I woke up to a slow burn baking the insides of my lower belly. Grayson's chest pushed against my bare back. His arm left a searing trail where it laid against my side leading to his hand, which was cupping my breast. The more I woke up, the hotter the blaze inside me burned until I felt my pupils dilate and my wolf brushed against the inside of my mind, bursting my body into a fiery inferno.
I finally understood why they called this the heat. It wasn't like this before. My last cycle I felt agitated and restless, but I was able to have rational thoughts and my body never felt like it was melting. But now, with my mate's scent seeping into my nostrils, I couldn't contain myself.
I rolled over and pushed Grayson to his back. His eyes popped open when I straddled his lap. They darken to the nearly black shade I love so much as he takes me in. I can imagine how wild I must look, naked, eyes dilated, panting and grinding on him with my hair falling wildly around my shoulders and down to my waist.
He starts a slow pursuit of my body, starting at my hands that are braced on his pectoral muscles, smoothes his hands up my arms, over my collar bone, and down to my breasts. He cups each one, testing the weight and feel, before brushing his thumbs over my taut nipples. They harden even more and I push my breasts into his hands. They feel heavy and ache with need. His hands slide down my stomach, making me whimper and grind harder onto his fully erect cock. His touch somehow extinguishes the fire burning inside of me while simultaneously stoking it back up to a scorching heat.
His hand stills just bellow my belly button and he flattens his palm. His lips twitch, then spread to a full smile, one that I can't help but to mimic. I know what he's thinking, but he tells me anyway in a deep whisper. "I'm going to put a baby in there," he says, stroking the smooth skin and making me groan.
He pulls me down and sweetly rubs his nose over mine. He presses his forehead to mine as he looks deeply into my eyes. I try to pull away, whimpering and frantically rubbing myself against him, but he pulls me back by my neck roughly with my slight growl. I submit, resting my head against his and locking my eyes on his. The connection makes are bond flare to life. His emotions run into mine. Hope, arousal, but most of all, love.
He's in love with me.
He hasn't said it yet, but I haven't said it to him yet either though I have known with certainty for a few days. Neither of us needs to say it when it shines so brightly through our bond.
Grayson takes my lips for one sweet, loving kiss before dropping his face to nuzzle into where my shoulder meets my neck. He takes a deep audible breath and the atmosphere of the room changes instantly.
He growls, rolling us over and then flipping me onto my stomach. His wolf emerges as he pulls my hips up and slams into me, making me cry out. He pauses, fighting with his humanity to make sure I'm okay, but when I push back into him, he transforms. His shape is still very human, but it is obvious that his wolf has taken over completely on the inside.
My human side submits to the inner shift as well and I growl. Grayson's hands are everywhere, running up my back, gripping my hips, pinching my tight nipples, flicking my clit. He pounds on and on, not stopping when I come the first time or the second. Finally, as my third orgasm melts into a forth, I feel his cock spurting hot semen deep inside me. Exhausted, we both roll over and burrow into each other before falling asleep.
~
We woke, only to have wild animalistic sex over and over again and falling back asleep. Someone kept us supplied with water and snacks by leaving a tray outside the attic door, but other than that, we had no connection to the pack for three days.
When we awoke on the forth day, the burn was gone. Grayson pulled me close and nuzzled into my neck. "It's over," he whispered into my hair, "Welcome back."
I smiled and rolled over to face him. He gave me a boyishly happy grin while placing his palm on my lower abdomen. My smile faded. "I might not get pregnant this time," I warned him, my voicing sounding sad even to me.
"Then we get to try again," he said, punctuating his statement with a kiss. "And again," kiss, "and again," kiss, "and again..."
"Okay, okay!" I laughed, "I get it! Let's go take a shower and make sure the pack didn't kill each other."
All was well with in the pack. We congratulated not just one, but two newly mated couples. River wore his mark proudly, while Bug ducked her head and smiled shyly when Grayson pretended to be disturbed by the thought of his sister and best friend together.
The other couple was Iris and our newest pack member, Niko. I don't know what I expected from him, but I never guess he would be this big, hairy, bear of a man. Shorter than Grayson, but just as wide, with an unruly mop of curly black hair and an even more unruly black beard, he looks like the definition of a mountain man. It is almost comical to see Iris, with her honey blonde hair and petite features, sitting on his lap and gazing up at him adoringly.
I watch them for a moment, completely intrigued by this odd couple. She whispers something to him, her lips brushing his ear with every word. His mouth quirks up at the corner forming a small smirk, the only expression on his otherwise stoic face. His hand travels from the spot low on her back to the hem of her short dress, which is bunched up around the tops of her thighs. His hand sneaks in and I watch as it makes contact with her ass and she grinds into him. It is strangely erotic to witness their intimacy.
They untangle themselves as we get closer and get up to great us. "Hello, Alpha Grayson. Thank you for requesting my transfer," Niko said, surprising me when he spoke with a very strong Russian accent.
"You have my mate to thank for that one," Grayson replied with a smile, throwing his arm around my waist and pulling me in tight. "I don't think anyone from the Harbor Springs pack realized the extent of your relationship. I see congratulations are in order."
Iris stepped in then, to give me a quick hug and a whispered "thank you" in my ear. "Niko, this is Clara, Grayson's mate."
Later, when we are alone, I ask Grayson about this mysterious Niko, "So he is a transfer from Russia?"
Grayson takes a pull of his beer and props his feet up on the rail of the deck where we are relaxing and enjoying the sunset. "Yep. His whole family. There are six of them in total in Harbor Springs. That's one of the reasons he wasn't added to the transfer list."
I nod, understanding. Most wolves spend their entire lives in one pack. Occasionally, they switch packs once, but switching more than that is frowned upon. They get called pack hoppers, wanderers, nomads, or the worst, deserters.
"My Dad spoke openly with him. He admitted that he was planning on mating with Iris and the move changed his plans. We all thought it would be for the best if he switched with one of our pack members. Eric, one of our youngest males, was having a hard time without his family. He was eager to go back and offered when he heard that we trying to get Niko. This all happened because of you. An Alpha is in charge of his pack's happiness. This is why you are the other half of my soul."
His pride and love showed through the bond. "Things will be interesting between Niko and Griffin," I said.