Chapter Thirty-Seven
Thirty-Seven
Atlas
Tegan opened her front door and launched herself at me, wrapping me in a tight hug and pressing her cheek against my chest.
“Hey, baby,” I said, leaning down to nuzzle her head. “Everything okay?” I asked. Her text earlier made it seem like something happened today.
“Better now that you’re here,” she said without elaborating. “What did you bring us for dinner?”
“Mac’s Barbeque. One of my all-time favorite cheat meals.” I’d been having a lot of those lately. Oddly enough, I didn’t care all that much. I was enjoying myself. Enjoying this.
Enjoying Tegan.
“Sounds delicious,” Tegan said, leading me inside.
“It is.” I set the bags of carryout on the counter, my mouth watering slightly at the scent of the food. “I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I got a little bit of everything.”
Tegan’s eyes widened at the sight of all the barbecue and sides I’d brought. “This is like a buffet.” She leaned over the pulled pork and took a deep inhale. “Fuck, it smells amazing.”
I barked a laugh, amused over my sweet thing’s appreciation for good food. “Get us some plates, baby. Let’s eat.”
Tegan pulled a plate for me from the cupboard. After I loaded it up with a generous serving of barbecue, mac and cheese, and cornbread, I took a seat at the tiny table in the corner of the kitchen.
“What would you like to drink?” she asked as she set her plate down. “I have water, sweet tea, or lemonade.”
My precious little hostess with the mostest.
“Some water would be great, please.”
Tegan grabbed us both a glass of water before sliding into her chair. I watched with anticipation as she brought her pulled pork sandwich to her mouth. If she didn’t like it, this would be a deal breaker. Not really, but I mean, who doesn’t like barbecue? Even vegans like barbecued jackfruit.
“Oh my gosh,” she groaned through a bite of her sandwich. “This is freaking delicious.”
My dick was hard. Watching her eat did things for me.
“I’m glad you like it. I was going to have to reevaluate our relationship if you didn’t,” I teased.
She snorted. “What’s not to like about sugary slow-cooked meats?”
I couldn’t help the smile that spread over my face, tightening my cheeks so hard, it almost hurt. “Attagirl.”
She bit her lip and smiled at me before taking a drink. Her and that praise kink would be the death of me.
We sat in companionable silence while we ate, quickly scarfing down our food.
“I don’t think I could eat another bite,” she said as she pushed her chair away from the table and patted her light pink lips with her napkin.
“Same.” I wiped my muzzle, making sure to get any trace of barbecue sauce or lingering crumbs. Being furry was tough.
Tegan grabbed our plates and started to clean up the kitchen.
“Why don’t you let me help—”
“I’ve got it,” she insisted.
“So did something happen today?” I asked. “Your text earlier made it sound like you had a rough day.”
Her back was turned to me while she did the dishes, and she whipped around to face me. She leaned against the counter, crossing her arms over her chest. “My idiot brother was here waiting for me when I got off work. He came by to lecture me about how fast our relationship was moving.”
Well, he was going to be in for a real surprise when he found out we were mates…
“Yeah, um, I, um, I actually came over to talk to you about that.” I rubbed my claws through the fur of my thighs, trying to ground myself.
“Atlas, if this is about Jade and what happened the other day—”
I cut her off before she could continue.
“No, I don’t even want to think about her.” I growled under my breath. Jade wasn’t part of this equation. “I want to talk about us. About the full moon,” I said in a calm, even tone, focusing my gaze on Tegan. “Why don’t we sit on the couch,” I suggested.
“Okay.”
We made our way to the living room, and Tegan sat down on the couch.
I sat next to her, making sure my thigh was touching hers. I wanted to pull her into my lap and hold her tightly, but eye contact was probably best for a conversation like this.
“I’d like us to spend the full moon together, Tegan. Here, in the woods by the cottage. I—I know we talked a little bit about rut, and what happens to wolven during that time, but have you ever heard of primal play?”
She shook her head.
“It’s role playing, where one partner is the predator, and the other is the prey. For wolven, it’s instinctual.” I bit my lip, anticipating a negative reaction over what I was about to say next. “You’d run, and I’d chase after you.”
I could see her chest heaving, her breathing picking up. I wasn’t sure if she was nervous or excited.
“And what would happen,” she said, her voice low, “when you caught me?”
“I’d fuck you—hard. Over and over again.”
She nodded. “I want that.”
I chuckled, reaching for her hand. “I do, too, but I want us to use a safe word. If there’s any point where you’re scared, or I’m hurting you—I want you to use it. Whatever it is we’re doing, you use your safe word, and it stops right then. Your safety is my top priority.”
Her expression brightened, and she smiled wider than I’d ever seen her smile before. “I know you’d never hurt me, Atlas.”
“You do?” I asked, my gruff voice higher pitched than usual. She really did a number on me, this woman.
“Of course I do.” She tightened her grip on my hand.
I leaned closer and kissed her, savoring her scent and the way her soft lips felt pressed against mine.
Tegan slid her tongue inside my mouth, and I groaned. “Fuck, Tegan. You are so fucking sexy.”
“Am. Not,” she said against my lips, alternating between speaking and kissing.
“Yes, yes, you are.” I grabbed her body and hoisted her onto my lap with ease. She faced me with her legs straddling my hips, and my cock throbbed against the heat of her pussy.
I growled against her neck as she rocked her hips against my erection. “Gonna fucking rut this pussy during the full moon.” The sharp tips of my teeth trailed across her pulse point and Tegan moaned. “You like it when I talk dirty, don’t you? Just like you enjoy a little bit of pain.”
“Uh-huh,” Tegan mumbled as I thrust my hips to meet hers.
“Such a good little slut for your big bad wolf.”
“Atlas, please,” she whined into the fur of my neck.
“Nah, baby. You gotta rest up. This pussy has to be ready to take me again and again during the full moon.”
I grabbed her hips and held her firmly in place.
“Fine,” she groaned, and stuck out her lower lip in a pout.
It took every bit of self-control I had not to rip her clothes off and take her right there on the couch, but I wanted to give her some time to recover before the big event in a few days. Speaking of that…
“Baby, we should talk about one more thing.” The thought of having this conversation with Tegan, right here and right now, had my heart racing.
But she needed to know what could happen. She needed to know the truth.
Tegan stared up at me while running her fingers through my ruff. Gods, her touch felt amazing. She gave me so much comfort and she didn’t even know it. “And what’s that?” she asked.
I grabbed her hand and held it still right over my heart, the steady thump thump thump pounding under our fists. “Tegan, uh. Wow. This is hard to talk about. Especially so soon.” I puffed out a breath of air. “I don’t want to totally freak you out.”
“I think I know what you’re trying to say.” She brought my hand to her lips and kissed my knuckles softly. “I might be your mate.”
“I know you’re my mate. And when we spend the full moon together, I might try to claim you.” I stared into her eyes, waiting for her to tell me this was crazy. To tell me that there was no way that we could be mates, but it never happened.
With our fingers still intertwined, Tegan leaned into my chest and nuzzled her face into my neck. “I can think of worse fates than spending my entire life mated to you, Atlas Oberon.”
“Are you sure this is what you want?” I asked, needing total confirmation.
She nodded. “I’ve never wanted anything more.”