by Lily Thomas
“Oh, yes.” She began to pant as her entrance began to clamp down around his cock. “Oh, yes!” She shook as pleasure vibrated through her. Her pussy clamped down around his length.
Rokki’s head drooped before he let out a guttural growl, and hot cum seared through her. His claws dug into the tender flesh of her hips as he pumped into her. His back ramrod straight as his golden eyes refused to leave hers. She saw her passion reflected back at her in his swirling golden eyes.
When Rokki finally slumped against her, pumping lightly with his hips, he said, “You tempt me to stay between your legs for the rest of my life.”
Andrea chuckled as she rolled out from under him. Before she could get too far, one of his arms wrapped around her waist and drew her back into his chest as he laid down on the fur behind her.
“Don’t you have to get back to your village?” Andrea hoped she had tired him out enough to spend the night with her. She wanted to delay his leaving her alone for as long as she could. There were so many dangers out there in the unpredictable ice age. She hated to sound like a weakling, but she needed him.
“They can wait a little longer,” Rokki growled in her ear before rubbing the side of his face against her cheek in a lovely animalistic gesture. “I need time to hold you.”
Andrea’s heart fluttered wildly in her chest as she processed his words. When she saw her discarded clothing, she spotted the chunks of her wooden bracelet.
Gritting her teeth, she refused to give voice to her still hot anger about his actions. She was still pissed about it, but she didn’t want angry words forcing him from the hut any sooner than he had to leave.
Andrea wasn’t even sure she knew how to voice her anger. On one hand, she was peeved he’d so heartlessly shattered her ticket back home, but at the same time, she also was enjoying her time here. The two emotions warred inside her. She wanted to hate him for his actions, but after their intimate moment, she wasn’t about to randomly lash out and ruin this. She was so warm and safe in his arms.
“How do you know I’ll be safe here while you’re gone?” Andrea wasn’t too certain about being alone. She shifted on her feet nervously. The urge to scream that she couldn’t be alone overwhelmed her, but she kept the trembling voice quiet.
After a few minutes of after sex cuddling, Rokki had unwrapped himself from around her and told her of his intention to leave.
“The area is well marked by my pack, and before I leave, I will change into my dire wolf form and make sure no animal feels comfortable sniffing around this hut,” Rokki assured her.
Her hands shook a bit at the thought of being alone, but she plastered a smile on her lips. If he thought she’d be fine, then she would trust him… for now. He seemed to think she would be safer here rather than meeting his pack, and he knew this world better than she did.
“May I watch you shift?” Andrea asked, curious to see his wolf form now that she knew it wouldn’t suddenly rip out her throat.
A pleased smile decorated his face, softening his scarred face. Andrea’s eyes drifted over the scars, but in truth, she barely noticed them now.
“My dire wolf would love for you to watch. He also enjoys scratches behind his ears.” Rokki advised.
“Are you joking?” Andrea asked as she cocked her head to the side, and her eyes narrowed. He said it with such a straight face that she had no idea if he jested or spoke the truth.
“Not at all.” He laughed as he ducked under the entrance and exited the hut.
Jumping into action, Andrea followed after him. When she exited the hut, she found his golden eyes staring straight at her. Then he shifted. It only took a single blink of her eyes, and then a massive black dire wolf stood on four paws in front of her. It was a large beast, and a part of her mind told her not to trust the beast, but another reasoned that it was Rokki, and he would never harm her.
The wolf opened its massive mouth and sent her a wolfy grin as a large pink tongue rolled out the side of its mouth.
“Hi.” Andrea waved a hand at the wolf.
The dire wolf gave her a growly woof, before slowly walking over to her. She held absolutely still as she waited to see what it would do. The dire wolf nuzzled its snout into her hand until her palm rested on its head.
“So soft.” She murmured as her hand ran over his furry head. Remembering Rokki’s words, she scratched a couple of fingers behind one of his ears, and the dire wolf chuffed in pleasure. She’d never owned a pet, and she wouldn’t call Rokki’s dire wolf a pet, but she did enjoy running her hands through his fur. It felt therapeutic and relaxed her.
Rokki’s dire wolf form bumped his head into her waist.
“What do you want?”
He thumped a front paw on the ground.
“Kneel?”
He thumped his paw again.
“Okay.” Andrea sank to her knees, and he licked her cheek as the large wolf’s head nuzzled her. “Rokki!” She laughed.
He pressed his wet black nose against her face before backing away. With a small nod from his massive head, he bounded into the forest, disappearing in a matter of seconds.
Heaving a sigh, Andrea glanced around. Alone again. In the ice age. Damn. And knowing her luck, this wouldn’t end well.
Chapter 13
Andrea had sat down in the entrance of the hut after Rokki left, but as night had fallen around her and the noises of nocturnal animals grew louder, she’d headed inside the hut. She placed any baskets and extra furs against the hut entrance to keep the flap closed and hopefully, any curious animals out.
Throwing a couple of sticks onto the fire, she watched the flames chew through the wood, putting off waves of welcome heat. She wrapped a fur firmly around her shoulders, finding comfort in being wrapped up.
She’d really hoped Rokki would be back by now, but it seemed he might not be coming for her tonight. Right now, she’d rather face a village full of werewolves than be alone in the forest. When Rokki came back, she was going to voice her preference.
Distant howls echoed through the trees outside of her hut, but it was far away from her. Reaching out, she snatched a pouch and pulled a piece of dried meat out. Absently, she munched on the meat as something skittered through the fallen leaves near the hut.
Jumping out of her skin, Andrea bolted to her feet, the fur slipping from around her shoulders and landing on the ground. Whatever it had been was small, but her nerves were frayed, and every little sound outside the hut sounded ten times louder, causing her to think something huge was outside.
Grabbing a few more logs of wood, she placed them over the fire, and when they lit, warmth washed through the hut. Rokki should have left her with a weapon. She wouldn’t have known how to use it, but at least she would have a chance at defending herself from the animals out there.
Andrea settled back down on the floor of the hut, and she wrapped the fur firmly around her shoulders once more. Once she was done with her dinner of dried meat, and she was done missing greasy, cheesy, deep-dish pizza, she huddled closer to the fire.
If she remained in the ice age, she would have to get used to simplistic meals. There’d be no more ramen, pizza, ice cream, or sushi for her. Was Rokki yummier than all those delicious foods?
She pursed her lips. She wasn’t quite sure yet.
It wasn’t long until Andrea dozed off next to the warmth of the dancing orange flames. The crackle of the flames relaxed her and caused her eyelids to slide shut with tiredness.
A growl nearby had her shooting back to her feet. Turning in a tight circle, Andrea tried to pinpoint where the noise had come from. Stopping, she waited as her eyes darted around the inside of the hut.
It wasn’t long until the growl vibrated through the air around her once more.
That was it.
She was done.
Dashing to the opposite side of the hut, she lifted a side flap, glanced around, saw the immediate area was clear and scrambled out under the animal hide side. With frantic wiggles of her body, sh
e popped loose from the tent, dashed to her feet, and bolted into the dark forest.
Andrea wasn’t sure what had been sniffing around the hut, and she wasn’t about to wait to find out. With her mind blank, except for fear, she let the moonlight guide her through the trees. She brushed back bushes as she let nothing stand in her way.
As she ran through the forest, she could barely see everything around her as she plunged forward. When she placed a foot on the ground and launched into another step, her other foot came down, and nothing met it… no ground, just air.
With a squeak, she tumbled to the ground and rolled in a heap down a hill. Dirt flew around her, and every time she sucked in a breath, the loose dirt would fill her nose. Raising her arms, she wrapped them like a shield around her head as she tumbled uncontrollably.
Something in the dark caught on her foot, and her momentum yanked it. Letting out an ear-piercing scream, she continued to tumble through the dirt until she landed on solid ground once more.
Groaning, Andrea braced her hands on the ground and heaved herself into a sitting position. Her head hurt, her legs and arms hurt from where they’d bumped into debris, and most of all, her ankle drove her nuts.
Gripping her ankle in both of her hands, she wished with all her might that it would feel better. As she rocked back and forth on her butt, she squeezed her eyes shut and wished it better.
After a couple of seconds, the slight ache emanating from her ankle slowly dissipated. Cracking her eyes open, Andrea glanced down at her foot. Moonlight streamed through the leaves above her, allowing her the ability to examine her ankle.
The pain was gone, and she could easily move her foot without a single wince.
Andrea cautiously stood, and when her foot gave her zero issues, she put her full weight on the ankle and smiled. It was fine. The fall had probably caused her to think her injuries were worse than they were.
Something in the forest cracked, sending Andrea back into a frantic sprint. The moment she ran across a tree with low enough branches, she frantically began climbing the tree. She had no idea if staying the night in a tree would be better than the ground, but she was already halfway up.
Once she got to a large enough branch, she wrapped herself around it and settled down for the night. When the sun lighted the area in the morning, she would try to find her way back to the hut. Otherwise, she would have to hope Rokki could find her when he found her missing.
Rokki faced Ruub and Naab, his foot tapping the ground impatiently as he waited for them to tell him why he was needed in the village. He was eager to get back to Andrea and to make sure he kept his promise of keeping her safe.
“There are signs Neanderthals have once again encroached on our territory last night,” Ruub commented with a growl of frustration and a clenched fist. “The hunting party saw signs of old campfires and smelled them in the area.”
Frowning, Rokki was only able to think about getting back to his mate. He didn’t want to stay away from her any longer than he had to lest she run into any predators. Raising a hand to his face, he used a couple of fingers to massage his temple. “Why didn’t the hunting party go after them?”
Silence greeted him before Naab explained, “They had prey to bring back. They didn’t want the meat to spoil before they got it to the smoking hut.”
Rokki shook his head. He wasn’t thinking clearly, of course, they’d have prey to bring back if they’d been hunting. It was rare for their hunters not to catch something. It was one of the reasons their clan was able to grow so large.
“And Darc is still out with his own hunting party. Your uncle may run the pack until one of you finds your witch mate,” Naab said, referring to the pack’s prophecy, “but he wants the both of you to be involved in the pack before one of you take over the pack. While Darc is gone, it falls to you to find the Neanderthal threat.”
As much as Rokki wanted to use his newly found mate as an excuse, he couldn’t risk telling anyone about her. Not yet. Not until he was sure what she was, otherwise, there would be many questions, and he didn’t need to introduce a human mate to his pack until she was fully prepared.
“Do we have any idea as to how big this Neanderthal group is?” Rokki asked, wondering how many men he would need to get rid of the threat. If a group of Neanderthals ran into one of their lone females, it might not matter if she could turn into a wolf, they might still be able to capture or kill her, like they’d done in the past.
“No bigger than four men from what the hunting party reported smelling.”
“Where were they?”
“By the gnarled tree to the west,” Ruub said as he raised a hand to point a finger to the other side of the village. His animal skin shirt pulled back with his movement exposing his wrist.
“Then you two will come with me.” Rokki headed towards the edge of the village, knowing the two men would follow him. If he ever became alpha of this pack, he knew Ruub would end up being his beta. The three of them were closer than he was to his own brother… and if he was forced to leave one day because his mate was human, he knew they would follow him.
Stripping off his clothing, Rokki placed it beside a moss-covered rock before letting the shift overcome him. His beast eagerly jumped at the chance to show itself to the world. It was never one for being cooped up inside for too long.
Once freed, it stretched its long front black legs out in front of it, as its back arched up and its tail raised up behind it for a full-body stretch. Then his dire wolf shook out its large frame in a full-body shudder.
When his beast finished enjoying its freedom, he turned to glance back at Ruub and Naab. Both men were now in their wolf forms. Each wolf was impressive in size, and his wolf felt the need to snap its teeth and snarl at them to assert its dominance.
Their wolves immediately crouched low to the ground, and their ears flicked backward as they showed their submissiveness. Satisfied, Rokki’s dire wolf turned and trotted off into the forest.
A massive amount of scents smacked him in the face. Off to his left, he knew there was a rabbit cowering in fear at the sight of three dire wolves, he could smell the decaying leaves under his paws, and his wolf could smell Ruub and Naab trailing after him.
His dire wolf wanted to seek out their mate, but he kept the beast’s nose firmly pointed towards the west. They were going to find Neanderthals and drive them away, and if it came to it, they would kill them.
It didn’t take Rokki, Ruub, and Naab long to sniff out the Neanderthal intruders. Their scent was distinctive – like a mix of feces and sweat. It always curled Rokki’s upper lip when he caught a whiff. Loping through the thinly wooded forest, he slowed down as the scent grew stronger.
Then his triangular ears zipped forward on his dire wolf’s head as guttural words could be heard in the distance. Slowing down, he trotted up behind a thickly leafed bush and peered around the edge.
Rokki spotted four Neanderthals in front of them. They had a couple of dead rabbits slung over their shoulders and were walking away, further into their pack’s territory.
He ran out from behind the bush, not making a single noise as his soft padded feet muffled any noise from the leaves littering the ground. His men followed behind him, and with a flick of his tail, he signaled his men to pick a Neanderthal to attack.
Picking up speed, Rokki bunched his back legs and launched at the Neanderthal back that was closest to him. The man had no idea what hit him when Rokki landed on the Neanderthal’s back, throwing him to the ground.
Rokki stretched his wolf’s jaw wide and wrapped his sharp teeth around the man’s neck. Then he latched on, and a flood of hot blood coated his tongue as the Neanderthal stayed down with a gurgling cry.
A couple more cries went up as Naab and Ruub attacked the Neanderthals.
When Rokki’s golden dire wolf eyes glanced around, he saw the fourth Neanderthal swinging a wooden club aimed right for Rokki’s head. Leaping back, he let go of the first Neanderthal’s neck since the man wasn�
��t alive, and if he was, he wouldn’t be for much longer and was no threat now.
The second Neanderthal ran towards him with a guttural war cry as he pulled the club back and tried again to smack Rokki in the side of the face. Jumping to the side, Rokki dodged the attacked and ran behind the man, but the Neanderthal was faster on his feet and spun, nailing Rokki in a back thigh.
Letting out a yelp of pain, Rokki gritted his sharp teeth as he pushed through the pain. Thankfully, it was nothing serious and hadn’t been hard enough to break his bones, but he had to be careful. These Neanderthals had strength, and one good swing of that club would shatter any of Rokki’s bones.
The Neanderthal charged with another guttural war cry, but Naab’s grey form flew out of nowhere and laid the Neanderthal flat on his side with a grunt of surprise.
Leaping back into action, Rokki joined Naab in the attack. When he noticed the Neanderthal had lifted a stone dagger, Rokki launched himself at the man’s arm. He sank his teeth into the Neanderthal’s forearm, causing the man to scream and drop the dagger. If Rokki hadn’t noticed, Naab would have been stabbed in the side, and the wound would have most likely been fatal.
Rokki’s heart thundered under his ribcage as the thought of losing a clan mate to a Neanderthal had his blood boiling. Thrashing his head, Rokki heard the disturbing sound of the Neanderthal’s arm breaking.
The Neanderthal’s scream was cut short as Naab chomped down on the man’s throat, ending his life swiftly with a sudden gush of blood.
Releasing his hold on the Neanderthal’s arm, Rokki glanced over to where Ruub stood over the body of his Neanderthal. They’d taken out the Neanderthal threat without anyone being harmed. Rokki would call it a good day.
Ruub shifted into his human form, blood-streaked across his chest, but from here, Rokki’s nose could tell it was just the Neanderthal’s, and Ruub wasn’t injured.