13 comments/ 21631 views/ 37 favorites Like a Wolf By: skyfury The normally noisy woods was quiet this day. The cacophony of birds chirping, insects buzzing, squirrels and chipmunks twittering were replaced by a rhythmic thud! thud! thud! which originated from a direction near one of the cabins which stood about a kilometre from the main campsite. He sniffed the air, and padded silently towards the noise. He was sure that it was that alien noise that had shushed the animals, alerting them of potential danger, of an intruder into their territory. His paws were quiet as they stepped over the soft soil, a rich humus scent filling his nostrils. From beyond the fronds of a large fern growing near the ground, he peered outwards, his ears twitching forward to catch the thud sounds and identify their source. A young woman was standing by a tree, a small sandbag hanging securely off one of its tough boughs. Her hands were wrapped in white, in a gauze he recognized protected martial artists' fists; she was barefooted. The noises which had silenced the forest came from her fists hitting the sandbag in quick strikes. His ears pricked back and forth, his curiosity piqued. He owned this large patch of land on which a human campsite and a few cabins were built. He had allowed it because it brought in some revenue and amused him occasionally. But he had never seen this woman, and he had never seen this cabin occupied. He pushed his snout through the fern, and the woman froze, her fists before her face, her whole posture suddenly still, her expression wary. He froze, as still as she was, and very slowly lowered himself to the ground, resting his head on his paws. He was able to do so that nothing could hear him, and he made himself comfortable to see what she would do. Instead of moving, the woman closed her eyes, and her breathing slowed until it was even. To his eyes, it seemed as if she was listening to the woods, just as he did, just as all the animals and prey and predators did. But she was still human, and her senses, however sharp, were limited to what her physical body had. After a few minutes of hearing nothing, she relaxed and went back to the sandbag, and the rhythmic attacks upon the bag started again. He remained there, watching her, impressed at her strength and her speed. A chill wind started blowing upwind from him, and he caught the strong scent of her, of perspiration filled with clear adrenaline, and of the strength that called up images of sinewy muscles rippling with tension. He resisted the urge to sniff more deeply, slowly withdrew himself from the fern, and loped away. ----- "Who's the owner of the cabin over at B8?" Seth brushed some dried leaves off his hair as he strode into the main log house which he liked to live in. The staff of this whole place was his pack. "What's got you so interested in her?" Brandon, the wolf who worked registrations and administrations asked his alpha. "You know it's a her?" "Yeah, she just moved in. Bought over the cabin from Raine Burton. But she keeps mostly to herself." At Seth's surprised look, Brandon huffed. "There aren't so many new people who buy cabins here. I can remember any transaction that happens, you know?" Seth leaned in to the computer and pushed Brandon on his chair out of the way playfully, and read up on the file on the young woman he had seen. "Jase, Lee. Twenty-eight. Hm..." "Seth?" "Yeah?" the alpha said without taking his eyes off the screen. "You're interested in her?" There was worry in Brandon's voice now. He knew he had no authority to question his alpha. But he couldn't help it. "They don't usually like our kind..." "Yeah. I know...I know." ----- Jase grunted as she flexed her wrists. She had been training the previous day and had hit the sandbag at the wrong angle when a sudden sense told her that she was being watched. But the woods was quiet, and when she had heard nothing further, had gone back to training. It had aggravated the slight sprain she'd had on her right wrist, and she had to convince herself to rest her arms today and work on her legs. She had totally immersed herself into the state where the only things in her world were the sandbag, and the rhythm she set, until something tingled at the bauble of her perception, and she froze again and frowned. Twice in two days definitely was not her imagination. Her eyes scanned the area around her, and she moved backward, taking careful steps to put the cabin behind her. A rustle at the right corner of her vision caught her attention, as grey-white moved out of the dense foliage of green and brown of the trees, and a large timber wolf padded limberly out. Jase blinked. Now what was she to do? She had known that there were wolves roaming somewhere on this land. But from what she knew, wolves avoided human dwelling. And she was still close enough to civilization that she thought she wouldn't encounter wild animals she needed to be wary of. Its piercing amber eyes gazed at her as it raised its head steadily. Its ears pricked forward and it took a few steps and stopped, and then it did that again, in such an unaggressive behaviour that Jase was confused to no end. By the time she decided something had to be done, the wolf had reached her. Her breath hitched. It was beautiful, but its powerful form filled the whole of her vision, and she knew that whatever she could do to protect herself against humans, which she had trained hard for for years, those methods and training would do little against an animal of that size. But it just bumped its forehead against her hand and then stopped, its tail wagging lazily. A long tongue flicked out to lick at her fingers and Jase risked stroking the slope of its graceful snout a few times before it turned suddenly and bounded away, vanishing amongst the trees. She found herself trembling. ----- "Dammit!" Seth stormed into the log house, fuming at himself. "Now what's wrong?" Lucy, the mate of his omega, asked. She was stocking up on the food in the fridge. Sure they were wolves, and in a pack, she had to defer to Seth. On a regular basis, when leadership was called for, she deferred to him as well. But as humans, they had their own skills, and she could hold her own. Seth took a long gulp of iced water, knowing it wasn't good for his heated metabolism, but it felt good anyway. "Damn all our heritage and damn our stupid noses!" She raised a brow at Brandon but he just shrugged. "This girl...woman...at B8." Seth sat himself down. "I was hunting and came across her yesterday. She's a martial artist, you know that? Had a sandbag all tied to a tree branch and all. I watched her, and the wind blew her scent to me." Brandon groaned, but they all understood. In the animal world, the group which used their noses and was most affected by smell the most of all was probably the lupines and the canines. Nevermind that they were just weres; they were as affected and bound by it as the true wolves were. "I can't get her scent out of my head." "Are you going to make her one of us?" Lucy had finished storing the food and now stood facing Seth. "I don't know. I don't even know her." "Then maybe you should check her out, Seth," Brandon suggested. "At least find out what she's like." "But I like her scent too much already." ----- Seth carried a small basket filled with some meat, fruits and a bottle of wine, and strolled over to B8. On his way, he passed near some occupied campsites, and a few cabins. Strange. He had never realized how far out B8 was as compared with the other houses. But he usually left the management of the whole place to his staff, so it was no wonder he wasn't as familiar with the occupied parts of his land as he would like. As he rounded a group of trees which hid B8 from view, he suddenly paused, sniffing the air, cocking his head to catch the faintest noises of struggle. He broke into a run, letting the basket drop, and as the cabin came into view, he saw Jase being held in a stranglehold by a young man who was obviously drunk. "Such a pretty little girl like you shouldn't be all alone out here," the man slurred. "See what you've made me do? I've got a fucking hard on now, and now you're in trouble." Before Seth could reach them, Jase had stamped hard on the man's foot. Somehow, she had shifted after that and managed to hook her foot behind the man's ankle, pushing her foot forward and tripping them both backward. The man took the brunt of the fall, and he groaned loudly, releasing his hold on her. She rolled off him and scrambled a few steps away. Seeing Seth, her breathing hitched, and she moved backward until she had both him and the drunk in her view. Her arms were up in a defensive position. Seth held his hands up placidly. "I'm Seth Ulrich," he said. "I own this piece of land and the campsites and cabins." "Oh." Jase let her arms fall, but her posture was still wary. She glanced towards the man she had just attacked. "He tried to rape me." "I know. I was just coming around the bend." Having identified himself, Seth stepped towards them, stepped towards her, going closer to the man so that he could also be closer to her. He rolled the man over so that he could check on the back of his head and his pulse, then glanced up at Jase. "Would you like me to handle this?" Her hard eyes gave way to a subtle weariness. "Yes, please." It didn't take very long. Seth had used his cell to call up Alex, his beta, and Alex had brought Brandon along. He explained the situation to them, and they rolled the man onto a makeshift gurney and returned to the reception cabin, Alex calling the cops on the way. They cast the barest hint of a glance her way. Jase watched them go, only moving when she heard Seth sigh. Her curious glance and slight raise of her brows asked her question for her. "I just found out you were new here," he said. "I'd brought some food as a hello and welcome, but I think the wine bottle has probably broken now." A strange expression crossed her face, but she nodded at him. "Thank you, I guess. Where did you drop the basket? I'll go get it." "It's just over there." Sam gestured vaguely and started towards the trees. He gave an involuntary smile as Jase fell into step beside him. This close, he could smell her properly and strongly. Her scent was clean, and the subtle scent of mint wafted from her. Seth felt a hard on himself, as his wolf decided more strongly that he liked the smell of this woman. He shifted slightly, desperate to hide the bulge in his pants from her, but she didn't notice. They came to the basket, and Jase helped him pick the contents up. The wine had rolled onto a soft patch of grass and was mercifully still intact. "So, um..." Seth held the basket out to her. "These are for you. I'm sorry they took a frolic in the dirt though." That made her smile. "I can't cook for nuts, but I just microwaved some pizza. I could make you a drink as a thank you if you like." "For the food frolicking in the dirt?" "Well...for the thought of bringing them over, I guess." "It's definitely not for me saving you," he joked. "You're no damsel." She gave him another smile, but he could see that her heart wasn't in it this time, so he made no other comment as he followed her to the cabin. "Wine?" he asked her as she went into the small space which served as the kitchen. He glanced around at the interior. It was rather Spartan, with only a soft couch and a few fuzzy rugs around. "It's fruit wine." Jase winced. "I don't really drink...actually, I've never drunk before." "Try just a little, then," Seth suggested as he took two mugs. "Don't worry. I won't make you drunk." She sipped at the wine as he watched her face. When she stuck her tongue out and made a strange expression, he laughed. "Okay, okay. Maybe it's an acquired thing." "Thanks for the thought though." She raised her mug to him, but placed it down at the counter. "Coffee instead?" "Okay." Seth downed his mug of wine, and leaned against the counter, on the side of the kitchen, watching as she bustled about. "So how did you come to be here?" "Oh..." she shrugged. "I decided I needed a time-out. Saved up enough and just found this place. Thought I'd like it. It's been nice so far. Well, except for just now." "We don't get these often. I'm sorry you had to go through it coming here so soon," he said. "I'll make sure to be more stringent in checking people's backgrounds the next time." Jase leaned over the sink and pushed the windows open to let the air in, and the wind breezing in brought her scent so clearly to him that he hardened again involuntarily. He silently cursed his nose again, and cursed all wolves and weres. "It's okay. I'm more curious about the animals around." She handed a mug of coffee to him, and inclined her head to the couch. "Do wolves come so close to the cabins?" Shit. He was hoping she wouldn't ask about that. Maybe he made a wrong move the previous day after all. "Not really. At least, I don't think so. Did something happen?" She seemed to hesitate a little before shrugging to herself. "It might have been a large dog then, I dunno. Yesterday, I was training, and this wolf...dog...came straight up to me. It wasn't aggressive or anything. It actually licked my hand, and I scratched it a bit. Then it went away." Seth remembered her fingers on his snout. He had liked the feel of her scratching him tremendously. "I guess it's a good thing it was friendly then." He smiled at her, feeling foolish, like some love struck youngster. He was almost forty, dammit. He shouldn't be this jittery. "Mmhmm. You like animals?" "Most of them." "I hope the wolves stay. Or dogs. Whatever. I like them very much. They're beautiful." That caused the flicker of a hope to blossom in Seth. Maybe this time...maybe. He finished the coffee. "It's getting late. I won't intrude on you further. Want me to help you wash up?" "s'okay," she said. Her smile was genuine this time. "Thanks again for the food and stuff. Uh...you want the wine back?" "Maybe I can come over to help you drink it instead," he offered. It wasn't terribly subtle of him, and he almost sighed with relief when she nodded. "I'm pretty much always at the main log house if you need me. It's not very safe for a lady to be so far away from people." "I bought this cabin to get away from people. Anyway, I can take care of myself. I'm more worried about interacting with animals than anything else." "I never caught your name," he said as he paused at the door. "Jase Lee." She gave him a small little casual salute as he waved and left. ----- There were two ways things could go after a man found himself initially attracted to a woman, Seth decided. He could find that he liked her more and more, and make his move, or that the initial attraction couldn't stand up to further scrutiny, and let it dissolve. He had a feeling that Jase would fall into the first category, but he couldn't be sure. Too many human females had fled from a relationship with him after finding out what he was. It was a significant reversal in the pack, that the alpha had no mate to speak of, while the various lower ranking wolves were already married and mated. If it were a true wolf pack, Seth would have been mated a long time ago, and everyone else would have to remain celibate and take care of his kids. Seth wanted to take Jase up on her agreed offer and return to her cabin to chat with her again. But he thought it'd be too pushy, and too soon. He didn't want to scare her off. So he stayed away for a few days, shifting frequently to go running in the woods to work off his frustration. He would pass silently by her cabin sometimes to make sure that she was all right, but never announced his presence to her. He decided to help Brandon do some housekeeping on the files so that they could clear up any useless backlog. And it was during one of those few hours when Jase knocked and popped by the log house. Seth, surprised by the visit, was flustered until Brandon saved his alpha by suggesting a drink, leaving the administrator with Jase for a few minutes so that Seth could gather himself. They chatted easily until the older man returned, and Brandon discreetly excused himself and went out of the cabin. "Here," Seth said. "Coffee." Jase quirked a smile at him, and nodded her thanks. "Decided to take you up on your offer of visiting. Am I interrupting?" "Nopes. Just the normal drudgery of work." He sat them down, and they began making small talk. She seemed less tensed in his presence than their last encounter, but he knew that was just the different situations talking. She was confident but somewhat reserved, as if in whatever she said, she still held a part of herself back. So Seth simply talked more about himself, using his interests to draw her words out. And he found out that she had learned various martial arts since she was fifteen, and that she had been teaching them for about five years. She lived apart from her family, and was not terribly close to them. And due to a burnout, she chose to buy a cabin on his land and spend some time with herself, away from too many people. Late afternoon came by too quickly, and she rose, thanking him for talking since she enjoyed herself as well. Seth offered to accompany her to her cabin, and her slight flush as she accepted spoke volumes. He grabbed a set of walkie-talkies with its charger and brought them along. He pointed out the various facilities and locations of the other cabins on the land, letting her know where people were located in case she needed help. He handed her the set of walkie and the charger as they came to her cabin. "In case you need to reach me," he said. Jase's typical casual grace was absent, and she almost shyly nodded and took the walkie awkwardly. "Thanks for this, Seth. Appreciated." He smiled at her, and waved as he turned. The light of the late afternoon sun glinted off his eyes, and for a moment, they sparked a rich amber, reminding Jase of someone else's eyes. ----- Jase and Seth hung out together back and forth each other's place, and Jase became more comfortable with the group which also hung out at the main log house. She got to know Alex and Sharon, who were married, and Brandon and Ophelia, who were also married. The few single males were relaxed and cool about them, as if they were in no rush to find any companion. Jase was glad for that. It made her more comfortable around them. One day, Seth popped by Jase's cabin, and invited her to a four days camping trip with him. He offered to show her the lands and the animals, and Jase accepted, to his great delight. He had packed most of the heavy equipment into his pack. Having done it many times before, Seth knew that he could carry everything easily for the better part of the trek to the clearing beside a cliff he wanted to show Jase. In her bag, he had placed most of the smaller utensils, and made sure that she carried the smaller bag with ease. He would have carried everything, but after having known her for some time, he knew that Jase would take it as a personal insult to be at ease while others toiled, even if the person who toiled could take it easily. Seth had taken his time and chose the easiest track he knew, pointing out medicinal plants and animal tracks and carcasses. A few times, he had scented prey, but so far, no wolves had come into his range of smell yet, and he was grateful for that. He hated having to fight with his distant relatives in any situation. It was an easy trek for him, but they had to stop a few times as Jase had found herself breathless, her trained body still unused to the higher air of the mountains. But she made no complaint, and simply accepted his hand so that he could help her when she needed. Like a Wolf It was the first direct and sustained contact Seth had with Jase, and it made him almost giddy and breathless himself. He had long grown accustomed to her scent, but still held a very strong attraction for her. The plateau of attraction now spiked up and made him harden almost painfully. But he made himself breathe and force his erection down, and the only thing Jase noticed was that his grip on her hand tightened slightly. She glanced at him, slightly confused, but simply squeezed his hand back, and that sent Seth into another bout of battle with his manhood. He almost growled loudly, but caught himself just in time. Just knowing that Jase was a guarded person who had allowed few so intimately into her life made him ecstatic. "We're here," Seth said softly to her as they climbed a slight rise and broke through the last sentinel of trees. Between them and the edge of the cliff was about a hundred meters worth of tall grass starting to be outlined by the rich gold of the setting sun. "Gonna set up our camp here." Jase took a few minutes to catch her breath, and then slipped her hand from Seth's to peer over the edge of the cliff. She stepped hurriedly back. "Whoa, phobia." "We'll pitch the tent closer to the trees, don't worry." Seth smiled at her and started unpacking the tent. Jase helped him with it, taking directions from him and working side-by-side as she watched how the pins were hammered into the ground, and caught the ripple of muscles beneath his thin shirt, and wondered how he could tolerate such cold air. After the tent had been set up, Seth pulled out two sleeping bags from his large bag, and tossed one to her. "In case you think we gotta sleep together or something," he grinned. They had brought a mass tin, and a portable burner. But Seth offered to show her how to build and start a small bonfire, and they left their campsite in search of kindling and heavier logs. A few times, Seth caught the scent of the resident wolf pack in this area, and deliberately brushed through low ferns and against tree trunks to leave his scent, knowing that the true wolves tended to find his scent strange and usually avoided him. He knew how to handle himself in an encounter, but he did not want Jase to be harmed. He offered to show her how to hunt as well, but she declined that for the moment, and Seth had to excuse himself, after showing her how to stack the kindling into a small tepee and place the slighter larger wood into the spare spaces before lighting them. He made sure he went far enough so that she couldn't see him, and then he stripped himself and folded his clothes neatly, hiding them so that no animals could get at them. Then he willed the shift on him, allowing his mind to flow into and remember the instincts of the wolf, bringing up the memories passed down through centuries of his kind. He felt his bones shift painlessly, and fur burst from his skin, his spine bending so that he dropped down on all fours. Seth chuffed, and lifted his head to gaze in Jase's direction. He pricked his ears forward, listening to make sure that she was still safe, turned and loped off, following his nose to the scent of some moles he had smelled, letting the wolf side of him take over, revelling in the hunt. ----- Strange growls and the excited breathing of many bodies slammed into Seth's mind, as he shook his head vigorously to clear it. His lupine instincts growled at the intrusion of those foreign but familiar growls of his kin; his human mind panicked at the fact that there were not supposed to be wolves at this place. He dropped the two moles he had caught hurriedly, and dashed through the trees, lunging for the wolf he had seen going for Jase. The woman was breathing heavily, her fists raised in an effort to protect her. It was clear that she didn't want to harm the wolves, yet she wanted to protect herself. In her hesitation, one of the wolves -- the beta, it seems -- had tried to press his luck and harassed her greatly, pressing her closer to the edge of the cliffs. Seth barrelled into the wolf, sending the two of them tumbling a distance away. The wolf was startled but unharmed, and immediately picked up on Seth's scent. It gave a loud whine, and backed away, not liking the familiar but strange scent. Instinctively, it knew that Seth was its relative, but the human-ness of his blood imposed upon the wolf's nose, assaulting it and warning it away. Seth circled the wolf partway, moving himself closer to Jase, who in turn, shied away from him until she saw that he stood beside her facing the pack down. He growled a low warning, taking a step forward, then two. The alpha pricked his ears forward, his expression bewildered, and Seth would have laughed if he could. But he simply stood his ground, giving another low warning growl, and, deciding not to take its chances with the strange scent buzzing a warning in its instincts, the alpha turned and fled, leading its pack away. Once satisfied that the pack was far enough to indicate a lack of interest in returning, Seth turned to Jase and chuffed, pressing his head against her hand. At first startled, Jase curled her fingers through his head's fur, and recognition seemed to come into her as she squinted at him through the flickering firelight. "Hello, doggy," she said. "It's you, right?" She couched and rubbed his fur vigorously. Seth decided that this was it. He licked her face a little, backed away from her, and intent the shift upon him. He drew upon his memories of being a man, of standing on two feet, of the sensation of having fingers instead of paws. His bones shifted again, shortening in some places and lengthening in others. Now thoroughly freaked out, Jase rose and backed away, keeping her eyes on him and moving towards the fire. The shift took only a few seconds, and Seth stood before Jase, naked. "Hey," he said placidly, running a hand through his hair. "You...just...the wolf? Dog?" "Wolf, actually," Seth sighed. "Are you okay? Those wolves didn't do anything to you?" "No...no. They almost did, but you came in time I guess." She blinked, then approached, which surprised him. Her finger came up to poke his chest gently. "Okay...you're real...I didn't eat something wrong or stuff." "You ate something from around here?" Worry creased his forehead. "I didn't." "You're not scared of me?" She breathed deeply, and then exhaled, lifting her face to look him in the eyes. She seemed to be considering something. "I don't know," she finally said. "This shifting thing...heard it only in stories and movies. It's extremely shocking to see you do that, to see anyone do that. But...you're you. And I like you." At that revelation, she seemed to realize what she had said and glanced away. Seth chuckled, and hugged her to him, relief clear on his face. "I was worried about that. I actually liked your scent. A lot. And then I liked you. That's what you get from being a wolf." Jase laughed, but trembled in his arms. He simply held her to him, stroking her hair in comfort. He made no more move, but soon smelled a scent he was familiar with, and pulled back slightly to look her in the eyes. "I'm going to go put on my clothes and get the moles I killed for food, okay?" At the sudden but gentle withdrawal, Jase was confused. Until he mumbled something she strained to hear. "You're aroused," he said. "Yeah..." she ducked her head. "You know what? Forget the food," Seth whispered, and leaned in to press his lips to hers gently, his hands loose on her arms, giving her the chance to resist, knowing how she had been pressed too far once. Jase hesitated at first, but her lips parted slowly, and Seth took the invitation to taste her, running his tongue over her teeth, nipping at her lips, and sucking gently on one. His hands on her back pressed her closer to him, until the length of their bodies moulded together. Her breathing grew heavier, and she had to finally pull away to catch her breath. He chuckled again, and led her to the tent, making her sit and let the blood rush pass. Sitting beside her, his knees drawn up, he simply enjoyed the feel of her skin brushing against his own. "Stop making me giddy," she whispered hoarsely to him. Seth's smile was wide. "I make you giddy?" "Don't gloat over that." She raised a fist threateningly, but he simply laughed and captured her hand in his own, pressing it to his lips and pulling her into his lap, cradling her within his much larger form. His fingers trailed up and down her arm, and he felt goosebumps rise on her. Seth bent his head and buried his nose into Jase's hair. It was the first time since he had caught a whiff of her scent that he was able to breathe it in deeply, letting it wash over him and his senses, until the wolf in him growled Mine. My mate and Seth trembled with the force of that want. He shifted so that Jase was suddenly laid onto the groundsheet and he was leaning over her. He nuzzled and licked the side of her mouth, his hand on her waist. "May I? Please." The last word was said with such desperation that Jase nodded, and Seth reached down and loosened the knot of her drawstring pants, trying to be as gentle as he could. When his hand parted her thighs and traced her moist center, Jase jerked and almost sat up. Her breathing was harsh as she stared at the dim amber of Seth's eyes, and in a show of trust, loosened her grip on his arms and relaxed into his touches. Their soft moans and ragged breathing filled the tent as Jase writhed beneath Seth's large form. She saw most clearly the softness in his eyes, and his desire, and his tenderness softened her hard experience with a previous man, and so she yielded herself to him. Seth's finger slid slowly into her, his eyes watching her all the time, sensitive to any hesitance or discomfort. He pressed his lips to hers, his tongue seeking entrance into her mouth, jousting with her own as his finger curled gently within her. He smiled into their kiss as he felt a rush of wetness over his finger, and he curled it again, before thrusting it gently so that she came amidst their kiss. He withdrew his finger and brought it to his nose, taking in her scent deeply before drawing his tongue over his digit slowly. He shifted and carefully bent between her legs, nuzzling his face against her thighs as he moved closer to her center. His tongue slid up her slit, tasting her for real this time, and Jase released a shuddering breath at the feel of such an intimate act. When he positioned himself over her, his cock throbbing and hard, she stiffened slightly and Seth struggled to check himself. "We can don't do this if you don't want to," he offered, trying not to grit the words out from the mad desire to just grab her and plunge into her until she gave herself to him. She paused in consideration, then as an answer, moved herself shyly against him, slowly, at first hesitant, until Seth groaned at the delicious friction against his cock and pushed himself into her slowly, letting her get used to his large size as he stretched her. Her walls gripped him tightly, creating a wonderful fit for him, and losing all control, he thrust into her, ripping a hoarse grunt from her throat. She came all over his cock, and Seth groaned aloud at the intensity of the pleasure. "You okay?" she whispered to him, and Seth almost laughed. Here he was, making love to someone who hadn't done it for years, and she was asking him if he was okay. "Yeah." He brushed his hand across her face. "You're just so tight and really, really good." He made a small thrust into her again, and Jase gasped out before smacking him on the arm, which sent him into chuckles. As an apology, he leaned down to kiss her, and as his lips locked with hers, Seth moved himself so that she was pinned gently beneath him, at his control, and he pleasured her until she panted. He had tried to hold himself back, but his control slipped away fast, and with a soft grunt, he pulled himself from her just as jets of come spilled from him. He held his cock and shuddered with his release, and barely managed not to collapse onto her. When he regained some of his senses, he stared at Jase's form in slight horror. "Oh shit, I'm sorry." Jase hesitated, then started laughing, wiping his come off her shirt and her face. "That was definitely a first for me." Seth moved himself closer to her, and darted his tongue out, drawing it slowly across her face, licking up his own come, and cleaning her as a wolf would clean its mate. Jase sighed and closed her eyes, relaxing into his arms, murmuring, "This is actually quite nice." He smiled against her face and his tongue licked the tip of her nose, and she wriggled against him, tickled by the act. In return, she tipped her head forward and gave the side of his lips a lick, just as he had done to her before. At the unknowing act of submission from her, Seth rumbled aloud, pinning her roughly to the ground. She exhaled, startled, her body tensing up beneath his, ready to throw him off as her training came into play. "No, don't," Seth said. "Give me a moment." He got himself under control before looking at her again. Noting her tension, he nuzzled her face. "Sorry," he whispered. "Don't do that again, okay? The licking at the side of the mouth?" She cocked her head in a question, and he chuckled deeply. "That's a sign of submission from you. You doing that to me just made me want to flip you over and fuck you hard again. Or something." He slumped onto his back beside her. "Oh god," he breathed. "I want you so much." Unsure of how to handle the effect she seemed to have on him, Jase simply shifted until she was snug against his side, curling up against the hardness of his body. "Maybe in the morning," she teased lightly. "Right now I just want to sleep with you." "That'd be nice." He wrapped an arm around her and cushioned her head against him. Listening to her gentle breathing, he fell asleep. ----- Jase awoke a few hours later as the sun peeked over the horizon and the tent started to brighten. Sensing her breathing change, Seth pulled her closer and sleepily nuzzled her hair. His hand wandered below her shirt, and in a sleepy daze, he trailed his fingers over her skin and played with her breasts as if she felt like a comfortable thing he couldn't stop touching. She smiled and pressed herself closer to him, and Seth opened his eyes and actually reddened to realize what he was doing without knowing. In a rare moment of cheekiness, Jase simply moved closer so that his large palm moulded more tightly against the breast it had been cupping, and Seth's breath caught for a second, before he squeezed it gently and brushed his thumb over the gentle swell which rose slightly above her bra. "Morning," he whispered. "Morning." Jase leaned back and he removed his hand and stretched. "Could you give me a scratch?" Before Jase could react, Seth had shifted and now lay as a large white-grey wolf before her, his eyes sleepy. He gave her a silly grin and laid his head on his paws as she shook her head, laughed, and ran her fingers through his thick fur, feeling the coarser outer layer as compared with the finer and softer inner layers. She scratched him, running her fingers throughout the entire length of his back, and Seth gave a contented whine. His tail started to wag lazily. "What? I'm your back scratcher now?" Seth just chuffed at her in a laugh, and she gave him a nudge. He playfully pawed at her, and rolled over onto his back in an unexpected show of trust which was not fully understood by the woman. However, she scratched at his belly, stretching herself so that she could reach his hind legs. Seeing his cock, she flushed a little, remembering how nice it had felt in her barely a few hours before, and how comfortable she was with him. Upside-down, Seth stuck his tongue out to lick her on her knee, his jaws parted in what seemed to be pure contentment. So she simply continued to scratch him, making sure she got the crooks between his legs and body, and after a while, Seth lay limp and grinned at her. He sprawled himself forward again and rested his head on her lap. Smelling her scent so close to him, he stuck his tongue out and lapped at her center. Jase twitched and pushed his head away. "Not yet, Seth, okay?" He whined an apology, and then shifted back to human form, stretching and arching his back. "Sorry for that," he said. "You just smell and taste so good." A flush appeared on her face, and she gave him a mock punch before dressing herself and moving into the cool morning air. Seth came after her, standing naked as she turned to look at him, and for the first time, Jase was able to see the smooth ripple of muscles on his body as he moved, and how well-defined he was. Remembering that body pressed close to hers, and his manhood shown off without shame, she coughed and rubbed her eyes in an effort to hide her shyness. Seth wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled her hair, pressing himself to the curve of her ass, grinning cheekily as she elbowed him gently. "Will you be my mate?" he spoke into her hair. "That's too early for that, isn't it?" "Not to me." She was still as if in consideration. "Well, maybe we can hang out more and stuff before I decide. I don't have to become a wolf, do I?" "Not if you don't want to. It's fun though, especially when you get scratches like that." Seth chuckled, his deep rumble running through their bodies. "I'll try to wait, but it wouldn't be easy. I'll always keep wanting you now that I've had you. Once won't be enough for me." "Stop making me embarrassed." "Well, it's true." He bent his head and nuzzled the back of her neck, sending shivers through her. "I'll let you hang out unless you become a bad wolf, then I'll kick you out," she joked, straining out of his embrace and turning to him. A teasing challenge was on her face. "Okay," Seth breathed and grabbed her suddenly, crushing them together. His lips hovered a mere distance from hers, and his eyes twinkled a rich amber before he kissed her. "After all, getting a mate such as you will be a challenge I'll gladly take on." ~fin~