21
“There you are!” Jenny’s voice chimes through the speaker. “How are you feeling? I’ve been debating whether or not to do a wellness check.”
My heart drops. “I’m so sorry, Jenny! I had a fever, and I... It’s all been a blur!”
“I saw your texts about that, and they didn’t make much sense. What happened, exactly?”
I suck in a horrified breath, putting my phone on speaker as I whip open her text messages. “Holy–”
Noah peeks over his shoulder as I scroll through several typo-ridden texts that autocorrect couldn’t save.
Me (8:32 AM):I thouhght he was th one
Me (8:33 AM):Whyf he leave
Me (9:05 AM):Amys helpinf but I want Noah ti luck ny bwck
My cheeks burn hot, and my heart pounds against Noah’s chest. He pats my head, struggling not to laugh, but I’m screaming internally.
“Jenny, I’m so sorry. I genuinely don’t remember these fever texts! Amy was there to help me with my high fever, and I was– well, delirious.”
“I figured as much, and I’m so glad you had Amy come to help you. But how are you feeling now?”
“I feel... good, actually.”
There’s a long pause, followed by Jenny’s audible excitement. “Oh, really?”
Oh, God. It’s depressing that my therapist is this shocked that I feel good.
“What about this Noah guy you met? You’re over him already?” She asks.
That thought feels so wrong that I tense in Noah’s arms. “No,” I say, a little too strongly. I soften my voice, panic-spouting my words. “I mean, no, it didn’t turn out how I thought. He left a note that he stepped out for supplies to help with my fever, but I was so busy being anxious that I didn’t see it. Then he helped Amy take care of me.”
Jenny laughs, and my heart feels a bit lighter. At least I’ve covered the gist of what happened.
“Oh, goodness. So you’re still talking to him, I assume?”
Noah holds his breath, smiling against my ear, and I bite my lips.
“Um, yes. We’re still talking.”
I can practically see Jenny’s mischievous smile through her heightening voice. “Oh? Why do I sense something more here?”
I giggle, gripping Noah’s shoulder. “Probably because we’re doing a lot more than just talking.”
Jenny gasps before letting out a rambunctious laugh.
Noah’s breath picks up the pace, eagerness buzzing through our bond.
“Okay, what?! I need to hear this before our next session Friday, or I’ll be curious all week!” Jenny laughs, lowering her voice. “Did you have sex with him?”
Noah’s chest stiffens as I grip him tighter.
His wolf ears will hear anything and everything, but it feels too nerve-wracking to loudly announce, so I take my phone off speaker and cup my hand around my mouth to whisper. “Jenny, I had the best sex of my life. Not even just one time.”
She gasps. “What?! That’s amazing!”
“And I was the one who initiated! I felt safe with him, and so comfortable, and it was just–” I catch my breath, unable to stop smiling. “Everything about it was so good.”
Noah’s cock twitches to life against my leg, and I suck in a yearning breath.
“Oh, my God! I’m so proud of you!” Jenny says.
I giggle, knowing she understands the true depth of this accomplishment. My stinging, watery eyes conflict with the rising heat in my groin - my body reacting to Noah’s eager scent. I rub my thigh against Noah’s erection to tease him, and he shuffles against me.
“He asked for your consent?”
“Multiple times.”
“As he should! It wasn’t painful this time at all?”
Noah freezes, and his emotions dip in concern.
But I can’t stop smiling. “No, it didn’t hurt. I couldn’t believe that either. It felt amazing, the whole time.”
“Aww, honey, I’m so happy for you! You’ve come so far.”
Caressing my back in a massaging cuddle, Noah kisses my shoulder silently. His hands stop on my hips, and although he pauses, the silent suggestion that he’s ready to give me more anytime is enough for wetness to seep into my underwear.
“It sounds like you went outside your comfort zone, and had a great time while you were at it,” Jenny says.
“I really did. Well, I’m still having a great time.”
“Oh? Are you saying you’re planning on seeing each other again?”
Forget just my cheeks, my whole body flushes. “I’m - um - actually in his bed right now.”
Jenny cackles so loud I have to lower my phone volume, and I laugh with her.
“I actually plan on seeing him for a long time. I can’t believe it, but I feel like he’s an important person in my life. I–” I swallow my words, nerves pounding through my arteries. “I really like him, Jenny.”
I’m talking to Jenny, but that was for Noah. He nuzzles into my neck, stirring my wolf into giddy shivers.
“Aww, honey, I’m just so happy for you.”
I swallow hard, dread creeping through my excitement. It’s so familiar to me that I don’t stop the compulsion in time, the insidious creature worming through my brain and out my mouth beyond my control.
“Y-you don’t think I’m being irrational or moving too fast, do you?” I ask.
Jenny breathes, and my heart kicks up in worry. Noah holds perfectly still.
He’s probably confused. He doesn’t know how damaging even an innocent question can be. How “just one” will lead to just one more. And one more. Until I’m buried beneath a pile of fearful behaviors I hate, struggling to navigate even the simplest tasks.
Jenny’s steady voice snaps me back into focus. “I’m a little torn as to if I should give you reassurance or not; that sounds like a compulsion.”
Oops. Noah’s wolf ears heard that, but does he know what Jenny means by a compulsion? “Okay,” I say. “Or, well, I know. I didn’t mean to. I hope it’s not disappointing, or–”
I wince - there goes another tiny one. There’s a brief pause. Jenny is being careful not to reassure my anxieties into cycling more, just like I had to do with Noah last night.
“I-I mean, I caught that one after it slipped out too,” I say.
Jenny’s smile shines through her voice. “It happens that way sometimes, doesn’t it? And Aliya, I have to say it’s the first time I’ve heard you so sure about how you feel with someone.”
I smile. “Yeah. I’d have to agree with that.”
“Do you feel like it aligns with your values to pursue this relationship?”
I hug Noah closer, rubbing my forehead against his neck, and he shivers. “Yes. Absolutely.”
“If your gut says you want to be close, then keep acknowledging your fears and do what you’d be doing if those fears weren’t there. I know you’ll get there. Keep following your instincts, just like you’ve been practicing.”
My heart throbs against Noah’s chest as he turns his head, meeting my eyes. I flush as he strokes my cheek, beaming at me.
As we hang up, my gut twists with anticipation for Noah’s thoughts. Before I called, I didn’t think about how Noah would hear everything, but he’s the one who brought out my wolf - the true, unfiltered side of me I’ve always hidden away. It’s so easy to be my genuine self around him that it felt natural to let him hear. I just hope he was okay with everything I said.
But as Noah lifts his chest to hover over me, his grin widens, and my worries wash away.
Noah dips to kiss me, his shoulders flexing above his outstretched arms like a prowling lion. I slide my palms up them, caressing all the way up his neck. With my fingers tracing gentle circles over the golden spot I marked, Noah purrs into my mouth.
I immerse my fingers into his hair, spreading my legs for him, and Noah lowers himself flush against me.
But then he freezes, his lips still pressed to mine. It looks like he heard something.
After a tense silence, Noah growls.
I mindlink him with our lips still locked. What is it?
Noah sighs, kissing me deeper. My mom wants to meet you. She’s telling me off for not wanting her to.
I break our kiss, my heart sinking. “What’s so bad about meeting me?”
Noah sits up off me, his shoulders deflating. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. She’s just–” He sighs, scraping his fingers through his bedhead until it’s captivatingly messy. “She’s not very warm. I don’t want you to have to be around that just yet.”
Dropping my stare, I hug my chest, hiding my boring, old bra. “Is it because I was raised as a human?”
Noah scratches the back of his neck, dropping his head. “Well, unfortunately, she’s speciesist, so yes, that’s part of it. We fight about it constantly.” My heart pounds, but Noah meets my eyes with a shy smile. “I also just want to keep you to myself a bit longer. Without the stress of outside input.”
I try to smile, but I feel too sick from his words.
Noah deflates. His shaky fingers sort out my tangled hair this time. “I-I’m sorry. This is part of what I meant last night. I hate putting you through this.”
I need to get my head straight. This is Noah. Unless he says otherwise, he’s not embarrassed by me like my ex. He’s concerned for me like my mate.
Grasping his hand to my chest, I look into his eyes. “Noah, I’m your mate, and I want to be. There will always be something to compromise on or share the load with during a long-term relationship. If this is what comes with ours, that’s okay.”
My heart throbs faster, debating on whether or not to share the rest of what I want to say. The full truth. But Noah gazes at me with such hope and relief that I can’t help myself.
“There’s something else.” I give his knuckles a kiss, waiting for a response. He’s frozen, but wrapped up in my every breath - teal eyes tracing my stare with full trust.
And just like when I discussed it with Amy, I know this is exactly what I want.
“Noah, I want to be your Luna.”
He sucks in a sharp breath, and I flush down my neck.
“I know that’s a lot to say and that I’m clueless, but my wolf is certain, and I’m certain about you, and–” I trail off in a sputtering, red-cheeked mess, but I’m too afraid of what’s behind Noah’s eager stare to hear it just yet, so I prattle on. “I’m sure all sorts of uncomfortable situations will happen often as Luna. I want you to see that you can trust me to handle it.”
After a heavy swallow, Noah’s voice comes out soft and steady. “It’s not you I don’t trust. I don’t want anyone to be hurtful to you. Especially not my own mother.”
“How she treats me is up to her, and not about our relationship. As long as you and I treat each other with kindness, I’ll be happy.”
Noah grasps my hand, lacing his fingers through mine. But when I finally look at him, I’m surprised to find he’s not smiling. “I just don’t want to put you in situations I know will suck if there’s still a chance I could do anything about it.”
I give him a playful smile. “Sounds like you’re still taking on this protection thing all by yourself.”
He leans over me, kissing my cheek. “It’s in my instincts to protect you, sweet Omega. I care about you too much to not follow them.”
His deep whisper makes me shiver. My core aches with desire, and I chase Noah’s lips before he pulls away. He settles in to kiss me, heavy, longing drags of our lips curling my toes off the bed.
But after kneading his lips a few times, I can tell he’s distracted.
“Is she still linking you?”
He sighs, sweet puppy-dog eyes dropping to my collarbone. “Y-yeah...”
“How bad will she react to me, honestly?”
Noah groans, scrubbing his forehead on my stomach. It tickles so much that I burst into giggles. He pops back up with a smile.
“I don’t know.” His smile fades. “I haven’t been able to predict her behavior since my dad died.”
My throat tightens. “I’m so sorry. My mom changed when my dad died too. But she died of heartbreak only a month later.”
Noah drops his forehead against mine. Grief flows from both sides of our bond.
“That sounds horrifyingly painful to go through, one after another,” Noah says.
I nod, cupping his face to hold him to me.
Noah cups my cheek back, toying with my bottom lip with his thumb. “I think my mom would’ve died too, but instead, she just became someone else. My dad wouldn’t recognize his mate.”
Noah’s darkening voice tingles my spine. I sit up, and we break apart, facing each other in our underwear as if we’ve known each other our whole lives.
“Like... her personality changed?”
“Her personality, her attitude towards life, her care for others... It’s all gone. She just kept her hatred.”
I shrink. “That makes her sound cruel.”
He shrugs. His nonchalant attitude strikes me as a bad sign. A cover-up.
I feel like she hurt Noah. Badly.
“I don’t think I’ve met another Luna like her. Or another Omega, for that matter.” Noah kisses me, but as he slips off the bed, my heart still pounds. He grabs a fresh set of clothes, shooting me a soft smile from his dresser. “Hey, it’s okay. Let me talk her down today. Then we can meet her together next weekend.”
As Noah heads for the shower, I grip his duvet to my chest. A flash of hot anger stirs my wolf into action, pulling me from Noah’s warm bed to shake off my sweating palms.
There’s no way I’m letting Noah take any abuse in my stead. If she’s cruel to him in front of me, I’ll give her a piece of my mind.
But let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. I’m going to try to make the best impression I can.
With a fire in my gut, I whip up a quick breakfast by the time Noah meets me in his kitchen, the longest strand of his wet hair outlining his cheekbone. His eyes widen as I slide a plate of eggs and grilled veggies toward him.
“This is for before you head out for the day.”
“I-I don’t expect you to wait on me.”
“It’s breakfast for both of us. But also as thanks, for such a good night’s sleep - and then some.”
With my wink, Noah flushes a deep red, sitting at the kitchen island with a subtle smile. I notice him eyeing the vegetables warily, but he quickly shovels them into his mouth once he has a taste.
I add more of everything to his plate. “Let’s invite your mom to lunch today.”
Noah’s fork freezes in the air, mid-bite.
“We can invite Rainn too - take some tension off the situation by making it a whole family thing. And if your mom hates me, she hates me. I’m still your mate. She’ll have to accept it on her own. I’m not letting you face this alone, either. Don’t underestimate your feisty Omega.”
Noah’s eyes are laced with fear, but my words turn his expression into mush. “Okay. I’ll link them both.”