Noble Wolf (A BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance) by Terra Wolf, Amelia Jade Read Free Book Online Page A

a peck on the cheek. "Especially you. Now get out, I have to unpack!" she scolded, shooing him out of the room.
    Not fast enough though, because he saw her blushing furiously. He stutter-stepped as he contemplated turning to face her, perhaps pushing it a bit further.
    "Bryce," she said, sensing his intention.
    He drew her in close for a hug. He held her tight for a moment, before being prepared to let go when she tried to pull back. Natasha continued to hold on. And on. And on. They stood, rooted to the ground, neither of them moving for at least half a minute before she finally pulled back. He was once again struck dumb with a lack of words.
    "Listen, Bryce."
    "Can you feel this, or am I going insane?" he asked her bluntly, throwing it out there.
    She inhaled sharply, avoiding his eyes at first. "I'm not sure what I'm feeling. I just moved to a new city for the first time in my life. I'm scared shitless about that, and I'm just trying to settle in. You're nice, and wonderful, but I can't let that distract me right now when I need to focus on my job."
    He stood rock solid, feeling it all crumbling down around him. Here was his mate, perhaps two feet away from him, and he couldn't touch her, because she was scared. Scared of him, his pack, his city, and her job. It hurt to know that while she wasn't petrified of him, she was scared of acting on what he knew she was feeling. Perhaps what hurt the most was the fact that there was nothing he could do about this fear, except give her time.
    Time, that if he were honest, he may not have. If his pack was going up against something as nasty as it looked like, there were likely to be casualties. None of them talked about it, but they all knew it. When various elements of their world collided, the results were rarely pleasant.
    And he couldn't tell Natasha because that would scare her off even more. Not to mention it would break Thomas's rule about not telling anyone.
    "I understand," he said in a small voice, unsure of how to proceed.
    "Thank you again for your help Bryce," she said.
    He looked up at the shakiness in her voice. There were tears in her eyes. Why is she sad? It's not like I just blew her off or anything, he thought. This made no sense.
    Then, in a flash, it all made sense. She wasn't pushing him away because she didn't like him. Natasha must be able to feel it as well, and yet she knew that if they were to give in already, it would be too fast, too soon. She recognized that they needed time. Unlike him, who thought that they could be together, just like that.
    "I'm always available to help, Natasha. Whenever you're ready, you just let me know. I'll be here. I'll wait."
    She smiled through the tears. It was hard for him not to reach up and wipe them away, but he knew touching her was the worst thing he could do at that moment. Natasha needed some space, so he was going to give it to her.
    He strode through the door, his shoulders held high. He hurt, but it wouldn't be forever. One day in the not-too-distant future, he would be with his mate.
    I'm going to live to see that day, no matter what it takes, he thought.
    His wolf howled its agreement.

Chapter Five
    Natasha
    The solid oak door closed with a soft click behind Bryce.
    As soon as it did, the individual tears turned into a stream pouring down her cheeks. Sobs shook her shoulders and she gasped for breath between them.
    It was ridiculous.
    "Stop it," she hissed at herself. "You met him yesterday. Just because he makes you wet and tingly all over, doesn't mean you have to jump into bed with him right away."
    The truth was, it hadn't been easy to turn him down just now. Not that Bryce had overtly made a move, but she wasn't an idiot. The change in body language had been as clear as a flare in the middle of the night. Natasha had her shortcomings, but being blind to the reactions of others was not one of them. She could read people like a pro.
    She was glad that Bryce seemed to understand in the end. It would make