Untouchable

Chapter 13 Want

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“Each of us is born with a box of matches Inside us but we can’t strike them all by ourselves.”-Laura Esquivel

Kiyn

“Dad, are you sure you’re well enough to drive back home?”

“Mija, I’m fine. Goodness, you fuss over me more than my Abuela, bless her soul.”

“I wouldn’t have to fuss if you and Mom didn’t get so hammered last night.”

Dad’s cheeks dusted pink as he adjusted his seatbelt, clipping it in place. “It wasn’t that bad…”

“Look at Mom!” I shouted, gesturing to my unconscious mother in the passenger seat. Her head was angled on the shoulder of her seat, lips parted like a frightened fish, and her hair embracing the look of a f**d capybara. The sunlight highlighted a dribble of drool falling from the side of her lip.

Whatever was in the champagne knocked her right off her a**

Dad chuckled, gently straightening his wife’s head, using his thumb to wipe the drool away. “Isn’t she gorgeous?”

1 rolled my eyes heavenward. “Just be careful when you drive home, okay? I don’t want to have to worry.”

Dad’s eyes lingered on me before curving his lips into a smile. “It’s my job to worry about you, mi rayo de luna. Have confidence in your old man!”

“I have enough confidence to know that we’re never purchasing that type of champagne again.”

“Oh, it’s too late for that. Celeste gave us a few bottles for the ride home.”

“What?!”

Dad took advantage of my shock by planting a kiss on my cheek, slamming the driver’s door closed, and revving up the engines. I should’ve expected something like this. Mom, Dad, and Aunt Essie are good friends, yet acted like a bunch of unruly teenagers. Always goofing off and out drinking one another. However, a part of me was glad that they had fun, shedding the expectations that waited for them back at home.

No matter how old you get, that goofiness never fades. It waits for you to welcome it with open arms, to take it for a ride on the rollercoaster of youth.

My worries slowly dissipated to mist when my parents’ car drove out of the territory, disappearing behind the wall of tall trees. I puffed a breath from my lips, anchoring my hands on my hips. I’m staying here for two weeks with my family, my best friend, and…my…

F**k.

Neron and I will be around each other for two consecutive weeks, even more so when we travel to Miami for this summer’s Alpha Gathering. I had readily agreed to go with him, but that was before the touch evoked our mate bond.

Chapter 13 – Want

It’s… scary. Old and new feelings under my skin and Neron was the only one who could tame them. I wanted-no- needed to be closer to him. Everything I’ve wanted with Neron would’ve made me vomit back in the day, wanted nothing more than to experience those things with him.

but

now, I

My body started burning up again. Did I always have these illicit feelings? Were they just waiting for the perfect moment to rise? When I look at Neron, I see more than the Alpha of Onyx Moon. I see potential. Hope. Strength. Resiliency. Desire. It killed me to see him sad or disappointed. It brought me joy to see him happy and carefree. I wanted to protect that.

Yet, I wanted to see more of him. Know more about him. I wanted to dig deep into his heart and soul and figure out

what made him tick.

But the ultimate question remained. Was I ready for any of this?

“Why don’t I take over for a bit?” Artemis’ soothing voice suggested. “You need a thinking break.”

“Have I been thinking too hard?”

“Yes, and it’s giving me a headache.”

I shook my head, laughing under my breath. “Alright. Have fun.”

Artemis

I walked into the maple-scented forest, sitting on the roots of an arbitrary tree, folding one leg over the other. Some

of hair, I bugs jumped aside, scurrying along the ground to find a safe place to go. Twisting a finger around a lock pulled it in front of my view, the white color glowing under the dotted sunlight. After reaching goddesshood, whenever Kiya and I swapped control, our hair color changed from black to white. I didn’t mind it, as it was easier for others to know who was speaking. The coils snapped back once released. I leaned my head back against the tree bark, closing my eyes, and breathing in the crisp, clean air.

There was no escaping this. The mate bond has been reborn, and it’s sucking my human and me into its trenches. Kiya continued to dangle on the cliff of sensibility, terrified of falling. She holds on for as tight and as long as she could. I understood why-she’s scared. The mate bond exposes vulnerability in hopes the mate would cradle with care. For years, she was the one cradling that piece of her heart, so handing it off to someone else was terrifying.Còntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org

However, I wasn’t in the same state she was.

When Neron and Kiya touched last night, the bond connected Onyx to me. Through it, deep in the background of my human’s mind, I felt Onyx’s excitement. His desire. His hope, He wanted this more than anyone. Onyx was overjoyed to get a sliver of connection with me when, before, it was impossible. Our connection would strengthen if we fully mate, both us and our humans. It was solely through touch and swapping control was when we could communicate with one another. See one another. Hold one another.

My lips still burned from the kiss we shared three years ago.

And I wanted that again.

Chapter 13 – Want

That made this situation complicated. Onyx wants me. After ruminating for years, I knew Onyx was the only wolf I wanted. No one else ever came close. That was my honest-to-goddess truth. That huge, serious, protective, and silly puppy was the d m n puppy I wanted for myself.

But I won’t jeopardize my relationship with my human because of my selfishness. Kiya was aware of how I felt and encouraged me to pursue what I wanted. While I’m loyal to a fault, she has to take that step forward with me before I

run.

Until then, I’m staying put.

Just like the person in front of me when I grabbed their nose and pinched. Hard. My eyes were still closed, but I

couldn’t mask my vexation.

“Sneaking up on a woman while she’s trying to relax is a guaranteed death sentenc “Unless you want to lose your nose, I wouldn’t recommend doing this again.”

I reprimanded, pinching harder.

“Ow, okay! I’ll make it up to you if you’ll let me go. An apology for my transgressions, one might say.”

I arched an eyebrow. “I’m not convinced.” The person howled in pain, heavy hands wrapping around my wrists when I pinched down to the cartilage. “You can do better than that, can you?”

“F u c k i n g hell, woman. I won’t be able to if I’m noseless! Neron will demand my head on a guillotine.”

“Hmm. Fair enough.” I let go. I was blessed with the sight of Onyx rubbing his reddened nose when I opened my eyes, stifling a giggle in my throat. “Clever using the Anti-Spray to disguise your scent. It’ll serve you well on the battlefield, but not with me.”

“You’re no fun.” Onyx grumbled, sniffling.

“I can be, just not when my quiet time is disturbed.”

Pushing myself off the ground, I didn’t have the chance to dust the dirt off my pants when my world spun on its axis. “Whoa!” Onyx spun me around in a complete circle, pushed me up against the tree bark, and eliminated the distance between us. He pressed his forehead on mine, anchoring his large hands on my waist as if they were meant to be there. Memories from our cavorting in the forest rushed in. I raised my lips in a smirk, sinking into his deep pools of gold as our breaths mingled as one.

His lips were inches from mine. Oh, Goddess.

“I refuse to leave until I bring a smile on your face.” His e w hisper, riddled with emotions, shot thunderbolts to my core. His touch and encompassing presence engulfed me in an endless sea of excitement. Unconsciously, I pressed my thighs together. “Allow me to make it up to you, my sweet.”

“You’ll have to show me how repentant you are, Alpha.” I challenged, grinning from ear to ear. “Then, maybe, I’ll grant

you that chance.”

I didn’t miss the golds flickering to black. It was so quick. If blinked, I would’ve missed it. Onyx closed the distance between our lips, his breathing laboring. Mine did too. To my chagrin, I’ve dreamed and hoped for the day we’d kiss again. My little secret that Kiya didn’t know about.

Chapter 13 – Want

Centimeters apart, our lips would’ve molded together like two puzzle pieces if he hadn’t pulled away at the last

second. His chuckle caressed my ears when he stepped back, rising to laughter when he spotted the disappointment on

my face.

A s s o e.

“I have a better idea.” He spoke. “There is something I want to show you. It’s a bit of a walk, but we’d get there quicker

in our true forms.”

“Oh? And where is this place?” And why wasn’t it between my legs?

Yikes! Control yourself, Artemis.

“You’ll have to see and find out.”

I let out a loud groan. “Fine. You and your a n secrets.”

Onyx’s face rose with his grin, s k i p i n g behind a giant tree to strip and shift. I swore I heard a low humming. Keeping my chuckles to myself, I stripped behind a tree and shifted into my wolf form. Onyx and I met at the center, rubbing his nose against a sensitive part of my neck. The part that would bore a mate mark one day. I shuddered, butting his head from me.

He’s going to be the death of me.

Onyx took off down a rocky path, and I followed not too far behind him. Whatever he wanted to show me, he was excited for, and I couldn’t wait to see it. After a couple of minutes of hopping over earthy debris, he led me to a massive cliff. Onyx slowed to a stop and gestured with his head for me to look down. Cautiously, I ambled toward the edge and looked down.

And what I saw was absolutely stunning.

A waterfall! The scent of water blended with earth and flora tickled my snout. This world had many hidden gems, and this was one of them. I looked at Onyx, who sat on his rear, waiting for my response.

I growled in approval.

Soon after, Onyx led me down another rocky path that brought me closer to the waterfall. The sounds of rushing water grew louder the closer we got. It was one thing to look at the water from above, but from below? There aren’t enough words in the dictionary to describe the beauty, Grass and flowers crushed beneath our paws, walking closer to the river.

Many sensations rushed through my body. Boundless joy. Childlike curiosity. Excitement. Before I knew it, I shifted back into human form, ignoring the fact I was stark naked, and leaped into the cold water. The river swallowed me whole, appearing deeper than I originally thought. A couple of fish zipped past my nose. My feet brushed against rock and lush vegetation, the stems of water lilies sprouting toward the surface, blossoming above. Beauty lies both above and below the surface.

I rose from the water when my lungs burned for air, flipping my hair to my back. The sun peeked behind the clouds, enhancing the glitters embedded in the ripples. “Onyx, this place is beautiful. Thank you for showing-”

Onyx wasn’t at the riverbank. In fact, he wasn’t anywhere. Concerned, I darted my head in all directions in hopes to

Chapter 13 Want

spot a tuff of black fur but found nothing. The water sloshed around my hips, rushing between my legs without care. I waded toward the riverbank, shaking my head. “I really hope that dumb puppy didn’t leave me here alone…”

Oh, how wrong I was.

In seconds, something seized at my ankles and yanked me b backward into the river, my body cutting through the innocent water lilies. I shrieked and flailed my arms around, thinking someone attacked me until the familiar warmth grabbed my wrists. The water obscured my vision, but I saw Onyx’s s i t eating grin as clear as day. S n a t c h i n g one of my wrists back, I punched him in the arm, his smile turning into a wince.

“Guess I deserved that.”

“You deserved that and more!” I shook my linger in his face. “Don’t scare me like that! I couldn’t hurt you!”

“You can’t hurt me, angel.” Onyx winked.

Heat rushed to my cheeks. “You don’t want a demonstration, puppy. Not here in the river when we both-!”

My eyes maneuvered from his face to where the water cut off his form just below his waist, revealing the dangerous vee of his thighs that led to… his forbidden ared. Water droplets rained from his bulging muscles, from his ridiculously long hair, and his sharp chin. Sunlight hit him from behind, haloing his naked form like he was a deity blessed by the king of the g o d s himself. Many of his scars had faded, but I could still see them if I looked closely.

All words expired on my tongue. My mouth went dry. His hand was secured around my wrist, his thumb now massaging my radial pulse. His lips arched into a smile that shot more thunderbolts to my core, his half-lidded eyes peering into my shivering soul. My heart was racing, and he felt it.

The water was chilly, but the heat between us burned fiercer than molten lava.

I m**d a squeal when his brawny arm wrapped around my waist and yanked me toward his body. The bond went crazy, writhing like a dog in heat and bursting with firecracker-like explosions underneath my skin. Onyx brought my wrist up to his mouth and kissed each digit, his lips lingering on my ring finger. His lips traveled from my fingers to my palm, down to my wrist.

He nipped the thin skin over my pulse with his teeth, my body jolting against his. That movement alone made me aware of his hardened arousal pressing against my lower stomach.

Oh, sweet Selene…

“Your scent is driving me crazy.” Onyx’s arm trembled against my flesh, his fingers splayed against hip, digging into

mind’s the supple flesh. His entire body buckled against mine as he grunted, closing his eyes, and exhaling heavily. M first thought was that he was hurt, but I knew this reaction. Kiya did it all the time. Onyx was resisting something. holding himself back. “Goddess, I love you so much.”

“Onyx…” I whispered, flexing my fingers. The hand closest to his face cupped his cheek, his eyes flying open. “Is there something wrong?”

He gifted me with a dazzling smile, shaking his head and pressing his lips against my palm again. “Nothing to worry your pretty little head about. It is overwhelming having you this close.” 5/6

Chapter 13-Want

“You make it sound like a bad thing.”

“It truly isn’t, my sweet.” His eyes bore into mine. Hented. Smoldering. “I much prefer this, if I’m being honest.”

“I guess you can say I’m overwhelmed too.” I smiled, exhaling a shaky breath. “This is very intimate and…”

“I won’t do anything unless you explicitly tell me to.” Onyx released my wrist, pushing wet strands of my hair behind my car. Electricity hummed through me, sweet yet potent. “But you and Kiya need to be onboard if you both chose to

accept us or not.”

If you both chose to accept us or not. both chose to accentus

And I don’t know when that’ll be, if ever. I don’t voice my thoughts, but nod in my silence. Wherever Kiya goes, I go, but I don’t know if I would or want to leave Onyx.

But that is another thought for another day. I didn’t want to ruin this moment between us,

“May I request a kiss from you, Onyx?”

His large hands cupped both my cheeks. He leaned down and brushed his nose against mine. “How can I say no to such a sweet request?”

Our lips met in a sweet unison that made the angels in heaven sing. I felt so warm that it surprised me that the surrounding water didn’t boil. Onyx picked me up and carried me to the riverbank, my arms secure around his neck and my legs locked around his waist. The last kiss we shared was passionate, almost hurried, and sinful. This kiss was gentle with the embers of our flame stoking our strongest desires.

It was all I could take for today.