7. Jude

Chapter 7

Jude

I woke up slowly, awareness creeping over me. It was still dark, but I could hear birdsong in the distance. There was no rooster crowing, no children shrieking or giggling, no crackle of the fire. There was only warmth. Where was I? Not the camp…

The ground was harder than usual, my hip aching as I lay on my side on what felt like hard-packed earth instead of my sleeping bag. But that wasn't the only thing that was hard…

My morning wood stood thick and thirsty against my stomach, as though I'd been having the sexiest dream, but when I arched my hips, I found friction against something soft. And when that something moaned and pressed back, I froze, and my eyes flew open.

The cave !

My skin prickled, my body suddenly not just warm but too hot, and my heart galloped in my chest as I took stock. The human. Shit, the human was pressed right up against me, his back to my chest, head propped on my right arm. The mostly naked human! My left arm was draped over him, palm splayed over his soft abdomen, rising and falling with his slow, even breath.

How the fuck did this happen?! Okay, so obviously I remembered my wolf dragging him out of the river and leading him to the cave, I was there too, but we'd had a deal. I would give my wolf his fur, let him play the hero, and then once our job was done, I would never have to see this man again. At no point had I agreed to wake up with his ass cheeks sandwiched around my boner, with nothing but a thin layer of fabric between us!

I clenched my eyes shut hard. Maybe this was all a dream. It was possible that I'd only imagined feeling my mate's panic in my chest as he fell into the river. But… no. I knew that if I'd ignored that feeling last night, if I'd played it off as paranoia, my mate would've drowned. I couldn't have lived with that guilt. It didn't matter that I didn't trust humans; when it came right down to it, I hadn't hesitated to come to his rescue.

Reluctant but curious, I opened my eyes, taking the opportunity to inspect him from this angle. His hair was dark brown, a little on the long side, the loose curls flipping in all directions. He wasn't wearing the glasses I remembered, but his thick lashes flickered as his eyes moved behind the lids. Was he dreaming about me? I wondered. I could see a light scattering of freckles over his cheek, like a whole galaxy of stars, and I imagined I could trace constellations with my fingertip.

From this close, his distinct aroma was overwhelming, seeping into my pores, and while a part of me was determined to hold my breath until I got the hell out of here, another part of me (just an itty-bitty tiny part, hardly worth mentioning) wanted to bury my face in his neck and breathe him in until it was the only thing I could ever scent again. If I wasn't so repulsed by the very idea of him, I would probably be pleased by how he felt in my arms, how he fit against me.

And then, as if things couldn't get worse, he moaned in his sleep, clinging to the arm I had draped around his waist, and the faintest whiff of his arousal hit me like a sledgehammer.

I bit my tongue hard to hold in my whimper as a drop of precum squeezed from the crown of my dick, soaking into his briefs when he rocked his hips back. Fuck.

I needed to get out of here, faster than humanly possible, but I remained frozen right where I was. Vesta said he was in danger. Now he wasn't. My job here was done. I could leave anytime, but I hesitated. Why? It certainly wasn't because I didn't want to leave, that would be ridiculous. No, it was because of what would happen if I did move.

If I moved, it would wake him up, and that would inevitably lead to screaming. Humans always screamed—about wolves, sure, but I was sure it wouldn't help when he woke up next to a naked man! Sure, he'd seemed weirdly okay about a wolf dragging him out of the river, but it was probably shock and fatigue, relief that he wasn't dead. He didn't know what was going on, didn't register the potential danger after nearly drowning, but he'd gone to sleep next to a wolf. To wake up next to a naked stranger would be more than enough to make anyone scream.

My wolf objected to the word "stranger," though. Ours , he rumbled possessively. And we are his .

I scoffed at him and his unshakable belief in this bond we shared with the human. Mark my words. He's going to scream, and you're going to feel bad. Just you wait .

Except the omega doesn't scream. He groaned as he woke up, grinding against me as he stretched, though it had to have been by accident, then he simply rolled over in my arms until he was facing me, his own stiff cock rubbing against mine and making me hiss in a breath. He opened his eyes and blinked up at me blearily.

Just wait, the screaming would start any second now. I held my breath and braced for it. In three… two… one…

But then his lips stretched into a lazy smile. "My, what big eyes you have," he said, giggling, his voice gravelly with sleep. His gaze traveled down my torso, all the way down to my boner, his jaw dropping. "Big indeed…"

What? I don't get it. I frowned, confused, but my wolf didn't understand the reference either. If anything, it was Morgan's eyes that were unusually large, when his glasses magnified them.

I felt the path of his eyes as he dragged them back up my body slowly, examining every detail, and I tried to curb my body's reaction to his hungry perusal. He had no right to look at me that way! Had he no sense of self-preservation? Inside this body lay a vicious killer! My wolf rolled his eyes, letting me know that he was fully prepared to roll over for belly rubs if his mate was up for it.

"You have no idea how glad I am to find you. I've looked everywhere! I was starting to think I'd imagined you. And then you… you saved me!" he gushed. I could practically see the heart eyes as he melted into me and pressed his palms to my chest. "I will spend the rest of my life repaying you, in any way you see fit." There was no mistaking what he meant by that when he licked his lower lip slowly, his gaze focusing on my mouth. "I'm Morgan. And you are…?"

My skin flushed as the contact became too much to handle. His breath on my face, his hands on my chest, his hips on my… My nipples peaked, goosebumps pebbling my chest and sending tingles to every part of my body. And I couldn't help it. I panicked.

Heart racing, I scrambled away, which sent him rolling back because he'd been lying on my arm. I just barely caught his head before it hit the ground then let go of him like I'd been scalded. His stunned expression hit me hard. I knew I should explain, he deserved that much, but when I thought of telling this man about my past and the reason I could never accept him, my throat closed up tight. I couldn't even draw breath. I met his eyes just once, and I tried to convey how sorry I was. How he deserved better than a broken shell of a man.

Then I spun and dropped to the ground, scrambling out through the entrance. I might've made it through here as a wolf last night, but as a much larger man, it was a tight squeeze the second time around. I was not graceful about it. With scratches across my back and ass, I finally popped out the other side and went racing through the trees, putting as much distance between us as I could .

"Wait!" the human called behind me. "Please!"

When I was several hundred yards away, I heard his choked sob, and whether I meant to or not, I slammed on the brakes, ducking behind a tree.

I wanted to go back. I wanted to keep running forever.

I needed him. I hated him.

My chest was heaving, and I was dripping with sweat. "Fuuuuck," I moaned, scrubbing my hands over my face. Every single fiber of my body screamed for me to go back, to draw my mate into my arms and claim him. It was my brain that fought against it.

I clamped a hand down on my cock, squeezing in search of relief, but I had a feeling only one thing would do it. My mate. He'd said his name was Morgan.

When I tried to leave, I couldn't seem to get my feet to move. When my wolf tried to coax me back, I refused. So instead, we were stuck right where we were for the time being. We'll just make sure he doesn't get lost heading back to his car , I said, using solid logic. That way we can ensure Vesta didn't foresee a different kind of danger, like running into a bear or falling into a ravine. Yeah. That sounds fair.

My wolf was sulking, giving me the silent treatment, but I could sense a certain appreciation for this middle ground I was offering. He, too, wanted to ensure our mate's safety, even though he would prefer we were a lot closer while doing it.

I crouched there in the bushes for so long that my feet fell asleep, but eventually, I heard movement. Morgan crawled from the cave, dressed once more in his damp, wrinkled clothes. He'd put his glasses back on, and when he stood up straight, he lifted his hand to shield his eyes from the morning glare and panned his gaze across the forest. He seemed to know the exact direction to look for me, and I quickly ducked down so he didn't see me.

"I know you're out there," he called. "I'm sorry if I scared you."

I nearly snorted. Scared? Me? Not likely.

Peeking through the leaves, I knew his frail human eyesight wouldn't be able to pick me out from the shadows. I felt safe watching him, but I didn't particularly like what I saw. He was still too pale after his fall in the river. I didn't know the last time he'd eaten, and he didn't have a pack with him, so that meant he had no clean drinking water either. Did he know better than to drink straight from the river without boiling it first? I frowned, thinking of this small, weak human being so unprepared. It was no wonder he ended up in the river.

"Hello?" he shouted in my general direction. "Do you… speak English? Hablas espa?ol ?" He laughed awkwardly. "I really hope you don't, because that was the only Spanish I know, except how to ask where the bathroom is. Not really helpful right now." He nibbled on his bottom lip. "I don't speak wolf… obviously."

I sighed. He certainly wasn't like any human I'd met before.

Morgan pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose with one finger then ran his fingers through his curls—where they promptly got tangled, and he made a little distressed sound, then tried to fix his hair. "I promise I don't always look this bad. I'm usually a lot… cleaner."

I frowned. I didn't think he looked bad. Maybe a little disheveled, but not bad at all. Kinda… floppy. Cute, maybe. Like a baby bunny.

"Okay… I guess I'll go home then?" He waited for an answer that would never come. Eventually, the light dimmed from his eyes, and his shoulders sagged. "Okay." He nodded slowly.

Morgan turned a few times, trying to decide which direction to go, and then promptly walked the wrong way, heading deeper into the woods. I dropped my chin to my chest, sighing. This was going to be harder than I thought.

I rifled through the undergrowth until my fingers closed around a small rock, then I stood and hurled it in the direction Morgan needed to go, creating a sharp crack as it ricocheted off a tree trunk. Morgan's head snapped up, scanning the woods, before looking over his shoulder in my direction. Though he couldn't see me, I felt like he was staring right at me. Then a little crease formed between his thick eyebrows as he considered things, then he nodded and changed direction. "This way?" he called, but of course I didn't respond. Even though I left him hanging, a small smile tugged at his lips. "Thank you."

Four more times I had to toss things to get him back on track, a rock, an acorn, and two pinecones. And each time he thanked me, his smile got wider.

Several times, I noticed him rubbing his fingers absently over his sternum, and I brought my hand up to my own chest. The potential mating link was anchored there, I could feel it. I hadn't considered the possibility that a human might feel it too. I didn't like thinking we had anything in common.

After I heard his stomach growl, I tried leading him to a blackberry patch, but he walked right past it. Seriously. This human had no survival instinct. How had he lasted this long? So instead, I picked a few handfuls and left them on a large maple leaf on the path. He stopped when he saw them, staring hard, his cheeks flushing in apparent delight. He sat right there on the ground and ate them all, making little happy sounds, and when he stood up, his mouth and fingers were stained purple.

A noise slipped out past my lips, it could've been mistaken for a laugh, and I slapped a hand over my mouth. Morgan was smiling and sucked on each fingertip before he continued on his way.

My wolf smirked. You laughed , he accused.

I did not. But if I had, it would've been because he looks ridiculous all covered in berry juice. Even Malachi doesn't make a mess when he eats berries, and he's four.

The closer we got to the road, the more surefooted he seemed to be. The trail here was well-used by hikers, and I knew I could leave him here and he would find his car. He was safe. I still found myself lingering, though. I found I needed to know for certain that he was on his way, far away from here. Away from me…

It was after noon by the time he finally stopped at a white compact with rust spots around the fender. I had to stay well back because the trees grew thinner here and provided less coverage. I squinted, trying to make him out. I heard him dig keys out of a zippered pocket of his jacket, and he opened the driver's side door. He paused, and I held my breath, waiting for him to get in. Why wasn't he leaving ?

He tilted his chin up, scanning the trees. "My last name is Pettyfer, and I live at 76 Royale Street in Fairhome. You know, in case you ever want to find me." Then that smile of his stretched across his face and he said, "I really loved spending the day with you. See you around, Rumpy."

Rumpy? What kind of name was Rumpy?! I actually found my mouth opening to ask, but it was too late. He climbed into his car, started the engine, and pulled onto the road. I'd taken three steps after him before I stopped myself.

I had expected to feel relief when Morgan drove away, but instead, I was hit with the most unbelievable wave of… grief. Which was stupid, because this was what I wanted all along. The human was safe, and now he was gone. End of story.

On autopilot I turned to head back to camp, though I didn't feel like I was entirely here. I kept thinking of Morgan Pettyfer of 76 Royale Street, Fairhome. More specifically, I was thinking about all the trouble he was bound to get into, living in the city.

He'd managed to almost drown yesterday. He'd lost his food and water and would've surely died if I hadn't led him back to his car. And there were way more dangers in the city! There were car accidents, house fires, falling down an elevator shaft. Did he eat enough red meat? He could get anemia! What if he went to the corner store for bread and milk and a thug came in with a gun to rob the place? He could get shot!

Nope, this just wouldn't do. Vesta said he was mine to protect, but that seemed like a full-time job. Too many things could go wrong. Morgan needed someone to watch out for him, you know, from a distance.

I was going to need some clothes. And a car.