Read Cherished: True Mates Book 5 (BBW Wolf Shifter Romance) (A Craggstone Paranormal Romance) for Free Online Page B

been running a military boot camp—with kids.
    “Ana,” I continued, “you need to come with me. Whatever it is that got you scared, we can work it out later, and I will work it out, I promise. Just not now.” I reached out a hand to the woman who had turned my life upside down, mentally begging her to take it, forcing myself to wait.
    She blinked, her lashes spiked with tears.
    Pain stabbed me square in the chest, so real it felt like a physical blow. I wanted to kiss away her tears, wipe away her confusion, and most of all, heal the hurt I could see hidden just beneath the surface. I wanted to care for her, something that was so new and foreign to me I didn’t know where to start.
    Everyone else in the room ceased to exist as I eased toward her, careful not to startle her lest she try to run again. “I vow to you I will never hurt you. I couldn’t.”
    Her face tilted up, her expression blank. “But why?”
    I searched for a way to tell her, without revealing everything, then gave up. I might not know what I was doing, but I sure as hell knew she deserved the truth. “Because it would be like hurting my own heart.”
    She sucked in a quick breath. “I don’t know if I—”
    I took another step forward. “Don’t. Not here, not when you haven’t had time to think, and to heal. Hell, we haven’t even had the chance to get know each other yet.” Why am I doing this? Putting myself out there when I don’t even know…
    “Oliver—”
    “And you’re a mated woman,” I added quickly, not wanting to give her the chance to finish. “Something we will rectify the second we are out of here.” I couldn’t help it, the words trickled out on a growl.
    She tried to hide it, but I saw the flinch.
    “The women need you,” I added, willing to say anything to get through to her.
    Eventually she nodded, her jaw set in determination. Calling Josh over to her side, she grasped his small hand as if it were a lifeline and turned toward the door.
    My breath whooshed out of me, leaving me feeling strangely deflated. I might have won that particular battle but I knew for certain I hadn’t won the war. Did I even want to? The thought hadn’t even occurred to me; the instinct to claim and mate was overriding any logical thought. If I was being honest with myself, I wasn’t sure. Wasn’t certain that I could be the mate she needed, especially with her being human.
    Following her out of the door I paused, watching her stroke a hand over her son’s hair, fussing in that way mothers do.
    Trouble was, I didn’t know if I could walk away.
     
     
    ***
    Ana
    I had my son back! I couldn’t stop fussing with him, holding him close, flying high on the rush of finally having him near. And no one is ever going to take him away from me again , I vowed, unable to help myself from brushing another kiss across his cheek.
    Oliver was right, we needed to get out of there and then I could figure everything out, like what the next step would be, where I could go from here. Could I go back to my old life? I tried to imagine returning home after being gone so long, what Mom and Dad would say, what my brother would say. Did they think I was dead? Had they mourned me? Moved on?
    And what would they think of Josh? Would they accept him, or would they hate him for being a part of what took me away?
    If I didn’t go back, what then?
    “Mom?”
    Just the sound of Josh’s voice brought a smile to my lips. “Yes, Josh?”
    “Where’s Dad?”
    My mind froze at the innocent question. “Your dad isn’t really a good man, Josh. He has to answer for the bad things he’s done.”
    “But…he’s my dad.” His voice sounded lost as his face scrunched up in confusion. “We should be together, like a real family. We can do that now.”
    What should I say? “Josh, was your dad ever…unkind to you?” I’d wanted to say cruel, mean, vicious, but I stopped myself in time.
    “Everything he did was for my own good, to make me a better wolf. Every