Chapter 9
Gracie
“I realize you can’t stay longer,” Alpha Haiden said as I lifted a fork to my lips. “But I do hope all of you return—especially you, Gracie. Elowen visits often. Next time, come with her.”
“I would love to,” I told her, and I meant it. Thornar squeezed my leg gently but didn’t say a word as Basir took a long sip of his drink. Ravik and Haiden’s mate stood talking nearby, already having finished the light lunch we were sharing before leaving for the next territory.
After everything we’d discovered earlier in the day, I was eager to keep moving—so much so that we’d already packed the car before being invited to join Haiden for lunch.
Now, sitting on the stunning patio which was draped on all sides with soft ivory curtains that billowed in the ocean breeze, I was glad we’d taken the time to do so.
“Where do you go next?” Haiden asked.
Thornar responded, “Blazefur Pride.”
Haiden’s expression scrunched up slightly before smoothing. “I wish you all the best. I fear you won’t find nearly as easy an ally as you did here.”
“I really do want to thank you,” I said, a small smile pulling at my lips despite everything waiting ahead. “For hearing us out—and for recognizing how important this is.”
“Of course.” Haiden agreed. “I’ve already begun readying our flight units. I did think of something last night, though. I’m not sure if it’s something you’ve considered.”
Basir immediately focused on her, a silent question in his gaze.
“You won’t be able to reach the Cold Moon Pack easily. You’ll need to travel either through Grimfur Skulk territory or go into Silverpine. The mountains between Scarlet Sloth and the Cold Moon Pack are too unpredictable to move units through.”
“If Alpha Graeme Sharp is transferring people from his territory into Ivan’s, it’ll be easier to go through there.” Basir’s voice was rougher than normal, and I glanced at him with concern. “Unfortunately, I know the lay of the land.”
Basir’s history and the drug-running his parents had been part of within the territory came rushing back to me. I hated the idea of him having to face a place that had caused him so much pain.
“Noted.” Haiden nodded in understanding before looking toward Ravik and her mate, both of whom had made their way over. “Before you leave, I wanted to discuss something—although I know an answer may not be possible today.”
Ravik rested his hands on the back of my chair and waited, clearly prepared for this.
Haiden continued smoothly, “Your territory possesses a mineral—Korite—that allows for armor transition between shifted and non-shifted forms, specifically for dragons. I also know it’s not much use to wolves.”
Ravik nodded, unsurprised. “You want access to it?”
“At a discounted, ally-friendly rate,” Haiden’s mate said, earning a quiet chuckle from Thornar.
“We can make that happen,” Ravik agreed.
Watching politics play out between them was fascinating. My mate didn’t question why she would want something from us, but since we were asking for help, it made sense. Even knowing this would eventually affect her territory if Ivan wasn’t stopped, Haiden still treated it as a negotiation.
Following that, we slipped back into casual conversation until the end of lunch. The serious tone eased, smoothing into something lighter, almost normal.
It didn’t last.
Before long, we were standing to leave. The goodbyes came easier than I expected. Ravik shook Haiden’s hand, Thornar flashed an easy grin as he traded an amused quip with Cole, and Basir dipped his head in quiet acknowledgement.
Haiden offered a small smile. “Safe travels. Our units stand by, awaiting your signal.”
“Thank you,” I said sincerely.
Then we were moving. The patio gave way to the inside of the estate, then to open air. The ocean breeze followed us, and I glanced around one more time before we left, taking in the beauty of the territory.
I held onto that sense of awe for a second…and then refocused.
The drive to the jet was quiet. Books that Elowen had gotten special permission to borrow sat heavy on our laps, and I listened as my mates discussed what we would face next.
The Blazefur Pride.
I didn’t know much beyond what I’d learned on my way to the trade conference: their Alpha was Chace Wall, they traded in gas and oil. That was it. I shifted in my seat, watching the estate grow distant behind us, replaced by stretches of land that blurred past the window.
By the time we reached the jet, the conversation had shifted into something more focused and urgent. Ravik moved ahead, already speaking with the crew, while Thornar walked with his sister and Banthor, carrying the bags to be loaded.
Basir stayed close. The tension from the morning still lingered in our bond, unspoken but impossible to ignore. So before I could overthink it, I led him toward the back of the jet once we stepped into the cabin.
I dropped onto the couch beside Basir, and immediately he filled the space so that I felt completely insulated and tucked away in the back of the jet with him.
Elowen and Banthor claimed the tables up front, already spreading out books and notes, while Thornar and Ravik settled into a conversation of their own after a quick check to make sure I was comfortable and had everything I needed.
“Basir.” I softened my voice when he looked down at me, something unsettled moving through his emerald eyes. “Are you okay?”
His jaw tightened. “No.”
“Because of earlier?” I asked, slowly shrugging off the cardigan I’d been wearing. I was turned toward him, cushioned by the couch, while he now sat rigid beside me, his back tight with tension.
“Yes.”
I frowned, frustrated. I didn’t know how to pull more out of him, but I knew I needed to.
“I need you to explain,” I said quietly. “I don’t understand why you’re upset.”
Basir’s head snapped toward me. Before I could fully register the movement, he shifted position, pulling me into his lap in one smooth motion.
And then Basir’s hands were gone.
They dropped away from me like he hadn’t meant to touch me at all. I boldly placed my hands on his chest, both to steady myself and to keep contact with him. Because I wanted to touch him. I needed to, until I understood what was going on in his head.
Even on his lap, he still dwarfed me. He studied my expression, visibly struggling with what to say.
“Can I try to guess what’s wrong?”
Basir closed his eyes and shook his head, like he was disappointed in himself. “I’m not upset. Not at you, glow. I’m upset at my lack of control. You could have gotten hurt.”
“You were protecting me—”
“You still could have gotten hurt.”
But I could tell there was more to it than that. The restraint, the way he held himself, keeping me close but denying himself any touch…denying himself me.
Was that what was happening? Just like the night in my bedroom?
A wave of realization rolled over me.
Basir wanted me. I could feel it, steady and contained beneath everything else. But he would keep himself at a distance unless I made it clear that I wanted him close. My hands trembled just a tiny bit as I lifted them, bringing them to either side of his face.
The moment I touched him he shuddered, his eyes closing as a low rumble broke from his throat. My instinct was to pull back, worried I’d overstepped with my boldness—but as if he’d anticipated it, his hand shot out, gripping my hip in a firm hold.
Not trapping.
Just…keeping me there.
“I loved seeing your wolf,” I said, my voice thick with emotion. “And I know this bond is a lot…and it’s not something you asked for…but the connection I feel to you—and the other two—it’s nothing I’ve ever experienced.”
My fingers tightened slightly against him as I spoke.
“I know you’re worried about hurting me, but you shifting in response to my wolf…it just…it showed me how close we are.” I closed my mouth before I could say anything reckless, my emotions rising too fast, too close to the surface.
But my words had already landed.
Basir’s eyes opened slowly, something low and simmering building in them.
“Gracie…”
“I’m serious,” I whispered. “I know I might not seem strong, but…” I paused, the truth of it settling deep in my chest before I forced the words out.
“I’ve been through a lot. I’m stronger than I look.
And for the past decade I’ve been around many that happily hurt me.
I know what it feels like, what it looks like.
” My voice softened in the end but didn’t waver. “You would never hurt me.”
Basir’s expression shifted, emotion cracking through the walls he kept trying to put between us. I didn’t want to push him into something he didn’t want, but with the way he held me, keeping me anchored against him with a firm grip, I didn’t think that was the problem.
I just needed to hear it. And maybe he needed to hear it too.
“I want you close.”
His hand flexed on my hip before tightening.
When he spoke, his voice was controlled but strained.
“You don’t know what that means, glow. I know your strength.
I see it. But that doesn’t mean I couldn’t hurt you.
I could. And the idea of that…” A wave of disgust rolled through our bond.
“I don’t have control when it comes to you.
I could lose myself, and I don’t trust who I would be in that moment. ”
“I trust you.”
That stopped him.
Basir’s entire body went still, his grip freezing as my hands softened against his face. He lifted the hand not on my hip, sliding it up to gently catch my chin. I shivered at the quiet strength in his touch.
“Why would you? Why would you ever trust me, glow?”
I knew we were stepping into something dangerous, but I was too far in to stop now.
“I can feel it through our bond,” I said softly. “I can feel how much you care. I trust you not to hurt me.”
Something in Basir shifted.
Not breaking.
Unraveling.
His mouth found mine in a sudden kiss that was intense and deliberate. I slid my fingers into his hair, holding him to me as the tension between us finally dissolved. His breath cooled against my lips even as his touch burned my skin, the balance between control and need pulsing through our bond.
But when I didn’t pull away—when I pressed closer instead—the dam broke open.
Basir’s hand on my chin slid gently around my throat while his other wrapped firmly around my waist, tugging me closer. A soft moan slipped from my lips when I felt his hardness beneath me. My legs straddled either side of him, letting me feel every inch as we devoured each other.
When he broke the kiss and trailed down my jaw, his teeth grazing my skin, heat pooled low between my thighs. The distance between us, both physical and through our bond, melted as I rolled my hips to grind against him.
Basir’s fingers slid down the straps of my sundress, exposing my shoulder before slowly tugging the fabric lower, revealing the edge of my bra. An eager sound slipped from my lips.
“More. Please.”
It was more than enough for Basir. His fingers tugged at the cups of my bra until my breasts spilled free, my nipples pebbling under the rush of cool air in the jet. I leaned into him, a pulse of need rising between us, demanding his touch.
“Careful, glow…” His voice was low, strained against my skin. “You’re pushing me further than I should go.”
Despite his words, his teeth grazed one of the sensitive peaks, and a whimper of his name spilled from my lips.
“There it is,” he murmured, almost to himself.
The more he teased, the wetter I became, the friction of moving against his length making my mind go hazy with the overwhelming sensation of being so close—yet not nearly close enough.
My hands pulled at the back of his shirt, wanting to run my fingers along his skin, to taste him the way he was tasting me.
“Gracie…” My name was rough on his lips, almost a warning. “Don’t start something you’re not ready to finish.”
I didn’t stop. I moved against him slowly, testing the contact, drawing a sharper reaction from him. His hands tightened, then loosened, like he was fighting for every thread of control.
A low growl left him, making my skin prickle with awareness. “I’m trying to hold back…you’re making that impossible.”
When his lips and teeth returned to my breast, I could feel the shift—his touch rougher now, more deliberate, almost punishing in the best way possible.
“I don’t want you to hold back,” I whispered. When his fingers slid down my back and cupped my bottom, I almost moaned at the shift forward.
Basir’s voice brushed against my ear, sending a shiver through me. “Are you sure, glow? Do you really want me to let go? Or do you want to just grind this pussy against me while I tease you? Make you see stars before I pull back, burying my dangerous need for you?”
“I want more,” I promised, breathless as the pressure kept building, never quite reaching its climax.
“Show me you want more then,” he demanded softly. “When I go to sleep at night, I want to imagine exactly what you’ll look like coming all over my cock.”
Basir’s words pulled a moan from me as my head fell back, his lips finding my breasts once more. The sensation of his mouth, toying with the peak, sent shockwaves echoing through my body.
When he spoke again, his voice was edged with something darker—almost anger. “I want you to come, glow. Come for me.”
His teeth bit down on my breast, and a tidal wave of pleasure crashed through me.
A small cry left my lips as my clit pulsed, the climax breaking over me like a storm.
Molten heat spread through my body, and my eyes fluttered shut at the intensity of the moment—at the way he still held me so close, so unyielding.
“Eyes on me, glow.”
I opened my eyes and found him adjusting my clothes with slow, precise movements.
“You ask for more like that again… I’m giving it to you.”
Somehow, he made it sound like both a threat and a promise.