I Dated a Mob Wolf by Viola Grace
Chapter Fourteen
She yawned and stretched, and the couch underneath her moved.
“Was your shopping trip successful?”
She looked at her seat, and it had soft fur and golden eyes. “I think so, but they were right to do the fabric shop last. I would have been in there all day.”
“The solarium is being cleared for your use. Whatever you want to put in it, you are welcome to do so.”
“Hooray. It is going to take a while before I can get my machines packed up and moved.”
He smiled. “Did they have something here that would work?”
“Uh, yeah, but it’s twenty-five thousand dollars.” She blinked and rubbed her eyes. “I don’t want you to bleed money.”
“Would it help you settle to have someplace to work?”
“Well, yeah. But...”
“Would it make you happy not to have to move your machine from home?”
“Yeah, but...” She flapped her hands helplessly. “I guess if anything happens, you can donate it somewhere for a tax deduction.”
“What would happen?”
“The world is an unsure place; last night brought that home decidedly.”
“You mentioned having your will made up. You are really preparing for anything?”
“Sure. Even a living will. If anything happens, I want folks to know how I want things done. I don’t want any guessing or stress on my family. So, I have chosen everything and update it every few years. It had nothing to do with the pregnancy. We all did it while Liina was ill. We went in as a family. Even Liironia has her own advanced directives.”
“You didn’t find it morbid?” He kept working with one hand while the other was around her waist.
“Liina didn’t make her choices alone. We made suggestions as a family.” She chuckled. “What is morbid about taking a burden off your family’s shoulders? About choosing things that make you smile slightly, knowing that your family doesn’t have to make hard choices when they are vulnerable and hurting. As for courting death, I did it four years ago when Liina first got ill, and I am still alive.”
He nodded. “I should set mine out, too. I wouldn’t want you and our little creation here to go wanting.”
“We would be fine. I made sure of it before I even thought of the last date.” She smiled. “I wouldn’t have started something I couldn’t finish.”
“But you were planning to die.”
“No, I was planning to live. Everything I have done is to keep me stronger, monitored by doctors, and healthy. But I also know that no matter what I did, there was a chance, so I made sure that that chance was covered.” She twisted her lips. “I didn’t plan for you.”
He chuckled. “No one does. A giant talking wolf is disconcerting. You handle me well.”
“You like to be handled.”
He grinned. “By you, anytime. Where did you stop for lunch?”
She froze. “Uh... the fabric shop?”
He got up and carried her like a sleepy child out of his office on the main floor and into the kitchen. He set her on a stool, and the chef looked at her in surprise. “Can I have a sandwich? Chicken if you have it?”
He blinked. “Of course. Coming right up.”
Etgar crouched next to her, and he growled. “No matter how much fun you are having, stop to eat.”
“Crafting is the one thing that will stop me from eating. Even the possibility of it. I had a plan for the fabric that I picked up today. I think it will be fun.”
“What do you have planned?”
“One embroidered square for every date we had.” She blushed. “The different colours of fabric denote the type of date it was. A walk, dinner, or just sex.”
“There is no just when we have sex.” He grinned. “I look forward to seeing it when it’s done.”
“You are going to be seeing it every time I am sitting still. So, did you talk to Denner?”
“Yes. Rejik and Darvo will pick Lii up tomorrow and bring her here. Her father will bring her to the ferry. Why isn’t she going to be in school?”
“Her therapist ordered one day every two weeks with me for Lii’s mental health after her mom died. Denner asked, and the school lets us keep it up as long as she does a half-day.”
He nodded. “Good, then you can sleep in tomorrow.”
“With all that fabric in the house? No freaking way.”
The sandwich appeared in front of her, and a glass of water and another of juice showed up.
She looked at the chef, and he grinned. “I did a course on prenatal nutrition when my sister was pregnant. Now that I know what I am dealing with, I’ve got you. Given your needs, the breads are low carb, the proteins are lean, and the greens are high in calcium. Tomatoes... well, we have pretty nice tomatoes, and the cheese is local.”
She paused with her cheeks full. “Do you have a biography for the chicken, or should I attend a service later in the day and prep a tiny headstone for her sacrifice?”
He laughed. “A simple nod to the coops on your way out is acceptable.”
“I will send grain to her family.”
Etgar snorted. “Well, the sandwich is gone, so you have destroyed evidence.”
She smiled at the chef. “Thank you. When is dinner?”
He grinned. “Four hours from now.”
“Did the chicken have a drumstick?” She looked at him hopefully.
He glanced at Etgar. “Uh, that is Mr. Etgar’s favourite.”
Etgar snorted and pulled a chair up next to her, rubbing her back. “What he is saying is that I ate both legs for lunch.”
Her stomach growled. “Chef, are you emotionally attached to what’s left of the chicken?”
“No, Miss.”
She tapped the counter in front of her. The carcass arrived, and she turned to Etgar. “Don’t watch this if you want to sleep at night.”
He blinked, and she picked up the carcass with both hands and sank her teeth into it, tearing every piece of meat off the chicken from the keel to the spine. It took her three minutes. “Sorry. You probably won’t want to use that for stock now, either.”
The chef eased the plate away and slid a soapy rag in front of her. “Are you always that hungry, Miss?”
She wiped her hands and face, and the fabric was taken away and washed.
“No. That’s new. I mean, I have done something similar to a roast beef, but no bones.” She shrugged and chuckled. “Every day is something new. I think the little one is about to have a growth spurt. I dread the later months when it is putting on pounds in a month.”
Etgar was staring at her, and there was a dreamy expression in his eyes.
She looked at him, and she knew that expression. “I thought that the stripping of the carcass would freak you out.”
He shook his head slowly, his tail wagging. “Nope.”
She swallowed. “Did you finish your work today?”
He nodded slowly. “Yup.”
“Uh-huh. So...”
He scooped her up, and they left the kitchen, back to his office. He whispered, “I have to send a message.”
He set her on the edge of the desk while he typed a quick message, then he pushed his tablet away and leaned her back on the wood. “I have been having this fantasy for five years.”
She shivered, and he stepped between her thighs. “But with me without a face.”
He nodded. “Yes, that as well. I imagined your eyes a thousand different shades, but the green... the green suits you.”
“Good. It is what I have.”
He chuckled. “There are alphas in the world who would kill for a woman like you.”
“Are there? I know of three women of a similar physiology to me, but they all hire escorts, not the other way around.”
He paused. “Really?”
“Sure.”
“I thought that those with omega traits were docile and passive.”
She grinned. “Who has time for that sort of thing nowadays? I am afraid that you will have to be content with me being both aggressive and domestic.”
“That is a sexy combination, but I am afraid that my kitchen is taken. You will have to keep your hands busy with me.”
He kissed her, and she moaned softly when he put an arm around her back and pressed her to his chest. She stroked her fingers through his fur, caressing and bunching her fingers as she moved them along his head and neck.
“Your teeth are out.”
She blinked and asked, “Are they?”
He nuzzled her neck, leaving his neck open. “Do you want to drink?”
“Uh, I don’t really have good control over that right now.” Her focus on speaking kept the lisp from manifesting.
He loosened his tie, undid his cuff, and rolled his sleeve back. She could see the veins under the tighter fur around his forearm, and she drooled.
She swallowed, and he offered her his arm. “Go ahead.”
She shook her head, lips pressed together.
He grinned and used the nail of his right hand to scratch lightly against the skin. She lunged forward and clamped down, shuddering.
“I asked a friend who has a drinker for a wife, and he said that if they are careful and creative, she will get hot every time she sees you.” He slid his hand up her skirt.
She rolled her eyes at him and sniffed.
“Why, thank you, precious. I get hot when I scent you, too. But, yes, this is locker room talk. So, he said that if I do this every time you drink, the thought of biting me will get you wet.”
She snorted and kept drinking, her jaw and throat working.
“He also said that if I needed to break your grip, I should just...” He slid his finger between his forearm and the corner of her mouth.
He hissed when her teeth lengthened in his flesh.
She chuckled and opened her mouth. “Your friend was mithtaken. Juth athk.”
He touched her lip and raised it. “When did that happen?”
“Juth now.” They started retracting. “When you tried to pry me free, they got truculent... and longer.”
He looked at his arm. “Did you heal it?”
“Of course. I would never leave you pierced.”
Etgar smiled. “What a delightful image?”
“What is?”
“You, pierced, by me.”
“Uh... how... exactly. I am not really into body mods.” She bit her lip.
“Good. I am not into shoving metal through you either. I like your body in exactly this configuration, though you could add some roundness here.” He pressed a hand to her belly.
“Give me a few months.”
He grinned and leaned in to kiss her. “Thanks for healing me after you drank. You are very polite for a bloodsucker.”
She kissed him back. “Be nice, or that is the only thing I will be sucking for a very long time.”
“How is it that you are evolving into this now?”
“I have heard a hypothesis that it is practice with a complimentary active that gains the evolution. Since actives have a hard time matching up, it makes sense that since we match, we would have an effect on each other. Then, there is the pregnancy. My body has specific needs, so it is seeking to fulfill them. That includes getting sustenance from you.” She nuzzled his cheek.
“So, I am a snack?” he murmured and nuzzle her cheek in return.
“Yeah. I am trying not to think of the impulse that drives me, but there is definitely an urge to munch on you, almost like the little being inside me wants to build itself using your materials.”
He nodded. “I stand ready to assist in any way I can. Just name the part that you want to sink your teeth into, and I will offer it.”
She chuckled. “I will try and be friendly with the chosen part. Of course, if your friend wants to give you advice, who am I to throw in what works for me?”
Etgar smiled. “What works for you?”
“Seeing you. Smelling you. Feeling your touch. It all works for me. My heart beats faster, my knees weaken, and I want you inside me so very badly.” She held him and pressed her lips to his neck, his jaw, his cheekbone. “So, the only way to stop me from reacting to you is if you short out my sense of smell and blindfold me, stopping me from touching you. Take you away from me completely, and I will stop reacting.”
“Under this fur, I am blushing.”
She grinned and stroked his jaw. “It is all true. Nothing hidden.”
He gripped her inner thigh. “I think you might be telling the truth. I am humbled.”
She smiled. “I don’t think humble comes into it. The fact that I want you almost any way I can have you is not a secret.”
“I thought it was initially for the money.”
“Oh, it was. Liina’s diagnosis came through, and we knew that money would play a vital role in her treatment. You were my first date, and I was terrified. Then you hugged me, sniffed me, and you shuddered, licking my cheek. We had the quiet dinner, and then, we wrecked the bed.” She chuckled. “It made an impression.”
He chuckled. “I was afraid I was going to cum, and it would be over, and I did, but it wasn’t. You kept stroking me, rubbing yourself against me, and you took me inside you, again and again, that night, getting closer to taking the knot each time. When you left me, I nearly followed you, but instead, I booked a date for two weeks later, when you would be in heat. The next date set my blood on fire.”
“I was in heat, so I know what you mean.”
He chuckled. “I thought about you each and every day since that day. You blazed your way into my soul, and there wasn’t a thing I could do about it. I wasn’t content to leave things as they were, but I had no choice. That was the contract I had signed.”
She draped her arms around him and held him tight. “And then, I kept coming to you when I was in heat. Sorry.”
He groaned and threw his head back at the memory. “Gods. You have a knack for being in the right situation at the right time.”
She chuckled. “I was never sure if you were pleased or distressed when I came to you like that.”
He shuddered. “Both. I actually had your schedule on my calendar. I kept up dates as it got closer, so I could keep track of your scent. After the second year, I had the rhythm down. I was nearly giddy when I got the date confirmation, and I had to hold back when you left. I wanted you to stay. All of me wanted you to stay. Twice, my men had to tranq me when you were gone.”
She unbuttoned his shirt, and she murmured, “Aw, I am sorry for that. Can I make it up to you?”
He looked at her, his eyes glowing. “Make up for all the times I wanted to tie you up and whisk you out of the city so that I could keep you? I mean, the company would have come after me, and I would have gone to war with some terrifying escorts.”
“You have no idea.”
His eyes warmed further. “I do have an idea, but I also knew that you would be pissed, and that wasn’t something I was willing to risk. If I got you, it had to be forever. I couldn’t stand the thought of losing you because I hurt someone you cared about.”
Her fingers kept working until his shirt was open, and she pulled the tails free of his trousers. “You are right. That would have been a mistake. Kidnapping me would have been colossally stupid and would have had me leaving you, no matter what I wanted. Denner wouldn’t have been able to rationalize your kidnapping of me with affection or need. It would have been the end. So, all in all, your patience was the best thing for us.”
He groaned as she stroked her hands over his chest. She loved the soft nap of his fur. He looked like a wolf and felt like a kitten. She couldn’t stop touching him.
“Us, I like that word.” His voice rumbled over her.
She kissed him. “I like it, too.”
She slid her arms under his shirt and held him. He leaned over and tapped something on his desk.
“Hey, you are holding me like you aren’t going to see me for a while.”
“I need to get this in. The wee one is going to be pushing us further apart. I have to get the hugging in while I can.”
“I will give you all the hugs we can manage before you get bigger, and even then, I will find a way.”
She snorted. “The baby will kick the hell out of you.”
“I know. I look forward to it. Could the drinking be a manifestation of the baby’s active status?”
Val paused. “Maybe. I mean, it could be supplementing what it wants. Oh, I hope it isn’t an early riser. Does Daycross have a training school?”
“We do. We specialize in the alphas, though. My parents started it for me so that I would not have to be put at risk far from home.”
“So, you and other pointy boys—”
“Alphas.”
“Fine. Alphas... all went to school on Daycross?”
“Yeah, the school is on the other side of the island. We have speakers, and they take us aside and teach us how to deal with mates.”
“Is that really the biggest concern that alphas have?” She raised her brows.
He was deadly serious. “Yes. Finding a mate is a basic instinct. Knowing what to do with one when you find them is key. It’s a two-month course.” He looked sly. “You said you know three women with similar physiology?”
“Yeah, but they hire their fuck buddies.” She smiled. “Dealing with pointy guys who have possessive instincts is a little much for them. They have better things to do with their time.”
“So... having an alpha join the BDC would be the best way to service these ladies?” He asked it quietly.
“Well, if they can pass the physicals, background, emotional checks, and then go through the training, I suppose.”
“So, how do they do that?”
“Uh, this is odd. Um, they apply online, and they go in for an interview.”
He nodded and looked at his desk. “Did you get that?”
She blinked, and he turned the monitor around. Five stern faces with lips twisted in amusement smiled at her.
One that had a green tinge to his skin said, “If you ever tire of the furball, I would be happy to take you for a spin, perhaps some dancing, a swim...”
The man in the upper left shook his head. “Don’t trust him. He would wait until you couldn’t touch the seabed and wrap your thighs around his neck. I would treat you like a lady and take you against the sideboard.”
She cuddled tight to Etgar and said, “I have a thing for fur. Sorry, guys. Plus, the tail is super fun.”
Etgar held her tight, and he grunted toward the men on screen. “Get your own.”
They laughed and groaned as Etgar kissed Vallu with rising heat. When Etgar opened the closure of her dress and pulled it away from her shoulders, the guys cursed, and Vallu smiled and kept kissing her mate, his lips and fur familiar and driving her heat. “Please, tell me that you have shut off the camera.”
He nodded and slid her onto his desk. “I hope so.”
