Page 54 of A Wolf in the Garden

ELLIE

Van has the same idea as me, it seems. After dinner, I follow him down the path that cuts through the forested area at the back of his house, a small fantail flitting around us, chirping happily and catching the tiny insects we disturb as we walk. The track is part stairs, part well-trodden gravel, and through the gaps in the trees you can spot the ocean, the view magnificent as we make our way down the steep hill. For a short distance the foliage of the native trees —pongaferns,nikaupalms,manuka, and huge oldpohutukawawith gnarly roots that curl over the path — block out the sunlight completely, but then the canopy ahead opens up, trees thinning out to reveal a grassy clearing on the bank above the golden sand.

I love this little beach. It’s west-facing, which means there’s views of Auckland City in the distance, but more importantly, it makes for beautiful sunsets. It’s private too, not only in the sense that it’s single access point is at the back of Van’s house, but that the small bay is bookended by huge, bush-covered cliffs that jut far out into the ocean, making it seem like we’re in our own little magical world.

Van sets down my duffel bag — which he insisted on carrying for me — and I open up my old picnic blanket, laying it out.

“Someone’s mowed this grass,” I say, looking around confused.

“Yeah, I did this morning. I brought the string trimmer down, after you went off to the market. I… well I’m sure you’ve already figured it out, I haven’t exactly been hiding this,” he points to the outline of his dick, tenting the front of the sweatpants he’d changed into, “I had this idea that I wanted to fuck you out here on the beach, but I also wanted to avoid sand getting in places it really doesn’t belong. So the grass needed cutting, in order for us to be up here off the sand. No issues when the tide comes in, either.”

I laugh, slipping off my shoes and sitting down on the mat. “That’s actually really cute and sweet, how much thought you’ve put into this.”

“You think so?” He settles down next to me. “If Lacey told me she had some guy taking her on a date down somewhere in the middle of nowhere, at night, alone, I’d be concerned. Gives off serial killer vibes.”

I laugh louder, stretching out across the mat, laying my head in his lap. “If you were a serial killer, you’ve already had plenty of opportunities to murder me,” I say, grabbing at the length of his cock through the fabric near my face. I give it a hard squeeze, loving the way he grunts in response. “I think I’m good. Plus, the fact that I’ve known you my whole life kinda makes that argument redundant.”

“Hmmm.” His hand strokes through my hair as I pull down the elastic of his pants and stroke his cock, slow and steady, until there’s precum beading at the slit. I lick it away, his sigh above echoing my own, the head of his shaft deliciously smooth under my tongue. I love doing this for him, worshipping his beautiful dick, cupping his heavy balls, squeezing his swelling knot and making him feel oh so good. I lose track of time, aware only of the sounds he makes, the thrum of him in my mouth, the small jerk of his hips as he grows closer to release.

“Ellie,oh fuck,Ellie baby, I should be doing this to you. St-stop, baby, just for a minute.”

I let him go with a pop, looking up at him. “You okay?”

“Yeah. I just…” he breathes heavily, pulling at the hem of his tee, taking it off. He is so ridiculously sexy that it’s genuinely unfair, his tanned body so perfect that it for sure belongs on the covers of men’s fitness magazines and romance novels. “I have to talk to you."

“Now?”

He looks up at the sky for a moment, and I turn my head, squinting as I look directly at the sun for a second. It hangs just above the distant land now, the sky orange around it. Sunset.

Moonrise.

“There’s about half an hour left,” he says. “I… I so desperately want to fuck you now, if you’ll let me.”

“Yes, of course.” I’m already dripping wet, and I’ve been aching for him all afternoon, the idea ofwerewolf sextaking over my brain. I stand up, stripping off my clothes, ignoring the chill of the evening air. He’ll warm me up, I have no doubt about that. He stands too, kicking off his pants, and we stand there naked for a moment, staring at each other. “This is crazy,” I say, gesturing to our surroundings.

He shrugs. “No one will see us here. It’s like the good old days, when we used to hook up in that sea cave. You remember?” I nod. Of course I do. Accessible only at low tide, it had been one of our favourite spots to sneak off to, back home. He reaches for me, his lips parted, and it’s the first time I notice his canines are different. They’re even longer than they usually are. They looksharp.

Oh.

The smile he gives me is almost shy, but the teeth make him look more monstrous, and a shiver runs up my spine as I take his outstretched hand. “The werewolf change happens a little slower than with shifters. The moon is almost here, so I’m going to start looking a little different. Don’t worry, the head is the last thing to shift.”

“Okay.” I know I sound nervous now, and I’m sure he can feel the tremble in my hand.

“If you don’t want to, you don’t have to d—”

“I want to.”

“But after I change — we don’t have to do anything further. I don’t need that. It’s not some prerequisite for werewolf relationships, regardless of what certain orcs may or may not have told you.”

The laugh I let out is slightly unhinged as I stumble into his waiting arms. “How the hell did you know?”

“I can smell when my mate has been hugging people,” he growls, lifting me up, my legs wrapping around him automatically. His dick rubs against my clit, making me gasp, and I move slightly, the head of it finding the notch of my dripping entrance, our bodies ready to fit together perfectly. “I figured, from your comment earlier, that he’d said something.”

I moan as he lowers me onto his cock, the thickness of him a welcome presence. I will never, ever tire of being so utterly filled by him. Once again, I marvel at his strength as he simply holds me while standing unsupported, fucking into me slowly, a deliciously wet glide with every stroke. I kiss his lips and his mouth opens, our tongues gliding against one another, making me feel feverish, desperate, making me needmore. I don’t know how much time passes like that, but I moan again as he falls to his knees, bringing me with him, laying me on the mat, our connection never breaking.

“I want to,” I gasp, hitching my ankles over his shoulders, wheezing at this new angle as he pounds into me, his fingers strumming over my clit, fierce determination in his eyes.

“Want to what?” he asks, his hips snapping forward with each thrust, the slap of flesh echoing in the air. “I need to hear you say it, baby.”

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