Dark Moon

29

Sage's POV:

Ashton has grown into quite the dramatic kind of guy, especially now that we're at the end of his rut. He's got his arms around me and I'm stuck on his knot, but I know that it's probably his last one for his rut.

I'm pretty sure his last one was actually three rounds ago, but the horny brat keeps acting like he's still in rut so he can fuck me again. I know that Ashton likes to be in our room because it feels safe with everything that has occurred in our lives and it's his way to keep me safe.

Ashton's busied himself with kissing and nipping my neck while we wait for his knot to go down. He buries his face against my chest and sighs in content, closing his lips around my nipple.

"Hey!" I exclaim, pushing his face away. "Ashton, you already bruised the shit out of my neck. You don't need to leave more marks!"

"I like leaving marks on you, angel," he murmurs, but he doesn't keep nipping me.

I smile at my mate and run my fingers through his sweaty hair. "After this we're going to shower and then go downstairs and reconnect with the real world."

"My rut isn't done."

"You know that we both have similar instincts and that I can smell the rut fading, right?"

Ashton pouts. "You're nose-blind."

"That's not how scents work, Ashton."

He huffs but he knows I'm right, and soon enough, he's pulling his limp cock out of me and I'm guiding him to the bathroom. He sits on the toilet lid with a scowl on his face while I start the shower and lay a couple of towels on the rack for us.

Ashton gets in when the water is warm and we stand together under the spray, both of us closing our eyes and holding each other. I'm not sure that either of us is ready to go face our pack; it's been a week since Charlie had his miscarriage and nothing has gone terrible but nothing is going extremely well either.

"Time to get out," Ashton says when the water starts to cool down a bit since there's only so much hot water that can run at a time.

I follow him and we both scrub our hair with our towels so it's mostly dry and not dripping down our backs. Both Ashton and I end up wearing one of us sweatshirts (he made that decision because Mr-Still-Feeling-Possessive decided that I need to be smothered in his scent). Ashton tosses me a pair of my own sweatpants and puts on one of his and we head to the kitchen.

It's midday and the snow has melted, but we're still in the winter season so it's blisteringly cold out. Our new allies from the city are apparently visiting, as I see Noah and Aspen at our kitchen table.

"What are you doing here?" I blurt before I catch myself. "Sorry, that was rude."

Aspen is cutting up food for Noah, much to his mate's annoyance. "Your Alpha asked us to give an update on our destruction of the trafficking. It is taking a while, but we are moving through the pack lands and we are taking up a base here now that your warriors have strengthened defenses around your pack grounds."

Noah tries to take his plate but Aspen growls and stabs a piece of meat with his fork and feeds it to his mate. It's pretty clear that the overprotective Alpha side is showing up because Noah is pregnant, and when I get pregnant, Ashton had better let me take care of myself a little bit.

The front door opens and Ronaldo walks in, yawning and rubbing his eyes.

"Thank goddess you're done with your rut," he says to Ashton. "I need your mate to lead a training so I can get some damn sleep."