All Chapters of Feral Hearts Book 1: Awakening the Feral: Chapter 21 - Chapter 29

The moment Aaron spoke, the entire clearing went still.Not loudly.Not dramatically.Just the quiet, instinctive shift that happened when an Alpha entered a situation and everyone else suddenly remembered their place.Aaron looked calm.Too calm.Which was somehow worse."Is there a problem here?" he asked again.His voice wasn't raised.It didn't need to be.Isabella recovered first.Of course she did.Her posture straightened slightly as she turned toward him, that same polished Luna smile settling easily back into place."Not at all, Alpha," she said smoothly. "I was simply speaking with our guest."Guest.The word sat between us like something sharp. Aaron's gaze shifted to me. I held it because I wasn't stupid enough to look away. Something unreadable flickered in his dark eyes before he looked back at Isabella."Xavier is here under my authority," Aaron said evenly.The words were simple, but the weight behind them rolled across the clearing like distant thunder. Several wolves

The path continued to narrow until it was barely more than a break in the underbrush.I pushed through a cluster of low branches, ignoring the way my ribs protested, and stepped into a small clearing tucked between towering pines. Moss carpeted the ground, thick and soft, and a fallen log cut across the space like nature had built a bench just for us.The rest of the patrol was gone.Just forest and myself.And Aaron.I leaned back against the fallen log, catching my breath as I awaited his prompt arrival. It wasn't like I had gotten miles ahead in my current state, only about a moment or two so I knew he'd be appearing at any second.Like clockwork, Aaron emerged through the brush a moment later, dark hair slightly disheveled from the branches. His gaze immediately dropped to my side."You're slowing down." He observed. "I'm admiring the scenery," I shot back.His eyes narrowed."Your ribs reopened just a few days ago, Xavier.""They're fine." I couldn't help the eye roll. Aaron st

The knock came just as I was dragging my jacket off the floor, the one I'd thrown there after the patrol ended."Who...?" I muttered, glancing toward the door.Before I could finish, the door swung open, and there she was. Fiorella, grinning like she owned the place, a small woven basket clutched in her hands."I came to make sure you're not dead yet," she said, stepping inside without waiting for an invitation. "Can't have the pack's new wolf keeling over before dinner."I froze for a moment, caught between irritation and amusement. "Lucky me," I muttered. "You're my only fan.""Fan?" She rolled her eyes, dumping the basket onto the counter. "More like the only one willing to check on you. Aaron's too busy glaring at the forest to care."I frowned at that, but a smirk tugged at my lips. Typical Fiorella. Always a mix of blunt honesty and teasing. She had this way of saying things that made you either laugh or groan... sometimes both at the same time.She wandered further inside, insp

The thoughts didn't just float around me anymore; they pulled me under. I saw Aaron's jaw tight with restraint, the vein in his neck throbbing where I wanted to bite. I saw those massive, calloused hands of his hovering over me, afraid to touch, afraid to break me, but aching to do exactly that.Control. He has so much control.And that was the worst part. That was what made the heat pool in my stomach until it was a heavy, aching weight I couldn't ignore.My hand slipped beneath the water, not shaking this time, but guided by a desperate, traitorous instinct. I wrapped my fingers around my cock, the water slick and warm, contrasting sharply with the sudden, sharp fire of my own touch.I was so soft there. So small in contrast to him. Or at least to what I imagined from the brief moments I've been blessed with the feeling of his bulge briefly pressed against me during sparrings. My imagination betrayed me, filling in the gaps with vivid, impossible clarity. I imagined him standing ov