Reyland was holding a casserole dish in his hands, something he had just removed from the oven. Something that smelled divine.
He was wearing the same T-shirt he had on earlier, no sweater, and his dark jeans. No shoes on his feet.
Definitely not a warrior wolf, she mused as she stared at his bare feet.
For someone his size, his feet were slim and pretty.
Straight toes, clipped nails, nice ankles. She had not noticed it before, but he had a birthmark at the back of his left foot.
As she watched him, her mind wandered.
No one had ever cooked for her. But this was the third time, in as many days, that Reyland was not just making food for her, he was making delicious meals.
And just like in his home, he was moving around the kitchen smoothly.
And just now in the bedroom, he had moved with a coordination she had never anticipated.
As he moved back to the stove, from the counter, her eyes fell on his fingers, and her
Marian made her way back to the sitting room with flat plates and forks, for whatever was in the casserole.Reyland had moved from the bedroom to the kitchen and came out with two spoons and a large jug of water that had some leaves floating in it.He handed Marian a spoon as he placed the jug on the table. He glanced around and made to return to the kitchen, but Marian placed a hand on his chest to stop him.She gazed up at him as he stared down at her, silently.She jerked her hand away from him and croaked, “I’ll get the glasses, sit.”She left swiftly and returned seconds later with two large glass cups.“Thank you,” he said hoarsely.They sat. Reyland on the large couch, Marian on the smaller sofa to his left.In silence and with a few furtive glances, they ate.The only sound was when Reyland opened the casserole dish to display what was inside and Marian gasped.The Lasagna ste
It was that time of the year again. The time of the year Marian hated the most – Christmas.Away from her pack for almost a year after her self-imposed exile, she had returned to fulfill her duties as the only surviving child and sibling of her late mother and brother.Goddess, how I hate this place, she mused, her lips tightening as she strode toward the pack hall.Her hips swayed as she walked purposefully toward the hall in her gold dress and strappy gold heels, all five feet eleven inches of her, as a light breeze pulled on her waist-length dark brown hair and silk gown.Her jaw clenched as she neared her destination, and she fought to keep her hands unclenched as she approached; her green eyes were narrowed and focused ahead as she moved with a steady gait.Marian had the lean, athletic build of a warrior she-wolf, and she moved like the alpha wolf that she was, with purpose and a commanding presence that demanded others move out of the way.Her back and head were straight and upr
Everyone was dressed in their finest wear, and Marian was not done up any less.Her outfit was a gold gown her father had prepared for her.A dress that was both alluring and an official statement.It highlighted her curves and her toned frame. Her arms were bare and her thighs peeked out of the high slit with every step she took, showing the firm muscles of her long legs. Her long hair did not hide the muscles of her shoulders and back, which shifted with every swing of her arms.Her breasts and hips were in full attendance, and nobody could second-guess whether or not her assets had anything to do with the rejection – they, clearly, had not.The display of her body, the uprightness of her poise, was a statement that she would not be cowed.A clear message that she was not ashamed or afraid to be seen.Marian knew in her heart that if she had had her way, she would have worn black or red, something ‘traditional’, but the fact that her father, the one she had left behind, left alone in
The music was blaring, and the loud laughter was jarring, but for Marian, the room might as well have been silent.There, on a low stage set toward the end of the hall, a raised platform just two feet off the ground, and twenty feet wide, were seated Alpha Dax, his two mates, and her father, former Alpha, Corien.A dark-haired, green-eyed man in his early forties with chiseled features and a neatly groomed moustache-beard. A handsome man by no mean measure.A rush of warmth filled her chest and her stomach.Why have I been avoiding him? She mused, angry at herself and yet happy as she laid her eyes on him, her only living relative, a man she had fought for, bled for, and nearly died beside, four years ago.She caught her father’s eye, and his green eyes lit up. He smiled lightly at her just as Dax leaned in to whisper something in his ear.Marian turned away from the sight.Dad...she mused to herself, and right at that moment, a gong went off.It was five minutes to midnight; the main
Marian had intended to kiss Reyland’s forehead or cheek, but with all the attention and unnecessary silent commotion, she was moved to do something more worthy of their eyes and whispers.Her lips met his, and he gasped.She licked the inside base of his parted lips, and his hand tightened on her arm.She nearly winced.She opened her eyes, surprised by the force he had used, and was stunned by the wide grey eyes staring back at her.Grey with yellow flecks.Were his eyes ever such a color? She pondered, staring back into his eyes.She had never really related with Reyland; she couldn’t even say that she knew him.When she was growing up, he was an unknown son of her father’s friend, almost a secret child. Rarely seen anywhere, and only for short periods of time.It was only when his father had risen to Alpha that people started to see him more often.The pack was familiar with Alpha Dax’s other two sons, and they knew his adopted son extremely well.Dorien had been popular since he wa
“Daaad! It’s not like that!” Marian pressed, stomping her foot like a child as she held her father’s hands in both of hers.Corien smiled at his only surviving child.“After you left, I tried to talk to you many times. But you cut me off eight months ago. You cut me off, Marian…Do you still hate me?” he asked quietly, almost apprehensively.“No, Dad, I never did...” she replied gently.“But you went away –” he pressed.“I went away because Dorien rejected me,” she pushed back, not meeting her father’s eyes.“We just lost a battle, Minnie –” he stated softly, searching her face.“But I knew him before that! I knew him for YEARS before that! I thought we were–” she threw back at her father, her words running out of her mouth.“We just lost. His father –” Alpha Corien continued, unperturbed, remaining calm and steady before the force that was his daughter.“ADOPTED father!” she spat, the bile rising in her stomach.By the goddess, how I hate that man! She screamed in her mind, and Dinka s
Dax called out, behind his wolf’s eyes, “Submit Marian! Submit!” He commanded her, “Think, Minnie. You are not the only one who will die here!” Dax continued forcefully, speaking through his wolf.And that was it, at that warning, at that reminder, that was the exact point she and her father had lost.She gazed at her father, his claw remained where they were as they stared at each other. The mind link remained broken, her father would not let her in, but his eyes were easy to read – if she were killed at that moment, he was ready to die as well.He was ready to die.And that was when the rift between them formed. The moment her father left the choice of whether they both live or die in her hands.Her eyes filled as she stared at her father’s unmoving face. If she made the wrong move, she would be lost, and her father would be collateral damage.If she died, if THEY died, who would avenge her mother and brother?“Alpha...” she pleaded, addressing her father, but only a moan escaped he
Corien grunted as Dax’s grip tightened, his green eyes unblinking as he lazily watched the current pack Alpha struggle with himself.Dax shoved Corien back on the chair he had been sitting on, and Corien fell back lazily, adjusting his collar and sliding his gaze back to the file that was still in his hands.Dax stood back, glaring at Corien and bringing his breathing under control.There was a sharp knock on the door.“What?!” Both Dax and Bentax snarled at the intrusion, and Dorien cracked the door open.“May I approach, Alpha?” Dorien asked formally from the partly opened door.Dax’s shoulders relaxed, and Bentax retreated. “Of course, son, come in,” he responded calmly.Dorien entered, gazing between his current Alpha and his former Alpha. “She has crossed the border,” he said carefully. All three men knew whom he was referring to.“Remember to stay alert. She is dangerous,” Dax commented distractedly as he gazed out the sa
Marian made her way back to the sitting room with flat plates and forks, for whatever was in the casserole.Reyland had moved from the bedroom to the kitchen and came out with two spoons and a large jug of water that had some leaves floating in it.He handed Marian a spoon as he placed the jug on the table. He glanced around and made to return to the kitchen, but Marian placed a hand on his chest to stop him.She gazed up at him as he stared down at her, silently.She jerked her hand away from him and croaked, “I’ll get the glasses, sit.”She left swiftly and returned seconds later with two large glass cups.“Thank you,” he said hoarsely.They sat. Reyland on the large couch, Marian on the smaller sofa to his left.In silence and with a few furtive glances, they ate.The only sound was when Reyland opened the casserole dish to display what was inside and Marian gasped.The Lasagna ste
Reyland was holding a casserole dish in his hands, something he had just removed from the oven. Something that smelled divine.He was wearing the same T-shirt he had on earlier, no sweater, and his dark jeans. No shoes on his feet.Definitely not a warrior wolf, she mused as she stared at his bare feet.For someone his size, his feet were slim and pretty.Straight toes, clipped nails, nice ankles. She had not noticed it before, but he had a birthmark at the back of his left foot.As she watched him, her mind wandered.No one had ever cooked for her. But this was the third time, in as many days, that Reyland was not just making food for her, he was making delicious meals.And just like in his home, he was moving around the kitchen smoothly.And just now in the bedroom, he had moved with a coordination she had never anticipated.As he moved back to the stove, from the counter, her eyes fell on his fingers, and her
Marian gasped, giving Reyland one second to inhale, before she dove inside him again, cutting off his air supply.She was feeding off him, and he could feel himself slipping away.Just like at the lake, only now, he was the one suffocating, drowning, losing his senses.Marian, seeming to sense it too, bit her own tongue to heal his wounds, her dark eyes on his fading, grey ones.Reyland’s tired eyes widened as Marian’s turned black.Dinka was pushing forward.Her left hand stretched into a claw, and she traced Reyland’s arm with it. She bit her tongue deeper, and her blood flowed into Reyland.His breath caught in his chest as his mouth filled.He grabbed Marian by her bum and spun, placing her under him.He pulled away, swallowing, as he stared at her black eyes, while she still pumped him from below.Her left claw slid across his chest to his stomach, not drawing any blood, not leaving a mark o
They were two people who made no sense together.Now that we’ve shared such intimacy, she will be satisfied, right?We can both move on from here, separately, right?Reyland mused, his heart heavy as he slid his arm out from under Marian.Marian threw an arm over his chest.He stared at her again, his mind doing what it did best – analyze, strategize, protect his heart.He shifted, and she grabbed his breast.He turned on his side, facing her, resting his head on his crooked arm as he watched her sleep.His mind slowed as he simply gazed at her, impressing every line of her face, every curve of her body, every scar in his sight, into his head.He would remember this day, always.Her eyes fluttered open.His heart stopped as her eyes focused on him.She smiled, and his stomach flipped.“If I had known it would be like that, I would have never let you go, back
Marian shifted underneath Reyland, her eyes opening as sweat poured off her forehead.She held Reyland’s glassy gaze as he struggled to stay still, even though he wanted nothing more than to move his hips.Struggling as he kept his weight off Marian, not resting his torso or lower half on her.“Rey – land, you can rest on me…I won't break. I can carry you, remember?” she rasped, coaxing him, letting him know she could take much more than he was giving.Reyland inhaled. His eyes searched her face as she nodded slowly at him while her waist moved below him, adjusting his length inside her.As he lowered his hips, Marian groaned, squeezing her eyes shut.He stopped and raised up again.Reyland groaned as his left arm gave way, adjusting from a palm resting position to resting on his forearm.From his sound, Marian’s inner walls squeezed, and he gasped.His eyes snapped to hers, and he sa
Reyland nodded; his blue eyes fixed on Marian.She glided out of the bathroom, leaving the door open.Reyland closed it and rested his head against the shut door, catching his breath.He controlled the gasping sounds by breathing through gritted teeth.As his shoulders shook, he twisted around, resting his large back against the door.What am I doing?What are WE doing?This isn’t the time for any of this! I’m supposed to be discussing things with her, not…this!He admonished himself in his mind.His breathing finally stabilized; he stared at the running water in the steam-filled room.When would be the right time? His mind taunted him.It’s never time, it’s never enough, it’s never okay, the voice in his head continued - Dorien’s voice.His inner voice always sounded like his baby brother – Dorien.
Marian was on fire. Her breath was caught in the place his hands were moving.Her nipples pushed against the material that covered them as his fingers stroked them, purposefully.She exhaled, shuddering, and his fingers moved to her underarms where he found what he was looking for.He inhaled and began to unwrap her.Her chest heaved as the wrappings fell away.Her breasts sprang forward, the right one almost striking Reyland on the lips.He breathed out, his warm breath caressing the taut nipple of her right breast, and Marian bit back a squeal.She was losing.Reyland kept his eyes on his work, undoing her stomach as his breath grazed her now exposed, heaving breasts and her upper belly.As he released her lower waist and the wrappings finally fell away, Marian leaned back to escape his warm breath, and Reyland’s eyes roamed slowly to her sleek middle, fully parted thanks to his wide girth, which she was kneeling
“I told you that we need to talk,” Reyland continued in the same hoarse tone.Marian could feel that he was no longer erect, and she deflated as well as she focused on listening to him this time.“And we really need to.”Without looking at her, he reached for the last potion and held it between them.Marian leaned back, still sitting across him.“Drink this. Eat. And let’s talk,” he said softly, raising his eyes slowly to meet hers.Marian, who had been gazing at his lashes since he had stopped looking at her, met his sapphire eyes with tears in her own.She swallowed.She wanted to say many things to him, to assure him that she would accept anything from him, anything at all.Instead, as she listened to his racing heartbeat and heavy breathing, her mind calmed.She parted her lips as she stared at him with meaning, her erstwhile sultry gaze now humble.Reyland’s lips twitched as his darkened expression brightened.He pressed his lips together to keep from smiling as he raised the bowl
Pulse racing, Reyland slowly removed his appendages from her mouth as Marian swallowed the pill whole, her dark eyes on his deeply flushed face and dilated pupils.“Ha!” he breathed as he stared at her.“I swallowed it,” she whispered, “I need another one. I’m to chew, right?” she asked innocently, her voice as husky as if she had cotton in her throat.Reyland stared wide-eyed at her, slack-jawed.“You…you can’t…you shouldn’t…Marian,” he stammered, at a loss for words, the heat rising at the base of his neck, and at the base below his belt buckle.The she-wolf instantly got whiff of a scent that made her sit up.Reyland’s face got redder, and Marian’s body couldn’t take the sight.He made to stand and she moved, breaking parts of the bandages that still graced her body.She straddled Reyland and kissed him without restraint.