Aiden smirked.
But he’d never had an issue following orders of ~this~ sort, so he grabbed the bottom of my shirt and pulled it over my head.
Then, flinging off his own shirt, he lifted me onto the conference table so that my legs hung over the side, on either side of his hips.
“Do it,” I moaned.
“Patience, my love. Good things come to those who wait.”
“Fuck…you,” I managed to get out.
One of his hands gripped my leg while the other pulled my panties to the side, and lowering himself, he hovered his mouth above my sex, his breath crashing against me like hot waves of desire.
I closed my eyes in desperate yearning. I couldn’t take it anymore. I wanted him inside me.
Grabbing him by the hair, I pulled his head back so we could lock eyes.
“Get up here and fuck me.”
Without a word, he shed his pants and climbed up onto the table. It creaked under his weight, but it could have collapsed beneath us for all I cared.
He grabbed my hands and pinned them over my head, and before I could protest, I felt him sink into me. I gasped, my mouth flying open, desperate for air.
He immediately began to move, and as his powerful thrusts shook me, I sank my teeth into his shoulder to keep from screaming.
I could feel him getting harder inside of me, stretching me even further, and I knew he was about to come.
His strokes got faster and faster, and we crescendoed into an orgasm so intense it felt like it would split me in two. Aiden roared as he climaxed, in symphony with my screams of mindless delight.
After collecting myself, I looked up at his sweaty face and brushed away the hair clinging to his forehead.
I couldn’t believe this beautiful, amazing man was my mate, and I couldn’t wait to share the rest of my life with him.
***
I stretched, then curled up and snuggled into my pillow.
Aiden had taken off early, but I’d decided to sleep in since my body was still sore from the previous night’s activities. And the previous week’s…
Once his parents had packed up and left town, we’d spent the following week rekindling the passion we had before all the drama.
We let our hazes run wild, making love everywhere we could. It truly felt like I had my mate back.
One thing was for sure; we could no longer use sex to solve arguments. Either by using our physical connection to avoid conflict or by withholding intimacy to force the other’s hand.
Not only because we were both crazy for each other, but because it didn’t work. It just made us resent each other.
The whole experience with the festival and Aiden’s parents had really forced me to grow up.
Moving forward, if we had a difference of opinion, consensus had to come from genuine understanding and a change of heart. Not spiteful threats or coercive pressure of any kind.
I’d started to drift off again when the sound of my phone shocked me awake.
Rise and shine, sleepy head
You didn’t kiss me when you left
Rude 😒
You were so peaceful
Plus I know what you’re like when you first wake up
👹
Hey!
Don’t make me reinstate the embargo
You wouldn’t dare
Try me 😌
Yeah? I’ll happily have a taste 👅
Not what I meant, nerd lol
Get over here, pretty lady
Good things come to those who wait…
🙎
😘
Aiden’s texts had put me in the mood to get a morning dose of the haze. There was definitely no going back to sleep now.
He was going to get it. I’d make sure of that.
I slid out of bed and went to the bathroom to brush my teeth, then glanced at the digital clock on the shelf. It was almost ten thirty.
~You need to go to bed earlier tonight, girl.~
I spit out my toothpaste and was wiping off my mouth when I looked at the clock again. Horror gripped me.
The date. Was that right? It couldn’t be. I rushed into the bedroom and grabbed my phone. The same date flashed across my lock screen.
My stomach churned, and a wave of panic came over me.
My period was late.
I need to ask a favor
Sure, what is it?
Can we do this in person?
I’m free after 2
Want to swing by?
Yeah
You’ll be at your office?
Sienna, I can come right now if you need me
No, don’t worry
Not an emergency
Just kinda personal, that’s all
Okay, if you say so
See you at 2 then! xo
***
The true beauty of Jocelyn was that she could look past someone’s exterior and focus on what they were experiencing on the inside.
And right now, as I stood outside the door to her pack-house office, I needed both sides of her. I had a lot on my mind that I needed to unpack, but I also needed her to see if a little something had hitched a ride inside me.
The door opened, and the soothing smell of incense and jasmine flowed into my nostrils.
The anxiety that had gripped me since this morning began to dissipate as Jocelyn took both my hands in hers and looked at me with her smoky hazel eyes, searching for what might be troubling me.
“What brings you to me, goddess?” she asked, ushering me inside. “Your texts had me worried.”
I made sure the door was closed before I told her the reason for my visit.
“I missed my period, Jocelyn.”
“By how many days? The haze can throw off cycles sometimes.”
“I’m six days late.”
Jocelyn was quiet for a moment then invited me to take a seat on the couch. “I’m guessing you and Aiden have had sex recently.”
I gave her a look as if to say “no shit, girlfriend.”
She grinned. “Hey, I have to ask these questions! I’m just happy to hear the two of you have been able to patch things up.”
“I am too. I mean, I’m grateful that Aiden’s managed to come around this far on the whole family issue, but I can tell it’s hard for him. He still has to fight the urge to push me sometimes.
“But…it almost feels like there’s ~more~ pressure now that he’s being so understanding. I want to give him what he wants, but there’s still all that junk about my birth parents getting in the way.”
“Sure,” Jocelyn said. “And you aren’t the first she-wolf who’s come to me feeling pressured to start a family. The mating bond is a beautiful thing, and when it first happens, both partners ride this incredible high.”
“And then?”
“And then couples can disagree about how to keep that high going. One may want to take a few years to adjust to being mated before starting a family, while the other sees kids as a wonderful new adventure.
“And in some cases, one of them could not want pups at all. What I’m trying to say is, they both want what’s best for the relationship, but they might not agree on what that is.”
“I ~want~ to start a family with Aiden, Jocelyn, I really do. He’ll get what he wants. I just feel guilty for taking my time.”
“You shouldn’t. And Aiden isn’t trying to manipulate you.”
“I know,” I said, feeling stupid that I’d even implied that might be the case.
“So, what about your birth parents do you want to know? If they really are the only obstacle holding you back, what would give you the peace of mind you’re looking for?”
I’d thought about this very question a thousand times over the past week. There was so much I wanted to know about them, but it all came down to one question.
“I want to know why they did it, Jocelyn. I need to know why they abandoned me in that carriage.”
“And why is that the most important question for you?”
“Look at Aiden’s parents and how they walked out on him. How messed up that left him emotionally. And look at me. I can’t even feel comfortable having kids because of my issues. If I don’t find out why they gave me up, I’m afraid I might find myself in the same position.”
“Sienna.” Jocelyn rested her hand on my knee. “You’re not going to abandon your child. At the same time, I’m not going to lie to you. Being a parent comes with uncertainty.
“It’s like every other decision you make in life. The outcome can never be guaranteed. So, if that’s what you’re waiting for, I don’t think you’ll ever feel ready to start a family.”
Could that be it? Was I using my parents as an excuse?
Even if I was, I couldn’t help the fact that the idea of having a child didn’t feel right to me. Not right now at least.
“Do you think I’m ready?” I asked, catching Jocelyn’s gaze.
“You’re the only one who can answer that question, Sienna.”
“But you know me, Jocelyn. What if I’m pregnant? I need to know that I’m ready.”
“It’s okay if you’re not,” she said reassuringly.
“Is it? What if my mother wasn’t ready? What if that’s why she abandoned me?”
Suddenly, the idea of having a child growing inside me became even more terrifying. What if this was how my mother became pregnant with me? Would I keep it? What would I tell Aiden?
Things had just started getting good again.
This was all wrong: I was supposed to be overjoyed that I might be pregnant. So why was I feeling panic instead?
This wasn’t normal. Why couldn’t I just feel happy like I was supposed to?
I started to hyperventilate.
“Easy, Sienna,” Jocelyn said, rubbing my back. “Breathe slowly through your mouth. Breathe deep into your belly."
“I’m not ready, Jocelyn, I’m not. I’m going to have this baby, and I’m not ready.”
“You don’t have to have it if you don’t want to, Sienna.”
“What do you mean? I don’t have a choice.”
“You always have a choice. It’s your body.”
Was she saying what I thought she was? I looked into her eyes to be sure.
“Like I said, you’re not the first she-wolf who’s come to me not wanting to start a family.”
I gripped Jocelyn’s hand. I was ready for her to tell me what I had already convinced myself was true. “Tell me if I’m pregnant, Jocelyn.”
“All right, lie down on the couch.” Once I did as she asked, she placed a pillow behind my head. “You need to keep still.”
Jocelyn lifted up my shirt and placed her hands just below my navel. They felt smooth and sterile against my skin. I flinched, not used to being touched so clinically.
“Try not to move,” she repeated, deep in concentration.
I felt the area under her hands go numb, and soon after, an uncomfortable warmth radiated from between my hips.
I stared up at the ceiling, waiting for her to say the words I dreaded but knew were coming. I lay there for what felt like an eternity as my mind raced through all the ways my life was about to change.
I hated the haze, hated what it had done to me, how weak I’d been.
Finally, Jocelyn rolled down my shirt and grabbed my hand.
And when she met my eyes, hers were full of emotion.