“It’s the Lord of Arms,” one of the guards blurted, his eyes wide and focused on the door. The other enforcers appeared just as anxious. “He looks different.”
“Yeah. And um… he didn’t come on his horse. He just dropped down in front of us.”
Macauley was barely able to lift his head off the pillow and aim his nose towards the air. His first inhale had him struggling to get his paws under him as the incredible scent of leather, forest rain, and ripened plums circulated around him.
He came back.
“I am here, beloved.” Adres’s voice ruffled Macauley’s fur like a cool spring breeze. “Tell your betas to let me in, or I will move them myself.”
Macauley released a weak bark, trying to communicate Adres’s warning, but he was being ignored.
“What’s happening?” Justice demanded as the windows blew open, sending a frigid burst of wind into the room.
Adres stood in Macauley’s bedroom door with his hooded black cloak trimmed in gold gusting around him and his sheathed sword clutched in his right palm. The enforcers were right. There was something very different about his mate; his scent and his energy had changed. Macauley could feel it.
Adres’s gaze stayed on his as he politely asked the occupants in the room, “Please get out and leave me with my cherished.”
“Not on your life.” Justice stalked across the room, his own powerful energy rippling in the atmosphere.
“It’s about time you showed up.” Aleksei stood from the end of Macauley’s bed and urged Justice to go with him. “Come on, brother. Even Wrath is not interested in facing a Titan at the moment.”
Macauley had exceptional hearing in this form, but he didn’t quite believe his ears. Did he say Titan?
Macauley’s family filed out one at a time, each of them casting a bewildered expression at Adres. Bundy was the last to leave. Once he’d crossed the threshold, Adres waved his palm, causing a blast of wind to slam the door closed after them.
Macauley couldn’t resist taking another deep whiff since he’d never smelled so much from Adres before, including the scent of new spring and dark berries. Adres released his sword that hovered protectively near his shoulder, then removed his shawl. Macauley wished he could tell him how handsome he looked in his fancy cape-like outfit, but it would have to wait.
“I do not know if I have the correct words to express my most sincere apologies, Macauley. I have no explanation for my cowardly actions towards my own cherished.”
Macauley shifted over when Adres climbed onto the bed and nestled close to him. He sighed as cold fingers sifted through the thick scruff around his neck and then down his back. It felt good enough to make him close his eyes and lay his head over Adres’s heart. He didn’t have the strength to penetrate his core, but he knew there had been a change. Not only in Adres’s natural scent but also in the amplification of his magic.
“You still cannot communicate?” Adres laid his forehead against Macauley’s muzzle and whispered, “Forgive me, young wolf. Forgive me for leaving your side when you needed me the most.”
Macauley let his eyelids fall shut, having faith that Adres would be there when he woke. He was wrapped in protective arms as Adres coaxed him into a peaceful sleep.
Adres didn’t leave Macauley’s home for the entire week it took him to heal. He’d shift back to his human form for a little while and then to his wolf to continue healing faster. Macauley’s siblings and a few pack members would come by during the day while Adres slept and bring him food or to just keep him company. He hadn’t attempted to drink from his cherished anymore, nor had they been intimate again. However, he wouldn’t have said it was the furthest thing from his mind. He was still more than satisfied as far as his thirst was concerned, but there was something else he craved even more than Macauley’s blood.
He wanted his thick cock inside him the same way he’d used his fingers. Adres had never felt such exquisite pleasure.
Adres waited downstairs in Macauley’s nice kitchen while he finished showering and dressing. He didn’t think it’d be a good idea for him to be in the bedroom when Macauley stepped out of the shower, dripping wet in a thin towel and smelling edible. Adres’s dick was getting hard at the thought—which was the norm now—as he walked around to get his mind off sex.
First, he sat on the sofa, but he was vibrating with too much energy to remain still. He moved around the open space, touching knickknacks and running his palm over the beautifully crafted wooden furniture that his beloved had made with his own hands. He was so talented. Not only had Macauley done all the designing in his own immaculate cabin, but he’d done a lot of work on pack members’ homes as well.