Chapter 13

Rhett

Even in the darkness of the car, I could see Levi's face turn beet red. Shaking his head, he tried pulling away from me, snatching his hand back as if he'd burned himself on my skin.

To be fair, I felt like I was on fire. Having my mate so close, scenting how much he wanted me, knowing how much I affected him, set my wolf on edge.

Mate, claim, he screamed, pawing at my chest, urging me to reach out, grab Levi's hand, chase the contact we'd just lost.

It was a war inside my head. A fight for control. Usually, I didn't have a problem controlling my wolf, but when a part of me agreed with my animalistic side, things got complicated.

Truth was, I was craving Levi's touch. Was craving his attention. I wanted his arousal. I wanted his scent to surround me, wrap me in, while I pushed him higher and higher, eliciting moans and screams for him. I wanted to send him over the edge, wanted to see him fall apart beneath me, wanted to be the reason his hair looked like he'd just rolled out of bed.

Fuck . Shifting in my seat, I tried finding a comfortable position, but it was to no avail. My cock kept pressing against the zipper of my jeans, an ache radiating from my groin, a constant reminder of what I wanted to do—bury it inside my mate, and finally claim him.

Not that I will do that today or without his explicit consent , I sternly told myself and my wolf.

He whined inside of me, but the urge to mate and claim lessened a bit, my control snapping in place more firmly.

Tension thickened the air until it was hard for me to breathe. Every time I drew a breath, I got hit by a wave of his unique scent mixed with arousal, and my own need got pushed further and further.

By the time we finally reached the Inn, I was close to losing it.

Fresh air!

I needed to get out of the car and away from Levi to clear my head, but that was the last thing I wanted to do. Everything inside of me screamed at me to get closer to him, not to get away from him.

Hearing him shift in his seat, I turned my head, my eyes searching for his. His face was still flushed, I realized, but that was not what drew my attention.

Sucking in a harsh breath, I stared right into his eyes. His glowing eyes—at least to me they looked like they were glowing in the darkness—filled with want and need and…

I snapped. Or maybe he did.

Maybe we both did.

Fact was, one moment I was staring at him, the next our mouths crashed together in a fiery kiss.

Yes, yes, yes! my wolf chanted, and I wholeheartedly agreed.

A moan escaped Levi's lips, the sound hitting me like a punch in the gut, making the world stop for a moment, the air whooshing from my lungs.

The next breath I drew, I inhaled him. Everything was Levi. Petrichor and apple, mixed with sweet desire and arousal. Intoxicating. Addicting.

Diving in again, I drew his bottom lip between mine, nibbling on it, making him squirm, his hands roaming over my shoulders, my sides, my back, scratching at the fabric of my shirt.

Oh, how I wished to be naked right now. To feel his nails digging into my skin, marking me up just like I wanted to mark him.

I didn't know how, but suddenly, there was a weight on my lap, and Levi pressed even closer against me, his hard cock rubbing against mine through our jeans. Gripping his ass, I moaned, drawing his body flush against mine, keeping him there, desperately humping against him.

Mine, mine, mine.

Mate, mate, mate.

My wolf was chanting inside my head, elated at this new development.

Thoughts escaped me, time escaped me. There was just Levi. My mate. My fated one. His weight, his smell, his moans.

Finally, Levi drew his head back to draw in a breath. He was panting, chest raising and falling rapidly against mine. His eyes stayed locked on mine, glancing into my very soul.

His swollen, glistening lips turned into a smile full of promise—and hesitation.

"I… that was…" He cleared his throat, fingers twitching against my back, his hard erection rubbing against mine for a last time before he shifted again, creating a space between us I didn't want or need.

But, apparently, he did. Biting his bottom lip, he shifted again, pulling back a little more until his back hit the steering wheel.

I nodded. I got it. Kind of. It had to be a lot for him. If he wanted me as much as I wanted him, if he truly felt the bond between us, this had to be overwhelming. From what I knew, the desire and need for your fated was a whole different story than just being horny. At least it was for me.

However, I'd been prepared for this. For the all-encompassing desire, for my very essence, my soul wanting and needing someone else. I'd known I'd feel this way. But it was all new for Levi.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, bracing myself against the onslaught of outrage I was about to face.

My wolf didn't get why we'd stopped. He didn't understand that, now that we'd started the mating process, we weren't seeing it through.

We don't want to hurt our mate , I told him, balling my hands into fists, needing an outlet to release the tension inside of me.

It worked. My wolf huffed and pouted, but the pressure inside me to pick up where we'd left off lessened.

"That was so hot," Levi said, voice all raspy and breathy. His eyes were still glowing, shining with desire, his bulge still pressing against his zipper. "Hands down the hottest kiss of my life. But…" He took a deep breath and shook his head. "Tonight… I… I can't…"

"You don't want more than a kiss?" I guessed, though I already knew that was what he was trying to tell me.

Levi nodded, his cheeks turning a dark shade of red. "If we keep going, I'm not sure I can stop. And I'm not sure if I'm ready to go all the way yet. Mating is… it's a pretty big commitment." He swallowed, glancing out of the window for a while.

"It's a decision you shouldn't make lightly," I agreed, though it felt like I was tearing myself apart.

"No, I shouldn't." Taking another deep breath, he looked back at me. "That's why we need to stop. Trust me, I want nothing more than to kiss you again, to lose myself in you. But… It's hard to explain. At least for me it is. Maybe it sounds completely logical and natural to you, but there's a part of me that's… it's urging me on. I'm so drawn to you, and kissing you is so… wow , it's actually scary. Like losing control in the best way possible."

I let his words hang in the air for a while and tried to really understand what he was saying. That he wasn't rejecting me. He wasn't saying he didn't want to be my mate, he just said what I'd already guessed—he was overwhelmed.

I had no idea why he felt our bond in a way that usually only paranormals did, but he obviously did. And he was wholly unprepared for it.

"But it still feels like you're losing control," I murmured.

"Yeah. And it's not that I'm losing control over my body, but my mind… that's what's freaking me out."

"So, we stop. No problem. I'll always stop when you want me to." No matter how difficult it might be. No matter how much my wolf pouted and whined.

"Thank you." Levi's bright, grateful smile lit up his face.

"That's really not something you have to thank me for. It's called human decency."

Furrowing his brows, he cocked his head. "I guess you're right, but, unfortunately, it's still not the norm."

Rage tore through me like a wildfire.

Who had dared not to accept my mate's no?

"Anyway," Levi said, a shy smile returning to his face. Leaning in, he kissed my cheek. "Thank you for our date. And thank you for being a decent human, um, shifter, being. Have a good night."

By the time I was done staring after him open-mouthed, he'd already disappeared inside.

The skin on my cheek was still tingling, my heart hammering inside my chest, my whole body filled with so much pent-up energy I knew my good night wouldn't consist of me sleeping.

I needed to run.

The barrier was getting stronger; I was sure of it.

Turning my head, I looked at my best friend. "Can't you feel it?"

Because I sure as shit could.

I didn't even need to be in my wolf form. I didn't need to focus on connecting with the barrier; it just happened as soon as I came close to it.

The buzzing, the electrical static in the air, the pulsing life… it wasn't faint anymore. It was almost like the barrier was reaching out to me, wanting a connection—just like I'd been reaching out to it for years.

Gray frowned, drawing his thick brows together. Raking his hands through his long hair, he pursed his lips.

"It feels… different," he said eventually. "I'm not connected to the barrier the same way you are. I can feel a change, but I don't think I can feel it to the same extent you do. To me, it feels stronger."

"A lot stronger," I whispered, reaching out as if I could actually physically feel the barrier. It was right there, maybe two feet away from where I was standing. I couldn't see it, no one could. Well, maybe a witch or a wizard could. There was no line on the forest floor, no fog in the air. But I still knew exactly where it was. "It feels like it was on the cusp of death, and now it's living again."

Gray nodded. "It feels a bit like an electric fence… there's this energy in the air. I'm almost afraid I'll get zapped if I touch it. At the same time, I want to."

Snorting, I extended my hand and touched the barrier.

Holy shit.

There really was a zap. Electricity raced up my arm, washing through my body as my hand slid through what basically seemed to be a curtain made out of energy. Taking a step forward, I felt the energy just like a curtain, wandering over my body until I'd passed the barrier and stood on the other side, right outside our territory.

This was crazy.

So fucking crazy.

Stepping back, I felt the same thing, walking through a curtain of pure energy.

"Did you get zapped?" Gray asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest, face twisted up in concern. "It looked like you got zapped?"

"The energy is off the charts," I said, staring at the spot where the barrier was. "Try it."

Gray did, decidedly marching forward straight out of our territory before turning around and marching back in. He shrugged nonchalantly, but I knew him better than that. I noticed the way his eyebrows twitched as if he wanted to raise them, but suppressed the movement. He wasn't as unconcerned about this as he wanted me to believe.

"Gray," I said, giving him a stern look, "I'm your second. More importantly, I'm your best friend. Your brother in spirit."

He sighed, rubbing a hand over his face, finally letting his concern shine through. "You're right. I can feel what you mean."

"And you're worried," I prompted. "Even though you said it's nothing to worry about because the witches might be lying."

"I… might have asked around after you told me about the barrier," he admitted, averting his eyes for a moment. Then he looked back at me with new resolve. "You were right; as far as we know, barriers cannot randomly recharge themselves. I've talked to Redwood and Blue River, and they've never heard of something like this happening."

"But it is happening here."

He nodded again. "It definitely is and I have no idea why."

"Neither do I," I said. "But… it doesn't feel like it's a bad thing. It feels like the barrier is healing."

"Yeah, and I love that it feels like that. But if we don't know what's happening, we can't trust it."

He was right. We needed to get to the bottom of this—and I would. As soon as I was done meeting up with Levi