Chapter Twenty

Eric

"Cassie!" I shift back quickly and check on her.

I run toward Cassie as she shifts back to human form and begins to fall to the ground. Ares and Jeremiah are also alarmed, but they're busy finishing off the rest of our enemies, so I get to her first.

She's unconscious, but apart from that, she seems perfectly fine. I heave a deep breath.

The metallic tang of coppery blood hangs in the air. Pieces of flesh and bones littered on the ground, making the sight a gory one. My brother and Ares are done cleaning up the trash now, and only the mess of the fight remains. They both shift back to their human forms.

A lot of things have been happening lately. Things that I never expected. One thing that tops that list, however, is the scene before me right now.

I can't believe I just watched Cassie kill an assassin. She literally ripped out his throat.

It was brutal and animalistic.

This week has been a clusterfuck of emotions. I've barely been able to keep up with it all. Ares, the most powerful Alpha among us, shows up, claiming Cassie, being her perfect pair, and we agree to share Cassie with each other.

Now this?

My gaze falls on Jeremiah as he reaches for one of the dead assassin's bodies with urgency. He fumbles in their pocket and pulls out an injectable blocker.

He immediately injects himself in the arm with it. I watch as relief courses over his face.

What the hell is going on?

Ares hovers nearby, his usually composed demeanor fraying at the edges.

The realization dawns on me.

"Is she..?" I trail off.

"Yes." Ares nods in confirmation. "She is going into estrus."

Shit!

My gaze falls on Cassie's still body on the ground. Her eyes are closed, her skin flushed. Although I can't smell pheromones, seeing Jeremiah's and Ares's reactions, I can tell Cassie's pheromones are all over the place again.

It is a terrible time for this to happen. She'd nearly been murdered, and now her body is betraying her. From what she's shared with us, I have a good idea of who sent these assassins—the gang of warlocks, wolves, and were-panthers.

They were formidable fighters, and if Ares hadn't been here, Jeremiah and I would have been overwhelmed and subdued because of how outnumbered we were. They probably didn't know Ares would be around. If they came in without the information that he would be here, they probably thought he was just an extra wolf they could take out with ease.

Ares tosses me my pants, and I pull them on quickly, watching as he and my brother do the same.

"Why not give her some blockers?"

"No!" both Ares and Jeremiah yell.

Ares says firmly, "She's been on them for too long. Introducing more now would be dangerous."

Jeremiah silently nods in agreement.

Ares continues. "Cassie needs time off the suppressants for her resistance to return. It is a delicate balance—letting her instincts run their course while protecting her from harm."

Ares turns to face me, handing me his keys. "Why don't you take her home? Jeremiah and I will sort things out here."

"Okay," I mutter.

He pauses, looking at me for a second. "If she wakes up… take care of her. Prepare her for us."

And with that, I watch him walk away, making a call on his phone. Jeremiah hands Ares' coat over to me so I can both mask her scent and cover her naked body. A silent understanding passes between us. I will take care of Cassie until they come back to the house. I will probably be the first to mate with her.

In the state she's been in… I'm unsure. I will only touch her if she is awake and willing.

My feet make a sucking sound in the damp soil as I make my way over to Ares' car with Cassie in my arms.

I manage to get Cassie home just in time. I place her on the bed, and check her temperature. Her skin is slick with a sheen of sweat beneath my fingers while her body heats up uncontrollably.

Shit. What the fuck am I supposed to do in this situation? I've never been this clueless before in my life.

Cassie moans lightly and stirs on the bed. "Cassie? Can you hear me?"

Her eyes flutter open, and I'm taken aback by the intense desire reflecting in them.

"Eric?" she mumbles, sitting up and grabbing her head with one of her hands.

"Yeah, it's me. How do you feel?"

"It hurts." She groans painfully.

"Oh shit. Um, where does it hurt? What can I do to help?"

"It hurts right here," she takes my hands and slides it between her legs.

Fuck!

"Cassie," I swallow harshly. "I know you are in heat right now, but I need to be sure it's you… not just your wolf talking to me."

She shakes her head adamantly. "It is not just my wolf. I've always tried to convince myself that what I felt for you and Jeremiah was just friendship, but it's not. I like you Eric, and I'm also very attracted to you."

Could she really mean that? The possibility makes my heart pound. Had she wanted me as much as I wanted her all this while?

"Cassie, I…" I begin, but I'm interrupted by Cassie. She pulls off Ares' coat, revealing her heavy and plump breasts.

Fuck.

All my blood rushes to my groin, making my dick hard as fuck.

"Don't you want me, Eric?" her voice is desperate and almost whiny. It's the sexiest thing I've ever heard. She wants me so bad… and I can actually do something about it today.

"I need you…" She makes doe eyes at me, pleading.

Fuck it.

I dip my head and press my lips over hers. She lets out the sweetest, sexiest moan I think I've ever heard in my entire goddamn life.

Cassie's lips are soft and taste like chocolate with a hint of oranges. She melts against me, leaning her weight into my arms. I press my tongue against the seam of her lips, and she opens them gracefully, letting me lick my way into her mouth. Our tongues brush together in soft friction as she lets out a gentle hum.

I draw back and stare intently at her and all I see is the fact that she has made up her mind.

She squeezes her thighs together, and her voice is a hoarse whisper.

"Eric?"

"Lay back on the bed."

She bites down on her lip, eyes full of excitement and compliance, which only makes me harder.

"Don't make me ask a second time."

She gets on the bed and scoots back until her head touches the pillows.

Her cheeks are bright pink now, and that cute blush races down her neck and chest. I climb onto the bed after her. Spreading her legs with my knees, I crawl between them and run my nose up her calf to her knee, then her inner thigh.

Her entire body trembles with nervous energy. I inhale deeply, and my balls tighten at her scent. Liquid arousal drips out of her, and the smell makes me feral. Looking up at her face, I lick my lips. Faded blue eyes stare back at me, her breasts heaving with each heavy breath.

I brush my thumbs along her pussy lips and spread her wide open. "You smell good enough to fucking devour whole." I bite down on the inside of her thigh, making her whimper and moan and buck her hips.

She threads her slender fingers through my hair. "E-Eric." My name shudders out of her mouth on a plea. Whether it's to stop or keep going, I have no idea, but I suspect a little of both.

I bite down harder, and she squirms. The scent of her arousal grows thicker and stronger, and I need to taste her. Her clit is perfect, swollen and slick, and begging for me to take a bite. I rub the pad of my thumb over it first, gently teasing her with the slightest amount of pressure.

A keening wail rips out of her chest, and her back arches off the bed. "So fucking beautiful, Cassie." I press more firmly. She writhes, lost in the moment.

"Oh. Oh, fuck." She rocks her hips, chasing more contact, and I give it to her in the form of my tongue running the length of her slit. She cries out, her hips almost shooting off the bed, and I hold her down with my free hand, keeping her exactly where I want her while I swirl my tongue over her supple flesh.

Her fingernails dig into my head, making my scalp tingle. I drink her in, her scent and taste flooding my nose and mouth. My tongue joins my thumb, and I work her clit with both, applying firmer pressure. Tremors wrack her body, and her thighs clamp around my head. I push one thigh back down, giving me more room to feast on her cunt.

Breathless pleas tumble from her lips as I carry her closer to the edge. I want to feel her silky heat wrapped around my length, but I'm going to make her come like this first.

I know she's a virgin. She's never had a boyfriend and she was always too sick to do anything. I intend to make this as pleasurable as possible for her.

Her breaths grow increasingly short and fast. Her fingernails dig into my scalp. I breathe her in and suck her sensitive clit into my mouth, flooding my senses with all things her. The animal- like craving already coursing through my body snaps its teeth, ravenous to have some part of me inside her right now.

I slide two fingers into her tight cunt and graze her sensitive flesh with my teeth. She screams my name, her inner walls locking my hand in place.

Her head falls back, and her body goes still, trapped under the spell of her orgasm. Whimpering and moaning, she covers my fingers and wrist with her juices.

I lap them up until the taste of her has my heart ready to gallop out of my chest. My cock throbs, desperate to claim her. Slipping my fingers out of her wet center, I push up onto my knees and settle between her thighs.

I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand, and her slickness streaks across my knuckles. Her eyelids flutter as her climax continues rippling through her body, but when I hold her hips with my hands, her gaze lands on mine.

"That was so good, Eric." The words leave her lips with a breathy moan. I rock my hips, coaxing every tremor from her as she comes down from her high, grinding against her soaking pussy and staining the gray fabric of my sweatpants with her slickness.

Without giving her any warning, I grab her by the legs and pull her closer. She squeals in surprise, her body still wracked with tremors from her climax. I pull her up, spreading her knees so I can see her pussy dripping onto my sheets.

She whimpers softly, her skin flushed with desire. Reaching into my sweatpants, I free my aching cock and give it a sharp tug as I stare at her perfect cunt and breasts all on display and waiting for me.

I can't help but spank her inner thighs, leaving my handprint behind. She groans out my name, and I can't wait much longer to bury myself inside her. My heart is thumping wildly against my ribcage, adrenaline thundering through my veins like it's my lifeblood.

I know she needs a knot to fully satisfy her, but I'm a Beta. I don't have one. I will just do my best to prepare her because knots are intense. Like a second virginity. I'm sure this is what Ares meant.

I tangle my fingers in her hair, pulling her head to mine. "You're gonna take my cock now, Cassie. Every fucking inch of me on the first go." I drive inside her, bottoming out, taking her virginity, and filling her dripping cunt.

She makes a strangled sound, but her wet heat grips me tight. I pull out slowly, making her whine like a needy girl before I ram back inside so hard that the bed rattles.

"Fu—Oh!" she mewls. I grab her legs and wrap them around mine and thrust into her hard, slamming into her over and over until tears roll down her cheeks, and she's barely able to breathe. And when she seems as though she can't take any more, I hover over her, wrapping my free hand around her throat and railing into her like a man possessed.

I press my mouth against her ear, teeth nipping at her skin. I'm struck by an overwhelming desire to bite her, my wolf itching just below the surface.

She brings out the animalistic side of me, feral and famished, with a burning need to touch and claim every single part of her. I ravage her sweet cunt until she's panting for breath and whimpering beneath me. But it's still not enough.

I pull her up so we're both kneeling and spread her thighs wider with my knees, stretching her as far as I can while still being able to fuck her in this position. She's going to cum all over my sheets, stain them bright red with her release. My cock leaks inside her at the thought. "You're going to take everything I got, like my needy little girl."

Gripping her head and throat, I feel her try to nod. I increase my pressure, cutting off her airway as I drive in even harder, my hips slamming against hers.

Her pussy walls ripple around me, and I know she's close to losing herself. I slide my hand between her thighs and strum her clit with my thumb, sending her hurtling over the edge. Her cunt ripples, milking my cock. I loosen my grip on her throat and let her suck in a breath.

The rush of air ignites her climax, like oxygen feeding a flame. She comes hard, soaking my sheets and my thighs and trembling so much that her teeth chatter. I wrap my arms around her, holding her tight and roaring her name as my orgasm tears through me with the force of a freight train.

I let her go, and she falls flat on the mattress, gasping for breath and clutching at her throat. I sway on my knees, my head spinning with the strength of my own climax. I'm seconds away from collapsing on top of her when a heaving sob escapes from her lips. The sound snaps me out of my orgasm-induced haze, and all I can do is watch helplessly as tears stream from her eyes.

Fuck!

Seconds drag like minutes, but she doesn't run. She doesn't scramble to get away from me. She doesn't do anything. Tentatively, I reach out and trail my fingertips down her spine, and she shivers. But she's still here.

Lying between my thighs, covered in her blood and our cum, she looks so beautifully broken that my cock already aches to take her again.

"Eric," she rasps, her throat clogged with tears.

"Yeah?" My own voice comes equally raw and thick with emotion.

Whatever she is about to say gets cut off by another sharp intake of breath. We lie here like this for I don't know how long. Our hearts racing, breaths hoarse and ragged.

After a while, our chests stop heaving and the throbbing pulse in her neck slows down. She's calmer now that she has cum, but it's not going to last. I press a soft kiss beneath her ear. The corner of her mouth curls into a faint smile.

"I need you to fuck me again," she whispers.

I chuckle softly. "Anything for you."