Chapter 272 You

Chapter 272 You
Aria's pov
When our truck pulls up our long, winding driveway, a crowd of our pack members is already waiting outside our house.
I don't know what story my father told them when he made Caleb the Alpha and left, nor do I know how much my brothers know, but the moment I step down, the entire pack welcomes me back warmly.

I don't miss the subtle, curious sniffs, nor the whispers, nor do I miss the absolute shock that washes over their faces when Kael steps up beside me and takes my hand. My father's Beta is the very first person to speak to me.

"Welcome home, Aria."

I smile, feeling the tension in my chest ease.

"Now come on inside, let me fill that big tummy of yours. They made food," Elias slings an arm around my shoulders and ushers me inside the house.

A few hours later, after showering, changing into a soft cotton sundress, and doing my absolute best to mingle and answer endless questions about why I returned home early, I find myself searching for just one person. 

Kael. 

I follow his rich scent through the side doors and out toward the backyard, where I spot him sitting on a wooden bench beside Caleb. Caleb has a shock-stricken, pale look on his face and the second he spots me approaching, he looks between me and Kael in utter disbelief, before quickly standing up and walking back into the house without saying a word. 

Kael had clearly revealed something to him about our bond, I will set my brother straight later.

I smile as I walk up to Kael, noticing how uncomfortable he looks, as if he isn't entirely sure where he fits into this world. 

"Do you want to get out of here?" 

He sets his bottle of beer down on the grass and reaches out, catching my wrist and pulling me down into his lap. 

"If it's a place where I can finally get you naked, then please, yes," he murmurs against my neck.

I grin as he stands up, setting me back on my feet, and I lead him around the side of the house toward the thick tree line we drive in from. 

"I have always loved these woods and used to dream of running through them when I finally shifted," I tell him, turning to face him as we cross into the shade of the pines.

Without breaking eye contact, I reach up and pull my dress straight over my head, smiling as his eyes flashes, slowly sweeping over every inch of my bare skin. I raise a playful eyebrow at his silence.

"Ohhh, you want to run? Okay, okay." 

He starts pulling off his clothes fast like an eager school boy.

I laugh as I watch him. I still can't get over the way he looks at me…..as if I’m the most beautiful, precious thing he had ever seen. The moment he is naked, I turn and run straight into the woods. I shift mid-stride, feeling the glorious rush of my wolf taking over, and a second later, I hear the thunderous paws of his beast behind me. We run through the woods together, chasing wild rabbits through the undergrowth and leaping over fallen logs in pure, freedom. I never thought I would ever experience this level of happiness, but being here with him here, I feel completely fulfilled.

I don't know how long we played in the woods before I led him toward my favorite place in the entire world. Shifting back, I look up at the fire lookout tower. The place I do come to to escape from everyone else. Now it’s our place. I had always imagined bringing him here like I brought my imaginary Kael during isolation.

We climb up the stairs all the way to the top. The sun is already setting as I look out, and Kael stands beside me looking out too.

"This is my favorite place," I whisper softly.

"I know. You showed me before."

I turn around, frowning up at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"

“In isolation. The first time it happened I took you to my favorite place and that was when I understood you were always meant for me,” Kael says, pulling me towards him.

My eyes widen in disbelief. All those times I thought I was simply hallucinating or imagining his presence to survive the dark... it was actually him. All of our deep conversations, all of those tender moments with my imaginary Kael... was actually the real Kael?

"How is that even possible?" I breathe.

"I know, right? Who knows what else we can do,” Kael says. “But we can figure that out another time, because right now, for the love of all that is holy, please touch me, Aria, before I go completely mad."

I laugh before I reach up and wrap my arms around his neck, pulling his head down to meet my lips in a gentle kiss. But Kael has zero intention of being gentle, he immediately devours my mouth, deepening the kiss with a fierce, ravenous passion until I can barely breathe and I match his wild pace as my own desire catches fire. We have survived war, found each other against all impossible odds and yet here we are….whole, and together.

He scoops me up without breaking our kiss, carrying me further into the fire tower. He releases my lips for a brief second to glance over my shoulder and a triumphant grin breaks across his face.

I know what he sees.

The mattress I had placed there, beddings and my reading hook. 

He drops me onto the mattress, hovering over me with hunger in his eyes. "Now... you can scream as loud as you want, baby. I have no plans of letting you out of this tower for a very long time."

More waves of intense, liquid heat pool deliciously between my legs, and Kael's grins as he feels how completely shameless my body is for him. He trails slow kisses down my body, his hot breath fanning across my skin as he descends toward my center. My breathing turns ragged when his hands grip my thighs, spreading me wide as he sinks his face between my legs, swiping his tongue across my swollen, dripping flesh in one long, devastating stroke. 

A loud, helpless moan rips from my throat, my hips lifting off the mattress, but he just chuckles, spreading my legs wider, before sliding two long fingers deep inside my wet heat while his mouth latches onto my swollen clit.

Then he proceeds to make me scream as loud as I possibly can into the setting sun.

I don't know what the future holds or what new storms are waiting for us in this world, but as his body merges with mine, I know one thing with absolute certainty.

I will always have Kael Darius Blackthorn.

The End