9. Naivety

Aiden was devastated and all kinds of enraged when he saw the bruises on Karen’s face. When he remembered images of his smiling mate, he couldn’t fathom how someone could be so cruel as to hit her.

He couldn’t control the tone of his voice when he had asked her what the hell had happened.

And it seemed like his sweet mate wasn’t in the least bit scared by the shift in his eyes color – maybe she simply hadn’t noticed? – for she spat out with venom, “What the hell brought you here?”

“Do not speak to me that way,” his wolf had taken over and hissed at her, and she flinched, almost as if she had been slapped. He tried to get some self-control back, by closing his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose, and inhaling and exhaling loudly.

“Why are you so pissed anyways? You shouldn’t have sought me out,” she carried on in a rather sad almost resigned voice.

“Because I care a great deal about you! Can’t you see that?” He retorted in a strong voice, ope