Rise of the Lycans: Shadows And Secrets

Chapter 5 – Curfew

Rex

The sun had already set when I entered the northern woods. Taking a deep breath, I filled my lungs with the scent of pine, earth, and moss. Tension rippled through me as I felt my beast push forward.

I toed off my shoes and took another breath.

Everyone knew to stay out of the woods during a new moon because lycans were their strongest and most feral during the new moon phase. The human side of a werewolf shifter was almost always in control of their inner wolf, but a lycan was different. A lycan was just as much a wolf as they were human. We were always one with our beast… except during the new moon when the balance tilted, and our primal side dominated our human half.

My canines dropped as I tugged off my shirt.

Storm and Lukas had decided to hunt bear in the eastern part of the territory, but I wanted to run alone tonight. I wanted to turn my mind over to the animal and forget about everything. Forget about the blush that crept up her cheek when she noticed the wet spot on her blouse. Forget about the way her backside felt when I leaned against her. I really needed to stop replaying the way she called me Sir , as if it was natural for her to submit to me.

I tugged my shorts down and shifted into my beast just as they hit the dirt.

Running through the northern woods, I weaved through the pathways I knew like the back of my hand. I spent extra time in this area of the woods when I ran patrol because that’s where she lived. There was a strong need to keep her safe ever since I found her in the pantry two years ago. Seeing Maeve helpless and bleeding made my beast angry.

Maeve lost her parents when she was young and came to live with her grandparents in our pack. When she first arrived, she had a funny Scottish accent and spoke a bit differently, but it was still cute. As she grew older, her voice softened, and I only heard a slight accent when she spoke with anger or excitement.

I was near the hot springs when I caught the scent of something familiar. I knew my mind was playing tricks on me because no one was allowed in the woods tonight. My beastly side wasn’t convinced it was a trick and greedily inhaled the sweet scent of caramel. I moved in stealth mode like I was hunting prey. Could she really be out here on the night of a new moon? Would she dare violate my father’s curfew?

I nearly howled with joy when I saw the small lantern she had placed next to the hot spring. Maeve didn’t have her wolf yet, which meant she didn’t have wolf senses yet. I tried to shift my upper body to ask her what she thought she was doing in the woods tonight, but my animal remained in control. This was the one night I was more feral than human, and I wasn’t sure I could resist the primal urges flowing through me.

Maeve had been in this pack for eight years. She knew what the rules were on the night of a new moon, and yet here she was with a lantern burning bright like a fucking calling card. I was torn between wanting to punish her and waiting to see if she would undress.

Her hands reached for the hem of her dress, and she lifted it over her head and dropped it beside the shining light. The black lace panties and bra surprised me… I had expected something a bit more innocent from Maeve. Her bra followed, and I nearly snarled in frustration because her back was to me. The ends of her hair brushed the swell of her ass, and I couldn’t take my eyes off her. That ass haunted my dreams.

A growl was poised in my throat, and my beast was ready to pounce on her when she hooked her panties and slipped them down. She turned off the lantern and moved to the water. Her hips were wide and full, perfect for mating. My tail swished behind me in excitement. The urge to mate her hard was pulsing through me, and I was on the verge of losing all control.

She slipped into the hot spring, tucked beside the flowing river, separated by rocks. “Mmmm, perfect,” I heard her moan as the heat of the water welcomed her.

Sitting along the rocky wall closest to the river, she tipped her head up to admire the stars. They were always brightest without the moon. The water skimmed just above her breasts, but I could still see that creamy, pale skin she was trying to hide. In the darkness of the shadows, I watched while she sat quietly and wondered what she was thinking about.

I didn’t have to wonder for long because her hands drifted below the surface and caressed her chest. Maeve closed her eyes, and I watched ecstatically as she twisted one of her nipples and reached lower with her other hand. Her mouth parted, and she exhaled long and slow. I blinked, unable to believe what I was seeing.

Fuck yes! That a girl, Maeve.

I moved a bit closer, desperate to see if she was circling her clit or fingering herself. Her hand moved to her other breast, and the water at the surface rippled when she started rocking slowly. She let out a soft moan, and something hot burned in my chest with the need to know her pleasure… the need to own her pleasure.

A low growl rippled from my beast, and Maeve froze instantly. Her breathing became shallow, and she lowered herself further into the water, seeking cover as if that would hide her from lycan vision.

“Is someone there?” She asked nervously.

Thankfully, my beast allowed me to shift my head to speak to her.

“I see you’re enjoying yourself,” I replied from the shadows.

A small gasp left her lips, and her head snapped in the direction of my voice. “Rex,” she started to say and caught herself. “Alpha Rex, is… is that you?”

“It’s a new moon, Little Red, and you’re in the woods,” I answered. “That makes you fair game for the wolf.”

“I meant no harm,” her voice quivered.

She meant no harm. She had the audacity to stroll out into the woods on a night when it was prohibited and proceed to undress and masturbate in the hot springs. What if someone else had stumbled upon her? Watched her undress, or worse… taken advantage of her—foolish girl.

“Get out,” I ordered, but she remained frozen. “I won’t ask twice.”

“I need to get dressed. Can… can you turn around… please?”

“No reason to be shy now. I watched you undress,” I rasped, barely maintaining control over the beast that wanted to possess her.

She crossed her arms over her chest, trying to hide those mouth-watering tits from me, and moved to the edge of the hot springs. I waited with bated breath to see the rest of her and growled when she dropped a hand down to shield her sex from me.

“No clothes!” I barked before she could reach her dress.

Maeve’s eyes darted around, still trying to find me in the darkness, but I knew she wouldn’t be able to without shifter eyes. Anger nipped at me at the idea of another male stumbling across her and finding her here. Finding her naked. I knew Lukas was in the eastern woods, but he could have quickly returned to see her in the middle of pleasuring herself.

“Anyone could have stumbled upon you!” I seethed. “You don’t have your wolf yet. What if a rogue had managed to get his hands on you.” My claw struck the tree beside me, and large chunks of bark flew in different directions.

Her eyes were wide with shock. “No… no rogue would dare set foot in your territory, Alpha.”

“What were you doing in the water, Maeve?” I knew what she was doing, but I wanted to hear her say it.

“I was soaking in the hot spring,” she replied demurely.

My hand burned to spank her ass. “What else?”

She lowered her eyes, chewing on her bottom lip before releasing a deep breath. “You know what I was doing.”

My beast rumbled with the need to move closer to her. To make her drop her arms and see what she hid from our eyes. The impulse to taste, mount, and ride her hard grew by the second. I knew I needed to force myself to run and put space between us, but I couldn’t get my body to cooperate.

My face shifted back to lycan form, and the beast forced me to step out of the shadows.

“Shite!” She murmured as her eyes looked up at me. I expected to see fear, but instead, she looked amazed. “Wow!” She breathed. “I didn’t realize how big your lycan would get.”

My tail swished again, and I took another step closer to her. I was hit with her caramel scent and something else… my nostrils flared, and my beast hummed with approval… it was the scent of her arousal.

“You’re as black as the Earl of Hell’s waistcoat,” she rasped, and I released a low chuff. She always had the funniest sayings.

Her arm fell from her chest, and her hand reached out. Another pulse shot to my cock at the sight of her nipples puckered tight. “Is… is it okay if I touch you?” She asked hesitantly. “Your fur looks so silky.”

She wanted to touch me, and it pleased my beast. With speed that surprised her, my arm shot out and pulled her body against me. The sudden realization that she would have her wolf tomorrow and possibly find her mate stoked my jealousy. She was eighteen now, and I needed to have her. The feel of her soft, warm curves against me calmed my wolf enough to let me regain control.

Maeve squealed in surprise as I shifted back to human form. One arm flew to cover her breasts again and the other at the center of her thighs. She managed to take two steps back before I reached out and pulled her to me again.

“You seem more relaxed around my beast than you do me.”

“I… I know…” she stammered as she shook her head. “I know that… you don’t like me like that.”

“What are you talking about?”

“When I kissed you last year… I… I know I disgusted you,” she was speaking to me but had her eyes locked on my chest. “I could see it in your eyes. You said I was a mistake and that it would never happen again.” The hurt in her voice stabbed at me.

“Maeve, look at me,” I growled, and her soft brown eyes met mine. “I was upset because of how my body responded to yours. You were still an underaged pup.”

“I know I don’t have the ideal she-wolf body, and I’m a bit fat—”

I dipped my head and kissed her. No way in hell was I going to allow her to stand here and cut herself down. She tried to protest, and my beast took control. I nipped her bottom lip and continued to kiss her hard and rough. Maeve’s protest turned into a moan, and she leaned into me.

“I… I’m sorry,” Maeve apologized as I broke the kiss. I felt the tension radiating in waves from her. After our last kiss, she was probably bracing herself for my rejection.

“On your knees, Maeve,” I clipped, trying to maintain control of the situation. My human side wanted to rip off a wooden rod from the nearest tree and cane her ass with it for violating the new moon curfew so I could kiss it and make it better after.

Maeve hesitated for a moment before she lowered herself to the ground. I had expected her to kneel, giving me her submission while I tried to calm the beast and figure out what to do next, but instead, Maeve had assumed a position that sent my beast into a frenzy.

I realized too late that Maeve had not understood the command because she was standing on her hands and knees.

“Fuck!” I growled, tossing my head back and feeling the animal push forward.

Fur rippled across my back, and I had to fight to remain in human form. This na?ve female had just assumed a position that called to my beast—a primal position inviting him to mount her.

A haze of carnal lust swept through me, and I was suddenly on top of her.

My tongue swept along her shoulder as my chest pressed against her back. I quickly wrapped my arm around her, reaching for her pussy. A low, jealous growl rumbled in my chest when I discovered it was smooth. Who was she grooming it for? Did she have a boyfriend? Was someone else giving her pleasure?

I slapped her hard on that smooth skin that I wanted to taste, and she yelped. My hands found the wetness between her legs, and I shoved two fingers into her. She was so hot… clenching and inviting. That juicy round ass of hers felt like heaven against me. I knew it would.

I pulled my fingers out of her cunt and sucked them clean, eager to taste her. Pressing my hardened cock against her, I let her feel what she did to me. She mewled, pushing back and grinding against it.

So needy. So damn beautiful. So ready for me.

Without ceremony, I pressed my thickening cock into her. I wasn’t as gentle as I should have been, as I wanted to be, but Maeve had willingly entered the woods on the one night she shouldn’t have. My basic instincts had taken over, and I was hanging on by a thread to keep the beast from full control.

The more I pushed inside her, the more she tightened around my dick, trying to strangle it. With one forceful thrust, I seated myself deep inside her and groaned out a rough breath against her shoulder. She had stiffened at the sudden invasion, but my beast was relentless. I pulled out almost completely before pushing back into her.

Each stroke drew more needy whimpers and moans, stoking the fire inside me. The metallic scent of blood reached me, and I knew Maeve had been untried. My chest filled with pride, knowing I was the first inside of her. I slammed back into her, wanting her to feel every bit of my fire.

A fire to consume and possess her.

Maeve quivered under me, a cry spilling from her lips as her cunt rippled around me. I drove into her, harder and harder, feeling my balls draw tight. The night was still young, and I intended to have her over and over until my beast was sated.

I was lost in a fog of lust when my seed started to spill. Somehow, through the high of euphoria, I realized the base of my cock was starting to swell… my lycan wanted to knot her. Wolves did this while mating in wolf form but not in human form.

With each spurt of cum, the round bulb at my base seemed to grow bigger. I knew lycan anatomy was different once a lycan reached maturity, but something wasn’t making sense. I pulled out of her and watched the last of my seed spray all over those beautiful round globes, marking her with my scent.