The Beast And The Blessed

Four: Charlie

Charlie's P.O.V.

There were three things I knew for sure:

My mate had the most incredible voice in the world. The way he let my name roll off his tongue had been replaying in my head all night, keeping me awake.

I didn't even like my full name. I preferred Charlie.

There was no reason for me to have given him my full name, but it came out instinctively like I was trying to impress him with a long, classy name even though I bathed in a river and slept in the forest. I had hoped he would reciprocate and give me anything in return. His name would have been nice.

He came after me last night, which meant we were making progress. I felt butterflies in my stomach at the idea that maybe, with time, he would be willing to have a real interaction with me.

I didn't chase him when he left me beside a fresh carcass yesterday. Instead, I watched him go, shifted, and ate my fill. It obviously hadn't been his intention when he left it there, but eating the kill of my mate satisfied my beast in a way I hadn't been expecting. He had provided for me... even though I had done something to spook him away from his food and then stolen it. It still counted.

Okay, so it didn't sound so romantic when I thought about it, but somehow it was also the best-tasting meat I had ever had.

Growing up in a castle and being served only the finest, hand -crafted meals, it had been a startling realization that the bloody, raw meat was my new favorite meal.

I was done allowing him to send me on these wild goose... well, bear chases. We had broken down a wall between us yesterday, and I wouldn't humor him anymore in playing these games.

At first, I thought they were cute. I thought maybe my mate was leading me somewhere.

Instead, he was just keeping me busy. I felt his eyes on me the entire time, and each day I got more excited than the one prior.

The thoughts would flow through my mind, 'Was today the day he was going to introduce himself to me?', 'Was he taking me somewhere beautiful he wanted to share with me? ', or the most humiliating one... 'Was he taking me to his den?

That last one was the hardest because I allowed myself to get my hopes up. I had ignorantly thought that maybe he had been taking me back to his den so we could spend time together without the possibility of anyone stumbling upon us. We didn't have to do anything intimate or physical, even though I was eager and nervous to finally be with the man I had saved myself for.

Just talking would have been nice, but he didn't want to do that based on the three words I had gotten from him over the past week.

that he had been trying to throw me off his trail and keep me away from him

the stubborn woman I was known to be, I kept going. Whatever this test was, I

was different because I was done playing by

to leave him alone, all he had

while the others slept. They would be up as soon as the sun started rising, but I was too impatient to stay in my tiny

pot heated. My mind was swirling with thoughts of my mate and my past. Did he know

since my brother was

be the two of us against the world until he

above and beyond to support him and earn his respect, he said I was trying to take control and needed to learn my place as someone beneath him

I would feel homesick after a few months and want to see my older brother and be around the

vocalized an opinion or suggestion that deviated from his

free to lay into me and remind me that my opinion did not matter

second thought. All I wanted was for him to hear me. As soon

of the best decisions I

softly on my shoulder, and I turned to face Barley. The giant man smiled at me as he sat beside me. "You okay,

on it. He reached his freckled arm forward, proof

hadn't realized how low it had gotten, the fact that the water was boiling, or that the sun was up and the men were moving about. Roman and Paxton had made their way out to relieve themselves, and I covered my mouth when I heard one of them

to sleep in case of an attack. Even in the rain or snow, he would just move to the base of a tree and weather the storm.

so he probably hadn't left

Paxton got into fights with his one-night stands. He was smooth and tended to leave

and I took in a deep inhale of the rich aroma. "But you also keep running off, and each night when

of my drink, ignoring the burn of overheated

behind his mug as I stood up, wanting to escape this conversation. If anyone could get me to spill my guts,

my weapons strapped on, filled the pouch on my hip with a few

my shoulder and received a grumble of grumpy

luck with the bear today," Barley called out, and I stopped in my tracks, not wanting to turn back

the big man just grunted in response. "I'm

bear as I went down toward the river. It wasn't funny to me, not even a little

be able to cross and remain dry several weeks back, and I rushed over it, eager to get away from the men still hooting and hollering. The only one who didn't engage was Roman, but that was because his mate