Whispers of the Wolf

His Comfort

Shutting the door behind me, I stepped down onto the garden path and immediately regretted not grabbing my coat before wandering outside.

Damn. It was cold.

Tugging on the sleeves of my hoodie so that they covered my sore hands, I wrapped my arms around myself as I dashed across the lawn, stopping by the tree that I had seen Orion disappear behind.

The birds were singing loudly while the soft, cool breeze blew through the trees, bringing a chill that nipped at my nose.

Soft breathing told me where Orion was and walked right up the tree he was hiding behind. Smiling, I stuck my head around it, to find him standing on the other side, his hands gripping the trunk of the tree.

His eyes met mine and he smiled. His dark eyes crinkled slightly in the corners as the grin lit up his handsome face.

I ... my heart stopped at the sight.

Oh my god.

He was ... just ... wow.

Just wow.

"Hi." His deep voice was velvet smooth and it washed over me, sending goosebumps rushing across my skin and prickles tickling my scalp. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach. And all of that happened at that one simple word.

Anything I had wanted to say to him, any greeting that I'd had ready in my head, disappeared. My mind was blank, all senses seeming to be zeroing in on him.

He moved slightly, so he was standing right in front of me. He leaned against the tree, shoving his hands into the pockets of his thick dark coat. I caught a whiff of pine cones as he moved and I breathed it in. I think ... I liked that scent.

"How are you doing, Radley?" The smile still hadn't left his face, and I felt heat creep up my cheeks, despite the cool wind.

"I ... uh ... I'm good," I managed to stutter.

He nodded while I stared at him like an idiot. Although I knew I was doing it, I just couldn't help myself. He was gorgeous.

An image of Alaric from the night of the party flashed across my mind ... in my head, his back was to me, standing proudly, wonderfully nude, his bare skin glistening in the moonlight. I shook my head and swallowed.

Oh god.

My jeans were suddenly feeling tight and I shifted, trying to find a little comfort, biting back a whimper as the fabric of my boxers brushed against my growing erection.

Why did this always happen? And at stupid times like this?

Orion glanced at the house, then back to me.

"I didn't know you lived here," he said, his eyes curious.

I nodded. "Yeah." My voice was a little raspy and I cleared my throat, hoping that I didn't look as hot as I was suddenly feeling. "Me and Claudia."

He raised his eyebrows. "Claudia? Your mate?"

Mate? What?

I frowned. Conri had mentioned mates on the night of the party. Said that Alaric hadn't met his mate yet, his friends, or something like that. And now Orion was talking about them?

"Uh, I guess." I mean, I was friends with Claudia. That counted, right?

His face fell, his eyes averted to the floor. "Oh." He scratched his cheek, his dark skin glowing in the low light. I watched as his fingers touched his face, my own fingers aching to do just that.

I swallowed. Where had that thought come from?

Taking a deep breath, I managed a small smile. "Claudia raised me. I guess you could call her a friend." I shrugged, unsure why I felt the need to tell him.

Orion's dark eyes lifted a little, so that he was watching me from under his long eyelashes. "Raised you?"

"Yeah." I nodded. "My parents died when I was a baby, so Claudia took me in and brought me up. Treated me like her own son." A sad smile tugged at my lips. "Claudia can't have kids of her own, so she adopted me."

"Oh." He didn't sound as sad this time.

I tugged on the sleeves of my hoodie, making sure my hands were still covered to fight off the icy bite of the wind. The branches of the trees around us swished in the soft breeze, the fallen leaves rustling on the woodland floor. It felt peaceful out here. The sun was sinking lower, splashing all shades of blue, purple and pink across the sky.

"Did you hear what happened last night?" Although Orion's voice was soft, his words rang loudly in my head and I cringed, while my heart beat fiercely in my chest.

I nodded my head. The sadness that I'd felt back in the kitchen swept in and washed over me once more, causing tears to prick at the back of my eyes.

"I'm sorry," he muttered. He straightened up and peered at me. "Did you know her?"

I nodded. "A little," I sniffed. "She worked in the coffee shop in town." Swallowing, I blew out a breath. "It seems like everyone knew her. She was really popular."

Images of her and Alaric hugging and kissing outside of my house flitted across my mind and I shook my head once more as I felt the familiar heat of anger boil in my chest. I couldn't care about that any more. Tala was dead. She would no longer be kissing and hugging Alaric.

Orion reached up and wiped my cheek with his thumb, startling me a little. I didn't know I had been crying.

"It's okay to feel sad," he murmured softly, his hand gently cupping my cheek. "It's always upsetting when someone dies."

Although I wanted to pay attention to his words, the feel of his skin against mine had heated my face even more, causing my calming arousal to flare up again.

Oh no. Not again.

Shifting on my feet, I tugged on the front of my hoodie, making sure it was pulled down low in front in an attempt to hide the growing bulge in my jeans.

Orion didn't seem to notice my discomfort as his thumb caressed my skin, his dark eyes gentle, a soft smile playing on his lips. His tongue darted out and licked across his bottom lip, catching my attention. My eyes followed the movement, my cock swelling and stretching in my jeans.

My breath was coming out in pants, my heart was racing. Warmth bloomed from my chest, through my body, causing a funny tickle in my stomach.

Oh god.

What was happening?

Orion took a deep breath and blinked. He looked up, taking in the darkening sky. His eyes lowered, until they rested on my face once more.

"I guess I had better go." He shrugged. "I don't really want to be out in the woods after dark." He chuckled. I knew exactly what he meant. I wasn't a fan of being out amongst the trees when it gets dark.

The wolves ...

His hand was still cupping my face, the heat of his skin causing little pleasant shocks to course through my body.

"Can I see you again?" he asked, his eyes hopeful.

I managed a weak nod, still not too sure about what he was saying. My mind seemed to want to concentrate more on how close he was, on how wonderful his hand felt on my face.

He sighed as he smiled. "That's great," he said softly. "I'll see you soon, then, Radley."

Orion leaned in and pressed his lips to mine, softly, gently. Sparks fizzled against my lips, sending electricity rushing across my skin. My heart crashed against my ribs as my breath was knocked out of my lungs.

Oh my god.

I was pretty sure I just died. I mean, this feeling, this wonderful feeling ... this was heaven, right?