Chapter 16 Chapter 16
Once Rey’s shift was over guarding the borders, he rushed home to freshen up and went looking for Suki, who was picking herbs in the forest to help top up the witches’ resources.
He knelt behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Hey, beautiful,” he murmured in her ear, nuzzling into her neck.
She closed her eyes and hummed, leaning into his warmth, “Hey.” She sniffed, “Is that a new cologne?”
“Do you like it? It’s too strong, isn’t it? I grabbed it accidentally because I was rushing to see you. It was a gift and I–”
Turning to face him, “Relax,” she tittered, “this is a nice scent, but I love your usual scent, probably because I’m so used to it and know that when I smell it, I know you’re close. I know I’m safe.” She placed a hand on his cheek and smiled.
Rey smiled. “Can I help you here?”
“Actually, I’m all finished up, but do you want to join me to drop them off before we head out?” She asked, pushing herself to stand. “Maybe we should stop off at mine so I can change my outfit before we head out for dinner,” she said, dusting her trousers, slightly dirtied from the forest.
Rey chuckled, “Of course, I’d love to join.”
✧ ✧ ✧
The two went to their favourite place for dinner, a Japanese restaurant that was heavily underrated in the pack, but they didn’t care because it meant it was all the more special for them.
Keeping in the corner, they were laughing and chatting about anything and everything, just as they always had growing up together.
“You should really try this spicy tuna roll,” Rey said, picking it up with his chopsticks.
Suki whined, “How spicy is it, though?”
“Not too spicy for you, I promise,” he held it in front of her.
At first, she hesitated, but then she leaned forward and let him place the sushi in her mouth. She savoured the flavour and exhaled, “Oh my, that’s delicious!”
“Told you,” he chuckled.
“Okay, try this salmon gravlax, the truffle sauce is to die for,” she fed him a piece and watched his joy in the explosion of flavours.
“Oh, we’re ordering another one of those.”
“It’s amazing, right?” she giggled, then cleared her throat. “I’m having a really good time with you,” she smiled, softly dragging her foot against his leg.
Mirroring her smile, “Me too.”
They both enjoyed their moment of bliss and warmth together, staring into each other’s eyes and feeling even more connected than ever. If only they could stay in that moment forever, Suki knew they both wanted exactly that.
“So, was there any update on that report you sent earlier?” Suki asked, picking up another piece of sushi and dipping it in soy sauce.
Rey shook his head, “They couldn’t find anything suspicious in the area, but they’ve made note of it. What was it you saw?”
She grimaced, “Well,” she mumbled, “technically I heard a sound and saw bushes rustling, but the main thing that concerned me was the scent.”
“Oh?” His brows rose as he asked, “What was the scent?”
She sighed, “That’s the thing, it wasn’t a werewolf, I know that for sure. Even werewolves who haven’t come of age still have a distinctive scent, but this scent was… lacking.”
“Lacking how?” Rey placed his chopsticks down.
Dipping her chopstick into the soy sauce and placing it in her mouth, she chewed on it hesitantly for a moment. “Like it was lacking the wolf part.”
He blinked a few times. “Ki, are you saying you smelt–”
“I don’t know, maybe,” she interrupted, then spoke quietly, “I don’t know what humans smell like, but it smelled partially like a werewolf without the wolf part…”
Reynard shook his head, “It should be impossible for humans to even get close to a pack’s borders.”
“I know, and it’s not a lot to go on, and I might sound crazy, but–”
“Hey, no,” he took hold of her hand and squeezed it, “nothing you say is crazy. If that’s what you think you smelled back in the forest, then that’s good enough for me. I can give this extra information to my superiors tomorrow, and we can look into it more. I’m glad you told me.”
Suki squeezed his hand back, “Me too.”
After dinner, Rey didn’t even have to offer to take Suki home; it was something he had always done. He would always take care of his best friend and now mate, and there was no way he wouldn’t do that after a special date with her.
The drive home was quick, but Suki wasn’t ready for the night to be over yet. “Mildred made chocolate cake today, the ones with cherries that you love. Do you want to come in for a slice and hang out for a little longer?”
“I’d love to.”
They got out of the car, and Suki swallowed down the lump in her throat, knowing that she couldn’t avoid telling Rey the truth any longer.
✧ ✧ ✧
“Wait… You want to go on dates with both of us?” Reynard’s voice was a mixture of confusion and pain with just a twinge of annoyance. He sat on her bed, leaning back on his elbows.
In her walk-in wardrobe, with the door slightly ajar, Suki spoke quietly, “Yeah…” She gathered her hair together and tied it into a low bun. “I know it’s not ideal,” she said, stripping into her underwear and slipping on a silk dressing gown before rummaging through her clothes to find some comfortable clothes to put on, “but I think it’s the healthiest option for now. I don’t want to do this for long, but maybe spending more time with both of you can give us answers as to why the Moon Goddess gave me two mates.”
“We’ve spent the majority of our lives together, Ki.” There was a lingering tone of hurt in Rey’s voice, one that plunged an emotional dagger into Suki’s heart.
“I know, and that’s so important – you are so important – to me, you know that.” She pulled out a pair of shorts and rummaged for a hoodie. “I mean more personally and intimately–” she gasped as the door swung open and Rey appeared right in front of her in an instant.
Rey moved his face so close to hers, his eyes locked onto her eyes, and rested one hand on the wall behind her. “Intimately? What do you mean?”
“Oh, not intimate like that.” She felt flustered with him so close. She looked to the ground, realising she had dropped her shorts and her dressing gown was on the verge of opening to reveal her underwear. Looking back at Rey, wondering if he’d noticed, she continued, “My mind hasn’t changed about what I want. I still want my first time to be with my mate once I’m marked, I promise.”
His eyes glistened as his subtle anger dissipated. “I’m sorry,” he sighed, “this is hard for me, seeing you have a pull towards someone else as well as me.”
Resting a hand on the back of his neck, she encouraged him closer. “I wish this hadn’t happened, but you have to wonder why it’s happening too, right?”
After a short pause, he nodded. “Yeah, the Moon Goddess must have her reasons.”
“And we’ll find out what that is together, this is why I told you this. I don’t want to hide anything from you.”
“Alright, I’ll support your choice. I trust you, Ki.” He placed a hand on her waist. Then, a realisation of where he was sunk in. His eyes widened, flickering between hers. “You’re,” he swallowed thickly, “you’re not dressed yet,” he said, yet his gaze didn’t gravitate down.
“No, not yet,” she said softly, blushing.
“I’m sorry,” he turned around and stepped away, “I didn’t think, I got annoyed and jealous thinking about Brendan touching you, of him–”
“Hey,” she interrupted him, placing a hand on his shoulder, “I would be the same if the roles were reversed.” Her cheeks burned more as she added, “You know, you can look… if you want.”
Rey huffed a half-laugh, “Don’t tempt me, Ki. My imagination of what I want to do to you is already bad enough; seeing you any closer to being naked might tip me over the edge.”
“What if I want you to look?” The heat travelled from her cheeks through her entire body.
“Suki…”
She couldn’t help herself, even with her desire to stick to her rules and beliefs; she still craved Rey’s touch, especially when she knew he was holding back his own urges. Stepping next to him, Suki looked up at him and waited for him to look at her. When he did, she grabbed the rope of her dressing gown and tugged it gently to break the knot, revealing just a little more of her black underwear.