Word Count: 1923

~Evoni

I've never wrapped my arms around my naked self faster. Well, accept for that one time Rowan's mother walked in on us having sex.

This might be even more mortifying.

Maric's eyes widen in what might be anger, definitely shock and very possibly horror as he takes me in. Oryn goes as stiff as a wood board.

Rhenn, sensing the arrival of the pair, sits up, water rushing through her blonde lengths.

"Alpha, hi!" Her breasts sit well above the water as she waves animatedly in his direction. Again, no qualms to be had.

If Maric is offended by her nakedness, he doesn't make it known. He barely supplies her with more the a cursory glance.

It seems his attention is trained wholly on me, and not for what he might be able to see beneath the waters trembling surface.

"What the fuck are you doing out here?" He demands.

"Bathing," I supply weakly. "I've been told I stink."

"Oh yes, very bad." Rhenn shudders, only to quickly amend when I shoot her a look. "Not now though! I can report she smells like lavender and possibly deer fat...but mostly lavender!"

Maric steps closer. "Did Billie allow this?"

"Nope."

He turns his head, revealing the sharp arc of his jaw. He's willing himself to calm, to be reasonable. I doubt it will last.

"I'll walk you back." It's not an offer, but a command.

I glance at his second, who scuffs his boots against a patch of worn grass absently. He isn't looking at either me or Rhenn, which tells me at least someone is cognisant of nakedness.

"What of you?" I question. "You're covered in blood?"

"We had a successful hunt," Oryn says.

"We came to clean off," Maric adds.

I gesture at the water. "By all means."

Anything to avoid getting out in front of them for a moment longer. Rhenn is in her own world, floating about, singing a disjointed melody under her breath.

I'm certain Maric will refuse and demand I come to shore immediately. Instead, he holds his gaze as his hands fall to his stays.

I stare, immobilised as he flicks them undone, letting the fabric of his pants slide down his powerful legs. Next go his underthings, and suddenly the power to tear my gaze from him is lost on me.

A masculine smile tugs at his mouth as I take in his muscled body, each inch of him honed for fight. His soft cock hangs proudly between his legs, proving his earlier statement correct.

Werewolves really do have bigger cocks than humans. Holy fuck they do.

The only cure for my insanity is to sink until my head is underwater. The churning of the stream and the icy cold of the water is as effective as a slap across my face.

What is wrong with me?

When I emerge, Maric is in the water, not far from me. Oryn has come to the riverside, dipping his hand into the water before washing away at his front. The blood turns pink as it runs off him.

He's deigned not to join us, diligently ignoring Rhenn's naked form a few feet from him.

Maric is a sight to behold with blood on the sweeping lines of his pronounced cheekbones, in the obsidian dark of his hair. He reddens the water around us the deeper he submerges himself.

"I see you're no longer concerned with your modesty," he murmurs, dipping his head.

I wrap my arms tighter around my breasts, keeping my shoulders below the water line.

"No one was supposed to come."

"There is no need to be insecure. I'm sure if I allowed myself to look, I'd see a body any male in my pack would happily worship." He wades closer. "Human or not."

My brows furrow. "I'm not insecure. I simply do not want you males to see what only my boyfriend and trusted females can."

He angles his head, the ends of some of his hair dipping into the water. "And what would your boyfriend say now? If he saw this?"

I swallow thickly. Maric is suddenly so unreserved, so much less careful with me. Perhaps he feels emboldened, with Oryn at the shore and Rhenn practically upside down in the water nearby.

Secretly, I know his taunting remarks come easier when I'm not alone with him, when he knows he's not frightening me.

"My boyfriend would kill you." I jut my chin out, hoping the threat lands when I know for certain Rowan would be crushed in Maric's fist with little effort.

He knows it too. His teeth flash as he smiles.

"I'm up for the challenge," he murmurs, the rich, deep timbre of his voice lifting tiny bumps on my skin where the water has not.

I grip the bar of soap in my hand so tight, I've melted prints into it. This male is intoxicating to be around, and he knows it. It's why he plays with me, edging a reaction out of me.

I'll bite.

"Are you going to clean yourself, or what?" I ask, holding the soap out to him. "You're filthy."

He takes it, his fingers grazing my skin below the water. I almost yelp. He's warm, even in the cold grasp of the river.

Distantly, I can see Rhenn has left the river. She has a towel wrapped around herself, chatting brightly to Oryn.

Maric dips below the surface of the water, and when he rises again, water rains down over his sharp features, flattening his hair to his face. He sweeps it back with his hand, revealing a glimpse of a large bicep that makes my mouth dry.

The blood trickles off him, swept away by the river water.

"Better?" He asks.

He's even more breathtaking soaking wet, if that's possible. His eyes seem darker, his features more pronounced.

I shrug. "Still filthy."

Well, only his mouth is now. It's filled with words I shouldn't be entertaining.

"What about you?" He glances to the surface of the water. "Have you cleaned...all of you?"

Again, he's taunting me, pushing my boundaries. This is a beautiful male of which everything comes easy to him, including female attention.

"I don't know, are you offering?" I ask coyly. We've drifted so close, we are in reach of each other now.

His answering smirk is dark and evocative. "I would be thorough."

I look to the shore again, and Rhenn and Oryn have vanished into the woods. Fuck! The pair of them have doomed me.

I glance at him again. "Is this what you do? Bring pretty girls out here and finger them in a river?"

It would be far more satisfying if he relented from this game first. I've pissed him off coming out here, and this is his demented way of punishing me.

He lifts one shoulder in a shrug. "Be a good girl and swim to the shore, and I'll use my tongue instead."

A thrill unintentionally pools in my stomach. I shake the feeling off.

"I thought you said you could never be attracted to humans?"

"I could make an exception." His lids are heavy, eyes trained on mine when they could dip lower to see all of me exposed. It's how I know there's only emptiness behind his words.

Maybe if I weren't a taken woman, I would call his bluff. Unfortunately, it's a risk I cannot take.

In one move, I send a surge of water at his face. The splash drenches him all over again, and he grimaces as I wade away.

"Perhaps you'll have better luck with someone a little more desperate!" I swim to the shore, grinning.

I give him a view of my ass and back as I rise from the water, walking back onto the grass. Thankfully Rhenn left a towel for me. I wrap it around myself before turning to see Maric following me out.

My jaw slackens as my gaze drops back to his cock. It's hard against his stomach, and telling by his smirk, he's not ashamed about it in the slightest.

That thing is utterly terrifying in size, and an effective reminder of why I am not going to get mixed up with a werewolf.

"Maybe next time, he purrs, reaching for his clothing left on the ground.

I'm silent for a moment. I don't buy this sudden alter in his position toward me. Until now, he hasn't shown much interest in me. Especially not sexually.

I wait until he's adorned in trousers again before I advance on him. I shove his shoulder, but the force isn't enough to so much as knock him back a step.

At least it gets his attention.

"What kind of game is this, huh?" Both my brows raise as I scan his stoic expression. "Don't tell me you have any intention of seducing me, after you have made it clear you're not interested in humans."

He sighs, stooping down for his shirt.

"Do we know that?" He looks contemplative as he shrugs it on, concealing his abdomen.

"Go on. Fess up. What's going on?" I shove his shoulder again, but I may as well be chipping at diamond.

His jaw flexes as he looks at me. For a moment, I don't think he's going to entertain my line of questioning.

"You shouldn't have come out here. Even with Rhenn you're not safe." His fingers drag into his hair, ruffling the strands. I ignore the droplets of wetness that dot my skin.

"So?"

"So, would you rather a different unmated male find you out here?" His eyes flash. "Would you have enjoyed his method of seduction more or less than mine?"

Grim realisation makes my stomach stir. His intentions have become as clear as glass.

"That's what that was? You were trying to scare me?" I ask in a hoarse whisper, appalled.

His demonstration failed, evidently. He intended to corner me in the water, make me feel vulnerable. He thought it would teach me never to return here without protection.

He shrugs, his expression irritatingly impassive. "You didn't seem scared."

I stare at him, jaw slack, fingers curled into fists so tight, I wouldn't be surprised if my nails cut into my palms.

"You're unbelievable."

"Coming out here like this makes you vulnerable. I trust my pack members, but there are...other risks."

My attention snags on that. "What other risks?"

He doesn't say anything more, adorning his blood speckled boots.

"Screw you," I growl. "I hope your little lesson didn't repulse you too much."

He frowns. "Repulse me? Did I look repulsed?"

My jaw tightens, remembering the extent of his arousal. I'm sure that was just him getting turned on from taunting me. He's said himself humans don't do it for him.

"I hate you." I cross my arms over my chest.

He shrugs. "Hate me as much as you like, as long as you return to the tent. Now."

I would argue, but a moment more in his presence will send me over the edge, and out here, I don't want to play with fire.

So without another word, I flash a scathing look at him before I disappear into the trees.

🩵••🩵

If you want more, this story is available 10 chapters ahead on Inkit at all times! Just search for Midika Crane (Sophie) and you'll find this work under the stories tab.

I appreciate everyone who supports my work and continues to read my stories. I'm so grateful for you! Enjoy!

~Midika 💜🐈‍⬛