Way of the Wolf: Equilibrium

Chapter 24 ~ Freedom

My back tingled as someone stepped up behind me without warning.
I tried to ignore the sudden calloused brush of fingers across my shoulder and up the side of my neck, but heat followed his touch and I couldn’t escape when he leaned down to kiss a spot beneath my ear. “Come with me.”

“I’m busy, Ebbe,” I murmured, hoping Katrin and Fenna were as deep in conversation as they were making out. “I should have finished this yesterday for Katrin. I owe her for her help.”

He smirked against my skin, far too smug a male at the knowledge of exactly why I was behind in my chores. For some reason, he’d taken my permission for whatever was between us to be explored to mean he could interrupt whatever I was doing so we could have a romp in the woods whenever the mood hit him.

Batting away his hand, I glanced over my shoulder at him. “You can keep me company if you like.”

“I haven’t seen you all day, please?” A gentle growl against my throat vibrated straight through me to settle as heat throbbing at the apex of my thighs. I shifted in my seat, even as Ebbe greedily inhaled the change in my scent.

The trousers I could finish later tonight in my den. . .

Spinning on the bench, I grabbed his hand and he yanked me up with a huge grin. We couldn’t slip away unnoticed of course, and before we could disappear through the trees, I heard Katrin laugh as Fenna called out, “Have fun, be safe!”

I laughed too, letting Ebbe lead me deeper into the forest until we were well away from the pack. We’d learned our lesson after being caught at the pools the day before. I giggled.

What the fuck had gotten into us?

Neither of us seemed able to get enough. I always wanted to be touching him, whether it was simply his arm against mine as we ate, or to have him nearby enough I could catch his scent in the air. A small part felt such alarm at my need for that, but I pushed it away. This was, for now, just two wolves having fun. But every time I told myself that over the last few days, it tasted a little more like a bitter lie on my tongue. Ebbe offered me a reprieve from the crushing realities that waited for me back home, and I’d take as much of that freedom from him as I could, as long as he offered it.

Sooner or later though, reality would come crashing back.

Swinging me around, Ebbe gave me no more time to think. He pushed me up against the nearest tree, and the rough bark stung my skin but the pain only added to my need to have him. His body was pressed up against mine, pushing me more roughly, but when I lifted my chin to accept a heady kiss, I was met with narrowed blues. “Your eye, who did it?”

So this hadn’t been about sex, it was an ambush. Touching where it hurt the worst, I cringed a little at the throbbing I got in return, but I could see and blink so I hadn’t been that bothered about it. No bone was broken, skin wasn’t split open, by tomorrow, it would be a lovely mottled yellow and green, and the day after that it might be gone completely. So there was no need for his protectiveness.

“Who did it?” he repeated, making me roll my eyes.

“None of your business. It was done while training, sometimes injuries happen when you’re sparring with fully grown wolves who’ve been taught not to hold back. You know that. This is exactly why I didn’t want you watching.”

He hummed, still unhappy as he studied the bruising, catching my chin between his fingers to tilt my face towards the light so he could get a better look.

Leaning in, I nipped at his jaw, splaying my hands over his bare chest. I’d learned to put up with his hate for clothes and secretly liked that he was never hidden from my eyes. He groaned as my nails dug in, distracting him from his anger. The tension left him as I explored the lines and groves down his abdomen, the way he was filling out with more muscle now he was eating better and going back to learning from Signy.