Page 51 of Awakened
“I want to feel your pussy come all over my cock. Will you do that for me?” The growl in his voice shattered something inside me, and I spiraled into a toe-curling orgasm. Zach continued his movements and teasing until I lay limp beneath him.
Pecking my lips, he pulled out and tossed the condom in the small trashcan. He got back in bed and dragged me to him.
I rested my cheek on his chest over his racing heart. He had that same musky citrus smell that was now coded in my brain as “Zach’s smell.” I knew my sheets would smell like him for days, and I was okay with that.
Kissing my hair, he chuckled. “Damn. I wish we had gotten to that last week.”
“Right?” I laughed.
Zach’s breathing slowed, and his body relaxed into sleep. I glanced at the clock on the bedside table and saw we had been at it for about an hour. One hour down, only how many more until I’m over Aiden?
I only thought of him a few times. That’s something, right?
After poking and prodding that pain, I wondered where Seth was and if he hated me. I kept thinking about that kiss. That fan-fucking-tastic kiss. Just thinking about it made me ready for another round.
In the harsh light of afternoon delight, I knew getting over Aiden was only step one. I’d have to get over Seth, too, because who knew when or if he was coming back. It wouldn’t be fair to drag him back when I was ready for him. I felt terrible, but I was doing the right thing. The look on his face when I told him I was thinking about Aiden told me as much. He deserved more. He deserved better than me and what I had to offer, even if that made me want to rip all the hair out of my head.
Even with a sexy man lying under me, I hated my life.
INTERLUDE
The smoke swirled around Marie, her eyes reflecting the flames from the bonfire. “Welp, it’s unanimous. Celeste Spencer is the newest Amazon Beta.” Cheers erupted all around me, and Marie grinned. “Now she has the distinct pleasure of dealing with the Regional Powers and the pissy alphas in the area.”
Bonnie raised her flask and hollered, “No more pack line disputes for me. Last in, first to deal with the bitch ass babies.”
Marie waved off the pack’s laughter, barely concealing her own. “Over the past eight months, Celeste has come to embody everything we stand for as Amazons. I’m proud to have her represent us. Now raise your drinks to Beta Celeste Spencer!”
I grinned as my pack members drank and took my own sip of top-shelf whiskey.
The full moon peeked out from behind a cloud, casting a dreamy glow over the gathering. There was nothing like an unseasonably warm winter night to get the pack going. One of our older pack members, Beau, emerged from the tree line hand in hand with his newly shifted wife.
“And welcome our newest member, Melanie!” After everyone gave another rousing yell, Marie jumped down from the stumpshe’d been standing on and walked over to me. “You sure you want to do this?”
I chuckled and nodded. “I think I can handle placating some bureaucrats so you can keep undermining their authority.”
“Just wait until you get the paperwork regarding our latest infraction.”
Frowning, I took a sip of my drink.
“Apparently, allowing Taylor to turn Melanie was a big no-no.” She shrugged as her gaze followed the couple.
“Wait, why? The Regional Powers have never cared about spouses being turned.”
She gave me a knowing smile and said, “Ah, yes, but that’s when their alpha turns them. They don’t like that I won’t turn my future pack members. Something about ‘the proper chains of authority.’ Basically, they’re scared.”
I glanced past the bonfire to where Melanie was hugging Taylor and laughing. “Is the sire bond that strong?”
Marie’s expression sharpened. “For some, it’s stronger than the mate bond. The sire bond can be manipulated into something very ugly in the wrong hands. Nothing but the strongest magic can break the ties between a turned-wolf and their sire, so a human has to be 100% confident in the wolf that turns them.”
“No shit.” Humans weren’t exactly busting down the doors to join us weres, so I’d only met a handful of turned-wolves.
“That’s why I won’t turn pack members. I don’t want them beholden to me. I don’t imagine our elections would mean much if I had a bunch of wolves sire bonded to me running around. To be honest, I don’t even like the idea of spouses turning each other, but at the end of the day, that’s up to them.”
“And Taylor?”
Marie’s face softened. “Taylor’s worked out a way to turn wolves and minimize their influence. After Taylor bites the human on the full moon, they leave the prep for the first shift on the next full moon to me and the new wolf’s partner. Keeps the new wolf from being too reliant on Taylor.”
“Makes sense. How is Taylor so fucking smart?”
