Looking To Belong (A Runt's Story)

Chapter 23

Will didn't have any issues the rest of the evening. He flopped backwards onto the bed with a groan. I chuckled and shifted into wolf form before jumping on his chest to gaze down at him. He opened his eyes and smiled up at me. "You have no idea how hard it was to not feed you that dessert."

I wolf-grinned at him in amusement while wagging my tail. I had sensed his internal struggle during supper, but since it was just the mate bond being its usual pushy self, it hadn't worried me. He grinned at my expression as he linked his hands behind his head.

He took a deep breath as he closed his eyes, quite relaxed now that we were alone. I lay down and slid halfway off his chest before shifting back to human form. I was now leaning on top of Will's chest while the rest of my body rested on the bed.

His eyes opened in surprise, and I grinned at his reaction. I said, "Yeah, I felt it as I was eating. I didn't pry, but it was quite clearly reflected in your surface emotions, although you did manage to maintain your composure remarkably well."

Reaching up to caress my cheek, he said, "What exactly can you sense? I know in theory that Omegas can sense general emotions, but I am not sure how much they can pick up."

I tilted my head as I considered it. "It does depend on how strong one's ability is, and mine is pretty strong in that area. I can pick up a person's overall mood if they are in the vicinity. If they are close by, I can look deeper, so to speak, and can sense the weaker emotions or if someone is trying to hide an emotion. I generally don't look below the surface, neither do most Omegas."

He inquired, "What do my surface emotions show at the moment?"

"Mostly contentment, some curiosity, and an undertone of love." I grinned.

With a faint smile, he raised an eyebrow. "Just an undertone of love?"

I chuckled as I admitted, "It pretty much leaks through your other emotions like water through a sieve."

He rolled over so that I was underneath him while he was propped up on his elbows. He grinned at me. "Let's see if this has any effect."

He leaned down to kiss me on my lips. Sparks exploded from our kiss, and it felt like a shock to my system. Like a powerful drug, it was addictive and I instantly wanted more. I reached up to run my one hand through his hair as our kiss deepened on its own accord.

His hands moved to lightly hold my head on either side as a low possessive growl rumbled in Will's chest. His own emotions were as chaotic as my own. Desire and want were the most noticeable emotions in Will's aura at this point. I wasn't much better.

Will gently broke the kiss as we breathed hard. Neither of us had been prepared for what had just happened. Will's eyes were dark as he panted, "It might be best if you shifted. Your wolf form doesn't provoke such emotions."

I swiftly shifted before leaning up to lick the side of his face. He relaxed and rolled to the side so he was lying beside me. He said, "I hadn't expected that, and from your reaction, neither did you."

I snuggled closer to him without answering. He chuckled at my lack of response. His desire and want had swiftly receded once I shifted, to be replaced by a protective mindset. He scooped me up before climbing under the covers. His arms held me close as we slowly fell asleep.

~

       It no longer surprised me to wake up curled tightly against Will's chest. One would think that he was scared of me disappearing as he slept. I thought about simply relaxing, but I had my own priorities this morning. I managed to turn my head to examine his brown hair. I nuzzled my nose deep in his hair, it was so soft. I exhaled slowly in contentment, although I did resist the urge to lick it like I had the other day. He would probably think that there was something wrong with me if I did it again.