She was mad.
Her anger rolling out in thick waves to greet him as he trudged up the path to his father’s cabin, battered and bloodstained but alive and proven his point. That’s all that mattered right now.
Still on a high from the fight, his wolf senses buzzed erratically, despite having shifted back into human form. One sniff of the cool night air told him she was in the kitchen, probably leaning against the countertop after her shower. The impatient tapping of her fingernails greeted his ears from yards away as he stumbled up the stairs of the porch, fighting the wave of pain rippling through his shoulder from where he’d landed on it.
She was mad. Livid. Furious.
But he didn’t care, not this time, not when his anger matched hers in every ounce for all the opposite reasons. Cal didn’t regret what he’d just done but all the same he brushed off the spray of crimson from his arm as if that would excuse that messy tangle of blood, sweat and fur that coated his shirtless form. He didn’t have to look behind him to see that he was tracking muddy bloody footprints into the cabin. He didn’t even bother to look up as he swung the front door open, sensing more than seeing her slim figure appear in the threshold bordering the kitchen, arms crossed across her chest.
‘You’re injured,’ she stated as a matter of factly, gesturing with her chin at the bruises that were beginning to bloom across his rib cage.
‘I’m fine,’ he shrugged it off, wincing as the moment caused the long scratch Bruno had so kindly carved into his back to sting sharply. The lupine adrenaline that coursed through his veins was already subsiding, leaving behind the weaker human sensitivities to pain. Still he wasn’t sorry for it. He’d given back all that he’d been given and more. Cocky motherfucker deserved it.
‘Like hell you are,’ she snarled, almost wolfishly, teeth bared like his had been just minutes ago.
Barely over five and a half feet tall, Asher stood her ground under his broad hulking frame, staring back at him with the same anger. He’d always found that endearing, how a tiny girl like her had no qualms about standing up to beasts like him. She’d been to hell and back — literally and yet every time she came back stronger, stronger than he was, maybe. But that didn’t mean she needed any less protection. And that didn’t mean he was ever going to stop protecting her, even from herself.
‘Goddamn it Asher. Just drop it already,’ he grumbled, reaching behind her for a cloth or something to clean the long scratch on his arm. He was filthy, still covered in blood, sweat, dirt and soot from where he’d challenged Bruno in front of the fire and the rest of the pack and the last thing he wanted was to get into a fight with her.
She planted herself in his way purposely, eyes flashing. ‘No.’
He exhaled noisily, exasperated and exhausted. ‘So what the fuck am I supposed to do? Sit back and let him insult my m-‘
Cal barely stopped himself in time and in unison his and Asher’s faces morph into surprise.
My Mate.
The words could have rolled off his tongue so easily, so comfortably that it scared and thrilled him at the same time. One glance into Asher’s eyes told him she was feeling the same thing. But saying that word out loud would thrust them into unfamiliar territory on a path he wasn’t sure he could come back from. They weren’t ready for that yet, at least he wasn’t. It was still too soon, they’d barely known each other a few months, so much left unsaid that he hadn’t found the time to say it. He wanted to ask her but not like this.
Asher recovered first, the hot anger seeping back into her figure. ‘You’re supposed to drop it Cal. It’s not worth dying for..’
‘It is.’ Fire flaring in his tone before dying down to something much softer. ‘You are.’
She held his gaze for one smouldering moment and he watched her walls waver. Still her stubbornness persisted when she raised her chin in defiance. ‘I’m still mad at you.’
‘Gee I didn’t realize,’ he replied sarcastically, about to turn away from her when something cracked across his face. The wolf inside reared in anger so quickly Cal had barely time to restrain it as he turned around, lips already curling into a snarl.
Did she just slap me?
The fire in Asher’s eyes burned into his as she glared at him boldly. ‘That was for risking your life like an idiot.’
The growl beginning to build in the back of his throat never got the chance to escape less than a second later, she’d snaked her hand round the back of his neck and yanked him downwards, slamming her lips on his and ripping them away just as quickly before he had time to react.
‘That was for putting that jackass in his place.’ T
here was a tenderness in her eyes, a silent thank you that her mouth was too stubborn to say. There was also a want — no a need — hidden there, something running deeper than she knew how to voice.
Take me. Make me yours.
Cal hesitated for the barest of seconds before grabbed her face and crashing his lips back on hers.
It wasn’t a romantic kiss. It was messy, all teeth and tongues, mashed together in a primal need to claim each other with no regarding for anything and anyone else. Asher’s fingers tangled in his hand, nails scratching almost painfully at his scalp and from the depths of his throat, a growl began to build. Gripping her hips, he slammed her against the wall, the sound of a picture frame hitting the ground barely audible.
He was in pain but he didn’t care. He needed her now. The desires of the wolf resurfaced, the need to claim her overwhelming him to the point where he could barely speak so he let his body do the talking for him.
Asher gasped, breaking their contact to suck in a mouthful of air between pants. Her face was flushed, streaked with sweat and grime from being pressed to his, lips swollen and open, pupils blown wide from under hooded lids. Cal didn’t have time to think before she lunged for him, kissing him so forcefully the impact actually made him stagger back a little, enough to bump into the spice cabinet, reminding him that she could be just was strong as he was. That only made him want her more. Her tongue slid into his mouth, tasting all of him, exploring the small space like she owned it.
Mine.
Cal couldn’t help the moan that escaped him, swallowed by the wet smack of their lips together. They remained connected for the longest time, forging the trivial need to breathe for each other, as if they could share the air from each others lungs to sustain themselves. She grinned cockily into his mouth as if she had the upper hand here and he knew he had to show her who was in charge.
‘Ah…’ she groaned into his mouth, breaking the kiss as he flipped them around, backed her into the cupboard. The wooden structure rattled dangerously under the force, bottles of spices and herbs falling off the shelves. He pulled her closer, one hand roaming over her ass, cupping the flesh there. His other hand found its way to her neck, giving it a slight squeeze and pulled her forward until their lips met again.
There was nothing delicate about this. About his hold on her, about the way he wanted to ravage her, to show her just how mad he was that she didn’t seem to want him to fight for her. He deepened the kiss, she had to know that he was never going to stop fighting for her ever, even if she was more than capable of defending herself, even if she could handle it, he was never going to stop fighting because he loved her.
Asher’s moan of pleasure jerked him back to the present where she was grinding herself on his hardened crotch when he nipped at her neck hard enough to know there would be a mark there tomorrow.
His hand moved lower, lower and he roughly palms her breast through her dress, watching as she willingly, mindlessly arch into his touch, feeling her heart hammering against her ribcage, echoing after his own. She was a mess, clean hair now tangled and matted, skin covered in dirt and smudged with his blood as her mouth hung open, panting hard with her eyes tilted shut.
Somehow that only made him want her more.
Bunching the fabric of her dress up with his right hand, Cal pulled forcefully, ripping the garment from her body. Asher’s eyes flew open with shock for one moment before she launched herself at him, wrapping her legs around his waist as she brought her lips to his again.
With her intoxicating smell around him, Cal inhaled deeply through his nose as he carried her a few stumbling steps forward. In one fell swoop, he’d cleared the kitchen countertop of its contents, barely caring for the sounds of glass shattering, his mind only focused on her and her alone. She pulled away for a moment to unclip it off and fling it across the room before she began her own assault on his neck. Her small hands trailed down his muscled torso, following the dark trail of hair down to the waistband of his pants. They faltered momentarily at his belt buckle when he brought to her nipple, sucking the hardened bud into his mouth while palming the other.
Asher recovered long to free his cock from his pants, gripping and stroking it in her small hands. Jacked up so high on adrenaline and the very scent of what was about to happen, he let out a guttural groan at her motions, the small gesture threatening to push him over the edge way before he was ready. Pushing her hands away, he shed his pants and boxers quickly as she did the same to her panties, both of them completely naked and covered in a sheen on sweat. Almost simultaneously, his hand found her sex, coating his thick fingers in the moisture that had pooled there in her eagerness.
‘Ohh… Cal,’ Asher’s voice was a low mumble as she bit her lips as he slid two digits in her.
He allowed her wriggled herself on his hand for a few moments before pulling away, turning her gasp into a growl. She pushed at his chest, already moving onto her knees, her intention clear. Cal caught her, pausing her downward motion, unable to take it any longer, his cock practically screaming to get inside her as he yanked her up and twisting her hips until he had her, bent over the edge of her countertop. Asher whined in desperation as he teased the folds of her entrance with the head, her hips moving back greedily, eager to take him inside of her.
Her hands shot out, blindly groping for something to hang on to, knocking over the fruit bowl that was already balancing on the counter’s edge, the contents thudding dully on the wooden floor. The sound was soon masked by their joint moans as Cal eased his cock into her warm, wet folds. Asher was so ready for him that she only needed a moment to adjust to his intrusion before she was grinding back on his pelvis.
‘Cal… please.’
He withdrew out of her and thrust back in, hard, making her moan immediately. Setting a cracking pace, he spanked her ass with one large hand, the other gripping her hips as he fucked her harder and harder. Asher moaned with every thrust in, pushing back on him as she struggled to her hands before one of them reached back, pulling on his hair to bring his mouth back to hers. The kiss turned to a small scream of pleasure as Cal’s fingers found her clit, circling them the way he knew she loved.
Combined with his faster pace, it was no wonder when he felt her trembling around him before long, ready to explode on him. He settled his big hands on her hips, driving into her so hard that he was sure any wolf in the near vicinity would be able to hear the sounds of their desperate romp.
‘Oh god, oh god, oh god.’ Asher was moaning constantly now, each one louder, more high pitched and less intelligible than the other until she hit her high with a loud wordless scream.
Her body spasmed underneath his, as each wave crashed over her and Cal felt himself not far behind, continuing to fuck her right through her orgasm, watching her squirm and flail until she collapsed against the countertop.
Feeling himself getting close, he pulled back on her arms , gathering her entire weight in his arms as he continued to pound into her. He felt himself spiralling closer and closer to the edge, his legs trembling a little but he kept up the pace, too far gone to stop now. Asher’s head fell against his chest, and she reached a shaky hand up to his face. Cal obliged, kissing her deeply as his fingers found her clit once more and she broke the kiss to scream with delight.
‘Ash..’ Cal couldn’t even bring himself to utter both syllables of her name, the intense pleasure that had been building inside him building and building inside him unlike any he’d ever experienced as his vision tinged red he almost passed out. Asher’s writhing body under his, the feeling of her ass grinding on his pelvis as her pussy spasmed around him almost painfully. The sheer primal sensation of it was too much for Cal to take, and with three or four more hard thrusts, he gripped her hips tightly and unloaded everything he had into her in jerking spasms.
He didn’t even realize he was holding his breath until he heard himself letting out a guttural howl as he bucked through the last of his orgasm. He barely had time to fling an elbow out against the countertop so as to avoid crushing Asher’s lean body with his large bulk. It seemed like his lungs couldn’t take in the air fast enough as he pressed sloppy open mouthed kisses to her sweaty back.
‘You okay?’ He whispered, mouth buried in her hair, feeling it move as Asher nodded.
He slowly withdrew himself from her, arms supporting her as her legs trembled with aftershocks. She pressed a tired kiss to his cheek before casting a dazed look at their surroundings. The kitchen had barely survived the force of them, utensils and spice bottles scattered across the floor, plates in shards, fruit bowl rested on its side, still spinning a few feet away.
‘Leave it,’ he told her. ‘We both need a shower after that.’
When her legs failed to function, Cal easily scooped her into his arm and carried her to the bathroom where he gently washed away the sweat, blood and grime that covered them both.
‘You’re still injured,’ Asher’s voice was soft as she sat on the edge of the bed her eyes no doubt on the long angry scratches running down his back.
‘m fine. It’ll heal,’ he waved it off but that second the wave of pain broke through and he had to brace against the wall, fighting off waves of dizziness.
Asher was on her feet at once, wobbling slightly but she managed to lead him back to the bed. Collapsing on it, Cal let out a groan. Soon a cool salve was pressed against his angry wound, soothing as her hands gently rubbed it in. The crinkling of a package told him she was going to bandage him up and he pushed himself into a sitting position to make her job easier. Asher didn’t speak as she wound the bandage around his torso, though the shiny tears betrayed her.
‘You gotta stop doing this Cal,’ she finally said, looking at him. There was fear in her eyes but she wasn’t scared of him, she was scared for him.
‘No one disrespects you Asher. Not on my watch,’ he told her stubbornly before it gave way to shame. The young wolf had gone too far sure, but he should have checked himself, held that anger back. He was usually very good at controlling this anger but after a hunt with adrenaline running high, Bruno had pushed all the wrong buttons.
‘I tried to reason with him. I told him to apologise. You should have heard the names he called you Ash.. He wouldn’t stop. It made me so,’ he released a low breath. ’So angry.’
‘I know. Believe me I know the things the Pack say about me. That I got into your head, poisoned your mind, put in all these convoluted ideas about them that drove you away… I know.’
‘I don’t know how you put up with it,’ Cal replied as he eased back onto the bed, his back feeling much better after she’d bandaged it up.
‘Well it helps to have these shiny hands,’ Asher chuckled, lifting one in the air and letting a warm glow fill the bedroom. ‘No more fighting Cal. Promise me.’
‘I know you’re this badass strong Fae now but I’ll never stop protecting you,’ he replied, pulling her into his arms. He could tell she wasn’t happy with it but that would be a discussion for another time. Now he just wanted to hold the woman he loved.
I can’t promise you that my love but I’ll try.