Chapter 17 - Riley
“Fuck you’re tight.” I pressed my lips against her neck. Her body was wrapped around my cock as if her life depended on it. I was trying so hard not to bust at the feeling.
I rocked my hips, feeling how soaking wet she was. I felt her arms wrap around my shoulders, her chest flush against mine. I could feel her heart beating almost as fast as mine was.
She panted for air, her fingers tight against my skin. I kissed her softly. I kissed her nose and each of her cheeks. I kissed her chin and then her lips. I slid my tongue over his, inhaling her moan as I rocked my hips hard into her.
I was so afraid of hurting her that my anger would suddenly take over again, and I’d lose control.
I kept thinking of all the harm I could do to her.
My wolf could have made me do things I'd never want to do. She should have run when she had the chance. It was smart. But she didn’t, and now I couldn’t let her go.
“Promise you won’t leave,” I asked, slamming deeper into her.
I locked my eyes with her and grabbed her chin, “I offered, and you said no. So, promise you won’t leave.
Even when this is all done, stay. Stay with me.
” I couldn't stomach her changing her mind.
Not after she made me feel like I was worthy of her time.
Not after the way she was looking at me with those kind eyes.
Every time she smiled, I felt my heart stop.
When she looked at me, I felt that maybe things were going to be okay.
I watched her eyes soften even more. Her hand reached up, her fingers grazing my face. “Promise me you’ll make it worth staying. That you'll continue to try and be better every day.”
I smiled, and I think for the first time we were thinking the same thing. “I’ll make it worth everything.”
My lips crashed against hers, and I slammed into her over and over. I felt her tighten around my cock, her nails raking down my back. I kissed her neck, feeling her panting, her breath hot against my skin.
“Riley, I’m going to...”
I didn’t let her finish as I reached down, circling her clit. Her face shifted as I felt her tighten around my cock as she came. Her body shook as she shattered apart. Her head fell back, and I watched as she moaned my name.
I slid out, not wanting to finish yet. She sagged against the sheets, her eyes glazed over. She panted for air, and I dipped my head down, running my tongue over her collarbone. I grabbed at her bra, sliding it free.
“You didn’t finish.”
“No, I didn’t.”
I cupped her breast and pulled her onto my lap. Her eyes widened as I slid back into her. I tucked her body against mine, her eyes locked with mine.
“Rock your hips.” I placed my hands on her hips, slowly guiding her. She moved, and I knew why the rocking was doing to her. It was hitting at a different angle now.
Her mouth fell open, and I knew she was sensitive, so this felt better than anything. She’s come apart twice, and it wouldn’t be hard for a third time.
“Why didn’t you finish?”
“Because I’m not ready.” I twisted her nipples, feeling her body tighten around my cock at the contact. “I want to watch you ride me while I finish.”
Her hands landed flat on my hips as she ground her hips into me. I bit onto her nipple, and she whimpered.
It felt perfect, and I wanted this to last forever. I knew it wouldn’t, and from how much she was shaking, I knew she was close to finishing again.
I kissed her, thrusting up with her as she ground down. I felt my own release come as she came herself.
It hit me hard, and I shoved up into her, filling her. I kept thrusting, keeping letting her ride me as she came hard.
She sagged against me, panting for air. I stroked her back as I held her close. She smelled like sweetness, and I could feel her magic like a second hand over my skin.
I glanced around the room and cringed seeing the mess I’d made.
There was glass everywhere, and the sheets were ripped.
I didn’t remember how it all happened, but I knew I’d lost control when I got home.
I was seeing red, and everything I saw I wanted to break.
It scared me now, thinking about the rage I'd been in.
I knew it was just like the others who lost control.
She placed her hands on my chest, leaning back slightly as she looked at me. “You destroyed your room.”
“Yeah, I know.” I sighed. “I don’t look forward to cleaning it.”
“Are you planning to clean it tonight?” She asked, looking at me, hopeful.
I could see something swimming in her eyes. “Do you want me to take you upstairs so you can sleep?”
She reached a hand up, running her fingers along my eyelids. “You need sleep, too. Leave the mess for tomorrow.”
I wasn’t going to argue with her. I hoisted her up. Moving her carefully as I slipped out of the room. I took her upstairs to her room. I threw the sheets up and pulled us both under them. She settled in my arms, and I held her close.
I didn’t know what this meant for us, but I was taking it as a good sign.
I inhaled her scent, allowing myself to relax into the sheets. I let myself drift into a deep slumber.
I jerked awake to a scream. My body jolted up, ready to attack. But as I looked around, I knew that there was no one in the room.
I quickly turned to Janella, who was as white as a ghost. Her face was contorted in pain, and I knew she was the one who screamed.
“Janella.” I shook her slightly, watching her shake her head. I shook her harder. “Janella. It’s a nightmare. Wake up.”
Her eyes burst open, and I cupped her face. Her eyes went wide, and she looked confused. She was sweating and shaking all over.
“It was just a bad dream. I’m here.”
She sat up, placing her hand over her heart. “I saw something.”
“It was just a nightmare.”
She shook her head. “No, I saw something. I was… I don’t know where I was, but there was a big pot.”
I raised an eyebrow at her. “A pot?”
She nodded. “Like in movies with evil witches. A cauldron. It was a cauldron.”
I ran my hand over her hair. “Janella, it’s just a dream.”
She shook her head again. “No, I could feel something coming from it. It wasn’t just a dream, Riley. I think it’s real. I could reach out and touch it if I wanted to.”
It wasn’t that I didn’t believe her, but nightmares did that to you. You woke up afraid, thinking whatever you'd seen was real. “Janella...” I continued to stroke her head. “I think it’s just a dream. Let's go back to bed.”
She leaned back, giving me a glare. “It’s real. I know it is, Riley.”
I grabbed her shoulders. “I’m not saying I don’t believe you. But it’s…” I looked over at the alarm, seeing it was just a little past two in the morning. “It’s two in the morning. Let’s go back to bed, and in the morning, if you still feel like it’s real, we can go look for it.”
Janella swallowed and slowly nodded. I tucked her close to me and pulled the sheets back over us again. She rested her head against my chest and sighed.
I woke up first the next morning. Janella was still out cold; her face relaxed in a deep sleep. I moved slowly, not wanting to wake up. I went and started us both coffees, and was pouring it when she came down the stairs. She rubbed at her eyes, wearing a pair of shorts and a tank top now.
“Morning.” My eyes looked her over, taking in how tight the fabric was clinging to her. I tried to shake my head to stop staring.
“Morning.” She sat down at the island. She took a cup of coffee and sighed.
“So? Still think that cauldron was real?”
She nodded her head. “I do, and I want to find it.”
I shouldn't have been surprised that she wanted to look for it. I glance at the time. I had gotten a few messages that I needed to address before I could go help her. “I have some meetings I need to attend today, but I can join you this afternoon.”
“That’s okay. I wanted to go looking around this morning anyway. See if maybe I can feel a pull or something.”
“I’ll join you this afternoon, after lunch.”
She swallowed. “You're not going to think I'm crazy? That I'm reading too much into it?”
I shook my head. “No. You're a witch, Janella. And that dream might have just been a vision.”
I left half an hour later. I had a meeting with the council, who were furious that I let word get out. They were pissed that people were talking about it and asking them for more information. I said little, not in the mood to defend myself more than I already had.
I had another meeting with Philip, my Beta. He had gotten calls all night asking him for more details. People wanted answers. Answers to questions I didn't have. I had hundreds of voicemails waiting for me at the office.
By lunch, I threw my hands up and called it a day. I called Janella as I got outside and started my car. It rang a few times before she answered.
“Hey.”
“Hey, where are you?”
“I'm at the park by the city hall.”
I turned and glanced at the park across the street. I could see her standing near a tree, and I smiled. “Well, I'm done and ready to help.”
Janella and I went out looking everywhere. We stopped at different stores to see if they were selling any cauldrons. We went into the woods to see if we could find one that was abandoned. But we came up empty on all accounts.
Janella hadn't seen where the cauldron had been, just that she saw it. She had no idea where it could be, which made it harder for us to pinpoint where to look.
We came home tired after a long day. Janella threw herself onto the couch and sighed heavily. “Well, that seemed like a bust. I feel we were everywhere.”
“We can continue to look tomorrow.” I headed down the hallway to my room and froze when I remembered the mess that was waiting for me.
“Shit.”
I heard her footsteps coming down the hallway, and she paused as she took in my room. “I forgot about this.”
“I did too.” I sighed, rubbing my hands through my hair. “I should probably get to cleaning it.”
“I can help.”
I shook my head. “It’s my mess, Janella. You don’t need to help me clean it up.”
“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I can’t help you. You weren’t exactly yourself when you did it.”
She stepped into the room, and my mind went to what we’d done on the bed. She felt like a safe place that I’d been wanting my entire life. A person that I could let my walls down and just be.
“So, where do you want to start?”
I felt grateful to have her. She didn’t have to stay. She doesn’t have to be here, but she was. Janella had a perfect reason to leave after what happened, but she didn’t. And I wanted to make her feel what I was feeling. I wanted to be her safe place and someone that she could turn to.
“Lighting a match might be easier.”
She laughed as she bent down. “Tomorrow we can look on the south side of the forest for the cauldron.” She picked up the shredded sheets and gave me a soft smile. It made my heart skip a beat, and I knew I was falling. If I were being honest, I was pretty sure I’d already fallen.
We searched every day and came up empty-handed.
The mornings were spent handling the pack's questions and concerns, while the afternoons were spent searching.
Janella and I were searching everywhere you could think—abandoned homes, empty wells, and forgotten land.
We were in the woods and near ponds. I could see the frustration growing each day we came home without answers.
“I’m not crazy,” she said as we arrived home after another long day of looking. “I know it’s out there.”
“I don't think you're crazy. I might be questioning if it's in our pack, but I don't think you're crazy.”
She sighed as she headed into the living room, where she had some books sitting out. “I just wish I could tell where it was. Or at least have another vision about it. Some clue to help me out.”
“What do the books say?”
She groaned as she sat down on the couch. “Everything and nothing at the same time. If I had better control over my magic, I could probably tell you more.”
I followed after her and stuffed my hands into my pockets. “You managed to calm me when I was in a bad state. I think you need to give yourself some room.”
“That was different.”
“How so?”
“I was using soothing magic. It’s basic, and I wasn’t even sure if it was going to work.”
“And I think you can do it.”
She chewed on her lower lip. “And what if I’m not… strong enough.”
I moved closer, pulling her chin up. “You are. You have dealt with so much in comparison to this. You’ve worked through harder situations.”
She blushed, and I let go of her chin. “Now focus on that. I’ll start dinner.”