Perfect Mate (Book Two: A Werewolf BBW Shifter Romance) by Aubrey Rose Page B
Authors: Aubrey Rose
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that there was nothing between Damien and Katherine, to see it herself.
"You've met them all already," Damien said, a note of modesty coming into his tone. "It's a small pack."
"I mean—I want to meet them as your mate," Julia said.
"Oh, sure. Of course. You'll have to drive me, then." Damien kissed her on the lips softly, and she wondered how much of her anxiety he could read. How much of her jealousy.
"I am yours," Damien whispered, his thumb grazing the stiff peak of her nipple. "You know that."
"Yes," Julia said. She knew. Or thought she did.
As they dressed, brushing the pine needles off of their clothes, Julia watched Damien's muscled body and tried to remember it changing—shifting—the arms and legs sprouting fur and claws. It all seemed like a dream, albeit a vivid one.
She turned to go and Damien caught her by the arm. It was a simple gesture, but one that reminded her of his acute senses. Without his eyes, he was still able to track her movements.
"Julia," Damien said. "I need to tell you something about my condition."
"Something apart from the fact that you're a werewolf?" Julia teased. Her laugh was cut short by the look on Damien's face. "What is it?"
"Shifters have a different lifespan than humans," Damien said. "Anywhere from a hundred to two hundred years."
"You don't have any old shifters in your pack, do you?" Julia asked. "Or do they just look young?"
"No, That's the thing," Damien said. "There's a price to pay for the lifespan."
Julia's heart chilled at the sound of the admonition.
"What price?"
"Shifters can only shift into human form when they're relatively young. Thirty-five, maybe forty years old. After that, it becomes harder and harder to shift out of wolf form. You become more aggressive, less able to control yourself."
"I don't understand. You're saying you'll be stuck in wolf form?"
Damien bowed his head.
"It takes energy every time I shift from one form to another, and if I go for too long as a human, I lose control. I have to shift back. In all likelihood, I'll only have another fifteen years or so before I become more wolf than man."
Julia didn't know how to reply. A numbness had set into her that she didn't understand. More wolf than man.
"I'm sorry," Damien said, squeezing her hand. "I should have told you earlier. Only—"
"Is there anything else I should know?" Julia said, smiling weakly. "Are you going to spontaneously combust every other week or so? Will your skin turns purple on Tuesdays?"
Damien laughed gently.
"Not so much," he said. "I understand if you... if you decide you can't be with me because of this. I admit, I rushed into things after I felt the Calling. It's just..."
"I don't want anyone but you," Julia whispered. There was a connection between the two of them that she had only dreamed about, and she couldn't let it go. She wouldn't leave him if she found out he had a fatal disease, after all. The idea of abandoning Damien for a life without him was repulsive to her. Why should this be any different?
"Then let's go and see the pack," Damien said, kissing her on her forehead. "And I'll introduce you as my mate."
They drove to the hotel that the pack was staying in, and as Julia pulled into the parking lot she shivered in cold anticipation.
"You can wait out here," Damien said. "The wolf—"
"He's just a shifter," Julia said. "Right?"
"Right," Damien said, but he sounded unsure.
"Then let's go," Julia said. She put on a brave face, although she knew that Damien could read her emotions, and she was feeling anything but brave just then. Or maybe that's what bravery was: being scared and not letting that stop you. She locked the car door behind her and followed Damien up the stairs and down the hall. They stopped in front of a door and Damien took Julia's hand before opening it.
Julia gasped. On a table in the middle of the room lay the wolf Damien had fought, blood staining the white sheets under him.
"Damien!" The tall, thin man with dark hair
"You've met them all already," Damien said, a note of modesty coming into his tone. "It's a small pack."
"I mean—I want to meet them as your mate," Julia said.
"Oh, sure. Of course. You'll have to drive me, then." Damien kissed her on the lips softly, and she wondered how much of her anxiety he could read. How much of her jealousy.
"I am yours," Damien whispered, his thumb grazing the stiff peak of her nipple. "You know that."
"Yes," Julia said. She knew. Or thought she did.
As they dressed, brushing the pine needles off of their clothes, Julia watched Damien's muscled body and tried to remember it changing—shifting—the arms and legs sprouting fur and claws. It all seemed like a dream, albeit a vivid one.
She turned to go and Damien caught her by the arm. It was a simple gesture, but one that reminded her of his acute senses. Without his eyes, he was still able to track her movements.
"Julia," Damien said. "I need to tell you something about my condition."
"Something apart from the fact that you're a werewolf?" Julia teased. Her laugh was cut short by the look on Damien's face. "What is it?"
"Shifters have a different lifespan than humans," Damien said. "Anywhere from a hundred to two hundred years."
"You don't have any old shifters in your pack, do you?" Julia asked. "Or do they just look young?"
"No, That's the thing," Damien said. "There's a price to pay for the lifespan."
Julia's heart chilled at the sound of the admonition.
"What price?"
"Shifters can only shift into human form when they're relatively young. Thirty-five, maybe forty years old. After that, it becomes harder and harder to shift out of wolf form. You become more aggressive, less able to control yourself."
"I don't understand. You're saying you'll be stuck in wolf form?"
Damien bowed his head.
"It takes energy every time I shift from one form to another, and if I go for too long as a human, I lose control. I have to shift back. In all likelihood, I'll only have another fifteen years or so before I become more wolf than man."
Julia didn't know how to reply. A numbness had set into her that she didn't understand. More wolf than man.
"I'm sorry," Damien said, squeezing her hand. "I should have told you earlier. Only—"
"Is there anything else I should know?" Julia said, smiling weakly. "Are you going to spontaneously combust every other week or so? Will your skin turns purple on Tuesdays?"
Damien laughed gently.
"Not so much," he said. "I understand if you... if you decide you can't be with me because of this. I admit, I rushed into things after I felt the Calling. It's just..."
"I don't want anyone but you," Julia whispered. There was a connection between the two of them that she had only dreamed about, and she couldn't let it go. She wouldn't leave him if she found out he had a fatal disease, after all. The idea of abandoning Damien for a life without him was repulsive to her. Why should this be any different?
"Then let's go and see the pack," Damien said, kissing her on her forehead. "And I'll introduce you as my mate."
They drove to the hotel that the pack was staying in, and as Julia pulled into the parking lot she shivered in cold anticipation.
"You can wait out here," Damien said. "The wolf—"
"He's just a shifter," Julia said. "Right?"
"Right," Damien said, but he sounded unsure.
"Then let's go," Julia said. She put on a brave face, although she knew that Damien could read her emotions, and she was feeling anything but brave just then. Or maybe that's what bravery was: being scared and not letting that stop you. She locked the car door behind her and followed Damien up the stairs and down the hall. They stopped in front of a door and Damien took Julia's hand before opening it.
Julia gasped. On a table in the middle of the room lay the wolf Damien had fought, blood staining the white sheets under him.
"Damien!" The tall, thin man with dark hair
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