Calli

He says it so quietly, I almost don’t hear it. I pull back to look at him, and he lifts his gaze to me. There is uncertainty and fear, but a lot of hope and all-consuming love.

“What?” I ask quietly, wanting to make sure I heard him right before I make a complete fool out of myself.

“I am so in love with you, sweetheart. I love you so much that there’s not enough room for it all in my chest and it aches a little bit sometimes.”

“Oh, Finn.” I stare at him, this impossibly beautiful man that has been nothing but sweet, patient and understanding with me.

“I love you too. I love your kindness, your humor, your joy. I especially love your dick.” He chuckles and cups my cheeks. “I love every single inch of you.” He pulls me down to kiss him. A tender, sweet kiss so unlike when it felt like he was trying to eat my soul earlier.

“I will never make you regret loving me.” He says sweetly, pecking my lips one last time. “But I do need to get this soap out of my hair because it’s stinging the fuck out of my eyes.” He laughs as I scurry off of him so he can rinse out his hair. When he’s done, he wraps me back in his arms, resting his head on my shoulder and squeezing me tight.

“Say it again.” He implores.

“I love you, you silly wolf.” I say with a bright smile and he laughs while washing my body. I don’t let him anywhere near my hair. It’s sweet he wants to help, but last time I was a mess of tangles and I don’t have time for that today.

After we have finished showering and dressed, he loads me up into his truck and buckles my seatbelt for me. I still think it’s cute how he does that. We’re driving down a stretch of highway when Finn turns on some god-awful music.

“Uh-uh. No. I’m not listening to that. It’s an assault on my ears.” I say seriously and flip it to a different station.

“Calli. You don’t touch a man’s radio.” Finn says as he flips it back.

“What’s your middle name?” I ask. He looks at me confused.

“Jacob…”

“Finn Jacob Callahan. If you change that radio station one more time, I won’t kiss you for the rest of the day.” Finn gasps incredulously and swerves the truck a little.

“You wouldn’t dare.” He says narrowing his eyes at me. I flip the station back and meet his gaze with my own firm stare.

“Try me, punk.” He rolls his eyes and looks back at the road.

“Fine. You win.” After a few minutes of silence, he speaks again.

“What’s yours?” He asks.

“My what?”

“Middle name.” I smile at him and reach over to hold his hand.

“Marie.” I say.

“Calli Marie. I bet your mom had fun yelling that at you when you were in trouble.” He smirks at me. I snort and smile back.

"She still does."

We pull up a dirt road shrouded by trees and up a steep hill with two wolves standing at the top. Finn slows down the truck and rolls down the window. Both wolves come to his side and bend their necks before he begins driving again.

"What was that?" I ask.

"I spoke to them in mind link to tell them I was coming. The neck thing was them showing submission." I shake my head in confusion.

"Mind link?" I ask.

"We can speak telepathically. Since we can't physically speak while in wolf form."

"Crazy..." I whisper under my breath.

"You'll be able to do it when I mark you." He says excitedly.

"Why are you so jazzed about that?" I ask laughing a little.

"I can't wait to send you dirty images of all the things I wanna do to you when you least expect it." He wiggles his eyebrows at me making me laugh before he stops the truck and pulls me to kiss him.

"Your laugh is the most beautiful sound in the world." He murmurs against my lips.

"Really? Because I think the sound you make when you come is better." I whisper in his ear and he groans as his body stiffens.

I slip out of the truck and close the door before he can say anything and look around. There are small houses scattered all throughout the area as well as a few larger buildings. One almost looks like a ski resort with its wood cabin feel, balconies and exposed wood.

"That's the packhouse. Where I live. For now, anyway."

"What do you mean?" I ask. He shrugs and takes my hand, pulling me up the packhouse stairs.

"The packhouse is for unmated wolves. If you agree to come live with me, we will live in the Beta house." He answers.

"Who lives there right now?" I ask.

"No one." He answers. The thought of that house staying empty makes me sad.

He pulls me into a huge gourmet kitchen with granite countertops, six burner gas stove, two ovens and two fridges.

"Wow...."

"Wolves eat a lot." Finn explains.

A short pudgy woman with short curly silver hair and bright blue eyes comes around the corner. Her eyes light up when she spots Finn.

"My dear boy! Is this her?" She asks eyeing me while Finn hugs her and kisses her cheek.

"It sure is! Calli, this is the Betty the packhouse manager. Basically my second mom. She keeps us fed and in line." He says showering her with an affectionate gaze. She walks over to me and pulls me into a warm hug that I can't help but return.

"It's so nice to meet you, dear." She says before leaning up to whisper in my ear. "That boy has been hoping and waiting for you. Please be good to him." I give her a warm smile and nod my head to which she gives me a knowing look.

"It's wonderful to meet you too, Betty. Thank you for keeping my Finn fed." I smile at her and she chuckles.

Finn walks behind me and wraps his arms around my waist, resting his chin on my shoulder and pecking my cheek while Betty rounds the counter and lifts a large basket up. Finn hurries forward to take it from her and he kisses her cheek too.

"Thank you Miss Betty." She waves him off and pushes him towards me.

"Of course, of course. Now go and have fun you two. We could use some more pups around here." She winks at me and I chuckle while Finn hurries to pull me from the room.

"Crazy old lady." He mumbles under his breath.

"We don't need to talk about pups yet." He adds.

"What are pups?" He pulls me towards a wooded area with a dirt path.

"Babies." He smiles brightly at me and I choke on air.

"Yeah we don't need to talk about that yet." I agree.

He takes my hand and links his fingers with mine. We walk for a few minutes and come to a beautiful lake. It's quiet with nothing but the sounds of birds chirping.

"Wow. This is beautiful. Why is no one else here? It's such a nice day."

"I asked everyone to stay away." Finn explains as he spreads a blanket onto the ground. "This is how I was going to tell you about my wolf. A private picnic on my packland. But you can still meet him for the first time like this."

My heart speeds up a little at the thought of being face to face with Finn's giant wolf. Yet, somehow deep down I feel incredibly safe with Titan. I know he'd never hurt me.

"I'd like that." Finn's smile is so warm it fills me with light. We sit and eat, Betty packed us the most wonderful picnic. Then Finn scoots over and takes my hands.

"You don't need to be afraid, ok? You've got my wolf wrapped around your finger." Finn smiles wryly and squeezes my hands in a comforting gesture. I nod and reach out to rub the stubble on his chin.

"Showing me your wolf is just a pretense to get naked right?" He chuckles and nods.

"Damn. You figured out my trick already." I giggle and he stands to strip. The way he can just get naked right out here in the open makes my face burn.

"Alright, sweetheart. I'd like to introduce you to Titan." He says before he jumps in the air. When he lands he has four white paws.

I stand and take in the giant wolf. His shoulders are as tall as mine, his black fur glistening in the sun. But his eyes are the same color as Finn's and I know I'm safe just by that. He lowers his head and lays on the ground before looking at me, like a signal he won't hurt me. I walk up to him slowly and he cocks his head, as if studying me. His huge pink tongue lolls out of his mouth and he pants while giving me a wolfy smile, complete with bright white teeth. I giggle and reach out to him.

"Well aren't you a handsome fella?" I say. He yips, seemingly pleased by my compliment, and pushes his head into my hand.

The fur is incredibly soft and glides through my fingers like silk. I wrap my arms around his neck and nuzzle my face into him. He still smells like Finn and the sparks I feel from him are still as present as ever. My heart swells at the feeling of him in my arms.

"I love you, Titan." I whisper. He purrs in contentment and moves his head so he can lick my cheek.

I feed him some leftover meat and he licks my fingers clean, making me laugh. Then he lowers himself to the ground as if wanting me to climb on him. I do so carefully, not wanting to pull on his fur, and he runs around the small lake, me laughing and squealing while trying to hold on. When lets me down, he licks my cheek again and bumps his forehead against mine. I kiss his wet nose before he pulls away, knowing he's going to shift back to Finn.

"I'll see you soon, handsome." I say, a little sad to see him go. He barks in agreement before his fur begins to ripple and a naked Finn stands in front of me, practically glowing with joy.