Wolf's Call (Wolves Next Door #2) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,81

mates can get kinda stupid."

"Fuck off," I told him. "Like you're any better."

"See?" Seth made it sound like I'd just proven his point.

But Elena was grinning. "Is this like the wolf version of PMS?"

"Worse," Ian said, pulling up in her driveway. "Lane, get out of the car. Take Elena home. Don't do anything you'll regret later."

I pushed open the door and got out, but saw Ian grab Elena's arm. "I'm fine," she assured him. "And if Lane needs me, then I'm ok with that."

"You're his alpha too," Ian reminded her. "If he gets pushy, just remember that he will obey your orders. It's hard wired into his mind."

She chuckled, then opened her own door. "I'll take care of him, Ian. You can stop worrying."

She got out and made it around the front of the truck before Ian began backing up to park in his own driveway. I saw the headlights of Trent's truck coming down the street, which meant my family was home safe, so I headed over to Elena and guided her to the front door. She slipped her arm around my waist and leaned into my side.

"Is it bad?" she asked.

"No," I lied, reaching out to open her door for her. "You know that phrase about an itch that needs to be scratched? It's sorta fitting. I can remember not to scratch sometimes, but other times I just start going before my mind kicks in."

As soon as I was inside, she closed the door behind me, then caught my hand. "What did Ian mean about skin to skin?"

"Um..." I paused when she grabbed my hand and started walking, pulling me toward her bedroom. "It helps. But it also makes it harder when I can't have it. Not just touching, but smelling you, holding you - which is touching." Fuck, I'd turned into an idiot. "I don't want you to be scared of this, though. I can handle it."

She stopped halfway up the hall to turn around and face me. "Let's get one thing clear." She lifted her chin to look me in the eyes. "I am never scared of you, Lane. You might startle me because you move like a wolf and I don't always hear you, but that's not the same thing. I'm not scared of you. You make me feel safe, and I trust you. Completely."

My heart rejoiced at those words, howling in its own way with thumps in my chest, so I decided to just be blunt. "Every fiber in my body wants to claim you and make you mine. I want to mark you so that no other man will dream of touching you. I want to feel you submit in my arms. Those desires run in the back of my mind constantly, like an alcoholic thinking about a drink. I want to feel you, to have you, and to destroy anyone else who touches you."

"But - " she tried.

I caught the side of her face and stepped closer. "What is mine is Ian's. What is his belongs to his betas. They don't count. They're the same as me. I mean David, sitting so close to you by the fire. Kevin, that guy who lives on Forest Street, running his eyes across your body when he realized there were people by the fire. I know that's normal, that they aren't doing anything wrong, but I want to hurt them for it - because you aren't mine. I know it doesn't make sense, so I try to ignore it."

She leaned her face into my palm. "What do you mean about me not being yours? I'm your mate, Lane."

"But you're not truly mine. We haven't..." I paused, trying to find the words to explain it to her. "This thing we're doing? We're taking it slow. I can't push." I sighed, knowing that wasn't helping. "Elena, we've had sex, but that's not the same." Fuck. Now I was really screwing it up. "I need..."

"Stop," she begged, pressing her palm against my chest. "Don't think. Just tell me what it feels like."

My fingers tightened in her hair, pulling her a little closer like they had a mind of their own. "I need to feel you. I want to kiss you until you can't think. I want to lose myself in your body, feeling your arms and legs locked around me. I want to steal your breath and give you mine. I want to..." I paused to lick my lips. "To feel you give yourself to me so I