her soulmate.
An anguished groan fell from his lips. It was the right thing to do – the only thing to do! He had to let her go. The roads were clear, he could take her to the city, put her on the plane and never see her again. He could focus on the reason he came back here, his only reason for living.
Moving sluggishly, Andre went behind the pile of hay bales stacked beside the sheep pen. His muscles stretched and bulged as he tore down the wall, revealing half a dozen TV screens nestled into a hollow in the bales. Each one was connected to a network of motion-activated cameras he had spread throughout the woods, and right in the middle was the one he dedicated to spying on the Wolf community–the Locke farm particularly.
Yes–he had to take her to the city, remove her from this situation before he made his move. Before he killed her father.
***
If her heart wasn't breaking, Mary might have been humiliated by how utterly Andre rejected her. But it hurt too much, and even as she cleaned up the house, tears poured down her face. She knew that her soul belonged to him, but if he didn't even believe in soulmates… it had never occurred to her that she might not be her soulmate's soulmate. Was she destined never to be happy?
She would ask to leave again at the earliest opportunity. She couldn't stay here any longer. It would just be too painful. It was time for her to leave, to figure out her next move. What was her next move?
Her Wolf howled as she washed the dishes, as if telling her to dry her eyes and go to him. The urge to run into his arms was almost too much to take, but she would not put him in a position where he would have to reject her again. And maybe she was wrong, and he was right. Maybe it was just physical, and their souls were not meant to be knit.
After she made the bed, her tears dried and she resigned herself to leaving Andre forever. Staying in the cabin seemed too constricting, and so she went to the barn. Andre was there, milking the goat. His eyes were distant, and when he saw her, his tanned cheeks darkened in color. The clef-shaped scar stood out even more.
"I think it's time that I leave." The words were harder to get out than she expected. She couldn't continue.
Andre froze a moment, then shook his head. "You can't. Not yet. Your car is a piece of junk. You wouldn't get to the highway. And my truck… it won't start. I think it's the alternator."
Was it just her imagination, or was he speaking too quickly? Was there desperation to his movements as he finished milking the goat?
"Then point me in the right direction and I'll walk. I can't stay. Not when…" Not when I love you, but you don't love me.
He untied the goat and put the bucket of milk on the other side of the fence, then easily swung himself over. He was close to Mary now, so close that she could smell the soap she had used to clean his shirt. He sucked in a deep breath.
"Mary, it's just not safe."
"I don't care. I have to go!"
He cut her off, kissing her hard. She reacted instantly, wrapping her arms around him, pressing onto her toes to bring her mouth closer to his. Her Wolf sang, and she thought somewhere in her brain she heard an echo of it. But no. It couldn't be. She turned her head, breaking the kiss.
"Why must you torture me like this?" she whimpered.
"I don't want to torture you." Tears glimmered on his cheeks. "Mary, I don't want to hurt you. But I can't give you what you need. I can't give you my life."
"Then don't." She pressed herself against him, holding him tighter. "Just give me today. Give me tonight."
He groaned, as if fighting himself, and lowered his mouth to hers again.
Chapter Six
Andre woke with the familiar warmth of Mary against him. Today I take her to the city , he told himself, stroking her silky hair, as he had every morning for the past three months.
Three months. He knew it was wrong for her to stay. She wanted a soulmate, someone who would stay by her side for the rest of time. And
An anguished groan fell from his lips. It was the right thing to do – the only thing to do! He had to let her go. The roads were clear, he could take her to the city, put her on the plane and never see her again. He could focus on the reason he came back here, his only reason for living.
Moving sluggishly, Andre went behind the pile of hay bales stacked beside the sheep pen. His muscles stretched and bulged as he tore down the wall, revealing half a dozen TV screens nestled into a hollow in the bales. Each one was connected to a network of motion-activated cameras he had spread throughout the woods, and right in the middle was the one he dedicated to spying on the Wolf community–the Locke farm particularly.
Yes–he had to take her to the city, remove her from this situation before he made his move. Before he killed her father.
***
If her heart wasn't breaking, Mary might have been humiliated by how utterly Andre rejected her. But it hurt too much, and even as she cleaned up the house, tears poured down her face. She knew that her soul belonged to him, but if he didn't even believe in soulmates… it had never occurred to her that she might not be her soulmate's soulmate. Was she destined never to be happy?
She would ask to leave again at the earliest opportunity. She couldn't stay here any longer. It would just be too painful. It was time for her to leave, to figure out her next move. What was her next move?
Her Wolf howled as she washed the dishes, as if telling her to dry her eyes and go to him. The urge to run into his arms was almost too much to take, but she would not put him in a position where he would have to reject her again. And maybe she was wrong, and he was right. Maybe it was just physical, and their souls were not meant to be knit.
After she made the bed, her tears dried and she resigned herself to leaving Andre forever. Staying in the cabin seemed too constricting, and so she went to the barn. Andre was there, milking the goat. His eyes were distant, and when he saw her, his tanned cheeks darkened in color. The clef-shaped scar stood out even more.
"I think it's time that I leave." The words were harder to get out than she expected. She couldn't continue.
Andre froze a moment, then shook his head. "You can't. Not yet. Your car is a piece of junk. You wouldn't get to the highway. And my truck… it won't start. I think it's the alternator."
Was it just her imagination, or was he speaking too quickly? Was there desperation to his movements as he finished milking the goat?
"Then point me in the right direction and I'll walk. I can't stay. Not when…" Not when I love you, but you don't love me.
He untied the goat and put the bucket of milk on the other side of the fence, then easily swung himself over. He was close to Mary now, so close that she could smell the soap she had used to clean his shirt. He sucked in a deep breath.
"Mary, it's just not safe."
"I don't care. I have to go!"
He cut her off, kissing her hard. She reacted instantly, wrapping her arms around him, pressing onto her toes to bring her mouth closer to his. Her Wolf sang, and she thought somewhere in her brain she heard an echo of it. But no. It couldn't be. She turned her head, breaking the kiss.
"Why must you torture me like this?" she whimpered.
"I don't want to torture you." Tears glimmered on his cheeks. "Mary, I don't want to hurt you. But I can't give you what you need. I can't give you my life."
"Then don't." She pressed herself against him, holding him tighter. "Just give me today. Give me tonight."
He groaned, as if fighting himself, and lowered his mouth to hers again.
Chapter Six
Andre woke with the familiar warmth of Mary against him. Today I take her to the city , he told himself, stroking her silky hair, as he had every morning for the past three months.
Three months. He knew it was wrong for her to stay. She wanted a soulmate, someone who would stay by her side for the rest of time. And
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