*Jenna's POV*
The night at the 'Red Riding Wolf' Inn was one of nervous anticipation. With Nemesia gone to meet with the mysterious caller—none other than the Queen as we later found out herself—Orion and I found ourselves left to guard our quarters, ensuring no surprise threats could jeopardize our mission.
Of course in the meantime, Evar came in asking me to switch rooms with him. I didn't dare to ask or deny. We all knew how he looked at Nemesia, but I also knew he would never hurt her in any way. I... was jealous of her. I wished I could have Orion looking at me this way.
After Evar left us alone, we began by securing our room. Orion moved with focused precision, checking the windows for signs of tampering and adjusting the makeshift alarms I had rigged. The silence between us was charged, filled with the unsaid words that had been accumulating ever since we'd started spending more time together.
"Everything looks secure," Orion announced, his voice breaking the quiet. His eyes met mine, and for a moment, the urgency of our situation faded into the background, replaced by a more personal tension.
"I set traps at the main door and under the windows. Nothing lethal—just enough to give us a warning," I explained, my voice steadier than I felt. The close confines of the room made me acutely aware of his presence. The way his shirt clung to his muscular frame as he moved, the occasional catch of his scent when he passed—it was disconcerting how much I'd come to anticipate these little moments... Normally, when we were on guard duty in our camp, it was... well... Dark? And we were in the forest, also... we've never been truly alone. Not to mention that we were in the forest and not in a small room...
Orion nodded, his gaze lingering on me a little longer than necessary.
"Good thinking. Let's hope the night passes without incident."
There was a pause, a stretch of silence that seemed to invite more personal conversation.
"Jenna, about earlier—when I was going to scout the inn before we came in—thank you for worrying about me," he said, the edges of his lips curling into a small, appreciative smile.
Heat crept up my neck, and I busied myself with double-checking my crossbow to hide my blush.
"It's nothing. We all need to look out for each other, right? And you're my partner... don't wanna be paired up with someone annoying..."
"Right," he agreed, though his eyes seemed to say more so I quickly hid my face even more. I hope I wasn't too obvious!
As the evening stretched on, we took turns keeping watch from the window, the inn's common room noises drifting up in a muffled hum. When it was my turn to stand guard, Orion sat at the small table, poring over the maps and occasionally jotting down notes - the case of the forest outpost being abandoned worried him a lot. Watching him work, his brow furrowed in concentration, I felt a surge of something I couldn't quite name. It was respect, certainly, but mixed with something deeper, more personal.
During that time we heard Nemesia was back and after we found out that everything was ok... well... we returned back to our work.
When our shifts changed, Orion came to stand beside me, his shoulder brushing mine as he looked out into the darkness.
"Quiet night," he commented.
"Too quiet," I murmured back, my body tensing as I felt his proximity. The air between us was thick with unspoken words.
I could feel his smell... pine and dirt... also a bit of vanilla. Odd combination you'd say but I adored that smell. It made me and my wolf hungry for more. I knew he wasn't my fated mate... From what I knew he used to have a fated mate when he came of age, but she died almost instantly. As for me... I had this feeling that mine also wasn't on this earth anymore. Strange... it should make me sad, but being next to Orion always made me kind of happy that no one would take my eyes off him.
The room felt so intimate and small. I realised my eyes were closed and I tilted my head taking his scent in. I quickly sobered and wanted to move away ashamed, but that's when I realised he too... was sniffing me... And when he put his itchy beard on my shoulder, marking me with his scent absentmindedly... I felt something within me snap. Even when he quickly retreated as if electrocuted.
Turning to face him, I saw the same tension reflected in his eyes.
"Orion, I—" My words faltered as he placed a finger over my lips, his expression intense.
"Don't," he whispered, his voice rough. "Don't say anything you might regret little wolf warrior."
The warning came too late. My heart was already far gone, my words driven by the emotions I'd been stifling for too long. And the way he called me... I should get angry probably, but in his lips, it felt so right, and it made me proud how he called me a warrior.
"I don't think I would regret this," I confessed, my voice barely above a whisper.
For a moment, he just watched me, his expression unreadable. Then, without warning, he closed the distance between us, his hands framing my face as he leaned in. The kiss was soft at first, exploratory as if he was still giving me a chance to pull away. But I didn't. I couldn't.
His kiss deepened, and I responded with equal fervour, my arms winding around his neck, pulling him closer. The world narrowed down to the feel of his lips on mine, the heat of his body pressing against me.
Breaking the kiss, Orion looked into my eyes, his breaths as ragged as mine.
"Are you sure?" he asked, the concern in his voice evident. Others could call him a big, rough brute sometimes... but Moon Goddess punish me if he isn't the most adorable and caring man in the world.
"More than I've ever been," I assured him, pulling him back down to me.
What followed was a blur of movement. Hands roamed, fabric rustled, and soon enough, we found ourselves on the bed, the maps and plans forgotten. Our kisses became more desperate, more needy. As he moved over me, his hands exploring the curves of my body with a reverence that made my heart swell, I felt the walls I'd built around myself crumble.