Page 31 of Wanted By the Wolves

I look away from the intensity of his gaze, all my boldness having already been spent.

“Is that a yes?” He grabs my neck, cupping my chin until all I can see is his devastatingly handsome face.

His small touch makes my entire body come alive in anticipation. It makes my skin hot, and at the same time, it sends a grounding burst of calm through my body.

“Tell me, beautiful.” His thumb brushes along my jaw.

My head lifts in a jerky nod.

That one gesture releases his alpha. His herb-and-sunshine scent floods the space between us, then he’s on me. My stomach fills with butterflies, but the kiss I’m expecting doesn’t come.

Instead, he whispers in my ear, his breath feathering along my neck, “Do you know why this is a nightmare, little star?”

His lips land at the spot right beneath my ear, making my heart race. I can’t answer him or think of anything but his scent and warm weight.

“Your beauty is going to be the death of me. One taste will never be enough.” His words are a gritted-out truth so raw that I swear I stop breathing.

Gage plants kisses along my neck until his soft lips find mine. The kiss is intoxicatingly slow, as though I’m discovering my body for the first time. I don’t know what to do, but Gage takes over and lets me sink into the sensation until I’m opening for him.His hand curls around my hip, and he pulls me closer until I’m straddling his lap. Every part of my body feels alive, and my core aches.

He pulls back when I’m so breathless I’m drowning in him. “This nightmare is our reality, and yet I can’t say no to you.”

He growls, taking my lips again in a bruising kiss that I feel down to my toes.

“I don’t want you to,” I pant into his mouth. My body is on fire, desperately chasing a need I don’t fully understand. It hurts, but it feels good, and I can’t stop rubbing against him.

“Easy, star. I've got you,” he promises.

What’s wild is that I believe him.

Chapter 18

Gage

The little omega on my lap is hot to the touch, and her eyes are glazed, almost as if she’s in heat. Her scent, too, spikes with need. She rocks against me, her nose buried in my neck as she takes deep inhales.

Reality hits me like a gut punch.

She’s been around her mates for over two weeks now, and she didn’t have a successful heat. The circumstances made that a necessity, but I didn’t think those actions through.

Stupid, selfish fucking wolf. As a healer, I should have known better.

It’s rare for scent-matched wolves to last longer than a few days without succumbing to the urge to bite-bond, especially if an omega is in heat. Her body will try its best to correct that and prepare for the next full moon to ensure she isn’t rejected. Not to mention her omega’s got to be unsettled by the fear of our circumstances. She’ll need her alphas to ground her and convince her body that she’s safe and wanted.

And I’m the asshole who has been avoiding her.

My hesitance has already cost her. No wonder the little wolf stubbornly followed me around and clung to the brothers when she wasn't trailing me.

I need to get my shit together. Whether I planned for it or not, my omega is here, and she needs all her pack if we have any fucking chance of keeping her safe.

Nova’s tongue pokes out, licking along my chest and drawing my focus.

My hands find her hips, stilling her. “Eyes on me, little star.”

She’s quick to follow my command, eager like her wolf. Those wide eyes gut me, tugging on every protective instinct I have.

“Have you ever been touched before?”

“No,” she whispers at the same time she rolls her hips. “But I want you to.” She bites her lip, the scent of dark cinnamon filling the air as she slicks.

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