The Wolf’s Forbidden Mate by Layla Silver

Chapter 8 — Waverly

Round two happened shortly after Travis saw fit to lick my neck clean of water. He put me into positions I hadn’t ever dreamed, some of them literally knocking the air out of my lungs as he pummeled into me. I had to commend him for being so flexible. Even male wolves couldn’t have accomplished what he was doing, and it wasn’t for a lack of trying.

But he proved to be as nimble and sweet as he was while he was casually drifted around the cabin. When we weren’t attached at the hip, we were drinking tea in the kitchen or going over the designs I could come up with for the plushies. I was going to stick to cats, anatomically correct cats, but he drew up a few sketches for cartoon cats that looked like the ones who could be adopted at the shelter. Pairing each plushie with a cat made sense—it would encourage adoptions, too.

His genius mind was rivaled by his talented hips and fervent tongue. He must have lived between my thighs for a total of three hours at some point, the muscle dedicated to granting me every orgasm I had missed out on in recent months. His fingers did the same, drifting so easily over my skin like I was the butter and he was the knife. He pierced me just the same.

I don’t think I slept much. He didn’t either. And I don’t think my quick text to my mother had gone over particularly well. Considering it was rare for me to spend the night out like this, it was sure to draw suspicion, but the best way to avoid raising any alarms was simply not to lie at all. All I had to do was twist the truth just a little bit.

So, I did just that.

At a convention—won’t be back tonight, I texted my mother.

She simply wrote back, Okay.

Maybe I had twisted the truth a lot more than I had intended, but I wasn’t close with my mother regarding men. I didn’t tell her about my dates or hookups. I didn’t want to share any of that information with her because I didn’t think it was any of her business. And I didn’t think she really wanted to hear about it. After all, Father had left her in the dust with four daughters. She probably didn’t want to discuss relationships at all.

It’s bad enough that we’re different shifters, I thought as I rested next to Travis. Not to mention our pack and pride are mortal enemies.

But oh boy, did I give zero fucks about that.

Travis stirred, drawing my attention. His hip protruded from the sheets, soft skin coated with drops of sun that shimmered through the thin curtains on the other side of the room. I caressed his hip and listened to the soft sigh it prompted, a curious purr drifting after it. I smiled when his eyelids fluttered. Seconds later, his hazel-green eyes focused on me, a painter’s spatter of gold in each iris.

“Morning,” he whispered. “How did you sleep?”

“Hardly.”

He chortled. “I’m sorry.”

“Why are you sorry?”

“Because it’s my fault.”

I half-shrugged, allowing the sheet to drift from my shoulders and reveal my breasts. His eyes easily followed the edge of the sheet and widened when he beheld my body. Nobody had ever looked at me like that before. I was as shocked as I was pleased by the notion that he actually enjoyed seeing me nude. It made me feel confident.

When his gaze returned to me, a smolder sat on his lips, a devious grin that spoke of his intentions. He darted forward and stole my lips like he had last night in the same manner which started this entire mess, especially the one that was quickly growing at the apex of my thighs.

I hummed as I returned the kiss just as hungrily. I could feel round ten scratching at the surface, my wolf whining to play with her new toy. But I had to get home. I had to make sure that I got started on all the plushies that would help his shelter. I wanted to stay in bed with him as much as I wanted to change the stars so he wouldn’t have to deal with his shelter going to shit at the end of all this.

The end, I considered. What’s going to happen when this is all over?

He must have tasted my hesitance because he drifted back far enough to whisper, “What’s wrong?”

“I woke up later than intended,” I lied, the acrid words tasting bitter on my tongue. “I usually have breakfast with my family in the morning. It’s tradition. But I can call later.”

“You promise?”

I smiled at the hope clinging to his question. “Yes, I promise.”

He purred, pecked my lips, and shooed me from his bed, insisting that if I didn’t leave his bed now, he wouldn’t permit me to leave later. I took his word for it. His striking eyes were sharp, a sultry fire sitting there as he watched me get dressed. He pulled on a pair of gym pants, leaving his chest bare for me to drink in one last time. I was sure he did it on purpose.

He walked me to the door where I kissed him one more time, reluctantly pulling away to hop into my car. I closed my eyes, exhaled, and popped the key into the ignition.

God, I really hoped no one was in the living room when I got home.

Despite my silent prayer for the house to be mostly empty when I got back, it wasn’t. Laurene was seated on one of the antique couches, a novel perched between her fingers that I knew she was concentrating heavily on regardless of the fact that she hardly ever read anything. She refused read, even if it would save her life.

Her eyebrows rose as I wandered past her. She sniffed after me curiously, eyes peering over the top of the book. “You were gone all night.”

As if lying to my mother wasn’t enough. I didn’t want to lie to Laurene, but I also knew I couldn’t hide the scent of what I had been doing.

I shrugged. “So?”

“So, what were you doing?”

“Who’s asking?”

She flopped the book into her lap and glared at me. “Who do you think?”

“You straightened your hair today.”

She tugged on a strand absently, though I knew the compliment had distracted her. It was easy to disarm my sister as long as I gave her a superficial focus. And one of those was her dashing good looks.

In a lot of ways, I envied my sister for her creamy features, porcelain doll symmetry, and her dark eyes that held a mountain of mystery. Her eyes were one of the few things different about us. While mine were a polished gray, wise and intelligent, hers were a stone black that resembled two black holes. There wasn’t much mystery going on in that head. I knew that from personal experience.

“Thanks,” she sighed. “Anyway, your absence was noted.”

“Yes, it’s true. I was gone all night.” I grinned mischievously. “Having mind-blowing sex every hour on the hour.”

Her mouth widened. “You...what?”

“You heard me.”

“How did you even find a man to spend the night with?”

I narrowed my eyes. “Ouch. I might not have your looks, but I am cute, you know.”

“As cute as those plushies you make.”

“Nice jab. Try again. And if you don’t believe me, well…” I shrugged, smirking smugly as I turned toward the staircase. “I guess your nose isn’t working very well today, is it, Laurene?”

“You fibber.”

“I’m not lying.”

She sat up rigidly, scooting toward one of the antique chairs that sat near the couch. “What’s his name?”

“Hmm, I think it starts with an N. Can’t remember.”

“Liar.”

I rolled my eyes and grabbed the banister of the staircase. “Anyway, I have work to do. Lots of orders to fill.”

“Waverly!”

“Catch you later.”

I darted up the steps before Laurene could catch me. I didn’t lie to her. I honestly couldn’t lie to her, but I also didn’t want to share any titillating details about Travis. Or his name. Or the fact that he was one of my sworn enemies.

Not by choice, I corrected mentally. It’s not my fault our people can’t seem to get along.

As soon as I reached my room, I locked myself inside and leaned against the door, feeling the safety and comfort of my space. I closed my eyes as I exhaled relief. And then inhaled worry. I frowned when I beheld my room, noticing how messy I had left yesterday. With a renewed sense of hope, I worked my way around the room, cleaning up leftover bits of fabric and organizing all of my sewing boxes.

Being claimed by Travis had left me feeling invigorated. Though I was positive that engaging with him anymore would leave my breathless, I welcomed the death I knew was coming. He could steal my breath all he wanted as long as I got to spend all my moments with him.

My eyes widened when I sat in the nook at the window. I stared into the yard, my thoughts a jumble of emotions, doubts, fantasies, and images of last night—as well as this morning.

What am I thinking? I touched my bottom lip lightly, rehashing the memory of Travis nipping my skin playfully. No one has touched me like that. Not ever in my life. I don’t want to resist him.

Work—that would help me focus. I just had to get to work. I had thirty plushies to make that matched the drawings Travis made on top of my usual workload. It was going to be a busy week. So, I had to get to work.

***

I hadn’t been cooped up in my room like this since Mark left me for his mate. Granted, I wasn’t terribly upset about that, but I hadn’t exactly felt like socializing either. As a wolf, it was expected of me to find my mate and reproduce. That was how I was raised. That was how my sisters were raised. Court, marry, pop out pups—that was it.

But boy, did that sound boring as hell. It was what led to my freelance gig with plushies and fursuits. Normal 9-5 jobs made me want to gag. I liked working on my own time and dealing with customers directly. I didn’t have to answer to anyone except myself which made me feel more in control of everything.

Ever since I came home a week ago, I kept in my room and only left unless it was necessary. I worked night and day on a few plushies a day, calling Travis at the end of the day when everyone went to bed so I could show him my progress. As I quietly booted up my laptop and logged into Skype for another nightly video date, I studied the orange tabby I had created. Its glassy eyes shimmered back at me, reflecting the light of the laptop.

The rest of my room was dark. I hadn’t bothered to turn on the light, choosing instead to work by the desk lamp I kept on the sewing machine table. Within seconds, the laptop chimed, the familiar sound of a Skype call coming in. I smiled uncontrollably as I accepted the call and adjusted the webcam.

Ocean eyes greeted me on the screen. A handsome smile. A knowing nod. “Hi.”

“Hi, Travis,” I whispered. “How are you feeling?”

He sighed, sending static through the speakers. I lowered the volume as I gave him a sympathetic frown. After a second or two, he looked at the screen and said, “I don’t know. It’s fine for now.”

“You’re worried about the shelter.”

“Basically.”

I smiled warmly, leaning forward and pressing my breasts together to make them pop a bit from my tank top.

His eyebrows shot up to his hairline. “What was I worried about again?”

“Don’t know.”

“Neither do I.” I could see him salivating, the glint in his eye telling me that he wanted to do much more than talk. But I never liked phone sex. I wanted the real thing. He knew that. After clearing his throat, he said, “How are you feeling, sweetheart?”

“Tired. Want to see what I did today?”

“Absolutely.”

I held up the orange tabby. “Too cartoonish?”

“No, it’s perfect. I love how he looks like he’s flailing.”

“I tried to follow your drawing as best I could.”

He nodded. “That reminds me. I did a few more. I can email them to you.”

“Please, do. I’m going to keep working on these through the weekend.”

“What about your other clients?”

I waved the question away. “Not my priority. They all know I’m working on something big. I’ve sent out a few emails about your shelter.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, of course.”

His smile was adorable, full of wonder, and shy, a blush pinching his cheeks that made me want to jump through the laptop and tackle him to the ground. I could have stared at him forever.

“Wav?”

I blinked. “Yeah, hi.”

“Hi again. Where were you?”

“Where do you think?”

Purrs echoed through the speakers. I chuckled as he shook his head. “What else have you been doing besides work?”

“Just...work.”

“Waverly, you can’t just work.”

I shrugged. “Sometimes, I read.”

“Oh yeah? What else?”

“I like to dance.”

He arched his right brow. “What kind of dance?”

“Just...flailing.”

“Flailing.”

I nodded as he stared me down, clearly wanting a better explanation. But I didn’t know how to describe what I liked.

I shrugged. “If I hear a beat that I like, I move to it.”

“And it looks like flailing?”

“Most of the time.”

He chuckled. “I want to see that.”

“I’m not sure you’ll still like me after you see that.”

Concern etched his features, a worry line forming on his forehead that I had never seen. He leaned forward and plopped his chin in his hand, meeting my gaze as he whispered, “I don’t think anything could make me stop liking you.”

“What?”

He blinked as if just waking from a dream. “What?”

“You said...you like me.”

“Do you believe me?”

I studied his digital image. I hated being separated by a computer, but I knew that if I went over there, I might not come back home. I had to make the plushies. I had to be good—for now. There was time for me to be bad later.

I curled a lock of hair around my finger and whispered, “I think I do.”

“Well, if you don’t,” he said with a smirk, “I guess I’ll just have to convince you, won’t I?”

“I guess so.”

He smiled, a daring look in his eyes. “Are you challenging me?”

“Maybe. Why? Does that bother you?”

“No, I like a challenge.”

I smirked. “Me, too.”

“I should get to bed soon.”

“I guess I should do that, too.”

He chuckled. “I’d like it if you got some sleep. That would make me happy.”

“Really? Well, I can do that. If it would make you happy.”

I turned away from the screen for a second, shocked by how easy that was. How did he do this to me? If anyone else told me to get sleep, I would have bit their head off. But with Travis, I wanted to be the best I could be.

He chuckled, drawing my attention back to him. “I’ll see you soon?”

“I’d like that a lot. I’ll bring some of the cat plushies by this weekend.”

“Good. I mean, that’s great.”

I giggled. “Travis?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re really cute when you blush.”

The freckles on his face ignited, appearing so much darker than they usually did. The way he lit up when I called him cute only doubled my desire to lunge outside, shift into wolf form, and dart toward his cabin.

“Goodnight, Waverly,” he said when he recovered. “I’ll see you soon.”

“Goodnight, Travis.”

I shut my laptop, biting my lower lip as I stood up and went to the bathroom. Waves of bliss were carrying me forward. But how far forward would they carry me until I crashed?