by Kamryn Hart
He cocked his head. “You’re not wrong. Forest running isn’t my norm.”
“Well?” She smiled. “What are you going to choose?”
The obvious and right decision was to take Willow up on her gracious offer to get him out of town if she really did mean that. His life would go back to how it had been. He’d be alone. Doing his thing. Doing exactly what he wanted to do. Living day to day with no real purpose because he wasn’t ready to die.
He couldn’t believe he was admitting it to himself, but he wanted to take Willow up on the forest suggestion. He also wanted to fuck her again, but he wasn’t doing that. No way, no how. But what would it hurt to spend a day in the forest with her? He could always leave later.
He shouldn’t do it.
“I’ll go to the forest with you,” he said. The mark on the back of his neck thrummed against his skin. It was like a gentle massage.
Willow’s brown eyes lit up, flashing amber again. He didn’t know why the hell she seemed so happy about this. They had already discussed that he wasn’t the Fated Mate she had hoped for, but she wanted to spend the day with him? She really must have believed the “Moon” had picked him for her.
Ridiculous. Poor delusional wolf.
And now he was feeding those delusions. How many more times would he hurt her before he left the nice wolf alone? She was nice. He was taking advantage of her like he did everyone. He didn’t like that thought.
They wolfed down the rest of their food, placed their dishes in the sink, and went outside. The wolves in this town seemed to like to spend their time outside. Maybe it was the weather. Derek always liked being outside in the fall. The temperature was perfect. He caught sight of that Casey guy again, Willow’s ex. His hackles were starting to rise, but he quickly told himself to calm down. He didn’t know why the fuck he felt so aggressive toward that wolf now. He hadn’t minded him last night.
He shook his head and watched Willow’s back. He could feel the eyes of other wolves watching them, but no one came up to them. No one stopped them as they crossed the yellow grassy field separating the town from the tree line of Blue Forest.
Willow started stripping right there near a blue spruce’s trunk. First, she took off her jacket. She was wearing a low-cut tank top underneath, in answer to his earlier speculation. Her tank top was next. The extra show of fair skin and the curve of her back got him hard. Then again, just being around her basically meant having a raging boner at all times since she was in heat or whatever. He took care of himself earlier in the shower, but it wasn’t enough. He was hard again and aching. The sweats he was wearing made it bearable at least. That and he wasn’t wearing any underwear. It still didn’t feel great though, being hard constantly.
Her bra came off next, revealing her luscious, perky breasts. They were the perfect size to hold in his hands. Her pink nipples were hard, enticing points. He wanted to run his fingers across her skin, lick her, and feel her in his mouth. This time, he wanted to fuck her slow. The mark on the back of his neck was burning as if to egg him on.
He shook his head. No fucking. None of it.
Now, her jeans were off, leaving her in nothing but a pair of pink lacy underwear. God, he was ready to fall on his knees and worship this sexy woman. The most gorgeous woman he had ever laid eyes on. The most gorgeous woman he had ever fucked. He could break his rule once, right?
No. He shook his head again. It was like his brain was loose in his skull, rattling around in there.
The underwear was off, thrown into her pile of clothes at the base of a blue spruce. He wanted to walk forward, grab her ass, her perfect butt cheeks, and grab her sex with his other hand. He could already hear the gasping moan he knew she would let out. She was as turned on as he was. Constantly. His nose told him all he needed to know, but he could see the wet gleam of her arousal on her inner thighs too.
He licked his lips.
Then Willow began to shift. That odd shade of blondish fur spread all over her body. Her bones snapping and replacing filled the air in a chorus of drumming. She bent over, feet and hands becoming paws. She grew a tail. Her face changed shape, her ears peeked out on the top of her head, and her eyes became an intense amber.
Human, wolf, it didn’t matter. She was stunning. He supposed she was technically a gray wolf. Her fur just did this interesting thing, a trick of the light, to make it appear blond.
Willow barked at him and wagged her tail as she stuck her butt up in the air playfully. Derek smirked. She was a character, too. A funny thing.
Well, one strip show deserved another he supposed. He started with his shirt first. Willow sat down like an obedient dog and drank him in. He liked the way she watched him so intently with her tongue hanging out of her mouth. He took off his sweats next, and Willow’s eyes rested on his boner. She pulled her tongue back into her mouth. She let out a growling bark that sent shivers down Derek’s spine. Fuck, she was dangerous.
He shifted, falling down to all fours. He stretched out his body once he was entirely wolf, covered in his midnight black fur, equipped with canines and a tail. Willow yipped at him softly. She was wiggling her ass in the air again like a playful puppy, her forelegs low against the ground. She looked like she wanted to pounce on him. Her ears were pointed forward, her full attention on Derek. He barked at her. He didn’t return the stance. He didn’t want to play. Okay, he really did want to play, but he wasn’t going to. It would turn into something else. He knew it would. And he wasn’t going there.
Willow got the message and straightened up. Her tail was still wagging slowly, indicating her good mood. She barked at him and then took off into the forest. Whoa, she was fast. He took off after her. Last night when he was following her, she had been pacing herself. Her sprinting speed was pretty impressive.
He ran fast and dodged trees. He was able to locate her even after he had lost sight of her. Her sweet rain-like scent gave her away. When he caught up to her, she slowed her pace. They trotted pretty much side by side, though Derek allowed her to lead. It wasn’t in his nature to let her lead, but he didn’t know where the fuck they were going. It bothered him. It was like she was dominant when they were in their wolf bodies. He didn’t like anyone dominating him. It meant a loss of power, a loss of control. He had been feeling that way too much since he met Willow and came to Moonwatch.
His mark burned again. He wanted to take control.
Derek nipped at Willow’s flank. She stopped running and skidded on the earth as she turned around to nip back at him. Derek tackled her to the ground. He was much bigger than she was, making it a simple task—that and she wasn’t fighting him. Willow’s legs and paws were held in close to her body as she faced Derek with her belly exposed. He hovered over her and brought his nose to hers. He didn’t know what came over him, but he licked her. He was feeling affectionate. This woman, being near her was like being high. There was a warmth about her that was safe and reassuring somehow. That was why he had followed her all the way to Moonwatch. That was why he was with her now. Maybe it was that Lunas Sigil. Maybe it was to blame for all of this.
Willow yipped quietly and licked him back. The soft look in her eyes eased any tension he was feeling. How could she look at him like that? Why didn’t she despise him?
Derek moved away, allowing Willow to stand again. She got up and licked him again. Then she leaned her body into his and closed her eyes. So warm. She moved away, back facing him. Instead of running ahead, she stayed there. She looked back at him, questioning. Derek had the urge to grab her hind legs and mount her. He wanted to take her like this. As wolves. She was inviting him to. She wanted him to.
No. He was not doing that. Even if he was willing to break his rule, even if he wasn’t at least a little weirded out about feeling this way while in his wolf form, he wasn’t going to fuck without a condom. He didn’t know much about being a wolf, but the fact that Willow was in heat told him his chances of getting her pregnant were way too fucking high. That alone was reason enough fo
r him to control himself. He didn’t want to bring a kid into this messed up world.
Derek backed away from her, his ears lying flat against his skull. His mark went cold.
Willow yipped at him again. She turned around, walked forward, and nudged his flank. He growled. She gave him some space and cocked her head.
Then she took off again, a blond blur fading into the trees. Derek hesitated, but he ended up dashing after her again. When he caught sight of her, she was standing beside a large river. In the distance, he could see another river, or maybe a branched off piece of the same river. The thing was huge. This particular area was all calm waters. Crystal clear. As he walked to the edge and looked into the water, he could see all the way down to the bottom where moss covered rocks rested in the riverbed.
Splash.
Derek’s ears rose when refreshing cold water sprinkled him. Willow had jumped into the river. She was doggie paddling in the cold water. For humans, the water would have been way too cold to swim in, but for wolf shifters, the temperature was fine.
Willow barked at him as she continued to paddle. Why did she look like she was having so much fun? Why was she so beautiful even with her funny doggie paddle? Wolves were not graceful swimmers by any means, but Derek couldn’t take his eyes off her. Her blond fur was soaked and gleaming like white-gold. She seemed to be smiling as she circled around in the water as if chasing her tail. She barked at him again.
Derek backed up along the riverbank, far enough to get a running start. Then he ran and leaped into the water, landing beside Willow. The cold water hit him with a burst of energy. He swam for a moment but decided swimming as a wolf was a pain. So he shifted.
The cold water grew a little more intense when he no longer had a thick fur coat protecting his skin, but it wasn’t bad. The cold felt nice against the heat always present around Willow. His dick wasn’t hot and hard for once.
He dived under the surface, kicking his legs as he swam for the riverbed. When his fingers touched the slimy moss on a rock, he twisted around in the water, kicked the slippery rocks below, and rocketed back up to the surface. He took in a big breath of air when he broke free.
A giggle and splash from behind beckoned him to turn around. Willow had shifted too. Her long, normally curly, white-blond hair was floating around her, strands of mermaid hair. She pushed some of it out of her face. The water on her light eyelashes caught the sunlight, lighting up her entire face.
Derek’s heart was on the verge of stopping for good, and that Lunas Sigil was going to burn a big hole in his neck.
She splashed him again. He closed his eyes and swam away, but he couldn’t escape Willow’s relentless barrage of water. A new tactic then. He kept his eyes closed and used the sound of her giggling to guide him. Such a lovely sound. He could listen to it all day like the melodic tinkling of bells.
When Willow squeaked and thrashed, probably to turn around and swim away from him, Derek knew he was close enough. He reached out, spreading his arms wide, and then he caught her. His hands were on the smooth skin of her stomach. She was laughing and slapping the water with her hands. He opened his eyes, caught her arms, and bound her against his chest so she’d stop splashing him already. Bad idea. Feeling her skin, having her this close brought on another boner. It also made his mark burn worse.
Willow hummed, pressing her back into his chest, and rubbing her ass against his stomach, almost brushing the head of his cock. Derek groaned and held her tighter as he kicked at the water. All of a sudden, he was breathing hard. Willow floated back, catching her legs around him, tangling them up. He had her by the arms. She had him by the legs. He had to kick harder to keep them both afloat. His dick was touching her ass now, but there was no way he could fuck her like this.
“What are you doing?” he asked, almost pleading. His very being was in agony. He wanted her so bad, but he couldn’t have her. He wasn’t even sure how he wanted her anymore. He wanted to hear her laugh again. He wanted to be inside of her. He wanted to keep holding her like this and never let her go. The heat emanating from their bodies was more than enough to cancel out the cold of the river.
“I’m trying to get you to change your mind,” she struggled to say as she moaned, rubbing her ass against him, trying to get him inside of her even though there was no possible physical way that was happening in this tangled position while trying to keep from drowning.
“About what exactly?” Derek whispered in her ear.
He finally found it in him to release her. Though, he couldn’t resist brushing his hands against her breasts as he did. Willow was still holding his legs with hers as she paddled her arms furiously to keep her balance above the water. She gave up and let his legs go so she could kick in the water and support herself again.
The water was suddenly freezing now that Willow’s warmth was gone. He wanted her back in his arms.
He watched as she swam to the riverbank. The water dripping off her perfect body as she stood ashore and wrung out her hair was too much. He kicked his legs, grabbed his dick, and ground his teeth. It didn’t take any coaxing. The release was almost immediate as his cock jerked in his hands, finally providing a modicum of relief.
“Fuck,” he breathed.
When he looked back at the riverbank, Willow was a wolf again. She was lying down with her head resting on her paws, watching him. The light in her eyes was gone. She wasn’t wagging her tail. Derek looked away. Seeing her like that fucked him up. It made his chest hurt.
He swam to the riverbank and shifted. Willow stood and ran back into the forest. Derek followed her straight to the place they had left their clothes. They both shifted and got dressed. Then Derek followed Willow wordlessly. He wanted to say something, but he didn’t know what. The way her shoulders were slumped, her head hung low, it wasn’t acceptable. It felt wrong. He didn’t notice anyone else on the way back to her home because he was so preoccupied wondering what he could do about it.
Once they made it inside her house, Willow said, “So, I’m technically my brother’s Beta, but I’ve really been slacking on my duties for a couple days now. You know, being in Boise and everything. I’m going to help him out. You’ll have to occupy yourself for a while.” She didn’t look at him once. “Make yourself at home or whatever.”
“S-sure,” Derek replied.
He stood in the living room as he watched her scurry about and freshen up a bit. He felt numb and stiff like a statue.
When Willow was about to slip out the front door, she looked back at Derek and said, “I hope you’ll be here when I come back. I said I wasn’t going to make you stay, and I meant it. But I want you to stay.” She offered a small smile. He could see the hurt there. Did she really want him to stay? It sure didn’t look like it, and right now she was running away from him.
Derek didn’t say anything, and Willow left, closing the door quietly behind her. She had given him an open opportunity to leave or stay. He didn’t know what that meant or what she actually wanted.
But he knew that she had done something to him. He wanted her to mean what she said. No one had ever wanted him to stay.
Chapter 10
WIILOW HAD FULLY INTENDED on helping her brother with some Awakened Wolves and maybe checking on Max, but Nick shot her down hard, telling her to go back and babysit Derek because that was the job she volunteered to do. Then he got worried and asked her if she needed to get away from Derek. Willow told him it was nothing like that, she was just looking for a break. Nick shook his head and said her being in heat would only make this harder for the Awakened Wolves anyway—especially Max.
She hadn’t thought about that. She figured Nick had a point, but all the other wolves in Moonwatch seemed to contain themselves just fine. It made sense to her. Derek was the wolf she was attracting. Only Derek.
It was so confusing. That was why she needed some time away from him. She liked being with him. She really did. He was almost being sweet, kissing her as his wolf. But he always ended up doing som
ething that hurt her terribly. He’d say something, do something. His reservations and desperate attempts to keep her at arm’s length. She turned to sadness or anger because she didn’t understand it. She didn’t know what to do about it. But, the more time she spent with him, the more she felt like these problems would be resolved if he would open up to her. He was so closed. That was the root of the problem.
She ended up doing volunteer work at the Moonwatch Cafe. She used to work there a lot anyway. It was nice to visit the place again. She had some pleasant conversations with her packmates who came in. She didn’t have to face Casey or his family. All around, the few hours she was there were good and a way to take her mind off things for a while.
She was doing the last round of cleaning since the cafe had just closed. She looked up from behind the counter she was cleaning when she heard the front door open. It was Nick and Gwen.
Willow smirked. “You guys know we’re closed, right? Or do the king and queen expect special treatment?”
“I came out to spend some time with my mate,” Gwen said as she held on to Nick’s arm. “I have no idea why he brought me to a closed cafe.”
“We’re here because I heard Willow is here, and she shouldn’t be,” Nick grumbled. “I thought I told you to go back to babysitting. Or is there something you’re not telling me? Because if you need me to kick his ass—”
“No!” Willow held up her hands. “My answer is the same as what I told you earlier. I just wanted a break, okay? I needed some time to think without Derek there.”
“Do you have someone else watching him?”
“No.”
“Willow!” Nick growled. “How was it a good idea to leave him alone all evening?”
“He’s not going anywhere, Nicky. He’s my mate,” Willow said matter-of-factly. Nick was about to say something else, but Willow cut him off. “Did you learn anything else with the shifter collector thing? Trinity?”