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Chapter 43

The wolf streaked past her, his gray fur glinting silver in the sunshine. Ruby smiled from her perch on Rafe’s front steps, the old wood warm beneath her thighs. It was early. Early by Ruby’s standards anyway. Well before noon. It might as well have been dawn. But the past few weeks she’d developed a habit of waking up in time to see Rafe running through the trees in his wolf form. It was worth it to see this side of him. It felt like a privilege.

She sat with her coffee mug balanced on her knees and sipped in the quiet morning as she waited for him to come back. It was peaceful out here beneath the towering pines. It felt like home.

A twinge of guilt settled in her gut at the thought of home. Lena insisted she was fine but Ruby didn’t need superhuman powers to see right through her sister’s lies. Despite the fact that all had been quiet since Rafe’d killed those wolves, Lena still looked like hell warmed over. Ruby hadn’t witnessed any more of her episodes but she was sure Lena was still having them. Only now Lena wouldn’t tell her about them, wouldn’t let Ruby in at all.

Her sister had been slowly pushing her out of her life for weeks now, happy to use Ruby’s new Mate bond as the reason. Lena more than encouraged Ruby to spend most of her time at Rafe’s. She’d practically kicked Ruby out on her ass.

But if Lena needed space, Ruby was willing to give it to her. Not that her sister had given her much say in the matter.

At least Lena was safe. Rafe’s morning runs had started as a safety check, a way to assure himself that all was well, that no one was after her or her sister anymore.

But the past few days something had shifted in him. Ruby could feel it. She could feel the happiness radiating off him as he raced off, wild. Free. Her own heart soared as he raced away each morning.

So with her Mate happy and her sister needing space, Ruby had allowed herself her own space, her own time to relax. And these mornings with Rafe were perfect for soothing her weary soul and her perpetually aching feet. The fact that Rafe gave her a ride to work every day helped too.

She wiggled her bare toes on the bottom step. They were neon pink today, very pleasing in the morning sun. She took another sip of coffee and scanned the trees for her wolf-man. His steps were so quiet she usually didn’t see him until he was close to the house. She’d made a game of it, of trying to spot him from further away. So far she was terrible at it.

She leaned back, letting her hair fall over shoulders, and the sun warmed her face. Birds chirped and chittered in the branches above her. It was going to be another hot day, but on the edges of the heat, Ruby could feel the chill of fall creeping in.

The idea of sitting on this porch, breathing in the scent of dry leaves and watching the trees change color around her brought another smile to her lips. It was like she had finally settled into her real life and everything else had been a dream. Like a really boring dream.

She was so wrapped up in her thoughts, her eyes still closed against the brightness of the day, she didn’t hear Rafe until his wolfy breath was skating across her wrist.

She dug her fingers into the thick fur at his neck and savored his contented huff as he rested his head on her lap.

“Good morning.”

Wolfy sigh.

“Did you have a good run?”

Wolfy nuzzle against her hand.

“Oh, good.”

He closed his eyes as she stroked between his ears.

“I was thinking of making pancakes.”

One highly skeptical wolfy eye opened.

“What? I’m not going to get better if I don’t keep trying.”

Wolfy huff.

Ruby laughed. “I really think I have it figured out now. I had the burner turned up way too high last time.”

She tried to get up to begin her breakfast experiment, but the giant wolf in her lap wouldn’t budge.

“Rafe.” She shoved his big shoulder but he just snuggled against her. “Rafe, come on. They couldn’t possibly be that bad.”

Low wolfy growl.

She laughed again. “Okay, fine. You win.” She settled back on her step, grabbing her mug from the top step and taking another sip. “You can cook again.”

Relieved wolfy sigh.

Ruby’s fingers sank into his fur, the weight of him reassuring against her. They sat like that until her coffee went cold and her butt went numb on the step and the body leaning against hers wasn’t an animal anymore. Another little privilege, a sign of his trust, that he would shift in front of her.

She ran her fingers through Rafe’s hair and he smiled up at her.

“You’re going to get splinters in your ass.”

He huffed a laugh. “Not worried.” He sat up, his hands roving over her bare thighs.

“Aren’t you going to get dressed?” she asked as his lips found the soft skin of her neck. His teeth scraped along her throat, sending heat directly to her core.

“Seems silly,” he growled.

“To get dressed?” Her voice was breathy, giving away exactly how she felt about the futility of Rafe getting dressed.

“Why put clothes on to just take them off again?” She could feel his grin against her neck, his hands working their way up her skirt.

“What about breakfast?”

“Fuck breakfast.”

The laugh escaping her lips quickly became a gasp as Rafe’s fingers found where her underwear was already soaked.

“I don’t know why you wear these.”

She didn’t either. Nine out of ten times her peaceful mornings ended exactly like this, with Rafe’s hands up her skirt and his teeth and tongue on her neck and her senses flung far up into the trees. It was a really good thing Rafe didn’t have any neighbors.

Especially since she hadn’t gotten over her desire to be chased, to be pinned down in the dirt by Rafe. If anything, her little kink had only grown.

She shoved him away and took off down the steps. But her Mate was fast, breathing down her neck before she’d made it far.

“You gonna make me work for it today, brave girl?” he asked, his growl curling up in her belly like a pet.

He caught her before she was even out of his small yard, pressing her back to his front, his arm banded across her waist. “Want you too bad to chase you today.” He spun her, his hands rough, demanding.

His kiss was the same, urgent and hard against hers. She loved it, loved when he let go, when he stopped worrying about breaking her.

“Get on your knees for me,” he rasped, his voice rough in her ear. “Please, Ruby.” He kissed along her jawline, each nip of his teeth followed by the softness of his lips, his demand followed by a request.

Ruby dropped to her knees in front of him, her hands on his thick thighs. He towered over her, huge and solid, the sun streaking across his tanned skin. The muscles in his thighs twitched beneath her hands. She smiled up at him before she took him in her mouth.

A strangled groan escaped his lips. “Goddamn,” he said, his hands tightening in her hair.

She took him deeper, letting the silky hardness of him slide past her lips until he hit the back of her throat. She pulled back and then swallowed him again.

Over and over she worked him from base to tip until his legs were trembling and her jaw was aching. Her lips tingled with the sensation of his skin coasting past them again and again. Her awareness distilled to the cold dirt under her knees and the tugging of his hands in her hair. The world had gone quiet except for Rafe’s words, skimming over her.

“So, so good. My brave girl, my sweet, sweet girl. Take all of me.”

And she did. Over and over she took him into her body like she could consume him, like she couldn’t remember doing anything but this. Rafe’s cock between her lips and nothing else. Nothing else existed.

Until Rafe tugged her back by her hair, angling her dazed gaze up to his.

“My Mate,” he growled and her swollen mouth tipped into a slow smile at his words. He dropped to his knees then, taking her mouth with his, his tongue replacing his cock. Ruby groaned and clutched at his bare shoulders, her nails digging into his flesh.

He tipped her back into the dirt and drove hard between her legs, giving her no chance to catch her breath.

“You are everything.” His voice was ragged in her ear, his breath hot against her skin with every thrust. Everything. Yes. She wanted everything and he was it. Her everything.

The earth was cool and damp on her back, a stark contrast to the heat of Rafe’s body on hers. Leaves tangled in her hair as Rafe stroked into her fast and hard. She wrapped her legs around him and rocked up, angling herself so every thrust built the pleasure higher and higher.

Rafe kept up his punishing pace, sweat slicking their bodies until Ruby squirmed beneath him. She was so close, but her orgasm was just out of reach.

She whimpered her frustration. Rafe nipped at her neck before shifting onto his knees, taking Ruby with him. His arms were under her thighs angling her up to him, his cock hitting a tender, aching spot inside of her. He found her clit with his thumb and rubbed. Hard. Fireworks flashed behind Ruby’s eyelids.

She moaned his name to the treetops.

“Better?” he asked, the grin apparent in his voice even when she wasn’t looking at him.

“Keep going,” she panted.

He gripped her ass tight with one hand, supporting her weight and rubbed her clit with the other hand, thrusting into her with long, slow strokes.

“Come for me, brave girl.”

His gruff words, his bruising grip on her body, the way he held her gaze as he gave her what she needed. It was too much. Ruby shattered. Tears streamed down her face as she let loose, spewing an unintelligible string of words and gasps and moans.

Rafe gave her no time to recover before her ass was back in the dirt and he was plowing into her, growling her name. It didn’t take long. He had been close since she had him in her mouth, but he’d held back. But now, he came hard, shudders wracking his big body.

He half collapsed onto her and Ruby kept her legs wrapped around him, not ready for him to go yet. He pressed his forehead to hers, his silver eyes flashing.

“I love you,” she said, her voice weak but sated. She planted a kiss on the tip of his nose.

A slow smile crossed his face like it still took him a minute to believe it was true. “I love you, too.”

Ruby grinned, letting the words settle in her veins, the truth of them. The permanence. She ran her hands over his back, damp from sweat. She knew if they stayed like this long enough, Rafe would get hard again inside her. Very tempting.

But she had shit to do today.

And they had forever.

So she pushed Rafe off and he huffed as he landed in the dirt beside her. “Done with me already?” he asked, smiling up at her as she stood. She primly brushed the dirt off her skirt as though she didn’t have leaves in her hair and that the whole back of her wasn’t filthy.

“I have to shower before work.”

“I should probably come with you. For safety,” he said with a sly grin. He was quicker to smile these days, but Ruby’s heart still raced at the sight of it. Her Rafe. Happy.

Except when she burnt the pancakes, then he was exasperated. Or when she left her dirty clothes strewn around his room, then he was annoyed. Or that one time when she borrowed his toothbrush, then he had been appalled and utterly grossed out even after she pointed out that her tongue had been in his mouth on numerous occasions.

And all those little moments just made this real, made being here with Rafe her real life and everything else that boring dream. She was finally where she was meant to be. And despite the minor spat here and there – she had no interest in Rafe bringing home his hunting trophies, for example – they were blissfully happy.

“I really don’t think that’s necessary,” she said, fighting the laughter in her voice, but Rafe was already up and prowling toward her. “Rafe, I’m serious,” she squeaked as he chased her into the house, her giggles filling the quiet forest.

Maybe everything she had to do could wait a little bit longer.

* * *

It had been one month since he’d claimed Ruby as his Mate and she’d claimed him every day since. One month of her telling him she loved him and him doing his damnedest to believe her. One month of late-night runs through the woods, of waking Ruby slowly with his tongue between her legs, of endless grilled cheese sandwiches, of rides to work over bumpy backroads. It had been one month of piecing his soul back together, of trying to see himself the way Ruby did.

And that seemed worth celebrating. Right? That was something humans did, celebrate relationship milestones? He was sure they did, but he never had and now this whole thing seemed ridiculous.

He glanced at where Ruby was still asleep in his bed and then to the wildflowers clutched in his fist.

Maybe this was stupid. It was only a month. The best month of his entire life, but still.

Ruby moved suddenly, startling Rafe from his thoughts. She sat up straight in the bed, flinging off the blankets as she moved. He was beside her just as quickly, the flowers tossed aside.

“What is it?”

Ruby stared at him wide-eyed, her hair a nest of black around her head.

“Ruby.” He grabbed her arms and gave a little shake until she blinked, recognition returning to her face. “Ruby, what is it?”

She blinked again, her brow furrowed. “It’s Lena.” Her voice was raspy from sleep and her sister’s name came out choked and scratchy.

“It’s okay. We’ll go check on her.” Dread pooled in Rafe’s gut like he knew what Ruby would say before she said it. He’d let his guard down. He’d let himself believe that everything was fine, that there would be no consequences for his actions.

Ruby shook her head, suddenly frantic, grasping at his shoulders. Her fingers dug into his flesh.

“No. We can’t.”

“We can. Ruby, she’s fine—”

“She’s not fine. She’s gone.”

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