Selene
In the dawning light of early morning, Bastien and I emerge from the forest, dressed in our wedding garb once more. Lila and Aiden are already awake, though the Beta looks like he would rather have slept in. I’m sure the excitement of her first camping trip rendered Lila incapable of staying in bed for a single moment longer than she had to, and her uncle Aiden must have been the weak link among her babysitters.
He’s rubbing his eyes, clearly regretting caving to Lila’s adventurous whims. She’s currently seated beside him in front of the campfire, but she has the squirrelly energy of a pup who’s been told she can’t go play until she finishes her breakfast.
When she sees us, Lila looks askance at our disheveled state. “Mommy you’re dirty.” Her little head tilts to the side as she takes in the sight of my muddy limbs beneath my dress. Bastien isn’t any cleaner, but his suit covers him a hundred times better than my gown. “What were you doing?”
Her question makes me flush, less from embarrassment than the heated memories of our wedding night. I can still hear the predatory howls of my mate echoing in my head. I can still feel the wind on my face as I flew through the trees, my pulse racing faster the closer his howls drew.
I didn’t make it easy for Bastien. I evaded him for as long as I could, but he cornered me in a sunken stream bed and pinned me to the ground, refusing to let me up until I surrendered. I went from showing him my furry belly to lying beneath the massive black wolf in my human form, feeling impossibly vulnerable with the vicious beast looming over me.
When I reached for his velvety muzzle Bastien transformed back to a man, though he took me with such raw, animalistic vigor that I wondered just how close to the surface his wolf remained. He ravished me completely, rutting me right there on the ground… then up against a tree… in the shallow stream… on the ground again…
Eventually I had to shift back into my wolf and snarl at him just to give my poor body a break. Thankfully my insatiable husband took mercy on me, at least I thought he had. No sooner had I returned to my human form than Bastien coaxed me into letting him take a look at my tender sex, but I put a stop to his mischief the moment his tongue came out to “soothe me” – as he put it.
“We were celebrating.” Bastien answers Lila, noting my distraction with a smug smirk.
“That’s one word for it.” Aiden snorts under his breath.
“Celbrating how?” Lila’s pert nose crinkles in confusion, but a moment later her features light up as she arrives at a possible explanation for all the mud, “jumping in puddles?”
“No my love,” I laugh. Jumping in puddles is Lila’s all time favorite pastime. “We let our wolves out to play.”
This announcement sends Lila into a tizzy. She abandons her breakfast and runs up to Bastien, who crouches down to her height and pulls her in for a cuddle before she can ask her question. Lila only indulges him a moment, quickly wriggling free and bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet. “Daddy, I want a wolf ride!”
Now it’s my turn to feel smug. That’ll teach him not to waste all his energy trying to rut me into a coma.
“Hmm,” Bastien pretends to think, rubbing his chin with his thumb and forefinger. “What’s the magic word?”
“Please!” Lila immediately begs, “please, please, please!”
“That’s my girl.” Bastien praises her, straightening up to unbutton his shirt while Lila dances around in triumph.
With the sound of my daughter’s high pitched, “yaaaayyyy!” playing in the background, I study the worn lines around Bastien’s rugged countenance. Unlike me, he didn’t get to nap through yesterday afternoon. He drove all day and was up all night, and now he’s paying the price.
“I bet you regret not sleeping now.” I sing in a told-you-so sort of tone.
My mate arches a challenging brow and drags me up against him, taking my mouth in a demanding kiss. His soft lips are relentless, and his skilled tongue teases my mouth open and thrusts inside with long, sensuous strokes that evoke thoughts of a very different organ. Despite my soreness, Bastien’s dominance makes my thighs clench, trying to soothe the ache he’s creating at their apex.
He doesn’t release me until I’m panting with need, a devilish glint in his silver eyes as he replies, “Not in the least.”
It’s a good thing I’m starving and worn out, or I might be tempted to pull Bastien away for another round. Instead I go sit with Aiden by the fire, shoveling pancakes into my mouth and watching the giant wolf I married gallop around the meadow with Lila on his back. I’m sure the peels of her joyous laughter are going to wake Odette and Donovan, but the sound is simply too sweet to interrupt.
When the older wolves emerge from their tents, I know they feel the same. Their smiles are every bit as wide as mine, and I wish this moment could never end.
_______________
Bastien
Oh how I wish this moment would end.
Don’t get me wrong, under any other circumstances, I would be delighted to do this for hours. I would be thrilled to be Lila’s pony or lapdog, or anything else she wanted me to be– but Goddess am I tired. Still, I can’t bring myself to put an end to the game until she’s had her fill.
Selene thinks I’m going to spoil the pup, and she’s absolutely right – at least when it comes to my time and affection. I have three years of absence to make up for. Besides, no one ever turned rotten from too many snuggles.
When Lila’s little arms get too tired to hold on any longer, I slow to a stop, kneeling so she can slide off my back. Once she’s clear, I collapse onto my side with an exaggerated huff, letting my tongue loll out and panting dramatically.
“Uh-oh.” I crack one eye open to see Aiden standing next to Lila. “I think you’ve done him in, little one.”
“Wha’s that mean?” She asks curiously.
“Well he’s too exhausted to move!” My Beta exclaims before adopting a somber tone, “we might have to leave him here.”
“He is heavy.” Lila remarks sagely, “but we can’t leave Daddy.”
“No?” Aiden inquires with a smile in his voice, “Ah well, I suppose the pack does need an Alpha.” My friend leans down and takes hold of my back legs. “Okay Lila, grab a paw, we’re going to have to drag him back to the car.”
Two small hands circle my right foot, and I feel a light tug on the limb. She’s probably pulling with all her might, but it feels about as strong as a light breeze. Aiden, of course, has no intention of dragging me anywhere, instead letting Lila bear the brunt of the task. “Are you pulling?” I hear her ask, voice full of accusation.
“Of course I am,” He sounds offended, and the gentle tugging on my front leg resumes.
Around the time I hear the pup begin to grunt with the force of her efforts, I open my eyes and pounce, smothering her in big, slobbering wolf kisses while she giggles and squeals beneath me.
I scent Selene a moment later, turning to watch the stunning she-wolf approach. I don’t know how she managed to get herself so clean, but she’s free of mud and wearing a fresh dress. She eyes our pup, who is still giggling in the grass, before raising her eyes to me and crossing her arms over her chest. “What was the idea, Bastien? To get her as muddy as we were?”
Looking down at Lila, I realize she is indeed very muddy. I exchange a wide, canine grin with my daughter, before offering my mate an apologetic shrug. She laughs softly and rolls her eyes, shaking her head in exasperation.
“Come on pup, we need to get you cleaned up before we leave.” Selene says, extending her hand to Lila.
I let the toddler wrap her arms around my neck and pull her to her feet, before nudging her towards her mother with my nose. However Lila doesn’t move. “I want keep playing.” She argues, pouting.
“I know angel,” Selene answers, taking her resistance in stride. “but we have to go soon and your Daddy needs a rest.”
“No he doesn’t.” Lila insists stubbornly, “I don wanna go nyway.”
“Lila,” Selene begins in a warning tone. “You’ll have plenty of time to play later. Be a good girl and come along.”
Lila stomps her tiny foot. “No.” I can feel a tantrum coming on, and rumble low in my chest, giving the pup another nudge forward.
She turns to scowl at me, seeming to forget that I am not actually her pony but a very powerful predator. Her eyes widen when she sees my stern expression, and she instinctively lowers her gaze. I press my muzzle into her soft tummy, encouraging her to go to her mother.
Lila clasps her hands on either side of my snout, giving me world-class puppy dog eyes, “I wanna keep playing.” She begs in a small voice. Devious little thing, I think. Mommy says no, so you ask Daddy instead.
I shake my furry head, and Lila’s pitiful expression scrunches up into one full of rage. Her cheeks flush bright red and before I know it, she’s thrown herself on the ground at my feet. Before she can begin crying and beating the earth with her balled up fists, I carefully close my teeth around the back of her shirt, and lift her into the air.
The pup freezes, looking around in befuddled shock for a few moments before resuming her tantrum. I carry the angry bundle over to Selene, who receives her with practiced ease. I shift back to human form and drop a kiss on my mate’s cheek, “I’ll come help as soon as I’m decent.” I promise.
However before I can walk away, my pup turns her furious, tear-stained face to me, “I don like you nymore.” She snaps before resuming her attempts to squirm out of Selene’s arms.
I know pups say all sorts of things they don’t mean when they’re upset, but I’m amazed at how deeply her words cut me. I feel like the air has been knocked out of my lungs.
Selene emits a heavy sigh, “I guess the honeymoon is over.”
_________________
