Page 12

Sully

“Sully,” he groaned. It was awkward as fuck not knowing his name, but there was also something hot about it, too.

Who was this little prey omega who had heat sex with a stranger in the woods? Even if said stranger was my mate, it still felt forbidden. I was a good boy who did what my parents told me, not one who did what I wanted in the pursuit of pleasure.

This other side of myself was more daring, and truthfully? I liked it. Which is how I found the courage to ask my mate for what I wanted: another time with him. I needed to convince him to take a risk on me. The town would adapt to us, or we could leave, right? He came from somewhere before. We could go back there.

With no small amount of difficulty, given how stiff my body was after all the sex on the cold, hard ground, then over the tree stump, I swung my body into his lap, just missing the car horn.

Instinctively, his hands landed on my hips. His fingers flexed possessively as I rocked forward to fuse our mouths together once more.

Kissing him was the best. His skin was soft, with the barest hint of stubble across his cheeks. His lips were firm, tongue hot. He took charge of the kiss quickly, dominating me perfectly.

I ground my ass against his hardening cock while my fingers worked their way under his shirt. His chest was smooth and defined. Likely from the work being done to his house. My mate was so sexy!

Breaking from his mouth, I trailed a path of kisses along his jaw and down his throat, nipping at his Adam’s apple, making him groan.

“Just once more,” he finally relented, while he pulled down my borrowed sweats. His eyes were zeroed in on my body. I knew he found me attractive. Why wouldn’t he give in to this incredible chemistry between us?

I quickly pulled the door shut and locked the truck. I rose up from his lap so he could get the sweats down to my knees, at the same time as I reached for his zipper .

Freeing his cock, I got a better look at it while it was hard for me. No wonder I ached, my mate was thick and longer than I was used to. I was pretty sure I was ruined for anyone else.

Taking him in my hand, I lowered myself onto the tip of his cock.

Slowly, I slid down on his length with a loud moan.

“Sully!” he groaned, fingers tightening once more on my hips.

I began to rock, the limited space making it more like a grind. He was so deep inside me it was almost too much! Every tiny movement lit up more nerves inside me.

One hand let go of my hip to cup my throat, angling my head for a bruising kiss. My lips were swollen and sore, but still it wasn’t enough.

Grinding harder, moving up and down a little, I felt my orgasm building.

“Close!” I said, breathily. “Knot me?”

“Yeah. Close, too!” His grip on my hip tightened. He used his hold to work my body harder. Planting his feet, he pumped up into me.

That was it for me. My orgasm had my vision darkening as come covered my stomach, some landed on him.

With a finger, he gathered up a little and sucked it. “Delicious.”

If I could have, I would have orgasmed again from the smirk and the way I felt his knot expanding. After so many rounds, I had almost nothing left. I felt oversensitive, raw.

I felt his come spurting inside me. All that would be left of our encounter aside from memories.

Nestling my head on his chest, I fought back my tears. He wouldn’t get to see how much this was wrecking me. I’d agreed to this, so it was my fault I was in so much pain.

Maybe he sensed it, or maybe he did feel something for me, because he stroked my hair and held me tightly.

“Wish I could keep you,” I thought I heard him murmur. His heart was hammering in my ear. Probably just wishful thinking.

The sun was almost fully up and my night with my fated mate was done.

Once his knot went down, I eased back into my own seat, pulling up my borrowed sweats before I sat.

I looked at him. “I’ll wash them and return the clothes. ”

“Keep them. It’s not safe in the woods for you Sully. Stay in the town and out of trouble, okay?”

Unable to talk, the tears threatening to fall once more, I just nodded.

“C’mere.” He drew me to him and closed his mouth over mine.

It was impossible to remember every detail of how he tasted and felt. It was all too overwhelming.

He brushed away a stray tear. “You’ll be okay.” I don’t know if he said that to reassure himself or me.

“I’ll… uh… get a potion.” Getting one might be tricky. People in town would assume it was Orson’s baby I was trying not to have.

“Right. Good.”

Tension rose between us. I needed to go before I begged him not to end this.

“Bye.”

“Bye, Sully.”

I got out of the truck, my ankle protesting at the rough treatment, and closed the door, ready to break down once he was gone.

For a long moment, I lingered despondently at the side of the road, watching as my still unnamed mate drove out of my life for good. Finally, the pain in my ankle drove me towards my scooter and home. The bone wasn’t broken, or at least with my shifter healing, it wasn’t now. Maybe re-sprained at best. I should have rested longer, really taken the time to heal before I went chasing a strange dingo.

One who turned out to be my mate.

How fucked was it that the same night I’d found him, I’d been rejected by him? He’d done it kindly, sure. I bet he had decent reasons for it. He said it was the town, and to be fair to him, there was a lack of prey/predator pairings/groups in Haenvale, so perhaps he had a point.

Nope, I wasn’t going to cry in the street. How humiliating!

Missing out on a fated mate after the wild night we had, sucked big time. I thought I could convince him with how magically my body fit his that last time, but failed. We’d been compatible with the little banter we had. The sex was out of this world. I wasn’t sure if it was a predator thing, or just him. He’d owned every inch of my body, it felt like. I ached all over from it.

So watching him drive away without a backwards glance was hard. Didn’t mean I was giving up on him. Nope, I was one determined quokka. I would give him a few days. I had to heal up this foot first. Once I was better, I’d look for him again. Besides, I was tired and needed to look my best for my fated mate.

Dressed in borrowed clothes, covered in dirt, and with dark circles under my eyes was not it. After a day of sleep, I’d get that potion, take a day or two off work to heal properly, then I’d go looking for him. I’d find a way around his worries.

We were fated. It had to mean something. Bad things happened to those who went against fate. He’d learn that and come for me if I couldn’t get to him.

Rubbing my chest, I pushed my scooter into our yard, my ankle protesting the whole way. We had a wide driveway with a well-maintained lawn. Out around the back of the house, we had a pool. Not too far away was a lake, so Dad had installed an outside shower.

I struggled to get my clothes off now that my ankle was throbbing and didn’t want to bear my weight. The shower’s water was cold, designed for a quick rinse in the summer months when we went swimming in the afternoon, not a cooler morning wash, but there was a water heater if needed. I didn’t bother. It would take too long and I was exhausted.

The clothes I dumped in the corner of the shower cubicle. I’d deal with them when I felt better. My torn clothes I’d throw in the trash, even if I wanted to keep something with his scent on. My mom would have a fit if she saw the evidence of what I’d been up to.

Getting the scent of sex off me took longer than I would have liked under the frigid spray. My skin stung from the force of the water and from the lemon soap Mom left out here. While I was grateful for something to wash with, I wished there was something that didn’t sting the cuts and scrapes I’d picked up. Still, I was lucky Mom even used the pool and kept the shower stocked. She liked to swim sometimes if she had the afternoon off. Said it was good exercise .

There were towels in the locker next to the shower. I wrapped myself in a big fluffy one when I shut off the water.

What were the chances Mom was waiting for me again?

I tried to be quiet, but nope, there she was.

“Should you be on that foot?” She glanced at me, saw me limping worse than before, and hopped up. “Sit down! I’ll get a poultice. Do you need a healer?”

“Nah, I should be fine. I just need to rest.”

“Instead of using that damn scooter, you should have told me you were heading out for coffee with Orson! I would have driven you. The town is buzzing with talk of you two!” Her delight was evident. I knew the rumor-mill would be working overtime, just didn’t realize how quickly she would hear about it.

“About that… Mom… it’s not going to work.”

Mom frowned, her fingers still fussing with the poultice she was applying to my swollen ankle. Fuck, I’d really done a number on it. She began cleaning the cuts and scrapes on my shoulders and back with a tingly gel some vampire scientists developed. Closed them up much quicker .

“Why not? Everyone said you were holding hands and there was baby talk.”

“Maybe before.” I paused before blurting. “Mom, I met my fated mate!”

She gasped. “Orson?”

It was my turn to frown. “No. He wouldn’t tell me his name.” I knew I was scowling. “But he’s living in the woods. I was inside his house! He gave me his son’s clothes—“

“His son?”

“Adopted.” I waved that away. Having kids wasn’t a dealbreaker to me. They were his family, so I’d grow to love them. “Anyway, he was the dingo I saw. Not the first one from years ago, that was his uncle. Mom, he’s my fated mate!”

“Impossible,” she denied. “Baby, you’re all mixed up.”

“But—“

“Sully, no.” She shook her head. “You’re telling me you went into the woods, again, I might add, and came across this dingo you said chased you the other day, and you what? Kissed him?”

Blushing, I tried to tiptoe around what had happened. “He shifted to talk to me. I knew he was safe because… well, I just did, okay? We talked a bit and the pu ll to him was just… I couldn’t control myself, Mom. I had to kiss him! Then I knew it.”

“So why isn’t he here?”

Fuck.

“He doesn’t want to be my mate.” My emotions were all over the place. I wanted to cry again.

“That settles it, then. He can’t be your mate. I’m sorry, baby, but if he can deny what you think happened, then he isn’t the one. Besides, you’ve got Orson. He’ll make you very happy.”

By the determined set to her shoulders, I knew there was no getting through to her.

Unable to keep the news to myself, and sure I was telling the truth, I called Trisha.

“Hey hun. How was that date? You didn’t reply!” I could hear the smile in her voice. “The town’s talking ’bout you. All good this time!”

“I’ve got so much to tell you!” All of it came spewing forth. The trips out to the woods, going further and further in, the info on Orson, then meeting him, my mysterious fated mate .

“Babe, that’s… wow! I can’t believe you acted so wild, giving your heat like that! He must be fine, right?”

“Kinda had no choice. I messed up taking my suppressants, then him and his amazing pheromones, with our connection, it threw me into it. Normally, I would have been fine. It just created a perfect storm, I guess. Normally there’s more warning. This time there was none. I was outta my mind with it in moments. I couldn’t have waited.”

“Shit, Sully, that could’ve been dangerous!”

“Yeah, but I just knew he wouldn’t have hurt me.”

Trisha sighed. “Okay, I’m gonna believe this was just your bond and not your poor judgement talking. He’s hot, right?”

“Gorgeous, Trisha. He’s stunning and kind. Just my type, tall, muscular like he’s clearly seen hard physical work. Wide shoulders to grip onto. Strong arms to haul me about.” I sighed dreamily. “Golden brown skin, deep brown eyes and black hair. His hands were slightly calloused, and felt amazing on my skin. His smile… he’s perfect. I mentioned kids, didn’t I? The eldest is a teenager, maybe seventeen or about that. I didn’t see the others, but their names were mentioned.”

“You sound so smitten! Gah, it makes my heart happy. So you’re going to find him, right?”

“You know me so well! I think I know which road he took out, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to find him again, but—“

“Fated mate bonds are hard to deny. Maybe give him a day or two. Your foot needs to heal anyway.”

Knowing she was right was different than admitting it. All I did was sigh.

“Sully, do not make me come over there and sit on you! Rest. Heal. Then we can go find this guy another day.”

“You’ll come with me?” I sat bolt upright, ignoring the twinge to my foot.

“Of course I will! Gotta make sure that man isn’t a serial killer or something.”

I loved Trisha so much.

“Just get Orson to drop you off with me in a couple days. We’ll take my daddy’s truck. This girl isn’t walking around the woods any time of day.”

“Me neither after last time!” I looked down at myself. After getting the scrapes cleaned, I’d changed into comfortable pajamas. When I could move better, I’d make sure the borrowed clothes were washed before I returned them.

“Well, at least you got some sense knocked into you! What were you thinking, wandering off alone like that? Anything could have happened to you!” Her voice was getting a tad shrill from her concern.

I rolled my eyes fondly. “Now you sound like my parents.”

“Aaannd my work here is done!” she said with extra drama. “Make plans with Orson for like, day after tomorrow or something, then text me, okay? Better get back to work!”

“Thanks, Trisha. Love you!”

“Love you, too. Bye!” The call ended, leaving me with a huge smile on my face.

Then I remembered what else I needed to ask her. Shit. A potion. My eyelids were growing too heavy to stay open. I’d deal with the contraception after a nap.

When I woke, it was dark once more. Fuck! I’d wasted the entire day. My stomach rumbled, giving me a plan.

Like in the human world, there was a delivery app. You could get just about anything, even in a town like Haenvale. The house was quiet, so I ordered in some food and an after heat contraception potion.

I’d been lax in taking my suppressants, then come across a fairly dominant alpha. His pheromones, along with our fated mate connection, had pushed me into the heat. My fault completely. I knew better. I was just grateful he didn’t leave me to suffer through it alone.

The delivery didn’t take long. My order of butternut squash curry was divine. The smell made my mouth water. I ate it quickly while checking over the instructions for the potion. Best taken after food. Good, at least something was going right.

“This product will only prevent implantation by expelling the product of a heat. The closer it is taken after sex, the more effective it is. If this does not happen within 30 minutes of taking this product, you may be pregnant. Warning: causes cramping. The efficacy of this potion is reduced when used with partnerships of a fated connection.”

Double fuck. It has been hours, more than half a day, since the start of my heat. How long since he had breached my womb? And fated connections reduced how it worked? That would have been handy to know before.

Dinner eaten, I wasted no time in swallowing the bitter potion.

I sat and waited with a glass of water for the pain to start.

Thirty long minutes went by without a single cramp or gurgle. An hour.

Oh shit.

Unable to stand the not knowing, I put in another order. This time for a slice of cherry pie with ice cream and a pregnancy test.

They arrived quicker than my curry. I took the test to the bathroom and peed on the stick, crossing my fingers this was just one big mistake. A faulty potion. One put in the wrong box or something.

I was wrong.

The test had one word on the screen: pregnant.

How was I going to convince my mate this wasn’t me trying to trap him into mating with him?

In less than a month, everyone would know I was pregnant. I had until then to change my mate’s mind and have him choose me for me or risk losing him forever.