We arrived at the packhouse, leaving the owl outside where she belonged. I pushed the door open with my foot and tried to carry her smoothly up the stairs. She winced slightly as the light hit her eyes and I turned her body to protect her from the discomfort. My beta Jackson watched me from the landing above us with a concerned look in his eyes. "Is that?"
"Sh, she's sleeping," I answered more calmly than I had in weeks. He smiled ever so slightly but the doubt in his eyes didn't leave. I brought Hazel into my room and laid her on the bed. I watched in awe as my mate slept.
Her tangled hair was crusted with bits of the forest and her face was stained with mud and her tears. All I wanted to do was clean her, wash her body, comb her hair, and care for her. I had other base desires of course but seeing her now caring for her was all that I truly wanted.
I laid down beside her, pulling the length of her soft perfection against me, shuddering at the feeling her nearness inspired. She was much colder than she'd been when I held her against the wall of the alley earlier. I wrapped her snuggly in my blanket and mind-linked for one of the Omega's to send up a clean comforter for later.
Something was very wrong, but as my heat spilled into her, it seemed to have a healing effect. Her perfect lips were much paler than the heated pink they were when we'd kissed, but they were slowly regaining some of their luscious color. My wolf made a wild purring sound I'd never heard before as the joy of a simple moment with our mate surged through us.
About an hour later I felt her rustle beside me. I sat up looking over at her as her eyes fluttered open. I stared into the lovely depths of her green eyes, the color resembled blades of grass in varied hues overlapping one another. The sorrow on her face moved something inside me, I felt compelled to fix whatever ailed her. “What is it, my love?” I asked, unable to stand another moment of her suffering.
“How can you call me your love after everything I have allowed to happen?” She trailed off as her breaths came short and quick. Hysteria threatened to overtake her.
“I don’t know what’s wrong, but I assure you, you are certainly my love.” She rolled over, pressing her face into my stomach. I wanted to lay beside her and hold her but I didn’t dare risk moving her just now. She wrapped her arms around me and sobbed into the soft jersey material of my t-shirt.
“My wings are gone.” I didn’t even think of it at the time, I was so overcome with having found her but I supposed it made sense that wingless was not her usual state of being. “It’s my fault, it’s all my fault.” She sobbed.
“How could that be? It’s not your fault.” I assured her quickly, without giving much thought to the words. I just needed to calm her, her sorrow was digging a hole inside me that was nearly as painful as the one caused by her absence, though that was neatly filled with her here.
"It is, I made the deal with the witch willingly. I drank her damned potion, I promised her an open-ended favor. She collected alright, she stole my wings. I'm going to die and, and I don't even know your name. I'm lying in your bed, crying against you after having only officially met you today." The words poured out of her so quickly they must have been waiting for some time, that, or her mind worked quite a lot faster than mine.
I pulled her away from my stomach, curling her legs up and holding her entire body in my lap. “Well, my name is Garreth, and I am the alpha of the Forest Edge pack. I know your name is Hazel as you so kindly informed me as you were running away from me. Maybe we did officially meet today, but you saved my life seven years ago. I owe everything to you, I have loved you all that time.” I gave her a playful nudge and couldn’t tell if it lightened her mood at all.
“I don’t know who this witch is, or why she wanted to steal your wings, but Hazel I swear to you, I will do anything to help you even if you decide to reject me as your fated mate. I will love you for the rest of my life, even if you do not feel the same for me.”
She shifted in my arms until her eyes connected with mine, green and gold. "I will die without my wings, much faster than you can help me. I will not reject you even if I do not truly understand what is happening between us. What would be the point in rejecting something that feels so right? I never stopped thinking about you, you know?" She confessed.
Her words melted some more of the ice that grew in my chest. "You seem stronger since I picked you up and brought you here," I told her, focusing on the most pressing issue at hand. Even if she changed her mind about rejecting me, her life came first.
She nodded her head. “I do feel much stronger, I am certain I would have died if you didn’t find me. I think I can feel just a bit of your magic within me.” She concluded with a wondering look in her eyes.
"I feel a bit of you within me too." I smiled at her with all the warmth blossoming in my chest. "Though it would be much stronger and permanent if we completed the mate bond." I swept the dirt-encrusted hair off of her forehead, almost laughing at how even her filthiness endeared me to her.
“What does that entail, exactly? You have to understand I don’t know much about werewolves.” I pressed my lips to the space where her long graceful neck met her shoulder, positively thrumming with the sparks our bond lit up inside me.
"To complete the bond I must mark you. I do not know if you will have to mark me back seeing as you are a nymph. Pairings such as ours do not happen very often. I will bite you right here, and it will hurt at first but become extremely pleasurable." She gulped nervously and took in a breathy inhale. Her pulse quickened against my lips. "Once I have marked you, you will know if you need to do it back, the desire will overwhelm you. That is the first step in completing our bond and merging our two souls as one."
"And the next step?" She asked with a hint of fear and desire mixed in her voice. My lips still moved against her neck and despite everything, I could smell her sweet arousal perfuming the air around us.
"The next step would be me taking you, mating you, filling you with my seed," I growled. I meant to explain it more gently, but the feel of her skin against mine and the smell of her had my wolf and I nearly frantic.
“You mean sex?” The innocence of the question brought me up short.
I pulled my face away from her neck, needing to read her eyes. “Hazel, my love, have you ever had sex?” I couldn’t believe this marvelous creature hadn’t been ravished before. Everything about her screamed to be taken.
She shook her head and dropped her eyes from mine. “It’s not that I don’t want to try, it just never was an option for me.” There was a touch of sadness in her voice I didn’t quite understand. My mind drifted back to that nymph I met in the forest who acted like there was something wrong with my love. I would find the answer to that question another time.
“We wouldn’t need to mate right away if you didn’t want to, but I am certain marking you would improve your condition. Is that something you would consider, bonding your soul to mine?”
She looked up at me then, staring into my eyes with deep consideration. "Yes." She agreed. "Every part of my being is telling me to give in to whatever it is you want from me like your desires are my own." Her sweet fingers trailed my cheek.
"I swear to you I will never take more than you want to give." She smiled as a blush warmed her cheeks. "You're filthy, my love." I interrupted our moment, meaning to say that more gently as well. I was sorely out of practice when it came to being personable. She looked over herself in embarrassment. "No," I told her as I grabbed her chin and forced her to look into my eyes. "Don't be embarrassed with me, let me take care of you. Something tells me it's been a long time since you had someone who would."
A small crystal tear formed in the corner of her eye and fell down her cheek. She nodded her head. “Wrap your arms around my neck, little nymph.” She obliged me and I scooped her into my arms as I stood, taking her to the ensuite bathroom. I had a shower in the corner and a large clawfoot tub in the center of the room.
I sat her in a chair and turned the bronze handles filling the porcelain with steaming water. I wished I had oils or bubble bath or anything of the sort, but the truth was I never used the thing. I didn’t even dream that she might want to languish her beautiful body here. I counted myself lucky to have the soap I needed to wash her.
Once it was filled I stood in front of her and helped her to her feet. "I want to see your naked body more than you can imagine, but for right now, I promise I will not gawk at you. I will help you undress and get you into the tub. Once you are comfortable I will wash your body. I will not lie to you and tell you that it is not an extreme temptation for me, but I swear to respect you, especially in this condition. You can trust me." I vowed.
She giggled and the sound both shocked me and delighted me. "Garreth," My name on her lips set my blood aflame. "I may die soon, and if I do, I have no plans of doing it as a virgin." She flashed me a minx-like grin. "I am more than happy to accept your help because frankly, I need it. I am also more than happy to accept your admiration and your advances. I just hope you like what you see."
I nodded at her as I bit my bottom lip trying to contain my joy and my lust. Here I was, thinking my mate was this fragile, sweet, beautiful creature. While she was all of those things there was a fire inside her, and a desire that I would be all too happy to slake. I helped her out of her ruined clothes, and pulled out some of the larger bits in her hair.
My eyes roamed over her, hungrily taking in the details of her body. Her breasts were magnificent, just a touch larger than small with perfect pink nipples. I couldn’t wait to take them into my hands and mouth. Her narrow waist gave way to the swells of her hips and her long legs seemed to go for miles. Between her thighs the most enticing thing I’d ever seen or smelled rested with a pretty tangle of blonde curls. I swept her up into my arms marveling at the feel of her naked skin against me.
Hazel Garreth lifted me into his strong arms, I stared slack-jawed at the rippling of his muscles as I laid my head against his sculpted chest. His warmth invaded me, soothing away the worst of the pain. He was more delectable than I could have imagined even with the help of my books. He'd filled out well in the years we spent apart. I'd read that women felt nervous and ashamed of their nakedness the first time a man saw them undressed. I didn't know how I might feel in someone else's arms, but with him, I felt nothing but secure, like I was exactly where I belonged. From the way his eyes ran over me, desired more than anything else. He kept one hand on my back and the other beneath my knees as he gently placed me in the tub. I was used to bathing in rivers, and the steamy hot water was a surprise. I gasped as it touched my skin. “Are you alright? Is it too hot?” He asked, preparing to pull me back out. The ala
The waves of pleasure crashed through me. My limp body shook long after I landed from my jump off that impossibly high peak. The phantom of his fangs haunted me in the most amazing way, my neck throbbed with something between pain and pleasure. I felt Garreth in every part of me, not just because he laid so close and had touched me like no one ever had, but his being felt like one with my own. His emotions poured into me and I was overtaken by his lust and worry. The intensity made the breath catch in my throat. My mate felt things so deeply and that fact endeared him to me even more. I was sure that my life force was tethered to his, it no longer faded into nothingness but anchored to the only person left in this world that loved me. My strength still suffered, that would not be restored unless my wings were returned to me, but the bond served th
Garreth Indescribable joy filled me at finally being bonded with my mate after all the years I'd spent searching for her. What I didn't expect was the sickening feeling of sharing my magic through our bond. Werewolves aren't magic users, we just are magic. Our blood is gifted with the same magic that hangs the moon in the sky, our ability to shift tied to its ever-changing nature. We were right in assuming that completing the bond would strengthen her, but I never anticipated the sickening effect it would have on me. I didn't mind though, as long as she was alive, gifting me with her smiles and gentle touch. This bought us a little more time to figure out a way to save her, save us both. It was obvious from the way I felt that this was no permanent solution. The madness was cleansed from my mind, the only evidence that remained was a scar on my soul. We slept in each other's arms that night, too tired to even move to clean ourselves up. When the sun rose we t
Hazel Garreth left me alone in his room, even with the separation between us I could still feel his emotions through our bond. It would take me a long time to adjust to the sensation, but it was a comfort to always know if he was okay. Except that it didn’t feel like he was okay at the moment. I heard the door to the packhouse slam open and shouting. A woman was screaming her head off like someone was killing her. “Mama Grace, someone get Mama Grace now!” My mate called. I rushed out of the room, unable to help myself. His room was on the third floor, and since I was unconscious when I came here this was my first time seeing the place. Garreth stood in the entryway with a big blonde wolf, and in his arms was a very pregnant she-wolf. She was screaming and clutching her belly. I was a healer, at least I was when I still had magic. Before my parents died I had assisted in many nymph births. The process was mostly the same for all mammals and my desire to help h
Hazel After the baby was born, I went back to our bedroom, as Garreth called it. I opened the window for Gera. The cold night air poured in, and I could just make out her glowing yellow eyes perched in the tree nearest the packhouse. She watched me wave to her but remained outside eyeing the place with blatant distrust. Even with the weakened state of our connection, I could feel the displeasure rippling off her feathers. I wasn’t sure when she started watching and hovering, but I sincerely hoped it wasn’t while we mated. My cheeks burned at the thought of her seeing what we’d done. Even if she was only an owl she was still my familiar, and that wasn’t a side of myself I felt comfortable sharing with her. I cannot say the thought of her peeping was enough to keep me from him. The night passed with many
I stared at the creature who pretended to be my familiar, who laid with me when I slept, supported me while I mourned my parent's death, and endured the rejection of my people beside me. My safe harbor laid on the ground before me, leaving nothing truly safe left in my life. The wolf I loved, and bound my life and soul to, was fated to me, but still more or less a stranger. We didn't know anything about each other other than the impossible love between us. I had no doubt the connection of knowing each other well would come in time, but we didn't have it yet. I realized with a painful stab in my heart that the same was true for her. As much as I thought we were the best of friends, the closest two beings could be, I knew nothing about her. There was no one left in this world I truly knew. It made me wonder if I even knew my parents. Gera was certainly Fae, long-limbed, with pointed ears, and a touch of magic glowing in her, but it was darker than I was accusto
Garreth Rage, searing hot rage, and pain exploded within me. My wolf burst forth as she ran away from us, we watched her slender form darting away, she was quite fast. He wanted to chase her, and that speed only increased his desire to chase, to conquer. With strength I didn’t know I had, I managed to stop him. I battled with him, but now that I was in the back of his mind I didn’t know how. I knew if I was upset enough, he could use that weakness to force his way out, but my weakness was his strength, how did I fight that when my pain consumed me? I gave up on taking back my body and focused on controlling his. His growls poured out of him in a constant stream as I managed to keep him from hunting her. He didn’t want to hurt her, but I didn’t trust him, not in this state. If she needed space, I could understand that, I could come to terms with it. If she planned to leave me that was another matter, the pain of
Hazel The man I loved continued to lay in my lap until the sun slunk low in the sky. Well, that was a waste of a day I thought dryly, and a hysterical laugh burst free from my lips. He turned to face me for the first time since we'd been this way. My legs fell asleep hours ago but I didn't dare to move him. He peered up at me with his lovely amber eyes, red-rimmed and exhausted. "What's funny?" His voice was thick from the screaming, crying, howling, and not talking. I rolled my eyes, unable to help myself. “We didn’t get much done today.” “I suppose not.” The sadness in his voice nearly swallowed me whole. “We should head back to the packhouse, we’ll get cleaned up, have dinner, we can talk, and start again tomorrow.” “Okay.” I agreed, and he stood taking me with him. It made me a little sick to be covered in deer blood, but until this moment I didn’t think much of it. “I’ll carry you.