by Kamryn Hart
“Wolves work differently than other animals,” Nick continued. “We’re wolf shifters, so we have human and wolf aspects. We naturally wouldn’t get along with a bunny shifter.”
“Bunny?” Gwen almost laughed. “There are people that shift into bunnies?”
Nick shrugged. “Sure. The possibility is as endless as the animals on the planet.”
Gwen placed her hand on Nick’s knee to gauge how he would react. He responded by placing his hand on top of hers. Warmth flooded through her body, and her vision grew hazy. She took in a deep breath through her nose, catching a whiff of Nick’s scent. He smelled like spicy cinnamon. Fitting.
“So shifters are like another species no one knows about?” Gwen forced herself to say before she got too lost in Nick’s presence.
“Something like that,” he replied. His voice was strained. Gwen couldn’t help but wonder if he was feeling what she was feeling. She wondered that since she first saw him, and she still didn’t know the answer for sure. She knew the answer was yes as far as physical attraction. She had caught his cock erect more than once now, but she wondered if he felt this deeper. She wondered if he felt she was an essential part of him.
“The history keepers of my pack have passed down a legend of the Moon. Basically, we think of it as our god. As wolves, we use the power of the Full Moon every month to renew our Pack Vows, so you could say we have a connection to the night. In some cases, we are also able to access the Moon’s power, Lunas. That’s how we got those matching marks and the magic that came with it.” Nick shook his head. “No one in my pack or any other wolf pack we know of has ever accessed Lunas. I had never seen it before. And in the end, none of us did access it. You did.”
Gwen raised an eyebrow. “I’d say you’re crazy, but I’ve been living crazy for over a week now. I’ve seen you shift into a wolf, and I saw for myself what all that moon magic is capable of.” The moon being a god thing was a lot for her to take in, but if it had the kind of magic she had witnessed firsthand, maybe a god wasn’t a strange thing to compare it to at all. The Moon. She was grateful to the Moon.
“I think shifters might have come from humans originally,” Nick replied. “Our history doesn’t say if we’ve always been this way or what happened to make us like this. Maybe we were wolves first. No one knows. We’ve always attributed our gifts and what we are to the Moon. But for years now, the Wolf has been disappearing.”
Gwen asked, “Disappearing?”
Nick squeezed her hand and looked at her, making sure he had her full attention. “I’m sure you noticed only adults when you were in Moonwatch.”
“I did notice that. None of them were young either, aside from you and Willow.”
“That’s because wolf shifters basically don’t have wolf shifter children anymore or they can’t have children at all. Willow and I are the youngest wolf shifters we know of here.”
“Why?” Gwen asked, confused.
He shrugged. “No one knows. I hate to admit it, but the packs I know, including my own, blame humans and the lone wolves who have left their packs for a human mate. Any children a wolf shifter has anymore are always human as far as we can tell. Even though wolf shifter children don’t usually shift until they are at least two or so, the Wolf is always inside of them.”
“You know immediately if a child is a wolf shifter or not,” Gwen concluded. “You’d probably sense other shifters if you met them because you’d sense their animal too.”
“Right,” Nick replied.
“And you blame lone wolves and humans why exactly?” That tight feeling in her chest returned. This was why Nick didn’t like her. He blamed her for his kind disappearing because she was a human. But she didn’t understand why. How could lone wolf shifters mating with humans change anything for the wolf shifters living in packs? Nick said even pack wolves weren’t having children or were having human children. It sounded like a change in all of wolf shifter kind to her.
She was about to move her hand away, but Nick held her in place, keeping her hand in his lap. “There’s no basis for the accusation. Everyone was angry as hell when this stuff kept happening and they looked for someone to blame. There’s no proof. Wolves are just proud. My pack especially. We’ve always been about purity,” he said.
“Is that why you hate me?” Gwen whispered.
“I don’t hate you,” Nick stated firmly. “I’ve been confused, and I didn’t want to tell my pack I had a contract with a human. I didn’t understand it, and I knew they wouldn’t understand it. I ended up hurting you instead.” He took her right hand and pressed his lips to the back of it, sending shivers through her entire body. “I don’t know the reason why the Moon is taking back the gift it gave us, but I’m done being angry about it. I’ve been trying to run the pack the way my father did, and I’m done doing that too. Even though my pack won’t approve, I’m not going to hide you anymore. I don’t expect you to forgive me or to come back to Moonwatch, but I’m going to make sure everyone there knows about you. I’m going to tell them about how you saved my life. I’m going to tell them how you accessed Lunas.” He looked at her with such an intense gaze she could hardly breathe. “You would make a great Alpha, Gwen. You’ve definitely shown me how to be a better one.”
Those damn pesky tears were threatening to spill out of Gwen’s eyes again. Who was this wolfman and what had he done with the grumpy one she met before? This was the one she had been waiting for. This was the one she was irresistibly drawn to.
“Now why are you crying?” he asked quietly, wiping away her tears before they could fall. “I hate seeing you cry.”
“Women are emotional creatures, okay?” Gwen said with a laugh. “And how do you expect me not to cry when you said all of that? I thought you hated me. I really did.”
“As long as you aren’t sad,” he whispered.
“Like hell. I’m so happy I don’t know how else to react.” She wiped at her eyes. Then she scooted closer to Nick and let her head rest on his shoulder as she closed her eyes.
“You don’t seem to hate me either,” he said quietly.
“Never did. When I first saw you, I got this feeling I was supposed to be with you. Is that Moon voodoo too?”
Nick forced a laugh. “Willow would tell you the Moon picks a Fated Mate for all of its shifters.”
“What would you tell me?”
“That I think Willow is right.”
“But that doesn’t apply to me, right? Especially now that I don’t have a Lunas Sigil anymore.”
Gwen was about to complain when Nick moved, forcing her to sit upright, but he kissed her before she got the chance to. The action initially surprised her; however, the next second, she was melting into his kiss. Everything about the kiss was soft even with his scruff brushing against her skin. Nick sucked and licked at her bottom lip as she eagerly reciprocated. But the kiss stopped almost as soon as it started.
“I’m sorry,” he said against her lips. “I’ve wanted to do that since I first saw you.”
“Don’t stop,” Gwen begged. This time she kissed him, unwilling to let him go with a single kiss. She pressed her tongue to his teeth, asking him to let her explore. He let her in, and she went for his tongue with her own. She had no idea how to describe what he tasted like, but from a single taste, she was already addicted. This was like no kiss she had ever had before—not that she had had many. It resonated in even the smallest parts of her body. In particular, the wetness between her legs was becoming impossible to ignore.
“Can we start over?” Nick asked in between kisses. “I’ve been a dick.”
“Not just a dick. I’ve seen your sweet side, too,” Gwen said with heavy breaths, diving in for another kiss. “Or did you forget the other night you were on my lap? Because I didn’t.”
“That was different. I was a wolf.” He kissed her again.
“Yeah, but now you’re a man and you remember what it felt like.”
Nick groaned. “Touching you like this is so much better.” H
e untucked her shirt and rested his hand on the smooth skin of her back, drawing little circles on her lower spine.
“I don’t know,” Gwen said, barely holding herself together. “I think I prefer the wolf.”
Nick nipped at her ear. “The wolf’s still here.”
Gwen was pretty sure her entire body was goosebumps. The static on her skin was intense. She had never felt so much energy in her life. She moved her hand to the bulge in his pants, rubbing her fingers against his erection. He was as ready as she was. She was ready by the first kiss, and it seemed he was too. This kind of attraction was almost painful. It was because of how many times they had forced themselves away from each other. Each time the ache to be with him, to feel him, got worse. She wasn’t going to resist it this time.
“You need to tell me now how far we’re going to take this,” Nick said, catching her hand to make her stop what she was doing. “I’m about to lose it, Gwen.”
“I thought you already had,” she replied, teasing.
“Not quite.” His eyes were smoldering, a bright yellow that resembled his wolf side more than his human side.
She wanted to continue what she was doing. She wanted him naked. But that was all her passion talking. It was a good thing Nick stopped things when he did because she wasn’t even considering a very important detail.
“If we went all the way, is there any chance of you getting me pregnant?” she asked.
“There’s a chance,” he replied.
“I’m not on the pill, and I don’t have condoms. You didn’t happen to bring any, did you?” she asked hopefully.
“Sorry. Never had a use for them, and I wasn’t expecting things to go like this,” he explained. “Figured you’d be pissed at me.”
“Maybe I should be.”
“Maybe you should.”
They sat apart for a moment, doing nothing more than looking into the other’s eyes. Gwen had considered being angry or at least not getting lost in him like this. But this was what felt right. Being with him was right.
“So, you’re a virgin, aren’t you?” she commented with a smirk.
“How’d you come to that conclusion?” he asked, giving nothing away.
“You're what, twenty something?”
“Twenty-eight.”
“I’m twenty-five,” she replied, figuring it was only fair. “Based on your story. All the other wolf shifters I saw were a lot older than you. I have a hard time picturi—”
“God, stop,” Nick interjected. “You’re right. I’ve never had sex with anyone before.”
“Good for you,” she said with a nod. “I wish I was still a virgin. I had sex because when I was twenty-one I felt like a freak for being a virgin, so I ended up having sex with a guy I didn’t even like, but whatever. It’s not like I can take it back now.”
Nick growled, but he silenced himself immediately.
“What’s that about?” Gwen questioned.
He leaned in and kissed her, hard and possessive. His facial hair scratched against her skin in the most stimulating way. He kissed her so hard she was lightheaded and her lips hurt. “That was because the possessive alpha wolf side of me doesn’t like the thought of you being with anyone but me,” he informed.
Gwen liked it when he talked like that. It made her sound precious, irreplaceable.
“I think I’d be okay with that,” she whispered. “But what about your pack?”
“I pick you, Gwen. Even if my pack doesn’t. Even if the pack tells me to hit the fucking road because they don’t want me as their Alpha. I pick you.”
“That seems like a lot to give up for a girl you hardly know.”
“I won’t have to give anything up if they can get their heads out of their assess.”
The more they talked, the more they touched, the more Gwen couldn’t deny that Nick was what she wanted. He was so confident about being with her. Whether it made sense or not didn’t matter. It was what she felt too. It was what her heart wanted, and it had never wanted anything this badly.
Gwen lowered her eyes to the edge of Nick’s shirt. She slid her hands underneath the fabric and felt the hard muscles of his stomach. Feeling brave, she tugged his shirt up. Nick got the message and finished taking it off for her. He sat quietly as she traced the pronounced lines of his muscles. She could still see faint scars on his skin. Maybe they wouldn’t go away or maybe they would, but she was determined to memorize every inch of him. She leaned in and kissed the left side of his chest, feeling his heart against her lips. She lingered there, letting her lips glide across his smooth skin.
Nick’s hands went to her hips. He moved her with ease, seating her on his lap. She responded by spreading her legs to straddle him. The moment the very sensitive skin between her legs pressed against Nick’s erection, she moaned. The clothing barrier did little to ease the sensation. She couldn’t imagine what this would feel like if that barrier wasn’t there. She moved on his lap, pressing herself harder against him, moving to create friction. His mouth found hers as she kept moving on his lap. He grabbed her ass, encouraging her to keep going. She moved again and again, ratcheting up the tension to the point she was about to climax. She was so turned on. She moved faster, eager for that moment of bliss to come. When it did and her body began to pulse, she let out a shuddering breath. She had never orgasmed more than once a day at most, and she thought she would be satisfied, but she wasn’t.
“Touch me,” she said against Nick’s mouth.
She grabbed one of his hands and guided it to her sex. She unbuttoned her khaki ranger pants and unzipped them. Then she guided Nick’s hand inside of her underwear. The moment his fingers came into contact with her wet folds, she moaned much deeper. Her eyes fluttered open and she caught Nick’s eyes burning for her. She continued to guide him, showing him what she liked. He concentrated the pressure of his fingers on her clit.
“Just like that,” she said breathlessly. “Keep doing that.”
He did, and in no time at all, he made her come again. She breathed heavily against his lips. She wanted to feel this with him over and over again, but she was focusing only on herself. She wanted to please him too. She went for Nick’s pants, unbuttoning, unzipping, and struggling to pull his fully erect cock out. When she succeeded, with his help, she took in his size with wide eyes. She ran her fingers along his shaft down to the tip. He shuddered at her touch and let out a groan of his own.
Smiling, she got off his lap and pulled him up with her. She knelt down and gently worked her mouth around his cock. He growled in response, his hands going straight for her hair. She explored him with her tongue. She had never done this before, so she was being careful to find what he did and didn’t like. He helped by coaxing her with his hands in her hair, more or less controlling what she was doing to him. She sucked and brought her hands to his balls, feeling every part of him. She must have been doing a good job because he was reduced to pleading her name. It felt amazing hearing him say her name so desperately. He jerked in her mouth, spilling his cum. She savored the taste and swallowed.
He kept a firm grip on her hair and held her in place as he slowly moved back. She kept her lips on his cock until the very last moment when he pulled out. She looked up at him. His chest was still heaving from what she had done. He slowly untangled his fingers from her hair, and she got off the floor, neither one taking their eyes off the other. Gwen walked forward and fell into Nick’s chest. His arms went around her back, and her fingers were at the edge of his jeans.
“You might as well get in the shower with me,” she commented as she slid his pants farther down his waist. “I was trying to convince myself to get in earlier, and I’m still technically on the job.”
“Naughty woman,” Nick replied, reaching his hands down to her ass and squeezing. “But my pack doesn’t know I’m here, so I’m not any better.”
“What’s a little longer going to hurt?” She worked at his jeans for another moment, but Nick wasn’t making it easy since he continu
ed holding her in place. “A little help?”
He chuckled. After he let go of her, Gwen worked on her own clothes while Nick did the same with his. In no time they were standing completely naked in front of each other. Gwen had seen Nick’s naked body a couple times, but it felt different now. Instead of seeing and wishing she could touch him, now she could. She did. Her body buzzed with warmth and a possessive thought entered her mind. He’s mine. No one was going to tell her otherwise.
She stood still for a moment, allowing Nick a good look at her body. She had felt awkward when she had sex before, with a man she didn’t like. She wasn’t confident like she was in front of Nick. She had no doubt in her mind that he’d like every inch of her the same way she did him. Playing around with him had been fun, but she couldn’t imagine what having him inside of her would feel like. It would be powerful. She was sure of it.
“You’re so beautiful,” Nick whispered reverently.
His words reaffirmed what she already knew in her heart. If she had talked to her parents about this, they would have told her she was moving way too fast. As much as she loved and valued their opinion, she would have told them they were wrong in this case. This didn’t happen soon enough. This was what should have happened when she and Nick had first laid eyes on each other. Maybe the Moon had changed her when it marked her, but it seemed to her Willow was right. Nick was fated for Gwen. She knew she would never feel this way about anyone else. A lifetime of being with him and getting to know him was all she wanted. She wanted that more than anything.
Nick walked forward, placing his hands on her bare hips as he leaned down to kiss her. She would never get tired of him kissing her. She took his hands and led him to the bathroom. The shower wasn’t big, but that made it better in Gwen’s opinion. It meant she and Nick had to touch. She made the water slightly cold to combat the heat of their bodies and the hot summer weather outside. Gwen truly did intend to get clean, but having Nick totally naked and pressed against her was making her earlier decision about not going all the way seem stupid. She had already decided she was meant to be with him. Why shouldn’t she go all the way with him? Maybe she still held an inkling of doubt. And the thought of possibly getting pregnant scared her. Nick was already a huge change in her life. What would she do if that happened?