“Absolutely,” I say.
He doesn’t ask a second time. Instead, he drags me toward him, pressing our bare torsos together in the chilly April evening. I shiver with pleasure as his hands run down my back, stopping at the waistband of my leggings. I yank his hair, pulling his head back so I can place gentle kisses along his jaw, then his neck.
When I nip at the scar I made with our bond, he drags my leggings down as far as they’ll go. There’s no way they’ll get over my Doc Martens, but he gets them low enough that I can straddle his hips, praying in my mind that the motorcycle doesn’t fall.
He takes his pants off next, procuring a condom from seemingly nowhere. I watch as he rolls it over his length, licking my lips. Then, he slows down, his touch going from desperate to gentle in an instant as he wraps his arms around me, trailing kisses across my collar and then down my breasts. He takes one nipple in his mouth and pinches the other between his fingertips, and I groan and buck against him. I have no idea how we’re going to have sex on this motorcycle, though.
Like he’s reading my mind, he kicks his pants the rest of the way off and puts his leg back over the seat, pulling me along with him. My pants catch on the fuel tank, stretching my thighs almost painfully and keeping my feet stuck behind me. It would probably be more comfortable for me to wrap my legs around him, but that just isn’t going to happen in our current situation.
He moves up on the leather seat toward me so that my thick thighs cover his lean ones, and I grab his cock, my other arm wrapped around his shoulder so I don’t lose my balance. His feet are planted firmly on the gravel drive, and I lower myself onto him, slowly as to feel every inch of him as he fills me.
When he’s fully inside me, I rock over him, and he cups my breasts rubbing his thumbs over my pebbled nipples and watching me. His eyebrows are scrunched together in concentration, and he’s looking at me like he wants to eat me alive.
“You’re so fucking hot,” I say, gripping his hips as I use his body to pleasure myself. At this angle, my face is above his, and I lean down to press my lips against his. A moan comes out of him, and I clench around him and shiver, but not from the cold.
“You feel amazing,” he groans, his voice pained like he’s having a hard time controlling himself. This isn’t the first time I’ve had sex outdoors, and it certainly won’t be the last. There’s something exhilarating about the idea that someone could catch us, although we’re in the middle of nowhere on a property that’s been abandoned for a long time.
I lift myself off him, grabbing his hips and encouraging him as he rolls them to thrust in and out of me. A shock of pleasure jolts through me every time he shoves his cock in, and I cry out with every thrust.
Our bodies quickly find a rhythm, matching each other just how we both need. His feet stay firm, and the bike doesn’t so much as wobble as I fuck my mate out in the open.
He puts his arms around my lower back, and his claws come out and scrape across my skin. Sharp pain penetrates my senses, and tiny dots of hot blood drip onto the ground below us. I speed up, the pain and pleasure mixing until they’re indistinguishable from each other. He slams into me harder and harder, and I scream as I fall apart, pressing myself against him because I’m not sure I’ll stay human without his help.
Shortly after my orgasm starts, he holds me tighter, moaning as he finds his own release. His body shudders as he holds me tight.The temperature continues to plummet as we cling to each other. The scratches on my back are already healing, and I open my eyes to find that he’s staring at me, his mouth open in a little O of surprise.
“That was…” he breathes, but he can’t seem to find the words. I lift myself up as well as I can, and he slides out of me, sucking in a breath as cold air rushes between us.
“I know,” I say, the cold sending a shiver through me. I use him for balance and yank my pants back on, then trip my way off the bike. I can’t bear to look at him any longer, or I’ll start to feel too much. This is getting dangerous. I should have never brought him out here, should have never lost control of my own mind. I can’t have feelings for him, can’t have feelings for anyone. That’s not the reason I came back. “Did you still want to go for a run?”
“Sure,” he says, his voice shocked. Before he can ask why I’m suddenly so cold, I untie my boots and kick them off, then remove my pants the rest of the way. I shift seamlessly, fur sprouting from my blackening skin. I don’t let him call out to me. I just take off into the woods.
Chapter Sixteen
Thompson
It doesn’t take long for me to catch up to Eve. Her feet pound into the soil, and I match my tracks to hers. The woods are warmer than the open air, the trees close-knit and cozy. I’ve only ever transformed on the pack’s property. Our little courtyard in the middle of the building is secluded enough to transform without being seen, but it’s not nearly big enough to run freely. Now I have the chance to stretch my legs, the pads of my feet sinking into the dirt, the scent of pine penetrating my senses.
Eve is like a phantom, her dark form lithe as she darts through the evening woods. Despite the darkness, my vision is sharp, and my sense of smell is even better. There are trails all over that I’d love to explore, animal tracks and a nearby river and more. If I lose my focus for too long, though, Eve escapes me.
The wind ruffles my fur, and trees grab at me like they’re trying to hold me back. I push through, the unfamiliar woods feeling like home. This is what being a wolf is supposed to be. The freedom to run and explore has long been denied me, has long been something none of the pack could have, and now that I’ve found it, I never want to let go.
An image of a waterfall assaults my mind, and I freeze. What the hell was that? It didn’t come from my mind. It’s like something else put it there, a memory that is not my own.
I sniff the air, and sure enough, there’s rushing water somewhere. I continue on carefully, following Eve’s scent. Another image comes, along with the stinging of icy water on paws. Is she doing this? Is that how I’m seeing and feeling these things?
The sound of running water grows louder, although there’s no river in sight. When I sprint into a clearing, though, there’s a cascading waterfall that drops into several levels, mist floating over the water as the air cools around us. Eve is standing at the edge of the first pool, her body shuddering. I walk forward slowly, lowering my head in submission. I don’t dare look her in the eyes, instead opting to nuzzle her and lick at her snout.
Cold water laps at my feet as I step into the little pool, and I’m reminded of the icy shower pounding at my skin while blood flows out of my chest. I’ve never been able to remember the moment my father hurt me, nor the aftermath, but the vision assaults me and leaves me nowhere to go. I’m a little boy again, terrified as I try my best to be strong while my one protector does nothing. The image comes on so strong that I don’t even notice Eve recoiling away from me.
A whine comes from her chest, and her green eyes look into mine. It’s wrong for us to be staring like this in our wolf forms, so I look away into the water. Is it just my imagination, or is there a stream of bright red running through the otherwise crystal-clear pool?
Eve whines again and nudges me with her head, and I stumble away, my shoulders trembling. My bones shift, and I’m suddenly human once again. I gasp and fall forward, my hands sinking into the mud and turning to ice in the frigid water.
A hand wraps around my bicep and pulls, gentle yet firm.
“Thompson,” Eve says quietly. I turn to her, and her wide green eyes look just as they had in her wolf form. That’s such an uncommon trait that it throws me. Wolf eyes are usually different, but hers are exactly the same in either form.
She pulls me to her and wraps me in her arms.
“He can’t hurt you anymore,” she says, her voice husky. A shudder runs through me. This isn’t the first time she’s said something along those lines, but she doesn’t know what my father is capable of. She hasn’t seen what he’s been
doing for the past thirteen years.
“He’s dangerous,” I insist.
She shakes her head. “I’m far more dangerous than he will ever be. I don’t know when you guys will believe that.”
I shake my head and bury my face in her hair, the tip of my nose frigid. She jolts when it presses against her throat, but she doesn’t push me away or complain. Instead, we sit together by the riverbed. I’ve never known how safe I could feel in a woman’s arms, but there’s something about Eve that makes me feel completely protected.
Her emotions cascade into me, calming energy flowing out of her like a warm tap. I breathe in her scent and think only of her. Then, guilt creeps in, pulling at my heart. This isn’t why we mated. She didn’t choose me so that she could take care of me, but so that I could try to have a relationship with Anderson. Not only has that not happened, but now I’m depending on her for the emotional support I’ve never had.
I sigh into her before pulling away.
“We should probably get back,” I whisper. She glances around us as if just realizing that we’ve been out in the dark for hours, then nods.
She’s the first to transform once again, but she doesn’t abandon me this time. Instead, the night-black wolf stares at me, waiting as I change as well. Despite technically being the same color as wolves, there’s something about Eve’s coat that’s more elegant and rich than mine.
Watching her run through the forest is like being in a dream. She’s totally ethereal, a goddess come to life. I half expect her to disappear in the night, to turn back into the darkest part of the sky. Instead, she nuzzles me as we run together, matching every step.
I would do anything for my mate, and I will trust that she knows her own abilities.
It takes forever to reach the motorcycle. I hadn’t realized just how long we’d been out. Both of us transform quickly, and I check my phone to find several texts and calls from Anderson.
“Fuck,” I mumble, quickly texting back that we’re on our way home.
“What?” Eve asks halfway through putting her helmet on.
I shake my head. “Nothing,” I say. “Just letting Anderson know we’re coming back.” She doesn’t need to worry about just how angry he is. She has enough to deal with, so she shouldn’t have to put up with trouble from her mates.
He’s waiting for us when we pull into the parking garage, though, the sky going from black to a pale blue. We were out all night. My heart races as he strides toward the bike, his jaw hard as the artery in his throat pulses hard. I remove my helmet and scramble toward him, raising a hand.
He brushes me off instantly, though, going straight for Eve.
“I thought you were fucking dead,” he growls, his eyes dark and eyebrows scrunched. I’ve never seen him this pissed. I grab his upper arm, and he turns to me and snarls, baring his teeth.
“You need to calm down,” I say, my voice far more confident than I feel. I’m not used to standing up to people, but Eve doesn’t need this. For one, she’s our mate, and for another, she’s a grown-ass woman who can take care of herself.
He jerks his arm away from me, but his eyes don’t leave mine. The fight fades away from him, and it’s then that I can see just how frightened he really is.
“I thought Kenneth might have…” He allows his words to trail off, looking between Eve and I. She takes a step forward and tangles her fingers in his. I wish I were bold enough to do the same, but he has no idea how I feel about him. I won’t make a move this way.
“I should have let you know we were going out,” Eve says, her voice gentle. She rests a hand on his cheek, and he releases a shuddering breath. How is it so easy for her to comfort us?
I glance around the parking garage. Pretty much everyone is asleep right now, but I can’t help but feel like someone might be watching us. Maybe it’s just because I know Eve’s plan to murder my father, but I feel totally exposed in here. “We should get inside,” I say, my voice hollow as a light flickers above us. Thunder rumbles in the distance. Eve and I only barely missed driving through an oncoming spring storm.
The hairs rise on the back of my neck as lightning strikes somewhere in the city, thunder crashing so loud the building shakes. It’s going to be a bad one.
“Good idea,” Eve says.
Chapter Seventeen
Freya
Storms are always the worst. I’m not scheduled to take care of the pups this morning, but I go down anyway, carrying a dozen cheap blankets I bought with my waitressing tips.
I rush down to the basement, striding through the long hallway with purpose. Heat blasts from one of the pipes, and I flinch away as thunder rolls upstairs. The pups must be terrified right now. It feels like I’m being watched, but that’s probably just all the extra static in the air. I shake the feeling off.
I open the door and rush in, slamming it behind me. Poppy shakes while huddling in a corner of her cage, and the rest aren’t much better off. I open all the cages, running into hers to pick her up and cuddle her to my chest. She shivers against me, and I wrap her tightly in a blanket for security.
The storm is one of those bad midwestern ones, the thunder crashing over and over again and shaking the building. I checked before coming down here that we aren’t under any sort of tornado alert, but I’m always extra cautious with those things. I regularly send out mass emails to the entire pack with evacuation and safety plans. A bad enough tornado could take out the entire building, so everyone has to know how to get to the massive basement, which thankfully David had reinforced years ago.
I get to work cleaning the cages, washing everything as efficiently as possible. Most of the pups are huddled in a corner, whining as the building trembles above us. “It’s alright,” I say, keeping my tone as calm and collected as possible. The truth is, I’m nervous, too. With everything constantly getting worse, who am I to say that a tornado won’t be the next terrible thing to happen to the pack?
I’m so distracted by the storm that I don’t hear the door opening behind me. When it closes, I spin around, ready to explain to Kenneth why the pups are out of their cages. My heart pounds hard and fast as my mind runs over a million ways he could torture me for this.
Instead, though, Victoria is standing in the door.
Her eyes widen as she looks at me, then the pups, then the cages. Her nostrils flare, and I understand why. Even when I scrub down here until my hands are raw, the stench is overwhelming. It’s no place for pups, especially sick ones who can’t change back.
“What the fuck is this?” she asks, a pause between each word as her volume builds. Poppy wiggles in a desperate attempt to escape, and I release her so she can go cower back in her cage. My heart breaks for her, but I have more serious things to worry about. Is Victoria going to try to hurt them? If they’re sick, her instincts might be screaming at her to destroy them.
“Leave them alone,” I say, my shoulders shaking but my voice strong. I stand up and plant my feet. I may not look like much, but I’m an excellent fighter. Quick and agile, I can take down any of the guys in the pack. This random she-wolf should be no problem.
“What the fuck is going on?” she demands, louder this time. She takes a step toward me, and I tense. Her eyes flick to Poppy behind me. If her hand so much as twitches in that direction, I’ll rip her throat out. My ears ring, and my nails turn to long black claws, my false nails falling to the ground with a few quiet clicks. There goes another eighty bucks. My vision sharpens, and thick hair sprouts along my arms and face. “Calm down, Freya. I’m not gonna hurt them.”
I shake my head. “I don’t trust you.” I can hardly hear myself speak over the pounding of my heart and the thunder above us. I speak louder. “You don’t belong here.”
At that, she snarls. “I belong more than anyone here,” she shouts. “I am the true alpha of this pack.”
As she finishes that sentence, realization dawns on her face, and she snaps her mouth shut. It takes my mind a moment to catch up, and when it does, it�
�s a punch to the gut.
“You’re Eve,” I say, my wolf form suddenly retreating. Kenneth may claim the title of alpha, but deep in my soul, I know that it’s this girl in front of me. What is she doing here? Where has she been this whole time? A million questions race through my mind, but the one thing distracting me is the pure power that radiates off her. Why haven’t I noticed that before? I’ve been so naive to think that she’s just some random girl from Texas when in reality, she’s the only savior we’ve got.
She nods, one curt movement. “Now tell me what’s going on here,” she says, “because I will not ask again”
Trembling, I explain it all. The sick pups, the time Kenneth broke my fingers, and even my original plan to take better care of them when he steps down.
She shakes her head. “You know he won’t step down.” Her voice is gentler than it’s been, and for the first time in our lives, I see pity in her eyes. For me. “He’ll claim his title until he dies.”
I don’t dare to look her in the eye, instead staring at the ground. Poppy crawls toward me, her legs shaking as she whimpers in Eve’s direction. I pull her into my arms, stroking her baby-soft fur. “Then why did you come back? Didn’t you kill your father?”
A low rumble comes out of her chest, but she doesn’t move toward me. I flinch anyway. “I know that’s what Kenneth told you.” Her tongue moves over his name like it’s poison, and I risk a glance into her eyes. She’s looking around the room, her eyebrows scrunched together. Is that pain in her eyes? I look away before she can catch me staring. “I watched him tear the heart out of my dad. That’s why I ran.”
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