Chapter 14: (Kal)

Pacing along the walls of his cozy cavern, He sniffed the air, a shadow of a scent evading him as he searched.

Something was missing; something important.

Tasting the air, the scents of all that inhabited his haven played along his tongue. The strong scent of his mate lingered like it infused every nook and cranny of this place. The musky scent of the other one filled his nose, her wary eyes always upon him, though that fire in her had died to bare embers, flickering in the bitter winds of his home. Fresh snow, the crisp mountain air, filtered in through the narrow crack in the wall, but that too did not fill the ache in his heart.

What was it that his heart longed for? What had moved him from where he’d lain, a growing anxiety gnawing at him like a burrowed tick?

Rising elegantly from the earthen bedding, She padded beside him, rubbing her snout under his. Nuzzling back, an enticing scent caught his nose, triggering his most base instincts.

She smelled good ... very good.

Golden eyes sparkling with mischief, She slipped from beside him, keeping her distance even as She wagged her tail. One step closer and She’d retreat one more. Standing beside the crack, her hips waving, the wind carried her heavy scent to him.

She was ovulating.

His chest rumbled as he stalked closer, her tongue lolling in amusement as She played this game, only to bolt into the snowy landscape when He attempted to pounce on her.

Hot on her heels, cold winds whipped by him as He pursued through the snow. Her fluffy tail bounced enticingly before him as She dipped behind another hill. Puffs of frosty breath chased after him, just as He chased after her.

Rounding the corner, She pounced upon him, growling and wagging her tail as He steadied himself. Avoiding the snap of his jaws to the scruff of her neck, She bolted once more. Never leaving his sightline, She dodged and frolicked as He chased behind, the hunger in his eyes ever growing as the taunting glimmer in her eyes flashed.

For hours they ran, chasing each other through the snow drifts and along the frozen streams until finally returning to their warm den. There, only one thing remained on his mind as She presented herself to him, eagerly licking her lips as She beckoned him.

Mounting her as She whimpered, He stared at the collared one, a single word on his mind.

Mine.

Sunlight streamed through the gaps in Natalie’s blinds, burning bright across Kal’s face as he awoke. Beside him, Natalie lay naked beneath her covers, pulled tight under her chin as her bare bottom peeked out from the edge. Rolling from the offending light, Kal spooned her, pulling her soft and warm body against him.

Resting his cheek upon her blonde hair, his thoughts once more shifted to the previous tumultuous night. The only saving grace had been that Caroline hadn’t shown up until he’d managed to extricate himself from Natalie. Caroline had left upon grabbing some clothes while pointedly covering her eyes as they’d fumbled to get under the covers. That, at least, had added some levity to the very very confusing revelations.

Starting with the obvious knot in his dick, he couldn’t for the life of himself explain how it had gotten there. It hadn’t been there the last times he’d fooled around with Natalie and yet, somehow, it didn’t elicit the kind of body-horror reaction he would have expected. Bemused acceptance, as if it weren’t strange to feature a fleshy bulb at the base of his dick, was the best he could muster, like it were no different from saying the sky was blue or water was wet. At the very least, they now knew it would go away at some point, though that hadn’t kept him from checking every hour to make sure.