His to Protect: Book 1 in the Bound to Him Series by Sandra Antoni (the reading list TXT) 📗

a while longer. I really wanted to spend more time with her. I wanted to know everything about her.

My wolf was begging me to mate her, but I knew that would scare her even more. My wolf had known the first time that I held her in my arms that she was our mate, but I had been hesitant to accept that. She was human after all.

I was the pack’s alpha, and they would never accept a human as their alpha’s mate. I was torn between my loyalties. One to my pack and one to the woman who was meant for me. Of course, there was also the fact that I changed into a wolf.

How do you approach that subject with a human and not frighten her? Humans were not even supposed to know about us. If I told her what I was and she rejected me, I would have put the whole pack in danger, but I was not yet willing to let her go.

When we got to her door, she opened it and I held the door open so she could make it inside. She turned and leaned against the door and looked back at me.

“Would you like to come in? I haven’t gone to the store yet, so I have nothing to offer you,” she said softly.

“The only thing you could offer me that I would accept is more of your time. I’d like to get to know you better, Chelsea,” I told her sincerely. She bit her bottom lip and I could not help smiling. I knew already that it was a nervous habit. Then she nodded and I stepped inside.

We walked into the living area and she started to sit down on the couch, but I stopped her.

“I’ll make myself at home, you go ahead and shower. It’ll be good for those scrapes and cuts,” I told her. She hesitated just a moment before turning and making her way into the bedroom. Before she could close the door, I got her attention one more time.

“Chelsea, if you need any help, please let me know,” I told her, and gave her a look that meant I was serious. I heard her deep exhale, even from across the room, but she finally agreed.

Once the door closed behind her, I sat down on the couch. The room was a bit cool and I wondered if she kept it that way on purpose. I liked sleeping in cooler temperatures. Checking the thermostat, I saw that it was set on 67 degrees. Then I walked to the fireplace and turned it on. Staring at the flames for a long time, I finally reached for the tv remote and turned it on.

I wasn’t interested in watching anything, but the background noise was better than the silence. When I heard the bedroom door open a while later, I looked that way. Chelsea stuck her head through the door and looked at me, but she didn’t say anything.

“Do you need help?” I asked her gently. She just nodded. I stood from the couch and walked towards her.

“It’s this ankle and jeans. I just can’t do it. Getting them off was one thing, but getting them on is just too painful,” she replied softly, unable to meet my eyes.

“Okay, lie down on the bed,” I told her gently, and she opened the door all the way.

When I stepped through the door, she had just reached the bed. She sat down on the edge of it and leaned the crutches against the mattress. Then she laid back on the bed, turning her head away from me.

I stepped towards her and picked up the jeans, trying not to notice the red, bikini panties she wore. My cock had its own mind, and I was glad that her eyes were closed. She was probably embarrassed, and I felt bad that she was so uncomfortable.

As gently as possible, I worked the leg of the jeans over her ankle. I noticed that most of the bruising was almost gone and that surprised me. The sprain had been a bad one, and I was amazed that it wasn’t any more swollen than it was.

My eyes went to the scrapes on her legs, and I realized that they were also healing quickly. A lot more quickly than was normal for a human, and that had me studying her even more intently.

Once she was on her feet again, she pulled the jeans up and fastened them. I handed her the crutches, and we made our way back into the living room. When we were both seated on the couch, I turned to face her.

“Would you have dinner with me? We can order in. Do you like Chinese?” I asked her. Her expression turned comical. It was way past lunch time and still a bit too early for dinner, but neither of us had eaten since breakfast.

“I think that would be great. I saw a menu over there on the table to a place that delivers,” she replied, pointing to a narrow table along the wall next to the fireplace. I stood and made my way to the table and grabbed the menu.

We perused the menu together, and after I put in the order, I put my phone back in my pocket. Then I turned to Chelsea and took her hand in mine. She didn’t pull away, and I saw that as a good sign. For some reason, I was desperate for her to trust me. Well, I knew why that was, but she didn’t.

“So, you said that you searched for your birth parents. What did you find?” I asked her. She gave me another funny look, but then she answered me. It was more than just curiosity that had me asking.

“Well, I only found my biological mother. She died when I was just a few months old. There was nothing that could tell me who my father was. He wasn’t listed on the original birth certificate,” she explained.

“What was her name?” I