Fox Ensnared

Part 2

The whole way back to my dorm, I am looking over my shoulder. By the time I reach my room, I have worked myself into a nervous wreck. Once inside, I lean against my door and exhale the breath I have been holding.

Owen is still asleep. Taking up the whole bed, arms spread wide like a starfish. I take a moment to watch him. He is a lovely-looking wolf. Sharp cheekbones, bright eyes. Full lips. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to kiss him. Not that I ever would. He is my best friend. But I can't help but see the beauty in all that is Owen Mcgregory. The female wolves are only interested in the alphas or betas. They won't spare him a look. Stuck up bitches.

I walk over to the bed and crawl on top of Owen, who is sleeping. I straddle him and lay my head on his chest. The sound of his heart beating and deep breathing is the perfect cure for my apprehension.

His arms wrap around my back, pulling me closer. I feel a light kiss on the top of my head.

"Did you have a nice run?" His voice was thick with sleep.

I smile against his hard chest. "Did I wake you?"

"It's rude to answer a question with a question." My smile grows wider, so wide I'm afraid my face might split. I sit up and look down at Owen. His eyes are still closed.

"Yes, it was nice until the end." My smile drops into a frown. Sleepy eyes pop open, clouded with concern.

"Why? What happened?" I debate on what to tell him. "Payton?" he prompts me.

"I ran into a wolf that my fox wanted to play with." I look off to the side, suddenly very interested in my white walls. A hand brushes my face, drawing my eyes back.

"And?" Owen drops his hand and leans up on his elbows. Causing his hips to brush my sensitive area.

"The wolf ran off, and I went back to where I left my clothes. I shifted, and that's when I noticed the wolf watching me. But it wasn't the wolf's eyes that were watching me."

Shifters respect each other's privacy. We don't openly gawk at another naked shifter like that. It's bad form.

"Who was it?" Owen's voice is all wolf. His wolf is usually not so verbal, so this outburst is shocking.

I stroke his chest to calm his wolf. "I don't know. Just a huge black wolf I have never seen before."

Owen's eyebrows shoot to his hairline. "What is it?" I whisper yell.

"The only new black wolf here is Riven."

All the air leaves my body at once. Riven!

After the relation that Riven was perving on me. I am both pissed and a little flattered. Owen is just as pissed. His eyes flash amber, and fur ripples down his arm. He paces back in forth with a scow on his face. "Stop pacing, Owen!" I bark. He walks over to the bed where I am sitting and drops between my legs. My mind flashes to naughty thoughts, but I quickly shove them away. Bestfriend remember. I tell myself and not my mate. Owen has a wolf mate out there somewhere waiting for him.

"I'm sorry, but what he did was disrespectful. I wish I could......" I grabbed Owen's chin and turned his face up.

"Don't. I can handle myself. You know this. And if you and Riven got into a fight, YOU WOULD LOSE!" Embarrassment flashes in his eyes, and I feel bad about my bluntness, but it is true.

"If he hurt you, I would have to murder him in cold blood." I run my hand down Owen's neck, stopping at the base of his throat. The thoughts pushed to the front of my mind again, thoughts I shouldn't be having about my best friend. I don't know what has gotten into me lately. My fox must be close to her heat cycle.

"I'm sorry I am a weak omega that can't protect you. It's you always protecting me." He rests his palms on the thighs. They are warm and feel nice against my exposed skin. I stand up, knocking his hands loose. I take a few steps away to clear my head. Owen looks even more unmoored.

I panicked, thinking he got the wrong impression. I drop to my knees in front of him. We are at eye level now.

"You are not weak. I love everything about you and your wolf." I reach out and take his hand in mine. They are soft and rough at the same time. I bring his palm up to my face and nuzzle into it. He always smells like citrus and mint.

"I love that you always make me feel calm and not alone." I look into his eyes and hold his stare. His tongue comes out to wet his lips, and my eyes zero in on that small movement. My mind is screaming at me to back away to put space between us. But my body is screaming for something else. Damn, this heat for sneaking up on me like this.

I lean in, and Owen's eyes widen with confusion and disbelief. His lips left into a crooked grin, and that is my undoing. With what little control I have left, I whisper, "It's my heat cycle; you should go."

The grin slips."Is that the only reason?" Hope shines in his dark brown eyes.

My mind races for the right thing to say. I don't want to hurt him, but at the same time, I can't confess my feelings, not now when my hormones are confusing me.

"No, yes, I don't know. I...I find you beautiful inside and out, and sometimes I have inappropriate thoughts, but we can't." My body is screaming at me to shut up. "I'm not your mate." My heart shatters with those four words.

He scoffs." I'm an omega. No female wolf will ever have me for a mate." He leans his forehead against mine, exhaling all the frustration he is feeling. I know because I feel it, too.

Just give in, just this one time.

My body reacts on its own. My brain protests, but I block it out. My hormones are in control. The world around me blurred out. There was only Owen and me. His lips felt soft and palpable against mine. The kiss started out slow and sweet at first, but when I parted my mouth, Owen took full advantage. Gone was the shy omega. Our lips battled for dominance.

I pulled away first, gasping for air, my body on fire. I tilted my head back, and Owen licked up my throat to my chin. I groaned embarrassingly loud. If I don't stop this now, there will be no turning back. "Owen," I murmur. "I need you to be the responsible one now at this moment."

Hands kneed my lower back, causing me to arch my chest up. Owen stops licking my neck and meets my lust-filled eyes. "If that's what you want?"

Is it?

I hesitate, and he smiles. It's the most alluring thing I have ever seen. But is it real? Is it just my hormones riding me to procreate?

"What if it messes everything between us up?" I pant.

"I won't let it. Payton, let me take care of you for once." I can't speak, so I just nod my head.

Every caress, every touch, every glance, every last bit of my body has its secret, and Owen knows how to wake them all. We conquer each other.

And afterward, we lied and looked at each other. I don't know what he sees, but I see tenderness and love. I don't know where he got his kindness without self-regard, but I am lucky to have him in my life. My eyelids grow heavy, and soon, sleep pulls me under.

When I wake again, he is still staring at me."Do you remember what we did? Please say you remember." I briefly toyed with the idea of saying no just to see the look on his face.

"Yes, I remember, and don't you think for one minute that just because you had me on my back screaming your name, it gives you any kind of ownership over me."

He looked annoyed, then relieved, then he laughed. "Yeah, whatever, baby. You will always belong to me, one way or another." I don't argue because what he says is fact. We will always own a part of each other.

I should get up. I planned on doing recon for my next hunt. I have waited long enough. I need to finish what I started. I open my lips to say just that, but instead, what comes out is.

"Again, please," My voice breathy with need.

Somehow, something changed. Something unspoken passed between us. I took my time exploring his body in a way I hadn't done before. I traced every line, every curve, and savored the feel of his skin beneath my lips and fingertips.

Forgotten was the implication of what we had done.

Gone was the need to hunt.