A/N – if you haven’t seen my notice, I’m really sorry this couldn’t be a double update like I wanted. But I appreciate all the support and encouragement you guys have already given me.

This might not be two chapters, but it’s long enough to be, so I really hope you guys enjoy it.

Remember to comment if you do❤️

—-

Nikola’s P.O.V

It would be wrong to prolong this.

If I were to ask anyone, I was sure they’d say it would be wrong to craft a spell that would slow time to a snail’s pace so this moment could extend for as long as I could physically manage. It would be wrong.

I had to keep reminding myself of that; otherwise, I would do it.

And that would be… bad? —Neo finishes, the questioning tone making me frown slightly.

Yes —I reply firmly.

Right —Neo replies, but again it sounded uncertain.

I ignore him as I begrudgingly allow time to flow as it should, placating myself by swiping my thumb over Hagen’s wrists to imprint my scent into the depths of his being.

Admittedly, there was no authentic reason to keep scenting him. I’d long since cemented my scent beneath his skin, enough that I’d be all over him—insidehim, for weeks, but I couldn’t bring myself to stop. I didn’t want to.

Which I determined was fine since Ihadstarted scenting him while he was still conscious, and though Hagen had blushed and avoided any eye contact, he hadn’t told me to stop. With that silent authorisation, I’d locked his wrists in his lap and taken to scenting them to my heart’s desire.

Hagen had melted against my chest like butter atop heat, making maddening little breathless sounds as his body relented, just as it was made to.

Truthfully, I’d thought that, eventually, he’d try to separate us, and that would be as much of him as I’d be gifted for the day, but he hadn’t. Hagen had stayed slumped against me, so sated by my scent that it wasn’t long before I heard his quiet snores.

Now, he was curled in my lap, perfectly pliant for me and so sorely tempting.

He fits perfectly —Neo whispers like a cartoon devil atop my shoulder. ′Devil’ implies I’m trying to encourage you to do something terrible. I’m just stating a fact.

Sure. It was a “fact” that having Hagen felt like sliding two puzzle pieces together, but I already knew that. Neo stating the obvious only served to ignite the raw want I was trying to cull and he knew that.

I just think all this waiting is a waste of time —he replies matter-of-factly.We should already know what his cum tastes like.

Neo —I warn while I try to swat away the coarse memory of Hagen’s tongue.

He’s our mate. He wants us and we want him— need him. That leaves only taking him.

So you’d have him against his will? —I challenge, patience weaning.

I would never! —Neo growls, offended.

Hagen groans just a little, bringing our discourse to an immediate halt as a slight frown wrinkles the skin between his brows. I pass my thumb over the spot whilst I tighten my grip on his body, and within seconds, he relaxes and doses off again.

Then, we wait —I replycalmly to Neo.He said he needs time, so that’s what we’ll give him.

Yes, and look at him now! —Neo challenges in a barely contained growl— Yesterday he would’ve said this is too much, but now look at him!

I do. I look at my mate— my sweet sleeping mate, and my skin heats where he nestles my palm. Lust is quick to follow, sparking deep inside me and building quickly. I shiver as Hagen’s breaths brush my skin, and become all too conscious of how wonderful his weight felt over my cock.

I never considered myself to be a lustful creature, at least in comparison to my counterparts — witches and werewolves. In my adolescent stages, I couldn’t recall ever being truly aroused, even around Hagen.

I wanted him, but in the manner of wanting a hug, nothing more. But then, we’d gone on our first date where Hagen had smiled at me twelve times, and something had awakened.

Now, I wanted not only Hagen’s love, but his desire, and it’d only gotten worse as I claimed more of him. First with the simple touches— his fingers looped in mine, our legs brushing beneath tables; then the scenting, and now, I was free to hold him, to taste his skin and claim his lips, and there was no more denying it.

I was in fact a lustful creature, one moulded just for Hagen.

Grumbling once more, Hagen begins to shift about, trying to hide his face from something. I look up and quickly find the cause. The sun was much higher in the sky than it was when we first arrived, and though it was still morning, the warmth we’d been enjoying was turning into a far more heated sensation that was threatening to wake my mate.

I’d quicker destroy the sun before I let that happen. Hagen was asleep in my lap, and I planned to enjoy every second of it,especiallysince he was not drooling; who knew when that rarity would occur again?

Calling upon my earth magic, I let it gather in my veins before carefully surrounding Hagen with it. He shudders against me as if he can feel it beneath his skin, and I have to swallow the growl Neo pushes forth at just the thought.

The way Hagen responded to my magic…. Goddess, the things I could do to him without touching him at all….

I shake my head, freeing the dangerous thoughts in favour of focusing my magic on my teleportation spell. I could ponder those possibilities another time when there was no risk of Hagen feeling my yearnings for him.

Harnessing my magic, I trigger my teleportation spell with the intention of taking us directly to Hagen’s bed, but the energy I cast out returns to me like a rubber ball against a wall. I frown.

With a deep breath, I take a moment to clear my mind before trying again to find the familiar path to the spell, but I can’t even start upon it as my magic returns to me, unused.

“What’s wrong?” Hagen slurs as he begins to stir.

“Nothing,” I shush, pressing a kiss to his head. “Sleep.”

Hagen slumps against me again with a garbled protest, already barrelling back towards sleep. I breathe a sigh of relief, waiting until his breaths are slow and steady before I conjure my magic again.

The spell was fine, my magic plentiful, and my mood relatively stable. Something was stopping me from completing the spell and it was not internal.

Irritation sparking, I prod the protection spells around Hagen and me, ensuring they’re intact before I carefully release my magic to examine what this resistance is.

Teleportation spells were complex in that the witch needed their magic to settle on the other side before it was able to transport them there, but something was keeping my magic from doing so. So I send it out to find the source, and in no time, I brush against the ever-present barrier around the packlands.

I was more than familiar with the shield around the pack. I’d worked endlessly to secure them, and they were attuned to my magic, but the barrier had been there long before I’d been born because I hadn’t been the witch to make it.

My mother had.

My irritation dwindles, but only by a fraction. It wasn’t an outside threat poising for an attack, but my Ma keeping me in the pack— the only living being whose magic rivalled my own. I could possibly tear through her spell, but it would come at a cost and I was not willing to risk my mate’s comfort.

Though my desires are futile as Hagen rouses again, this time, he ignores my attempts to keep him settled. Still half asleep and mindlessly muttering, he pushes against my chest until he’s sat up, though he sways slightly and it takes my hands on his hips to keep him steady.

With his messy hair flat where it had been squashed against my chest, Hagen’s lips dip into a near pout as he blinks sleepily at me and rubs at his eyes. My heart jerks violently within my chest and struggles to find a healthy rhythm again as Hagen shifts atop me, rubbing his ass against my crotch.

“What’s happening?” he whispers as he tilts his head. “You okay?”

…What was this sweet torture?

“Nikola?” he yawns, fully expecting an answer as if he weren’t straddling my lap and staring at me like some unreasonably adorable lost lamb.

My trials were never-ending.

“I’m fine,” I promise as I unconsciously reach up to cup his cheek. I regret it immediately when Hagen leans into the touch without hesitation. I was no longer fine. “I was trying to take us back, so you could sleep.”

“Back?” Hagen repeats as he slowly takes a look around. His heavy gaze narrows as he looks over the trees and greenery before he stiffens. “Wha—?” he looks back at me, the sleepiness clearing speedily. “We’re outside.”

“Yes. We are,” I confirm, struggling to stop myself from smiling as I memorise how charming he looked when he was confused. “If you recall, we came for a run at five thirty this morning becauseyouinsisted upon it, only for you to fall asleep right after.”

Hagen blinks at me once, twice, and then pink heat slowly begins blotching his neck and cheek. It soon floods his face entirely and he looks down, only to suck in a breath when he notices that he was in my lap. It seems to dawn next that he’d fallen asleep in the same position, and the colour quickly reaches the tips of his ears.

“I—” Hagen’s lips hang and move soundlessly, but he never finishes. He just stares at me like a deer in headlights before he tries to pull away. “I-I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” I shush, sliding my hand over his thighs and keeping him exactly where he belonged. “Don’t move unless you really want to.”

Hagen’s gaze refuses to meet mine, fixed instead on where my fingers were digging into his skin. He did that a lot— stared at the places I’d touched him, as if he had to make sure what he was feeling was truly happening.

Watching him closely, I tighten my grip and study the way his eyes grow heavy. I do it again, and he shudders all over.

Greedy for more, I lean forward and brush my cheek against his rough, slightly stubbled one. The sensation makes goosebumps track up my arms and I can’t contain the way I shiver as I continue nuzzling him.

Hagen’s chest meets mine, his rushed breaths brush against my ear, and I feel my thoughts losing direction. I breathe him in deeply, filling my lungs with him and groan my satisfaction when I find only my scent on him.

He smelt of me. Only me.

Neo presses forward with a growl that rumbles in my chest, trying his best to take over— to claim and take, but I hold him back, just barely.

As my vision wavers, I force myself away from the tempting expanse of Hagen’s smooth skin and face him with an utter pretence of control.

“You slept well,” I state, sounding calm and nothing like I felt inside.

“I guess,” Hagen mumbles after the moment it takes for him to catch his breath.

“It wasn’t a question, Hagen,” I reply. “You slept well.”

Hagen’s breaths become shallow, and he nods a little, perfectly pliant… perfectly mine.

“You—” he stops to swallow and I watch the way his throat bobs. “You said you were trying to take us back? To my place?” I nod, somehow. “Why can’t you?”

The reminder of my Ma’s persisting magic sours my arousal, and I sigh as I draw myself back even more. “My mother seems to be restricting my magic to within the pack.”

Hagen tilts his head, making the flattened hair flop as a comical whole, “Why?”

I reach up to untangle the strands, “I do not know, but I suspect it has something to do with the fact that I have not answered any of her calls since I moved in with you.”

“You haven’t?!” he exclaims, his big eyes bulging, and I feel a part of myself cower slightly at the growing disappointment I spot behind his eyes. I frown, shaking my head. “Nikola! Why in all the plains would you do that?!”

“It was not intentional at the start,” I explain, not at all liking the way he was looking at me or the reaction it was eliciting internally. “My phone is always on silent for notifications outside of those related to you, so I do not know when others are trying to reach me. When I moved in with you, I was concerned with our bond, so my phone was the very last thing on my mind. I remembered it two days ago, which is when I saw the missed calls. I set a reminder to call her this week— today in fact.”

“A reminder?” Hagen echos and I nod.

“A Google alert,” to be specific. I’d set one for Jacob as well since he’d been calling me as well.

“Nikola,” Hagen sighs, and I feel my chest contract again.

“What?” I frown. Ihadset a reminder, and I had every intention of seeing it through.

“No wonder she’s keeping us locked in here. She’s probably angry as hell and rightfully worried about you,” Hagen explains, and I feel fresh confusion sprout within me.

Ma wasn’t the worrying type; that was more dad. He was the one who always tried to pack a bag for me when I travelled to a new universe, while Ma just told me to stay out of trouble. I found it exceedingly challenging to imagine that she’d been concerned or annoyed that I hadn’t reached out to her.

Plus, if she needed me for anything truly serious, they would’ve come to see me in person. But then again, there was that exuberant number of calls I’d missed.

“I’ll call her when we return,” I supply, thinking that was the correct answer, but by the way Hagen narrows his eyes, I know it’s not.

“Or, we can go to your house now since we’re in packlands, and you can go see her yourself and say sorry,” he supplies, making me wrinkle my nose.

“I’m not sorry.”

I wasn’t. I had nothing to be sorry for.

“Nikola,” he chides, and I feel myself frown again.

“I’m not, and I’d much rather go back to your apartment with you.”

Hagen shakes his head, but his lips tug at the corners just a little, “Well, too bad. Family first.”

No. Hagen first. Hagen first always.

But Hagen doesn’t give me a chance to say as much as he parts from my grasp despite my protests. He ignores me completely as he stands up and stretches above me. I hate the distance between us and the cold air that surrounds me without him close, but then I look up and find an exceptional view of his tensing muscles as his body bows, and perhaps it’s not so bad.

“You will come with me?” I ask as I stand as well, and he nods on a yawn.

“We can pop in, clear the air, and pop out,” he supplies. “Besides, it’s not like we can separate.”

He was right, but I don’t bother correcting him about the foremost part of his statement. There was no popping in and out of my household, especially when Dad was there.

“When you regret this,” I tell him as I gather my magic once more, “you will only have yourself to blame.”

“Sure,” Hagen grumbles as my magic fits around us. “Ready?” He nods, and I cast us from the quiet corner of the pack to the front door of my home.

This spell, unsurprisingly, meets no resistance, however, the unbridled mass of magic that greets me the moment we arrive does startle me. I falter slightly at the weight of it wrapping around me and squeezing me.

I was used to my Ma’s hugs, but they were rarely this fierce, and they didn’t usually happen when I wasn’t even in front of her. But now, it was like all her magic was wrapping itself around me, holding me close, and I could do nothing but stand awkwardly in its presence whilst Neo happily basked in it.

I’m pondering the possibility that she had really missed my presence in the house when Hagen knocks on the door. The moment he does, the weight of her magic sweeps away from me all at once, returning to the source as if it’d never been there at all. I find myself frowning, more than confused, but the door opens before I can think of it any longer.

Claiming the width of the doorframe, my dad steps forward with a head full of wet curls that he anxiously tries to dry with the towel atop his head. He freezes when he spots both Hagen and me, his grey eyes darting between us as they widen like the smile tearing at his lips.

“Hey!” he exclaims, already beaming and spreading his arms. “What are you guys doing here?”

He pulls us into a hug before we can reply, squishing Hagen and me against his chest in a bear hug I force myself to withstand. This was just Dad— hug first, manners after.

Hagen chokes a bit beneath me, and I have to stifle my laugh— I had warned him.

When Dad finally frees us, Hagen steps back and sways, a little off-kilter. I settle a hand at his back to steady him and then keep it there when the connection sends sparks racing through my body.

“Ma has imprisoned us within the pack, so I came to uncover what are the terms of my arrest and how I might make our bail,” I explain candidly.

“I DID NOT IMPRISON YOU!” she shouts back from somewhere within the house.

“We also came to say hi,” Hagen adds before I can send back my own retort. I glance at him, not at all surprised to find him glaring at me warningly. “Nik wanted to see you guys.”

“I didn’t,” I reply, and his glare turns near murderous. “What? I don’t.”

“It’s alright, Hagen,” Dad says, chuckling heartily as he grins my way. “We know our boy. If he wanted to see us, he wouldn’t have knocked on the front door.”

At that, Hagen’s face heats, and he laughs nervously, “Right.”

I smooth my hand over where it still rests on his back, aiming to quell his nerves, but it seems to add to them as he pinkens further before he slaps my hand away—hard. I quirk a brow, more towards the feelings it stirs within me than the actual action.

The lash, for some reason, was heating my blood, and paired with Hagen’s glare, I suddenly found myself wanting to enact more of that incensed reaction in my mate.

“Well, come in,” Dad says, stepping back and waving us in. “Nik can argue with his mother, and we can be spectators, Hagen.”

Hagen rushes in at the invite, and I follow him, but Dad throws his arm over my shoulder before I can complete my feeble attempt at escape. He tucks me into his chest while he kicks the door shut behind us, and squeezes me against him until spots appear behind my eyes.

“I’ve missed you so much, pup,” he says, and despite the flaring discomfort, a portion of my heart warms.

I didn’t like when he held me like this – it was uncomfortable, and he knew it– but I also knew my father was a fiend for hugs. So, I wrap an arm around him in turn and squeeze his side a little. “I’ve missed you too. Somewhat.”

Throwing his head back, Dad cackles loudly as he frees me with a slap to my back, “I want to hear all I’ve missed, but first, I believe you have a talk with your mother.”

I grunt a reply, and he grins excitedly as he shuffles past Hagen and me to lead the way to the living room where we find Ma waiting. She’s sitting on her favourite velvet armchair with her legs curled beneath her, a cup of steaming tea in her hands and a glint in her eye.

“Oh look, if it isn’t the child I birthed,” she starts, and I force myself to retain my sigh. “You finally remembered you had parents?”

“I know I have parents. I’m an only child.”

She feigns surprise, “So you need something?”

“Yes, actually. I need to leave this pack,” I reply, and her gaze flares with annoyance. “You asked.”

“You’ve been ignoring my calls for weeks, Nikola,” Ma snaps.

“I wasn’t ignoring your calls. I just didn’t notice them,” I correct.

“Nikola, maybe don’t—” Hagen tries, but Dad catches his arm and shakes his head before he can interject.

I refocus my attention on my mother, “I was going to call you back today.”

“Today?” she cackles, raising her mug to her lips. “You usually lie better than that.”

I feel my eye twitch a little, “I’m not lying. I set a Google alert.”

She laughs again, the sound disturbingly manic, “Oh, a Google alert. Did you hear that Apollos? He set a Google alert to call me.”

I bristle, “I did.”

All feigned humour bleeds from her face as she deadpans, “Lucky me.”

“Are they usually like this?” I hear Hagen whisper.

“Oh yeah, they scratch at each other for a while, and when necessary, I step in to stop any maiming,” Dad replies, chuckling warmly. “But it’s nice to have someone else here to witness their crazy.”

“Why were you calling me?” I ask as my frustration shifts back into confusion. “You hate phone calls.Ihate phone calls. Why would you do that to us?”

“Am I not allowed to call my child?” she asks sarcastically, as she stands and sets her cup down so hard that some of the tea sloshes over the rim. “Am I not allowed to check in on you?”

I clean up the mess with a quick spell. “I didn’t say that. I just don’t understand why you would. I can take care of myself.”

“So?” she retorts, some of her annoyance flickering to reveal fleeting sadness beneath. “It’s the first time you’ve been out there on your own, Nikola.”

My frown clears a little as Hagen’s words from earlier circle through my mind. She really had been worried. It was odd and hard to compute given how Ma generally was, but it seemed Hagen had been right.

“So you were worried about me and decided to lock me in the pack?”

I hear Hagen sigh behind me, and when I glance back, I find him and Dad in the midst of a facepalm.

What had I said wrong now?

“I didn’tlockyou in the pack,” Ma retorts, lifting her chin in the way she did when she was lying.

“No, I’m just unable to leave.”

She shrugs, “I’m doing some safety checks on the pack’s security systems. You just happened to be here while I was conducting them. You’d know that… if you called!”

“I set a Google alert!”

“Alright, alright,” Dad says, stepping between us with raised hands. “Kat, you’ve missed having Nikola home, and you just wanted to talk to him, and Nikola, you should’ve thought to call your mother and me long before now— Google alert or not. Now, let’s say our sorries.”

“I’m not sorry,” Ma and I reply together, and Dad sighs.

“See what I’m dealing with here,” he says to Hagen before he forcibly pushes Ma and me together. “Come on, repeat after me, ′I’m sorry.′“.

We’re both quiet at first, glaring at one another, but this had occurred more than enough times for me to know how this went. Usually, I was fine with waiting for her to crack first, but Hagen was here, and I much rather spend time close to him.

I swallow down what’s left of my confusion and annoyance and say the words.

“I’m sorry,” I mumble, meeting my mother’s angry gaze.

She frowns at me long and hard before she relaxes a little and grumbles back, “I’m sorry.”

“Now, Kat, you say, ′I was worried about you, and not hearing from you made it worse. I just love you, and I don’t know how to show that all the time.′” Dad instructs, and Ma makes a face as if the words disgusted her as much as they did me. “Come on.”

Rolling her eyes, Ma sighs deeply before she fixes her gaze on me and says, “I was worried about you, and not hearing from you made it worse. I just love you, and I don’t know how to show that all the time, Storm.”

“Great job, princess,” Dad says, pressing a kiss to Ma’s head that she pretends to recoil from. “Now, Nikola,’I love you too. I was not thinking about how you might feel, and I should’ve. I will try to fix that going forward.’”

Repeating the words is no hardship because they’re true. I hadn’t been thinking about how my parents might feel with me away from home for the first time. I’d just been thinking about Hagen.

“I love you too,” I reply, holding her gaze. “I was not thinking about how you might feel, and I should’ve. I will try to fix that going forward… I’m sorry, Ma.”

Primmed shoulders relax before all the tension and anger bleeds from her in a heartbeat. A moment later, she’s pulling me into a hug, a real hug and not just one full of magic.

I hug her back, being careful not to squeeze her too much. I was not a brute like her mate.

“I can’t believe you tried to sell me on a Google alert,” she grumbles.

“I really did set one,” I protest as we part, and she flicks my ear. I wince, drawing back to Hagen’s side for safety.

“Call,” she says with a pointed finger, and I nod.

With that, she finally looks over to Hagen, who stares at us the same way I did when I watched the way he ate. Though that expression was only truly valid with what I had to bear witness to, I couldn’t blame him– our family dynamic wasn’t like his.

The Heils and Calderons were a terribly emotional bunch who were exceedingly expressive with their love. They said it to each other every chance they got, while that was probably the only time Ma and I would say it for another six months.

It wasn’t that we didn’t love one another, we did, and it was so abundant that sometimes I had to breathe slowly just to live with it. My love for my parents was deeper than this planet’s oceans, I just didn’t go about spreading it like an overly enthusiastic flower boy with petals.

“What? Have we scared you away, kid?” Ma asks as she pulls Dad’s arms around her so she can lean against him. “I hope not, or else Nik will never forgive us.”

“And that’s not an exaggeration,” Dad adds despite his big grin.

I glare at my parents, feeling my skin heat as Hagen glances my way before he quickly shakes his head. “You guys are good— great. I’m just used to seeing you all eat and leave when you’re by us.”

Dad laughs, “Yeah, because these two homebodies can’t socialise for more than thirty minutes before they start getting itchy. It’s a real-life allergy.”

Ma and I roll our eyes, and Hagen grins.

“Well, I’ve finished my security checks, so you guys can go, but… if you want to stay…” Ma pauses, looking somewhat lost with how to complete the invitation as she looks at Hagen with what I knew were her ‘kind’ eyes. “We were just going to start on breakfast, and by we, I mean Apollos, but you guys can join us if you want.”

“We haven’t showered or cleaned up,” I admit as I look between them. “We came here to run this morning.”

Ma’s eyes widen, terror flashing behind them, “It’s almost eleven– what time did you get here?”

I grimace, “Five thirty.”

“Oh, Gods,” she breathes, and I nod desperately.

Suddenly, I missed home like a zebra would miss its stripes.

“Alright, enough with the Juliard performances,” Dad says, waving his hands hysterically between us. “You’ve got your shower and plenty of clothes upstairs– use that, and if you need to crash after, you can.”

“You can even spend the day here, if you want,” Ma adds on with what sounds like hope in her tone.

I glance at Hagen, leaving the decision in his hands. I was happy to return to his place where we would be alone, but I found that I liked having Hagen here, in our home, and I wanted him to be comfortable. But more than that, I wanted my parents to feel the same.

I wanted them to like him as much as I did.

That’s impossible —Neo states, and I have to agree.

An eighteenth?

Yes, that works.

“Are you sure?” Hagen asks, looking between them. “Feeding two extra mouths?”

Dad laughs, untangling from Ma and already heading for the kitchen, “Please. I’ve got more than enough, and I’m happy to do it. You guys head up, and we’ll be done by the time you both freshen up.”

Decision made, he heads off, and with another attempt at a ‘kind’ smile, Ma follows after him, leaving Hagen and me alone in the living room. He glances at me, that adorable lost look back on his face.

“I guess we’re spending the day with your parents?” he hazards with a nervous laugh.

“I guess so,” I reply as real excitement rages within my heart.

I’d spent plenty of time with Hagen’s family, but he’d hardly spent any with mine, and I was suddenly eager to fix that.

“Come on,” I direct, taking Hagen’s hand and leading him through the house before he can protest.

He doesn’t try to free himself, he doesn’t even say a word. He just follows me up the stairs as if we’d done this a million times before.

Perhaps we had, in another life.

Alright, Cupid. Let’s pack all that in until Valentine’s—Neo replies with a chuckle making me scowl as I push him away.

As we head for my bedroom, I feel a sharp bundle of nerves rattle inside me, but I shove them away. It was irrational to be nervous about letting Hagen into my room; it was only a room with four walls. There was nothing to be nervous about.

Still, my heart hammers, and Neo’s amusement becomes queasy distress as I lead us into the space that had been my haven up until a few weeks ago. Hagen slows as we pass over the threshold, and with wide eyes, he takes in what had become of my room since he’d last seen it.

There wasn’t much to my bedroom— my bed, my wardrobe, a closet and a desk. There were few items atop them and nothing on the walls, which I realised now was a stark contrast from Hagen’s overly decorated apartment.

Still, when Hagen steps in, he looks all around as if there were secrets to be found within every corner, and better yet, he looks intrigued by whatever he sees. As unfamiliar nerves start to rise within me again, refusing to be quashed, I leave Hagen to his wandering while I pluck a set of suitable pants and shirts for us both from my wardrobe. I free the pack of unopened underwear I kept amongst my other necessities whilst trying not to worry about Hagen’s opinion of my bedroom.

It was clean. You couldn’t find fault with clean.

“Would you like to shower first?” I ask as I head into the attached bathroom. I set the folded pile of clothes atop the counter before I tore two brand-new toothbrushes from the stocked cupboards beneath.

“Oh, yeah, if that’s cool,” Hagen says, coming in after me. He peers inside the bathroom with that same curious look on his face before he smiles a little, “It’s very clean.”

I frown, “Of course it is.”

That makes him giggle for some unimaginable reason, but I don’t question it. I loved his laughs, no matter the reason.

“This should be all you need,” I say, and he nods quickly. “Let me know if you want anything else.”

“I will. Thanks, Nik,” he says as he shuffles into the bathroom. I stand still for a moment, not wanting to leave, but of course, knowing I had to.

“Okay, bye,” I say before forcing my legs to move.

It’s unreasonably hard to take each step and leave him there. I never wanted to part from Hagen, but I was usually fine with these small distances. This was different; this was a horrible ache. But perhaps it was due to all the time we’d spent together this morning and how close we’d been throughout it.

Thoughts churning, I seat myself on the edge of my bed and force myself to stay put. My fingers ached to hold him again, to scent him again, even though there was practically no room left for it.

There’s always room for it —Neo growls, pacing as we hear the water in the shower start.He should be covered in our scent.

He is.

More —Neo insists, and I have to close my eyes, but that only invites a canvas for my mind’s most illicit fantasies. Ones where my hands roamed all over Hagen’s naked body and my tongue followed suit until he was glistening with my saliva and my cum.

You need to stop —I scold as I blink past the haze Neo was encouraging.

I can’t help it. I can feel his desires, his wolf’s desires —Neo replies, pacing once again as he tries to take over.They want this.

I wanted to trust in Neo since he was so good at understanding what I physically could not, but this situation was different– complex.

With the way Hagen reacted to our simple touches, I knew while he may be starting to want me, he didn’t want the things I did quite yet, but if his wolf did, then that was another story for Neo and him.

Perhaps I could suggest a meeting. I knew mated pairs often did that, and perhaps if we did, it would alleviate some of the tension. If Zyair and Neo acted on their desires, then surely it would make things better.

Either way, now was not the time to get lost in illicit desires. Hagen and I were going to spend time with my family, and I wanted the experience to be a pleasurable one for him. So I work myself through deep breaths, coaxing them in and out of my lungs until my mind clears to something more rational and my knuckles are no longer pale where they grip my knees.

“Nikola.”

I snap my head up, surprised to find Hagen standing only a few paces away from me. I hadn’t even heard him approach or finish in the bathroom, but there he stood and… good Goddess.

I’d seen Hagen fresh from a shower many times since we’d started living together, and it was a terribly-wonderful treat each time, but seeing him also wearing clothes that belonged to me…

My heart threatens to crack a rib as I pass my gaze over my mate.

He wore a simple grey shirt that was a little loose around his shoulders but otherwise fit him well, and grey sweatpants that he’d rolled up to his thighs, exposing plains of smooth skin that covered toned legs.

He looked… comfortable, rested, and happy even, with the way he tried for a smile. All the while, a volcano might as well have been erupting inside me.

“Weird, right?” he says with an awkward laugh while he scratches the back of his head. “The sweats were too long for me, but I guess it makes sense cause… you are… yeah. You just don’t try wearing any of my clothes ’cause then you’ll stretch them out, and I’m already covered in… your….”

Hagen’s words trail off as I walk past him and straight into the steaming bathroom without a word. I refuse to meet his gaze as I position the door to be slightly ajar before I hastily undress and step into the shower myself. I turn the water to cold and let the frigid spray assault me.

This was better. This was much much better.

The water was hellish, and I was trembling, but my arousal was swirling down the drain along with the dire need that had almost overcome me while Hagen stood there, shifting from foot to foot with endearing awkwardness.

A mop of wet hair… standing in clothes too big for him… clothes that would be so very easy to tear away.

I curse under my breath as I start scrubbing myself clean.

I was being greedy. I’d already had my fill of Hagen for the day. Any more would push him away, and I knew in my bones that I couldn’t withstand being pushed away again with how desperately I wanted him right now.

It’s nine minutes later when I step out of the bathroom, freshly showered, tamed, and ready to face the world again. Hagen’s waiting at the foot of my bed, but he practically jumps up from the mattress when he spots me with a frown that makes his big eyes slightly doe.

“You okay?” he asks, stepping forward. “Did I—” he pauses, searching for the right words as he gnaws at his lip.

The volcano erupts again, and this one is an 8 on the Volcanic Explosivity Index.

“I would like to kiss you again,” I blurt, and Hagen’s mouth immediately shuts.

He looks hastily from me towards the door as if my parents would burst at any moment. “W-What?”

“I want to kiss you, Hagen,” I repeat, my eyes already focused on his mouth that was still glistening where he’d bitten it. I step forward. “Now.”

“Wait, wait!” he says, hastily lifting his hands as he takes two steps back. “Not here, Nikola! We’re about to have breakfast with your parents!”

“I will be quick,” I promise, stepping forward again. “I won’t lose control.” I would try not to. “I just need a taste.”

Hagen’s face heats at that, and his cheeks bloat with the air he sucks in. “No, we can’t—” his gaze drops to my lips before he drags it back up, “fuck! Stop that!”

“Stop what?” I question as I take another step forward. Hagen steps back and I follow, heart lurching at the chase. I have to swallow my growl when he meets a wall, and I’m right there to take him.

My hands find his waist and he groans when I pull him against me, “Nikola!”

I lick my lips, eyes growing heavy as I focus on his, “Just a little….”

“No,” Hagen snaps, and I stop just centimetres from pressing his lips to mine. I flick my gaze up, meeting heated brown eyes.

“No?” I repeat, to be sure even though I knew I’d heard him clearly.

Hagen nods stiffly, and my fingers find themselves tightening on his hips, but I don’t disobey.

For a moment, we just stand there, locked together so close that every breath I took was made up of one of his, and each second is a tense one teaming with lust I wanted to unleash, but Hagen had said no, and no meant no.

“I need you,” I admit, and his eyes get a little heavy.

“I’m already covered in your scent, Nikola,” he whispers, his rushed pants brushing against my skin, stroking the flames.

“I know.”

“I’m in…” he falters, half whimpering, half groaning, “I’m in your clothes.”

“I know,” I groan, tracking my eyes lower, “But it’s not enough.”

I scan my mate’s figure and swallow when the loose neckline allows me a glimpse of the smooth skin beneath, and before I know it, I’m slipping one of my hands beneath his shirt. I trace my fingers over his warm skin, but I only get that touch before Hagen grabs my wrist, stopping me.

“It’s not enough,” I breathe, looking up to meet his gaze. “It’s never enough.”

Hagen shudders hard, his eyes closing as he tries to bite back a whimper, but I hear it, and that little sound is my undoing. Forcing him back, I press him against my greyed walls, keeping him plastered there while I bury my face within his nape.

“Nik,” he whines as his fingers tangle into my hair and pull me closer.

I inhale deeply, dragging my tongue over his neck and revelling in the way his legs shake as they brush against my own. I bite next, tasting him— claiming him, and my hands drive up his shirt to rub his nipples the way that had made him scream in the kitchen.

He does now, except he muffles it in my shirt.

My pulse pounds in my skull, my lust taking over me like a mad thing, but before I can coax more wonderful sounds from his lips, he pushes me back.

“Not here,” he breathes despite the way his body shakes from head to toe. Brown eyes meet mine and he holds them firm as he repeats, “Nothere.”

I nod, though I’m ashamed to admit I groan like a disgruntled animal as I do so, resting my head onhis, trying to calm myself with how much I already had.

He was drenched in my scent, he was wearing my clothes, my hands were on his body, and my saliva on his marking spot– that should be enough.

It wasn’t.

“Not here,” I repeat gruffly and he nods. “So, later.”

Hagen stiffens against me and I hear the way his heart kicks up as it pounds restlessly between us. I press my hand over it, holding him firm as I breathe him in.

“You said not here, so when we are alone in your apartment, can I kiss you then?” I ask, my voice a ragged shadow of itself. “Will you say yes then?”

Hagen’s wide gaze holds mine, and I struggle to stay firm as he stares at me with that look in his eyes that I hadn’t seen for some time— the infuriating one that I was still needlessly trying to unpick.

“Not here,” I whisper, pressing our bodies even closer until I can feel his half-hard cock against my leg. I stifle my growl as I breathe in deep again, memorising his arousal, “so there?”

Hagen remains quiet for a very long torturous time, and every second through it, I worry that I’d really pushed too far this time, which I already knew I had, but then… he nods, and a new dangerous type of desire burns within my chest.

Neo stirs within me, just as anxious and just as greedy as me, but I find the strength to remain somewhat calm on the outside.

“Yes?” I repeat, and he nods again. “I want you to say it, Hagen.”

“Yes,” he breathes, low…shallow.

“Yes, I can….” I start for him, and he frowns adorably, his chest puffing up too, but it deflates the moment I tilt his chin up.

“Yes, you can kiss me later,” he whispers quietly while his fingers dig into my shoulder and try to pull me that much closer, even though there is no space left between us.

I rock my hips just a little against his, delighting in the way he begins shivering again, “When we’re alone?”

Hagen groans, and his hips roll against mine, “When we’re alone.”

I feel my lips pull into a slow smile as I press a gentle kiss atop his head.

“Good,” I step back, putting several paces between us. “Now, let’s go have breakfast with my parents.”

Hagen glares at me, and it ignites the same fire in me that his lash had earlier. “You’re the worst.”

“I know.”

——-

I’m sorry. I swear I don’t do these cliffhangers on purpose 😭 it just happens

Thoughts?????

Thoughts on Mama Kat and Papa Apollos? Thoughts on Nik’s cold shower and what came after?? Thoughts on them spending the day with Nik’s parents???

What about thoughts on Neo’s input? and the tease of Zyair and Neo meeting soon??!?!?

I am really sorry I couldn’t have this be a double update. I really wanted it to be, but with my exams, dissertation and other assignments, I’ve been going through the wringer and then something quite sad happened last week and I’m not going to go into that but yeah, life has been throwing shit at my windshield.

But even though I was sad and upset about not being able to do a double update, going through this chapter before posting now had put a smile on my face and I’m happy I’m getting this to you guys without resenting the writing.

I do enjoy my writing, just right now, it’s not a priority in my life, my education is so I’m really sorry if updates stall. I am trying my best.

With that out the window, I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and are excited for what’s the come. I am because let me tell you, it’s getting intense.

Also, I might be saying too much as an author, but whether its right or wrong, I LOVE that Nik now has the courage to back Hagen against a wall and bite him, when a few weeks back, he would’ve been on the other side of the room the minute Hagen said no.

Vote and comment if you enjoyed! They really do keep me going and I read every single comment.

Until next time,
Byeeeeee Humanssssssss