Page 439 of Pucking Feral: Part Two

Rule two, don't tell Thane.

"Whiskey, I don't know about this."

Ivy is standing in the driveway of the pack house, staring at the bike with her arms crossed, which means she's talking herself out of something she already wants to do.

I know this girl.

Want always wins with her.

"Babe. You literally said you wanted your own bike."

"I said I wanted one like Hogzilla. Someday. In the future. The distant future." She waves her hands around, fighting back a grin.

"The future is now, wildcat."

To be fair, the bike waiting for her isn't Hogzilla. Hogzilla is a motherfuckin' war machine. This bike is a smaller cruiser she can actually manage, one I work on in my spare time that would fold in half if I hopped on. I painted it the same color as her eyes.

I lean against the seat and pat the gas tank.

"She's a quarter Hogzilla's weight. She's got a little scrape on the fender from the last guy, so she's already done all her crashing, by law of averages."

She bites her lip.

She wants this so bad she's vibrating.

"Thane is going to kill you," she says, losing the battle with the grin.

"Thane is at the gym with Valek doing some kind of Russian torture workout, and Plague is at the library, and Wraith is with Shadow at the vet for her follow-up." I tap my temple. "I planned this, babe. I'm a Marine. Operation Easy Rider is a go."

"Plague is going to feel how nervous I am through the bond."

"Plague thinks everything you feel is amazing, so he'll just be like, 'hmm, Ivy's feeling spicy today,' and go back to alphabetizing with a hard-on."

I toss her the cat-eared helmet that'll actually fit her, unlike mine, which was like a bucket on her head when she rode with me to see Wraith's psycho mom.

She catches it, that grin splitting her whole face.

Hell yeah.

I've got her.

Hook, line, and sinker.

We start out in an empty lot nearby, close enough we can walk the bikes. Nobody's around but a couple of crow bros hopping around, play-fighting over some treats Shadow rejected.

I check Ivy's helmet twice, then a third time, just to be safe.

"Okay. This is the clutch. This is the throttle. You tickle the throttle, you don't squeeze it. It's like…" I pause, considering. "It's like when Plague⁠—"

"WHISKEY."

"—when you need Plague to do something he's balking at. Light touches. Persuasion."

She snorts.

I walk her through everything, especially what to do if she dumps it. Jump clear, and let the bike fall, because the bike doesn't matter.

"I'll catch ya before you hit the ground anyway. I'm an alpha. An alpha Marine. I'm not gonna let you break your neck."