My Fated Mate Can Have Her-Chapter 184: On His Back

Violet

We reached the edge of the capital just as the sun began to descend and Rowan spoke up just as we went past the boundary into the neutral zone.

"We need to move faster. If we keep going on foot at this pace, we won’t be able to put enough distance between us and the capital before they start searching."

"I can move faster—"

"No." He stopped and set his bag down. "I’ll shift. You can ride on my back. We would be much faster that way."

The practical part of my mind knew he was right. And no matter how fast I was, he was likely faster in his wolf form or almost the same pace. But another part of me hesitated, remembering the closeness in the bathing room, the way my body had responded to the close proximity.

I immediately shook my head.

Now wasn’t the time for such an unnecessary concern.

"Alright," I weakly agreed with a nod.

He nodded and stepped back to give himself some space. "When you get on, it would be better if you lie flat against my back."

Within seconds, a bit faster than my eye could catch, his body rippled and dark fur spread across his skin, until within moments, a massive wolf stood where he had been.

I went completely still.

He was huge.

And far larger than any wolf I had ever seen. Even larger than Kael’s wolf form, despite Kael being a little taller than Rowan in human form. Rowan’s thick brown fur looked almost black in the fading light.

He lowered himself to the ground slowly, bending his front legs and angling his body to make it easier for me to climb on.

I approached him slowly, my heart hammering against my ribs. When I placed my hand on his back to steady myself, I froze. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

His fur was impossibly soft.

I hadn’t expected that.

I climbed up carefully, settling myself on his back and adjusting the bags. I leaned forward behind his shoulders and gripped the fur at the base of his neck to keep my balance.

He shifted beneath me, adjusting to my weight as he got to his feet, and I felt his muscles bunch and flex underneath me.

He launched forward and I pressed my cheek against his fur at the sudden jolt.

I now understood why he had told me to lie flat.

He was moving so fast that I could barely keep track of our surroundings.

Everything went past in a rush of colours and shadows until my sight was slowly adjusting to his speed.

But what stunned me more than the speed was the silence.

His paws barely made a sound as they struck the ground. Each movement was fluid, graceful, almost soundless despite his massive size.

The ride was oddly smooth. There was no jarring impact, and no uncomfortable jolting that rattled my bones like it had when I had been taken to Fresna for that first time. But there was something else that might have been even worse.

Every stride made his muscles shift beneath me. I could feel them flex, bunch, and release, resulting in a constant ripple of movement that pressed against my entire body.

Against my chest.

Against my stomach.

Against the space between my thighs.

No.

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to focus on anything else, but I couldn’t escape it.

His body was far warmer than usual, likely because he was in his wolf form, but that heat was seeping through my clothes and into my skin. And movement rubbing against me due to the steady flex of his muscles created an uncomfortable friction.

My face burned with shame.

This was not the time. We were fleeing. Running for our lives. This was not the time for my body to betray me like this!

I bit down on my lip so hard I tasted blood.

No.

This was the bond. It had to be it.

I immediately thought of Kael, and the warmth in my belly immediately curdled into something cold and heavy.

Guilt.

I had a mate. I had Kael. Even if Rowan was another mate, whatever this was, whatever my body was doing, it didn’t mean anything. It couldn’t mean anything.

My chest ached.

’I’m sorry.’

I didn’t know what I was apologising for. Kael, for this betrayal my body was committing without my permission. Or myself, for still being so weak and unable to shift.

I thought back to the inn and of the multiple times Rowan’s touches had lingered.

It was my mistake. I had let him get too close.

I wouldn’t let it happen again.

The moment we stopped, I would get off his back and put distance between us. I would tell him not to touch me again. No more casual contact, no more of this.

I should even reject him when I have the chance.

[ - ]

The feeling had subsided thankfully, and thinking about just how much trouble I was in, along with how the other Supreme Alphas were after me, was enough motivation to take my mind of the strange sensations.

Particularly how it was possible that the wolves from the capital might be on our trail this very moment, tracking us.

That fear was enough to keep me grounded.

We ended up stopping only once.

Rowan had found a stream, and while still in his wolf form, he had lowered his massive head to drink. I had slid off his back to eat a small portion of food and also drink.

And when he had turned to me, lowering himself again in that silent invitation, I had hesitated.

But I didn’t have the luxury to refuse, especially with how quickly we needed to distance ourselves from the capital.

The second stretch was easier, and the steady rhythm of his movement beneath me had become almost... soothing.

I didn’t remember falling asleep until I was blinking awake to find that our environment had changed, and we were no longer moving.