8. Bexley

8

BEXLEY

The world tilted on its axis around me as I stared up at the sky, waiting for my body to ground itself. My body hummed with satiation. My legs trembled with the brisk wind that kicked up. Chanting and laughing rose over the horizon, wafting toward me while I laid there on that rock.

I never came like that before.

Ever.

And twice in one session? Jesus Christ, that was a first. I didn’t want it to end. It felt like I was in a trance, and I never wanted to come up for air.

“Come here,” I croaked.

The man wasted no time blanketing me with his weight. He crouched down against me, covering me away from the world with his clothed form. I felt his raging hard-on pressed against my thigh as I kept myself spread for him. The evidence of our debauchery dripped from between my legs onto the smooth surface of the rock we had just defaced. His lean, trimmed muscles molded to me. His cock felt heavy between my legs as it sat there, soaked in my arousal.

His weight felt glorious against me as the wind kicked back up, rustling the leaves hanging in the trees. A few of them let loose, circling down and showering us in nature’s beauty.

I couldn’t help but look up into his face and be absolutely mesmerized.

“Hi,” I said breathlessly as he stared down at me with his bright blue eyes.

His grin was positively wolfish. “Hello.”

I didn’t want it to end. Part of me wanted to lock my legs, roll him over, and sit right back down onto his dick. But, I couldn’t allow my mind to get clouded. I had an entire makeshift pack that relied on me, probably searching for me at a celebration I still hadn’t shown up to. What the hell had I done? What in the world did I let myself get wrapped up in?

“Bexley?” Dom asked.

“Sorry,” I said breathlessly.

With one push of my feet against the rock, I slid across the soft surface. Dom’s eyes widened as I bent my back over the rock and dove into the water. Fish scurried off, flapping their little fins as quickly as they could go while I stuck my hand between my legs.

I used the water to wash myself off as the rushing river current cleaned my body.

If he jumped in with me, I didn’t hear anything. I came up for air and tossed my hair back, slinging water around as I drew in lungfuls of air. Gone was his mark. Gone was the dripping sensation between my legs. Gone was the sweat that dripped from his brow to my forehead.

I had to get out of this place. The men of this pack were… something else entirely.

And I couldn’t afford to have my attention derailed.

“All right,” I said to myself as I shoved myself up onto the river’s edge, “time to get dressed.”

I snatched my clothes up from the ground and hopped my way back into them. Clothes were a pain in the fucking ass whenever one was wet, and I allowed the wind to dry me off as much as possible before even attempting to put my fucking pants back on. My underwear was soaked. It felt like my bra was about to fall apart at any moment. But, when I finally managed to clothe my skin, I turned back toward that rock and found Dom standing there, towering over me on that rock.

With his cock stuffed back into his pants and his inquisitive stare devouring me to my core.

“You coming or what?” I asked as I thumbed over my shoulder.

He smirked as he jumped off the rock and onto the river’s edge. It was almost as if he floated through the air. Like gravity didn’t quite lock him to the grass like it did for the rest of us.

I couldn’t take my eyes off him as he walked up to me. Wisps of what I could only describe as colorful wind wrapped around him, cloaking him in a fresh three-piece suit. I couldn’t help but watch in amazement. It would never get old, seeing shifters on their home turf.

Get it together, he’s going to figure out you’re human. “Does every shifter use their powers to wear the latest fashions?”

He chewed on his lower lip as he came up to me, his stare casing me like a juicy piece of meat. “Depends on what they like to wear, I suppose.”

I scoffed, but I couldn’t help the breathless giggle that came with it. So, with one last look, I turned toward the sound of rising music as the delectable smell of food wafted in on the curtails of the gust that kicked up around us.

“Smells like they’re having a good time,” Dom said as he slipped his hands into his pockets.

I nodded as I turned toward the woods, feeling myself being lured by the prospect of a hot, well-rounded meal. “Don’t mind if I do.”

But, when I started into the forest, I didn’t hear his footsteps behind me.

“You coming, or what?” I asked as I spun around and held out my arms.

Dom just stood there with a smile on his face. “I think that’s more your job.”

I rolled my eyes and continued traveling toward the fresh smell of food. He was spunky, I’d give him that. His wit was quick, and I found myself looking over my shoulder just to make sure he was there. He kept a steady pace of ten feet behind me, and I wondered if there was a reason for that. It was slightly unnerving, but it wasn’t as if I felt unsafe. I was simply in foreign territory trying to act like I belonged.

No sweat.

Right?

That is, until I heard his rushing footsteps catch up with me as the sound of singing voices rose from the horizon. “Dominic.”

I paused and turned to face him. “What was that?”

He stopped and grinned down at me. “Dominic. That’s what Dom is short for.”

I nodded my head. “Bexley isn’t short for anything.”

“Do you shorten it to something more familiar?”

“If I did, would I tell you?”

His gaze slid down my form. “Interesting.”

I furrowed my brow as he walked away. “Interesting how?”

He shrugged as he pulled his hands out of his pockets and clasped them behind his back. “Nothing.”

I grabbed his arm and turned him to face me. “That’s never nothing. Not where I come from.”

“And where is it that you do come from, Bexley?” he asked as he stared down at me.

Sharp shadows played against his boyish features, making him almost seem like a monster. “I don’t have a home, like the rest of my pack.”

He studied me for a while, as if trying to determine whether or not I was telling the truth. “Bexley, you say?”

I quirked an eyebrow. “Yeah, that’s my name.”

He nodded as he headed for the party. “Beautiful name for a beautiful mate.”

I scurried toward him, grabbing his arm, and yanked him back around. “Let me make one thing painfully clear: I am no one’s mate.”

His eyes sparkled as he looked down at me. “Oh, really now?”

I nodded. “Yes, really now. I belong to no one. I am owned by no one, Dom. And the sooner you get that through your head, the easier this is going to be.”

Mate. I was tired of him throwing that fucking word around. I wasn’t an idiot. I knew how the process of their mating worked. Some bullshit about DNA-laced fate or whatever the fuck. I didn’t have time for it, though. I didn’t have time for horny fucking wolves that didn’t have mates so all they wanted to do was get their dick wet with the newest girl on the block.

I walked away from him, shaking my head, and yet I still felt his hot stare in between my shoulder blades. I felt his hungry eyes casing my body as the tree line fell away and the celebration came into view. My body still buzzed from my orgasms. I forced my focus to sharpen as I canvassed the edges of the compound, looking and searching for any threats.

I went back into high alert, but goddamn it, the memory of Dom against me sizzled in the back of my mind as I returned to my pack.

“Alpha!” Little Billy exclaimed.

He leapt up and came running for me just as I bent down and scooped him into my arms. “Well, hey there, Billy! Got a full belly yet?”

He puffed his belly out and rubbed it. “Some of the kids are about to play tag. You wanna play with us?”

“Yeah,” Dom said as he murmured while walking by, “you wanna play tag, Alpha ?”

I shot him a look. I didn’t like the way he said that title. “Once I get some food in me, I’d love to, Billy.”

He shot his balled up fists into the air and wiggled out of my grasp. “Hey, everyone! Alpha’s gonna play after she eats!”

“Yeeeeeeah!” the children cheered from across the meadow.

I laughed as I watched Billy race toward the other children. I watched Annabelle tumble in the grass as a little girl with wild red hair tried to tackle her in order to tag her. They jumped over each other’s heads and growled at one another if they got too close. Gone was the idea of food as I stood there, watching the children of my pack bond with the children of theirs. They looked so happy. So…content. For the first time in weeks, there were no patrols to make sure we were safe and no scouting parties looking for that last bit of food for the night.

The sight of their playing and the sound of their laughter brought tears to my eyes.

“How did you find them?” Dom asked as he came to stand beside me once more.

I swallowed hard. “I’d like to think they found me, really.”

Dom stayed silent as I drew in a deep breath, watching the members of my pack. They stuffed their faces and drank down decadent wine. The naked man from the woods kept replenishing the fruit and vegetable offerings with the women and I watched that brutal man with the scar on his face feed the fire more wood.

“Vampires destroyed their pack,” I said softly, “just like they tried to destroy me.”

Dom growled as he walked in front of me, cloaking me with his shadow in the moonlight. He gripped my chin. He forced my gaze up to his. And as tears lined my eyes, he looked me square in my face.

“So long as you and your pack are here, no harm will come to you. I’ll make sure of it.”

I wanted to believe him so badly. Everything about his stare, about the determination behind it, called to me. My heart slammed against my chest. The touch of his fingers against my chin sizzled my gut. Believing him after weeks of being on the run would have been glorious. A relief, really. But, instead, I pulled away from his touch. I couldn’t be compromised or distracted in any way. Not for a second.

And he was certainly a great kind of distraction.

“I’ve got it if you don’t. It’s really not that big of a deal,” I said plainly as I started toward the children.

Before he could catch up, I broke out into a run. I pumped my legs as quickly as they would go, and I covered the length of that compound as I rushed toward the kids playing tag. I picked Annabelle up off her feet and swung her around. I listened to her giggles as Little Billy jumped onto my back. One of the kids from the other pack latched onto my leg, begging me to run as she clung to me. And as I girded myself, I took off running with those three children hanging right off my body.

Their laughter filled me to the brim with joy.

One by one, I picked them up and swung them around. I passed out hugs as if it were candy, and soon all of the children from both of the packs lined up just to be hugged by the new Alpha. I wrapped my arms around them and cherished their beating hearts. Their flushed skin. Their sweating little foreheads. They were reminders that they were alive. That they were safe. That somehow, amidst all of the chaos of the last few weeks, I had done something right.

And after the children ran off to play another game, I collapsed on my back in a soft patch of grass.

“Figured you might be hungry after all that,” Voss said as his shadow soaked my legs.

I peeked my head up and found him looking down at me. And I had to admit, the food smelled divine.

“Don’t mind if I do,” I grunted as I pushed myself upright.

He sat down in the grass beside me and plopped the plate of food in my lap. Then, he brandished another jug of wine. I didn’t know where the hell he pulled that from, but I smiled when I saw it.

“I don’t know who makes this wine,” I said as I reached for the jug, “but tell them I’m a fan.”

He leaned back, propping himself up on his elbows. “I’ll let Merida know.”

I nodded as I took a long swig. God, I was thankful for the cool wine that flowed over my tongue. Dom fucked the buzz out of me, and I was ready to relax and not feel anything for a little while. The thought of Dom made me smile as I took one last pull from the wine. I passed the jug off, watching Voss’s scarred, callused hand wrap around the jug.

He placed it off to the side before he nodded to the plate of food in my lap. “Eat. All of you need energy. You look like you haven’t had a full meal in weeks.”

I snickered as I picked up a piece of fruit. “That’s because we haven’t.”

That was all he said. As I devoured the delectable plate of meats, cheeses, and cooked produce, we watched the children run around the fire. We watched as a woman sat down near the flames licking toward the sky, only to gather the kids around and tell a story. A story around the campfire. The scene unfolding made me smile. It was good to know that some quintessential things knew no boundaries. Sometimes, classics are simply classic.

And as I sat there next to Voss, who kept stealing glances in my direction, I devoured the food and wine he brought me as I watched the children of my pack enjoy themselves. They laughed and smiled. They ate luxurious plates of food and chugged water by the cupful. None of them turned to the woods to scout out any danger. None of them jumped at odd sounds like I did whenever I heard twigs cracking or an animal scurrying in the distance.

It was how children should have been. Happy, protected, and carefree. It was the only shred of relief I had been allowed in months.

And I made sure to commit every single second of it to memory.