Seven Wyatt

The moment Tanner slammed the door on me was the beginning of my torture. For the past six weeks, I thought my life had been almost unbearable because of that night at the hotel. But that was nothing compared to the moment he proved to me that I still craved him desperately.

I went straight to bed without food or even undressing after that encounter. For an hour or so, I heard him moving around, and a delivery person came to the door at one point, followed by the scent of Chinese takeout. But after that, I was left in silence for the rest of the night.

Sleep did not come to me. Instead, I lay on my bed and stared at the ceiling until dawn. The long quiet of the night did nothing to quell my fears. Instead, I found myself slipping further and further into madness, unable to figure out what the hell was going on with me.

From the moment Tanner appeared in my life, everything had been turned upside down. I couldn't think straight when he was around, and I definitely wasn't acting straight. But that wasn't me. It couldn't be. Still, I couldn't deny that he'd proven I wanted him. That moment I kissed him again, everything felt so right, like my entire life had been leading up to that moment. I wanted him. However, he'd made it very clear he didn't want me.

And that made me hurt. There was a place, deep in my chest, that I didn't know could feel pain. But after his words, it was undeniable. I felt like someone had ripped my heart out or something damn close to it. And the worst part was, I didn't understand why.

Sure, I'd heard the word mate inside my head when I touched him. And sure, every time our skin made contact, my entire nervous system went into overload. But I couldn't bring myself to believe that he really was my mate.

I'd been waiting my whole life to find a mate. In fact, I already knew what she looked like. She was tall and lean with tanned skin and dark wavy hair. She probably had soft brown eyes that could see right through me and never put up with any of my shit. We'd laugh all the time, go for long hikes together, and I could be vulnerable with her without worrying about being made fun of. That was everything I'd ever dreamed of.

And yet, I couldn't help realizing that Tanner fit the physical description almost perfectly. Except for the tits. His ass was better than any pussy I'd ever had, and that fact was making things worse. I'd never had a physical reaction to another man before. Sure, I'd looked at other guys, sizing them up to make sure my own body was normal and up to par. But I'd never thought about fucking them before. Tanner turned that on its head completely. Not only was I craving his body, but a small part of me was wondering what it would be like to be on the receiving end of such a thing. After all, Tanner had orgasmed without even touching himself that night. I couldn't deny I was curious to experience such a thing.

So, needless to say, I tortured myself with a never-ending spiral of thoughts until dawn. By the time the sun finally came up, I was so exhausted I could barely stand up. However, going to sleep wasn't an option. Each time I closed my eyes, all I could see was his face. My dreams would betray me. No, it"s better to avoid sleep at all costs for now. My wolf constitution would keep me going for now.

When I came downstairs at last to hop in the shower, still dressed in my wrinkled slacks and button-up from the day before, I stopped just outside the door. The water was already running, and the door was just slightly cracked open. Unable to help myself, I leaned close, the warm, rich vanilla scent pouring out of the gap. Breathing it in deeply, my body reacted almost instantly. My pants pulled tight as my cock swelled.

What the fuck was I doing?

The thought should have stopped me. But as his scent overwhelmed my senses, lust burned deep in my belly, and I couldn't help myself as I peeked through the gap, hoping to catch a glimpse of him.

I turned my head, my right eye lined up with the gap in the door. Through it, I could just make out the foggy glass wall of the shower. Behind it, obscured by the condensation, was Tanner, his tanned skin nearly glowing as morning light poured through the frosted windows. Even though I couldn't make out any details, I still felt my cock stiffen. I didn't need to see him to know what was there, not after that night in the hotel.

He turned around under the water, leaning back and running his hands through his hair. I let my gaze travel down his lithe body, skimming over the curve of his back, the washboard abs, and down to his massive cock. To my surprise, it was half hard, giving me a rather clear view of it even with the condensation.

I felt something touch my own cock, and I started. Glancing down, I realized my hand had sipped down my body of its own accord, grasping my thick shaft at the base through my pants.

"Fuuuuck…" I whispered, leaning against the door frame.

I wanted more than anything to slip through that door and join him in the shower. It went against everything I knew about myself, but I couldn't deny the urge was there. Something about him drove me wild, and I wanted that ass and that gorgeous cock of his again. In fact… maybe I could be the one pressed up against the shower wall this time. I wondered what it would feel like to have his dick between my cheeks… or maybe even his tongue.

There was a small thunk and a sudden quiet as Tanner shut off the water and threw the shower door open. With a gasp, I pulled away from the door, accidentally bumping it as I tried to escape without being noticed. The door creaked slightly as I crept away, slinking back up the stairs, my cheeks burning with embarrassment the entire way.

I thought he'd come out of there screaming for sure. Not that I could blame him. But I only heard the door open a moment later, followed by another closing as he went back into his room. I sat there on the edge of my bed, my heart still pounding from almost being caught.

"How am I going to do this…" I muttered to myself, burying my face in my hands.

Fear settled in as I realized I was going to have to spend the entire day with Tanner only a couple of feet away. Not only that, but I'd have to drive him to and from work and then pretend to be okay while he lived in my apartment. With each passing moment, I found it harder and harder to resist him. On the flip side, I'm pretty sure every word that came out of my mouth made him hate me more. If only there was some way to try to figure out the tangled mess that was my thoughts. I wasn't the kind of person that asked for help, but I was completely and utterly lost.

My best friends.

I didn't want to tell them what was going on, but at the same time, I knew they wouldn't judge me. In fact, they'd probably do everything they could to help me. Parker especially, considering he'd just been outcast from the pack for dating a human. Maybe he and I had more in common than I thought. Oliver would give me a hard time, but he'd be there for me in the end. I just wasn't sure if I could handle it yet.

Maybe… maybe I could talk to Parker. I didn't have to tell him exactly what was going on, but he could at least help me through the whole ‘mate' thing. At the very least, we could compare notes and finally put a label on what I was feeling. I wanted to be sure I wasn't making things up before I started trying to suck up to Tanner.

I had a feeling he'd need some time to cool down anyway. Sneaking out on him that night had really rubbed him the wrong way. I wasn't really sure why, but that was a problem from another day.

Grabbing my phone from the nightstand, I swiped it open and began to type.

Me: Hey bro. Do you want to do lunch today?

Parker: You're up early. And yeah! Mind if I bring Aiden along? Oliver coming too?

I paused, my fingers hovering over the keyboard.

Me: Uh… just you if that's okay. I need to talk.

Parker: Sounds serious. You okay? You're not in trouble, are you?

Me: It's not a big deal, haha

I felt like an asshole asking him to help me when he was still trying to put his own life back together.

Parker: Okay. Yeah, I can do lunch. But I can't stay all day. Got some ‘pack business' to attend to

Me: Pack business?

Parker: I'll tell you about it at lunch ;)

Me: Usual place at 11:30?

Parker: It's a date

I stared at my phone for a solid thirty seconds, anxiety blooming in my chest.

Today was gonna be rough.