Days Later

Addy

Tate and Myra depart late Sunday night, leaving behind a trail of tears and heartfelt hugs. We make a pact to visit each other, no matter what. School feels different now, with everyone treating me with a newfound respect. It’s a relief not having to constantly be on guard, anticipating the next attack. Drake has been my constant companion, walking me to each class, even though he has his own studies to wrap up in the coming weeks. We’ve been sharing more kisses, and I’ve allowed his hands to wander a bit, but not too much. I know it might sound silly, but there’s a fear inside me that prevents me from going further.

I’m grateful for Drake’s patience; a lesser wolf would have marked me by now, just to show everyone who I belong to. Male wolves take pride in displaying their marks on their mates, but Drake has been nothing but a gentleman. Myra has transferred her school records to the new pack and took their oath upon her return.

Suddenly, I feel a tug on my shirt. “Luna, can I borrow an extra pencil?”

I pick one from my desk and turn to hand it to her. “Sure, you can keep it.”

Drake went shopping again yesterday to make sure I had everything I needed for school. I didn’t need much, but he got me pencils, paper, and a new backpack. I told him it wasn’t necessary, but he picked up my old one, which was barely holding together. He shook it so hard that the straps, held together by a few threads, came off. Myra had bought it for me a few years ago when I came to school without one. She tried to get me a new one each year, but I always insisted that the old one was fine.

“Thank you,” she says in a shy voice.

I’m still not used to the attention that has come with the announcement. People stop to chat with me, ask me questions, or just smile as I walk by. Drake has been by my side as much as he can. On Monday, he even skipped a class to sit in on one of mine. I scolded him for it, but he didn’t leave. He said since he had a perfect score in that class, he would be exempt from the final exam anyway. Myra was right about him becoming more clingy the longer we waited. I couldn’t even pass gas without him asking if I needed to see the pack doctor for some antacid.

The bell rings, signaling the end of class. Drake walks in, scanning the room, even though he should know where I’m sitting since he left me here.

A smile spreads across his face. “Ready for lunch?”

After stuffing the last book into my bag, he takes it from me and slings it over his shoulder. Hand in hand, we walk to the cafeteria, where people step aside to let us go to the front of the line. I’ve never liked it when people cut in line to join their friends, but this has been happening all week. We get our food and head to the table where Ryan and Kevin are waiting. A few more males join us at the long table that can seat over fifteen. It’s the same table Macie used to sit at with Drake and their friends. Drake has been helping me learn who will be important in our roles and the order in which they should be asked to do things. Ryan is the first to ask, then Kevin and Conner, while the others are in the Omega ranks. As I eat and chat with them, I start to feel strange. It feels like I’m getting sick, but I try my best to hide it. Unfortunately, Drake notices the slight change.

He stops what he’s doing. “Addy, are you okay? You look a little pale.”

I force a smile. “I’m fine. I must have eaten something last night that didn’t agree with me. It’ll pass soon, don’t worry.”

But the longer we sit there, the worse I feel. A bead of sweat trickles down my neck, and Drake turns to look at me. A low growl escapes his lips. The other males at the table stop what they’re doing and focus on me. Their eyes change color, indicating that their wolves are pushing forward.

‘Addy, we need to run. This is not going to end well if we stay here. They will attack you in the next few minutes, and Drake will have to fight off every male wolf in this school,’ she screams at me.

‘What’s happening?’ I feel dizzy.

‘Your heat cycle is starting. We need to get back to the packhouse immediately and into our room. They will be all over you if you don’t move now,’ she makes me stand up.

Drake’s eyes follow me as he quickly stands up and scoops me into his arms. He starts running faster than I thought possible as the males in the room begin to growl and stand up. I hear the sound of clothes tearing and the pounding of paws as he races through the halls.

“Get the keys out of my pocket, Addy. I can’t do it while I’m holding you. If we stop, they’ll attack both of us.” He takes another turn.

My hand searches his pockets until I accidentally touch his hard member, causing him to stumble slightly and growl. My shaking hand dives into the pocket I can reach and wraps around the key ring. As I slowly pull them out, my fingers brush against him again, making him suck in a breath as his eyes shift back and forth with each touch. We burst out of the front doors as I press the button to unlock the car. Wolves are coming at us from every direction, and he sets me down, pushing me towards the passenger door.

“Get in, quickly. We need to leave now. I’ve linked with Dad, letting him know what’s happening; he’s getting every unmated male out of the packhouse and putting them on duty.” He sprints to his door and presses the start button.

We speed away from the parking lot as male wolves chase us at incredible speeds. I knew wolves were fast, but keeping up with a car is something else. He pushes the gas pedal harder, driving as fast as the car can go. I’m sweating profusely as I see his eyes flashing back and forth with Diego. I can tell he’s struggling to control his wolf as his knuckles turn white from gripping the steering wheel so tightly.

‘Mystic, please help. Slow this down or something,’ I beg her.

She stands there, glistening with sweat. ‘I can’t. This is something I can’t control. Unfortunately, this is nature taking its course. I didn’t think it would happen this quickly; I thought maybe by the weekend, but not now.’

The car screeches to a halt in the driveway before he speeds into the garage. He helps me out of the car and once again scoops me up in his arms as he runs to our room. I can hear growls coming from the woods in the distance as we run through the house. He barks orders at the men standing at the front door.

“Do whatever you have to do, but don’t let those wolves in here. Stand guard until you hear my howl. That should deter them and they’ll leave after that.” He looks over his shoulder.

I look up at him, confused. “W-what?”

His nostrils flare as he takes the stairs two at a time. “We have no choice. I’m barely controlling myself, and they won’t stop until you’re mated with someone. There’s no way in hell I’m letting another male do that; you’re mine.”

He walks through the door, sets me down, and steps away from me, his body trembling. He turns around and locks the door with a loud click before his eyes return to me. He reaches up behind his head and pulls off his shirt.

“Drake, I’m sorry about this,” I say, fumbling with my hands.

“Don’t apologize yet; you need to tear your clothes off before I do. We have to complete this before those unmated males get through the patrol. They’re outnumbered two to one. I don’t want to kill my friends, but I will if they get in here with us. Diego will attack anyone who tries to touch you. We don’t want a mess of dead wolves in here,” he says, kicking off his shoes and socks before pulling down his shorts.

My mouth goes dry as his boxers come down with his shorts, revealing his naked body and an imposing member that reaches up to his belly button. It’s much larger than I imagined, wide and thick. His body is still trembling as the howls get closer, along with some snarling that has started echoing through the halls from what must be happening outside.

‘We’re out of time, Addy,’ Mystic rushes forward, ‘you need to do this now. There’s no more time.’

My shaking hands slowly pull off the sweat-soaked clothes stuck to my body. Drake moves over to me, helping me out of them before picking me up and placing us on the bed.

“Addy, I’ll be as gentle as I can,” he promises, his voice low and soothing. “I don’t know how long this will take, but it won’t be long. Your heat has me on edge, and the fact that you’re a virgin... I won’t last long. But I promise you, after this, I’ll worship your body like it deserves. We just need to get through this.” His hands spread my legs apart, his body slowly moving up mine.

I instinctively scoot back on the bed, away from him. His hand lands on my hip, holding me steady. My heart is racing, the blood pounding in my ears. My eyes dart around the room, taking in everything and nothing. He moves back up, his face level with mine. Sweat trickles down my body, my breath coming in short pants. This damn heat, coming early and turning my life into a nightmare. The distant sounds of fighting wolves reach my ears, the males trying to break in while his patrol fights to keep them out.

“Addy,” he murmurs, his hand gently caressing my face. “Focus on me, love. Relax, so it doesn’t hurt. We need to start. The longer we wait, the closer they get. My patrol is struggling to hold them off. There are too many of them.” His eyes are filled with determination, promising to do everything he can to make this bearable. To do what needs to be done before a horde of wolves break down the door and try to claim me. I take a deep breath, nodding slowly as he positions himself. I close my eyes, feeling his hard length against my center, my body tensing up.

“You need to breathe, Addy. Relax. If you don’t, it’s going to hurt like hell,” he whispers in my ear.

Mystic steps forward, a comforting smile on her face. ~I can help with that. Let’s focus on something you enjoy. Something that will help you relax and let him proceed.~

Images of towering waterfalls fill my mind, the sound of water rushing over the edge and falling twenty feet into the pool below. My body relaxes, the tension melting away as she fills my mind with these calming images. Just as I reach my most relaxed state, a sharp pain jolts me back to reality. Back to the bed, where he’s slowly pushing into me. A high-pitched scream escapes my lips, muffled by his mouth as he kisses me deeply.