One Night

Chapter 146

Audrey

Here. Edwin pressed a couple of plush towels and a bundle of clothes-a white t-shirt and a pair of boxers-into my hands. “The clothes will be huge on you, but it’s better than nothing.”

“Thank you.” I took the bundle, wondering if I should have gone back to my dorm just to get an overnight bag. But I had been so desperate to be alone with Edwin, surrounded by his warmth and his scent, that I had refused when he’d asked.

And a part of me, too, didn’t feel in the mood to run into any of my friends. It was late enough for them to probably already be sleeping, but…

I would talk to them on Tuesday, once we returned to our classes I would tell them what had happened this weekend then. For now, for this blissful three-day weekend… I just wanted my world to be filled with my mate and this apartment and nothing else.

I thanked him, my voice still a bit **se, and headed to the bathroom.

I turned on the hot water, then set the bundle down and began to unzip my dress. But I stopped when I saw movement in the corner of my eyes, and turned to see Edwin lingering in the doorway. His eyes scanned my body unabashedly.

“Sorry,” he quickly said, realizing he was hovering. “I’ll give you some space,”

“Wait

He paused, half-turned in the doorway. His Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat as I turned to reveal my back to him. “Unzip” me?”

Slowly, he approached. His fingers gently brushed my spine as he tugged the zipper down to the small of my back, then lingered there, his other hand gently gripping my hip.

“Mate, my wolf growled. “Mate. I want him.”

My cheeks flushed and I turned to face him. I held my arms up, a silent invitation, and he gently lifted the dress over my

head.

His breath caught as his eyes wandered my body, my dress clutched in his hands. I c**ked my head, but before I could ask what was wrong, he suddenly turned on his heel. “I’ll let you shower.”

And just like that, he was gone. I sighed and shook my head at the closed door. It was so unlike my Edwin to be so… basht….\.

But as I turned toward the mirror, I finally understood why.

Something was… different in my appearance. My skin seemed more pristine, almost glowing with an inner light. Llooked taller, my waist longer and more slender, my legs slim yet muscular like a dancer’s, even though I hadn’t worked out much since high school.

I unhooked and slipped off my bra, then my panties-and, just like Edwin’s, my breath caught.

Even my breasts and hips seemed slightly fuller, more… womanly.

I blushed a little deeper. Most people’s wolves emerged in childhood, so they would mature and grow with their wolf. But to have it emerge so late.. I supposed that was why I had always been a little short and a little.. flat.

I’d once chalked it up to my genetics. My human genetics. But now I knew that my body had been temporarily stunted by the lack of a wolf, and now that she had finally emerged, I had grown into myself.

14

O

08:57 Fri, Sep 20

Chapter 146

I never thought of myself as particularly beautiful. I knew I was pretty, but whenever I looked at myself, I just felt… indifferent.

I didn’t feel that

way

curvy, even… s**y,

Not anymore.

now,

not as I looked into the mirror and saw a werewolf looking back at me. Mature,

But what shocked me most were my eyes. I leaned in closer, my hose almost touching the glass as I examined the deep blue Irises that now held flecks of silver throughout..

My hand instinctively went to where the silver streak was in my hair, the one that had caused me so much trouble with other werewolves in the past. It was still dyed now, but I could practically feel it there.

I hoped that the silver eyes wouldn’t cause as much trouble as the silver hair did.

Shaking my head, I stepped into the shower, letting the warm water wash over me. It felt heavenly against my skin, washing away the chill of the river and the sterility of the hospital. As I lathered up with some soap, I felt the presence of my wolf more acutely than ever.

“Are you always going to be here? Listening?” I thought to her, the soap slipping through my fingers as I tried to focus on both washing and this new presence in my mind. I wasn’t even sure how to do it-to speak in my mind, I didn’t know if 1 even needed to form full sentences or if she would just sense whatever it was that I wanted to say.

Her voice was like a warm caress as she replied, “If you ever need some privacy, I can take a

I couldn’t help but chuckle a bit out loud. “Good to know.”

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As I rinsed my hair, working out the tangles with my fingers, I asked, “Why were you dormant for so long? I’ve gone my whole life thinking I was human.”

“I’m not sure,” she replied. “But I’ve been slowly awakening lately since you found our mate.”

“Is that why I kept smelling him?” I whispered. Finally finished, 1 turned off the water and reached for the towel, wrapping it around myself as I stepped out of the shower.

“Whenever you smelled his cologne, it was indeed his scent,” she explained as I dried off. “That’s why it got stronger and stronger, and why you couldn’t control yourself around him. A mate’s scent is enough to drive some people mad.”

I leaned against the bathroom counter, processing this information. “Why didn’t he know before? Surely he smelled my scent if I was able to smell his Wouldn’t he have known that I was his mate?”

My wolf paused for a moment before answering. “He did smell it, but like you, he thought it was perfume-until I emerged. Then it snapped into place for both of you.”

I nodded thoughtfully as I bent over and wrapped my hair in the second towel he had given me. The whole **n apartment smelled like that scent now, I wondered if it would always be this strong for me, or if I would get used to it.

“You’ll get used to it.”

I supposed that answered whether I needed to think in full sentences or not.

Straightening, I said, “Is that why you were calling to me all night? Trying to stop me from rejecting our mate!”

“Yes, my wolf said sofily. “I knew you planned to reject him, and I was trying to communicate, to tell you to accept him instead. Our mine, our other hall

wish I realized sooner, I thought, slipping into Edwin’s clothes. They were indeed too big, the shirt hanging off one shoulder and the boxers practically falling to my knees, but they smelled like him and it was comforting. This all would have been so much simpler.”

2/4

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08:57 Fri, Sep 20

Chapter 140

My wolf shrugged, if that was even possible-I could feel the gesture. “What matters is that you realized it in the long run. even if you needed a little push.” She paused then, and I could now feel a smirk. “When you almost didn’t get out of the car before the party, that was me pushing you to do it, too.”

I couldn’t help but smirk myself. “Sneaky.”

After dressing. I followed Edwin’s scent through the apartment. It led me to that sewing room he had shown me all those months ago. Edwin was sitting at the large worktable, hunched over my ruined gown, his brow furrowed in concentration.

1 leaned against the doorframe, just watching him work for a few minutes. His fingers moved skillfully, reattaching beads that had come loose during my ordeal. His dark hair fell into his lace as he worked, so fully concentrated that he didn’t seem to notice me standing there

That scent, his scent,

1, was stronger than ever now, wrapping around me like a warm blanket.

Like one of the threads that he was stringing new beads onto.

“Thank you.” I said.

Edwin’s head jerked up, surprise evident on his face. His eyes, a warm golden color now, met mine. I covered my mouth, embarrassed as I realized what I had just done.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-

But Edwin just smiled and set the dress down, opening his arms to me. “It’s okay,” he said softly, “You’ll get used to switching between talking out loud and m**ly-both with our Mindlink and your wolf.”

I felt my cheeks heat up, a blush spreading across my face and down my neck. “Did you..”

Edwin chuckled, the sound sending a pleasant shiver down my spine. “I heard you speak out loud a couple of times while you were in there.” He gestured for me to come.

Still blushing. I walked over and let him pull me into his arms. The warmth of his body seeped into mine, and I found myself relaxing against him. He showed me the dress, now expertly repaired. The beadwork gleamed under the room’s soft lighting.

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“I haven’t sewn anything in so long.” he admitted, his fingers tracing the beads. “But after tonight…” He gestured to a mannequin in the corner. “I’m feeling a sudden stroke of creativity that I haven’t felt in years. It’s like like a fog has lifted.”

I smiled softly as I looked down at him. “Maybe we can create something together,” I suggested.

Edwin’s arms tightened around me, his eyes searching mine. The golden flecks seemed to dance in the light. “Does that mean you’ve changed your mind about… us?”

Laughing softly, I reached up to brush his black hair out of his eyes. My fingers lingered on his cheek, marveling at the warmth of his skin. “I may indeed have changed my mind,” I whispered, although I thought it went without saying

A low growl rumbled in Edwin’s chest then, the sound vibrating through me. Suddenly, he was lifting me into his arms, one arm under my knees and the other supporting my back. I let out a small squeak of surprise, my arms automatically wrapping around his neck.

“Let me show you how happy that makes me,” he whispered as he carried me to the bedroom.