Chapter 12 #2
Nodding quickly, I leaned back a little. “It’s a magic I don’t understand.” I saw him about to correct me. “I know it isn’t magic, but it’s like it.” I tried to relax further into the bed. “Why are you calling?”
“I wanted to see you.”
Oh.
I sat back against the headboard, suddenly more aware than I wanted to be of the way I looked—tank top, braid falling loose over one shoulder, face flushed from training out in the sun, and not bothering to care what I looked like before climbing into bed.
“I didn’t expect…” I trailed off. “To see you.”
Wolfe frowned. “I thought Killian explained how video calling worked?”
“Killian said a lot,” I murmured, trying to fix my hair as I spoke.
“You look good, princess. Relax.”
The bond buzzed softly. Not painful. Just…present.
I swallowed. “I guess this is handy when your pack is too far for the mindlink to work.”
Wolfe smiled faintly. “Screens have other benefits.”
There was a pause. A long one. Not uncomfortable, just charged. His eyes moved over me. Not greedy. Not predatory. Just looking.
I shifted under the weight of it.
“You’re tired,” Wolfe said.
“Training with your betas is exhausting,” I muttered, but I wasn’t complaining. “Killian pushes me, but not just to break things, he shows me what I’m doing wrong.”
“He breaks things?” Wolfe asked with a scowl. “Bones?”
“Oh, no!” I laughed. “Bad habits, he calls them.” I wiggled further down the bed. “And this afternoon I sparred with Thalia, and I think we drew. Maybe.”
Wolfe relaxed. “Sounds like home.”
I couldn’t look away from him.
“I heard about the fight,” he said. “Thalia doesn’t go easy on anyone.”
“She doesn’t,” I agreed. “I think I gave as good as I got.”
“You did,” he confirmed, and his voice dropped just enough to pull heat low in my stomach. “Cody appreciated it.”
I blushed, remembering what Killian had told me. Silence filled the room.
Wolfe’s thumb dragged slowly down the side of his jaw. The kind of movement you didn’t notice unless you were watching for it. My pulse jumped.
“Do you call many of your pack from your bed?” I asked, my voice dry, husky.
He lifted an eyebrow. “Only the ones I think about before I fall asleep.”
Damn him. I looked away. Just for a second. Long enough to breathe. “You’re not helping,” I murmured.
“Wasn’t trying to,” he said, voice rougher now. “Just didn’t want to go to sleep without seeing your face.”
The bond pulsed again, hot and steady. I didn’t reach for it. It was already there. I should’ve ended the call. I didn’t. I moved, lying back fully against the pillows, letting the camera angle adjust as I pulled the blanket to my chest.
“Your hair’s a mess,” he said, his voice had a light tilt to it, teasing me.
“So is your face.”
He chuckled, and my body yearned for him. “Goodnight, Rowen.”
I nodded once. “Goodnight, Wolfe.”
But neither of us hung up. We just stayed there.
Watching.
Breathing.
Wanting.
“You should go to sleep,” I said finally.
“No.” His voice was lower now. Heavier. Not flirting—he didn’t have to flirt. “I like your hair down,” he said, just barely audible through the speaker. “You should loosen it before you sleep.”
He watched me, and slowly, feeling nervous, I reached for the end of my braid and pulled the leather tie free. Slowly, I unbraided my hair. “Happy?”
“Yeah.” His eyes were dark and full of promise.
The bond pulled—harder this time. Like it wanted to remind me that even though we hadn’t sealed it, it still existed. Still ached.
“Stop,” I said quietly.
“Stop what?”
“Looking at me like that.”
He exhaled. “Why?”
“Because I’m alone in a bed that smells like you, and you’re talking to me like you want me to do something about it.”
Silence. But not empty. I could feel him—feel him—smiling.
“I do want you to do something about it,” he said.
My breath caught. “Wolfe—”
“Tell me what you’re wearing.”
I closed my eyes. “That’s not—”
“I can see you, Rowen. Remember?”
Goddess. I’d forgotten. My hand moved automatically to tilt the phone away, but his voice stopped me.
“Don’t,” he said. “Don’t hide from me.”
I froze. Not because I was scared. Because I wanted to obey.
His tone softened. “Just tell me. What are you wearing under the blanket?”
I hesitated. He waited. Of course, he waited.
“Tank top,” I said finally. “As you can see, and underwear.”
His voice dropped an octave. “You’re lying.”
It was my turn to smirk. “Am I?”
Another beat. When he spoke, his voice was coarser. “Take the blanket off.”
I didn’t move. But he saw the shift in my eyes.
“You think I can’t feel you?” he murmured. “Miles away, and I know you’re flushed. I can hear it in your breathing.”
I hated how observant he was. The bond flared, not burning—burning up.
“You started this,” I whispered.
“I’ll finish it,” he promised.
“Not like this.”
His breath caught—just a little. “When you come back.”
Not a command. Not even a question. Just that low, rough truth that undid me every time.
“Yes.” My voice was a whisper.
The bond flared with approval.
“Lift the blanket, princess.”
I closed my eyes, my tongue wetting my bottom lip as I considered it. Then, keeping my eyes closed, I pushed the blanket aside, hearing his breath catch.
“Good girl,” he praised, causing my thighs to clench. “Open your eyes,” he commanded, his voice soft and sexy, sending shivers down my spine.
I stared into his eyes, the bond practically vibrating between us.
“Go to sleep, Rowen,” Wolfe said as he gave me a half smile. “I’ll see you soon.”
The screen went dark, and it took me a long time to fall asleep after.