Just a Wolf

Amelia

After I drop Corinne off at her room, I return to Darlene’s suite. “Come in,” I hear after I knock.

I find her slouched on the couch, clutching a pillow. I sit down next to her. “What do you suppose the number meant?” she asks. We are obviously thinking the exact same thing.

“I have no idea,” I say, “but it obviously was something deeply meaningful, and it was upsetting to her.”

“I didn’t want to force her to answer,” Darlene throws her head back and stares at the ceiling, “but we are going to have to figure it out. The Alphas want every bit of information that could be helpful.”

I nod. I know. I just feel so sorry for Corinne. She is obviously traumatized, and something is still wrong. “I’m glad she’s resting, at least,” I say.

“Yes, early in a pregnancy you are very tired, so I suppose it’s possible it’s just that.”

I look over at her. “Are you tired?”

She shakes her head and smiles. “I’m a little further along, the second trimester is easier. I feel perfectly fine.” She looks at me then, sympathy in her expression, and says, “And how are you feeling? Are you getting along all right?” Her eyes are looking at my throat, and I know exactly what she means.

“I’ll be okay,” I sigh. “We’ve gotten closer, and I think I’m feeling him more.”

“I know it’s hard,” she says, “and I’m still so impressed with what you are doing. But when they get back, your waiting will be over, right?”

I nod. “Yeah. The whole point was to get past the mating ceremony.” I’d really rather change the subject. I don’t want to dwell on it, that just makes me miss him more.

“Do you think they’ll learn anything from the phone?” I ask, hoping that the data on it will be enough, and we won’t have to harass Corinne for more details about whatever was bothering her.

“If anyone can find out, it’ll be Janine,” Darlene says. I look at her curiously, and she adds, “I’m not sure if I’ve ever told you what she used to do for our pack. She was our tech support. She’s an absolute whiz at any type of technology, computers, software, hardware, apps. She’s basically a hacker. That’s why she came to River Moon with us, Ross didn’t want to be without our IT person, just in case she was needed for the alliance presentation.”

Ah! Our new Luna is a hacker? Darlene sees my surprised expression and laughs. “On that note, let’s get back to work, shall we?”

Dominic

The second cave took another few hours, by the time we found it and got into it and marked it inside and out. At least we saved a little time by marking outside the entrance before we shifted and went in, it was a little more efficient to do it that way. We’re back in the cars, heading down the little winding back roads, returning to the 299.

We are not quite far enough east to be in our own territory. Beta Nolan says, “Let’s drive just a little further west, then we can stop in Burney at a motel for the night.”

Well, that’s good news. A motel will be more comfortable than sleeping in the cars or on the ground. I really didn’t know what to expect, and nobody had told me.

It’s after 9 by the time we pull into the Shasta Pines Motel parking lot in Burney. I’m exhausted, and I’m glad for that. The more tired the better. I haven’t spent a night apart from Amelia since I met her, and I am afraid that I will just toss and turn. I’m almost afraid to even try to sleep. I’ll miss her so much more lying in an empty bed.

Ross goes into the motel office to check us in while the rest of us wait at the cars. When he comes back out, he hands us room keys. “There are five rooms available in a row on the second floor,” he tells us. “Evan and Dom can share one.”

Gamma Michael says, “I can share with Theo.” That makes sense. That way the Alpha and both Betas will have private rooms.

“All right,” Ross goes on. “Let’s set a watch. Ninety minutes each will get us through the morning.”

I immediately volunteer for the first watch. The longer I can avoid trying to lie down and close my eyes the better.

They all go into their rooms, and after a brief pit stop in the room I’m sharing with Evan, I grab a jacket and go back outside. I set up shop on the walkway out in front of the cluster of rooms, and stand watching out over the parking lot, into the forest beyond. I walk up and down the walkway a few times, peer around the edges of the building, just observing to make sure no threats arise. Other than a few late travelers straggling in to their rooms, nothing happens on my watch.

Evan’s next, so I wake him up when I get inside, and he heads out. I lay down in my bed, close my eyes, and think of Amelia. I rub my hands over my hair, and hold them to my nose, and think I can still smell just a whiff of her shampoo, just the tiniest iota of her scent, and I try to open myself up to her emotions. Am I feeling anything from her? I’ve wondered all day, and I think she must have had a quiet day. There may or may not have been a couple of moments where I felt something brush against me, a little feeling of curiosity or surprise maybe. I suppose I’ll get more used to this, and better able to interpret what is happening as time goes by. She probably spent her day working hard, head down in lists, taking care of business. My fingers are rubbing across her almost-mark on my throat while I picture her. I fall asleep thinking of her, the hint of her fragrance lingering from our shower this morning.

Amelia

The afternoon passes both quickly and slowly. I am busy, so the minutes speed by as I am very productive in putting together lists of duties that I will share with the pack members tomorrow. But each one of those minutes is also filled with longing for Dominic.

Am I feeling anything from him? It is hard to tell. Possibly a couple of times, I feel a particular surge of longing, of horniness, and wonder if part of it is coming from him.

Darlene has kept me updated, telling me what she has heard from Ross about their progress. They did locate both of the caves they had targeted for the day, and everything went smoothly and without mishap. They were planning to find a motel to spend the night. I try not to think about how he will be far away from me, sleeping in a bed without me.

By dinnertime, Darlene thinks we’ve done enough for one day. “I’m going to have dinner with Kanen and Janine,” she tells me. “I’ll find out what they learned from the phone, and I’m sure we’ll talk about it tomorrow.” I nod. “Will you have dinner with Corinne?” she asks.

“Yes, I’m going to go down there now, and see if she wants to come up and eat,” I say.

“Okay then, have a good night,” Darlene smiles. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

I head down to the basement and knock on Corinne’s door, then unlock and open it. She is standing up on the bed, looking out through the little window just under the ceiling. She turns her head when I open the door, and clambers down immediately off the bed.

“Enjoying the view?” I ask.

She shrugs. “I can see some trees from here, it’s nice.”

I sigh. “I really am sorry about the locked door,” I say, and she shrugs again. “Are you feeling better?” I ask.

“Yes, sorry about that,” she says, although she has nothing to apologize for. I don’t mention that I realize she is pregnant, though.

“Ready for dinner?”

“Yes,” she says softly.

We eat at our table, and it is so sad for me not to have Dom here too. Afterwards, I hate to think of going to bed, because my room will not be the same without him. It’s going to be so difficult to try to go to sleep. I need to think of something else to do.

I ask Corinne, “Want to go watch some t.v. for a while?”

Her eyes widen with surprise. “Sure.”

There’s a few of the other younger wolves in the t.v. room, the same place where Dom and I and our friends watched a show together on Christmas Eve. The show that Dom wanted, I remember, and it makes me miss him even more. They have some superhero movie on, just starting, so we settle in to watch that. Somebody passes around popcorn, and the evening passes pleasantly enough.

Except, of course, I don’t have my mate. I’ve rubbed his almost-mark on my throat so much all day that I’m worried I’ll rub it right off.

It’s late by the time that we get back downstairs. Corinne is yawning when I drop her off at her room and lock the door behind her.

Then I slowly, reluctantly, go to my room, go inside, and sigh, looking around as I close the door. No Dom. No instant grabbing. No kissing. No coming. No snuggling. I start feeling so sorry for myself that I feel tears prickle the edges of my eyes.

Stop it, Amelia. This day is nearly over. One down, only three to go. After tomorrow it will be half over. We’ll get through this.

I draw out my bedtime routine, loitering in the bathroom, reading a book, staring at my phone. I put on my nightgown for the first time since the night before I met him. I’ve been sleeping in my clothes, just fewer pieces of it every night. Finally I try to close my eyes and sleep.

But I just can’t. I rub my fingers across my throat, remembering his lips there. Thinking about him is just making me horny, and I wish so much that he was here, solving that problem for me.

My fingers trace across his almost-mark, then remembering how it felt when he touched my skin, I move my hand lower. I touch my breast, where he touched it. I skim my hand across my stomach, where he touched me. I’m starting to breathe heavier, thinking about him, recreating his touch on my body. I pretend that my fingers are his, and dip them down under my nightgown, trace them up my thighs, and start rubbing against my lady parts, right where he has. I try to do what he did, and find myself chasing that feeling, and my breathing hitches, and my muscles tense, and I think of him, and pretend he’s here, and it happens. I come, because I imagine him doing it.

Dominic

I’m with her, rubbing my hands down her body, across her breasts, over her stomach, and into her pussy, rubbing my fingers back and forth, dipping in just a tiny bit, as she writhes and gasps and moans and comes for me…

I bolt awake, suddenly, from the most intense wet dream I’ve ever had. I’m about two seconds away from coming, and manage to dart into the bathroom just in time to collapse on the toilet seat and grab my dick and come, gasping, into a wad of toilet paper.

I drop onto the floor, slumping against the tub, and slowly catch my breath. Damn, what was that?

I’ve never had such a powerful sex dream before. It was utterly overpowering. It felt so real.

As my mind and body start coming back to earth, I start to realize what might have happened. Could that be from her? Was Amelia thinking of me? Was that why it felt so real? Because it actually was real? Was she really doing that, what I was dreaming of?

I suddenly feel an incredibly warm glow. I think that’s what it was. She was thinking of me, and maybe even coming for me, and that is what made my dream so vivid.

I think it was real. We might not have been physically together, but we were still together.

It was the mate bond.

I have felt so sorry for myself all day, I have been missing her so much, but I realize now that we aren’t as far apart as I thought. We are bonded. We will never really be apart.

I’m happy when I come back out of the bathroom, finally calm again, and crawl back into bed.

Evan is just coming in from his nightwatch shift.

“Hey,” he says. “Everything’s okay out there.”

“In here too,” I say, and I’m sure he looks at me funny, but I just close my eyes and roll over, and have a smile on my face as I go back to sleep.