Rise of the Lycans: Shadows And Secrets

Chapter 36 – Ring

Rex

As the room started to lighten with sunrise, I held my sleeping mate in my arms. Her leg was propped up over me like a body pillow, and her arm rested across my chest. Her skin felt warm and soft, and her hair was a wild, beautiful mess.

Listening to the lull of her gentle snore, I watched as she slept. I studied the sweet smattering of freckles across her nose and cheeks. Her eyelashes were thick and long, her nose was perfect, and her mouth begged to be kissed.

A moment later, she stirred and nuzzled her nose against my chest. I realized my fingers had started stroking through her hair, likely rousing her from sleep—sleep I knew she likely needed to grow our pup. The selfish bastard inside of me was met with a wave of discomfort when her sleepy eyes fluttered open. They were heavy at first, almost dazed. I watched her carefully as she took in our surroundings.

“Are we still in the dream?” She whispered, her voice soft and husky.

Her eyes drifted closed again, and for a moment, I thought she had returned to sleep. She thought she was dreaming.

Her eyes opened again, and she released a breathy sigh. “Is this the part where you tell me it never happened ?”

My heart twisted as the words that had haunted me for the last year and a half were hurled at me. I heard the snarl of my beast in my mind, warning me to tread carefully. She turned her head, unable to look at me, and I felt the sting of her arrow—an arrow I rightfully deserved.

I gently reached underneath her chin and tilted it up until she met my eyes. The brown in her eyes was just as sweet as her scent.

“You have no idea how those words left a bitter taste in my mouth,” I told her. “I was so hung up on how young and innocent you were that I pushed you away. And when you turned eighteen, and there was no mate bond, I was frustrated and angry.”

“You just let me leave without saying goodbye,” she said, her eyes starting to glisten. “I knew you couldn’t be with me, but you had helped me through the most devastating night of my life, and you never returned.”

“My beast was already attached to you, and I was a damn fool,” I confessed. “He had already left his mark on you.”

“That doesn’t count as a mate mark, does it?” She flushed.

“Hell yes, it does,” I grinned, dipping my head down to rub my face atop her head. “You’re mine, Maeve.” I inhaled her scent, already addicted to it.

“When I saw you at Pendragon’s,” she started to say. “Brianna had her arms around you, and I thought...”

I recalled the evening and realized what it must have looked like to her. It was moments before I saw her shadow-jumping uncle sweep her away from my grasp. Bastard, I bitterly thought. If only he had been a few seconds slower, I would have caught my mate long ago.

“I don’t know if you saw the heeled boots she was wearing, but she broke one of the heels off on a cobblestoned street and was having difficulty walking.”

“No,” she whispered. “I thought maybe you two were…”

“Never!” I replied, a bit too harshly. “We were all here looking for you. When we couldn’t find you, we used our resources at LaRue Enterprises to try to hunt you down, but you had no digital footprint. There was no movement on your passport, bank account, or cellphone. You had become a ghost.”

“I didn’t know I was gone that long.”

I heard the soft padding of tiny paws and remembered the cat. My lycan stirred, wanting to get a closer sniff of the feline. Something was off about it.

“Where did you get the cat?”

“Jinx?” She questioned. “He belongs to my uncle.”

“Is he unlucky?” I chuckled. “My beast is suspicious or perhaps a little jealous of him.”

“Awe, Rexy,” she reached up and ran her fingers through my hair like she was calming a pet. “There’s nothing to be jealous of.”

I saw her smile widen the moment my beast pushed forward and purred at her touch. Some big, scary lycan he was.

“Rexy?” I grinned.

Her eyebrows drew together, and she seemed to realize something. “Does he have a name already?”

“Yes.”

“Oh,” she breathed.

“His name is Rexy, and he’s crazy about you.”

“What?”

The giggle of relief from her made my beast happy.

“If you don’t climb on top of me and give me kisses, he might pounce on you again.”

She hesitated for a moment before she spoke again. “I know lycans can shift any body part at will,” she blushed. “I thought I had imagined it the night of the new moon.”

“Imagined what?” I knew what she was asking, but I wanted to hear her ask.

“Well, last night… it happened again.” She bit her lower lip, and I felt my dick spring to life.

“It?” I raised a questioning brow, trying to look serious.

“You know…” she looked away.

“I’m not sure I follow you?” I’d follow her to the ends of the earth.

“Rex, you know what I’m talking about.” She pushed up in a half-sitting position in the bed, exposing herself to me.

“You mean Rexy , don’t you?” My eyes locked on her bare skin. The dark pink nipples on her big breasts were tipped up, teasing me.

“I’m being serious,” she reached for the blanket, and I moved fast.

In one swift motion, I tugged her leg over my abdomen and seated her in a straddled position over me. Leaning back on the pillow, I continued to admire all of her from this perspective. Pregnancy glow was real because Maeve looked like a Goddess in human form. A sexy fucking Goddess that made me question if I had a pregnancy or breeding kink because I was ready to keep her pregnant year after year.

I caught her scent of arousal mingled with mine, and held my breath. I could feel how close I was to losing control, and my beast was going crazy. She leaned forward, bringing those divine tits closer, and I groaned as she placed both hands on my chest to steady herself.

“Rex?” She demanded my full attention, and that sly little Kitten knew what she was doing when she pushed back until the tip of my cock nudged against her.

“A knot,” I muffled a low growl. “Lycans knot in both forms.”

“All the time or just when you want to?” She asked as she circled her hips, teasing me.

“I don’t know?” I groaned and felt her slick heat rock back against me.

“Does sexy Rexy know?” She rocked harder, rubbing her cunt against me, and the jiggling of her breasts nearly made me come.

“It’s only ever happened with you,” I panted, burning with the need to be inside her. “We should try it and see if it happens again,” I suggested, certain it would.

“Would you like that?” She ground harder against me.

“Yes,” I groaned again. Trying to hold back was madness. All I knew was that I needed her. I needed to be inside her before I lost my mind. “Need you, kitten.”

“Rexxxx,” she moaned as she caught my tip at her entrance.

I resisted the urge to thrust up and slide fully inside her. The heat and arousal coming from her told me her pussy was desperate and greedy for me too. I didn’t want to hurt her by unleashing my primal side. I could give her this… let her be in control.

“Yes, kitten,” I caressed her hips, guiding her up so she could take what she wanted. “Nice and easy.”

She continued to rock back and forth, stoking the fire with her juicy cunt until the fire was roaring. To my surprise, Maeve started swirling her hips, riding harder, and crying out as she neared her release. I slipped my hand between us and rolled her clit between my fingers. Her hips bucked, her head lolled back, and her mouth fell open as she cried out in utter perfection.

I lifted my hips, grinding into her as she squeezed around me. My eyes were fixed on the spot where we were joined together, then back to her face, her belly, and those nipples I wanted to suck hard. When she had come down from the high of her orgasm, Maeve's half-lidded gaze pinned me as she stared down at me. Goddess .

She increased her rhythm, and her tight walls only gripped me harder. She made the sexiest sounds, moaning and mewling—driving my inner beast wild. I started pushing up, meeting her halfway, slapping against her. Her breasts swayed harder, and her moans grew more ragged. Unable to resist any longer, I pushed up off my back and suckled on her swollen breasts.

“Oh, yes!” She moaned, as she grabbed a handful of my hair, holding me to her. “They’re so sensitive,” she cried out, and I nipped and sucked harder.

“I’m going to come so hard for you,” I croaked. The base of my cock started swelling, and I knew I wasn’t going to last much longer.

“I feel it,” her eyes grew wide with pleasure as she pressed herself all the way down, locking my knot deep inside her.

“Fuck, kitten,” I roared as my vision momentarily blackened. I felt the intense pulses of seed shooting from me, claiming my female, filling her up, and marking her with my scent.

“Stretched,” she mewled as her eyes glazed over with ecstasy. “So… full.”

In the aftermath, I gently rolled her onto her side and hooked her leg over my hip so that she would be comfortable while we were tied together.

“So good,” she murmured as I continued pulsing inside of her.

It had taken a good twenty minutes last night until the swelling went down, and I was able to dislodge from her. She had grown tired after I had marked her and had drifted in and out of sleep in my arms. I reached out and ran my fingers through her hair, tucking it behind her ear, which brought a small, beautiful smile to her face.

“Tired?” I rasped.

“Relaxed,” her eyes fluttered closed.

Two hours later, I stood in the kitchen making breakfast while Maeve enjoyed the bath I had stolen from her last night. She liked her eggs the same way I did, over well, on buttered toast. Though I only discovered I liked them that way when I overheard Maeve telling Flaym how she liked her eggs during a pups camping trip I helped supervise.

“Breakfast smells delicious,” Maeve said as she followed her nose into the kitchen. Her wet hair was wrapped in a towel, and her bathrobe was tied above her belly.

“This British bacon reminds me of thinly sliced pork chops,” I chuckled. “I’m not sure Grandma Dori would approve.”

“Ugh, what I wouldn’t give for her biscuits and gravy.”

I knew life at home would likely be stressful with all the recent developments, and I wasn’t ready to share my mate with everyone else yet. I considered staying hidden here for a little while longer to enjoy time with her, but I wasn’t sure how long I’d have before my father came looking for us. There were still a lot of questions and new developments my family would expect us to explain. My mate and pup are my top priority, and I didn’t want to push her or cause any unnecessary stress.

We returned to the sofa to eat, and I carried the large tray of food for us.

“That’s a lot of food. Are we expecting anyone?” She asked.

“No, but you’re eating for two,” I grinned. “And there’s Jinx.” I held a slice of pork out, and to my surprise, the cat rushed over and snatched it up like a dog.

“Two,” she nodded with a smile. “Not an entire litter.” She also lifted another slice of the meat, and the cat rushed off with it in his mouth.

We finished eating just as a knock sounded from the door. I pulled the door open and welcomed Alpha Louise, who held a bag of fresh clothing for me.

“Doctor Ross will be 'ere soon,” she announced. “A’h wanted tae make sure yer decent.”

“I’m already in my robe,” Maeve smiled.

“Good, because we’re here,” Remington appeared behind Alpha Louise and I recognized Doctor Ross.

“Doctor Ross?” This was the old doctor from Crescent Moon Pack and had delivered most of my LaRue relatives. His granddaughter had taken over when he retired, but she had gone mad after she rejected her mate.

“Good Morning, Alpha Rex,” he lowered his head.

“You’re working for the Demon?”

“I’m doing what’s necessary to save my granddaughter from eternal damnation,” he said wearily.

“He’s also doing what's necessary to save your offspring,” Remington reminded me, holding out the doctor's bag he was carrying.

“Yes, of course,” I said, taking the big medical bag.

“You can set that up beside the bed,” Doctor Ross instructed.

“I’m going to wait outside with Alpha Louise. We have a few things to discuss,” Remington announced, and Alpha Louise followed, closing the door.

Maeve hesitated momentarily, then led Doctor Ross to the bedroom. She worked quickly to smooth the cover back over the bed and sat down. Doctor Ross started by removing a small black journal and scribbling notes.

He retrieved his stethoscope and listened to her heartbeat, then placed the scope on her belly. I watched as he wrote notes in the journal. He asked questions about her sleep patterns, eating habits, and exercise. A slight blush tinged her face, and her eyes quickly darted to me when she told him she was exercising. He continued with more questions, to which she shyly answered no.

He covered everything from frequent urination to heartburn and snoring. I didn’t have the heart to tell her she snores softly because I was sure it was a late-stage pregnancy symptom, and I didn’t want to make her uncomfortable. Doctor Ross removed a measuring tape from his bag and instructed her to lie down.

My chest filled with pride as he measured her belly and noted the growth of our pup. Doctor Ross had not delivered a lycan pup yet, and the length of pregnancy varied on numerous factors. Multiple births took longer than single births, and the rank of the parents, species, and so forth all impacted the duration of gestation.

“I believe she has about two weeks left,” he announced. “The mate mark and restoration of mate bonds should help tremendously, but I’m not absolutely sure.” He returned to his bag and retrieved a bottle.

“What’s that?” I asked as he held the small bottle out to Maeve.

“It’s a vitamin-packed tonic for the pup since she’s still human. It supplies the rapidly growing child with most of the vitamins it would otherwise leach from the mother and weaken her.”

“How often does she take it?”

“Weekly,” he replied. “They’re both doing great,” he hummed his approval.

Maeve lifted the bottle and drank it quickly. Judging by the look on her face, it tasted terrible, but she drank it down without a single complaint. She placed a hand over her belly and lovingly stroked it. My heart thundered in my chest at the sight of her, and I couldn’t wait to kiss every inch of her flesh.

“Is there anything I should be doing?” I asked the doctor.

“She needs rest and relaxation,” he replied, and I nearly panicked, wondering if sex was okay.

“Like bed rest?”

“Intimacy is perfectly fine,” he chuckled.

“Is there anything else besides that?” I pressed.

“How do you feel about stealing your mother’s ring?” He asked.

“My mother’s ring? You mean the pearl of life?”

“Yes,” he nodded.

“I’m sure she’ll loan it to us if we ask,” I said. “There’s no reason to steal it. This is her grandpup we’re talking about.”

“The pearl of life might be tied to her life,” he told me.

“What do you mean?”

“It was a gift from a Goddess to your father to save his mate's life,” he explained. “If the ring comes off her finger… she could die.”