Chapter Fourteen

WARWICK calmly walked through the woods, following Avery’s delightful scent on the breezes. He’d dressed in warm black clothes to help fight the chill, but the coldness that lay heavily upon the land didn’t bother him for once. Excitement thrummed through his body, heating his blood and keeping him burning with need.

He chuckled softly, remembering the look on the werewolves’ faces earlier. Maybe he’d been showing off, but he wanted to make an impression. He was pretty sure he had.

Once the hour delay was over, Alpha Montgomery nodded at Warwick, telling him it was time. He couldn’t shift into his dragon form, but that didn’t mean he was incapable of making a statement. Instead of immediately walking into the woods, Warwick had stripped off his heavy, fleece-lined sweatshirt and tied it around his waist. Under the sweatshirt he wore a black sleeveless T-shirt with extreme dropped armholes.

He cleared his mind, closed his eyes, and reached toward his other form. There was a slight tingling around his eyes as the scrollwork appeared when he tapped into his dragon power. Opening his eyes, he glanced around the pack.

The gasps were amusing but expected. He knew what he looked like since he’d seen himself in a mirror before. His pupils were now slitted, and the purple of his eyes glowed slightly. His fangs lengthened and sharpened, and his blunt fingernails quickly grew into claws. Patches of purple scales rose on his on stomach and chest, and along any part of his body that was vulnerable.

But he wasn’t quite done yet. The shocked exclamations when his large, leathery wings burst forth from his back had been gratifying. Very few knew dragons were capable of a partial shift beyond what was decorative. The wings were not nearly as large as they were in his dragon form, but they didn’t need to be when he was still mostly human.

He crouched and called forth a cold gust of wind. Leaves swirled around him. Muscles bunching, he launched himself into the air, taking advantage of the wind stirred by the vortex of his power. His wings flapped strongly as they lifted him. He circled the group once and was again amused by the sense of astonishment, unease, shock, and envy.

The latter didn’t surprise him. Those who had previously shook their heads in sympathy for Avery having to mate a dragon were quickly changing their tune, he’d bet. As they should. Avery was no longer just a werewolf, or just an Omega. Avery was soon to be mated to one of the most fearsome predators on this planet.

Warwick glided across the sky, enjoying the moonlit night. Since they had time to waste, he wasn’t actively hunting Avery at that moment. After he left the pack behind, he found a clearing, where he landed. Folding his wings back, he sniffed the air.

There. There was that alluring summer scent he associated with Avery. He walked, his boots crunching the dead leaves, but he wasn’t worried about sounds. He wanted Avery to know he was coming for him.

After targeting Avery’s scent, he followed it through the woods, impressed with how carefully Avery had moved through the foliage. The scent of water called to him, and he followed Avery’s path to the stream.

“Smart. Good idea to use water to kill the scent.” But there wasn’t much that could throw a dragon off his prey.

Warwick found the fake trail and tracked it, knowing full well what Avery was doing. Suddenly the scent ended. The smell of wolf had suddenly disappeared, and a human scent became more prevalent. Interesting. He studied the surrounding area, then laughed softly, glancing up. Ah yes. Smart wolf. Avery had shifted and taken to the trees.

With Avery’s strength and agility, it wouldn’t be difficult for him to move from tree to tree. But considering Warwick was as much a creature of the air as he was of the land, the ruse didn’t fool him. He followed Avery’s return trail back to the water. The false trail had led one way, but Avery had gone in the other. The thrill of the hunt snaked through Warwick as he leaped, his wings snapping out. With a few powerful thrusts, he landed on the opposite bank. The scent of crushed berries teased his nostrils. Impressed, Warwick circled the bush. Avery had picked the berries from all over instead of just one area. It made it less obvious berries had been picked. Avery had used the berries in an effort to hide his natural scent.

A mental image of Avery, nude in the moonlight, rubbing the berry juice over his body, sent Warwick’s libido raging. He wanted to lick the juice off Avery and…. Warwick rearranged his hard cock and reminded himself not to get distracted. But that was going on the list of things to do later. Avery had obviously shifted back into his wolf form, but there was no trail and the berry scent was fading. Warwick glanced at the sky. Hours had passed now, and he was ready for this to end so they could move on to the next part of the ritual. Again he sniffed the air, and this time Avery’s scent was stronger. He was closing in on Avery.

A lone howl erupted across the woods. Even though he wasn’t a werewolf, Warwick recognized it for what it was—a call for his mate. Avery was as ready for this to end as he was.

Throwing back his head, Warwick roared his answer.

Warwick climbed a nearby tree, moving up through the branches easily, until he reached the top. Free from the obstructions offered by the woods, he leaped into the sky. With a few powerful beats from his wings, he headed straight for where that howl came from.

There in the distance was a white wolf standing on top of a monstrous rock pile. The moonlight gleamed silver on the wolf’s white coat. He’d never seen a more beautiful sight. Warwick arrowed straight toward the wolf. He found a clearing close to the rocks, and flapping his wings gently, he landed on his feet. The magnificent creature in front of him held his head high, waiting patiently.

Struck by the beauty of the wolf in front of him, he approached. “I’ve seen a lot of things during my lifetime, but you might be the most glorious.”

The wolf leaped from the rocks and jogged over.

Warwick held out his hand as Avery approached. Avery nuzzled his palm, his long pink tongue darting out to lick Warwick’s fingers. He ran his hand down Avery’s coat, surprised at the softness of Avery’s fur.

Now that Avery was out of the pool of moonlight, he noticed Avery’s coat was actually a silvery white, not pure white as he first thought. The muscles beneath his hand bunched and flexed as Avery moved restlessly, rubbing against Warwick.

“Scent marking me, huh?”

Avery yipped as he sniffed at Warwick’s leg and belly.

Avery’s eyes were more of an amber in this form instead of the hazel Warwick was used to seeing. Warwick was tempted to ask Avery to shift, but seeing all that naked skin might lead to snapping what little self-control he had. Damned if he was taking Avery’s virginity on dead leaves in the cold. No, there would be a bed, a warm fire, and lots of lube. “Do you think significant enough time has lapsed?”

Avery nodded his head, then head-butted his hip.

“In a rush to get back, are we?”

Avery nibbled at Warwick’s fingers, then whimpered.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” Warwick dropped to one knee and wrapped his arms around Avery’s neck. Now that they were closer in height, he realized how tall Avery was in his wolf form. And Omegas were supposed to be the smallest of the werewolves? “Let’s get back, then. I have plans for you.” Warwick hugged Avery, then stood.

Avery bounced around his feet, yapping and barking. Laughing, Warwick untied his sweatshirt from around his waist. Closing his eyes, he cleared his mind and shifted back into his human form. A slight tug on the shirt brought a smile to his face, and he opened his eyes to see Avery tugging gently on it. He wished Avery could transform back into his human form, but understood why he couldn’t due to the cold.

“Soon. I promise, soon.” He pulled it on, and walking with Avery by his side, they started the trek back, Warwick’s hand frequently brushing against Avery’s fur. Avery might not be able to speak, but he showed his eagerness by refusing to get distracted by small animals and such. He barked playfully as they walked and occasionally nipped Warwick’s fingers. Sometimes Avery would dart behind Warwick and nudged him to move faster. No, no human words were needed to express Avery’s happiness.

IT seemed to take forever, but eventually they left the woods. Avery’s pack milled around, waiting for them. As they drew closer, people began clapping. Someone had built a bonfire, and the scent of roasted meat lingered in the air.

Avery pranced in front of him, tail up and wagging, as he made a beeline straight for his father.

“Well done, son. A most excellent hunt.” Alpha Montgomery bent and hugged Avery. He straightened as Warwick approached. “I see now why you asked if my pack could be trusted with your secret. It most assuredly will be kept quiet.”

Warwick nodded, pleased. He held out his hand in a gesture of goodwill. After all, by tomorrow morning he’d be related to the Alpha.

Laughing heartily, Alpha Montgomery pushed Warwick’s hand out of the way and embraced him. Shock caught Warwick off guard. Werewolves, as a rule, didn’t touch outsiders. This more than anything told Warwick he’d been accepted into the pack.

As they hugged, Alpha Montgomery whispered, “Thank you for honoring Avery so by making the Chase last as long as it did.”

“Of course I would. He’s my mate, regardless of how we came to meet,” Warwick answered.

Alpha Montgomery stepped back and faced his pack. “The Chase is concluded! Avery led his mate on a worthwhile Chase, one he should be proud of, especially considering who his mate is. Soon we will gather to celebrate the joining of Warwick and Avery. I’ll send out a pack email later. Avery? Son, I’m so proud of you. Please shift and dress.”

Avery’s form blurred and in the place of the wolf stood a man. Alpha Montgomery brought Avery’s clothes, and he quickly dressed. Warwick caught a quick glimpse of luscious golden skin tinted by berry juice, and a bubble butt to die for. Avery’s attention was certainly on him, and Warwick sniffed the air. A small smile spread across his face.

Avery hugged his mother and father, then accepted congratulatory pats on his back from his sisters… all the time staring at Warwick. As soon as Avery got away from the crowd, he hurried to Warwick.

All Warwick could focus on was Avery. Nothing else mattered to him. As Avery approached, Warwick struggled to keep himself under control. His dragon’s demands were getting harder to ignore.

Warwick, overcome with the feeling of rightness, opened his arms, and Avery plowed into them. “Thank you for making it last,” Avery said softly, his head resting under Warwick’s chin.

“I must insist you repeat that tomorrow morning too.”

Avery looked into Warwick’s eyes. “I’m sure I will.”

Unable to deny the urge any longer, he threaded his fingers through Avery’s soft hair and tilted his head back. He trailed little nibbling kisses up Avery’s throat. Avery buried his hands in Warwick’s long hair and tugged frantically until finally he slammed his mouth down upon Avery’s.

The ever-present passion between them exploded. The overwhelming scent of sunshine on cut grass almost brought him to his knees as Avery rubbed his hard cock against Warwick.

All that mattered was the man in his arms. When the need to breathe drove them apart, he stared down at Avery. Avery’s lips were wet and swollen, the need clear in his eyes.

“Can we leave now?” Warwick’s dragon was riding him hard, and he was a few slippery steps away from claiming Avery right there in front of everybody.

“Hell yes.” Avery moaned. “Let me get my overnight bag, and we can get the hell out of here.”

“Don’t dally. I’m about at the end of my rope.”

Avery didn’t bother to answer. He turned and all but ran toward the pack house.

The minutes dragged by. Warwick desperately tried to maintain polite conversation with those gathered around to congratulate him, but he caught himself constantly glancing in the direction Avery had gone.

Avery reappeared, and Warwick was momentarily worried about how he could successfully extricate them without causing a scene. The decision was taken from him when Avery shouted a goodbye to everybody, then dragged Warwick from the pack house and over to the waiting limo. His chauffeur barely got the door open in time, thanks to Avery’s mad rush. Avery threw his duffel into the limo and climbed inside.

Warwick took several deep breaths, trying to calm himself, but the summer scent of Avery’s growing arousal was slowly driving him mad. He ducked inside, settled next to Avery, and rolled up the partition between them and the driver.

“Avery, I wanted to say—oomph!”

Avery straddled him and slammed his mouth down on Warwick’s. Warwick grabbed Avery’s ass and squeezed. Avery’s moan echoed through the limousine; then, just as quickly as he started, he leaned back. “If we keep this up—”

Warwick struggled to get his emotions under control. What was it about Avery that scrambled his thoughts so? “Then you’re going to lose your virginity in here, and I don’t think either of us wants that.”

Avery blushed. “Maybe we can have sex in here later, then?”

“It’s going on the ever-growing list of things to do.”

Nodding, Avery moved back. “We need to distract ourselves until we get home.”

Warwick wasn’t sure anything short of another world war could distract him. He hurt with the need to claim Avery. “Any ideas?”

“Oh, you better believe it.” Avery bounced in his seat, excitement all but rolling off him. “You had wings. Wings! How the hell does that even work?”

Warwick discreetly rearranged his cock. Okay, that… that would distract him. “I’m actually glad you brought that up. There are a couple of things I need to tell you, that I meant to tell you during our date, but we got sidetracked.”

“I’ve never known of a shifter who could partially shift. But then, I’ve come to the conclusion that labeling you a shifter is incorrect.”

Warwick shrugged. “As far as I’m concerned, it’s only a label. I am what I am.”

“Something magical,” Avery breathed.

“There’s no denying there’s something magical about all of us. But am I the same as other shifters? No. Dragons can transform any part of their body. Dragons are something… more.”

“That’s what I mean. No shifter I know can do those kinds of things. I mean, if we’re stressed or angry, we can get our claws to appear. I couldn’t do it now, for example. We can make our fangs lengthen and change our eyes, but all shifters can do that. That isn’t that different.”

“Like I said, dragons are something more. I shift, same as you, but there are other things I can do that you can’t.”

“Yeah, speaking of things I can’t do… does a lightning bolt strike you every time you shift?”

Warwick resisted the inclination to squirm. “I, ah, might have been showing off a bit. I can control the weather, as you’ve obviously seen, but storms…. Those call to me. The energy, the danger… that appeals the most.”

Avery squinted. “So you don’t need to be struck to change?”

“No.”

“But you can shift that way if you want to, right?”

“I can. Think of it like this—it’s like making a grand entrance at a dinner party. I wanted your attention….”

“Wanted to impress me. And I was impressed, believe me.” Then Avery scowled at Warwick. “Also scared to death. A little warning might have been nice. I was afraid of what I was going to find when I looked back at where you’d been standing.”

“Ah, but it wouldn’t have been as impressive.”

“Ass.”

“I’ve been called that before.”

“I’m sure it won’t be the last time either.”

“Most likely not. But I do apologize for scaring you. That hadn’t been my intention.”

“Apology accepted. Now that I know you can do that, the next time I see it, it won’t scare the crap out of me. Anyway, back to things dragons can control,” Avery said.

“As you saw, I can call forth certain characteristics of my dragon form, like the claws, the wings, or making my eyes change. But I can shift by a simple blurring of my form like you.”

“Well, you might have been showing off, but it was damn impressive.”

“Thank you.” Warwick debated about the next secret he had to share with Avery. He decided it was better to tell him now rather than later, when Warwick might not be able to think quite as clearly. He was also sure Avery was going to have questions about what he had to share too. “There’s something else I need to tell you.”

“Oh? That sounds serious. What?”

“Not so much serious as important. Please understand, what I tell you is never to be repeated, even to your own family.”

“Oh wow. This must really be a big deal,” Avery said, fidgeting.

Warwick cleared his throat. “If this information got into the wrong hands, it could be disastrous for dragonkind.”

“That’s serious, all right. I won’t tell my family, I promise. I hate keeping secrets from them, but if it’s something that could hurt you, then I will.”

“Thank you.” Warwick took a deep breath and then released it. “At one point in our history, dragons were hunted for a particular ability we have.”

Avery’s mouth fell open. “Seriously? Hunted? I can’t imagine anybody taking you guys on.”

“Very few are willing to, but this particular ability could be considered priceless to some.” Warwick glanced at Avery. “Do you remember me telling you Clarence and LeMoyne have been with me for a long time?”

“Yes.”

“When I say a long time, I’m not exaggerating. You see, a dragon’s blood has the ability to prolong life. Indefinitely actually, but only as long as a person takes it. I want to give you my blood, Avery. I want you by my side until the very end of my life.”