Together again

7. Cameron-free zone

Amy's POV

The moment I felt his lips on mine, I was in another world. The softness combined with hunger took my breath away. I was dominated by his movements and I wasn't even fighting against his tongue as he parted my lips to enter my mouth, exploring every corner. My stomach did a somersault and an unfamiliar warm feeling overtook all my body. His tongue went deeper into my mouth and took over all of me with a pleased grunt. He pushed my body and my back hit the door but I didn't notice the impact. I was consumed by the want that made the pain turn into pleasure as his huge frame covered my body, almost devouring me right on the spot.

Hayden's hands that cupped my cheeks seconds ago traveled south to my neck and arms before squeezing my waist. I grabbed a fistful of his short hair in an attempt to bring his face closer to mine. It felt like there was nothing else except us. Our bond pulled us together to show one another how we were meant for each other. Our lips were molded together in a heavy make-out session, but still I felt like we could be even closer. Arching my back, I pushed my chest up and the moment we touched my body heat went higher. I wanted more, and by the sounds he made, he wanted that also.

I interlocked my fingers at the nape of his neck and pulled him even closer. I felt his hands going down to grab my butt and with a firm squeeze he pushed me onto him. I gasped or moaned, not sure which one of the sounds left my lips, but the feeling was good, pretty goddamn good, if not magnificent. His pelvis did a little push onto my stomach and the bulge in his pants made me cream all over my panties. I wanted to take this to another level. At this moment, I felt ready to give up all my restrictions and go for it.

But although my mind had entered an euphoric state quickly, my heart knew I was not ready to give him all my firsts on the first day back in my pack. I wanted it to be special and out of love, not in the heat of the moment or because of feeling frustrated after not getting the reception I was longing for. So, with a racing heart and aching between my thighs, I ended the kiss and pressed my forehead to his lips, breathing heavily.

“Wow. That was… just wow.” Hayden breathed, still holding me in his arms.

“Yeah.. mmm… that was… that was my first kiss.” I finally blurted out shyly.

“I hope I meet your expectations?” He teased, nuzzling his nose in my hair, sniffing my scent.

That little question made me laugh and all the tension left my body. Hayden immediately followed, and we continued laughing, still not ready to let go of our embrace. The sparks and the feeling of peace and safety he provided was all I needed at this moment.

When the s****l tension finally subsided, he pulled away and placed his hands on my shoulders. Looking deep into my eyes, his warm brown eyes were searching for something in my face. And I knew exactly what he was looking for.

Reassurance.

He was 12 years older than me. He was my professor. And even in werewolves world where the mate pull is so strong and irresistible, people do actually reject mates for lesser reasons. I knew I was his second chance mate, but even with him being older than I expected, I was sure that rejection was out of the question.

The Goddess had paired us for a reason, and I was not going against her wishes.”You are stuck with me forever, Hayden.” I assured him, palming his cheek in a loving gesture.

“That's all I need to hear, my love.” He smiled.

I stood up on my toes and pecked his lips, before smiling back at him in happiness. That small action made him sigh in relief, before he took my hand in his and looked around my room.

“So, this is where my little star spent her sweet childhood years, before barging into mine and turning it upside down, huh?”

He took a look at my room before deciding to explore it a little bit, walking around and taking in all the small details from photos of my friends on the wall, my bookshelf full of medical books and romance novels, or the posters of fast cars I adored the most before his eyes landed on my king-sized bed covered in sky-blue linen. My favorite place. The room was clean and surprisingly looked the same way I left it over two years ago.

“I'm guessing I will not share this beautiful and comfy-looking bed with you? At least not now?” He arched his eyebrow, scratching his unshaven chin in mock indifference.

The look he sent me though, woke up my core again and wetness appeared between my legs again. He knew how he affected me, and he shamelessly enjoyed my state. But I had to show him that two can play this game. Confident Amy, round one.

“Well, if you play your cards right, I could think about letting you be the bigger spoon. You're right, this bed is so comfortable that the moment I lay down on it, I'm moaning in delight. The only missing piece is a man who could prolong my moans and maybe make me scream someone's name.” I batted my eyelashes at him, slowly approaching with an extra sway to my hips.

I put my finger on his arm, and traced it slowly over his muscles. I watched as he tensed and everywhere my hand connected with bare skin, the tingles exploded. In the corner of my eye I saw his chest heaving rapidly. Picking up the courage to look up at his handsome face, I gulped, seeing his eyes turning darker as his tongue licked his lips while a low growl emitted from the back of his throat.

I knew I was playing with fire, and it could easily backfire on me, but had to put him in his place. Older or not, demigod with a higher rank or not, he was my mate. And teasing him would be my pleasure for the rest of our lives. Smiling innocently, I stepped out before his beast could take over and throw me over his shoulder to show me his dominance.

“But before that happens, my handsome mate. Your room is on the left, so please go and freshen up a bit before joining the dinner with my pack.” I stated boldly, walking into the bathroom and locking the door behind me.

“Tease.” I heard him grunt before he left my room with a hard shut of the door.

Only then did I release the breath I was holding, trying to keep my confident posture intact. What the hell was I thinking? What was supposed to be a little play had turned into some massive turn on on my side and if I hadn’t walked away, I would definitely have thrown myself on him right here, right now.

Placing my hand over my chest to steady my erratic heart, I took a few deep breaths before walking to the sink and splashing my face with cold water. After enough cold splashes, my face felt numb and I dared to look up at my reflection. I looked relaxed and the anger from before and the heat from our encounter had disappeared, but what still lingered was the scent of my arousal.

“Damn, he turned me on good.” Chuckling at myself, I quickly undressed and stepped into the shower. The first freezing splash made me jump in surprise, so I stepped away and waited a few moments until steam filled the air and the water was warm and nice. What happened to waiting for the water to warm up? Yeah, my mushy brain filled with the images of sexy Hayden made me skip that part.

Showering, dressing, and makeup took me less than ten minutes. Luckily, my luggage had been delivered to my room before I came here with Hayden. I chose simple washed-out ripped blue jeans and an off-one-shoulder tea green top with a nude slip-on buckle trainers. I combed my shoulder-length blond hair back, still slightly wet. I put on mascara, lip gloss, and then did something no werewolves ever did. I reshaped my eyebrows with an eyebrow pencil. We all have genes that make us look better than humans, we don’t need the special treatment to make our skin look smooth, but what some don't know is that we all have something lacking.

Some have thin hair, some have an unproportional figure, others have scars that can’t heal. My lack is thin brows, so to give them some shape I need to contour them using a pencil. I was not ashamed of that though, I could work without it just fine, but it made my eyes more prominent and stand out, so what's the harm? After finishing that last touch, I walked out of my room to reach Hayden’s.

Knocking on his door, I was excited and nervous at the same time. We were about to face the crowd who didn't look pleased to see us together and more than that, I didn't know what to expect of him after so boldly teasing him not so long ago. When I heard footsteps approaching the door, my hands started to sweat in nervousness. When the doors opened, the view made me forget why I had come here in the first place.

There he stood, tall, handsome and freshly showered. His scent hit me the moment he opened the door. The fresh woody-green fragrance that opens with a zesty burst of lemon and mint notes twisted with a bittersweet accent of absinthe. His scent was like a drug, and I was like an addict, not able to resist taking another dose.

When I took, hopefully, the last discreet sniff, I finally looked at my handsome mate. He was wearing a military green crew neck long sleeved shirt, fitting his torso perfectly, showing all the hard muscles underneath it. Matched with indigo slim-fit jeans and leather white trainers. With his hands in his front pockets and a smirk on his face, I knew he had caught me ogling him. I blushed immediately. How does my mate make me feel embarrassed for drooling over him?

“You can look as much as you want, baby. In fact, you can touch every inch of my body. It’s yours to do whatever you want.” He said in a loving, seductive tone.

Taking a few steps towards me, I gulped at this approach while my mind flashed me all the dirty things I wished we could do right now. When his scent enveloped me entirely and he pulled me hard into his firm chest, my head was spinning. I grabbed his arms to balance myself.

“Ready to face the music?” He mused, kissing my temple.

“Y-yes.” I stuttered in response.

After a few more moments to regain my composure, we intertwined our hands and walked down the packhouse to join everyone at the dinner hall. With every step we got closer to the room, I felt nervous again. The welcome hadn’t been pleasant, so I had high hopes that the dinner would be in a more friendly atmosphere.

The moment we walked in, all eyes were on us, but I did my best to hide my nervousness by smiling brightly at everyone. I spotted the table where my fathers were sitting and not surprisingly, my Alpha and Luna were also there. I was expecting that change of seating.

The Alpha’s table, where they normally sit, was now fully occupied by my previous Alpha and Luna. Blake’s parents, Ethan and Amanda Jones, his brother Brody and little Carter, Blake and Aurora’s son, our future Alpha. We walked to the table and took our seats, greeting everyone.

“How are you feeling, sweetie?” Daddy Peter asked with a small smile.

“I’m good, actually. I wasn’t expecting such a greeting after being gone for over two years, but I suppose my coming back might be a little shocking to some.” I answered emotionlessly.

“I’m sorry for my words, Amy. It wasn’t my intention to insult you or your mate. As you said, I was shocked, that’s all. I thought I’d be the first one to know about you finding your mate.” Rory apologizes, grabbing my hand, squeezing it.

I looked at my best friend and Luna, ready to defend my mate, but the sincerity in her eyes made me relax. She actually meant it. I smiled at her and nodded in agreement.

“I’m Aurora Jones, and this is my mate, Alpha Blake Jones, we both welcome you into our pack and congratulate you on finding your mate.” She addressed Hayden, and there was no hidden meaning in her words or tone; she wholeheartedly accepted him. I smiled in relief. It was a great start after the welcome fiasco.

“Thank you, Luna Aurora. I am happy to accompany Amy in her journey, and I'm blessed that the Moon Goddess gave me this beautiful, smart, and feisty woman as my mate.” Hayden answered politely while grabbing my hand and bringing it to his lips. And I blushed again when he sent me his sexy wink.

“There is no need to be formal with us, Hayden. Amy is like a family to us, so as her mate, you are automatically one of us. Welcome to our family.” Blake spoke this time, with his authoritative yet gentle voice reserved for the closest friends.

“Although, I need to give you a heads up, before you praise us, all over the moon. He added, playfully. “We are not normal. In fact, we are a bunch of crazy people who will definitely get on your nerves every minute possible. Especially Amy’s friends, who are probably already planning some joke on the both of you. Their absence here is an omen. Prepare yourself, they have no limits in their jokes.” He finished with a chuckle. And just like that, the whole table burst into laughter.

That moment I knew the previous situation was a misunderstanding, and I had nothing to worry about. My concerns about Hayden and me were just in my head. In my fathers’ eyes, I saw happiness and support. Blake gave us his blessing with his words and Rory her love and support, but I knew the next free moment we had, she'd drag me to the Alpha’s apartment for interrogation.

The only one missing was Cameron. I needed his support and blessing like anyone else. I didn't know it was because of his Beta status, being my friend's brother, or the huge crush I had on him. But tonight was not about him, it was about me and Hayden. And I was planning to enjoy this dinner to the fullest. I would deal with Cameron later, when he was back. But where did he go and when would he be back? That was a question for another day. Tonight was a Cameron-free zone.