22. Phaedra

PHAEDRA

I ran to Asher's shed, bursting through the door before I could think better of it. He was shirtless, his eyes narrowed with deadly focus, with a dagger clutched in his hand, the point aimed right at my heart. When he realized it was me, he lowered the dagger. He looked haunted, as if he'd almost done something he would regret.

"Phaedra? What the hell are you doing here? I could have hurt you."

Though I'd nearly been stabbed with the dagger he'd gotten from gods knew where, I felt no fear. The relief of seeing him tore a deep sob from my chest. I threw myself at him, and he caught me, the dagger clattering to the floor.

His back pressed against the wall, and we sunk to the floor. I held him as tightly as I could, sobbing into his shoulder, finally letting free all of the emotion I'd had to hold back these past weeks.

"Hey, hey," he murmured, holding me tightly. "It's okay. Whatever's wrong, it's okay. You're with me."

Those words meant everything to me, and I curled into his embrace, letting his warmth seep into my cold, shivering body.

Finally, after crying what had to have been several bathtubs' worth of tears, the sobs became little hiccups, and I felt exhausted and blissfully empty. I must have fallen asleep shortly after that, but not for long. When I came to myself again, it was still nighttime, and still raining.

"Asher?" I said huskily. I pushed up from his chest, and he stirred beneath me.

"Hey," he said gently. "You had me scared for a bit there. Are you okay?"

I let out a long sigh and lay against him again. "I'm much better now that I'm with you."

"What happened?"

"Connor," I said. "He summoned me to his rooms. He wanted to know why I went into Den City with Theo the other day, then blew up when I answered."

He tensed beneath me. "Tell me."

I sighed and started the story from the beginning, with Selene and Randall. I didn't want to talk about Connor yet, and Asher let me take my time even when I lingered on details that weren't important.

Closing my eyes, I described how Conner had cornered me and tried to force me to kiss him. More tears escaped as I spoke, and Asher rubbed my back in soothing circles.

When I was done, I looked at Asher, catching a flash of inky, all-consuming rage on his face. It sent a shiver down my back. It was the look of a wrathful god seconds before laying waste to the people who had incurred their ire. But when he looked down at me, that look disappeared, and all I saw in his eyes was his concern for me. It made me melt into him all over again.

"I'm so sorry you had to go through that," he said, his arms tightening around me. "I'm so, so sorry."

I sniffled. "I think Randall was doing what he could for me, waiting by the door, and I think he helped me get away from Connor back there. I'm grateful he was looking out for me as much as he could."

"So am I," he said.

I looked up at him again, a bit surprised he was so willing to admit something like that. "Really?"

"Of course. I don't trust him, but if he helped you…" Asher shrugged. "He deserves credit for that."

I stared at him, amazed that Asher could accept an enemy even to that extent. I hadn't realized it, but some part of me must have been worried that Asher would reject Selene and Randall outright because they were on Connor's side. It was such a relief that I no longer had to worry about that.

I admired him so much, and I felt more secure in the fact he and I were meant to be.

"What about the bottle that shattered?" he asked. "What do you think caused that?"

"I…" I thought about bringing up the pull I'd felt the moment before it shattered, but I shook my head. "I don't know." I didn't understand it myself, so until I did, I'd keep it to myself. Besides, I didn't want to potentially derail the perfection of this moment with any uncertainty.

Asher hadn't been allowed to shave, so he'd gotten a bit scruffy. The short beard suited him, even if it was adorably unkempt. I leaned up to kiss the spot where his jaw connected to his neck. His beard smelled like the fir trees he'd been chopping.

"I wish things could be different," I said, settling against his chest with a sigh. "I wish we could take a break for a bit, that we could enjoy each other without worrying about being seen."

He chuckled, and the vibrations of it traveled from his chest and right into mine, warming me. "You almost sound like you miss the way things used to be, when you and I met at Heartbridge Cave."

"I think I do," I said.

"But you were a maid, and you didn't have access to all of this…"

"What?" I said, when he trailed off. "Opulence? Honestly, I would much, much rather be a maid than be… whatever this is. I wasn't exactly free, but I had more freedom when I had to fight for every penny I saved."

"I have to admit I'm surprised."

"Because I give off the air of a spoiled brat?" I joked.

He laughed again, and I basked in how good it felt to be pressed against him like this. Back in Connor's rooms, I was so panicked and overwhelmed, but now it was just a distant nightmare.

"Because you seem so in your element here," he said. "You take control so easily, and you know exactly how to get under the skin of these high-wolf society people."

"I understand what makes them tick, but I don't like that about myself. I hate that I was ever like them. That I enjoyed all of this excess without thinking how it affected other people. In some ways, I worry that I belong here."

"I don't think you do," he said.

"Where do I belong, then?" I asked.

He smiled gently and wrapped his fingers around my wrist. He brought my hand to his face and kissed my palm, his hazel eyes pinning me even as sweet shivers traced up and down my spine. "Let's have some fun."

"Wh-what?" I squeaked. My mind immediately went to those heated moments in Heartbridge Cave, when I wanted him so badly I felt like I would split down the middle.

But he laughed, as if he knew where my mind had gone. "When was the last time you let your wolf out?"

"Oh." I blinked. "Oh, actually that sounds like so much fun. But aren't you worried we'll get caught?"

"We won't," he said, kissing my forehead. That was the only assurance I needed. I let him get up and pull me to my feet. His pants dropped, and my eyes did too. I'd been so quick to hug him, I hadn't taken the time to note the perfection of his golden skin and muscles. But now that he was naked, I could also appreciate that deep, sensual V that led straight to the tuft of dark hair that topped his cock?—

And then my eyes quickly returned to his face. He was smirking. Though I'd only allowed myself a quick glance, he obviously noticed me checking him out.

He laughed when I blushed. "It's nothing you haven't seen before, Phae."

"I-I know," I stammered. "It's just been a while."

He continued to smirk, which pushed me to be bold. I wouldn't be outdone. I tossed my hair over my shoulder and showed him my back.

"Unzip me," I said.

But my confidence wavered a bit when I felt him step up behind me. He stood close enough that I could feel the heat wafting from his naked body. I shivered as the tips of his fingers brushed the nape of my neck down to my zipper. He pulled it down, and it stopped just above my waist.

He let out a low breath, and I felt the chill of it against my back.

"Thanks," I murmured, slipping the dress down my shoulders and letting it pool at my feet.

As I turned to face him, I was suddenly sure that it was far too cramped in that shed. He was gazing at me with an intensity that took my breath away.

But I forced myself to smirk. "What? It's nothing you haven't seen before."

That seemed to snap him back to reality, and he laughed. "I deserved that. I hope you still remember how to shift after spending so much time around those stuffy people."

"Oh, I remember," I said, letting my wolf take control. It was the same kind of release that stretching out a tight muscle gave. I'd been so busy, I hadn't realized how desperately I'd missed this.

I shook out my fur and went to Asher, pushing my nose against his hip. He chuckled, ran his hand across my head, then shifted into his gorgeous white wolf. I yipped with excitement and butted my head against his. He reciprocated and licked my cheek.

We slipped out of the shed and into the rainy night. The fog gave us excellent cover as we entered the woods.

We couldn't howl or make as much noise as we both wanted to because the guards might see us. It was unfortunate, but I wouldn't let it dampen my spirits. I was with Asher, and I was in my wolf form after ages of being human.

We played for a long time, until I clumsily slipped into a hole beneath the trunk of a large fir tree. Asher followed me down, and we slid down the short drop into a little dugout at the base of the tree, landing in a pile of limbs.

We were both laughing as we shifted into our human forms, still locked in each other, with him on top.

"Goddess." I sighed. "I needed this."

"So did I," he said. "But I think what I really needed was you."

Those words banished the rest of the laughter from me. Suddenly, it was just him and me and the muffled sound of the rain above the dugout. There were enough leaves and twigs stacked near the opening that no water flooded into the dugout. It was warm and dry, and my belly tightened with desire.

"I needed you, too," I said, reaching up to push his hair from his face. My heart pounded painfully in my chest. "I need you now, Asher."

He let out an unsteady sigh. The sound of it made me smile. I wasn't the only one struggling to keep my composure right now. "Are you sure that's what you want?" he asked. "Now?"

He'd asked me that the last time we'd had sex, but this time, it was with the context of what Connor had almost done to me. Though Connor was far from my mind. I needed Asher, and I needed him now.

"I'm sure," I said, pulling him onto me until his lips met mine.

There was nothing sweet about his kisses, only the scorching desire we felt for each other. The brush of his beard against my skin sent goosebumps down my body. One of his hands gripped my waist, almost as gentle as it was needy.

"You said before that you were worried you belonged with high-wolf society," he said, hovering over me. "But you don't. You belong with me."

His words stirred something inside me, and I was so overwhelmed with love for him that I wrapped my legs around his waist. The movement pushed the tip of his cock against my drenched pussy.

"Wait." He panted. "Wait, my eager girl. Don't you want me to play with you a bit?"

"No." I smiled slyly. "Maybe next time." I tightened my grip around his waist, until he was fully inside me.

We shuddered and sighed at the influx of pleasure. His girth spread me, but the slight sting was temporary and sweet. It was a relief, an acceptance of the way things were always meant to be. Me and him, together. I didn't need long to adjust to his size because we were a perfect fit.

Asher's chuckle was so deep, it reverberated in my chest and my core. "Have it your way, darling." When he started to move, I moaned, letting my head fall back onto the moss. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him close for a kiss.

"Yes, yes," I whispered into his mouth with every thrust. It was like he was completing me again and again. How had I rejected this? How could I have gone so long without this bliss?

"Yes," he agreed, his voice a gruff, gentle growl as he buried his face in my neck, his wet hair tickling my warm skin.

I closed my eyes and let every worry, every stress seep down into the soft earth beneath me. As my worries disappeared, my need for him became more intense. I dug my nails into his back, urging him to move faster. Asher pushed up on his elbows and thrust harder, faster, deeper.

I gasped as his hips met mine with a wet smack. Electricity burst from my core and spread through me, igniting my blood, making my toes curl. One of my hands smoothed down his hard back and side to the muscles of his chest and stomach as he moved inside me.

"Fuck, yes!" I said again, watching his golden gaze become tender and soft as he claimed me with each thrust. "Gods, Asher. Asher, you're so good."

"Fuck, Phae." His hand found my breast, his palm across my nipple pulling a gasp from me. "You're perfect."

His words ignited another sweet wave of pleasure. I wanted to close my eyes and give myself fully to it, but I couldn't bring myself to look away from those eyes. Even in that soft, sweet darkness, Asher was so handsome, so unbelievably stunning. I felt like I was committing some delicious sin, being with someone who wasn't meant to be touched with mortal hands. It made this act so much more intense.

Finally, I closed my eyes and gave in to the pleasure building inside me. The wave of my first orgasm made me arch into him and scream in time with the thunder rolling through the sky.

Lust clouded his eyes, and he removed his hand from my breast to grasp my wrist. For a moment, I was disappointed he didn't want me to touch his chest anymore, but then he pressed my hand to the moss by my head and leaned in to kiss me.

"Mine," he growled against my mouth, increasing the intensity of his thrusts.

"Yours," I moaned, almost too overcome to get the word out.

He kissed me again, tongue pushing into my mouth, taming mine into submission. He came then, and I felt the heated gush of his cum seeping into me and dripping out.

But even after he filled me, we didn't stop. I loved him more than I loved anything or anyone, and I showed him over and over again.