Page 27

Birdie

I’d never seen so much blood in my life.

It dried tacky on my hands, crusted beneath my nails, even though I’d scrubbed myself raw in the old farm house sink. Didn’t matter. The scent of it stuck to me, thick and metallic, clinging to my skin like shame.

Rocky almost died.

He bled out in my lap like something out of a damn nightmare. And the scariest part? He looked calm about it. Like some part of him knew he’d survive, or maybe didn’t care if he didn’t.

But I did.

I cared so damn much, it terrified me.

He was out cold now, resting in his room at the old farmhouse while Loretta patched him up. I’d hovered like a damn mother hen until Villain finally shooed me away with one of his scowls.

I paced the hall outside Rocky’s door like a wind-up toy, heart thumping like it wanted to beat straight outta my chest. My nerves were fried, my stomach a knot of guilt, fear, and something else I couldn’t quite name. Something electric. Something wild.

The memory of Rocky’s eyes, half-lidded, bleeding, but locked on me like I was the only thing holdin’ him to this world, kept playing on loop in my mind.

He almost died.

And the thought of a world without him?

I couldn’t breathe.

When Villain finally emerged, he gave me a once-over and handed me a clean rag for my hands, even though the damage had already been done.

“He’ll be alright,” he said. “But he needs rest. And maybe… a reason to keep resting.”

“What does that mean?”

He smiled big and disappeared down the hallway without another word.

I took that as permission.

I slipped into Rocky’s room. The blinds were drawn, moonlight creeping in through a crack, spilling silver across the bed where he lay, shirtless, stitched, bruised, but breathing. His chest rose and fell steady now, a world away from the ragged gasps I’d heard earlier.

I pulled a chair up beside him and sat, not trusting my knees to keep me upright much longer. My hand found his without thinking, sliding into his calloused grip like it belonged there.

We slept like the dead. Rocky, stitched up, and me in the chair beside him, clutching his hand. When I woke, he stirred. His eyes fluttered open, barely a crack, but enough to meet mine. The color had returned to his cheeks. He looked a million times better already. Villain had said he’d heal quick.

“You’re alive,” I whispered, tears stingy in my throat. “I thought—God, I thought—”

He reached up and touched my face. “You saved me.”

“You’re supposed to be the big bad wolf,” I said, laughing shakily. “I didn’t expect to be the one dragging your hide off the battlefield.”

His grin was crooked and tired. “Guess even wolves need their girls to rescue ‘em sometimes.”

“You ain’t gettin’ rid of me that easy,” he rasped.

Tears stung my eyes. “You scared the hell outta me.”

“I scared myself,” he admitted. “Didn’t think they’d hit us that hard. Or that dirty. I would’ve shifted but…”

“Flint—” I couldn’t finish. My stomach churned at the betrayal.

Rocky just nodded, like it didn’t surprise him.

“Fucker did it on purpose. Should’ve seen it comin’. But I was thinkin’ ‘bout you instead.”

I blinked. “Me?”

He let out a rough chuckle. “Always you, Birdie. Ever since I saw you in those goddamn leggings by that campfire, makin’ burnt marshmallows and talkin’ to squirrels.”

A choked laugh escaped me. “They were chipmunks, thank you very much.”

We fell quiet after that, the kind that felt full of things left unsaid. I could feel the weight of it in my chest, heavy and hot. I couldn’t carry it anymore.

So, I leaned forward, pressed my forehead to his, and whispered, “I love you.”

His breath hitched. His fingers tightened on mine. And when he opened his eyes again, they were glassy and bright, blue like the edge of a lightning storm.

“You sure ‘bout that, sunshine?”

I nodded, tears spilling. “I know it’s fast, and it’s crazy, and you’ve got fur under your skin and a patch on your back, but damn it, Rocky—I love you. And I’m tired of pretending I don’t.”

He surged up, wincing from his stitches, but he didn’t stop ‘til his lips found mine. The kiss was desperate, fierce, weeks of distance crossed in one breathless second. I climbed onto the bed, straddling his hips, careful not to touch the worst of his wounds.

“You sure?” he growled against my mouth, hands already sliding under my shirt, palms warm and possessive on my skin.

The bed creaked beneath us. I stripped off my tank top, and he growled low in his throat, like he couldn’t believe I was real .

“I’m damn sure,” I breathed. “Mark me, Rocky. Whatever that means, whatever this bond is. I want it.”

His pupils blew wide, and for a second, I swore I saw the wolf flash in his eyes.

“You don’t know what you’re asking, Birdie.”

“Yes, I do,” I whispered, my voice shaking but sure. “I want all of you. Even the parts that growl.”

“Your marked. Whether you wanted it or not. But you’ve not been claimed.” His mouth found my neck, teeth grazing.

“What’s the difference?”

“I can mark anyone. But laying claim to a mate involves more than sinking my teeth in. Gotta sink something else in at the same time.”

I bit my lip. I knew what he meant. “You’re going to bite me again?”

“You say the word, I’ll stop.”

“Don’t you dare,” I gasped, pressing a finger to his lips. “I don’t care if you’re a wolf. I don’t care if the club’s full of secrets. I’m tired of running from the truth. Running from you.”

“Because you belong to me? You felt it even before?”

“Yes,” I admitted.

He stared at me like he was seeing a miracle.

And then he kissed me.

Hard.

Hungry.

Like he’d been starving for years, and I was his first damn meal.

“Slow,” I whispered, breathless. “I want to remember all of this.”

Reverent, his lips trailed down my neck. “I’ll go slow. I’ll go sweet at first. Then, I’ll ruin you nice and proper.”

Clothes vanished like they never mattered.

Seeing Rocky’s cock didn’t disappoint. It was thick and proud, already ready, glistening at the tip. I hesitated, my throat going dry at the sight of him. His dick was all raw power and barely leashed control. Like him, a primal beast barely contained within a man's form. I reached out tentatively, wrapping my fingers around his length, feeling the pulsing veins beneath his smooth, hot skin.

He growled from deep within his chest, barring his teeth.

“You're playing with fire, Birdie,” he rasped, his voice strained as I began to move my hand slowly up and down.

Every word was punctuated by his cock twitching ever so slightly, making it seem even larger than before which shouldn’t be possible .

“Now, be a good girl and put that pretty mouth of yours to use,” he commanded, his voice hoarse with desire. “You wanna suck this wolf’s dick?”

I leaned down tentatively swirling my tongue around his head, licking away an errant drip before drawing him in.

“That's it, Birdie,” he groaned, his hands fisting the sheets as I took him deeper into my mouth. “Let me feel that hot little throat of yours. Fuck, you look so hot with your lips wrapped around my cock.”

His words sent heat pooling between my thighs. I moaned against him, the vibration drawing out a harsh curse from his lips and compelling Rocky to thrust slowly upwards. His hands found their way to tangle into my messy hair. He tugged me off him.

“I can’t wait to get inside you.” He explained, flipping us slow, careful, like I was made of glass, but I could feel the restraint in him trembling.

“I need to feel every inch,” I whispered.

His hands found my hips, digging into the soft flesh. I could feel the heat of his cock against my thigh, a promise of what was to come as I spread my legs wide.

Rocky leaned in, his breath hot on my ear. “You want every inch? You’ll fucking get it.”

With a swift movement, he positioned himself at my entrance. I was already slick with need, but the size of him made me gasp as he slowly pushed into me, stretching me wide. I let out a low moan, feeling every ridge and vein of his cock as he buried himself deep .

Though injured, he was relentless, his hips grinding against mine, pushing further, harder, until he was fully sheathed.

“Fuck, Birdie,” he grunted and began arching in slow thrusts that made sounds rip from my throat.

He returned my cry.

The lust heavy growl echoed between our bodies, clapping together hard each time Rocky’s balls slammed against my ass. Our skin glistened with sweat, slicking the ride, a frenzied rhythm as I met him stroke for stroke.

He heaved out suddenly, leaving me empty and aching. Before I could protest, he flipped me onto my stomach, his strong hands lifting my hips until I was on all fours. This primal position demanded everything else fall away except need itself.

Raw.

Unhinged.

One step beyond fucking.

A mating ritual pure as day, but there was nothing civilized about how I needed him to dominate me.

Primitive needs took over.

Teeth grazing my spine, his cock was poised, slick, throbbing and ready at my entrance. With a feral growl, he thrust into me again only this time taking moments between strokes. Almost withdrawing out completely before slamming back at a feverish speed .

I was wetter than I've ever been. My quivering legs could barely hold me up anymore. Let alone support both bodies moving in tandem like wolves fucking without shame or restraint.

My body hummed with heat, and something else, something new. I collapsed, and Rocky slipped away. He rolled me over.

“There’s one more thing. One last step.”

“The bite?”

His teeth grazed my shoulder, just a hint, just enough to send shivers skittering down my spine.

“Claimin’ you. My wolf claimin’ you. If you let me.”

I swallowed hard. “Will it hurt?”

“No. But you’ll be mine. Forever.”

I looked him dead in the eye. “I already am.”

He shifted, fast and seamless, the change smoother than anything I’d seen before. But not completely. Fur and muscle rippled, bones stretched until he was half human, half wolf, golden eyes locking on mine with a hunger that wasn’t just animal.

A true wolfman.

I wasn’t scared, but I was in the kind of awe that frightened me.

I tilted my head.

And he bit me.

And when he sank his fangs into me, it was like coming home. Heat poured through me, not pain. Just wild, reckless love and the rush of knowing I belonged.

He shifted back, entering me and he finished me off.

“You okay?” he asked, stroking my cheek.

“There’s something happening inside me. I can feel you. Like… even now. In my chest.”

He smiled, crooked and wrecked. “That’s the bond.”

I blinked fast, feeling it consuming me whole.

“We’re connected now. Soul deep. Psychic, instinctive. I’ll always feel you. You’ll always feel me.”

“That why I was screaming your name when you were in danger?”

And in that moment, I heard him.

Not with my ears.

With something else.

Mine.

It was fire and lightning and forever, etched into my skin. The word echoed in my bones, branded into my soul.

And Lord help me, I said it back.

Yours .

We made love like the world was ending and maybe for us, it was. The end of the before, the start of something wilder, deeper, more dangerous. Every touch lit me up. Every whisper made my soul ache in the best way.

Afterward, I lay on his chest, breathing in the salt and sweat of him.

“I was always yours,” I murmured.

Outside the homestead was quiet, an invitation to sleep, but we weren’t finished.