His father sighed over the line, which instantly sent his gut twisting. “You’ll bite her when you know she’s ready.”

He breathed a sigh of relief.

“However, it has also been known to mistake her wolf’s willingness for being ready.”

“You’re shitting me.” This wasn’t good. “Are you telling me I’ve got to come up with some excuse not to run with her?”

They’d agreed, and it may sound childish, but he’d been looking forward to taking a run with her for so long.

“There is no magic cure. This is not an illness, Lucas. Finding your mate is a gift.”

Right now, it felt more like a curse.

He watched Mabel hang up the phone. “I’ve got to go.”

“Do you want me to make the journey and keep you both in check?”

“No, it’s fine. We can handle this. I’m going to go. Bye.”

His father said his goodbyes and hung up.

Mabel had been opening up to him. She was still a little reserved, but the more time she spent in his company, the more he felt with her.

She came toward him in the garden. The storm had long since passed, and they were back to glorious sunshine again.

“Hey,” she said.

“Was it a good call with your parents?”

“Yep, everything is normal back home. Everyone is doing well. How about you?”

“The same old, same old.”

He sat down on a reclining chair and stared out at the pool.

“My dad told me that when we change, we only have a minimal amount of control,” she said.

“That’s what I found out.”

“He said that … there’s no guarantee that our wolves won’t take over and … you know.”

He nodded. “Yeah. Do you not want to run with me?”

She nibbled on her lip. “I do.”

This surprised him. “Really?”

“It’s a run, Lucas. We were together the last time.” She sat down on the edge of the chair with him. “I don’t see a reason this one will be different.” She put her hand on his arm. “I can touch you and there’s nothing wrong, is there?”

He felt like he was on fire. The need to sink his fingers into her hair and pull her close, to ravish her mouth, and then to fuck her virgin pussy. In the mornings, he always displayed how normal he was, not mentioning the erotic dreams he had on a regular basis. They consumed his every waking thought, but he never showed what he was thinking about.

In his dreams, Mabel was always so receptive to him. She’d spread her legs the moment she looked at him.

“What are you thinking about?”

“I hope we both know what we’re doing.”

“We do.” She leaned up and kissed his cheek. “I look forward to running with you. I better go and make dinner.”