Chapter 26
WHEN A RABBIT IS PREGNANT WITH WOLF PUPS
“Psst! Howl Consort!”
Killian stirred, unwilling to stick his head out of his fluffy, comfortable nest. “Hmm?”
“Psst! Are you listening?” Hansel.
“Go away,” Crush grumbled, wrapped around Killian like he had been for the past week, every time Killian woke up in the mornings.
The purple ink was still all over Killian’s intimate parts; Crush had not stopped pouncing on him during the most random times.
He would seek out Killian while Killian was in the middle of brushing his teeth, or raiding the pantry, only to bend him over, pull down his pants, and stuff him full of cock.
It was addictive, being claimed without any warning. Killian’s body had learned to grow wet the moment Crush pushed him down; Crush rewarded him by fucking him into several orgasms, filling him with so much cum that he leaked and ruined every single pair of pants.
The mess was minimized whenever Crush left his cock inside, which happened most frequently in bed. Like now.
“Oh, good, you’re awake.” Two things rubbed quickly against each other. Hands? “Now, Howl Consort, are you ready for today’s story?”
Crush growled loudly, the sound vibrating through Killian’s chest. “No! No one is ready for them! Go away!”
“I’m going away!” Footsteps sounded. “I’m out of the cabin now!”
“So why am I still hearing you?” Crush said. “The cabin is mostly soundproofed.”
“Oh. I didn’t close the front door.”
Crush growled louder.
“Now, today’s story is about the time Howl Master hid his dad’s birthday cake in his bed,” Hansel said. “It’s an epic tale.”
Crush groaned. “No!”
“Did you really hide your dad’s birthday cake in your bed?” Killian whispered.
“Yes!” Hansel said brightly.
“It came in a box,” Crush grumbled. “It was going to be safe in there!”
Killian held his breath. “But...?”
“But it looked like a pile of fluffy blanket to everyone else,” Hansel explained. “Gavric charged into his room to talk about the birthday, and he leaped onto young Howl Master’s bed.”
“Gav thought I was hiding someone in there,” Crush muttered. “It wasn’t my fault!”
“Well, you were probably acting real suspicious,” Hansel said dryly. “When you try to act innocent, you’re a mile off. Everyone can tell.”
“He ruined the cake!” Crush grumbled. “Titan was so mad at me.”
“Why even hide it under the covers?” Killian asked, baffled.
“No one expects cake to be under the covers,” Crush said. “Titan told me to keep it safe from all their slavering mouths. Under the blankets was the first place I thought of.”
“That’s kind of like the time I jumped into a leaf pile,” Killian said. “Only to realize there was a delicate flowering bush in there. No one noticed the leaves had accumulated over it until it was gone.”
Crush winced. “Ouch. I hope you weren’t punished too badly.”
“I was,” Killian said.
Crush rolled on top of him and snuggled him bodily. “Well, no one is going to punish you anymore,” Crush growled. “Mine.”
Killian’s heart stuttered. It was too soon to make any big declarations. But the more Crush cuddled him and left his scent all over him, the more Killian felt as though he had a place here, at Crush’s side.
Crush bit into Killian’s neck with his human teeth, lightly enough that he didn’t break skin. It sent a shiver down Killian’s spine anyway. He nipped Killian further and further down, until his teeth were pressed against the unmarked scent gland at the base of Killian’s neck.
That was the spot an alpha would mark, if they wanted to claim him permanently. Killian’s heart thundered.
Crush licked that spot, nuzzling it. “Someday,” he whispered, closing his lips over that bundle of nerves and sucking hard. “Someday, I’m going to put my mark here. When you’re satisfied that we’ve known each other long enough.”
Killian couldn’t help it; he grew wet. “R-really?”
“Yes.” Crush rolled his hips, thrusting between Killian’s cheeks. He covered Killian’s hole with precum and pushed in, filling him completely. “Mine.”
Later, when they were lying sweatily in bed with Killian sprawled on top of Crush, his stomach rumbled.
“I want meat,” Killian blurted.
Wait. What?
Crush raised an eyebrow. “You weren’t kidding about your stamina, were you?”
Heat surged into Killian’s face. “I meant in my mouth! I want meat in my mouth!”
Crush grinned. “Stiff meat, or semi-hard?”
Killian groaned. “I hate my stupid mouth! No, it’s this weird feeling.
Like, my teeth are aching to bite down on meat?
I’ve never felt this before. I can smell you right now and you smell.
.. chewable. Oh gods! I don’t mean cannibalism!
Just... meat for chewing. That still sounds terrible.
But why would I want to eat meat when I’m a rabbit? ”
Another raised eyebrow. Then a slow smile tugged at Crush’s lips. He slipped his thumb into Killian’s mouth and parted his lips, examining his teeth. An odd look flashed through Crush’s eyes.
Crush sat up and shuffled them both off the bed, with Killian still locked around his knot. “Eggs?”
“I can eat eggs,” Killian mumbled. “But right now, I want something bloody.” He shuddered. “That just sounds wrong.”
Crush pulled out a package from the fridge. He unwrapped the butcher paper to reveal a thick, juicy slab of beef.
Killian couldn’t tear his eyes off it. Crush heated up a pan on the stove and gave it a swirl of oil; the moment he laid the steak in it, it sizzled. Killian moaned.
“I can’t believe I just moaned over some raw meat!”
Crush smirked. “You do like my meat very raw.”
“Oh, rabbit gods,” Killian whimpered into his hands. He buried his face in Crush’s shoulder, closing his mouth over Crush’s skin.
“Are you sucking on me because you’re hungry?” Crush asked dryly.
“Maybe.” Killian bit into him. And the faint coppery taste of blood filled his mouth.
Crush grunted but made no move to shove Killian off. “Your teeth are sharper now; did you know that?”
Killian licked up the blood and forced himself to pull away before he could bite Crush again. It was difficult. “I hurt you,” he mumbled guiltily.
Crush shrugged. The bullet graze had scabbed up on his scarred cheek; Killian carefully touched his face.
“I’ve already forgotten about that,” Crush said over the sizzling meat. “It isn’t your fault. But you know what? I like the thought of you leaving bite marks on me. Permanent ones.”
Killian gulped, his heart stuttering. “Y-you mean, I can bite you right now, and you won’t mind?”
“If you bite me right now, I’m going to fuck you senseless,” Crush growled. “Maybe consider that if you don’t want to be filled with a different kind of meat.”
“You’re already filling me,” Killian mumbled. But he shifted his attention back to the cooking steak, horrified at his urge to lick that red meat. “Oh gods, why do I want to lick raw meat?”
Crush snickered. “You like it raw, sweetheart?”
“Yes.”
“Mmmm.”
“It’s not like we even used a condom,” Killian said. “All of it has been raw.”
Crush twitched inside him. His grip tightened on Killian’s hips, claws pricking his skin. “I’m trying to cook here, sweetheart.”
“At least you’re not driving. That was bad.”
Crush sighed. “You have absolute power over my cock. Do you know how dangerous that is?”
“I also know how to use guns. Isn’t that worse?”
Crush’s grin was all sharp teeth. “That just makes you hot.”
He flipped the steak over, so more sizzling filled the air. Killian drooled. The meat in the pan looked beautifully seared, but what he wanted was red meat. “Take it off the heat,” Killian said. “I want it raw.”
“Mmm. Fuck.” Crush turned off the burner. He hooked his claws into the steak and transferred it to a plate, then laid Killian chest-down on the counter. “Don’t move.”
To Killian’s surprise, the plate landed on his back. Crush began to shred the meat with his claws.
“Easier than a knife, to be honest,” the alpha said. He placed the plate in front of Killian; Killian propped himself up on his elbows, popping a piece into his mouth.
It was slightly bloody, soft and squishy. Killian’s instincts purred. He moaned a little.
“Yeah, keep making those sounds,” Crush growled. He began to grind his knot into Killian’s ass, rubbing it against Killian’s prostate.
“Let me eat!” Killian protested.
Crush paused, his breathing heavier now. “Eat,” he rumbled, his voice more animal than man.
Killian stuffed his face with the steak, chewing and moaning. The entire time, Crush panted, his cock jerking in Killian’s body.
“Fuck, your fucking sounds,” Crush hissed.
Killian ate his steak more slowly, just to hear Crush’s breath shuddering out.
When he finally stopped, Crush pushed the plate out of reach.
Then he rolled his hips, shoving his knot roughly against Killian’s prostate.
He worked Killian over until Killian came, screaming and scrabbling at the counter.
Killian lost track of the number of times he came.
He only knew when Crush roared, shooting a second load into him.
“You’re not in heat anymore,” Crush panted. “But I want to breed you anyway. Want to keep breeding you, keep you on my knot forever.”
“That sounds so good,” Killian whimpered.
Crush stuffed the half-eaten steak back into the fridge, and carried Killian back to bed.
“You’re furry,” Crush said a few days later, as they watched Naddie scamper through her piles of new toys.
“I am?” Killian looked down at his naked body. A thin layer of fuzz covered his chest, similar to that on Crush’s skin. Killian squeaked, turning his arms over and twisting his hips. Even his ass was fuzzy! “I’m a furry!”
Crush laughed and buried his face in Killian’s neck, huffing. “You know what all this means, right?”
“What?”
“You’re pregnant with wolf pups.”
Killian blushed. They had known for sure, after his heat vanished. More so when his steak cravings extended into multiple mealtimes. “I wasn’t craving raw steaks when I was pregnant with Naddie.”
“Coyotes are opportunistic omnivores. They eat whatever’s available, including plants and berries. I suspect that you might’ve eaten more eggs, maybe some chicken or deli meat when you were pregnant with her. But you needed more veggies too.”
“You’re right, actually.” Killian crouched and scooped Naddie into his arms. Naddie wagged her little fluffy tail, yipping. Crush grinned at her over Killian’s shoulder.
“She’s so amazing,” Crush murmured. “So bright and cheerful. I want to keep her safe, keep her smiling like that.”
Killian swallowed hard, his heart stuttering. “Do you, um. Would you... like to be her dad too?”
Crush froze. His eyes grew round, and he turned slowly to stare at Killian. Killian didn’t think the alpha was even breathing. “Are you sure, sweetheart?”
“Yeah,” Killian said. “You’ve cared about her ever since we met. You bought her clothes and toys, and you’ve put both of us on your health insurance.”
“You don’t think it’s too soon?”
“Maybe. But you’re already going to be a dad to our pups. So one more won’t hurt, right?”
Crush made a low, strangled sound. He turned Killian around so they were facing each other, Naddie squirming between them. Crush’s gaze was intense. And he leaned in, cupping Killian’s face to press a lingering kiss to his lips. “You don’t know how much your offer means to me,” the alpha breathed.
Killian swallowed hard. “I... I think I know.”
“Really?” Crush kissed him again. “Naddie is so important to you. Are you sure?”
Killian nodded. Actually, he was starting to be sure about a lot of things. Just that he wanted to keep them close to his heart for now, before his mouth blurted them all out.
“I’ll do my best to be a dad worthy of her,” Crush whispered. Then he bent down and pressed a kiss to Naddie’s head, before dropping to his knees, catching Killian’s hips and kissing his belly too.
Killian’s heart swelled. Maybe some things were still happening a little fast, but with each day that passed, he knew with more certainty what his answer would be.