A Howling Heart
Chapter twenty

Matias ushers me to follow him.

"Come. Don't push yourself into declining, Fae. Let me feed you."

"Fine." I move to pull my face away from his grip, but he holds me firmly, leans down, and grazes his lips against mine.

A smirk plays on the corner of his mouth as he pulls away and releases my chin. His hand doesn't move far. He slides his hand down my arm until his fingers entwine with mine. The gentle touch but firm guidance fills me with potent desire once again.

He knows exactly how to rope me in enough to make me lose control.

"Careful, Fae, or we won't actually get to feeding you anything. I'll take you straight to my bedroom." He stops, his gaze sweeping down my body.

He always looks at me as if he's the best treat in the world, the major prize... Sometimes, it's so overwhelming that I don't know how to take it. On the one hand, I'm absolutely flattered. On the other hand, as someone who isn't experienced, I am afraid. I'm afraid I'll disappoint him, afraid I can't keep up, or even afraid I'll enjoy it all entirely too much.

He pulls me to the kitchen, only releasing my arm when I arrive. He moves to the fridge and begins pulling items out.

I move toward the counter, eyes mulling over what he's pulled out until my eyes rest upon a dish filled with noodles and what looks like cheese sauce.

"Alfredo," he confirms with a curious expression pointed at me as if he's worried I won't like it. Alfredo is universally loved.

My stomach growls, and a soft mew leaves my lips. The dish of noodles makes me ravenous; with each passing second, I stand without a delicious mouthful. "Sit." He commands and points to a seat.

He is so very bossy... and yet it looks good on him... depending on my mood, of course. He is a man who takes charge in taking care of his woman, something my mother never had. I have always longed for that kind of romance, but I never thought all of the other paranormal baggage would come along with it.

"You know, I don't need to be fed. I am capable of doing it myself."

Matias shoots me a pointed look. "I know you're capable, Fae. You don't have anything to prove. This is an intimate request. You keep fighting it, and yet, I know deep down that your body wants to give in to me. Deep down, your heart and soul want to, as well. Stubborn woman."

He wants complete control. And in a single-parent household, I've always had freedom. I've had to take care of myself, especially after Mom got sick.... So, relinquishing control is a little hard for me. "So?"

Matias narrows his eyes. "Okay. I'm no longer asking. Sit, Fae."

Oh, so now he wants to heighten the power struggle?

I stand there, eyes wide and defiant. My unwavering gaze only cheers him on.

"Fine, Fae. Have it your way." Without further warning, he turns, steps forward, and presses his body against mine. Those beautifully sculpted arms wrap around my waist, stabilizing me in a way that forces me to move any way he does. Then, he begins walking us backward until we are at the table.

Have it my way? This most definitely isn't my way.

"M-Matias, you can't just -"

"You don't ever listen, do you? You are a handful."

I lean forward, playfully trying to bite his chin. "What's the matter, Matias? Can't handle me?"

He moves out of the way before my teeth graze him. A mischievous gleam in his eyes has my insides twisting excitedly again.

"Problem is, I can handle you, but "handling" you quickly turns into something I need to save until the blue moon. You know this. Behave."

He uses a hand to yank a chair out beside me and loosens the arm around my waist to press one against my stomach and gently shove me into the chair.

"Now, sit."

Demanding must be in his genetics.

He reads my thoughts and scoffs. "I wouldn't be. If you didn't enjoy defying me."

I cross my arms over my chest. "I'm not a child. Or are all your old girlfriends not allowed to have bodily autonomy here?"

"Not a child, huh? So you've said." He moves back to the counter and begins to prepare my food, and I can't help but watch him, observing the way he moves around the kitchen, relaxed familiarity upon his stature none of the tension from earlier like he's in his natural element. Caretaker.

I guess that comes with being Alpha. "Yes. It does."

I suppose that's common sense. This is all such new territory for me that I don't know how to act or how I even want to act. One moment, I want to give him everything he asks and more. The next, I'm fighting back with everything I've got. He chuckles. "That is part of your Luna. Our bond is strong, but your will as a Luna is also strong. There are parts of this life that require you to be strong-headed. You are coming into them both at the same time and, despite my complaints, are balancing them well. As long as you know, in the end, you are mine."

Better be worthwhile.

"Oh, believe me." He winks. "It will be."

It's a little unfair that I can't just hear his thoughts on and off.

"Soon enough, Fae. You will be able to."

My interest is piqued. "I will?"

Could Esai hear my mother's thoughts? Was she also able to listen to him? What about my father? Is it wolf-specific?

"So many questions. I'll give you this for now. Mated pairs have no privacy. There will be no restraint of access between us..." He lets that resonate with me momentarily before adding, "You shall come and go as you please in my thoughts, Anima mea. Privacy is truly built on the trust we have with one another. It will be... challenging."

"Mhm, unless you find a way to keep them from me."

"I will not. Any way consists of a magic I don't want to involve myself with." His certainty seems genuine.

He doesn't plan on keeping things from me. I admire his generosity of trust.

I lick my lips, admiring the bulge of his arm muscles as he turns the oven on before he pulls out two plates.

I never thought in a million years a man like him could want me or could be destined for me.

I sigh, unable to keep my eyes from moving downward to his sculpted butt, leading to powerful thighs that only affirm my suspicions that every part of him is art. Every part...

Come the blue moon, doubt will flea my mind. I will be totally and completely his.