赤裸裸的滑稽故事

Because of her recent and traumatic labor and her past experiences with blood transfusions, Caleb insisted that Bell undergo all sorts of testing before they could actually perform the procedure.

Bell reassured Axel that Alice was perfectly safe waiting another night while they got the testing out of the way.

And as much as he wanted Alice to wake sooner than later, Axel wasn’t willing to put Bell at risk by rushing the process.

So, as they awaited the results, Bell joined Galen in introducing Ren to seemingly every single member of Summer. While Axel stayed beside Alice, holding her hand and talking to her about anything that came to mind.

Ashleigh had peeked in on him a few times but had not been able to bring herself past the door. She didn’t feel uncomfortable with Alice anymore. She just didn’t want to intrude on Axel’s personal devotion to his mate.

It reminded her of hearing Caleb’s voice in those moments when it felt like the world was falling apart around her.

She pulled away from the door quietly and walked down the hall. Wondering exactly where Caleb was. The events at the lab had been almost four days ago, but she had hardly seen him in that time.

He was busy, of course. There had been so many new reports of small-scale attacks throughout the werewolf territories. Summer had sent troops to almost every pack at this point. Even Winter had resumed sending out scouts and reinforcements to their allies.

Ashleigh had not been called on yet for much in Summer, Fiona and Caleb had a system in place, and while some thought she should push her way in and demand a role in those meetings, she disagreed.

She wasn’t afraid of leading or of taking more responsibility. But a transfer of leadership was a delicate process. The reality was that a war had begun, and right now was not the time to change who was in charge.

In time she would learn the ins and outs of overall governance. But now, she knew, more than ever, where she could serve her people best. Ashleigh’s strength was leading soldiers, fighting, and being on the ground.

But she missed her husband.

Even through their shared connection, she struggled to reach him as though he had created a barrier between them. She knew he was upset about her choice to run off to a Spring lab with Alice without a word to him, but it felt like there was something more going on.

But it was difficult to fix a problem between them when he seemed to be avoiding her, and she still needed to talk to him about the things she had learned from his father’s journal.

She sighed.

As she rounded the corner, intent on heading back to their room, hoping to find him, she was surprised to see the very man on her mind.

“Caleb!” she called out immediately.

He looked up, and she was relieved to see the warmth in his eyes when he saw her, though there was a sharp intake of breath and a quick turn that stole away that relief.

She hurried over to him.

“Hey,” she smiled.

“Hey,” he smiled back.

“I haven’t really seen you for a few days,” she said softly. “Have you been sleeping in your office or something?”

Caleb took a deep breath and nodded.

“I have,” he confirmed. “Meetings have gone into the night and resumed early in the morning. I have always had a cot in my office; staying there is more convenient. It also keeps me from disturbing your rest.”

He smiled.

“It disturbs my rest more to be without you,” Ashleigh replied, taking a step toward him.

Caleb took a step back, licking his lips and swallowing as he did so.

She looked at him carefully and listened to his heart beating faster than usual.

“I need to speak with Axel,” he said, moving to walk past her.

Ashleigh reached out and grabbed his arm.

“Caleb, what is going on between us?” she asked.

“Ash, please let go…” he whispered.

“No, not until you tell me what I did wrong,” she insisted.

“Please… Ash… not right now…” he pleaded quietly. His voice was heavy, and he let out soft breaths between his words.

Caleb dropped his head and let out a shuddering breath. Ashleigh tilted her head, trying to see his face, leaning closer to him. She could catch the heavy breaths he was taking. She let go of his arm but moved in front of him to try and see him.

“Caleb…?” she called gently.

Caleb let out a low growl and lifted his gaze to her.

Ashleigh gasped when she saw the bright glow of his grey eyes staring at her like a starved beast.

Before she could stop him or even step out of the way, Caleb grabbed her shoulders and turned her sharply against the wall.

He squeezed her shoulders and pressed his nose into the crook of her neck. Taking a deep breath and letting out soft, hot pants against her throat.

Ashleigh felt parched suddenly, and her heart raced as the warmth that spread over her reached her stomach and continued lower.

She felt a growl from her throat and heard a howl in her mind. A hunger grew in her, and she slid her fingers over his chest and up to his shoulders.

A soft moan escaped her lips as his tongue traced down along her throat and ended with him grazing his teeth against her skin.

While she always reacted to his touch, proximity, and his everything… This was different. It was more.

Her heart raced, her breathing became erratic, and the heat inside of her suddenly felt scorching. She needed him, needed to touch him, to bite him, to claim him.

Caleb suddenly pushed away, leaving her with a longing howl in her thoughts and a libido already in overdrive.

She stepped toward him, but he raised a hand to her to stop as he tried to catch his breath and keep control of his thoughts and actions.

“Wait…” he whispered.

“Caleb…” she called to him like a siren at sea.

Caleb growled and turned away.

“Your Luna… she accepted you?” he asked.

“Yes,” Ashleigh nodded.

“This is… this is why I have been staying away,” he said.

“Why?” she asked, moving toward him, but he quickly moved away.

“Because our wolves, Alpha and Luna, they… feel each other,” he replied.

“How is that a bad thing?” she smiled.

“Normally,” he said, “it’s not.”

He took a deep breath and blew it out slowly.

Ashleigh couldn’t help but notice how tempting his mouth looked at the motion. She bit her bottom lip and considered stealing a kiss.

“The bonding between Alpha and Luna is not just a sexual act, Ashleigh. It’s power. It’s primal. It won’t be like any other moment we have shared.”

“You’re terrible at making this sound like something I don’t want to happen,” she replied.

“Right now,” he continued, “while your brother waits to hear that his mate will even wake up again, it is inappropriate for us to act on that bond.”

Axel’s heartbroken eyes and tear-stained face appeared in her mind like a bucket of ice poured over her body.

Ashleigh took a deep breath.

“You’re right,” she sighed.

“I wish I wasn’t,” Caleb replied.

“Me too,” Ashleigh smiled.

***

They started with only a small amount of Bell’s blood, testing it to make sure there would be no reactions or rejections. But almost immediately they were able to see signs of improvement in Alice.

It was decided that the best course of treatment would be an exchange transfusion.

They would remove Alice’s blood slowly in cycles and replace it with new healthier blood. Bell would provide only enough to jumpstart Alice’s system, while the rest would be synthetic.

The entire process would take a few hours.

Bell would stay with Alice through the entire procedure, Axel had been reluctant to leave, but Bell insisted. While she was confident in her choice, she still felt uneasy about being on display as her blood was being shared.

So, kicked out of the room, Axel chose to pace outside instead.

“Axel,” Caleb called out as he approached.

Axel turned, giving his brother-in-law a brief nod of acknowledgment.

“I assume the procedure has begun?” Caleb asked.

Axel nodded.

“Bell said it would take a few hours,” he sighed.

“You plan to pace out here the whole time?” Caleb asked.

“What else am I going to do?” Axel sighed.

Caleb nodded, remembering how he felt each time Ashleigh had been injured or hospitalized.

“You need something to distract you,” he said. “As it happens, I am headed out. Maybe you should come with me.”

Axel glanced up and then looked back at the door.

“I should probably stay, just in case something happens,” he said.

“I understand,” Caleb said, reaching his hand to Axel’s shoulder. “Believe me. But even if something happens, Bell or one of my people are going to be the ones you want handling it. We won’t be that far, and they will let us know right away.”

Axel hesitated.

“Keeping your mind occupied will make the time move faster. From what I heard, Alice was already responding to a small amount of Bell’s blood. Who knows, she might be awake by dinner tonight,” Caleb smiled.

Axel smiled but tried not to think too much about it. He didn’t want to get his hopes up yet. Caleb was right, he needed a distraction.

“Alright,” he said. “Where are we headed?”