Chapter 7

Caden

My wolf wakesme up with the sun the next day. Tonight is the night of the full moon and already I can feel the mating heat starting.

I already have plans with Astrid for tonight. She's going to come over here so that we don't get interrupted by any MC nonsense, and I'm going to cook for her. I need to go to the grocery store this morning to grab some ingredients and then come back here to clean this place up a bit.

My wolf and I want our mate to like it here. We'd move of course, if it made her happy, but I like it here in Broken Bow, and I know that Astrid has friends here too that she would hate to leave as well.

I take a shower, using those moments to get my wolf under control and give both of us a little pep talk.

We have our fated mate, but she might not be ready to be ours tonight,I remind my wolf and myself.

We can wait. We waited years just to find her,my wolf says, but I can tell that he doesn't really want to wait.

Right. At least we have our fated mate with us. That's enough for right now.

I rinse off and grab my towel, wrapping it around my waist as I step out of the shower. My body should be relaxed, but my wolf and I are both on edge. He's pacing back and forth inside of me like the caged animal that he is right now.

I get dressed and decide to go for a quick ride before I head to the grocery store. It's still early so it's not like anything in town is open just yet.

I take off down my driveway and turn, heading west towards the mountains. I cruise down the backroads, letting the hum of my Harley calm me and my wolf.

It's always been like that. When I got back from my first deployment, I was looking for a new car, but at the last second, I decided on this old Harley Davidson. I had to take a class and get my motorcycle license, but the rest was history. I fell in love with riding and motorcycles. Every time I got back from a deployment, I would hop on my bike and go for a nice long ride. It always helped me to clear my head.

It's the same now, though thoughts of my mate keep filtering through my mind. I drive through the forest and take a winding path further up the mountain. I ride until the sun starts to come up over the trees before I head back to Broken Bow.

I make my way to the Broken Bow Market and head inside right when they open. The store is pretty empty and it doesn't take me long to grab everything I need for our dinner tonight and check out.

I stuff all of the groceries in the saddle bags of my bike and then cruise through town back to my house. My wolf is so antsy inside of me and I know that I'm going to need to let him out for a run if I'm going to have any hope of controlling him tonight.

I stuff all of the groceries in the fridge, promising to deal with that later and then I strip and shift as I jump off my back porch. My wolf takes off heading deep into the woods.

We run until we're exhausted and then he turns and starts to walk back to the house. The sun is higher and I briefly wonder just how long I've been running for as I pass by a group of deer and then some rabbits. They scurry off when they see me and I let them go.

By the time I make it back to my house, I'm in need of another shower. It's also after four p.m. and I realize that I was out in the woods for close to five hours. My wolf is tired, but just the thought of Astrid has him perking up again.

I walk through my house naked and head into the shower. I'm supposed to go pick up Astrid from her parents' house in two hours, and I still need to clean up around here.

I rinse off and then get to work on scrubbing this house until the place shines. I don't have much, just the basics. It never bothered me, a couch, TV, and bed were really all that I needed, but now I'm looking at the house with new eyes.

Will Astrid like it? Will she be happy here?

We'll buy new things,my wolf growls. Clean what we have.

I clean like a madman for the next hour and a half and then it's time for me to head out to pick up my girl for our dinner date.

My wolf and I get nervous the closer we get to her house. When we pull up out front, Astrid is sitting on the front porch steps. I can hear the sound of people screaming at each other, and I know that it's her parents. Astrid looks miserable, with this sad, lonely look on her face, and I hate it.

Make her feel better,my wolf snaps at me and I grit my teeth.

Working on it.

I hop off my bike, but she's already headed my way.

"Hey, you look great," I tell her as I take in her black jeans and dark blue shirt.

"Thanks. Ready to go?"

It's obvious that she wants to flee from this place, and I nod, passing her the helmet. We both climb on my bike and then we're off, driving down the quiet roads towards my place.

I park and she looks around, taking in my house.

"I like it," she says. "It seems so peaceful here."

"It is," I tell her as I take her hand and lead her inside.

That's what she wants most. It's obvious. She wants a home where there's no one screaming, where there's no fighting or drama. She wants a quiet, peaceful life.

We can give her that.

"Are you hungry?" I ask as we head inside. "I can start dinner and then give you the grand tour."

"Sounds good. Can I help with anything?"

"No, I've got it. You just relax. You can tell me about your day. What did you do?" I ask as I lead her into the kitchen.

"Worked. I met up with Nara for breakfast. She might have a lead on a teaching job in town so that's good."

I nod, and she tells me more about her work. She doesn't mention her parents or what they were fighting about, and I don't pry. I don't want to talk about any of that tonight.

"What did you do today?" She asks as I flip the chicken over in the pan.

"I went for a ride, went grocery shopping, and cleaned up around here. Oh, and I let my wolf out for a long run."

"Do you do that often?" She asks, smiling as I pass her a glass of water.

"I try to go for at least a short run a few times a week. We needed a longer run today," I explain.

"Why?"

"Because of the full moon. I'm not sure if you can feel it too or not."

"Feel what?"

"The mating heat. Or some people call it the mating pull."

She frowns and I try to figure out how to describe it.

"It's this thing that happens every month on the night of the full moon. Shifters can feel it, it's this deep desire for their mate. It's lust but on a whole different level, the most extreme level."

"Yeah, I can feel it," she says softly. "I felt it as soon as I woke up this morning, but it's gotten a lot stronger since then."

"It will continue until the full moon rises."

She nods, her eyes locked on me, and my wolf freezes in his tracks inside of me as we both smell it.

Her arousal.

She wants us, my wolf howls and I try to bite back my grin.

"Astrid, I want you to know that we don't have to do anything you don't want to do. I'm all in, but I know that all of this is new to you and you might need more time."

She eyes me for a moment and then she nods.

"Thanks."

I go back to making dinner, my wolf and I trying not to be disappointed that our mate didn't throw herself at us.

We still have tonight,I tell him, and he nods.

I finish dinner and plate up our food, then carry everything over to the kitchen counter and set one plate down in front of her. I set the other plate down in front of my chair and sit down next to her.

We dig in and I try to ignore my feelings for her and how good she smells right now. I mean, she always smells good, but tonight, it's a whole other level. That mixed with her arousal and it's a heady scent that has me feeling lightheaded with lust.

We make small talk as we eat, but I know that we can both feel the sexual tension growing between us with each passing minute.

"Thanks for dinner," she says as we carry our dishes over to the sink. "It was delicious."

"Anytime," I tell her quietly.

She smiles at me softly and I see her eyes drop to my lips.

"Astrid," I whisper, and she swallows hard.

"I want you. I can't resist anymore," she tells me, and my heart leaps in my chest.

"Are you sure, mate?"

"Yes. Claim me, Caden."

That's all that I need to hear.

We reach for each other at the same time, and I lift her up until she can wrap her legs around my waist. Then my lips land on hers.

Her lips are so soft against mine. They mold perfectly with my lips as my mouth claims hers. My tongue licks at the seam of her mouth and then she's opening for me.

She tastes like heaven, and I groan as my tongue tangles with hers. I reach up, tugging on the ends of her hair until she tilts her head back, giving me better access to her.

"Mate," I moan against her mouth, and she pants, grinding against me.

I'm not sure if I should keep kissing her here, or if I should take her upstairs and strip her naked.

Naked!My wolf growls, and I nod.

My hands find her ass and I grip her there as I carry her upstairs.

"Where are we going?" She asks, her lips trailing a line of kisses down my neck.

"I owe you a tour, right?"

She half laughs, half sighs as I carry her down the hallway towards my bedroom.

"This is the guest room… and a… a bathroom," I say as her lips start to suck on my heated skin.

"Looks nice," she mumbles against my neck, and I laugh.

"Yeah? It didn't seem like you were paying attention."

"I love it."

"This is my room, or our room now," I say as I stride into the master bedroom.

"I like the bed. Is it comfortable?"

"Why don't we find out?" I ask as we both collapse onto the mattress.

Her lips crash against mine, and we get tangled up together, but it's not enough. I need her naked. I need to be inside of her. Now.

"More," Astrid moans, and I love that we're on the same page.

"I need to get you naked," I tell her, and she nods.

"You too."

We're a clumsy pair as we try to pull each other's clothes off. We're both breathing hard, but in a mad rush to get each other naked as fast as possible.

I win, and as soon as I toss her panties aside, I'm on her.

"I'm not done!" She protests, and I growl, ripping off the rest of my clothes and kicking them aside.

"I need to taste you."

That's all the warning I give her before I spread her legs and bury my face in her sweet pussy.

We both groan as I take my first lick of her. Instantly I'm addicted. She tastes like cherries and vanilla and it's my new favorite taste.

"So good," I moan, and she cries out my name.

"Caden!"

My tongue licks up all of her juices and I find her clit, sucking that little pearl into my mouth. With the first flick of my tongue, her hips jerk up off the bed and I reach up, pulling her back down. I grip her thighs, holding her in place as I continue to lick her up.

"Caden! Oh gosh, I'm so close," she pants.

I suck on her clit, rolling my tongue over that bundle of nerves until she goes off. Her thighs clamp down around my head and I grin as I listen to her screaming my name.

When she collapses back against the bed, I give her one last lick and then crawl up her body. My cock is rock-hard and it rubs through her wetness, driving us both wild.

"Caden. Please," she begs, sounding breathless.

"What do you need?" I ask her, my hips rocking back and forth as I rub the underside of my cock up and down her slit.

"I need you to bite me," she says, her voice raspy and filled with heat.

I know she has no idea why she's asking me to do that; she just knows that her body wants it.

I nod, licking the base of her neck, and then I position my cock at her opening. I start to push inside slowly as I sink my teeth into her neck.

"Oh!" She shouts, and I thrust forward, burying all of my cock inside of her snug hole.

I lick over the bite mark, sealing the wound, and she shivers in my hold. I barely give her time to adjust before I draw my hips back and slam back into her. I can't seem to control myself. I have to have her.

I fuck my mate hard as I lick my bite mark again. It's sensitive, and she comes every time I brush over it. I've lost track of how many orgasms she's had, but I promise myself that I'll keep track in the future. My wolf howls in my head, delighted that we can give our mate so much pleasure.

She's so wet and tight, wrapped around my dick so perfectly that I can't imagine ever pulling out of her.

Then don't,my wolf suggests.

The base of my spine starts to tingle, and my balls draw up tight. I know that I'm about to come too, and I want us to go off together, so I grip one of her thighs, hoisting it higher up on my hip as I rut into her like the beast that I am.

I make sure to hit her clit with every stroke, and I can feel her start to spasm around my pulsing length. I groan when I feel her start to come again. I lean down and brush against my mark as I find my own release, coming deep inside her.

"Caden! Oh my! Caden!" She cries, and hearing her like that is heaven.

We did that. We made our mate feel that good.

"Whoa," Astrid pants as I roll us onto our sides and pull her into my arms.

"Uh-huh," I agree.

We grin at each other as we try to catch our breaths, and I run my hands over her, loving the feeling of her against me.

"What now?" She asks, pressing her body against mine.

"Now we do that all over again… and again… and again," I say as I trail kisses over her body.

She moans, rolling over onto her back and letting me claim her all over again.