Tiger's Mate

Chapter 28

First — How the heck did this book go from 18k to 34k in three days??? And that number's still growing, what on earth? I am shook, honestly😳

Second — I can build up sexual tension like nobody's business but I CANNOT write smut okay🙈. There is NO smut. I needed a friend just to help with the...particular hints of this chapter, so thanks J.

Third — Maia you sly chiwawa 😜

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•Ethan•

Fuck.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!

"Shit." I drew back further — as far as I could bring myself in this state, as I realized what was happening to me.

"What?" Katski asked. I grimaced, hating the tone of worry and the concern shining in his eyes. "What is it? What can I do?" he urged.

"Full moon," I managed to grit out, squeezing my eyes shut in hopes that not seeing him might allow my blood to cool for a few seconds at the least. No such luck. If it wasn't his voice speaking to me, it was the scent of him that hung within the air...There was no avoiding it.

"What about the full moon? Hey Ethan, talk to me—" Katski reached a hand out for my shoulder, no harm in the gesture, but I recoiled as if his touch would burn me.

A look of brief hurt flashed over his features before he was frowning again — desperate and confused. "Sorry! I'm sorry... just tell me what's going on? You're kinda freaking me out here. What does the moon have to do with it? Why can't I..." Touch you?

My hands were already in fists, clenching to try and control the shaking in my arms from holding back.

Of course he didn't know. Why the hell would he?

He wasn't a wolf. Another reminder that we were still so different despite trying to act otherwise.

I breathed through clenched teeth. "I...I'm a wolf," I said, eyes closed as I tried to clear my head for a damn moment to think properly. "Now a wolf with a mate...shit, the guys mentioned something about this before," I muttered, swallowing the rising curse in my throat.

"What does that have to do with it?" Katski asked, not understanding.

Everything.

"Dammit, I didn't think about this..." I growled under my breath. Our first full moon since acknowledging each other as mates.

Katski searched my expression, but it was clear he didn't know what was going on or what it meant. Of course not. Because he was a werecat.

And the moon-claiming was something unique to only wolf-shifters. I had heard the others talk about it before, the occurrence of that first moon and what it meant when a wolf found their mate. But I hadn't thought of it at all until now.

"It's a part of my...wolf instinct," I tried to explain, wondering who this would be more embarrassing for in the end — him or me. "My wolf...I'm...urged to claim you."

Mark. I was supposed to mark him as mine.

And if he was a wolf then he would have done the same thing, marked me as his.