Chapter Chapter One - Ashley
I woke to the sound of a blood-curdling scream, instinctively ripping the covers from my sweat-soaked body and crouching low on the floor in a defensive position. I stayed low, scanning the darkness while trying to find the source of the feral sound.
I was trying to ascertain what the hell was going on. In my sleep-fueled haze, it took me a few moments to realise where the sound had come from and why I was so haunted by it, then suddenly, it dawned on me. The soul-crushing sound had come from inside me.
My eyes widened at the realisation, and I allowed myself to relax my stance, letting out a deep breath I didn’t realise I was holding. I felt my cheeks fill with heat as a deep blush crept over my face. “Shit”, I exclaimed softly into the darkness. I strained to listen to the rest of the house, hoping I had not woken anyone up with my cries of agony.
It had been years since I had had a nightmare. Years since, I had thought of the frightful night that my life would change, and my innocence lost. I didn’t want to think about it, not now, so I pushed the thought away. I locked it into the back of my mind.
I was awake, and while awake, I would choose what I thought about, a small sigh escaping my lips as I let the thought chase away the darkness. My wolf, Callie, was on edge tonight for some reason. I think she sensed something was coming, something she couldn’t quite put her paw on. Having Callie on edge, in turn, made my thoughts erratic and took my mind places I didn’t want to go.
I pushed the strands of my damp silver hair out of my eyes and glanced out of the window; the moon was still high. I knew sleep would not come to me tonight. Not now. So, I padded soundlessly over to my bathroom, allowing the silvery moonlight to guide me, not that I needed light to see. Werewolves had keen eyesight, even in the dark.
I turned the tap on and splashed cool water over my face, not caring to be cautious. The errant water quickly soaked through the fabric of my thin white singlet, making my nipples harden instantly. It was much too hot in summer to sleep in more than a singlet and panties if anything.
Being a female Beta and on-call 24-7, I chose to sleep in the former in case I was called to a pack emergency. The males in my pack, Blood Moon took a while to adjust to me outranking them, and after being caught naked several times while I slept, I thought it much wiser!
I let the cold-water console me, feeling considerably better now that I was fully awake. Turning the tap off and heading back into my bedroom, I paused in the doorway of the bathroom and allowed myself to stretch, chasing the crippling nightmare further from my body and mind.
As I bent over to touch my toes, I heard my bed shift slightly, accompanied by a low, seductive rumble coming from its direction. I didn’t have to have the lights on to know who was there; I could smell Zac’s arousal.
Callie smirked in appreciation of the attention, almost doing cartwheels in my mind. My wolf was very fond of Zac and his wolf Callan. “Hurry up, Ashley, get back in bed. Zac is here,” Callie squealed with delight, franticly pacing, licking her lips in anticipation. It was quite comical; she was almost drooling at the thought of Zac. “Tart”, I laughed back at her, snickering at her melodramatics.
At 24, I had given up hopes of finding my mate and spent all my time and effort training with Zac and our families to protect the pack. Zac was 18 and was the son of Beta McMillian. My parents were Alpha and Luna of this pack, and Zac was my Father’s Delta, training to replace his Father as Beta when I took over the pack as their Luna (If I ever found my Alpha, I thought sourly.)
We had grown up in the packhouse together. Most packs have a set up like ours with the Beta and their family living with their Alpha and his. It made sense to have your right hand under the same roof. At first, I loved him as a sister would love a brother, but as the years went by, and he hit puberty and started filling out, it became more.
Our touches and stolen moments together changed. I did absolutely nothing to stop his advances. Sometimes I regret doing nothing, and it depresses me, knowing that I could have saved us both the future heartache if I had just ignored my desire. When Zac had turned 18, it was almost too much to bear.
Waiting for the inevitable news that he had found his mate was an extremely heavy and ugly burden to carry. I think Zac sensed the hole the torment was creating in my heart as the day after his celebration, he presented me with the most stunning eternity ring.
It was rose gold and had a crescent moon carved out of obsidian glass on it. On the inside, it had our initials, A.M & Z.M., inscribed with the word “Always” beside the delicate lettering. It had become my most prized possession, one that I never took off. It meant the world to me, and I knew Zac meant it with his entire being.
As I stood there, lost in my thoughts, Zac whispered into the darkness, “Are you just going to stand there, Ashely, or are you coming back to bed”. I raised my eyebrow, mulling over the offer and how his words had me buckling at the knees with anticipation.
Often Zac snuck out of his room and ended up in mine. Not that I ever minded. We liked to think we had everyone fooled, but the knowing looks in the packhouse told us we were doing a lousy job of concealing it.
Being sexually active unmated was not frowned upon in this day and age, but the idea of being rejected when one found their mate usually kept young werewolves virgins until the day they found the other half of their soul.
As I said, though, I was 24 and had thoroughly given up hope of ever finding my mate. I had assumed he/she were either deceased or lived on the other side of the world and was still searching for me, the other half of themselves.
Drawn from my wayward thoughts by a small rumble, I let my lips curl up into a sly grin; I was not in the slightest bit interested in going back to bed but knew I could not resist the pool of desire building within me.
Drawing me to it with a hunger that I knew only Zac could satisfy. I burned for him. Even though he was not my intended mate, curse the goddess, I couldn’t imagine having this sort of sexual chemistry and longing for anyone else. Ever. Just the intoxicating and alluring smell of him had given me wet dreams, and until he was old enough for me to pursue actively, being six years older than him, I felt like I had burned for his touch for far too long.
When Zac was 16, he crept into my room to try and startle me and had caught me touching myself while wearing nothing but his hoodie. His eyes had glazed over instantly with carnal longing. He could smell the wild desire seeping from me and found a more exciting game to play instead.
Goddess, did I want him. I didn’t resist him when he stalked into the room, locking the door behind him. The brotherly bond was finally broken with the sound of the lock clicking into place that night. The rest is history. We had been stealing as much time together as we possibly could since then.
Our relationship was not just a sexual one; Zac and I were bound mind, body, and soul. I couldn’t put a word on our relationship but knew it was somehow different from the usual casual flings other werewolves enjoyed. We were meant to be a part of each other’s lives, and we made a pact that no matter what happened, we always would be.
I knew one day he would meet his mate and that it would crush my soul, but I had made my mind up the first time that he touched me; I wanted to be his until that time. I needed him. He was mine.
I wasted no time making my way back to my bed and into his muscular outstretched arms. As I slid beneath the covers, he placed a small sweet kiss on my forehead. Sighing with content, I felt truly blessed to have spent the last few years with him by my side. I raised the wet singlet above my head and let my ample breasts loose.
Climbing on top of Zac, I returned the sweet forehead kiss and was delighted to hear his rumble of appreciation. As I pulled away to look into his eyes, he eagerly took one of my puckered nipples into his mouth, gently playing with the other between his rough fingers.
The sensation Had me coming undone under his touch, and I let out a little mewl. I could feel Zac’s desire pulsing against my core. I gasped when I realised he was naked. Looking up at him in surprise, I noted he was looking at me with a sheepish grin on his face. I playfully swatted his arm while making tsk tsk noises at him. Zac let out a stifled laugh at my actions of feigned horror.
“What, you know I can’t resist you, Ashley”, Zac murmurs. In-between light kisses along my jaw, he utters. “You. Are. Mine.” Zac feels my body freeze on top of his and knows he has upset me; he stops his hands from fondling my breasts and pulls his face away from mine so that he is looking directly into my lilac coloured eyes.
He lets out a small breath and apologises. We both know as much as we want to be mates, it is never going to happen, we were both over 18, and the goddess didn’t see fit to pair us together. Curse her and curse the mate bond, I thought. I calmed my ragged breath and looked deeply into Zac’s piercing blue eyes.
“I love you, Zac”, I all but whisper. “I love you too, Ashley; I will always love you. Our relationship may change over time, but my love for you never will”, he responded. I can feel the sincerity in his words as his calloused hands tighten their grip on my waist, pulling me closer. Zac’s large erection pressed against my core, and I could feel my panties moisten as he started rocking me against him ever so slowly.
“You. Are. So. Sweet. Baby. Girl.” He says between kisses again. The words have me instantly heating with absolute feral desire, it feels as if the wind has been forced out of me, and I can’t hold back anymore. I need him inside me, filling and stretching me. I need to be consumed by him.
I lifted myself above Zac ever so slightly to allow him to rip my panties off. Insane with lust, I impatiently impale myself on his hard rod. Zac was thrown off guard, throwing his head back in ecstasy while inhaling a quick gasp of air between gritted teeth. “Jesus Ashley” is all he can say.
I pick up the pace. I need this man. I need every single inch of him. With one hand, I run my nails down his back while using the other to get a good grip on his tousled hair, bringing him closer to devour his mouth with mine. In no time, both of us find the release we desperately needed and fall into a happy, tangled, sweaty heap on the bed.
Letting out a sigh, I feel myself being lifted into the safety of Zac’s muscular arms. We laid together for a while, neither one wanting to let the other go-neither one wanting to give the other up. After what seemed like hours, I glanced over at the clock on my bedside table.
“Shit,” I exclaimed loudly, kicking the blankets off me and jumping out of a bemused Zac’s arms! “It is nearly dawn, and I am supposed to be meeting Dad at the training grounds to go over pack security.
Zac looks at me with humour in his eyes, pulling the blanket back over himself in mock modesty. I snorted at him with a devious chuckle. “What”, Zac replied, half asleep already. “You have to be there too, sleepyhead “, I replied with a smirk, playfully tossing a big fluffy pillow at his head.
Now it was his turn to jump out of bed cursing. A huge shit-eating grin plasters itself onto my face when I see how flustered Zac looks, trying to locate his discarded clothing after he had tossed them off carelessly sneaking into my room only hours before. I leaned against the bathroom door frame and took a minute to thoroughly appreciate the sight of his naked form, silently roaming around my bedroom.
Zac was flawless in every single way, I thought wistfully. He stood a very respectful 6′2 and had recently filled out. It was as if the gods themselves had carved him out of stone. His body rippled with lean muscle, and like me he was covered in tattoos. His appearance was imposing and as sexy as hell.
Zac ran a frustrated hand through his tousled golden hair, all mussed up and sticking up in different directions. Goddess, can he be any more stunning, I mused. His sudden lack of movement tore me from my daydream; in the moonlight, I could see his blue eyes narrow.
He had noticed my slack mouth and heavy breathing. Shit. I realised I was aroused yet again, and Zac could smell it. Not again, I thought with a tender smile; we didn’t have time. I stiffened when he started to stalk towards me like a predator about to catch its prey.
Letting out a little yelp, I mock ran for the bathroom, a small yip escaping my lips when he caught up to me with ease. Zac grabbed me firmly by the hips and pushed me into the shower with one hand while using the other to turn the water on.
In seconds he had my body lathered up with soap and sensually washing me. His hands left little traces of longing over my sensitive skin. The shower did nothing to dampen our arousal, and in seconds we were coupling again against the shower wall. Hard and fast, trying to consume one another.
“Where have you been” my father’s voice boomed over the field. Sheepishly I replied that I forgot to set my alarm. I could see a twinkle of mischief in his eye and the slight arch of his eyebrow when he noticed Zac behind me, “Did he forget his also”. A deep red crept over my cheeks. “Not again, Dad”, I said while rolling my eyes. “We have business to attend to”.
I turned and gave Zac a sly wink, mind linking him to not show up to training at the same time as me in the future. He just chuckled and threw his arms up in mock irritation as he walked past, swatting my arse as he passed by. Dad and Beta McMillan just gave each other an exasperated look. Sure, they were our fathers, but they knew not to stand in our way.
No matter how they felt about our relationship. Not that either of them would say anything, we were all an extension of one another and were a tight-knit unit, all living under the same roof. They just knew one day we were bound to hurt one another. We all knew it.
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