by Casey Morgan
If I could access the knowledge that allowed him so much control over his shifting, then I would have a huge advantage. But then I also ran the risk of attachment. I didn’t want to settle down with one person. Not with Jasper, and not with Cade. If I led Cade to bed, then I risked him thinking that we’re an item.
These thoughts continued to plague my mind as we approached a small gardening shed near the back fence of official school property. It was brown, dingy, and looked like it hadn’t been touched in years. My eyes darted back and forth to see if there was any evidence of Angie having been here, but I couldn’t find any tell-all signs.
I sighed and leaned against a tree. Cade, still in wolf form, turned towards me and whined. I shrugged my shoulders in response and waited for him to shift back. Once again, his transformation was like a dance, and at the final beat, Cade was standing before me fully human once more.
He walked towards me quietly and leaned down towards my ear, resting his forearm on the tree above my head.
As Big Boy whispered softly, I could just barely feel his breath mingle with my hair, “Angie is inside.”
I stood on my tiptoes to whisper back. “Wait, I’ll let her know that we’re here.”
I didn’t want Cade to scare Angie, so I decided that it would be best if I announced that we were there. The last thing I wanted was for her to feel cornered.
I walked slowly up to the door of the shed and knocked lightly. “Angie?” I called out. “It’s me, Ruby. Cade is also here. Can we come in?”
I waited for a few beats of silence, and that was all it took for doubt to creep into my mind. Maybe my roommate wasn't here? Maybe she was but she didn’t want to see us?
Before my thoughts could spiral too far, the sound of old, rusted door hinges hit my ears. I looked up to see the door slightly opened and took it as an invitation to come inside. Cade followed behind me as I entered the shed and was met with the sight of a very dirty Angie sitting on some old boxes gazing up at us.
I had to stop myself from audibly gasping. Angie looked like she had gone through hell. Her brown eyes were sunken and had multiple bags forming underneath them. Her formally orange hair was matted and greasy. It was obvious that she hadn’t showered in a week. The uniform she wore wasn’t any better off, and dirt coated her knees and elbows.
“Angie!” My voice broke.
She glanced up at me with skeptical eyes.
I tried to comfort her, “Cade and I are just here to help.”
“Help with what?” she questioned sharply.
“Help you come home.”
She scoffed and looked away. “I haven’t come home yet for a reason. I’m embarrassed that I can’t control my shifting.”
“Angie, I’m sure that we can figure it out. At least you can shift.”
Her right eyebrow raised up as she continued to explain her situation. “Listen, Ruby. I appreciate you coming here. I’m just so worried and embarrassed. I should be able to control my shifting by now. If I can’t get it under control, then I might fail out of Ironwood and have to go home. My parents would be so disappointed in me if that happened.”
I was about to explain to Angie that if she stayed in the woods, it was as good as dropping out, so she needed to come back regardless when Cade took a step forward. Although Angie was already sitting down and considerably smaller than the werewolf, it almost felt as if she cowered further.
“You just need to accept me as your alpha,” he explained. “Then you’ll have better luck with shifting. Under the influence of an alpha’s control, things will get easier.”
“I disagree.” Her response was curt and rude, but Cade didn’t step back.
“What do you mean? Being a part of a pack is always better for shifters.”
Angie balled her fists and looked up at the alpha with fire in her eyes. “I don’t like the way that your pack treats cat shifters. You constantly tease us and put effort into making us feel inferior. Why would I ever want to be a part of a pack that treats me and my kind like a complete joke?”
Angie stood up at her final statement and looked Cade in the eyes. I could feel his distress radiating from his body as he took a step closer to me and away from Angie. His right hand scratched behind his ear as he stuttered and searched for appropriate words to respond with. I wished that I was able to read his mind, I was so curious as to what thoughts were forming in response to Angie’s defiance.
“I-I never thought about how the teasing affected you,” Cade admitted. “I didn’t know it hurt so much.”
“Well...” Angie obviously wasn't expecting him to admit to the pain he inflicted, and she shifted on her feet.
“I guess that I’m just so used to cat shifters being treated like a joke that I let that bias my opinion.”
I believed that the discrimination against cat shifters that Angie told me about was wrong and unwarranted, and it was interesting to see Cade admit to the bias that he held. I began to question if any other species were discriminated against or teased—probably snakes.
“Hey, Cade?” I asked timidly.
He turned towards me.
“Are snake shifters also teased?”
Before Cade could answer me, Angie jumped in, “Why do you need to know that?”
“Oh, Angie,” I exclaimed. “I have so much to tell you! It turns out that my grandfather was a snake shifter. I still can’t believe it. I don’t want to be a snake...”
Cade shook his head. “Something about that still feels off.”
I interrupted him, “Regardless, I still have so much to talk to you about.”
Angie gave a sly smile. “So, it seems. Did that much really happen while I was gone?”
I nodded. “So much. Please come back, the dorm is so empty and cold without you. Whenever I turn to share something, you’re not there. Whenever I see something funny and want you to laugh with me, you’re not there. I miss you and need you to come back home. Please, please, please, please....”
Before I could whine anymore than I already was, Angie laughed and nodded her head. She began to walk towards the door.
“Alright, since you so clearly need me, I’ll come back,” she replied. “Turns out that I also miss my best friend. I’m going to head back first to take a shower... I really need it.”
I laughed as she took a step out of the shed. But before she left, she turned around to say one more thing. To my surprise, it was directed at Cade.
“Hey-” she announced. “I will consider taking you as my alpha.”
Cade perked up, “Really?”
“Really. But if, and only if, you get your other pack members to change their ways.”
With that final statement, Angie was gone. I was more than relieved that she was heading back to the dorm. It made my heart warm to know that when I got home, she would be there.
Cade and I also began to leave when an idea hit me. I had considered it the entire way here, and now I knew Angie was safe. With a sly grin, I grabbed Cade’s wrist and pulled him back into the shed. Before he could protest, I closed the door and locked it.
“Hey, Cade?” I whispered, holding my body close to his. “May I suggest something?”
Chapter Nine
Cade’s eyes lit up at the sound of my voice, and I could see them darken considerably the moment they dropped to gaze at my lips. His hands subconsciously lifted to hover just barely above my hips, gaze still flicking between my lips and eyes.
Perfect. I had him right where I wanted him, and I could tell it wouldn’t be hard at all to seduce the handsome alpha in front of me.
“Yeah? And this suggestion is?” he asked, running his tongue ever so gently along his bottom lip. That move alone caused my stomach to twist.
Big Boy was so handsome, he smelled so good, and being this close to him made my head dizzy with lust. I couldn’t stop thinking about what his hands would feel like on my body, how his tongue would feel alongside my own. The thoughts alone made me clench my thighs together.
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“I just… Wanted to thank you for helping me find Angie… I really appreciate it,” I said, pulling my lower lip ever so slightly between my teeth and gazing up at him with hooded eyes.
Cade smirked ever so slightly, mouth open, letting the point of his tongue rest against the corner of his mouth.
God, has he always been this sexy?
The heat between my legs was pooling, and I swear I saw Cade sniff the air, no doubt realizing the extent of my aroused state.
“Thank me how…?” It was barely a whisper, but I could tell he had caught on.
He finally let his hands rest on the tender flesh of my hips, squeezing ever so slightly. His chest rose and fell as he cocked his chin in questioning.
I was stuck still, looking into his warm amber eyes, watching them darken with lust. I sucked in a breath and let all my concerns about him getting attached to me fly out the window as I pressed my lips to his. Cade certainly had to be expecting this, as he began kissing me back almost immediately with matched intensity, his tongue pressing into my mouth with fervor. My head was dizzy at the way his plump lips felt on mine, the way his hands gripped my waist and pulled me into his toned body. It was intoxicating, to say the least.
As we kissed, I felt him hardening against me. It excited me to know my kiss was enough to turn him on. I pulled back for a split second to reach my hand down, feeling his length swell beneath my touch.
As I rubbed his cock through the fabric of his pants, Cade set to work sucking marks into my neck. His heavy, earthy scent, although admittedly a bit dog-like, filled my senses as I finally was able to breathe. It was all at once comforting and incredibly arousing.
“Mind if I…” my voice trailed off as I toyed with the button on his pants.
Cade let a low growl escape his lips as my fingers ghosted over his length, one of his hands reaching up to grab my wrist. Suddenly I felt very small as I looked up at him. His large hand completely encircled mine, and he squeezed it gently.
“Only if I can undress you next, Ruby,” his voice came out deep and thick with arousal.
I almost fainted at the sound of my name, but his approval set me to work.
As Cade took off his own shirt, revealing his beautiful toned chest and stomach, I undid the button and zipper of his pants, feeling his cock twitch beneath my knuckles as I drew the zipper down. My fingertips were met with the feeling of hard muscular thighs and tantalizingly soft skin when I finally dragged his boxers down. The sight of his hard member made me salivate unconsciously, and I marveled at the sheer size of him. God, he’d stretch me good, I bet.
The handsome shifter must have caught me staring, because he chuckled low in his chest and reached a hand up to caress my chin, lifting it just enough to make me look him in his eyes.
“Like what you see, doll?” he asked, voice low.
I gulped and nodded. I let my hand move up and down, stroking him gently, and I could see his Adam’s apple bob ever so slightly. He was enjoying this, I could tell. However, Cade only let me stroke him like this for maybe ten seconds, eventually letting out another animalistic growl and grabbing my wrist.
Impatient much?
“Your turn.”
The firmness in his voice made my eyes go wide, and before I knew it, my clothes were off, and I was pressed against the wall of the shed. Cade’s long, warm fingers were playing with my folds, pressing hard against my clit. I mewled as he roughly started to finger me, all the while attacking my neck with kisses and bites. It was overstimulating, to say the least, and I barely registered how close I was to my first orgasm until it hit me out of nowhere, sending my body into a shuddering mess.
Wow.
Cade knew what he was doing. My head was in the clouds as he continued fingering me through the orgasm, cooing at me. I vaguely remembered him saying, “That’s a good girl. Already cumming so hard for me.”
As I came down from my high, the alpha wasted no time laying us down on the surprisingly soft wooden floor of the shed. He took my legs, held them wide for him, and positioned his length at my entrance. I gazed up at him, my head swimming, still a bit dizzy from my first orgasm. Cade’s toned arms pushed my knees a bit further back, and he brought one hand down to push the head of his cock into me. He quirked an eyebrow at me and assuming he wanted permission to push all the way in, I nodded eagerly.
Seconds later, his full length was inside me, and the feeling caused stars to burst in my vision. It felt heavenly. I could feel my succubus necklace warming on my chest with the energy of our bodies combining, and I closed my eyes, trying to focus on the knowledge flowing from the beautiful shifter that was fucking me so well.
As I lost myself in the feeling of our bodies coming together so effortlessly, I began to search through Cade’s knowledge, specifically looking for information about shifting. I thought back to seeing him shift for the first time, how effortless he looked, like a dancer. I wished so desperately to be able to shift like that, but the thought of shifting into a snake made me recoil involuntarily. Cade noticed, of course, and his thrusts slowed.
“Everything okay? Does it feel alright?” he asked sweetly, stilling his hips when I fully opened my eyes.
Just before he had stopped, the knowledge of how to shift so smoothly, so beautifully, had been revealed to me by my succubus necklace. The feeling was almost euphoric, and I swore I saw my moonstone glint happily along with my own smile.
I raised my eyebrows at him and traced a finger down his tanned chest.
“Everything’s just fine, sorry for worrying you…” I smiled into the words, reassuring him that I was fine. “Please keep going.”
I was more than fine, really. I was ecstatic that I had finally gained the knowledge in order to be able to shift so gracefully like Cade. The feeling itself was almost like an orgasm, and I had to restrain myself from letting out a moan when the knowledge flowed into my head.
My lips formed a pout, and Cade grinned above me, gently running his fingers through my hair.
“Good,” he practically growled as he began thrusting into me again, much harder this time.
I brought a hand up to grip his forearm, fully becoming a gasping and moaning mess as he slapped his hips to meet mine. God, he was good. Now that I knew how to shift, I let myself fall into my second orgasm, focusing on the feeling of Cade’s cock sliding so perfectly in and out of me. My high hit hard and fast, and the wolf shifter helped me ride it out impeccably.
Soon enough, he was pulling out of me and stroking himself through his own orgasm, silvery-white ropes of his cum landing prettily on my lower stomach. I smiled lazily as he groaned in pleasure, reveling in the way his deep voice sounded in the throes of an orgasm.
Cade’s chest was heaving when he was done, and he looked down at me with a grin. He took a second to capture my lips in a final passionate kiss, and I let my hand lazily trace his chest as our lips pressed together. It felt nice, warm, but I definitely didn’t want any strings attached.
We laid on the floor together for a while after enjoying each other’s warmth and touch. Cade was tracing little patterns into my skin and after a while, he broke the silence with a question I cringed at the moment he asked it.
“So… Jasper, huh?”
“What about him, Big Boy?” I asked nonchalantly, a bit frustrated that he’d brought it up. Cade snorted out a laugh at the nickname, then shrugged slightly and probed further, “Are you two, y’know, committed to each other?”
I had to stop myself from snorting. No. Absolutely not. Of course, he’d ruin the moment with a question like that.
“No, we’re not. I’m really not the commitment type actually,” I explained, sitting up slowly and reaching for my shirt.
Cade heaved a sigh and sat up after me, letting his hand rest on my waist. He squeezed the skin there gently and said something that made my eyes roll into the back of my head.
“Maybe you just haven’t found the right guy…”
Chapter Ten
I woke up to the sight of Angie getting ready in our dorm room. A smile spread across my face as I watched my best friend get dressed and fix her, now clean, hair. It was so good to have her back, my heart swelled, and it felt as if a missing piece of the puzzle was finally put back in place.
“What are you staring at?” Angie asked softly as she brushed the wrinkles out of the skirt of her black and white uniform.
“You,” I responded. “I’m just happy you’re back.”
Angie laughed and continued to get ready.
She seemed to be doing a lot better, but I was still slightly worried about her. What she went through couldn’t have been easy, and the fact that everything happened while she was in class must’ve made it even harder on her. It was by pure bad luck that her first class back was potions class. This meant that she had to face the very same colleagues that had chased her out of the classroom with insults.
“Sucks that we have potions class, huh?” I chimed in.
“Yeah,” Angie responded as she grabbed her book bag, “But I am a black cat, so it’s to be expected.”
The two of us managed to laugh at the joke as we left our dorm and began our walk to class, passing through the green lawn, making our way into the main building, and eventually through the big red door that held Professor Goldwin behind it. More importantly, the door that held our classmates behind it.
We decided to just take a deep breath and walk in without any hesitation. The moment that the door was opened, and we pushed our way inside, I felt dread fill in my stomach. I could just tell that something unsavory was going to happen during this class.
When we took our seats, Angie began to pull out her notebook and the notes that she had copied from me for the days that she missed. I smiled at the nonchalant attitude that she was displaying. She really was brave.
