Chapter 9
Time was a funny thing.
It seemed like yesterday that Cass was storming into The Amber Howl to have some choice words with her bestie. But it had been almost two weeks since the night she met the sexiest wolf, the first tumble into bed, then running away like her butt was on fire.
Now, she was getting ready for a date with Trick.
And she’d never been so ready for a date in her life.
Trick said he had a special night planned for them, and the only thing she knew was that he suggested she wear something nice and that he’d pick her up at six thirty.
He knocked on the door just as she was smoothing the neckline of her pretty short-sleeved wrap dress.
Smiling at her reflection, she tucked her hair behind her ears and headed for the door.
“Hey beautiful,” he said when she opened the door and held out a bouquet of flowers.
“Oh, they’re lovely! Thank you.” She kissed him and took the flowers.
“You can bring them to the house if you want. I might even have a vase for you.”
“Oh, fancy.” She smiled at him. “I will, then. Where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise.” He gave her a secret smile, then offered her his arm. She took it and pulled the door shut behind them.
When they crossed the bridge over the Pine Run River and turned toward The Howl, she said, “I thought we were going out?”
“We are. Kind of.” He stopped in front of his house and got out. He came around to her door and opened it, then said, “Come on, sweetheart.”
Inside, the house smelled incredible. Garlic and herbs and warm bread. Electric candles flickered on the kitchen table, and as he’d promised, an empty vase sat in the center. She unwrapped the flowers while he gathered things in the kitchen and placed the flowers in the vase.
She sat and watched as he put plates down, then filled two wine glasses, and sat across from her.
She looked at the platter of lasagna, green beans, and fresh rolls, and then at him. “You ordered in?”
“I did. I wanted you all to myself tonight.”
“I’m always all yours.”
The words struck a chord in her and she knew they were the truth. Somewhere along the way, she’d gone from being worried they’d jumped into bed too fast, to not being able to picture her life without him in it.
They ate the lasagna, talking and laughing over their days. It was such an ordinary thing, but it felt intimate all the same.
Flowers, candles. A meal he picked out himself for them.
She was… swooning like a damsel in an old movie.
Falling hard for her wolf.
It wasn’t his blue eyes, or strong jaw, or the way he could kiss her and make her forget everything. It was how kind he was, how protective of the people he cared about. How much she liked to be around him. He was warmth personified. The very definition of home.
After dinner, he took her out to the back porch.
The sky was lit with stars, the woods dark and quiet.
She put her arms around him and kissed him.
He rested his hands on her hips and gazed down at her, and she saw just the hint of his wolf’s amber.
“I knew what you were to me the moment you walked into the tavern,” he said. “The wolf gives me instincts that humans don’t have. You’re my truemate, the one person in the world for me. When you showed up, I knew I’d been waiting my whole life for you.”
“Oh Trick,” she said. “You’re so special to me.”
He kissed her, his fingers digging into her hips. “Be my mate, Cassidy. Let me mark you and make you mine.”
“Yes.”
His arms came around her, and he kissed her again. Words that hadn’t been said hung between them, but she felt them just the same. They’d both fallen for each other. The words could come later.
They moved back on the patio to the lounge chair that was covered in shadows, and she sat down, her legs spreading wide as he lowered himself to his knees on the concrete.
He pushed up the hem of her dress as his hands delved under the soft material.
She waited for the moment he realized she wasn’t wearing anything underneath.
He growled softly as his fingers stroked her. “Sexy female.”
She leaned back on her elbows and held his gaze as she tucked her finger under the top of her dress and pulled down first one side, and then the other, until her breasts were free, her nipples tightening in the cool night air.
It was so dark she could only see him covered in shadows, and she was feeling more aroused than she ever had in her life.
He pushed the dress up over her hips and bared her fully, and she could hear the growl of his wolf as he inhaled and let out a pleased rumble.
“Mine,” he said, lowering his head to press a kiss to her navel.
“Yes,” she said, the word ending on a hiss as he pushed his hands under her bottom and lifted her to his mouth. She gripped the back of the lounger with a gasp as he licked a slow circle around her clit before delving his tongue into her heat.
He tongued her core, growling in a way that made his tongue vibrate, then he stroked up and around her clit before closing his lips over it and sucking. Heat pooled in her belly, swirling tighter as he drew her closer to climax.
Right before she fell over the edge, he stopped. Before she could ask why, he rose to his feet and stripped, his clothes hitting the concrete.
“On your knees, beautiful,” he said, his voice edged with a growl.
She rolled to her knees on the lounge, gripping the top as her dress fluttered down over her bottom. He put one knee behind her and pushed the dress over her hips again, and then he leaned forward, kissing her neck.
“I want you to come on my cock.”
He gave a light bite to her neck and she felt his cock press against her before slowly sliding in. She tilted her head back with a gasp as he filled her, one hand on her hip and the other covering her breast and squeezing her nipple between his finger and thumb.
“You’re the fucking sexiest female I’ve ever met,” he said.
He pulled from her pussy and thrust in again.
He started slow, so she felt every inch as his body connected with hers.
Then he moved faster, playing with her breasts and kissing her neck and shoulder, nibbling on her skin and setting fire to her nerves.
The orgasm that had started to bloom charged forward again, and she reached back to sink her fingers into his hair. He pushed his hand roughly down her body and under her dress, pressing his fingers to her clit and rubbing quickly.
She let out a cry of pleasure as heat spiraled through her. He took her hard and fast, his chest vibrating with his wolf’s growl and her vision blurring as pure pleasure poured over her.
Her fingernails scraped against his scalp as his fingers found just the right spot and she fell over the edge into heat, crying out his name.
He pushed her roughly forward and she caught herself on the lounge. His hands clamped on her hips and he fucked her hard and fast, her climax lapping at her like waves on the shore, stretching out impossibly far as he filled her over and over.
He growled deeply when he came, his hands digging into her hips, and then she was upright, pressed against his chest with his fingers on her clit, her whole body jolting as pleasure surged through her.
And then he bit her.
His fangs slid into her neck and the pinch of pain smoothed out to pure bliss as she came a second time. He extracted his fangs and licked the marks tenderly, then he hugged her against him, both of them breathing hard.
“My beautiful mate,” he said hoarsely. “I love you.”
Too blissed out to do more than shiver at the pleasure that still pulsed through her, she smiled. “I love you too, my sweet wolf.”
The following night, Trick couldn’t shake the nerves.
He’d shifted tons of times since he was a teenager but tonight was different. He was shifting for Cass for the first time.
She was his mate now and wearing his marks, but he wanted her to see all of him and that meant in the fur too.
Cass walked out of the house, putting his hoodie on because the night was cool.
He drew her close. “I like you in my clothes, but I like you better in nothing.”
“All right, you horn dogs,” Juliette said with a laugh as she, Sigh, and Dare walked into the backyard.
“Spoilsport,” Cass said.
“Later,” Trick whispered, wiggling his brows.
“You know it,” Cass said.
Dare cleared his throat. “So we’re not real big on ceremonies here, Cassidy. You’re wearing Trick’s marks and you’re his truemate, and that makes you part of the pack and part of our family. Welcome.”
“Thank you,” Cass said.
Sigh and Juliette clapped, and Juliette gave Cass a hug.
“We’ll see you out there,” Juliette said.
They parted ways, Dare heading off on his own, and Sigh and Juliette walking into the woods together.
Trick smiled down at her. “Beautiful, just remember that I’m still me in my shift.”
“I trust you.”
He loved that she trusted him.
He brushed a lock of hair behind her ear and kissed her, then moved off the patio.
Trick held her gaze as he stripped, enjoying the way she bit her bottom lip and didn’t seem to even blink. He winked at her and let himself go into his shift, going from two legs to four, dark fur covering him, his tail whipping back and forth as his claws dug into the soft ground.
Cass let out a soft gasp and stepped forward, dropping to her knees in front of him.
“Oh, you’re beautiful.” She sank her fingers into his thick fur and pressed her head against his. “My Trick.”
She stroked his fur, rubbed his ears until his back leg kicked, and then she giggled shamelessly and kissed him on the nose.
“Should we walk?” she asked.
He nodded with a low grumble.
They headed toward the river and walked along the bank for a while, and then she stopped and stared across to Mill Creek.
“We were so close but also far away. It’s wild, isn’t it?” she asked. She kneeled next to him, leaning against him, then said, “Trick, I’m so happy we found each other. I love you so much.”
He let out a rumbling growl.
She pressed her head against his. “I love your wolf, I love your sexy smile, I love how you’ve been so patient with me. I know you’re my truemate, and that makes me the luckiest girl in the world.”
He lifted his head and howled, and in the distance, his pack answered.
They stayed on the riverbank for a long time, her talking quietly, leaning against him and stroking his fur. Then they caught up to Dare, Sigh, and Juliette, and the girls talked while the guys prowled the woods, chasing rabbits and tackling each other.
They were back at their homes when they could shift back, and Trick returned to human and caught Cass in a hug. “I love you, sweetheart. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.”
“I love you too,” she said. “And I love it here.”
“Here?” he asked.
She leaned back enough to look at him. “King Lake. The woods, the river, The Howl.” Her gaze moved to the house, then back to him. “Your house, your pack.”
“You do?”
“Yeah. I didn’t expect to feel so at home here already, but it’s because you’re home for me.”
“You’re home for me too.” He brushed his lips over hers. “Move in with me. I don’t want it to be my house, I want it to be ours.” He wanted her there with him. Her clothes in the closet, her mugs in the cabinet, her next to him in bed every night.
“Yes,” she said, her eyes glittering with happiness. “I’d love to.”
To the side, he heard Juliette call out a “Woohoo!”
They turned and found Sigh and Juliette on their back porch. “Welcome to the neighborhood!”
“Thanks! Night bestie!” Cass said with a laugh and a wave. She glanced at Trick, waggling her brows like he had earlier. “I think you mentioned something about sexy shenanigans when you were back to human? And I noticed you’re still naked.”
His wolf perked right up.
“Cass,” he said, ducking to toss her over his shoulder, “I like the way you think.”
She laughed as he carried her into the house.
Finally, his mate was home.
Not quite ready to leave King Lake?
Come hang out with the wolves for a little bit longer with Mini Bonus Chapter One: A Dragon at The Howl