BEOF

I felt my chest tighten. Damn it, it hurt—the disappointment and the insecurities I had fought so hard to bury were rising to the surface again.

I hated not being a normal wolf. Why did the Goddess have to make me like this?

Soul fell silent, no longer urging me to take her. He could feel the turmoil in my soul.

"I won’t take her for the first time. This was a mistake," I said, closing my eyes in exhaustion and sighing.

"Wait, I didn’t tell you to discourage you. If she chose—"

"You did the right thing by telling me," I cut her off, lifting my head and ending her anxious rambling.

Of course, she must have thought her golden goose was slipping through her fingers.

"I’ll still pay, don’t worry. You’ll get your cut, and she’ll get the 10,000 gold coins when you send her. I’ll sign the promissory note," I said, stepping toward the desk, ignoring the pang in my chest.

"You’re giving that much money to a girl you barely know without even touching a hair on her head?"

She didn’t need to