The Alpha King's Hunt

Chapter 25

Valarie

"Please," I begged quietly through clenched teeth.

My toes were curled, thighs tight with need. I'd been on the edge of an orgasm for the better part of a half-hour now and it didn't look like I'd be reaching it anytime soon.

With a whimper I pressed my head back into the pillow, fingers working furiously at my folds and clit.

What could possibly be the problem – I was wet. More wet than I'd ever gotten myself alone. It wasn't so hard, I'd found out, just days away from a transformation and with very real very memories to call upon.

The problem was that I kept fighting them. Fighting the appearance of Gabriel's concentrated gaze as he'd stared up at me, the surface of his tongue as he licked at me.

I just couldn't re-create the same feeling myself.

With an angry groan I snapped my legs together and rolled out of the bed completely naked, taking three long strides to try and cool down.

It was almost four in the morning. I'd been tossing and turning all night. Sleeping only lightly, and then frustrated, woken by the sensation of hands that didn't exist running over my skin.

It was the wolf.

She'd gotten like this before, with John. More demanding. Back then I hadn't been able to control it and it had been part of what scared him away. But I paced my room now knowing that if I were with Gabriel he would be excited by this – by my hunger, how wet I was, how ready I was to jump him.

But he wasn't here. And I wouldn't seek him out.

With a growl I stalked over to the dresser and ripped a drawer open, pulling out an old t-shirt that was a few sizes too big. It barely touched my body – only rubbed against my collarbones and nipples but even that was almost too much. I bit back another whimper and felt a rush of wet between my legs. Everything in here was sensory over load; thick carpet between my toes, the warmth of the room.

I walked slowly out into the living area and checked Sophia's door. The light was off and moonlight spilled across the room.

Almost against my will, my eyelids drooped shut. It was the pull of it. It had always been this way at home; the moon called to me more than anyone else I knew. Mom and dad responded to it, Jason stayed up extra late when the moon was coming full, but with me it was different. I needed to be out there.

Walking quickly and silently, I pried open the biggest window and stepped out into the garden.

The feel of dirt beneath my bare feet sent a shiver running up my spine. I inhaled deeply, smelling the very bottom layer of leaves decaying against the earth. The night air made the hair on my arms stand up and I rocked up onto the balls of my feet, stretching.

The moon was only a fingernail's width away from being full. At almost four in the morning it was unmistakable in the sky with a slight red tinge to the halo around it.

The trees hushed in a breeze and the shadows on the ground shifted. But one continued moving after the trees had settled down.

I froze, vision shifting as the wolf surfaced. She was better at seeing in the dark and it was easier to follow the fast, lithe movements of whoever was slipping from tree to tree.

The wind was carrying in the other direction and I couldn't smell them. I wondered briefly if they could smell me. But their pace was steady and I followed, leaning into the run, lips parted in excitement.

They skirted the edge of the garden along the walls and windows a few yards ahead of me. Dipping low under a copse of lilac trees I felt better than I had all month. This is what I missed about home.