Two

CJ

My fingers wrapped around the cold, damp surface of my beer bottle and my heart couldn't stop thumping loudly.

Because of my foolishness and obsession with a girl young enough to be my daughter, I ruined her party. 

My wolf was furious that I kissed her sister. It begged me to mark Lenora instead, but after making her cry, it was now so pissed that it threatened to rip my ribs into sheds. 

But my human side resisted the raging desire in my body. Lenora was half my age and Mariselle's best friend, for crying out loud. She was practically a child and feelings for her were wrong and I shouldn't have come here in the first place. I vowed to stay away from this house but Lenora's dad, Maddox, and my daughter didn't give me much of a choice. 

Then I decided to do the unthinkable by kissing her older sister, which turned out to be a foolish mistake. 

It took a great deal of self-restraint not to search for Lenora and wipe the sadness and tears in her cornflower blue eyes. 

 Esme thought Lenora needed a reality check and until now, I didn't realize that even the older girl liked me. It showed when she pressed her massive boobs against mine, enjoying it a little too much. 

Although Esme was way younger than me, It was a lesser sin since she was twenty-four. 

The aroma of hops and barley filled my nose. I drank, trying to shut out the noise around me and most importantly, to stop thinking about the girl.

But all that filled my head was Lenora's mesmerizing eyes, exotic skin, and her round, full ass that I imagined squeezing and grinding against my cock.

Damn!

Her face kept me awake all night, sending electrifying currents through my body. Shame filled me whenever I stroked myself thinking about her. 

She looked more mature and put together, probably because she turned eighteen today. Seeing her sexy outfit caused a sudden rush of warmth that spread from my head to my toes. 

My wolf begged me to fuck her. 

But my human brain wanted to stop these stupid fantasies. Every time I laid eyes on her, my heart banged with the urge to mark her and drive my cock into her until she whimpered in pleasure. But I'd been through enough in my life to know better.

She was a human and would freak out when she discovered I was a werewolf. I hadn't come here for romance; I sought a peaceful existence away from the conflicts of my past.

 Maddox, who enjoyed hosting visitors, was already drunk, laughing loudly. I found it amusing how easily humans got light-headed. I would have to drink all the beer in a brewery to feel even the slightest dizziness.

I imagined Maddox finding out what I was doing to his daughters. He'd flip over and call the cops on me.

The room was filled with several acquaintances I made in recent years and I endured the loud laughter, swearing, and light-hearted arguments over politics in the room. 

Why were humans so noisy? 

Maddox approached me, holding a woman whose bun was wrapped so tight I feared her brains would spill out.

"CJ, my good friend," he slurred with wild excitement, clearly drunk. After Maddox's wife died, he married his bottle.

"Meet Nella. The funniest gal in the block... single as ffffuck. You might want to get to know her. You know, have a chat and enjoy yourselves."

Maddox winked and Nella smiled, revealing her diastema. She was undoubtedly beautiful and suitable for dating. But my foolish brain wanted Maddox's daughter.

I took another sip of beer, allowing it to slide down my throat when I observed Nella adjusting her cleavage. 

When Lenora did that, it turned me on. When her sister brushed her boobs against mine, it irritated me, but with Nella, I nearly laughed.

I needed to get my brain checked.

"Oh, hey there, handsome. I don't know why Maddox seems to think we would hit it off, but there's no harm in trying, is there?"

"Nice to meet you, Nella," I replied, breaking into a small, polite smile. "The last time my good friend Maddox tried to set me up, it ended in disaster."

"Not this one," Maddox laughed. "She's a riot, CJ. You won't find anyone like her out there. She should keep you entertained for hours." He turned to Nella, whispering loud enough for me to hear. "CJ gets bored easily."

Nella blushed, not taking her eyes off me. "Not to brag, but I think I can fix that. So, CJ, tell me, what do you do for fun? Besides looking ridiculously handsome, of course," she batted her lashes.

I shrugged, growing bored of the conversation. "Anything that keeps me active. I'm an outdoorsy guy."

Her smile dwindled. "You mean, the forest and trees? That's not my thing. I'd rather play sports to keep myself active. Do you play any sports?"

I despised this forced meeting and the need to get to know each other. But I maintained my smile. And if Nella was as smart as she claimed, she would pick up on my lack of interest.

After the one-sided conversation, Nella walked away, frowning.

Sighing, I leaned back in my seat, my gaze fixed on a framed picture of Maddox, his pregnant wife, and Esme on the wall. 

Maddox and I had bonded as widowers raising daughters. Occasionally, we would give each other helpful tips.

He didn't know how my body craved his younger daughter like a drug. After my fruitless efforts to find my wife, Kia, I settled among humans and wanted my daughter to have a good life.

Mariselle enjoyed being here and blended seamlessly with the humans. All she needed was the monthly serum I injected to help tame her wolf side, and she was good to go. We had learned to bond with humans while hiding our true nature.

Seeing Lenora for the first time made me feel alive again after Kia's disappearance. I froze in shock realizing that my second-chance mate was a minor. 

 I couldn't let my selfish desires override pure reason. An innocent girl like Lenora would never want someone as dark-hearted as me. 

She was like a forbidden apple, and I had to fight every instinct in me not to devour her. It was a war for my human side to overcome the bouts of lust in my wolf. My wolf wanted her. It growled at my restraint and reminded me that she was my last shot at happiness.

But my human self knew complications could arise from pursuing the girl. I was responsible and a level-headed professor. I didn't need romance.

After an exhausting night, it was time to take Mariselle home. There was no sign of Lenora, but Esme and her dad walked us to the car, with a broad smile on Esme's face.

"Don't be a stranger," she whispered in my ear, pulling back and winking.

Swallowing my irritation, I drove off, and I waited for Mariselle to speak, hoping she would bring up Lenora.

"How was the party? Did you have a good time?"

"It was great, I guess," she replied, yawning and turning on the radio. Then she rested her head against the headrest.

 "Lenora seemed a bit off, though, like something was bothering her. She kept talking about how she couldn't wait to leave the house and go far away."

"Hmm, I can imagine," I replied, changing lanes and pretending not to be interested in the conversation.

Lenora was mad at me. She should be grateful for my rejection because if she found out who I was, an Alpha, respected and feared by many packs, and then betrayed by ungrateful bastards I protected and led to countless victories...

If she knew that I was a grieving man, whose wife vanished without a trace, leaving an emptiness in my heart...

If she knew that I was forced to live among humans, the very beings I once saw as beneath me, or how bitterness seeped into my veins...

Then she would thank me for setting her free.

Hours later, the midnight madness descended upon me. I lay on the bed, tossing and turning, unable to shake Lenora from my mind.

She ignited a flame that couldn't be extinguished. Rather, the flame spread throughout my body.

Groaning loudly, I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and headed into the chilly night.

Before I got to the door, my gaze swept over my missing mate's picture. Kia's intense gaze bore into mine as if she knew the sinful thoughts that burned my mind. Kia had been missing for ten years, the same day my life took a U-turn. The same day everything changed. 

The forest called my name, and I ventured into the woods. The scent of damp earth and pine needles filled my nose as I ran.

My bones shifted, and my muscles flexed as my human form gave way to my feral, wounded wolf.

My wolf hadn't forgotten the betrayal. It hated the moon goddess for abandoning us in our time of need. And now, it hated me for rejecting Lenora, our last shot at happiness.