Chapter 22 - Winter

This can't be happening. This can't be happening…. Winter's mind reeled, her chest tightening with panic as she raced for a private spot in the gardens, holding back tears.

After all that had happened, after everything seemed to have been falling into place, was Eddie really only doing all of this for the sake of the pack?

The thought of all they had done suddenly made her feel sick. She had given herself to him, all of her, and this was the thanks she got.

When she closed her eyes all she could see was the way that damn she-wolf had been pressing herself against him, rubbing against him like a bitch in heat. It made her nauseous.

Why was I ever a fool enough to believe this could actually be real? Winter thought, imagining how she had actually allowed herself to begin to believe that Eddie was truly her fated mate. As if there was any such thing for a half-breed like her.

She was almost in the seclusion of the walled rose garden that Layla had lovingly built with her own bare hands when she heard someone calling after her.

“Winter, wait! Please!”

She quickened her pace. The last thing she wanted right now was to be anywhere near him, even if her heart skipped a beat at the sound of his voice.

“Hell, woman! For a witch, you sure are fast!” Eddie exclaimed, reaching her all too quickly with his werewolf speed.

He grabbed her wrist and yanked her around to face him, his eyes blazing cold fire.

“Get your hands off me!” she screamed, shoving him hard in the chest. “You have no right to touch—”

“Winter, stop!”

Eddie growled the words, grabbing her with her arms pinned to her sides in order to pull her close, too close for her to lash out at him again.

It was only then, as her panic subsided and gave way to forced relief, that she realized she was actually crying.

She went into Eddie's chest, so powerfully that the sobs hurt her throat.

What am I doing? she thought suddenly, yanking herself free of his grip.

“No. You don't get to do this!” she insisted, turning her back on him. “You don't get to brush me off as a means to an end and then come and give me a hug and magically make it all better.”

Her spine shivered.

She felt his closeness, her body responding with a betraying heat that made her want to turn back and throw herself into his arms once more.

“Winter, it isn't like that,” Eddie insisted. “What you saw back there was—”

“She’s right, isn't she?” Winter demanded, turning on him again. Her hands tightened into fists as the anger took hold of her once more. “You wish I was a werewolf, a proper mate.”

That's when Eddie grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her as if trying to wake her from some terrible nightmare. “You are a proper mate!”

Winter couldn't bring herself to believe him. She wouldn't fall into this trap again.

“Stop it with the bullshit. We both know you'd be happier with one of your own kind,” she insisted, her heart sinking even as she said the words. “We both know you only did this for Jack and your pack.”

“You're wrong, Winter.”

The clear determination in his tone made Winter stop. She grew still, the fight going out of her body.

“How?”

Eddie reached up and cupped her face in both his hands. Looking deep in her eye, he stated, “I thought that at first. I allowed myself to believe this was only for the pack and the town.”

Winter's insides twisted, her jaw clenching painfully.

“But then I allowed myself to see the truth,” Eddie continued, seemingly sensing the tension in her. His grip on her face tightened as if he feared she might try to pull away. “From the moment I first met you, I thought you were the most beautiful woman I have ever met. And as I got to know you, I realized you weren't just attractive on the outside, but on the inside, too. You're gorgeous, smart, independent. Everything about you drives me wild, even your damn stubbornness, and even before we cast the spell, I began to realize that this thing between us is real. It's as real as it gets.”

Winter's bottom lip trembled, and she felt herself tearing up all over again. “What…what about what you said in there?”

“What would be the point in trying to explain any of this to Carly?” Eddie demanded, baring his teeth. “She could never understand.”

Winter blinked, fighting back the tears. The question on her lips was painful. “Is…is there something between the two of you?”

Eddie grimaced at that, and Winter's heart sank. So there was something between them.

“Is…is she the one you—” Winter cut herself off, unable to finish the question.

“Carly is the pack floozy,” Eddie explained, and Winter heard the way he ground his teeth angrily. “She made me believe there was something between us and I fell for it hook, line and sinker, because I was desperate to believe I'd actually found my mate.”

Bile rose in the back of Winter's throat. She had seen Carly around, walking about in her short dresses, flipping her hair, batting her eyelashes as if she thought she was the most desired woman in town. She'd even served her at the Green Cauldron a couple of times for potions better off not mentioned.

Had one of those potions been required after a night with Eddie?

Oh, gods, I think I'm going to be sick, Winter thought, trying to pull away.

“Don't you hear what I'm saying, baby?” Eddie asked, and the affection and concern in his tone made Winter blink in surprise. “It's you. I'm absolutely sure it's you. Me and you. You are my fated mate. I've known it, deep down, since the moment we met.”

Winter closed her eyes, remembering how standoffish she had been that first time in the shop when Eddie had come to deliver Jack's message.

She couldn't help but smile a little. “What's so funny?” Eddie demanded, clearly taken aback.

“Nothing, it's nothing.”

She shook her head, avoiding Eddie's gaze.

He gripped hold of her chin and forced her face up to look at him. His voice was little more than a snarl as he said, “Tell me.”

“It's just, well, I wasn't very friendly when we first met,” she said, her cheeks growing hot. Her insides started to ease, the warmth of Eddie's body growing too much to resist.

“Tell me about it. You were a standoffish bitch to say the least,” Eddie scoffed, and Winter feigned offense, opening her mouth wide.

“And you were a royal pain in the ass!” she exclaimed. “The way you stuck up your nose in my shop and acted like you were too good for the place—”

“That's because the place stinks!” Eddie protested. “You try having a nose ten times stronger than a dog’s inside a place like that.”

Winter laughed then, instinctively wrapping her arms around Eddie’s neck to pull him in close.

“I'm sorry. I'm a jealous idiot.”

Eddie stroked her back, surprising her when he said, “You have every right to be. Carly is a flirtatious little—”

Winter pulled back to look at him, cutting him off.

“You don't have feelings for her still, do you?”

Eddie visibly recoiled. “You don't have any need to worry about that. She's history.”

At that, Winter grinned. “So my advice to your friend worked, then?”

“It most certainly did,” Eddie said, smiling back just seconds before he kissed her passionately, forcing her back into one of the alcoves of the walled garden.

When she felt his fingers hooking up the skirt of her dress, she exclaimed against his lips, “Eddie, what are you doing?”

“I thought I could wait until after the party to do this, but now I've come to realize I can't. I need you, Winter. I need to show you how much I love you.”

His words made her gasp almost as much as the shock of feeling his hand slip between her thighs.

Her gasp was followed by one from Eddie's lips and he pulled back his face to look down at her with shock written on his expression. “No panties? Were you expecting something?”

Winter shrugged, biting her lip impishly. “This is a party to celebrate our mating. I thought I'd make things easier for you—that is, if you're sure.”

“Sure of what?” Eddie asked, cocking his head, already teasing her with the very tip of his finger.

“If you're sure we are fated,” Winter said, her heart hammering in her chest. Already her desire for him was growing uncontrollable.

“Oh, I'm sure,” he said, dipping his finger inside her. “And I'll show you just how sure I really am.”

“Eddie, we should be—” Winter began to protest, but she cut off as Eddie slipped his finger deep inside her.

“Ahh, fuck!” she bit out in a hissed whisper as he started to move his finger in a come-hither motion.

“Come on, baby, let me be good to you,” Eddie whispered, kissing her neck.

Leaning back against the wall of the alcove, Winter closed her eyes.

In the shadows, all she could do was enjoy the pleasure he seemed so determined to give her.

“Oh, gods, Eddie,” she gasped, digging her fingernails into his back.

His lips grew more incessant on her neck as his fingers moved faster and faster. Adding another finger, he pressed her g-spot in a way that made her quiver. Rubbing it in just the right way to make her instantly feel the urge to cum.

“What are you trying to do to me?” she gasped, and she felt him smirk against her neck.

“You know exactly what I'm trying to do to you, baby. Just let it happen.”

His words tipped her over the edge, sending a shockwave of pleasure throughout her body that made her insides flutter.

“Gods be damned. I want you so bad.”

Winter's fingernails dug harder as she pulled him tight against her.

When his free hand came up to cup her breast, squeezing firmly, she felt as if she were going to be undone all over again.

Desperately, she reached for the buckle of his belt, realizing she needed him just as much as he seemed to need her.

Yanking at it, she popped the button on his suit pants open and reached inside to grip his cock firmly. Her hand stroked up and down, feeling his rock-hard member throb in her palm.

“Ahh, fuck, Winter,” he growled, taking her earlobe into his mouth to suck gently.

“Please, Eddie, show me how much you love me,” she pleaded. Disappointment filled her for only a second as his fingers slipped out of her.

She had no time to voice it as Eddie removed his cock from her hand and slipped it deep inside her.

Filling her fit to bursting, she buried her face in his shoulder and muffled the scream that tried to escape from her throat.

Eddie thrust with such power that it was almost painful, yet Winter loved every second of it as she clutched hold of his back for dear life.

Hard and fast, Eddie fucked her as if his life depended on it. With every stroke she felt his passion growing. His cock throbbed harder and harder inside her until she was certain he was close to his end.

“Oh, Eddie,” she cried out against his shoulder, hoping nobody else was close by and able to hear them.

“It's all for you, baby,” he whispered, and Winter came undone all over again, cumming so hard that it made her knees buckle.

Now the only thing holding her up was the way he pinned her to the wall with his body, fucking her harder and harder until, suddenly, he burst deep inside her.

“Ahh! Fuck!” he cried, nuzzling his face against her neck as if he, too, was trying to muffle himself.

She came with him, her mind and body reeling with the pleasure of it.

And as she came down from the high, as Eddie grew still inside her, resting his head against her shoulder, she couldn’t help but think, what the fuck just happened?

Never in her life had she ever done anything like that. Never had she allowed herself to be taken in such a public place.

The small part of the wolf inside her seemed to be jumping for joy at the ordeal.

And as Eddie pulled back just enough to look her in the eye, his handsome face was cast in the glorious moonlight, making him look like some kind of Greek god with his golden hair turned to silver and his face lit up as if glowing from within.

“Do you believe me now?” he asked, his voice little more than a panting breath as he stroked her hair away from her face, tucking a loose curl back behind her ear.

“I think I’m beginning to,” Winter said, chuckling a little at the disappointed expression on his face.

“I can do this all night long if that's what it takes for you to believe me,” Eddie insisted. His cock still hard inside her, he thrust again as if to illustrate his point.

Winter bit her lip. She most definitely liked the sound of that, but there were far more important things they had to be getting on with right now.

“Later,” she told him, kissing him gently on the lips so not to set him off again. “But first, we have to get this damn potion into Kane's sister.”

She tapped the glass vial that somehow still remained safely tucked inside her dress pocket.

Eddie smirked at that and said, “First things first. You should probably get cleaned up.”

Winter blushed a little as she chuckled at his words. He was right. She could already feel his essence seeping between her thighs, and although she loved the reminder of what they had just done, she knew it was no state to enter a party in. Even if that party was to celebrate their mating.

“You go ahead and I'll meet you in there?” Winter suggested.

“No, come on. I'll take you to the nearest bathroom,” Eddie insisted, slowly easing out of her to do up his pants.

Smiling, Winter leaned up on her tiptoes to peck him on his cheek. “I'm a big girl. I can find my own way.”

Eddie didn't look best pleased, and for a second she thought he was going to protest. Then, he sighed and shook his head. “You are way too stubborn.”

Again, Winter pecked him on the cheek and chuckled in his ear, “You know you love it.”

Eddie scoffed with amusement and reached into his pockets, removing his handkerchief. Holding it out to her, he smiled and said, “For the mess I made.”

Winter's insides quivered as she took the handkerchief and placed it between her thighs to keep his essence at bay until she could reach the nearest bathroom.

“I'll find you in the dining room,” she said, stepping away.

“Of course. I'll be right by your side,” he said, grabbing her hand before she could go any further. She was surprised when he leaned down and pressed his lips to her knuckles. “I mean it, Winter, I truly do love you.”

Winter's heart warmed then, skipping a beat as she remembered the dream in which he had rescued her from the shadow wolves. He had said something similar then, too. Had it really only been a dream or was it something more?

“I love you too,” she admitted, squeezing his hand. She was about to pull away when Eddie yanked her in close once more.

Cupping her cheek in his hand, he kissed her hard and said, “I wish we could stay out here alone, forever.”

Nuzzling her nose against his, she whispered, “Me too.”

***

Finding a bathroom in a huge place like Nightstar Manor wasn't at all difficult, and before Winter knew it, she was cleaned up and prepared as she would ever be to face what came next.

Standing in front of the mirror in the bathroom, she gave herself a quick pep talk. “You can do this!”

Feeling for the vial in her pocket again, she made absolutely sure that it was there before making one or two adjustments to her hair and finally heading for the door.

Closing her eyes with her hand on the doorknob, she sucked in a deep breath and said one final time, “You can do this.”

But those words never could have prepared her for what came next.

Almost the second she unlocked the door, it burst open, forcing her backwards into the room.

Panic tightened her chest for only a second as the she-wolf forced her back against the bathroom wall.

“Why couldn’t you have just rejected Jack's idea for the protection spell?” Carly demanded, baring her teeth at Winter.

Ignoring her question, Winter hissed back, “Take your hands off me or I will not be held responsible for my actions.”

“Ha!” Carly exclaimed, throwing back her head with near insane laughter. “Don't make me laugh.”

“I'm not trying to,” Winter responded, overly calm. Whatever Carly was trying to do, whether it be intimidation or violence, Winter was not going to put up with it.

What the she-wolf thought it might achieve was ridiculous.

“There are few enough decent werewolves around here without you witches swooping in and stealing them,” Carly growled, as if she had failed to hear Winter's words. “You should have just stayed with your own kind.”

Growing pissed, Winter sucked in a breath. Feeling strength course through her muscles, she shoved Carly hard in the chest and was surprised when the wolf actually stumbled backwards.

“You're stronger than you look, I'll give you that,” Carly scoffed. “But you're not match for a werewolf.”

“Hasn't anyone told you?” Winter asked, leveling her gaze with Carly’s. “My father is a werewolf, so I guess that does make Eddie my kind .”

The anger seemed to descend upon Carly all over again and she snapped, “Eddie deserves better. He deserves a full-blooded mate.”

At that, Winter held up her hands and shook her head. “Maybe you should take that up with fate.”

Carly cocked her head. Her suspicious expression turned to one of sheer shock and disbelief. “You can't honestly believe that you are Eddie’s fated mate. A half-witch, an abomination, a mongrel.”

Winter's hands tightened into fists at her sides. She was sure that this wasn't the last time she would hear such insults if her parentage got out.

Anger flared in Winter like she had never felt before.

Just remembering the way this woman had been brushing up against Eddie, the way she had spoken to him with that flirtatious lilt in her voice, made Winter want to rip her head off.

Feeling more like a werewolf than ever before, Winter lashed out, grabbing hold of Carly's throat.

In an instant, she flipped their positions, shoving Carly up against the wall.

Leaning in close, she snarled, “Now, you listen to me, and you listen good,” she glowered at Carly, seeing surprise bulging in her brown eyes. “Stay away from Eddie. You made him your plaything for long enough. That time is over now. He has what he really needs.”

Remembering all that had just happened in the garden, Winter was fueled by the knowledge that Eddie truly loved her. And she wasn't about to let this bitch of a werewolf get in the way of that.

“Eddie is my fated mate, and if you don't like that, well, I guess then you'll have to lump it, because you can't mess with fate.”

She shoved Carly once more, hard, before finally letting go.

Stepping back, she didn't take her eyes off the werewolf.

“Look elsewhere for your next plaything, or better yet, learn a little class,” Winter snapped, baring her teeth. “Maybe then you might actually find something to last.”

Rubbing her throat as if Winter had actually managed to hurt her, Carly straightened up. “Eddie was mine. We had a good thing going.”

“ Was yours,” Winter pointed out. “Maybe if you hadn't played with him so much, things might have turned out differently, but you were a greedy little bitch, and it bit you in the ass. Let him go.”

When Carly said nothing, Winter turned and started towards the door.

“Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a mating to celebrate.”

Winter was almost at the door, hoping Carly would finally let it go when she felt hands wrap around her shoulders.

Carly yanked her backwards so viciously that her heels slipped on the tiled floor, and she barely managed to stay on her feet as she fought to escape Carly's grip.

“What the hell are you doing?” Winter demanded, turning on the werewolf. “Are you a complete psycho?”

“You don't get to just come in here and steal our men!” Carly snarled, throwing herself at Winter all over again.

The world spun as Winter attempted to fend the werewolf off. She felt claws digging into her shoulders as Carly gripped her and shoved her so hard that she crashed right against the door.

Carly came at her again, forcing her hard against the wood of the door.

Thinking quickly, Winter did the only thing she could think of. She grabbed the doorknob and twisted, allowing the door to fall out from beneath her.

Reeling backwards with Carly still on her, she suddenly found herself on her back. Pinned to the floor by the snarling werewolf, Winter aimed a fist at the side of the she-wolf's head.

“What the hell is going on in here?”

The voice sent relief surging through Winter as Eddie appeared out of the corner of her eye.

In an instant, he rushed forward and grabbed hold of Carly, yanking her off and shoving her hard against the wall.

With one hand pressed against her chest, he held her there easily while the she-wolf writhed in an attempt to get at Winter again.

“She started it!” Carly snarled. “She stuck her nose where it doesn't belong.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Winter demanded. “What are you, twelve?”

Eddie glowered at Carly and ground out through gritted teeth, “Carly, don't move, or so help me, I’ll rip your damn head off.”

Carly's mouth dropped open with shock and Winter watched the woman's shoulders droop with defeat.

When he seemed certain she wasn't going to try anything, Eddie released her and immediately turned to crouch before Winter.

“Are you alright? What the hell happened?” he asked, his gaze filled with concern.

“I was just freshening up when this psycho decided to take it upon herself to come barging in,” Winter explained, gesturing to Carly.

“Maybe you should have thought of whose mate you were stealing before you—” Carly started to snarl.

Eddie moved so fast, yanking Winter to her feet so quickly as he turned on Carly that it made Winter's head spin.

“We may have had a little fun, Carly,” Eddie snarled back at her, “and I may have been foolish enough to actually believe we might have something more, but we were never mates and we never will be.”

Winter actually began to feel sorry for the she-wolf as she saw the grief and fear glinting in her eyes.

“If you ever set so much as another claw on my mate,” Eddie threatened, getting so close to Carly that Winter thought he might actually follow through with the threat there and then, “I'll make you rue the day you were born.”

“You…you don't mean that,” Carly stammered, her eyes fluttering as if she was fighting back tears.

“I do,” Eddie assured her. “Winter is my mate. My urge to protect her takes precedence over everything, and if you try to get in the way of that, I will not be held responsible for what happens to you. Do you hear me?”

Winter’s heart skipped a beat.

“Now get out of here, and while you're at it, stay away from my brothers. Better yet, stay away from every wolf in the pack. It may be time for you to look elsewhere for your mate.”

Winter watched Eddie's face broaden into a smirk as he added, “You never know, you might find yourself a witch of your own.”

At that, Carly bared her teeth. “I'd never stoop so low!”

“If only I'd thought that when I first laid eyes on you,” Eddie responded, already reaching for Winter to pull her into his arms.

Out of the corner of her eye, Winter watched Carly slink away. Her attention was quickly drawn back to Eddie as he touched her face and asked, “Are you alright? She didn't hurt you, did she?”

“I think you hurt her more than she did me,” Winter admitted, rubbing a sore spot at the base of her spine. “I did hit the floor pretty hard, though.”

“Let me look at you,” Eddie insisted, but Winter's mind was already on other things.

“Shit! The potion!” she exclaimed, rummaging in the skirt of her dress in order to find the vial in her pocket.

Her heart almost burst with relief when her fingers wrapped around the bottle to find it still intact.

“Is it alright?” Eddie asked, raising a brow. “Do you need to go back to the shop?”

“No,” Winter said, shaking her head. “Let's just get this over with so we can get out of here.”

She started to move away down the hall, but before she could, he pulled her back close. His hands gripped her hips in an affectionate manner.

“Hold on just one damn minute now,” Eddie grumbled at her, hooking his fingers under her chin. “Where's my kiss?”

Winter grew giddy with delight as she pushed up on her tiptoes and kissed him.

“How do you do that?” she whispered against his lips, still thrilling with the excitement of being close to him.

“Do what?” Eddie asked, caressing her cheek.

“How do you make everything better with a kiss?”

Eddie smirked, leaning down to kiss her again.

“I guess it's all in the lips,” he said, gripping her hips once more and thrusting against her gently, “Or should I say the hips?”

Winter couldn't help but laugh, swatting his chest.

“You are such a tease,” she said, grumbling playfully.

“Hey, with you in that dress,” Eddie said looking down at her bosom and how it perched in her low-cut gown, “You're the tease.”

Winter angled her breasts up towards him and said, “What, with these?”

Cupping his face in her hands, she started to lower him down to her chest, only to shove him back mischievously. “I guess you'll just have to wait.”