Page 96 of A Wolf in the Garden

He smiles at me, all teeth, and takes a step back, crouching on his haunches so that it brings his face level with mine. “Hello, baby.” The deep gravel of his voice drips down my spine, making me shiver involuntarily, and humour dances in his gold eyes.

I reach for one of his huge hands, holding it with both of mine, lifting it to my mouth so I can kiss each claw-tipped finger. “I love you,” I say softly.

“I love you too, Ellie. My mate.”

“Is that Van talking, or the wolf?”

“All of us. We’re all parts of the whole, my sweet mate.” His chuckle is the deepest, darkest rumble I’ve ever heard. “I’m still the same guy you jerked off two minutes ago, if that’s what you’re asking.”

My laugh is breathy against his palm as I shower it with kisses, staring into his beautiful eyes. He is huge and monstrous… and for me, he is my gentle giant, lifting his other hand to brush through my hair, to oh so carefully pull my top back up over my cum-smeared breasts, to stroke my skin with the edge of a claw, reverence clear in every careful movement of his. I have never felt more safe and loved than in this moment, with my big werewolf caring for me.

“Would you like to go to the beach?” he asks. “If you’ve changed your mind, I can take you back to the house, and you can shower and relax, and I will see you in the morning. I am happy either way, baby. The choice is always yours.”

To me, it’s a no-brainer. “Take me to the beach.”

* * *

The howls start up just as Van is about to take us down the track that leads to the shore. We’d waited until his dick had retracted into its sheath to start moving for this very reason — his family are all around and would most likely spot us as we headed for the beach. I wrap my arms tighter around his neck on instinct as he turns back towards the sound, staring up at Lacey’s house on the hill. The silhouettes of other werewolves are easy enough to spot in the dim light, and it’s the strangest feeling, to be held so lovingly in the arms of one, while simultaneously feeling a little scared of the others.

They howl again, and this time Van tilts his head back, answering. His call is beautiful and eerie, and as I stare up at the moon, orange and magnified as it rises above the land, I have one of those odd moments of clarity.This is my life now. It’s enchanting and strange and sometimes a little bit terrifying, but I wouldn’t change any of it, not when there’s magic like this.

When the howls die down, Van takes us through the forested track, the gravel crunching under his huge feet, the sound loud in the still night air. There’s no waves at all, the water gently lapping against the shore as we emerge from the trees. He takes us to the same grassed area as the last time we did this, overlooking the sand, and sets me down on my feet before crouching down himself, until he is on his knees in front of me. He’s so huge that in this position he’s still the tiniest bit taller than me.

“What’s it like, when you change?” I ask, shivering as he helps to peel my top off over my head. I tug down on my leggings and my underwear, steadying myself with a hand on his meaty shoulder as I kick them off. He’s silent, and I can’t quite decipher the look on his wolfish face. “What?”

“Look at you. So beautiful. So delicate. So trusting. I don’t deserve you.”

I shake my head. “Don’t be silly. You deserve me,” I tell him as his hands settle on my waist, tugging me forward. “Don’t say things like that. I love you. You’re a good man. Wolf.Wolf-man.” He snorts against my skin, his wet tongue darting out to lick a stripe across my collarbone.

He licks lower again, his rough tongue curling over my nipple, making me jolt. “Wait, what are you doing?”

“Hmmm,” he rumbles, clearly not bothered by the taste of himself on my skin. He continues to lick at me, alternating between my breasts, until I’m breathing heavily and squirming in place, held tight by his vice grip around my middle, the tips of his claws just grazing my skin. I squeeze my thighs together, feeling the glide of wet arousal, but I’m desperate for some real friction.

“Evander, you’re such a tease.” He is, especially because his cock has risen back out of its sheath, and now strains, long and impossibly thick, against his stomach. With the moon hidden behind the cliff above, I can barely see more than the shape of it, and I can’t touch it either — he holds me so that I am too far back, the magnificent, beautiful thing too far out of my reach.

He rumbles again in amusement, tipping me backwards, laying me out on the cool grass. This time, when I sense magic, I understand it’s coming from within me, and from this bond that he and I share. I feel the grass beneath me, and the trees that surround us becauseIconnect to them; I feel the ocean because I can sense the life hidden within its depths — the seaweed that grows lush on the ocean floor, forests of it stretching out past the bay, out into the open sea. I grin, giddy with possibilities, as an idea pops into my mind.

“What are you thinking? You look devious.” Van trails his huge hands down my hips to my knees, pausing there, my skin prickling from the gentle scrape of his claws. I know he wants to spread me open for him, and I want that too, so I appreciate his patience as he waits for my answer.

I tap the ground with my right hand. “Look. How about some mood lighting?” I activate a series of spores — in a line,nota circle — and ten little mushrooms pop up beside us, glowing green. I squeal with happiness, clapping my hands, becauseit worked. “Look! Fairy lights! Get it?”

He shakes his head. “I get it.”

I can’t decipher his expression, but the way his ears flatten back against his skull is a clear tell. “You’re not happy? We can stomp on them, if you’d rather —”

“No, Ellie… No. It’s fine.” In the soft light from the mushrooms, his pupils gleam bright green, his ears swivelling back around to face me. “It’s good that you’re learning to do these things.”

“It scares you, doesn’t it?”

He’s quiet for a moment, huge jaw hanging open. “Yes, baby. But I’m always going to worry about you; that’s my job as alpha, and… it’s probably PTSD too, if we’re being honest.”

I begin to sit up. “I’m just going to squish these now and —”

“No, baby.” He presses me back down gently. “This is a great idea. You want to be able to see — so let’s keep the lighting. They’re beautiful, and you made them — that’s impressive. Please don’t let my initial reaction ruin this moment for you.”

I feel bad. I feel awful for him, that he’s experiencing this sort of anxiety around the fact that I have these question marks hanging over me regarding my magic, my abilities, mysafety. I already knew he felt this way, but it puts it in perspective when your eight and a half foot tall werewolf lover manages to seem terrified of potential dangers.

Still, I know Van, and I know how stubborn he can be. I’d happily crush these stupid mushrooms into the dirt if it’s bothering him, but if I do so now,thatis going to bother him more, and he’s going to feel bad for making me feel bad, and we’ll end up getting caught in a useless, stupid, cyclic argument. I take a deep breath, choosing the easy path, reaching out to run my hands down the fur of his thickly muscled arms. “Okay. We’ll keep the mushrooms.”

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