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Chapter 31: Kiara

I

n the weeks following the ritual, the Gunnison area fell into the sleepy tranquility of recovery. The aftermath left all three packs in tatters, their numbers halved and a sense of security broken. Even with Lothair and the dragons gone, uncertainty in the fates of the packs left many wolves questioning whether it was worth staying in the home they’d always known when home had become tainted by so much death and loss. 

The Mythguard cleaned up the mess that David left behind. We were fortunate that he hadn’t made it into the town and attacked any humans, but there were still so many shifters whose deaths had to be explained to their human friends and family. A service was held for Sebastian Hicks and the other human operatives who had perished in the extermination attempts, and then each pack held its own funeral for those who were slain over the past couple of months. With the onset of October, cool autumn weather turned the atmosphere miserable and grey, the solemn mood settling over each and every one of us. It was difficult to feel relief when we all had someone to mourn.

Dalesbloom crumbled in the absence of David. Garrett, his Beta, had died the night of the ritual, leaving no leadership in place. Colt considered leaving the Gunnison area. He’d suggested that we move to a big city and try to build a new life there, leave his father’s legacy behind, and though I was willing to go anywhere with him, it was the other two Alphas who implored him to reconsider. Gavin and Everett insisted there had always been three packs in the Gunnison area, one pack for each town so that the territory could be protected equally among them, and if Colt didn’t stay, then they didn’t know if they could trust whoever took over Dalesbloom. Billie wanted him to stay—he was her brother, no matter what happened between them. They were family, and they still needed each other. Ultimately, Colt put off the idea of moving for now.

On a dark, rainy afternoon, Colt and I were still cleaning up the manor. With Hexen Manor left in his name, Colt was undecided on what to do with it yet. So we went room by room and organized what was there, cleaning and purging anything we didn’t need, sifting through his father’s documents to get a better idea of what business he was involved in—and what we might expect to encounter following his death. Along with the manor, Colt inherited all of David’s outstanding debts and arrangements for illicit products moving through the towns. He didn’t know how he was going to pay everything off, except for possibly selling the manor. I had no problem with that. The only memories I had of this foreboding house were of being kidnapped and held hostage within it.

We’d been sifting through papers in David’s office, loading documents into boxes, when Colt finally stood up and sighed. “We’ve been at this for hours,” he said. “I think I need a break.”

Sitting in David’s chair, I looked up across the desk at him. Colt was looking better these days. Healthier. Colt maintained his hair in an Ivy League style cut left somewhat haphazard today, strands of black hair in messy tufts that looked far more attractive than when he styled it for a day at the office. His blue eyes looked brighter behind dark-rimmed glasses that he wore more often. Despite the leanness of his body, the muscular definition in his arms was hard to ignore, his chest becoming broader as he doubled down on his exercise regimen. Blue jeans and a black t-shirt made his appearance simple and equally as intellectual as he was attractive. He caught me gazing at him and threw me a charming smile.

Butterflies erupted in my stomach. It was so easy to feel like I was falling in love with him over and over again.

“You look like you’re thinking about something,” he said, planting his hands on the desk. “What is it?”

I was briefly distracted by the rugged appeal of his knuckles, and then the scar crossing the bridge of his nose. Leaning back in the chair, I brushed my fingers through my hair, took out my ponytail, and reconstructed it, my short hair already on its way to growing back out. “Just what I’d rather be doing instead of going through your dad’s boring paperwork.”

“And what’s that?”

I produced a little smile for him, propping up my chin on my palm. If he really wanted to know what I was thinking, he could just probe the telepathic connection of our marked bond, but I knew he was just being coy. “Why don’t you come around this side of the desk and find out?”

Colt wasted no time rounding the desk, standing above me and craning his neck to catch me in a long kiss. He bent over me, sliding his hand along my side and down under my thigh, coaxing me to my feet, but only so that he could maneuver me against the desk. Parting my legs, he nestled himself between my thighs and lifted my ass up onto the desk, pressing in as close as he possibly could until I felt him bulging against my groin. It was a regular occurrence that we became distracted by each other’s bodies, especially when left to our own devices in the manor. But we still had yet to have sex. All this time, we’d just been getting to know one another, but today I wanted him in a way I’d never had him before.

While he lavished my neck in kisses, I pushed a hand under his shirt and used the other to play with his belt buckle, unzipping his jeans and fondling the erection hidden in his boxers. He groaned against my neck and bucked against my hand, asking for more. As I took the length of his cock in my palm, he ensnared my lips and pushed me down onto the desk, knocking everything off of it in the process. Colt’s breathing grew harder and heavier as he thrust into my hand, only to slip his fingers between my plush labia, rubbing me outside of my leggings. Excitement spiked through my body as I craved to feel more. “Take off my leggings,” I murmured between kisses.

Colt obediently pulled my leggings off, taking my thong with them. I sat up and pulled off my blouse while he stripped off his jeans and t-shirt, then he stopped me from removing my bra, electing to do it himself while he planted kisses on the side of my neck. Within seconds, we were both naked and sprawled across his father’s desk, relishing the heat of skin-to-skin contact. At the touch of his head between my lips, I shuddered, already so wet that it would have been easy for him to dive inside.