Flora’s P.O.V
Never run from an angry wolf. That’s what we had been taught as pups, alongside our human packmates who were just starting to learn wolf etiquette. Because it encouraged the predator within and if they succeeded in catching you after a chase, they will undoubtedly go for the throat. Because rage was a beast that turned wolves into rogues. Rage and loss.
But at that moment, I wanted very badly to turn around and run as fast as I could in the opposite direction with my tail between my legs; his dominance shoving with razor sharp edges against my senses. Clay was the last person I could have imagined to come after me tonight and from the looks of it, he had thought the worst from what he had witnessed, that Garrick had tried to hurt me.
I kept backing up with slow measured steps, careful not to anger the predator in front of me anymore than he already was. However, soon I found myself backed up against a tree. Without my conscious thought, a small whimper left my lips, my wolf lowering its head at the dominance of the future Alpha and at that instant, something snapped inside Clay.
As I watched, the wolf retreated from his eyes, making them lose the glowing embers that had seeped into the gemstone green; his dominance no longer shoving against me like a raging tornado, ready to overwhelm my wolf. The power of him wasn't completely gone, he could not erase who he was, but it settled against my senses more like a nudge than a shove, his wolf reined in by vicious control to the point where he wasn't broadcasting his power anymore. Because some things were set in stone. Pack was family and dominants protected the submissives at all costs.
“Are you alright?” Clay asked a good two minutes later, when he finally had full control over his wolf.
“Yes,” I almost squeaked out and then cursed myself for it. Clay would never hurt me, Alpha-healer relationship aside; he wasn't a man who abused women for his pleasure. I’ve never seen or heard about him raising even his voice at any woman. “I was never in any danger.” I added the later just to make sure he didn’t decide to go find Garrick just in case he was feeling punchy.
Clay took slow, calculated steps towards me, making sure I wouldn’t run away at the slightest wrong move. I wouldn’t have run away even if he hadn’t reined in his wolf, because oddly enough, I knew I was safe with him. And oh! The sight of him as he walked towards me, it made desire stir inside me when it should’ve incited fear.
Clay might not be built like a tank like Garrick was, but he could make mincemeat out of Garrick with the tiniest amount of effort. He was all taunt muscle and liquid grace as he walked, the black material of his Tee-shirt stretching across his chest and biceps with each small movement. His copper hair was dark under the moonless night sky and his eyes held a faint glow that wasn’t just the wolf. He wore worn out black jeans and sneakers and I realized too late that he looked simply breathtaking even when dressed down while I looked like a drenched rat who was sweating profusely with my tank top stuck to my body, exposing the fact that I had breasts much smaller than most women in the pack, and definitely smaller than Ms. McKellar’s voluptuous curves.
I don’t know why I even made that connection, because we were leagues apart, but ever since I’d seen the two of them together, kissing with such open passion, it had left a mark when I should’ve just shrugged it off. Clay wasn't mine, would never be mine.
But my current distracted state had given Clay the opportunity to sneak up on me and now, he stood directly in front of me, his hands going up against the tree trunk to trap me on either side of my head. “Women usually don’t think about anything else when I’m around,” he tilted his head to the side slightly, no arrogance in his voice, just an extremely beautiful male stating the obvious. “What are you doing here in the middle of the night, that too with that half-assed soldier?”
Normally, I would’ve just kept my mouth shut and stayed away from such provocation, but Garrick was my friend and an extremely capable soldier. No one gets to insult him, not even the future alpha. “What I do, when I do and how I do it is none of your business!” I snapped at Clay, balling my hands into fists at my sides. “You don’t have the right to insult him just because you’re feeling snarly.”
A low growl vibrated in his chest and before I knew it, Clay had pressed so close to me that our chests were touching, our breath mingled as we stood mere inches apart. Sensations rocked through me at the close proximity, at the slight contact that my chest made with his and I had nowhere to back away. I pressed my back further into the tree, my nails digging into my palms, but none of those emotions led to pain, the exact opposite actually. My breath came out in short pants as his scent warmed my blood from the inside out, desire making my breasts swell, my nipples budded to stiff peaks. I wasn’t used to such surges in sexual tension; in fact I hadn’t thought of myself as the sexual kind...until Clay.
Clay took a deep breath and his eyes locked with mine. The beauty of those eyes rocked through me even as he leaned closer, making sure he was crushing me to the tree, his chest crushing my breasts in such a way that made me gasp, the hard nubs of my nipples rubbing against his chest, making me want to take off the damn top that provided a barrier between my skin and his. Clay’s eyes momentarily went to my lips as I gasped but he looked back into my eyes again, hitting me with the full intensity of his gaze. The depth of my emotions surprised me. I’d never been this aroused by anyone and he wasn't even touching me!
“So you’re into kicks and punches as foreplay now?” The words were a growl, his wolf very close to the surface once again.
It took a minute for me to understand what he’d just said and it made heat rush to my cheeks instantly. “Garrick isn’t my lover.” I said before I could stop myself, because I didn’t want Clay to misunderstand the situation. “He’s training me to learn to defend myself.”
“Oh?” the words were almost a whisper that I felt across my cheek, but he didn’t move and inch, didn’t give me room to fight the claws of desire that were digging deeper into my body.
“Does that mean you’re not seeing anyone right now? Or is there a lover that I have yet to unearth?” The words were a rough whisper as he pressed deeper into me...and I felt the hard ridges of his arousal against my abdomen.
I gasped in shock and that was when Clay lost his control.
Diving in for my lips, he crushed his lips to mine in a kiss that was rough and hungry and without any restrains. I felt the heat of that kiss warm me down to the core as I felt dampness at the apex of my thighs, making me clench them together. Clay’s hair was silken soft under my hands and I had no idea when I had reached out to touch him, but I felt his hands go to my hair at that instant, tug on it hard enough that my neck arched and Clay dived in to kiss down to my throat.
It was a very vulnerable position, having a dominant of Clay’s power at my throat. But I felt no sense of danger, no hesitation as Clay sucked at the erratic beat of my pulse before pressing a tender kiss to that beat and moving back to look at my face.
I was panting hard when he broke that kiss but I didn’t fail to notice that his breathing too was slightly hitched. It gave me some form of satisfaction that I was able to affect him in some way, even though the kiss had left me a little too drunk for thought.
“Let’s get you home, kitten.” Clay said as he released me oh-so-slowly. “Before Riley finds out that his little baby is now a toddler.”
Frowning, I cleared my mind enough to remember where I’d discarded my hoodie and went to fetch it out from under a bush. My wolf was nowhere near sane after that kiss but my human mind was almost back to full functioning mode as I dusted my hoodie and pulled it over my head. The night chill had no effect on me and I was far too sweaty after my session and that make out with Clay, but the hoodie gave me an extra layer of protection; made me feel less vulnerable in front of the future alpha.
“And no more sessions with that soldier.”
My spine went rigid at that casual command. “What makes you think I’ll obey you?” The words just kept spilling out. “What makes you think that you have the right to make that demand?”
Clay’s wolf had been dangerously close to the surface, but now I found myself looking into the eyes of the wolf, the gemstone green eclipsed by the amber. “I may not have those rights now, Flora darling. But I do intend to earn them.”
I sucked in a harsh breath at that declaration. Because alphas don’t make such declarations lightly.
Flora’s P.O.VAt first I thought Clay was just messing with me, I mean, what else could it be? Clay and Riley had been best friends since childhood and he’s always treated me like the little sister. But something had changed in him when he came back from Lindersay, what exactly, I couldn’t tell, not until now.He wasn't holding back anymore. And I could feel the intensity of it every time he glanced at me when we were in class, the depth of his gaze making me shiver every damn time. And I would always be able to tell when he was around because the fine hair on my nape would stand in attention, as if my wolf wanted him to wrap his fingers around my nape in a bold possessiveness that would tell others that I was off limits.Clay had never been known to hold back from what he wanted. Back when he was in middle school, he was able to beat guys twice his size and win the soccer championship in the Lycan Yearly Championship Programme
Flora’s P.O.VI closed my eyes as I saw light consuming his wolf form, beginning his shift. Within a split second, I felt him place his hands on either side of my head, on the ground as dried leaves crunched under his palms.“Open your eyes.” Clay whispered next to my ears, his warm breath fanning my cheeks.“You’re naked.” I reminded him, squeezing my eyes tighter.“I have some clothes behind the bushes.” He told me and I felt his weight being lifted off me as he stood up from the ground. I heard some movement and rustling for a few seconds that felt like he was putting his clothes on.“Are you dressed?” I asked after a minute as I sat up on the forest floor, dusting the dried leaves off my hair.“Yes.”I opened my eyes a fraction only to gasp and close them again, this time with my hands in front of my face. Clay’s throaty laughter echoed
Flora’s P.O.V“Wolf anatomy is very similar to human anatomy, unless of course, we are in our wolf form.” Clay told the classroom as a diagram appeared on the board of a wolf and a human, side by side with all the internal organs in vivid details.It was hard to believe that he was the same man who had chased me yesterday, adamant in his belief that we’ll end up in bed together, making me question everything I believed about myself…and here he was today, in a dark blue suit jacket and trousers paired with a white shirt underneath, all prim and proper like he wasn’t bothered by our interaction at all.The lights in the class were turned down low to allow the projector to focus images on the blackboard, and it made his emerald eyes glow from within, making them seem translucent. For a brief moment, I think I saw them flicker in my direction, but then he turned towards the blackboard like nothing had happe
Flora’s P.O.V“Oh my God!” I whispered in horror. “How did this happen?”“Well,” Nurse Khwan folded her arms across her chest and looked at the boy disapprovingly. “Someone thought it would be fun to go cliff diving backwards. He made a backflip, hit his head on a branch and landed on the wrong foot.” She shrugged like this was an everyday occurrence. “At least that’s what I was told.”“Tell me what I need to do.” I told her instantly, even though the sight of the bone jutting out of his skin made me want to vomit. It was a horrifying sight, but my wolf was an empath and a healer. I couldn’t back away from a wounded packmate that needed my help. The urge to heal was like a constant ache deep in my bones.Nurse Khwan studied me from head to toe. She was a gorgeous woman with short black hair that reached just past her ears and eyes of a dark chocolate
Flora’s P.O.V“What’s this?” I asked, looking at the box suspiciously.“Your lunch.” Clay shrugged, looking nervous for the first time since I’ve known him. “I woke up early this morning so I thought about cooking lunch…for us.”Clay cooked lunch for me? And brought it to college…how has the box survived till now without any of his million fans stealing it or the entire college bursting into gossip?It was a good thing that school was out or there would’ve been a lot of gossip when people saw him carrying me in his arms. He hadn’t taken me to the cafeteria for lunch, but had instead brought me to the woods behind the school, to the fallen branch of the forest giant where Ruth and I had first seen him kiss Ms. McKellar. I had felt a bit awkward when he had sat me on top of the branch and taken a seat next to me, but then he had revealed his bag and given me the
Flora’s P.O.V“Ugh!” Ruth groaned as she steered the car to the right to get to another parking space. “Why aren’t there separate parking’s for bikes? They take up an entire car space!”“There’s another opening two cars ahead!” I warned her as I looked behind me at the steadily approaching SUV. “Quick! Get it before they do!”Ruth steadily maneuvered her truck into the thankfully ‘bike-free’ parking space and killed the gas. Hopping out of the truck after locking it, both of us stretched our hands and feet, glad to be out of the car after four whole hours.“Damnit!” Ruth massaged the back of her neck. “We really do live in the middle of nowhere!”“Which is for our own good,” I reminded her. “Now…exactly how much money did you manage to bring? I’m thinking of getting some new clothes and shoes, m
Clay’s P.O.VFuck! She looked gorgeous!My mind had taken a while to register that the gorgeous red-haired woman on the opposite side of the parking lot was none other than the woman I desired the most, Flora Argentine.“Fuck! Is that my sister and her friend?” Riley whispered in astonishment from next to me.“Seems so.” I tried to act nonchalant, not wanting him to catch on to the fact that I wanted his sister; wanted her so badly that it was driving me nuts. And the fact that I had liked his little sister ever since we were kids.There had been nothing sexual about that childhood liking. It had been a crush that I knew would remain unrequited until I found my mate. But ever since I got back from Lindersay, things had changed drastically.It had taken just one look and I was a goner.I could still remember walking into class for my first lecture and that was when her scent had hit me. Fl
Flora’s P.O.V“Come over at my place for lunch. Tomorrow @ noon.”I had received the text as soon as I had returned home last night and I still couldn’t believe my eyes.I don’t know if it was the surge of jealousy I had felt when I had seen him ogled by hundreds of hungry female eyes or because I could no longer deny the physical attraction between us, but I think I was going to do it.I was ready to sleep with Clay.Even thinking about it made my cheeks flare up, but was there really a point in waiting any longer? It felt like I was stringing him along otherwise. Yes, I couldn’t help but think about all the negative things that could come out of this union and yes, I was hella nervous about disappointing everyone, but…Clay wanted me, just as much as I wanted him.So why not give it a try?I had been awake since five in the morning and I‘ve had a very restless