27. Ronyn

27

RONYN

She’s doing well, I said as I reached out in groupthink to the guys.

She’s impressive, Dom said, especially watching her grow stronger over these last few weeks.

Now, let’s see if some of this food sticks to those bones of hers. I swear, humans take forever to put on muscle, Voss grumbled.

I stepped into the shadows and continued watching Bexley as she moved toward Voss’s place. I had to go check on the patrol units still out and about in the woods, but I wanted to make sure she got inside safely first. And as she walked away from me, my stare cased her body. Toned muscles lined her curves beneath her clothes she kept borrowing from people. Her lung capacity, growing every single day the more she pushed herself. Her back, straighter than ever. Her head, held high with pride. Hell, even the way her clothes slung to her body with sweat after a hard afternoon’s training damn near made me snap most of the time. How strong she looked as her muscles grew tore me up in the best of ways.

She moved with grace and struck with strength, and I found that I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

But, more than that, she was fighting for her life. Pushing herself to a limit she had no business pushing herself to, and all in the name of fighting for the lives of those with whom she doesn’t belong. Even with the setting sun, the heat of the summer rays poured through the treetops. I finally watched Bexley’s strong frame disappear in the distance into Voss’s house, and that’s when I finally felt comfortable shoving my hand down my pants and rearranging my goddamn junk.

Fucking hell, we had bigger fish to fry, and I had to stop thinking about fucking that woman senseless.

“Go,” Reggie said.

I heard him morph back into his human form as he came to stand beside me in the woods.

“Commander,” he urged.

“What, lieutenant?” I asked as I stared off at Voss’s house.

He scooted closer to me. “Commander, it doesn’t take a genius to know why you look at her the way you do.”

I slowly panned my gaze toward him, pinning him with a look. “Choose your next words very wisely.”

He patted my shoulder. “Go, Ronyn. I’ve got the patrol troops tonight.”

I peered over my shoulder into the darkness of the woods before I reached out into groupthink. Usual route, no funny business. Alert me if there’s trouble.

Ear-shattering howls came up from the woods, echoing through the distance back to me. And with one last nod of my head toward my lieutenant, I started toward Voss’s place.

I turned back around. “If you see, hear, smell, or sense anything…”

Reggie nodded. “You’ll be the first to know. You have my word, commander.”

And I suppose that was good enough for me.

I took off toward Voss’s place, and I sure as fuck didn’t stop until I crashed through his front door.

Bexley’s face whipped toward mine. “Hey!”

“Ronyn,” Voss said with a nod of his head.

Dom leaned back into his chair and pushed one out for me with his toe. “Got a plate for ya over here.”

I tossed the door closed as Bexley smiled. “Not your shift tonight?”

Her scent lured me closer. She hadn’t showered. She sat there at Voss’s table, still dripping with sweat and smelling of the woods. I moved closer to her. I took up space in the chair Dom kicked out from beneath the table for me with his foot. I couldn’t stand it. Sitting with her at the table. Smelling her thighs dripping with sweat. Smelling her hair musky with humidity.

“You are remarkable,” I murmured as I pinned her with a stare.

She peeked around at the table before shrugging. “Just a product of my circumstances.”

My nostrils flared. “I hate how you shrug that shit off.”

“It’s not shrugging things off. It’s just the truth. I’ve learned how to use survival to work to my benefit. Nothing wrong with that.”

“Not at all,” Voss said.

The rest of the dinner was silent. I shoved Voss’s homecooked meal into my face while I stole glances at Bexley, who was equally hungry. She matched me, plate for plate, until every single ounce of food Voss prepared was demolished. She had four plates stacked in front of her. Three empty cans of soda. She licked her fingers and leaned back in the chair, spreading her legs wide.

And the salted scent that wafted from between her thighs shot me to my feet.

“Thanks for the meal,” I grumbled.

Voss growled a bit as he cleared his throat. “No problem.”

Dom chuckled and stood. Even his skin was flushed. “Voss cooked, I clean.”

“What would you like me to do?” Bexley asked.

“Bathe,” we all said in unison.

Bexley looked around at all of us before she fell apart in laughter. I looked over at Voss, who already created distance by lingering around in the kitchen with Dom. I knew they were struggling. It was hard enough, smelling her scent on a daily basis and not being able to do anything about it. But, mixed with sweat? Mixed with her natural odors?

I forced myself out the front door. “Be right back, you guys.”

“Hey!” Bexley exclaimed. “Wait up!”

Good luck, Voss snickered.

Better you than me, Dom said as he reached out.

I stormed out of his house, but Bexley was hot on my tail. If leading her back toward the bath house would get her to wash up so that I didn’t bang my head against a wall all night trying not to fuck her, I’d deal with it. She caught up to me, her eyes gazing up at me intently as I kept my own stare forward.

Locked on the bath house.

Locked on freedom.

“Ronyn?” she asked.

She placed her hand on my forearm, and it stopped me in my tracks. I looked down at our connection before I cleared my throat.

“Yeah?” I asked.

Her stare searched mine, and I knew what she wanted to ask. I knew she was desperate for answers.

“Ask,” I said as my voice lowered to a rumble.

Her fingers settled against the tattoos on my forearm. “What really happened in that bath house, Ronyn? Between us?”

I reached out and wiped away a bead of sweat sliding down her brow. “Like I said, selfishness.”

She furrowed her brow softly. “You and I both know that’s not what happened.”

Goddamn it, she looked so lost. So strong, and yet so… lost at sea. I silently vowed, then and there, as the sunset splashed colors around in her delicate brown eyes, that I’d slaughter anyone that got in my way who had ever brought her to that point. Who had ever beaten her down, or hurt her, or degraded her, or told her that she was lesser than. I vowed to bleed the life from anyone who had ever taken anything from her that wasn’t already rightfully theirs to take.

I watched Bexley link her arm with mine, pressing her scent against my skin. Growing closer to me, even though it was torture.

Even though I wanted to take from her something that still wasn’t rightfully mine.

“Why don’t we go talk about it in the bath house, yeah?” Bexley asked softly.

I swallowed hard as my eyesight sharpened. As my wolf cried out for more. The carnal desires rushing through my veins had nothing on the way my heart pounded against my sternum when she leaned her cheek against my bicep.

She looked so small standing next to me.

I wanted to cradle her in my shadow and protect her forever.

“Yes!”

Bexley jerked at the sound of my mother’s voice. I’d never seen her jump like that before.

“Oh, yes!” Mom exclaimed as she trotted up to us.

I nodded. “Mom.”

Bexley looked up at me. “This is your mother?”

She cupped Bexley’s cheeks, effectively pulling her away from my arm. “Ooooh, my goodness! I was wondering when you two would finally figure it out. I swear, you should see the way my Ronybug looks at you when you’re not looking.”

“Mom,” I said curtly.

Bexley looked over at me with a grin on her face. “Ronybug, huh?”

“Don’t,” I warned.

Mom linked her arm with Bexley’s and pulled her away from me. “Come, come. Have you had dessert yet? I hope not. I’ve just gotten done making a pie, and I’ve got ice cream to go with it.”

I sighed. “Mom.”

“Hey,” Bexley said with a shrug, “not my fault you don’t want pie.”

And as my face fell watching those two women make a break for my childhood home, I heard Dom chuckling from Voss’s porch.

“Good luck,” he said as he raised his whiskey glass.

“Shut up,” I grumbled, making my way toward my mother’s home.

It was going to be a long fucking night.

Especially if no one was going to give Bexley time to fucking shower.