A smile spreads across my lips. Ginger catches it immediately.
“She’s still googly-eyed about her feral mate.” She smirks.
“He’s not my mate.”
“You’re glowing,” Mel says. “Are you sure it was Devin?”
“Can’t you still scent him?” Ginger askes.
“I took a shower.” I discretely sniff my underarm.
“How was he? I bet he was wild. I’ve never been with a feral,” Mel says.
“He was… nice.” Talking about it with them feels weird. Normally we go into graphic detail about cock size, and how good the guy was with his tongue, but I don’t want to talk about it with them. Not this time. Last night feels different. Special. Something to keep private.
“Don’t hold back,” Mel says.
Mercifully, the shakes arrive along with the tower of onion rings. I shove one into my mouth to buy time. I avert my gaze from their questioning glances, pretending as if the milkshake is the most important thing in the world. I suck the frozen drink too fast and get instant brain-freeze. Again.
“Ouch!”
“You really need to suck slower,” Ginger says.
“And maybe not so deeply?” Mel adds with a wicked grin.
“Ugh! Can we talk about something else? How was your night?”
“Awesome,” Ginger says. “Ben’s extra horny during hunts, so I really make sure I get a head start so he has to burn energy hunting me. I think if he took me at full force under the full moon, he might break me.”
“I thought you had an iron pussy,” Mel says.
“Well, I did until…”
“What?” I ask.
“I wasn’t going to tell you guys because I just found out yesterday,” Ginger says.
“What?” Mel’s exasperation matches mine. Ginger can be such a drama queen sometimes.
“I’m pregnant!”
“That’s amazing!” I grab her hand and give it a squeeze. “I know you’ve been worried since it’s been a year since you were mated.”
“I was starting to panic,” Ginger says. “But it finally happened. It had to be during last month’s mating run.”
“This is awesome,” Mel says. “When are you due?”
“Seven months from now, which is why I didn’t want to tell you guys yet. It’s not even the end of the first trimester. A lot can go wrong.”
“Nothing will go wrong. You have an iron pussy,” Mel says.
We break into hysterics. I nearly snort milkshake out of my nose. The other patrons in the restaurant shoot us a combination of dirty looks and perplexed smiles. We ignore them and start coming up with baby names. We’re so into it, that I almost miss the diner door open. But I know the second he walks in, because all conversation stops.
“Your man’s here,” Ginger whispers.
I glance toward the counter where he’s picking up a to-go order. It’s a big bag, which makes me wonder who he’s sharing the food with. Or maybe it’s all for him, he sure as heck worked for it last night.
He leaves without looking my way. Conversation resumes. Our hamburgers arrive, but I’ve lost my appetite. Didn’t he see me?
“Don’t look so sad,” Ginger says. “You dodged a bullet with him. I’m glad you had a fun time last night, but he’s definitely not your mate. Instead of worrying about him, let’s figure out a plan for the next mating run. You only have one more shot at finding a mate.”
“If I haven’t found one by now, I’ll never find one.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Mel says. “A lot of women don’t get mated until the last run before their twenty-fifth birthday. You have a month to get ready.”
“Can we please talk about something else?” I beg.
Mel and Ginger exchange a look before changing the subject back to Ginger’s baby. As they go on and on about possible names and other baby-related plans, I can’t stop thinking about Devin. I need to find out more about him. Maybe it’s a fool’s errand, but my curiosity needs to be satisfied.
“I just remembered, I have an appointment coming into the office in an hour. I need to go home and change,” I say.
“It’s Sunday,” Ginger says.
“It’s a freelance client.”
“Don’t go up to the cliffs,” Mel says.
“The cliffs?” I open my eyes wider than necessary to proclaim my innocence. “Of course I won’t go up there.”
I hadn’t really even considered it until she mentioned it. Devin said he lived in the forest, but he hadn’t said where. The cliffs seemed like the perfect place to start looking for him.
After leaving money on the table for my part of the bill, I head home to change. To track Devin, I have to shift. Since my house backs up to the woods, I can leave my clothes here and start from my backyard. Shifting during the day isn’t the safest thing to do, but I need to see if he has someone else waiting for him at home. Was all that food for him? Or does he already have a mate?
I quickly strip and run into the woods to shift. None of my neighbors can see into my backyard, so I don’t have to worry about being caught, but I also don’t want to dawdle. Shifting takes less than a minute. I’m down on my paws so fast that I’m dizzy from the shift. I shake my head quickly and the rest of my body follows as if I were shaking water out of my fur.
Fully conscious and ready to track, I run toward the cliffs. I get to the bottom of the first set and sniff the earth. Fresh green grass tickles my snout. The scent of squirrels and the occasional snake captures my attention. I recognize the scent of several wolves from the previous night, but haven’t found Devin’s yet.
As I poke around underneath logs and behind trees, I start to lose hope. Maybe he doesn’t live around here. I haven’t seen a single structure so far, and he definitely doesn’t live on the cliffs, but maybe he’s somewhere back in town?
Defeated, I head toward the sound of rushing water. I must be close to Wildflower Falls. A quick swim in the river sounds awesome, so I pad toward the sound.
When I reach the riverbank, I spot it—a house. A thin stream of smoke curls up from the chimney. Wildflowers billow in waves across the clearing in front of the porch. An old rocking chair creaks against the floorboards. Someone must be inside. If it’s not Devin’s place, then maybe whoever lives here can point me in the right direction.
I’m about to place my front paw on the bottom step when I realize I’m still shifted. I can’t shift back, because then I’ll be naked. If this isn’t Devin’s place, then I’ll be knocking on the door of a complete stranger’s house while totally naked. Boy did I mess this plan up. I need my clothes.
As I turn to leave, a wolf bounds across the river coming directly for me. I yelp and start to run away, but the black beast catches my back leg in its teeth. It doesn’t bite, just nips enough to drag me to a stop. I flop onto my side and hold my paws up in surrender.
Onyx eyes sparkle with mischief. I scent the air to make sure it’s him. It is. My heart swells with joy. I didn’t expect to feel like this again, but just being in his presence is enough to make me as giddy as a polar bear with an ice block.
He pins me down and licks the side of my face with his lolling tongue. I scrunch up my nose, then shift.
“Eww, you almost got me right in the eye,” I say.
He still hasn’t shifted. Instead, he grins wolfishly and licks my face again. I try to shove him away, but his cold nose dips between my breasts.
“What are you—knock it off!”
I shove his nose out of my cleavage. He huffs. Something long and hard is pressed against my thigh. I hope it’s just his back leg.
Before I can check, he shifts. I’m still pinned to the ground underneath his irresistible body. Hard muscle ripples along his back. His chest flexes with the effort to keep himself poised over me.
“Didn’t get enough last night?” he asks in a sultry tone.
“I was just—”
He cuts me off with a soul-shattering kiss. I’m panting and half-re
ady to take him by the time he pulls back to let me breathe. This wasn’t why I came here, but if it’s what he wants, then who am I to stop him?
5
Devin
I’m surprised to find Kayla slinking around my cabin. I don’t know how she found me, but I scented her the moment she crossed the river. Even though she’s clearly showered, I still scent the evidence of our mating all over her body. It makes me want her again. My cock stirs, but as much as I want to take her on a bed of wildflowers, I need to know why she’s here. Women don’t usually seek me out after the mating hunt because they know I don’t want anything more from them. I make that clear by leaving before sunrise.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, still pinning her to the ground. The feel of her body under mine makes it impossible for me to move away.
“I was just wandering around.”
“Really?”
“Um, yes?”
“I saw you at the diner.”
“You did?”
“Um hum.” I lean in to nip at her plump bottom lip. “I had to look away.”
“Why?” she asks in a breathy whisper.
“Because I was getting jealous of your straw.”
“My straw?” Her eyebrows knit together in the cutest way before she realizes what I’m implying. She laughs and pushes against my chest. “You’re ridiculous.”
“I’ve never been so jealous of an inanimate object in my life. I couldn’t watch you sucking it into your mouth without wanting to chop it up into a million pieces.”
“I hope you mean the straw.”
“I’d never hurt your perfect little mouth.”
“You say the sexiest things.” She starts to sit up, so I move to the side. “What did you order?”
“From Roxy’s?”
“Yeah.”
“The onion ring tower of doom, a blue cheese burger, and seasoned fries. It’s all probably cold now.”
“Sorry.”
“Come in. I’ll reheat it and you can help me eat it all.”
I stand and offer her a hand. She gets up and brushes dirt and blades of grass from her butt. I’m tempted to help her, but I’m starving. I was about to go face-first into the food when I scented her.
Inside the cabin, I lay a blanket across the bench at my kitchen table. She takes a seat and runs her hands across the hand-hewn wood.
“Did you make this?”
“Yep. Last summer. Made the benches too.”
“It’s beautiful.”
“Thanks.” I turn on the gas oven. “I like working with my hands.”
“I know.”
Our eyes meet. She flushes, and I’m instantly hard. If my stomach wasn’t literally growling, I’d sweep everything off the table and lay her down on it. But my energy is low. I need food. Fucking for hours during the hunt is the only thing that can sap my energy. I want her again, but I’m not about to half-ass it because I’m tired.
“Did you build the cabin?”
“No.” I grab a baking sheet and arrange the fried items into a single layer. “I bought it a few years ago. I did make the shed out back, and the porch, but not the main room.”
“I’d love to live someplace like this,” she says wistfully, setting off every alarm in my head. Oh no, here we go with the white picket fences and two-point-five kids talk.
“I love living here—alone.”
“I see.”
As she traces a knot in the wood, I flash back to being knotted inside her. A stab of lust tightens my groin. I can’t hide my erection, but it’s better this way. Let her think it’s all about sex, because it is. I don’t want anything else from her.
“What do you do for work?” she asks.
“I’m independently wealthy.”
“You are?” She cocks her head to one side.
“I made a fortune on some stock a few years ago. I got it at the right time and got out before the crash.”
“It must be boring hanging out here all day… alone.”
“Nope. I love solitude. I can do whatever I want, whenever I want, and I don’t have to answer to anyone. It’s the ultimate freedom.”
“You’ve never thought about finding a mate?” she asks casually, as if I don’t know exactly why she’s tracked me down.
“Nope.” I lean a hip against the counter and fold my arms across my chest. “What about you? Why aren’t you mated yet?”
“Never found the right guy.”
“I find that hard to believe.” There’s that flush again. She’s even more beautiful when she turns pink.
“I have one more mating run and then I lose my powers.”
“You’re almost twenty-five?” I jerk up and drop my arms to my sides. “You’ll lose your shifting ability if you don’t mate.”
“I know. My parents can’t stop hounding me about it. My friends too. I’m so sick of hearing about how I’m going to lose my power. It’s not like I can force someone to fall in love with me.”
“So true,” I say with more exasperation than I should.
“Sounds like you have a story to tell.”
“Kayla, I’m feral. I turned feral just after my eighteenth birthday. My parents kicked me out and I’ve been on my own ever since. It’s all I know, and all I want to know. I like it. The thought of mating makes me want to curl up into a ball and die. I don’t know why you’re really here, but if it’s about that, forget it.” I yell the last two words and immediately regret it.
Her bottom lip trembles and tears pool in her eyes.
“Hey…” I sit on the bench beside her. “Don’t cry. You’ll find someone. You’re beautiful, and I had a lot of fun with you last night. But I don’t want you to think there’s anything else going on here. Even if we felt the pull, we couldn’t mate. It would ruin your life. You’d become an outcast like me. Your family would disown you. Trust me, you don’t want to go through that.”
“You’re right.” She discretely wipes a tear. “I don’t know what I was thinking coming here.”
“It’s okay. Moon magic is powerful and sometimes it makes you think you’ve found a match when you haven’t. It happens to everyone at some point. I’m sure your friends will tell you all about the one that got away if you ask them.”
“All of my friends are mated.”
“Don’t give up.” I chuck her chin. “You’ll find your mate. In the meantime, onion rings.”
As I get up to take food from the oven, she lets out a long sigh. I hope I didn’t totally crush her soul, but I don’t want to lead her on. Of course I’d love to make love to her again—for hours—but, it wouldn’t be right. It’s better to cut her off cold-turkey and move on. I’m not a total dick, though, so I’ll share my food. After the night we had, we’ve both earned it.
Over onion rings and seasoned fries, she tells me her entire life story. She comes from a good family and has two older brothers, giving me yet another reason to stay away from her. I could probably take on two wolves at once, but I don’t like getting my ass kicked. I’d hate to have to tear out one of her brother’s throats.
Kayla’s exactly what I suspected—a good girl who likes it a little rough. No harm in that when it comes to one night, but she’s the kind of woman who will end up mated and married. She thinks she wants me, a feral, but that’s just because I fucked her brains out last night.
I smile.
“You’re doing it again,” she says.
“What?”
“Being irresistible.” She gets up and comes to my side of the table. “If you want me to leave, you really need to stop being so hot.”
“I can’t help it,” I say, amused by her boldness.
When she swoops in for a kiss, I melt against her. I pull her down into my lap and part her lips with my tongue. Her mouth tastes of fried salt and impossible longing. She’s raw temptation and I’m under her spell.
A potent rush of desire coils up my spine. My cock is hard against her soft mound. In the midst of kissing me, she’s someh
ow managed to wriggle around to straddle my lap. She’s pressed hard against my shaft, forcing it against my belly.
Her pupils dilate as her eyes meet mine. She’s hungry for me in a way I can’t deny. I crave her frantic kisses and daring caresses. Her hands grope and knead the muscles in my back and shoulders. I can’t stop touching her ass, her hips, her curves.
Hard nipples poke against my chest. When I tear my lips away from hers to capture one between my teeth, she hisses a breath. I lift her onto the kitchen table and lay her down. Her thighs part, exposing her sweet pussy. I’m ravenous for her succulent juices. I lick and nip and suck every inch of her quivering flesh while she moans with abandon.
Primal need surges through my veins. She’s an addiction, an obsession. I must possess every inch of her exquisite body.
I grab the backs of her thighs and pull her upright. She wraps her arms around my shoulders and tosses her head back, exposing her neck. I suck the hollow of her throat while I back her into the nearest wall.
Her legs wrap around my waist. Her hand slides between us to guide me toward her wet core. I surge forward, driving into her, forcing her breasts against my chest, her thighs against my hips, and her lips against my mouth. With powerful thrusts, I pound her until she’s shamelessly screaming my name.
Savagely pounding her pussy, I howl. Her voice joins mine and we’re one, panting in erotic harmony as we rush toward frantic release.
When she comes, she screams so loud I’m afraid I’ve destroyed her. The swift pulse of her pussy around my cock is the only indication I have that she’s still with me. Her gaze is glassy with ecstasy and seeing her pleasure pitches me over the edge.
I come with another guttural howl. My seed bursts into her shuddering body. Her teeth sink into my shoulder as she undulates in time with my final thrusts. My wolf claws at my chest, wanting to break free to sink his teeth into her to claim her. I stagger backward, stunned as we tumble onto the couch.
Still locked together, she’s on top of me, limp. Her hair is a disaster, wet with sweat and stuck to my shoulders. She tries to lift her head, but gives up. It falls against my chest where it stays. Her breath swirls across my chest. Our hearts beat as one. I can’t do anything but hold her and wonder how much trouble I’m in because she’s done something no other woman ever could—she’s awakened my wolf’s desire to mate.
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