The Wolf’s Whisper: The Complete Series

26. Caleb

I t was hard not to whistle as I went about cleaning the cabin, but I didn’t want to wake Emily. She’d gone through quite a significant change in her life, and I wanted her to have all the rest she could possibly need.

Besides, it gave me plenty of time to replay every single amazing moment of the night before, going through them over and over again like a favorite online video.

It was like every single time, I managed to recall something new, like how soft her fucking skin was against my callused palms, how the cool touch along those arms and legs was nothing compared to the insane heat of being inside her.

I was by no means a virgin, but I hadn’t been prepared for how hot and tight she was.

I wasn’t a fool. I’d made sure she came once before I even attempted to enter her, and I’d taken everything as slow as possible. I knew that a too- tight pussy meant that either she wasn’t quite ready or she wasn’t into it.

Instead, she was perfect in every way.

Part of me wanted to keep her beneath me, to make her come over and over again until she couldn’t speak, but I figured that’d be over-the-top for her first time. I’d settled for twice, then I’d helped her to the bathroom to clean up.

I gave her privacy, of course, but there was a natural inclination in my chest to make sure she was safe, to protect her from anything that could possibly break into my bathroom and disturb her afterglow, even a cold breeze. My girl did run on the cooler side, after all.

Wait.

My girl?

My face flushed, and I focused on sweeping again. Emily was not my girl. She was my charge who’d asked me for an incredibly important favor, and I’d fulfilled it. No need to get carried away.

Even if I had the memory of that first moment I’d pushed into her burned into my mind forever.

“Good morning.”

I took out one of my earbuds and glanced over to see that Emily had put my oversized shirt back on and was standing just outside my room, looking both contented and sheepish. God, she was such a dream. So soft, so sweet, so strong. I couldn’t get over how lucky I was for her to trust me this much. I’d never take it for granted, I swore mentally to her. Myself. Hell, all of my ancestors, too.

“Good morning,” I said, taking a long moment to just drink her in. It was like we’d formed a little bubble in my cabin, and although I was loath for her to leave it, I knew she needed to. She had her own life without any pack activity, and while I didn’t envy her having to juggle the two worlds, I respected it. “Are you hungry?”

She shook her head gently, though she did cross the hallway to help herself to a glass of water. I knew she was virtually a stranger in my home, yet it seemed so right to have her there, acting like it was her own space.

“I should head home soon,” she said. Maybe it was in my imagination, but she seemed reluctant to go as well. I couldn’t blame her. Here, she didn’t have to deal with homework, Gavin, or any of the politics that came with college. Not to mention that what I cooked for her was better than anything on campus.

“Yeah,” I said, trying not to sound so remorseful.

“Well... I’m gonna take a shower, then I’ll get ready.” She paused and looked down, and I remembered how she’d looked splayed out underneath me, her hair spread across my pillow, her flushed, pinkish skin so warm and inviting in my pale sheets.

Then my body responded, so I instead concentrated on what Emily was saying. She was talking, but all I could hear was static.

“What was that?” I asked, trying not to sound like a dolt.

“I was asking, do you mind if I borrowed these?” She gestured to the shirt she was wearing. “I don’t exactly have something appropriate to wear home.”

“I don’t mind you borrowing my clothes, but why don’t I get you a fresh set? Especially since you slept in those.” Twice, actually.

“You sure?”

“Yeah, it’s no big deal. I’ll put them on the sink for ya.”

“Okay, thank you.”

With that, she finished her glass of water and headed towards my bathroom. A beat or so later, I heard the water run, and I shook myself out of my reverie. Putting my broom aside, I went to get her a shirt and pants that wouldn’t fall off her shorter frame.

I wondered if I should keep some emergency clothes in more her size and style around just in case. I didn’t think she’d be gracing my bed again, but as my charge, it wasn’t entirely unbelievable that she’d need to crash at my cabin once or twice in the future, especially in the early, frantic days of shifting.

I’d need to get her size. Maybe Emily and I could go shopping together? It wasn’t a half-bad idea. I needed to pick up some stuff for my cabin, anyway. Since I wasn’t going to be crashing on Keller’s couch for an indeterminate amount of time, it was a good excuse to start restocking everything in my home.

I’d float that idea by her once she was out of the shower. For the moment, I just set the new set of clothing on the corner of the sink and went back to tidying my home.

“Thank you again for giving me a lift back,” Emily said as we drove, like she’d had some other way to get to the city and I wasn’t borrowing Keller’s truck.

But I just nodded. “It’s no problem. How are you feeling?”

The question slipped out on instinct. I’d avoided asking her too many personal questions, as I wasn’t her partner, but I figured it’d be even weirder if we didn’t talk about it at all.

Even while driving, I could see the blush rise up Emily’s cheeks until it reached her hairline. “Good. Sore, but good.”

“If I know Keller, there’s some ibuprofen in the glove compartment.”

“There is?” She checked, and sure enough, I heard the bottle rattle. “Huh. Wouldn’t have thought this was something a werewolf needed.”

“We require a high dosage, and it burns through our systems quickly, but it can help with more difficult healing.”

“Good to know. So I shouldn’t toss all my Midol?”

I laughed at that. “No. From what I’ve heard through fellow shifters, your period can throw you some real loops the first year after shifting.”

“Really?”

“Your whole body’s been inverted and finding a new rhythm. I’m no expert, but the longer you’ve had the wolf form, the less you’ll menstruate, and the more you’ll go into heat.”

I felt her staring at me. I spared a glance her way, wondering if I’d said something particularly shocking.

“What?” I asked.

“Are you saying I won’t menstruate anymore? And, what, you mean like how a cat goes into heat?”

Okay, that was a big bombshell to drop on her so casually. Lesson learned.

“Like I said, everyone’s anatomy is different,” I explained. “I had an auntie who’d go into heat twice a year but still got her period. I’d bike to the store sometimes in the summer when my uncle was off on a trip and get her favorite ice cream when it was especially bad. A couple of my cousins didn’t have it at all. I’ve been with some women who also only go into heat. It all depends on what your anatomy wants.” But that didn’t answer her questions, did it? “As for the heat, it’s just like a wolf’s, really. Your body will prepare for a baby, and your libido will be through the roof, and your temperature will rise. It’s intense but ultimately safe—uncomfortable, but safe. If you ignore your body’s need for stimulation too long, you can get some pretty bad cramps and a fever, from what I’ve been told.”

Emily let out a grunt, crossing her arms. “It’s funny that even across species, women get the short end of the stick.”

“Actually, all alpha wolf shifters get something,” I countered. “Our symptoms include a whole lot of aggression and dehydration.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. We call it a rut. It’s also when…” I trailed off, realizing I was about to inadvertently drop another bomb right on Emily’s head.

I could practically feel the curiosity radiating from her. “When what?” Emily asked. “When what happens?”

“Well, when a breedable alpha’s knot is most likely to come out.”

There was another long silence as she stared at me. In fact, she stared so long that I had time to exit the highway and head towards a superstore. Part of me felt guilty for getting my charge such low-quality emergency supplies, but I wasn’t exactly flush with cash right now.

“What the fuck is a knot?”

I should’ve known that was coming.

“It’s a part of alpha anatomy. It’s different, depending on what equipment the alpha has, but basically it… swells with climax. It’s meant to lock the partner in.”

“Wait… even women have it?”

“All alphas have a knot. Just how it functions is different. Gender is irrelevant.”

“Huh.”

There was just enough in her tone to make me suspicious. “What do you mean, huh ?”

“I just... well, you’re practical about so many things. I know a lot of guys who’d get skeeved out talking about PMS, but you’re very matter-of-fact. You actually listen to the women around you to get their perspective.”

“People who menstruate.”

Emily paused, her look more considerate this time. “Pardon?”

“Native American, remember? In our tradition, there are plenty of people who menstruate and aren’t women. I know some people will call us woke— ” I wrinkled my nose at that. I hated human politics with a passion, especially how so many people used them as a weapon, “—but we’ve had these beliefs longer than Europeans have been in America. It’s our culture.”

“I… I actually didn’t know that.”

I shrugged. It wasn’t uncommon for U.S. citizens to have a very bare-bones understanding of Native Americans. I both did and didn’t blame them. With everyone just trying to get through the day, surviving as best they could, there wasn’t always energy for anything else. Yet another thing I hated about the modern world.

“Eh, it’s alright,” I said. “Shifter anatomy is quite interesting.”

“I’d say so.” Emily sighed as she looked out the window, but it wasn’t a melancholy sound. “There’s so much to learn. I wish I’d had more time before this was all sprung on me. It’d certainly be less daunting.”

“Sorry about that.”

“You have nothing to apologize for. Just unfortunate circumstances.”

“You got that right.”

The conversation meandered from there, becoming nothing too serious but still enjoyable. Yet, Emily’s words continued to echo in my mind, especially how she’d noticed I actually listened. I’d never thought of myself as particularly talented in that way, but she’d said it with her whole chest.

It wasn’t much later until we were pulling up into the shopping center and I found myself in the very mundane process of just... grocery and outfit shopping with Emily.

Domestic. That word played over again in my head. I was using it a lot lately.

Still, there was a novelty to doing something so banal with my charge, the woman I’d been chasing for over a week, to whom my fate was irrevocably connected. There’d been so much drama, so many stakes, and us finally finding common footing that now, just grocery shopping together... was…

A blessing.

After more than a decade of feeling dead inside, I was pushing around a shopping cart with Emily beside me.

It really was the little things in life.

It didn’t take long for us to make a circuit through the store, as we weren’t getting much. By the time we made it to the cash registers, I felt like I’d learned an entire treasure trove of information about Emily. For example, she only liked smooth peanut butter. In fact, she’d gone so far as to claim that those who liked the crunchy version were either masochists or wild animals. At that, I’d flashed my teeth at her, letting my canines grow longer than I normally would. It was risky in public, but worth it for the beautiful flush gracing her cheeks again.

Emily was obviously attracted to the wilder parts of me. It made sense. She was so poised, always on her game, always the best student. I bet there was a large part of her that was drawn to the feral. After all, it was in her nature as a wolf.

I also learned that she preferred to sleep in oversized t-shirts and nothing else, she liked white crew socks, and she hated jeans with a burning passion. Her style was cozy, comfortable, and easy to transition into different temperatures, which I could get behind.

As we were checking out, the line at the register taking about twenty minutes with the store’s skeleton crew, Emily’s stomach let out an impressive rumble.

“Sorry,” she said, blushing yet again. I’d never get tired of that. Ever. The sun could collapse in on itself, the universe could crumble to ash, but I’d always have that soft, petal-pink glow of her cheeks as they deepened into more of a fuchsia. Blushes like that didn’t come around all the time, and they deserved to be remembered. “I guess I should’ve eaten breakfast,” she added.

“No worries,” I said, unable to stop myself from chuckling. Thankfully, Emily didn’t seem to take it personally. Did she have any idea how cute she was? “You know, there’s a sub shop just outside of here,” I mentioned. “It’s cold enough that we could put this stuff in the truck, then grab some grub there before taking you to your dorm.”

“You wouldn’t mind?” Emily asked, like I wasn’t anxious to spend as much time as I possibly could in her presence. “You sure?”

“Nah, feeling hungry myself. Wouldn’t be a bother.”

The grin she sent me was practically blinding. “Then yes! That’d be awesome.”

“It shall be done, then.”

It shall be done? Who even talked like that? At least the cashier distracted us from my fumble by giving the total, but as I went to pay, Emily stepped forward and tapped her phone on the credit card reader.

“Hey!”

“Consider it a thank you for everything you’ve done,” Emily said with a broad, easy smile. “If you’re really that worried about it, you can buy me lunch.”

That was a compromise I could get behind. “You win this round.”

At that, she fluttered her eyelashes at me, and it was only my years of control that kept my inner wolf from jumping out of my skin. Emily didn’t play fair, that was for sure. “I think you’ll find I always win,” she purred.

Damn.

“Good to know,” was all I could say.

If someone asked me what happened during the rest of the checkout process, I wouldn’t have been able to answer. It was like one moment, I was standing there, staring at Emily, who was doing the same through half-lidded eyes. The next, we were loading up the truck. Then I blinked, and we were in the sub shop, ordering as the pleasant smell of oil, basil, and fresh bread surrounded us.

I needed to be careful around Emily, or I’d lose time all over the place.

The cashier wrapped up the sandwiches to go, but something about Emily’s ravenous expression stopped the young woman in her tracks.

“Would you like to eat these here?” she asked. “You look fit to eat a horse.”

That was more likely than the employee knew.

Emily looked at me with big, pleading eyes. It was a good thing she didn’t know just how easily she could make me agree to anything she wanted.

“Yeah, we’ll eat them here,” I said, hesitating just enough to hopefully not look like a total sap. Oh, well. I could still tear an enemy in two with my teeth if I wanted.

Together, the two of us went to sit at one of the three tables. It was almost like we were on a date.

I really needed to cool it.

Fortunately, it was much easier not to think about any of that once I took a bite of my sub. It wasn’t anything fancy, just a meatball with extra meatballs, provolone, and parmesan, but it hit in all the right ways. The bread was warm, buttery, and soft on my tongue, with the Italian seasoning providing the perfect savory flavor, while the meatballs were rich, and the sauce was both tangy and acidic enough to cut through it all.

“Holy shit, this is good,” I said, more than pleased by how the day was going. It was funny how many problems were more bearable with a nice, hot meal—the perfect solution for the rather frigid day waiting for us just beyond the storefront.

“Mine is really good, too!” Emily exclaimed. “Wanna bite?”

“Sure. Want one of mine?”

She nodded, beaming at me before we switched sandwiches. Sure enough, hers was delicious, though I was more partial to my sub’s heartier flavors.

It was so simple—just a few exchanged bites of protein, bread, and fat—but the moment hung in the air for me and ricocheted. The broad smile on her face, the way the corners of her eyes crinkled, the column of her throat as it bobbed up and down when she swallowed, the way she drew out her “yum” and closed her eyes as if she were really savoring the flavor.

If it were physically possible, I’d hold the both of us in that moment forever. Just us, enjoying a good meal and good times. No worries about tomorrow or any responsibilities.

It was only after several long beats that I realized I’d stopped talking to her and was studying her face intently. By all means, it should’ve been awkward, but then her eyes locked on mine, and I saw my own gaze reflected back at me.

There was so much I was afraid to even think about. The expression Emily wore made my body respond in an ardent rush of heat. Surely I was misinterpreting things, my mind skewing things toward a direction I desperately wanted and knew I could never have.

Or at least, that was what I thought until she spoke again.

“What if we just went back to your place?” she asked. She reached out as she did, her small hand resting ever so gently over my mere arm, but it was like my entire body was enveloped in the most delicious flame.

“You sure you don’t want to finish our subs?” I asked, like a fucking idiot. But I had to be sure.

The way she looked at me was so piercing. Those big, amber eyes of hers were framed in her dark lashes, which she batted at me while her tongue darted out ever so slightly to lick her lips. “I can think of something better I’d like to eat.”

Fuck.

“Let’s go,” I said quickly.

I managed to get to-go boxes for our subs, despite the overwhelming urge to just throw them all away, and the two of us rushed to my truck.

Are we really doing this? I asked myself. I didn’t dare verbalize the question out loud in case the moment disappeared into the ether.

So, like a couple of horny teenagers, we sped all the way back to my place. I pulled up way faster than I should’ve, tires almost skidding, and shot off the quickest text I’d ever written to Keller that I was going to be a bit longer.

Emily and I rushed in together as she giggled in a way that was just so... nice. Sweet, effortless. I had no idea how she sounded so innocent when leading me to my bedroom, but I certainly wasn’t questioning it.

“There’s something I want to try,” Emily said as she took my hand and guided me towards my bed.

I felt dumbstruck as she urged me to sit down on the edge of my bed, and I swore that my brain went offline entirely when she knelt in between my spread thighs.

“Emily,” I said, my hand cupping her cheek. I swore that her skin felt like silk against my palm. God, she was so delicate, yet so strong. My charge was a conundrum of ideas, each built on top of the other in a wonderful cacophony that was none other than Emily Renard.

“Trust me,” she said, her pupils blown wide when she looked up at me. There was hardly any of that liquid amber gaze left. “I want to do this.”

Who was I to tell the lady no?

I nodded, spreading my legs further to give her some extra room, and the grin she sent me was entirely too cheeky.

“Just listen to your instincts,” she said, her voice low and husky. It was easy to believe now that sailors would pitch themselves to their deaths for the chance to get close to a crooning siren. “And feel. ”

I could do that.

“Someone’s confident,” I remarked, leaning back as I put my weight on my palms.

“Maybe,” she mused.

God, I wanted my hands on her so badly. Still, it didn’t take a genius to figure out exactly where our conversation was going.

I was nearly silent, however, as her hands slid up my thighs, slow and deliberate, like she was enjoying every single inch of my anatomy. I wasn’t the biggest by shifter standards, but I knew I was fairly well-built. The way Emily’s fingers dug in made me feel borderline godlike.

I certainly wasn’t complaining.

It was when her hands reached my fly that I realized I was being too quiet. I’d heard plenty of women complain about partners giving them zero feedback or being so silent that they ended up getting too much into their own heads, so I let out a shuddering breath and a pure alpha rumble.

Emily’s response was almost immediate, her pheromones growing even thicker in the air. It was like we were in a feedback loop, our individual reactions building each other up.

Fuck, it’d be incredible if our cycles ever synced. I’d only gone through a few in my life, as mine didn’t happen too often, and I’d never had a chance to go through my season with a partner who was also in theirs.

All thoughts of the future fled, however, as Emily unzipped me and her palm tentatively glanced against my boxers.

“ Emily ,” I groaned again, her name a kind of prayer, a cry to any gods that might be listening, or perhaps an ardent thanks for the amazing woman they’d created.

But that single missive only seemed to fuel her further. Emboldened, her fingers slipped into the front of my boxers and pulled out my length.

“That’s all for you, baby,” I muttered, my brain barely functioning.

I thought back to when I’d first seen her outside a random club, so struck by the familiarity of her scent that I’d literally run across a quarter of the city to get to her. Even then, I’d never imagined just how captivated I’d be by Emily in her entirety, but now it was inevitable. We were two halves of the same whole, except she was the celestial body, and I was a passing bit of space dust caught in her grandeur.

I was going to relish every second I was in her orbit, so when she opened her mouth and licked a long, hot, wide stripe up the underside of my cock, I let out a ragged breath and held on for dear life.

It wasn’t like she swallowed me down with no issue, and honestly, I didn’t expect her to. I expected nothing, with every moment being its own experience, something I’d never take for granted. She started with lots of licking, her comparatively smaller hands gripping me at the base to hold me steady while lavishing me with attention. I let her work, every cell vibrating towards a higher and higher plane of existence as I fought not to thrust my hips into that waiting mouth of hers or grab her head and guide my cock between those perfectly pink lips.

Maybe one day, if I was lucky enough that this continued, we could introduce the rougher aspects of play my inner wolf craved. My alpha side wanted to dominate Emily, to take care of her. To take her apart and put her back together. However, I recognized now was not the time to indulge in those fantasies. No, Emily was the one with her hands on the reins, and it’d remain that way.

It was the least I could do.

But once I was thoroughly sticky from her ministrations, that mouth of hers at last engulfed me.

“ Emily! ”

For a moment, she popped off, and it took all my control not to curse myself. The slick, wet heat of her mouth was so intense that it was almost painful, but it was a hurt I wanted to be consumed by, to etch it into the underside of every memory so I could call upon it whenever I wanted a reminder of everything Emily and I were experiencing together.

“Sorry,” she said quickly, leaning back just enough to look up at me with such a genuinely worried expression that I simultaneously felt guilty and incredibly charmed. What’d I ever done in my fuckup of a life to ever deserve her? I didn’t know, and I was incredibly grateful. Despite every way I’d messed up, she was my revelation. My salvation.

“No, no, you have nothing to apologize for,” I said quickly, leaning forward to capture her face in my palms. I just looked down at her for a moment, taking in everything, especially her slightly confused but otherwise serene expression. I didn’t have the words to describe how I felt so drawn to her; I just knew that I was. “You’re doing perfect. ”

I loved watching the flush climb up her face again. Even with her newfound confidence, it was nice to know I could affect her so thoroughly with just a few words.

Completely captivated, I pressed a kiss to those peachy lips, soft at first, barely a breath, and then my tongue slid in, begging entrance. She opened herself to me, because of course she did, and her taste enveloped all of my senses.

In that kiss, I recalled back to how I’d eaten her out for the first time. Although I wasn’t by any means giant, I was on the larger side, and I’d learned long ago that there was nothing like an orgasm to get my partner ready for me. Besides, I really wanted to make the entire process worth it for Emily. If this was going to be her one human experience forever, it needed to be worth remembering.

Except now she was about to get two of them.

It was Emily who broke the kiss this time, her face still flushed, utterly breathless. I would’ve been content staying like that, just making out without a care in the world, but she clearly had other ideas in mind.

She dipped her head and sealed her mouth around my tip, tongue all over the entire head of my cock. I was barely in her mouth, but fuck if the sight of her kneeling there in front of me didn’t come across as something holy.

“That’s it,” I breathed, letting one of my hands slide over her head. I didn’t grip her hair or push her down—it wasn’t the right time for that. Instead, I just allowed the weight to center her, helping steady herself, occasionally scratching at her scalp. “Breathe through your nose,” I urged. “There you go. Now take a little more, baby. I know you can.”

Concentrate , I told myself. I banished all other thoughts until there was nothing left but Emily.

Ahhh, there we go.

I opened my eyes right as she took more length into her mouth, her tongue sliding along the underside of my head. I swore every muscle in me was jumping at her contact, simmering in the scalding build of pleasure within.

“That’s it, just like that. You’re doing so fucking good.” I could hear the rasp within my voice, the feral need manifesting so soon, but I didn’t hide it. I wanted Emily to hear just how much she was already affecting me, how much my body responded to everything she did. Confidence was sexy, after all, and I wanted her to know she had plenty of reason to feel self-assured.

For what she couldn’t fit into her mouth, her hands went to the bottom of my shaft, pumping me up and down to meet her lips. It was bliss. Pure, unadulterated bliss, a kind I wasn’t used to experiencing. I was by no means inexperienced, and even then, none of my previous hookups were anything like what I was feeling with Emily.

Was it because we were connected by fate? Was it because we were particularly compatible? I didn’t know, but I didn’t care.

I was very into the moment.

Too into it, actually, because I felt that familiar rush, like boiling blood, surge through my lower body.

“Emily!” I said sharply, and she popped off.

“Did I do something wrong?”

“No,” I laughed a little, unable to ignore the embarrassment of suddenly being such a quick shot. I normally had no issues with lasting, but everything about Emily and her touch unraveled me impossibly fast. “You were just being a little too good.”

She smirked at that, and fuck, if that impish grin of hers didn’t make me want to kiss her again. “That’s okay,” she said, already leaning back in. “You can finish in my mouth.”

Such filthy words sliding off her tongue in such a matter-of-fact invitation hit me like a lightning bolt. My entire body tensed, my cock throbbing in Emily’s mouth. She was only able to pump me three more times before I lost it.

Every muscle tensed, like my body was turning into a literal version of a glow stick. My hand tightened in Emily’s hair, but it was less to control her and more to hold on for dear life.

“Fuck, Emily, just like that, just like that, I?—”

I cut myself off with my own growl, my alpha voice so loud, I was surprised my neighbors a mile down the road couldn’t hear me. I spilled into Emily’s hot, awaiting mouth, everything else vanishing in the pleasant haze.

When I finally collapsed, I looked at Emily with wonder. She was already sitting back, looking quite pleased with herself. She made eye contact with me, those warm, amber pools seeing straight into my soul.

Then she swallowed.

I moved up and kissed her. God, I was kissing her with all I had, like I wanted to devour her. The taste of her mixed with mine was like an aphrodisiac, and I already felt my body responding again.

“I want you,” I breathed into Emily’s mouth, my teeth finding her bottom lip before they pulled.

“Then take me.”

It was a simple phrase, not even four words, but it nearly inverted my world, turning everything in on itself. Once more, we were caught up in a flurry of movement. Between kissing, pulling off each other’s clothes, and kissing some more, I was indeed ready by the time Emily bared herself before me.

Her body really was a work of art. The broadness of her shoulders that transitioned into those perfect breasts of hers, the nip of her waist, and the rounded flare of her belly. I knew from experience that she was incredibly soft, and that just made me want to sink my fingers into her all over again. Then there was the way her stomach transitioned into her hips and that glorious ass of hers. She was Venus de Milo, but with all her limbs intact, a relic of beauty that’d existed for centuries and would never vanish.

For this moment, though, she was all mine.

Not willing to let that go to waste. I practically tackled her onto the bed. Emily just wrapped her limbs around me and laughed. It was a happy, chaotic sound, another to add to my collection. I was well aware that I’d never meet anyone like Emily again, anyone who could make me feel like she did, but that was alright. It was better to experience such a gift, such a once-in-a-lifetime event, than to miss out entirely.

At least that was what I told myself as I kissed my way down her body. How could she taste so good? I knew I’d always been particularly vulnerable to her scent, but it was so much more than that. She had the usual suggestion of skin and salt, along with other flavors. Vanilla. Jasmine. She tasted like freedom. The first spring day after a rough winter.

She tasted like heaven.

I was addicted, and I didn’t care. I’d gladly go through withdrawal to get a taste of her ambrosia, so I was surprised when it was her hand that buried itself in my dark hair as I worked my way towards her center. I lifted my head, looking over the planes of her gorgeous body.

“I need you inside me now,” she said breathlessly. “No more waiting.”

I didn’t know where this more confident Emily was coming from, but I certainly didn’t mind. I’d helped her take off the training wheels with our first time together, and now… well, now was for fun.

“As you wish,” I replied.

I straightened up, pulling her legs apart to settle on either side of my hips until something on her face gave me pause. Much as I wanted to ruin Emily, I also wanted her enthusiastic approval, and something about the look in her eyes told me she wasn’t quite there.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, hoping to God that she wouldn’t make me stop, but ready to halt everything if she did. I’d cut off my arm before I did anything to Emily’s body without her direct consent.

“Nothing’s wrong!” But she said it far too quickly, then I saw that same blush I’d fallen so in love with already rising on her face. “I just... I think…”

I forced myself to be quiet and let Emily get there on her own. I liked that she was pushing herself. It meant she felt safe around me, and that was the biggest compliment she could ever give.

It took her sucking in a deep breath and centering herself before she finally said what was on her mind. “I wanna try riding you.”

I didn’t think I’d ever have such a present dropped into my lap, but my cock jumped at the idea.

Emily noticed, and she let out a giggle. “I’ll take that as a yes?”

“Absolutely,” I rumbled, leaning down to kiss her savagely. “You can ride me whenever you want, princess.”

I didn’t miss how her pupils dilated at that. Pet names were always fun, and I was glad Emily didn’t seem to mind my indulging in them.

We did get stuck in kissing again—not that I minded, the minutes ticking by while our anticipation ramped up. When Emily’s hands went to my broad chest, I let her push me over, and I landed comfortably on the mattress.

No classic painting compared to Emily’s beauty as she climbed on top of me. Her thick, pale thighs framed my more muscled ones, her complexion a direct contrast to my tanned skin. We were direct opposites in so many ways, yet as she’d already proven, we fit together perfectly.

“Don’t worry, I got you,” I said, reaching down with one hand to hold my length steady for her while the other cupped her cheek again. Much as I loved having sex with Emily, and how she felt whenever she touched my aching manhood, I also liked merely holding her face. Touching it. There was something so intimate about the act, something that’d been lacking for so much of my life, which she fulfilled.

I was completely locked in the moment, time stopping as I watched Emily position herself. I took in the way she bit that plump bottom lip of hers while she concentrated, the way her already half-lidded eyes narrowed, the flush reaching her incredible tits, the way those nipples begged to be kissed, sucked on, and gently bit.

But I did none of that. I just watched and offered support to her as she lined both of us up, then slowly slid down.

“Fuck, Caleb! ” she cried out.

I could only snarl as her wet heat slid over my head. If her mouth was good, her pussy was paradise. One I still couldn’t believe I’d been allowed the honor of dwelling in, if only for a short amount of time.

She didn’t make it far, less than halfway. Her thighs were trembling enough that I knew she might need a little more time, and that was fine. After all, there was no need for us to rush.

“Easy there,” I said, letting one hand slide down and rest on her waist, the other joining it to take her weight off her knees. “Take some deep breaths for me. That’s it. Good girl .”

The way her pulse quickened at that almost made me drive my hips up into hers, but I kept control. I held myself steady and watched her face.

The cute little nose usually holding up those adorable glasses of hers was scrunched in pain, and her eyes were closed. While I couldn’t read her mind, I didn’t need to in order to guess that she needed a little help. Sex was a team effort where we worked together, helping each other get whatever we wanted from the experience.

“I’ve got you,” I said, making sure she was completely steady before letting one of my hands leave her waist, sliding instead to where she was stretched out around me. There, I could see her swollen little clit. The scent was intoxicating, and I inhaled as I gently moved my thumb over that sensitive little bundle of nerves.

She jolted and might have fallen over if it weren’t for my grip with the other hand. I steadied her, letting out my own hiss when she slid down another half inch or so.

“Caleb, oh God, Caleb, I’m so full. I’m so fucking full.”

I loved hearing curses fall from her lips. Her typical way of speaking was much more proper. I was knocking down all those civilized walls of hers, bringing her that much closer to her inner wolf.

However, as much as I wanted to get lost in her, to rut like the animal I was, I knew I had to be responsible. Such an annoying word. Still, I cared about her too much to forget.

“Emily, just remember you have to get off before I come,” I said, even as my inner wolf snarled at me to shut up. Despite what some shit alphas would say, I knew I was in charge of my own instincts, and I’d never dare risk Emily’s future by getting her pregnant.

“Why?” she asked like this was the most normal question in the world.

“Well, I thought that’d be obvious,” I said. “I assumed sex ed was taught in your high school. I assumed your college has some posters around about safe sex at least.”

“Oh. Is that why you didn’t finish in me last night?”

There was something disjointed about the two of us having such a frank conversation while I was halfway inside her, feeling her walls pulse around me. At the same time, it was something so entirely Emily. I liked how we could go from joking to something serious, from grocery shopping to fucking like bunnies. It made everything feel so natural.

That was something missing from my life for so long: feeling comfortable in my own skin. I wasn’t part of a pack. Not part of a family. I was a colossal fuckup who only hurt everything and everyone around me.

But not Emily, because perched as she was on my cock, flushed and panting, I knew I’d never hurt her.

“Uh, it was a pretty big reason,” I said.

“You’re stupid, then,” she said with a laugh. “I’ve been on birth control for years. Doc put me on it when I was sixteen when he was worried I might have PCOS.”

Oh.

Well, then.

“Good to know,” I said. That’s when I started rubbing her clit again, and the result was almost instantaneous. Emily threw her head back, her pussy clamping down on me before she took more, and more, until I was fully sheathed inside her, completely enveloped.

“Oh my God, Caleb! ” she practically screamed, and I knew, without a doubt, I wouldn’t be able to hold back. Emily and I were about to have one hell of an experience together, the kind that lasted a lifetime.

“That’s it, baby,” I said, one hand still barely ghosting over her clit while the other gently stroked her soft hips. Hips that were perfect for birthing pups. Ones she couldn’t have because she was on birth control.

Which would let me cum as deep inside her as I could.

My brain went scratchy at the thought, civility slipping, and I felt my teeth begin to grow. Oh, how desperately I wanted to bite into that mating gland at the side of Emily’s neck, to mark her as mine forever.

But I kept myself contained, or I tried to. I didn’t realize how much I was slipping into my lupine form until I saw Emily looking down at me with a shocked yet intrigued expression.

“What?” I almost winced as my voice fought its way past my fangs.

“Your eyes,” she said almost... reverently? “They’re practically glowing, like they did in the alley.”

I was losing enough control over my body that my eyes were changing color? I needed to get a grip.

But that was a lot easier said than done. Emily was drowning me in sensations more intense than anything I’d ever experienced in my life.

“Sorry,” I said. “I?—”

“No,” Emily said, shifting her thighs a little, which caused me to sit up that much more firmly inside her. We both groaned, and it took several beats for us to catch our breath. “I like it.”

There she went again, saying the perfect thing. My cock throbbed inside her, and the mew she let out caused me to grip her hips with perhaps more force than I should’ve.

“God, Emily, I... I can’t wait any longer.”

“Then don’t wait,” she said, her cheeks bright red. “Make me yours.”

I didn’t need to be told twice.

She was supposed to be riding, and she’d certainly started that way. I did my best to hold steady, letting her warm up, but the more she parted her legs, the more she got used to it, and the more I gave back.

I started off with subtle, small moves of my hips, barely coming up to her as she lifted herself partway up my shaft, only to drop back down again, then harder. Then a little more, and soon every time she slammed down, I was meeting her with just as much force, shoving myself as deep inside her as I could go.

“Like that, like that, like that,” Emily chanted. My entire mind was consumed by how she gripped my cock.

The room filled with the sound of flesh against flesh, echoing around the walls the same way it did in my brain. She was in my every sense, my every breath, and I knew if I didn’t do something, I’d finish all too soon.

I needed her to fall apart on my cock. I needed it. I’d gotten to see her orgasm twice before, but it wasn’t enough. I wanted more. My wolf wanted more, and we were going to get it.

My hand went right back to her clit, rubbing it in time with each movement, and when she nearly gave out, her legs like rubber, I just fucked her harder.

“Hold onto me, baby,” I said, my voice emerging in a snarl. “Put your hands on my chest and take what I give you like a good girl, okay?”

She did, looking both relieved and utterly in the moment as I planted my feet on the bed and thrusted up with everything I had. She moaned, mewed, she swore her head off, but she took it like the goddess she was.

“Fuck, Caleb, I’m close,” she whimpered. “Please don’t stop. Please, please, please! ”

There was no world in existence where I’d ever do such a thing, but I managed to increase my pace, pumping into her with abandon.

“That’s it, baby. Be a good girl and let go. I want you to cum all over my cock, all right? Just let yourself feel every pretty thing you’re supposed to feel.”

Emily sputtered something, then I watched in awe as her entire body locked down, those silken walls of her clamping onto me like a vice. It was too much, but at the same time, it wasn’t enough. I drove harder, fucking through her orgasm as she screamed out my name.

I never knew that rapture could be so literal, but that was exactly what I felt inside her as she climaxed. It was like her pleasure was mine, both of us sharing the same sensations. Such things happened to mated pairs, but we hadn’t so much as given each other hickeys. If our connection was already so strong, what would it be like if...

Before I could finish the thought, my own finish hit with the force of an actual comet going through space. There was no room for anything else within. No thoughts. No air. No wolf. There was just pleasure. Pure, unadulterated pleasure.

It radiated through every part of my form, leaving no cell untouched. It was something holy, singular, and my eyes rolled back in my head as I filled her.

Though I knew she was on birth control, some primal part of myself purred in satisfaction at the thought of her having my pups. She’d truly be a wonderful mate, soft and swollen with the next generation of shifters while doing incredible things with her degree. I could see it in my mind’s eye, a hazy dream just beyond reality.

“Wow,” was all Emily whispered before she collapsed beside me. I winced at the rapid pull away, and so did she, but I helped her fall more gracefully, even if my arms felt like wet noodles.

“Wow,” I agreed.

For a while, neither of us said anything. We just held each other, our rapid heartbeats and panting breaths gradually slowing. I never wanted to let her go, and I knew I was entering dangerous territory because at the end of the day, Emily wasn’t mine. I was her guardian, not her partner. I was a placeholder helping out in a pinch.

I needed to make sure I didn’t get carried away.

Another thing easier said than done, because when I looked over at Emily’s face, it was like my entire heart swelled and cracked at the same time. I could live a thousand lifetimes and never meet anyone like her, and I didn’t want to. After so many years, I had Kaia, and now I had Emily, even if only fleetingly.

It was only when she looked at me that I realized I’d been staring again.

“What?” She murmured, sounding a bit self-conscious. No, that wouldn’t do at all.

Did I tell her what I was thinking? That I desperately wanted her to be mine, that she brought things out of me I thought I’d lost forever?

No, I didn’t say any of that. Instead, I cleared my throat and gave a crooked grin.

“We should both go pee if we’re gonna pass out.”

She let out a frustrated sigh but nodded, already rolling over the side of the bed to stand up. “I tell you what, I’ll be grateful for when I’m a werewolf and don’t have to worry about stupid UTIs as much.”

“Soon enough,” I murmured, all too aware of her approaching change and how it’d brought us together even more. “Soon enough.”