Four: Greyson

I couldn't get her out of my mind. Her scent…her taste. The soft gasp she released when my tongue slid across her bottom lip.

Never in my life had I seen a mouth as perfect as hers, and I couldn't be satisfied with just one taste of those pouty lips. No man could be.

The scent of her fear made her that much sweeter as her desire filled the air with it. She enjoyed our meeting as much as I had. It was exhilarating and tempting.

There was something about her that my beast couldn't resist…that I couldn't resist. From the second I caught her scent at the pond, I wanted to claim her. She smelled so sweet, like a sugar cookie, and I had been desperate for a taste.

So, I took one, but it wasn't enough.

I didn't think it ever would be.

Blood dripped from my hands as I moved through the small passageway, heading toward the water.

The men who had scared her yesterday had been wise to run but stupid to think they could ever escape me. They were almost too easy to kill. It was disappointing.

They would have died regardless, but I had wanted a challenge. A real fight. It had been so long since I had fought a worthy opponent.

But for her, I would fight or kill anyone.

The last time I had seen her was just after my pack had been slaughtered almost ten years ago. I had been terrified. I was on my own for the first time. I was young, cold, hungry, and mourning my parents and little sister.

When I heard her scream that day and smelled the rogues, I jumped at the chance to draw blood and redeem myself for failing my family.

I hadn't expected to find a child out on her own, surrounded by rogues.

She had to be no more than nine or ten and was the most stubborn thing I had ever seen, with her little fists in the air and her eyebrows pulled together like she was preparing to fight them. Her lips were pursed as she concentrated on the two wolves circling her, eyeing them as if trying to decide which one to take on first.

Seeing her determination to fight gave me hope. It had lit the spark back inside of me that had been extinguished the day I ran from my pack and left them to die.

We worked together, and even when they started to overpower us, she never gave up. She pushed harder, so I did too, until we were the last two standing.

They had been my very first kills.

That young girl had saved my life and didn't even know it. Her will to live inspired me, and I refused to live my life on the run and constantly looking over my shoulder. I wanted to be unstoppable, and I became just that.

Now, she was back in my life, and I refused to believe it was anything other than fate that we crossed paths again.

I had known nothing about her. Not her name nor her pack. I hadn't been expecting to ever see her again, but then there she was.

Her eyes were darker than when she was younger. They were beautiful, with a black ring around a warm chocolate brown that looked golden in the sunlight. It felt like those eyes had burned into my soul, and I wanted to memorize every detail of them.

Today, I could.

I dove into the water, swimming through the clear pond and moving into the opening below, feeling bothered that she hadn't been inside the cool cave.

The sun was brutal today, the heat frying everything it could reach, and I didn't want her standing out there waiting for me.

As I surfaced, I was disappointed she wasn't here yet before catching her scent on the breeze. I dipped my head lower, my chin in the water as I watched the bushes she had emerged through yesterday.

It felt damn good to know she was coming here for me, even after what she experienced in town. She was curious too, and I wanted her to explore me to her heart's content.

Her long, wavy blonde hair peaked through the leaves of overgrown plants before her beautiful face appeared. Her plump bottom lip, which I had been thinking about all night, sat between her teeth as she gnawed on it nervously, her eyes instantly finding me.

I didn't want to scare her away, but after yesterday, I knew she wasn't the skittish type. My hands planted themselves on the wet ground as I pushed myself out of the water, smirking as I watched her eye me with an appreciative gaze.

There was still a small part of me in disbelief that she came. I had expected to have to go after her and drag her back here so that I could spend a few more minutes with her.

Her dress and heels were not made for a place like this, but she looked incredible, and I was honored that she had dressed up to meet me.

The navy blue fabric fell just past her knees with a slit that went up to her mid-thigh, teasing me with her smooth flesh. It sat tight against her body and pushed up her breast so beautifully that my mouth began to water. I wanted to storm over and shove my face in them, licking and nibbling until she was writhing with pleasure in my arms.

I wanted to know what shade her perky little nipples were and if they matched her seductive lips. They were hard, teasing me through her dress as her cheeks turned pink when she noticed I was looking. Fucking adorable.

I knew I should greet her, but my tongue was tied for the first time in my life. Instead, I circled her slowly, looking at every curve of her body and enjoying the light in her eyes as I did so.

Her waist pulled in, giving her a perfect hourglass shape, and the curve of her stomach was the most intoxicating combination. I had always loved a woman with curves, and hers were just right.

I groaned as I admired how her dress hung over her toned ass. She was a goddess.

Her breathing stopped as I moved behind her until I could feel her hair brushing against my chest.

"Tell me, Firefly. Did you wear this just for me?" I asked as my fingers fiddled with the one-inch strap on her left shoulder, wondering what she would do if I tugged it to the side.

"Firefly?" She sounded breathless as I let the tip of my finger follow next to the strap, down her shoulder blade.

"Mh," I hummed in agreement, leaning in closer as I took a deep breath of her intoxicating scent. It only confirmed what I already knew. She was going to be mine. I wanted to wake up surrounded by it every day and lose myself in it at night. "Tell me your name."

"Sloane."

My eyes closed. Sloane.

I repeated it back softly, enchanted as goosebumps covered her body.

Sloane stood still, her muscles tense as I placed my other hand on her hip. She glanced over her shoulder at me. Her expressive brown eyes were filled with uncertainty and nerves.

"Greyson," I introduced as I pulled back, giving her some space. She seemed as lost in me as I was in her, but there was something about her and how uneasy she was that had me assuming she was inexperienced… innocent.

I felt like I had just won something as I came to that realization because whether it was today or a year from now, I would be the only one tasting and pleasuring her.

"You're the Rogue Alpha," Sloane said, sounding strong, but I could feel her trembling under my hand on her hip. I wondered if she would have let me get this close to her if she had seen me only minutes ago, covered in blood.

Still, I loved the sound of my title on her lips.

"Does that scare you?"

"That you're a rogue or that you're their Alpha?" Sloane asked softly, turning to face me. My hand slid across her lower back as she turned, and I let it drop back to my side as I stared down at her.

In the past few years, nothing had been able to make me feel nervous, but she did. The way she asked the question made me worry that there were two different answers when I only wanted to hear one.

"Both," I said, watching as she pulled her thick bottom lip between her teeth and bit down on it.

With a deep exhale, she shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. "I don't know."

My head tilted to the side, curious about her answer. Never before had a woman not known. They were either excited to be with a rogue or an alpha or scared to be anywhere near me.

She didn't know.

"You feel it, too."

Her eyes widened at my statement, and I licked my lips as hers parted. Just one more taste…

"Feel what?" Her feigned ignorance made me chuckle, as I knew she just wanted me to say it first.

"The pull." I lifted my hand, cupping the side of her head and tilting her jaw back with my thumb. Her eyes flickered between mine, and her breathing sped up as I let my nose brush the side of hers. "There's something about you, Sloane… It's addicting."

Her eyelids fluttered closed, and I smiled as she relaxed against my chest.

"Is that why you saved me?" Sloane's voice sounded flat, devoid of the breathless emotion that was there only a moment ago. With each word, her lips rubbed against mine, and my jaw clenched as I fought to maintain control.

I had wanted to slam my lips to hers and kiss her until she couldn't breathe.

"Which time, Firefly?" Her eyes shot open at my question, and when she pulled her head back a few inches. I could see the wheels moving in her head. "I've killed for you before. I would kill for you again."

"You really do remember me?"

There it was. That breathy whisper that made me feel crazy with need, and I nodded. A beautiful smile spread across her face before she looked over my shoulder.

I watched the light in her eyes dim as her lips pressed together, and she withdrew from my hold.

"I wanted to see you today to thank you for saving my life, Greyson," Sloane said as she crossed her right arm over her chest to grab her left bicep. "Both times."

The way she shut down made me angry. I wanted her to smile at me again. I wanted to kill whoever had taken it from me in the first place. Who had upset her?

Sloane turned her back to me, ready to leave. My beast roared in anger inside my head, demanding that I make her stay.

"The dress…who did you wear it for, Firefly?" I asked as she reached the bushes, but she didn't seem to be in a hurry to leave.

"My parents have it all arranged. I don't have any choice." She called over her shoulder before looking down at the ground in defeat. I felt my heart drop and my anger rise as she began to walk through bushes. "My mate should be arriving today."