by Amanda Carol
What I really want to do is find my girl and bury myself so deep inside her that I’ll see stars. But she won’t let me touch her. That kiss before I left earlier tonight was the most intimacy we’ve shared in weeks.
God, I miss her kisses. I miss feeling her come undone with my fingers and tasting her sweetness after. I’ve never taken it further than that, but I want to.
I need to.
I need her.
I will do whatever it takes to get my Aria back.
I glance at Bennett and nod toward the door. I stop and give my condolences to the Rhodes and say goodbye to Declan and Ciera before meeting Bennett outside the medical room.
“You good, bruh?” His voice is pitched low as he claps a firm hand on my shoulder.
All I do is give him a look. A look he is all too familiar with.
“Right. Let’s get out of here.”
Then we made our way back to his place, a bottle of whiskey calling our names.
I wake with a jolt, heart racing and covered in sweat. I reach out and pat the bed next to me. The spot is cold, and either Hunter was here and I didn’t know it, or he never showed up. He has never left my side, and I take comfort in the fact that he’s always here. I feel the safest when he’s around.
I need him here with me.
I came home last night and painted for a while before I started to go cross-eyed. At that point, I knew I should try and get some sleep.
But now he’s not here. What if something happened? My heart picks up its pace as I toss the covers off me and hurry to Declan’s room. When I open the door, he’s not there. His bed hasn’t been slept in.
My heart starts to pound against my rib cage as I make my way downstairs and into the kitchen. Maybe he’s there having a cup of coffee with Ciera. Nope. He’s not there either, and the pot that typically has coffee in it by now is empty. I hear the front door open quietly, and I creep around the corner and peek out.
Declan.
I let out a huge sigh of relief as I rush forward and toss my arms around his neck. I feel his arms wrap around my waist as he hugs me back. My favorite bear hug.
“What’s with the hug?” His question is muffled by my hair.
I pull back, keeping my hands on his shoulders and checking his body for injuries.
“Where were you?” I ask breathlessly.
My gaze locks with his and he quirks a brow.
“Worried about me, little sis?” he quips as he pushes past me and into the kitchen.
I turn on my heel and follow him, ignoring his question.
“I woke up and you weren’t here. Where were you?” I demand.
He grabs the stuff to make some coffee before he turns to me, leaning his tall frame on the kitchen counter.
“After you ran off, I stayed behind. Axton was killed with Wolfsbane. It’s the checks and balances crap that affects wolves. Isabella stabbed him with a dagger laced with it,” he tells me.
What? My heart starts to beat hard against my ribcage again, and my palms start sweating. The relief of seeing my brother is now replaced with panic and fear.
When I don’t say anything, Declan continues.
“Artemis created the wolf shifters. The consequence for that was Wolfsbane. It is a plant that can kill a wolf instantly, which is why my healing powers didn’t work when I tried to heal him.”
Oh, God. Hunter. If Isabella has the only thing that can kill wolf shifters instantly, then not only is Declan in danger, but so is everyone else on the Compound.
“After Luna explained everything, I helped Ciera clean Axton up, and then I went back to her place. I figured you would be okay with Hunter.” He shrugs as he turns to pour himself a mug of coffee. He pours me one too, but I don’t take it.
“I was alone,” I whisper.
I don’t blame Hunter for not coming over. We did have a fight and he did just lose a friend, but he’s been here with me every night. Waking up from my nightmare and him not being there made it feel all too real. This time, Isabella killed Hunter, not Ciera. I feel an icy shiver work its way down my spine.
Isabella can kill Hunter.
“Hunter never came over?” Declan asks, pulling me from my thoughts and making me jump.
I shake my head, not looking at him. I rub my arms, trying to ease the chill in my bones.
“Have you tried using the link? Maybe he got caught up with Beta duties. Tonight, they are doing a Moon Run for Axton. It’s like a funeral for wolves. I also know that he and his dad fought hard core last night, and Hunter stormed off.” Declan leans back on the counter, turning his mug around with his fingers.
My eyes flick up to Declan. “What?”
That catches my attention. Hunter had an argument with his dad, and I was home painting, too afraid to be in the same room with a traitor and a dead body.
“Yeah. If you would have stuck around, you would have known that. Look, Aria, you’re my sister and I love you. But this? Whatever you’ve got going on up here?” He reaches forward and taps my head. “You’ve got to get it out. Keeping it bottled in isn’t helping anyone.”
He pushes himself up from the counter. I roll my eyes, but ultimately, I know he’s right. But to do what he’s asking means I have to be ready to hurt everyone else. And that’s not something I’m ready to do. Not yet.
“Anyway, I’m going to get a shower and go back over to Ciera’s. Oh, and all activities are canceled for today. I’ll see you later.” Declan rinses his empty mug out before placing it down in the sink, then leaves me alone in the kitchen.
I open the link to Hunter.
Hi, I say, fiddling with the handle on the full mug, waiting for him to reply.
I wait a few minutes and try again.
Nothing.
Hunter?
When he doesn’t answer, I make my way into the living room and throw on my converse, not even caring that I'm still in my sleep shorts or tank top. I open the front door, quickly shutting it behind me. I keep trying to use the link to reach him as I power walk to his cabin. I don’t even care that I'm not using the buddy system right now. I run up the steps and open his front door, not even bothering to knock.
“Hunter?” I call.
I’m greeted with silence.
I run upstairs and his bed is empty. This place quiet, too quiet. The only noise is the sound of my heavy breathing. Why wouldn’t he be here? I know we fought, and I know I’ve been pushing him and everyone else away, but…but…
Panicked, I run down the steps, and back outside. I can only think of one other person that might know where he is. I open the link to Bennett, and when he doesn’t answer, I sprint to his cabin. I take the steps two at a time and knock hard on the front door.
The door opens slowly, and Bennett peeks out with one eye closed. “Hey, Blondie.”
I push the door open and barge inside.
“Where’s Hunter?” I glance around his cabin before finally letting my gaze take him in.
He looks rough, hair sticking up in all directions, eyes squinting at me. I know this look. I’ve seen it on my brother a time or two back when we on the road.
“Are you hung over?” I ask him.
“Good morning to you, too,” he mutters before picking up a discarded blanket and lying down on the couch. “Hunter is upstairs in my bathroom.”
I hear the last part of his sentence from the steps. I reach the top and hear the water turn off in Bennett’s bathroom.
Without knocking, I open the door and stop just in the doorway. Hunter is standing by the sink, wiping his face off with a towel, and he’s shirtless. His hair is wet, and water is dripping down his body. He sets the towel down and turns to face me. I follow the water droplets down his broad chest, his eight pack, and his shorts are sitting low on his hips showing off that V, so I follow that down until the water stops, getting soaked up by his shorts.
“Aria? What are you doing here?” he asks.
His husky voice causes my gaze to snap up to meet his. He�
�s standing right here.
“You were here,” I whisper. “I thought…I thought you were dead. I woke up and you weren’t there!” My voice starts to get louder, and I can feel tears start to form. “Isabella killed you! She…” I trail off, my eyes going wide, causing a few tears to slip free.
“Oh, baby.” Hunter reaches forward, pulling me into the bathroom and shutting us inside. He cups my cheeks as I rest my hands on his bare chest. “I’m right here. See? My heart is beating.”
He places my hand across his heart, and I can feel it beating against my palm. He cups my cheeks and wipes the tears away, then his thumb pulls my bottom lip out from between my teeth. He tilts my face up and our eyes lock, then he brings his head down and brushes his lips against mine.
I run my fingers slowly down his stomach, feeling every ripple of his abs. His breath hitches before his hand wraps around and grasps the back of my neck. I let out a soft moan as his tongue darts out and swipes across my lips, demanding to taste me, and I let him in. My fingers hook into the band of his shorts and I tug him forward.
Hunter reaches down and his hands slowly caress my ass before settling on my thighs. In one swift movement, he lifts me up and I wrap my legs around him as he sets me down on the counter. He breaks away to trail kisses down my jaw, onto my neck, where he nips at my sensitive spot, then uses his tongue to ease the pleasant sting. I gasp as his hand grabs my breast, causing my nipples to harden under his fingers. His touch is setting my skin on fire, heating my body up, igniting something inside me. I feel his touch all the way down to my core.
“Hunter,” I breathe as he moves the strap from my tank top off my shoulder and places a soft kiss there before trailing kisses all the way down to my collarbone.
He groans softly as he grinds his erection into the softest part of me, and I tighten my legs around him, locking him in place. I grab his face and bring his lips back to mine, wanting to taste more of him. Our tongues are dancing in sync, then I nip at his bottom lip.
He growls, pulling away, just far enough so our gazes lock once more. His eyes are glowing a bright blue. I reach down and grip his hard length through his shorts. He moans and closes his eyes, as if my touch is setting him on fire. He tosses his head back as I continue to grip him, gently moving my hand back and forth.
I lean forward, placing kisses on his chest, on his shoulder and up his neck. I dart my tongue against his earlobe, then nip it with my teeth. The feel of my tongue on his skin makes him groan and he grabs my face, pulling it away so he can claim my lips once more. A loud knock on the door causes us to break apart.
“I hope you guys aren’t fucking in my bathroom!” I hear Bennett’s voice through the door.
Hunter pulls away slowly. Our breathing is heavy and ragged as he leans his forehead against mine. Our eyes are closed, and for a brief moment, we drink each other in. His kiss told me that he was missing me. His touch told me that he needed me.
I didn’t realize how much I’d missed him until I felt his lips on mine, his hands on my body, touching me in a way only he can. A way that makes me feel protected and cherished.
“I swear I'm getting him a collar with a bell on it,” Hunter whispers against my lips before kissing me again.
He pulls away, adjusting his shorts as I readjust my shirt. When I glance up, our eyes lock; his eyes are glowing softly. He runs a hand through his hair, before placing it on his narrow hip.
“Aria, I…” Hunter starts to say, but is cut off by another knock on the door.
I roll my eyes and hop off the counter. Our moment is gone.
“We’ve got company, Hunt. Blaine is here,” Bennett says.
My body locks up as I stare at the door. Hunter comes up behind me and wraps his strong arms around my waist. I know how hot-headed Blaine is. I should probably leave, because my presence seems to set him off.
“I’ll walk out with you. Just give me a minute to finish up in here,” he whispers against my neck, placing a soft kiss on the sensitive spot behind my ear.
I inhale sharply, closing my eyes and concentrating on the feel of his lips on me instead of the asshole downstairs. But my eyes snap open as I hear Blaine’s voice on the other side of the door.
“Hey, Bennett, is he in there?”
“Yeah, but—” Bennett starts to reply.
I shrug Hunter off and open the door, my eyes narrowing in on Blaine. He looks startled for a moment before he scowls at me.
“Demigod Barbie. What a not-so-pleasant surprise. You know, you shouldn’t be distracting our Beta so much. It cost us a pack mate. It’s your—”
“Enough,” Hunter growls from behind me. “What do you want, Blaine?”
“I’m not saying a fucking word until that traitorous bitch leaves,” Blaine spits out. His pale green eyes start to glow brightly.
Hunter steps around me and takes two long strides right up to Blaine, towering over him. “You want to run that by me again? Whatever it is you need to say, you can say it in front of Aria. She’s one of us now.”
“No, she’s not, and neither is her bastard of a brother,” Blaine grits out, standing taller.
They are chest-to-chest in the ultimate glare off. On any other day, his words would have pissed me off and I’d have to stop myself from saying or doing something I might regret. But today, I just don’t have it in me to get angry.
“It’s fine. I’ll go,” I say, walking past them and heading for the steps.
“Baby, you don’t have to go,” I hear Hunter say as Blaine makes a disgusted sound.
Sheesh, Blaine, act your age, not your shoe size.
I get to the top of the steps, but feel a hand on my arm, turning me around.
“Stay,” Hunter whispers as he releases my arm and tucks a lock of hair behind my ear.
I can see it in his eyes; he doesn’t want me to go. His eyes tell me I belong, but it doesn’t feel that way. Not with Blaine standing in the room.
“Please go,” Blaine hisses.
“Dude, will you shut the fuck up?” Bennett chimes in, walking over to us. “Hunter, you deal with that asshole over there while I take Blondie back to her cabin.”
He tosses his arm around my shoulders, but I shrug him off.
“It’s okay. I can walk myself.” I turn quickly and walk down the steps.
I manage to get out the front door before I realize that Bennett is right behind me.
“Blondie, will you slow down?” Bennett says.
I spin around and see him hopping on one foot, trying to put on his shoe.
“Bennett, it’s fine. You don’t have to take me home,” I tell him as he finally gets his foot in his shoe.
My tone was a little harsher than I intended, but I’m annoyed. Annoyed for the interruption, and annoyed at the fact that Blaine was just being Blaine. It made everything I was feeling earlier disappear.
“We are still using the buddy system. Besides your wolf will mount my wolf’s head to his wall.” Bennett jumps off the porch and lands on his feet right in front of me.
I flinch back a step and lose my balance.
Bennett reaches out and grabs my arm to steady me. “Sorry about that. C’mon, let’s go get some breakfast. I’m starving.”
“I’m really not hungry,” I say, pulling my arm from his grasp.
“That’s okay. I can just grab a wolfie bag to go and we can go chill at your place until Hunter gets finished talking to dickhead.” Bennett grabs my hand and starts to walk to the barn.
I really just want to go back to my cabin and get lost in my painting. This whole buddy system thing sucks.
When we reach the barn, Bennett holds the door open for me and I stop just inside the barn. Declan, Ciera, Abby, and Zayne are all sitting at a table laughing. I can’t hear what they’re talking about, but if Declan is talking, it’s probably about some shit he did back in school.
For our senior prank, he and the football team managed to steal the keys to the principal’s car and bring it into the lobb
y, where they proceeded to have a raffle going. Our principal thought it was hilarious and one of the best pranks yet. But he was definitely in trouble when we got home. Ciera spots me and waves, which causes everyone at the table to turn and look at me.
My grip on Bennett’s hand tightens.
“Can we please go?” I whisper to him.
“Sure, I’ll be quick. Do you want to go wait for me over there with your brother?” he asks.
“No, I’ll go with you.”
His gaze locks with mine and he quirks a brow, but doesn’t say anything. Instead, he leads me over to the buffet table, where he grabs a Styrofoam container and starts to fill it up with eggs, bacon, and waffles. When he gets to the sausage, he stops and looks over at me, a smile growing on his lips.
“You want some sausage, Blondie? I know you love a good, thick piece of meat,” he teases.
I look up at him and quirk a brow. If this were any other time, I would have laughed. His face falls slightly, and he continues to fill the container up with more food. Movement catches my eye and I see Abby and Ciera walking toward us.
“I’ll wait for you outside,” I murmur quickly.
I turn around and leave before Abby and Ciera reach us, avoiding looking at them. I just want to get out of here and away from everyone. I push open the door and almost walk into Kat and Knox.
“Oh, sorry,” I mumble, tucking my hair behind my ear.
“It’s okay,” Kat says.
Knox steps around us and nods at me before going inside. I go to step to the side at the same time Kat does, and so I move right, which she does too, making it an awkward tango. She grips my shoulders moving me to the left while she steps to the right.
“It’s early, and I need coffee,” she laughs. “You doing alright, kiddo? I haven’t really seen you around much. Sparkles definitely misses you.”
I kind of miss that fancy unicorn too. When I train with Kat, I don’t really stick around to brush him anymore. I just go back to my cabin.
Kat studies me for a moment. “You can visit with him anytime you like, you know. He loves visitors.” Her eyes flick to behind me and I hear the door open. “Well, not all visitors.”
