Scarred Wolf by Charlene Hartnady

24

Jaxon

I haven’t saida word since we left the forest. My head is spinning. After she finally released me from her tight sheath – because there was no doubt that I had no say in how long she kept me ensnared – we dressed and made the trip home without speaking.

The weight of what just happened hangs over me like a cloud. And I don’t know if that cloud is going to burst and wash me away, or flood my heart with some sort of celestial downpour.

She can’t possibly know what she’s just done. There’s no way she realizes yet.

“Are you okay?” she asks as we stand at the entrance of her apartment staring at each other. Her eyes are wide and lovely. There’s a leaf tangled into a wave of her hair, and I reach out to pluck it free, suddenly fighting down a lump in my throat.

She’s so fucking beautiful.

“I’m fine,” I answer at last, at a loss for further words.

“What…what happened back there?” she asks. I run my tongue over the tear in my lip, feeling the ragged skin part slightly, the slight metallic taste still there.

She has no idea.

“You—” I stop and rub my eyes. It’s too damn late. I can feel it. “You can’t do that,” I say, regardless. Maybe there’s still a chance for me…

“Do what?”

Is she really that innocent?

“Bite me,” I say. “When we fuck.” I don’t bother sugarcoating it, though I feel a twinge when I see her eyes shadow. “It’s…it’s a mating ritual.”

Her eyes widen and then she frowns. “Mating ritual?”

Does she want me to spell it out for her?

“Like marriage – wolf-style,” I do spell it out, searching for words that will resonate. But there aren’t any – not the way humans understand it. Because it’s not marriage…it’s more.

She’s shaking her head. “You mean like ‘walking down the aisle’ marriage?” She smiles. “Well, that’s ridiculous.” She adds a light laugh and waves a hand. “It’s simple to rectify. I divorce you. There, all sorted.”

If only she knew.

“We cannot share blood, Evie. Do you understand me?” My voice is hard now.

She shifts her weight from one foot to the other. “Of course not. That’s barbaric!”

I cock my head. “So, you’re saying we’ve been…civilized till now?” I feel annoyance swirl. She doesn’t know what she’s done to me. I turn on my heel and stalk off toward the bathroom, even though every cell in me wants to spin back. To seize her and carry her to my bed.

Fuck that! Who needs a bed?

I’ll take her right here on the floor of the living room. Or over the back of the sofa. Or on the kitchen counter. My body starts to heat, and I feel my breath quicken. It’s too late for me…too fucking late— Her hand on my arm stops me in my tracks.

“I’m sorry, okay?” she says softly, and I turn to face her. She’s earnest now. “I just…don’t understand. Tell me.”

I sigh, glance around, then slump down onto an overstuffed armchair. I set my elbows on my knees and rub my face with both hands. She’s walked around in front of me, brushing against my legs.

“We’re not human, Evie. We don’t marry and we don’t…divorce.” Even the word is bitter on my tongue. “We mate. And we mate for life. It’s a bond forged in blood. And blood seals it.”

She lifts a hand and strokes it over my hair and down my cheek. “I’m sorry,” she says.

Don’t be sorry,I want to say back. The touch of her hand makes me want to press my face against her palm.

“I didn’t mean to belittle you,” she murmurs, still stroking, almost tenderly. “I just didn’t understand.” There’s a light in her eyes again and I feel my train of thought derailing…uncertain if I’m looking at the woman, or the wolf staking its claim. Either way, my body is responding. Why can’t I stop it? Why?

I know exactly why, even though I’m still fighting it.

I settle my hand on her hip, finally allowing myself to turn my lips against her palm. She makes a small sound as my stubble grazes the smooth skin there. And then she’s straddling my thighs and reaching down between us where my cock has grown hard again. As her fingers curl around my shaft, I groan out loud, jerking as she works her fist up and down my length.

“You’re so hard,” she says as she looks down at her hand working my flesh. That’s an understatement; I feel like I’m about to burst out of my skin. The sound that I make isn’t human. Why would it be? I reach for the top of her shorts and rip the fabric away as if it was paper. The shredded material parts to expose her sex and I inhale the wave of her amazing scent. My own scent is still there too, and that satisfies me in a way that I understand all too well. I slide my fingers between her folds, rubbing on her clit, slipping over and around it in slick circles. Her chest heaves as she begins to suck in small panting breaths. Abruptly, she shoves me back against the chair and moves forward, poised over me as she guides the head of my cock to her sex. She looks up and our eyes lock.

“I’m going to fuck you again, Jaxon,” she whispers, and why the hell would I stop her? I know there are several reasons, none of which come to mind right now. I clench my jaw as she eases down my length. It’s a snug fit; so tight I’m almost afraid to move for fear of hurting her. Which is fucking insane since I was pounding into her not two hours ago. She presses down relentlessly until her ass hits my lap and every inch of me is seated deep within her strangling confines. I hear her breath hiss out as she slides up and then takes all of me again. It’s slow and a little awkward as she tries to frame my hips with her knees in the snug space of the chair, but she’s determined. Her bottom lip between her teeth as she grinds down again. The tip of my cock bumps up against the furthest depth of her and she makes a small, strangled sound.

“You’re so huge,” she chokes out, her nails biting into my shoulders through the fabric of my shirt. “Are all of you like this? I’ve never had a wolf before.” Her words are like a dash of cold water. Why would she need to know that?

Curiosity?I try to convince myself, but my wolf isn’t having it. A wave of sheer possessiveness washes over me.

“You’ll never know!” I growl against her throat as I surge upward, wrapping my arms around her waist as I rise to my feet, still buried within her. I clasp my palms beneath her ass, holding her firmly as I stride toward my room. By the time the night is over, she’s never going to want to imagine another man’s cock again. I’m going to brand her with mine.

I’m taking her to my bed.

* * *

Everleigh

The morning lightis filtering in, and I gaze down at the sleeping face of the man beside me. One arm is thrown above his head and his face is tilted to the side, lashes casting a slight shadow against his cheek. Those lashes are too damn long to be on a man, and yet they work. The line of stubble along his jawline reminds me that the lashes are where the prettiness ends – the rest of him is all male. So male. I inhale the heady scent of him. It’s mingled with my own. The air is rich with it. We spent the whole night coated in each other. He took me like a man possessed, first sweeping me off my feet as he carried me to his room, and then, when I thought we were spent, set to work exploring me. Every last part of me. I felt myself swept away with it.

Holy shit! How did we get to this place so fast?

I fight back a smile and stretch languorously, loving the tight pull of exerted muscles, the warm ache between my thighs. I should be more troubled by it all, but the wolf inside me is finally satisfied.

Almost.

His words from last night ring through my mind. Mated. For life? I’m pretty sure he’s exaggerating. It’s probably just his way of keeping me at arm’s length. He stumbled into my world barely two weeks ago – there’s no chance any of this could be serious. Sure, the sex is good…

Who am I kidding? It’s off the freaking charts!

But that’s where I have to stop myself. This is chemistry, for sure. Animal attraction of the most basic kind. Animal. I’ve finally met one of my own and I can’t help myself. Who could blame me? And then, of course, he looks like…all that!

I run my eyes over his shoulders and down his torso, to where the sheets are rumpled around his hips. There’s a crisscrossing pattern of scars across his chest, but if anything, it only enhances the beauty of those lines. I sense a change in him and glance up to see him staring at me. The intensity is unnerving.

“What happened? The scars. How did you get them? I know you said you’re a private man, but…” I leave it there. I know he didn’t want to talk about it before, but things have changed between us. Everything has changed.

His demeanor shifts. His eyes cloud and darken. It’s something bad, I can tell. “I don’t like to talk about it.”

“It sometimes helps to talk,” I try.

“It happened a long time ago. Shifters don’t normally scar badly like this.” I can see he’s deep in thought. His hand runs over the puckered flesh. I don’t think he knows he’s even doing it.

“Why did you scar so badly, then?”

“I went through a traumatic experience. I was three. I don’t remember much.” He shrugs. “Since we’re sleeping together, you should probably know that I sometimes have nightmares about what happened.”

“That’s terrible. Someone obviously hurt you…badly?” Sympathy wells. I touch his thigh. I wait for him to continue. I know that if I push, he’ll clamp up.

“My mother didn’t just pass away, she was murdered.”

I sensed as much when we talked about it earlier. I put my hand over my mouth and gasp. “I’m so sorry. That’s terrible. Just awful.” I know what he’s going to say next, and I’m not sure I want to hear it. This poor man. No wonder he has such a high wall around himself.

I watch his Adam’s apple bob. “I was there. I saw the whole thing, only I can’t remember anything about it. The attacker gave me this.” He touches his scar again. “It was tough growing up without my mom. The whole thing messed me up, I guess.”

“I can imagine…actually I can’t. I can’t begin to understand. I’m so sorry.” A tear tracks down my cheek. “Did they ever get who did it?” I wipe the tear away, sniffing back more.

His jaw tightens. For a second it looks like he might up and leave. Jaxon turns his beautiful silver eyes on me. They’re swirling with a ton of different emotions. For just a second, he looks angry…at me. Surely he’s not angry with me? Why would that be? Then it’s gone. “Yes…they did.”

“Who was it?”

“That’s enough about that.”

There’s more to the story, but from the way his jaw sets, I suspect he’s not going to volunteer the information. He reaches out a hand and brushes a swathe of my hair behind the shell of my ear, fingertips lingering.

And just like that, the hunger returns. I crawl up the length of him, feeling my nostrils flaring, entirely focused on him.

Which is why I’m jolted by the sharp jangling of his phone from the bedside table. I growl in annoyance, and so does he, but the moment is shattered. He turns his head, glances at the screen and something darkens his expression. He grabs the device and turns it facedown so hard and fast I wonder if he’s shattered the glass.

“Is everything okay?” I ask.

“Yes,” he bites out.

“Who was that?”

“No one important,” he says.

“I’m here if you need to talk,” I tell him. “You’re helping me.” I shrug. “It’s only fair that I return the favor.”

“Thanks.” He gives me a half-smile. The moment is broken, so instead of picking up where we left off, I get up and pad across the room, naked. I’m trying to find my phone. I almost forgot about Hilary. Jaxon’s phone ringing reminded me that there is an outside world, even if I don’t quite belong in it anymore.

I find my phone lying on the kitchen counter, and I reach for it, frowning and gnawing on my lip as I see the string of notifications on it. I touch the screen and scroll through them. One leaps out – an email from the office.

Notice of my immediate suspension.

Crap!

Silently, I open the email and read through it. Words leap out at me. Gross misconduct. Threats of violence. Allegations of abusing patients. The last stabs into my chest and I hear myself give a small sound of dismay.

“What is it?” Jaxon has appeared beside me, as naked as I still am.

“They’re accusing me of hurting people.” My voice breaks as I say it.

How could they? I would never! Not my sweet people…Livvy!

“It’s her, Jaxon! Hilary. She’s the one doing it!” I sound agonized, even to my own ears. “I have to help them. I can’t leave them there with her.”

“We need to get you an attorney,” he says, stroking my hair over my shoulder. “We’re going to sort this out.” I love the simple confidence in his voice. It bolsters me.

“Diana is our girl!”

He gives a small frown, seeming confused. Does he think I’m planning a girly chitchat? I’m suddenly aware of how little he knows about me. How little we know of each other. Still strangers, after all that’s happened.

“She’s a lawyer,” I say quickly, gathering my wits. “She’ll know what to do.” My thumb is moving over the screen of my phone. Her number is always top of my list of recently called numbers, and she answers immediately. She always does.

“What’s up, babe?” her voice is bright.

Jaxon listens in silence as I keep her on the line, outlining what’s gone down in the past day since I saw her.

I love Di so much.Any other person on the planet would have hit me with a barrage of “What the fucks” but she doesn’t press or express surprise. Maybe that says more about me, though. Do I do this to her often?

I’m sure I don’t. I’m a klutz and I’m a bit ditzy, but I’m pretty sure I’ve never called her up and said, “I tried to kill my boss yesterday.” Not that I use those actual words.

“I’m clearing my morning,” she says. “How soon can you be here?”

“I’m leaving home in fifteen,” I reply, looking at the time. It’s barely 6:30 am but Di didn’t get to be a junior partner before thirty without putting in the hours. I’m not surprised that she’s in the office already.

Jaxon is already disappearing into his bathroom to wash up, and I don’t even question the fact that he’s coming with me.

I have to take control of this madness.