6. Nova
NOVA
I thought going on a walk would clear my head and cool me down, literally. I’ve been sweating all day—from the sun or my interaction with Roen, I’m not sure. But I’ve spent hours out in the woods, and as night falls, the fever is only getting worse.
It was stupid to come out here. What did I want—to get mauled by a wild animal? To have Roen track me down and scold me like a foolish little girl?
I whimper as another wave of heat rolls through my body. It’s like I’m burning up from the inside out. Worse, everywhere I look, I see glimpses of silver fur and turquoise eyes. Teeth and claws sharp enough to kill. A dominance that makes me shudder.
I certainly didn’t plan on masturbating to the wolf in my dreams, but I can’t think about anything else. My clit pulses with need. My nipples are so stiff they hurt. Touching myself gives no relief—more like pouring gasoline on the flames.
Roen’s voice is inside my head, too. Talking me through it. The rough tone like a sinful incantation, leading me further into the feverish haze.
Between that and the darkness creeping between the trees, I couldn’t stumble my way back to the house if I tried. There’s no rain tonight. No fog to hide in. Behind me, the forest creaks with an ominous breeze.
My last hold on sanity is the cool water lapping at my ankles. But shadows swirl in the ocean’s depths, and as night descends, the clearer the truth becomes. I’m not going to be saved. I’m going to be hunted.
A lone, haunting howl penetrates the air. I look up, and my breath catches.
The silver wolf stands above me on a cliff, light from the crescent moon glowing around its silhouette. I should be terrified. Instead, as in my dream and when Roen saved me, one thought puts me at ease. I’m not alone.
The wolf leaps down, and reality slams back in. I used myself as bait—and it worked. This is how I’m going to die.
I double over with fear, and embarrassingly, in arousal. The fire inside me flares. Drenched in sweat, my shirt sticks to my chest. More liquid heat trickles between my thighs. I shut my eyes, helpless as my heartbeat pounds in my ears.
I hear it approach my side, then a soft, wet tongue licks my arm. That pleasant sensation surges through my veins and pushes back the fever. I moan, unable to hold it in. I don’t know if I should cry for help or beg for more.
The wolf steps away, and something rustles behind me. Then large hands close around my shoulder and hip. Hot breath hits the nape of my neck. “Don’t move.”
My eyes snap open at that voice. His voice. A deep, woodsy scent fills my nose, and I can’t help but lean back into his chest.
“Roen,” I whisper. My voice cracks.
He curses low and dark. Oh no, what am I doing? He can’t see me like this!
Just when I reach for my discarded hoodie, a wet heat covers my skin and pain shoots from the curve of my neck.
Is he…biting me?
I hardly have time to process what’s happening before blinding pleasure laces through me, and I let out another moan. Shivers run down my spine. My pussy clenches as it floods with relief. I fall limp. Roen’s hands tighten around me, his teeth still pressed to my flesh.
For a moment, I think he isn’t going to let me go. Then the fever breaks and the world slowly comes back into focus. I stiffen, all too aware of my compromised state.
Roen’s saliva chills on my skin as he lifts his mouth. He doesn’t go far, skimming his nose along my shoulder—sniffing me.
A deep, throaty growl resonates by my ear, and adrenaline snaps me out of the haze. That’s the same sound from the woods last night.
The wolf.
His bite.
It’s impossible. It can’t be real, it just can’t . “It was you,” I whisper. “You’re the wolf.”
Roen drops his forehead to my shoulder. “You shouldn’t have found out like this. I shouldn’t have gone looking for you, or wanted— ” He cuts himself off as my mind reels.
He’s really…a werewolf? WHAT?!
I think I’m going to faint. Still subconscious, I slip my hand down to grab my hoodie, but I brush his thigh instead. His bare thigh. Thick hair dusts my fingertips, and something hot and hard rises against my palm. Oh. Oh . That’s not his thigh.
Roen growls through clenched teeth and grabs my hand. “I told you not to move.”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to—” I gasp as he lifts my hand and sucks my fingers into his mouth.
Then the ground swoops as he lifts me in his arms. “I’m taking you inside.”
“Woah, I can walk,” I squeak, though my legs feel like noodles.
His chest is too firm, his arms too strong.
It’d be easy to let him take over, but I can’t.
I shouldn’t. “You don’t have to carry me all the way back.
” I try to twist away, but he clutches me closer to his chest with unnatural strength.
“Squirm all you want, I’m not letting go.”
A new kind of heat envelopes my body, both from the blush rising up my face and the soothing warmth that radiates from where our bodies touch—which is practically everywhere.
He glances down, bright blue eyes lingering on mine before flicking over my chest. “Trust me, Nova, you have nothing to be ashamed of.”
I follow his gaze, catching on my stomach and the way my thighs bunch around his fingers. He’s just being considerate to make me cooperate.
Exhausted, I let my head fall into his chest. The least I can do is get some answers. “What really happened last night?”
He sighs, heading straight into the forest. To his credit, walking naked in the woods doesn’t seem to faze him in the least. “I was on my way back after a trip out of town—had to be home to welcome the new arrival. Some of the younger members of the pack got excited and confused your car for mine. You all panicked.”
I draw a quick breath. “There are others? Did I hurt them?”
He shakes his head. “All of us here are wolves, and like I said, they’re smart and fast enough to avoid a swerving car. The one you saw was Tiff, and maybe his sister, Cleo, or their cousin, Shane.”
Ah. Now her hesitation at lunch makes sense.
“Does this kind of thing happen to all humans that come here?” I joke.
Roen doesn’t laugh. “No. Humans don’t go into heat because they can’t form a mate bond.
It was reckless of me to accept it.” He steps over a thick root and jostles me tighter in his arms. “At the least, it will help your fever go down. We normally don’t let humans near the pack, but—” He cuts himself short. “I made a mistake.”
Wait. Heat? A mate bond? I swallow, but it does nothing to help the lump in my throat.
“You should leave as soon as possible,” he adds. “We’ll manage.”
A void splits apart my chest. Before this heat took over my body, I enjoyed my walk on the beach.
The fresh air, the wildflowers, the sound of the ocean waves.
My lunch with Olivia and Cleo. I want to call this place my home, too.
I want to do what I love and get to know everyone in their town—their pack.
Then there’s Roen. He’s the first person I’ve ever felt truly comfortable around. The first person who might understand my desires instead of hating me for it. I lift my hand to brush over the still-throbbing bite mark. “Do I have to?”
He stops abruptly to look at me. “You’d choose to stay?”
I hesitate. “There’s nothing for me back home but bad memories. I want to do the job I came for. I want to help. Even if it means dealing with whatever this is.”
He frowns. “It’s not something you deal with . After this, your heat will start, and we don’t know what will happen if we?—”
“If we what?” I breathe.
“Never mind.” He starts walking again. “I should let you know that Oliva caught on. She might have found some information. We can discuss it with her in the morning, after you get some rest.”
I nod into his chest. It’s probably best to think it over in the morning. We both fall quiet as the sounds of the forest take over.
This time, I’m awake when he sets me into bed. He doesn’t bother clicking on the light and lays me gently on the mattress, covering me with a thick fur blanket. I snuggle into it, realizing how cold I was after all.
“Wait,” he orders before disappearing into the bathroom. The faucet runs for a minute, then he comes back with a cloth in his hand. It’s warm and soft as he gently runs it over my face.
“What are you doing?” I mumble, my eyelids sliding shut.
“Aftercare.”
I grin. “I bet you’re a good dominant.”
He goes still. “Not if I harm you.”
“You didn’t,” I protest. Fighting the fatigue, I raise my arm and brush my thumb over his jaw. His beard is coarse and thick, his skin hot.
He lets me touch him for a moment, watching through hooded eyes. His nostrils flare, then he tucks me back under the blankets. His attention shifts to the bite mark on my neck. I try not to wince as he wipes it off.
“I went too far tonight, Nova.” He folds the cloth and stands. “And if you stay, I can’t guarantee I won’t do it again.”