Chapter 194

Cedric POV

The howling begins. It sounds far off in the distance. Peter wasn't wrong. My wolf is itching to come forward, pushing against me. I remind him that I am in control and that he cannot shift until the Alpha permits us to go after our mate. He grumbles in my head, "She's out there and she's mine." I chuckle softly to myself. He's always been a bit overprotective and randy. He wants to meet Constance's wolf. He never had that chance with our previous mate; she had no wolf. He had loved her nonetheless, but this will be different. He will get to be intimate with his mate this time around. While I had been with plenty of women, he hadn't been with anyone in that way. He had no desire to have sex with another wolf, and the older we got, the angrier he became. This should level him out. I remind him to be patient, that Constance may or may not be our mate. "She is," he says. "I know it." I just shake my head and tune him out as the Alpha talks about something that I've clearly missed most of.

"You will all be left to your own devices tonight. Patrols will be out, but they will leave you be, unless they see something that appears to be aggressive happening. We do not permit rape in this pack. If your mate says she does not want to have sex tonight, out in the open, you respect her. Not all females are open to mating in the woods, and it's a good chance that the younger ones will be less likely to engage openly. Remember, many of these she-wolves are virgins and have saved themselves for their mate. You should feel honored if yours has done so; it doesn't happen a lot anymore. Give respect and she will give you more than you ever dreamed of," he says.

I hadn't really thought about Constance being a virgin. I honestly didn't care, but now that he says that, I think back to our conversations. She had never had a boyfriend, never wanted to date anyone. She had traveled extensively but was busy with her studies. She told me that back then, she had been buried in books and studies. Connie and I had kissed once. Now that I think of it, she had seemed shy about it at first. But then, she slipped her arms around my neck, pressed her small but firm breasts against my chest, and I nearly lost my mind. I had pushed her up against the wall, dragged her legs around my waist, and kissed her like a man dying. Our tongues had tangled and danced, her hands pressed into my back, nails digging in as I grinded my hard cock against her core, and she had moaned my name out, and it was ecstasy. Connie, always in control, had slowly pulled away and set her legs on the floor. "Not yet, Cedric," she had said. "I'm not ready yet." I had respected that, but it had not occurred to me that she was a virgin. Now my stomach danced with anxiety. Shit. I'm an asshole, was now running through my head.

"Alright, men, go find your mates," Alpha Dean roared. I stood momentarily as the men around me shot out of there like the devil was chasing them. I sauntered to the edge of the trees, stripped down, as many others did around me, then shifted into my wolf. My wolf rolled his neck like he was preparing for a fight, then flew into the night through the trees, his nose working furiously to seek out his mate's scent.

We had been searching the woods for quite some time. The moon was now directly overhead at its highest point. We could hear howling as others found their mates, and on occassion we heard grunts of passion coming from the bushes nearby. Anytime we got wind of that, we skirted away from them and went in another direction. "What's taking you so long?" I joked with my wolf. He snorted and ignored me, his nose now sniffing into the night air. Suddenly, my wolf whipped his head to the left and bolted through the trees. We came upon a small clearing. There stood Constance, in her human form, naked as the day she was born. She stood with her face raised to the moon, arms raised, bathed in the moonlight. She was whispering, praising the moon goddess for all her blessings.

"Sorry, big guy," I told my wolf as I took over and shifted into my human form. "She's waiting for me." He snorted in my head in response, but didn't argue. I walked slowly towards Constance, trying not to startle her. She slowly lowered her arms and turned toward me, a smile lighting her face. "Mate," we both said simultaneously.

"It is possible," I whispered, fighting back tears. I didn't cry, but I wanted to this once. I was so overcome with emotion that the Goddess bestowed upon me a second chance at a mate. Never had I thought it was possible until that day weeks ago when Constance walked out of the clinic, a stunned feeling hitting me. "I didn't want to scare you," I told Constance as I slowly walked towards her.

"I felt your presence before you even came through the trees," she answered. "My wolf said you were near."

"Connie," I choked. "You're breathtaking. Standing there in the moonlight, you're a Goddess yourself." I now stood in front of her, and lifted a hand to push back her hair that hung loosely to her shoulders. She rarely wore it to work, considering her profession. She said it was in the way, and if someone came in bleeding, she didn't want to get it all bloody. She was so beautiful, her pale skin shimmering in the moonlight, her hair reflecting moonbeams, glowing in her chestnut-colored hair.

My dark skin was a huge contrast to her pale skin, and I pressed my palm to her cheek. "I'm honored you're my mate, Cedric," she said with a smile. "I never thought I'd have one, to be honest. You are something special, though," she leaned in and pressed her lips to mine. The softest, sweetest kiss I'd ever received. It was as if electricity coursed through my body at the touch. I couldn't hold back the moan. She pulled back and smiled. We were still standing just inches from each other, my palm resting on her cheek. Her palm now splayed against my chest, her hand looking small against my muscled torso.

I swallowed. "God I want you so bad," I said without thinking. "I don't want to scare you, but I've wanted you since we first met. You make me feel alive again, Connie. I want to be with you every minute. I think I knew you were going to be the one for me, but I didn't want to trust it, after already having lost so much."

Connie studied me, then stepped into me and wrapped her arms around my neck. She was now pressed firmly against me, and I could feel her warmth mixing with mine. "Cedric, make love to me," she breathed, before pushing her mouth to mine.