HAVEN
It took far less time than I thought it would for Harrison and Emily to organize a visit to the oracles for us. One perk of them owning a private jet. A luxurious private jet I now sat in as we flew over the continental US towards the Atlantic Ocean and Greece.
We would first land in Athens, then get on a smaller plane to hop over to Santorini. And then, from there, we would take a ferry to the magically concealed island that held the temple of Selene, the temple where the oracles lived and worked.
I stared out the window. My chin rested on my arms, and my arms rested on the back of the plush, cream-colored couch in the secluded room Wesley had claimed as “ours” for the flight. He was out in the main cabin, speaking with Nolan about the details of our trip.
Even with how tired I was, my brain would not stop working overtime. There were still so many questions, so many unknowns. So many things I needed more information about.
The pocket door slid open, and Wesley slipped inside, a bottle of water in each hand. He smiled at me as he closed the door behind him, then crouched in front of me, handing me a water bottle.
“You should sleep, Sugar Plum,” he said, rubbing my leg. “We still have a long flight ahead of us. Nolan is already snoring.”
“I can’t relax,” I told him. “My brain won’t turn off.”
“Let me help you,” he murmured, kissing my forehead before standing up.
He walked to the wall and pushed a button, making light-canceling shutters descend over the windows and dimming the lights in the room to a low glow. He set his water down on the small tray, grabbed a blanket, then sat at the other end of the couch, patting the tops of his thighs.
“Lay down,” he ordered me in a low voice.
I blew out a breath and scooted over to him, unable to resist the warmth of his body and the deep voice he liked to use when he was in his protective, bossy pants Wes mode. My head descended into his lap, facing him, and he spread the blanket over me. His hand played with my hair, still slightly damp from the speedy shower we took before we left Crescent Lake.
“Tell me what’s on your mind,” he said as I looked up into his deep chocolate-brown eyes.
“What did you mean when you said you need to know when to mark me?”
His hand stilled on my hair for a split second, then began moving again. “Since you’re human, I have to mark you under the same moon phase you were born under,” he murmured. His fingers lingered on that ultra-sensitive place on my neck he’d shown me when he first told me about marking, and
I shivered and bit my lip at the tender touch. “But I don’t know what phase that is because—”
“Because you don’t know for sure when my birthday is,” I finished for him, and he nodded, a wistful look on his face. “You’re hoping the oracles can ask Selene,” I realized. He nodded again. “But-but if I am Selene’s daughter, wouldn’t that mean I’m not human? Would you still have to mark me under the correct moon phase?”
“That’s not a risk I’m willing to take,” he said, shaking his head vehemently. “Marking a human under the wrong moon phase can kill them. I will not assume that we don’t need the proper moon phase. It’s not worth the potential outcome. But even if you’re not her daughter, I’m hoping they’ll learn when your birthday is. So then I can mark you. I want to mark you as soon as I can. I don’t want to wait any longer than necessary. I mean,”—he cleared his throat—“I mean, if that’s what you want,” he mumbled.
I reached my hand up to intertwine my fingers with his, where they still lay against my neck. “Of course, that’s what I want, Wesley. I already told you that.”
He moved my hand to his lips and placed a kiss on my knuckles. “I just want you to be sure. It’s like marriage for us, but even more permanent. The mark can only be removed by the king or the council, and only under extreme circumstances.”
“I made my choice, Wes. I choose this. I choose you.”
He smiled, and I let go of his hand to pull the blanket up higher, my body already relaxing more with him nearby. His hand moved to my back and rubbed it in gentle strokes.
My eyelids grew heavy, but there was still one more question I wanted to ask him before I forgot about it. “How will I mark you?”
“What?” he asked.
“How will I mark you? I want everyone to know you’re mine too,” I repeated, lifting my head to nip at his abdomen.
He laughed. “I don’t know, Haven. But we’ll figure something out, okay? I’d be honored to wear your mark, whatever it is, and however you choose to give it to me.”
I nodded, and he shifted his body underneath mine, moving so we lay next to each other. His arms wrapped around me, and his lips brushed my forehead as I drifted off to sleep.
**********
The rest of our trip to the hidden island passed in a blur. I barely had the brainpower to absorb the view of the little island as we approached on the boat.
But I forced myself to take it all in. I didn’t know if we would ever return to this place, and I wanted to remember it, remember this part of our adventure.
Upon initial inspection, the island looked almost identical to Santorini or any other Greek isle. Set on the hill of the island, there were white houses with blue doors adorning many of them. But one major difference was the wolves trotting up and down the stairs and along the shore, mixed in with others still in their human forms.
The air crackled with magic as well, an energy that zipped and zinged over my skin and through my cells. There was a protective magic, one that hid the island and its inhabitants from prying eyes. But there was also
another magic mixed in, something I couldn’t identify the nature of, but I could feel it nonetheless.
I said nothing to Wesley or Nolan about it as our guide led us to our quarters for our stay. Wesley already believed I wasn’t just human, and I was having my doubts, but I didn’t want to give him any more ammunition. Our guide led us through the stone pathways and white houses and pink and white flowering trees to a small villa tucked into the shadows of the hill overlooking the sparkling, clear, blue sea. There, a young woman with brown hair and green eyes stood waiting for us in the doorway. Our guide walked by her and set our bags in the small sitting area as she introduced
herself.
“Hello, and welcome,” she said in a bright voice. “I am Cassandra, and I am the acolyte who will assist you during your stay.”
“Nice to meet you,” Wesley said, extending his hand. “I’m future alpha Wesley Stone, and this is my luna, Haven Kenway, and our future gamma, Nolan Shepard.”
She shook each of our hands and gave us a smile. “We’re happy to have all of you here,” she said. “The high oracle will send me to summon you after sunset when she is ready for you. You can rest and eat and prepare yourselves while you wait. We have provided you with the attire you must wear in the temple. You will find it in your rooms. You must wear only what we provide and nothing else. And there is some moussaka fresh out of the oven that I prepared for your arrival,” she informed us, stepping aside and gesturing into the lodgings.
“Thank you, Cassandra,” I said as we walked in, and she nodded, then turned and left without another word.
We took the time to do as she’d recommended, sitting down at the narrow brown table under a chandelier in the dining room and digging into the provided freshly baked moussaka.
“This is delicious,” Nolan said as he wiped his mouth. “Wes, you should learn to make this.”
“Doesn’t Rachel cook for you?” Wesley asked.
“Yeah, Mexican food. Tacos. Beans. Homemade tortillas. Salsa. Tamales. Don’t get me wrong, I love Mexican food, but sometimes I want more variety.”
“I’ll learn how to make it for you, Nolan,” I chuckled. “Thanks, Luna.” He beamed.
“What about me?” Wes pouted.
“That’s up to Nolan if he wants to share.” I shrugged.
“You’re so cruel,” he whined, covering his heart with his hand.
“I’ll share with you as long as my luna isn’t mad at you,” Nolan said with a wink at me.
Wesley sighed and shook his head but laughed along with us. I smiled at him and leaned over to kiss his cheek. “I’m going to change. The sun is almost setting.”
“I’ll join you,” he said, standing to follow me. Nolan snickered, and Wes shot him a glare. “Don’t even act like you don’t take every available opportunity to see Rachel naked,” Wes said, pointing at him.
“I didn’t say a thing,” Nolan said, lifting his hands, his lips twitching.
I rolled my eyes as the two of them continued to argue, walking into the slightly bigger of the two bedrooms, where I could see a long white chiffon dress hanging by the window.
I shut the door behind me and grabbed the dress, taking it over to the full- length mirror in the corner near the arched alcove that held the bed. I undressed, taking off even my bra and underwear, so the only thing I would wear was the dress they gave me, just as Cassandra had instructed.
I pulled the dress over my head, and as the voluminous white fabric floated down and settled around my feet, Wes walked into the room, closing the door behind him. He stared at my reflection in the mirror, his eyes skating over my chiffon-covered body.
The dress was almost completely sheer, with a deep V-neckline that went to my waist. The outline of my breasts was just barely visible beneath the bodice’s fabric. The fluttery sleeves ended just above my elbows, and if there had been any less fabric on the skirt, the outline of my legs and my butt and pussy would have been on display as well.
Wesley’s pupils dilated the way they always did when his possessiveness took over. I should have been ashamed of the way my body reacted whenever he got that look. I should have been ashamed of the dirty things I wanted to do to him and let him do to me anytime he got that gleam in his eyes.
But I wasn’t. He made me feel beautiful, treasured, and wanted, and I wouldn’t ever be ashamed of that.
I tracked his movements as he changed into the white linen pants they’d provided for him to wear. The way the muscles in his torso rippled and tensed as he dressed and moved had my mouth and my pussy watering for him. The size and bulk of his muscles might intimidate others, but to me, they symbolized protection and comfort.
Every cell in my body ached for his touch as he walked up behind me in nothing but those white pants. His toned and slightly tanned chest, with a
sprinkling of chest hair, was on full display, and I wanted to run my hands from his broad shoulders to the defined muscles of his abdomen disappearing beneath the waistline of his pants.
His hands came to settle at my waist, his fingertips playing in the bottom of the V-neckline. I leaned back into his body and closed my eyes at both his touch and against the hoard of wasps swarming in my stomach.
“Why are you so nervous, Sugar Plum?”
“I’m anxious about what we’ll learn,” I admitted. “I’m worried about disappointing everyone if I’m not who you are all hoping I am.”
“I already told you, it doesn’t matter to me. You’re mine, no matter what.
I love you no matter what,” he said.
His hand traced up the edge of the dress’s neckline to my chest. His fingers lingered there, brushing against the side and underneath of my breast exposed by the neckline.
“And what if they say I am Selene’s daughter?” I whispered, tilting my head to look up at him. “What if I am, and more people find out? What if I am, but everyone is disappointed because I’m not really anything special?” I added, giving voice to my fears.
His hand on my waist turned me so I faced him, and his other hand brushed my hair out of my face. “Then we’ll face that together, too. And I’ll kill anyone who says you’re not special.”
I scoffed. “That’s a little extreme, Wes.”
“Maybe, but I promise you, I’ll make them regret hurting my Sugar Plum.”
I reached up and kissed him, throwing my arms around his neck. My body pressed insistently against his, a moan leaving my mouth at the feel of his warm, naked skin.
His growl answered my moan and his hands gripped my hips, pulling my body away from his. “Sugar Plum, if you keep that up, I’m going to rip that flimsy dress off of your perfect little body and fuck you until the sun comes back up,” he warned.
“That sounds fine to me,” I groaned, fighting against his hold.
I wasn’t sure what came over me. But something about the sizzling magic on the island combined with the scent of the ocean and the flowering trees and how Wes looked in the dimming light had me ready to fall to my knees and offer myself to him, to let him take me in whatever way he wanted.
“We have somewhere to be,” he pointed out between our kisses.
His voice was deep and rough, and while his words tried to stop us, the desperate movements of his mouth and hands did not match them. His kisses grew more urgent, and his hands relented, moving away from my hips and up my body, caressing the sides of my breasts.
“We can have a quickie, then,” I said, my head rolling back as he kissed down my throat.
I moved my hands down to his abs, tracing each individual muscle before reaching the waistband of his pants. My hand slipped inside and wrapped around his penis, my thumb brushing over the bead of pre-cum on the head. Another rough growl escaped him. In a flash, he had his pants tugged down just enough so his cock sprang free, and me up in his arms, my dress
lifted around my waist so my naked pussy hovered over his penis.
He turned and slammed my back against the wall, one arm bracing him, the other tightly wrapped around my waist. With one smooth thrust, he entered me, both of us groaning simultaneously as we connected and became one, his forehead pressing into my chest between my breasts.
I clutched at his shoulders as he moved in and out of me in rough, frantic thrusts. His arm around my waist lifted and lowered me in sync with his thrusts, and he kissed every inch of exposed skin on my chest and neck, sometimes nipping at the skin and sometimes sucking so hard I was sure he was leaving hickeys behind.
Between the heady atmosphere on the island and the amount of times we’d been interrupted over the last few days, my body was close to its orgasm after only a few minutes.
“Wesley,” I gasped, my body arching into his as he kissed that sensitive spot on my neck—my marking spot. “Wesley, please.”
“Do you want to come?” he asked, his tongue swirling over my skin.
“Yes,” I moaned, scratching at his back from the buildup, the anticipation, and my struggle to hold it in.
“Touch yourself,” he ordered. “Put your fingers on your needy little clit and rub it until you fall apart around my cock.”
I moaned again at his words, at the way my pussy clenched at the thought of doing what he told me. His head moved out of my neck, and he watched as my hand moved down my body and did as he commanded.
“So fucking beautiful,” he growled as my fingers circled and teased my clit. “So fucking perfect.”
My breath was ragged, and so fast I couldn’t get any words or sounds out aside from my whines, moans, and whimpers. Being with him, feeling him inside me, becoming one with him—it was more overwhelming and satisfying every time.
My body tensed, and I cried out, warmth spreading throughout my body. I kept my fingers on my clit as I came, my hips grinding against him desperately.
“That’s it,” he groaned, his body tensing as he neared his own release. The tendons in his neck flexed, and his eyes squeezed shut for a split second before springing back open to continue watching me as I came. “Oh, fuck yes. Just like that Haven. Just… like—”
His own cry cut off his words, and he pulsed and released inside me. He slammed up into me one last time, and I opened my mouth in a silent cry. My body fell forward against his, my arm trapped between us as I kept touching myself, working myself through the waves of my seemingly unending orgasm.
He wrapped his other arm around me and held me against his chest, his hand playing with the strands of my hair as we both caught our breath.
The peace and calm that settled over me after joining with him soothed my frazzled mind and my nerves. I didn’t care anymore what the result of our meeting with the oracle was. I would always have him, always have our connection to rely on.
And that was enough for me.
