Chapter 3

Vera

 

 

I hadn’t heard from James since I said goodbye to him. I didn’t reach out to him, and he hadn’t reached out to me. Days had passed and I was okay with it. I liked that my heart didn’t hurt, I liked that I didn’t miss anyone, and I really liked that I didn’t feel any sort of attachment to anyone. I know it wasn’t what most people wanted when they thought of seeing someone, but I hoped I never felt anything more than lust for anyone, ever again. If I could even manage that. I hadn’t been with anyone since him and I didn’t want to, ever again.

Now that the packhouse was clean, I could disappear upstairs. I would rather sneak up to my room and hide before I had to face anyone else. I didn’t want to make small talk or pretend that I was happy. I was always aware of the time when people were due to arrive back, and I’d made it my life’s mission to stay unseen. I didn’t want to slap a smile on my face and wait for my mother, the Luna, to dismiss me. I was an adult, but still seen as nothing more than the pup of the family. Because I was the youngest female, I couldn’t do anything. I would never amount to anything, and my opinion didn’t matter.

With the sound of the front door swinging open, I skipped three steps at a time as I made my way up the stairs. When I reached the second floor, the sound of hurried voices only further cemented my fears. I ran as quietly as I could, careful to avoid the spots I knew would creak if I stepped, threw open the door, rushed inside, and shut it behind me. My chest rose and fell as I dropped my head against the door. Slowly, I turned the lock to keep out the imaginary villains that were after me. The real villain in my story was gone, long gone and even though I knew he would never hurt me again, my thumping heart didn’t believe it, not for one second.

My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I jumped a foot in the air. Nice. Pulling it out, I didn’t bother to see who it was before I placed it on my bed. I stayed in the same room; I’ve never switched rooms. These four walls have been my cage since the beginning of time. I had childhood memories that reminded me of who I used to be, and I had nightmares that terrorized my sleep. My throat was dry, and goosebumps ran down my back and over my arms. I walked into the bathroom and closed the door. Turning on the faucet, I leaned over and took a long drink from the sink. I pushed my face under the cool water and my mind was filled with thoughts of Dane.

There was something about a man in uniform that was just so hot. Or maybe it was the fact that he went by a schedule and upheld a code of honor. I sighed. His soft brown hair and gray piercing eyes came to mind and I felt a shiver run down my spine. Out of all the guys I’ve chatted with, Dane does things to me. Was it the muscles? The tattoos? Or the fact that I practically lived for his Snarl. SnarlChat was known for sexting. You’d find someone on Mythinder and exchanged snarls if you wanted to “get to know them.” I swiped so quickly on his profile. I hadn’t expected to match, but we had. I tried not to play favorites with the guys but Dane was just my type. Dark, tatted, and dangerous.

Straightening, I grabbed a towel and patted my face dry. Before I could run out and check my phone, I jumped into the shower. Cold turned to steaming hot as I washed myself down. When I was done, I hopped out, threw my hair up, and tied a towel around my body. Faster than I’d like, I walked out of the bathroom and checked my phone. I hated responding back quickly, but I actually enjoyed talking to Dane. I could pretend I didn’t want to talk to him, but I never wrote first. I snatched up my phone and sat at the edge of the bed.

I took a deep breath and unlocked my phone. Clicking on the bared fangs icon, I swiped left, opening up my inbox. My eyes scanned down the list of unread Snarls and locked on one name. Dane. My tongue darted out and slid along my bottom lip. I could already feel my body reacting. Goddess. This guy was so fine, and I hated that I was dripping wet at just seeing his name. I nibbled on my bottom lip and clicked on his message. My face was warm, my body hot, as I stared at a blue square. Dane had sent me a Snarl. I tilted my head and didn’t bother hiding the smile as it spread across my face. I clicked on the square and his video played.

My eyes widened, my lips parted, and my breath came out a little faster as the snarl played. An abnormally large cock filled the screen and went off camera. My Goddess. Long tatted fingers wrapped around his thick girth. My mouth and pussy were salivating. That is not what I’m used to. My eyes tracked his movements as his fingers slid down his length, widening the lower it went. Veins ran up the side of his cock and I wanted to trace them with my tongue. There was something about Dane that made me want to do things I’d never wanted to do before.