Blue Moon: Blood Moon Trilogy #3 (16 page)

I
walked up the stairs in a bit of a daze, playing and replaying my conversation with Marcus in my head, trying to make sense of it all. Having only just joined the Pack, I couldn’t wrap my head around his proposition. It just didn’t make sense.

“Brooke?” Nick’s voice broke through my concentration, forcing my gaze to him. He was just coming out of the washroom with a towel draped around his waist, hair wet and water dripping down his body. “You okay?”

Smiling, I let my eyes linger on one droplet as it rolled over the contours of his torso before reaching the white towel and disappearing. “I, uh…” Marcus’s request repeated again, and I had to shake it off to answer Nick. “I don’t know, actually.”

Looking concerned, Nick approached me. “What happened? What did he say?”

“He…” I tipped my head, looking up into Nick’s eyes as he hovered over me. “He told me he wants me to take over as Alpha if something happens to him.” A shiver ran down my spine at the idea of anything happening. “But that’s ridiculous, right? Nothing’s going to happen. He’ll be fine. Not to mention, I’m obviously not the most rational decision.”

Nick’s eyebrows lifted, his lips curling slightly. I recognized pride in his expression. “Aren’t you?”

“No!” I cried, completely flustered. “I don’t know the first thing about leading a pack. I’ve only been a wolf for a few months, for crying out loud!”

Nick’s massive hands came to rest on my shoulders, his gaze holding mine. “Breathe.” I did as he asked and followed him as he led us to the end of the bed and sat us down. “I’ve told you this before, so Marcus naming you his successor shouldn’t come as a surprise.”

“But it should, Nick. I’m barely ready to play whatever role I hold now…let alone take over and lead you all.”

Nick encased my shaking hands in his. “Think about it—about everything I’ve told you and what I’m certain Marcus told you. You are…valuable, Brooke. Your background and talent, your compassion and rationality…they’re all extremely valuable assets to look for in an Alpha.”

“It just seems a little premature.”

“It’s a failsafe,” Nick assured me. “If he doesn’t name the one to take his place, there could be a power struggle within the Pack. Or worse, an outsider could try and usurp one of us if we’re not confident in our role.”

The idea of someone else coming in—someone like Karl—terrified me.

Picking up on this, Nick winked. “I said
try
. Anyone who even attempted wouldn’t survive, let alone succeed.”

I acknowledged Nick’s effort to validate what Marcus had told me regarding why I made the most sense, but it still didn’t make sense to me. It was an overwhelming idea, and it only served to make me even more uneasy.

“Look…” Nick’s voice was gentle and soothing. “You’re wound up. When’s the last time you shifted?”

I had to think back. It was definitely in the compound, but had it been days? A week? I couldn’t be sure, but Nick bringing it up excited the wolf. I craved the feeling of the wind moving through my coat as I ran in the fresh air.

“Let me grab some pants and a shirt and we’ll head out. You need to release a little tension. It’s probably safest for us to run during the day until we’ve dealt with the coven.”

Just the idea of letting the wolf out relaxed me enough that I felt like I could breathe again. Based on how strong I felt now, I was confident the silver had finally run its course, and I could only hope I would finally be able to shift in order to relax.

Nick emerged from our closet in jeans and a sweater, taking me by the hand and leading me from our room. We were just heading downstairs when Cordelia passed us, smiling from ear to ear when she saw us.

“Hi, Brooke!” she greeted enthusiastically. “Where are you guys headed?”

As much as I liked her, I got the sense she wanted to hang out, and I was really hoping for some time alone with Nick, running through the forest. I felt guilty for it, knowing that she’d bonded with me during our time together.

“Uh, out for a run, actually,” I answered, unable to lie to her when she looked up at me with her big hazel eyes.

Her face fell a little, but I noticed she tried to hide it. “That sounds nice.”

Conflicted, I looked to Nick. I could tell he was hoping for a little alone time as well, but he nodded his consent. I turned back to Cordelia. “Would you like to join us?”

Excitement shone in her eyes, but was quickly extinguished as she looked between the two of us. “That’s okay. I still have troubles with my transformations. Maybe another time. But thank you for inviting me. That was really nice.”

“Sure,” I said, relieved that Nick and I would still be getting our alone time, and only experiencing mild guilt for feeling that way. “See you later.”

Nick and I continued down the stairs and headed outside. The wind was a little chilly, cutting through my sweater, but I pushed it aside, knowing we’d be shifting soon and the wind wouldn’t be of any consequence soon enough.

With my hand encased in his, Nick led me around the house, walking faster than usual, waves of excitement and anticipation rolling off him and affecting me in kind. He pulled me through the snow, past the tennis court, and toward the trees where we sought cover to change.

I was just pulling my shirt up over my head when Nick’s warm hands were on my waist, and the heat from his body wrapped itself around me. His hands slid down over my abdomen, his thumbs slipping behind the button of my jeans and releasing it.

“Nick,” I breathed as his hand disappeared behind the denim. “I thought we were going to run?”

He released a single chuckle, his breath fanning over my neck before he kissed it. “We will,” he murmured against my skin as he pressed the length of his body against me fully. “Can you feel it?”

I laughed, the sound carried away into the treetops. “It’s kind of hard to miss,” I said, my voice low and sultry as I dropped my head back against his chest and stared up at the blue sky. “It’s pressed pretty firmly against my ass at the moment.”

With a low growl that sent shockwaves straight through my body and ignited the embers of desire that had been slowly stoking since this morning, Nick whipped me around and pressed me against the thick trunk of the nearest oak tree. He gripped both of my wrists and raised my arms above my head, holding them in place with one massive hand.

“That’s not what I meant,” he told me, staring deep into my eyes. My wolf stirred when I glimpsed the amber color starting to overtake the rest of his irises. His free hand moved down my body, his gaze following, and he grabbed the swell of my ass, making me gasp when he pulled my hips toward him. “I meant can you feel how close the wolf is to the surface? I can sense her, and it gets me so worked up.”

Panting, I bit my lower lip, containing a whimper as his hand slipped back into my jeans, stroking languidly. “Yes,” I exhaled, though not entirely sure if it was in response to the way his hand played me like a finely tuned instrument or his question.

Both. It was definitely both.

“Everything is heightened right now, right?” I nodded in time with his fingers moving back and forth. “Your primal urges are taking over, but what do you do?” My eyes snapped to his when he removed his hand from between my legs and amusement touched his mouth. “Take me right here and now, or shift?”

Both options were appealing given the sexual tension and the anticipation to run that flowed wildly through my veins, but I figured he expected an answer.

With an explosion of lust, I pulled my hands free from his grip and pulled his face to mine, kissing him hard and deep and swallowing his groan of approval. We worked fervently to disrobe, our lust enveloping us completely until we succumbed to it.

I put everything I had into the kiss, acting like it was the last time—and after everything that had happened, we couldn’t really be sure. I worked my hands into the waist of his pants, skating my palms over the muscles of his abdomen and down his hips as I slid the denim down his legs. His heated flesh quivered beneath my touch, and I reveled in the low growl that erupted from him when my fingers brushed his arousal.

As our passion ignited, our lips fused hotter, the kiss growing more urgent, I threw my whole weight against him. He staggered, momentarily knocked off balance, and his arm looped around my waist as he pushed me back against the tree and continued to peel my clothes from my body.

Once all of our clothes were scattered on the forest floor, Nick picked me up and pressed my bare back against the rough tree trunk. I wrapped my legs around his hips, digging my heels into his muscular ass and urging him forward.

Moaning in unison, Nick pushed into me, his lips finding mine again, this time kissing me softly as he slowed his movement between my legs.

“Oh, Nick,” I panted against his lips.

The sensations that rocked through my body were unprecedented to anything I’d ever felt before. Perhaps it was because the wolf was so close to the surface after being forced into submission for so long, or maybe it was something else entirely.

His fingertips curled into the flesh of my ass, the pinching sensation amplifying my pleasure that much more as the pins and needles shot through my body, and he thrust a little harder. My words brought his wild side even closer to the surface as the haze of lust continued to descend on us, pushing the both of us closer and closer toward our climaxes.

Heat rolled off Nick’s skin, the fever of his wolf growing stronger with every thrust, and my own temperature started to climb. The rough tree trunk dug into my back, scratching and cutting, but instead of finding it uncomfortable, I was surprised it only added to the experience.

Dropping his face to my shoulder, Nick repeated my name over and over again. His hips pumped unevenly but with more purpose than before, and soon the both of us stumbled over the precipice of desire, our cries echoing through the bare branches above and forcing the birds from their perches.

We were both breathing heavily as Nick continued to support my body, waiting until my legs stopped trembling enough that I could stand. When he deemed it time, he slowly withdrew from my legs and lowered me to the cold, snowy ground. Instead of gathering his clothes like most people who’d just engaged in a somewhat-public sex act, he turned to me with that crooked grin that indicated he was up to something.

“Ready for your next lesson?” he asked.

With a laugh, I arched an eyebrow. “You think you taught me something new just now?”

Nick shook his head, brushing his hair from his eyes with his fingers. “Not exactly what I was referring to, but…challenge accepted for later.” He paused, cracking his neck and shoulders. “I wanted to see if you’d be interested in testing your shifting abilities after expending all your energy.”

This time, my lips quirked up into a sly grin as I walked past him, laying a hand on his still-sweaty chest and meeting his eyes. “I think you’ve sorely underestimated my stamina,” I informed him before traipsing through the light footpath left by the Pack and other various animals.

“Well, all right, then,” he challenged, kneeling down in the snow. “Let’s see what you’ve got, baby.”

This was the first time he hadn’t waited for me to shift before transitioning. It only took minutes for his form to change completely, his bones cracking and realigning easier than I’d ever been able to accomplish on my own. I watched as his body changed, skin tightening over his newly formed animal body, and then darkening as a thick, sandy blond coat covered it. Once complete, he shook his body out and turned to me, sitting and staring expectantly.

I could tell when he grew impatient, because he raised his wolfy eyebrows and lifted his snout in my direction as if to tell me to get started. Stage fright set in, and I pursed my lips together, wringing my sweaty hands nervously as I prepared to crouch.

“Staring only makes me more nervous,” I reminded him, but he only huffed and inched closer. “Cocky son of a bitch,” I muttered, closing my eyes and ignoring him.

I blocked out the sound of his breathing, pushed aside his crisp outdoorsy smell and focused on the task at hand. I willed my mind to settle as I focused on my temperature, opening my subconscious to allow the wolf to come forward. It only took a minute for her to take the wheel, helping me along. The pain started right away, my skin stretching and bones breaking, but instead of dwelling on it, I went with it. I let it take me where I had to go, and before I knew it, I was shaking to relax into my new form. Nick approached, his pride evident in the way he looked at me and nuzzled my neck.