The waiter took their orders and returned a few minutes later with a big bottle of wine. He uncorked the wine and then poured them both generous glasses of the merlot. Then he brought out a plate with very small, but hard looking bread she was unfamiliar with. Last the waiter opened a few of the seasoning dishes he’d brought with him. He took a few scoops from each of the three containers of powdery looking substances and mixed them together in a small bowl. Then he finally poured in a very carefully eyeballed dose of extra virgin olive oil, finishing it off with several gently laid leaves of parsley.
When he was done, it looked so beautiful on the small plate he laid it on that she didn’t even want to disturb it enough to eat it. Rob smiled at her; he must have sensed her amusement, but he did not say anything. He grabbed a piece of the bread and using the knife he spread a thin layer of the concoction over it. Then he laid it on her plate in front of her.
“Take a bite of this, chew it slowly savoring the flavor. And the second it is gone take a small sip of the wine. Prepare to have your mind blown.”
Doria laughed. “Ok.”
She did as he instructed. The bread was the most delicious thing she had ever put between her lips. The sauce was like a floodgate of flavors opening up and swirling around inside of her mouth. It was amazing. She remembered the wine as she swallowed and took a sip.
Doria grabbed onto the side of the table as the amazing flavors intensified and now mixed in with the wine. It left her whole body feeling almost orgasmic. It was the most intense thing she’d ever eaten. How was such simple food able to have so much effect on her?
“Wow…” she said as she swallowed. “Just… wow…”
Rob laughed. “It isn’t that good for everybody; there is something about those spices and herbs mixed together that activates a primal part of our wolf brains. It tends to have a certain…effect on us.”
“That’s insane… how did you discover this?”
“I didn’t; it was taught to me. One of the perks of growing up as a pure blood.”
“I see. Question…when a hybrid is created do they ever age beyond that point?”
“You will age unless you are mated. That is the only thing that will stop aging and guarantee immortality for any wolf.”
“How many hybrids are mated?”
“Not many; it is highly unusual for a hybrid to be chosen as a mate for a pure blood. It has only happened a few times in history. So, you are very special.”
“Wow, that is really messing with my head.”
“That’s only because your mind is still fighting what your heart knows to be true. It’s ok; I don’t ever want to pressure you to accept your destiny. It is something that will eventually happen naturally.”
“I appreciate that,” Doria said. She wasn’t sure why she said anything. The deeper she got into this the more she resented it, but she also knew he was right. Her natural instincts, her feelings—they were all leaning to the acceptance of it all. It was almost like her body was breathing a huge sigh of relief.
It was frightening. She wanted to run from it as far as she could, shout in the face of the powers that be and tell them all that she would decide who she was. But the more she thought of doing this the more she just wanted to curl up in Rob’s arms and let him take away all of her pain.
The food arrived and Doria ate it slowly, savoring the flavors and subtle nuances of tastes that this exotic meal was providing for her. It was so simple, yet it was so much better than anything she had ever tasted. She had never really questioned the quality of food before. It was food, after all. How could it be improved upon so dramatically.
“Any luck on finding Kade? Do you and your family have any leads?” Doria asked.
Rob smiled. “No; not as of yet. But he will turn up. He is hiding low. By getting rid of his tribe, his powers are significantly weakened. He was an alpha and now he is a lone wolf; an alpha draws power from the creation of his pack if he isn’t born into one and then he can only draw the power if he kills the alpha. At least it’s that way with hybrids.”
“So, he should be pretty easy to defeat?”
“Yes. He should be, but you can never underestimate the crazy. He is single minded in his goal; he might be working on creating another pack right now. Although, time is on our side since it takes until the next full moon for a new pack to be activated. He has to inflict the bite on people until then to get them turned. But if he dies before that moon then they will become normal humans again.”
Doria shook her head. There was so much she did not know, but she loved to listen to Rob explaining it. She loved to hear his deep voice going over the rules so eloquently; it was a huge turn on for some reason.
“I feel that there is so much I don’t understand about all of this; I don’t even know the extent of my own powers.”
Rob looked at her. “Well, you’ve never had anyone to show you. The one who bit you was trying to end your life; they were not trying to turn you. So, you never had a tribe. Until now.”
“Well, if I’m supposed to be mated to you then I’ve always been a part of your tribe, right?”
“No. The power that determined you and I are meant to be together occurred the moment our lips touched. It is not preset. It happens when the cosmos decides that it is to be.”
“The cosmos? The powers? Who is in charge of all of this?” Doria asked.
“We don’t know; I do not know any more about who controls the afterlife or the universe than you or anyone else does. All I do know is that there is a cosmic force, some unifying being that controls all of existence. Most people call that a deity and they have different religions to merge beliefs about this. So, I don’t know who or what made us mated together. But I thank them every day since it happened.”
Doria looked up at Rob’s eyes. They were so honest, so pure. She had never really noticed this before. His eyes were sexy, so perfect looking, but there was something else deep inside of them; he was an extraordinary person.
“So, what’s next?” Doria asked as the valet pulled their car up to the door.
She hoped that the evening was not over yet. She was having an amazing time.
Rob winked at her as he opened her door. “You’ll see.”
She laughed as she got in.
***
“I love this one,” Doria said.
The painting in front of her was beautifully done. It was the picture of a small girl playing with a puppy in the front yard of a modest house while dark storm clouds full of striking lightning roared in the background. Her mother was standing in the doorway begging the child to come inside.
Rob stood beside her sipping champagne. He nodded and looked at the painting more closely.
“Are you picking up any vibes from it?” Rob asked.
“Vibes?” Doria replied.
“Yeah. What do you think the artist is trying to say?”
Doria laughed. “Who says they have to be saying something special? Maybe it’s just a picture.”
“Possibly, but I think that the storm clouds represent life’s dangers, while the puppy and the sunny front yard with the flowers represent the world’s beauty. The little girl might get hurt by the lightning strikes or the wind, but she is oblivious to it all as she is wrapped up in playing with her puppy and enjoying life. That is the spark of youth. Meanwhile the mother is begging the child to come inside. She could easily walk five feet, pick the child up and force it back inside where she would be safe, but she wouldn’t be doing the child any favors. She can’t always be there; the child is going to have to face the world without her and she is going to have to fend for herself. All the mother can do is guide her and hope that the child makes the right decision.”
“Wow, that is beautiful,” Doria said. Being an art buff was the last thing that she ever thought bad boy Rob Thompson would ever turn out to be. But here he was teaching her a thing or two.
“I’ve been interested in art since I was a kid. I wanted to be an artist at
one time, but then again I don’t have that particular talent.”
“You don’t think that what you do is art?” Doria asked. “You’ve never seen yourself play baseball then.”
Rob stepped beside her and wrapped his arm around her waist. She was a bit surprised and instinctively she wanted to step away, but she did not move. She realized how right it felt, how safe and secure; she wanted that feeling to never end. This was the way her life was supposed to be. This was where she belonged.
Then why was she fighting it so? Was it just that she was so thick headed that she could not stand to give in to a choice that had been made for her? She knew that this was it and she honestly could not determine which way of thinking was more childish. She needed to just give in and let it happen; she knew that she would be much happier. Maybe she didn’t have to be so tough anymore? Maybe she didn’t have to be so cautious and so headstrong in this world. Why couldn’t she just give in to it?
“Well, you are the writer; I consider you to be a great artist in your own right. Painting images with words; you are really good,” Rob said.
“I’m a journalist; I’m hardly an artist. I think that the whole artist thing has eluded me a bit.”
“I disagree. You have a way with words; you should never underestimate yourself.”
Rob was standing close to her right then, she noticed. His arm was wrapped snugly around her, pulling her closely to him. She could feel his warmth, his love for her, his need to protect her, and it was overwhelming her senses. She wanted to just relax into him. He was standing above her so tall, so powerful. And before she realized it his face was lowering down to hers.
The second his lips touched hers, Doria felt her whole body going weak. It was even more intense than their first kiss. It was sweet, slow, yet passionate. But she could feel the beast inside of her roaring to life. The need, the yearning of the beast that she’d worked so hard to keep buried inside of her for so long, was coming to life. She needed to hold it back… just hold it back…
Rob’s hand moved closer towards her belly and as he touched her she felt a total calm roll over her body and her mind. The beast that had been threatening to unleash from inside of her was now gone and all she felt was total passion and total bliss inside of the kiss.
“I have something to show you,” Rob said as he pulled back.
Doria smiled as he grabbed her hand and led her out of the gallery. She could only imagine what he had in mind to show her.
“You want me to do what?” Doria asked.
“Jump up there,” Rob replied.
The two were standing in the middle of a dark alley looking up at the top of a fairly tall building. It had to be at least fifty feet up to the top. What was Rob thinking?
“I can’t jump that,” Doria said.
“Sure you can; not all at once though. You see that small ledge about twenty feet up? You can land there and bounce up the rest of the way.”
“I think you have grossly overestimated my power,” Doria said.
Rob smiled. “Here, I’ll show you.”
In a flash, Rob leapt up to the ledge and sprang himself upwards until he landed on the top of the building with ease. Doria could not believe what she’d just witnessed. It was the most incredible thing she’d ever seen and she had watched herself change into a werewolf on several occasions.
Was she really capable of this? Rob seemed to believe in her, but then again, he was an alpha pure blood. Could she really do this?
Rob was peering over the edge now with a big smile on his face.
“Come on up,” he whispered, his voice somehow projected and ringing in her ears. That was something else he needed to teach her.
Doria took a deep breath and concentrated on bringing the wolf out just a little bit. She could feel the rage welling under the surface, the wolf growling from inside its human cage; it wanted to play.
She let out a horrific roar ripping through her throat, as if a new being had just leapt out of her and her body followed flying upwards through the air with a burst of speed she did not even know she was capable of. She felt herself falling slightly but the second her toes touched down on the ledge, she sprang her legs downward propelling herself up higher and higher. It was the most incredible feeling she’d ever known as she flew towards the heavens eventually sailing over Rob’s head and landing on her feet on the rooftop he was standing on.
The head rush was fantastic; the adrenaline roaring through her veins and hitting every single organ was awesome. She felt her heart beating wildly in her chest and the beast roaring beneath. It wasn’t finished. It wanted more, threatening to eclipse her real self and emerge out into the world. She was afraid of this; once she tapped into the beast she had trouble holding it back. She was going to change… no… not here… she did not want to change in front of Rob… and definitely not in public. The rage… it was so tough to ignore… so strong…
“Easy…” Rob said. “Easy… just breathe deeply and remember your real self. Remember Doria… remember Doria… You own the beast. Not the other way around.”
Doria heard Rob’s words and followed his instructions. Slowly she felt the rage, the losing grip of her own self starting to strengthen as she came back and the beast retreated once again. And she was now herself again. That was close.
“There you go,” Rob said. “You see; you are still in control.”
“Wow, that was amazing. I always wondered what I was capable of, but I can’t control it when I tap into the wolf power. It just consumes me and I can’t let that happen. I can’t control it.”
“You just did,” Rob said.
“Well, that’s only because you were here…”
“No. I just said words to you. You did the rest. You don’t need me to keep a handle on things. Besides, I’m not that great at controlling mine either. It’s true that using the beast is a slippery slope; it can erupt and consume you, but you have to practice mastery over it. It’s not you, and you can’t let it control your life.”
“I still can’t believe I was able to do that,” Doria said. “The rush of the power is intense.”
“That’s only the surface,” Rob said.
With that he leapt over the side of the building and fell all fifty feet straight down landing with expert precision on the ground below, barely bending his knees on impact. He motioned for Doria who was looking over the side.
She smiled and jumped.
The ground was flying up to meet her and she panicked for a brief moment when she realized that she might not be able to draw from the wolf powers fast enough to brace herself for impact. But the second she thought of it she felt the surge of strength jolting through her body and into her legs a split second before she hit the ground.
“Fun, huh?” Rob said.
Before Doria could answer he was running down the street at a rapid speed. Doria could not hold back a laugh before she started running after him. He had to be running over thirty miles per hour going down the empty street and turning onto the freeway entrance. She tapped closer into the wolf, and ran after him eventually catching up beside him. She felt a bit exposed right there with traffic passing them by, but hopefully no one was going to notice too much that they were running way faster than they should have been humanly able to.
It was a blast. The wind was whipping through her hair, against her skin, her cold sweat was clinging to her body in the cool breeze, the dark night was cradling them, wrapping them up like some sort of an ancient and comforting blanket.
As she ran she could practically hear the earth humming around her, the real sounds of the planet calling out and beckoning to them. They were part of it now; they were a part of something bigger and better. The world was alive with life and she could finally feel it. It was as if a part of her had finally been awakened and she never wanted to deny it again. It was a part of her now; it didn’t have to be a curse.
She was ready to embrace it all now.
“So, I hope you enjoyed yourself
this evening,” Rob said.
They were standing in the living room after just returning from what Doria could only describe as the most insane adventure she’d ever been on. The discoveries she’d just made were priceless; she had discovered things about herself she never thought possible and her life would not be the same any longer.
Doria stared into Rob’s eyes right then. Everything suddenly clicked in her mind and her body. Everything else shut out of her thoughts, the world disappearing into another realm she did not care to know or think about right then. It was finally perfect and she knew that it was futile, stupid even, to fight what she knew to be right. It was time to accept the beautiful reality she kept pushing away.
Doria grabbed Rob’s face and planted her mouth on his hard. He responded in kind pressing his mouth against hers vigorously, his tongue sliding into the hot wetness of her mouth and mingling quickly with her tongue, drawing it out and suckling on her oral appendage.
She felt the tingles moving all over her body as her skin heated up until it felt like she was on fire. She could feel both the intense passion of herself and the wolf rising up inside of her, and the wetness began to explode between her legs. She wanted him so badly. She had never felt a lust this intensely, this strong. It was too far gone to hold back; she was going to do this.
Rob’s hands were all over her body right then, the unbridled passion he’d been holding back was suddenly being let out all over her as he ran his hands, his fingers against her, his body rubbing on hers.
She could feel his hardness, his girth through his pants pressing against her. Oh, she wanted to touch it, suck it, pull on it… she wanted it so deeply inside of her. Finally,… it was time…
In an instant Rob had the dressed pulled off her body. She was standing there now in just her bra and panties, her body on full display for him. He smiled as he looked her over, a hungry look in his eyes getting even hungrier.
Beta's Destiny (Rocky Mountain Shifters Book 2) Page 14