Chapter 15
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
the full moon
MATTY
The silence hangs heavy in the command center as I pack up my things, logging out of my computer and preparing to move to the IT hub across the hall for the next few hours.
It’s not unusual for the command center to be empty at this hour, but the rest of the squad complex is deserted, too.
The sudden desolation of an otherwise lively place is more than a little eerie, a chill creeping up my spine as I zip my backpack and sling it over a shoulder.
Gathering up the empty coffee cups from mine and Blair’s desks, I can’t help but notice that the rest of her workspace is uncharacteristically tidy.
We’re slowly picking up on each other’s habits– I’m learning to be a little less regimented, her a little less messy.
We’re gradually finding a happy medium somewhere between our two extremes, lives melding into a mosaic that’s all our own.
Dropping the empty cups into the trash, I shake my head to clear my thoughts and get back to the task at hand: moving from the command center to the IT hub across the hall.
I’m the only human in the territory, which makes me the go-to guy for monitoring the security feeds during the full moon run.
While everyone else is out doing their canine cardio, I’ll be here playing night watchman, making sure the borders stay safe and secure.
It’s not the most exciting gig, but it makes me feel useful.
Besides, what else would I be doing tonight?
It’s not as if I can shift and run along with them.
The familiar sound of Blair’s footsteps in the corridor makes my heart skip a beat, head whipping toward the doorway just as she steps into the command center.
She looks a little winded, cheeks flushed a pretty shade of pink.
My tongue darts out to wet my lips, wanting to taste that blush; to kiss it off her skin.
“Shouldn’t you be getting ready for the run?” I ask, brows knitting together in confusion.
She tucks a stray strand of dark hair behind her ear, eyes on mine as she steps closer. “Yeah, I’m heading over there now,” she replies breathlessly. “I just wanted to do this first.” She pushes up on her toes, pulling me down by the front of my shirt and slamming her lips against mine.
It’s not a sweet, delicate kiss. It’s more of an assault on my mouth, and I’m fucking living for every second of it.
I wind my arms around her waist, and my backpack sliding off my shoulder and thumping to the floor.
She sinks a hand into my hair, pulling me impossibly closer as we lose ourselves in one another, the world around us fading away.
I grunt in frustration as she pulls back slightly, murmuring against my lips. “Try not to miss me too much while I’m gone.”
“I won’t,” I lie.
She pulls back and searches my eyes, but I just smile like an idiot and kiss her again before she has a chance to find it.
Blair melts against me, leaning into the kiss, then pushes me away with a light laugh. “You’re a terrible liar, Isaac Matthews.”
“I know,” I chuckle, stepping back and allowing her to slip from my grasp. “Guess it’s a good thing I work in IT rather than espionage.”
“No kidding,” she snorts, rolling her eyes as she turns on a heel to leave.
“Blair,” I call after her.
She pauses, glancing back at me over her shoulder.
“I’m glad you stopped by.”
Her lips curve into a smile, that pretty blush returning to her cheeks. “I’ll see you later.”
“How much later?” I ask hopefully.
“As soon as the run’s over,” she replies with a wink. Then she’s out the door, her voice carrying from the hallway as she rushes away. “Don’t count the minutes!”
Yeah right. We both know that’s exactly what I’ll be doing, impatiently waiting for her to return.
Scooping my backpack up off the floor, I leave the command center and cross over to the IT hub, settling in at the bank of monitors in the back of the room that displays the camera feeds.
Each screen flickers between live views of the perimeters and inroads to the territory, covering all the spots where the borders could be breached.
Everything appears to be in working order, but I decide to run a quick diagnostic on the system just to be safe, settling in and getting right to work.
As I wait for it to process, my gaze shifts from the monitors to my phone, the screen black and devoid of any notifications.
It’s not like I’m going to get any messages tonight.
There’s nobody left to hear from, everyone out running with their respective packs beneath the full moon.
I’m starting to feel like I fit in here on a daily basis, but tonight, I’m definitely the odd man out.
The diagnostic comes back clean, and I tinker with the surveillance feeds as the minutes tick by.
There’s nothing out of the ordinary on any of the screens, which is more than I can say for my current situation.
Three months ago, I was actively hunting shifters.
Now, I’m living and working amongst them, entrusted with monitoring their safety during their sacred monthly ritual.
It’s nothing I can’t handle, but it still amazes me that they trust me enough to leave me at the helm.
Even more amazing is that Blair actually trusts me now, too. That stubborn, sarcastic, stunning she-wolf was the hardest of the hard to get, but now that I have her, I’m never letting her go.
The faint howls of wolves outside start around the thirty-minute mark, continuing for the next hour or so.
They provide a soundtrack to my solitude as I monitor the feeds, ensuring that everything is as it should be.
My mind drifts, thoughts of Blair occupying every corner of it.
I’ve never felt this way about anyone. It’s a relief to finally be on the same page with her; to have to hide the way I feel or second guess the way she does. We can finally just… be.
I glance at my phone again, halfway tempted to pick it up and start scrolling, but I resist, keeping my focus on the task at hand.
More time slips by as I watch the monitors, the building dead silent but for the hum from the servers and the low beep of the systems alerts.
I tinker with the diagnostics again, patching a couple outdated lines of code to make for quicker transitions between camera feeds.
By the time the packs are ending their runs, my eyes burn from staring at the monitors for so long.
I rub them with the heels of my hands, stifling a yawn as I glance at the clock.
The wolves should be done by now, so I start packing up my stuff, ready to return for the dorms and wait for Blair to come back home.
I startle at the sharp sound of a howl– the call of a lone wolf, so close that it sounds like it’s right outside. Pushing up from my chair, I stride over to the window, looking out over the practice field below.
I’ve never seen Blair in her animal form, but I know it’s her the second I see the sleek black wolf standing in the middle of the field.
Her eyes seem to glow as she spots me through the window, letting out another long howl that feels as if it slams straight through my chest, lighting me up from the inside.
She’s beautiful. She’s mine.
I only stand there gawking for a few more seconds before my feet start moving, carrying me out the door and down the hall.
I pick up my pace and jog through the halls of the squad complex, overcome with a sense of urgency to get to Blair.
I may not be a wolf, but I swear the moon’s calling us together, and there’s no way I’m not answering.
I push through the double doors to exit the squad complex, the soles of my shoes pounding the earth as I race toward her, my heart beating harder and faster the closer I get.
By the time I reach her, it’s the only sound I can hear.
I drop to my knees, Blair’s usual dark-eyed gaze a molten gold as she moves in to nuzzle against me, allowing me to sink my hands into her thick fur.
It’s impossibly soft, slipping through my fingers like silk.
Slowly, she backs away, and I rise to my feet while I watch the air begin to shimmer around her. The snap of her bones echoes in the night, her body rearranging, fur receding. The air clears as she rises to stand in her human form, naked and breathtaking, like her body was made to drive me crazy.
We both lunge for one another, crashing together with the force of a tidal wave.
I catch her in my arms, lifting her off the ground as our mouths fuse.
Her bare legs wrap around my waist, and she kisses me with a fierce intensity that sends every thought racing from my mind except how much I want her.
I stumble, struggling to keep us both upright as she winds her arms around my neck, kissing me harder, like she can’t get enough.
I usually try to play it cool, weighing the situation and making sure I don’t step over any lines or boundaries, but all of that goes out the window when Blair’s body is pressed up against mine, her mouth slanting hot and wet over my lips.
The rest of the world disappears and it’s just the two of us beneath the stars, coming together in a rush of desire.
I squeeze her tighter, pouring everything I have into the kiss while I fight to maintain my footing.
She’s writhing against me, legs locked around my waist and mouth locked over mine.
She bucks her hips and it knocks me off balance, sending us tumbling to the ground.
I break her fall, catching her against me and making her breath hitch in the best way possible.