A Twisted Anthology: A Twisted Design Book

The Rogue’s Initiation Part 18

As I got closer, some familiar scents hit my nose. It was people from town. Six of them, to be exact. Mostly the ones who knew what I was, Sheriff Daniels, Ted, Carl, Deputy Lowe, Paul, and Glen. I peeked out at them. They had shovels and were digging out my driveway. They never did that before.

Heading back to the back porch, I got Mira and went to the door, shifting before opening it. I grabbed my sweats and headed for my bedroom. I needed to be dressed if I was going out.

Quickly, I pulled on jeans, a sweater and socks. I grabbed my jacket and boots from the coat closet by the front door. Sunny had dressed and was peeking out the window through the blinds.

“Who is it, Vaughn?” She asked.

“Some of the guys from town. I guess they decided to do me a favor. I’m going to go help them. You stay in here. Make some coffee and hot chocolate. There are disposable coffee cups in the pantry.” I said.

“This must be serious if you’re letting a guest do work.”

“They’re doing a job that usually takes a werewolf a couple hours. I should offer something to warm them up. Plus, it’ll make you happy to feel useful.” I winked.

“True. Go on, then. I’ll take care of the house.” Sunny replied and headed for the kitchen.

I went out and grabbed my snow shovel from the tool cabinet I had at the end of the front porch. It made it easier than going to the shed in the middle of winter if I did it this way, so I did. They were about halfway down the driveway. I started on the walkway at the bottom of the steps. I’d meet them in the middle somewhere.

It was easy to lose myself in the work. I cleared the walk up to the house, dug out my truck, then started shoveling the driveway. Moving helped keep me from getting too cold. It was about nine at night, so the temperature was icy. Without fur, it was a hell of a lot colder.

When we broke through the last bit between us, I stopped and looked at the men. The lights they’d brought out made it easy to see them. Their noses were red from the cold and I could see them shivering a little.

“Fancy meeting you here.” I joked as I leaned against my shovel.

“You helped Ed, we’re helping you. This isn’t the same as saving a life, but I suppose we haven’t said thank you enough for all the stuff you’ve done since you moved here.” Sheriff Daniels said.

“It’s what I do for my friends. I don’t mind having someone else shoveling my drive, but you guys should know that coming into my territory unannounced is pretty dangerous. If not for the fact you all stink to high heaven, I might have attacked you when I came home from my run.” I told them.

“Oh. We didn’t think of that.”

“Humans rarely do. Just let me know next time you’re planning to do something like this. A group of men with, what could be, weapons, making their way toward my house at night is the sort of thing that makes werewolves nervous.”

“Sorry, Vaughn. We just wanted to surprise you. In a good way.” He replied in an embarrassed tone.

“No worries. It’s a learning experience. Let’s get the last bit done and we can go inside to warm up before you guys head home.”

“Sounds good.”

We worked together to get the last bit of the driveway finished. It only took like five minutes. I led them back to the house, put away my shovel, and had them leave theirs on the porch. We went inside and took off our jackets and I told them to take off their boots. It wasn’t the best idea, but I was fine with the stink as long as there weren’t puddles all over my floors.

Sunny came out of the kitchen with a tray. It had a stack of cups, a pot of coffee, and cream and sugar. She had changed her clothes and was wearing yoga pants and one of my shirts. At least I wouldn’t have to worry about the urge to fight for my mate taking over. She smelled like me.

She took the tray to the coffee table, which already had a plate of cookies I didn’t remember making or buying. I went to the kitchen. It was cleaned, but a mixing bowl, cookie sheet, and several other incriminating items were in the drying rack. She knew I wouldn’t scold her in front of guests about cooking.

I grabbed a couple kitchen chairs and brought them over. Sunny was pouring coffee from the pot and hot chocolate from an insulated carafe. Everyone was being very polite and introducing themselves. I put the two chairs next to each other and accepted the cup of coffee with two sugars Sunny handed me.

She had her hot chocolate and grabbed a cookie before going to sit in the chair next to me. Carl got out of the armchair he was in and motioned for her to sit there. Sunny looked at me, then at him. I successfully held back a growl.

“I’m sorry, Carl. I can’t sit there.” Sunny replied, scooting her chair closer to mine and sitting down. “Thank you for the offer.”

“I just thought it would be polite. I’m not coming on to you or anything.” He said, slightly offended.

“You’re not wearing a ring and you don’t smell like a female.” She answered as if it was obvious.

“I’m not a female.” Carl scoffed.

“No, and you don’t live with one. I can’t accept the seat of an unmated male. Thank you for offering. I just don’t want to have to deal with an angry male werewolf, do you?”

Everyone looked at me. I couldn’t help the fact that I was glaring at Carl. If he were a werewolf, offering her a seat further away from me when she smelled like me would be a challenge for my prospective mate. Wolves have died for less.

“Sunny is my potential mate. As we’ve already established outside, none of you understand werewolf culture. Especially not rogue born wolf culture. She’s wearing my shirt, just to help make it easier for me to deal with six men, three of which have no mate, in my home and close to her. This is so I don’t see it as a challenge if you make small mistakes. The mating process for rogues can be bloody if there are interlopers.” I explained.

“It would be the same if there were unmated females in your group.” Sunny told them. “Even though Vaughn offered for me, and not the other way around, my wolf is bonding with his. She has already accepted him as a potential mate. If a woman tried to come between us, I’d find it very difficult to not try to tear her throat out.”

She had the sweetest smile. Like the was telling them something entirely innocent rather than talking about murder. Goddess, that was hot.

“Better cool that smile or Vaughn’s gonna start humping your leg.” Ted laughed.

“That’s a pretty big compliment for a rogue female.” She said with an even brighter smile.

I laughed. It really wasn’t, but they looked like they believed it. She was comfortable, that’s good. I wanted her to be comfortable with the people here. It would make it easier on her when I took her into town tomorrow.

Sunny only had a pair of short suede boots. They’d soak up water much faster than snow boots. I wanted to make sure she was outfitted with the things she would need to be able to go play in the snow as her human self.

“You’re messing with us.” Ted snorted and shook his head.

“It’s really easy. I’ve only had Vaughn to pick on for the last couple days. It’s getting boring.” She sighed.

“It’s been a while since he came to see us so we could pick on him.” Ted replied. “You should stop by for a drink tomorrow. We got some stuff that’s not too strong. I won’t let him get you drunk before he brings you home.”

She looked at me out of the corner of her eye. They had no idea. I guess Larry didn’t tell them about what I said when I bought the silver a couple nights ago.

“Mmm. I don’t know. I’ve been drinking for a pretty long time. I’m fairly sure I could drink your toughest guy under the table.” Sunny snickered.

I put my hand on her knee. Teasing them was fine, but risking their lives with alcohol poisoning was just a little over the line. They didn’t know any better and still had very human ideas about us.

“Werewolves can’t get drunk unless there’s silver in the drink.” I told him, then turned to Sunny. “No challenging the humans to drinking contests.”

With a huff, she nodded. The guys thought it was pretty funny. I knew it was something they would’ve done if they were werewolves. She was going to fit in well.

We chatted about how Deputy Rice was doing. I let Sheriff Daniels know I smelled Lex in Ed’s house and that it was a recent smell, so he was probably the person Ed saw in the house when he decided to hide in the shed. The sheriff said he’d look into it.

“Welp, we should get going. We gotta get the plow back to the yard and it’s getting late. My wife will be mad if I’m not home before she goes to bed.” Sheriff Daniels said.

“Thanks for coming out to help with the driveway. I need to take Sunny to buy some proper winter clothes tomorrow. It’ll make it much easier to get out of the house.” I replied.

The men got up and Sunny collected their cups. They got their things back on and headed out. That was a good small introduction to the people in town. Tomorrow, I’d make sure to take Sunny to see the people she met tonight in their usual places.

I closed the door behind them and locked it. I was relieved they were gone. The scent of other men in my home would dissipate soon. Once Sunny accepted me and I marked her, this would be much easier to deal with.

“Ready for bed?” Sunny asked as she came out of the kitchen.

“More than I’ve ever been.” I replied, crossing the room to her and pulling her into my arms. “Do I get my goodnight kiss here or should I wait until we’re under the covers?”

“I think…. Both.” She said and pulled my head down, jamming our mouths together in a fiery, passionate kiss.

Her aggressively sensual attack made me growl with pleasure. She was accepting me more and more. Ezra told me Mira was completely interested in accepting our offer, but we still had to win Sunny.

When she let me go, there was a hazy look in her eyes. I caressed her cheek and she nuzzled my hand. It was a perfect moment in a sea of mixed moments. I’d savor it and hold it close to me.

Sunny took my other hand and led me back to my bedroom. Once in the door, she started stripping off her clothes. I held back, watching as her skin was revealed. My instinct and urge was to go over and remove the last scraps of cloth from her, then lick and kiss every inch of her.

I’d behave, for now. I needed just the right opening to have her begging for me. I started getting hard as the scene played in my head. Sometimes I cursed my imagination, but, right now, it was a blessing when I couldn’t act on my urges.

“Are you coming, Vaughn?” Sunny asked as she got under the blankets with no clothes on.

“Not yet….” I murmured and started stripping down.

She giggled as she got comfortable in the bed. Her eyes didn’t leave me while I removed my clothes off. Nothing would hide my erection soon. She seemed to be eagerly waiting to see it.

When I was undressed, I went to the other side of the bed and got in, making sure to move slowly enough that she got a good look. Sunny didn’t say anything about me not wearing shorts. I wasn’t inclined to remind her. I climbed in the bed, crawling close to her, making her lay back while I hovered over her.

“Do I get my next kiss now, or do I need to lay down?” I asked.

Sunny didn’t answer. She pulled me down to kiss her again. The way she took what she wanted was one of the things I loved about rogue women. They were just as aggressive as the men when they wanted something or someone.

Goddess, I wanted to make love to her. It was driving me crazy to be so close to her. I moved my hips a little and the tip of my d**k grazed her sweet skin. She moaned lightly. One of her hands slid from behind my neck, down to my side and she began urging me onto her.

I pulled back. Did she decide to take the next step to accepting me, or was this a reaction to wanting to be close to someone? How long had it been since she was with a man? There’s no way I was just going to hop on her and go at it.

Sex was often a step to acceptance. If the person who was deciding didn’t like how a first encounter went, there’d never be a second chance. It was an automatic disqualification. If they saw promise, they might still accept or even try a second time, but that was rare.

If I was going thought with this step, it wouldn’t be rushed, it wouldn’t be selfish, and it wouldn’t be like anything she’d ever experienced. I wasn’t going to lose the chance at the mate I wanted. Sunny ran her thumb over my lips.

“Why’d you stop?” She asked.

“Have you ever slept with a rogue born, Sunny?”

She laughed. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“I want to know if I’m competing with pack born wolves only.” I leaned in and kissed her cheek, then moved lower, to her neck. “You see, you told me all your exes were pack born. I want to know if there was ever a rogue in there, or did you just stick with trained mutts.”

“Only pack born.” Sunny murmured as she turned her head, giving me better access to her neck.

“Mmm. That means you’ve only slept with men who hadn’t found their fated mates, but knew they weren’t you.” I said and licked a stripe up her neck.

“That’s rude, Vaughn.”

“It’s fact, Sunny. All they were thinking about was getting off. They didn’t treat you like you were their mate or their potential mate, because they knew you weren’t. I know you’re my potential mate. I’m not just going to f**k you, like they would. I’m going to treat you like you’re already my mate. I’m going to show you some of what you can look forward once you accept me.” I purred as I started nibbling along her collarbone.

“They weren’t all bad.”

“That’s good. I’d hate to win the competition with your memories based only on skill. You made me stop yesterday, are you certain you want to take this step. Once I start, I’m not stopping until we’re done.” I told her, moving back up to look in her eyes.

I wanted to know she really wanted it and not that she was just saying it. Sunny was wide eyed and chewing her lips. She was thinking it over.

“Yes. Mira told me we should do this. It will take some of the tension out of how we are around each other and she won’t accept or decline unless I do.”

With a sigh, I pushed back and went to go lay down. She didn’t really want it. She just wanted to appease her wolf and be able to turn my offer down. This was something I could wait on. It had been a couple years since the last time I was with a woman, but I wouldn’t let that color my decisions.

To her, this was an annoyance and a burden. Something to deal with and get rid of. She may have been feeling closer to me, but she wasn’t thinking of me in the way I wanted her to.

It wasn’t that I didn’t think I could change her mind, but I wouldn’t be doing it by sleeping with her. She’d been used for the pleasure of her other boyfriends. I didn’t want to be a boyfriend, I wanted to be her mate.

“Vaughn? What’s wrong?” Sunny asked, scooting closer to me and rubbing her hand on my arm.

“I’m not your f*****g toy, Sunny. I’m not an obstacle for you to get over. I’m not some bad guy out to own you or destroy you. I want to be your mate. I want to marry you and take care of you. You just told me you were only going to sleep with me to make things easier and to get your wolf to accept or decline my offer. But the emphasis you put on decline…. You’re still planning to turn me down.” I sighed.

“I told you before, Vaughn. I only date pack born wolves. Mira wouldn’t let me refuse after I hadn’t heard from you in a month.”

“That’s what you wanted. You wanted the space to think. You promised to keep my offer, but you didn’t really think about it, did you? You never actually thought about what your life could be like with me.” I growled.

She pulled her hand back. It felt colder when she wasn’t touching me. If she rejected me…. I wondered if I’d ever feel warm again. Sunshine was more than her name, it was what she was to me.

“I did, though. As soon as Mira told me you actually made the offer you promised… I thought about it. I dated pack born wolves hoping… hoping my parents would like me more if I got a pack born mate. If they thought I was more like them, maybe they wouldn’t look at me like I was an enemy. They’ve been dead for a few years, but I kept dating pack born men. Maybe it was in an effort to feel closer to my parents, now that they’re gone. Then, I started thinking I should accept you. I told you back then that I felt the connection. I wondered what it would be like to have a mate who actually wanted me.” Sunny whispered.

“You were going to refuse after a month.”

“I couldn’t get ahold of you. I lost your card. Queen Bellamy wouldn’t tell me how to contact you. Your publisher wouldn’t pass a message. There’s no way to contact you on your website and you don’t have social media stuff. I didn’t know if I’d ever see you again. I thought… maybe if I refused your offer….”

“You thought I’d come find you.” I replied turning to her.

Sunny nodded. I sat up and pulled her into my lap, wrapping my arms around her. She wanted me. She wanted me to come to her so she could see me.

“Mira said we’d wait until the probation was over, then, we’d talk to anyone we could about finding you. She said Ezra told her you wanted me. I figured you might come looking if the deadline passed and there still wasn’t an answer. So I poured myself into my work. I didn’t even know you were the writer.” She chuckled.

“You would have if you’d read the last story.” I murmured and kissed her temple. “That whole story is my love letter to you.”

She pushed away and looked at me. I smiled at her. Sunny scrambled out of my arms, jumped off the bed, and ran out of the room. I blinked in confusion. Did I say something wrong?

When she didn’t come back for a while, I got off the bed and went to look for her. I thought she might have needed the bathroom or something, but it was empty. That was when I saw a faint light in my office.

I opened the door to see Sunny sitting at my desk with her computer open. She looked up from the screen and a tear rolled from her eye.

“I’ve read it twice now.” Sunny said softly.

“And?”

“You saved my life. You protected me and supported me. Just like in the story. I didn’t know I could feel this strongly about a story. Especially one so short.”

As I crossed the room, I couldn’t take my eyes off her. She felt my heart. All the emotion and love I put into my words. Sunny got out of the chair and met me halfway, stopping just short of touching me. She looked up into my eyes with a smile.

‘She accepted us.’ Ezra whispered inside me.

He was as shocked as I was. Sunny put out her hand and touched my chest. I felt sparks. Her scent changed to something reminiscent of melted wax and blueberries. Sweet and buttery. Like a crayon tinted with blueberries. It was her. It defined her to me.

“You smell like hot chocolate and snow. What makes a mate scent? I don’t understand why you would smell like that. I thought it would be something woodsier. Pine or sage or something.” Sunny told me as she sniffed more.

“I don’t know. My dad said the scent my mom had were scents from when they met. Wildflowers and warm springtime air. My mom said the scent of my dad was her very favorite scents of spring. Lilacs and rain. Maybe it’s because of the memories we created here. You smell like wax and blueberries. I don’t know why.” I replied.

“Do you like blueberries?”

“They’re my favorite, but why wax? Is it because of your art?” I asked.

Her expression went from thoughtful to amused. She grinned at me.

“The night we met. I was working on a project. It was a decorative candle. I’d been working with melted wax all day. You must have smelled it and not even realized it. And we had blueberry ice cream at the fair.” Sunny explained.

“That must be it. Can I mark you, Sunny? Can I make you mine now? You can still spend your heat with Kelly if you want. I don’t mind having you all to myself for a while before we have kids. Let me mark you. Let me wear your mark. I want to be only yours forever.”

“I still need some time. Can we just be like this for a little bit? I want it to be special, Vaughn.” She said.

“Let’s just sleep then. We’ll go shopping in the afternoon and have dinner and drinks in town.” I told her.

“What if I don’t what to just sleep?” Sunny asked, sliding her hand down my chest and gripping my d**k.

Goddess, those sparks felt even better there than they did on any other part of my body. Sunny stroked me a few times. My hands found their way to her waist and went up to caress her breasts. I was more than willing to make love to her tonight. Sunny was the most beautiful woman in the world, and she was all mine.