22. Hopeless Romantic

Athena's POV

I fought the urge to give in to my wolf. Left to her, she would have wrapped her hands around her mate and never let him go. I was proving stubborn fighting my conflicting emotions. I tried to deny what I felt. The vibration in his voice as he spoke so close to me felt like I was floating in space. The texture of his palms over my waist set my whole nerves on fire. I never knew the mate bond was that powerful. I couldn’t utter a word. His scent choked my breath in a good way. I loved it. I didn’t want it to stop. I wanted the moment to last forever. He leaned forward as though he wanted to steal a kiss. My heart pounded as he drew closer, his breath had mixed with mine and the only space between us was tinier than a sugar crystal. I closed my eyes as I waited for his lips to graze my skin when I heard him speak,

“I’ll never do anything to you until you’re ready, Athena, and I’m ready to prove it to you.” I pulled away from him. There was nowhere else for me to run to—I de