Garreth
I needed to get out of the packhouse and stay out. My Beta Jackson tried to talk to me about some dealings with a nearby pack and I just ignored him. This was werewolf country and maintaining relations with other packs was a major responsibility that took a lot of careful maneuvering. I knew some saw me slipping and wanted to challenge me for my title.
I couldn't keep going like this or I'd end up dead, with one of these other pricks leading my pack. Maybe I should just hand it over to Jackson and be done with it. Even if he's not the best for the job, at least he cares about our people. Unlike these grasping alphas who would abuse them and toss them away. I saw the doubt in his eyes as I turned away from him. "Deal with it." I commanded in my Alpha tone as I stormed out, slamming doors like a petulant teen. I was beyond giving a shit.
I walked around the human town for a long time. I used to prefer autumn, but lately, I couldn't be bothered to care about anything. The colors that used to seem beautiful grated on me, nothing was beautiful anymore. Maybe if I found a human to blow off some steam with I'd feel better.
My wolf whimpered in the back of my mind at the thought. 'I only want mate.' He whined like a puppy rather than an alpha wolf.
'Me too, but where the fuck is she? I can't wait around for her forever. I have to do something, maybe this will help.' He shut me out then and threw up the wall between us, too angry to keep talking to me. It was just as well, he wasn't doing anything to help the rage seeping through me. I was getting sick of his single-minded devotion to the girl that couldn't be bothered to stay beside us after saving our lives.
I started prowling instead of walking, I was on the hunt. I would find the best looking girl in this town, work out my frustration, and hopefully go deal with the problems with the White Fang pack. I saw a lot of humans that fit the bill, attractive, nicely shaped. Several looked at me with obvious interest. It would be too easy to take one of them to the local motel and have my way with them. Something other than my wolf stopped me each time I decided.
I walked near the bookstore when the smell I'd been searching for collided with me like a wrecking ball. My wolf demolished the wall he'd built and cried 'Mate' while he pranced in my mind. I couldn't allow myself to share his excitement. I knew too well how quickly she could disappear again, but this was the first time we'd caught her scent anywhere other than the forest.
I locked eyes with the old wolf who ran the store. He was technically part of my pack, but only so that he was not a rogue. He nodded his head to me slightly without the respectful gesture touching his eyes. I opened the door, shivering lightly as her concentrated scent rushed over me. "Where did she go?" I demanded. He hiked his thumb over his shoulder indicating the direction she went.
"Something strange about that one." He commented under his breath. I expected the searing hot rage to surface, but her scent in the air kept me calm. I left following her faded scent down the street. When I came to the coffee shop I pushed through the crowded room and went to stand in the corner. I ran my eyes over the crowd searching for her, my eyes settled on the most ravishing creature to ever walk the earth.
Her long blonde hair fell around her face in waves, warm and golden. Her perfectly smooth, fair skin had the same touches of warmth and gold. Her beautiful green eyes reminded me of the forest in spring and the hollowness inside me filled as her eyes caught mine. My eyes trailed her long slender body, her hips swayed even in stillness and her round breasts strained against the thin fabric of her dress. "Mate", the word popped out of its own accord.
I smelled her arousal in the air, and my cock lengthened in response. I had just enough sense left to wish I wasn't wearing tight jeans that exposed me to everyone here. I must look like a creep staring at this woman like she was my last meal, my length pressing against my zipper trying its damnedest to break free.
Her green eyes traveled down, resting on the bulge and I watched in amazement as she licked her pink lips like she wanted a taste. I walked over to her, her gravity was a force of nature and I was helpless to resist. I stood in front of her just staring. "Hi?" She questioned in a voice that resolutely pushed the darkness out of my mind.
"Hi" I answered, realizing she was not a wolf, and I was probably scaring her with my gawking. "Can I buy you a cup of coffee?"
A devastatingly beautiful smile broke out on her face. "Yes, thank you! I've never tried it before." She enthused, then seemed to catch herself, giving me an embarrassed look. Her cheeks turned a delectable pink.
"You've never had coffee?" I pressed.
"I meant I've never had the coffee here, that's all." Her eyebrows furrowed and I was certain she was lying. It would have been rude to call her on it. I marveled at the fact I cared about being rude, my poor pack had put up with so much bad behavior from me. Having her presence beside me was like coming up for air after spending too long underwater. Things that didn't occur to me before snapped into place, I had a lot to make up for.
"How do you take it?" I teased, regretting it instantly when her lips puckered in distress.
"Uhm, however you like it is fine." Her words went straight to my aching cock, which only grew harder the longer I stood near her. My wolf was overjoyed to be so close to her. I pointed to a table "Why don't you wait for me there? I'll get our coffee." I went to the counter ordering two lattes and a few different types of cookies. I wanted to bring her a treat, to please her, god did I want to please her.
'She doesn't have a wolf you know, you will have to share her, she is our mate. I love her, our pups will be beautiful.' For one crazy moment, I thought of the pups he mentioned and my heart filled.
'Calm down, we don't even know if she will accept us. I can't be acting like a creep because you can't handle your enthusiasm.' He snarled lightly at me, but mercifully shut up. I took the coffee and snacks and went to sit beside her. "I didn't know what you like so I got a few things." She smiled at me with genuine excitement.
"That was so nice of you." The prettiest flush spread across her cheeks and she looked down to avoid my gaze. I did my best to hold in the groan she inspired, but she peeked up at me like she heard it. We sat quietly for a few minutes as she sipped the coffee and nibbled at a cookie. She didn't say anything about it, but I could see the pleasure on her face. She really never had coffee before.
She pulled the stirrer out of her cup and wrapped her lips around it, not seeming to notice how intensely desirable she was. My wolf jumped to the surface, making my eyes flash bright gold. "Mine." He insisted in a growl.
Her mouth popped open in surprise, and her eyes shot to the clock on the wall. "I, uh, I need to go." She spit out as she stood and ran from the coffee shop.
'Great job, idiot." I told him as I followed after her. Her scent lingered in the air, and I tracked her to the alley behind the cafe. She was leaned against the wall, panting. Her chest heaved, and her perfect breasts moved up and down with the motion. The slit in her dress revealed her long smooth legs. It would take every ounce of self-control I had not to take her right there.
I approached her slowly. "Are you okay?" I asked, still moving toward her.
"I don't know." She answered in true bewilderment. "I feel strange. Are you the werewolf I helped in the woods?"
I nodded my head, but something told me she already knew that. "What are you?" I asked as I leaned into her neck and drew in the potent smell of her, a hint of magic lingered there.
"Nymph." She swallowed.
"Can I touch you, little nymph?" My hands hovered over her waist, desperate to feel every inch of her.
"Yes." She agreed with a breathy exhale.
When my hands touched her for the first time, I thought I might lose my seed right there. She moaned at the contact, and I knew I had no chance of resisting her. My lips found hers as my hand tilted her chin up. She easily parted her lips for me, and I ravaged her mouth. She tasted like magic and life. My heart threatened to tear its way out of my chest just to get closer to her.
Hazel His strong hands on my body made me feel a hundred times more alive than I ever imagined I could feel. The hole in my chest that had been there as long as I could remember was hardly even a memory. My blood sang in my veins as his scent invaded every part of my being like the proximity to him strengthened me. No amount of reading could have prepared me for the intensity of the desire coursing through me. He called me his mate when our eyes met. I didn't think nymphs could have fated mates, but the way our souls seemed to twine together made it seem believable. There had to be a reason his face drifted back to me time and time again. He was more boyish when I saved him, now he was undeniably a man. His hands were large enough to wrap around my waist. The tightness he held me with made me feel delicate and possessed. I never felt like I wanted to be owned before, but I wanted it badly now. I would happily be his, forever. His heat soaked through t
Hazel My hands shook as I walked the familiar path back to my tree. The cold wind whipped against me, and I was certain it was never this painful before. It reached inside me, chilling down to my bones. The image of the river nymph I left lying dead in the forest, and the awfulness of that act dug out my insides until I was hollow. There was nothing else I could do, I repeated to myself as I moved my listless feet across the forest floor. I had no friends, no loved ones, not even a community to reach out to in a time of crisis. My magic was fading fast and the strength to bring her back to her home was beyond a fantasy at this point. I thought of the gorgeous wolf who stole my heart the moment our eyes met, would he be waiting for me? For all I knew I imagined him and his golden eyes, there was nothing in my life that good. I couldn't tell if Gera was still beside me, the link that always existed between us see
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 ne
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