Page 440 of His Hungry Wolf
“You have to forgive me, I’m not the speaker that Dr. Tom is. He’s been a leader of this community for a long time, not just for the fae. For all of us. I think we should give him another hand for that.”
Titus led the group in applause. Dr. Tom held up his hand in acknowledgment.
“As all of you know, I am a wolf shifter. And I’ll admit, when I first suggested that we remove the protective barrier, I had no idea what it meant. I was just thinking of how it would benefit me and other wolves. I didn’t understand that there were real threats out there. There are legitimate reasons to be concerned.
“That’s not the case now. I’ve spent some time beyond the barrier. There are dangers. A few months ago, Nero and I were running for our lives from a dragon shifter. Luckily, it turned out that he was one of the good ones. And that’s my point. There are good ones.
“There are dangers in opening yourself up. But, there’s good too. A few years ago, two people wandered into our town looking for long lost relatives. One of them was the only wolf shifter known to the human world. You might think that the rest of the planet knowing about him might be what inspired me, but it wasn’t. It was his enthusiasm for learning. He inspired me to reach for more. And I wasn’t the only one.
“It was because we welcomed people from outside of our community that I discovered new passions. I found love because of them. I’m in love because of them. And if welcoming two strangers into our lives could have such a dramatic effect on my life, what could welcoming the world to our town do for you? Couldn’t that outweigh any danger that comes with it? And when we do get a little bad with the good, couldn’t we overcome it together?
“Please, when considering how you’re gonna vote on this issue, don’t just think about the things you’re trying to keep out. Consider the things you might let into your life.
“I fell in love with the greatest guy I could imagine because a couple of strangers showed me what was possible. Consider what you might discover is possible if we opened our doors and let the outside world in. Consider what you might love. Thank you.”
Hanging on his every word, it wasn’t until he ended his speech that I felt the tears rolling down my cheeks. There was no doubt that he was talking about me. I wanted to run to him and kiss him. I couldn’t, though. Not because I wouldn’t let myself, but because the audience had swarmed him in adoration.
I wasn’t the only one in tears. He had moved the crowd. I never felt prouder of him in my life. And never was it clearer what I had to do.
Waiting as he addressed everyone’s many questions, eventually, he made his way to me. We both stared at each other not sure what to say.
“Any chance you caught my speech?” Titus eventually said with a smile.
“Here and there,” I said as my face tingled with warmth.
“You mentioned something about liking it rough. Any interest in taking my tour in the morning?”
My cock got hard as his body heat swallowed me.
“Yeah,” I replied barely able to speak.
“I’ll pick you up at 8. Be ready,” Titus said before leaving me for a group of adoring fans.
When Quin came to collect me, he gave me a knowing look. He also knew who Titus was referring to in his speech. Everyone in our group did.
“Should I ask Titus if he wants to come over tonight?”
“I’m meeting him at 8 AM. He’s going to take me on one of his adventure tours,” I said feeling my face turn red.
“Okay,” Quin said smiling back. “Then I guess it’ll be an early night.”
Getting the same look from Cage and Nero when we met up with them, I felt so much pressure. Titus had professed his love for me in front of everyone. What more could he have done? I had never felt more special in my life.
After an early dinner and not a lot of conversation, I headed to bed leaving the two couples to have fun without me. I had a date in the morning and I couldn’t be more excited. That didn’t make falling asleep easy, but it eventually happened.
Awake before my alarm sounded, I was dressed and waiting for Titus at eight. Hearing his truck pull up, I hurried outside. There was a large, yellow, plastic canoe in his bed. Webbed inside of it were paddles and life vests.
“Should I be worried? Am I going to survive this?” I said jokingly.
“There’s no way I would ever let anything happen to you,” he said confidently.
My heart skipped a beat knowing he wouldn’t. I felt like putty in Titus’s hands. I was willing to do anything he asked me to. And as the morning went on, he asked me to do a lot.
Parking the truck on the side of the road, we carried the gear for a quarter-mile to a river. Putting on the vest and a helmet, we paddled down the river for half an hour. The crisp morning air was electric and the view was beautiful.
From there we removed the canoe from the water and carried it to the next river. That river had a series of rapids that were as thrilling as they were challenging. With every stroke, I thought we would tip over. We didn’t. Titus was not only an excellent guide but the hottest outdoorsman ever.
We dipped in and out of rivers all morning. By afternoon I felt alive but exhausted. I had never done anything like it and I loved it. But carrying the canoe the final few hundred feet, I could barely remain standing.