Where The Ice Gives Way (Charlotte and Blake) novel Chapter 252

Chapter 252-In This for Life

Charlie

She seems to be taking it okay.

A little pale. Slightly frazzled. But okay.

Or as okay as anyone can be in her situation.

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She hasn’t told me to piss off yet, though, or pushed me away. If anything, she keeps holding onto me.

Her fingers are wrapped around mine with more strength than I expected, and every time her grip tightens, Titan settles a little more inside me, as if that

simple contact is enough to convince him we have not already ruined everything.

Mara thought that having the whole pack here today would comfort her. That seeing everyone, the families, the kids, the people from town, gathered behind

her might show Jessica that she is not walking into this alone.

And maybe it does.

Maybe, later, when the panic clears enough for her to think about it, she will remember the way the entire pack quietly gave her space.

But right now, sitting on the edge of my bed with her eyes too wide and her breathing uneven, I think the whole world is too much for her.

Right now, I think all she needs is something small enough to hold.

And for some reason, fate, or the moon, or whatever power decided to throw us together, has made that something me.

Jess gives a little half sniffle as she looks down at our joined hands, still processing every impossible thing that has been dropped into her lap.

“What do you need?” I ask again, because I want to make sure I am doing exactly that.

Whatever she needs. Nothing more. Nothing less.

She blinks down at me, and I think maybe she will ask for coffee, because after knowing Jessica for even a short amount of time, I have already worked out she is one minor inconvenience away from turning violent without caffeine. Or maybe she will ask for Charlotte, because Charlotte cahns her in a way none

of us can. But Jess doesn’t ask for any of that.

Her eyes flick over my face, hesitant and shy in a way that makes my chest ache.

“Can I see your wolf again?”

Titan explodes inside me.

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.

He surges so hard my whole body jerks, and for one horrifying second, I think he is going to shift us right there with my hand still holding hers and s

face two feet from her knees.

1 clamp down on him fast,

11:16 am

PPP.

Chapter 252 In This for Life

Foy your furry arse down.

Titan is desperate and thrilled and so painfully gentle beneath all that force that it almost breaks my heart. He wants her to see him. He wants to show her

she doesn’t have to be afraid. He was to lie at her feet and prove he can be soft for her.

I hold her gaze, searching for any sign that this might tip her over the edge. “Are you sure?”

She nods, then pauses. “He won’t eat me, right?”

Titan huffs in my mind, deeply offended.

But a stupid smile tugs at my mouth before I can stop it. “Only if you make fun of his ego.”

Jess stares at me for half a second, then shoves my shoulder hard enough that I fall back onto my ass.

“Charlie, I’m being serious.”

“I know, I know.” I lift both hands. “Sorry.”

I climb to my feet and step back, giving her space. “He won’t hurt you,” I say, softer now. “I swear. Titan knows who you are.”

Jess looks down at her hands. “And who am I?”

My heart stumbles and Titan answers before I do.

Ours.

I don’t say that now, though.

“You’re Jess,” I say instead. “That’s enough for him.”

Her eyes lift to mine, and something flickers there. A little trust. A little fear. Maybe both.

I turn away before I start stripping, keeping it practical and quick. I pull my shirt over my head, kick off my shoes, shove my jeans down, and try not to look

over my shoulder to see if she’s watching.

I am almost certain she sneaks one tiny glance, but I bite back a smile because this is not the moment.

Then I let Titan take over.

I have done it so many times out of fear, in cold woods, and dark rooms, that for a second I almost forget this is different.

This time, I am shifting for her. Not to run or hide, or to protect Charlotte. This time, it’s for Jess.

Titan steps forward the moment the change finishes, stretching his paws against the floorboards as he shakes out his dark fur. less’s scent fills everything

threaded with fear, coffee, and something underneath that makes Titan go still.

Her woll. It’s so faint, but unmistakable now. Her wolf is waking.

less sits on the edge of the bed with both hands gripping the blanket beside her thighs, eyes wide as she stares at him. Titan lowers his head insectely

Then his shoulders. Then his whole body until his belly nearly brushes the floor.

11:16 am Ppp

Chapter 252-In This for Life

He makes himself smaller. As small as a wolf his size can make himself, anyway.

Jess lets out a shaky breath that almost sounds like a laugh. “You’re bigger than I remember.”

Titan’s tail thumps once against the floor, and she freezes at the sound.

He freezes too.

Then her mouth twitches.

“Did you just wag your tail at me?”

Titan’s ears flick back, and I can feel his dignity take a severe hit.

Jess laughs, softer this time, and the sound rolls through him so powerfully that he lowers his head all the way to his paws, like he might sink through the

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