Wolf Moon Pt. 01

Hi there! I'd just like to apologise up front for not sharing many stories with you recently. I've been on a bit of a rollercoaster in my personal life with a cancer diagnosis, so I'd just like to thank you for sticking with me and for your ongoing support. I hope you enjoy Grace and Benedict as much as I loved writing them x

***

'Another round of Tequila Slammers, please!' exclaimed Grace to the long-suffering barman, ignoring the groans of the surrounding women.

'Can't...' admitted Maya, unsteadily lowering her chin onto the bar while six clean glasses were lined up along it. 'I'm already far too pissed.'

'Come on!' encouraged her best friend, sliding one of the glasses now duly filled across the wooden counter towards her, until it was almost touching her nose. 'You only live once!'

'Exactly,' grumbled Maya, levering herself back upright. 'Which is why, ideally I don't plan to die of alcohol poisoning tonight...'

'Cheers!' smirked Grace, knocking back the measure and closing her eyes, in order to savour the sensation as it hit the back of her throat.

It actually wasn't like her to overindulge to this extent but nerves were making her act up. She'd been picking up some strange vibes from Ethan, her boyfriend. He'd seemed kind of nervous in the car on their way to the party, as though he was teetering on speaking to her about something important. If Grace didn't know any better, she'd guess he might be building up the courage to propose, but three months of dating wasn't anywhere near long enough to be considering that kind of commitment. Plus, she wasn't sure that her answer would be a positive one, even if they'd been dating for three years. Ethan was fun enough to spend time with, but did their relationship really have the makings of anything serious?

'Where's your bit of hot stuff?' joked Maya, apparently able to read her best friend's mind.

'Not sure,' admitted Grace, screwing up her nose. The truth was, Ethan had disappeared about twenty minutes before and she hadn't seen him since.

'Guess you'll have to dance with me then?' Maya laughed, grabbing Grace's hand and towing her towards the dance floor.

'Alcohol poisoning worn off then?'

'Ha! Yes, I just had a weak moment. But never fear! I'm back again now!'

Both girls raised their hands in the air, swinging their hips in time with the slow, sultry beat that was currently blaring from the speaker system. With her long dark hair falling forwards to cover her face, Grace soon became lost in the crowd. She felt an overwhelming sense of peace, as the music tracks transported her to another place entirely. Eventually, she was brought back to earth when a low voice growled unexpectedly against her ear.

'There you are.' With a gasp, her eyes sprung open, just as Ethan's large hands snaked across her hips. Pulling her back against his hard, angular body, they swayed against each other rhythmically, conjuring up all kinds of naughty images in Grace's mind. Shielded from view by other gyrating bodies, Ethan dared to allow his wandering hands to slide up her ribcage, teasingly circling her breasts.

'I want you to fuck me,' breathed Grace, feeling incredibly horny, as her hands wound upwards to tangle into Ethan's hair. Her nipples felt tight, her clit was throbbing and ached for relief. She had a desperate urge to be filled, if not right now on this dance floor, then very shortly afterwards. Besides, she knew Ethan wanted the same thing. Digging in against her ass, he felt as hard as a rock.

'Mmmm,' he moaned approvingly. 'I'm ready whenever you are. Shall we find somewhere private to park on the way home?'

Ethan's car wasn't ideal in terms of comfort, but in her frantic state, it would simply have to do. Grabbing his hand, Grace led him assertively away from the dance floor. Having made her excuses while trying to ignore the very knowing looks of her friends, the two of them left hand in hand. With only one thing on their minds, they almost ran to the car, oblivious to how incredibly cold the frozen January night was. Having started up the engine, Ethan pressed the necessary buttons to defrost the windscreen, taking full advantage of the few minutes they had to wait.

'You're so fucking hot,' he groaned, leaning towards Grace's seat and lowering his mouth to hers. Within what felt like seconds, his hand had disappeared beneath her skirt, trailing up her inner thigh and nudging at the hem of her panties. Groaning with an urgency to be pleasured, she automatically attempted to open her legs to him, but it was made difficult by the presence of the car door and central console. Snaking his way beneath the silk material, Ethan ran a single finger through her swollen, wet folds, the sensation making Grace squirm against his sure touch. But suddenly, just as quickly as the enjoyment had appeared, it was gone again. With a smirk, Ethan withdrew his finger before securing his seatbelt.

'The windscreen's cleared,' he noted with a grin. 'Let's take this somewhere more private, shall we?'

As the car pulled away, Grace was left feeling unsatisfied and a little disappointed, if she was entirely honest. For a woman in her late twenties, she hadn't had that many sexual partners so perhaps her experience was limited, or else her expectations were too high. But sex with Ethan, although an enjoyable enough event, always made her feel like his satisfaction was considered superior to her own. He didn't take any time to build up her pleasure and really make her yearn for him. Instead, he seized what he wanted in an almost selfish manner, often leaving her dissatisfied afterwards. There were all sorts of things she'd like to try in bed, but she instinctively knew that suggesting them would cause Ethan to take offence, on behalf of his sexual prowess. Plus, Grace found it almost impossible to open up and talk about her own sexual needs, which didn't help the situation.

Fortunately, or not, her body was very readily turned on so she was always wet by the time Ethan got that far. Consequently, she just accepted what she was given, but was that really the way it ought to be? Perhaps she was guilty of reading too many erotic romances in her time, where the heroine always ends up with a guy who knows how to turn her on. But that was fiction and not true to life. And she lived in the real world.

Grace had been so lost in thought that she'd hardly noticed the distance Ethan had driven since leaving the party. Glancing around, she realised he was pulling into an empty, rural car park, right in the middle of one of England's most isolated expanses of wilderness; Packland Moor. Immediately, Grace felt apprehensive.

'Is it safe out here?' she asked, glancing out of the windows to see only frosted grass being illuminated in the bright moonlight.

'Don't worry. I'll protect you,' Ethan grinned. Killing the engine, he unbuckled both of their seat belts, before almost instantly returning to the position he'd been in at the party venue. With a gasp, Grace jumped as his hand slipped under her skirt and pulled down her silk panties. 'Let's get on the back seat,' he suggested, climbing over himself, before assisting Grace.

Encouraging her to straddle him, it wasn't long before much of their clothing had been discarded around them.

'Come and sit on this,' he offered, feeding his cock towards her wet, swollen pussy. Despite hoping for a tad more foreplay, Grace silently chided herself. She was probably guilty of wanting everything to be perfect, rather than simply living in the moment. With a slight sense of regret that her boyfriend didn't want to explore her further, she did as he requested and submitted to the sensation of being stretched.

'Mmmmm,' he growled, sinking further inside until their groins eventually meshed together. Taking a firm grasp of Grace's hips, he pulled her down tight onto him, grinding against her pelvis and swiftly ramping up all the feels. Unfortunately for Grace, that wasn't the only swift thing about it. Within what felt like seconds, before she'd even truly found a rhythm of her own, Ethan's cries became louder.

'Fuck! You're so hot!' he exclaimed, closing his eyes in ecstasy as he gave away possession of his self-control. 'Oh God! I'm gonna come, babe.'

Within a flurry of movement and hip thrusts, Grace became aware of a wet heat filling her, as Ethan ejaculated forcefully inside her unsatisfied pussy. For a short while, he sat there looking dazed. And then her breasts must have moved back onto his radar because he leant forward and suckled one nipple into his mouth, as though seeing it for the first time. The compression of her delicate flesh forced Grace to automatically clench around him, hopeful for some additional stimulation so that she too might gain satisfaction. But it was not to be.

'Oh! That feels weird,' exclaimed Ethan, swiftly withdrawing his now limp dick from her pussy before searching around for his boxer shorts. It took a few minutes for all of their discarded clothing to be located, at which point they returned to their original seats. In silence, Ethan sat there thoughtfully while Grace pondered upon whether it was normal to have such uninspiring sex with your partner and not even kiss.

'I've got something I...want to say,' Ethan admitted at last, his tone less confident than normal. Silently, Grace pleaded that he wasn't going to pop the big question; after the way he'd just used her body for his own satisfaction, she wasn't sure she could find a nice way to turn him down. And right now, she wasn't sure he even deserved such consideration.

'Yeah?'

'Well, now we're in the new year, I've made some resolutions and one of them is to be completely truthful. Both with myself and with you.'

'Yeah?' she repeated, feeling a whole lot less confident this time.

'I've developed feelings...for Cath.'

'Cath?' said Grace, without emotion. 'Cath, who I work with, Cath?'

'Mmmm, yeah.'

'I thought you wanted to be in an exclusive relationship with me?'

'I...I...things happened.'

'Obviously. And you felt a good time to tell me about this was just after we'd had sex?' she queried, her voice naturally rising slightly in volume. 'So, you want to break up?'

'God, no! Of course not!' he exclaimed, leaving Grace feeling beyond confused.

'So...what then...?'

'I want to ask you if you'd be...open to the suggestion of having a threesome.'

As an expression of utter disbelief crossed Grace's face, her jaw fell open in shock. 'You...but...you what?'

'You, me and Cath,' explained Ethan, as though his suggestion was the most logical outcome to their scenario. 'All of us enjoying each other...in bed.'

'Yeah, thanks. I know what a threesome is,' replied Grace, failing to keep the sarcasm from her tone. 'I'm still struggling to believe you're suggesting it, that's all.'

'I'm in love with two people,' he shrugged. 'It's actually a pretty logical solution.'

'In love?' repeated Grace, no longer making any effort to control the volume or the repulsion of her response. 'You literally don't have a clue what love is.' Grabbing her coat and handbag, she wrenched open the door and exited the car at speed.

'Where are you going?' he demanded, following her outside. 'Don't be stupid! We're in the middle of nowhere. Let me drive you home.'

Having quickly shrugged on her coat and tried to quell her chattering teeth, Grace turned to face him.

'If you think I'm getting back in that car, or within ten feet of you ever again, then you've got another think coming!' Dick-head. And with that, she instinctively began to march away from the car park and towards a nearby woodland track, which she had a vague notion might lead in the direction of town.

'Seriously! It's bloody freezing out here!' exclaimed Ethan. 'Don't be so fucking stupid!'

But Grace was in no mood to listen. Grasping her mobile phone, she turned on the camera light and began to use it as a torch. Marching into the woodland, it was actually a relief to discover that Ethan wasn't following her. Instead, a few minutes later, she heard the roar of his car engine as he tore out of the car park and back onto the main road, obviously in an almighty strop. She was completely alone.

***

The woods were dark, spooky and very, very cold, forcing Grace to appreciate she couldn't exactly have been worse kitted out for a hike in freezing temperatures. The only positive was that she had a long coat on. But she had no hat or gloves, her legs were bare and her high heels were agonising to walk along a stony track in. She could already feel blisters and pressure points building up on her feet and was starting to yearn obsessively for a hot, soapy bubble bath.

At that moment, a screech owl called loudly overhead and she could feel her sense of apprehension ramping up one notch further. Taking another glance at her mobile phone, Grace realised with horror that less than twenty percent battery remained; clearly, having the light on permanently must drain the charge. What the hell was she supposed to do when she ran out of light altogether? Ethan was right; this was a stupid idea. Although strangely, even if she did end up freezing to death alone tonight, it still felt like a better idea than having to spend another second in that weasel's company. Maybe she ought to phone someone for help; Maya perhaps? Although until she could pinpoint her own location, how on earth was anybody else going to find her? Glancing at the bright screen for inspiration, she realised there was no mobile signal anyway, so her plans were largely irrelevant.

Suddenly, Grace caught a glimpse of moonlight through a patch of trees. She knew the woods were surrounded by the moorland they'd been driving through. If she could make it to the moor, not only would she have better visibility of local landmarks, to check she was heading in the right direction, but the bright moonlight would help to illuminate her way. Her phone would become less essential, if it were to run out of battery.

Immediately, Grace altered her course, not caring that bramble cables were scratching painfully at her legs, as she doggedly headed towards the patch of moonlight. Her breath was coming in great, heaving gasps by this point, partly from exertion, but mostly from fear. She could feel her pulse beating noisily in her eardrums, the dappled shadows playing tricks on her mind and forcing her to see all kinds of imagined threats. Pushing aside a soft branch that unexpectedly tickled her face, Grace marched onwards, the patch of moonlight growing larger. She could see the shape of the moorland through the few remaining trees now, as gnarled branches, devoid of their summer vegetation, unexpectedly scraped across her shoulders. It felt like she was on some kind of ghost ride at a theme park, but this time it was real.

Having climbed through a dilapidated barbed wire fence, Grace inhaled slowly and tried to take a second to calm her thoughts in the surrounding silence. The moon was so bright that she wouldn't need a torch to help navigate her way. Thank goodness. But her teeth were chattering wildly now and she knew she must find help, or shelter, or ideally both. With her breath condensing around her in the frigid air and a hoar frost settling over every exposed surface, the temperature must be well below freezing now. This was not a night to be out in a short skirt and high heels. She had to take swift action.

Spotting a narrow path leading across the moor, Grace decided to make for that. Doing her best to avoid the low-lying boggy ground, she stumbled painfully forwards, entering random light mist patches which impacted her visibility and made her feel afraid. Aching with cold now, her fingers were balled up within the pockets of her coat. She couldn't shake off the feeling that she was being watched, but knew she was just being stupid. After all, who the hell would be out on a freezing night on the moor at...she glanced at her almost dead mobile phone once again. One thirty in the morning. Nobody sane, that was for sure. Although, that in itself wasn't exactly a reassuring thought.

Just then, Grace was convinced she heard movement to her right; the sound of someone or something stepping on frosty vegetation was a surprisingly recognisable sound. Although she didn't really want to know who or what was in the vicinity, Grace ever so slowly twisted her head around to look, feeling a wave of relief when she saw nothing. It must be her imagination. With a sigh of relief, she returned her eyes forward, only to see the silhouettes of four large men standing in front of her. Instantly, she attempted to scream. But although she put considerable effort into it, as had happened in some of her worst nightmares, absolutely no sound came out. Instead, on the verge of hyperventilating, she drew in sharp, short breaths, the impact of the cold air on her lungs making her wheeze even harder.

'Good evening,' said one of the men, his voice low and rasping. In a far corner of Grace's mind, she got the impression that he was equally as surprised to discover her. 'Can you see me?'

Terrified, Grace glanced between the men who towered over her, but in the moonlight shadows, only the whites of their eyes and teeth were truly visible. She had never known what it was to be paralysed with fear, until this very moment.

'Are you lost?'

'N...no,' she just about managed to whimper. 'My friend is waiting for me at the top of this hill.' Glancing in that direction, she saw the most unwelcome sight of a skull on the path ahead, belonging to either a sheep or a deer was her guess. It shone almost translucent in the moonlight, only adding to the eerie, increasingly terrifying setting.

'Really?' replied the man, who seemed to be the leader of the pack. Certainly, he was the only one doing any of the talking. The others just continued to regard Grace with a certain amount of hunger in their eyes. Raising his head, the man inhaled deeply, as though smelling the air. 'I don't...sense anybody else here apart from you,' he stated, causing the others to grin at an apparently private joke. 'Just you,' he concluded, taking a step towards her.

'Please don't hurt me!' she begged, falling to her knees. Grace was so cold now, she knew she simply didn't have a chance of out-running them. She could barely feel her numb fingers, let alone attempt to fight back. But her reaction only appeared to amuse the men all the more.

'Just you...all alone...with the four of us,' smirked the leader, squatting down to take a better look at their new toy.

'Five,' corrected a deep voice from behind.

***

Grace could barely dare to turn around and observe a fifth perpetrator, but there was something in the man's tone that made her want to trust him. Strong, powerful, controlled. Dare she even imagine a little kindness there? Certainly, he had approached even more stealthily than the others managed. Were her senses diminished, due to the cold? Was her hearing starting to fail? No, that couldn't be right, because she was aware of the somewhat stilted conversation currently taking place around her.

'What's going on here?' the man demanded. Turning slowly to face him, Grace could see from the angle of his jaw that the question was being directed at the group and not her. He was conversing with them as though they held absolutely no fear for him; almost as though he were superior. Indeed, the ringleader of the group had taken a full step back from Grace already, and the others were all shrinking back slightly too. Grace did her best to study the man, but his face was entirely hidden by shadow.

'I asked what's going on?' he repeated, in a no-nonsense tone.

'It's nothing,' replied the ringleader.

'It looks to me as though you've terrified this girl,' the man observed.

'We haven't even touched her!'