A low growl rumbled in his throat, bringing me back to the present. He motioned with his head off to our left. I glanced over and saw two wolves running about twenty paces from us. The wolf in the lead was a mottled mix of black and white, a typical color for a shifter wolf. But, atypically, it had a white, heart-shaped mark behind its front leg. I recognized her immediately.
Persephone.
I didn’t recognize the larger, male wolf behind her, but assumed it was Tyler. They were hot on the trail of the rabbit, just like Chase and me. They were gaining on us, angling to take the lead.
This hunt had just turned into a race.
I pumped my legs as fast as they would go. Chase did the same. Raw speed might not be enough. Persephone and Tyler had come from a different vector, and as the scent trail veered off in a new direction, they were closer and able to easily slide ahead of us.
I knew we were close to the end. The rabbit’s scent became stronger. Colton had to be nearby. If we didn’t do something fast, Chase and I were going to lose.
We topped a rise and saw Colton’s wolf gliding through the trees ahead of us. Moonlight caught the bars of the golden cage on his back. It shimmered like a beacon in the night.
I yipped at Chase to urge him on. With the last of my strength, I quickened my pace with a final, desperate burst of speed. I darted past Chase. It was like a challenge to him. Are you going to let me beat you? Can you keep up with me?
I sped past Persephone, too. Her frantic panting told me she’d already spent her energy earlier in The Hunt. That had been her mistake.
I closed in on Colton, who was not slowing down or making this easy for me. As fast as he was, he wasn’t nearly as motivated as I was. For Colton, this was a fun game—part of the festivities. For me, it was much more. I had to beat Persephone. I just had to.
Ever since I’d shown up at the Sky Valley Estate, my life had felt as though it was spiraling out of control. I needed a win right then. Something good to remind me that the whole goddamn world wasn’t out to get me.
A movement at my side caught my eye. It was Chase. He’d caught up with me. Good wolf. As we neared Colton, Chase and I pounced at the same time. We collided with Colton and tumbled him over in the grass.
We landed, the three of us, together in a heap. Colton changed back into human form, the harness fell away, and the cage lay at our feet.
Chase and I had won.
As good as it felt to catch the rabbit and win the first leg of the competition, it wasn’t even close to the best part. Persephone and Tyler skidded to a halt in front of us and shifted into human form. Her blue eyes burned with fury as she glared at us.
I shifted back to human form, too, just so I could shoot her a triumphant smile. Sure, it was petty, but I deserved a little gloating. After enduring years of her unprovoked torment when we were younger, and finding out that she hadn’t changed a bit through the years, it was nice to be able to hold something over her for once.
She said nothing, but the expression she wore made her look as though she’d just swallowed broken glass. She turned on her heel and stomped away, back the way we’d come. It was one of the sweeter moments of my life.
Colton picked up the cage. “Well, done, Holly. You want to take the rabbit back, or should I?”
“Go ahead and take it with you. I don’t think I’m ready to head back just yet. I’ve got too much energy. I need to run some more.”
He grinned at me. “Don’t stay out too late, you crazy kids. We’ve got lots to do tomorrow.”
With a wink, Colton disappeared into the night. Chase shifted beside me, and as soon as he had a human head, he threw it back and laughed into the night. “Did you see the look on her face? God, that felt good.”
His laughter was contagious. “That was priceless. I’d play a hundred of these stupid wedding games if it meant pissing her off like that. Is that terrible? Does that make me a bad person?”
“Absolutely not. If anyone deserves a dose of humility, it’s Persephone Caldwell.” He laughed again, a low, rumbling sound. “She was furious. For a second, I thought she was going to hit you.”
I grinned. “Can you imagine? Little Miss Princess actually throwing a punch? But it would have been worth it, just so I could get a retaliatory shot in. Punching Sefi in the face? That would be better than winning the lottery.”
“Seriously. I have to say, I always knew you were fast, but what you just did was just next level.”
“Vengeance is a powerful motivator, but hey, you caught up with me and kept right along at the same pace.”
Chase’s eyes met mine in the darkness. The look in his gaze sent a shiver through me.
“Vengeance may be a powerful motivator,” he said. “But so is love.”
He leaned down and brushed my lips with his.
8
Holly
I was suddenly tumbling through time, the clock wound back ten years in the span of a heartbeat. Chase and I were back in our own patch of moonlit woods back home.
My libido sprang to life sending liquid heat rushing through my veins and pooling below my belly. Although I’d tried my hand at dating through the years, I hadn’t so much as held hands with another man since Chase. I hadn’t had so much as the slightest urge, either. Ten years of unfulfilled, passionless days—and nights—all seemed to come crashing down on me at once. Desire overwhelmed me, and I knew the levee was about to break and when it did, there would be no holding back the flood.
But there was one thing still nagging, one thing I needed to make very clear before I lost myself completely. I pulled away from him and pressed a hand to his chest.
“If we do this, you have to know it doesn’t mean anything.”
He looked down at me, studying my face. “What if it means something to me?”
I shook my head fiercely. “No! Don’t even think that way and don’t you dare say the ‘L’ word to me again or I’m outta here. You’ve lost that right.”
He nodded. “I’ll take you however I can get you.”
“Good. Now shut up and kiss me.”
And he did. Long and hard. Passion rose in me again, dulling my thoughts and dizzying my brain.
I ran my fingers over the ridges of his chest. Chase had filled out since the last time I’d seen him. The handsome teenager had turned into a sexy, masculine hunk. A man that would turn any woman’s head.
I was a little bit in shock that I still had a sex drive, it had been so long since it had been awake. I knew I shouldn’t give in to it, not with Chase, but what the hell, we were two consenting adults and I’d meant what I said. This didn’t mean anything. Nothing would change between us. But right now, I needed this the way I needed air. It would be the perfect ending to our victory tonight. I didn’t care what Chase wanted. This was about what I wanted.
His hands gripped my hips and pulled my body close to his. His hard length dug into my tummy. After shifting, neither one of us wore a stitch of clothing. Nothing at all separated our bodies as we clung to one another, skin on skin, and blazing heat rose in my core.
Chase trailed kisses down my neck to chest. Then captured my nipple between his lips. It hardened instantly. His tongue swirled around it, punctuated by slight grazes of his teeth. The feeling of it had me moaning and squirming against him.
His hand kneaded my other breast. The rough skin of his palm scraped deliciously over my sensitive flesh, feeling so good I thought I might scream.
I could barely believe this was happening. Chase Stone, after all these years, coaxed pleasure from my body like we’d never been apart. It was exhilarating to be touched by him again. In a way, it answered some of the old questions burning inside me.
There was no doubt that he still wanted me. His arousal was impossible to miss. A man could lie about a lot of things, but he couldn’t fake the hard, throbbing length between his legs. There was no denying the effect I had on him.
The man who had abandoned me all those years ago still found me at
tractive. I had to admit, his reaction made me feel some sort of poetic justice. Of course, the attraction was mutual. Chase was making me feel things I had forgotten I could even feel.
I needed more.
I tangled my fingers in his hair and yanked his head backwards so I could see his face. He blinked up at me, like I’d just awoken him from a trance.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“I don’t want to be out here all night,” I said. “If you want to fuck, let’s get to it.”
Passion blazed in his eyes and he stood up straight. Chase lifted me easily and laid me down on a soft patch of moss. He slid his body over mine and kissed me tenderly. I jerked my head back and shot him an angry look.
“Stop kissing me like this is anything but a quick hook up in the woods. Just fuck me like we’re two nameless, faceless strangers already.”
He narrowed his eyes at me, confused. That look was quickly replaced by a fiery expression. Chase spread my legs and nestled his cock against my sopping entrance.
“Do it,” I urged.
He plunged inside me, filling me up. My face twisted with sweet agony. I groaned loudly into the night, egging him on.
Chase pumped his hips against mine, pounding into me with a steady, thrilling rhythm. Each stroke of his hard length sent pleasure rippling through my entire being. I raked my nails across his back in my passion. He hissed in pain, but that pain seemed to spur him on.
He sped up the tempo of his thrusts, causing his muscles to flex in a very pleasant way. Sweat glistened on his face as he plunged deeper and deeper into me. My hips bucked beneath him, meeting every delicious stroke.
Electricity crackled in my veins, like a building storm about to burst. My breathing went ragged. Every breath was punctuated by a short, keening moan. There was no staying quiet amidst the sensations rocking my body. It was all too much.
Lightning flashed in my brain, filling me with pleasure. My legs shook from the force of my orgasm, and I groaned so loud I thought the trees would shake. Chase stiffened against me and he roared out his release. His cock twitched, filling me with warmth.
We came together like that, joined by pure physical pleasure. Nothing else mattered. Not the past. Not the future. Just that amazing moment of bliss beneath the stars.
Finally, he pulled out of me and collapsed beside me on the ground. He reached out to me to gather me in his arms, the way he used to all those years ago. I pulled away from him, quickly jumping to my feet, trying hard not to let him see how much my legs were trembling. “That was good,” I said. “See ya’.”
Then I shifted and ran away from him as fast as I could.
I ran without direction. My mind was abuzz with conflicting emotions. Yes, the sex had been great, and yes, Chase seemed to be the only man my body responded to but, despite my efforts to keep it ultra-casual, it had also been way too intimate for my taste. Way too much like old times and it would be too easy to slip back into old feelings. Dangerous old feelings. It would be too easy for our pretend relationship to turn back into a real one. There was no way I could let that happen. I needed to keep a wall between me and Chase. I prayed I hadn’t just screwed that up.
Chase hinted at the physical act meaning something more to him. How dare he say that to me? If I hadn’t been so damn horny, I would have kneed him in the nuts and taken 0ff. I hoped that by giving in to temptation, I hadn’t given him the impression that I wanted something more from him than just a one-and-done in the woods. Because, if I had given him that impression, if I had somehow encouraged him to pursue me for more, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to resist.
I needed to do better at drawing a clear line between us, making sure he didn’t think I was a fool who would just forgive him for everything he had put me through. No more giving in to my traitorous libido.
I felt a little guilty for acting that way, but I kept trying to convince myself that I shouldn’t. Chase deserved a little heartache for a change. Why should I be the only one who got their feelings hurt?
Despite all the warring emotions within me, the sex had been phenomenal. However things had ended between us, Chase and I had always been good together in bed and that sure hadn’t changed.
But now that I’d satisfied my physical urges, a feeling of dread creeped up in my breast. All fun aside, letting things go that far with Chase was almost certainly a mistake. It was possibly going to complicate things between us.
I got the feeling Chase was going to want more. Hell, I suspected I might want more. What the hell would I do then?
This whole thing was a mess. Somehow, I was going to have to survive the rest of this week with Chase at my side but, at that moment, survival didn’t seem likely.
9
Chase
Holly’s abrupt departure left me in a sort of a dazed funk. As I sauntered back towards my room, the situation weighed heavily on my shoulders. Holly and I had been apart for a long time, but it was hard to stomach how drastically she’d changed. The Holly I knew had been warm, generous and giving. The woman I’d witnessed today was angry and bitter—then cold and dismissive. Had I done that to her?
Sex between us tonight felt strictly physical on her part. Like she’d just masturbated using my cock. I’d been no better than a living sex toy to her. The girl I remembered wouldn’t have been capable of acting so removed and distant, especially during such an intimate act.
I had no clue what had happened to her over the years, or what had transpired in her life. Or was I to blame for the change in her? Had I hurt her so badly when I left that the damage was irreparable? I couldn’t help but feel responsible. As I neared my cabin, my heart was filled with guilt and my feet were heavy, each step sinking into the rich, dark soil of the forest floor.
The sky was beginning to lighten in the east by the time I crawled into bed. I was bone weary, physically, from The Hunt, but mostly from the emotional upheaval of reconnecting with Holly and from the terrible realization that I’d hurt her so deeply as to have fundamentally changed her.
As tired as I was, I tossed and turned restlessly, my mind unable to allow my body to relax enough to enter the world of slumber. When sleep did finally overtake me, I was haunted by ugly nightmares and awoke drenched in sweat and tangled in the twisted bed sheets like I’d been wrestling with them all night.
The encounter with Holly still bothered me. Whereas sleep often helped to put things in perspective, and what seemed like an impossible problem at night would seem significantly less desperate in the clear light of day, that wasn’t the case with Holly. Even the sun couldn’t shine a light on the answer.
Surely, there was no going back. Even if I wasn’t sworn to stay away from her for her own safety, she was well and truly done with me, and that was for the best. Why did that make me feel as though my heart had just been freshly pierced with a dagger? As though I’d lost her all over again?
I’d abandoned her all those years ago because I loved her so very much—still love her as much—and I was afraid I would hurt her. And, not just emotionally. Physically. Yet, it would appear now that walking away had hurt her almost as deeply as if what I had originally feared had come to fruition.
Leaving Holly had been the most painful thing that had ever happened to me in my life. I suppose I’d been naïvely thinking that Holly’s pain would be less than mine. That she’d somehow get over it in a few months, or years, and move on.
I had made the right choice. Hadn’t I? Of course, I had. It really hadn’t even been a choice. Once I’d discovered that I couldn’t control my inner wolf, that there was no telling what I was capable of, there was only one direction I could take. I did what was best for Holly and that was to protect her at all costs. From me. I’d rather spend the rest of my life alone than put Holly at risk. Yet, I’d hurt her so deeply as to leave her bitter and angry.
What I wouldn’t give to change that. Deep inside, I still held a sliver of hope that maybe Holly and I could be together again. Maybe whatever defec
t I harbored would remain dormant and I would be deemed safe to be around. I’d only lost control that one time. It had never happened before and, as far as I could tell, it hadn’t happened since. That made it easy to convince myself it was a one-time thing. A weird blip on the radar of my life, never to be repeated.
But that was just me being selfish. There was no telling if my wolf would rise up and take control of me again today, tomorrow, five years from now—or twenty. Then, all the pain I’d caused Holly by leaving would be nothing in comparison to the devastation I would leave in my wake. I needed to stop thinking only of my selfish desires.
If only that were as simple as it sounded.
I spent the rest of the day in a foul mood, avoiding everyone. But, as day turned to night, the call was sent out that it was time for the next event. I knew I should skip the damn thing. Just stay in my room and not emerge until the wedding.
But, I wanted to beat Persephone, and I wanted to beat her for Holly. And of course, there was the possibility that if we beat Persephone again, Holly and I might repeat what had happened the night before. Even though it had hurt in some ways to bear the brunt of Holly’s animus, this time spent with her would have to carry me through to the end of my days. I would never set eyes on her again after the wedding. The memories of being with Holly this week—of her delicious scent, her soft, inviting flesh, her sweet moans as she orgasmed around my cock—would play over and over on a continuous loop in my mind for as long as I lived.
That was all the motivation I needed.
“Welcome friends,” Colton addressed the assembled wedding party.
All of us were gathered in the same spot where The Hunt had started the night before. The moon wasn’t full, but it was still bright.
I sidled up to stand beside Holly. She met me with a hard, expressionless nod. We didn’t exchange words. I didn’t know what to say, and she seemed content to stand in silence. Although the evening was warm, I had to suppress a shiver from her frosty demeanor.
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