Page 83 of Fool Moon First Aid

Her eyes light up with a mixture of excitement and disbelief. Fuck, I love seeing the anticipation in her eyes. “Do you think I can do it again?” she asks, her curiosity piquing as she nibbles her bottom lip.

“Of course you can!” Tyler’s enthusiasm breaks through the tension, though his glance toward me is filled with unspoken warnings. “But we need to get you to safety first…and find you some clothes.”

“Oh.” She glances down at herself, then at Tyler. Her sudden realization of her nakedness and the proximity to us sparks a reaction in me that’s both primal and immediate. “Oh.” As she shifts her weight, I’m painfully aware of her every movement. It causes my cock to grow hard, not that it wasn’t when she sat in my lap, but now, with her little micromovement, I could hammer in a nail.

I carefully help her to her feet, hyperaware of her gaze skirting away from mine. “Oh!” she exclaims, surprised at her own healed ankle. “It’s healed.”

“Welcome to shifter life,” Tyler says, a grin breaking through the gravity of the moment as he scoops her up. Her laughter, though shadowed by what just happened, lightens.

“Wait, Tyler!” she protests, and he sets her down, though not without a quick, stolen kiss that sparks a flash of jealousy within me. Before he runs off, he sweeps up the red flower and places it in her wild hair.

Rolling my eyes, I turn to him. “Go help Brody. We need to find a way out of here…and deal with those dogs.”

He grumbles but complies, shifting into his wolf form and disappearing into the night, leaving us alone.

Quiet wraps around us, seeping into my bones with a sense of peace beneath the stars. Because I can’t tear my eyes away from her, I look over at Ava. Her brown eyes, brimming with unshed tears, gaze back at me.

“Thank you,” she whispers, her voice a gentle breeze in the still night. She steps closer, bridging the gap between us.

“For what?” I frown.

She closes the distance between us. Her defiance, her courage, only heightens the magnetic pull I feel toward her. Her beauty has always been undeniable, but now, it’s her unwavering spirit that truly captivates me. Her presence, her very essence, intoxicates me.

“Coming for me,” she answers, her gaze locked with mine.

“Did you think I wouldn’t?” The words escape me before I can cage them, a mix of hurt and disbelief fueling them. The thought that she might doubt our bond wounds me more than I care to admit.

Her slight frown, a subtle but clear indicator of her doubts, strikes a chord within me. It’s a blow, yes, but it also ignites a fierce resolve. She needs to understand that she’s never alone—that I, no, that we will always stand by her. “I’ll always come for you, Ava.”

“I’m starting to realize that.” Her soft admission sends a surge of warmth through me. She licks her lips nervously, drawing my attention to her mouth, full and inviting. The primal part of me, the alpha, itches to claim her, to mark her as mine in every conceivable way, but this moment calls for more than raw desire. It demands patience, understanding, and above all, love.

“You think I saved you, but the truth is, you saved me. You gave me something worth fighting for—a purpose beyond power and a bond that defies reason.” I inhale her gasp of surprise, savoring her taste. “Claiming you goes beyond possession, Ava. It’s a vow to always be your shield, your unwavering protector.”

“Ethan,” she murmurs, stepping closer, erasing any space that remained between us. Her body against mine is a call too potent to resist, but I do. I don’t want to scare her or further hurt her in any way.

Torn between the man and the alpha within, each clamoring for a different course of action, I wrestle with my restraint, but her next words obliterate every last shred of it.

“Kiss me.” Her whisper, barely louder than the rustle of leaves underfoot, is all the permission my heart needs. I close the distance, our lips meeting in a kiss that promises more than words ever could.

It is her claim on me.

As our lips part, the moon overhead seems to shine down on us in a magical way. Ava’s eyes, alight with fire and acceptance, meet mine. “I believe you now,” she says, her declaration more potent than any vow of love.

My response is immediate, my lips finding hers again, all hesitation obliterated by her taste. Her arms tighten around my neck, her body melding against mine perfectly, as if we were created for each other. This physical connection, so profound and all-consuming, sends shivers through me.

“Ava,” I rasp out, desperate for her to understand just how much I crave her touch.

Her lips curl into a smirk, and without further prompting, she lowers gracefully to her knees. The sight of her on the forest floor beneath me sends another wave of heat coursing through me—one part possession, and two parts overwhelming lust.

Even before her hand reaches out to seize me, I can feel the heat of anticipation. My cock twitches in response, throbbing with a raw hunger that echoes the silent plea in her eyes.

The moment she wraps her fingers around my shaft, a guttural moan is ripped from my lungs. All coherent thought shatters as the primal desire within me roars to life. Her touch, soft yet firm, sends shivers down my spine and offers an all too sweet promise.

“I want to,” she pleads, her eyes telling me she needs this, perhaps even more than I do, to chase away the shadows of another’s touch. Her tongue darts out, lapping up the bead of pre-cum dripping from my head.

“Ava,” I murmur, torn because while part of me aches to erase her pain, another part, a darker part, yearns to annihilate the source of her anguish through blood and death.

I can give her control.

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