Royal Wolf Box Set by Haley Weir
Chapter Eight
When Theo wrapped his arms around Marquette and pulled her body to his, he put his mouth on hers and was finally able to taste her soft lips. If there was ever a moment of utopia, this was it. He slid his tongue into her open mouth, and as their tongues encircled around each other, Theo felt a swelling of happiness rise within him that he had only dreamt was possible, and that wasn’t the only swelling that he felt.
He held tightly onto Marquette as he knelt down toward the ground, bringing her down with him and laying her on her back against the soft moss that covered the forest floor. For untold moments that seemed to last both forever, and not nearly long enough, they were a mass of exploring hands and tangled limbs while they kissed and grasped on to each other, trying to pull each other closer than seemed physically possible. Marquette’s dress became an unbearable barrier that drove Theo crazy with yearning as he longed to take it off. He gently pulled the laces of her bodice and lifted her dress over her head, until both of their naked bodies laid pressed against each other under the muted light of the forest.
Theo wanted her with such insatiable intensity that he could hardly stand it, and for a moment, he paused to look at her with an adoration that made him realize how much they had always been drawn to each other despite whatever rules threatened to keep them apart. But still, even though he felt as if he would die if he couldn’t put himself inside of her right that moment, he called onto his last bit of self-control to make sure that she was ready for this.
“I will stop if you want me to,” he said as his body shook above her. “I am not human, Marquette, and I don’t want you to be afraid.”
“I’m not afraid,” Marquette whispered to him as she leaned up to kiss him again. “I am too much in love with you to be afraid.”
At her words, Theo leaned down against her and looked deep into her eyes as he pushed his massively swollen and throbbing cock into her body. Theo let out a carnal moan as he threw his head back and pressed deeper into her until he had filled every available space within her. As he moved steadily inside of her, Marquette gasped in fits of pleasure and wrapped her legs around his waist. All of the moments that they had longed for in secrecy led to this one perfect moment wrapped in ecstasy together. Theo held onto the sensual climb until his body began to tremble in tantalizing anticipation. When finally, both of their bodies succumbed to the climactic unraveling around each other, and they collapsed into a breathless heap; the joining of their bodies left no further doubt. Theo knew that he could never again be without Marquette. He could never again push her away, even if it was for her own good, not without killing himself in the process. They were bound together now, and that was the end of it. He would be with her, and protect her, and she would be his forever.
He rolled over onto his back and flinched with residual shockwaves as his cock slid from her body, still wanting more. Theo gently pulled Marquette up onto his shoulder, where she rested her head against his chest.
“What will happen now?” Marquette asked after they had both taken a moment to catch their breath.
“Now,” Theo said with absolute resolution. “I will love you forever, and you will have me for as long as you want me by your side.”
“Then it will be forever, indeed,” Marquette said. “Because I never want you to leave my side.”
Theo softly kissed her forehead.
“But,” she continued with a bit more hesitation than before, “what are we to do about our relationship? I can’t be responsible for anything bad befalling your family. If the kingdom finds out that you are in love with a servant girl, it won’t bode well.”
As much as Theo wanted to ignore all of the ridiculous constructs and restrictions of both of their worlds, he knew that Marquette was right. It was the same with the shifters. If the other wolf packs discovered that he had fallen in love with a human, it would put everyone in danger.
“As much as I don’t want to suggest this,” he said. “I think that we should keep our relationship a secret, at least until I become king. It is not so much the humans that I worry about, but the shifters.”
“Do the shifters dislike humans?” she asked innocently.
“Some,” Theo answered honestly. “Not my family nor my pack, of course. But some of the shifters distrust humans, and some of the packs don’t look kindly on mating between species. It wouldn’t be safe for you if they found out about us.”
That notion made Theo realize that it was still midday and that the two of them were lying completely out in the open in the middle of the woods. Fortunately, many of the shifters were nocturnal and he could tell if anyone was around. But still, it was smart of them to get going before anyone came looking for either of them. He handed Marquette her dress and helped her to lace her bodice.
“I want to stay in the forest and make love to you a million more times until we are both so exhausted that all we can manage to do is breath and lay in each other’s arms,” he said as he tenderly kissed the back of her neck.
“I want that too,” she smiled.
“Someday,” he said. His voice sounded wistful and far-away, and he hoped that someday that would really be a reality for them.
He would do whatever he needed to do now to be with Marquette and keep her safe, even if that meant it had to be in secret. But he would no longer let anything keep them apart.
“You don’t have any clothes,” she said with a grin.
“Oh, just a minute,” Theo said as he got up and stepped into the trees.
He emerged back into sight after a minute or two with a pair of pants and a shirt.
“I always tuck a few spare sets of clothing in the forest.”
“Clever,” Marquette laughed as she looked down at his feet. “But you still don’t have any shoes.”
As they walked out of the forest and back toward the castle, neither of them had any idea that they had been seen by someone else. Theo had been right in saying that he would have been able to tell if someone had been around to see them. His wolf senses were astute and reliable; unless the someone who had seen them was even more astute than he was.
* * *
“What in the world could you possibly be thinking?” Rubius hollered as soon as he had been able to sequester Theo. “Do you have any idea what kind of danger you have put yourself in? Or what kind of danger you have put your family and Marquette in?”
“You saw us?” Theo asked in astonishment.
“Of course I saw you. You were out in the open woods near my pack’s territory,” Rubius answered harshly.
“Was it your pack that came after Marquette?” Theo asked.
“No,” Rubius said. “That pack is a pure-blooded pack that keeps to themselves unless they find a reason to get involved in outside affairs, which you have probably just given them.”
“I don’t see what the big deal is,” Theo said. “No one else saw us except for you. No one else will find out. Marquette and I will keep it a secret until I am king.”
Rubius laughed, and it felt like an insult to Theo.
“You won’t live long enough to be king if word of this gets out, and neither will she,” Rubius said. “Look, I understand. Trust me when I tell you that I know what it is like to want to be with a woman that you know you aren’t supposed to be with, so badly that you’d rather chew off your own leg than be without her. But Theo, you at least have to understand how dangerous this is. Marquette is a human. You’re playing with fire by being with a human girl. I would never tell you not to be with someone that you love, but you have to be more than careful if you choose to stay on this path with her. Otherwise, you will risk everything—including her.”
Theo listened to Rubius’ warning. He respected Rubius and valued his opinion as if he was a wise uncle that always looked out for him. But Theo also knew that he just had to be with Marquette. He’d be careful, they both would, and he would make sure that he never left her side.
“How was it that I couldn’t tell you were in the woods and saw us?” Theo asked him. “My senses normally pick up on everything.”
“Alphas have an extra skillset that most shifters do not,” Rubius answered. “It kind of comes with the job of being pack leader. Our senses are even sharper; so is our ability to be stealthy. You’re lucky I was the only alpha nearby.”
“What were the other wolves doing in the woods?” Theo asked. “The ones that I had to chase away from Marquette. That wasn’t really the time of day that most shifters are just out wandering in that part of the forest.”
“I’m not sure,” Rubius answered. “My guess is they sensed that a human had entered their territory and came to search her out. What was she even doing in this part of the forest?”
“She was looking for me,” Theo said. “I ran off when I got angry after seeing her with someone else. But when I ran off into the woods, Marquette chased me and ended up in their territory. I made it to her just in time.”
Rubius shook his head.
“The both of you are reckless, and you’re going to get each other killed if you’re not careful.”
“I’ll be careful,” Theo promised.
“You’d better be.”