My Neighbor is a Wolf

Chapter Five

Hunter

Friday Night

W hen I forced my eyes open, the living room was blanketed in darkness. I groaned, my mind still waking up, and stretched out my stiff limbs. Falling asleep on the couch wasn't something I typically did, but then my senses woke up and Rachael's scent filled my nose.

I looked around the room for her. Short of the half-eaten bowl of soup on the coffee table, there was no trace of her. It was like I had imagined the last twenty-four hours.

Sitting up, I rubbed my face and blinked away the remaining bits of sleep. My stomach churned. She left you, idiot . We hadn't talked about everything, most importantly how she had been feeling. I was stupid to think she was okay with who I was.

I flopped back onto the couch, throwing my arm over my eyes. A groan powered by all built up frustration in my chest left my throat. Yes, I know I had brought this upon myself. I had fallen for the human.

Liliana and Benny were going to have a field day with this though. They'd be asking questions about where she went and what I did to scare her off. I would have to convince them that Rachael would keep our secret. Plus, if I left for my hunting trip now, I could forgo the party entirely and buy myself a few more days.

Anxiety coursed through my body. My wolf needed its release. Tomorrow was the full moon and I was pushing my luck. Shifting was natural to me. When I didn't do it, my skin felt like it was constantly crawling and, each day, it became a little harder to control the impulses.

The creak of a door followed by footsteps pulled me out of my thoughts. I lifted my arm and the breath caught in my lungs when I saw Rachael standing over me. Reaching behind me, I flicked on the end table lamp and the room was cast in a warm glow.

I looked back to Rachael who was smiling down at me. Relief flooded through me as my heart hammered away in my chest. Everything else was completely forgotten.

“Hey sleepyhead.” Her hair was a mess, falling down in clumps around her face. She had on her oversized t-shirt and was still naked from the waist down. A fact I smiled to myself about. She was also putting weight on her injured foot which was a good sign. The tea Benny brewed for her had worked.

I sat up and pulled her into my lap. She laughed as she settled into me. The kind of laugh that could make a man addicted. Who was I kidding? This woman already had me wrapped around her finger and she didn’t even know it.

“I thought you left,” I muttered, not sure she even heard.

Rachael wrapped her arms around my neck and laid her head on my shoulder. I nuzzled my nose into her hair, soaking up the moment and memorizing every detail. The way her hair smelled. The way her body fit against mine, like a missing puzzle piece that I have spent forever searching for.

“Just had to use the bathroom,” she whispered into my neck. “You looked so peaceful. I didn’t want to wake you.”

I tightened my hold on her, refusing to listen to my self-doubt telling me this was all a dream. One that I was bound to wake up from any moment.

“Hunter?” she asked.

“Yeah?” I mumbled into her hair.

“Were you planning on leaving for a trip or something?”

“What?” I pulled away, immediately missing the spicy scent of her shampoo.

She lifted her head and nodded towards the pile of bags near my front door. I had forgotten about them.

“Yeah, I had been. I go on a hunting trip once a month.”

“Oh,” she whispered. She moved to get off my lap and, as much as I wanted to keep her here where she belonged, I let her slide off and settle on the couch next to me. “Do you mean hunting or hunting ?”

The way she said it the second time, a hint of innuendo with a raised eyebrow, told me she was smarter than I was giving her credit for.

“I think it’s time we had more of a conversation, sweetheart.” As much as I hated to say it, I knew it was time.

“Okay.” She crossed her legs under her and sank into the couch, pulling the blanket onto her lap. If there was one thing I learned about her over the last twenty-four hours, she loved being cozy. I made a note to keep that blanket out on the couch for her. That is if she didn't immediately run for the hills after I told her everything.

“I don’t know where to start.” I ran my hand through my hair and scrubbed at my face, trying to figure out a way to say everything I needed to without scaring her. Then a soft hand rested on my knee. I met Rachael’s gaze as she silently encouraged me.

“For generations, wolf shifters have been able to live among humans. We're able to control our shifting and, for the most part, nothing changes. I'm just really into red meat.” Rachael let out a small laugh.

“Well, my great grandpa cheated on a witch when he was young. And she cursed our pack. We still have control of our shifting but we have to hunt during the full moon. Not humans, but other animals and such.” I paused, debating on continuing. She needed to know the most important part of the curse.

Hunting wasn't optional. If we didn't do it on the full moon, then the next time we shifted would be our last. Our wolf instincts would take over and being around humans would end poorly. At least, that was what had been passed down for generations.

I took a deep breath, resigning to wait to tell her until after we had a little more time together. But the clock was running out and the moon was growing fuller. I shook my head to clear my mind. I could keep this secret to myself a little longer.

“It's always been a part of who I am,” I sighed. “Liliana and Benny know about my monthly hunting trips but I've never told them the details. It's normal to me and telling other people makes it feel less so. It's easier just to keep this secret to myself, ya know?”

My heart was beating wildly in my chest. I forced myself to focus only on Rachael's hand, using the single point of contact to ground myself the best I could.

“Hunter, that's… I mean… Wow.” She exhaled and squeezed my knee. My chest tightened with a mix of emotions: anxious, vulnerable, and even a little relieved. I may not have said everything that I should have but it was enough to feel like I wasn't carrying all the weight on my shoulders anymore.

“I know this is a lot and I wouldn't blame you if you needed some space. Or whatever. I don't expect you to just accept all of this.” Her hand left my knee and I drew in a quick breath, expecting her to leave.

Instead, she climbed on top of me and straddled my legs. Her hands cupped my face. She kissed me, the softest of kisses. When she sat back, her eyes shone in the soft light.

“I'm not going anywhere,” she whispered.

“But…”

“Hunter, I'm not going anywhere. Thank you for trusting me with this piece of you. Truthfully, I always felt like something drew me to this place. I've always believed there was more out there. And now, I've found it.”

I crashed my lips into hers, my hands sliding under her shirt to grip her bare hips. Her fingers threaded through my hair and tugged at my roots. She moaned into my mouth as I ran my thumbs along the inside of her thighs. I swallowed every sound and relished in the way her body responded to me.

“Shit, Rachael,” I growled, grabbing her wrists and tugging them away from my hair. “You’re making it really fucking hard to be a gentleman right now.”

“Then don’t.”

“Are you sure?” She nodded in response but it wasn't enough. I wanted to hear it from those pretty lips of hers. “I need you to say the words, sweetheart.”

“Fuck me, Hunter. Please.”

“It will be my pleasure.” I slid my hands under her ass and stood. My lips found hers once more, exploring every inch of her mouth as she pressed herself against my chest.

Somehow, I made it into the bedroom without injury. My shins hit the mattress and I lowered Rachael to the sheet. She laid back, her hair falling out from her bun and framing her face. Her cheeks were flushed, presumably from our short make out session.

My hands moved from the globes of her ass to the front of her thighs. I enjoyed the soft moans that left her lips as my thumbs worked into her tense muscles.

“Hunter, please,” Rachael whined as she looked up at me through hooded eyes. I smiled to myself.

It was time to show this goddess of a woman what it felt like to be with a proper man.