Derek was waiting out the front of the dining room when Samantha arrived for breakfast. She was late, having barely twenty minutes to eat before she needed to start her day with her mother as usual.
"Good morning," she called. She had an extra bounce in her step. She had slept amazingly the night before. Not a full night, having arrived back home much later than she'd planned.
"Hey." He caught her hands and pulled her down around the hall to where less people would walk past. "I saw you last night." She froze and he continued. "Where had you been?"
She just shrugged. "Just out for a run."
"With a bag?"
She just shrugged again. "I like to carry my clothes."
"But we've got caches around the forest for that."
She smiled up at him, "I'm not really a relaxed sweats and shirt kind of person." She could see the look of concern on his face. Intent to soothe him away from his suspicions, she reached up and rubbed her fingers through his short hair, massaging him gently.
"It's no big deal," she said softly as she applied just the right amount of pressure.
He closed his eyes and groaned, his hands falling to her hips.
"That feel good?"
He pushed her up against the wall as an answer, his mouth finding hers. She kept her eyes open, seeing his eyes flash as he hooked her thigh with his hand and pulled it up, opening her leg for him to fit up against her.
Pleasantly surprised at his forthrightness she returned the kiss. He started to push up against her.
She stopped him. He looked at her with heat in his eyes and hurt that she stopped him. She understood he'd be wanting her more with the marking, yet she had withheld.
"Come with me." Taking his hand, she led him into the stairwell, knowing no one else used them and that there were no cameras.
She took him down a level, where it ended, having him sit on a middle step on the last bank of stairs–half a flight down from the door they had used. This stairwell ended underground but didn't link to the basement and kitchen.
He was quiet, watching her as she guided him to sit while she knelt on a lower stair in between his knees.
"I haven't been a very good mate. Have I?" She asked, stroking him through his sweats.
He didn't seem to know what to say, but he started to shake his head in disagreement.
Without any preamble, she freed his erection and swiftly took him into her mouth. She took it easy, guessing deep-throating him might be a bit much for him. She used both her hands to take the rest of his length. A hum escaped around her lips as she bobbed her head on him.
Derek's breaths were getting louder. She looked up at him to see him looking down at her. He was biting his lower lip to keep his volume under control. She could feel his almost imperceptible thrusts. He was holding back.
She pulled off him with a big suck. "Stand up."
She moved him further down the stairs and turned herself around. He split his stance without her guidance, taking a step or two higher with one leg. She quickly worked out the right height, crouching on the stair under his leg. His hand gripped the railing as she put him back in her mouth.
She found his other hand and put it in her hair, placing her hand flat against his hip, and looked up at him. He didn't move, still obviously worried about her.
She mindlinked him. "I'll tell you if you get too rough."
His eyes flashed at receiving a mindlink at a time like this. The sound of her voice in his head doing something to him.
His hips started to move. She moaned at the feeling of his hand holding her head as he thrust into her mouth. She made sure not to gag, assuming he wouldn't enjoy that.
"Oh Sam…" he gasped, tipping towards his release. His other hand came down from the rail and he cupped her head, feeling bolder. She let him go a little deeper and tightened her grip around his base.
He came, thrusting until there was nothing left. He gently removed himself, making small gasping sounds at his overly sensitive tip passed her lips.
"f**k Sam." He wiped his face taking a moment to catch his breath.
Satisfied, she tucked him back into his pants. He knelt down, taking her face and kissing her deeply. "That was so good."
She hummed an agreement into his kiss.
"What about you?" He asked.
"No time this morning.” Pulling him up the stairs, Samantha knew some of her scars were not yet healed. There was no point risking Derek seeing them no matter how turned on she was by their impromptu BJ. “Did you want to see me tonight?"
"Of course." His smile opened his face. "I'll make us dinner. We can watch a movie or something."
She gave him a peck. "That sounds great. I'll see you at six."
She left, taking the stairs up to the first floor. With no time for breakfast now, she pulled her phone out but hesitated before she messaged Godrick. She wanted to tell him but she also didn't want to do something bad to Derek. He was nicer than she deserved.
She kept it short. I took him in my mouth this morning.
~*~
Derek lagged behind in training. His mind was on her. He felt so confused about who Samantha was. It was like he never had any idea. She was both what he thought and not at all. She spoke simply and challenged like he remembered from when they were growing up–but then there was something else. Her flirtatious side. The alpha. He was reeling from what she was doing to him.
Every time he started to focus on the task at hand, her hot mouth would come to mind. He couldn't imagine her ever doing something like that. Not the act, the location. She'd been so casual about it. Like she owned the world. He guessed she kind of did. She owned their world.
"Hey. f**k face." Tom spat. "You f**k up one more time and I won't be able to save you from everyone stringing you up."
Derek had failed some time-based challenges, causing the whole group to do extra laps and push-ups.
"You're gonna wish you were never born," a delta by the name of Cassandra growled.
He had to get his head in the game. But his head was stuck on her.
“You good?” A voice asked him as he trudged his ass back to the packhouse after training.
“Huh?” Derek grunted, already a million miles away. Realising it was his father, he stopped, straightening his back. “Oh, sorry, yes.”
Beta Benjamin switched the mindlink as he joined his son in the short walk home.
“You up late with Samantha last night?” he asked in a knowing tone.
“No,” Derek replied softly. “I had guard duty last night.”
Beta Benjamin clapped a hand on his son's shoulder, casting him a sympathetic glance, “Uh, I see… Fated or not, the bond is strong once marked.”
Derek nodded absently. He could attest to that. When he'd scented Samantha in the woods, he'd hoped she'd come to meet him–spend the time with him she'd first said would be too late. First disappointment and then annoyance had seeped in.
“She's coming over tonight,” he told his father, who gave him a warm smile in return. “I don't understand why we can't move in together now, though.”
“I know this hasn't quite gone how you'd hope. She's a bit younger than you–don't pressure her, but I'm sure she'll want to move in with you soon,” Beta Benjamin assured as they arrived at the packhouse.
Farewelling his father, Derek's thoughts started to circle. Moments of panic at the prospect of his forthcoming date with his mate. Goddess, this is our first date. He was horrified but then he remembered the dance was their first date. Sort of. s**t. He was panicking. What if she realised he wasn't worth being her mate?
He was taking a shower when a single thought hit him. He was in over his head. As he stood under the water, he let the flashes of her dance across his mind. She was perfect and everything he found about her only made him want to know more. But what if the opposite were true for her?
~*~
"All you need to know is, if you get called, you come," Krig impressed upon them.
Grim and Godrick glanced at each other.
"Yeah, but what does that mean?" Grim asked.
Krig groaned in frustration. He'd been going around in circles and was about to crack. It was just the three of them in one of the back offices at the club.
"It's simple Grim," he gestured like crazy, switching his vape between his hands.
"We don't get our hands dirty." Grim reminded him.
Krig threw his head back in his chair and stared at the ceiling. He mouthed something obscene silently, blowing his vape smoke out.
"Godrick, for the love of f**k. Please tell me you get it."
"Probably better if you explain it real slow to us." He smirked.
"Fine you fucktards," Krig snapped. "We're doing something absolutely batshit crazy tomorrow night and I need you to come and get me if that s**t turns sideways."
"What is it?" Grim asked.
"Trust me," Krig said as he pulled a puff in. "you don't wanna fuckin' know."
Grim and Godrick looked at each other, they both shrugged in unison. "Sure," Godrick said.
"Whatever," Grim added.
They both grinned at each other as they left. Krig was too easy. It was one of their favourite things, giving the lower rank demon a hard time.
"I don't get it," Grim said.
Godrick side eyed him. He'd been sure his friend had just been playing dumb. "Krigs going to bounce on whatever f*****g thing they've order everyone to do."
"Oh yeah. I got that." Grim waved his hand at Godrick. "Why do they do all the violent s**t?"
"You mean, demons?"
"Yeah, Godrick. Why do we do this? Why don't we ever hear about a demon entrepreneur?"
Godrick shrugged. He was the last person that would understand it. He didn't understand demons at all, there weren't demon schools or anything. Demon entrepreneur… he'd heard of vampire billionaires. Humans didn't know what they were of course.
"Their problem is that they don't reflect," Grim said, confidently. "If they were a little more self aware maybe we'd be somewhere and not on the bottom rung."
Godrick laughed and looked his friend up and down. "You surprise me sometimes Grim."
"Why?" Grim said, his voice turning indignant. They had arrived at his car. "Because I'm such a savage demon I couldn't possibly draw conclusions based on context alone." He threw the keys to Godrick. "You can drive."
Godrick shook his head as he slid behind the wheel of the Aston Martin Vantage. Grims eighteenth birthday present from his dad.
He pulled up to an alleyway where Grim had to drop off whatever contraband they were ferrying around.
Grim pulled his frame out of the car. He went to close the door, stopped and bent to talk to Godrick again. "What do you think the job is?"
Godrick shrugged.
"Probably something to do with wolves if that money pick up is related." Grim nodded to himself. "They're everywhere around here."
Godricks ears pricked up at that. "What?" He asked, stopping his friend's exit.
"There are like three packs," he did air quotes, rolling his eyes, "that practically surround this city."
"No s**t? You know much about the packs?"
"Yeah. Of course." Grim puffed himself, flicking the collar of his black denim jacket up. It might have been cool if he hadn't been bent down so he could see into the car. He was also wearing a ridiculous Naruto shirt where the titular character was pulling a crazy face, killing the tough guy image further.
"Go do the drop off."
Grim saluted and sauntered down the alley. Godrick sat back. The last message he'd received was, I took him in my mouth this morning.
He'd not responded. Neither of them had spiraled out of control. He thought of her with this other man. Godrick had told her she could give her fiance almost everything but her ass was his. She'd always said it was his anyway.
He hadn't wanted to leave her, but she was insistent. It had taken him all his willpower not to just kidnap her and force her home with him. He felt overpowered by his need to have her be where he was.
Killing time he looked at the photo of this mark. It looked kind of like a flower, if a flower was a flame.
His phone lay in his lap, the screen going to black as he stared off into the middle distance. Thoughts of Samantha circled. He was hoping to see her Wednesday–not able to wait all the way until the next weekend. Wednesday already felt an eternity away.
He looked at his phone again. He should message her but he'd never felt such a loss for words. What could he say when all he wanted was to be with her?
If Grim knew something about wolves, maybe Godrick could get some information from him. He rubbed the mark, just covered by the collar of his jacket.
He was startled upright as Grim threw himself into the passenger seat. "Go!"
Godrick didn't need another prompt, he shifted the car into drive and shot out, having identified in the brief second that he had a gap in traffic. He waited until they were a few blocks away before asking, "What happened?"
Grim shuddered. "Warlocks."
"That all man? 'Cause you almost made me have a heart attack."
Grim palmed him on the shoulder. "Trust me. You don't want to be anywhere near those evil sons…"
"You're a real dick."
Grim just shrugged. They drove in silence for a few minutes. They only had to drop off one more parcel and then they were done for the night.
"What do you know about marking?" Godrick tried to ask casually.
Grim looked at him with a frown on his forehead. "You mean that mate s**t?"
"Mate?"
"Yeah, I guess it's like a marriage–where you decide to be with someone for the rest of your life. Super big deal. But there's also this weird fated mate thing…"
"Fated… What does that mean?" Godrick looked towards his friend briefly.
Grim made an I don't know sound. "People believe in this god of the moon who matches you to another person, or persons apparently. They’re like–humans have the concept too–your soulmate, but with otherworlder s**t it's real."
"Right. How do you know if someone's your mate?"
"It's apparently real obvious. You'd know immediately after meeting them. But with marking, you can be marked with anyone–just most people wait for their fated mate."
Godrick thought about that for a few minutes before asking further questions. Was her fiance her fated mate? Why would she mark Godrick if he was? "What are werewolf packs like?"
"Nice small towns. The Alpha–" he looked at Godrick to assess if he knew what that was.
Godrick shrugged, he had only heard bits and pieces.
"An Alpha is the leader. You know those guys we met?" Godrick nodded. "They were alphas. You can tell because they're super bossy. They run like a little sovereign nation."
"Right." Godrick wasn't sure what to do with the information. "Can you visit a pack?"
"Oh no." Grim shook his head. "They guard their borders–you have to request a visit and they're not going to let a demon in. Why would you want to?"
"Just curious. I hadn't met any wolves before those guys."
Grim was staring at him. "You met a she-wolf, didn't you?"
"What?" Godrick tried to just sound confused by the question.
"You motherfucker. You f*****g a wolf?"
Godrick punched him in his leg. "What? No. Shut the f**k up."
"Oh my devil, you are." Grim laughed like a maniac. "How did you even meet one?"
"I didn't." He tried to keep up the lie but Grim was buying none of it.
"Wait. Does she want to mark you?" He asked, confused.
"No. That's not why I was asking–I was just curious.”
"Holy s**t. Did she mark you already?" Grim's voice rose to almost a yell.
Godrick winced. f**k. He didn't say anything.
"Oh man. Wow…" Grim looked ahead for a long time. "What was it like?"
Godrick shook his head, he didn't want to share that.
"That good, huh?" Grim faced his friend. "Is she a rogue? But you asked about local packs–you think she lives in one? Has she not told you?"
"Just leave it, Grim." Godricks voice was sharp. He felt like an i***t. He didn't know any of this stuff and now he felt foolish.
"Can I see the mark?"
"f**k off."
~*~