I shrug, tucking her back into place between my arms. “Silas, calling someone else a shit show. He’s a hot mess if I’ve ever met one.”
Mona dims. “That’s what everyone says about him.”
“What they say doesn’t matter. What he is, what he was… we still love Silas—not out of obligation, but because he’s ours. Wild and reckless, sure, but he has a good heart. He does completely outrageous things without remorse. Yeah, that used to get him into trouble a lot. But people only remember the bad. One time when we were kids, there was this delta girl in our schoolhouse—it was tiny back then, only ten of us total. Anyway, this girl, she could shift but mostly presented as human, even wore glasses.
“Silas teased her, flirted with her. Meanwhile, the other guys claimed he wasn’t serious, pushed her around about it. One day they convinced her that Silas was just mocking her behind her back. She was crushed. She thought he really liked her, or that they were friends at least. And you know what Silas did?”
“What?” Mona asks.
“He told everyone she was his girlfriend. Started walking her to and from school every single day. Brought her flowers. Flirted with her in front of everyone.”
“So he pretended to like her to save her feelings?”
“No, hedidlike her. That’s the thing about Silas. He likes everybody. It may not seem like it, especially right now… but he thought she was great. And he hated that everyone thought, because of his status as Lune’s son, and because of how dominant his alpha was, that he couldn’t be attracted to a girl like that. It pissed him off so much that he made sure everyone knew how special she was.”
Tears prick at Mona’s eyes as I hug her closer. “That’s really sweet. Kinda macho, but sweet.”
I laugh. “Yeah, most of his sweet stories involve girls. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. I’ve made peace with who he is. Was…”
“Not all the stories are like that, but he was always sticking up for the underdog. He didn’t take shit seriously, he fucked around way too much, he definitely let Grayson take on the burden of running the clan more than he should have… but he also helped me and Gray find a balance. The New Moon runs, have you heard about those?”
Mona groans. “Cora told me.”
“Cora is a traditionalist. She approves of very little. I can only imagine what she said about the New Moon runs. She also always made it seem like it was Grayson’s idea, as another way to get his loose cannon brother under control. But it was Silas’s idea. Said wolves needed to run free. Be less rigid. And he was right. We had more matings and small packs form during those runs than at any other time.”
Mona laughs. “So it was a fuckfest. Why am I not surprised he was enthusiastic about that idea?”
I chuckle. “It wasn’t a fuckfest. It was… a time to remind ourselves that we are not human. That we live in nature, we have two forms, and we can run free. The full moon run, the holidays, those are about community and strength. The new moon was aboutpotential.”
As Mona relaxes, her sweet honey scent grows sharper. We watch the animals in the distance scurry, the birds swoop through the sky. Then she shifts in my arms and turns to face me.
“You’re always defending those you love. You did it before with Grayson. And now, with Silas.”
I shrug, a little uncomfortable with the observation.
When I say nothing, she presses on. “You’re pretty fucking awesome, Orion. Have I told you that?”
I smile, and this time, it takes on a sharper edge. “No. Tell me again.” I run my teeth along her jawline as she tilts her head toward me.
She whispers, “Okay,” then turns in my arms. She presses against me until my back finds the boulder and she settles her weight onto my lap, thighs clamping around me. My hands hold her generous hips while her fingers dig under my shirt, nails scraping across my stomach and chest before working the fabric up, making my entire body tense with pleasure. Hungry eyes lock with mine as she fights with my belt, hands shaking as the sound of metal and leather give way, zipper pulling down. I thrust my hips upward, paralyzed with need as she yanks the rest of my clothes off.
“Oh, fuck me,” I rasp as her fingers wrap around my cock the instant it springs free, a glistening bead forming at the tip.
She squeezes until I gasp, twisting her fist root to tip. I stare at her straddling my lap, bee-stung lips parted, freckles against flushed skin, bright blue eyes dark with desire. She doesn’t break our gaze as saliva drips deliberately from between her prettylips, landing on my slit. A jolt rips through me, sending shivers along my spine when it lands.
She spits again, then grips me so tight I see stars, pumping up, thumb circling the sensitive head before plunging back down. My breath catches and my hips buck involuntarily, desperately trying to meet each stroke, chasing the electric need building at the base of my spine.
“You’re pretty fucking awesome, Orion,” she repeats. Then takes me into her mouth.
“Oh,oh—” I moan, the surprise of it almost as thrilling as the feel of her warm mouth and velvety tongue as she swallows me down. “My fuckingfuck, oh, just like that. Oh, just like that, ahh—”
She relaxes her throat and bobs her head before picking up speed, all the while twisting the base of my length with her hand, massaging my balls with the other. She hollows out her cheeks and sucks deeper. My eyes roll back as I grunt, “Fuck yes, suck it harder. That’s so good, firefly.”
I swear she’s sucking down my soul. Every touch, the rhythm, the feel of her. Mona, my mate, has my cock in her mouth. How did I get so lucky?
My fingers wrap around my knot and the second I squeeze, it pulses back against my hand.
