(LOCKE)
I've taken Corrine out several more times to run in her wolf form and build up her stamina. She's getting stronger, but after she shifts back to her human form, she's still a little dizzy and queasy, and mostly flustered by her wolf's behavior.
The full moon is drawing closer, and I can feel my own wolf's restlessness. The close proximity between Corrine and me is making it harder to keep my hands to myself.
The night of the full moon is the only time a female shifter can conceive, so I don't know why I'm so reluctant to touch her. Maybe it's because there is something incredibly fragile about my mate, and I know how brutish I can be. Even when I hold her in bed, sometimes it feels like I might snap her in two. But my wolf's desire to get closer to our mate is becoming overwhelming.
Now, I've started to come in later and later at night.
She doesn't complain. She never does. It doesn't matter what I do, Corrine never complains about it. When I'm kind to her, she's baffled. When I treat her well, she looks at me as if she doesn't quite understand why I'm behaving that way. There's a distrust of me deep within her, a wariness that I wanted there from day one, but doesn't sit well with me anymore.
The castle staff, all the way down to the chefs in the kitchen, is determined to win her over. Meals are carefully prepared, snacks sent to her, new recipes tried every day to suit her taste.
I can understand the enthusiasm behind these efforts. It has almost become a game to the staff, and wolves are nothing if not playful. Corrine is the first queen to make such dramatic changes to the castle and the kingdom. They want her to be happy. But my mate still withdraws into herself as if she cannot comprehend kindness or gratitude.
I never know what to say to her when I see her standing on the balcony, looking out, a forlorn look on her face. She's not trapped here, but she doesn't leave the castle unless it's work-related. I don't even know what she does in her free time aside from read. Ever since I got the greenhouse fixed up for her, if she has any time to herself, she spends it there.
This afternoon, Corrine is not in the dining room where lunch is being laid out, and I can't find her anywhere else. I decide to take a stroll over to the greenhouse to find her. I'm sure she will be there.
I've never once set foot inside there. I want it to be her sanctuary, a place where she doesn't have to worry about anyone intruding.
I make sure to knock on the door before entering. She has cleaned up the area very nicely. To my surprise, I see all sorts of flowers blooming. I didn't even think such plants could grow in the North. On closer inspection, I realize these are all flowers that I had once known. I don't know where Corrine got the seeds or how she managed to get them to bloom so quickly.
Maybe she got help from the witch in the village to grow these plants. The same witch who has been helping her accelerate the growth of the vegetables. The seeds from the Human Kingdom that I gave her have turned out to be quite suitable for the weather here. Corrine has placed an order through me for more seeds. The farmers are all excited.
I touch one of the thick, luscious roses and wonder if Corrine sees the changes she's bringing to my kingdom. I remember how she approached me to ask for more seeds, nervous and anxious, as if she fully expected me to say no. It bothers me.
I call out her name.
She's not here. Her absence gives me the chance to look around and see what she has done with the place. There's a small shelf in a corner with different books. I find a paperback on the small table in the center of the greenhouse, in which Corrine has placed a bookmark. I open the book, curious to see what she's been reading.
It's a novel. The bookmark is on a page with an explicit scene. As I flip through the book, I realize that she has dog-eared all the pages that contain sexual situations. Almost as if she's trying to learn.
I put the book back on the table, feeling strange. If she has questions, why not come to me? Why is she seeking answers in some silly romance novel?
More determined than ever to find her, I make my way to our bedroom. I don't expect her to be there, but to my surprise, she's coming out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel. Her hair is piled on top of her head and appears to be dry. When she sees me, her eyes widen.
"Locke?"
Just like I've started calling her Corrine, she has begun using my name more frequently.
"What are you doing, taking a bath in the middle of the day?" I ask her. "I slipped in some mud outside the greenhouse," she admits.
"I didn't want to wait for Sigrid, so I took a bath by myself. Did you need something? Just let me change. I'll be ready in a minute."
I remember the explicit scene she had been reading, and my eyes linger on the curves that the thick towel is hiding. Is it just me, or has she become a little too comfortable without clothes on in my presence? Almost as if she doesn't expect me to touch her.
"I went looking for you in the greenhouse. You left a book there."
She frowns at me, as if trying to remember which book it was, and then color bursts into her face. "Oh. You didn't happen to read it, did you?"
"What if I did?" I question her, liking the way the blush crawls over her neck.
She clutches the towel closer to her. "I—Well, it was educational. I don't have much knowledge about—"
I cover the distance between us. "You should've asked me. Experience is the best teacher, after all."
For a moment, she stares at me with an uncomprehending look, and then she stumbles back a couple of steps. "That wasn't my—"
I catch her before she falls to the ground. She's so light. Those soft, brown eyes of hers are filled with embarrassment and a hint of shyness.
"How about a lesson?" My wolf was already hanging by a thread, but after discovering her choice of reading material, I don't have the patience to keep my hands to myself anymore.
"A lesson?" she repeats breathlessly.
I walk her backward to the bed. "Yes. I am your mate, after all."
"But—" She looks tense. "I heard you don't want a child from me."
"What?" I frown. "What're you—"
The backs of her knees hit the edge of the bed, causing her to lose her balance. Her arms flail, and she loses her grip on the towel.
She's lying on the bed now, her whole body bared to me, her pale skin flushed, her creamy white breasts perky and soft. I lean down, caging her with my arms on either side of her head.
"If you need to learn, I'm right here."
Her lips part, and my nose twitches when I catch a familiar scent in the air. Her arousal.
"I—" she begins, trembling. But there is no fear in her eyes, only desire and confusion.
I touch her stomach with one hand, and she squeezes her eyes shut, shuddering. The scent of her arousal grows thicker. I watch her face carefully as my hand climbs higher, curling around one of her breasts and squeezing it. She makes a gasping sound before I lower my mouth against hers.
I kiss her deeply, my tongue probing past her lips, seeking entrance to her mouth. When she lets me in, it takes all my willpower not to move too aggressively. I toy with her hardened nipple, eliciting soft moans from her. The sounds she makes are enticing. My hand travels down the expanse of her flat stomach and reaches her pussy. She immediately squeezes her legs shut.
A virgin's reaction.
To be fair, she is essentially inexperienced, so her response doesn't surprise me. But patience doesn't seem to be my strong suit when it comes to her.
I release her lips and press open-mouthed kisses along her jaw, her neck, trying to make her feel more comfortable. She begins to relax, but when I reach her stomach, she grows tense. I grab her by the thighs and force her legs apart, lifting them in the air till I hook her knees around my shoulders. Her eyes turn wide.
"Wait—What are you—"
She doesn't get to finish because I press my thumb against her clit and lick the slit of her pussy. A mewling cry escapes her lips, and I thrust my tongue inside.
Her fingers dig into the towel that is trapped under her body. As I fuck her pussy with my tongue, her gasps turn into whines and whimpers.
"C–Locke! Please!"
I can feel her muscles tensing. She's on the edge. I pinch her clit, and she screams, her back arching, a gush of her juices spilling into my mouth. I lap them all up before carefully lowering her legs to the bed.
She looks boneless and satiated, her eyes half-closed. I remove my shirt and get rid of my pants.
When her gaze lands on my hard cock, I see the panic fill her. "I can't—"
She tries to scramble away, but I pull her toward me, easing her fears with a kiss. "It's meant to go inside you. It'll fit."
She looks doubtful. I reach down, and hold my hand up to her face. She trembles and parts her lips. I place my fingers on her tongue, and when she begins to suck obediently, I groan.
My mate doesn't seem to realize it, but she's a bit of a tease.
Her hot little mouth wraps around my fingers as she licks them clean. When her eyelids part, she looks dazed, as if she doesn't quite realize what she's doing. I remove my fingers from her mouth and proceed to sink them into her pussy.
She's tight.
Maybe she has a point. I may very well rip her apart if I enter her right now. I'll have to loosen her up first.
The idea of fucking her with my fingers has me licking my lips.
She's making gasping sounds as I pump my fingers inside her. Her breasts bounce with each movement, and I reach my head down to torment them.
Her fingers release the duvet, choosing to seek purchase in my hair. She pulls at it, mindlessly sobbing out my name as I coax another orgasm out of her. Her eyes glaze over as she cums, her fingers clenching my hair in desperation.
Seeing this normally elegant and composed woman unravel into this needy, lustful mess, sweat clinging to her body, her legs spread for me, satisfies the darkest part of me. If I could, I would keep her like this in our bedroom. Her sobbing cries make my cock throb.
I insert another finger into her, and then another,, and when her back arches, a long, drawn-out moan ripping from her, I decide I can't wait any longer. Removing my fingers, I line up the head of my cock to her entrance and begin to push.
Her passage is slick, and I manage to get in, but she's incredibly tight. I hear her groan, but I know the slower I take this, the harder it will be for her. With one thrust, I fill her.
Corrine makes a strangled sound, and I wait, letting her adjust to my size. Her wet muscles are like a tight fist around me. I watch her face as I start to move, waiting for the discomfort to fade away. When a small nudge has her twitching, I decide it's time. I slowly pull out my length till only the tip of my cock is still inside her, and then thrust again.
She whines, her legs spreading wider for me.
I study her, wondering if she knows how brazen she looks at this moment. A smirk forms on my lips. I like her this way, begging, indecent, and shameless before me. A sight meant for my eyes only.
I try to control my pace, but it is difficult when she whimpers my name, her eyes filled with desire and need. Her claws dig into my arms, and I know she wants it harder. I can feel her strain against me.
So, I give her what she wants.
Hard and fast, I fuck her, the room filling with our intermingled scents, Corrine's screams of ecstasy bouncing against the stone walls. I never thought she'd be loud in bed, but it excites me. Every sound she makes drives me on. I want to push her more, hear her cry for me over and over.
When she shatters, I follow suit, filling her with my seed.
Her body goes limp, but I'm not done. It's like a dam has opened, and I want her in every way possible. I turn her over on her stomach and enter her once again. As she weeps my name, her fingers digging into the covers, her hips moving in tandem with my thrusts, I realize that maybe Sigrid was right.
Corrine was built for me.