Chapter 6 Fenris #2
When she stepped back, she glanced to the right and waved.
Caelum stood by the entrance to the cafeteria, his hands in his pockets, a mischievous curl to his lips.
Mill may have threatened to kick my ass not three hours ago, but if that little shit did anything to endanger my sister, I wouldn’t care who his siblings were.
Neither Mill nor Wyn would keep me from putting him in his place.
Lyra waved goodbye and smiled at Caelum, and together they headed down the corridors leading to their designated patrol area.
I pushed my concern to the back of my mind, determined to pick it up later, before gathering Wyn’s meal and heading to her house.
* * *
I ignored the flutter in my gut as I walked up the steps to her porch, telling myself it had nothing to do with her.
It was just residual magic from her heat.
It was the anxiety for my sister and my conversation with Mill.
I wanted the best for Wyn, even if that wasn’t me.
And when I knocked on her door, I clenched my trembling fingers into a fist and ignored that, too.
The entry opened with a gust of her feminine citrus scent, and I swallowed the groan threatening to pour out of my chest. She wore a pair of leggings and an oversized sweater, her delicate feet clad in soft, fuzzy socks.
She’d piled her mane of curls on top of her head with little pieces sticking out to frame her face.
My fingers itched to brush them behind her ears, but I managed to restrain myself when her bright brown eyes twinkled, and she flashed me that beautiful grin.
“Fen.” She blinked and shook her head. “What are you doing here?”
I held up the bag of food. “Checking in on you.”
Wyn glanced at the parcel before looking up at me again. “Oh.”
Silence grew between us, one where I froze my ass off outside while she seemed to wonder if this was a trick.
“Going to invite me in, or should I—”
“Oh, right.” She stepped back and sighed. “Of course. Come in.”
I stomped snow off my boots before entering her cabin and kicking them off by her shoe rack.
I’d been in her house hundreds of times before, but never had her delicious perfume hit me so entirely.
She was everywhere, and it filled my soul with a strange sense of completeness.
Like she belonged everywhere in me. Like I belonged here with her.
Like our lives were destined to intertwine, and this was a runaway roller coaster with no signs of stopping.
She grabbed the bag and headed to her dining table on the right, nestled in the center of her kitchen. I watched the light from the overhead lamp glint off her hair, making her seem heavenly and ethereal.
“You didn’t have to do this,” she said as she reached inside the insulated carrier to remove containers of chicken, vegetables, mashed potatoes, and dinner rolls.
Hell, I’d gathered enough to feed a small army, but I couldn’t stand the thought of her starving.
Nor could I tolerate her trekking through the snow toward the cafeteria to feed herself.
I was the one who told her to get some rest. It seemed only fitting that I be the one to make sure she actually listened.
“I know, but I wanted to.” I glanced around her space, taking in all the little things that made it distinctly hers.
Bookcases lined the walls, packed to the brim with medicinal texts and scientific anthologies.
But my girl also liked fiction, a whole space devoted to Stephen King and trashy alien romances.
Pictures of Mill, Caelum, and her parents lined the mantle, and comfortable, worn furniture decorated the walls.
It felt homey in a way I’d never bothered to make my space.
“Snickerdoodles?” She squealed, returning my attention to her. “How did you know?”
“I have a narc,” I said.
She narrowed her eyes and grinned. “Gods, Fen. I can’t eat all of this.”
“Hmm.” Suddenly flushed and pleased, I stepped toward her and leaned against the table, crossing my arms. “I’m going to love seeing you try.”
Warmth slithered through my chest as Wyn scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Sit. We’ll share it.”
She grabbed two plates from a cabinet and placed one in front of me while I opened the containers and decorated the table with our meal.
She filled two glasses with water and took the spot opposite me, and it was all so domestic that I allowed myself to imagine a world where we did this every night.
One where I yanked her from the infirmary and forced her to sit down with me to indulge in a decent meal.
But that would never happen. This was just aftercare—closure to the magical intimacy that had been forced upon us.
“So,” I said when she started scooping carrots and rice onto her plate. “Did you do as I asked?”
Wyn paused and raised an eyebrow. “You mean as you commanded?”
I inhaled and stared, letting my wolf come to the surface. Command. Ask. Same thing, really. All that mattered was that she’d done it.
“I did.” She stabbed a piece of chicken with her fork and brought it to her mouth. “I didn’t realize how much I needed it. I napped for four hours after my bath.”
Another wave of decadent heat unfurled in my chest. I liked it when she did what I told her. I relished how she took time for herself, to take care of herself, because I demanded it. Maybe it made me a perverted fucker, but I didn’t care.
“Good,” I said with a smile.
“What about you?” She sipped her water and eyed me with that same mischievous glint I’d seen in her brother’s eyes earlier. “What did you get up to after you debauched my office?”
“Debauched?” I feigned offense and clutched my heart. “Strong words from someone who begged me for it.”
“Don’t flatter yourself.” Wyn tutted through her teeth and rolled her beautiful eyes. “I hardly need a stubborn, hardheaded wolf barging into my life and making a mess of things.”
“That wasn’t what you were saying when you were making a mess on my face.
” I swiped my tongue over my canine and reveled in the way her gaze dropped to the movement.
An adorable blush spotted her cheeks, and she reached for her water again to down another healthy gulp.
My fangs tingled as her arousal plumed between us, earthy and sweet and fucking intoxicating.
I wanted to crawl under the table, rip those leggings off her body, and bury my face between her thighs.
Patience. This is closure. Nothing more.
“Fen.” Her voice came out small and unsure, and she dropped her gaze to her plate. “This was very nice of you, and I appreciate your help during my heat. But…”
“Eat your dinner, little wolf,” I cut in, sensing where it was going.
But selfish prick that I was, I didn’t want this to end yet.
I didn’t want to leave her warm home and her magnetic presence.
I wanted to gorge myself on it and hope it might sustain me until the next time she sank so low as to allow me within her vicinity.
She licked her lips and glanced up at me, but I was too busy watching her perfect pink mouth and remembering how it felt pressed up against mine.
The conversation drifted to other topics.
We talked about what was happening with Zion and my run-in with Mill.
She laughed when I regaled how he threatened to kick my ass and burn my life down, but she seemed grateful that her brother had the sense to look out for her.
He’d also dropped by her place to check in.
“We didn’t get into the specifics,” she explained. “But he wanted to make sure I was recovering.”
Any lingering tension between us quickly dissolved as we chatted like old friends and bantered the way we had since we were kids.
She didn’t put up with my charming bullshit, and I didn’t let her go hard on herself, and Gods, we made each other laugh.
She teased me about how I’d once let Mill convince me to pull a prank on our previous alpha, which had ended with me covered head to toe in horse shit.
“The look on your face when Kerrick caught you,” she sputtered through desperate gasps. “You were so confused about how it all went wrong.”
I didn’t find it funny at the time, but twenty years later, I could admit my teenage self was a bona fide moron. “Yeah, well. I didn’t expect fucking Talon to tattle on me.”
Wyn let out another loud giggle, and I memorized the sound. I loved her smile, almost as much as I loved the sound of making her happy.
“Gods, you were shoveling shit for three months afterward.” She wiped the corners of her eyes and sighed.
“When Kodiak patched me into the Bastards, he made me swear my midnight pranking days were over.”
“No.” Wyn widened her eyes. “Really?”
I nodded. “Alphas are such drama queens. Honestly, they never know how to have a little fun.”
“I’d say Kerrick had a lot of fun setting you up to be the butt of your own joke.” She pushed a piece of snickerdoodle into her mouth and licked the sugar off her fingers, and fuck, that hit me right in the balls.
“Touché,” I said, keeping my focus on her mouth.
Now that we’d had our fill of dinner, the evening had officially drawn to a close.
I knew I should get out of there and leave her in peace, but my wolf bucked at going anywhere.
He yearned to spread her across the table and feast on her for dessert.
He wanted despicable, delicious things that were better left unspoken and forgotten.
“Well, thank you again for all of this,” she said, toying with her delicate gold necklace between her fingers. “Thank you for taking care of me.”
“My pleasure.” I stood to gather our plates while she sealed up the leftovers and put them in her fridge. After the table was clear and the dirty dishes were stacked in the dishwasher, there was nothing left for me to do but leave.
“Well, I guess I should—” When I turned, Wyn stood right behind me, staring up with her dazzling mahogany eyes, flecked with gold and amber, absolutely sparkling for me.
“Sit down, Fen,” she said, and her tone begged no argument.
The speed with which my ass hit the chair should have surprised me, but with Wyn’s tantalizing scent enveloping me and the haughty look dancing behind her gaze, I would have moved an entire mountain if she asked.
“Wyn?” I opened my legs when she stepped closer to move in between them.
“Shut up.” She rested her hands on my shoulders and inhaled, closing her eyes like she was savoring every note. “I’ve been arguing with myself all day.”
Confused, I opened my mouth to ask her why she’d done that when she was supposed to be resting, but she cut me off.
“I said be quiet.” She raised an eyebrow and smiled when I promptly snapped my jaw shut. “I don’t need a wolf trampling into my life. I certainly don’t need the complication of…whatever this is.”
I knew that. She’d been very clear this morning, even as she let me have my wicked way with her ass and cunt.
I’d brought this on myself. I’d never let myself commit to anyone, and although all of my previous romantic encounters ended on a friendly note, Wyn had no reason to think I’d be serious about her.
But I was. In that moment, I was. I’d give up everything to come home to her night after night, and I didn’t know how much her presence soothed this despondent ache in my soul until I spent the last four days caring for her, giving to her, making sure she was happy and healthy.
“I’ve never been someone to take things for myself,” she continued, ghosting her fingers up my neck in a gentle caress. “I’m not a selfish person. It isn’t in my nature. I’m supposed to give to the pack.”
I didn’t like that, and my fangs elongated in protest. She was a person, a shifter, with completely acceptable needs, before she was a healer. Her specific magical ability was an accessory to who she was, not her identity.
“But maybe I want…” She traced up my jaw to my cheeks, brushing her knuckles over my scruff before tenderly outlining my lips.
I opened them for her, praying she stuck them inside so I could suck them with the reverence I wanted to pay to the rest of her body.
“Maybe I want this for myself,” she murmured. “Does that make me bad? Does that make me selfish?”
“No, Wyn,” I whispered. “It’s normal to want touch, to want affection and love.”
She hummed and coasted her exploration up to my temples before brushing them back through my hair, scratching her nails over my scalp. A tremor ricocheted down my back, my skin prickling with the sensation of being so close to her, of having her touch me so freely.
“Is that what this is?” Wyn’s voice hitched. “Affection? Love?”
I ached to touch her, to bring my fingers to the back of her legs, fold her thighs over my lap, and let her ride me until she went limp.
But I didn’t dare move. I couldn’t break whatever trance this was, and it was clear she wanted the control here.
She wanted to take the reins, and, ever the fucking slut for her, I wanted to let her.
I closed my eyes and allowed the feeling of being touched to rattle through me. She tunneled her fingers through my hair, and I leaned into her, a deep rumble pouring from my chest.
“I’ll be whatever you want,” I whispered. “I’ll do whatever you want.”
A sharp jolt went through my body as she tightened her fingers in my hair and yanked.
I gasped, my eyes snapping open, but it didn’t hurt.
No, it ricocheted through my chest and down to my cock, which gave a half-hearted throb.
Memories of her doing that same thing while I had my head between her legs drifted to the forefront of my mind, and my wolf surged forward, batting the measly human out of the way.
Her eyes glowed, and her fangs emerged from under her parted lips, but I froze, my hands hovering over her thighs, the inches between us blazing with tension and unfulfilled desire.
Seeming to come to her senses, she let go of my hair and stepped back with a shake of her head. “I’m sorry. That was—”
“Don’t stop.” I panted and curled my fingers into fists to keep from reaching out to her.
My muscles shook with restraint, with the urge to follow her command and stay seated until she released me.
I’d been the one in control this morning, but she’d needed that from me.
Now, I was more than happy to relinquish that power if she wanted it.
The lengths I’d go to please her, to have her, surprised me, and fuck if I didn’t want to lose it.