11 Hourglass
Rya
Lazy Sunday morning.
Every crevice and curve of my skin is saturated in his smell. It’s the sort of scent that’s subtle yet very powerful.
His mouth is gloriously captivating as he kisses me slowly.
His hand running in my hair, I feel sensations of fingers touching my skin everywhere. Laying side by side as close as we can get to each other, no space remains.
Toes playing with toes.
“You make me so happy, Rya.” Gentle kisses between thoughts, our tired eyes look at each other. We stayed up most of the night, talking about bits and pieces of our lives. Our words turned to moans then back to words, until we could no longer keep our eyes open.
Running my fingers over his body, exploring every inch, leaving none without my scent.
“I don’t want to get up.” I nip at his neck.
“Me either.” His thick arms pull me closer to him, while the words make me smile.
“How’s Carson? Is he okay?”
“Carson’s upset. He thinks we won’t love him anymore, that Mom and Dad won’t love him anymore.” The constant state of anxiety he must have felt growing up must have been soul-consuming. His fears and worries must have been like fighting Goliath.
“It must have been very hard to keep such a secret from everyone for so long.” My fingers play in his hair as we talk eye to eye.
“He’ll be fine. At first, he was so upset, but as the day went on, he felt relief. You could see it in him; the tension inside him was disappearing. Looking back, I missed the signs. He left clues, but I just never really took the time to look. Some things can be right in front of your nose and you miss the clues.” He kisses my lips again softly before pulling away.
“My parents will understand. It’s just hard because he will never have pups.” My body tenses, muscles tightening underneath his soft grip.
“That’s important to your parents?” I still underneath the pressure that I can never produce offspring for this male, for this family.
“Yes, it was important to them, but after the accident, they just want all of us to be happy.”
“Are you sure that it’s okay that we’ll never have pups, Dallas?” My whole body stills, waiting, watching his face for an answer.
His reply comes instantly. “Yes, I’m sure. I want you, Rya. It’s okay if we don’t have pups. I still think you can because you don’t smell like you can’t. And the inside of you feels as if you are preparing for a future. But if we can’t, we can’t. I never expected to find you. I’m so thankful just for that.” Watching him, I believe every word he says.
“Do you have anything else to ask me?” His face makes it easy to ask him anything without fear of being laughed at.
“I was wondering when we go back to your pack.”
“Our pack, Rya, it’s our pack.” Another kiss is placed on the tip of my nose.
“When we go back to our pack.” I kiss the tip of his nose now.
“Where will we live?” I can’t live in that home he and his mate built. There is no way; it creeps me out.
“Not there, Rya. I was thinking that we could build our own home together. I have this little spot that I always loved. It’s by the water. It would be a good place to live if you liked the area. It’s close to my mom and dad’s home, not too far away. I was going to give Cash and Kennedy that house. It’s still a good house. I think that it would be good for them as a starter home. Then when they get too big for the home, my other brothers could use it.” His eyes look far away at the moment. Squeezing him close, it must be so hard for him at times.
“I love the water, Dallas. If I could be anywhere, it would be close to the water. I always wanted to live by the water. I like the sounds of the waves hitting the shore, the way the storms look crossing the lake. I have this dream of having a big deck, just like the one you have at your house now.” My turn to have a faraway look.
“When we go back to our pack,” his eyes look at me before he continues, “I’ll show you the spot, but for now we’ll have to live with my parents.” He laughs. “I’m a grown ass male and I’m going to be bringing you back to live with Mom and Dad.” I even giggle at that.
“Dallas, I can help pay for the house. I have a lot of money saved up from working the last couple of years. I never had to pay for really anything, and I own my car.” He stretches himself, the length of his body tightening, muscles flexing easily.
He’s my glimpse of morning bliss.
“I appreciate your offer Rya, but I want to pay for it. How about you buy what you want for the inside. Is that fair?”
“Yes, it is.” He grabs my ass, twisting my body on top of his.
“We should get up.” That’s the third time he’s told me this, but every time we try to get off the mattress, it turns into…
Grasping.
Grinding.
Groaning.
This time he means it. He sits on the edge, looking through his overnight bag. He laughed when he pulled it out from his backseat; he came prepared.
Up on my elbows, chin resting on my hand, I ogle him without the least bit of restraint.
“You make a male feel good about themselves, Rya.” His eyebrow arches, slapping my bare ass before pulling his gym clothes out.
“Let’s run to the gym after I’ll make us some food.” Flopping down on the mattress, I don’t want to go anywhere but here in this room. It’s private, closed off from the rest of the house. It’s even cooler as a big shade tree blocks out the sun’s rays all day long over the top of this spot. I feel the need to stay in this place all day.
“Let’s go. Caleb will be there. You can school me in some of the moves you’ve learned.” Now he’s got my wolf’s ears perked up.
“I really don’t want to go anywhere today,” I protest as he takes my hand and helps me off the bed.
“How about this: we go train for just an hour, come back, eat, then go out on the lake? I’ll take you to that little island, but this time I’m going to do things to you that I wanted to the first time I brought you there.” His proposition is tempting me.
“Let’s shower, then we’ll go and come right back.” He leads me into the shower where he scrubs me clean and I scrub him, not missing any inch of his skin.
The shower was a lot longer than expected, startling us when the hot water ran out.
“Do we have to go?” I try to do a pouty lip like I’ve seen girls on TV do.
“I need to get a workout in. I missed yesterday. Beating my father is not going to be easy. I need to get stronger to even stand a chance with him.”
“Have you ever fought him before?”
“Once, he destroyed me completely, but that was a long time ago when I thought I was a king. He had to humble me for my own good.” His brows furrow with some unknown thoughts. When we mark each other, I’ll be able to tell what he’s thinking all the time instead of just feeling his strongest emotions.
“How long do you think it will take you to beat him?” As quick as a flash, his emotions change from some long lost memory to hard determination.
“A long time. It took him five years to beat his father, so I’m thinking I have a long road ahead of me. It’s not just fighting, Rya, it how to deal with wolves, how to solve conflicts. How to manage money, support and defend the pack. There is so much learning to do, things I never really thought about, things I took for granted. It’s more of an apprenticeship I’m going through. Yet in the end, I’m going to have to beat that wolf somehow. And if he thinks I can’t lead well, he’ll open it up to someone he thinks can lead the pack. Because only the strongest mentally and physically can lead.” He’s in the fridge taking out a dish, opening the lid, giving it a sniff before getting a fork and eating it down.
“Hey, I thought you said you’re going to make me breakfast.”
“Sorry, Rya. I just need a little bite.” Except his bites are huge. I open my own mouth so he can give me a fork full as well. We stand by the fridge eating the cold food from the container, only stopping once it’s finished. I never realized how being intimate is so taxing on the body and how your body needs replenishment often.
We let the meal settle slightly before our run. It feels good running with him. I know that I’m slowing him down, but he doesn’t seem to mind.
Going to the gym, there are multiple male wolves in various stages of working out or sparring with one another. It sets my senses off slightly. I inhale deeply, giving a shiver of delight, that makes me feel sick with myself.
Dallas takes my hand, which is much bigger than mine. I love the feeling of it. A squeeze, reassuring me that everything is good.
Seeing Clayton sparring with Caleb, he’s going blow for blow with him until he notices me. That’s when Caleb takes the advantage and puts him in a submission choke hold. I can’t help feeling slightly sorry for Clayton, but at least he’s trying.
All these males have their shirts off except Clayton. He’s kept his on. It’s saturated in sweat and sticks close to his body. His whole body is drenched with his effort.
I can smell Clayton so distinctly that it’s hard to focus, just like the way I smell Dallas, both their smells combining into ecstasy.
I wish I never agreed to the mating ceremony. I need to mark Dallas so the bond’s pull is broken with Clayton. Everything I have read about being moon blessed, the thing that stands out the most with all the other things is that my bond with Clayton will go away. I will never feel anything for him anymore.
Clayton will be an hourglass thought whose sand has run out.