Chapter 15 - Amanda
After getting tantalizingly tipsy at the bakery, the girls and I take off for Shelley’s. There’s a considerable crowd out the back made up of wolves from all three packs and a few witches from the coven.
As I settle down into a chair near the barbecue area, the atmosphere wraps around me like a comfortable blanket. The smell of meat cooking, the taste of cold beer sharp on my tongue, and the easy conversation bring me more than just nostalgia. I really do feel as if I’ve come home.
To where I belong, and where I need to stay.
It’s difficult to think too hard about my problems with Body when I’m this intoxicated, so I just join in giggling with the girls and indulging in some delicious food, cold drinks, and good company.
Once the party is up and swinging, I know Body has to be around, but I try not to think about him. As much as I feel at home here in Silver Meadows, the idea of being with him still scares me, and I’m not ready to face all the reasons why.
There is only one that counts. Gina said I’d forgiven him already, and I know it’s true. I just can’t take the risk of getting hurt like that again. I love him too much to lose him twice.
Even as drunk as I am, I know my logic is impossibly flawed. I’m suffering right now because I won’t let myself be with him, and it’s only going to get worse the longer I try to keep us apart.
“Hey, witch, what do you think you’re doing here?” a gruff voice cuts through my mental fog. It takes a few moments to focus on the tall, burly guy standing in front of me.
“What?” I say.
“Is there a problem?” Gina asks, standing up. “Everyone here is an honored guest of the pack. I won’t have any violence or disrespect.”
“You can’t tell me what to do,” he growls. “You’re not my luna.”
“Nor am I,” Fiona says, getting up to stand next to Gina. “But I won’t hesitate to put you back in your place and make you run home with your tail between your legs.”
“Careful,” he hisses. “We’re close to doing just that, and never coming back—unless it’s to go to war and claim your territory like we should have done years ago.”
“This is not a matter for lower pack members,” Gina says disdainfully, “but for the alphas. This is your last chance to go back to the party and enjoy yourself. Otherwise, I will see you thrown out.”
“You’ve got teeth, don’t you?” he sneers. I can see a couple of other guys coming up behind him, and as his friends get closer, his confidence grows. He takes another step towards us.
“Now I see why you’re Bailey’s luna,” the burly guy says. “You’re no lightweight. But you can’t throw me out of the party yourself. You’d be better off throwing out the witches. Then we’ll have nothing to fight about.”
“Listen,” Gina starts, but I stand up and put my hand on her arm.
“No, Gina, don’t put yourself in danger for me,” I say. “He wants to have words, then let’s have them.”
I turn to the guy, and I can feel my powers rising in me. The adrenaline has pretty much evaporated the alcohol in my system, and I feel like I could throw him half a mile without even breaking a sweat.
As we glare at each other, I realize a crowd has gathered. My confidence falters. If it was only the two of us, it wouldn’t matter if we got into a situation. But with everyone looking on, it could start an all-out brawl.
Something like that could split the three packs for good. I can’t let this happen.
The big wolf isn’t backing off, and neither are his friends. It’s like everyone in the crowd is afraid to move, knowing that anything could ignite this argument into a brutal fight.
“Amanda!” Body’s voice roars through the crowd, and people start literally diving out of his way. Body comes tearing through and leaps at the big guy, tackling him to the ground and laying punches into his face.
Before I can even take a breath, the entire crowd seems to turn on itself. I can see Bailey and Kyle back-to-back, wrestling with several guys at once. Rider and Peter are cutting into the thick of it, moving in synchronized patterns that coordinate their attacks.
Gina and Fiona shift, baying into the sky. Their call is answered by more wolves that come charging through Shelley’s to join the fight. In the next chaotic few minutes, there are shifting wolves, flying fur, and flailing limbs everywhere. I have absolutely no clue what’s going on.
A series of howls issues from the nearby woods, and the Decker wolves turn and flee, leaving the fight. Once they’re gone, the parking lot feels shockingly empty, echoing with the powerful vibrations of the violence that was just unleashed.
Some shifters stay in their wolf shapes and pace out towards the woods, barking to each other and putting their noses to the ground as they track the Decker pack. Others around me shift back to their human shapes, everybody bloodied and bruised. It’s impossible to tell at this point if anyone is seriously injured.
“Amanda,” Body gasps, shifting into his human shape to stagger towards me.
“Oh my God, Body!” I exclaim. I run to him, going down on my knees to take his face in my hands. He’s covered in blood, and a deep cut over his forehead drips rivers of red into his eyes.
“Are you okay?” he asks, grabbing my shoulders. “Are you hurt?”
“Body, fuck, you were almost blinded! Don’t worry about me. We have to get that cut looked at.”
“The only thing I ever worry about is you,” he says, and I can see the sorrow on his face.
He means it. He’s never been more sincere.
I shove my revelations aside and support him so he can stand up. He’s taken a terrible beating. It looks like he’s got cracked ribs as well as a fractured ankle.
“Body, this is bad. You should go to the hospital.”
“I’m fine,” he mutters. “You should see the other guy.”
“Don’t go making jokes now,” I say, shaking my head. “You’ve lost a lot of blood.”
As if to illustrate my point, he sways on his feet, holding on to me tightly so he doesn’t fall.
“Okay,” he says. “I will concede that maybe I need to rest. But I’m not going to the hospital. I’ll heal quickly.”
I’m about to fight him over it when Bae comes over to us. “He will recover quickly, Amanda. Just clean some of the deeper cuts and make him take it easy with the broken bones. He should be feeling better in a couple of hours and be completely healed by morning.”
“Okay,” I say. “Thank you, Bailey. I’ll take him home now.”
“The hell you will!” Body protests. “I need to go after those assholes from Decker pack. We can’t let them get away with this!”
“Nobody is going anywhere right now,” Bailey says firmly. “I doubt there is any way of patching this up, but I’ll still talk to Decker.”
“Should have slaughtered them all,” Body mutters.
I wrap my arm around him and squeeze, using a little magic to remind him I can force him to come with me if I want to.
“Move it,” I order him. “Don’t make me carry you.”
“Okay, okay,” he answers, grinning. “I kind of like this look on you, though. Maybe you should tell me what to do more often.”
“Don’t tempt me,” I reply, giggling in spite of myself.
I get Body out to his truck, and by the time we get there, his ankle is healed enough that he can jump in without my assistance. The cut on his head is still bleeding, though, and he winces and grabs his ribs as he settles into the seat.
I start up the car and turn toward home, conflicting emotions rioting inside me. Seeing him hurt has upset me a lot more than I thought it would, and knowing that he got injured because of me adds guilt to my anxiety.
And I’m angry. He didn’t need to jump in like that. I was handling it… and now the packs are at war.
“Are you okay, Amanda?” Body asks.
“Not hurt,” I say.
“I know that, but… are you alright?”
“Body,” I sigh. “You didn’t have to do this.”
“What, protect you? Of course I did.”
“Protecting me is one thing. This was a brawl.”
“I can’t be held responsible for that. He started it, and I did what I had to do. Trust me, Amanda. I know guys like that, and it was always going to end in violence.”
I hold back my reply, fearing he might be right.
We get back to his place, and I make him sit at the kitchen table while I find some supplies and start tending his wounds. The cut across his forehead is still bleeding, and even though it’s neat, made by an extremely sharp blade—or claw—it appears to be right down to the bone.
“This might scar,” I say, cleaning it gently. “On a human, it definitely would. You almost lost your eye, Body.”
“I didn’t even notice at the time,” he says, trying to stay still for me. “Not even sure how it happened.”
“I think Bailey was wrong. Maybe you do need stitches.”
“Nah,” he says dismissively. “It’s kind of itchy, which means it’s knitting back together already. Wolves are fast healers.”
“Yeah, I know.”
I put down my cotton swabs and cup his cheeks in my hands, tilting his head a little so I can see the cut from a different angle. The bleeding definitely seems to be slowing down, and the edges of the cut have shrunk.
I realize that I’m holding Body’s cheeks and he’s staring up at me, his eyes wide and intense. He’s completely relaxed in my grip, letting me tilt his head up and down.
I meet his gaze, stroking his cheeks a little with my thumbs. He smiles, and it’s a small one, but extremely soft and satisfied.
“I’ve missed your touch,” he murmurs. “And you.”
The memories of our long afternoons and evenings come back to me then, searing in their intensity. Days of wasting time, lying in bed wrapped around each other as the world outside vanished into insignificance.
And I thought that was our future. But Body is the one who threw it away.
I jerk backwars, but he grabs my wrists.
“Please, Amanda,” he whispers. “Please, stay. I’ve waited ten years to say this. Stay with me. I was a fool to let you go, and I deserve anything you want to do to me… but please, stay. Give me another chance.”
Pain splits my chest as hot tears fill my eyes. I’ve never been so terrified in my entire life, but I can’t ignore this plea. It strikes through me, straight into my heart.
To deny this now would be an insult to my soul.
I lean in and press my lips to his, gently at first, then harder. Body pulls me forward, and I fall into his lap, wrapping my legs around his waist.
I lean back and pull off my sweater. Body moans, lowering his mouth to my nipples. One of his strong hands wraps around my back, bracing against me, while the other gropes at my breasts, squeezing them and tracing my soft skin with his hard fingers.
“I’ve missed you so much,” he gasps.
“I missed you, too,” I moan, cupping his head with both hands and thrusting my chest at him. His arm tightens on my waist, and he buries his face even deeper between my breasts.
Arousal builds in me, a warm pressure that throbs between my thighs and traces lines of fire across my skin. I wrap my legs tightly around Body and grip his shoulders, thrusting against him.
He stands up, grabbing my ass and spinning us around to put me on the table. His hands go for the button on my pants but clash with mine, making both of us chuckle.
“I’ll handle my own zipper, then,” he says. “Since you don’t need help.”
“Oh, I need help,” I answer, wiggling my legs. He grabs my pants and yanks them off, hurling them across the room.
I brace my arms behind me, smiling up at him. Body’s eyes travel over my body, gasping as his breath heaves in and out. His pupils are wide and his face is blank as he stares at me.
Suddenly, he growls low in his throat. I jump a little, feeling a slight twist of fear in me as his wolf shimmers in his eyes. Then he reaches out and grabs the waistband of my underwear, ripping it off with a quick twist of his hand.
I yelp in shock, but he doesn’t even seem to notice as he pushes my thighs aside and buries his face in my pussy.
Now I yell twice as loud, squirming under him as his tongue lashes at my clit, laps down the inner lips, and teases deep inside. Grabbing his head with one hand, I thrash under him, all thoughts obliterated by the powerful sensations.
Gently, he traces the tip of his tongue back up to my clit and wraps his lips around it. He laps at it a little, teasing me until I can barely breathe, then clamps his mouth down and sucks on it as hard as he can.
I let out a scream that shakes the windows as an orgasm shudders through me, pleasure racing across my skin and exploding every single nerve. Body keeps up with the pressure, waiting for the spasms of my deepest muscles to subside before he stops and looks up at me.
“You’re so beautiful,” he whispers, sounding as if he’s in awe. My chest aches sharply, and I reach for him, pulling him up so I can kiss him.
The heavy weight of him on top thrills me, sparking my arousal all over again. We kiss softly, teasing each other slowly before deepening the kiss. As Body starts to grind on top of me, his hands grab my hips and waist and squeeze, tugging me closer to him.
I wrap my arms around him tightly and slam my hips towards him. I’m so wet and he’s so hard that he slides straight in with one movement. It shocks me so much, I freeze.
Long, murmuring sighs rise in my throat, though I barely notice the sound. My eyes are locked on the ceiling as my fingers dig into Body’s back, my thighs wide open to keep him as deep inside as possible.
My inner muscles squeeze against the hardness of him, spasms I have absolutely no control over. He gasps and shivers in response, finally reaching up to run his finger down my cheek.
“Amanda,” he whispers.
“Yes?”
His eyes are wide and serious as he looks at me, his expression so intense, it almost looks like sadness.
“I love you.”
Emotions crash through me, a tidal wave, a flood, a storm I can’t stand in front of. I’m washed away by it—crushed, drowned.
I can’t fight this.
“I love you, too,” I say.
Body closes his eyes briefly, his gaze twice as intense when they open again. He starts to thrust, slowly at first, then faster and harder. I clutch him as hard as I can, crying out every time he slams his cock into me.
A low growl rips from his throat as he grabs my shoulders, his entire body flexed and hard as a rock. He thrusts forward as hard and deep as he possibly can, and I thrash under him, screaming as another massive orgasm shatters through me.
As the shudders begin to settle into shivers, Body touches my cheek gently. He smiles softly, then grips my shoulders again, rocking his hips back and forth.
I look up at him, seeing his deep, dark eyes staring at me with awe. There is no doubt left in me of his love, and his sorrow.
“Stop,” I whisper. His eyes widen with shock, but he pulls out immediately.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m perfect,” I answer. I sit up slowly, holding on to his shoulders and reaching up to kiss him. As our lips touch, that warm shock sparks between us again, sending flowing waves of pleasure through me.
I shove him back a little, sliding off the table and going down on my knees. Body gasps as he realizes what I’m doing, and when I wrap my lips around his cock the shudder that rips through him is so powerful he almost falls down.
I grip his hips firmly and rock back and forth, stroking the long, hard shaft with my lips and tongue. I savor every inch, sliding my mouth all the way to the base, then back to the tip.
As I suck hard on the head of his cock, I run my tongue around every throbbing edge and crease, making Body shiver and cry out. I slide my hands around his hips, reaching down to squeeze his butt and force him deeper into my mouth.
I wait until he’s huge, throbbing and hard before I slowly pull back, letting my tongue linger on every inch. I suck very hard on the edge of his cock before letting go and standing up.
Body’s eyes are closed, and his face is relaxed in absolute rapture. It takes him a second to realize that I’ve stopped and when he opens his eyes, I plant a quick kiss on his lips before getting back up on the table.
“That was… amazing,” he whispers.
“I would have kept going,” I say. “But my pussy isn’t done with you.”
He grins, and the ferocious, hungry look returns to his eyes. I put my legs up to wrap them around his hips. Body leans forward and grabs my shoulders, kissing me gently as he teases my pussy with the head of his cock.
“Body, please!” I shriek, rocking back and forth.
“Oh,” he mutters, grinning. “Is this what you want?”
He shoves himself forward a little, teasing me. I tighten my grip on him with my legs, then twist my hips to the side and thrust. As his cock rams into me as deep as it can go Body gasps and crumples on top of me.
I wriggle under him, feeling his breath on my cheek. When he sits up and strokes my face, I kiss him gently and rock my hips towards him.
“Fuck me,” I murmur.
Body smiles, kissing me gently. He stays still for a few moments more and I feel his hands roaming over my body, taking handfuls of my wide hips, thick waist and huge soft breasts. The sounds of pleasure and satisfaction he makes as he worships my shape only turns me on even more.
Then he sits up, grabbing my hips and tugging me towards him as he braces his feet on the floor. He starts to thrust in a slow, even rhythm, maintaining control for only a few seconds before the passion takes him and his movements become wild and erratic. I wrap myself around him, clinging to him as I feel his cock thickening inside me until that hardness races through every single one of his muscles. He slams me into the table with his hips over and over again until he comes, groaning and gasping with the force of his release.
He collapses on top of me. Both of us are panting, clinging to each other desperately as our hearts beat together in a wild, frantic rhythm. I know there will be doubt, fear, and so many other emotions to deal with later, but right now, there is only Body, our shared pleasure, and the connection between us that binds us, heart and soul.