by Mia Rose
Noelle raised her hand and pressed her finger to his lips, “Let’s not talk about it right now, Declan. I know that this whole thing is crazy to begin with, but let’s just enjoy the ride until we can’t anymore.”
“The ride?” Declan repeated.
Noelle smoothed her finger over his lips, she wrapped her arms around Declan’s neck.
“Let’s deal with the rest when we have to.” She pressed her lips against his, and Declan froze in place.
He pulled away and said, “What kind of person would i be if I kept this up?”
“You’d be human.”
She rested against his chest, and her breasts pressed into him as well. Declan avoided looking at her cleavage; the dress that she wore had a small cutout just above her breasts, enough to give him a tease for what he’d have to give up soon.
“Human?”
Noelle nodded, “You’d be human. Just like any person that needs something that's just for themselves. Isn’t this the first time in a long time that you’ve done something for yourself?”
She placed her hand in the center of his chest and pushed him backward until his back touched the sofa. Noelle lifted herself up and tucked both of her legs on either side of Declan. Declan inhaled, the heat that rolled off Noelle lit his senses on fire. And he could smell the perfume that she dabbed on either side of her neck. It was surreal that he could already taste her.
He licked his lips and said, “This is your idea of doing something for ourselves?”
Noelle placed a feathery soft kiss on his lips, then on his neck, “Yes. This isn’t about werewolves, or obligations. It’s just what it has always been between us.”
“What’s that?” Declan asked, unsure as to how either of them could make sense of this whirlwind that they’d fallen into.
Declan had run out of ways to describe how he felt drawn to her, no matter how much he reminded himself of his loyalties.
Noelle’s thighs squeezed Declan’s as she leaned forward and gripped the bottom of her dress. She pulled it over her head, then it fell toward the floor in a blur of blue. Her breasts were cradled by her magenta bra, the hills resting perfectly and billowing out. Noelle lifted Declan’s hand and led it to the underside of her panties. She grinned, watching the wince go across Declan’s face.
“Touch me,” she said.
Declan lifted one finger and it grazed against the outline of her lips. Noelle sucked in a breath as her body tensed, waiting for Declan to deliver more. Declan’s finger pulled back the edge of her panties. The skin on her mound was soft. Before today, he didn’t have a chance to explore her body properly.
He slid his finger inside, his fingertips grazed against her bud and Noelle groaned. Declan growled, and pressed his thumbs into her abdomen. He flipped her over onto the couch, and both of his arms framed her flushed face.
“Why can’t I stay away from you?” he mused, running his tongue along her belly.
He began making swirls from her bikini line until his nose was pressed into her. Declan inhaled; she had a sweet smell. Then he parted her lips and his tongue dived inside. He flicked his tongue over her clit while Noelle gripped the tan cushions of the couch, and her legs trembled. Declan’s tongue traveled deep inside of her, his hands gripped either side of her thighs as he tasted her.
“Declan!”
“Shut up. Don’t talk.”
Her wetness covered his mouth as he ran his tongue over his lips. He withheld a groan, his cock was hard and wanting, pressing against the couch. Declan reached up and hooked his fingers inside the edges of her panties. Next, he pulled them down, and tossed them to the floor.
Noelle’s eyes followed him, she parted her legs for him as he positioned himself in front of her.
Adrenaline coursed through her veins and she said, “Come on. Do it.”
“Shut up.” Declan plunged himself deep inside of her, his hips rocked back and forth expertly.
Noelle’s cries built up slowly, growing louder as Declan slammed into her. Declan’s hands traveled to her breasts, and he gripped them in between his large hands. It was sublime as he felt her sweat covered skin through the fabric of her bra. Noelle wrapped her legs around him, drawing him closer and deeper.
A warm, aboding feeling spread throughout her chest and Noelle tossed her head back, her curtain of dark hair fell over the other side of the couch, and grazed the floor. Declan groaned, Noelle’s muscles squeezed around him, her walls contracted and he pulled himself out.
Noelle was silent as Declan slid his hands underneath her thighs, and pressed them as far as they would go over her head. He slid himself back into Noelle’s swollen, moist pussy. Noelle cried out as Declan slammed into her, he pushed himself deep inside of her. Every part of her shook, and trembled.
Before long, Declan pulled himself out of her and exploded. A hot, perfect stream of come splattered across her belly and he watched the way that her chest rose and fell.
Noelle pulled herself into a sitting position and said, “See? We can let things be for a little while.”
She reached down, and wiped his sticky come off her skin as she smiled, satisfied by him. Declan dove in between her legs, and rested his head on her breasts. He kissed the skin that was exposed by her bra.
Noelle drew small circles around one of his tawny shoulders and said, “We don’t have to give this up just yet.”
“Have you ever felt like this for anyone?”
Chapter 18
The Woods
“You’re the scariest damn thing that could be waiting in those woods.”
Declan walked through the front doors of Clifton Towers, a barrage of unfamiliar scents attacked his nose at once. He grimaced and placed his hand on top of his nose. As he wandered, he nodded at a tenant that was heading toward the front door, and then opened the door to his office.
His eyes widened upon stepping inside. Gabriel was sat behind his desk and his fingers were on Declan’s keyboard. Then across from him, Keith was sat in a chair, curled into himself.
“What’s going on here?” Declan asked.
Gabriel pointed at Keith and said, “Look who came to see us.”
Keith raised his head to Declan and said, “I still feel weird. I just wanted to see if you guys might know anything about it. A few weird things are going on.”
Declan chuckled and crossed his arms over his chest, “Like what?”
Keith raised his hand to them and among his four normal fingers, his index finger had sprouted a claw. It was long, and perfectly sharpened at the tip. Keith trembled as Declan leaned closer, inspecting it closely.
Declan turned toward Gabriel and said, “What’s the verdict? Has he turned?”
Gabriel nodded and said, “Keith, why don’t you tell Declan what happened when you went home to your apartment on the other side of town?”
Keith nodded and placed his hands in his lap, shielding his hands from Declan’s gaze.
“I went home that night, and tried to go about everything like normal. I made myself a good dinner, and went to bed. Around midnight, I woke up because that feeling was back again. It felt like my skin was on fire, it was so painful. Before I knew it, I fell out of my bed and my skin had completely peeled back and I had…” Keith stopped and took a deep breath, “Fur. I had fur running down my arms, and then I fell on my hands and knees. I saw myself in the mirror. I looked like some sort of, um…”
“Wolf?” Declan suggested.
Keith looked between Gabriel and Declan and nodded, “Like a huge wolf.”
“I’m going to cut to the chase here, Keith. We,” Declan gestured between himself and Gabriel, “are in the business of taking in brand new werewolves.”
Declan raised his hand toward Keith, and Keith flinched as Declan’s shiny, sharpened claw elongated in front of him.
“Now, obviously, you won’t have control over your claws like this for some time, but Gabriel and I have been this way for a long time.”
“I don’t underst
and how I’m suddenly a werewolf. I don’t even remember anything else from the night that I stole from Laney’s Grocer.”
“That’s common, a lot of us are unsure of how our turnings happened. I personally don’t remember too much from mine, and Gabriel remembers his perfectly. Every wolf is different. I’ll tell you this though,” Declan kneeled in front of Keith’s chair and said, “there are people out there that would love to pump you full of hot lead because they think that they’re saving their families. What they don’t know, is that they’re ruining ours. The pack is family.”
Keith looked over to Gabriel and tightened his hands around the arms of his chair.
“Does that mean that this is a werewolf pack?”
Gabriel nodded, and Declan said, “I’m the alpha, Gabriel is my beta. My mate, Cassidy, is the female alpha of our pack.” Declan swung his arms out and gestured at the office, “This is how we keep the pack safe. We’re happy to offer you the same safety, and we’ll teach you how to hone your new abilities.”
“What’s the catch? What do you guys get out of helping me?”
Gabriel sat up in the chair and said, “We get a new member to the pack; someone to help make us stronger. We get the ability to keep one of our own off the street.”
Declan rose to his feet and walked around to his desk, “I’ll have my seat back, thanks.”
Gabriel pushed the chair back and moved back around the desk to Keith.
“Keith, I’m willing to offer you the shelter of this building in exchange for your loyalty. Can you do that for me?”
Keith chuckled through his nerves and said, “My loyalty? Like the godfather?”
Declan smirked and replied, “I’m far more terrifying than the godfather of any mafia. Listen, we’ll treat you like family. You’ll be around people that understand you, and I just ask that you don’t expose our presence here. You could jeopardize the safety of my entire pack, and I would have to personally take care of you if that were to happen. Right, Gabriel?”
Gabriel nodded, “Aster was a bright boy. It sucks that he… brought too many questions to the surface.”
Keith asked, “What do I have to do to be a part of your pack?”
Declan’s fingers flew across his keyboard and said, “Rent an apartment from Clifton Towers, obviously, it’s free. We’ll do our best to make sure that you can blend in with humans.”
Keith nodded and said, “Am I allowed to leave?”
Declan’s gaze flicked towards Gabriel, who shrugged, “No one has ever wanted to leave before, of course you can eventually, but we’d probably go out of our way to prevent it if you wanted to leave at this point.”
Declan diverted his gaze away from Keith, and opened his email client. A new message just synced with the rest of his inbox, and the name of the sender was displayed in bold, black letters. Noelle Scott was at the top of the subject line.
Declan cleared his throat and said, “Gabriel will help you pick out a room, he’ll go over the finer details with you. I have some… partners that I need to sort some things out with.”
Gabriel rapped his knuckles against Keith’s shoulder. “This is what happens when you can’t decide between being a building super and being the alpha of a pack.” He chuckled and opened the door for Keith, “I’ll show you around.”
Declan watched both men leave, Gabriel shut the door behind him.
Gabriel will get him situated, and I’ll prepare him for his hunts.
He narrowed his eyes and opened the email with Noelle’s name on it; in front of him, the screen expanded and a large document became visible. Declan hovered his mouse over the attachment, and clicked the preview button before downloading it.
In front of him, a list of local woods and national parks populated the screen. At the bottom of the document, a line of text read: “Steer clear these next few weeks. Everywhere else is fair game. Will follow up in a few days on Cassidy.”
Declan saved the document to his desktop and reclined into his chair. His extended claws scraped against the worn leather arms of it. A small, wolfish smile spread across his lips. Noelle was pure heaven. A new addiction he’d not planned for.
The thick tires of the sedan crunched over a trail of pebbles just outside of the woods. In the back seat, Keith peered out of the window and turned his worried gaze on Declan and Gabriel. He gripped the backs of their seats and leaned forward, his face hovered in between the two of them.
“We’re going to go in there?”
Declan turned off the engine and put the car in park, “How else would you learn how to hunt? By staring at the walls in your apartment?”
“I just thought that we might start small. I thought that we might go over what’s safe to eat, or how to safely go through the woods…”
Declan’s harsh laugh cut through Keith’s voice, “This isn’t boy scouts, Keith. There’s a certain level of instinct that you’ll have to give yourself over to.” Declan rotated his body so that he could look at Keith’s face and said, “Abandon your human impulse to research, and react. The only reason that humans do those things is because they’re afraid of beasts that might be lurking in the dark. Once you turn, the key difference to keep in mind is that you’re the beast. And, you’re the scariest damn thing that could be waiting in those woods.”
Keith swallowed a lump of spit, and vigorously nodded his head. “Absolutely, I’m the scariest thing in the woods.”
Gabriel chuckled from the passenger’s seat, “Well, you’re probably not the scariest thing in the woods. Not yet, anyway!”
Declan swatted him across his shoulders and said, “He will be in no time. Let’s get moving.”
They got out of the car, and Declan looked over his shoulder for any other headlights before following Gabriel and Keith into the woods. It had been a little over a week since Keith had come to Clifton Towers in search of their help, and in that week, they got his living quarters situated with a third-floor apartment. Gabriel had spent half of the week going over the particulars of being a new werewolf.
Cassidy had been insistent upon being involved in Keith’s training, and she swore up and down that she was feeling better this week. She even said that the wound was finally starting to succumb to her natural ability to heal her injuries.
Gabriel and Cassidy had spent chunks of their afternoon in the basement, reviewing information that Declan insisted each incoming werewolf should know.
If it had been up to Declan, he would personally train each werewolf that walked through the front doors of Clifton Towers. But the more that their pack grew, the more it seemed that there was less time available to put in the footwork in the woods, and in the basements. Years ago, Declan would spend days sparring with his new pack members, preparing them for anything that they might encounter on a hunt or on their mission to blend in with humans.
They stepped into the woods and Declan rolled his wrists in small circles. Beside him, Gabriel took off his jacket and tied it around his waist.
Gabriel nodded to Keith, “It’s not like I’ll be able to feel how chilly the woods can get through my fur.”
Keith nodded and asked, “Will my fur be anything like a real wolf’s?”
“It’ll be thicker, you’re not a normal wolf, you’re a much bigger one. It’s one of the only ways that hunters can distinguish between us and a woodland creature.”
Declan stepped deeper into the woods and with a quick glance, kneeled on all fours and transformed into his wolf. Keith’s eyes widened as Declan’s massive paws settled into the dirt. Then the wind rustled long strands of his dark fur.
He turned his brilliant emerald eyes onto Keith and said, “Go ahead. You can shift here.”
Keith’s eyes widened and he turned to Gabriel, “He can still talk like that?”
“It’s an alpha or I guess, an experienced wolf trait. I can talk some while I’m on all fours, but not fluently like Declan.”
Declan peeled his black lined lips back into a smile and said, “Come on.
Show me your wolf!”
Keith raised his hand and extended his claws, “How?”
Gabriel slapped him in between his shoulder blades and said, “Focus. Deep inside of you, your wolf is calling out to you. You just need to indulge it.”
Behind him, the leaves of a thick oak tree rustled. A pair of dark yellow eyes stood out against the darkness, and Declan raised his nose to the trees. His eyes closed, as his black nose sniffed about for any unfamiliar scents. The smell of pine and deer droppings filled his nostrils, and he reopened his eyes and focused on Keith.
“Go ahead, Keith. Indulge, just as Gabriel said.”
Keith closed his eyes, and placed his hands by his side. The wind shifted around him, passing in between his legs. His lips curled into a snarl and the other two massive wolves next to him stepped forward, bracing themselves against the power that radiated from the man in front of them.
Keith cried out as the snap of the bones of his legs rang throughout the clearing; he fell to his knees and dug his claws deep into the dry dirt beneath him.
“What is this?” Keith managed, through gritted teeth.
“Get through it,” Declan commanded, and circled around Keith.
Another piercing cry echoed off of the treetops, and the skin on Keith’s face peeled back to reveal a wild patch of dark gray fur. Declan grinned, watching the enormous wolf emerge from Keith’s skin. When his bones settled, and his paws were pressed into the ground, he lifted his eyes open and revealed an even brighter gray. More luminescent than Declan remembered seeing when they first met him. Questions that he couldn’t ask sat in his eyes, and Declan stepped forward and nudged him with his head.
“Don’t worry,” he instructed. Declan turned toward Gabriel and said, “Did you find something to eat?”
Gabriel blew a gust of air out of his nose and led them further into the forest. Keith’s legs were glued to the ground beneath him. Declan didn’t miss the faint tremble rolling throughout his body.
“Keith, you’re the biggest thing in the woods. You are the worst thing that you could encounter in here.”
