Page 88 of The Gamma's Second Chance

When she pulls away, her eyes twinkle, and a soft blush spreads across her face. She hesitates, like she wants to ask me something, but she pinches her lips together and leans againstme, resting her head on my shoulder. I trace her hairline and comb through her curls, encircling her body with my other arm to keep her warm and safe. “What is it?” I ask.

“I was just thinking…” Her eyelids flutter as my fingertips trail down her spine, a small sigh escaping her lips. “My lycan and your wolf haven’t met yet.”

She lifts her head so her chin rests on my chest, and her eyes stare up at me, green and gold caged behind long, dark lashes. “That’s true, they haven’t met yet,” I say. “Do you want them to?”

The twinkle in her eyes shines brighter, and she nods, getting to her feet. Her dress falls to the floor, and she steps out of it, shimmying out of her underwear as she walks out of my room.

“Now?” I ask, jumping to my feet and following her as she rushes down the hall and towards the back door.

She flings the door open instead of answering, and I growl playfully as I chase after her, ripping my shirt over my head and yanking my pants off as she runs through my backyard towards the forest, her ivory skin bathed in moonlight. She laughs—that bright, beautiful, piano music laugh—and disappears into the tree line. I shift mid-stride once I remove all my clothes. My red wolf shakes out his fur and lets out a howl before he takes off at a sprint to hunt down our mate.

Chapter 31

CASSANDRA

A howl echoes offthe trees as my light brown lycan races through the forest, using her front limbs to propel herself faster. Pounding paws rustle the underbrush, and I speed up, leaping onto a tree and pulling myself into the cover of the canopy. I spring from tree to tree, then crouch low on a branch, honing inon Nolan’s wolf as he sprints in my direction, his nose leading the way.

His wolf is large and powerful, with a gorgeous rust red coat. He stops under the tree I’m hiding in, nose twitching and muzzle bouncing as he sniffs the air for my scent, spinning in a circle underneath me. The silvery moonlight reflects off his fur, adding a dazzling luster to it. I’m tempted to drop from my branch and shift back into my human form so I can hug his wolf and bury my face in his fur, soaking in his warmth and the softness of his thick red coat.

He plops down on his haunches and stares up into the branches, his eyes narrowing when he spots me watching him from the trees. He growls, his lip curling, but his tail wags behind him, letting me know he’s teasing. My lycan lifts her paw, almost like a wave, and I swear his wolf rolls his eyes. A howl leaves my mouth, and I leap towards the next tree, heading deeper into the forest. Nolan’s wolf lets out a yip behind me, and the skittering of pine needles alerts me that he’s on the move again, chasing after me.

I laugh in my mind as true elation fills me while he chases me through the forest of his home.

No. Our home.

The beautiful forest passes by me in a blur, my lycan moving too fast for me to absorb the view. I’ll have plenty of time for that, though. I’ll be here for the rest of my life. A light, cool breeze swirls through the forest as we run, rustling my fur and the needles of the trees around us. Nolan’s wolf lets out the occasional happy yelp, and I glance back every so often, beckoning and teasing him, spurring him to run faster.

He chases me all the way to the lake, where I pause and take in the view from the treetop. He stalks around the trunk, staring up at me, whining quietly and pawing at the ground. I glance down at him, then gaze towards his house before taking off againin that direction. Nolan is quick to follow, darting off like a speeding bullet.

I drop to the forest floor when I’m within the treeline behind his house, crouching on all fours as I wait for him to reach me. He’s not far behind, and when he sees me waiting, he picks up his pace, sprinting towards me. His wolf is on my lycan in a heartbeat, jumping onto his hind legs to lick my face and neck.

No longer able to restrain myself, I shift into my human form and hug his wolf’s neck. His fur is as soft and thick as I imagined it would be while watching him in the forest, and his wolf is huge. Much bigger than my human form and almost as large as a beta wolf. When I hug him, I feel safe and comforted. A sense of peace settles over me as I cuddle his wolf in the forest of my new home.

We may not be mates, but I think part of me always knew Crescent Lake would be my home. Every piece of music I’ve composed brings the colors of their lake and their forest to life in my mind. From the moment I stepped foot on their grounds, I’ve felt this tug, this serenity in my soul. Towards him and towards the pack.

And now, as I hug Nolan’s wolf in the forest after agreeing to be his mate, I understand why.

This is my home. He is my serenity.

“Hello there, handsome,” I say, scratching behind his ears.

His tail wags. One thump, and then he’s shifting into his human form and wrapping his arms around my waist, holding my naked body to his.

He lowers his face, chest heaving and breaths heavy as he holds his mouth only an inch away from mine. “I like your wolf,” I say, tilting my chin, teasing him with the barest brush of my lips and my breath across his mouth.

Nolan chuckles, and his massive hand slides across my lower back and over my ass, pressing me closer to him. My backarches, and he slides his nose along my cheekbone. “He likes you too.”

I lean into him, tilting my chin higher and pressing my breasts against his chest, rocking just enough so my nipples scrape against his skin and my pussy rubs against his hardening cock between us. “And I love you.”

I rise on my tiptoes to kiss him and reach down between us to wrap my hand around his cock, gliding it up and down with a twisting motion. “Daisy…” he groans, jerking from the unexpected touch and rolling his neck back so he faces the sky, keeping his lips from mine. “Inside,” he orders, pointing towards his house, every muscle in his body rippling with tension and every hair on my body standing on edge from the power laced within his command.

I squeal and dart away from him again, sprinting through his yard to the back door as fast as I can, praying no one peeks out their window. Nudity isn’t uncommon for us as shifters, but my mate is territorial, and he would not react well to another male seeing me naked. Especially since I am unmarked. The thought of the possessiveness he’d show if someone saw me like this—it has my pussy clenching and dripping, and a growl echoes in his chest as my scent wafts behind me and into his nose.

“Goddess, Cassandra,” he says, his voice thick and heavy with desire. “Your scent…” He inhales, and I yank the door open and fly through the house towards the stairs. “It’s addicting. It’s a drug.”

His heavy footsteps aren’t far behind me. The heat of his body radiates towards me, setting my blood on fire. A moan falls from my lips as the shadow of his touch brushes against my ass while we climb the stairs.

Maybe it’s my imagination, or maybe it’s real, but either way, it’s erotic as hell. The way he plays with my body, teasing me until I’m begging him to fuck me as hard as he can, is beyondanything I’ve experienced or imagined. Our sexual inclinations align perfectly.

---