Warmth slithered through my chest as Wyn scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Sit. We’ll share it.”
She grabbed two plates from a cabinet and placed one in front of me while I opened the containers and decorated the table with our meal. She filled two glasses with water and took the spot opposite me, and it was all so domestic that I allowed myself to imagine a world where we did this every night. One where I yanked her from the infirmary and forced her to sit down with me to indulge in a decent meal. But that would never happen. This was just aftercare—closure to the magical intimacy that had been forced upon us.
“So,” I said when she started scooping carrots and rice onto her plate. “Did you do as I asked?”
Wyn paused and raised an eyebrow. “You mean as you commanded?”
I inhaled and stared, letting my wolf come to the surface. Command. Ask. Same thing, really. All that mattered was that she’d done it.
“I did.” She stabbed a piece of chicken with her fork and brought it to her mouth. “I didn’t realize how much I needed it. I napped for four hours after my bath.”
Another wave of decadent heat unfurled in my chest. I liked it when she did what I told her. I relished how she took time for herself, to take care of herself, because I demanded it. Maybe it made me a perverted fucker, but I didn’t care.
“Good,” I said with a smile.
“What about you?” She sipped her water and eyed me with that same mischievous glint I’d seen in her brother’s eyes earlier. “What did you get up to after you debauched my office?”
“Debauched?” I feigned offense and clutched my heart. “Strong words from someone who begged me for it.”
“Don’t flatter yourself.” Wyn tutted through her teeth and rolled her beautiful eyes. “I hardly need a stubborn, hardheaded wolf barging into my life and making a mess of things.”
“That wasn’t what you were saying when you were making a mess on my face.” I swiped my tongue over my canine and reveled in the way her gaze dropped to the movement. An adorable blush spotted her cheeks, and she reached for her water again to down another healthy gulp. My fangs tingled as her arousal plumed between us, earthy and sweet and fucking intoxicating. I wanted to crawl under the table, rip those leggings off her body, and bury my face between her thighs.
Patience. This is closure. Nothing more.
“Fen.” Her voice came out small and unsure, and she dropped her gaze to her plate. “This was very nice of you, and I appreciate your help during my heat. But…”
“Eat your dinner, little wolf,” I cut in, sensing where it was going. But selfish prick that I was, I didn’t want this to end yet. I didn’t want to leave her warm home and her magnetic presence. I wanted to gorge myself on it and hope it might sustain me until the next time she sank so low as to allow me within her vicinity.
She licked her lips and glanced up at me, but I was too busy watching her perfect pink mouth and remembering how it felt pressed up against mine.
The conversation drifted to other topics. We talked about what was happening with Zion and my run-in with Mill. She laughed when I regaled how he threatened to kick my ass and burn my life down, but she seemed grateful that her brother had the sense to look out for her. He’d also dropped by her place to check in.
“We didn’t get into the specifics,” she explained. “But he wanted to make sure I was recovering.”
Any lingering tension between us quickly dissolved as we chatted like old friends and bantered the way we had since we were kids. She didn’t put up with my charming bullshit, and I didn’t let her go hard on herself, and Gods, we made each other laugh. She teased me about how I’d once let Mill convince me to pull a prank on our previous alpha, which had ended with me covered head to toe in horse shit.
“The look on your face when Kerrick caught you,” she sputtered through desperate gasps. “You were so confused about how it all went wrong.”
I didn’t find it funny at the time, but twenty years later, I could admit my teenage self was a bona fide moron. “Yeah, well. I didn’t expect fucking Talon to tattle on me.”
Wyn let out another loud giggle, and I memorized the sound. I loved her smile, almost as much as I loved the sound of making her happy.
“Gods, you were shoveling shit for three months afterward.” She wiped the corners of her eyes and sighed.
“When Kodiak patched me into the Bastards, he made me swear my midnight pranking days were over.”
“No.” Wyn widened her eyes. “Really?”
I nodded. “Alphas are such drama queens. Honestly, they never know how to have a little fun.”
“I’d say Kerrick had a lot of fun setting you up to be the butt of your own joke.” She pushed a piece of snickerdoodle into her mouth and licked the sugar off her fingers, and fuck, that hit me right in the balls.
“Touché,” I said, keeping my focus on her mouth.
Now that we’d had our fill of dinner, the evening had officially drawn to a close. I knew I should get out of there and leave her in peace, but my wolf bucked at going anywhere. He yearned to spread her across the table and feast on her for dessert. He wanted despicable, delicious things that were better left unspoken and forgotten.
“Well, thank you again for all of this,” she said, toying with her delicate gold necklace between her fingers. “Thank you for taking care of me.”
