Chapter 17
SHANE
“It goes both ways. But for now, I don’t want to overwhelm you any further, since this is all very new for you and you might experience some headaches.”
-Oh wow, thank you for being so considerate-I say with all the sarcasm I can muster. I sit up, somewhat annoyed, looking at myself covered in mud with a small cut on the palm of my left hand. Then I lift it up for him to see-You could at least have warned me it was you and prevented me from running away. Or is this some damn game to you, Liam? Because it sure isn’t for me. I walk to find my purse that I left off to the side and find it on top of what looks like a root. I walk past it and start heading back to the cabin.
“Get on.”
-What?-I stop, looking at him.
“Get on me. That way we’ll move faster.”
-You’ve got to be joking.
“No. Get on. Now.” His voice is authoritative, leaving no room for argument.
I step closer to him, causing him to crouch down, positioning himself for me to climb onto his back. But instead of standing beside him, I plant myself in front of his face, leaning in.
-How about this, Liam Thomas? F**K YOU! You don’t give me orders, ever. Before he can react, he abruptly stands up and bites the front of my hoodie, lifting my feet off the ground so that they barely touch it. I look at him wide-eyed, scared to death, thinking that I might just wet myself. His pupils are dilated and I can tell he’s furious.
“You’re mine.”
-I’m not-my eyes glass over, but I still stand my ground-Put me down right now or I swear to God I will leave and not look back. I knew this would happen; I knew you would let your animal side take control of this.
Liam makes a mournful sound that reverberates through the depths of the forest despite the torrential rain falling, and it pierces my chest, making me feel bad for saying those words. He gently releases me back to the ground. He crouches all the way down, like a hurt puppy, resting his head on his front paws. I wait for him to say something, but he doesn’t; he keeps making that heart-wrenching sound, as if he’s injured or in pain. I look at him, torn between wanting to hug him to ease his pain and going to the cabin.
Going against what I feel and wanting to make a point clear, I turn on my heels and leave, leaving him there lying in the rain. I’m thankful it’s raining because this way I can cry freely the rest of the way. When I finally arrive at the cabin, it still hasn’t stopped raining. Thunder breaks in the sky, making me shiver. I grab the bag I left beside Gigit’s cabin and head over to Liam’s. There are still no signs of him, which I’m immensely grateful for, as after that encounter, I feel like we both need some time apart. As I enter the room, I head to the bathroom and leave the soaked bag aside; I take off my wet clothes and step into the shower, allowing the hot water to wash away the chill I feel. But it can’t take away the chill from my heart; I need Liam so desperately that I cry inconsolably, wishing I had never learned the truth.
-Little Wolf.-Liam’s voice startles me. I turn just in time to see him enter the bathroom completely naked, walking towards me. I must have been lost in my thoughts, or I would have heard him come in-Forgive me. He looks downcast; I can see the sadness in his eyes. He feels as lost as I do. I shake my head because I know this is my fault.
-Forgive me. I take a step towards him and, without thinking, wrap my arms around his waist, pressing my face against his chest and feeling comforted in his embrace-All this is overwhelming me. I just got scared; I don’t know what to do with this. Forgive me. I know you can’t change what you are; I just ask for time to adjust to you.
-I’ll give you all the damn time you need if you swear you’ll never threaten to leave us again. The thought of a world without you kills me. It kills us.
-Oh, Liam. I tilt my head back, looking at him. He’s still the same man I’ve fallen for; nothing is different about him at this moment, just one more human. I release my arms from around his waist and raise them, placing them around his neck and pulling him towards me. When our lips touch, a kaleidoscope of butterflies explodes in my stomach; his warm, rich tongue enters my mouth, and the rest quickly turns into something very sensual and passionate. In the blink of an eye, I find myself wrapping my legs around his waist, and his penis entering me, while he presses my back against the wall and begins to pound into me mercilessly. The pressure of his pelvis against my clitoris is so perfect that it’s the stimulation I need to reach orgasm quickly. I tilt my head back, exposing my neck, which he uses to bury his head and bite me this time softly, sending shivers throughout my body as I feel him come inside me.
After making up in the shower, we make love again in bed, in the kitchen, after breakfast; in the living room, in front of the fireplace, on the sofa. And now I understand what he meant by the heat of mating. All day Monday we don’t go out again, partly because of the rain and partly because we’re fucking like rabbits. I’m immensely grateful that he hasn’t shifted into his other two wolf forms again, which secretly seems incredibly cool to me. So, we spend the day making love, eating, and talking. He tells me about his father and how he became the alpha of the Chicago pack. Of the old rivals they defeated and completely extinguished. He also talks to me about his role as an alpha of a pack and what is expected of him. “No wolf will follow a weak alpha, so you have to prove your worth. They will always follow the strongest in every sense and not just in brute strength,” he had told me that same night, lying in bed, amidst the darkness.