Chapter 177 177
Aurélie POV
Where had that kiss been heading?
It had been so consuming, so charged with want, that I knew without doubt I would have let him take me right there against the table.
“I could very easily lose control with you, Aurélie,” Damien murmurs, his voice low, restrained. “I think we should let our wolves spend some time together… let them build something. I never did that before. I never let my wolf meet yours when you were my Luna.”
His forehead rests against mine, breath warm, steady.
“The borders are being watched by three different packs tonight. There’s no safer place.” A pause. “Will you shift with me?”
“I don’t want to be away from the children for long…” I admit. I want this desperately but I don’t want to stray too far from the house.
“We won’t,” he reassures me instantly. “I’ll mind-link Lucas and ask him to stay up until we return.”
His smile softens, almost apologetic.
“My wolf is desperate to hunt for you,” he adds quietly. “He wants to find you a meal. A peace offering.”
This time, shifting in front of Damien feels different. Easier.
We watch each other undress, neither pretending otherwise. My gaze lingers shamelessly over his defined torso, the hard lines of his abdomen and the strength beneath his skin. He doesn’t look away either especially not when I slide my bra and thong off last.
Last night, I’d been naked when he came to my aid, but I’d been caked in dried blood, so thick it might as well have been armour. There’s no mistaking his desire now.
His eyes flicker bright blue to storm-dark ocean as he takes me in.
He’s so utterly confident that it leaves me breathless.
Like a god carved from myth.
“You’re breathtaking, Aurélie,” he says quietly. “I can’t believe I was such a fuckwit.”
A laugh bursts from me, full and genuine.
“Was?” I tease, shoving his shoulders playfully before breaking into a run, shifting mid-stride.
His chuckle fades into the distance as I deliberately widen the gap, giving his wolf no chance to catch mine yet.
I run until my wolf grows bored of the game, of being the mouse that slips away.
She wants to be caught.
She slows as she reaches the small meadow we always use for hunting rabbits, game, whatever fate provides. His scent trails behind her, growing stronger, closer. The thrill of it makes her giddy, bouncing through the long grass like an overexcited pup.
Just before he reaches the clearing, she drops low, muscles coiling, ready to hunt the hunter.
I can feel her heart our heart pounding against the dry, muddy grass. Her excitement is almost enough to give her away.
Through the grass, I see him enter the meadow.
He drops instantly, knowing I’m there.
Waiting.
Wanting the chase just as much as I do.
We play for hours wolves colliding, rolling, feinting. Chasing mice. Rubbing against one another, deliberately mingling scents. Marking territory without teeth or blood.
The male instinct is unmistakable his wolf warning others away, announcing that this female is taken, even without a mark.
Any male foolish enough to challenge that claim would be warned.
Or killed.
Eventually, exhausted and satisfied, our wolves collapse into the grass and stare up at the moon full, radiant, at the height of her power.
As my wolf lowers her head, Damien’s rests his gently atop hers, his paws settling over mine.
We stay like that until the weight of the night finally claims us. A wide yawn escapes her, loud and unashamed.
With a soft nudge from his snout, we rise together and jog back toward the alpha house.
I shift the moment I spot our clothes where we left them, scattered across the patio stones. I bend to gather mine
and feel him behind me.
Too close.
His body presses into mine as I’m bent over, his presence unmistakable.
“Will you stay in my room tonight?” he asks, his voice smooth as velvet, hands tracing slowly up my spine before settling against my bare curves.
“No,” I answer immediately. “I need to hear the children if they wake up scared.”
I feel his disappointment in the slowing of his heartbeat, the way his breath shifts. I don’t need to turn around to know his shoulders have dropped.
“I need to be in my room,” I add, straightening and turning toward him, a smirk tugging at my lips. “But you can join me there.”
I take a step toward the house
and he stops me.
His hand grips my elbow, pulling me back. He steps in front of me, blocking my body completely with his own.
Possessive. Instinctive.
Confusing.
Until I realise why.
A low, warning growl vibrates through Damien’s chest as Lucas appears in the doorway.
And suddenly I’m very glad he stopped me from walking past naked.
“Night, Alphas,” Lucas grins shamelessly before disappearing back into the house.
Damien doesn’t move for a moment.
And neither do I.