Chapter 5
DAVEY
Having Michael so close seemed to blur my mind.
Just a little while ago, I was staring out the window and saw Michael stripping off his clothes in the snow and then...changing. His body transformed into something impossible. One second he was there, and the next, all I saw was a huge wolf with icy-gray fur.
That couldn't be real.
The fever I'd been fighting all evening must have finally cooked my brain.
"You okay?" He reached over and placed his hand on my cheek. "You look flushed."
"Just a little warm." On fire. Same thing.
The heat of his body scorched through my flannel pajama pants, and I fought the urge to press closer. I'd only known this man for a few hours before we were forced to share this cabin, yet there was something about him that felt like we'd known each other forever.
Or would know each other forever.
"You're burning up, Davey." He leaned closer, like he was sniffing me.
Did I smell bad? Could he smell the slick that was seeping out of me?
"It's just the fire. And maybe a touch of fever. Nothing serious."
Michael leaned in until his face was just inches from mine. I could smell the alpha pheromones that made my omega instincts take notice and beg. His eyes darkened as he inhaled deeply, and for a moment, I thought he was going to kiss me.
Fuck. What were we doing?
I jumped to my feet so fast I nearly tripped. "Wine? I could use a drink. You?" I didn't wait for his answer before I stumbled toward the kitchenette where a bottle of Merlot was on the counter.
"Yeah, sure." Michael's voice sounded strained. "Wine sounds good."
My hands shook as I poured two generous glasses. What was happening to me? I never reacted this strongly to alphas, no matter how attractive they were. Years of suppressants had dulled my omega responses and kept my heats at bay, but something about Michael broke through all my careful defenses.
I returned to the couch and handed him a glass before settling back into my spot right up against his side. I could have sat somewhere else, but my body seemed to have a mind of its own, seeking his heat and strength.
"Thank you." Michael took a sip, but his eyes never left my face.
I gulped half my wine in one go, welcoming the burn down my throat. "This storm is something else, huh? We’ll probably be stuck inside for days."
"Would that be so bad?" His lips quirked into a half-smile that did dangerous things to my heart rate.
I took another gulp. "I guess not. There are worse places to be than a cozy cabin."
"And worse company?"
I laughed nervously and bit my lip as I looked into his eyes. "Definitely worse company."
We sat in silence for a moment with the fire popping and hissing behind us. Outside, the wind howled as I finished my wine. I wasn’t a heavy drinker, so the alcohol loosened my tongue and my inhibitions.
"I was supposed to be alone this weekend." I sighed and stared into my empty glass. "That's why I booked the cabin. My family wants me to find some perfect alpha and have babies. That’s all I ever hear about with them, so I figured I’d avoid the humiliation and be by myself."
Michael shifted beside me, and his hand moved to the back of my neck, grounding me. "Humiliation?"
"Yeah, I mean, everywhere you look, it's all about couples and mates and love.
" The words tumbled out before I could stop them.
“Every omega I know has found their alpha, and here I am, almost thirty and alone.” I looked away, unable to see the pity on his face as I confessed my worst fears.
“I think there's something wrong with me. I’m not sure I'll ever have what they have. "
"Why would you think that?" Michael's voice was soft, but there was an intensity to it that made me look up.
I shrugged and felt an embarrassed flush creep up my neck. "Look at me. I'm not exactly the kind of omega most alphas want. I’m too tall, too independent, too...me. Alphas want someone soft and gentle. I’m no one’s type."
"That's bullshit." Michael's hand squeezed me, his palm hot against my skin. "Any alpha worth a damn wants a partner, not a doormat."
I laughed bitterly. "Tell that to my ex. Or the string of failed dates who expected me to simper and bow and walk two steps behind them."
"They weren't right for you." Michael's fingers trailed down my arm and closed over my hand. "They weren't your mate."
"Mate." I snorted. "That’s just another fairy tale that wasn’t written for me. It's a nice story, but—"
Michael's lips crashed into mine, cutting off my words. For a second, I froze, too shocked to respond. Then something primal and hungry woke up inside me, and I kissed him back. His mouth was hot and demanding as his tongue slid against mine.
I whimpered through the taste of wine and need and something indefinable that made my head spin even more than the fever.
He pulled back just far enough to speak, his warm breath against my lips. "Does that feel like a fairy tale to you?"
I blinked at him, dazed and unsure what he meant. "I don’t… What?"
He kissed me again, softer this time but with no less intensity. When his hand came up to cup my face, his thumb stroked my cheek.
Heat flooded my body, pooling low in my belly as I moaned into his mouth.
The scent of my slick filled the air between us, and there was nothing I could do to control it. I didn’t want to. My skin prickled and a strange ache bloomed deep inside me. Need like I’d never felt before.
I pulled away, panting and confused. "What's happening here?" I pressed a hand to my forehead, suddenly dizzy. "I feel weird."
Michael's nostrils flared, and his eyes darkened until they were almost black. "Davey..." His voice was rough. "Your scent is changing."
"What are you talking about?" I shifted uncomfortably, suddenly aware there was more than a little bit of dampness between my thighs. No, this couldn't be happening. Not now with a virtual stranger.
Michael took a deep breath and pushed himself back slightly, creating space between us. "You're my mate, Davey. And I think you're in heat."
I stared at him and shook my head. "That's impossible. I'm on suppressants. I haven't had a heat in years."
His lips curved into a predatory smile that should have scared me but instead sent a thrill of anticipation through my body. "They don't work against your fated mate, sweetheart."
"Fated mate?" I repeated his words, but they didn’t quite make sense. "That's not—we just met. How could you possibly know that?"
"I knew the moment I smelled you." Michael leaned forward and dragged his nose along my neck, inhaling deeply. "My wolf recognized you instantly."
His words should have sent me running for the door, blizzard be damned. But instead, they resonated with something deep inside me, and I knew he was right.
"Your wolf?" I managed to ask, even as my body leaned toward him, seeking more contact.
Michael pulled back and met my gaze. "There's something I need to tell you, Davey. Something I should have told you the moment I realized who you are to me. But I was afraid you'd run."
The image of what I saw through the window flashed in my mind. Michael's body actually did change. He transformed into a wolf and ran through the forest. "I saw you," I whispered. "Outside. I thought I was hallucinating."
He tensed and held my hand in his. "What did you see?"
"You...changed. Into a wolf." I swallowed hard. "Did that actually happen?"
Michael placed my hand over his heart so I could feel the strong beat under my palm. "What does your instinct tell you, Davey?"
I closed my eyes and focused on the connection that seemed to pulse between us. "That I'm losing my mind. Having an out-of-body experience from a fevered delirium…" I scrunched up my face. “Am I close?”
He chuckled softly. "Open your eyes."
When I did, I saw that Michael's eyes had changed to an unearthly amber light. Definitely not human.
"Oh my god." My breath caught as the truth set in.
"I'm a wolf shifter, Davey." He looked right into my eyes to make sure I heard him. "And you, Davey Carter, are my mate. My fated mate. The one person in this world made for me."
My jaw dropped as a strange sense of rightness filled me. "That's why I feel this way? Why my suppressants aren't working?"
Michael nodded. "The mating bond overrides artificial suppressants. Your body knows what mine knows. That we belong together."
"This is crazy," I said with a giddy smile. Because even as I said it, the heat inside me intensified. With it came a yearning I'd never experienced before. My body’s natural instinct to mate was waking up and demanding to be acknowledged.
"Is it?" Michael's touch was possessive and gentle all at once. "Tell me you don't feel it, Davey. Tell me you don't feel this connection between us, and I'll back off."
I couldn't lie. Not to him…or to myself. "I feel it."
His smile was as much relief as it was joy. "Fate has a funny way of working things out, doesn't it? You came here to be alone, and you got stuck with your mate instead."
I laughed shakily and leaned closer. "Was it really that easy?"
"Apparently it is with fate helping out?" Michael pulled me closer and nuzzled the side of my neck. "Can I kiss you again?"
Instead of answering, I turned toward him and pressed my lips to his. This time, there was no hesitation or shock. Just heat and need and a bone-deep certainty that this was what I'd been searching for my whole life.
His arms wrapped around me, and he pulled me onto his lap. I went willingly, straddling his thighs and pressing as close as our clothes would allow. Michael’s hands slid under my pajama shirt, and his palms felt ice cold against my fevered skin.
"Michael…" I gasped against his mouth as another flood of slick poured from me and my hard cock brushed against his.
"I've got you." He trailed kisses along my jaw and down my neck. "I've got you, mate."
The word mate sent a fresh wave of desire through me. My hips rolled against his, seeking friction and…more. I could feel his arousal beneath me, hard and insistent, and the omega in me rejoiced.
A deep growl vibrated through his chest as my mate captured my mouth again. His kiss was hungry and possessive. Claiming.
I surrendered to it completely, and for the first time in my life, I let my instincts take over. There was no longer a need to suppress my nature. My mate needed what I was designed to give him. “I need you, alpha.”
He stood up with me still wrapped around him and carried me to the bedroom. “You’ve got me, omega. Forever.”