Chapter 22: Everett

Chapter 22: Everett

Keeping my entire pack close to me was all I could do to feel safe. The situation was so dire that being away from my packmates afflicted me with such anxiety that I couldn’t focus. I was never particularly close to anybody except Taylor, but each survivor I sat down and spoke with, I found myself forming an attachment to out of relief that they were still alive. I didn’t want to take them for granted anymore. They weren’t just my packmates, but my friends, too. I valued them far more than I ever realized.

The night of the pack meeting was a full moon. If David had gotten a hold of Muriel, now would have been when they would perform the Lycan ritual. I called Gavin, unable to shake the foreboding feeling that accompanied the sight of the bright white moon hovering above. “Where is she right now?” I asked.

Gavin hesitated. “You aren’t going to send the Mythguard to collect her, right?”

“No. I want to make sure you’re keeping safe from David.”

“We’re all staying in the Grandbay Hotel tonight. It offers the most protection, being located in the center of town. No need for us to check the borders. We’ll stay protected from Dalesbloom and the Inkscales even if they somehow managed to figure out where we are.”

“How many of you are there? Seven?”

“Six wolves plus Muriel. We’re all staying in one room.”

“Okay. I won’t tell the Mythguard where you are. Just stay safe tonight.”

“Thanks, Everett. You keep us updated if anything happens on your end.”

“I will.”

When I hung up, Aislin peered curiously at me for the details, so I relayed them to her.

“There’s no way David could get them then,” she said. “And if we keep watch for Dalesbloom and the dragons with everybody staying in the house here, we should be able to prevent an attack on us too.”

“That’s what I’m thinking,” I said.

“So, tonight we just… wait and see?”

I nodded. We stood together by the window of my bedroom, watching the mountainside bathed in pale crystalline light. The Moon Goddess herself was looking down upon us tonight, but I couldn’t help wonder how she could allow such a wicked, vile wolf as David to continue tormenting us. Sometimes, I felt the Moon Goddess didn’t care so much about us as she cared about absorbing what magic was offered back to her. The shifter Gods were fickle and distant entities, impersonal toward the plights of their followers, serving only those who served them. It angered me, the injustices that could persuade them.

Aislin gently touched my back, her fingers trailing up in comfort of what burdened my mind unspoken. Then slowly, she slid in front of me, blocking my view of the window with herself, taking all my attention. There were others on guard for now. I needed the respite she offered, and was happy to take it when she put her hands on my shoulders and leaned forward, pressing her nose against mine. “How are you feeling?”

The question struck me. Rarely did anybody ever ask that of me, and I struggled to answer. “Like everything inside me is floating,” I managed. “Some, in a bad way. Others in a… a good way.”

“You have a lot of uncertainties,” Aislin remarked.

“Yes. I don’t know if we’ll survive this, or if anybody will forgive me for what happened.”

“I understand that.” In her silence, I watched her calculate what to say next. “I can’t tell you they will. The most you can do is try.”

“I know.” I intended to give everything to the survivors of Eastpeak and really show them how dedicated I was. Even though I had failed Taylor and Bree, I would do anything for those who still believed in me.

Aislin kissed me, her lips soft as butter. “What about the good floaty feelings?”

“That’s you,” I said.

She grinned and kissed me again. “You make me want to see the best in people.”

“I feel I have yet to show you my best.”

“Maybe. But we have lots of time.”

I hoped so. Maybe Aislin could help me be the best version of myself possible, and in turn, I could do the same for her. That shared desire only nurtured the bond between us. We stood together, wrapped up in a tender embrace and kissing for long minutes until the proximity of her body elevated mine into excitement. The entire time we’d been together, our bond had drawn us to one another with lust that groomed us for the marking ritual, but our grief had held us both at bay. It was harder to deny it now. With a long, tense night ahead of us, it was too easy to accept the distraction of her slender physique pressed against me. Her curves under my palms, her skin silky and warm. I couldn’t help myself from squeezing her butt as we made out, pulling her closer.

Aislin broke the kiss for a breath of air. “Can I do something for you?”

“Like what?”

Her brown eyes lit up with mischief beneath her thick lashes. She pecked me under my jaw, leaving tender kisses alongside my neck while her hands traveled down my stomach to the brim of my jeans. “I’d like to relieve some of your tension,” she said.

The implication alone made blood rush to my groin. Then the feeling of her fingers deftly unbuttoning my jeans, playing with my zipper—I was suddenly too hard for the tight space in my denim, my erection straining until she’d released it. A low groan left my throat as she cupped me, still in my boxer briefs, rubbing the length of my cock before tugging my jeans off my hips. “Is this okay?”

I growled. “Yes.”

Aislin guided me backward until I sat on the edge of the bed. Giving me one last kiss, she then folded onto her knees in front of me and pulled my erection out of my underwear, finally setting it free. Her fingers wrapped around me and massaged me from the base of my dick to the head. The moment I felt her lips on me, my breath caught in my throat. I was already dribbling. Then her tongue slipped against the underside of my cock, guiding me into her mouth with practiced ease. I was so big that it wasn’t easy for my partners to orally pleasure me, but Aislin seemed to know what she was doing. I didn’t question where her experience came from—she was an adult, and so was I. Now, she was mine.

Leaning back, I watched her work me over, strands of her red hair falling across her shoulders. I brushed them behind her ear and gently touched the back of her neck, following the hypnotic pattern of her head rising and falling each time she sucked me. The sight was intrinsically stimulating, let alone the sensation. Every now and then, Aislin flicked her eyes up at me and when she met my gaze, she smiled, and the flutter in my chest made me smile too. “That’s perfect,” I murmured. “You’re a good little mate.”

“Mmhmm.” I’m sure she would have said more if my cock wasn’t buried in her mouth.

My head tipped back as pleasure flooded through me. Her hand and tongue moved in tandem to keep me rock hard, squeezing drops of excitement out of me. Too quickly, I felt the ecstasy rising out of the pit of my stomach and into my loins, building up until I was aching for release. “Ais,” I panted. “I want to cum.”

She uttered a muffled moan and kept going. That was her permission for me to relent to the urge. My hips bucked as she brought me to the crux of pleasure—and then with a groan, I burst, letting loose between her lips. I watched her take in a mouthful of me, steadfastly rubbing until my seed was dripping down her knuckles and her chin, her throat bobbing as she swallowed. Pleasure thrummed through my entire body.

I flopped back into the sheets, breathing hard. Aislin stood up and wiped her mouth, but as she stepped away, I suddenly didn’t want her to go. Reaching out, I barely grazed her thigh before she stopped and tittered down at me. “I’m just cleaning up,” she said. “I’ll be right back.”

Even though I could hear her in the ensuite, those few seconds were tortuous. I laid there, waiting, until she returned with a few tissues for me, and after I’d cleaned myself up too, I wrapped my arm around her waist and brought her onto the bed beside me. My hand slid up her shirt, savoring the feeling of her skin. “That was amazing. Did you enjoy doing that?”

“I like making you feel good,” she said, smiling. “Besides, you don’t taste half bad.”

“You’re a dirty girl.”

Aislin laughed. “I’m a very dirty girl, Ev. I’m a freak.”

“Really?”

“Try me.”

As Aislin laid back on the bed, I simply observed her, the subtle moonlight illuminating her body and turning her skin silver. Her breasts were exposed from under her rolled up shirt and perked up on her chest, the fine hairs on the surface of her skin glistening with each breath. Aislin gazed back at me, smiling with a playful air that made me buzz.

I gripped the inside of her thigh and pulled her leg toward me, running my hand up her leggings. “I might not be as freaky as you, but I still want to make you cum.”

Aislin purred, twisting closer to me to kiss me along my jaw. My fingers pressed between her thighs and rubbed her outside of her leggings, sparks of arousal flying in my head when I saw her arch and sigh. She very quickly made me hungry for the rest of her body. I sat up and pulled her clothes off piece by piece until she was naked beside me, and then took off my clothes too. Her shaved mound was soft and exuded wanting heat, already wet. Slipping a finger inside, I felt myself get hard again at her writhing pleasure.

Everything about her drove me insane. The way her body squirmed and rocked, the musky, sexy smell lifting off of her, the small noises she made encouraging me to keep going. Once I had two fingers inside her, she squeezed so hard I thought they’d go numb. I bent closer and kissed her hips, then pushed my tongue against her clit, relishing her gasp. But as much as I enjoyed doing this to her—and as much as she enjoyed it, I could tell—I still wanted more. My cock stiffened with desire. I had to be inside her.

As I took my fingers away, Aislin scowled. “Hey! It was getting really good.”

“It’s about to get even better,” I said huskily, bracing myself above her and reaching for the bedside table to grab a condom. She took the cue and bent her knees up, taking me in with her ankles on my hips. “Are you ready for me?”

“I’ve been dreaming about you fucking me since the first time we did it.”

“Then how about I make your dreams come true?”

She was already so wet, I didn’t need any lube. Spreading her thighs, I rested my cock against her plush, pink folds, then slid into her, each thrust carrying me deeper. Bending over, I kissed her hard and passed a pleasured moan between our mouths. We shared a perfect rhythm, intoxicated in one another, blinded to all else around us. Our fated bond was coming to fruition.

Aislin slung her arm over the back of my neck, mewling in my ear, telling me to fuck her hard and fast. That I felt good, and that she felt good. Each word was encouragement that drove my ecstasy higher. I smothered myself in her neck, kissing her, and she did the same—even biting my neck, leaving behind what I’m sure would be tiny love bruises, but I didn’t mind. The intense arousal made my mind venture further than it usually did. I thought about her tight ass and putting my fingers where they shouldn’t go. I wasn’t ready for that yet, but it was enough to enhance my pleasure until I was about to explode again.

Once her body began to surge and throb, I knew she was reaching climax too. It was so sensual that I couldn’t hold back anymore. I wanted to make her cum, and I wanted to feel it all around me. As she submerged herself in the pleasure of her orgasm, I dove in with her, unleashing my pent-up excitement for a second time. We passionately kissed, locked in the embrace as our bodies trembled together.

It felt like it lasted an eternity, and it was perfect. I didn’t want to separate from her. We breathed heavily, our lips grazing and sweat mingling, until I propped myself up. “I could lay like this forever.”

“With your dick still inside me?”

“Yeah.”

Aislin laughed and I felt it. Exceedingly sensitive, I twinged and laughed too.

Eventually, we did pull apart. It would have been nice to cuddle all night, but we still had to keep an eye out for threats. After the amorous moment we shared, I hoped desperately that David wouldn’t appear. I couldn’t bear to have this night ruined.

We showered and got dressed again, then rejoined everyone downstairs. No doubt they would be able to smell the sex on us. I was never the type to be shy, and I wouldn’t be now. Even if they knew what we’d done, Aislin was my fated mate—I should be allowed to enjoy her, especially as a deviation from all the stress. So I stood tall and proud with her by my side, delving back into our responsibilities without so much as a blink.

The rest of the night saw my confidence rise. There was only silence and stillness on the mountainside. I wanted David to stay far away from Eastpeak, but at the same time…

I wanted him to come here, so I could show him the retaliation I was capable of. I felt stronger now, strong enough to defend my pack and take vengeance on those David had ripped away from me. I wanted to hurt him for what he did.

He was lucky he never showed up.