Chapter 12

H is hand hovered in the air, his golden eyes watching her, waiting for her.

She stared at him, wondering if there was more underneath that Growler surface. In this moment, they stood on the edge of a cliff. If they went over it, she knew her life would never be the same.

She was so fucking tired of everyone avoiding her. But the way he looked up at her, as if she hung the stars in the sky…

She arched her back, offering her breasts to him.

He licked his lips, his jaw shifting back to mostly human, then leaned forward. His long, canine tongue swirled around her nipple, sending goosebumps spreading along her skin like lightning.

She gasped and jerked, her hands sliding into his mane of wolf fur. It was so soft and silky. She scratched behind his ears, and he froze before his jaw and body shivered and his tail thumped on the bed behind him. She squirmed, her hands diving deeper into his hair.

He growled and tugged her nipple into his mouth, his hands settling on her hips to hold her still. His breath was hot as fire, making her shiver with delight. His hands wrapped around her ass, cupping the mounds and pulling her between his legs.

His mouth switched to the other breast, working the tip to life and swirling his tongue around it before sucking hard. Her fingers tightened on his hair, pulling his head closer.

Fuck, this felt good. Beyond good. It was incredible. Like the stars in the sky burned brighter, and even with just his mouth on her and his hands on her ass, she was closer to that burst than she'd been on her own.

Holy hell, she was in trouble.

It was the last conscious thought she had because in the next moment, he dipped his fingers between her thighs from behind, the tip of one finding her dripping wet core. She moaned and clenched around him. It was torture, not enough friction, too slow. She needed more .

He growled and clamped onto her nipple, making her jump. His fingers dug into her ass as another finger joined the first and dove in and out.

Gods, it still wasn't enough. She needed all of him. She breathed deeply of his mane, gripping hard as she tried to control herself, slow down, not go insane from his touch and the need for him.

Fuck, she didn't need him. She was an independent Hunter, a survivor in any situation. She didn't do team work, and she wouldn't let herself become dependent on him.

But damn it, she knew his dick would be the only thing to ease this burning fire inside her.

Desperately, she lifted a shaky knee and set it on the bed in a half-straddle. She grabbed his cock and traced her slit with it. Gods, it was so big and heavy, thick with that glistening tip.

"My, my, what a big dick you have."

He growled, his hips tensing as she squeezed. "The better to fuck you with, love."

She moaned and licked her lips, but her pussy ached too much for her to taste and explore. She was too desperate. Her hand barely wrapped around it, but she squeezed and pulled him closer to her dripping center. She was bold, insistent as she teased them both.

He growled as his hands bit into her hips. "Put me out of my misery. Please ," he said as he switched to her other breast.

His mouth grew frenzied the closer she brought him to her core. And still he waited for her, let her decide when it was time to put them both out of their misery.

The fingers that teased her gripped her ass and urged her closer, a soft nudge and nowhere near the barbaric Growler she thought he'd be. Her foot came off the ground, her weight only supported by her knee on the bed.

He released her breast and leaned back to meet her gaze as his hands on her hips shifted into claws. His patience combined with the burning desire etched on his face melted her. Something inside her chest seemed to dislodge, making it tight and breathing difficult. Panic clawed at her at the flood of emotions. She blinked, and lined him up with her entrance.

Together they moved as one, and she sank down inch by delicious inch. Time stood still. Neither of them breathed as they both tried to process their feelings.

With only the tip inside, she whimpered at the stretch. It was too much, too big. She couldn't do this. It was simple biology.

"Fuck, you're so tight," he murmured against her breast. "Breathe, bunny. Let me in. You can do it, and it'll be so worth it."

She tried to obey, but fuck, he stretched her too much as she eased down another few centimeters. They both moaned, and his claws bit into her ass.

She put a hand on his shoulder and shook her head. "Fuck, I can't do this."

He immediately paused, looking up into her eyes. "Stay with me," he growled.

She took a breath and said, "I'm trying to, you fucker, but the fates are wrong. This isn't going to work."

He grinned, his golden eyes going soft. "It's going to work, bunny. Trust me."

She met his golden gaze, her heart stuttering at the words. Trust him, a Growler, a monster.

Except he'd done nothing to violate that trust. He'd been nothing but patient with her tonight. Could she trust him?

She tried to relax and sank down a little more, hissing on a breath and shaking her head as her nails dug into his shoulders.

He kneaded her ass and grazed her puckered hole with a finger. It made her core flutter and clench, which triggered a growl from him and made his eyes flutter. The wildness flared to the surface, and she hesitated.

This was the look of a Growler, the one she'd always dreamed of in her nightmares. Wild and almost beyond logical thinking, that look made her clench again as panic shot through her core once more. He leaned back on his elbows as his jaw shifted to wolf. He howled, and the windows shook.

The sound sent a shiver up her spine, and she clenched again, sinking deeper onto him. He blinked and panted, and she saw him return to his right mind.

She took a deep breath, calming a bit to know that she could drive him to the edge of his control. It wasn't just her. He felt it too.

"Fuck, tell me you're alright, bunny. Tell me what you need, if you're ready," he sat up and licked her hard nipple, rocking his hips slightly.

She gasped, needing more. But even in the heat of the moment, even as she settled her other knee on the bed to fully straddle him, she marveled that this beast, this monster was waiting for her.

He was letting her lead. He could easily flip her over and take control. The thought made her core clench, and he groaned, biting down on her nipple.

She gasped and jerked, the movement pushing her down all the way. Finally, she was fully seated on him. She gripped his hair, arched her back, and rocked onto him.

The fire swept through her, burning her soul with the rightness of it. He was like coming home, exciting and calming, safe yet dangerous.

She melted into his arms and rested her elbows on his shoulders. He easily lifted her by the hips, then he thrust and eased her hips down on his dick. It was so slow, and she felt every inch stretch her impossibly wide.

She moaned as he speared her, still adjusting. It was beyond anything she'd ever known before. She'd been with men, but this was no man. He was a beast, and she knew there was no turning back now.

He was impossibly huge, and it hurt so good. His cock seemed to pulse within her as he filled her completely. The tendons on his neck stood in sharp relief as she jerked back, holding back the scream as he moved again, lifted her and brought her back down for the second time. She felt his knot push against her opening, and he paused.

His eyes glowed in the darkness, but she wasn't scared. Not when he watched her with such reverence and awe.

"Are you ready, bunny?" His voice was deep, and his eyes flashed wild once more. "Third time's the charm because I don't think I can keep up this slow pace. I'm—I'm going to break."

She gripped his hair and drew his wolf's face to her breasts. "Gods, yes, fuck me, wolfie. Fuck me hard."

Before she could blink, he set up a bruising rhythm like a runaway horse. She held onto his neck as his fingers dug into her ass with each hard stroke. Stretched to near breaking, she lost all ability to think.

The blunt promise of a soul-bending orgasm was within reach. Dear gods, don't let it float away like earlier.

His relentless thrusts rammed into her, and she held on for all she was worth. The animal fierceness welled within her, clawing at her body from the inside out.

Her fingers dug into his back. The tension pooled between them, growing higher and higher.

Every pump inside sent pleasure through her body, and he pistoned harder, his shaft slicking in and out. Her pussy swallowed, and she was stuck between torment at the stretching and ecstasy at the fullness.

Her body ached like a run up the highest cliff, demanding more, begging to be filled completely. The furious flood of need drove her higher and higher. Tortured moans slipped past her lips as she matched his rhythm and rode him.

The need to explode built, and then his teeth grazed her nipple again. He sucked hard, biting and sending stars behind her eyes. The pain of the bite and the stretch of the knot on her opening made her mind burst with colors.

She exploded with a screaming orgasm. Clenching, thrashing, fire flowing from her core through her veins like lightning, her body shook with soul-wrenching satisfaction.

"Fuck." He bucked and moaned, his face buried in her chest as he thrust upward once more. It was like he wanted to drive his knot deep into her, but she was too tight and spasming too much. He was too erratic and desperate for release as her orgasm went on.

He swelled within her, and his teeth scraped her breast again. She gripped his head, and he jerked back with a howl. Canines sharp, nose and jaw elongated, eyes wild as the hot, pulsing seed unleashed inside her, virile and volcanic love.

Even as she spasmed around him, her back arched. Staring at this gorgeous creature who accepted her as she was, she basked in the triumph of seeing him undone. She'd done that. She'd sent him over the edge.

His body tensed in pulsing waves that mirrored her own. They came hard, each fueling the other's climax. The pulsing storm settled slowly into gentle waves, and his hands flexed on her hips, the claws gone.

Then he slid them over her back in a caress so gentle, she felt tears in the corner of her eye. She hesitated to name why, focusing instead on what his caress meant. Acceptance, joy, and peace flooded her. Somehow, she knew he felt them all. The fact that her presence could bring him those emotions differed completely from what she'd known for so long.

He stroked her back up and down, and she sank her head onto his shoulder. His hand came up to cradle her head into the crook of his neck, holding her like a well-loved child and angling her small antlers away from him.

His arms could crush a man to death, but he held her so gently, her chest grew tighter. He didn't treat her like a ferocious monster, like the other villagers who avoided her.

Could she trust him, trust these feelings?

She sighed, pushing the question away. She'd worry about it tomorrow. Holding him just as tightly, their breathing began to slow. Damn, even their hearts beat in sync.

The power of their shared release left her breathless. She'd never climaxed that hard before. But more than that was how he made her feel.

Her tight rein on her emotions was paper thin. The wall around her heart crumbling steadily with every stolen glance, every caress of his hands. The fear of that would return. She knew it would be short-lived, but she was too tired to be afraid and pull away.

Her body felt deliciously sore, and for the first time in hours, in the months since being cursed, her mind was at peace. She would bask in it for as long as it remained. Then she'd pull away, go back to her life, and forget about him. She couldn't let her emotions get tied up in this Growler.