"Okay." She said finally, and turned toward the diner. There were two or three customers inside---if there were more, they couldn't see them from their position at the edge of the wood. They were at the border between Colorado and Utah, having fled all the way from the state's center. This little diner was the most deserted place they'd spotted with a payphone, and Ella desperately needed to call a very important number she'd stolen from one of Gerald's binders.
"How do you know he's not setting us up?" Lucy asked worriedly as they strode toward the diner. She was looking around them like a frightened bunny, keeping an eye out for the car they'd heard earlier.
"Gerald is too cocky. He didn't think I'd get this far. I found this number in his planning binder, under a list of west coast packs."
A small bell tinkled above the door as they walked in, and a bored looking server looked up and motioned to the sea of empty seats, saying, "Anywhere is fine."
Ella walked up to the counter where an ancient cash register sat. A customer with a bulbous, reddened nose looked at her short, uncombed hair and scoffed, returning to his coffee halfheartedly. "Can I have change for a dollar?"
The cashier gave her four grubby quarters after taking her dollar, and Ella hurried outside to the booth while Lucy sat at a table and ordered coffee.
With shaking fingers, she dialed the number and waited for the line to ring. A woman's voice answered, cool and low.
"Speak."
"My name is Ella, I'm from the Blue Springs pack and I need help. My alpha ordered my mate and I to be expunged. This is an emergency. Please." Her voice cracked and she cursed herself for not being able to hold it together. There was a very long silence, then the voice came again. It was completely unreadable.
"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about."
A tear slipped down her face. "Please, I found your number with my old mate, is this Claire? It said you were the matriarch, and the mage. I think you can help us---"
"I'm afraid I can't help you. Good---"
"We're a same sex pairing! We mated! They told us we couldn't, but we bonded. "Ella screamed the last into the phone frantically. It had to matter.
She didn't hear a dial tone. She couldn't hear breathing either, so she waited, holding in the sobs desperate to escape her body.
"I think you do need my help. How close are you to Las Vegas?"
"Not very. We're at the border of Colorado and Utah---"
"Stay where you are. I have a tracer, I see your coordinates. I can be there in two hours."
There was no time to answer. A scream from the diner told Ella something was wrong, and she looked up to see two huge men wearing black shades standing over Lucy, who was crouched in her booth.
Ella threw the phone down and burst into the diner to help her, but before she could call her beast to the surface to tear apart their attackers, Lucy stood. Ella slowed as she watched her soft green eyes glow, and a soft glow emanated from her hands as well. The two men stepped back uncertainly, and four bone white claws slid from each of Lucy's hands. Too late, the pair screamed and turned to run, but Lucy leapt forward and dug both sets of claws through the thick necks of Benjamin's guard, tearing out their voice boxes and sending their bodies crumpling to the floor.
The server was standing motionless, frozen in terror, and Lucy's claws receded and she started to cry. Ella was numb with fear. She'd never seen anyone but an alpha call just their claws before. Then again, until recently she'd never heard of women being able to bond. She still couldn't explain it. She cradled Lucy in her arms, muttering soothing words and stroking her hair.
"What just happened?" Lucy wailed. Her teeth were chattering.
"I think it's because we bonded," Ella realized. "It's gonna be ok. I'm going to get you cleaned up, we'll clean this up. It'll be ok." She was trying to comfort the both of them.
Ella hoped Lucy believed her, because she was having a hard time believing herself.
* * *
Lucy was on her back, black skirt hiked up around her waist. She was alone in the security room, but she kept her panties on around one ankle. Her button down blouse was gaping open and her bra was off, one hand slowly kneading her soft breast. The other hand was working between her legs. She used two fingers to explore her folds, heartbeat quickening as she thought about Ella's lips grazing her labia instead, and the feel of her hot breath on her moist clit. She pulled on her right nipple, squeezing and twisting it until it was erect and she was breathing a little heavier for it. Lucy pulled on the hood of her clit, whimpering as she began to stroke her sensitive flesh with two fingers. Yesterday her eyes had lingered on Ella coming out of the pool, darting between her strong thighs to see the dimple of her vaginal lips where the suit pressed against her vulva. She'd felt a thrill of just shoot through her unlike anything she was used to, and exercised every bit of restraint she had to keep herself from launching herself at the other woman and devouring her with her tongue .
She thought about her mouth now, picturing covering her nipple and teasing it with a rapid flicking of her tongue. Her fingers moved faster, and she pushed her hips upward into her hand to grind against her clit more securely, bringing incredible waves of pleasure with every rotation of her finger. Her mouth was open and she was moaning audibly now, bucking her hips slowly but with enthusiasm, relishing the full-body flame that the thought of being with Ella gave her. She plunged two fingers into her dripping opening, gasping as she tugged on her g spot. She wondered what Ella sounded like when she orgasmed. A familiar feeling of heat and pressure started to build in her core, and she worked her hips frantically, pounding her most sensitive spot and sending her heartbeat into overdrive. A rush of juices came along with her, soaking her fingers further and making the walls of her pussy tighten in delicious ecstasy.
"Mmmm." She let out a satisfied moan, running one hand through her hair. Where was she? How did she get here?
***
Ella sat up in bed with a yelp, and Gerald stirred briefly before resuming his slumber. He was used to her night terrors, and she hadn't actually screamed this time. This was the fourth evening in a row she'd dreamed of Lucy in such detail, and it was making it more difficult to be around her. She'd given in when she'd texted her, and also hadn't lasted long when she tried to stay away from her at work. It would be easier if she were dreaming of being a voyeur, but she was in Lucy. She was Lucy. And no matter how much Lucy flirted and teased during breaks around the center, she belonged to Richard, officially. Ella didn't even feel completely comfortable dreaming about Lucy. It didn't stop her from using her vibrator to satisfy the burning need between her legs, though.
The next morning, Ella endured Gerald's suspicious glare over breakfast.
"What?" she finally snapped at him.
He cleared his throat. "Are you thinking about cheating on me with Lucy?"
There was a silence as Ella stared at him in disbelief. "Are you serious? We kind of need a relationship for there to be cheating."
"Don't play dumb with me, Ella. I see the way you look at her and I felt the...energy between you two. You're mine. Don't try anything."
"I'm yours?" She scoffed. "Jesus, you're a goddamn ice queen! What do I even get from you? Nothing. You give me nothing. If I'm yours, Gerald, what the hell is mine?" She was standing now, and his face was trapped between despair and rage.
"Ella, you know the seer said so." Gerald loved bringing up the pack's mage, who read prophecies regarding their power and love lives. Theirs had foretold of Ella's incredible strength. She was going to bring whoever mated with her into an enormous amount of power as well, and was destined to reach alpha status among the females (she could never be true Alpha in the pack.)
"The seer also said not everything was definite, and sometimes even they misread things! What if there is no other lover?"
"The seer was very clear," Gerald said stubbornly, turning red. "They said you'd have an obvious choice, but if you made the wrong one, you would die, Ella. Ther
e's a red herring, those were her words! Who do we know that we could call a red herring for more than one reason?"
Ella thought of Lucy's soft mass of fiery hair and cursed the ensuing tug at her heart. "Shut up about Lucy. She's just a friend." Ella snatched her keys from their place on the counter.
"We're not done talking," Gerald snarled. He moved in front of Ella at lightning speed, throwing a wave of power at her that made her stumble.
"Gerald, you know I can hurt you." She looked into his cold eyes and let him know she meant it.
His Adam’s apple bobbed slightly as he swallowed. "You're not to hang out with her."
"I wasn't planning on hanging out with her!" Ella said, exasperated. "That's what I've been trying to tell you."
She elbowed past him and headed towards her car. Gerald called after her.
"Your words are saying one thing and your actions are saying another. Stay away from her. Come straight home tonight."
***
"Want to hang out tonight?"
Ella was at her desk after swimming practice, running her fingers through her curls in an attempt to arrange them after ramming her head under the hand dryer. The result was a looser curl than usual, so the curls hung closer to her shoulders and looked more manageable. She was also giving her hands something to do to keep them from ripping Lucy's clothes off.
Lucy was wearing a light blue dress and sitting on the edge of Ella's desk, swinging her bare legs freely. "You look like you could use a break." She touched Ella's cheek lightly, and Ella turned into the palm of her hand without thinking. They'd been doing things like this for the last three weeks, ever since their meeting. Innocent at first, the touches always shocked Ella's hormones awake. It was like a temporary madness; heat would wash over her brain and Lucy's scent would envelop her. She'd zero in on her lips, or her neck, and stop moving until she was sure she wasn't going to throw her to the ground and start making love to her.
"Uh." Ella had been dreading this. She'd been resigned to not seeing her outside of work after the last dream, but the fight with Gerald imbibed her with a new, defiant strength.
"I have some stuff I want to talk about," Lucy said.
Ella looked up at her curiously, and her heart raced to see how serious Lucy looked. She was sure now the other woman felt the same, and that it had something to do with their lycanthropy. When Gerald wasn't home, she'd looked through some of his binders to look at how bonded pairs found each other, remembering that he'd said he also felt flustered and emotional when he met Ella. Ella hadn't felt that way---she'd certainly been in love with him at first---but she never felt like this. Some of the information she'd read confirmed her suspicions, but it seemed like something was missing. She'd torn out a page on impulse and was hiding it in her car. Maybe they could investigate together. Finally, she decided to speak.
"I have some stuff I want to talk about too."
It turned out that talking was incredibly hard once they were alone together. Richard was out of town, so they just stayed in the center; being with the head of security had its perks. She found a bottle of wine and they tore through it, both feeling the need to steel themselves with liquid courage. Then they found a second bottle. Lucy was sitting on a couch against the far wall of the security office, and her legs were crossed under her. She was drunk, and so she didn't seem to care that her lacy red panties were clearly visible. Ella tried not to stare.
"What did you want to talk to me about?" She slurred, trying to adjust herself in the rolling chair. She gave up and shuffled over to the couch, collapsing next to Lucy and catching a whiff of her perfume.
Lucy leaned against her drunkenly. Her eyes were glinting with mischief, and she spoke carefully. "Do you like my panties?"
Ella's mouth opened, but no sound came out.
"I saw you looking," Lucy continued. It was clear that she was ramping up to something. "Earlier. It's ok. But I want you to know," she said, grabbing Ella's hand suddenly, "That I always see you looking."
Ella couldn't have spoken if she wanted to.
"And it's ok!" Lucy said, nodding vigorously. Ella could smell the wine on her lips. "I...look at you, too. All. The. Time." With each word she brought her face closer to Ella, until the very last. Then she touched her chin, and kissed her.
It was like a dam had burst. As soon as their lips touched, heat spread from their mouths and flooded the rest of their bodies, and Lucy was on top of Ella before she knew it. Ella grabbed a handful of Lucy's round ass, gripping her and grinding her hips against Lucy, who was bucking back enthusiastically.
"I've wanted this for so long," Ella breathed, kissing down Lucy's neck and lifting her dress above her head. Lucy unclasped her bra, letting her heavy breasts swing forward, and cried out as Ella lifted her mouth to one nipple, then the other. She teased it until it was stiff, just as she always dreamed, before nibbling the soft point gently, making Lucy squeal.
"I've wanted you too." Lucy was scrambling to tug off her panties, then pulled Ella's jeans and underwear off with one swift motion. Her eyes were glowing softly. "So much."
Ella let her eyes rove over the other woman. She was breathtaking. Her skin was smooth and unblemished except for some faint stretch marks around her hips and ass, curling gently over her muscle. Her delicate waist supported two tear-drop shape breasts, gloriously full and heavy. Her hips were wide and her ass was thick and round, perfectly balancing her hourglass shape. She ran a hand over the tuft of red pubic hair covering her mound as Ella took off her remaining clothing and motioned for her to come closer.
They fell into rhythm as if they were made for each other. Lucy climbed on top of Ella to kiss her and explore her mouth with her eager tongue. Her thigh pressed up against Ella's vulva and she began to grind into her, rubbing her own clit against Ella and moaning deliriously. Ella kept her hands on Lucy at all times, running her fingers over the curve of her ass, through her hair, down her arms.
Lucy cupped Ella's breast as she increased speed. She brought her hot mouth to Ella's nipple, chuckling as her back arched in pleasure. Their hips pounded together, and Ella felt her beast start to wake. It shivered, and the delicious sensation intensified.
"Let me taste you," Lucy begged. Ella nodded, and shivered as Lucy knelt between her legs, supporting her thighs with both hands, and pressed her lips to her clit, sucking gently. Ella's eyes rolled back into her head. "God!"
Lucy slipped a finger into Ella's wet opening, then another. She curved her fingers gently as she moved them inside her, and swirled her tongue firmly around Ella's firm clit. She tried to catch her breath, and grabbed hold of Lucy's head to anchor herself to the earth, only to fall off again as Lucy found her G-spot and started to quickly pulse her fingers against it. Ella looked down in between her ragged breaths to see Lucy peering up at her, the glow in her eyes stronger than ever as she fingered herself vigorously. Ella's body was trembling, and her beast was slamming its body against her internal barrier wildly. Lucy gasped, and Ella felt the power in her stir, too, then screamed as an orgasm rocked through her body.
The light bulbs in the room blew out, but the two women were so locked into each other's energies that they ignored the sudden darkness. Ella grabbed Lucy by the waist and dragged her upward until Lucy took over and lowered her body over Ella's face. Her skin was on fire, and they both moaned when Ella's tongue started to probe Lucy's depths. She felt Lucy's shaking fingers find her clit again: she was leaning back to finger her while she straddled her face, pressing her hips forward to feel Ella's tongue against her throbbing clit more firmly. Her body moved like waves in the ocean, rising and falling as her lover's tongue plunged into her pussy to taste her more deeply and then withdrew again to palpate the sensitive nub of flesh nestled atop her labia.
"I'm coming," Lucy whimpered breathlessly, and threw her hips forward as her body vibrated in pure ecstasy. Ella could only watch her for a second before the air was knocked out of her, and she noticed the room wasn't as dark: their bodie
s were glowing like gas lamps, and burning just as hot. Ella continued to sweep her tongue across Lucy's clit until her body couldn't take it, and she finally slid off of her, lying on top of her on the couch.
There was a second of silence, and then Lucy whispered, "I love you." The room exploded in a flash of white light, and Ella felt her beast come rushing out of her, bounding through her skin with joy. Her bones ran warm and molded quickly, and she felt fur sprout from her body. Seconds later, she was standing on the floor in wolf form, gazing at a smaller ---but still massive---wolf with a beautiful deep red coat and piercing green eyes.
Alpha, went Ella's mind, and her shaggy black head cocked in confusion. Only alphas kept their eye color when they changed. She was destined to be alpha, and there was only one alpha per pack. Those were the rules.
Ella padded over to sniff Lucy, who wagged her tail and nuzzled into her neck. Lucy didn't appear to be confused or afraid, as Ella was. She just looked happy. That was strange. Ella forced herself to concentrate. She sat down and dropped her head, focusing until she felt her body slide back into itself. It was almost instant, much faster than usual. She felt like she was more powerful than before, and looked at her naked human skin to see that it was still glowing. Lucy was changing back too, and her soft green eyes were still throwing off sparks.
"It worked!" She said joyfully. "We bonded."
"Run through it again."
Lucy sighed and squeezed Ella's hand. They'd been going over it for an hour. Admittedly, Lucy had had weeks to process this rather than minutes, so she was doing a lot better.
"I found out that our pack wasn't always so...restricted. It used to be matriarchal, and largely female, until the last fifty years. Pack documents from years past---and stuff I found about other packs, that are just well hidden---all indicated that anyone with a sufficient energy connection should be able to bond. Richard was hiding some things from me in the basement."
Hang Em' Up: A Bad Boy Sports Pregnancy Romance Page 42