Timber Hollow, page 16
"I'm going for a run, and I'm glad you came."
Ivy merely nods in return, brushing her hand down my arm as I walk away, returning to her conversation with Dante. It seems like everyone is sufficiently distracted. My steps are quiet as I skirt the edge of the house, around to the front. I could go inside, hide under the covers until dawn, I could strip and sprint through the trees…or…
The Stingray is right there. I could leave. Start it up and disappear like smoke. My fingertips tremble, indecision rippling through me.
19
Shut up, Jay
The wind shifts, bringing with it the smells of the forest. Breathing it in, I calmly walk over to the Stingray, parked next to Jay's pretty blue GT. The door barely makes a sound as I open it up, dropping my phone on the driver's seat. My clothes are tossed in next. The door's closing is louder, which is unavoidable. And then I surrender to the pull, the beast within.
My wolf comes rushing forward, my bones shattering on the impact of the two halves of my soul. She tears through everything, leaving room only for the run, the chase—the hunt.
Already, my nose is on the ground, scenting. Saliva drips from my mouth, the prospect of devouring something, ripping through muscle and sinew with my teeth is positively irresistible. There is a warren of rabbits nearby. They're tempting but not enough of a challenge. The bunnies are all tucked away for the night, safely sleeping in the earth's embrace. My wolf and I? We want something bigger, something that we can chase.
And then—there it is. Mouthwatering, and already on the move. The herd of whitetail ahead of me is large, but not moving fast enough. I let them run though, just within my sight line. One of them is smaller than the others, moving slower. As I tear after them through the forest, losing myself in the chase, I hear something—someone new behind me. We will not share, not tonight.
Decision made, I make my move towards the old doe. Within a few strides, I've caught up to her, nearly nipping her heels. And then, we're on her. Teeth clamping over her throat, tearing the muscle- ending her suffering. The doe dies with a bleat and my wolf feasts. Ripping the meat apart, devouring our prize.
My nose is deep inside the doe's chest cavity when I hear a twig snapping. A deep growl rumbles out of me as I withdraw my bloody maw from the deer. And then I realize who it is emerging through the dense underbrush.
Jay.
He doesn't move, pristine silver coat seemingly reflecting the Moon's light, while mine absorbs it. Jay lowers his large head, growling at me. Baring my teeth at him, I growl back.
Fuck you. This is mine.
The silver wolf circles, prowling around me and my prize. The breeze shifts, bringing with it, the scent of Jay's wolf. It's deep, and musky— and full of sensual promise. Suddenly, my wolf and I aren't so concerned with the doe anymore. When his attention flicks down to the carcass at my feet, I make my decision.
Let's see if he can keep up.
Taking off like the grim reaper is on my tail— and perhaps he is, I tear through the forest. This time I am the prey, Jay my hunter. The Moon guides me as I run, every movement promising pleasure. Jay is right behind me, step after step.
When I turn down the gorge, Jay leaps to the ledge above. Without breaking stride he drops down right in front of me, fur raised and a growl rumbling through him. I hear the bones in Jay's body cracking and growing larger, and then he's rising on his hind legs. The Moon isn't full, but on Samhain, my dad always said your wolf is more in control than you are. The two halves of our soul are imbalanced. Something about the magic of the forest.
I've never seen Jay's bipedal form, just his silver Direwolf. When the transformation is complete, he's standing before me at nearly seven feet tall, his face morphed, somewhere between wolf and human. He has sharp canine teeth, but the intense blue eyes staring at me are familiar.
Silver fur cascades down his back and shoulders. The planes of his stomach and chest are bare, as are his bicep and most of his forearm. The backs of his hands are covered in fur, and lethal claws are on the ends of his fingers. Even his thighs are covered in that same silvery fur, all the way down to the wolf-like feet. Tail sprouting from his spine.
When I let my eyes absorb the rest of his body, my mouth waters—heat blooming in my core. The silver fur appears again at his hips in a faint happy trail, down to his cock. It's huge and already hard. The base is thickened–swelling into a veiny knot– a bead of precum dripping off the fat tip.
Without another thought, the same shift cracks my bones, fizzling over my body. I'm not as tall as him in this form, but I am still easily over six feet tall. Black fur covers me similarly to him, claws on the ends of my fingers and toes. My wolf's teeth in my maw.
We're both breathing hard, but time feels paused, somehow.
And then, Jay growls "Run." His voice is like gravel shifting. It raises the fur on my back, a bolt of heat sent straight to my core. Of course, I oblige. The added strength and agility in this form are welcome as I sprint away from him through the forest.
Jay lets me run, chasing after me with only a little space between us. I can hear him panting, and smell his desire. I'd be lying if I said I don’t want this, don’t want to experience this with Jay.
Spotting a patch of leaves on the ground, I make an easy decision. It’s easy to let my feet slip, stumbling enough to force Jay to catch me. He does, of course, tackling me to the forest floor. He rolls us, taking the brunt of the impact, and then my face and chest hit the forest floor, my back flush to his chest. The earth is frigid against my bare nipples, and Jay already has my hands captured, anchored above me into the dirt. The position puts me completely at his mercy, and, more importantly, my ass pressed against his thick cock.
A whine slips free of my mouth, and I can't help the way my back arches, pressing against him more fully. Aching for contact.
"I've got you now, you know what that means?" Jay grumbles, his wolfy voice thick, chest moving rapidly against my back. His cock twitches against my center as if he's knocking before entering. And fuck, do I want to feel him.
"What?" I moan, not even trying to hide what he's doing to me. He has to know, has to smell it anyway.
"I'm going to make you scream for me." Jay groans, nosing the line of my neck, letting one of his hands roam down my ribs, across the planes of my stomach, and lower. His claws raise goosebumps in their wake.
"Yes, please-" I moan, his fingers carefully dipping into my center.
"Fuck, you're so wet already, aren't you? So ready for me."
"Shut up and fuck me, J-" I start to say, but cut off with a groan when Jay plunges into me almost all the way. I can feel the thick base of his cock, the knot against my center, throbbing with his pulse. "Oh, fuck." I pant, my eyes rolling back in my head. I want him to go the rest of the way, want to take every inch of his wolfy cock.
"What was that, Gorgeous?" Jay says, kissing and nibbling my shoulder, pulling his cock out and plunging back in shallowly. I don’t have to see his face to know he’s smiling.
"N-nothing" I stammer, Jay's fingers move slowly around my clit, his other hand still pinning mine above me. Jay just chuckles, it comes out almost like a growl, the lines between wolf and man too blurred to know which is which.
He rolls his hips, moving my knees apart to grant himself better access. All I can do is deepen the arch of my back, my fingers clutching dirt as Jay fucks me relentlessly. "You feel so fucking good," he grumbles, going harder— deeper. It makes my legs shake, and whimpers leave my throat. "Come on, give it to me, Gorgeous." Jay groans, biting down on the exposed part of my neck.
"Fuck-" I scream, my eyes roll back as release barrels through me.
"Louder." Is all that Jay says, rising, pulling my arms behind my back. Smacking my ass, he pulls me back on his dick as he pistons in, smoothing away the burn with his palm. His claws send shivers up my spine when they rake against my skin.
"Shut up" I moan, rocking my hips with every one of his thrusts. He's not going all the way, the thick base of his knot barely brushing the entrance of my pussy before he pulls back out. It’s making me feel crazy.
Jay just laughs, slowing down, rolling his hips, his hand coming around to brush my clit again, making my eyes roll back, a moan slipping free.
"I can do this all night, Gorgeous." He says, pressing my face firmly against the ground once more.
"Yeah? You think you're going to last that long?" I sass, angling my hips to give him better access. I'm fucking loving every second of this.
"I'll fill you up as many times as it takes for you to scream for me." Jay pants, lifting us, and pressing my chest against a tree. With my feet firmly planted on the ground, I move my hips, pushing back down on him deeper, and deeper. I can't stop the moans from leaking out each time he slams into me, the knot at the base slipping in bit by bit.
Jay's claws dig into the bark above me, anchoring himself. He's still restrained though, I can tell by the way he slows, rolling his hips. It makes stars appear behind my eyelids, unrestrained desperate sounds in my throat.
"Fuck." I hiss, wondering how long I can keep this game going, he feels so fucking good.
"I thought I said louder, Artemis?" He quips, slapping my ass, dragging his claws up the back of my thigh. Shivers creep up my spine, pleasure and anticipation.
"I thought I said shut up, Jay?" I sass back, pushing against the tree. Jay just chuckles, a clawed hand reaching around to sweep against my clit once. Twice, and then a third time and I howl out my release. Orgasm screams through me as I lock down around Jay's cock, still pumping in and out of me, carrying me through it.
"That's what I thought." He chuckles, and slowly starts going even slower, that thick knot slipping deeper into my pussy with each stroke. Jay keeps his clawed fingers over my clit, rubbing in slow circles as he pushes himself in until he's fully seated–the entirety of his knot inside me.
"Oh- that feels good" I moan, wiggling as much as I'm able to, nipples pressed against the tree. My lungs feel too small like I can’t get enough oxygen.
"Mmmhm,' Jay groans in my ear, drawing that thick knot out. Another groan in my ear as he roughly pistons back into me.
"Yeah-" I pant, eyes rolling back in my head, my skin practically humming with electricity.
"Scream for me Darlin" He groans in my ear, kissing and nipping down the line of my shoulder.
"Don't stop, don't stop-" I moan, deepening the arch of my spine, and rising to my toes. I'm hovering on the very edge, everything he's doing is sending pleasure into my veins.
"Didn't plan to, Gorgeous." Jay quips back, panting as he fucks me thoroughly.
"Oh, shut up, Jay" I moan, and then he grips my throat in one clawed hand, pulling me down on him as he fucks into me. That's all it takes for me to give him what he wants. A scream rips through my throat that might have been a howl as another orgasm overrides all thought.
"That's a good girl" he moans, his knot plunging in and out of me, ripples of pleasure sending me into another orgasm almost immediately. Jay's breathing in my ear is erratic, his movements frantic. He's close, too.
So I pant "Yes, give it to me, please-" clamping down on his cock.
"Fuck," He moans, stepping a half-step back to let me take over. So I do, moving myself up and down that thick, glorious appendage, using the tree to hold myself steady. "Yeah, just like that." He groans, slapping my ass, his claws scraping against my skin.
My legs start to shake as I fuck him, taking that knot with every stroke. If he doesn't cum soon, I'm going to again. Almost as if I speak the thought out loud, Jay chuckles, his hands on my hips turning my movements more aggressive. His hips snapping up into mine. The tree creaks, wood cracks, and bark falls to the ground at my feet.
"Give me one more Gorgeous, you're so good like this, I want one more" He pleads, his hand back around my throat, the other hand strumming my clit with careful strokes.
"yes, yes yes-" I moan, giving him exactly what he wants. With another few movements, Jay plunges into me, his knot swelling inside of me as he groans out his release.
My heart is thudding in my chest, echoing in my ears. I can hardly breathe like my lungs haven't caught up with me. Jay's chest moves just as swiftly against my back. It takes us a few minutes to catch our breath, to calm our racing hearts.
I almost expect him to do what he did the other night– to shift his hips and coax our bodies into another round. He doesn’t though, withdrawing from me when his knot has softened, the reduced swelling allowing him to move.
When Jay does finally step away from me, I turn to face him.
"Well, that was fun." I joke, forcing a smile on my wolfish face. "Go team," I add, raising a clawed hand for a high five.
"Yeah, that sure was fun, Gorgeous," Jay grumbles, but gives me the high five anyway.
"Race you back," I say, winking as I will the shift to take me again, back into my fully wolf form. As I tear away from Jay, he lets me leave, standing still as stone where we'd just fucked.
20
The Forge
twenty three days to full moon
My body still aches from the were-fucking Jay gave me on Samhain, days later. I have no idea what came over us, but fuck. I can't wait for next Halloween. After giving me a headstart, Jay chased me back to the apartment where he’d promptly fucked me in the shower before tucking us into the bed.
Ever since that night, he's taken to sleeping in my bed. I know I invited him, but I hadn't anticipated how much self-control I need to exert just to get to sleep. Even after working a shift in the bar, when I'm practically dead on my feet, sleep evades me when I first crawl in next to him. Sometimes, he'll roll over just as I'm settling under the covers and wrap me up in his arms.
When he does that, I have to tell myself it's nothing to obsess over. He's asleep. It's natural. It doesn't mean anything.
I still wake up alone, though. Jay is gone to work by then, his side of the bed long since cold.
Instead of joining the Pack on the full Moon run, I'd gone with Aggie, then went out again by myself, just to prove I still could.
This week, I have to go to the Forge and make something for the store. I'd worked my schedule out with Ivy so that I would go in later to the bar, spending a few hours making jewelry before slapping the shit out of some patrons.
I'm to show up at the Forge for work at ten today and get a refresher course. It's been so long since the last time I had the opportunity to flex this particular skill set. The best I ever accomplished as a teen had been a few necklace pendants. So we'll see what happens now, I guess.
Already, I feel tired. I'm only up about two hours earlier than normal, but it feels like so much more than that. Driving over to the Forge takes no time at all, even if my knees are jittery as I shift gears, turning the Stingray down streets as familiar as the back of my hand. It's cold today, so I'd dressed in jeans and a long sleeve, this one in a deep green shade. Trusty combat boots on my feet, and a flannel picked up from the floor on my way out complete the look.
There's no dress code at the Forge unless they'd changed that since I've been gone. The brick building is relatively nondescript, with only one sign indicating what the building houses. By the looks of things, they've added on a bit as well.
Good for them.
I don't recognize any of the cars, but I'm not exactly looking, either. I just keep my head down as I walk in, waving to the receptionist. It's a middle-aged man, name tag reading Dan.
"Hello, how can I help you?"
"I'm Artemis. I'm to work here— Alpha's orders." I say, stuffing my hands into my pockets. The only people allowed to work at the Forge are Pack members, so I'm not worried about letting out our secret.
"Perfect! Let me get your instructor." He says, picking up the phone and dialing a three-digit code. "Hi…She's here…Yes…Are you sure?… Of course." The receptionist barely taps the button to disconnect the call before he's dialing another three-digit code. "Hi, we need you in the lobby…Thank you." This time he sets the handheld device down on the receiver, turning his attention back to me. "It'll just be a moment. While I have you, why don't you sign a few things?" Dan says, grabbing a small stack of paperwork from various files, and placing them on a clipboard in front of me with a clicky pen.
It's all standard stuff, like my name and address, which I have to look up in my messages with Aggie because I realize that I don't know the actual house number.
How fucking childish. I chide myself, feeling more immature by the minute that ticks by in this fucking town. Within the time it takes me to fill out the handful of forms, my so-called instructor comes through the double doors to my left.
Dante emerges from them, apron tied over his jeans and shirt, sleeves pushed to his elbows. I hate myself for expecting it to be Jay.
"Welcome, to the wonderful world of metalsmithing." He says, spreading his arm wide and holding one of the doors open for me to walk through.
I huff a laugh as I enter the Forge—where the action is— for the first time in at least a decade. It still smells the same, the metallic tang on the tip of my tongue, cloying fire, and just a tinge of burning plastic in my nose. The HVAC system is on over time, recycling the old air with fresh air from outside on a continuous loop.
Everyone seems to have their own station, a desk with a rounded portion to the countertop, and various drawers filled with tools. I hadn't lasted very long here as a teenager. I'd enjoyed the creating part, sure, but the monotony, the constant microscopic attention to detail eroded my patience. I doubt my mom still has the pendant I made her, a purple stone in the center with some fancy filigree around the edges. I had been proud of it, but thinking back on it I don't think the craftsmanship had been… well any good.
Beyond that one, the other trinkets I had made had all been small, simple things. Which is probably all I will manage now. At least I'm not depending on my creations selling to be welcomed back. Magnus just said I have to make something. Not that it has to be good, or sell.
