emery
After several minutes of clutching onto Lenora's fur for fear life, I realize that she's moving smoothly enough that I won't just fall off. My cramped fingers loosen and I straighten my spine.
The wind continues to whip around us, tossing my hair behind me like a golden flag. I've never been this deep into the forest so I soak in all of the lush vegetation—large pines, leafy ferns, shrubby bushes taller than me. Squirrels and rabbits dart away at the sound of her feet landing on the earth. I feel myself smile giddily as I try to take it all in.
This is life, I think. This is what's it all about.
Lenora's stride changes as we traverse up an incline. She carefully picks her way around sharp rocks and massive boulders. The trees begin thinning the higher we climb. All at once, the hill plateaus and we're surrounded by boulders. Lenora stops and glances back at me with a deep breath. I pat the silky spot between her ears before slinging my right leg over her back and sliding to the ground.
My legs feel like jello from hugging her so tightly so my first few steps are like toddler wobbles. I hear the eerie whoosh of her transforming back into her human body. When I glance at her, she's crouching in all her glorious nakedness. Lifting her face towards me, she unfolds into a standing position with a smile. My cheeks warm as I glance over her bare body. It feels so scandalous to be out in the open with her completely naked.
"Enjoying the view?" she asks with a smirk while extending a hand toward me.
"I mean, it is pretty spectacular." I place my palm in hers and laugh as she tugs me into her chest.
Her lips peck the top of my head. "You haven't seen anything yet, baby girl."
"Where are we?"
Lenora withdraws but keeps my fingers interlaced with hers. "Follow me and I'll show you."
We climb up onto one of the large boulders and I feel myself go breathless. Lenora grabs my hips and stands behind me, hugging my back into her front.
My gaze wanders to the incredible view all around us. We're higher up than I realized and surrounded by a vast, sprawling forest with no break as far as the eye can see. In the distance, jagged mountaintops fill the horizon. The sun is setting behind one of the crests now, casting a warm peachy filter across the landscape.
"This is Full Moon Hill," she says. "We're technically on pack territory but this place was sacred ground for the Cherokee. There's a legend about our ancestors holding celebrations here to worship full moons."
I tilt my head back to gape at her. "That's so cool!"
She smiles. "It's a special place."
"Thank you for bringing me."
"Took me long enough," she grumbles, delicately running her fingertips down my arms. "Everything that belongs to me . . . belongs to you also."
Her words send heat through my body, melting down each of my muscles until I'm a noodle in her arms. It's slowly dawning on me that this is it—this is my life now, with her. A never-ending adventure. I bite my lip as desire takes hold of me and a craving so fierce hits me that all I can do is hold onto her again.
"You're so gorgeous," Lenora says softly.
I smile bashfully and turn my burning cheeks away. "Thank you. You're one to talk." Risking a glance back at her, I say, "I'll never get tired of looking at you. You're the most—" I stop myself.
The words spinning through my brain suddenly sound miserably insufficient. Lenora isn't just the most beautiful person I've ever met. She's the most stunning, most powerful, and most enthralling woman I've ever had the pleasure of sharing space with.
And she's mine? a doubtful voice inside me squeaks.
"The most what?" she teases with a smirk.
That one look, her pink lips quirked and her blazing sapphire eyes alight with amusement—it's enough to make my lady parts throb.
"The most everything," I hear myself murmur, my voice dazed and trance-like. "All of it. You're everything."
She chuckles. Her fingers lift to my hair and comb the wind-tangled strands from my face. "You're my everything." Then she lifts my chin and takes my mouth in a toe-curling wet kiss.
Our tongues flick against each other, our bodies pressing closer and closer together. My hands roam down her smooth skin. As she nibbles on my bottom lip, I reach up to grab one of her breasts and massage the hardened nipple.
"Fuck, baby girl," she groans into my mouth.
Her hands pull on my hair until my head is forced back, my throat bare to her. She kisses and sucks down to my collarbone while I move my other hand between her taut thighs. One brush against her slit and my palm is coated in her honey. I lick my hand, earning a growl, before sliding my hand back to her hot, dripping hole.
Lenora shivers under my touch. She continues her assault down my chest until her lips are sucking on my nipple through my shirt. Between the rough fabric and her wet mouth, the sensation is earth-shattering. I plunge my fingers inside her and saw them ruthlessly against her clenched walls while thumbing her swollen clit. She sucks harder and then pulls back to shove my shirt up, launching her attack on my naked breast. When I feel her fingers probing at my core, I whimper.
"I'm going to come," I warn her, panting.
"Come with me, baby," she commands. "Come for me, Emery."
As soon as her finger slides into me, my nerves combust and heat washes over me. "Lenora!" I cry. My muscles seize and clench around her hand, desperate and unhinged.
She unravels on my fingers with a groan, squirting right into my palm. Her harsh breathing fills my ear and she hugs me against her. We pull our hands out of each other, spent.
"I can't wait to spend every day with you like this," she says. "I love you, Emery."
"I love you more."
We nestle into each other and turn our eyes to the view again. For some time, we stand in companionable silence with only the wind flapping around us as company.
"It was crazy riding your wolf," I confess to her. "I didn't know that was even possible."
Her gentle laugh sends delightful vibrations through me and I lean back into her embrace. Everything feels calm here. Like time has stopped and it's just us, surrounded by beauty and nature and our love.
"So, how far back do werewolves go?" I ask. "I need you to teach me Werewolves 101."
"Sadly," she sighs, "we don't know very much about our origins. Most packs weren't educated because they tried to stay away from humans who would persecute them as witches and demons. Even growing up now, we tend to stick to our isolated pack areas rather than live near humans. It's just easier that way. But we do lose a lot of information because of it."
I feel sick at the thought of wolves being called witches or demons. I'm sure I don't even want to know what humans did to wolves who they believed were those things. Turning in her arms, I gaze up at my mate.
"I'm sorry that your people have been punished like that. I can't even imagine what that's like."
She strokes my hair and smiles gently down at me. "It may be bad, but we don't know anything else. That's why rogues are so threatening to us. Wolves that choose to live among people have the potential to expose us and cause a lot of harm."
"So that's why you banished Brian."
Her brows furrow for a moment before realization flashes through her eyes. "Oh, yes. The night we met. He was causing other problems though. We continued to smell him on pack territory, even though he'd been chased out many times. He was a persistent little bastard."
I sigh and turn back to the fading sun. "I wonder how he got mixed up with Arabella and Jacob. He seemed like kind of a nice guy before that."
She's quiet for a moment before I hear a tense, "What?"
When I turn back to her, the relaxed tranquility on her face has soured. My gut drops. Oh shit.
"He was there—at the cafe. Didn't you see him?" I say.
Her eyes narrow. "No, I didn't fucking see him. Denver didn't mention anything. That means that bastard might still be out there. Come on, we have to go." She grabs my wrist and tugs me after her down the boulder.
And just like that, I feel our momentary bliss fade away. I feel like an idiot for ruining this peace—the first we've had in what feels like forever. Then again, if Brian is on the loose, we're fucked.
After I awkwardly mount Lenora's wolf once again, she darts off down the rocky mountain face. We approach a herd of grazing deer who don't seem to hear us. Lenora's body expands and releases with a loud, threatening snarl that sends a bolt of apprehensive energy straight to my stomach. The deer lift their heads in unison and frantically scramble out of our path. I cling onto Lenora's fur with all of my might and pinch my eyes shut.
The light beyond my eyelids brightens. When I peek my eyes open, I see the forest has given way to the pack house lawn. There are still a few wolves out, walking together or laying in the soft grass. They lift their eyes at our rapid approach and Lenora slows to a walk. She swings her head back to me and nods, so I take my cue to dismount. She shifts immediately and marches off.
I stare at her retrieving form, frozen and feeling a bit lost all of a sudden.
"Hey."
I turn toward the familiar voice and find Caden and Desiree standing behind me.
"Everything okay?" Desiree asks.
"I, uh . . . don't know." I wet my lips. "I guess I better go after her."
Both of their faces bend with concern but I don't know what to say. I don't know if I should even attempt to explain to them or any of the pack members what happened. Besides, what are we going to do if Brian has vanished? He could've gone anywhere.
When I let myself in the back door of the pack house, I hear low, stern voices from the kitchen. I pad into the dining area and find Lenora pinching the bridge of her nose, pacing the floor. Their heads snap up to me. Denver's eyes are shaded with worry and I realize immediately that he believes he's somehow responsible for this.
"He attacked Denver," Lenora spits venomously. "Drugged him and left him in the alley behind the cafe. Now he can't remember what happened or where that fucking asshole ran off to."
Guilt gripped me with agonizing force. Turning to Denver, I asked, "Are you alright? I didn't realize he did that to you. Things got hairy once Ara showed up."
"It's not your fault, Luna," Denver says. "They drugged you too. I couldn't remember where I was until I saw Alpha squaring off with Jacob."
I know Denver may believe it's not my fault, but it is. All of it. I didn't realize how much harm he had sustained trying to help Lenora save my dumb ass. As my mind slips into a self-deprecating wallow, I remember something that might help.
"Calla disappeared too," I say. "Maybe they left together."
Lenora's jaw tightens. She turns her back to me and grabs onto the kitchen counter, her bare shoulders rippling. I can practically feel the rage boiling under her scarred skin.
"I will handle this," she snarls. She turns to face Denver, a feral darkness in her eyes that makes me shiver. "Stay here and watch her."
Her words are justified but they lash at me like a flaming whip. She starts towards the staircase without a glance back. Swallowing, I look at Denver. His mouth pinches sadly. I move to follow her but he clears his throat.
"Let her be, Luna," he warns me. "She's not in a good headspace."
"I know. But it's late. Don't you think she's being unreasonable?"
He blows out a breath and shakes his head. "She's the Alpha. It's not my job to say."
I rub my face with my hands and sigh. "Well, I'm Luna. That's my job, huh?"
His gray eyes are thoughtful but reserved. I pat his shoulder and head up the stairs, taking them two at a time. I'm breathless by the time I reach our floor and stumble toward the bedroom.
Lenora and I collide in the doorway. Her body slams into mine like a brick wall, and her arms grabbing me are the only reason I don't go flying backward. She's already changed into her signature black jeans and leather jacket.
Two cobalt flames meet my eyes. A wave of heat fills me but I can't tell if it's from her touch or her anger. She squeezes my waist before setting me on my feet.
"Lenora—"
"I'm going to fix this," she says, her tone as non-negotiable as her stiff body language.
My heart crumples and I make one last pitiful effort. "It's so late. And you're going alone—"
"I'll be fine. You need to stay here where I know you're safe and out of trouble." She nudges past me with one last lingering look before she turns away and jogs down the stairs.
My posture slumps and the heaviness I felt after Ara's death returns in crippling force. Tears burn in my eyes. Why am I mad at her? Why do I feel hurt? She's just trying to fix the mess that I caused.
I slink into the bedroom and close the door. Brushing the tears from my face, I stumble over to the bed and collapse on it. My body and brain are exhausted. These last few weeks have felt like an entire lifetime.
Strangely, none of the things I've witnessed and experienced bother me like one cold, dismissive look from Lenora. I can't survive any of it unless, at the end of the day, her arms of comfort are there to hold me. Her behavior is a clear indication that I've fucked up bigger than all my other mistakes. She's never dismissed me like that. If I hadn't followed her up here, she would've left without a word to me. I ache with loneliness to suddenly imagine a world without her there to soothe the trauma away.
A haunting thought keeps my numb brain on the edge of consciousness.
What if I've screwed it all up?