Page 23 of BeWolfed

Daisy was rearranging books when we entered, her ethereal form shimmering slightly in the morning light. "The mystery section is quite agitated today," she announced. "They sense approaching revelations but cannot agree on which secrets will remain hidden."

"Cryptic as always, Daisy," Elowen replied with unexpected fondness.

"Not cryptic. Precise." Daisy floated closer, her opal eyes swirling with unusual patterns. "Some mysteries are meant to unfold over time. Others reveal themselves only when necessary. The professor carries both kinds within him."

The observation aligned uncomfortably well with my own assessment of Oscar. "You know something about him," I realized. "Something beyond what he's told us."

"I know what the books know," Daisy replied serenely. "And they know that some beings cannot be fully understood through single chapters of their existence."

Then she wandered off again.

***

As night fell over Midnight Creek, Elowen and I sat together on the couch in the living room, the mate bond humming between us with newfound familiarity. Despite the circumstances of its formation, the connection had become a source of strength neither of us had anticipated.

Elowen curled into my side, her fingers tracing idle patterns on my forearm. "Do you think Oscar was telling the truth?" she asked softly, her voice laced with uncertainty.

I exhaled slowly, pressing a kiss to her hair. "I think he believes it," I admitted. "And it fits the evidence. The corruption I've tracked has always felt... foreign. Unnatural even by supernatural standards."

She tilted her head up, her breath warm against my jaw. "And if he's right about the ritual opening a doorway?"

I turned toward her, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear, letting my fingers linger along her cheek. "Then stopping it becomes even more critical. But we focus on what we know we can accomplish. Free Rose and the other witches. Disrupt the ritual. Deal with interdimensional entities if and when we have to."

She nodded, but tension still coiled in her muscles, her thoughts tangled with unspoken fears. Through the mate bond, I felt the storm inside her—the weight of responsibility, the worry, the sheer magnitude of what tomorrow would bring.

I slid a hand down her back, pulling her closer until she was straddling my lap, her hands braced against my chest. "Elowen," I murmured, my voice rough with emotion, with want. "Tonight, just let me take care of you."

Her breath hitched, her fingers gripping my shirt as her eyes locked onto mine. "Rudy—"

I caught her lips in a kiss, slow and deep, coaxing her to unravel against me. She melted into me, her body softening, yielding. My hands roamed down her waist, slipping beneath hershirt, reveling in the warmth of her skin. She shivered, her hips shifting instinctively against mine, and I groaned at the delicious friction.

I pulled away just enough to catch her gaze. "I want you, but I want it to be different," I said. "Not like last time. Not against a wall in an alley, stolen and desperate. I want to give you this. Properly."

Her lips parted, her pupils blown wide with desire. "Yes."

Without hesitation, I stood, lifting her effortlessly into my arms. She gasped, clinging to my shoulders, but there was no hesitation in the way she wrapped herself around me. I carried her through the apartment to her bedroom, my lips claiming hers again and again, each kiss filled with promise, with need, with everything I couldn't put into words.

I took my time stripping her bare, piece by piece, watching her unfold beneath me. She was so fucking beautiful, and I wanted her to know it, to feel it, to understand that she was mine in a way no magic could force.

When she reached for me, I caught her wrists, pinning them above her head. "Not yet, little witch," I murmured against her skin. "You don't touch me until I say."

Her breath hitched, but she didn't argue. Instead, she arched as I took my time exploring her body—trailing my mouth over her collarbone, teasing the sensitive peak of each breast with my tongue until she writhed beneath me, moaning my name. I wanted her trembling, undone before I even considered taking her.

My hand slid lower, fingers finding her slick and aching for me. I groaned, resting my forehead against hers as I teased her clit in slow, deliberate circles.

Her blue eyes darkened as I watched her. Then I slid down between her legs, pressing my lips to her sensitive core. Each flick of my tongue caused her to moan, pressing her thighsagainst me. She was my wonderful mate, and no matter what happened tomorrow, we had this moment.

She bucked against my touch, desperate for more, but I held her still, keeping her pinned beneath me as I worked her up, higher and higher.

"Rudy, please—" Her voice was breathless, desperate, and I knew she was close, teetering on the edge.

"Come for me," I commanded, my voice rough with need. "I want to feel you fall apart."

And she did. Her body clenched, shuddering as she cried out my name, her pleasure echoing through the mate bond, a wildfire of sensation that burned through both of us.

Only then did I slide into the bed with her. I lay on my back and guided her to straddle me. "Now you take me."

She hesitated, searching my face, understanding passing between us in a silent exchange. I was giving her control, giving her the choice. Not because I wasn't an alpha but because I washeralpha. Because we were partners, equals, and this was how I showed her.

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