Chapter 42

☆ ☆ Beta Morgana ☆ ☆

I woke up to find my bed empty. I heard the shower running, so I went to investigate. Darius' silhouette encompassed the shower curtain. He was massive and muscley, with dark brown hair, curly hair, caramel skin, a permanent 5 O'clock shadow, and vibrant green eyes.

I imagined what our kids would look like dark hair and blue or green eyes. Whether male or female, they would have striking features. My thoughts were interrupted by a question, "Mate, are you going to join me or just stand out there naked, teasing me?"

I sauntered into the shower, the cool water splashing off of Darius onto my body hardened my nipples. I licked my lips, reminiscing last night; I was a little more than tipsy but not a sloppy drunk. Despite my levels of intoxication, I felt fine this morning—the perks of being a werewolf, I suppose, no hangovers.

My mate eagerly placed his soapy hands on my breasts, massaging them for a time before scrubbing other areas of my body. His hands were calloused, but I liked his rough exfoliating touch. I could see he was ready to mate with me again, and I would happily oblige, but we needed to be at the airport two hours before our flight.

It would take about twenty minutes to get to the airport, and we needed to leave by 9:00 a.m. for our 11:20 a.m. flight. My internal clock was telling me it was around 8:20 a.m. That was enough time for us to shower, get dressed, order an Uber, and eat, but that was pushing it.

I soaped him up while I thought about the timeline and stroked his shaft a few times before kissing him and pulling his lower lip slightly between my teeth. Breathlessly, I said, "I don't think we have enough time, Mate." He let out a disheartened huff, "Then why tease me?" He pulled me closer to him by my hips, pressing his erection against my stomach.

He emitted a low growl. I looked up at his dreamy green eyes, "I'll make it up to you, I promise." He licked his bite mark on my neck and grumbled, "You'd better." I smiled coyly, "Just be patient, Mate." We rinsed our bodies, and I grabbed the towels as Darius turned the water off.

I grabbed my phone and requested an Uber for 8:55 a.m. before getting dressed. Darius got dressed as well and carried our suitcases down. The smell of bacon enticed us down the staircase, and he set the bags down by the front door before we went to the pack kitchen.

The breakfast buffet was recently made, and there was plenty of food available. Seats, on the other hand, were scarce, but being the Beta had its advantages. We grabbed our plates, and I walked over to one of the tables. Two Omegas scarfed their food upon my approach, making room for Darius and me.

My plate had a standard serving; Darius', on the other hand, easily held three times the amount mine held. He was easily 100 pounds heavier than I was, but being mostly muscle, I assumed he needed the extra calories to fuel his body. Despite the massive amount of food in front of him, he ate it just as quickly as I ate my own, though he practically inhaled his.

We finished just in time as my phone buzzed, notifying me that our driver had arrived. I took our plates to the sink and rinsed them off while Darius took our suitcases and loaded them into the trunk of our Uber. I met him outside, and he held the door open for me. I crawled into the vehicle, and Darius gave my ass a little pat before entering behind me.

I smiled at his affectionate love tap, and we fastened our seatbelts before our driver took off toward the airport. We arrived at the American Airlines gates and proceeded to the check-in kiosks. We scanned our tickets and declared no check-in luggage, which allowed us to skip one of the lines. That was beneficial, considering the line to go through the TSA checkpoint was extremely long.

After at least 30 minutes had passed, we were called next in line by a hefty gentleman with a bald spot forming. He confirmed our identification cards matched our passenger information on our tickets. His uniform was at least one size too small, and the buttons screamed for reprieve against his beer belly.

He asked us, "Business or pleasure?" Darius responded by grabbing my waist and pulling me into him, "We're going on our honeymoon." The man chuckled and said, "You're one lucky man; she's gorgeous." Darius winked at him, and we were permitted to go through the scan checkpoint.

I took my camera, rechargeable batteries, and phone charger from my bag and placed them in a bin. I removed my shoes and took out my metal hairpin, allowing my long black strands of hair to fall freely past my shoulders. Darius removed his boots and belt and added them to his own bin, taking his phone charger out of his suitcase last. 

Our items were inspected in the X-ray machine, and we went through the full-body scanners. Luckily, we weren't held up and could gather our belongings and put our shoes and accessories back on relatively quickly. Darius grabbed our suitcases, and I searched the terminal's departure televisions to find our gate. 

We arrived at gate 7 and took a seat in the lobby. We had about an hour before our flight, and we were some of the first people to arrive. I didn't mind; I would rather be early than risk missing our flight. Darius huffed, "We totally had time this morning." I grinned seductively and batted my eyelashes at him, "Just wait, mate."

Darius pouted as the lobby filled with patrons. It wasn't long before they started making announcements over the intercom for our flight. They called for military members to board and then the first-class passengers. Darius and I were the only ones to stand up. I handed our tickets over to be scanned while he carried our bags.

As we walked to the plane, I took out my wallet. Darius went ahead and put our luggage in the overhead storage. I slipped the flight attendant a Benjamin and gave her a wink. She nodded as she quickly pocketed the bribe. We took our seats and waited for the other passengers to board. 

Once everyone was loaded in, the attendants reviewed the safety instructions and stated that food and drinks would not be served since the flight was just over an hour. The captain then spoke through the intercom, saying he appreciated our patronage and expected a smooth flight to the Chicago Airport, where our layover was.

The attendants did their last minute checks, ensuring the passengers were buckled up, and the overhead bins were secured. Then, the attendant I bribed pulled the curtain between the plane's first-class and economy sections. She winked back at me before disappearing toward the plane's entrance.

Darius had been entirely oblivious to the transaction, so joining the mile-high club would be a complete surprise for him and a new experience for us both. The plane headed down the runway, and I waited until we were up in the air and the seatbelt sign turned off before I began. 

I lifted the armrest between our spacious seats and leaned in, nibbling on his ear. Darius tried to stop me, "I can't take any more teasing this morning, Morg." I smiled at the impromptu nickname and ran my hand up his muscular thigh to the crotch of his pants. I whispered, "I'm not teasing you, mate; I promised I would make it up to you." 

His green eyes gleamed with delight as though my words clicked, awakening his wolf from deep within. He helped me straddle him and kissed me passionately before liking my neck. I let out a quiet moan. Darius looked at me surprised, "Shhh, you can't make noise, or everyone will know."

I bit my lip in an attempt to hold back any pleasurable noises he was going to make me voice. I looked at him seductively and began grinding against his crotch; our clothes still between us only intensified the desire to be closer. He grabbed my hips with his hands as I was grinding and helped me press more firmly into his forming erection. 

I bit my lip again to hold back another uninhibited moan. Darius noticed and forced my lips against his, smothering my moan between our mouths. His tongue made an entrance and battled mine for dominance. I would not let him win easily, so I cheated and grabbed the hair at the nape of his neck, pulling his face away from mine and exposing his neck.

I placed several wet kisses before gently sinking my teeth in the same place where he had marked me when we first mated, it wasn't enough to break skin but it was my way of telling him he was just as much mine as I was his.