Page 72 of Shaped By Darkness

Fuck, this was a bad idea. I'll never have enough of her. For years, she's been right here. I couldn't push for more because I didn't deserve her; I still don't, but at least she knows now. There isn't anything I'd ever hide from her again, and she doesn't seem to mind whatever it is that Storm and I have. I'd love to call it a relationship, but he might very well kill me, so I'll let him figure that out.

Her fingers thread into my hair, pulling it free of the loose bun I threw it up in earlier. I moan against her lips, feeling them quirk up in response.

Brat, she knows damn well how I feel about her petting me.

My wolf is a damn puddle, but even as he melts like a good boy, he still hasn't stopped his incessant nagging that we need to mark her. The longer our lips are pressed together, the more aware I become of the rest of her. Those perfect tits that are pressed against my chest, her toned ass that's right there.

Serena pulls away, pushing off my chest to separate us as she glares up at me. Her pupils are blown wide and her lips are red and puffy, making my wolf growl in appreciation.

"You're not going to break me, Pike. Stop acting like I'm fragile," she spits, clearly annoyed that she believes I think she couldn't handle me.

That's not it at all, and as much as I don't want to admit it to her, there's not really a way around it. At least not one that doesn't end with the silent treatment or hurt feelings.

"It's not about you, Serena. Right now I'm working very, very hard to keep my wolf in check." I choke out the words and watch as understanding lights her eyes, followed by a look I'm very familiar with.

Mischief.

"Aww, what could he be doing that's so bad?" I ask, moving back toward Pike, pushing my lip out in a pout. I love Pike's wolf despite the fact that he's a huge, savage killing machine. All the guys’ beasts are, actually, but not with me. And Pike's wolf is more like a puppy with me, a massive one, but still a puppy. He's super cuddly and always there when I'm sad, like the perfect real-life teddy bear.

I'm not sure what's going on, but I think I might have an idea. Pike's been a little odd since he walked in, I’d thought it was because of earlier, but looking at him now he looks a little more wolfish… His eyes trail over my naked flesh and at first, I thought he didn't like what he saw, which is why he told me to put a towel on.

Now I’m thinking it might be the opposite.

I know Pike and Storm have something going on, but I'm not sure how serious it is. I haven't really had time to talk to them about it with Storm having been MIA for the last few weeks, but Storm still fucked me after he came to talk to me about it. Hell, Storm and Sol both did. I could get off on just the memory if Iever needed to. I'd never really cared much for the twins trope in books, never got the hype, but I get it now.

I can't deny I also love the thought of Pike and Storm together, though, either with me or without.

Is it creepy that I've thought about it? Ever since I heard them months ago, it's like one of those quiet fantasies.

Fuck, I might be a creep.

Shaking the thought away. I turn my attention back to Pike. I can deal with my weird thoughts later; for now I need to know if I'm reading this all wrong or not.

He's yet to answer my question, but I can see how tightly his jaw is clenched, and I have no doubt he's struggling against his wolf. The guys’ beasts are strong, but the fact that he can put up any kind of fight is impressive.

You're stronger. You could make him shift.

The voice that echoes in my mind isn't unknown in the sense that I've heard it before, but I still have no idea who it belongs to. It's weird enough to hear the guys, and having a power that hasn't been around in years, the last thing I'm going to do is tell anyone I'm hearing a voice.

"Why not let him out? We can go for a swim. I've missed him." His lips pull down in a frown, but still he stays quiet, as if simply talking will make him lose this battle I can't see.

It wasn't a lie, though. Pike hasn't been shifting as much lately, and while I love him, I'd grown used to his wolf being around. I found comfort in him when Sol was fighting for his life and we'd just lost Lyle. He was the only one I could turn to because he wasn't human, because all he wanted was to be there for me without questions.

Pike groans, rubbing a hand down his face and closing his eyes. "If I let him out right now, you might not like the outcome, and I won't do that to you, Serena."

Hearing him say my name makes me realize how serious this is. The guys all have stupid nicknames for me, or at the very least tend to call me Rena. The only exception is Lyle, who doesn’t do nicknames.

But what could he possibly be so worried about with his wolf? Is this why he hasn't shifted lately? Did I do something wrong?

"Pike, whatever it is, you can tell me." I take a step toward him, pulling his hand from his face so that he has no choice but to look at me. His beautiful gray eyes are those of his wolf, and I get the feeling he's slowly losing this fight. "Did I do something wrong?" I can't help but ask, worried this is because of me.

"What? No, this is all on me. Well, kinda. It's more like it's on my wolf. He's the one who's making everything so damn difficult—" I press a finger to his lips to stop his rambling because he's not making any sense.

"Pike." I stand with my finger still pressed to his lips as I look up and meet his eyes. He holds my gaze for a moment, his eyes searching mine for what I don't know, but he seems to find it. He takes a deep breath, blowing it out through his nose before he takes a step back.

"If I let my wolf out right now, I'm worried he'll try to mate you," he says in a rush, hardly taking a breath and making the sentence sound like one big word.

Somehow I understand him anyway, and while I try to keep the shock from my face, I can feel the way my eyes go wide at his admission.

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