Page 52 of Habibi: Always and Forever

BY THE STRAWBERRY MOON

RAVENA

“Y ou’re closing the café early tonight,” Luca says quietly but with authority, hands on his lean hips.

I lean back against the counter and study him.

It’s been busy lately, trying to prepare for Moonfang Haven’s summer solstice festival in a couple of weeks.

There has also been a rash of herbal needs in the community.

No, not love potions, just a variety of run-of-the-mill reasons for needing potions: hay fever, colicky baby, courage for trying new things.

Okay, maybe there was one small love potion, but it was small.

Not even a love potion, more of a, hey, notice me! potion.

“Mmm, I could be persuaded,” I say as I make us two glasses of iced tea.

There’s finally some breathing room today at Moonlit Grounds Café, and I would love nothing more than to sit and drink tea on the deck with my mate.

It’s a beautiful day after a string of cloudy, rainy days, and everyone is out enjoying the sunshine.

Halfway through our tea—I’ve asked six different ways what we’re doing tonight, and he hasn’t given anything away—the town librarian and assistant, Betty and August, appear, tote bags of books in hand.

August’s is my favorite. It says, “Normalize Orc Love,” with a big green heart in the middle. I smile when I read it.

“I’m so glad you’re here!” Betty says, eyes bright as she climbs the steps to stand in front of us.

“Would you two like a glass of iced tea?” I ask, starting to stand. Betty holds out her hand to stop me.

“Oh, no. We aren’t here for you. We’re here for Luca.

August and I need your help deciphering these books we found in the basement today.

” Betty pushes her glasses up on her nose as she speaks, sounding very much like a research librarian and not like our cute little island town librarian.

Looking between them, I can tell they’re up to something, but I don’t know what.

“I would love to be of assistance to the library!” Luca jumps up. I can see the shadow of his wolf—excited like a giant golden retriever. Okay, then. So much for our afternoon together.

I gather our glasses to go back inside. It’s time to pull the cookie dough out of the fridge to bake anyway. Luca bounds down the steps, a spring in his step as he leads the two librarians away from here. “See you tonight!” he shouts with a wave.

I still don’t know what we’re doing this evening.

* * *

A picnic!

Of all the woolly, wolf-brained ideas. All his mystery for a picnic? I roll my eyes as he hands me the storybook-picturesque wicker basket. “You seem unimpressed.” There’s a spark as our hands touch, softening the annoyance I feel.

“A little. You were mysterious earlier. I pictured something…bigger?” Luca nods, thinking. His dark hair flops in front of one eye.

“Well, don’t make assumptions just yet. I have the perfect place picked out. It’s a full moon.” He winks. I can’t deny the shiver that runs down my spine.

“Why didn’t you say so?” I laugh. Café shut for the evening, I take a deep breath as we step outside.

The lingering pastel pink and purple in the sky paint a gorgeous picture, the forest before us in shadow.

The crickets and frogs sing their evening song, and the air has the slightest chill to it.

It’s the perfect evening. “Where are we going?” I ask as I make my way across to the gravel path that leads away from town.

Luca doesn’t answer. When I pause and turn to look for him, a smile spreads across my face. He’s shifted into his wolf form. Huge and black, with a white strip down his side. He saunters over to me. Setting the basket on the ground, I tangle my hands in his fur, loving the feel of his strength.

Dropping to all fours, “Ride me,” he growls, a twinkle in his eyes at the words. But I have to say, it has the desired effect. Hitching up my long skirt, I climb up onto his back. He waits for me to get comfortable, picks up the basket in his mouth, and takes off into the forest.

I love our forest runs. It’s a moment of freedom and bliss. He is his true self, and I am mine. The rhythmic lope of his feet across the forest floor relaxes me, allows my mind to wander, to think of how lucky I am I gave him a second chance. That he didn’t give up on us, on me.

When he slows to a walk, then to a stop, we’re at the shore’s edge. I slide off of him to get my bearings. “It’s been a long time since we’ve watched the moon rise over the sea,” I say, sounding embarrassingly breathless, despite not having done any of the physical work to get here.

Still in wolf form, Luca shakes his body, then stands and takes the basket to set up in the grass above the little rocky beach.

The water is calm tonight, gently lapping the shore, the pebbles making their lovely shimmery clinking noise.

It’s mesmerizing to watch my wolf spread the picnic blanket, delicately tugging the edge to straighten the ripple in the middle of it.

His long claws open the basket, pulling out a container of food, plates, a bottle, and cups.

I pick a few blooming lupin flower stems, tuck one behind my ear, and sit beside Luca.

“Okay, you were right. This is delightful,” I admit.

He grunts his approval, which is wolf for I know I was right .

We dine together. He has somehow paired a fennel watermelon salad for me with steak kabobs for him.

It’s ridiculous and perfect. Oh, and pain au chocolat—which I have to question him about.

“I made them,” he says, chest puffed proudly.

“How? When?” Being incredulous doesn’t stop me from taking a giant bite of the flaky, chocolatey croissant.

“During the morning shift. You’d already made the puff pastry dough, so as I baked the croissants, I added some chocolate for you.”

“Perfection,” I say around the crumbs stuck to my mouth.

Eyes vibrant, he leans forward as a flake of pastry falls from my lip onto my chest. Gently, he laps it up with his tongue, then nuzzles my breast. When I reach up to wipe the rest of the crumbs off my face, he swipes my hand away with his muzzle.

“Let me,” he growls. It takes one lick, one nibbling of my bottom lip with his fangs, to have heat pooling between my thighs. He knows; he always knows.

The moon peeks over the edge of the sea.

It’s a breathless image, but one we only glance at in between him pushing me onto my back on the blanket and running his hands up and down my legs.

“I thought we were here for the moon,” I say, teasing him, because right now I couldn't care less about the celestial bodies in the sky. All I want is this wolf with me.

He pauses in his movements long enough to look at the moon. A grunt of satisfaction, then back to me. One claw at the neck of my blouse, ready to rip. “I just bought this at the spring bazaar. Please don’t rip it.”

Luca snorts, “Say ‘please’ again,” he demands.

“Please, Luca,” I say, spreading my legs wide for him. He leaves my blouse for my skirt, shoving the length of it up to my stomach.

“This is mine,” he declares, then rips my panties and buries his muzzle between my thighs. I can’t be mad. Pleasure ripples through me as his tongue sizzles against my heat.

A branch cracks. Luca’s head flies up, his ears perk, a growl emanates from him. Distant voices make their way to my human ears. Damnit.

“I’m pretty sure they’re here,” I hear a woman say. Propping myself up on my elbows, I can only make out Luca’s silhouette against the moon.

He’s still as stone. There are multiple voices, all coming closer to us. Heaving a little sigh, I sit up all the way and smooth my skirt down, tuck my ripped panties into the picnic basket for now, and push a loose curl away from my face.

“Hello! We’ve been looking for you! Happy Strawberry Moon Night!” Poppy, Betty, Tasha, and a host of other folks pop out of the brush and into our grassy field. Orcs, a minotaur, and our resident demon sheriff appear, all carrying blankets, backpacks, or coolers.

“Happy Strawberry Moon Night to you, too!” I say with false cheeriness in my voice.

At that, Luca’s head snaps to me. He isn’t shy about being a werewolf, but he doesn’t regularly go around town in wolf form.

Now, as he circles me and sits behind me, I realize he’s stuck like this.

“Are you hiding your enormous cock from our friends?” I ask in a whisper.

Then, upon thinking, “Did you invite everyone?” That would be weird.

Come hang out while I try to bang my mate by the light of the full moon.

“Seemed the right thing to do. And no, of course not,” he says, setting his chin on my shoulder. I reach up with the same arm and scratch behind his ear.

“You’re a good boy.”

Within minutes, it feels like half the town is here, spread out on towels and blankets, oohing and aaahhhing over the moon. August comes by with a plate of ripe red strawberries. “Strawberries for the strawberry moon?” She’s cheerful and bouncy tonight.

Luca coughs, or tries to. “No, thank you, August. We have snacks,” I say, patting our basket. She prances off, and I have to roll my lips in to keep from laughing.

“Did you know?” he asks.

“Know what?”

“That it’s called the strawberry moon? Or that the town is here to…celebrate it?”

Now I really do laugh. No one pays any attention to us. “I did know, but I may have forgotten with all the summer solstice festival prep going on. And no, of all the things I do know about Moonfang Haven and its citizens, I did not know this.”

“I can’t believe she offered me a strawberry.” He sneezes, as if he’s been infected through the air. Now I do roll my eyes at him.

“No one but me knows you’re allergic to strawberries. And no one knows I tried to poison you with strawberries.” I put a little kiss on the top of his muzzle. “I will not eat any strawberries tonight. Promise.”

“Good. I promise to finish eating you when we get home.”

“Good.” I kiss his nose again. “Are you going to shift?”

“No. I promised my wolf I would let him have the entire evening.” He heaves a big dog sigh, and I lean against him, enjoying the steadiness of his heartbeat while our friends gather around to celebrate the full moon with us.

W e aren’t quite back home when Luca’s gait slows. I open my droopy eyes better, only to discover we’re in a small meadow; it’s familiar to me. Wild blackberries grow just west of here. I regularly pick red raspberry leaf and skullcap on the edge of this meadow.

Overhead, the strawberry moon glows vibrantly, smirking a bit at her strawberry name. I chuckle to myself, thinking of the irony of tonight, even as Luca shifts his body for me to slide off of him.

“What are we doing here?” I ask, sleep in my voice and eyes. It’s been a fun evening, but I’m beat. The summer festival prep has really taxed me over the last couple of weeks.

Instead of answering, Luca once again spreads out our picnic blanket. “Come here,” he huffs, not unkindly, but a wee bit exasperated.

In his arms is my favorite place to be. Arms wrapped around his middle, as I can’t quite reach his neck, he holds me close, nuzzling against my neck, then lifting my feet off the ground and spreading me out on the blanket.

“I’ve been dreaming of this all month. It’s finally warm enough to be outside.” Without any more preamble, he pushes my skirt up and sets himself between my thighs, tongue at the ready.

“Me too,” I say, breathless already as he plunges into me with his long tongue. Yes, I’ve been craving this. His tongue makes quick work, bringing me right to the edge of climax as my fingers grasp at his fur, demanding more of him.

And then, he stops. Rests his chin on my mound, providing a teasing amount of pressure. I squirm, trying to see if I can get my release myself, but he doesn’t let me. “Rude,” I say, tickling his ear a little.

“Yes. But I want us to come together.” And with that statement that burns with desire under the moon, he positions himself, claws at either side of my head, and thrusts into me.

I yell out, but he shushes me. “I need you to be quiet. Don’t want to disrupt the forest. Also, don’t want a friend thinking we need help.

” At that, I stifle my laugh, my mind wandering far off into weird territory at the thought of an orc coming to our rescue.

A curt nod of agreement, and he moves again, starting slow, building in intensity.

Luca’s heaviness reminds me of just how much we’ve overcome to be here in the middle of the forest, banging under the full moon. How much trust we’ve had to rebuild between us. It’s a gift I could never have imagined for myself.

My climax comes fast. Hard. Legs wrapped around his body, hands entwined in his black fur, I bite my lip to keep from yelling out. I can feel his knot swelling against my opening, telling me he’s close. He thrusts faster, and he lets out a howl at the moon as he comes. So much for quiet.

The feel of his knot swelling inside me is an exquisite sensation, making me gasp. He holds me close, running his claws through my hair, whispering sweet things to me as he locks into me.

After a few minutes, he shifts, rolling me to be on top. “There, that should be more comfortable.”

“You do make an excellent bed,” I say. Now it’s my turn to scratch his head, pet his fur. “Thank you for tonight.”

“You are so beautiful in the moonlight. You deserve all the goodness I can provide.” I love the feel of his growly voice against my chest.

Shivering a little in the night air, he wraps his arms tighter around me.

“The coolness feels good on my back. Good contrast to your heat.” I smile at him, then place my head on his chest. His hands move under my blouse to scratch my back and massage my backside.

In the nearby trees, an owl hoots, announcing its presence.

“Do you think we disturbed its hunt?” I ask.

“Probably. But completely worth it,” he responds quietly.

Once his knot releases us, we repack our picnic basket, and Luca carries me home. By the time we cross our threshold, the sky is a bruised purple, lightning bit by bit.

“It’s almost time to open the café,” I say, yawning in his arms.

“You go take a nap. I’ll get the morning rush,” he says with a kiss on my forehead. I should protest, feel a little guilty. It is my café, after all. But instead, I say thank you and hobble up the steps to our apartment over the café.

From the top of the stairs, I yell down, “You should shift. I’m not sure that the citizens of Moonfang Haven can handle a sexy werewolf serving up their morning coffee.”

“Fine, but I think Werewolf Wednesday has a great ring to it.” I can hear the smile in his voice. Then, the large exhale has his body transforms back into Luca.

“Maybe next week,” I answer.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed this bonus story from Love Potions and Poor Life Choices . To learn more about Ravena and Luca and their second chance, slow burn romance, click here .