Sebastian nodded as he heaved in gasping breaths. Maddy gave me a nod as well as she winced and massaged her thigh where Sebastian had kicked her.
I nodded and looked at Sebastian. “Good. New plan. Along with saving Maddy’s parents and Abi, we’re going to try and get info on the blood of Edemas. We want to get to it and destroy it. Are you down?”
He nodded, rolled over, and got up to his knees. “Yeah. When do we plan on going in? I want to be there with the team that hits the safe house Abi is in. I want to be there. I owe it to Abi for being such a shit to her. I owe it to her… and Maddy.”
Maddy sat on her butt and sent Sebastian a withering look. “You don’t owe me anything other than to stop wallowing in guilt. I want everyone to get out of this safely, not just Abi or my parents. If you go in there to save Abi, then I want you to do everything you can to stay safe.”
Sebastian blushed, and he kept his eyes downcast as he tugged blades of grass from the ground. “I’m sorry.”
“About what?” Maddy asked. “About what you did with Abi or about basically blowing me off and barely talking to me for a month?”
When Sebastian glanced up, he looked abashed. “Sorry. I thought you hated me, so I stayed away.”
“Sebastian, we’re friends. Friends don’t abandon each other when things get tough. Okay?”
He nodded, smiling shyly. “Okay. Deal.”
“Good,” Maddy said. “Now you can stop being an asshole.”
He laughed. “You were a little asshole-ish yourself.”
Maddy raised her eyebrows. “Can’t argue with that.”
I took a deep breath of relief as they laughed. It was one less thing to worry about. It had become exhausting having my best friend and mate at odds with each other. I needed everyone on the same page if we were going to be successful.
After dinner, Maddy sat on the couch and winced as she rubbed at her lower back. Concerned, I sat next to her. “Are you okay? Did we do too much today?” I was worried either Sebastian or I had hurt her.
Maddy shook her head. “No. It’s the same body aches I’ve been having for days. They get worse at night when the moon comes up.”
It was her body wanting to shift. It had been over two weeks since I’d claimed her, and we’d done everything we could think of to get her wolf to come out. It must have been taking an awful toll on her. I couldn’t imagine how badly my body would hurt if I went this long without shifting, especially for my first shift.
Her wolf had to be desperate to get out, but for some reason, it just wouldn’t. I wondered if she’d even be a full wolf when she shifted. Would she always be a werewolf? Or would it be something she could control?
“Come on. I’ll run you a bath,” I said.
Ten minutes later, I had the big jacuzzi tub in my bathroom full of water and Epsom salts. Maddy stood behind me in a robe, looking longingly at the hot water. “Is it ready?”
I nodded and dried my hand on a towel. “Good to go.”
“Okay.” Maddy shrugged off the robe and hung it on a hook.
My eyes locked onto her body as she moved toward the tub. Her breasts swayed with each step, and as she stepped into the tub, the muscles in her ass flexed, going taut. My cock was immediately hard, straining against my pants. I kept my composure but gave Maddy a grin and raised my eyebrow as she slipped into the water.
“Don’t get any ideas, big guy,” she said as she rested her head on the edge of the tub.
I pressed a button, and the massaging jets switched on, making the water roll with bubbles. “No ideas other than the ones I always have. What hurts the most?”
“My fucking shoulders. It’s almost like the damned wolf is setting up camp right at the base of my neck.”
Pulling up a small stool from the corner, I sat behind Maddy and started massaging her neck, digging my thumbs into the knotted flesh between her shoulder blade and neck. She groaned in response. My cock twitched again at the sound. After severalminutes, I moved my hands up into her hair and started massaging her scalp.
“Oh, shit. That feels good,” Maddy whispered.
“Glad you like it.”
I wanted her to feel good and to release all the tension and frustration that had been building up in her all day. Looking down, I saw the rippling water lapping at her breasts, and I couldn’t hold back any longer. My fingers caressed her shoulders once more and slowly moved to her collarbones, drifting across the delicate flesh there. Maddy’s breath caught as I slipped my hands lower. I massaged the muscles of her chest, and her breaths began coming more rapidly. I could feel her heart beating faster.
I circled her nipples, rubbing gently around the areolas. Maddy closed her eyes and arched her back, pressing her breasts into my hands, her nipples erect and warm. I rolled them between my fingertips.
