NATALIA
My skin was burning, leaving me writhing from the searing heat that commanded my body. I tossed and turned, unable to sleep, pressure building between my legs, calling me to reach between them and touch myself.
My hand slid underneath the hem of shorts, my finger searching for my pulsing nub through the material of my panties. Except, when I tried to give it what it wanted, there was nothing. No satisfaction, no building release. Only the unquenchable thirst of my body to climax, to shatter like never before.
Beads of sweat dripped down the back of my neck when my eyes snapped open. I had no clue where I was; neither the bed nor the room were familiar to me, but his scent was everywhere. Looking around to get my bearings, I spotted him on the sofa chair on the other side of the bed. His muscular chest moved up and down as he slept there, wearing nothing but grey tracksuit bottoms. The sight of him alone set my body alight again, even more so when I heard him groaning my name—my real name—in his sleep.
The memory of how I got here was a little hazy, but I remembered being back in my room in Windfire when waves of warmth began washing through me, intensifying with every surge. I felt needy, desperate to be touched, to be kissed by my mate. The desire was so strong that Ciara was going crazy in my head, so I did the only thing I thought could help—shift to let her go for a run. Except, it didn't help. Everything became more amplified. The smells, the sounds. The need to be with my mate, to let him breed me. Both my wolf and I were under the spell of the same pull.
What's going on, Ciara? I minklinked as she had sprinted through the forest.
We are in heat, she answered with a strained voice. Only our mate can help us.
If he didn't reject us again, that was.
This was certainly not how I wanted to approach James after the last time we spoke. I wanted to give him the time and space to make his decision, but our mate bond had other plans.
The lust that had spread through Ciara and me, the arousal, they were intoxicating, almost blinding. It had been dangerous for us to cross shifter territories like that because we were going to attract every unmated male that we came across, but neither of us had any choice—we had to get to the Red Tails skulk as soon as possible.
Thankfully, the heat had been coming and going, allowing Ciara to regain her clarity as she had run along the lake's shore, dipping in the water now and then to cover the scent. But by the time we got to the skulk, it was back in full force. As if it knew that we were getting closer to him.
I had never been to the Red Tails before and it didn't help that the skulk was spread out over a huge area, with individual cottages hidden in the forest. Finding the Alpha's cottage alone would have taken us forever, yet somehow my wolf had been able to lead the way. Although I was an Omega, I came from Alpha bloodline, so Ciara's ability to pick up the scent of James and his fox was stellar. But when some of the foxes caught our smell, we both knew we had limited time to get to him.
The relief of seeing him had been overwhelming, much like the desire that coursed through us. I barely had the energy to shift back, collapsing in front of him. And as he picked me up in his arms, another warm feeling had settled inside me, a new sensation this time-faith that everything was going to be alright.
That feeling was still there as I watched him sleep. Because no matter how much he denied it, how much he seemingly refused to accept that there could ever be us, he was here, looking after me.
Don't let it get to your head, Nat-it's not like he could have sent you back in that state, the voice of doubt whispered in my head.
Suddenly, the hope inside me was no longer shining brightly, flickering under the blast of self-doubt.
Perhaps I had made a mistake coming here. Maybe this move was going to push him further away.
"Oh, fuck, Natalia," he rasped again in his sleep, sending arousal rushing through my veins.
That faith that everything was going to work out sparkled a little brighter again.
He was dreaming about me-a steamy dream, by the sounds of it-so there was hope, after all, even if I had to remind myself that being attracted to me didn't mean that he wanted to be mates.
But it's a start...
The desire to run my hands across his naked chest was spreading through me like wildfire again, the ache to taste his lips, to feel him inside me. My eyes landed on the bulge in tracksuit bottoms, and I wondered if he was as affected by the heat pull as I was.
The carnal cravings in my head grew stronger as I imagined him next to me in bed, ripping the thin material of my camisole in half before his fingers made their way to my nipples, squeezing them harshly, shaping them into the hard peaks that they became whenever I was turned on by my steamy novels.
My own hand intuitively reached under my top to imitate the fantasy. Spurred by my heat, every part of my body felt a million times more sensitive than usual, leaving me gasping when my nipple reacted to the harsh touch. The warmth between my legs began to build again, so I slipped my free hand beneath my underwear, finding my tender bud. My finger traced slow circles around it, dipping between my folds and into my wet core for some much needed lubrication, imagining that it was his tongue there instead.
Frustration grew inside me though when instead of a swelling rapture and a much-needed release, all that my movements were bringing was the ever-increasing lustful ache. My body needed more. It needed to be sated and satisfied, to be ravaged. To be bred.
It needed my mate. That was what the mating heat was about, after all. And yet, it was the one thing it couldn't have, spurring it to push harder.
The need for a release was now becoming uncontrollable, clouding my thinking as I desperately wanted to relieve it. I glanced at James, who was still sleeping on the chair, before I took a pillow, placing it between my knees as I sat up. Straddling it, I began grinding back and forth against it, enjoying the added friction from my shorts and my underwear. Fire streaked right between my legs the faster I moved. My hands cupped my breasts, desperately kneading them, the mix of everything causing a rush of pleasure through me, fierce and sizzling. And yet, the closer I got to falling over the edge, the further away it moved, desperation and need clawing at me.
An exasperated sound escaped my lips; the frustration, the ache, becoming unbearable. In a vain attempt to make them go away, I slipped a hand between my legs, pushing the material of my clothes to the side so that I could plunge my fingers in my core, trusting them in and out, even if that has never worked for me before. But I was desperate.
"Ahhhh," I cried out, struggling with the realisation that there was nothing I could do to stop this hunger inside me.
A tingle ran down my spine, my flesh coming to life, when I realised that someone was watching me.
My eyes snapped open just to find his hungry gaze boring into me. His expression didn't give anything away. I couldn't even imagine what he was going to think about finding his mate humping a pillow with a hand between her legs while he slept close by.
"What the fuck are you doing, Lili?" He growled low in his throat.
I should have been mortified. I should have felt guilty about it. Yet, I didn't. Not only because the fact that he caught me like that brought excitement rather than shame, but also because right now I couldn't think about anything else other than satisfying the heat.
"I..." I tried to speak, to explain, but I couldn't. The need raging inside me had full control of me, leaving me burning. "I can't make it stop," I cried out, silent tears streaming down my face.
Maybe I was going delirious because of the heat, but something softened in his expression. There was now more concern than the cold, serious expression that I had become used to seeing.
The erection he had was still evident as he got up and walked over to the bed, sitting down next to me.
"It won't stop, little wolf. Not like that."
I knew what he was not saying. The heat was going to last for a while, unless we slept together... and that was not something that he was willing to do.
"Please," I begged. "Please."
He was struggling. I could see it written across his handsome features. The conflict within him was clear, torn between helping me-or rather both of us- and staying away. But I needed something. Anything. Anything that could make it better.
His touch was so gentle when he cupped my face, wiping the tears away with his thumb, yet it left me trembling for more.
"Listen to me." My eyes shifted to his face, my attention pinned by his domineering gaze. "I cannot give you what the mating heat wants for many reasons."
His words made me flinch and look away, the sting of rejection being even more powerful now that he was denying me even when I was pleading for his help.
"Look at me, Lili," he commanded, tilting my chin back towards him until our eyes met again. "I wasn't done yet."
There it was again. The hope that had just wilted like a flower under harsh conditions was brought back to life, like a seedling pushing through the earth.
"As I said, I cannot do that for many reasons, but above all because the heat is clouding your judgement with need. You can't rationally consent to anything right now. And that's a line that I will never cross, no matter what I want or need. No matter the circumstances."
For a brief second, his touch steadied me enough to remember clearly how important consent was in that club and how angry James was when that man had ignored my lack of one. But then the heat came back in full force again, and the only thing that mattered was making it stop... or at least appeasing it.
"Please, James. It's too much. I can't take it."
"I know, little wolf, I know. But that's non-negotiable—I am not going to sleep with you when neither of us is in their right mind because, believe me, this heat is messing with my head just as much." He paused. "But that doesn't mean that I can't make it better. Do you trust me?"
The way he looked at me was hypnotising, not because he was trying to influence my decision, but because I could see in his eyes that he needed my trust, desperately so.
"Yes."
"Give me your safeword, then."
"What?" I looked at him, confused. "Why would I need a safeword? I trust you, and I don't think you would do anything to harm me."
"Of course, I will never do anything to harm you. But that doesn't mean you should not have a safeword. It is your power, your right, to use it whenever you truly don't feel comfortable with what's going on or if you want to stop whatever is happening, no questions asked. And even if here we are not talking about a BDSM scene or us playing as Dom-sub, you still have that power and that right. Consent is something that is yours to give and you can always take away, no matter what. So, give me your safeword, Lili."
"I don't have one." My voice came out strained as another surge of lust caused my nerves to short-circuit.
"Pick one. Anything that you would not forget in the heat of the moment."
"Marshmallow," I blurted out. It was the first thing that came to mind.
"Marshmallow it is," James chuckled, as he grabbed the pillow from between my legs and threw it in a corner of the room. "You won't be needing that."
His fingers wrapped around my hand, the one I was previously using to relieve myself, bringing it to his mouth. My heart fired up when he took my fingers in, sucking them, his gaze never leaving me.
He licked his lips, as if savouring the taste. "Fucking delicious, just like I knew you would taste. Now lean back, Lili-let me make you feel better."
*************
Am I mean for stopping there? Possibly. 🫣
How are you all feeling after that ending?😏
In my defence, I gave you whole 300 words more than I planned to... and I need to give you an incentive to come back, no? 🤭
Want some more? I'll be dropping a sneak peek from the next chapter on my TikTok and Instagram profile at some point in the next days, so make sure you follow me not to miss it (TT: Iveto.writes; IG: ivetowrites).
Meanwhile, just to let you know that I have also started my first ever entry for the Open Novella Contest, and I am very excited about Elemental Attraction (my story). I must admit that I've hit a bit of a block with FFS lately (the story is all planned out but the writing is just not flowing lately), so this is a fun project to get my mojo back :) It also means that I commit to finish it by end of April, so hooray! I would to hear what you think, if you check it out.
Also, Monstrous Love faced a bit of a glitch and the book is not fully back yet, but make sure you follow me/ writersconnx for news on when all the stories will be up again, including A Twist of Fate.
Love,
Iveto xx