“I miss you, Lettie.”
It was my fault. I had started our silence, and I had planned on keeping it.
“I wished you hadn’t promised him that, Lettie. I don’t think you realized how much I needed you.”
I snorted at that. One thing I knew for certain, even before I met Hunter, was that Griffin Lupen never needed me like I needed him. He was strong. Son of an Alpha. He saved me from losing myself in a hellish torture. He didn’t need me during those nights, I had always needed him. And I wished I didn’t need him now.
“Griff I know-”
“You’re going to say it wasn’t that way. But if it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have anything to fight for. You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for, Lettie.”
Griffin became quiet after that. I didn’t know what to say.
“Why are you calling me, Lettie?” Griffin asked. “You’ve ignored me for almost six full months and now you’re calling me with three weeks left to go. What’s going on?”
“I need you to promise me something.”
“Whatever you need just ask.”
I shut my eyes. That is what I was afraid of. A tear slipped down my face, I felt the wet trail all the way from the beginning to where it dripped off my jaw.
“If I call you in three weeks to come get me, no matter what, all you do is come get me okay?”
I would do anything to protect Hunter. Even if that meant protecting him from me. I wouldn’t let myself bring evil he never wanted into his life. . But I knew he would do it for me. And this was the least I could do for him.
“Colette?” Griffin sounded nervous now.
“Promise me.”
I was desperate now, pleading him. I knew what he would think. If I told him flat out though, he might attack Damien, which would start a war between the packs. I didn’t want to be responsible for that.
“How do you want me to respond to that Colette? If he hurt you in some way I’ll kill him.”
I didn’t know what to say. I wasn’t so certain that Griffin could kill Hunter anymore. Most of all, I just wanted the fighting to stop. I would never be able to forgive Griffin.
“Please.”
“Fine. I promise.”
“Thank you.”
He sounded mad, but I didn’t care. Everything would be okay.
I said goodbye to Griffin shortly after. We didn’t really talk, which is good since neither of us had much to say. He obviously wasn’t pleased with me for my silence or my lack of reasoning behind my promise to Hunter. I didn’t know what was going to happen in three weeks, but I hoped that I would be able to survive.
When I got off the phone, I was expecting, I don’t know, some type of longing. Maybe even a sense of emptiness. But I realized Griffin’s voice didn’t fill me up like before, he didn’t give me that sense of home anymore.
The rest of the afternoon I spent wandering through the woods outside of the cabin. This place felt like home. I recognized the trees, the plants, the small pathways made by weres from their runs.
His arms slipped around me, and I leaned back into his warmth. He was home.
“I’ve missed you lately.”
Hunter traced my neck with his lips all the way to the crook of it. He gently brushed against my skin there. The sensation tingled all the way down to my toes.
I wanted to say something. I wanted to respond to him. But there was nothing to say. So instead I turned in his arms and leaned my head close to his. I didn’t want to think, I just wanted to act. I moved forward and kissed him hard. I didn’t want to let him go, not now. Not ever.
I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, and his arms to my waist. I felt his fist press gently into my back, pulling me closer. He was only barely in control. I could feel it. And I – I couldn’t resist. I had been apart from him too long. I had kept away from him and now I was starved for his touch.
Hunter pulled me even closer, his body hard body pressed against the softness of mine. His kiss made me lightheaded and my legs weak. Hunter pulled back first, he kissed me one more time before he snagged my hand and led me back to the cabin. I offered no resistance. The heat in his eyes told me all I needed to know.
As soon as we entered the cabin I knew without a doubt this is what I wanted. It felt right.
Hunter leaned down and pressed his lips against mine, and all rational thought fled.
There was him. And there was my desire.
Hunter’s hand drifted on my hip, the other cupped my cheek and I could feel him trembling. Or was that me? I couldn’t stop shaking, I wanted him so bad. My heart was racing, and my body pressed closer to him.
Hunter’s hand stroked the soft line of my cheek. I leaned into it, sighing when his lips skimmed against my cheek down to my jaw. He pressed light kisses, and light flicks of his tongue. His other hand had started to creep under my shirt and my cool skin ignited. I pressed a kiss to the palm of his hand and steered him backwards with small steps. Even as we neared our destination, he continued necking me with kisses that had me burning up.
“Hunter…” I was desperate for more, for him. My body was screaming it, demanding.
“More,” My wolf whispered through me.
Hunter pulled away from me and looked at me. All I saw was his wolf.
“Mine.”
“Yours,” she answered.
I could feel her at the edges of my mind. For the moment, she held all control. She was finally seeing her mate, and he was seeing his. The smile that spread across his face could only be described as ravenous.
Hunter swooped down for another kiss. This kiss broke all illusions about tonight. I felt the urgency in his movements and I answered them.
His kiss was hard, and passionate. His tongue moved forward delicately, dancing past my parted lips. And the movements he was doing left no room for imagination. My body felt like jelly. I was powerless. My gut stirred with anticipation.
We made it to the bedroom, but we stood there, wrapped up in each other. His hands moved to pull my shirt off my head. I helped.
His eyes devoured my bare flesh. He looked, at first, like he was going to be tentative about touching my bra-clad breasts, but instead he moved forward, dipping his head down. His kisses tickled the swell of my left breast. Could he hear my pounding heart? His teeth nipped as he moved down, and his hands held my waist close, my head fell back in bliss.
It was such an odd experience. I couldn’t really breathe. But I had to remain somewhat functional. Hunter’s large hands skimmed my back. His touch made me feel like silk. The way his hands lingered with his touches.
He unclasped my bra and started to take off the offensive material, I was sure I was going to explode. His hands slowly separated the bra strap from my skin, his fingers slipping it free as he brought it gently down my arms. I shivered in delight. His skin left a fiery trail in its wake. My exposed nipples hardened at the thought of him seeing me. Hunter leaned back, staring at me. I was embarrassed, but also eager. His eyes were heated. I saw the raw desire there.
“You’re beautiful,” he said looking back at me.
I didn’t know what to do so I waited. He moved back towards me too slowly. I wanted to rush him. To tear his clothes off. I wanted to see him as exposed as I was. There was something different about him being shirtless now, something more sexual than when they were outside training or even when we were sleeping in the same room.
My hands brushed the hem of his shirt, skimming his skin. The taunt muscles coiled beneath his skin, loosened under my touch. I pressed my hands under his shirt and held his waist in my hands. The skin was softer than I had expected, and I couldn’t keep my focus away from it.
I gathered the courage to look up at him. His eyes were shut, teeth clenched, and the muscle in his jaw pulsed to the beat of his blood. It was satisfying to know that I affected him as much as he affected me.
I grabbed the hem of his shirt again and started to tug it upwards making sure my knuckles brushed against his
skin. When I passed over his biceps I made sure to press just a little harder against his nipples. The coiled muscles there were firm. My lips teased him through his shirt. I pressed small kisses against his skin. He growled lightly and I was tempted to laugh at his reaction, but when I pulled the shirt past his head, any thoughts of laughing fled me.
Hunter brought our bare chests together. The friction of his hair against my sensitive skin tickled erotically. I felt a tightening in my lower gut. I had never felt this way, never to this extreme. I had never been this far with a man before. But this was Hunter. We stood for a few moments breathing each other in.
We didn’t speak, but his hands on my waist started their way up when my lips found his neck. He palmed one breast, rolling his fingers over one firm peak. I gasped into his neck, pressing my face closer. The sensations went shooting right down my taut core. My legs pressed together as if it would relieve the pressure that was building.
Hunter practically wrapped me in his embrace when he moved us toward the bed. The back of my knees hit and I sat down. Hunter bent down and kissed me sweetly this time. Gently. We moved together, never separating more than an inch from each other. Hunter held his body over my own when we finally hit the pillows.
He was careful. He never put all his weight on me, but I felt him everywhere. My hands roamed over his chest until I couldn’t wait any longer and moved down, fumbling with his pants.
I struggled with the fly, but before it was undone, he moved to my chest. The descent down was torturous. He took his time at the column of my neck, his hand pressed against one side, while the other side was covered by his mouth. He nipped and bit. I tried to pull away, not quite ready for him to be so aggressive. Though part of me quivered at the prospect.
“Shh, not that tonight, I promise.”
Hunter moved down my body, his lips leaving a burning trail in their wake as he moved to my breast. He moved to wrap his lips around my nipple and my eyes shot open. I swallowed hard as his tongue swirled and the air left my lungs. My eyelids fluttered shut, while warm sensations zipped through my blood. I grabbed onto his head as an irrational fear gripped me that he might leave my breast. My hands twined in his hair. I felt my lower half tingling with arousal.
“Hunter…”
It came out as a whimper. I had to call his name. He had to know what his sweet tortures was doing to me. His hands tightened around my waist when I involuntarily bucked my hips toward him.
He removed one hand from my hips and up to my breast while he moved his mouth to my other breast, treating it with the same care as the first. He rubbed his callused hand against my soft nipple while his own hips moved in a dangerously, thrusting motion.
I needed more. I needed it more than I needed air. I wasn’t sure how to tell him, so when he started to leave my breast and trail kisses down my stomach I sighed with relief. His tongue flickered right above where the button of my jeans laid. I jerked once, my eyes closing at the sensation.
Hunter unbuttoned my pants, taking an eternity with my zipper. He pulled down my jeans, his fingers looping under the boy-shorts I was wearing as underwear. I didn’t have any “sexy” underwear; these black ones were the best I had. I was blushing hard, and kept my head down as his knuckles brushed against my legs. Thankful for my attentiveness shaving.
He pulled my jeans all the way off. I kept my legs pressed closely together. What would he think? I was blushing so hard that I was sure that my neck and my chest were cherry red. His large hands wrapped around my legs as he slowly moved back up. I swallowed hard when he helped guide them apart. I was parting them but his light touches made it easier to just let go.
I was terrified. Not of him but this was so new, this was the most exposed I had ever been in my life. I started to pull away when Hunter’s face came into my view.
“Please don’t be afraid.”
He kissed the side of my mouth. I moved to kiss him. He had moved one hand to my inner thigh while we kissed and oh. I had to pull away, I couldn’t breathe. His touch was gentle yet tempting.
His fingers brushed against my most sensitive spot, causing me to gasp and writhe. I had no control over my body. I was his completely.
Hunter groaned and pressed his head into my neck.
“Colette, you’re so wet,” he whispered, the tip of his tongue gliding along the shell of my ear.
His words sent another zing right down my gut. I bit my lip when his hand brushed against me. My head was foggy with need. His simple touches against my flesh weren’t enough. I carved more.
“Hold on,” he moved down my body, much quicker this time, and pushed my thighs apart. His breath fanned against the sensitive skin in my inner thigh.
My heart felt like it was in my stomach. There was a momentary battle of fear and excitement with a huge splash of desire. When he draped my legs over his shoulders, I clutched the sheets. I felt the first stroke, everything after that was desire. He tongue circled my sensitive nub. I was going to fall to pieces.
“Hunter…”
Hunter’s response was another stroke of his tongue, and a finger in addition. All I could think was oh shit as he pressed in. At first it hurt, like a pinching, but his digit slipped smoothly in and I moved to meet him.
I wanted so much more. He moved again and I cried out this time. Another sweet lash of his tongue. I felt so completely full. Something inside of me was building up, taking me higher than I ever thought possible. He kept a steady rhythm and his tongue continued its devilish movements. I was climbing up higher and higher. A sweet pressure filled me completely.
“Hunter!” I cried.
Hunter climbed back up. I finally got my breath back. When I could see straight I smiled up at him, feeling a blush steal over my cheeks. I couldn’t believe I had just screamed his name. He laid next to me, while I was flat on my back unable to move. He lay on his side watching me.
“Don’t be embarrassed, Colette. That was amazing,” his hand traced small circles on my stomach. I looked at him and smiled. I curled into his chest. Even when I felt tired, I still wanted more. I couldn’t take only a small taste. I was hungry for all of him.
“Hunter,” I looked up at him and my voice came out more as a growl. He looked at me with the same eyes. Our primal sides were taking over.
I moved to take Hunter’s pants off, and he beat me to it. His briefs followed. His manhood pressed dauntingly against the fabric. How the hell he was supposed to fit? Hunter distracted me when he moved, and my eyes followed his.
Hunter was leaning over me again, and he positioned himself. His dark midnight hair falling forward, hiding his eyes from my view for a moment. He took my hand in his, watching me carefully as his tip gently pushed inside.
I tensed immediately. But looking into his yellow eyes, I knew I was safe. There was no one I trusted like I trusted him. He moved forwarded and my handed tightened around his. He stopped as I let out a small whimper.
“It will get better,” he whispered and pushed forward.
It hurt once he was fully in, but my body adjusted, hungry to feel him move inside me. My body lusted with its own movements. Our rhythm was bliss. I could feel another buildup. I wrapped my ankles around his firm ass, pulling myself closer, needing him more.
My lips were shaking. I needed to scream. I was so very close to a wave of pleasure crashing through me. And then Hunter thrust hard and I was released.
I opened my eyes to see him experiencing his own pleasure. I could feel every pulsation. The reality of my decision made me want to turn away. With my decision to leave to protect Hunter, yet I had done this anyway. I felt the shame starting to creep over me. I just couldn’t bring myself to taint the night.
That night, we slept cuddled close. Hunter woke me a few times to make sure I was okay, that I wasn’t feeling any tenderness, but he never pushed me for more. Parts of the night I would wake up and lightly kiss his chest. I was in a complete state of bliss. He was what I wanted. More than anything.
; He was also the one I thing I wasn’t sure I could ever have. I might have to give him up to save him from me.
Our time together was slipping by and I was desperate to enjoy every last moment.
Chapter 22 – Carnivals, Carnies, and Witches
That night with Hunter was almost two weeks ago, but I could still feel him. I could still feel how his hands touched my skin so delicately, how he had filled me up so completely that I was sure I would never be whole without him. Avoiding him was harder than ever. I found myself becoming lax.
Who was I to deny myself happiness? I had every intention of leaving if I was attacked by that rogue. I knew it would be set up by Damien and Jude, so I had the advantage. And, I didn’t want to hold Hunter back, anyways. I honestly believed that he would eventually come to hate me if I stayed and he became Alpha to protect me. I couldn’t have that. I rather him love me now, and hate me from afar. But anything was better than watching his hate fester and grow.
I went back to sleeping in Hunter’s room. Other than heavy make-out sessions, we didn’t go much farther. It wasn’t because I wasn’t interested, and I knew for a fact he was! I was the one usually who stopped us from doing the deed, though Hunter didn’t seem to mind. At least he didn’t outwardly show it.
I knew my wolf was getting pissed, though. She had been closer than ever to the surface, it was both the most amazing experience and the worst. After years of barely even knowing she existed, this was incredible, but it didn’t help she was pissed as hell at me most of the time.
Our time was almost up, I could feel it in my bones, and even Hunter seemed to be a little jittery, which was out of character for him. Today was no exception. He was already out of bed and in the kitchen. I came out to the kitchen where he was pacing.
It was unusual for him not to prepare breakfast. Not that I minded, but it was what he did every morning. I wasn’t even sure if had made himself breakfast once after coming here.
“Hunter?” I whispered, scared of what might happen. If I spoke too loudly, he would know. He would know about Jude and Damien’s plan. He would know about the other secret that plagued me. He could hear the lies in my head and smell them on my breath.
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