Chapter 36

ALEXIS

From the way Hudson was kissing me, it seemed like he was ready to mate right then and there. He seemed to have forgotten that we were only part way done with the ceremony and that we were pretty much making out in front of five hundred people.

Mr. Devon cleared his throat awkwardly, "Alpha. Luna."

Hudson released my lips slowly and pressed his lips to the corner of my mouth for a moment before pulling back and facing Mr. Devon. It took me a second to gather myself and glare at Hudson for making me so scatter-brained with his stupid mouth.

He had a small smirk on his face as he listened to Mr. Devon continue his speech on the importance of an Alpha and Luna and their roles. As much as I should have been listening, I had heard this speech before and I could not concentrate with my senses still on overdrive.

"Luna," Mr. Devon said, "Since the Moon Goddess has accepted the bond, you must now lead a buffalo hunt, and at least ten buffalo must be killed by you. The first buffalo you kill will be for the sacrifice and the rest will be to feed the pack."

This was the first time I had ever heard of a Luna doing this and ten buffalo? At this time of year? This was a nearly impossible task.

The look on my face must have revealed my inner turmoil because he smiled and whispered, "This is a tradition for the Riveter Pack. By feeding all of them tonight, you promise to take care of them no matter the cost or task."

I swallowed and nodded, "So I have to go alone?"

"Of course not, you can take a small group of pack warriors with you to help. However, you have to be the one to kill the buffalos."

Hudson stiffened beside me and took my hand, "I want to go with her. She could get hurt."

"Alpha, this is something your Luna has to do by herself. It shows that she can be independent and take care of the pack when you're not around. You're not always going to be there to protect the Luna, are you?"

"But–"

"Hudson," I said, "I'll be fine. You know that I can handle myself."

His jaw was ticking as he fought with himself on what to do. I knew it wasn't just him worried about me, his wolf was also worried about what could happen to me.

I smiled and kissed his cheek, "Okay, but promise me you won't freak out?"

"Promise."

***

HUDSON

I paced back and forth anxiously, wishing that I was there with Alexis as she took down those dumb buffalos. Alexis had chosen to take a group of female warriors with her instead of bringing male warriors, saying something about letting the women show off their skills instead.

My heart was pounding with every step I took. Alexis had mind-linked me earlier saying they had found a herd of buffalo, but that didn't make me feel any better.

I swear to the Moon Goddess, if one of those buffalos gets even a scratch on her, I'll bring them back to life and kill them myself.

"Hudson, you need to calm down, man. Nothing's going to happen to her as long as Lacey is with her," Matthew stated, stepping in front of me so I stopped my vigorous pacing.

"Are you kidding me? Lucy's there. My mate will kill all the buffalos if Alexis doesn't want to," Breydon added, narrowing his eyes at Matthew.

I rolled my eyes as the two had a staredown.

Were they seriously arguing about whose mate was the better warrior?

My mate was obviously better, but I didn't say it aloud. I was too worried about the injuries she may have when she returned.

"It's already been an hour. How much longer do you think they'll take?" Devin asked, looking through the window that overlooked the valley.

"Who knows? They're women after all. They have to make sure they don't chip a nail while they pull the horns off of humongous creatures. Not to mention that all of them were wearing heels."

"Care to repeat that, Breydon?"

I let out a quiet sigh of relief as I heard the clicking of heels against the hardwood floor, signaling that the group had returned. Lucy stomped into the living room unceremoniously and glared at Breydon, who looked a bit pale.

"H–hi baby," he stuttered, looking at the rest of us for help. I shook my head and decided to leave him to my sister's wrath before turning to Alexis.

She looked badass and stunning at the same time. Her hair was slightly ruffled, giving her this sexy bedhead look and her clothes had some smudges on them like she had fallen into the dirt a few times. Thankfully, she didn't seem to be injured anywhere.

My wolf licked his lips as he eyed our mate.

Yummy.

What do you mean by 'yummy'? Our mate isn't a snack.

Well, she could be if you ate her–

Forget I asked.

Pussy.

What?

Nothing. Mate is beautiful.

I rolled my eyes at his save.

"You're such a pain in my ass, Breydon!"

"Don't worry, baby. We can just add more lubricant."

It was dead silent after he said that.

"Ahem."

Breydon looked like a deer-in-the-headlights when he saw my dad standing there with a murderous glare on his face.

"I mean, um, how about some c-cake, yeah cake, baby?

Before she could reply, he grabbed her hand and practically ran out of the room. My mom clucked her tongue, "Those two need to mate."

My dad stared at her in horror, "Dorothy!"

She shrugged and turned to Alexis, "Great job, dear. You picked some good buffalo. Caitlyn is thrilled with how much meat there is on their bones."

"It was hard to find them, but Lacey here apparently has better eyes than a wolf."

Lacey blushed and snuggled closer to Matthew as he kissed the top of her hair, "It was nothing. I did a lot of hunting back home."

I cleared my throat, "I don't mean to interrupt this extremely important conversation, but I'm going to borrow Alexis. We have a few things to discuss as new leaders."

I pulled Alexis out of the room as they started a new discussion about buffalo recipes. Once we were safely locked away in my room, I pulled her into my arms.

"Thank the Moon Goddess you're alright," I whispered, kissing her forehead and sniffing her hair to calm my wolf down.

"So much for your promise," she chuckled, "Now what did you want to talk about?"

The air in the room changed as I felt a wave of desire wash over me.

I wanted her so bad.

***

ALEXIS

"Hudson?" I whispered, watching his eyes darken and his body tense at the sound of his name on my lips. He started pushing me back until I hit the wall and there was no space between our bodies.

I swallowed, trying to fix my dry mouth, but it didn't work. The way he was staring at me was making me breathless.

"Do you know what the first thing an Alpha and Luna do after they have this fancy-ass ceremony?"

His question had caught me off guard, and I blurted the first thing that came to my mind.

"They eat buffalo wings?"

He chuckled and leaned forward, his lips barely grazing mine, "Not quite. How about after that?"

I smiled and cocked my head innocently, "They eat lots of ice cream to wash it all down."

"Hmm, the Alpha will be licking alright. Just not the ice cream," he whispered, flicking his tongue over my mark. I shivered and found myself pulling his head closer, "Don't be a tease."

"You've been teasing me all day, I think it's my turn."

^^^

"You're no fun," I muttered, frustrated with all his soft kisses and little licks.

"I'm enjoying this."

"Of course you are."

There was no doubting the bulge in his trousers. He kept pushing it 'accidentally' against my core, making me hot all over.

For someone who hasn't had experience, he sure was bold.

My eyes nearly rolled to the back of my head as he bit my mark gently. His hands traveled down to the edge of the dress (I had changed into a different one before hunting) and pulled it up till the top of my panties were revealed.

He pulled it roughly and let it snap against my skin, making me flinch a little.

"Do you always have to wear lace? It drives me crazy," he muttered before crashing his lips onto mine. I moaned and tugged his face closer to mine so I could get a better angle. Our tongues battled for dominance as he drew small patterns on my thigh.

He pulled away, breathing heavily, "I need the dress off. Now."

"Yes, Alpha," I smirked, pulling it over my head. His eyes trailed over my curves and he clenched his jaw, "Fuck."

"I think that's what we're trying to do, Mr. Slowpoke."

He snickered and picked me up, shoving me back into the wall. I didn't even get a chance to get my breath back before he slid his fingers into my panties. He touched my folds softly as if he was afraid to hurt me.

"Hudson," I whimpered, begging him to touch me properly.

"Did I hurt you?" He asked nervously, the confident Alpha from before gone.

I shook my head and pulled him back down for a kiss. He seemed to have taken that as a positive reply because he applied a bit more pressure to my folds as he played with them.

Just as I was about to reach my peak, he stopped touching me and pulled away from the kiss.

"I want to do this on the bed, not against a wall. We can do that later."

I nodded and let him carry me to the bed. He placed me on the sheets carefully and stared at my sprawled form.

"Let me take your bra off," he said huskily, pulling me up a little so he could find the clasp. He unclasped it quickly and took it off of me slowly almost as if he wanted the moment to last.

"You are perfect," he whispered, unbuttoning his shirt and whipping it off. He climbed on top of me and kissed each of my breasts.

It felt surreal to have his body on top of mine, half-naked. The intensity of the moment was nearly overwhelming. I didn't just feel a physical attraction to Hudson, I felt something much more than that.

Something closer to love.

"We should use protection. As much as I want pups, now is not a good time to have them," he whispered, getting off the bed again.

I frowned slightly, "Do you have protection?"

He gave me a small smile, "Last time Breydon visited, he left me a 'gift' of condoms. I stuffed them in the back of my closet so no one would find them."

I watched him pull the box out and rip it open. He unbuttoned his pants and pulled them down along with his boxers, letting his cock out.

My eyes widened as I stared at his manhood. His made the one in the health textbook look like a toothpick.

"Um, I don't think this is right, " Hudson said, blushing a little as he stared at the condom that hardly covered a fourth of his cock.

"Isn't it supposed to cover my whole dick?" He asked, turning to me.

"I think. What size does the box say it is?"

He picked up the box from the floor and growled angrily.

"Extra small."

***

I squirmed a little, trying to figure out where these sudden waves of pleasure were coming from.

My eyes fluttered open to meet the glaring sunlight pouring through the window. I shut my eyes again and let out a quiet moan.

What was happening?

I lifted my head up and felt my mouth dry at the sight.

Hudson was between my legs, flicking his tongue over my core at a pace that had me rushing to my peak.

"Morning baby," he hummed, sucking on my folds a little. That was all it took to reach my peak. My loud moans filled the morning air as I pulled Hudson's hair.

^^^

He sat up and smiled, "How was that? I wanted to make up for what happened last night."

"You're so sweet," I said, kissing his cheek.

He grinned and got off the bed, "Let's get you cleaned up then. I need to get you fed."

Suddenly, there was a loud banging on the door and Matthew's voice yelled at us through the door, "Guys! Wake up!"

Hudson frowned and put his boxers back on as I covered myself with the sheets. He opened the door to a frantic Matthew.

The poor man looked like he hadn't slept all night. His hair was a mess and his eyes were red like he had been crying.

"Matthew, what's wrong?" Hudson asked sternly, clearly worried by his Beta's state.

"Lacey. She's gone."