Chapter 15 #2
I shove at him, and he chuckles as we make our way from his trailer toward the small path that leads into town.
The first time I came here with Attie, we were both twenty-one.
He was looking for a pack to take him in, and I was along for the ride.
Attie has never made the best decisions, and I was there to make sure he wasn’t throwing himself to literal wolves.
After meeting everyone and going through an extensive interview process, they invited him to settle in.
I stayed with him for a year, living in that small trailer, sleeping on the worn couch.
At that time, I went through a few heats, fucked a few of the alphas, and got to know some of them as friends.
But I knew I couldn’t stay here forever. I needed to leave.
And one day I realized my time was up.
My life was calling to me. My future. I couldn’t live with Attie on his couch forever. I’d been relying on him for too long.
After leaving, I only came back to see my brother and go through my heats. I got a reputation as a flash-mate, cutting and running after the first night.
It left the alphas wanting more, but I had none to give.
“Isn’t our town pretty?” Attie asks, looping his arm through Glenn’s and sweeping his other hand out in front of him. “It’s a work of art.”
I stare at the dilapidated buildings, one with just the bottom half of the siding painted. It’s never been much, and over the years, it’s fallen apart slowly.
“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” I say, and Attie grins.
“Fuck you. I painted that one, by the way. Look at those strokes. So even and nice.”
“They’re literally lopsided, and I see a handprint right there,” Glenn says, and Attie tweaks his nipple.
“Fuck off with that. It is perfection. People call me Picasso. I’m known as a bit of a visionary.”
I roll my eyes at that. “I know for a fact that isn’t true.”
Attie steps away and waves at someone lingering on a crooked porch. “Hey! Let! Admiring my work?” Attie turns toward us. “This is the town hall. See that paint job? All me.”
I see the drip marks on the wood planks and bite back a pained smile. Gods, Attie is a fucking mess.
Let ignores my brother, which makes him grumble under his breath, but he catches my gaze, and his lips turn up in a smile.
“That Arbor?” Let asks no one in particular and then stands up, moving down the steps toward me. I feel Glenn shift closer to me, his fingers curling into my hip once more.
“Sure is. My bro is here to visit me. And this is his lover, Glenndolyn.”
“It’s just Glenn,” Glenn murmurs, but Attie ignores him, humming under his breath as Let gets closer.
“You’re pretty enough to be a Glenndolyn,” Let says, his eyes moving up and down his chest.
That makes something inside me twist. Apparently, it’s my turn to feel possessive.
“Fuck off with the flirtation,” I hiss as Let comes to a stop in front of me.
“Yeah, all right, but good to see you,” he tells me, his voice soft before he meets Glenn’s stare. “Forest said he was bringing his brother this weekend. You the same as him?”
“’Course he’s not!” Attie cries out and stumbles into Let, who props him up with a hand to his shoulder. “Glenndolyn uses my bro as a hole. But I’m the same as Forest, Let. Just not an alpha. Just a sad little shaman with magical abilities who likes to bend over.”
I sigh, closing my eyes. “Gods, you sound desperate.”
“I am, so sue me.”
I shake my head in resignation. Attie has been nothing but unapologetically himself. I really have no reason to feel embarrassed for him. He can do that all on his own.
Let’s gaze pins me, sharp and searching. He glances at Glenn, then back to me, like he can’t decide where to land. He’s the quiet type, brooding. Always thinking too much. Always holding secrets in his mind.
“What did Attie take?” Let asks when my brother lists slightly to the right.
“Two moonshines. The one he makes. At least that’s what I saw. Who knows what else he had?”
“Fuck’s sake,” Let murmurs.
“What? Why the judgment, dude?” Attie whines. “I invited you over, and you weren’t interested in coming, so I had to drink it myself.”
Attie falls into Let’s side and hiccups. “I was busy.”
“You’re always busy,” Attie whimpers, and I realize that something more is at play here.
Maybe it’s time to go. I lean over to whisper into Glenn’s ear. “Do you want to see the rest of the town, or do you want to get out of here?”
Glenn wets his lips. If he’s a little buzzed from the moonshine, he doesn’t show it.
“Yeah. Let’s go.”
“Should we run?” I ask, and his lips twitch.
“You think Attie will be able to keep up?”
“No, he’s a shit runner and even worse when he’s wasted.”
With that, Glenn turns and pulls me along with him. Our feet hit the dirt ground as we run out of the small downtown area. Behind us, I hear Attie trying to race after us, but a curse and a thump have me thinking he fell trying to get his feet to move.
“Fuck’s sake,” I hear Let grunt.
He is a really shit runner. I wasn’t lying.
We skid around a corner and dash into the woods, my lungs constricting, my heart thumping. This brings back memories of being chased by Glenn. Only this time, he’s not chasing me. He’s running with me.
I like this just as much.
We slow to a stop, and I see Glenn hasn’t even broken out in a sweat.
“Screw you for not even breathing heavily,” I wheeze.
He grins and pulls me into him. Now I’m breathless for a different reason. His lips cover mine, and he licks into my panting mouth. Just the taste of him has me wet again, his hard cock pressed up against my own.
I can smell my fragrance growing stronger despite the pendant I’m wearing.
“Should I apologize?” he murmurs before pushing his tongue into my mouth. He tastes like moonshine, and I feel myself growing drunk from it. I groan, my fingers curling into his shirt. But before I can deepen the kiss, he pulls away, leaving me to chase after his lips.
“You’re teasing me,” I murmur. “Is this punishment for having a past?”
“Are we together?”
I stare at him and then swallow. “Yeah. I’d like that.”
“Mm,” he hums and then pulls me closer. “Good. And just so you know, I want you right now, but this isn’t the place for it. I think they’d watch.”
I let out a laugh and press my forehead to his chest, my scent distinctly vanilla and peach. “Yeah, they really would.”
“You let them watch you when you were here?”
“I mean, I had no choice, and when you’re in heat, you don’t really care who sees. You just want relief.”
Glenn’s eye twitches, but he says, “Yeah, I get that. I’m not blaming you.” He steps back and then runs a hand down his face, letting out a long sigh. “You don’t think I am, do you?”
“No. I think it’s a lot. Coming here and realizing I’ve done the entire pack.”
He huffs a laugh and peers down at me. “Yeah, I’m not gonna lie, my wolf wants to come out, but I’m trying to behave.”
“You need a distraction?”
“Yeah. Show me around. Get my mind off it.”
So I do. I lead him forward, down the dirt path away from the compound, through the forest where the wolves shift and run. It’s a beautiful day out, slightly cool under the towering trees, but warm enough that I don’t need a sweater.
“Have you seen them shift?” Glenn asks, his fingers brushing mine as we walk.
“Yeah, it’s pretty cool. Not something I want to be in the middle of, but you know, to each their own. Your brother really seems to like it.”
“Yeah, he does. Keeps coming back here.”
I peer at him. “Do you ever feel it, that bone-deep urge?”
“Sometimes. Not that I can shift, but I wonder what it must be like.”
“Me too. Jex says it’s painful at first.”
“Yeah, I’d think so.”
We turn down a path leading to the right, and we pass a lake, stopping to look at the rippling water before moving on.
“Well, this is fucking pretty,” Glenn says, and I nod.
“It is. Kind of magical, too. Some days, it turns into a kaleidoscope of colors. Oh, but even better is this cave. Kind of like a sacred place. You wanna see?”
“Yeah.”
“We’re not really supposed to go in there, but I know a different way in. Attie showed me one day.”
“Didn’t know you were such a rule breaker,” Glenn teases, and I grin up at him.
“I can be when it’s warranted.”
“Careful, Arbor. I may have to write you up for that.”
My eyes roll as we continue to walk, but I feel a flutter in my chest, my stomach, my heart. I’ve never let anyone become familiar with me, have always kept everyone at arm’s length, but it seems Glenn is starting to get to know me.
And I like that more than I should.
In the distance, I hear a low grunt, and my eyes focus on a set of trees to our right. Between them, I can just make out Forest with two Howler alphas. They’re doing things I’m sure Glenn doesn’t want to see.
“Um, Glenn. You may want to plug your ears and close your eyes.”
“Why?” He glances to his right and makes a face. “Fuck.”
With a weary sigh, he turns his gaze forward and does as I suggested. My arm links through his, and I lead him forward. A few minutes later, we’re past the worst of it, and soon the moans are nothing more than a whisper on the breeze.
“You’re safe now,” I say and gently pull his hands away from his ears.
“Thanks. Should have known I’d see something on this trip. But, fuck, he moved fast, didn’t he?”
“Well, he probably wanted to try out the slick serum my brother made him.”
Glenn cringes slightly, and then his eyes meet mine. “Are you going to try out your serum?”
“I already told you I’m not planning on it.” I roll my lips between my teeth and add, “Unless you decide you’re tired of it.”
He pulls me into him once more, his nose moving up my neck, his teeth grazing my pulse point. Gods, I want him to mark me. I really do, but I can’t ask that of him. Not yet. It’s too soon. I want to be sure.
I want to be sure he can love me exactly as I am.
“Gods, you smell so fucking good. I never want you to use that serum. I want you to throw it the fuck away.”
“Oh,” I moan as his teeth drag across my ear.