41. Waiting for You

Taos, known for his obnoxious confidence and aloof humor, didn’t seem like the kind of male to be rendered speechless, and yet he blinked in surprise, his voice a horse rasp when he said, “Tits.”
Sona lost her confidence and locked her arms around her breasts. She almost asked, *Do you like them?* but knew that would dig herself into a hole. “I can’t believe I just did that.”
His eyes felt like a physical touch as they roamed every inch of her exposed body and he swallowed hard. “I’m very glad you just did that.”
Taos was so tall that the water didn’t reach his waist—giving a full view of his erection through his pants. Sona swallowed with difficulty. “I, um, haven’t shown another male my…my body other than Conri…”
“Don’t say his name,” Taos croaked, taking a gliding step toward her. “I never want to hear that name out of your gorgeous mouth ever again.”
Sona licked her lips and laughed once breathlessly. “My *mouth* is gorgeous?”
His hands gripped her wrists lightly, about to pry them away. “Does that not make sense?”
“It’s an unusual adjective for lips.”
“What about enticing?” he wondered.
Sona looked at his. She whispered, “That’s more accurate.”
Taos tugged at her arms, but she resisted. Though a muscle feathered in his jaw at being denied what he wanted, his voice was still soft and sensual, “Do you want me to compliment you until your pliable, trinket?”
“I’m plenty pliable,” Sona said before she could stop herself. Then, mortified, she clamped both hands over her mouth, which of course freed her breasts to jounce back into place. She dropped to her knees so the water came up to her neck. But it only left her eye-level withTaos’ crotch. “Moon goddess above and below,” she swore before sinking underwater.
Sona felt like a flustered adolescent with her first puppy love. She was twenty-five years old, for fuck’s sake. What was *wrong* with her?
Sleep deprivation and hunger, that’s what.
She figured Taos would try and lift her back up; instead, he waited until she couldn’t hold her breath anymore. She quickly pulled her hair in front of her, it long enough to cover her nipples.
Taos’ exhale was amused. “Why are you embarrassed, trinket? What are you embarrassed about? Your breasts—fuck, Sona,” he groaned, “you should not be embarrassed about those.”
Sona forgot how to breathe. She quailed under his attention, his words, his emotion. Her limbs started to tremble and her bones felt weak, her neck barely supporting her head, her eyelids fluttering.
“Whoa,” said Taos, his arms catching her around the waist when she swayed. “What’s wrong?”
“Tired,” she managed to moan before she collapsed into darkness yet again.
____
“Is this who you’ve chosen as your Luna, Taos?”
“If I hear correctly, Gamma, you are opposing my orders.”
“Forgive me, Alpha, but this is the worst decision you’ve ever made, and that is saying a lot.”
“You’ve been working on your humor, Edom. Too bad it’s lost on me.”
Sona was, unfortunately, getting used to this. As her senses returned, the conversation piqued her grim interest. Edom and Taos were talking—arguing—about her.
And Edom’s voice took a dark turn. After a small growl and some scuffling, he hissed, “I did not spend years matchmaking for you just for your arrogant, horny ass to settle for an Omega-class bitch. She is *not* qualified, *not* worthy, and *not* right for the future of the Redbone pack. I will not stand for a Goldwater on the throne. Your mother would tear that dress into shreds rather than our enemy wear it. Not to mention your father—he would have all our heads skinned and mounted.”
“Well,” Taos said blandly, “it’s a good thing neither of them is here.”
Edom grunted. “I trained you to be better than your predecessors, Taos, but to also respect tradition. What gives you the right to think you can fuck it all up?”
“My birthright? Obviuosly?”
“Oh for the love of the blood moon god! Act like an adult for *once*.”
“Alright. You have my ear and temporary silence while you finish your tirade.”
Edom barked a harsh, loud laugh. “Tirade? Are you bored, Alpha?”
“Yes,” Taos said unabashedly. “Also, these are most words you’ve ever spoken to me in one sitting. I thought I like the sound of your voice; turns out it’s only in small quantities. What’s your point?”
Sona could feel Edom praying for patience like it was tangible.
“My point,” he growled, “is that I and my Epsilon will not be sent around looking for flowers—”
Something glass fell and shattered just before Taos roared, “The *flowers* you’re looking for is *wolfsbane*! Our packmates are fucking dying from fucking poison. And you’re whining about the female trying to save them? If it wasn’t for her we still wouldn’t know that’s what is the cause. She abandoned her pack, her family, and even that damn Roshan, to save the lives of her enemy. Could you stop choking on your pride long enough to appreciate that? We lost our healers, so she stepped up. And she’ll step on your balls if you get in her way.”
*I doubt that*, Sona thought, shutting down a smile before it hurt her cheeks, *but metaphorically I might*.
“*I*,” Taos added viciously, “on the other hand, will cut them off. You started that harem for me. You’re welcome to use it yourself. Now go dote on my sister.”
Silence. Then Edom’s footfalls came and went, a door closing behind them.
Remaining utterly still, Sona listened to Taos swear quietly under his breath. “I liked this vase, godsdamnit. I made it in my pottery class when I was seven years old. I painted cocks and tits on it so detailed I was kicked out. My father was impressed, my mother horrified, but the master put it through the kiln nonetheless.”
*He has to be joking*, Sona thought, now fighting the urge to demand if that was true. There were many things she wanted to demand the truth of,
“Art class also did not appreciate my use of a female’s monthly blood as paint to depict my anger at butterflies. Who I received said blood has not spoken to me in thirteen years.”
*He is ridiculous, I’m not falling for it*.
Taos sighed loudly. “There was also the time I took scissors to my own hair and ended up stabbing my eye. It bled so much my father tried to gouge it out.”
*Slightly more believable, unfortunately*.
“I like when my consorts fuck me when I’m in my wolf form—”
“Okay, I’m up!” Sona shouted, lurching up into a sitting position. “You are horribly crude.”
She found Taos sauntering toward her with his most mischievous smirk yet. “Curiosity just got the best of you, didn’t it, trinket?”
“More like concern.”
She was back in the bed from earlier, but this time she was clothed in a contraption of silk that wound around her body and covered up her privates. Her hair felt different; she pulled it over one shoulder to discover it was dry and braided. All her jewelry had been removed—set on the bedside table, thank the moon goddess. All…except the armband.
Again Taos dropped into the chair, forearms braced on his thighs. He was shirtless and boneless, red hair damp and slicked back, as if he’d just bathed. “What can I say, my imagination has no bounds. Currently, it’s been occupied by my own concern. I kindly say stop fucking fainting.”
She swung her legs over the edge and mirrored his posture. “You think I’m doing it on purpose?”
“To avoid seeing my face—or because of my face.”
“Escaping your face.”
“Ah. The *because* is the state of your soul.”
Sona bolted to her feet, pushing past him to start putting her jewelry back on. “Where’s the armband?” she demanded.
“Why did you just change the subject?” he demanded without rancor.
“The state of my soul is no one’s business—”
“I didn’t say it was—”
“Just—just stop *confusing* me, Taos!” She didn’t expect herself to scream, much less scream at him. But now that she did, and he was looking back at her with something like patience—did he have that?—and she felt all her insides twist. In a fit of werewolf rage that was rare for her, Sona snatched the pillow off the bed and swung it at Taos’ head.
He blinked and spit out a feather. “I’d imagine you’d want to hit me with something harder.”
“Yes!”
“There’s another vase over there,” he offered, jerking a thumb behind him. “That one has flowers on it.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Everything you said. They were all lies, right? And…you knew I was awake.”
Taos quirked a grin. “You get to decide which ones were. And yes I did. I heard the change in your breathing.”
She refused to acknowledge the heart-skip at that. Instead she said, “Was everything Edom said true?”
Smile gone, Taos nodded. “Yes. Those really were the most words he’d ever spoken—”
“Taos.”
“Fine,” he sighed dramatically. “Just hit me and then I can explain.”
Sona sat back down and propped her chin in her hands. “I’ll hit you later. Explain first.”
“Curious as a pup. There are things,” sighed Taos, “in my past…that would only confirm the fucked-up rumors you know.”
Dark pasts were a lot to unpack. The Leto wolves she knew who lost everything that day in the raid…they were still haunted. She almost rested her hand on his. “I just meant Edom’s words.”
“Ah. in that case, yes, he doesn’t think you’re worthy, I told him fuck off. Years and years ago, he spent a long time trying to marry me off to have the support of a Luna, I told him fuck off. When he and a few of my father’s trusted council established the harem with eligible females. I said fuck off at first, but then I discovered how much I like—”
“I get it.”
“You will. Obviously, I never found one. I didn’t plan on ever until I met you, Sona Mai.”