Page 32 of The Wolf’s Appetite (The Lycans #8)

AISLING

T he first thing I felt was warmth.

The first thing I smelled was my mate’s scent covering me. Surrounding me.

Not just from the heavy blankets or the fire still smoldering in the hearth but from Lennox’s body, solid and unmovable behind me, his chest pressed to my back, his arm draped over my waist like it had been molded there.

I let my eyes stay closed for a few moments, listening to the steady sound of his breathing.

It was soft and even. It was contentment because we were both safe and together.

The rhythm of his respirations was grounding, and the feeling of him behind me, of his arms around me, anchored me like I’d never known I needed until now .

Everything from night before was still on my skin. The feel of his hands was imprinted on me, and the way he’d started off gently but then changed to fierce and possessive was something I found insanely attractive.

Every time I thought about it, my heart beat harder until it hurt.

I sensed him awake, lying behind me, and it pulled a little smile from me. My inner animal was content. She was sated and happy, and for the first time in my life, I felt like nothing was missing.

He groaned in a very sexy male way, and his hand splayed possessively over my stomach. “Are ye awake, sweetheart?” His voice was low, still thick with sleep, and the fact that he’d growled so deeply last night he was now hoarse. The rumble vibrated into me. Warm waves of comfort rolled through me.

“Mmm hmm,” I murmured, curling back against him. “I have been for a while. Just enjoying the feeling of ye holding me and the silence.” I moved a little, my bare legs rubbing together. I felt the tenderness between my thighs from last night, a discomfort but also turning me on all over again.

His lips brushed the side of my neck as he hummed. “Ye smell so good.”

I closed my eyes and sighed. “Yeah? And what do I smell like?”

He dragged his tongue along the side of my throat. “Like sex, sweetness, and all mine .”

I turned in his arms so I could see his face. His longish dark hair was a little wild around his sleep-heavy face. But the dangerous edge he wore like armor wasn’t gone, and I knew it never would be. He was a wolf and a warrior. My Scottish Lycan Prince.

I smirked and traced the edge of his lips. “Ye look like ye had a great night’s rest,” I teased.

He chuckled and nipped at the pads of my fingers. “Aye. My wee lass wore me out.” He winked, and my pussy clenched. Lennox kissed me then—slow and unhurried—like we had all the time in the world.

I curled my hand around the back of his neck and kept his mouth to mine, not ready for it to end. The kiss became more frantic, and I knew where this was headed. A little morning sex sounded like something both of us definitely needed.

It was only when there was a sharp knock at the door that we broke apart. Lennox’s head lifted, his expression instantly shifting from tender to irritated.

“Come back later,” he called, his voice edged with warning.

I couldn’t help but bury my face in his chest to stifle my laugh.

Clearing his throat before saying anything, a muffled voice came through the wood, “My Prince, it’s urgent. Scouts returned with information.”

I felt his body tense around me, and I looked up at him. Lennox glanced down, searching my face for a beat, then kissed my forehead before sliding out of bed. He pulled on a pair of sweats and stalked to the door, opening it just enough to speak with whomever stood outside.

I sat up, pulling the blanket around me, trying to catch snippets of what was being said, but they spoke so low it was hard to make anything out. I could pick up a few things. “Leandrean”, “dark magic”, and “not figured out yet.”

My blood turned cold in my veins. When Lennox shut the door and came back to me, his expression was grim.

He’d explained everything to me–the dark magic, the Leandreans, the fact the portal had ripped and now we, along with the human world, were at risk for an Otherworld and Katara faction war.

“The Guard sent out scouts to see if we could gather more information while the witches sifted through the ancient scrolls for answers.”

“And the Guard found something out?”

He scrubbed a hand over his face and exhaled. “I don’t know if it’s anything that’ll ultimately help us or bits and pieces from before that make no difference now.”

There was fear in me, yes, but also something else—resolve that we could and would get through this. Because if last night proved anything, it was that, together, we could face anything that was coming.

Lennox must have seen it in my eyes because his hand slid to the back of my neck, pulling me toward him again. “We’ll talk to the others later. For now…” His voice dropped, his thumb brushing my jaw. “I just want to hold my mate close.”

Just like that, the weight of what was coming shifted into the background, at least for the moment.

And we’d take one moment at a time.