Ascension - Book Eight - Man x Man

Chapter 54

Was that even possible? Subconsciously, I place my hand over my stomach, not even daring to allow myself to entertain something like that. Female lycans weren't necessarily widely studied, in fact, there were very few of them. My father had made certain lycan's were sterile, it was the only way to assure the market would remain restricted. 

As time had gone on, we'd found that the males weren't sterile as Verando had gotten Penelope pregnant, and then Marisol. The breed, in itself, was quite misunderstood due to their practical extinction. But, it would seem they were quite fluid in their sexuality, perhaps there was flexibility through their makeup that we had yet to understand?

So what had changed? Had time weakened the spell? In a time drowning in stress, reproduction hadn't necessarily been on anyone's mind and for the most part, it would seem magic users enjoyed their lycan slaves too much to allow them to reproduce among themselves. I shudder to think how many of these hidden wolves that walked among us today came from crossbreeding that went unreported? 

We hadn't gotten to be around long enough to see what became of any interspecies co-mingling. 

His silence is deafening, I sit up abruptly, "That's not possible, is it?"

Verando exhales, running a hand through his hair as he considers it. "You're male, darling. A heat cycle is for reproduction, it's more of a fluke than anythin'. A rare occurrence from what we understood." Taking my hand, he presses my knuckles to his lips, savoring my scent. "I didn't allow females in the army for that reason, a heat cycle is not their fault but when it happens, it's catastrophic. In such early days, none of our masters kept females within reach of us.

I couldn't afford a bunch of distracted males, but I've also not been around a female in that situation. If I remember correctly, it was a seasonal thing." He yawns, stretching out as he seems to consider my sanity.

I had no womb, nothing that would produce a need for such a thing. There was no place for anything to grow, no reality in which this was realistic for me. "So it's not common?"

He shrugs, "What is common in a magically induced condition? Every wolf is different, but as a male, you shouldn't have something like that. Why don't we just chalk it up to a Siren-induced state of euphoria and leave it at that? Don't fret about it, love." Kissing my palm, he slides out of bed and buttons his pants as he stands.

I admire the plains of his back, the way his body moves beneath his shirt, I envision him naked before me and nearly ravage him again. It's enough to make my mouth water, the tanned skin plays interestingly against the light streaming in the window. I spy a glimpse of the black scarring at the nape of his neck and shudder at the wishful thinking that I could spend all day up here with him.

"I wish I could gain more control of these emotions, between the younger version of you and my wolf, I'll be driven to madness by the time this is over. I'd really hoped I was getting the hang of this." 

Smirking, he pulls me to my feet with startling accuracy as he clutches me to his chest, burying his nose in my hair with an appreciative hum. I nuzzle against him instinctively, soothed by his possessive nature. 

"You've done wonderfully. I'm continually impressed by how much you've improved. Don't forget you were practically nonverbal at one point, claiming me as your own is quite normal. At the risk of sounding cliche, as far as our wolves are concerned, we are mates and it's about as animalistic as it gets."

Flushing, I sigh as I press my cheek to his chest, listening to his pounding heartbeat and enjoying the warmth of his body. The strong arms wrapped around me bring me comfort, yet fracture me as I consider just how much he'd grown since the slight version from his youth. It was hard not to compare the two. "You don't have many moments like this," I complain. "You hardly even seem jealous anymore. You could act more feral, I might like to see your 'Alpha' side return."