CHAPTER 3 WHAT MORNING REVEALS #2
Eli hesitated. The water represented something—a neutral space, not quite his territory, not belonging to either of them. A place where the rules might be different, where he could let himself have this without the weight of territorial law pressing down on him.
He stripped off his jeans and waded in.
The water was cold, fed by mountain springs, and it shocked his system in the best way. Eli kept going until he was waist-deep, close enough to Jace that he could see the flecks of amber in his gold gaze.
"Hi," Jace said.
"Hi," Eli replied, feeling absurdly awkward. Last night they'd been feral, driven by instinct and need. This felt different—more deliberate, more vulnerable.
Jace reached out underwater, his hand finding Eli's. Their fingers tangled close, and Eli felt that same electric jolt he'd felt last night, that sense of rightness that terrified him.
"Can I ask you something?" Jace said.
"You're going to anyway."
Jace's smile was quick. "Fair. Why three years? Why stay alone that long?"
Eli looked away, focusing on the way sunlight danced on the water's surface. "Pack fell apart. My brother challenged our alpha. It went bad. People got hurt. I didn't want to watch it get worse, so I left."
"For three years," Jace said. "That's not leaving. That's running."
The bluntness should have stung. Coming from anyone else, it would have made Eli defensive, angry. But somehow, from Jace, it just felt like truth.
"Yeah, well," Eli said. "I'm good at running."
"You didn't run last night," Jace pointed out. His thumb stroked across Eli's knuckles underwater, a gentle, grounding touch.
Eli met his eyes. "No. I didn't."
They stood there in the water, hands linked, the current flowing around them. Eli could feel his heart beating too fast, could feel the vulnerability of this moment pressing down on him. He'd spent three years building walls, and Jace was dismantling them with casual ease.
"I have to go back," Jace said finally. "My mother will expect a report. If I'm gone too long, she'll send others to look for me."
Eli went still. "When?"
"Tonight. Maybe two days if I can stretch it." Jace moved closer, until their bodies were almost touching. "But I'll come back. I want to come back."
"You say that now," Eli said, hating how vulnerable he sounded. "But once you're back with your pride, once you remember all the reasons this is insane—"
Jace cut him off with a kiss.
It was different from last night—slower, more deliberate. Jace's lips moved against his with careful intent, his free hand coming up to cup Eli's jaw. The kiss tasted like stream water and morning and promise.
When Jace pulled back, his eyes were serious. "I'm absolutely coming back. You think one night is enough? I've got weeks of fantasies to work through."
Despite his anxiety, despite everything, Eli huffed a laugh. "Weeks?"
"I told you. I've been watching." Jace's hand slid from Eli's jaw down his neck, his fingers tracing the line of Eli's collarbone. "I've been thinking about this—about you—for longer than I want to admit."
The admission sent heat pooling in Eli's belly. "What did you think about?"
Jace's smile turned wicked. "Want me to show you?"
Before Eli could respond, Jace was kissing him again, deeper this time. His tongue slid against Eli's, and Eli groaned into his mouth. Their bodies pressed together underwater, skin slick and warm despite the cold water.
Jace's hands roamed across Eli's back, tracing the scratches he'd left last night. "I marked you," he murmured against Eli's lips. "You're going to have these for days."
"Good," Eli said, surprising himself. His own hands found Jace's hips, pulling him closer. "Want to remember this."
"Oh, you'll remember," Jace promised. He nipped at Eli's lower lip, then kissed down his jaw to his throat. "I'm going to make sure of it."
Eli's head fell back, giving Jace access. The sensation of Jace's mouth on his throat, the water flowing around them, the sunlight warm on his face—it was overwhelming in the best way. His cock was hardening, pressing against Jace's hip.
Jace's hand slid down Eli's stomach, fingers trailing through the water until they wrapped around Eli's shaft. Eli gasped, his hips jerking forward into the touch.
"Sensitive," Jace observed, his voice amused. He stroked slowly, his grip firm but gentle. "I like that about you. You respond so easily."
"Jace—" Eli's voice was wrecked already.
"What do you need?" Jace asked, his thumb circling the head of Eli's cock. "Tell me."
"You," Eli managed. "Just... you."
Jace's expression softened. He released Eli's cock and took both of Eli's hands, guiding them to his own body. "Touch me," he said. "Learn what I like."
It was an invitation and a challenge. Eli's hands moved across Jace's chest, mapping the planes of muscle, the dip of his collarbone, the flat discs of his nipples. When Eli's thumb brushed across one, Jace's breath hitched.
"There," Eli said, filing the information away. He did it again, watching Jace's reaction—the way his eyes fluttered closed, the way his lips parted.
"Yeah," Jace breathed. "That's... yeah."
Eli bent his head and took the nipple into his mouth, sucking gently. Jace's hands flew to Eli's hair, gripping tight. The sound he made was somewhere between a gasp and a moan, and it sent a bolt of heat straight to Eli's cock.
"Fuck," Jace gasped. "Eli, that's—"
Eli switched to the other nipple, lavishing it with the same attention. Jace was trembling now, his body taut with tension. Eli's hands slid down to Jace's ass, squeezing, pulling him closer until their cocks were pressed together.
"Need you," Jace whispered. "Need to feel you."
"Here?" Eli asked, glancing around. They were in the middle of the stream, exposed to anyone who might pass by—though no one ever did. This was his territory, his private sanctuary.
"Here," Jace confirmed. He turned in Eli's arms, pressing his back against Eli's chest. "Like this."
Eli's breath stalled. The position was vulnerable, trusting. Jace was giving him control, letting Eli take him in the water, in the daylight, where everything was visible and real.
"I don't have—" Eli started.
"Don't need it," Jace said. He reached back, his hand finding Eli's hip. "Just need you. Please."
Eli's hands shook as he positioned himself. The water made everything slick, easier. He pressed forward slowly, feeling Jace's body open for him. Jace's head fell back against Eli's shoulder, his breath coming in short gasps.
"Okay?" Eli murmured against Jace's ear.
"More than okay," Jace managed. "Keep going."
Eli pushed deeper, inch by inch, until he was fully seated inside Jace's body. The sensation was overwhelming—the tight heat of Jace around him, the cool water flowing past them, the sunlight warm on their skin. This was different from last night. Less frantic, less desperate. More... intimate.
"Move," Jace breathed. "Please, Eli."
Eli pulled back and thrust forward, setting a slow, steady rhythm. Jace's hand came up to grip the back of Eli's neck, holding him close. Their bodies moved in tandem, finding a rhythm that felt natural, inevitable.
"Touch yourself," Eli murmured. "Want to feel you come."
Jace's hand slid down his own body, wrapping around his cock. Eli could feel the movement, could feel Jace stroking himself in time with Eli's thrusts. The water rippled around them, carrying their scent downstream.
"Eli," Jace gasped. "I'm close."
"Let go," Eli murmured. He angled his hips, hitting that spot inside Jace that made him cry out. "I've got you."
Jace's entire body went rigid, his hand moving faster on his cock.
Eli felt the moment he came—the way his body clenched around Eli's shaft, the way his breath caught and released in a broken moan.
The sensation pushed Eli over the edge. He thrust deep one last time and came with a groan, his arms tightening around Jace's waist.
They stood there in the water, both breathing hard, Eli still buried inside Jace's body. The current flowed around them, washing away the evidence of their coupling, leaving only the lingering scent of their combined pleasure.
Slowly, carefully, Eli pulled out. Jace turned in his arms, his legs unsteady. Eli caught him, holding him close.
"That was..." Jace started, then laughed. "I don't even have words."
"Yeah," Eli agreed. He pressed a kiss to Jace's temple, surprising himself with the tenderness of the gesture.
They floated together for a while, exhausted and content, letting the water cool their overheated skin. Eventually they made their way back to the bank, collapsing on the smooth stones in a tangle of limbs.
Jace's head rested on Eli's chest, his fingers tracing idle patterns on Eli's stomach. "Tell me more," he said. "About your pack. About why you left."
Eli was silent for several heartbeats, considering whether to answer. But something about Jace—the way he listened without judgment, the way he'd given Eli his body and his trust—made Eli want to be honest.
"My brother Marcus," Eli said finally. "He was ambitious. Always wanted to be alpha. Our alpha, Owen, was getting old. Marcus thought it was time for new leadership. He challenged Owen in front of the whole pack."
"What happened?"
"Owen fought back. He was old, but he was strong.
The fight went on for hours. By the end.
.." Eli's mouth flattened. "By the end, both of them were broken.
Owen died three days later. Marcus survived, but he was never the same.
The pack fractured—some followed Marcus, some wanted new leadership entirely, some just left. "
"And you?"
"I was Owen's second," Eli said. "I should have stopped it. Should have challenged Marcus myself, or talked Owen into stepping down peacefully. But I didn't. I just... watched it happen. And when it was over, when the pack was in pieces, I couldn't stay. Couldn't watch what we'd built fall apart."