Hagen's P.O.V
Nikola: What about mini golf? How would you feel about that?
Me: I'd feel great about mini golf, but we both know YOU don't want to play mini golf.
Nikola: Miniature sports upset me. I'm sorry.
Me: Lol knew it, and it's fine I suck at it anyway.
Nikola: Perhaps we can watch a movie at the cinema?
Me: Yeah that's fine. But Nikola, are these things you actually want to do or is this really Google speaking?
Silence.
I knew it.
Laughing, I lean back against the kitchen counter, ready to type out a response, but of course, someone drags me back to reality first.
"Hagen!" Jasper bellows impatiently. "Max stole three of your turns, and he'll take another if you keep jacking off in there!"
"Why is your first thought always that someone is jacking off?" I groan while quickly pocketing my phone and grabbing the snacks I had left for in the first place.
"Because I know my species," he replies just as I rush back into Ruben's living room, where I find the guys exactly as I'd left them– Ruben splayed out in his armchair, high as a kite, while watching Max and Jaspar play online in a Halo match.
"Your species?" I question as I toss a bag of Doritos at Ruben.
"Men. We're sick, horny fucks."
"We are," Max agrees as he glances down at the chips I drop in his lap. "I swear if there's cum on these chips—"
"There's no fucking cum, you pervert! I was not jacking off!" I snap as I flop back into my seat. "I just got distracted.
"By that chick you've been talking to twenty-four seven," Jaspar guesses, spurring an array of delighted sounds that make me want to die.
"I haven't been talking to any girl." And that was the truth. Sure– I had been talking to someone and seeing them a lot these last two weeks, but it was not a 'chick'.
"Mad of you to assume it's a girl," Ruben drawls around a mouthful of hot Doritos. "We're in the twenty-first century, man—"
"Oh please! Do not pull that shit in here with me," Jaspar begs, his eyes still glued to the screen as his thumbs move frantically over the joystick. "I'm not a closed-minded idiot, but we all know Hagen's not chasing anything that doesn't have a rack on it."
"I'd have to agree," Max adds from his corner. "If he were, then my gaydar is completely busted, and that is literally impossible."
"Why? Cause you woulda try and fuck he by now?" Ruben asks in a heavy chuckle.
"Oh my God, Ruben– that's so homophobic." Max claims, just like he claimed every other day. "I do not try to fuck every good-looking man I meet just because I'm gay."
"Nah, you're a muddafucking liar. You tried to fuck me for a month when we first met."
"That's different." Max snaps, cheeks heating quickly. "You're insanely hot. My morals were weakened."
That directs the others into a completely new conversation that gives me the chance to sneakily pull out my phone. I keep it plastered against my chest, checking once to make sure they weren't watching before I open up Nik and I's chat.
Nikola: If you're trying to make me cave with your silence, it won't work.
Nikola: ...
Nikola: I don't like this, Hagen.
Me: Lol, five more seconds, and you would've caved.
Nikola: Supposedly.
Me: So, final decision, without Google's input, what do you want to do on Friday?
Nikola: Why don't you pick? I haven't suggested one good thing.
Me: You have, but they're all things I know you don't even like. So you choose something you want.
Nikola: I'd rather you just pick. I'll be happy once you're happy.
"Damn, he's down bad!" Jaspar declares, making me jerk as I switch off my phone and look up. With the match done, I find all the guys staring at me with knowing grins that have me feeling like a caged zoo attraction. "She really has you smiling at your phone, Hagen?"
"It must be serious," Max comments before he tilts his head. "Wait, jokes aside, are you really seeing someone, Hagen?"
"No," I reply immediately, only to instantly find myself questioning it.
Was I 'seeing' Nikola? I didn't think so.
Seeing someone meant you were dating, and Nikola and I were not dating. We hung out, that's all. Yeah, we texted almost every day and met up a lot, but that didn't mean we were dating.
Yeah. It doesn't – Zyair replies, solidifying my thoughts before I pause.
Wait, are you being sarcastic?
Noo. Of course, not – he promises, allowing me to relax but then...
"Yeah, okay," Jasper mumbles sceptically. "Because we all look at our phones that way when we're talking to our parents."
"I don't, but then again, I'm an orphan," Max deadpans, making the room fall completely silent before we fill it with roaring laughter.
"Honestly, though, I'm not dating any girl," I vow, and I must've been convincing enough because they don't call me a liar– which I'm not. I wasn't seeing a girl or a guy, because I wasn't seeing Nikola.
But then I hesitate for a moment, wondering if I should say anything about him either way; but then again, what would I even say?
Jaspar was a vampire, but the others weren't supernatural; they didn't know about werewolf mates, so I couldn't explain the situation between Nik and myself without it sounding weird– and just a teenie tiny bit crazy. Plus, even if I didn't mention our bond, wouldn't that kind of be like coming out? And how could I come out when I wasn't even gay?
Nikola was my mate, and yeah, I liked hanging out with him, but I wasn't attracted to him. If that side of things were ever going to 'kick in' like everyone loved to claim, it sure as fuck wasn't any time soon. Besides, that didn't even matter. We both agreed to just try our best and see where it went, that's all.
So what could I even say, 'it's just this guy I'm talking to– it's complicated, but yeah. We're getting along really well, so I spend a lot of time with him now.' – Goddess forbid.
It was easier not to mention him, so I don't, and the guys thankfully let it go. Max tosses me his controller, Ruben smokes another blunt, and we keep playing Halo– or rather, I was trying to play Halo, but even while I willed myself like hell to focus, my head was barely in it.
Now all I can think about is Nikola and what we are. I hadn't even thought to put a name to it before– more than happy just meeting him for meals and hanging out whenever, but now... now I wondered what he thought we were.
Did Nik see us as mates just hanging out like I did, or did he, like the guys, think we were dating?
Surely not. He had to see it the same way I did– the guys just didn't understand.
A bit more relaxed, I play a while, making up for the turns I lost and then watching onwards after I die, and when I know no one is concerned with me or my phone anymore, I head off to the bathroom.
Nikola: You have not replied for a while. Did I make you uncomfortable?
Nikola: I'm sorry. I didn't mean to.
Nikola: Hello, Hagen?... It's Nikola.
My cheeks hurt from how wide my lips spread on their own accord. I didn't know it until recently– would've never imagined it, but Nikola was fucking hilarious. His humour was a lot like him– seemingly stiff and hard to understand but unique in ways that he only showed to those he chose. He shared it with me a lot.
Me: Hi Nikola, it's Hagen lol. I was out for a bit, you didn't say anything wrong.
Nikola: Hi, Hagen. That's good. If I do, please tell me. I don't ever want to make you uncomfortable.
Shifting in my place, I try to function around the joyful buzz that vibrates through my body, but it's impossible. The bond warms on my end, too bright for me to deny, and too fucking good to try and push away.
Me: So, have you decided what you want to do?
Nikola: I would still prefer it if you chose our activity for the evening.
Me: Nikola, you choose something you actually want to do, or I'm going to say karaoke.
A few seconds pass before the message above mine disappears and is replaced with Message deleted.
Nikola: I'll see you Friday.
There's nothing in the world, not even the fear of the guys hearing me, that can stop me from laughing out loud as I shake my head and put my phone away. Nikola was really something.
With thoughts of Friday on my mind, I take a piss, like I'd originally come in here to do, but I don't notice the smile on my face until I'm washing my hands and catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror.
I wasn't just smiling– I was fucking beaming from ear to ear, my eyes lit up like Damon's on Christmas Day. My cheeks were bright red, and fuck, even my heart was kicking up a fuss. I looked like a chick who just got asked out by their crush and was over the moon about it.
I stare at myself, shocked for a moment, and then watch it all wash away as dread floods my system like being doused by a bucket of ice-cold water.
Goddess, were Nikola and I actually dating?
══════════════════
I look up at the glowing neon sign decorated by several bowling pins encircling one massive guy, who anyone with even a lick of comic book knowledge would know; beneath him, two words: 'KING PIN'S'.
The first thing I do is snort because that's a fucking amazing name for a bowling alley, but then I look to Nikola, wondering if the person beside me was actually him or some clone that had a few errors in it.
"What?" He asks, glancing between me and the building. "You hate bowling?" His face immediately twists into a deep frown. "I told you to pick– I didn't want to pick."
"Nikola, I love bowling," I say quickly before he could have a full-blown panic attack. "I'm just wondering if this is really you because bowling alleys are usually crowded and noisy."
Nikola relaxes instantly before he looks towards the building once more, his nose wrinkling a bit, "Yes, they usually are, but this one is different. I enjoy this establishment."
I study Nikola's pinched brows and downturned lip– the expression that I had seen countless times before, now endearing in its own way. It was now a mature version of the same disgusted face he had shown towards almost everything when he was younger, and seeing it now just made me realise how much he'd truly grown, so similar to his younger self and yet so distinct.
For one, Nikola still looked repulsed by everything around him, but instead of grey eyes that appeared sunken in, they were a little brighter now– curious and outlined by long, dark lashes. He'd also grown into his features, his jaw no longer seeming so harsh, and like his cheekbones, Nikola himself had also filled in.
I'd noticed it before, but I hadn't truly seen how Nikola was so much bigger now– at least two heads taller than me and carrying far more muscle too. He looked every bit the pack warrior his genes suggested, but then his long jumble of brown hair curling over his shoulders made him appear a little softer– like something mystical.
I saw Nikola standing before me– the same one I'd always known– but for the first time, I saw the wolf he'd become.
Looking away from the building, Nikola settles his steel gaze back onto me, his harsh frown softening immediately, "So, will this do?"
The care in his voice is not lost to me, nor is the worry in his eyes that exposes just how much he wanted me to like this– how important it was to him that I did, and I could only think one thing.
Fuck my friends. FUCK MY FRIENDS.
Before them, I'd been fucking a-okay meeting up with Nikola and hanging out, never once reading into the little moments that passed between us that may or may not have made my heart rev up to 180. Everything had been fine, and then those fucktards had to open their mouths, and now, I was losing my mind because seeing the desperation in Nikola's eyes made me pretty certain that this was a date right now.
So yeah, fuck them!
I jerk my gaze away from his, nodding quickly as I try to find my voice, "This is perfect. I'm ready to head in and kick your ass when you are."
"Is that so?" Nikola muses, and I could just hear the smirk he didn't let show. "Well, let me not keep you waiting."
Leading the way, Nikola takes us inside the amazingly-named bowling alley, and the moment I step inside, I know exactly why he 'enjoyed the establishment'.
Where I knew bowling alleys to be made up of several lanes, one next to the other with a shared ball rack and separate seating room if you were lucky, this one defied all the odds. Each bowling lane was amply separated by a thick, shimmering wall of some kind of magic that made everything behind it look blurry, giving privacy and space to any groups or pairs.
"Witches or...?"
"Fae," Nikola fills in as he walks us through the space with so much confidence that one might think he actually owned the place. "They like their privacy."
And Nikola liked the very same.
Without talking to anyone, Nikola leads us to the last lane bordered by that same thick barrier, except for where two pairs of shoes rest, waiting for us outside with our names on top of each.
"Relax," Nikola instructs when he catches me staring slack-jawed at my pair. "There's nothing to worry about besides putting on the shoes."
Nothing to worry about? How about the fact that my shoes somehow had my name inscribed on them when we hadn't spoken to a single person here. As a matter of fact, where were the damn employees?
"Hagen," Nikola chides.
Nodding, I sit down on a nearby edge and toe my shoes off as quickly as I can while trying not to think about how fancy this place was or what Nikola did to get us in.
Goddess, honestly, shoes with our names on them? Did he make a reservation, and if he did, how much did this place cost?! Faes could be greedy, especially Dark Faes, and for a place this nice, I bet they liked making people's pockets hurt.
And oh fuck– forget the cost. If he was going through all this trouble, then didn't that mean the guys were right, and this was a date? Good Goddess, if this was a date, then didn't that mean every time we'd met up over the last two weeks, we had been on dates?!? And if that was the case, didn't that mean that Nikola and I were actually seeing each other!?!!?
"Hagen, didn't I tell you to relax?" Nikola whispers, pushing my hands away from the laces I'd been strangling without realising.
"Um—" My words fail to form themselves as I watch Nikola lower himself to one knee. Without another word or any explanation, his fingers take the place of mine and swiftly tie my laces for me.
I watch him for a while, made helplessly immobile while he so casually took the reins from me.
"You don't have to do that," I mumble when he moves onto the other shoe.
Hagen shut the fuck up! Do not ruin this for us! – Zyair begs, all but howling his delight for Nikola's actions. Meanwhile, I struggled to breathe because, for some reason, watching Nikola tie my laces was killing me.
Nikola doesn't reply at first, but then his fingers pause, and he looks up at me, silently raising one of his thick brows.
"What?" I ask, peering down with the sudden worry that I'd put my shoes on the wrong foot.
"I asked you a question," he states calmly, making me freeze. "Did I not tell you to relax?"
Oh fuck.
Something rouses inside of me, snapping to attention or maybe waking up– whichever it is, it makes Zyair moan like a hungry incubus while I force myself not to squirm under Nikola's piercing gaze.
"Yes?" I reply, but it comes out as more of a question.
Nikola hums before he refocuses on his self-assigned task, "You do not need to worry about the conditions of us being here. It didn't require me to do something scandalous, and it came with no great loss to me or my resources."
"But this place is freaking fancy," I hiss, but he just laughs. "What's so funny?"
"What's 'funny' is that I first came here with Jacob when he paid with nothing more than his allowance," Nikola answers while pulling the laces into a double knot before he lifts his amused eyes to meet mine. "And yet, because it's nice or 'fancy', you worry that I sold my soul for this."
I shut my mouth, suddenly feeling silly but also relieved. I fold my arms all the same though, mumbling, "I never said you did all that."
The corner of Nikola's lips twitches just a little as he straightens and gestures towards the steps that lead to the bowling platform and what looks like our private lane.
"Now, if you would be so kind–" he makes a small mock bow. "So that we can play and you can attempt to 'kick my ass'."
"Attempt?" I scoff as I slip past him and head up the stairs. "I'm going to make you long for miniature sports."
A deep chuckle escapes Nikola as he follows behind me, but he says nothing as we enter our private section. Our bowling lane was a little ways ahead, but we stood just before a low wide couch, a table stacked with snacks and little treats, and a mini fridge already stocked with all sorts of drinks. Like the bowling lanes, this area was sectioned off by a cloudy barrier that turned everything else into a distant background buzz.
"Do you want anything before we start?" Nikola asks, bringing my attention back to him. "We can request anything that may be missing here."
"Nah, this is perfect," I promise, even though I was itching to test how far their kitchen's 'anything' policy extended. But nope, not tonight. I already embodied a starved gremlin six days out the week– I could take one night off.
"Are you sure?" Nikola asks, brows furrowed with worry. "I want you well-nourished so that when you lose, you know it was while you were at your best."
My jaw hangs loose, my mouth falling open as I stare at Nikola's completely earnest expression.
"You must really love bowling because holy fuck," I breathe out laughing.
Nikola smiles, and his cheeks warm just a little as if he was embarrassed by his teasing. Sadly, he turns around before I can see anymore, hurriedly heading over to the rack where two black bowling balls waited.
"Weird," I mumble as I walk over. "How are we supposed to tell them apart?"
Silently, Nikola picks up one of the balls and starting from his fingertips, the ball's black colour is blotted out until the entire thing goes from solid black to hot pink.
"Oh shit," I eagerly pick up my own, watching excitedly as mine turns into an electric purple, the ball almost glowing with vibrant streaks. "Ahh! It did it!"
Putting the ball down, I wait for it to turn black again before I pick it up, and sure enough, the whole thing turns purple again.
"It did it again!" I laugh as I drop it, this time thinking of going with the colour green, but when I pick it up, it's still purple. I try once more, thinking of blue, but when it fails again, I give up. Still, that was fine– I loved the purple all the same.
"Magic is so amazing!" I declare as I hold the ball close to me and look up at Nik. "I'm losing my mind right now!
"I can see that," Nikola replies, quietly smiling back at me. It's a small, amused thing, but the sight of it makes my heart hiccup. Actually hiccup! I swear to fuck, they weren't supposed to do that.
"Alright, let's play!" I exclaim as I turn around quickly. "It's time to get your ass handed to you!"
Nikola laughs gently again, not indulging in taunts this time, but I knew he had them now, so I wasn't buying the super calm act anymore.
We start off with what we agree is the 'practice round', where we simply bowl one after the other to get into the swing of things (no pun intended); the rehearsal ends in both of us tying because, surprisingly, Nikola was very, very good at bowling. I guess it shouldn't have been because why would he choose for us to play a game he wasn't good at, but it was still shocking to see just how many strikes he could get in a row.
Luckily for me, my first-year tendency to do everything other than study was coming to my aid because my bowling skills were just as sharp as I'd left them. All those times Ruben and I had decided we wanted to blow off some steam by throwing a heavy ball around kept me alive now as Nikola and I's point remained only a hair's width away from the other.
After our practice round, we take a break for drinks and snaking so we're both 'properly nourished' for the real thing, but before we start, we agree on the best of three games. And that's when the war begins.
I won the first game only by two points– a feat that made Nikola's eye twitch when the total score tallied, and I hadn't stopped snickering since. But then he'd come and won the second game by four because, apparently, Nikola Amorenia was very competitive and didn't like to lose.
So now we were about to start our last game– the winner would take all, and tensions were through the roof already, but apparently, that wasn't enough for Nik.
"What would you say to a wager?"
I glance at him over my water bottle cap, eyebrows drawing closer as I study him. Swallowing down a few gulps, I take in a deep breath before I ask, "What type of wager?"
"A very simple one," Nikola promises. "Whoever wins gets to ask something of the other."
"Ask?" I chuckle. "That means the other can say no."
"Exactly," Nikola agrees quickly. "I want you to say no if you wish when I win."
"Wow!" I shake my head. It shouldn't have still shocked me, but every time Nikola said some shit like that, I was baffled. The worst part was how he'd just blinked at me after, as if he'd said nothing out of the ordinary. "Your ego is the size of Mount Everest.''
Nikola frowns, "I do not have a large ego. I just know my abilities, and I'm confident in them."
"Uh huh, whichever way, I agree to your terms. And when I win, I'll ask you for what I want very nicely."
For all my talk, I had absolutely no idea what I'd even ask Nikola if I won. There wasn't a single thing I could imagine he wouldn't give me on any other day, so nothing was coming to mind now. And the things I would've wanted when I was younger, I didn't dare bring up now.
I liked spending time with Nik– it was fun. I already had everything I wanted already.
But that didn't mean I was going to throw the game because while I may have had everything I wanted, I didn't doubt that Nikola had millions of things he would want from me.
Strangely enough, that thought didn't scare me– not even a little. A few weeks ago, I would've already been out the door, thinking this was a trap or that there was something hidden between the dotted line, but I knew Nikola now.
Nikola wouldn't make me do anything, and he wouldn't try to force me into something I didn't want to do, bet or not. So, I enter our final game with a clear head– no anxiety or fear, just the will to win.
I still lose though. This time by eight points because Nikola Amorenia wasn't just very competitive– he was one extremely ruthless son of a bitch.
I wanted to be a sore loser about it, to claim he used his magic or something, but one look at Nikola's face while he switched out his shoes, and I didn't have the heart to do it.
Nikola was over the moon, and only a monster would try to pull him back down.
So I bite my lip and take my loss graciously, which luckily isn't hard because Nikola doesn't gloat or taunt me in his not-so-innocent way. In fact, Nikola doesn't say very much of anything as we leave our bowling shoes where we found them and head out the way we came. When we're outside, he's still quiet as his magic cloaks us, and he teleports us just outside my family's house, which is lit up enough to cause a nationwide blackout.
"Good Goddess," Nikola whispers as he looks over the beacon of Christmas the old man had turned the house into.
"Yeah, I have to use blackout curtains just to sleep at night," I grumble, earning a small huff of amusement from him.
Usually after we hung out, Nikola would drop me off outside my apartment, but seeing as it was a Friday, and Levi and Jayson were coming down this weekend, I had to be home to see them. But that made it a little weird having him walk me to the back door of the house I grew up in.
It felt different, almost intimate, and I... didn't know how to feel about that.
"Did you have a good time?" Nikola asks, just like he did when it came time for us to part after each of our hangout sessions.
And just like it always was, my answer is, "Yes." Because I always had a good time. "It sucked losing, but never let it be said that I'm a sore loser."
"I would never claim that you are," Nikola replies solemnly. "Only that you are a loser, as you are tonight."
I choke out a laugh as I look up at Nikola, stifling the urge to shove him. "Yeah, whatever. Tell me your request before I go inside and tell everyone I annihilated you in bowling."
Nikola's small secret smile returns, as if he liked the prospect of me doing exactly that, but then it slips away as he licks his lips. "You can say no," he starts, his grey eyes serious as they hold mine.
"I know," I reply, though it's a little strained in the face of the obvious tension that creeps between us.
Nikola watches me quietly, sharp and diligent, like he was trying to map out whether or not he could ask this, or maybe if he even should.
Goddess, I hope he doesn't ask for a kiss because that would be a hard no.
Nikola stays quiet for another excruciating minute before he straightens his shoulders and asks, "Will you scent-mark me?"
My mouth suddenly becomes very, very dry.
It wasn't a crazy ask; werewolves scent-marked each other all the time. We did it as family for comfort, and sometimes alphas did it for claim and ease of mind– mates did it too.
Nikola was my mate, so of course, he'd want to do that, but shit... guys just 'hanging out' didn't scent-mark.
Goddess, we were so dating.
Oh really? No wayyyyy!!! The plot twist of the century! – Zyair gasps dramatically, and this time I know it's all sarcasm. Dating?!? Who would've thought all those times we went out together would have been actual dates? I am in shock right now– consider me electrocuted.
Ignoring Zyair's bullshit, I focus on the apparent nerves speedily taking over Nikola's gaze, making his steel greys look like a building storm.
"It's fine if you don't want to," he adds into the quiet. "It's not a demand, only a request."
With each passing second, Nikola grows stiffer, and my body follows suit. The muscles beneath my skin pull tight, twisting close in a horrible ache that barely matches the one inside my chest from witnessing Nikoka's distress.
I knew he tried so hard, with the bond and the link, to not push me and to keep things good between us, and here he was stressing because he thought he asked too much of me when he'd barely asked for a thing.
If there was any chance of me saying no, it was washed away by the look in his eyes that I was quickly realising, I hated more than anything. But...
"I have a question," I declare, and Nikola quickly nods his head. "Why do you want me to do it? I thought you'd want...."
It's impossible to finish my sentence– to say that I thought he would want to scent-mark me, but Nikola gets the message anyway.
"I told you. I do not want to make you uncomfortable," Nikola answers simply, but the words break my heart all the same.
It made sense. In fact, it was really sweet of him to even consider it, but it also broke a part of me to know that Nikola thought I would be uncomfortable carrying his scent. Zyair whines his displeasure, scratching at the surface so he can take control and ensure our mate never thought such a thing, but I push him back.
The truth was, I didn't know if I would. I didn't know what it would be like, or how I'd feel to carry Nikola's scent, and it would be worse to ask for it, only to wash it off right after if it did make me uncomfortable. But I could do something else for him.
"Okay," I agree, lifting my chin and trying for a smile. "I'll do it."
Nikola's eyes light up with the purple glow of his magic as he steps forward, his fingers clenching at his sides. "Really?" He asks, sounding almost breathless. "You will?"
I nod, and Nikola smiles, wide and bright with innocent glee that warms me from the inside out, making pleasure course through me to cement my decision.
"Where should I....."
I knew where the scent glands were; behind the ears, over the neck, the wrists, under the ribcage, behind one's knees, and between the legs, but I'd never scent-marked anyone before, and some of those areas were way more intimate than others.
"Wherever you are most comfortable with," Nikola answers quickly. "The wrists will be fine."
I nod, gulping as Nikola lifts his left arm, offering it to me.
Holy fuck, I really was going to do this— mark Nikola with my scent. He'd have it on him tomorrow, maybe the day after too, and every werewolf near him would know he was mine.
The realisation sends a dizzying wave of desire through me like I'd never experienced before. It blocks out everything else, making longing stir inside my chest until my greatest need over all else is to have Nikola carry my scent.
"You do not have to–" I catch Nikola's hand just as he starts to withdraw and swipe my thumb over his wrists.
Nikola's eyes immediately fall shut, his body stiffening like a board as he stands perfectly still, waiting. With my heart pounding in my ears, I do it again, pressing harder to force my scent under his skin.
A shudder runs through his entire body as a low, pleased rumble sounds from deep within– one that has my body responding immediately. I step closer, taking his other wrist in hand before I pass my thumbs over his glands, overriding his scent with my own.
Nikola's pink lips part before his jaw clenches and he comes undone in front of my eyes. My eyes stay glued to Nikola's face as it relaxes and crumples continuously, overrun with pleasure that seemed stronger than I could even imagine.
I knew scent-marking felt good, like an affirmation of one's bond, but by Nikola's expressions... by his sounds... it seemed like the best thing in the world.
Lost to it all, I keep it up, relishing in the ability to make my mate so happy while my own need builds beneath the surface, desperate to have it too.
"Hagen," Nikola growls, the low rumble carrying the full weight of his raw wolf, commanding and domineering in a way that made me want to buckle in the face of it.
I immediately let go, stumbling backwards as his pheromones and magic swarm around me, but I don't make it more than a step before Nikola catches me by my arm, holding me firm.
My chest becomes clogged, short breaths barely coming to me amidst my scrambling brain that was desperately searching for a way out. But when Nikola open his eyes, it all fades away.
The way Nikola looks at me– he's all wolf.
Gone are the bright purple hues, instead replaced by stormy greys that draw me in like the full moon itself, coaxing me closer.
I step in, reclaiming the space I'd lost, and my entire body instantly relaxes when I do, muscles coming undone, eased by him.
We're close, almost too close, but it's perfect, like the feel of his magic running over my skin, silently claiming me– protecting me.
Through baited breaths, we stare at one another for what felt like an eternity before Nikola's eyes move from mine and slowly travel down my body like a faint caress until they settle over my wrist, and then those greys are back on me.
The question is obvious, but it's patient too– understanding and prepared for me to say no.
I don't even think about it. I nod, and Nikola doesn't waste a second tightening his grip on me while his free hand raises to mark me with his scent. His thumb passes over my wrist, and the world fades away as the scent of dark rum and rich leather invade my being, washing over my insides and leaving only Nikola behind.
"Oh, Goddess. Oh, Goddess. Oh, Goddess," I whisper, my voice growing higher as Nikola does it again. Except this time, he presses his thumb in harder than I had, burying his scent deep and frying any thought that wasn't him. "F-Fuckk!"
Eyes falling shut, I don't see when Nikola lifts my other hand, but I feel it as he trails his fingers over my palms and then my wrists, drowning me in his scent. My heart takes off within my chest, beating so hard I could barely think of a thing beyond the endorphins turning me to mush.
Wave after wave of pleasure cascades over me, moulding the world into one silent hub of perfect bliss. There are no assignments, no upcoming exams, no worries about my job, my life, or our relationship– there's only Nikola and his wonderful, addictive scent.
"More," I whimper, my body swaying forward. "Please, Nik. I... I need more."
The strained groan that emerges from Nikola in response makes my skin prickle and my blood pump hot, laced with a shot of fear and want.
I force my eyelids back and through slitted eyes, I see a flash of canines before large hands wrap around my neck and pull me in. I gasp, moaning as Nikola pulls me to him, so close that I'm breathing the same air.
My eyes roll, a broken, shrill sound escaping me as Nikola's fingers run over my neck, pressing into my skin and marking me with his scent, burying it deep enough to ensure I'd be carrying it for days.
I shudder hard, my head falling to his as we pant restlessly, the world a forgotten blur outside of this.
"I..." Nikola starts hoarsely, struggling to get his words out while his fingers tighten around my throat until I can't breathe without feeling his hold. "I should stop."
"Don't," I beg– plead. "It feels so good."
Why didn't I ask for this sooner? More importantly, when could we do it again?
"No, I have to stop," Nikola grinds out before he pulls away, taking his warmth and touch with him, but his scent remains. Like a thick cloud of everything right, it circles around me, keeping me calm and sated.
"I am–" he starts, an obvious apology coming even as he struggled, and that was the last thing I wanted.
I step forward, but Nikola immediately takes two back, the action dreadfully familiar, but when I meet his troubled eyes, I know why.
"I have to go," he says, eyes expressing just how much he hated saying those words. "I'm sorry."
I shake my head, still lost in the pleasure of what just happened, but hating that it had to end because Goddess was an asshole. Nikola had to bear with our bond and his link on his own, and I understood that. I only wished that I didn't just get it.
I wished there was more I could do, but beyond mating tonight, which absolutely was not on the table, Nikola was slave to those pulls, and there was nothing I could do to help.
"It's okay," I start, but Nikola locks his jaw tight, mirroring his now-rigid body, as if he was barely keeping himself together.
"I'm sorry," he says again, still so apologetic even though he was doing all this for me, even though I should be the one saying sorry.
I open my mouth to say as much, but he's gone before I get the chance, leaving me stumped at my back door, drenched in his scent since I'd just allowed him to scent-mark me.
I stand still for a full minute before the realisation sinks in.
Holy Fuck...Nikola and I just... we just
"Fuck me."
—------------------------
;fa ewmpc;rqrxna,sdxmp'ewfmkalmdlfs,n icrwjeknf,szdnx.ocilake,mas,z x - I am not okay
Thoughts?????
Thoughts on the texting?! Thoughts on Hagen's friends??? Thoughts on the date???
THOUGHTS ON THE SCENT MARKING AHHHHHHHH!!!!
Writing that scene had me rolling all over my bed, I was in fucking shambles. These two are so fucking hot I just can'tttttttttttttttt
I'm having such a blast writing control again, I didn't mean to update so soon, but inspiration struck, so I flowed with it and I'm so happy I did, even if it decided to strike at 3am lmfaooo.
I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, if you did, please vote and comment! I love love love hearing from you all.
No idea what's coming next or when beside a nap for me lmfaooo.
Until next time,
Byeeeeeeeee Humansssssss