Page 32 of Heartless Wolf (Wolf Moon Rejected #1)

CHAPTER 32 - LIV

“Get your ass on here, Mooncrack.” Dash patted the front seat of his black and chrome bike, idling in neutral gear. “It’s time for your first lesson.” His voice dipped low, competing with the low rev pulsing in my veins.

Tempting. When we were young, he promised to teach me, but Chase’s accident severed any chance of that. I was totally down for a lesson. Him snuggled behind me, watching my back. Admiration and respect thumped in my chest that he trusted me not to harm his beloved bike.

Strong hands curled around my waist, plucking me from the ground and lowering me upon the leather seat, and dammit, I squeaked in surprise. “How’s that feel, Squeaky?”

I ground my elbow into his side in a pathetic attempt to scrub his mind of that pet name. It was for Heather and me only . “Shut up! Forget you ever heard that nickname.”

His shoulders rolled with his laughter, and my nipples drew tight at the husky sound. “Never. It’s burned into my brain. Just like the sight of you naked.”

I groaned. Battle lost. I just had to come up with a better nickname for him.

Dash’s fingertips reverently swept the length of the seat. “Liv, meet my first baby . My Honda Shadow and first road bike. 750CC. Twin four-stroke engine and forty-five horsepower.” His eyes glazed over with pride.

I crossed my arms over my chest. “Do I need to be jealous of your first love?”

He unwound my arms and clasped my hand, the soft caress of his thumb reassuring me I didn’t have to compete with his baby. “She’ll forever hold a spot in my heart.” My pulse spiked at his adoring gaze shifting to me, making me feel like the only thing that mattered. “She obeys my every command, unlike someone else I know.”

I poked his pebbled stomach. “Asshole.” Hooking my fingers over the collar of his riding jacket, I dragged him closer.

My body temperature scaled two degrees at him circling my waist. “She’s predictable and boring. I like spontaneous and bossy women who keep me on my toes.”

Wrapped in his presence and scent, I could barely breathe and think. “Good.”

Vibrations pulsed from my pussy down to my toes, and my libido took control of the wheel. Heat fanned across my face and neck, a damn blush betraying my memory of the throbbing engine driving me to destination orgasm.

Hunger slid behind his gaze, and Dash leaned in to whisper, his voice burning hotter than his breath. “Are you remembering what happened last time we rode together?”

Ugh. Fire kicked up in my core. The man knew how to soak my panties with one look. Distractions when I wanted to ride.

I shoved him away and set him straight. “Is this a lesson or not?”

Rumbling with laughter, he withdrew, eyes on me, letting me shift my weight to get the feel of the thing. Heavy. Five hundred pounds between my thighs. Guilt crushed my lungs, remembering what riding did to Chase. How he never walked the same after falling off his bike and it landed on his legs.

Dash’s hand folded over mine and brought me back from my fearful past. “There’s nothing to be scared of, baby. This is the perfect learning bike to teach my mate. It’s not too heavy or overpowering.” Soothing swipes of his thumb released the iron grip on my lungs. “I won’t let any harm come to you, Liv.” The promise in his voice and eyes swirled in my stomach. “If you don’t feel confident at any stage, poke my leg and I’ll take over.”

I nodded and took my first breath.

He pinched my chin gently between his thumb and forefinger, smiled, then rewarded me with a light kiss. Arms wrapped around my waist as he slid on behind me, blanketing me in his security. One hand spanned the length of my belly, sawing back and forth, leveling my spiked pulse. His other set fingers on what I remembered was the clutch on the left and then the throttle on the right handlebars.

The weight of him leaning forward took me with him. “These are the main functions you need to know.” His arm broke away from my middle to tap the red button on the right handle. “This is your kill switch which turns the bike on and off. It’s already warming so leave this until we stop.” Another tap introduced me to the left and right turn signals and basic functions of the bike.

I squirmed against the delicious brush of his arm along my forearms clutching the handlebars.

Dash patted the inside of my rigid elbows. “Don’t lock your arms. Loosen them a bit. They’ll jar riding on the gravel so keep them fluid.”

“Okay.” Muscles screamed with relief as I relaxed my tight grip.

Dash readjusted my left hand to circle the clutch, and I relished every touch. “To change gears and speed up, pull the clutch lever here in to shift gears at the same time you tip your toes down on the peddle by the front tire.”

The tip of his nose sliding along the sensitive spot behind my ear short-circuited my brain. “That’s not fair.” Flaming lips stamped a scorched smile into my skin. He retreated far enough that his warm breath kick-started my brain into gear, prodding me into action, and I rehearsed the pattern he demonstrated.

“Good, girl, Squeaky Mooncrack.” Soft strokes of my belly kindled a soft, smoky fire that made me instantly forget my silly nickname. He reached forward again to rev the throttle. “This baby is to speed up. We’ll be riding on rough gravel roads before we get to the highway so take it easy, okay?”

I gave a little needy whimper wanting both his arms tucked around me.

He slapped my thigh to bring my focus back. “Don’t accelerate too hard on gravel roads as the tires will spin. Stick to speeds of less than forty miles an hour. Watch where you’re going at all times. Avoid potholes and ruts, as they’ll wreck the suspension and might throw us off if we hit one.”

Fuck. I scratched the corner of my lip. There was so much to learn, and I didn’t know if I’d remember all this, especially if something went wrong. I had to trust he knew what he was doing. Trust our lives and safety were in good hands. My hands.

Dash didn’t seem bothered by the spike of fear on our bond and went on. Leg stretched forward, he tapped another peddle on the front tire with his boot. “This is your brake here. Whatever you do, don’t slam on the rear brakes on gravel as the bike can slide out of control. Either ease off the throttle and let it slow or apply steady brake pressure to decelerate.”

The anxiety nipping at my heels began to claw at my back.

Dash kneaded at my thigh to loosen my clenched legs. “Hester Road is well packed. It’ll be fine. Don’t worry, baby, it’s just a precaution.” Each stroke of my arm lowered my thudding heartbeat. “Do you trust me?”

So that was his game. Win my trust by showing me the ultimate faith in me by letting me drive his baby and putting his life in my hands. Trust Father never placed in my hands by making every decision for me. I spent my life bowing to the whims of others, and yet Dash gave me the choice, the power, and my heart fell a little deeper and harder, and I showed him, hugging one of his arms to me.

Dash’s palm skimmed along my thigh to take residence around my waist. “Okay, run me through it, Mooncrack.”

I repeated his instructions, tapping every control and lever to confirm their position and prove I had this, earning a kiss for every correct one, and a light spank to the side of my thigh for two that were incorrect.

My mate rubbed my stomach back and forth. “Ready to put your lesson into practice?”

Trepidation warred with excitement, but I was about to show that bitch who was boss. “Sure.”

“That’s my brave, Mooncrack.” Dash nibbled my ear and sent my libido spiraling with rage at being rejected.

Helmets secured over our heads, I got ready to test my skill, knocking the kickstand up with the heel of my boot. Buzzing from adrenaline, I twisted the throttle gently, jerking as the bike slammed forward.

Dash patted my leg to signal a job well done. I added to our momentum, throwing more force to the throttle, picking up speed. Reassuring brushes of my leg spurred me a little faster, holding steady at thirty miles per hour. I wanted to throw a fist in the air and hoot but needed all hands on deck.

I got high on the rush of adrenaline and euphoria through my blood. Addicted to the speed and power between my legs, and the exhilaration of trying something new. Compelled by the wind tugging at my jacket and hair. Nothing compared to this. The freedom of not being locked inside a metal box of a car. Scenery chasing past in a blur that relaxed me. Warmth of sunlight filtering through my jeans. I understood the pleasure Dash got from riding his baby. The love for being closer to nature and the road.

My phone buzzed but I ignored it. By the time we hit the gate, and Dash leaped off the back of the bike to open it for me, my phone buzzed for the third damn time. Shit. It might be serious. I lowered the kickstand to the ground for balance and hopped off the bike to take the call where it wasn’t as loud.

Dash gave me a quizzical brow as I liberated my phone and answered it.

Unknown number. Private caller. One of three possible contacts. Clenched muscles in my stomach braced for the worst.

“Yeah?” I answered the call.

“Liv, it’s Luna.” My back went ramrod straight.

Luna Prince. Mage of the Guild. Runaway heir to the Brotherhood of Serpents. Both enemies to shifters.

Dread flooded my gut every time I got a call from this woman. I never knew if it would be the call warning me to pack up whatever belongings fit in a small bag and hightail it to a predetermined meeting place.

“Been a while.” Six months, to be exact.

Originally, she got my number from her warlock boyfriend, Gable, who owned a magick shop in town. Despite working for a larger, more expansive, and powerful adversary, I kept her as an ally rather than an enemy to call in the favors if required.

Whisper from shifters country wide forewarned of The Guild hunting our kind, or gantii, as they called us. Half breeds like werewolves were considered forbidden on Earth, and either slaughtered or shipped across the veil to another world where the purebreds came from. Some of our Lycan ancestors slayed half breeds and we couldn’t live among them when we were weaker, smaller, and at the mercy of extinction. The reason packs like mine employed witches like Gable to shield ourselves from the Guild’s prying eyes. In the last two years, I’d taken in four shifters to protect them from the Guild’s merciless hunters.

“It’s been quiet on our end until today. Have you got room for a friend?” Meaning: did I have a bed for a shifter in my sanctuary.

Dash’s suspicions piqued and he came to my side and clasp my elbow, even though I put space between us for privacy.

Avoiding his concerned gaze, I scrubbed my forehead. “Not really.”

Father refused Riley permission to stay four days ago. If I accepted another mouth to feed, he’d learn pretty quick. Fire went through me at him telling me how to run my damn sanctuary. At valuing figures and resources more than a life.

War with the Guild drew nearer, and we needed every able-bodied shifter on our side to fight them for the right to remain on Earth and not be sent to another world where we’d have to find new homes and land.

Luna sighed, her voice weary and heavy. “Trust me when I say you want to meet this guy. He’s a close relative. One you want on your side.”

Close relative? A werewolf. Another soldier to face the Malice and Guild threat. “We’ll meet you there in fifteen.”

Luna let out a relieved breath. “You don’t know what this means to me.”

The call ended with silence, and I pocketed my phone, weighed down by Dash’s expectant stare.

“What was that about?” The first question dropped.

Dammit. I wasn’t getting out of not explaining when he heard the entire conversation. Today demanded I put my trust in him in more than one way.

“Promise me you will not tell another soul?”

Dash brows slanted in a hard line. “Liv, what are you hiding? Are you in trouble?”

“No. Nothing like that.” I met his fierce gaze.

His shoulders squared off. “You need to trust me, or this is never going to work between us.” My heart receded deeper into my ribcage at the thought.

Time to come clean and return the trust he gifted me. “For the last three years, I’ve operated a shelter for shifters. The night of the Lunar Ceremony, we took an escaped Malice female. Father sent her away because she was small, weak, and we didn’t have the resources to feed her.”

Dash’s posture tensed like a wolf alerted to an intruder on his territory. “Where is she now?”

I massaged the building ache in my forehead. “I don’t know. Archer is hiding her.” I was busy with Dash last night and didn’t get caught up on pack business.

The strain in Dash’s features melted into a grin. “Found his mate, did he?”

The thought of my brother settling down his playboy ways sparked another jolt. No woman managed to get his attention for longer than a month. He went through women like he went through a pair of jeans.

My mate brushed the sides of my arm. “Your brother wouldn’t risk his father’s ire for any female. Like I risked everything for my mate .”

Mate, huh? Go, baby bro. Happy for you.

I sighed. “You’re probably right.”

Dash pulled me into his arms for a cuddle and kiss. “I am right.”

“All right, Captain Cocky.” I withdrew and moved back to the bike. “I need to get to the sanctuary to meet this refugee.”