2. Clynt
2
CLYNT
“ I t’s so fucking stupid. Why can’t I let it go?” I whined as more tears poured from my eyes.
I swiped at them angrily as Judy patted my leg.
My cousin was not only my best friend, but she was also my savior.
The second I’d called to tell her Diggs had dumped me, she told me to pack a bag and head her way.
No questions.
No judgement.
Only an understanding heart and a bit of petty shit-talk about my now ex.
I loved her so much.
Our moms were twin sisters who’d been connected at the hip even after mating two very different men in very different packs.
Compromise had them working together to live on the borders of each wolf pack to keep us close.
Raised like siblings, it was no wonder she was the first person I went to with my broken heart.
Though, the more distance I had from the situation, the more foolish I felt.
How did I stay with that idiot for so long?
Why didn’t I realize what an asshole he was to me and everyone around us?
“You’re going to be fine. I give it another day or two and this will pass. You’ve always bounced back from stuff so quickly. Plus, there are plenty of delicious, single shifters here. No need to bury yourself under that sadness when you could be buried under someone else.”
I choked out a laugh.
“That was corny, cousin. Don’t try to give me sex advice.”
“I’m not trying to do that, though I will ask — when was the last time you took a knot? Real or otherwise? You know it’s good stress relief. I can convince Kris we need a night on the town if you want some privacy,” she said with a wink and a shimmy of her shoulders.
Groaning, I pulled the pillow from behind me and tossed it at her face.
She was across the couch from me, so I was easily able to nail her with one hit.
Her garbled squeal came a second before I got smacked with a pillow myself.
“Oh, it is on!”
Next thing I knew, we were having a pillow fight like we were teens again and not two adults well into our thirties.
My sadness was pushed aside to make room for my need to win.
Competition made me a vicious pillow fighter.
“Woah! What the heck is going on in here?”
The shock in Kris’s voice had us both freezing where we stood.
Because Judy was as competitive as me, that meant we were balancing on the couch, pillows in hand as we waited to be broken from the Alpha’s questioning stare.
Judy managed to relax first.
As his mate, she knew him best and probably broke his hold easily enough because of it.
I wasn’t so lucky.
Whimpering, I waited until he nodded my way before I dropped like a lump of coal onto the plushy fabric.
“Sorry,” I mumbled.
Kris frowned, then pulled Judy into a quick kiss.
“I’m not mad. Just confused as hell. Walked in to you two trading blows with pillows like it was a professional boxing match. I thought you were mad at one another.”
“We weren’t. Things got carried away when I tried to cheer him up by saying he should take a knot.”
Kris’s expression went carnal as he looked down at my cousin.
“A knot, huh? You would know a thing or two about how good that feels, wouldn’t you?”
Judy pushed him away, a blush rising on her cheeks.
“Not now you animal.”
At her subtle glance my way, his eyes went wide.
He scrubbed the back of his neck as he mumbled an apology of his own.
Standing, I raised my hands.
“Let’s stop the apologies. All is well. I’ll leave you two alone since you clearly have other things on your mind.”
I went to move past them when Kris stopped me.
“Got you something. It’s not a big deal. Thought it might help distract you.”
“Thanks,” I replied on autopilot as I accepted the bag he handed me.
From past experience, I knew it was best to get out of their way before things heated up.
I took off to my room with my present in hand.
The minute I shut my door, I took a deep breath.
It might not have been the home I’d known for the last few years, but this room still felt welcoming enough for me to relax.
I eased onto the bed, then reached into the bag.
From the feel of it, there was more than one thing inside.
Grabbing the first one I could wrap my hand around, I pulled it out to find…
a book?
The cover was of a shirtless man posing with one arm up and the other covering his face.
It made him look mysterious and shy.
“A Mate for the Omega.” The title made it pretty easy to tell this was one of those fated mates romance books I loved.
It had been so long since I’d read one.
My ex wasn’t a fan, claiming they created unrealistic standards no Alpha could live up to.
Now I knew it was simply that he couldn’t live up to them.
I watched Kris treat Judy just like all the leading book boyfriends did with ease.
He never complained, nor did he seem put out by it.
I wanted a love like theirs.
One that was strong and true, rather than shallow and filled with heartache.
Placing the book beside me, I went in for the next item.
It was a candle.
A hefty one at that.
Scents were hard for me sometimes.
I was sensitive to a lot of things most people weren’t bothered by.
The candle could smell amazing, yet I could still react poorly.
With reluctant movements, I eased the lid off.
I didn’t immediately break into a fit of sneezes, a good sign.
Testing the waters, I brought it to my nose to take a small whiff.
Cedar with a hint of mint.
My eyes nearly rolled back at the scent.
Slick leaked into my underwear as heat crept up my spine.
I’d never had such a strong reaction to anything like that in my life.
I went back in for another sniff.
This time, I was rather disappointed.
The original scent lingered, yet it wasn’t nearly as strong.
I frowned, curious as to what the hell was going on.
On the second try, notes of fresh linen softness were most prominent.
It was like I’d imagined the whole experience.
Except the slick still leaking from me was proof enough.
I wasn’t a faucet.
These things didn’t just happen.
I pushed down my frustration to grab the next item out of the bag.
Judy was beyond lucky to have Kris as her mate.
He barely knew me, yet he was treating me to all these gifts.
I could only imagine what types of ways he spoiled her.
Soft, plush fabric met my fingers.
I quickly yanked my arm out of the bag, squealing at the sight of the plaid, fleece blanket.
“Oh, it’s perfect.”
Pulling it up to my face, I went to rub it against my cheek and froze.
There it was again.
That scent.
Fuck!
I buried my nose in the fleece.
A deep breath proved I hadn’t been losing my mind.
It was real.
So very real.
Moaning at the ache the scent brought forth, I palmed my stiff dick.
What the hell kind of magic was this?
Why did it affect me so much?
I reached back in the bag to get some kind of hint as to what this all was about.
The damn thing was empty though, meaning I had to make do with what few clues I had.
The book was nice, as was the candle.
But neither compared to the comfort the blanket brought me.
Wrapping it around my head, I laid back on the bed.
My hands tugged at my pants, pulling the elastic band down until I could free my length.
Before I could register what I was doing, I stroked myself with determination.
I kept my head turned into the fabric, huffing at it like I couldn’t survive without taking in the scent.
I gathered some of my slick, using it as lube to help me better fuck my fist.
My hips thrust as I built up speed.
This was going to be fast and dirty.
I didn’t have it in me to draw it out.
Sure enough, a few strokes later, my orgasm crashed over me harder than ever.
Panting, I held my softening cock in my hand and wondered what had just happened.
I had questions, and hopefully tomorrow I could get some answers.