-Ember-
The next morning I wake up as sunshine bursts through the window, casting golden light across the rumpled sheets. I turn to the other side of the bed, expecting to see him—wanting to see him—but he's gone.
A cut silk tie, which must have been my blindfold, lies on the pillow next to me. Every other trace that he was ever with me has vanished, except for the scent of him still clinging to my skin and lingering in the air—rain, pine, and that third elusive note I still can't place.
It was supposed to be this way. I knew and agreed to the terms. He kept his word and stuck to his end of the deal. But I still notice the ache of disappointment that settles in my chest at his absence. Part of me is giddy from everything we did and all the ways he made me feel. I'm deliciously sore in all the right places, my body bearing the invisible imprint of his touch.
Damn, I really wanted to see him wolf out, Ivy complains, her disappointment evident. I bet he's fucking magnificent in wolf form too.
I smile to myself and ignore her comment, running my fingers over the silk tie. I wonder if it was better to have never known anything so pleasurable existed. Before last night, I didn't know what I was missing. Now, the absence of his touch feels like a physical loss.
There isn't any doubt in my mind I'll never experience anyone like him ever again. The way he touched me, spoke to me, made me feel—it was beyond anything I'd ever imagined.
"Who are you?" I whisper to the empty room, knowing no answer will come.
I let myself get lost on memory lane, replaying the night's activities in my mind. The way he growled against my skin. How he commanded my pleasure with such confidence. The vulnerability in his voice when he admitted he wouldn't let me go if things were different.
"I want to fucking devour you," he'd said, his voice rough with need as he spread my thighs. "I want to taste every inch of you until you're screaming my name."
And I had screamed—though not his name, since I didn't know it. Just incoherent sounds of pleasure as he made good on his promise.
I shiver at the memory of his mouth on me, how he'd growled against my most sensitive flesh, the vibrations sending me spiraling into one of the most intense orgasms of my life.
Finally, I force myself to get up. I shower, washing away the physical evidence of our night together, though his scent clings stubbornly to my skin. After wrapping myself in a hotel robe, I go to get my clothes from the night before, a little embarrassed to be doing the walk of shame down to the sixth floor.
Panic fills me when I can't find my panties, bra, or dress. I check under the bed, behind furniture, even in the bathroom, but they're nowhere to be found.
"What the hell?" I mutter, growing increasingly frustrated. "Did he fucking steal my clothes?"
I open the closet hoping they'll be in there. It's empty except for a sundress, the same shade of blue as my eyes. It has a built-in bra, but there are no other undergarments in sight. A note is attached to the hanger.
My Little Wolf,
Your dress and bra will be delivered to your room after they are cleaned. Your panties are mine now.
-A-
I gape at the note and dress for a minute, then bite on my smile, a warm flush spreading across my cheeks and down my neck.
He kept your panties? Pervert, Ivy scoffs, though I can sense her amusement.
He wanted a memento. It's kinda sweet, I counter, running my fingers over his handwriting.
It's extremely sexy, Ivy admits. Possessive. I like it. He's probably going to jerk off with them later, thinking about how wet you were for him.
"Jesus, Ivy!" I exclaim, though the thought sends a rush of heat between my legs.
"A," I whisper, tracing the letter with my fingertip. "His name starts with an A... or is that his title... Alpha?"
That's all I know of mystery man. He could stand right in front of me, and I wouldn't know it's him. I have zero clue what he looks like, his name, his pack, or anything else. The only thing I'm positive about is how he feels and how he smells like rain, pine, and that third scent I still can't place. I'm not sure how he knows my room number, but the girls must have given it to him.
Little wolf. It's what he kept calling me last night. As if I was his and that was his pet name for me. The memory of his deep voice whispering those words against my skin sends a shiver down my spine.
"Come for me, little wolf," he'd commanded, his fingers working magic inside me. "Let me feel that sweet pussy clench around my fingers."
And I had, spectacularly, my body responding to his every command like it belonged to him.
You're getting attached, Ivy warns. Remember, it was just one night. Just really, really good sex. Mind-blowing, earth-shattering sex, but still just sex.
I know, I respond, though the hollow feeling in my chest suggests otherwise.
I slip the sundress off the hanger, admiring how the fabric feels against my skin. It fits perfectly, as if it was made for me. How did he know my size? How did he manage to find a dress that matches my eyes exactly?
"Who are you, A?" I whisper again, wishing the walls could answer.
I grab my phone to check the time, surprised to see it's already past noon. Three missed calls from Roxy and a text that just says: DETAILS. NOW.
Deciding to get some more sleep before facing my friends' interrogation, I head down to my own suite. The whole time, I'm replaying every kiss on my skin, every touch, every word he spoke.
"If things were different," he'd whispered as I was drifting off to sleep, his arms wrapped protectively around me, "I wouldn't let you go. Not ever."
The memory makes my heart ache in a way I didn't expect. How can I miss someone I never really knew?
As I walk down the hallway, I can't help but look at every man I pass, wondering if it's him. Would I recognize his voice if I heard it again? Would something in me just know if he were near?
You're being ridiculous, Ivy chides. It was a one-night stand. That's all. You're not in some romance novel.
But as I slide my keycard into my door, I can't shake the feeling that last night was something more. Something significant. Something that changed me in ways I don't fully understand yet.
I pause in the doorway, looking back down the empty hallway as if expecting to see him there, watching me. The corridor remains stubbornly vacant.
"Goodbye, A," I whisper as I close my door behind me, saying farewell to a man I never truly met, but who somehow managed to touch my soul. "And thank you for ruining me for all other men."
Because that's what he's done. No one will ever measure up to my mystery wolf. To the man who made me feel more in one night than I've felt in my entire life.
I toss my phone onto the bed and collapse beside it, burying my face in the pillow. It smells like hotel detergent, not like him, and somehow that makes me even sadder.
Get it together, I tell myself firmly. It was just sex.
But as I drift back to sleep, his voice echoes in my mind: "If things were different..."
And I can't help but wonder what might have been if things were, in fact, different.