Chapter 116 Nico
NICO
When I woke, it felt like I hadn’t slept at all. The night before, Maddy had roused me from sleep by tugging on my hand and pushing it between her legs. My sixteen-year-old self would have rejoiced if he’d known he’d live to experience the last three days.
At no point in my life had I ever been so tired.
I’d stopped counting at the nineteenth time Maddy pounced on me.
So, it had probably been at least twenty-five times.
Everything hurt. My legs hurt from holding her against the wall on the second night, and my feet were raw from bracing against the tile to keep us steady while we fucked three different times in the shower.
My balls actually ached. I hadn’t known that could even happen just from sex, but here I was.
I wasn’t sure I could get it up again for at least a couple of hours.
Even my tongue was sore from the slightest movement.
Rolling over, I found Maddy sound asleep. Giving the air a cursory sniff, I sighed with relief. Her pheromones had dropped like mad since the previous night. She smelled like her old self. The heat had subsided. As exciting and fun as it had been, I was more than ready to recuperate for a few days.
I’d surprised myself with how well I’d kept pace with her.
It was shocking that I had any little swimmers left after the first day.
The trash can beside the bed was overflowing with used condoms and two bottles of empty lube.
I wrinkled my nose in disgust as I crawled out of bed.
Pulling on a shirt and pajama bottoms and slipping my feet into a pair of flip-flops, I quietly took care of the trash.
Three condoms littered the shower floor, and six dirty towels were flung about the bathroom from when we’d cleaned up after our little romps.
It took about ten minutes, but I managed to clean the house of all sexual paraphernalia.
At least, I really hoped so. The last thing I wanted was for my mother to open the pantry the next day and find a gross, flaccid condom on the floor.
As though Fate heard my thoughts, I glanced out the front window and saw my dad walking up the sidewalk toward my house.
Maddy’s dad was beside him. A blush rose to my cheeks.
I couldn’t help it. All the dirty things I’d done to his daughter over the last couple of days flashed through my mind.
I was an adult, and so was Maddy, but that didn’t change the whole father-boyfriend dynamic.
Not wanting them to come in until I’d had a chance to really clean up, I tied the trash bag and tossed it into the laundry room before jogging over to the front door to meet them outside.
Dad smiled when he saw me and reached out to pat me on the shoulder. “Glad to see you survived Maddy’s first heat.”
“Is she okay?” Maddy’s father asked, his voice tinged with rage.
“Uh, yeah, she’s fine. Sleeping it off,” I said.
“Why did none of you know this was coming?” he growled. “Shouldn’t you all have done something to stop this? I know they make drugs for it, for Christ’s sake.”
I held my hands up, surprised by the fury in his eyes. “Mr. Sutton, I’m sorry, but we had a lot going on. I’ll be totally honest, but it was the last thing any of us were thinking about.”
From the corner of my eye, I saw Gabriella walking up an opposite path, my mother beside her. Dear God, was I going to have to talk about my sex life in front of every goddamned parent in the pack lands?
Maddy’s father shoved a finger at my chest. “That’s not good enough. You’re her mate. You’re supposed to take care of her and make sure she’s okay.”
“That’s enough,” Gabriella said. “Maddy is a wolf now. This is totally natural. You’re acting like it was something dangerous or something to be ashamed of.”
“You told us to suppress her wolf!” Maddy’s father barked at her.
“Yes, I did, but that was a long time ago, and it was for her own protection. Those days are over. It’s time for her to live her life the way she was meant to. You have to embrace her for who she is now.”
Maddy’s father scoffed. “I’m supposed to embrace my little girl being used like some sex doll every eight or nine months?”
“Stop it!”
We all spun to see Maddy standing on the front porch, tying her robe around her waist. I looked back and saw the color drain from her father’s face.
“Maddy, I didn’t— ”
“No.” She cut him off. “I don’t care what you meant. All I know is what I heard.”
He lowered his head in shame. I was having a hard time not lowering my own head. Maddy was furious. It wasn’t that she was mad at me, but she was still terrifying when she got mad like this.
She stomped forward on bare feet. “I understand that you’re viewing things from a human perspective, but that isn’t what this is about.
Apart from that, Nico is my mate. That’s the same as a human spouse.
Whatever we do in our bedroom is our business, not yours.
” Her face softened, and she lowered her tone.
“Nico loves me. He locked himself in the house for three days to attend to my needs. If he hadn’t, I would have been under an extreme amount of discomfort.
If you think he was using me, you have it backward. I was the one using him.”
My parents chuckled, and I could have lit a match on my face.
I’d never had a more uncomfortable conversation in my life.
I stared intently at the ground, but a sideways glance showed me Maddy’s father was still scowling but looking chastised.
Gabriella ignored him and stepped closer to Maddy, putting a hand on her shoulder.
“How do you feel, sweetie?”
Maddy gave her a small smile. “I feel fine. Thank you for your concern.”
Maddy’s father sucked in a breath. Realizing, too late, that he hadn’t even asked about her well-being, he looked up and opened his mouth to say something, but Maddy cut him off with a disappointed shake of her head.
“Dad, you and Mom need to realize things have changed. I’m a wolf now.
I am, and always will be, your daughter.
That will never change, but you have to come to terms with the fact that I’ve changed.
I’m not your helpless little girl anymore.
You can’t look at me from a human’s perspective anymore. Those days are gone.”
She turned on her heel and went back inside without sparing a glance back at her father.
Her dad stood there, looking crestfallen, heartbroken, and embarrassed.
I nodded at my parents and Gabriella to give us a minute.
The three of them strolled around to my backyard, leaving me standing with Maddy’s father.
“Mr. Sutton, I’m sorry about all this. This wasn’t how I would have wanted it to happen. In a perfect world, none of this would have been so sudden or surprising. But we aren’t living in a perfect world. I can only imagine what you and your wife are going through.”
“You can’t,” he murmured. He didn’t sound mad anymore, only sad.
Nodding, I said, “She isn’t the same girl you raised.
Not physically, anyway. She’s still your kid.
A child you raised, and you turned her into an amazing person.
I can never thank you enough for that. But as much as you love her and want to protect her, you have to realize that she isn’t weak.
She may very well be the strongest of all of us.
Her life has changed. She’s a wolf. A descendant of the strongest shifter to ever live.
” I shook my head, not sure if he was understanding. He just kept staring at the ground.
“She’s a wolf—a wolf with a target on her back.
Everything you see on the news, all the crimes and deaths and horrific things the royals have done over the last year, have all been to get to her.
The very last thing she needs is her parents judging her over something that is both beyond her control and very natural for our kind.
For her kind.” I took a breath and eased my tone.
“Now that we know, we can plan for the next time and buy plenty of suppressants.”
Maddy’s father finally looked up and locked eyes with me. They were bloodshot and wet like he was on the verge of crying. I couldn’t discern anything but sorrow in his eyes.
“I’m sorry, Nico. All you and your family have done is try to protect us. Without you… I probably wouldn’t be here.”
I waved him off. “That’s nothing. I would do it for anyone— ”
“That’s the thing,” he said. “Not many people would. Human or shifter. You’ve put everything you know at stake for Maddy and for us.” He kicked a pebble in anger. “And all I’m doing is standing here bitching like a child. Again, I’m sorry. I’ll… uh… head back to our cabin. Okay?”
He turned and started trudging back to the cabin he and his wife were sharing.
Before he got too far, I called after him. “Mr. Sutton?”
He turned back mid-stride. From the look and his face, I could tell he was ready and willing to get another reprimand or warning. I groaned inwardly.
“You’re a good father. Never forget that.”
His face almost crumpled into tears. He wiped at his eyes and nodded before heading on his way.
I put a hand to my head, watching him go. I was getting a headache. Deciding to get inside before anyone else stopped by to make my morning uncomfortable, I walked up the steps and through the door, shutting and locking it behind me.
Upstairs, I heard the water going into the shower. Undressing, I stepped into the bathroom and joined Maddy. She grinned at me as I closed the shower door.
“Looking to get lucky again?” she asked, one eyebrow quirked.
I laughed and shook my head. “Lord, no. My downstairs needs a good long rest. He’s spent the last few days running a marathon. Even Olympic-level athletes need to rest.”
“Oh, so it’s Olympic level, is it?”
Shrugging, I said, “Didn’t hear many complaints the last three days.”
Maddy chuckled. “Fair enough.”
My smile faded when I saw the sad expression that slid over her face. “Are you okay?”
“I don’t know,” she stated simply. “It seems like my parents are sort of at odds with everything. Gabriella has been more supportive and understanding of everything. I don’t understand it.”
Wrapping her in my arms, I pulled her flush against my chest. “They’re nervous and scared.
It’s confusing to have your whole life flipped upside down.
They, literally, don’t know how to help.
This is outside their area of expertise.
They’re human. Gabriella is a wolf. It’s natural that she’d be more understanding. ”
“I guess you’re right. It doesn’t make it any easier, though.”
I rubbed my hand up and down her back as the water streamed down our bodies. “We’ll talk to them. Sort it all out and set things in stone. They both love you. I know they’ll get it together for you. Anyone would.”
Maddy lifted her face to mine, stealing a quick kiss. “Thank you, Nico.”
“I will do anything to keep you safe. Not just your body, but your mind too. Whatever it takes.”
She pressed herself against me and slid a hand between my legs. “So, are you sure you need to rest?”
The stirrings of desire pricked up inside me, but not even that could convince me I’d give her the pleasure she needed.
Sighing, I rolled my eyes. “How about tonight? Maybe I can take a nap today. Prepare to make your toes curl again.”
“I’ll take that as a promise,” Maddy said and kissed me one more time before I got out.
Drying off, I left her to finish her shower.
I dressed and went to my office—I hadn’t checked my phone or emails in days.
I’d been too busy fucking Maddy. Not a bad way to spend three days, but things still needed attention.
I had dozens of texts to answer from Luis, Sebastian, Felipe, and Donatello.
There were at least ten emails from some of the pack leaders and multiple voicemails.
As I worked my way through them all, the back of my mind slipped into the introspection of the previous three days.
It was one flash of sex after the other.
Writhing bodies, warm wet holes, moans of pleasure, and exhaustion.
A memory flitted through my mind, and my fingers froze on the keyboard. That very first moment. The morning Maddy woke up. It had been so fast and furious. A blur. My own hormones had gone haywire at the scent of her heat. I frowned. Had I put on a condom? I couldn’t remember. Maybe I had, but…