Chapter 194

Ava

Chris winced as I gently prodded the large lump on the side of his head where that heavy book had connected with his skull. “Ow…”

“I’m so sorry, Chris,” I said softly, feeling a pang of guilt. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. That looks like it’s going to bruise.”

Chris chuckled, although he winced again slightly when my fingers brushed over the tender spot to apply the ointment. “It’s okay, Ava. I probably deserved that for trying to scare you. Besides, it’s not as bad as it looks.”

I shook my head and recapped the tube of ointment. “No, you didn’t deserve it at all. I shouldn’t have reacted so violently.” I stood from the bed, brushing myself off. “Does it hurt badly? Should we get some ice for it?”

“Nah, it’s nothing I can’t handle,” he assured me with a grin as he flexed his biceps, eliciting an eye-roll from me. “Besides, I have to say, I’m impressed by your forehand swing. Have you ever considered a career as a professional tennis player?”

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes once more at that. “Very funny. I think I’ll stick to being a Luna, thank you very much. Although maybe I should take up tennis as a hobby. It might come in handy if any real intruders show up.”

“Just make sure you can tell the difference between me and an intruder next time,” Chris teased.

Shaking my head, I pulled the covers back and laid down on the bed next to him. We laid there in comfortable silence for a few moments, my fingers absentmindedly running through his hair and pausing occasionally to trace the bump on his head.

He winced again and grabbed my fingers. “Enough of that.”

“Sorry.” I blushed and rolled onto my back, staring up at the ceiling.

The house had long since gone quiet, Fabian having gone to his room—although I doubted he was asleep. He was likely sitting up, biting his nails and waiting for the ‘ghosts’ to come out. I still didn’t think that the sounds here at night were so much ghosts as they were the wind howling around the corners of the house.

A thought occurred to me then, and I turned to face Chris again, propping myself up on one elbow.

“Chris,” I began hesitantly, “do you actually believe in all this ‘ghost’ business? I mean, you haven’t really shown much skepticism about it…”

He shrugged, his expression thoughtful. “Honestly? The jury’s still out on that one. I can’t say I’m a full believer, but I’m not ready to completely dismiss it either.”

I raised an eyebrow, surprised. “Really? I never took you for someone who would even consider the paranormal or the afterlife. Especially since you weren’t exactly quick to believe in the Moon Goddess.”

Chris chuckled, a hint of sheepishness in his voice. “Well, if we’re being completely honest, the jury’s still out on the Moon Goddess too. For what it’s worth.”

“Chris!” I exclaimed, smacking him playfully on the shoulder. “You can’t be serious. After everything we’ve been through?”

He held up his hands defensively. “Hey, I’m just saying,” he laughed. “I’m open to possibilities. I’ve seen a lot of incredible things since meeting you, things I never thought were possible. So who am I to say ghosts can’t exist?”

I pondered this for a moment as I chewed the inside of my cheek. “I suppose that’s fair. But still, ghosts seem like a stretch, don’t you think?”

Chris shrugged again. “Maybe. But when it comes to the afterlife... Well, sometimes the idea can be comforting. I mean, think about it. The idea of getting to be with my family again someday after death, and you... It’s a nice thought, isn’t it?”

His expression softened a bit, a small smile playing at his lips. I couldn’t help but smile back. “Yeah, I suppose it is. I never really thought about it that way.”

We lay in silence for another moment, both lost in our own thoughts. Then Chris turned to me, curiosity in his eyes.

“What about you? Why are you so opposed to the idea of ghosts? You seem pretty adamant about finding logical explanations for everything, and yet you’re a staunch believer in the Moon Goddess. Make it make sense.”

I pursed my lips, not really wanting to delve into the topic of my history with the afterlife right now. “I don’t know. I guess I just always want to find a logical explanation before jumping to conclusions about bumps in the night. It feels safer that way, you know?”

Chris nodded. “That’s fair. Although,” he added with a mischievous grin, “I can’t help but want to tease you for getting so spooked just now. For someone who doesn’t believe in ghosts, you sure jumped pretty high when you turned around earlier.”

I felt my cheeks flush. “Hey, I thought you might have been an intruder, not a ghost. There’s a big difference between being scared of supernatural things and being cautious about real dangers.”

“Mhm, sure,” Chris said, smirking. “So you’re saying if you thought it was a ghost, you wouldn’t have been scared at all?”

“I was being cautious, not scared.”

Chris laughed, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me closer. “It doesn’t matter what you thought it was, so long as you got spooked. Just admit it: you were scared.”

I rolled my eyes, but couldn’t stop myself from smiling. “Fine, maybe I was a little startled. But can you blame me? This house is creepy enough without you playing pranks on me.”

“But you have to admit, it was a little fun, right?”

I raised an eyebrow. “Fun for which one of us, exactly?”

He grinned, flipping us so he was on top, his firm body gently pressing me to the mattress. “Well, for me, obviously,” he purred, his hands trailing up my forearms and moving to lightly pin my wrists down to the bed. “I just wanted to spook you to get you into my arms.”

“You know,” I said, craning my neck to bring our lips closer together, “I would do that anyway without the jumpscare part. You don’t need to resort to cheap tricks, Alpha.”

“Where’s the fun in that?” Chris teased. He moved as if to kiss me, but then avoided my lips entirely and went straight for my throat. “Besides, you’re such a scaredy cat even though you try to act like a tough girl. It’s kind of adorable.”

I shivered and opened my mouth to protest, but before I could say anything, Chris leaned in and kissed me softly. All thoughts of an argument fled my mind as I melted into the kiss, my back arching beneath him.

When we finally broke apart, I was so breathless my chest was heaving. Chris, however, just had a mischievous glint in his eye.

With a playful growl, he flicked off the light and pulled the bedsheets over our heads.

…

The room was dark as sin as his fingers trailed my body, the sheets muffling the sound of my labored breathing. I desperately ground my hips against Chris, yearning for more, but was quickly stopped by a firm hand against my low belly.

“Tsk, tsk,” Chris clicked his tongue at me softly, pausing his deep strokes. “Don’t get too hasty now, Luna.”

I whimpered quietly, struggling to arch my back away from the bed. “But—”

My protest died on my lips as Chris growled and suddenly sat up, throwing the white sheets off of us. For the first time since we had started, I felt like I could breathe—but the air was quickly stolen from my lungs once again as Chris, in one swift movement, flipped me onto my belly and took me by the hips.

Digging his fingers into my flesh, he pulled my ass upward, gently peppering kisses along the back of my thighs before he moved to stroke the head of his cock along my pussy.

“You get so greedy sometimes, you know that?” he cooed, thrusting deep and slow into me. One hand gently pressed the side of my face into the soft pillows, the other coming around to rub slow circles on my clit. It was all I could do to grab the pillows and smash them into my face to muffle the sound of my moans.

Chris, chuckling softly at my desperation, slowly picked up his pace. The soft smacks of flesh against flesh filled the quiet room, mixed with the gentle creaking of the bedsprings. I arched my back deeply, giving him a better angle—and could hear his own desperate, strained grunt as he tried to adjust to the sudden pleasure.

“Maybe I’m not the only one who’s greedy,” I teased, picking my head up and tossing my hair over my shoulder to look up at him.

A low growl rumbled in Chris’s throat, and his green eyes gently began to glow in the darkness—his wolf awakening.

“You might be right,” he growled.

Almost as if that animalistic part of him was taking over, he began to move faster and faster and more desperately, his tight torso glistening in the dim light. Outside, the fog pressed even harder against the window, making it feel as if it were only us left in the entire world.

And in those moments, as Chris hunched over me and pressed a heated kiss to my lips, his tongue swirling and exploring the expanses of my mouth, I wouldn’t have minded if that were the case.

The wailing woman was quiet that night, but it didn’t matter; I made enough noise for the both of us.