Caleb’s claws tore up the ground, his female’s cries for him to return singing in his ears, beckoning him back with images of soft, milky white thighs in the moonlight and the ruby red lips spread for him so willingly.
Snarls ripped from his throat, a pain unlike any he’d known tearing at him with every bit of earth that took him farther and farther from her. From her anguished cries that grew more faint with each passing moment. Again and again his heavy paws came to a halt, trying to turn, but he forced them forward. Away. He had no thoughts save one: stay away.
Away from the delicate figure that had offered herself to him at last.
Away from the red gashes marring her pale, beautiful skin.
He could not think beyond the red madness that had overtaken him, red from the blood he’d spilled that night. From the signs of all the pain he had inflicted on his female’s body.
From her soft red lips…
His body halted once more, and he snapped at the air, fighting not to release the howl so desperate for escape. Fighting to keep going. To keep her safe. From him.
Her tortured calls for him ceased at last, and he stilled, panting, gripping the ground fiercely. Listening. Yearning with everything in him for one more sound. One more sight.
His head turned back, an ache building within until he fell to the ground to fight the intense longing, clinging with all his might not to go back. Not to race back and take everything he’d wanted for so long.
A low whine crept from his throat as he crawled back toward her helplessly, inch by inch creeping across the forest floor, the deep ache inside him numbing his raging desperation to flee.
His female. His. He would not hurt her like before.
Shame washed over him, and he paused, gripping the ground once more, every muscle in his body tense, preparing to force himself away yet again.
And in the distance, a coyote howled.
Blinding terror shot him to his feet, spurring his body into a savage run. Alone. He’d left her alone. Panic and fury fueled his flight, fury at anything that would dare touch her. Fury at whatever it was within him that had dared force him away. He had run so far—too far! Back back back he raced, dark images assailing his fractured thoughts.
When her scream pierced his soul, leaving nothing behind but a white hot madness. And silence.
Blood filled his vision, the demon within him unleashed, pounding the ground beneath him in a terrible mania, lost to his terror. She had moved too far from where he’d left her, and he’d been too far away to realize. To protect. To shield her from the lesser creatures that roamed the hills, so small to him he’d forgotten, his mind a dark chaos consumed with protecting her from the only threat he could see: himself.
The sounds of water flowing mingled with sharp yapping barks the moment before he burst from the trees in a blaze of shadows and fur.
His mate. His achingly beautiful, delicate mate, stood on the far bank, her hair tumbling over her shoulders, her pale face locked on the three grey coyotes that surrounded her, darting forward, nipping at her bare legs while she dodged their teeth, swinging a thick dark branch swiftly at their jaws.
At his cry of rage, her eyes flew to him, widening with desperate relief, and the branch faltered. Just enough to leave an opening, and a blur of gray flashed towards her throat.
Caleb caught it in his jaws, toppling his mate to the earth and covering her body with his own as he shook the smaller canine viciously before throwing it a distance away, hearing a pained yelp as it hit a tree. The coyotes scattered immediately, racing back into the night, their high pitched barks fading in the distance until nothing remained but the sound of the water flowing behind him, the wind in the trees, and his mate, breathing softly beneath his body.
His gaze fell, blazing, to the perfect creature staring up at him with soft, glistening eyes. Leaning back on her elbows, her lithe form extended beneath him, pale skin glowing softly in the moonlight. The cotton of her gray jacket had fallen open, exposing two milky white breasts with rosy red nipples tightened in hard peaks. His eyes wandered lower, following the gentle line of her abdomen to the baby soft skin she kept so smooth at the juncture of her thighs, thighs parted to reveal the deep, pink lips with the sweet scent that drove him mad.
Whatever madness had made him run was gone now. He knew only his female was beneath him. And the thick pink shaft, fully extended with bulging veins that throbbed painfully against his stomach, needed to be inside her.
Lowering his muzzle, Caleb gently nuzzled his mate’s neck, breathing her in, a deep warmth spreading through his body when she returned the gesture. His tongue reached out to feel her, taste her, and a small growl escaped him when he felt the chill of her skin.
Lapping in long, slow licks, he began warming her, letting the heat of his body shelter her while his tongue trailed from her shoulder to the tips of her fingers before gliding down her body, the thick shaft beneath him tightening with each touch, each taste.
He warmed her until her skin glowed in a soft pink blush all over, until her breath caught with each new stroke. Until at last he allowed the lure of her scent to draw him where he longed most to be.
His tongue flattened against her smooth, full lips, a blinding heat rushing through him at the feel of the delicate petals that teased him with every lick. Pressing deeper, he slipped inside, massaging the hard nub again and again, and his heavy fringe of lashes lifted to watch her face.
She still held herself up on her elbows, her lips apart while she watched him, her face flushed and her thighs trembling. Holding her gaze, he pressed harder, stroking, teasing, faster and faster, watching her breasts rise and fall in short, rapid breaths. Until a moaning gasp caught her, the small cry shooting through him with a fire that gathered every last particle of desire in his body, every thought, every feeling, and sent it to the rod pulsing violently against his stomach.
He’d reached his limit.
Tearing his muzzle away, he nudged her side, forcing himself to be gentle, her scent nearly overwhelming him. She didn’t hesitate, rolling over and pushing herself onto all fours.
Heat blinded him, and his cock twitched violently. Tightening his front legs on her waist, he positioned her against his hips, unable to stop himself from thrusting against her even while he struggled to go slow. To be careful this time. The thought growing dimmer and dimmer with each pass that brushed the tip of his hardened shaft against her soft lips.
Until it found the warm, wet entrance at last, and he stilled, panting, the thick head enormous against the small opening.
A tremor coursed through her, the vibrations gripping him with sensation, and he pressed his muzzle on her neck, feeling her. And slowly pushed forward, parting her body and sinking into the impossibly tight passage.
His cock pulsated furiously, stretching, filling, the shallow breaths of his mate growing faster as her body clenched around him. Sliding in deeper and deeper, her panting matching his own as he desperately fought to go slow. To not hurt her.
He stopped, shaking with restraint, when the bulb at the base of his cock pressed against her entrance. He needed to be inside. He needed to be tied to her. Forever.
His legs tightened, his jaw opening at last, and she turned her head, letting her hair fall across her shoulder, exposing her neck to him fully. Holding her gently, carefully, the warmth of his breath flowed over her, his scent the woodsy scent of the forest, wild and free. Free to choose. Free to love her. His mate.
And his hips shot forward, forcing the thick knot past the narrow opening and embedding himself deep inside. Her sharp cry mingled with the scent of her arousal, and he was lost.
His hips thrust violently, shoving himself deep within the smooth, velvet passage over and over, the burning at his center driving him to a madness that could only find release deep within her body. Pained cries came from her throat even as her desire swirled around him, and he buried himself fully again and again, feeling her shatter beneath him, her violent spasms sending him over the edge he had waited so long to find. His seed shot deep within her womb, gushing into her, filling her completely while the thick knot trapped it inside, tying her to him.
Forever.
Convulsions rocked him as he held her hips tight against his own, the last of his cum spurting inside. Small sobs shook her, and he released her neck with a whine, licking the gashes he’d made before. Comforting. Soothing. Nuzzling her cheek even while her body continued contracting around him with every twitch of his knot inside her.
She turned her face to his, rubbing against him, her breath hitching with tears, and he licked them from her skin, warmth flowing through his body while his knot shrank within. Locked together. United. Bound.
This was his mate.
Everything was warm. Perfect. He had everything he wanted now. Everything except…
He longed to touch her. To feel her breasts. To kiss her shoulder. Her lips.
With one final lick along her back, his fur fell away. And he knelt over her, naked, his body burning, needing to hold her. To feel her.
“Caleb?” she whispered, a soft tremor in her voice as she turned to look up at him.
And fire hit him. His center was on fire. Terrible, beautiful fire. A softness around him that burned, tearing the breath from his lungs, a white hot blinding flame he couldn’t escape. Couldn’t control.
His eyes met hers with a gasp as his body acted on its own, thrusting into her once more, plowing into her fully again and again while he continued gasping desperately for air, his eyes locked on hers, drinking in every shocked, helpless sound of desire torn from her lips. Driving into her until the fire that had tortured him for so long—every last painful, tormenting flame—gathered into one and erupted within her and he cried out, spilling everything he had, everything he was, deep inside.
Caleb stared at Nat in shock as the convulsions slowly faded. Afraid to believe. Afraid to move.
He felt good. More than good. The burning…it hadn’t been in his stomach. It hadn’t hurt. Or…it had but…the pain was so good.
Another spasm shot through him, and his cock twitched inside her once more, drawing a gasp from them both.
Nat trembled, and Caleb wrapped an arm about her, pulling her back slowly as he sat back on his heels, keeping her back pressed against his chest. He leaned into her neck, trembling with her, a hand moving up her body to cup her breast.
“Nat…” A deep shudder went through him when her body clenched around him, and he flexed inside, reveling at the sensations. At her moan.
His lips stroked her neck, his tongue slipping out to glide along her skin. Tears stung his eyes. Everything felt good. Everything.
He crushed her to him, burying his face in her hair.
“Are you okay?” he whispered.
She groaned with a small whimper but nodded.
“Did I hurt you?” he asked, his voice hoarse with worry.
“It hurt,” she said with a shuddering breath, “but it felt good, too. More than good…”
He pressed her back to him with a shudder of his own.
“Was it…is my body…were you able to…do everything you wanted?”
Another groan left him, this time with a bit of a laugh.
“Nat…you’re fucking perfect. I lost myself in you completely. I meant to hold back…I was trying not to hurt you but…” His lips brushed her skin, sending a shiver through her body, as he whispered, “You overwhelm me…”
She sighed with relief, leaning into him and closing her eyes. He held her close for a long while, unmoving, until he grew inside her yet again and she moaned, lifting herself carefully and sending sharp pangs of torturous pleasure along his thick length as she pulled herself off.
His stomach clenched at the scent of blood.
Turning her in his arms in a single movement that had her hands flying for his shoulders with a gasp, he pushed her down on her back, looking between her legs in horror.
“I did hurt you,” he choked out, his eyes locked on the blood and semen on her lips and thighs, only for her to moan again and hit his shoulders.
“You’re huge, Caleb! I mean, gigantic! It’s just going to take my body time to get used to you. Could you not embarrass me in the meantime,” she finished with a mutter, trying to close her legs and push him away. He ignored her, leaning down to kiss her wounded flesh softly, pain in his eyes.
“I’m sorry,” he said hoarsely between tender kisses. “I’ll be more careful next time.” His kisses grew longer, softer, his tongue reaching out to massage her gently while she stroked his hair.
“I loved everything, Caleb,” she whispered, and he looked up to see her staring up at the stars, her eyes glistening. “Everything. The way you touched me. The way you took me. I love the way you are. Who you are.”
Her lashes fell to look at him, her eyes soft.
“You’re my wolf. I love you. And I want you. All of you,” she admitted with a touch of shyness.
Heat rushed through him, the rigid length between his legs twitching madly as the wolf within him surged. And the man. One mind. One body.
He pulled himself up until he hovered over her, his eyes roaming her face, before leaning down to touch his lips to hers. Her long legs wrapped around him, and he stilled against her when her hand snuck between them, positioning him against her somewhat battered entrance.
“Are you sure?” he asked, struggling to think. She only tightened her legs, pushing him into her body, and they both moaned as he sank into her depths.
They didn’t speak again for a long while.
Caleb groaned, his heavy, muscular body collapsing on Nat’s slender form, completely spent.
He didn’t move when she suddenly gasped and tried to sit up.
“Ethan! We need to go check on him!”
“He’s okay,” he mumbled, barely able to form words. But guilt began stealing through him, and he leaned up on his elbows to look down at her. “The wounds I made weren’t lethal. I was just…I saw the the rope, and one moment I was there thinking ‘leash,’ and the next I just…it’s like my mind was gone. Everything was instinct.”
His eyes fell, not wanting to meet the concern in hers. Not deserving it.
“But I didn’t want to kill Ethan. Just…teach him a lesson,” he muttered, the shame of it washing over him. Ethan had been doing everything to help him. His wolf should have been grateful. He should have been grateful.
“Caleb…” Her soft hand reached up to cup his cheek. “You have been fighting in the dark, with so much happening in your own body you couldn’t possibly have prepared for.”
His eyes returned to hers reluctantly, shame still heavy within them. Until they narrowed on her with a frown.
“And what were you doing here anyway? I told you to stay away! I barely restrained myself from hurting you far worse yesterday!” With every word, his outrage grew, and he reared up to glare down at her. “What the fuck were you thinking Nat! My mind was totally fucked, and you were almost—“
The memory strangled what was left of his voice, and he flipped them over, lying on his back and crushing her to his chest, his body shaking.
“I’m never again leaving you to deal with whatever happens by yourself. If I’m your mate, then you don’t run from me,” she said firmly. “Ever again! Promise me. Because that was the only danger I was in tonight. ”
He finally released her enough for her to push herself back to stare fiercely at him this time while he looked up helplessly. Reaching his hand out to tuck her hair behind her ear, he shook his head, his eyes raw.
“You are the most stubborn, frustrating girl,” he whispered.
At her smile, he sighed and sat up, pulling her close and tucking her head into his neck to stroke her hair, petting her gently.
She was so small. So fragile. Cuts all over her body. Blood between her legs. So very delicate and yet so strong, putting every bit of her softness at risk time and again to protect a wolf.
His mate. His fierce, beautiful mate with the kindest heart.
“I’ll never run from you again.” He spoke in solemn, hushed tones. “I promise.”
Because he knew now that no matter how wild his wolf might be, he would never, ever hurt her again. They were bound together. He and his wolf. And both of them with Nat. He could feel it. And they would protect her. Forever.
He kissed her forehead once more before lifting her in his arms as he stood, his heart leaping when she cuddled closer, her long lashes fluttering closed.
His mate. His love. His choice.
They had both dared to reach for more than what fate had in store for them. And they had won.
He smiled against her hair and carried her back through the woods, his old home still running through his veins. But it could never match the power of the home he’d built with Nat. It didn’t matter if it was in a trailer. Or out under the moon. Or wherever they might go in the future.
They would always make their own fate. Together.
