Charmed Wolf

his fingers knew just how to soothe it. The fire in the stove had burned down, but we were warm beneath the covers. I was glad of my tower’s soundproofing when I exploded beneath his touch.
There in that dark haze of persimmon, he murmured, “May I stay?”
And I don’t know what I said. Maybe nothing. All I know is that I pressed my body against his, unwilling to lose this stolen instant. I always woke before dawn, so it wouldn’t be a problem to hustle him down the stairs before the pack started moving. It wouldn’t be a problem to....
“Alpha?” The ping from Caitlyn woke me out of a dream so warm and rich I couldn’t quite manage to pry my eyes open. “I have important information. May I enter?”
I snuggled deeper into the blankets, lost in the illusion of heat and persimmons. The floor would be cold. For once, I would use my status as Alpha and make Caitlyn come to me. “Yes, of course. Same code will undo the lock.”
On the other side of the tower, my door creaked open. Cold air rushed in, carrying with it the scents of pack and fur and morning.
“Alpha, I’m sorry to wake you, but I know you didn’t want anyone to see us speaking.”
“It’s fine.” I pushed back the covers, hoping cold would clear away the languor. A haze of happiness encompassed and slowed my brain.
What cut through the haze was a gasp from Caitlyn. That plus a deep chuckle curling up from the point where someone else’s flesh pressed into my flesh.
I stared down at what I’d thought was a dream. A blazing hot dream full of joy and new experiences.
Nope, Rune was real. He was there. In my bed.
Not a dream. A reality.
Caitlyn’s mouth hung open, but at least she didn’t scream.

Chapter 25
Rune’s clothes were on, I was relieved to see as he sat up beside me. So were mine, except for my unzipped fly. “Shut the door,” Rune suggested.
Unlike the teenager who’d run in search of a sandwich yesterday, Caitlyn didn’t obey him. Instead, her gaze flew to mine, confusion writ large across her face. “Have you chosen a Consort, Alpha?”
It was a valid question. And at the same time it felt like nobody’s business except Rune’s and mine.
Only...that wasn’t true. My time with Rune wasn’t undertaken for mere personal pleasure. The Consort was chosen for the sake of the pack. So I nodded at Caitlyn then gestured at the door that still gaped as wide as her eyes.
And Caitlyn did as I bid. Reaching back with one heel, she tapped the door shut. The latch clicked into place, closing out even the slight possibility that another pack mate might see us. Only then did I speak.
“I know this is confusing, but you won’t mention what you saw here,” I told Caitlyn, putting alpha dominance behind the growl. I couldn’t risk her sharing my choice of Consort before I was ready. Still, the hurt on her face panged my gut.
“Of course not, Alpha,” the girl replied once her lips unfroze. “But if you don’t want anyone to know....” She cleared her throat, gaze dropping to the floor. “The sheets.... They’ll smell....”
Despite myself, I leaned down and sniffed the bedding. For a split second, I was lost in the remnant of persimmon and pleasure.
My pleasure, not his. Rune had been true to his word.
Still, his signature aroma clung where he’d lain. I could shower persimmon off my skin, but not off the sheets. Caitlyn was right.
As if he’d heard my thoughts, Rune’s warmth slid away from me. His feet were light on the floor as he stripped off the comforter. “I’ll take care of it.” His quiet words sent streaks of remembered pleasure through my body. “Shower,” he suggested, “and I’ll wash the bedding and your clothes.”
“Alpha, he can’t!” Caitlyn’s words caught me as I turned toward my en suite bathroom. And, again, she was right. I needed to get my head on straight and stop relying on the brains of a fifteen-year-old.
Because Rune wandering into the laundry room with my sheets in his arms was as big of an announcement as us parading the entire clan through my tower. I couldn’t let myself be muddled by the memory of Rune’s hands and mouth on me. I gritted my teeth and straightened my spine.
I was Alpha. Best start acting like one.
“Rune, your clothing is also a problem. You’ll either need to go wolf, hole up here until they’re clean, or find new ones. Caitlyn, you’ll deal with the dirty clothes and bedding.”
My tone had been harsh, but the delegation of responsibility was harsher. Cleaning the Alpha’s chambers was a chore reserved for children not yet old enough to shift to wolf form. For them, it was an excuse to revel in my aroma. For a teenager, the assignment was worse than the slap I’d thrown at her by the bonfire. No wonder Caitlyn wilted beneath my command.
Her gaze stuck to the floor, but she didn’t argue. Her answer, when it came, was mouse meek. “Yes, Alpha.”
Rune huffed something deep in his throat that wasn’t quite words, but I ignored him. Remaining focused on the present, I demanded: “Now, I will hear your report.”
THE REPORT WASN’T GOOD. Four of the wolves who hadn’t leapt over the bonfire by the time Natalie showed up were easily goaded into doing so by their young pack mates. The fifth had snapped at Caitlyn to leave him alone.
That same wolf had been the only pack mate who hadn’t been in his proper place when Kale went missing. He’d been one of two shifters sent to pick up Natalie’s son from school, but had chosen to run home rather than ride back in the car.
“And where was Ash last night?” I stalked from one side of my tower to the other, tossing questions at Caitlyn.
“I watched him, Alpha. He was in his room. He didn’t go anywhere.”
“All night?”
“All night.”
“And