“You and me both. That was a long two years,” I groan. “Never again.”
We laugh, but I mean it. Being away from your pack is no easy task. I get why Ryan sent me away. My dad was able to stay on as beta, but Ryan and Jackson were both thrust into their roles of alpha and delta when Ryan’s father wasn’t able to continue in his role and Jackson’s father died. Still, no matter how much I understood it, I hated every second away.
“At least you’re back now,” Ryan chimes in, clapping me on the back. “You have no idea how much I’ve missed having backup with Sofia.”
“You do realize that watching her sass you is one of my favorite pastimes,” I tease, glancing around for my favorite annoying little sister. Ryan’s my best friend, but I’ve always been close to his sister, too. Despite the nine-year age gap, I consider her one of my closest friends too. Not sure she feels the same way, given how protective of her I am.
It must be annoying.
“Yeah, sass isn’t the problem,” Ryan sighs. “Not that she’s any less full of attitude, but she’s not a kid anymore.”
“Where is she anyway?” I ask, looking around at the group that’s gathered together for my welcome home party. Of everyone, I think I’ve missed Sofia the most. I talked to Ryan weekly, my parents and Jackson regularly too, but I haven’t spoken to Sofia since I left.
Still, I thought she’d be the first to welcome me back.
Ryan nods to the water in time to see Sofia haul herself onto the dockfrom the lake, water streaming down her golden skin, laughter ringing out as she shoves a warrior boy twice her size back into thewater. She’s eighteen now and shit, she definitely doesn’t look like a kid anymore.
She was already tall when I left, but now she has filled out too. Gone is the gangly teenager, and in her place is an Amazonian beauty with curves for days. Her bright pink bikini shows her toned stomach, her full breasts, and her shapely hips. She turns to say something to one of the guys she’s with, and I take in the curve of her round ass. She’s laughing, but when she turns back, her eyes meet mine and her smile falters.
Something similar to uncertainty flashes across her perfect face, and I wonder what my face tells her. I can’t let her know how I’m looking at her. I can’t let anyone know how I’m looking at her.
Because it’s sick. I’m sick. She’seighteen. Damn it.
She might have a woman’s body, but she’s way too young for me.
The intensity of my stare on her feels unbearable; I need to look away before anyone notices. But yet, I can’t tear my gaze away. The air is sucked out of my lungs when she starts walking towards me. Rivulets of water run between the valley of her breasts, and it’s taking every ounce of restraint to keep my gaze on her face.
“Hey, Luca,” she whispers. Her voice is breathy, and when she hugs me, I can feel the hard peaks of her nipples against my chest. My wolf charges forward. The word ‘mine’ swims in my head, and I have to swallow a growl by faking a coughing fit. Fuck.
“You okay, man?” Jackson asks while slapping my back.
“Uh, yeah, fine. What are you wearing, Princess?” I ask. “You look ridiculous.”
Hereyes blaze before narrowing at me. “You haven’t spoken to me in two years, and that’s what you want to say to me? Seriously? Asshole.”
She storms away before looking back over her shoulder and adding, “And I look fucking hot, dickwad.”
And she does. She is so fucking hot it’s painful to look at her. Like staring into the sun. And I need to look away before I get burned.
“See what I mean?” Ryan says with a chuckle, but I know we’re seeing two completely different problems. He’s seeing his sister as a woman he needs to protect, whereas I’m the one she needs protecting from.
Present
By the time I get home from patrol, it’s nearly three in the morning. I quietly open my front door, unsure if Sofia will even be here or if she’ll have stayed with Jackson and Emily or snuck out to spend the night in the pack house. But the sweet-spicy scent that’s uniquely Sofia wraps around me as soon as I step inside. Relief loosens something tight in my chest.
Except the bed is empty.
I strip down to my boxers and try to settle in, but it’s no use. My wolf prowls, restless, and uneasy. I can’t settle without knowingwhere she is. It doesn’t take long to find her curled up on the couch with a blanket. My wolf huffs out an unimpressed breath. This won’t do at all. Careful not to wake her and face the attitude I’m sure she will give me; I cradle her body against mine and carry her to my bedroom.
Our bedroom.
She stirs and nuzzles into my neck. The memory of her grinding her pussy against me earlier today is front and center in my mind. My cock immediately jumps to attention, and my wolf purrs—ecstatic—despite my blue balls.
Fuck, this is torture.
I wonder how Sofia felt when she realized there was only one bed. I got rid of the guest bed along with all the soft furnishings in the house. Can’t have anything here that smells of any female other than my goddess of a mate. And when I was buying new furniture, I decided one bed was all I needed. I wanted there to be no choice if fate ever brought her back here. She’d have to sleep beside me.
I lay my mate gently on the bed and pull the covers over her before sliding in to join her. My cock throbs painfully, but as I’m about to climb out to sort myself out, Sofia rolls over, instinctively throwing her leg across me. She nuzzles into my neck, and I hear her wolf purring.
