When Zee noticed we were no longer following the group, he looked back at us with brows raised. “You guys okay?”
Bowen reached for my hand, and I squeezed it in mine. I gave Zee a nod. “Yeah, we’ll catch up later.”
My friend gave me a knowing smile. “I see. Time for a little celebratory tango. Go, be free. Frolic and fuck to your heart’s content. You deserve it.”
Bowen covered a laugh while my cheeks flamed bright. “Dick.”
Zee let out a loud laugh and waved, but I shouted before he walked inside. “Wait!” When he looked over his shoulder at me, I squeezed Bowen’s hand tighter and lowered my voice. “Thank you, Zee.”
His expression softened. “Of course. I’ll always have your back, and your mate’s, too. Welcome to the family, Bowen.”
Family. The word felt so completely right. He was my mate and my family. I bent down and brushed mylips against his. “I have an idea.” I squatted down in front of him and said, “Hop on.”
With a chuckle, Bowen jumped onto my back, hooking his arms around my neck as my arms cradled his legs at my sides. Carrying him, I walked into the woods. Bowen rested his head on my shoulder and slumped against me. His exhaustion seeped through him with each step I took. I wasn’t running through the woods at full speed this time, merely walking, trying not to jostle him too much. I hated that he’d been through what he had and wished I could take it away, but I would do anything I could to bring him comfort and help him feel protected.
When we reached the small clearing we’d been in the night before, I lowered down so he could slide off my back. There was enough of a break in the trees that the stars and the moon were visible between the ever-present cloud cover on Malterra. I’d been in my wolf form when we were here before, but now it was just the two of us. The moon had no power over me this time. My power belonged to Bowen.
Bowen sat on the ground and leaned back on his hands. “Thank you, this is perfect. The darkness in the mine and my inability to see beyond the small space messed with my head a bit. Being out here helps me feel not… trapped.”
I fell to my knees before him and held his face in my hands. “Gods, I’m so sorry you went through that. What can I do?”
He gave me a half-smile. “You can be here with me. Right now. Right here. I don’t want to think about it; I just want to be with you.”
I stroked my thumb over his cheek and nodded. “I’m here. It’s just us.”
“I need you to kiss me,” Bowen whispered. “Kiss me and make me forget.”
Smashing my mouth against his, I drove my tongue between his lips, needing to taste him, to feel him. A sigh released from him, and he kissed me back with just as much desperation. His need and a sense of urgency poured through our connection, igniting my own.
I broke the kiss and met his eyes. “I missed you. I missed feeling you inside me. I know we haven’t had this bond for long, but I felt hollow without it. Fuck, Bowen, I don’t ever want to feel that way again.”
“Tell me whatyouneed, Wolfie.”
My head cocked at hearing the nickname from him. “Wolfie?”
Bowen grinned. “Yeah, I decided I like it. It suits you. Is it okay if I call you that?”
When Zee had first dubbed me with the name, it irked me, but I grew to understand there was affection in it. Now, coming from Bowen, I felt it even more. Affection, acceptance, admiration. Gods, I couldn’t get over how loved this man made me feel. “Say it again.”
Arousal bloomed out of him, and I could feel my wolf reacting. Very slowly and with a teasing tone, he said, “Tell me what you need…Wolfie.”
My blood heated, and my dick throbbed as a low growl sounded in the back of my throat. “Neeeed.”
Bowen brushed his knuckles along my scruffy cheek, and I felt that same sensation in my mind. “Tell me.”
The emptiness I felt without him, the wholeness I felt with him. I missed his scent, missed his taste. I needed all of him, everything. Words were Bowen’s strength, not mine, but I dug deep and forced myself to give him what he was asking of me. “I need to taste you until my tongue never loses the flavor of you. I need to crawl so deeply inside you until I know I will never again feel the hollowness I felt when you were gone.”
Bowen drew in a breath, and his scent bloomed with desire. “Yeah. Yes. Do that. All of that.”
With the permission given, I let every doubt and uncertainty go. Every part I would normally try to hold back, I set free. I couldn’t hold back, not when every part of me begged for every part of him. I launched myself at him, pushing him until he lay back on the grass and kissed him deep and hard. The sound he made had my fists clenching the dirt behind his head as my claws broke through.
Bowen’s hands fumbled beneath my shirt as he slid it over my head. “Yes!” I groaned. Skin. I needed his skin. With my claws already out, I reachedbetween us and swiped them over Bowen’s shirt, careful not to cut him. Bowen gasped loudly when his shirt fell open in shreds, and his pulse beat rapidly. I could feel his cock harden beneath me. Not only did it not frighten him, but I felt his excitement both within and without.
Bowen leaned up and caught my mouth in his, nipping my lip. He spoke into my mind as his tongue thrust against mine. “That was so fucking hot, Rudy. Keep going.”
Emboldened by his words, I removed his pants in the same fashion, only it was my turn to inhale sharply at the sight I uncovered. “Holy shit!”
I looked up to find Bowen grinning as his eyes gleamed. “Surprise!”
