Eight

Eight

Gavin POV

‘Mate has dirty little secrets. She’ll be excellent in bed!’

*Eon, this is not the time—*

I couldn’t finish the thought before my wolf slammed a vivid, explicit daydream into my mind, a sensory assault so potent I nearly choked on my meatloaf. The noisy cafeteria vanished. *We were in a room of rough-hewn stone, lit by a crackling fire. The air was thick with the scent of rain, pine, and her—cotton candy and exotic flowers, all amplified by a musky, feminine arousal that made my mouth water. Trisha was on her knees before me, but she wasn’t submissive. She was in command.

Her silver-blue eyes, dark with lust, held mine as she slowly, deliberately, unfastened my trousers. Her slender fingers wrapped around my cock, and the sensation was so real, so immediate, that my physical body throbbed in response. In the vision, she leaned forward, her pink tongue darting out to taste the bead of moisture at my tip.

The wet heat of her mouth as she took me in, inch by agonizing inch, was a blissful agony that had me gripping the edge of the table, my knuckles white. The scene shifted. She was beneath me on a plush fur rug, her skin flushed, her breasts rising and falling with ragged breaths. I was hovering over her, my hands tracing the curve of her hips, my mouth devouring hers. I could taste the sweet mint of her gum and the unique flavor that was purely *Trisha*.

My hand slid between her thighs, and I felt the slick, wet heat of her core as my fingers circled the sensitive bundle of nerves at her apex. She cried out, her back arching, her nails digging into my shoulders as I drove her higher and higher, my name a breathless plea on her lips. The vision was so visceral I could feel the clench of her inner muscles around my fingers, feel the tremor that started deep inside her and spread through her entire body as she shattered.* The image of her face, contorted in ecstatic release, was burned into my retina.

It took a massive surge of will, a violent mental shove, to cast the images away. I was breathing hard, my body a coiled spring of frustrated need, the phantom taste of her still on my tongue.

*Eon! Stop that! You wolves are primal at best, she is more than just a mate to breed with!*

‘I know that, but do you? You’ve imagined her nude and touching her yourself today without my persuasion!’

I couldn’t deny that bit. I had even slipped during art when her scent lingered in the room, a ghost of cotton candy and exotic flowers that had made my cock harden instantly. I didn’t want to be scolded by my own beast.

*I swear if you don’t be quiet, I’ll—*

‘You’ll what? Shove me to the back of your mind, put up a barrier, and ignore me? Good luck trying. The mate bond has already started taking effect.’

I clenched my jaw, but his relentless pestering gave me an idea. A perfect, devious way to bridge the chasm between us.

“So….you like erotica, huh?” I said, my voice low and casual. “And werewolves? Guess we have something in common, then.”

I saw Trisha stiffen instantly, and both Erik and Daisy stopped laughing to stare at me. Slowly, Trisha sat up and peeked through her hands. “Really?” she asked, though her words were muffled by her fingers.

I laughed and turned to her, reaching out to gently pull her hands down from her face. She flinched when I touched her, a sharp intake of breath that I felt all the way to my soul. The pleasure sparked at the contact, a sizzling current that shot up my arm and slammed directly into my groin, a hot, demanding pulse. I fought down any reaction, my face a mask of calm amusement. She wasn’t ready.

“Really, really,” I told her, my voice a soft rumble. “In fact, I own some limited edition copies of my own. I could let you borrow them sometime.”

She stared at me, and I swore I saw entire galaxies swirling in her deep silver eyes. The blue and green seemed to churn like nebulae, and I could even see the pure, unadulterated excitement bubbling up from her chest.

I’m not even sure she realized I still held her hands until suddenly she let go with a squeal and shocked me when she did a little excited jig in her seat. The action jostled me, her thigh pressing against mine, and I fought not to be overcome at the feel of her, soft and warm and full of life against me.

“Ooooh! I’d love that!”

I laughed to see how happy she was. It warmed my heart, a foreign and pleasant sensation. I always knew humans were fickle and easily excitable, but Trisha, being so ecstatic over a little book… it made me appreciate their simplicity, their passion.

‘You owe me,’ Daisy’s mindlink was suddenly sharp in my mind. ‘If that went wrong, it would’ve cost me her friendship.’

I laughed and chose not to reply, ignoring her misplaced cocky confidence when there should be respect and gratitude. I’d let it slide. After all, when Daisy had shown me Trisha’s memories, I had learned more about her in a few minutes than I was sure I’d have been able to in a month. I’d also seen the memory she had tried to obscure from me, the one of Trisha reading in the library.

I originally thought it was embarrassing information about Daisy, but now I knew better. She had been trying to hide something Trisha would prefer I didn’t know. Usually, withholding information from a Crown Prince would result in a criminal punishment, but I would allow it to slide. Because she was only trying to respect the wishes of her future Luna and Princess, and I still needed her help.

This revelation provided me with the perfect opportunity to begin getting my little mate acquainted with the world she had been fated to, simply by being my mate. A world it turns out, she was already secretly attracted to. Among the archives I had brought with me from the Royal library, I had brought some diaries converted into a form of novels.

They were from some of the most historic Lycan leaders. And with them, their epic love stories. Stories detailed much like an erotica fictional novel. Perfect material, to teach my princess without the pressures of reality crashing down around her.

‘Did you ever consider perhaps she isn’t as oblivious as we believe?’ Eon’s voice was uncharacteristically thoughtful.

*With her personality? She’d never stay quiet.*

‘And if you’re wrong? And she simply remains in denial?’

*You suggest she’s convinced herself that we are dreams or figments of her imagination?*

‘It’s a possibility. Why else would she be drawn to novels that speak of our kind, yet be too embarrassed to admit she likes them?’

I smiled at the thought as I watched Trisha begin wrestling Erik, who had playfully stolen her phone from her pocket. I had zoned out of the conversation while getting absorbed in my thoughts and my talk with Eon. I hoped Trisha hadn’t noticed. It was hard enough tolerating the bastard being around her.

When I first saw him sitting next to her, alone, a cold, visceral rage had washed over me, so potent it nearly blinded me. It had taken every ounce of my control, every shred of my training, to keep Eon from lunging across the table and tearing the vampire’s throat out. He was far too comfortable around her, his casual touches an affront that felt like a lit match dragged over my nerves. Every laugh they shared was a shard of glass in my heart. He was a parasite, a creature of the night who had no right to her light.

‘Done talking to your wolf? You’re lucky Erik is a vampire and helped distract her before she noticed. You must be more cautious, your grace.’

I acknowledged Daisy’s words with a curt nod. Then I continued eating my lunch as I watched Trisha successfully pin the vampire and strike a victory pose as she retrieved her phone. The fury inside me was hard to contain, let alone keep from showing outwardly on the surface. She stuck her tongue out at him, a playful, defiant gesture that sent a fresh spike of lust through me, so sharp it was painful.

It took great effort not to moan as Eon summoned erotic images in my mind once more of all the ways she could use that tongue on my body.

‘You can’t deny you want her…’

*No, but I don’t have to think of sex all the time!*

Eon chuffed, the sound a deep, rumbling vibration in my chest. This mate bond was indeed massively stronger than a typical one, deteriorating my defenses with a simple resistance to her pull for even the most mundane things. I was beginning to worry I wouldn’t win the bet between myself and my wolf. And I wondered how long it would be before the effects were too much for Trisha to handle.