Fated By Starlight by Krista Street

Chapter 13

~ WYATT ~

What the fuck am I doing?

Avery stood at the counter, her hands flying over the ingredients as she expertly measured flour, salt, sugar, and other white powders I had no idea what one did with. For someone still intoxicated, her concentration on baking was truly admirable.

But that didn’t explain what I was doing here.

In her apartment.

Seated at her kitchen.

With a hard-on rivalling the Empire State Building.

Thankfully, my hunched position hid it.

I draped my forearms over the counter and tried to act like my behavior was perfectly normal as Avery chatted nervously and baked.

Despite her carrying on a steady stream of conversation as though hanging out with her commander on a Saturday night in her apartment was to be expected, we both knew it wasn’t.

As for why she hadn’t kicked me out yet, I didn’t know. Although, I imagined the alcohol could be partly thanked for that.

Still, the way I was behaving . . . it wasn’t decent.

But it was as if I couldn’t control myself.

The second I heard that she and her roommates had left the SF to venture downtown for a night out, against my better judgment, I’d checked the security footage.

And when I saw the replay of her, Eliza, and Charlotte waltzing through the garage to Avery’s car, that primal need to claim Avery had again taken root. My wolf had whined, urging me on.

It didn’t help that every male head had turned in the garage to admire Avery as she passed by. I couldn’t blame them. She was gorgeous. With her dark hair spilling down her back, the off-the-shoulder top which highlighted her ample breasts, and the miniskirt that just begged for a man to run his hands up and under it . . .

Any male with a libido was probably having similar thoughts.

And the thought of that drove me fucking crazy.

So what did I do? Did I reprimand myself for invading her privacy by checking the security footage? Did I ignore my irrational desire to follow her while telling my wolf to get his balls under control? Did I remind myself of my debt to Marcus and how I couldn’t risk getting fired?

Of course not.

Instead of joining my squad mates for our usual Saturday night basketball game, I’d headed straight for my truck and sped downtown as fast as I could to make sure that some asshole didn’t take advantage of Avery.

When I’d reached the area, I’d scoped the streets out until I found her vehicle, then I’d tracked her scent to the bar they’d gone into. Basically, I’d acted like a typical irrational and obsessive wolf when chasing a female.

And on some level I’d been aware of that, so I’d meant to stop acting like a jealous werewolf. I’d truly intended to just sit quietly on the sidelines, watching and waiting. I hadn’t planned to interfere, unless she truly needed my help, but seeing the reaction she was causing . . .

It had taken everything in me to control my wolf.

A group of guys had flocked around Eliza, Charlotte, and Avery. They’d been young, probably early twenties, and their dicks were just waiting to get free.

The scent of their lust had awoken revenge inside my wolf. He’d demanded that we tear out the throat of every male looking at Avery with lust in his eyes. That tall one, Tim she had called him, had reeked of arousal. And the few times he’d touched her . . .

I’d nearly gone apeshit.

It was only the years of discipline that I’d learned at the SF that had kept me from turning into a raging wolf, but when Tim had ground his hips against hers and then cupped her ass—

That I couldn’t take.

Before I could stop myself, I’d ripped him off her and made up some story about the Institute needing to speak with her and that she needed to return to the SF with me.

She’d believed me.

Of course she had.

Why wouldn’t she?

She had no reason to doubt me, but now I could add liar to my list of transgressions that had taken place in the week since her arrival.

I raked a hand through my hair as she poured batter into two cake pans. She’d pulled her hair back into a low ponytail, but several tendrils had released from the restraint and fallen in front of her ears. A smudge of flour marred her cheek, and that intoxicated glassiness still coated her eyes, but she was smiling.

She was happy, if a little tipsy, and that made my wolf and me growl in pleasure.

“Do you want to lick the spoon?” She held the spatula out to me.

“Sure, thanks.” Our fingers brushed, and her breathing hitched before she released the utensil. Another scent rose over the sugary concoction laying in the pan, and it was a scent I could spend the rest of my life smelling—Avery’s arousal.

I’d scented hints of it all week, although until tonight, I’d never been entirely sure if those musky aromas had been because of me or if she’d been turned on by some other guy in her new squad.

An immense feeling of satisfaction rolled through me. So it was me.

My wolf growled in approval. She may still be drunk, but her arousal was one hundred percent mine.

My cock hardened even more as I licked the spatula. The taste momentarily distracted me. Damn. It was good.

“This is really tasty.”

Avery blushed, her cheeks turning the most attractive shade of pink. “Just wait until you taste it with the jam and cream.” She twirled away and carried the pan to the oven. “This needs to bake for twenty-five minutes. I’ll make the jam while it’s cooking.”

She bent over to place the pan in the oven. Heat rolled out from the appliance. My jaw tightened when a flash of her panties was revealed under her short skirt. The black lace made even more blood rush to my erection. What I wouldn’t give to rip that flimsy material off her and bury my face between her thighs.

She straightened, and the peep show ended. I gave a silent thanks upward, since I felt like such a lowlife for not averting my attention when I should have, but I also cursed because I wanted nothing more than to continue enjoying the view.

I plowed a hand through my hair again. How the hell was I going to survive three more months of this?