Vanessa’s wolf was lazy compared to her panicked state. The beautiful animal, husk brown coat with white patches on hind legs lingered to take in the forest. Tress swept past, mud and snow cackling beneath, its paws digging the ice. It felt like any other run. Until a canto of heavy thuds, almost like the horse hooves but softer resonated behind. At first, she thought it to be another wolf running but the scent gave him away. Intense, titillating aroma like the green-tinged fumes of absinthe, getting over juniper covered snow. That’s how she knew Noah Abel was stalking her. Her panic promoted to hyperventilation, she could hear the wolf right beside her now. His breathing was easy, languid while she panted. What was with him? The man was gorgeous but the wolf was striking. Signature alpha genes physically manifest into the sharpest black colour fur covering the vast expanse of his body. The sheer size of him made Vanessa feel her own wolf was a pup only. She focused on him as he clo
"I didn't do this. It still looks inflamed. How did this happen?" His fingers wouldn't leave the scar alone, tracing its outline, poking in the centre. Vanessa was more aware of his skin against hers, and had to focus on his mouth to discern his words. Which was all the more, a bad idea. His eyes found it offensive. "It's a blister. Happened few months ago." Why was he asking her this? Care aside, he didn't seem all that interested in knowing the origins of it. Just that it interrupted his slow measure of her exposed skin. She felt the blood rush to the surface when she acknowledged this little fact. Vanessa was blushing. Again. And looking anywhere but at him. He stopped when what he really wanted was to trace a small vein, visibly blue under the moonlight stretched along the column of her neck. Pulling the jacket up and over, he ushered her to walk ahead. The wolf was lurking in the recesses of human restraint, and his stance, walking around her at this time of night was one of pr
"Wait!", she cried, desperate now that they were going to be among others, under the scrutiny of white lights, nothing like the moonlight. He whirled. It was hard to say, looking at him, whatever his thoughts were. "What did you mean I did a good job of tying myself up?" She had to know. Her pleading had no ounce of effect on him. He looked every bit the Alpha he claimed to be. Looking down upon her."Exactly what you understood, Ms.Flynn."She was horrified. He could see that. And his wolf lept to do some damage control. "I reckon you have a problem with sleepwalking. So you bolt the doors, windows, anything that grants access out of the house, and tie your hands so you can't open them even if your unconscious state wants to. It's not rocket science." His words came out, strangled. Like someone was forcing him to explain himself. All Vanessa felt was air passageways carrying the oxygen as they ought to. He was right, only in the action of things. He didn't know sleepwalking was
Mikhail paced inside the office at Right Vices. The club downstairs boomed and quaked, vibrating the floor. His last lead didn't pan out, his current ambush so carefully crafted broke apart at the last minute. When Tourke had been poisoned here, it might have looked like a prank to everyone, because really the man was fine. The idea of pulling this on someone from a different pack, especially if there were disputes between two clans, wasn't newly invented. Quite the opposite. Mikhail had hated his mother's brother, the Beta of Erais Clan. And got into all sorts of trouble for annoying his father and his uncle. Never had he crossed the limits. Noah had figured out something was wrong the moment Tourke had insisted on meeting outside the clan territory. One of the unspoken protocols among them was, wolves were better protected in territories. Why would then Tembrook choose to meet here on that day when he had been officially sent on a visit by his Alpha Rudiger? Alpha Rudiger of Lunar
Wind whistled, swirling inside the chimney, knocking against the bricks. Vanessa paid eeri attention to it. Anytime now, she'd drift off to sleep. Whatever had happened, she had not invited it. She used that sentence to remind herself that things happened. She wasn't always a train wreck. She wasn't always a problem-magnet. She had her good moments, maybe the unkindly events outshone them sometimes. But she still had good moments. Her faith tested her right after a session in self-efficacy. Someone pounded at her door. Not loud, definitely urgent. She focused her ability to smell on the stranger. Mikhail. Peony fields and gentle mint. That was him. She first had to wrangle her hands out of the tie, all the while he kept knocking."A minute Mikhail!" If he was in trouble. She didn't know what help she could be. She sensed another presence, but she could only smell his blood. Lot of it. First right, then left. She looked down at her feet to feel they were moving still. On autopilot, sh
She breathed in a deep lungful of cold air, back in the room, the three men had left her scarce of it. In order to avoid menial troubles, like money and debt, she planted herself into a big one. Joke’s on her. Literally. Other people had bullies growing up, some external force throwing their normal life into chaos. With her? She did it to herself. If her mum could see her right now, she’d be hanging a ‘I-told-you-so’ on her forehead, and Vanessa would be none the wiser for it. Mikhail sewed his brother’s skin with thin white absorbable suture, Evan grunted every time alcohol was poured to disinfect his skin. The sutures were the worst part. He shoved a couch pillow and bit it in half. After destroying three such cushions, his head lolled to the side. Noah kept an eye out on Vanessa. Her sudden disappearance made him irrationally angry. For some unbidden reason, he wanted her to see this. See, and realize, how ugly things get. How sheltered she and the rest of the pack members are, ev
Noah noticed the hide and seek of her tongue. It peeked out, like a tease. He was certain it wasn’t intentional but he could care less. He wanted to taste her. Cupping the back of her head, he tipped her chin, barely touching their noses together. Their lips skimmed. The barest hint of touch had her flexing her toes. She gripped the lapels of his coat for support. It only brought him closer. Their foreheads touched, because Noah had bent his head to keep staring into her eyes. What started out as gentle ministration of lips, hesitant in their approach turned to a full-fledged clash of want and passion. His hand fisted in her hair, while the other encased her neck. The threat was there, his hand covered her neck wholly and she waited with bated breath to feel a light squeeze. Given how his tongue molded to hers, moving the way hers moved, never leaving enough space to seek a moment’s reprieve. Noah outlined the blue vein pulsing in her neck, he knew she expected him to control her mo
The sun shone bright and early, and the traffic on the highway, rare for a city dwelling person, caused an undeniable headache to a restless wolf with sharpened senses and affinity to the quiet of the forest. Evan Ryder mumbled in his sleep, complaining mostly. The couch carried his weight under lengthy duress, but at least it was comfortable. Unlike his leg, which felt like it had endured laser burns and the treatment had been to peel off the skin. His stomach growled in hunger and he was thirsty. His memory said 'serves you right'. Maybe it did, he wanted to go guns blazing as a one-man show. No, one werewolf show, and this happened. Now he was grumpy and hungry. He noticed how his brother and Noah were still asleep. He had to raid the small fridge because he couldn't cook even if his life depended on it. Vanessa quickly showered and grabbed a white shirt reaching her mid-thighs. She didn't bother with decent clothes because she had mostly packed them up. She thought about making
'Love does find a way afterall. No matter what obstacles are laid before us, if our love is pure, it will win at the end, no matter what.' Vanessa thought as a smile lit her face up. She was sitting comfortably on a couch, in a large sweatshirt that belonged to Noah, now her husband.She thought back to their wedding ceremony, it was a wonderful affair filled with laughter, love and hope. All their friends had come, looking clean in their dresses and suits. Noah had left last night, in wolf form, hollering and calling loudly to the moon. A makeshift bachelor party- a wild run in the forest and then some chilled beer at a cliff with a nice view. That left Vanessa to sit back at home, thumbing through her favorite book and smiling now and then. It was midnight when she decided to call it a night and go to bed- her last night as a single lady. Just then, she caught sight of a rustling figure outside the window. It was Noah, his hair windswept and his cheeks red from being drunk. He was
She watched his face, less shy about its location on the map of her body. He was smiling to himself, mischievous, his eyes on his work. Small pool of sweat gathered at her lower back, at the dimples he liked so much. He was finger painting.She gasped, trying to twist away as he wrote more. But he didn't have to. "Noah...." Was she going to weep? She didn't want to weep. "Is that a yes or a no?" The wolf was relaxed this time around. Like it had gotten what it wanted for the time being, she knew the decision was equally human. "Yes! Yes, I'll marry you." "If you can stop snotting, maybe then..." She hit his shoulder. When he kissed her, on the psychic plane, his wolf appeared. Battered, strong, feral. And with him- a bond. It was a great shining thing, like a falling moon. An orb born of love tumbling in the creeks, in the meadows. She had only to catch it. And she did. With it came a smaller bond-Ian. Unafraid, she linked herself to it. The distance between them felt like sph
The last thing she remembered was his claws digging in her ass, and their pleasure sated bodies a tangle of limbs. Where was he now? Not next to her. But he had slept, the bed held his impressions. Coming to herself, she blushed. His smell was so strong on her, hers had nearly vanished. She had an inkling that these were the signs of mating bond completing itself. Even he would smell more like Vanessa than himself. The animal was playing for keeps, and it wanted to be kept as an equal. She found him sitting on the porch stairs. She grabbed his shirt, shivered at how sensitized her skin felt, trying desperately to keep herself from looking at the spot of blood on lavender sheets. Thankfully, they weren't white. His marks, teeth, hand, claws pulsed in her body. Her body held his secrets more tenderly than it did anything else. He sensed her approach, straightening his legs, making space for her between them. She went, hiding behind her hair. His content was contagious. Bare chested
The satisfaction coursing through him was so arrogant, so unfaltering in its ownership, her wolf quivered a little in fear. If he consumed her, would she live to see another day? Intrigued, he rubbed his jaw against the inside of her legs, her scent decadent, strong. He fumbled with his jeans before pulling them down. His wolf wanted to take. To turn her around on hands and knees, mount her, and when she'd arch her neck in pleasure, take a bite. It'll hurt but he'd share the pain. "Noah?" She was still here. Legs spread, waiting for him. He smiled. His mind was playing tricks on him, he won't take her like an animal. That'll have to wait. He suddenly dipped his head and she shoved a discarded pillow to her face. Which was a good thing. Because the scream that tore out of her was no human. Her eyes shifted, her wolf begging to have her equal measure of the sensations. His eyes still on her face, he licked her between her thighs. The tender bud begged for his attention, which in h
When he threw up his shields, she was back in front of him. Tonight, there was no leash. She wanted to play, he'll abide. The wolf bared its teeth.... She shot out with a grin. Adrenaline shot through her, she was nowhere near as fast as him. But she could read his thought clear as a bright sunny day. Apart from the high of the chase, she was humbled by the trust. He lowered his shields to nil and let her in. She had yet to do that.He was getting closer, the wolf didn't try to hide the heavy breathing, his massive lungs resounding in warning because he wanted her to know when he was near. Claws out, canines protruding, Noah was no longer human. Not a single part of him. Heart raising hard and fast, she sharpened her run into the direction of lower range, a steep one her much smaller body could maintain running at. Noah's much larger frame would tumble at this speed, so he pulled out an old trick. He laid down and rolled like a barrel. Laughter bubbled inside of her. 'Nice trick.'
"I am sorry I made you feel unwelcome. Consider this an apology." He kissed her knuckles, a small key pressed to her palm, the soft crinkle of paper-a note. She couldn't read his thoughts anymore. But he walked away with a purpose. Dusk clambered in the Nebraska, the summer of dragging afternoons fast learning to evade the gossamery warmth for autumn seeping in sycamore trees, yellow golden leaves ready to replace the greens. Beyond the moonbeam dancing stream, stood two peaks, protecting the land from the unknowns, so many unknowns. The peaks, they are not exultant, and they no longer believe themselves to be the instrument of some great intention. They are, but a shadow of those living beings looking up at them, creatures grasping at life with stained hands. Waiting. Hoping. Vanessa hid her gasp, swallowing the thick ball of emotion in her throat. A heavy weight ruffled the decidous low hanging branches in the trees but she didn't have to turn around to know who it was. Her soul
Home.The black villa doors opened to reveal the place she had thought would save her from the mountain of debt she had buried herself under. The debt was the answer she had been waiting for, and apparently so was Silas. Greggory Flynn, she had kept his ashes in a thurible, had never given her complete answers. They arrived, to find Mikhail, Beatrice and Rourke waiting for them in the foyer. Vanessa was searching for Mrs.Kemp and her cupcake smelling apron. Beatrice looked healthier but the awkward distance between her and Mikhail didn't go unnoticed by anyone. "This here, little heathen, has more body count than me, brother. What do you say to that?" Evan dragged Vanessa from under Noah's arm to his side, strangling her in a side hug. Vanessa was beyond grateful. She didn't know how to break ice with Mikhail. The last time he had her tied to a chair in the basement, he had his reasons but that didn't make it okay. She didn't know where to go with him from here. She loved Noah but
Vanessa shuffled inside her closet, her claustrophobia all but gone. She was done packing but not ready to head back home. Things felt so incomplete. In past two days, she had tried to access Calvin's mind but had failed. When all of them, Selene, Falkner, Silas, Noah, Evan and Jodie convene for finalizing border control policies she had to tell them. She wanted everyone to know there were others like her, the Communion will want a hard proof. "Come in." She knew it was Evan. "Hii. I am resigning. Consider this official." He had been in a jolly good mood, he always was when he worked on secret plans but this time, Vanessa knew it was about Jodie. His mind was a back to back movie night on weekends, filled with lewd imagery of things he'd like to do to her.The powers did have it's shortcomings. "Resigning?" His shields were up. "Yes." Evan folded his legs, sat on the newly purchased futon, which Noah had gifted Vanessa because she liked to sleep on the floor. Bed after thirty six
He begrudgingly admitted nudity was her last preserve right now. She shifted but did a very poor job of hiding herself, the swell of her ass, small and pert with tan lines- he groaned- held his attention. Until he moved it to her shoulder. Stripes, more stripes of red, white, yellow, blue. What the fuck was it? How did she get bruises this bad? Before he could ask, she begged for a clothing. Anything he might have. He stripped off his shirt and threw it to her. She scrambled into it like she was on fire. No more inadvertent strip show, his cat saddened by the perspectiveShe knew what he was going to ask. It was always there, in the manner people stood, slightly skewed, uncomfortable of her reaction even before she had reacted. Scars. He had seen them. And she knew he won't let it go. "You aren't going anywhere until you answer me." Lonely, she wanted to be with her own kind after being denied association for so long. Walter Desmond's death made her breath for the first time, free