The Wolf in Sheep's Skin

Chapter 62

I adjusted his weight, guiding him to the ground. He was silent as he hit the grass. I bit him. I bit him. I f*cking bit him. The thought repeated in my mind, my heart pounding in my chest.

The bite on his neck was sealing, or at least it wasn’t bleeding anymore. The crimson mark faced up to the moon, shimmering in the night. What the f*ck just happened?

Mates don’t mark until their first-time having s*x. I’m sure of it. I repeated the memories of my mom's lectures. She hadn’t told me much, but I knew she’d been clear about when you’re marked.

“What did you just do?” I whispered.

“Mate was worried we didn’t want him.” She purred, the sound coming from my chest without my accord.

“You could’ve let me use my words.”

“No more waiting.” She prickled and my gut churned; thoughts of all the times I’d shoved him away popped into my head involuntarily.

“Fair enough, I guess. Still, I don’t think it’s ideal.” I pursed my lips, frowning at him. He was silent, his breath and heart rate normal. A soft, peaceful look crossed his face.

My heart skipped a beat and heat built in my core. I marked him. We’re really bonded. Mates. No matter what, we’d remain bonded for the rest of our lives. A gleeful grin spread across my face, and I giggled. I really found my mate… and somehow I got lucky enough it’s Jay. Lilith purred in agreement.

“How am I supposed to get him home?” Which home? Mine or his? My stomach dropped and I scanned the surrounding forest. “Is he supposed to be asleep?”

“Yes.” My bones cracked, and I towered over him as a wolf. What the f*ck? You could’ve warned me! Lilith nudged Jay with our snout, and when he didn’t move, she scooped him up in our mouth.

It was f*cking weird. Everything in me told me to panic. I hadn’t meant to shift, didn’t have any control over it. She’d just done it. Oh f*ck. I’m sharing my body with a psycho who isn’t afraid of putting whole *ss people in our mouth.

Lilith snorted and began towards Jay’s house in a trot. “Hush. We take him home. Not safe here. Mate can’t protect himself. Needs rest.”

I had no idea where his house was and couldn’t smell a thing with Jay in our mouth. But Lilith seemed to know where she was going, trotting along through the forest like this was normal behavior. A few moments passed, and we were walking next to a dirt driveway.

A modern style home appeared in the distance, rapidly getting closer. I was in the reflection of the large glass windows spread across the front of the house. A massive wolf turned silver by moonbeams with a man dangly from its mouth.

We stopped at the front door, gingerly setting Jay on the patio. Within seconds, I wobbled on two feet. I braced myself on the door, the world spinning around me.

“I told you to warn me.” I grumbled, my stomach turning. Sharing a body isn’t going to work.

Lilith grunted, and once my dizziness settled, I glanced down at Jay. If he knew about the ride he’d just gone on, he gave no signs. He seemed stable, so I glared at the front door, wondering if it was locked. If it wasn’t, there was a little window next to the door I could smash through to get in.

“Hey, Jay, I know we don’t really know each other, but let me mark you and break into your house, alright?” An awkward laugh burst out of me, and I shook my head, knowing how weird this had to look. I shrugged, my stomach twisting.

I reached for the doorknob and turned.

Thankfully, it opened. Of course. Why would he need to lock it? It’s not like anyone out here is going to f*ck with him and steal his sh*t.

Swiping my hand across the wall, I flicked on a light. “Let’s get you into bed, shall we?” I flopped Jay’s body around, grabbed him, and hefted him over my shoulder.

I stumbled back a bit, but for once in my life, I was thankful for my muscular build. His hips were over my shoulder, his d*ck pressed against my left breast. I held onto his legs, which dangled in front of me. If someone was in the house and found me know, they’d get a quiet the view of his *ss.

I chuckled at the idea and walked inside. With a foot, I closed the door behind me. Where’s his bedroom? Spotting a hallway, I searched with determination.

My cheeks warmed, and I thanked the heavens that Jay was asleep. With each of my steps his limp arms swung behind me, smacking my *ss. I stifled a laugh, unsure if it was from humiliation or genuine humor.

Jay’s room wasn’t hard to find. His bedroom door was open, light shining into the hallway. I strode in and plopped him onto the bed.

He bounced a few times yet his eyes stayed closed. Not a peep came from him. Are you sure that’s normal?

“We bit him deep.” Lilith bounced in the back of my mind, as if her comment was an explanation. My wolf would be freaking out if he wasn’t fine, wouldn’t she?

I went to the side of the bed to check his neck anyway, just to be sure. He was scowling, his head turned towards me. It was eerie, like he might wake up at any moment screaming ‘gotcha!’. It seemed like a Jay thing to do.

Pressing myself against his bed, I leaned down and checked his neck. I couldn’t get a good view, so I put my hand on his chest, leaning closer. He groaned and his face relaxed, looking blissful again.

His mark seemed fine. Blood had crusted around it, but it wasn’t bleeding anymore. I debated on cleaning it, but dismissed the idea, unsure if it would open the wound again. I stood, taking my hand off him. A muddy handprint was on his chest. I glared down at my hands, which were caked in mud.

So were my feet, but thankfully his floor was some kind of stone. I hadn’t ruined his carpet with muddy footprints.

Jay grunted, his face scrunching up. His strong brows furrowed together, and his heart rate picked up, along with his breathing. A flicker of an idea ran through my mind, and I put my hand back on his chest.

His face relaxed again, his heart and breath returning to normal. A soft smile crept over my face and my heart fluttered, my stomach swirling. He’s really so affected by me touching him?

I wanted to leap across the bed, curl up to him, and drift to sleep. His skin no longer burned against mine, it was more of a soft, soothing warmth. Like basking in the sun on a cold winter day.

I have to shower first. I’m covered in mud and blood. I’ll ruin his bed. I frowned at his room and white bedding.

It was pristine. A mixture of modern architecture with natural materials such as grey stone and exposed wood. Long and rectangular, with me on one end, and a wall of glass on the other. The room was split into two sections.

My current side, with the bed and two nightstands. And the other side, with a proud, prominent fireplace. A few sleek black seating options faced the fireplace, with a deep forest green rug in the middle. Bookshelves were recessed into the wall, on either side of the fireplace.

Who has a fireplace in their bedroom? And a whole seating area? I frowned at the scene, trying to wrap my head around it. His house looked large from the outside, and I can smell he lives alone.

I spotted three doors in the room, other than the one leading to the rest of the house. Two were on the wall opposite the bed, while the other one was on the other side of the room. One of those doors must lead to a shower.

Going around the bed, much to Jay’s unconscious annoyance, I tried the first door closest to me. I froze, taking in the room.

It was a closet. The cleanest closest I’d ever seen. Deep shelves and racks, with pressed suits, button down shirts, neatly folded shirts stacked, and a clean row of various shoes. My cheeks warmed at the horror of him ever seeing my closet at home. Dresses crammed into a tiny closet, shirts shoved and tucked in any tiny space they’d fit.

Should I be seeing this? I chewed my bottom lip, unsure if this counted as snooping or not. I exited the closet, cringing at my muddy footprint trail. I checked the next door, only to find a exact copy of his closet, only empty.

What the f*ck is going on? Goosebumps rose on my arms, and I scowled at the empty room, before promptly shutting the door. I hurried to the last door, praying it was a bathroom.

My hopes were right. An equally pristine, massive bathroom was in the last room. He has a shower and a tub? I blinked at the room. It had to be more expensive than any bathroom I’d ever been in. A built-in shower with exquisite ruby tiling, black hexagon tile floors, a tub we could both easily soak in.

My homey, muddy body certainly did not belong in this bathroom. Gold finishes and knobs, fancy light fixtures, and what appeared to be ten, no twenty shower heads screamed for me to run.

I took a deep sigh, soothing my rattling nerves, and climbed into the shower. Thankfully, for how fancy everything was, the shower was easy to figure out. After I’d finished scrubbing the blood and mud off myself, I searched the room for a d*mn towel while dripping onto the floor, cursing myself.

Finally, in a little closet that was hidden, made to blend with the wall, I found a shelf filled with towels. There were also extra toiletries, among them, a spare toothbrush. I grabbed it from the packaging, hoping he wouldn’t mind I’d taken his extra. Wrapping myself up, I scrubbed the blood out of my mouth, and from between my teeth.

Once I was done, I clicked open his medicine cabinet and stared at his toothbrush in a little gray cup. I rubbed my thumb along the new one I’d just used, squinting at it. We’re mates. I marked him. It’s fine. I plopped my new toothbrush into the cup next to his.

Unease swirled in my stomach. I fidgeted, rubbing my thumb along my other fingers. I just found out we’re mates, and what, now I’m moving myself in? My bottom lip was raw from chewing on it. I bounced on the balls of my feet, my gut telling me to run. That it was moving too fast.

That everything had moved too fast.

I squeezed my eyes shut, letting out a slow breath. No more running. I’m fine. I’m his mate, I’m supposed to be here.

A loud, echoing growl ripped from my stomach. I snorted out a laugh left the bathroom. Jay was still scowling on the bed, unconscious. I’ll be there in a minute. First, food.

Entering his living room, I halted. It was the same as the bedroom, the closets, and the bathroom. Pristine. Empty. Void of any evidence someone lived here, other than furniture. Another fireplace surrounded by couches was in the middle of his living room, but that was it.

No pictures. No art. No décor. Not a single little item, not even a blanket thrown over the back of the couch. This isn’t a home. It’s just a house.

I hmphed and stalked to the kitchen. It was the homiest room in the house, which wasn’t saying much. Two ovens were built into the wall, a stove with six burners, an island with a deep basin skin, and giant fridge suggested this might be his favorite room. It was certainly the only one with personality.

The wall behind the stove was cabinet-less, instead lined with hanging copper pots and pan. I blinked at the room, realizing the copper was the closet thing I’d seen to color in the whole house. Other than the green rug in his room and the ruby tiles.

It’s like his house a showroom or something. Just a magazine set for pictures. My stomach growled again, driving me to the fridge. I prayed his fridge had more evidence of life than the rest of his house.

A glass domed cake tray sat proudly in the center of the fridge. I snatched it out, my stomach making heinous sounds, like a wild animal. My mouth watered as I raised the glass dome. A tall, layered chocolate cake was inside with a single slice. After finding a utensil, I dug into the cake, my stomach growling

It was divine. Moist cake with creamy frosting, just rich enough to satisfy chocolaty cravings without sticking to the lining of your gut. It took me too long to stop. My cheeks burned at the tiny slice of cake I’d left on the tray. It took sheer willpower not to finish it.

He’s gonna be p*ssed when he wakes up. It was probably hard to make. I covered it, stuck it back in the fridge, and wiped the crumbs from my face like a toddler who’d just been caught sneaking treats. I went to scrub the spoon and froze.

A duffle bag sat next to the front door. I set the spoon in the sink and rushed to the bag. It was small, probably just big enough for a few days’ worth of clothes.

Was he leaving? I frowned, my heart sinking. Is that why his house is so empty? Did he come to tell me that tonight?

Cake threatened to come up. No. That can’t be it. He wasn’t leaving. I shook my head, hair raising on the back of my neck. Doubt lingered in the back of my mind as I walked away, heading back to his bedroom.

He’d curled up on the bed on his side. His arm spread out like he was searching for something. Me. He’s searching for me.

I smiled at him; my heart ready to burst. Yet, the duffle bag wouldn’t get out of my mind. Did he want to leave? Did I just force him to stay with me, not even giving him a choice?

No. He told me he’d always want me. And he meant it. I could see it in his eyes, hear it in his voice. He wasn’t lying tonight. I couldn’t think that.

I scowled at the bed, debating on climbing in nude. Somehow, that seemed too much. After everything tonight, I wasn’t sure if I could handle waking up next to him naked in the morning. I chucked on a white t-shirt and some sweatpants from his closet.

Climbing into bed with Jay made my stomach churn. I almost went to the couch on the other side of the room. But once I laid down next to him, with his arm around me, I knew I’d made the right call. Warmth pressed into my back. His scent clung to everything. His pillows, the blanket, the air itself.

He pulled me closer, nuzzled my hair, and I drifted to sleep.