THE SOFTNESS AFTER THE ROUGHNESS

GALLAHAN’S POV

My knot had finally abated after nearly a fucking hour, and I slipped out of Willa as carefully and as quietly as I could so I wouldn’t accidentally jostle her awake. Even pulling out nearly had me moaning, my sensitive cock twitching in interest.

‘I am a man with a well-functioning head. Not a beast with nothing but instincts,’ I mentally reminded myself, willing the desire to bury my traitorous cock inside her hot and welcoming channel that felt so snug around me.

I had to take a slow, shuddering breath to calm myself and my inner wolf.

Willa whined softly in dissatisfaction as I shifted on the bed. She rolled around, turning to face me, her eyes closed and her eyebrows furrowed.

The lines between her brows eased and disappeared once she had burrowed herself against my chest. The sight of it nearly made me burst at the disgusting affection that swelled inside of me. To make matters worse for my weakening heart was the fact that the contours of her body fit so well against mine. It was outrageous how we just seemed to fit.

I supposed it just came with us being fated mates.

Yes.

Fated. Mates.

Fuck. I never thought I would be lucky enough to actually meet mine, even though I have secretly dreamed of having one in my life ever since my Mom told me stories about fated lovers like her and Dad.

The fleeting thought of my Mom drew out a wistful sigh from me.

God, I terribly missed Mom.

“You would’ve loved to meet Willa, Mom,” I whispered softly, brushing a stray wisp of Willa’s fiery red hair that obstructed my view of her beautiful face.

Just then, I caught myself smiling, my cheeks already aching from the strain of smiling far longer than I was used to.

Damn it.

I was becoming soft and saccharine for a woman I just met, and yet, I couldn’t bring myself to regret anything that happened so far.

After taking a long and deep inhale of her scent that was heavily interlaced with mine, then placing a soft kiss on the crown of her head, I wrapped my arms around her frame, pulling her closer to me.

Yeah, I wouldn’t let go of this woman.

Damn the war and all the people who would probably tell her that I would be no good for her.

I would kill them before they could even say so.

An angry scowl marred my face as my train of thought shattered my happy bubble.

I gingerly and slowly slipped out of the bed, an action that garnered another dissatisfied whine from my mate.

“So needy and clingy,” I teasingly whispered, stroking the top of her head. “Sleep, sweetheart. You need it for round two.”

Her eyes, which were now dulled into a pale shade of green, slightly opened, and my grin only widened. Willa shot me the most menacing glare she could manage in her sleepy and tired state, but her efforts only came across as terribly endearing.

“I will run you a bath later. I will wake you up then.”

She moved her head in an attempt of a nod, but her cheek was pressed deeply on the pillow, making the movement unclear and undignified.

Still unfairly adorable though.

I bit my lower lip to suppress the happy smile that wouldn’t leave my face, leaving the cozy comfort of my bed and the warmth of my beautiful mate.

A quick shower and an easy recipe later, I was back on the bed, sitting on the edge and shaking Willa awake.

“Willa, I have run you a warm bath.”

She blinked blearily and slowly rose up from her comfortable cocoon on the bed. “You really did?”

“Of course. I said I would, didn’t I?”

“That’s…” She paused, seemingly unsure if her next words would be taken with offense

Her strong hesitation was what would offend me actually.

Did she think I would lash out or hurt her if she said something wrong just because we were enemies in the war? Did she really think she had to walk on eggshells around me?

I understood her caution, but that didn’t mean it didn’t sting. I began to trust her with my whole life the moment my eyes landed on her. Why didn’t she feel the same with me? Did she think of me as a monster who hurt humans for nothing but pleasure?

It seemed to me that our warring beliefs on the conquering and subjugation of humans had sowed a rift so deep that not even the fact that we were fated mates could mend it

I held back the instinct to go on the defensive. Instead, I tried to feign nonchalance. So I arched my brow at her and said, “What? Go on, sweetheart. I don’t bite.”

She reddened considerably, her hand going to the healed claiming bite I had left on her.

“Except for that, of course,” I added mischievously.

“It’s just… odd,” she finally said, daring to meet my eyes.

“Odd?” I unconsciously parroted, my logic malfunctioning for a second as I got lost in the sea of her pale green eyes.

“Odd,” she affirmed. “It’s just… I met you in battle. You are an enemy. I expected you to be harsh and all rough with me after I saw you gravely injure one of my allies. Then you went all rakish and confident in bed.”

“Kept you satisfied, didn’t I?”

My mischievous remark went ignored.

“And now, you’re this gentle, considerate and well-mannered man,” Willa said, her mesmerizing green eyes unflinchingly gazing at me, as if trying to search

“You know what they say… Manners maketh man.”

“Be serious. What is this, Han? Who are you really? Why… Why do you fight for the other side? What do we do when there is this war between us?”

I sighed, knowing that this conversation was inevitable, but I at least wanted to have it with Willa decently covered with something other than my blanket pressed against her chest. It would also be a great favor to my focus and my cock if she no longer smelled strongly of our mingling scents and… of the byproduct of our intimate horizontal tango.

Besides, talking over food would also help my case. A satisfied stomach could drastically save my ass and this relationship if our talk about the war went awry. After all, my mated and married friends always said that a happy wife would mean a happy life. And surely, food could make her happy.

Right?

Right.

Well, I hoped so.

“There is no getting out of this talk, I know. But why don’t you get to the bath I have prepared for you before it gets cold, then we could talk about this over the food I have cooked for the both of us. I believe we still have a few hours before another wave of your heat strikes.”

“You cooked?”

“Is that so surprising?” I asked with a light chuckle. “But that is besides the point. The point is… I have prepared for you a warm, bubble-filled bath that is, by the way, getting colder the longer you stay on this bed.”

Willa stared at me silently for a second before saying, “Right… First of all, I don’t even know where the bathroom is.”

“It’s that door, sweetheart,” I answered pointing at the unassuming arched polished door a couple of meters away from my wardrobe.

“Thank you,” she said as she gave me a wry look. “Second, do you expect me to walk there stark naked while you’re still in this very room?”

“It's not like there is still something I haven’t seen, touched, and kissed before.”

She gave me a deadpanned look, one that made me want to pinch her cheek, ruffle her hair, and maybe kiss the expression away.

I almost did so, but then she suddenly said with an austere tone, “Out.”

“Alright,” I replied, raising my arms as an act of defeat. “Damn. So feisty. Couldn’t you ask a little more sweetly, sweetheart?”

Willa smiled, all tight-lipped and dripping with feigned saccharine. “If you want someone sweet, then I am sorry. You will only be disappointed. I have no sweetness to offer you, Han.”

“Liar. I did lick my finger clean, remember? It was quite sweet. Perfect sweetness, in fact.”

I watched with pure satisfaction as a pretty shade of red bloomed on her neck, creeping up until nearly her entire face was blushing at the sexual innuendo.

“OUT!” Willa yelled, throwing a pillow at me and clutching the blanket tighter towards her.

Laughing, I easily caught the pillow, which I then brought up to my nose. “Smells sweet too. Extra sweeter actually, considering it is mixed with-”

I didn’t get the chance to finish my teasing remark, because Willa had encroached my personal space and placed a chaste kiss on the corner of my lips.

“Do you want me to be in that bath you’ve prepared or not?”

Right.

The fucking bath.

And the fucking food.

Both were getting colder the longer I lingered in her presence. But really, I didn’t think I should be blamed. Her presence alone was addicting. It was as if she was a cosy and warm hearth on a wintry night, or a familiar bed that I could burrow myself in for all the days of my life. Or… or my mom’s hearty soup she would cook when I get sick.

She was warmth, security, comfort rolled into one. She felt like home, the way none of my houses across the Midland Continent had ever felt like one since my mom’s and sister’s deaths.

I didn’t think I could afford losing her when I had been granted by the universe this chance.

Ugh, ew.

What was I becoming?

Suppressing a shiver over my sappy thoughts, I leaned over to Willa and claimed a proper kiss.

She granted me access into her mouth, and I eagerly grabbed the chance to explore the hot cavern.

Lips on lips.

Tongue against tongue.

I couldn’t help but cup her cheeks, tilting her head a little for a better angle.

Gods… I could get lost in the taste of her mouth, and I wouldn’t even mind. Fuck the world and reality. She was even better than any other sweet dream.

Still, I managed to pull away a little, murmuring against her pink and mildly kiss-swollen lips, “That’s a proper kiss, sweetheart. Remember that.”

Making my remark as my parting words, I left the room to give her the privacy she wanted.

I dutifully stood outside my bedroom with my arms crossed against my chest, waiting for the faint clicking of the bathroom door as it opened and shut.

When the sound came and went, I waited a few seconds more before re-entering my bedroom. I worked swiftly in cleaning the room and changing the sheets and the pillowcases, dumping the used ones in the hamper by the laundry area at the very back of the cabin. I did the same to her unsalvageable clothes that I had torn earlier in the heat of the moment.

After airing the room by sweeping the curtain to the sides and opening all the awning windows, I left for the kitchen to retrieve the bed tray of food that had been left to wait for far too long.

I brought it to my bedroom and set it at the center of the bed that was now wrapped in fresh linen.

I paced around the room, itching to see Willa again.

She didn’t run away through the window, did she?

I inhaled deeply, stopping the paranoid thought from spiraling further.

I didn’t have to make any other effort than that because Willa finally emerged from the bathroom, donning my favorite dressing robe.

I bit my lip and surreptitiously pinched the side of my thigh before my cock could even get the idea of standing erect in attention at the sight of her wearing something of mine.

Damn it. What was wrong with me? Why was I being so randy like I was a teenager again? Maybe it was simply the novelty of having my fated mate with me, and soon enough, this sensitivity and irrational reactions would ebb away in time.

But it wasn’t as if I thought that this fiery connection between us would ever wane. Perhaps I would simply get better at controlling myself. For one thing, I was entirely sure that in my current state, I would go completely ballistic if a man ever dared to breathe too near her.

“Han?”

I blinked at her, repeatedly for good measure, as I snapped out from shamelessly gawking at her.

“You look good,” I complimented like an utter fool.

Willa’s brows furrowed. She looked at me as though I had grown a second head. “Are you okay?”

“Perfect, actually.” I cleared my throat and gestured at the simple meal for two I had cooked. “Anyway… Shall we eat?”

“In bed.”

“Yes, in bed.”

“I am not fond of eating in bed.”

“Humor me just this once.”

“Why should I?” Willa asked, but she was already walking to the bed, her eyes glued to the food.

“Because,” I answered, slightly prolonging the word needlessly. “If our little chat goes south despite the good food, then I could at least trust in letting our bodies talk again to salvage us.”

Willa merely rolled her eyes in reply. She settled herself comfortably on the bed, resting her back on the plain wooden headboard and criss-crossing her beautiful legs.

I wasted no time sitting across from her, the bed tray of food perched between us.

“So,” I drawled. “This war…”