Chapter Thirty-Six

Axel

She's nervous. Go take a shower with her, his wolf said.

Axel rolled his eyes and tugged out of his t-shirt, tossing it back into his duffle bag. "I'm glad you're not in control of this, or we'd end up with a rape charge and in jail."

He huffed. "She's your mate. There aren't too many ways, besides bullying her, that you could mess it up … and you know how that went."

Axel blocked out his wolf, not wanting to think about the ways he bullied her growing up. It was enough that she'd forgiven him, and thinking about it before he potentially marked her wouldn't get him in the mood.

He grabbed another shirt, slipped it on, and then some blankets and pillows from the closet in their room before walking toward the front door. He stopped cold when he noticed Demetria and Kerry in the kitchen. He couldn’t tell where one ended and the other one began. So, he slowly passed them and walked out the door, hopefully without disturbing them. They looked really busy.

Axel hopped into the bed of his truck and spread out the blankets, making sure everything was smooth and comfortable.

He hopped down, and walked back inside, noticing they weren't in the kitchen anymore and Demetria's bedroom door was shut. That didn't last long …

Claire stood in the doorway to their room, wringing her hands in a nervous manner, her face full of worry. Axel walked closer and offered her his hand. "No pressure."

She took his hand, letting him guide her toward the bed of his truck. She slipped into a pair of slippers by the front door, her heart beating erratically in her chest. Axel almost wished that he couldn’t sense her heartbeat because it seemed like an invasion of privacy.

He helped her into the bed of his truck, watching as she took in their pallet and sat down in the middle of the comforter he'd pulled out of the closet.

Axel slid in beside her and stared up at the night sky, feeling her lay down and take his hand. Her sweet scent skirted around him, making circles in the air, taunting him. "So Aunt Demetria and Kerry seem to be hashing it out in her room," she said into the silence.

He chuckled. "I saw them in the kitchen earlier. I’m just glad, even if she gives him hell, that she's giving him anything. He's been alone a long time."

Claire nodded and suddenly sat up and curled her knees to her chin. Axel leaned up on his elbow and glanced back at her. "What's the matter?"

She glanced over at him with her big hazel eyes. "I'm scared I'm going to be bad at this," she whispered.

Axel fought the urge to chuckle and turned around to sit on his knees. "Claire. There is nothing you can do wrong right now, okay? I know you're nervous, and like I said, we don't have to, but—"

Claire launched forward, knocking him on his back, and kissed him. Axel smiled into their kiss, fisted the back of her shirt, and interlaced his fingers on the nape of her neck.

She fit snugly on top of him, her soft scent a light to his blood, every ounce of her weight perfect against him. Her soft curves molded against his hardened body, pushing him closer to losing control. He hadn't expected her to match his pace, to need it as much as him, but she proved him wrong.

Unable to control her the way he needed, he turned her over to her back and wedged himself between her opened thighs.

Axel deepened their kiss, sliding his tongue against her bottom lip for entrance, requesting her permission to taste her the way he needed. Everything about her soft moans, the way she tugged at his hair, boiled over into a lustful hue that took control of him. A siren's song at sea.

He broke their kiss and leaned back against his shins; fisting his t-shirt, he took it off over his head, watching the way her gaze traveled down his abs. Her mouth turned into the shape of an o, and she bit her bottom lip slightly, nodding her head when he reached for the pull string of her pajama bottoms.

He'd never seen Claire in anything other than clothes and a towel, and he knew he'd engrave this moment into his memory forever.

Slowly, not to seem like he was rushing her, he tugged them down her pale thighs and brushed his fingertips over the soft cotton of her underwear. She grasped at the covers beneath them, her thighs tight against his, her nerves rolling through her like a rushing stream.

Axel leaned down again, this time softly pressing openmouthed kisses along her jaw, as his flat palm slid underneath her shirt, along her taunt stomach before helping her out of it.

A shiver raced over her, leaving goosebumps behind. "Are you cold?" he whispered.

She shook her head. "No."

He continued down her neck, biting and licking her until she began to wiggle beneath him, her fingernails digging into his skin, marking him the only way she could as a human.

She gasped when his fingertips slid over the outside of her underwear, curled the fabric into his palm, and pulled them down her thighs. He could see the blush even in the dim lighting of the night and that pink was his new favorite color.

"Axel," she whispered.

"Is this okay?" he asked.

"Yes."

Axel tugged off his own clothes while she unhooked her bra and crossed her arms over her chest. He didn't like it. He gripped her wrists and brought them above her head, aligning himself with her slick heat, he skimmed his teeth against her neck.

"I'm scared," she whispered, rocking her hips against him, making him hiss at the friction.

"We can stop," he said, even though he prayed she didn't want to.

"No," she nearly shouted. "I'm ready, I just want you to know to take it easy on me."

Axel nodded and let go of one of her wrist, guiding himself against her sleek heat. He nuzzled his mouth against her neck, feeling her nails dig into his deltoids in anticipation.

The point of Axel's teeth pressed against the throbbing vein in her neck, and Claire mumbled something that Axel couldn't understand because his wolf began to howl and make excited circles.

Claire nodded her head, giving Axel the confirmation he needed. All at once, the fevered rush of adrenaline took over, and he bit into her neck and slid past her resistance, causing her to arch her back and cry out.

His eyes blurred with lust, and every hair on his body stood on end. The feeling of her wrapped around him, her tightness milking him as he pulled out and pulsed back inward.

Axel licked the bite marks of her neck, tasting the salty aftermath of her blood on his tongue. Claire's soft sigh melted his insides, the pulse of her heartbeat melded with his, and everything around him disappeared beside the sound of the cicadas singing in the distance.

Claire's soft breaths warmed Axel's chest as she slept on him. They'd spent most of the night tangled together until she couldn't keep her eyes open any longer. He'd spent an endless amount of time examining the mark on her neck.

The crescent moon, with his howling wolf's silhouette, sparkled a deep blue on her pale skin. He loved everything about it and fought the urge to run his fingertips over it because she needed to sleep.

She'd be sore the next day, and she had work and class to worry about. Claire felt like heaven in his arms, wrapped around him in the most intimate way. He felt protective of her, more loving and dangerously aware that no one had ever made him feel that way.

He knew mates were different, but he hadn't anticipated how amazing she'd feel. She stirred when he reached for his phone when it buzzed but didn't wake. He glanced down at the text from his dad.

Dad: The lycan caught a student. Another girl is missing. I've lost track of him. The wolves said it's as if he disappeared into thin air.

Axel's spine stiffened, and he became fully aware that they were sitting ducks in the back of his truck.

He sensed Kerry standing on the porch, so he turned and saw the grim look on his face. His dad had reached out to him also; it was written all over his features. Axel gave him a nod and pulled Claire into his arms, slowly lowering himself down to carry her inside.

Suddenly, the beautiful starry night he'd watched for hours seemed to stare back at him.