeling the soreness in my

G

d violently. I ha

ke a tidal wave. Cole, the man I had loved, the man I was supposed to marry. The man who was

thrown i

How had I let this happen? I had been lost in the woods, hurt, desperate-and Dalton had been t

tell myself. It was the

her in the firelit cabin, our bodies pressed against each other, his hands exploring

to look at the bed beside me. But Dalton wasn't there. The sh

o

d to le

fire. A sharp gasp escaped me, and I fell back against the mattress, wincing. Right. M

ry at myself. I needed to get out of

lpless, easy prey for whatever creatures lurked beyond the safety of the cabin? Dalton had warned me about the dange

hard, my bod

s tr

t know what was more terrifying-the thought of staying with Dalto

ough the whirlwind o

's wr

reath caught

lt

resence filled the room, his tall frame casting a shadow over the floorboards. He looke

ammering against my ribs. W

ead. "Are you joking?" My voice was hoarse, s

. "No." He took a step closer, and I instinctively shifted back

like I was l

stration all collided inside me. "You're standing there asking me what's wrong like-like n

If anything, he just tilted his hea

are. "Because for a second, I thought maybe I imagined it all. Maybe I imagined cheatin

oice calm, steady. "You

as. How unaffected he see

head still throbbing. "You don't get it,"

moment, his gaze unreadabl

d

That was the probl

don't belong here. I should be home, with Cole, not in some godforsaken cabin

rked, just slight

e I'm supposed to just accept that werewolves are real. Like I'm supposed to accept

e. He wasn't angry. He wasn't smug. He just... w

like you

art s

say of course I regret it. R

ords woul

st the overwhelming confusion-there was a tiny voice

y

shut, inhaling shar

hrough his nose.

n h

teeth. "I'll

a moment, then,

do?" I demanded. "Stay? Pretend like everything's fine? Like I didn't just throw away

held mine, ste

in anything,"

h, my hands trembling.

golden eyes sharp, thoughtful. "You're af

. "I know leavi

g moment, then, in a quiet

answer

yri