**** Kelton ****As soon as I walked in the classroom, I caught her delectable scent. I tried to ignore it as best as I could. Not because I didn’t want her. I did. Desperately. But because I was in a room full of students, and I had a job to do. I couldn’t just march up to my mate and kiss her senseless. She’d probably slap me. Then I’d get fired. I was actually OK with both of those outcomes, except that I did not want to frighten her or force myself on her.Already I felt things for her I didn’t think were possible. This young woman was made for me. It was a struggle to concentrate. And I didn’t even know her yet. My whole being unraveled at the thought of her. My mind was racing.My wolf, Knight, was beyond ecstatic. I’d had to block him briefly… not something I like to do. But his furious need to be with her, to claim her, was testing my control on a cellular level. I felt as if I’d self-combust at any second. Finally, after damn near forty years, I’d found my goddess given fated
2pm came and went. Perhaps my clock was broken…Perhaps I’d already screwed this up.Perhaps she has a class at this time.I looked her up in the system. Nope, no class at this time.For the first time in my entire life someone stood me up. I’m not talking about a woman. I hadn’t been on any dates since Darla. And even then, we weren’t really dating. We were fu.king, a friends with benefits kind of gig. Until I accidentally knocked her up. Then we were suddenly a couple with responsibilities.As an Alpha, half my life was spent in meetings. Usually, people wait anxiously for me. I quickly learned the outer signs of anxiety or nervousness. Sweaty palms, sweaty brows, fidgeting fingers, eyes constantly flicking around, difficulty looking me in the eye. Etc.For the first time in my life, however, I clearly recognized those signs in myself. It was me sitting there watching the clock tick up to, and past, 2pm. I’d also recognized my mate displaying each and every one of those sighs during
**** Lara ****By the time 6:30 pm rolled around, I was absolutely trembling with nerves. I kept vacillating wildly between dirty thoughts and frightened thoughts. Though the paranoid fear had reduced significantly, it hadn’t yet completely abated.This is a terrible idea; I can’t believe I’m doing this….He’s probably taking us somewhere away from the college to murder us….I hope he kisses me first….So on and so on, my idiotic thoughts went until I finally saw his car.A fancy red convertible. I’m not sure what I expected, but somehow it wasn’t that. So much for inconspicuousness. Everyone on campus will see me getting into that thing. It’ll take ten seconds for his female fan club to figure out that that car is his. From there they’ll be able to track him to where he lives. He’ll stand out, we’ll stand out, in that thing everywhere we go. Not that my purple jeep is particularly inconspicuous either now that I thought about it. There are a ton of jeeps around campus but none in my
After twenty more minutes of winding through the picturesque hills, we arrived at a beautiful brew pub restaurant situated on the bank of a small river. An old mill converted with a very modern looking restaurant attached. It felt welcoming, homey, and fancy all at the same time.On the way in, we walked past a group of older ladies who were exiting the establishment. Thanks to my superior werewolf hearing, I heard one say, “Oh, it’s sweet that they are having a daddy daughter date. Family is so important.”Her friend, I assumed, replied, “I think he’s her sugar daddy, not her father, Maria. Judging by the way he’s staring at her body.”After the resulting gasps, I tuned them out.That’s what everyone would think, wouldn’t they? Shockingly, that old lady hadn’t sounded nearly as judgmental as I’d expected. Perhaps everyone wouldn’t be so open-minded about our age gap.Who cares what everyone else thinks, Maya huffed.She was right. We were both legal adults and chose each other of our
We left the restaurant holding hands. I couldn’t keep the ridiculous, giddy grin off my face as we walked to the car. How did I get so lucky? It was fully dark outside now. The clear night sky twinkled with pinprick stars.When he opened the car door for me, I practically swooned at the old-fashioned gesture. It was such a little and inconsequential thing, but to me, it meant the world. It meant he was looking out for my needs, even tiny things that I could easily handle myself. Stupid, I know. Millions of women would probably think that kind of mindset would set feminism back a hundred years. It wasn’t about what I could do for myself, or what I should do for myself… For me, it was just that fact that he was there for me, instinctively. I felt like no one had ever been there for me, in even the most minor ways like that. Even my dad. I knew he loved me, but he always seemed so careful not to be too affectionate in front of my mother and brother, like he knew it would stir them up. He
The next morning when I woke, Kelton was snuggled beside me. Now that the shock had abated, I had time to think. What was that thing? Where did it come from? What did it want? Those were my first thoughts, followed rapidly by how ashamed I was at how poorly I had reacted. I hadn’t even tried to fight. I just stood there. I didn’t even have the strength or mental acuity to scream. I thought I was tougher than that. Until that moment, I thought the saying ‘frozen with fear’ was just a saying. Who wouldn’t fight back? Who wouldn’t run? But now that saying made perfect sense. That is exactly how I felt. Like my body was frozen completely.Not only did Kelton get lumped with a baby mate, but he got a useless one too. All my childhood insecurities flooded me. Unwanted. Pathetic. Parasite. Suddenly, it was difficult to breathe.“What’s wrong?” Kelton shot to a sitting position, tucking me behind him automatically while scanning the room. When he realized there was nothing, and no one, in the
We might as well get this conversation over with. I still struggled to believe he, or his pack, would accept a wolf rejected by her own pack. In werewolf society, rogues are wolves that have been cast out of a pack. There’s a lot of stigma attached to that status. People assume there must be something wrong with you, or that you did something awful to get banished. But that’s not always the case. Some people were mistreated and had no other choice. The problem is that rogue wolves sometimes turn feral and, out of anger, jealousy, revenge, or desperation, they attack packs. Most packs tend to assume rogues are a threat. I was still worried that my status would be a problem.He sighed heavily, and I knew I’d hit the right note.“I know you’re not a rogue,” he said. We had discussed it a little before, but not in detail. I still don’t know what my father told him, but that’s not the point. The point is…“Another werewolf might think I am though. I don’t have a pack link anymore.”You are
pter 15a1156 words***Kelton***As our kiss ended, I couldn’t help but feel a rush of warmth in my heart at the sight of the blush on Lara’s cheeks and the smile on her face. Knight urged me to tell her how much we loved her, but I knew it was too soon. I didn’t want to scare her off. However, the truth was undeniable - we were both hopelessly in love with her. It took every ounce of my self-control to remain calm and confident around her, when deep down I was petrified she’d bolt.My stomach rumbled, reminding me that the cereal we ate earlier wasn’t enough to satisfy two ravenously hungry and horny wolves.“While I could live off your scent alone, I think it’s time I feed you, my darling.” I rubbed her hips lightly .“What do I smell like?” she asked, furrowing her brow in confusion or perhaps skepticism.“Hmm,” I hummed. I inhaled deeply, savoring the sweet and fruity fragrance that radiated from her skin. As I leaned in, I felt her shudder, likely feeling the vibrations in my che
Just a few minutes after the encounter, my lovely mate, Lara, emerged from behind a nearby maple tree. I had seen her earlier, and I knew she would come over when she felt ready. What caught my attention was that during my conversation with Chloe, the leaves on the tree behind Lara had rapidly changed colors from bright green to yellow, then to fiery red and brown. A few leaves even fell off the tree. However, the tree’s leaves reversed back to their original bright green when Chloe walked away, almost as if the tree was responding to Lara’s emotions. From where she was standing, with the aid of her wolf’s enhanced hearing, she would have heard everything.I was surprised by this magical phenomenon, but it seemed that Lara hadn’t even noticed it. Thankfully, very few others did either. It all happened so quickly that I assumed, I hoped, people would assume they imagined it.A wolf with elemental powers? Perhaps she had dormant witch blood in her line. I needed to have another conversat
pter 15a1156 words***Kelton***As our kiss ended, I couldn’t help but feel a rush of warmth in my heart at the sight of the blush on Lara’s cheeks and the smile on her face. Knight urged me to tell her how much we loved her, but I knew it was too soon. I didn’t want to scare her off. However, the truth was undeniable - we were both hopelessly in love with her. It took every ounce of my self-control to remain calm and confident around her, when deep down I was petrified she’d bolt.My stomach rumbled, reminding me that the cereal we ate earlier wasn’t enough to satisfy two ravenously hungry and horny wolves.“While I could live off your scent alone, I think it’s time I feed you, my darling.” I rubbed her hips lightly .“What do I smell like?” she asked, furrowing her brow in confusion or perhaps skepticism.“Hmm,” I hummed. I inhaled deeply, savoring the sweet and fruity fragrance that radiated from her skin. As I leaned in, I felt her shudder, likely feeling the vibrations in my che
We might as well get this conversation over with. I still struggled to believe he, or his pack, would accept a wolf rejected by her own pack. In werewolf society, rogues are wolves that have been cast out of a pack. There’s a lot of stigma attached to that status. People assume there must be something wrong with you, or that you did something awful to get banished. But that’s not always the case. Some people were mistreated and had no other choice. The problem is that rogue wolves sometimes turn feral and, out of anger, jealousy, revenge, or desperation, they attack packs. Most packs tend to assume rogues are a threat. I was still worried that my status would be a problem.He sighed heavily, and I knew I’d hit the right note.“I know you’re not a rogue,” he said. We had discussed it a little before, but not in detail. I still don’t know what my father told him, but that’s not the point. The point is…“Another werewolf might think I am though. I don’t have a pack link anymore.”You are
The next morning when I woke, Kelton was snuggled beside me. Now that the shock had abated, I had time to think. What was that thing? Where did it come from? What did it want? Those were my first thoughts, followed rapidly by how ashamed I was at how poorly I had reacted. I hadn’t even tried to fight. I just stood there. I didn’t even have the strength or mental acuity to scream. I thought I was tougher than that. Until that moment, I thought the saying ‘frozen with fear’ was just a saying. Who wouldn’t fight back? Who wouldn’t run? But now that saying made perfect sense. That is exactly how I felt. Like my body was frozen completely.Not only did Kelton get lumped with a baby mate, but he got a useless one too. All my childhood insecurities flooded me. Unwanted. Pathetic. Parasite. Suddenly, it was difficult to breathe.“What’s wrong?” Kelton shot to a sitting position, tucking me behind him automatically while scanning the room. When he realized there was nothing, and no one, in the
We left the restaurant holding hands. I couldn’t keep the ridiculous, giddy grin off my face as we walked to the car. How did I get so lucky? It was fully dark outside now. The clear night sky twinkled with pinprick stars.When he opened the car door for me, I practically swooned at the old-fashioned gesture. It was such a little and inconsequential thing, but to me, it meant the world. It meant he was looking out for my needs, even tiny things that I could easily handle myself. Stupid, I know. Millions of women would probably think that kind of mindset would set feminism back a hundred years. It wasn’t about what I could do for myself, or what I should do for myself… For me, it was just that fact that he was there for me, instinctively. I felt like no one had ever been there for me, in even the most minor ways like that. Even my dad. I knew he loved me, but he always seemed so careful not to be too affectionate in front of my mother and brother, like he knew it would stir them up. He
After twenty more minutes of winding through the picturesque hills, we arrived at a beautiful brew pub restaurant situated on the bank of a small river. An old mill converted with a very modern looking restaurant attached. It felt welcoming, homey, and fancy all at the same time.On the way in, we walked past a group of older ladies who were exiting the establishment. Thanks to my superior werewolf hearing, I heard one say, “Oh, it’s sweet that they are having a daddy daughter date. Family is so important.”Her friend, I assumed, replied, “I think he’s her sugar daddy, not her father, Maria. Judging by the way he’s staring at her body.”After the resulting gasps, I tuned them out.That’s what everyone would think, wouldn’t they? Shockingly, that old lady hadn’t sounded nearly as judgmental as I’d expected. Perhaps everyone wouldn’t be so open-minded about our age gap.Who cares what everyone else thinks, Maya huffed.She was right. We were both legal adults and chose each other of our
**** Lara ****By the time 6:30 pm rolled around, I was absolutely trembling with nerves. I kept vacillating wildly between dirty thoughts and frightened thoughts. Though the paranoid fear had reduced significantly, it hadn’t yet completely abated.This is a terrible idea; I can’t believe I’m doing this….He’s probably taking us somewhere away from the college to murder us….I hope he kisses me first….So on and so on, my idiotic thoughts went until I finally saw his car.A fancy red convertible. I’m not sure what I expected, but somehow it wasn’t that. So much for inconspicuousness. Everyone on campus will see me getting into that thing. It’ll take ten seconds for his female fan club to figure out that that car is his. From there they’ll be able to track him to where he lives. He’ll stand out, we’ll stand out, in that thing everywhere we go. Not that my purple jeep is particularly inconspicuous either now that I thought about it. There are a ton of jeeps around campus but none in my
2pm came and went. Perhaps my clock was broken…Perhaps I’d already screwed this up.Perhaps she has a class at this time.I looked her up in the system. Nope, no class at this time.For the first time in my entire life someone stood me up. I’m not talking about a woman. I hadn’t been on any dates since Darla. And even then, we weren’t really dating. We were fu.king, a friends with benefits kind of gig. Until I accidentally knocked her up. Then we were suddenly a couple with responsibilities.As an Alpha, half my life was spent in meetings. Usually, people wait anxiously for me. I quickly learned the outer signs of anxiety or nervousness. Sweaty palms, sweaty brows, fidgeting fingers, eyes constantly flicking around, difficulty looking me in the eye. Etc.For the first time in my life, however, I clearly recognized those signs in myself. It was me sitting there watching the clock tick up to, and past, 2pm. I’d also recognized my mate displaying each and every one of those sighs during
**** Kelton ****As soon as I walked in the classroom, I caught her delectable scent. I tried to ignore it as best as I could. Not because I didn’t want her. I did. Desperately. But because I was in a room full of students, and I had a job to do. I couldn’t just march up to my mate and kiss her senseless. She’d probably slap me. Then I’d get fired. I was actually OK with both of those outcomes, except that I did not want to frighten her or force myself on her.Already I felt things for her I didn’t think were possible. This young woman was made for me. It was a struggle to concentrate. And I didn’t even know her yet. My whole being unraveled at the thought of her. My mind was racing.My wolf, Knight, was beyond ecstatic. I’d had to block him briefly… not something I like to do. But his furious need to be with her, to claim her, was testing my control on a cellular level. I felt as if I’d self-combust at any second. Finally, after damn near forty years, I’d found my goddess given fated