Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 134501 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 673(@200wpm)___ 538(@250wpm)___ 448(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 134501 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 673(@200wpm)___ 538(@250wpm)___ 448(@300wpm)
So she’d gotten the shock of her life when it happened.
He’d come home one morning with his tail tucked between his legs, struggling to meet her eyes and – after a lot of prodding and pushing from her – finally admitted he’d slept with another woman the previous night. But that wasn’t something Emberlyn talked about.
‘No,’ she replied, her voice coming out unintentionally flat.
Every line in Ripper’s trademark stony expression smoothed out as his face softened. ‘He did, didn’t he?’ Not a question, a sure statement.
She looked away, swallowing hard.
‘At some point, he had sex with another werewolf and pled that the full moon made him do it,’ Ripper surmised.
She snapped her gaze back to his. ‘Do you really want to talk about my ex-mate while your cock is still inside me?’
Ignoring that, Ripper stared at her, pensive. ‘You’re not the kind of woman who’d overlook your mate betraying you, no matter what excuse he came up with. You broke it off. The mating.’ It was a guess. And it was correct.
She cursed low and harsh, rubbing at her scalp.
He touched his forehead to hers in a gesture that, for a werewolf, was as intimate as any kiss. ‘Talk to me, baby.’
Baby. The soft, possessive endearment wriggled its way past her defenses, and she heard herself admit, ‘I broke it off. I’m not forgiving enough to look past something like that. It’s just not in me. It’s not like he asked for forgiveness. He didn’t even apologize. He got defensive and played the whole thing down; made out like I was being dramatic.’
Anger flickered in the depths of Ripper’s eyes. ‘So you two argued?’
‘Big time. It got ugly. When he realized there’d be no changing my mind, that I was seriously done, he lost it.’ She licked her lips. ‘He was still riding the high of the full moon, so I guess that contributed to why he morphed into his In-between form.’
Ripper’s gaze went slitted. ‘He attack you?’
‘Yes. I scared him off with magick.’
‘You said you were hurt by a Rabid before,’ he remembered. ‘You meant Michael.’
She swallowed. ‘Yes. He didn’t simply morph, he turned Rabid.’
Ripper slowly shook his head, incredulous. ‘Secrets aren’t easily kept at Chilgrave. How did I not hear about this?’
‘I only told Paisley. Michael said zip about the cheating to others. He wouldn’t have even told me if I hadn’t pressed him so hard. He was clear that no one else knew and no one else would . . . as if that made the situation better. He also told me he’d sworn Opal to secrecy.’
‘That’s who he cheated on you with?’
‘Yes.’ Part of Carver’s clan, Opal was now mated and pregnant. And she pointedly avoided Emberlyn to this very day.
‘Did you confront her?’
‘Yup. She cried and apologized profusely. Which, to be fair, is more than Michael did. And her tears and remorse were genuine.’ Still, Emberlyn hadn’t felt all too forgiving; she’d wanted to skin the bitch alive. Instead . . . ‘I made her a deal.’
‘Deal?’
‘I wouldn’t make her pay if she kept what happened to herself. She was ashamed and didn’t want to suffer any consequences, so she was quick to agree.’
Ripper frowned. ‘You were protecting his reputation. Why?’
‘A lot of werewolves consider betraying mates taboo. I knew there’d be some who’d judge him enough that they wouldn’t put their safety on the line to search for him in Bloodhill. I didn’t consider him my mate anymore, but I didn’t want him stuck in that form. I wouldn’t wish that fate on anyone.’
Ripper’s frown deepened. ‘If you didn’t see him as your mate, why did you hold off longer than most would have in your shoes to publicly declare that the mating tie was broken? Why not . . .’ He trailed off as realization played out over his face. ‘You blame yourself for him turning Rabid.’
Damn him for reading her so well. It made her feel far too exposed. ‘I knew better than to argue with a werewolf still riding the high of a full moon.’
Ripper’s gaze snagged hers, serious. ‘It isn’t your fault, Emberlyn. There wouldn’t have been an argument if the prick hadn’t cheated on you.’
‘You’re pissed,’ she noted, hearing the emotion roughen his gravelly voice.
His expression was all Well, obviously. ‘Yeah, I’m pissed,’ he bit off. ‘You were his mate. His loyalty to you should have been absolute. It’s bad enough that he cheated on you. That weak motherfucker blamed the full moon, expected you to give him a free pass and didn’t even apologize.’ He touched the tip of his nose to hers. ‘You deserved better. If the prick was still around, I’d punch the piss out of him.’
That angry little rant touched her on a level she wouldn’t have expected. Very few people had been protective of Emberlyn; few had cared how she felt or what she needed. Somehow, Ripper had become one of them.