Blood on the Moon
Chapter 15: Cat and Mouse

Rose

I fiddle with the fabric of my pleated red skirt. It sits at about mid-thigh if I’m being conservative, my white tank top tucked into the high-waisted hem. The skirt's design isn’t high-waisted, but that’s how I’m wearing it.

My knee bounces up and down, the creaky wood floor of the cabin voicing its annoyance below me. I can’t help being anxious, though. I’ve been waiting for Asher for some time, and we need to speak. I hope he’ll be receptive to my plan, but predicting his reactions is hard.

The door opens, shutting quickly.

“Holy shit, it is hot out there!”

I can’t stifle my giddy laugh as I stand to greet him, a broad smile on his face when he sees me, his hair slightly damp from sweat. “Sorry, I'm sweaty. I came here in my human form since Cato hates running in heat like this.”

“I don’t mind,” I reply, wrapping my arms around his torso, not bothered by his musk at all. Except for the fact that it’s making me thirsty.

In more ways than one.

“How’s your day been?” He asks, plopping down on the sofa. I join him, sitting on the next cushion over, crossing my legs.

“Not amazing," I admit. "I’m glad you came today because I need to speak with you about something.”

“Uh-oh, that doesn’t sound good.” He lets out a nervous laugh as he runs his hand through his hair, propping his ankle onto his knee as he extends his arms on the back of the couch. He seems much more relaxed; it’s hard not to jump for joy witnessing how much his demeanor has changed over the last month.

But now is not the time for celebration, unfortunately.

“I had a meeting with my Elders today because they wanted to discuss Genevieve’s endorsement of Thatcher Grey,” I explain, propping my elbow on the couch pillow and resting my head on my palm, pulling my legs to my chest. “They want to stage an attack because they think Genevieve has gone too far.”

“Over an endorsement?” He scoffs. “That punishment doesn't fit the crime.”

“That’s what I told them,” I reply with a shrug. “But that’ll only hold them off for so long. If Genevieve continues to escalate her behavior, I’ll be backed into a corner and have no choice but to retaliate. My Elders are right, I can’t wait until it’s too late and she’s amassed enough power and influence that any counterattack I stage would be fruitless.”

“So, is this a warning? Are you telling me you’re planning to attack my pack?” He asks, his brows furrowing with hurt.

“No! I’m telling you this so we can avoid that.”

“What do you have in mind?” He asks, sounding wary.

“Well, I have a plan.”

“I’m all ears.”

I sit up straighter, crisscrossing my legs as he leans in, listening intently.

“We need to replace a way to ease the tension between my clan and your pack, at least for the time being. Genevieve won’t listen to me, and it seems like she’s not willing to listen to reason from you or her sister either, so I propose we give her a distraction. And by we, I mean you.”

“Me?” He asks, placing his hand on his chest and shrinking back incredulously.

“Hear me out!" I plea, raising my hands in mock defense. "I’ve heard that she’s been giving the River Run Pack a hard time as of late. If you could stoke that flame a little without her realizing it, that’ll take her focus off us and put it onto them. Tell her you heard a rumor or saw something, anything that’ll instigate her paranoia.”

“But that feels…” He trails off, shaking his head as he scratches his head. “I don’t know. That just seems wrong. The River Run Pack hasn’t done anything to provoke us, same as you guys, so it doesn’t feel right to throw them under the bus. Especially since that could escalate tensions with them, which would mean my pack is fighting a war of words on two fronts.”

“That’s going to happen whether you do this or not,” I insist. “At least this way, I have more time to come up with a plan to ease my Elders’ worries and for us to figure out how to placate Genevieve.”

“Placate?” He asks. “What do you mean by that?”

I grunt, annoyed by his resistance to putting the bitch on a leash. “I mean, appease or convince her to see the light, whatever it is!” I reach across the distance between us and grab his hand. “Listen, Ash, you’re a good man. I know this doesn’t feel right, but it may be our only option if we want to keep the peace between our factions. That’s what you want, right?”

“Of course,” he mumbles, his eyes darting all over the room as his mind races. “I love my pack and don’t want to watch them fight in a needless war.”

“I don’t want that for your pack either,” I soothe, patting his hand gently before pulling away. “That’s why this is our best bet.”

He puffs out his cheeks, slowly letting the air drain through his pursed lips. “I don’t know. I’ll have to think about it. I think I can reason with her if I present a good enough argument; I at least have to try that to prevent selling out River Run. That’d feel like a shitty thing to do.”

“Desperate times, Asher.”

“I know, I know.”

His eyes seem far away, his face filled with conflict. I can tell this decision is eating him up inside. I almost regret bringing it up in the first place. If I had known it would cause him this much turmoil, I would have come up with another plan.

But the cat is out of the bag now.

I change the subject quickly, hoping to ease his mind and distract him. “Do you want anything to eat?” I ask as I unfold my legs. “I stocked the fridge and cabinets, so we have a few- Ah!” I squeal, my legs numb from being folded so long that as I stand, I immediately stumble back, flailing my arms in the air for balance.

I fall backward, bracing for impact, but I feel his warm, strong hands on my hips, breaking my fall as I plop onto his lap. He lets out a soft grunt from the collision but keeps his hands steady on my hips.

“You okay?” He asks, chuckling softly. “Get a case of needle legs?”

“Needle legs?” I tease, glancing at him over my shoulder.

“Yeah, when your legs fall asleep, it feels like pins and needles. Needle legs.” I feel his chest vibrate against my back as he laughs at his own corniness; the sound is so contagious I match it, my cheeks sore from smiling.

“I’ve never heard that before,” I reply as I plant my legs on the floor and stand.

But then.

He tightens his grip around my hips and yanks me toward him.

“Oh!” I gasp, surprised, my chest tightening as I wait for him to say something, but he is silent.

My breath shakes as I feel his breath on the back of my neck, his fingers slowly brushing my hair away from my right shoulder, draping it over the left.

As I melt into the contact, straddling his left leg, I feel his bulge grow against my right hip. I gulp, placing my right hand on his right knee for support as his lips graze the spot on my neck.

I whine, marveling at how he picked it out immediately with no direction, no hints. The spot that makes my legs spread and clit throb whenever it’s touched. The spot where my neck and shoulder connect a little bit toward the back, which is usually why people miss it. But he found it right away, his fingers brushing lovingly against my arm as he grazes the spot with his teeth, taking a deep breath.

I shudder when his hot tongue glides against the skin.

“Oh,” I moan, tilting my head to the side as he grips my hip so hard his nails dig into the skin, my tank top riding up on my stomach.

“You smell like paradise.”

“Asher,” I whisper as he kisses my neck, his lips wet as he pulls me closer, my core sliding up his leg. My eyes shoot wide open, only the thin fabric of my panties separating me from his huge, hairy thighs covered only in shorts that have ridden up to his mid-thigh as he sits. The friction of sliding up him felt divine, my clit throbbing for attention as my arousal pools in my panties, my core tightening.

I need more.

I rock my hips back and forth as he bites my neck gently, his hands gripping my waist tightly as he grows more aggressive with his kisses, short, passionate moans escaping his lips when he comes up for air.

“A-Asher,” I stutter, a moment of clarity washing over my clouded mind. “Are you sure?”

All he does is growl, moving my hips to help me grind against his leg.

“So fucking wet for me, aren’t you, Rose?” He growls, wrapping his hand around my neck and squeezing gently, his canines scraping my shoulder.

I yelp with surprise as he uses his other hand to move my panties to the side, lifting his thigh so there is a slight incline to the angle.

“Fuck!” I cry as he guides my hips up and down his leg, my soaking pussy gliding seamlessly across the plain of his muscular thigh. I can feel him flexing under me as I sit back, leaning on his chest and throwing my head back, his grip on my neck tightening as he kisses my jaw.

I’ve never done anything like this before, and I still don’t believe it’s happening, but I can feel his warmth all over my shaking body. It's so fucking erotic; I can't believe I'm about to get off on his leg.

I move my hips myself, grinding on his skin to put more pressure on my clit, and he matches my movement, lifting and lowering his leg at the same pace as my hips. Perfectly in sync.

“Kiss me,” I beg, turning my head, my eyes hooded, but I can see his eyes glowing with such a blazing shade of brown they might be orange, almost like fire. He moves his hand from my neck, his breath tickling my nose as he holds my chin between his thumb and forefinger.

This is it.

This is the moment.

My heart skips a beat, staying entirely still because the moment might slip away if I move, the anticipation eating me alive.

Our lips brush, my body erupting as I feel ecstasy approach.

I lean in, making my move, and he turns just before, my lips pressing on his cheek.

My mouth hangs open, my cheeks flooding with embarrassment, holding back tears. I watch him slip through my fingertips, his eyes a raging shade of blue as he scrambles from underneath me and staggers away, his eyes wide with shock.

I quickly fix my panties, shooting off the couch and smoothing my skirt, my hands shaking with a feeling I can't describe.

Shame? Hurt? Betrayal? Disappointment? Rejection?

Asher stands with his hands in his hair, one of his eyes brown and the other blue, as he stares, dumbfounded and speechless.

My bottom lip trembles, my heart shattering in my chest as I watch him regret everything that just happened. I watch him regret me.

“Asher?” I croak, hoping my eyes don’t look as watery as they are. “What does this-”

“It’s fine,” he finally gushes. “Everything is fine. That was just…”

“A fluke?” I whisper, gulping down the lump in my throat, devastated.

He doesn’t answer, his cheeks flushed and eyes back to their normal shade of brown.

“I-I-” He stutters, taking a shaky breath as he wipes his hand down his face. “I care about you, Rose. I do.”

“But-”

He interrupts, “I will talk to Genevieve, like you asked. I’ll get things straightened out between our people. I can’t stand the thought of us being at odds.”

“Asher, don’t go. We need to talk about this!”

I need you to stay, I want to tell him. I need to tell him how he lit a fire in my heart, so he can't walk away now. He can't abandon me.

“I have to!” He shouts, his voice shaking, already walking toward the door, his eyes glued to the floor. “Gen is going to wonder where I’ve been.”