Page 3 of A Breath of Fresh Air

He nods, letting me lead him away from the dance floor. Ellie and Van have been caught up chatting to other guests, and I’ve done the rounds with everyone I know. I helped Dad get in a taxi hours ago with the private care nurse Van hired us for the week, and really I’ve got no reason to stay much longer. Ishouldbe getting in one of the taxis lined up and waiting right now — but as I step outside into the refreshing air, Brett’s hand lands on the small of my back, and I know nothing about this man but I’m already melting under that small touch. He smellsgood, and I’ve always been a sucker for big men with muscles. Standing this close, I can see that his nose has been broken at least once; there’s a slightly crooked bluntness to the ridge of it.I bet he was a rugby player; he’s built like one.I feel tiny next to him.

“Ah, that’s better,” he says. “There’s just some pitches that really irritate me.”

Even from here, the yelling — you can’t really call it singing — is overly loud. “I’m surprised the other wolves haven’t all come out, too.”

“I saw Van’s mother passing out earplugs. That’s why.”

“Oh.Smart. She’s always ahead of the game.” We’re walking slowly across the wooden deck, and I stare up at the moon. It looks close to full, and I remember that Ellie said the full moon is only four days away. She had to be very careful about that when picking her wedding date.

“Have you known her long then?”

“Hm? Bronte? Yeah. I’ve known her for…” I pause, double checking the maths in my head. “Twenty-four years. The kids used to play together up in Northland where Ellie and I lived. They played together every day, every summer.”

“You’re joking. I knew those two had known each other before — Ellie mentioned it while we were working on the gardens — but I didn’t realise they went that far back. And they’re fated mates.” He shakes his head. “How crazy is that?”

“I still can’t believe it, but then again I’m still wrapping my head around all the changes in the last few years.” It’s been just over two and a half years since the Unravelling occurred, changing all of our lives overnight. I’ll never forget that day, turning on the telly to watch the morning news while I made breakfast, only to find that non-humans existed, that there was this entire other realm, and that nothing was ever going to be the same again. I was terrified.

Then Ellie had called, her voice shaky and filled with panic, explaining that the shape of her ears had changed.“Mum, how could you not know?!”she’d asked, distraught, when we realised she must have inherited it from her father.

That man had been a one night stand who left before I’d even woken, the bloody blond bastard. The sex had been good but that didn’t cancel out the fact that he’d been a bit of a dick— but of course, twenty-two year old me had been attracted to walking red flags. I only knew him as ’TJ’, and back then in the days before the internet, that wasn’t enough information to try and track him down. I do wonder if he knew he was fae, or if he was in the dark about his heritage as much as my girl was about her own.

“Yeah. That’s true,” Brett says now, pulling me out of my thoughts. I look up at him, in awe of the way his large pupils reflect the moonlight, just like a cat.Or like a wolf, I guess.

“Do you hear even better in your wolf form?” I ask as he winces again as the final round of the chorus starts up.

“Yeah, I do. Better hearing, better sense of smell, everything is heightened further. I’m faster too. It’s one of the reasons why I’m so happy about the Unravelling. I spent most of my life with my wolf trapped inside me twenty-four-seven, and now I get to let him out every day.”

His smile is wide and warm, and it may be dark out here, but when he looks at me like that I feel like I’m standing in the glow of the sun. “You should see my wolf. I’ve got a dark brown coat in that form, but my muzzle…” he shakes his head, gesturing to his chin. “It’s going grey.”

“That’s cute,” I laugh. I haven’t been that close to shifted wolves that often. The first time had been when I met Evander’s wolf. I’d been afraid, but Ellie had wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him as if he were a cuddly puppy and not the huge horse-sized creature with the scariest set of teeth that I’ve ever seen. I push the thought away. “Do I get to meet him, then?” Ithinkthat’s the right term. I always hear Ellie refer to Van’s other forms as if they’re different… people. Wolves.People wolves?

“Sure, if you want. Maybe not here, though. It might cause a bit of a scene… there’s a couple of wolves here that have been drinkinga lot… throw in shifting and that’s never a good mix.”

“Ah. Got it.”

“Plus I have to get naked first, just putting that out there,” he adds, and there’s that mischievous gleam in his eyes again. “You can’t shift in clothes — they just rip apart — so…”

“Well, I wouldn’t complain.” I force myself to be braver than I feel. I’m not drunk, I’m not even tipsy, but the wine has given me the confidence I usually lack.

This is what we’re here for, right?This man has been devouring me with his eyes all day, and I’m not ashamed to admit I want him to follow through. Bronte’s words about me being the meal echo in my mind.

I should have asked her about knotting. Fuck.

I haven’t done anything like this in a long time, and the last time I did, the whole encounter was awkward and rushed and I left as soon as it was over. Butthis… Brett takes a big step down off the deck, turning to face me, so that we’re now the same height. Stepping into his arms feels so easy, so simple andright, the warmth of his body and the feel of his hands as they smooth down my sides setting me aflame. “Fuck you’re beautiful,” he murmurs, lips pressing to my neck, his sharp teeth nipping at my skin as his fingers dig into the flesh of my ass. “I haven’t been able to take my eyes off you all day.”

“Hmm. You make for good eye candy yourself.”

He laughs against my skin, before kissing me there, just under my jaw, the swipe of his tongue surprising me with how hot that makes me feel. There’s a hard bar pressed against my thigh, and I reach between us, gripping his cock and squeezing it tight.

Oh fuck he’s huge. Longandthick.

Hegrowls, threading his fingers through my hair as my hand slides over the shape of his dick, feeling the ridge of the head and scraping my nails over the fabric. He’s sucking on my neck now,and I moan with need. This man is going to leave a hickey on me like we’re teenagers and I —

He kisses me forcefully, passionately, and I kiss him back just as hard, groaning against his tongue. His hands are all over my body, squeezing and kneading and exploring, setting every part of me on fire along the way. I cling to him for dear life and he grinds against my hand through the fabric of his pants, and that’s when I slide my hand along and feel the very obvious bulbous addition at the base of his shaft.

Oh. That’s the knot.

I squeeze on instinct and he breaks our kiss to groan into my neck, his hands gripping my hips tight as he bites down on my shoulder, just hard enough for me to feel a little sting. Oh fuck, now that I’m here, I think I would actually let him bite me.This wolf can eat me any day.

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