Page 26

Music swirls through the air, throbbing through my body and making me move my feet. I hold on to Nico’s hands as we spin around, perfectly balanced against each other’s weight.

The tune changes abruptly, and we try to change direction, but both of us are too dizzy, and we twist together to fall into a heap on the ground.

Nico belows with laughter as he falls against my chest, wriggling with bliss. I dig my fingers into his ribs and tickle him, making him giggle even harder.

“I have to say that was a decent effort,” Winnie says, standing over us. “But you just couldn’t beat my skill.”

“It takes skill to spin around and change directions on cue?” I ask.

Winnie grins, an expression of pure evil. “Obviously, it does, because me and Jerry kicked your asses.”

“Point taken,” I mutter, rubbing my sore butt.

“Here you go, kiddo,” Winnie says, handing Nico a huge lollipop. “Even though you lost, you get a prize, anyway.”

“Thanks, Aunt Winnie,” Nico says. “If you want to keep up your winning streak, don’t go up against me in ping pong, okay?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Winnie says, sounding baffled. “I have never lost a game in my life!”

Nico laughs. “Bad memory, then. It’s okay, I’ll let you off because it’s your birthday.”

“Galen,” Winnie says, glaring at me over Nico’s head. “What are you teaching this child?”

“Forget about me,” I mutter. “You’re the one teaching him how to cheat.”

“I don’t have to cheat, Dad,” Nico says, looking seriously into my eyes. “Not around Aunt Winnie. She’s just that incompetent.”

I burst out laughing, and Nico does, too. I tickle him again, and we roll around and play fight for a bit.

“I am leaving this madness!” Winnie declares in mock outrage. “I will not be subjected to this on my birthday! Come along, Jerry.”

Jerry gives us an apologetic look. He points after Winnie, shrugs, and follows her.

“They seem like best friends,” Nico remarks.

“Winnie enjoys having a slave, that’s all,” I mutter, chuckling.

“I don’t know. She helps him with the dishes most of the time, and gardening, too.”

“Hmm,” I answer. “Maybe they are best friends, then, but we better not tell them. If Winnie becomes aware of it, she might shift the dynamic.”

“Noted,” Nico laughs. “I’m going to play with the other kids, okay?”

“Sure thing, kiddo. Have fun!”

Nico jumps up and races down the backyard towards the big group of kids playing there. He’s made friends with everyone in school, and there’s no awkwardness at all about him being different.

Changes are being made, but we have to be especially careful with our next generation. We can’t let George’s poison infect anyone else, because our pack is going to embrace new growth and let go of the past.

I get up off the ground, dusting grass from my jeans as I head towards the picnic table. There’s been a huge turnout for Winnie’s birthday, with more than half the pack here to celebrate. I shoulder through the crowd to grab a cold beer, then retreat to the edge of the table.

Sitting over with other older pack members, I see Agnes. She was interrogated after George’s death. Though most of us are sure she had nothing to do with his plan, we are keeping her under close watch, and she seems to be doing everything possible to convince us she is committed to the pack.

Well, she might just be trying to avoid getting eviscerated by my mother.

“Hey, bro.” Winnie appears by my side, jiggling my elbow and making me spill my beer.

“Jesus, Winnie. For fuck’s sake.”

“Calm down, Galen. It’s a flannel, not a silk shirt.”

“I’m more worried about the beer. I want to drink that beer!”

“There’s plenty more,” she laughs. “Thanks for throwing this big bash for me.”

“Don’t mention it,” I say, leaning on her. “I love you, you know.”

“Yeah,” she giggles. “You’re a glutton for punishment, you know, since I can’t stop torturing you.”

“Wouldn’t have it any other way.”

A loud whistle sounds from the middle of the yard, and everyone turns to look. To my surprise, Nico is standing in the middle of the yard with his hands up.

“A special birthday gift for Aunt Winnie,” he announces.

Nico closes his eyes and raises his hands, palms up. A white glow shimmers around him, and then small sparks flick up into the sky. As they get higher, they explode into brilliant fireworks, far more vibrant than traditional ones, and with no noise.

I put my arm around Winnie and hold her tight, watching the sky.

“Nico is very powerful,” Winnie says. “He’s getting stronger by the day.”

“I know,” I answer. “But he’s doing extremely well with it.”

“His wolf is bigger and more powerful than any of the others,” she says. “He’ll make a wonderful alpha.”

“Replacing me already?” I tease, shoving her away playfully.

“Wouldn’t dare,” she says. “Just an observation.”

“I’m observing a close relationship developing with you and Jerry,” I answer. “What’s going on there?”

“Nothing much,” she says in a light tone.

“Maybe you need the bride-for-hire service,” I tease her.

She scoffs. “Jerry can’t afford me!” she laughs. “We pay his wages.”

“Point taken,” I nod, smiling. “But somehow, I feel Iris Porter isn’t done in this area.”

“What about your old pal, Kit?” she asks. “He’s chronically single.”

“He is,” I reply, sighing. “I might recommend it to him. He could use a good woman,”

“Speaking of,” Winnie says, pointing, “I do believe that good woman over there is trying to get your attention.”

I look across the yard to see Clara waving to me, two champagne glasses in one hand and a bottle of Chandon in the other.

“Excuse me, Winnie, but it appears I have a previous engagement,” I quip.

“Don’t let me stand in your way,” she laughs, shoving me.

I make my way around the yard, greeting people as I go. Nico is still doing his fireworks display, standing in the center of the clearing with colored light bursting from his hands. His face is a mixture of excitement and awe, and I know that so long as he respects his powers, he’ll continue to develop them in a safe, responsible way.

He just keeps getting more powerful, though. It makes me wonder what he’ll be able to do when he’s all grown up.

Finally, I make it to the far corner of the garden, and Clara beckons me as she dances away down the trail into the forest. I chase after her eagerly, finding her over the next rise in a big, soft bed of fresh green clover.

I pounce on her, and she giggles as we roll around in the grass. I pin her under me and take a moment to admire her beautiful smile before I bend down and kiss her.

Clara moans, wrapping her arms around my waist and stroking my back. I press my body against hers, using one hand to roam across the front of her dress and squeeze her breasts.

She gasps, thrusting her hips at me and gripping me with her thighs. I wriggle against her, making her squirm.

“Hmm,” I say in a mock-disappointed tone. “I thought we were coming out here to drink champagne.”

She giggles. “The bottle is right there, if that’s what you’d rather do.”

“I think not,” I answer, giving her breast a hard squeeze so she yelps and jumps against me.

Clara puts her hands around my neck, drawing me down for a deep kiss. She bends against me, soft and warm, lapping at my mouth with her tongue. I sink down into her embrace, relaxing into the sweetness of the moment.

“Ow!” I yell, shock shooting through my body. “Did you just pinch my butt?”

She giggles. “Well, it wasn’t a woodpecker.”

“Well, okay, thank God for that. But, like, ow.”

She laughs, wriggling under me. “Fair’s fair. You want to squeeze me, I get to squeeze you, too.”

“Alright,” I say, gently rubbing my finger across her lips. “I promise to play nice from now on.”

“I don’t believe you,” she whispers, smiling as she draws me down for another kiss.

“How do I know this isn’t a trick?” I ask. “You might be planning to sabotage my manhood again.”

“You don’t,” she answers simply. “You’re at my mercy.”

I look down into her eyes for a moment, gently stroking her cheek as I admire her. “I am,” I say, leaning down to whisper in her ear. “I am completely and utterly yours.”

Clara laughs, then writhes against me, moaning as she wraps her arms and legs around my shoulders and hips. I feel her lips caress my cheek and turn my face to kiss her, drowning in her hot, eager mouth.

I relax against her, and I’m surprised when she hooks an arm against me and flips us over. She grips my shoulders, rocking back and forth on top of me with her fingers digging into my arms.

“Galen,” she murmurs, leaning down to lay a soft kiss on my lips. “You make me so happy.”

Emotion surges in me, so intense and painful that I can’t identify it. I kiss her back, running my hands along her sides and encouraging her to writhe on top of me.

“Hmm,” she hums. “It feels like you’re ready for action.”

“More than ready,” I reply.

“Good,” she answers, grinning. “That means it’s time to tease you a bit.”

She slithers backwards, flicking open the buttons of my shirt as she goes. Her cool fingers trailing across my chest make me shiver as little lines of pleasure race across my skin.

By the time she gets to my pants, my entire body has stiffened under her touch. When she grabs the zipper on my pants and yanks it open, I almost yell with the need for release.

Clara looks me over, her eyes slowly trailing over my bare chest and belly. Then she puts her hands back on the waistband of my pants and gives them a hard pull, freeing my cock.

I don’t have time to react before she lowers her head and wraps her lips around my cock. Her tongue laps around the shaft while her hot lips tease the tip, and I have to dig my hands into the grass to stop my body jerking up and down.

Clara makes a low sound of pure pleasure, as if she’s eating a delicious ice cream cone. I feel her open her mouth all the way and then sink slowly down, swallowing my cock whole.

My breath starts to burn in sharp, hard gasps. Clara braces her hands against my hips and slowly bobs her head up and down, her tongue lapping at the shaft while she devours every inch of my cock.

She leans back, bracing the base of my cock with her hands as she sucks on the tip. One hand reaches down to squeeze my balls, and my body bucks against the ground as if I’ve been given an electric shock.

My cock thickens under the pressure of her mouth, and she alternates between teasing the head and licking up and down the shaft, then slowly sinking down and swallowing me down into her hungry throat.

When I’m so hard that I can barely breathe and almost ready to blow, she sits up and wriggles forward. As her thighs grip my hips, I feel the slick, hot lips of her pussy pressing against my throbbing cock.

Clara leans all the way forward, kissing me gently as she reaches down with one hand to join us together. She rocks her hips back and forth as she slowly takes my cock, moaning and gripping my shoulders as she slides down inch by slow inch.

I’m gasping by the time she sinks down against me and leans back, looking at the sky as she grinds her hips downwards. My cock pulses, filling every space inside her and truly joining us as one.

When she grabs my shoulders and starts to thrust back and forth, a cry of pleasure rips from my mouth. I can’t move under her as she grips my arms hard enough to hurt and absolutely thrashes me with hard, fast strokes.

My cock gets harder and thicker, throbbing against her slick, wet heat. Her pussy clenches and spasms, gripping my cock and holding me in place as she throws back her head and howls.

The orgasm shudders through her, exploding deep inside and rushing through every inch of her body. Clara collapses against me, panting as her deep inner muscles keep pulsing, spasming around my hard cock as she clings to my shoulders.

I wait for her breathing to slow down a little before I stroke her hair, feeling new shivers awaken inside her as she responds to my touch.

“Was that good, my love?” I ask.

She nods, whimpering helplessly.

“Do you want more?”

“Yes,” she murmurs, tightening her grip on me. “Give me more.”

I grab her shoulders and roll her onto her back, bracing myself against the ground. Clara smiles up at me, rocking her hips forward to wrap her legs around me. I thrust forward until I can feel the end of her, and she digs her heels into my ass to grind against the pressure.

I throw my head back, closing my eyes as I focus on the sensations. Clara writhes under me, grabbing my arms and gripping me with her knees as she begs me to thrust.

“Fuck me,” she mutters. “Please fuck me!”

“Well, since you said please,” I answer, bending down to kiss her. I’m so lost in my own arousal, I can barely speak, and when my lips touch hers, every last scrap of restraint is destroyed.

Groaning, I wrap my arms around her, pinning her to my chest as I thrust hard and fast. Clara clings to me, desperately trying to hold on as another orgasm takes her, leaving her shivering and gasping in my arms.

My cocks swells, impossibly hard against her hugging, wet heat. Moans burst out of my mouth as I gasp for air, the final moment of pressure almost too much. Clara wails and wraps herself around me, grinding as her pussy spasms again, squeezing my cock as my own climax takes me.

I fall forward, my head on her shoulder as my cock jerks and blows inside her, gasps tearing through my lips as the pleasure rips through my body. I cling to her a moment more before rolling off her, then gathering her against my chest.

“I love you, Clara.”

“I love you, too, Galen. My heart and soul are yours—forever.”

I stroke her hair, struggling to contain my emotions. I don’t deserve to be forgiven, and the fact that she could give me a second chance is proof of how big her heart really is. As I cradle her against me, I thank the universe for all that I have, and with that gratitude, I make a promise.

I will honor this bond for the rest of my life and resolve to always be true to myself. I will never allow anything to come between me and the woman I love again.

Clara’s breathing settles, and I rock her gently. The peace in our hearts seems echoed by the entire valley, and finally, I am content.

No, not just content.

With her in my arms, I am finally whole.

*****

THE END