Chapter 7
Rudy
My cheek was pressed against the cold floor as a foot nudged me awake. I expected to be in my windowless basement room, but had to blink rapidly when met with the morning light shining through the mist. The silhouette of a figure stood above me, and it took a moment for his face to come into focus.
“Good morning, Rudy. Did you sleep out here all night?” Ash’s voice boomed over me.
I rubbed my eyes and sat up, trying to take in my surroundings.
The walking path? How did I end up out here?
My tongue smacked as a bitter taste filled my mouth.
I felt as parched as I normally did after shifting, but I didn’t feel the same bone-deep weariness that usually came with it. I felt surprisingly light.
“I’m not sure.” Ash held out a hand to help me to my feet, and I took it, scanning the area again. “I remember checking the work orders and saw a few of the torch posts were loose, so I came out to work on them, but that was last night.”
The dryad watched me with a calm expression, though that was pretty much his default mode. “Do you remember anything else?”
I started to shake my head when I was hit with a strong olfactory memory. That scent! One whiff and my wolf had torn through me last night, shifting faster than ever before. There hadn't even been time to get myself anywhere safe.
“Shit, I’ve gotta go.” I avoided meeting Ash’s gaze or offering any kind of explanation for why I was sleeping on the ground. I didn’t want to face him or anyone else. My feet started moving before I could stop myself.
“You are okay, right, Rudy?” Ash called after me.
“Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.” I waved a hand without looking back and hurried to retreat to my room. Maxime tried to get my attention when I crossed the lobby, but I blew past him. I thought I heard him say something like, “You too?” but I couldn’t be bothered to ask what he meant.
Behind the access door, I took the steps to the basement two at a time and closed myself into my outer living area.
As I went to pour water for myself, I noticed something in my hand.
I hadn’t even realized I’d been holding something.
Opening my fingers, I found a half-eaten dog chew.
I felt my cheeks flush as I stared at it.
Where did it come from? Is that why I had a bad taste in my mouth?
Though I supposed that was better than finding out I had killed some kind of critter, or worse… a person.
Carefully setting it on the table, I grabbed a cup and filled it with water, drinking it down, refilling, and chugging again.
I went to the bathroom and splashed some water on my face.
Gazing at my reflection in the mirror, I studied my appearance.
Aside from my hair being a mess, I looked… rested, which wasn’t normal.
My body didn’t ache like it usually did after a shift. Well, maybe a little, but nothing like my typical recovery. More than anything, I felt a sense of peace that was completely unexpected. Something was different this time; something had changed.
I closed my eyes and tried to push through the fog in my mind. So much of the night before was still out of reach for me, but there was one image that shone through. One clear vision. A face. Short auburn hair, glasses, a light shadow on his chin, and a smile that made my heart float.
He was the one I’d smelled in the lobby the day before.
Bowen. His name came to me, and a rumble crawled up through my body.
He must have told me his name when I was in my wolf form because I certainly didn’t know it from the brief encounter when I fled in a panic.
The man stood before a beast and gave it his name. My lips tugged up into a smile.
Leaving the bathroom, I flopped onto the couch, put my feet up, and folded my hands behind my head. What was I supposed to do with this information? What was I supposed to do with myself?
I had a face, a name, and a scent. The rest of whatever happened with him while I was shifted was clouded and far from my reach, but his scent lingered in my nose even now.
It was like orange marmalade mixed with a warm earthiness that made my body heat.
I could feel a push from within as my beast responded to the memory of it as well.
Desire and need flowed through my body, overwhelming every other sense. My vision blurred, and I could feel my wolf stretching beneath my skin. I shook my head and bit out a sharp “No!”
I was not going to let him take over a third time in less than twenty-four hours.
Surprisingly, it felt like he might actually listen.
Though the need that bled from every pore wasn’t something I could shake.
If I had any hope of keeping the beast from coming out, I needed to do something.
Maybe it would help him calm down. Maybe it would help me calm down.
With my eyes closed, I pictured Bowen’s face.
I let the scent fill my mind and fought against the instincts that pulled and pushed at me from all sides.
My entire body was strung tight with tension as I reached down to palm myself over my jeans.
The friction over my hardening cock made a growl rumble through me.
More! he roared in my mind, and for once, I was in complete agreement. Unzipping my jeans, I pulled my erection out through my boxers and stroked. My head fell back at the sensation.
“Fuck,” I grunted and tightened my grip.
I began furiously working myself. It was rough and raw and had a bite of pain, but I couldn’t stop.
Not with the wolf inside growling and demanding more.
Not with my body on fire and my jaw aching, hanging on the edge of my teeth lengthening or my claws dangerously close to piercing through my fingers.
Each pull and twist of my cock had me gritting my teeth so hard I bit my tongue, the coppery taste of blood filling my mouth.
Looking around for something to bite, I saw the chew treat on the table.
Without thinking, I grabbed it and clenched it between my teeth.
I got to my knees on the couch, needing a better angle, as I jerked furiously.
Never in my life have I experienced such intense urgency.
My entire being was strained nearly to its breaking point. I felt like I might internally combust, which was a feeling I should be used to with my wolf tearing away at me, but not like this.
More! the beast compelled from within. I pumped harder, faster, enough to make my synapses practically overload with a mixture of pain and pleasure until my balls pulled tight and release exploded out of me, making my vision black out from the pressure that rippled through me.
“Fuuuck!” It hit me so hard, I lost my balance and fell between the couch and the coffee table.
I stayed on the floor with my arms spread out beside me, huffing and panting from the vigorous effort. My head swam, and my vision was still coming back to me, but I felt my beast settle deep inside me. Holy shit!
My whole body went completely limp, unable to even tuck my now-flaccid dick back into my boxers.
It was tender and sore, but as with everything else, it would mend.
No other thought or function seemed to be working, though.
So, I simply lay there in a euphoric haze and tried to come back into my body.
Content wolf. Content mind. Content body.
Peace. A peace I so rarely felt. A satisfied smile stretched across my lips.
Somewhere in the distance, I thought I heard my phone alert for notifications, but I couldn’t move and couldn’t bring myself to care.
It might have happened again, but I was too blissed out for anything to break through.
A knock sounded, but I lay on the floor unmoving, my mind and body completely separated from reality. It didn’t even seem to register the sound of a door opening.
“Gods, Wolfie! What the fuck!” Zee’s voice drifted over me. I simply lifted a hand to wave before my arm flopped back down.
“Shit, you’re a mess. Clean yourself up, man.” A towel smacked me in the face, and I did nothing to move it, letting it block out the light of the room.
“Mmm. Can’t move.”
“Are you… high?” he asked carefully.
I snorted a laugh. “I don’t know.”
“Fuck,” Zee muttered. Hands hooked under my arms and dragged me off the ground. A moment later, I was dumped unceremoniously into the shower and blasted with cold water.
The shock of the water had my arms flying up to block my face from the spray.
My eyes blinked rapidly as the cold soaked through my clothes.
Soon, I was shivering, but the haze was gone, and mortification set in as I imagined the sight Zee walked in on.
I covered my face with my hands and let out a groan.
Zee reached in and shut the water off, kneeling beside me. I peeked out between my fingers to see the concern on his face. “I’m sorry.”
“What the hell is going on with you? Maxime texted me and said you blew him off.” It wasn’t anger in his voice but concern.
Shit. Maxime. I didn’t mean to blow him off; I just needed to be alone. “I’ll apologize to Maxime.”
“That’s not the point. He was concerned, that’s all. He asked me to come check on you in the middle of breakfast service.”
I winced, hating that I was disrupting everyone’s schedules. “I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have to be sorry, Wolfie. I just want to know what’s happening.” Zee lowered his voice. “Did he do this to you?”
My hands fell away from my face. “He who?”
“You know who. The walk-in. Squirrelly looking guy.”
“Bowen?” I couldn’t stop the smile that stretched across my face with his name on my tongue.
“Sure. Bowen. Whatever. What has he done to you?”
My brow furrowed as I stared at Zephyr. “He hasn’t done anything to me.”
Zee waves a hand over my soaked and shivering body. “Like hell he hasn’t. Maybe he’s a witch or something. Did he give you anything to eat or drink?”
My cheeks flushed red at the thought of the mangled bully stick on the floor by the couch. No way was I telling Zee about the dog chew; I would never hear the end of it. “No. I’ve barely even seen him.”
He narrowed his eyes at me. “I’ll check with Kieran to see if he’s found anything. And you… just be careful, okay?”
I nodded slowly. “Yeah. I will.”
Zee patted my shoulder and stood up. As he turned to walk away, I called out, “Hey, Zee!”
He looked over his shoulder at me. “Yeah?”
“Uh… thanks… for this. You’re not going to tell anyone, are you?”
“That I saw your twig and berries?” Zee huffed out a laugh. “No, I’ll be trying to scrub the image from my mind, thank you very much. But… the rest of it? I’m not making any promises, not if we want to figure out how to help you.”
I gave him a half-smile. That was as good as I could ask for, I supposed. While I was embarrassed at having been found in the state I was, I felt oddly at peace. Not with Zee, but with myself.
Though it had been frantic and I’d rubbed myself raw, I felt in sync with my wolf. For the first time, maybe ever, our desires had aligned with a singular focus. Bowen.