Chapter 16

Even though it wasn't like the last full moon when he'd been unstable and volatile, Remus' wolf made its approval of Hermione's submission known in a rush of blood to his cock. He remained perfectly still, feeling his instincts rise to the fore and, for once in his life, actually permitted them, wanted them to take over.

Hermione crawled with grace, though the stones must have hurt her knees. She knelt in front of the bench, just as she had last time. Something inside Remus told him to sit up, that reclining in front of a pack member, even his mate, was not proper. He needed to be higher than her, elevated, ready.

She continued to look down, and he let a pleased growl pass his lips. He might have been shocked at the sheer animalism of his actions, but he'd pushed the rationality aside. She accepts me. She knows, and she still wants me. It was heady and arousing. After spending his entire life hiding and being ashamed of the wolf within, he'd found someone who wanted him, equal parts wolf and man, not despite his affliction. Not because of it, but with it.

He watched Hermione squirm a little at the sound of his growl, and a moment later, her undeniable scent of arousal reached his searching nostrils. It was nearly too much, but Remus reined in his lust to continue the game.

He placed a finger beneath her chin and tilted her head up to him. Meeting her eyes, he nodded at her. She immediately opened the bag she'd brought and pulled out a washcloth, wetting it with water from a bottle. Hermione had excellent instincts, and she seemed to know what he meant with him having to actually say anything.

Placing the washcloth aside, Hermione slowly reached toward him, placing her hands on the button of his trousers. She looked at him questioningly, and he wondered how wise it was to bare his arousal at this point. He nodded his assent, and she quickly but gently unbuttoned his trousers. He lifted his hips slightly and she removed them the rest of the way. He watched her face carefully, noticing that she bit her lip upon seeing how turned on he was, but didn't look too long at any one place.

Hermione tied her hair back with an elastic that had been around her wrist, and Remus quite appreciated the uninterrupted view of her slender neck. He felt his arousal surge, and he wanted to take her right then. But he called up his self-control and remained perfectly still. Wetting the washcloth, Hermione set to work, cleaning dirt and blood from various wounds on his body. She washed his cock as well, panting lightly through her ministrations, and Remus was hard-pressed to ignore her scent permeating the air. She wanted him.

She moved the cloth to his thigh, but kept her eyes on his straining member. Without watching her actions, she dragged the cloth firmly over a lightly scabbed cut on his inner thigh. He growled at the pain of having the wound reopened, and Hermione gasped, falling motionless, waiting. Beads of crimson welled at the wound, and Remus waited to see what she would do. The cloth was still in her hand, but she was looking at the blood.

She poured more water onto the cloth and gently cleaned the blood away. She held the cloth firmly to his flesh to staunch the flow, and after a moment, pulled it away. The wound was still dirty, but it wasn't bleeding anymore. Placing her hands on both of his thighs, Hermione came closer between his spread legs and flattened her tongue against the wound. The wolf roared, but somewhere inside him Remus cringed, though his cock jerked appreciatively. She licked the wound again and again, each time bringing a slight sting to Remus' awareness, but it was nothing compared to her submissive pack behaviour.

After a while, her long licks turned to softer, shorter ones, and then to soft, open-mouthed kisses, where she pressed her lips to his torn skin and let her tongue dart out against it. She moved her kisses up his thigh to the juncture of his hip and leg, and then to the hair surrounding his turgid length. She pressed her face into the musky hair there, inhaling deeply and nuzzling his sensitive skin. Remus groaned, something primal tearing at him. She continued her trail of kisses to his cock, which was deep red with neglect. Once she'd kissed up to the flushed crown, she engulfed him completely. Remus gasped as his throbbing hardness met the back of her throat, and he barely restrained himself from holding her head steady and fucking her mouth.

Hermione only got three bobs on his cock before he pushed her away, hard. She fell sideways onto the cold stone ground, and he sank to his knees behind her. He pulled her into position so her arse was high in the air and pushed her shoulders down so her spine was curved deliciously. She moaned a long, aroused moan that the wolf met with a growl.

He yanked her shorts down around her thighs, trapping them together and restricting her movement. His knees were outside hers, and he knew this position would make her unbelievably tight, even more so than usual. Her pussy was slick and flushed with blood, but Remus ran a finger down her slit just to be sure she was wet enough for him. Finding his finger fairly soaked, he lined his cock up to her desperate sheath.

He plunged in with one hard stroke, gripping her hips single-mindedly. He gave her absolutely no time to adjust and immediately thrust into her again. Her pussy was tighter than should be possible, her cries the sweetest music. His cock felt desperate for release, but he knew to hold back, pounding into her pliant body with ferocious movements.

Hermione's body inched forward from the vigorous thrusting, so every so often he had to haul her back up into position, keeping one hand between her shoulder blades to make sure she stayed down. He wasn't entirely sure why he needed that, but neither was in the position to question his motives.

He felt her begin to flutter and tighten around him, but he was nowhere near finished with her. He fucked her straight through her orgasm, never giving her a moment's respite. Her screams turned into panting, and she murmured his name over and over. Her body was trying to sink down, but he was relentless, and before long, she was panting was renewed desire rather than exhaustion.

Remus put his middle finger into his mouth, slicking it thoroughly. He withdrew from her pussy, plunging back in at the same time as his finger sank into her arsehole. Hermione wailed at the intrusion, gasping and shaking.

"Do you like it?" he demanded of her in a rough voice.

"Yes, yes," she chanted back, moving her hips to meet his thrusts. He fucked her with his cock and his finger, revelling in the way she tightened around him every time.

His other hand was bruising her hip with his grip. He felt his orgasm approaching and began thrusting with renewed force. They would both be bruised and sore from this mating, but Remus didn't care.

She began to tighten around him again, and with two more rapid-fire jerks, she was crying through another orgasm. Her noises and the grip her body had on his cock brought his own completion, and he roared with satisfaction at owning and filling his mate.

Remus held their bodies still for a few moments. Hermione was breathing deeply, and he could see her ribcage expanding even through her shirt. The guilt was on him almost instantly, but he buried it. He wanted Hermione with him, but the wolf was a part of him. He couldn't stifle it anymore, and if she accepted him, he had no right to question her choice.

He gingerly pulled away from her body, feeling a savage joy at seeing his come slide out and down the side of her thigh. He pulled her shorts back up, knowing he was trapping his come against her body and liking it that way. He could have cleaned her up, but then she wouldn't smell like him all day, reminding him of her complete surrender to him.

He helped her up, pulling her body against his. He sat cross-legged on the floor and settled her bottom on his thighs with her legs around his waist so she faced him. Her face was sweaty and flushed, and her hair had completely rebelled against the messy knot she'd wrestled it into. She smiled breathlessly at him, and he was flooded, again, by the pure, glowing happiness that shone in her face. She wasn't just putting up with his animal side as Tonks had; she wanted it, loved it, and certainly got off on it. It was more than he'd ever expected and quite more than he deserved. But it was his, and he planned on guarding it jealously.

She tilted her face up to him, her eyes smiling. There were small scratches on her cheekbone, and he frowned before realised they were from the rough floor her face had been pressed against.

He touched them tenderly with a fingertip, but she said nothing, kissing his lips softly and tracing them with a gentle and searching tongue. It wasn't a ravenous kiss, but it was filled with... what? More than acceptance, less than love.

How much less? How much less could he bear, knowing he'd essentially forced her into a relationship with him? He decided less was more than enough because it was more than nothing.

He returned her soft kiss, trying to show her how much more than less he felt for her. Maybe he couldn't say it, but that wouldn't stop him from showing her.

Eventually, the two stood. Or rather, Remus stood with Hermione still locked around his waist. Leaving the bag for now, he carried her up the stairs to their bedroom and from there, their en suite bathroom.

He set Hermione on her feet and started the tub to fill. He wanted to shower first, getting rid of the worst of the grime before he soaked. He stripped unabashedly, and Hermione blushed at the sight. Despite all they'd shared, all he'd put her through, the sight of a naked body still embarrassed her.

Once he was in the shower, he was surprised to be joined by her. He tried to look away from her slick nude form, quite certain she wouldn't be able to handle another coupling after the pounding he'd put her through earlier. His own body tried to argue, but Remus was in control, the wolf whining in a corner of his mind.

"You know," Hermione said in a suspiciously casual voice. "I found a book the other day about mating rituals over the years. In a footnote, there was a reference to another book, and I was wondering if you could see if your bookstore carries it. There's so little known about werewolf history, and I find it very interesting."

Remus found it a little difficult to focus on her words with the way her breasts were bouncing as she washed her hair.

Taking a deep breath, he said, "Do you remember what it was called or who wrote it? I can check tomorrow when I go in."

Hermione nodded. "It was Mates: Myths and Methods, by T.M. Lycansmythe. Do you recognise it?"

He thought it sounded familiar and tried to place it among the thousands of books he handled on a daily basis. Then it hit him, and he laughed.

"Actually, I bought that book not long ago. I'm sure it's on my desk downstairs."

"Well, isn't that fortuitous?" Hermione asked rhetorically, smiling. "I hope it has some interesting facts in it. There's so little written I might write a book myself, just to fill the gaps."

Remus washed his mate's back softly, trying to keep his sex-ravaged brain on the topic at hand. "If anyone could do it, it would be you," he told her confidently.

His hand trailed down to her firm and perfect arse, washing it beyond what was necessary for proper hygiene. Hermione writhed a little at his ministrations, parting her legs and tossing her head back slightly. Remus hoped she didn't choose this moment to turn around, because his smile was ferocious.

With a quick move, he turned her to face the back wall of the shower so he was blocking most of the water but it still trailed down her back. He put her hands on the wall in front of her and put one hand beside hers, pressing his body against her left side, rubbing his highly interested cock against her soft cheek.

The hand that was washing her so thoroughly slipped lower between her legs, caressing her pussy gently. She felt a little swollen, and he heard her gasp when he went to slide a finger inside her.

"Sore?" he asked softly, taking his hand back to knead her behind, kissing her shoulder.

"Yeah, but it's okay," she whispered, circling her hips in a most enticing way.

"I won't hurt you," he told her firmly.

She hung her head a little, and he knew she was too sore for sex. Moving backward to rinse off fully before getting into the bath, he paused when she spoke.

"You could... you know..." she said quietly, but Remus didn't know. There were a lot of things they could do, but he wasn't really interested in anything that didn't give them both equal pleasure.

"Tell me," he demanded softly, moving behind her and reaching around to palm her slick breasts.

"Take me... um... where you finger was, earlier." Her voice trailed off at the end, but Remus' unholy smile was back as he realised what she was asking. It wasn't something he'd done a lot, but he'd enjoyed it when he had. If nothing else, he knew how to make it feel good for her.

"So, let me get this straight," he murmured intensely, close to her ear, hand sliding into her back crevice. "You want me to fuck your arse?"

Hermione exhaled sharply at his words. His finger circled her tight rear hole, pushing only a fingertip in before withdrawing it completely.

"Yes," she answered, her voice nearly impossible to hear.

"Good. Now tell me what you want."

"I did," she said confusedly.

"No," he said. "Tell me exactly what you want." His voice was a vibration against her ear, his finger continually teasing her.

Hermione panted softly, hips moving in steady circles. "I want you to fuck me up the arse, Remus."

To reward her, he sank his finger within her tightness, breaching her muscle easily with his soap and water slicked finger. Her moan was low and long, and his cock twitched in sympathy.

"You're so fucking wanton, aren't you, love?"

"Yes..." she hissed, moving to impale herself on his finger.

He slid a second finger into her, pumping very lightly and spreading his fingers to stretch her. He Accioed lubricant from under the counter, and it slapped satisfyingly into his hand. Removing his fingers, slicking them, and quickly replacing them, Remus stopped rutting against her arse cheek, knowing he wouldn't last if he kept it up. It might take a long, slow fuck to get her to come for her first time like this, and he would have to be in control.

A third finger joined the first two, and she whimpered a little in discomfort, but her hips didn't stop their movement.

"Okay?" he asked, getting into position behind her and moving her hair so her claim mark was revealed.

"Fine, just... go slow, okay?"

"Of course. And you'll tell me if..."

"Yes," she interrupted quickly. "Please, Remus."

"Please what, love?" This was Remus' favourite part. Well, one of many.

"Remus, fuck me, gods, fuck my arse," she whispered, rolling her hips desperately.

"Beg," he commanded.

"Please," she sighed breathlessly. He didn't move, and she continued, "Please," louder, "Please! Please, please, Remus, you fucking bastard, please, now!"

He chuckled darkly and said, "Hold yourself open."

Hermione took her hands off the wall and spread her cheeks for him. He only took a moment while lubing his cock to admire her complicity before lining up to enter her. She was incredibly tight, and he knew it would be uncomfortable for her, but she didn't make a sound.

Once his head pressed through the tight ring, he waited a moment. She was breathing heavily, and her muscles were clenching him, but her hips rocked to encourage him, and he sank in deeper. He got about halfway before stopping again, this time to grit his own teeth against what his body was demanding.

He thrust the rest of the way in, and her body fell forward against the wall, cheek pressed against the cool tile and breasts pressed flat. But she didn't move her hands from her arse, and Remus heartily approved.

"You can put you hands back," he told her as he pulled about a third of the way out. She did, after a few moments. Remus snaked a hand around to caress and flick her swollen clit, and she gasped.

"How is it?"

"It's good, better than I thought. Feel so full... I like it..."

Remus was glad of that because he wasn't far from coming, and the torturously slow strokes were seriously testing him. Her arse clenched just like her pussy did when her orgasm was coming, and he played her clit harshly, ripping her orgasm out at the perfect time.

They both cried out, coming at the same time. Remus had never felt so strangled, and Hermione kept making sweet gasping noises.

He had to pull out because her body just kept stimulating him and it was too much. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her claim mark softly, without the intent to arouse. Her head lolled back onto his shoulder, and she smiled a little dopily.

"Have you done that before?" he asked, wondering why he hadn't earlier. She shook her head in denial, and the wolf made an unexpected reappearance, congratulating Remus for marking virgin territory. Remus rolled his eyes at his unenlightened thoughts.

Hermione turned in his arms, wrapping encircling his neck and pressing her cool cheek against his chest. The water was losing its heat and Remus was glad they'd filled the tub with only hot water.

"You're amazing," Hermione whispered, sounding sated and tired. Remus felt exactly the same.

With his lips against the teeth-shaped scar on her neck, he mouthed the three words he couldn't quite say yet.