Professor Wolf

by J. L. Wilder

  She let out a little moan and ground herself down onto him.

  “Tell me,” he said. “You have to tell me what you like, Cait. Say it.”

  “Yes,” she whimpered. “Yes, I like it, I love it, fuck—”

  “What do you want me to do?”

  “I want your hands on me.”

  “Where?”

  “Everywhere.”

  He wrapped his arms around her protectively and rolled them over so that he was on top, careful not to disrupt the rhythm she had set for them as he took over control. Thrusting slowly into her, he took her breasts gently in his hands and traced his thumbs across her nipples.

  “Like this?” he asked her softly.

  “More. Harder.” Her legs were shaking, and her eyes drifted shut.

  Grant squeezed gently, then pinched her nipples and rolled them slowly between his thumbs and forefingers. She gasped and arched up into his touch.

  “More,” she begged, her voice raspy with need.

  He wanted to make her articulate what she wanted again, but she was panting now, writhing on the ground, and he could see that he had pushed her far enough. She had been through so much today. She needed to be cared for now.

  He lowered his mouth to her breast and licked her nipple slowly, then sucked it between his lips and flicked it with his tongue. She cried out and hitched her hips up into his, and he took the hint and began to fuck her harder, faster, setting his own tempo now.

  “Oh, God,” she sobbed. “Please, Grant. Please. I need you so badly. I’ve needed you so badly. Don’t make me wait anymore.”

  He couldn’t suppress a groan. Knowing that he had this power over her, the power to give her what she needed and leave her satisfied...it was the hottest thing he had ever experienced.

  He rolled her onto her stomach, moving with her, lifting her hips so they wouldn’t have to separate, and flung his body over hers like a blanket. The wolf within him rose to the surface. He reached forward and grabbed her wrists, gently but firmly pulling her arms back, using them to hold her in place.

  In three quick thrusts, he was coming, roaring with pleasure, and she was sobbing out his name.

  He allowed himself a moment to recover. Then he rolled to the side, got to his feet, and picked her up carefully.

  She was still shaking as he carried her into the tent and laid her down on the blanket. “Grant,” she murmured.

  “Shh,” he said. “Just relax. I’m going out to get the clothes. Then I’ll be back.”

  He kissed her forehead, then slipped outside and gathered the clothes she had left on the ground. He shook out all the dirt and brushed them off before gathering his own things from the tree branch where she’d hung them. Then he went back into the tent.

  She was lying on her back, staring at the vaulted canvas above her head. He pulled her into an upright position, eased her shirt back over her head, and laid her back down before helping her into her pants. He put on his own pants as well but tossed his shirt to one side.

  He lay down beside her, and she rested a hand on his chest. “That was amazing,” she murmured.

  “That’s how an omega ought to be treated,” he told her. “Like a queen.”

  She closed her eyes and exhaled, her breath a little shuddery.

  He pulled her close. “Never believe anyone who tells you it’s your place to serve alphas,” he told her. “It’s the job of the alpha to serve you. My control is only for your wellbeing. It’s only to make your life better. Can you believe that?”

  “Yes,” she said quietly. “From you, I can believe it.”

  “Then believe me when I tell you I’ll never allow that fucker across the road to put his hands on you again,” he said. “I don’t care what I have to do. I’ll keep you safe from him.”

  She snuggled into his chest and nodded, clearly content, for the moment, to take him at his word.

  He wrapped his arms more tightly around her, feeling her breathing become deep and even, and thought about what he had seen at the social tonight.

  The rage had taken over him so suddenly. So completely.

  He had told Cait that there was no danger of him shifting inadvertently, but the truth was that he hadn’t been at all sure, at that moment, that he was safe. He had taken her away from the group for his own comfort as much as for hers.

  There’s going to be a conflict, he thought. This isn’t going to be as simple as four years of school and then she graduates and becomes my mate. At some point, he was going to have to challenge Bart for her.

  And there was no way to do that without exposing the fact that he’d imprinted.

  The only thing he could hope for was to put it off for as long as possible. The longer he could delay his confrontation with Bart, the more school Cait would be able to complete.

  Eventually, she’ll have to leave in order for us to be together. But that would be all right. He would get her through as much of her schooling as he could, and then he would complete her education on his own. She had said she’d only come to Omega University to get away from Bart. She wouldn’t mind.

  For now, I’ll contact the Shifter U dean and tell him to keep that scum off our campus.

  He kissed Cait’s forehead gently and closed his eyes.

  Chapter Fourteen

  CAIT

  “Where did you go?” Sarah demanded, leaping up from her bed as Cait opened the door.

  Cait didn’t answer. She crossed the room and lay down on her bed, resting her hands on her stomach and staring at the ceiling. Bart had been right about one thing, at least. She did feel a little fuller around the midsection than when she’d first arrived at school.

  Well, it doesn’t seem to bother Grant.

  It certainly didn’t bother Cait. She had always been troubled by her own slender frame. At home, she was served very light meals, as were all the women—the alphas in her pack tended to like their women willowy and fragile. Cait suspected that was because it made them easier to control.

  Having a little meat on her bones felt good. It made her feel more substantial. It would be harder for Bart to push her around now.

  And Grant said he would protect me.

  She wondered if that was true. Could she really count on him for protection? After all this time, was it possible that the threat Bart posed to her was going to be removed?

  It had been so easy to believe it back in the tent, lying in his arms. But now that she was on her own again, the fear started to creep back in.

  It'll be all right. He said he would keep Bart off our campus. He can’t come over here anymore.

  But what about the future?

  There was still her father to consider. Cait knew that if he had any idea of what had been going on at school, he would pull her out immediately and bring her home. He would never permit her to see Grant again. He would be horrified at the idea that an alpha outside their pack had imprinted on her, that he thought he had any claim to her.

  It’s only first year. I have a long time before I have to start worrying about any of this.

  “Excuse me,” Sarah said, stepping into her line of sight. “Are you just ignoring me now?”

  “Sorry,” Cait murmured.

  “Sorry,” Sarah repeated. “Do you know how worried we’ve been?”

  “Who’s been?”

  “Me. Georgette. She’s been here every half hour asking whether you’re back yet.”

  “I should go tell her,” Cait said, but she didn’t move to stand.

  “I’ll go,” Sarah said. “If I can trust you not to run off again while I do that?”

  “I’m not going anywhere,” Cait promised.

  Sarah made an incredulous noise and shook her head. Then she retreated from the room.

  Cait thought of the time she had spent with Grant. He had seemed so vulnerable out there in the woods. She had never thought of alphas as vulnerable people. They were tough. They kept their emotions buried deep down. The alpha was the rock of the pack, and like a ro
ck, he was emotionless.

  But that hadn’t been Grant at all. He had been so angry with Bart. He had seemed as though his rage was genuinely out of his control.

  It had been a little bit frightening.

  It had also been kind of hot.

  Sarah returned to the room and sat down on her bed. Cait rolled to the side so that she could look at her friend. “I’m sorry you were worried,” she said.

  “I thought you’d be back at the social,” Sarah said. “We waited for you.”

  “I didn’t really want to come back,” Cait said. “Not after what happened.”

  “What did happen? Nobody really saw,” Sarah said. “You were dancing with some guy, and then the next thing we knew, Professor Larson had tackled him.”

  “I don’t know,” Cait hedged. “Some kind of weird alpha power struggle, I guess. I don’t understand them. It was really embarrassing to be at the center of that, though, with everyone staring at me.”

  “And Professor Larson said he was taking you to the nurse,” Sarah went on. “Why?”

  Cait hesitated. She had to protect the truth of what had happened between Grant and herself, but she had to come up with some kind of story Sarah would believe in order to do that. “I think he thought I’d had a shock,” she said. “Because of the two of them fighting practically on top of me the way they did.”

  To her relief, Sarah nodded, accepting that explanation. “That was completely freaky,” she said. “I was scared, and I was standing on the other side of the fire from you.”

  “I don’t think they were ever going to hurt me,” Cait said. “I was never in danger.”

  “Well, if you ask me, Professor Larson should be fired for that,” Sarah said.

  “No, he shouldn’t,” Cait protested. “He was doing his job. He was chaperoning the social.”

  “He attacked a student,” Sarah said.

  “Yeah, but Bart...kind of deserved it. He was talking back to Professor Larson. Giving him a hard time.”

  “That doesn’t mean he should be attacked,” Sarah said.

  Cait shrugged.

  “And what happened to you after you left the social?” Sarah asked.

  “You already know,” Cait said. “I went to the nurse.”

  “But you weren’t there when we came looking for you,” Sarah said. “When Georgette and I left the social, we stopped by to see if you were still there, and you weren’t. So we figured you’d be back here, but you weren’t here either. Where did you go?”

  Shit.

  Cait didn’t know what to say. She could hardly tell Sarah where she had really been. She hadn’t even thought about trying to create an alibi for herself. Grant had told her to come with him, and she had done so.

  She didn’t regret having been with him for these past few hours. She couldn’t possibly regret that. But now she was left with the task of explaining herself, and she had no answers to give.

  Sarah shook her head. “I knew it,” she said.

  “You knew what?” Cait asked.

  “You were with him.”

  How had she known that? Cait felt panic welling up within her.

  “He left the social when you did,” Sarah said. “The two of you met up, didn’t you? Georgette said someone told her that he’s from your pack back at home. That’s why you were dancing together. You’re already promised to each other.”

  “Bart?” Cait asked.

  “Of course, Bart,” Sarah said, cocking her head to one side. “Who else would we be talking about?”

  Cait couldn’t help herself. She burst out laughing. “I wasn’t with Bart! I can’t stand him. I only danced with him to appease my father. I would never willingly go anywhere with him.”

  “All right, but you were with someone,” Sarah said. “You didn’t just run off on your own. You’re strange, but you’re not suicidal. Besides, you have dirt on your clothes.” She pointed. “How do you explain that?”

  Cait sighed. “Do you have to know everything?”

  “Cait,” Sarah said, standing up and crossing to her bed. “We were worried about you. Do you get that?” She sat down beside Cait, tucked her knees up against her chest, and wrapped her arms around her legs. “We didn’t know what had happened. And if you’re going to disappear like that...I don’t know. We’re your friends. You could give us an explanation. That’s all I’m saying.”

  Cait sighed. Sarah had a point. They were friends. She had never had anyone she could confide in before. There had never been anyone she could trust. It was a new feeling, and a good one.

  And she realized that she wanted to tell her friend everything.

  It was a risk. She knew that. But having someone to share this with might make it a little easier.

  “If I tell you,” she said, “you have to promise not to tell anybody, ever. It could ruin people’s lives if you tell. Can you keep a secret?”

  Sarah scooted closer, nodding. “Of course I can,” she said. “I’d never tell someone’s secrets.”

  “Okay,” Cait agreed. “The truth is...I was with someone.”

  “I knew it.”

  “I was with Professor Larson.”

  Sarah frowned. “What?”

  “Something happened...” Cait felt her eyes fill with tears. She felt suddenly emotional. “I’m so glad I have someone I can talk to about this. I’ve been trying to deal with it by myself.”

  “Cait, what happened? Are you okay?”

  “Yes,” she said. “At least, I think I am. When we were on the excursion, Professor Larson—Grant—and I were alone in the woods, and he...he imprinted on me.”

  Sarah gasped.

  “I didn’t even know imprinting was real,” Cait said. “Did you know that?”

  “Yes,” Sarah said. “My father imprinted on my mother. But it’s so rare. We don’t know anybody else who’s experienced it. They always told me, growing up, that it wasn’t something I should expect, that it was perfectly fine to submit to an alpha who hadn’t imprinted.” She hesitated. “Are you sure that’s what happened?”

  “Yes,” Cait said. “I don’t know how to explain what it feels like, but it’s as if we don’t have a choice. But not in a bad way. It’s like...I don’t want a choice. All I want is him. I know how crazy that sounds.”

  “So you were with him tonight?” Sarah asked.

  Cait nodded. “He took me out into the woods. He had a tent set up for us.”

  “You mean you...” Sarah seemed to struggle to say the words, which didn’t surprise Cait. Her friend was so conservative.

  “We had sex,” Cait supplied.

  Sarah’s eyes widened. “Doesn’t that scare you?” she asked.

  “Scare me?” Cait shook her head. “Why should it scare me? He treats me well. I like it.”

  “But it’s risky,” Sarah said. “You could get pregnant. And you said you didn’t want anyone to know what was going on between the two of you.”

  “I’m not going to get pregnant,” Cait said.

  “You might,” Sarah said. “You know how fertile omegas are. Our bodies are made for pregnancy. That’s why we’re supervised so carefully at the socials. That’s why we’re not supposed to have sex until we’re officially mated.”

  “Well, I guess I am officially mated,” Cait pointed out. “He imprinted on me. That’s pretty binding, right?”

  “But if you get pregnant, it’s going to make trouble,” Sarah said. “You shouldn’t be running around having sex all the time. It’s really not a good idea for an omega.”

  “I’m not running around having sex all the time,” Cait said. “We’ve only done it three times.”

  “How many times do you think it takes?” Sarah asked. “You could be pregnant right now.”

  “I’m not pregnant.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Cait opened her mouth to say that of course she was sure—

  And hesitated.

  When had her last period been? Suddenly, she couldn’t remember.
It felt like it might have been a while. Maybe too long.

  And hadn’t she just been noticing that her body felt a little thicker? Maybe the food there could account for that, but Bart had been wrong about her needing exercise. She had been exercising more than ever since she’d been on campus.

  “Cait?” Sarah asked, her voice suddenly gentle. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m not sure,” Cait admitted, nerves suddenly twanging. “I think...I think you might have a point, actually.”

  “Oh,” Sarah said. “Oh, no. I didn’t want to be right.”

  Cait closed her eyes. “I don’t suppose you can get pregnancy tests at Omega University.”

  “I don’t think so,” Sarah said. “You’d have to go to the nurse for a test, and if it was positive, you’d probably have to leave school. They don’t want students getting the idea that it’s okay to break a rule like that.”

  Cait covered her face with her hands.

  “How sure are you?” Sarah asked.

  “Pretty sure,” Cait admitted. “I wasn’t even thinking about it. I was too caught up in everything that was going on with Grant. But now...too many things are starting to make sense.”

  “I’m sorry,” Sarah said, resting a hand on her shoulder. “I really didn’t mean to be the bearer of bad news.”

  “It’s better that I figured it out,” Cait said. “Shit. What the hell am I going to do now?”

  “You’ve got to tell him,” Sarah said.

  “I can’t,” Cait said.

  “You have to,” Sarah insisted. “He’s your alpha, right? He’s going to want to know this. And he’ll be able to help you. He probably considered that this might happen, even if you didn’t.”

  “I don’t think he did,” Cait said. “It’s so weird. We’ve hardly talked. We’ve hardly had time. We’ve only spent a few days together, really.”

  “This is his responsibility,” Sarah said. “If you’re pregnant, then he has to deal with it. That’s what an alpha is supposed to do.”

  Cait thought back over the things Grant had taught her. It did sound like something he would say. He had repeated again and again that it was the job of the alpha to make sure the omega was safe and cared for. If Cait had gotten herself into a bad situation, Grant would see it as his job to take care of her, just as he had done at the social when Bart had put his hands on her against her will.