I know this took forever to get posted. I went through many rounds of writer's block and multiple drafts before I was satisfied with this one. Thanks so much to all of you who e-mailed me. I really do appreciate it and it gets me motivated to work. Thanks for reading!
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Two Months Ago
Glorious sunshine rained down upon Julia as she lay back on a large checkered blanket, staring at the fluffy clouds that traveled across the sky over the clearing. This was her favorite thing to do when she had time off from the administrative work she helped her pack with. Nothing made her long for the outdoors more than sitting in her tiny office/closet pouring over order forms for chicken breasts and light bulbs. How she got stuck doing the ordering and shipping for the pack she didn't really know, but it wasn't her main concern right now. Because today was Friday, and Friday meant only having to work until noon. Regularly it also meant she could sneak away from the pack's estate and do whatever she felt like for six or eight hours.
So from the time she got off of work until now, she had spent her afternoon lounging on the ground beside a thirty-foot waterfall in the nature reserve. She had always loved the mist that hovered around the small lake; it was brisk and refreshing. Plus the constant rumbling due to the cascading water soothed her in a way that helped clear her head when she was making tough choices. Like after her mom died and she made the decision to stay at home instead of going to college like her sisters or the few days after she met Connor and had to make the choice to betray her father by seeing him again.
Today she was contemplating pushing that betrayal even further. Over the past couple hours she had come to the conclusion that she was going to sleep with Connor, and she was going to do it today. They'd been seeing each other intensely for about two months. As often as they could manage they'd sneak off to be together, usually meeting up at the nature reserve because it was neutral territory. It only took them a day to start kissing each other, and only five to start intimately touching each other. But Connor was well aware of Julia's virginal status and was cautious to push her any further.
So Julia knew that it would be up to her to get things started. Unfortunately, her sisters cast a shadow over sex after they lost their virginities in high school. They went on and on about how awkward it was and how they had been sore for days after. They bitched about it constantly, saying that the three minutes it lasted wasn't worth three days of soreness. Cilia had even told her that at first the guy couldn't fit, and they had to keep trying over a span of days before they managed to do the deed. Soon after, he'd dumped her and moved on to another girl who didn't have her 'difficulties'.
Her sisters had done a solid job of freaking her out enough to get her to overlook the sexual aspect of her life all together, and she'd happily ignored it until Connor came along. Now thoughts of sex with Connor consumed her and made her warm and tingly all over. She couldn't get her mind off of it, and the more she thought about it, the greater her yearning for him became.
She had called Connor from her cell phone, and he was on his way to the nature reserve. He had just finished a meeting with his father, and was going to change into more comfortable clothes before driving over to meet her. Julia was excited, anxious, elated, and nervous to the point of being sick all at the same time. Every snap of a twig or rustling of a bush made her jump in anticipation. It had been thirty minutes since she called him, and she felt the weighted angst of every passing minute. She contemplated calling him again, to make sure he was on his way, but every time she grabbed her cell phone she'd throw it back into her purse before punching in his number.
She'd never lost her cool like this before. She was the level headed one in their relationship, always managing to hide how deep her feelings for Connor truly went. He knew she loved and cared for him, but he had no idea that just being around him made her giddy to the point of euphoria or that when he kissed her time seemed to stop.
He was truly mate-worthy material. If she had to choose one male to have babies with, share her thoughts and emotions with, it was going to be him. Even more, she was starting to think he might be her destined mate, the one 'true love' that each lycanthrope apparently had someone in the world. She used to read about destined mates in the books given to her as a child, but she had always brushed that off as make believe like the Disney stories for human children. Apparently they were real, and she had one.
In the stories, the joining of destined mates was a powerful thing, and the pair actually shared a vital part of their soul with one another. While normal mates would be uncomfortable if separated before they could finish both mating ceremonies, destined mates could actually die if kept apart for too long after the initial bonding steps. It's like they gave away their hearts and then had to wait for a transplant.
Julia had already given her whole heart to Connor, and she was pretty sure he was more than willing to give her his in return. That was why she was determined to be with him. It was more than just a sexual lust for his deliciously sculpted body; it was a driving need that screamed in her mind and pulled at her core to make him hers. Even the wolf within her craved a sexual connection with Connor. It was like her inner beast recognized his, and wanted it just as much as she wanted the man. She almost felt like howling when she thought of their naked bodies grinding against each other. Julia was already getting herself work up over the thought of them being together. She needed to relax.
A breeze blew through the small clearing and rustled her hair, tickling her bare shoulders exposed by the green halter top she was wearing. The cool, flowing air did a lot to calm her. Right now she wasn't acting like a graceful wolf, but a puppy impatiently waiting for her owner to come home. If she let her feelings get the best of her, she'd most likely pounce on Connor the moment she sensed him and lick all over his face.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, concentrating on the feel of the warm earth supporting her body. She inhaled slowly and held it for a few seconds before exhaling, willing her other half to calm as well. She repeated that over and over until all other sounds dropped away but the steady rhythm of her breath and the beating of her heart. Her pulse started to slow, and her muscles started to loosen. Tension drained from her body and she allowed herself to just drift in a state of semi-consciousness.