Her Protective Mate (The Ward Wolf Pack Novella Series, Book 3) by Theresa Hissong (books for students to read .TXT) 📕

too soon to explain to him everything. No matter how receptive Charlie had been to them, she wasn’t sure if Booker had heard the news down in the lower forty-eight yet.

That thought made her panic a little. Could he already know?

“Well,” he sighed and folded his arms across his chest. Aspen lost her sense of hearing when she noticed his thick arms bulge from the movement. He was bulky and strong. He’d lifted part of that moose with no effort, and she was even more turned on that the human male was as strong as a shifter male. “You know, it’s not that bad…touching me.”

“I imagine it’s quite pleasant,” she admitted.

He’d wondered if she was some sort of shifter before, but with her sudden need for space, it made sense what he’d read on the internet awhile back. She was something not human, and from the matching eyes to her brothers and cousins, Booker was certain.

“Look,” he began, forgetting his plate so he could pull out a chair from the table. “I know you are a shifter, but I don’t know what kind. And…I really don’t care.”

“You know?” she gasped and set her fork aside. Her eyes hazed over for a second before she clenched her jaw and straightened her shoulders.

“I just want you to be yourself,” he admitted, resting his forearms on the tabletop. “Out here, it doesn’t matter.”

“That’s very kind of you,” she replied after taking a relaxing breath. “But I have to tell you that we don’t want it known. That’s why we live so far away from town.”

“I would never,” he growled, feeling protective of her. He’d heard of the crazy people who tried to capture them and study them in an underground lab. It had sickened him when he’d heard about it. “Aspen, you are safe here with me. I promise.”

“I still can’t touch you,” she blurted, dropping her gaze to his hands. “It’s just not the right time.”

“I will respect that,” he replied with a nod.

“So, you’re not going to ask why I won’t allow you to touch me or what I am?”

“No need. It doesn’t matter.” He stood from his seat and left her there, gaping like a fish out of water.

She was shocked. Booker added food to his plate and returned to the table like they were having a normal conversation. He was so…calm. “How did you know?”

“I have internet access, and I saw it on the news awhile back,” he admitted and cut into his meat. She looked at his plate, and then at hers. He’d given her more than he would consume. “Plus, your eyes give you away.”

“Ugh,” she groaned. “Don’t believe everything you read.”

“So, you’re not aliens?” he chuckled.

“Seriously?” she gaped. “Are they saying that?”

“Oh, they’re saying a lot,” he said around his food before pointing his fork at her plate. “You need to eat. We can chat later.”

Aspen cut her food and took a bite, glancing at Booker from the corner of her eye. He was so laid back, and she was still a little shocked at his behavior once he admitted he already knew.

It was a hard realization that humans knew about them already. The Ward family had hidden themselves so well, they didn’t even pay attention to the outside world. Maybe they’d done it wrong all along.

“What’s wrong, Aspen?” he asked, dropping his fork.

“We’ve just learned that the humans know about shifters.” She paused to lean back in her chair. “I know we’ve tried to stay hidden because of who we are, but maybe we’ve been wrong all along. Then again, we’ve been forced to hide because of who we are.”

“I wouldn’t say you’re wrong for hiding, Aspen,” he admitted. “From what I’ve read, it’s probably for the best. The scientists captured a few shifters and tried to study them. It wasn’t in the mainstream media, but it was online. There were pictures leaked of the facilities, and it’s for the best that they were raided and shut down.”

“I can only imagine what they went through,” she whispered, feeling her gut tighten from her thoughts.

“If I were a shifter, I would not announce it to anyone I didn’t trust,” he offered.

When he placed his hand on the table top, she wanted to reach out for it, but she refused to touch him. It wouldn’t be fair to him if she did and the wolf inside her demanded she submit for him. He didn’t know how they worked.

“I shouldn’t even be telling you this,” she began…but paused. “It’s against our pack rules to even share with anyone human unless they are our mate.”

Booker’s eyebrows pinched as he took in what she had to say. It didn’t take long for him to figure out where she was going with her words. “So, I am your mate?”

“I don’t know for sure, but my…animal is telling me you are,” she admitted.

“Aspen, you can trust me,” he reminded her. She knew she could. Even though Nash had given them an order to keep their secret quiet, it didn’t apply to telling your true mate. The other reason why she could break that was because she had her own alpha genes, and she didn’t really need her brother to live. Not like the others.

If Aspen wanted, she could move away and start her own pack. As it was, she had no desire to leave her family. They’d been through too much, and she needed them in her life.

“Trust is a touchy subject for us,” she admitted.

“I imagine it is,” he agreed and stood from his seat. “It’s getting late, Aspen. Why don’t we get some sleep? Let’s not worry about shifters or secrets anymore tonight.”

“Thank you, Booker,” she sighed, rising from her own seat. “I’ll be ready to go as soon as the sun