12. Stella
12
STELLA
T he daylight had almost completely faded when I returned to our room.
Healing nearly twenty wolfmen was no easy task. While the attack by the hunters had been brief, the consequences were substantial. Injuries ranged from scrapes and bruises to large gashes and bones needing to be reset. My skills as a healer were tested, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they vastly improved during my time here.
After all, I have centuries to practice them.
I shiver at the memory—at the creature who saved me, bound my life to Ciaryn’s, and brought news that Laurelle made it to safety. It seems she and I have found happy endings with our monsters.
Speaking of my monster, even though I feel bone tired, my heart races the closer I get to our dwelling. Ciaryn checked in with me throughout the day to ensure I had eaten and drank enough water. He and those less injured spent the better part of the day setting traps outside the den and scouting to ensure no other hunting parties found their way here.
Despite the dire consequences that could’ve come from his decision, my heart does ache for Old Bill. I should’ve sent word to him and not allowed him to believe I had gone missing. Once things have settled down and no more hunters come to our door, I’ll find a way to get a letter to him.
However, the only thing I want now is to be back in my mate’s arms.
My back and shoulders ache. Pain pounds through my head in a breathtaking rhythm. I want a bath, bed, and Ciaryn—not necessarily in that order.
The torches along the walls have been lit, guiding me towards our dwelling. After being put in one of the unoccupied alcoves to heal the others, I realize just how much larger our home is, fitting for the alpha and his mate. I wouldn’t care if we shared a broom closet as long as I had him.
Though that decadent silk and pillow pile sounds ridiculously tempting at the moment.
I sag with relief as I finally make it to our room. The pallet has been turned down, and it looks inviting. A fire roars off to the side, keeping the room warm. My eyes take in the bare walls before landing on Ciaryn’s handsome face. He looks just as weary as I do. Nevertheless, he jolts to life when he spies me and rises from his seat at the wooden table. Extending his hand towards me, I ran into his arms, allowing him to envelop me.
His nose dives into my hair, inhaling deeply. I fall against him, the last of my strength fading as the weight of today finally hits me. The silence in the room makes me realize we almost lost each other today. His hold on me tells me he’s thinking the same thing—now that we are alone, it is easy to remember how bad today could’ve been.
Ciaryn purrs softly, and the vibrations tickle my cheek. I press my nose into his soft fur and inhale his comforting pine scent. We are alive—we have each other, and that is all that matters. I love him, and he loves me. My mortality has no bearing on our time together now, and our beautiful future unfurls before me, urging me to claim it with both hands.
My mate runs his large hands over my sore back and shoulders—his touch is firm. I have no doubt he too is reassuring himself that I am here. I look up at him and see the love kindling in his gaze.
“I’m fine, Ciaryn,” I say, reaching up to cup his cheek.
His large body shudders at the slight touch.
“I’ve never felt fear like that before, Stella. It was the first time I truly understood the depth of my father’s pain. If you are not in this world, then I have no place in it either.”
Pressing up onto my toes, I place a soft kiss on his lips.
“Well, thanks to that creature, we no longer have to worry about that.”
Ciaryn nods, his eyes turning tender.
“Yes, thanks to him, we have many lifetimes together.” His large hand skims over my jaw. “Do you feel different?”
“A bit,” I admit. “More whole—more permanent. Though, I’ve felt that way since I met you. I was alone for many years and now I know I will never be again.”
“Never,” he vows. “My time as a lone wolf has come to an end as well. We will always be one—this pack will be our safe haven. It will be our home where we start our family. Our children will be raised inside these walls.”
Heady thoughts of the future flood me, causing my blood to heat.
“Running a pack, having a mate, becoming a father—are you ready for so much responsibility?”
Ciaryn’s grin is filled with tenderness.
“With you by my side, Stella, I can take on anything.”
Lowering his head, he captures my lips with his. Our souls knit together as our kiss turns from chaste to hungry. His tongue sweeps into my mouth, tasting me fully. My fingers tunnel into his soft, dark fur and hold tight. Our bodies connect and rub against each other with maddening friction.
Ciaryn’s hand slips down my spine before cupping my backside and drawing me flush against his straining cock. His hardness makes my mouth water as I rub my stomach against it. His claws find the lacing of my gown and gently undo it until it falls into a heap at my feet. Kicking off my shoes, I break off our kiss and suck down lungfuls of air.
“Before we get too carried away,” I pant. “I’d like to wash up a bit. Cleaning so many wolfmen has left me a bit grimy.”
Ciaryn chuckles, slipping my shift off my shoulders and allowing it to join my dress on the ground. Naked and flushed, the firelight licks over my skin. Ciaryn growls as his hand travels up my stomach and gently squeezes my breast. A soft moan slips from my mouth as I tip my body towards his touch. Liquid arousal soaks my inner thighs.
Thumbing my nipple once more, Ciaryn’s eyes glow anew.
“Come, I know just the place.”
Before I can so much as quirk my brow, Ciaryn scoops me up in his arms. Cradling me to his massive chest, he turns us from our room and out into the corridor. The air in the hall is cool against my heated skin. The only sound is Ciaryn’s heavy footsteps as he leads us deeper into the cavern. Darkness swallows us as we travel down corners and crudely carved stairs.
I cling to him, loving the feel of his fur against me. After a few minutes, the air turns humid, and I can hear the faint sound of running water. Taking a sharp right turn, the sight before us steals my breath.
Glowing algae and luminescent plants grow along the pale stone walls and at the bottom of the deep pool. Crystal-clear water flows into the large room and fills the deep underground spring. Steam curls over the lip of the jagged edge of the water.
Carefully, Ciaryn sets me down on the cold floor.
“We should be alone here,” Ciaryn purrs in my ear, causing me to shiver. “No one else in the pack ever ventures this deep.”
Pleasure washes over me as I take my first step into the pool. Warm water licks up my calf and thigh before stopping just below my shoulders. The gentle lapping of the water soothes my aching muscles. Turning, I watch through half-lidded eyes as Ciaryn undresses with brutal efficiency. His hard cock stands proudly between his thighs, and I suddenly feel very empty.
Biting my lip, I watch him journey around the room with brutal efficiency. He lays out a few clean linen sheets before collecting a bar of soap and a couple of glass jars. Once he settles them along the water's edge, he enters the pool. His dark fur turns slick and molds to his impressive muscles. Taking my hips in his hands, he drags me towards him. He turns me swiftly until my back is settled against him. Ciaryn’s cock rests between the cheeks of my ass, seeking entrance into me.
I sigh, twitching against him ever so slightly.
“Naughty,” he condemns without heat.
“Always.”
His claws click against the stone before I watch him dip a bar of lavender-scented soap into the warm water. Once it foams up to his liking, he drags the bar along my body. He pays special attention to my breasts, teasing my nipples into hardened peaks. Then his hands skim lower, washing between my thighs with efficiency. I lean against him, delighting in the soft caresses that are only heightening my arousal.
Too soon, he is pulling his hand from my intimate flesh and returning to my upper body. Before I can protest, his fingers are digging into the aching muscles of my back. I moan as his strong fingers soothe the soreness. Ciaryn’s nose skims up my neck before kissing my cheek.
“You have the softest skin, Stella.” His tongue licks over my ear. “It’s a struggle not to devour you whole every time I touch you.”
“Understandable,” I sigh. “I am delicious.”
Ciaryn chuckles in my ear before reaching behind him again. He pours a hair tonic from the glass jar onto my head and gently lathers it. His hands rub small circles into my scalp. Pleasure washes over me.
Surprisingly, tears prick my eyes. Never in my life—even as a small child with countless maids and nannies—have I felt so cared for. Each touch is reverent and gentle. My heart aches, not from sadness but from the amount of love pouring from it.
I had spent my early years in fear of my father and my brother. Then, once I was free of them, I flitted from one town to the next, never settling down and making roots. I had always felt lost—as if I was searching for something unknown to me. Now I know what I was looking for. All this time it had been Ciaryn, and every choice I had made brought me to him. To my heart and the other half of my soul. My home is not a place but my wolfman—my mate.
“I love you, Ciaryn,” I say in a rush, needing to tell him more than my next breath.
“And I love you. So much.” He kisses my cheek before cleansing the suds from my hair.
Turning in his arms, I should offer to bathe him—to show him the same care he’s shown me. However, my need to have him inside of me is far more pressing.
Wrapping my arms around his neck, I drag my wet body along his front.
“Now, will you please fuck me, mate? I’m in desperate need of your cock.”
Ciaryn’s head falls back on a laugh. My cheeks heat but I meant every wanton word.
Cupping me under my ass, Ciaryn walks our soaking bodies out of the warm pool. The air in the room is cool, but his warm body blights any chill. Settling me atop the linen sheet, the stone floor is hard against my back. Any discomfort is soon forgotten as his mouth descends on mine.
He tastes like mint and spice—he tastes like mine. I open my mouth as wide as I can and our tongues meet again, reuniting as if they have been parted for longer than just a few minutes. My thighs slide apart, allowing him closer. Ciaryn’s hard cock rests against my stomach and I can feel his seed already leaking from the tip. I moan into his mouth, my hand reaching between us to gently wrap around his length. With the first pump of my hand, Ciaryn’s whole body shudders and I swallow his groan.
“You need my cock, don’t you? My greedy girl needs to be fucked regularly.”
“Yes,” I sigh. “Every day.”
“Hmm,” he hums in his throat. “I don’t think once a day will be enough for you. I’ll have to knot you repeatedly to assure you of my love.”
“Please.”
Pulling back, we are both already overwhelmed. His eyes rove over my body taking in my hard nipples to the flush decorating my chest and cheeks. His gaze travels lower to my stomach. It pauses there, snagging on the faint scar left behind from my bullet wound earlier. A low growl echoes around the room. His hand presses over it as if needing the reminder that I’m healed.
“We’re both alive, Ciaryn,” I remind him. “I am here with you. Forever.”
His golden eyes burn into molten amber.
“Forever,” he agrees.
Bending down, he kisses the scar, and I shiver. His lips trail hotly across my hips and then down each thigh. He licks over the inside of my knees before focusing on my pussy. My breath rasps out of me as he stares at my pink flesh. I open my legs wider, encouraging him to taste me.
“Beautiful little pussy,” he growls. “Look how wet and ready you are. Begging for my tongue and cock.”
“Mmm,” I agree.
His fur tickles my inner thighs as his mouth lowers to my center. With a quick lick up my slit, I moan into the dimly lit cave. My hands fall to his head, holding him against me as he begins to devour me. In a flurry of teeth, lips, and tongue, my climax is rapidly approaching. Ciaryn licks my clit with the broadside of his tongue as I canter my hips.
One of his hands skims up my thighs before I feel a finger tucking into my entrance. Slowly, he enters me, filling me first with one before adding a second. He curls them expertly until the edges of my vision blur. The sloppy sounds his mouth makes against me are addicting. My muscles begin to tighten in anticipation. A few more twists of his fingers and I’ll be done for.
“Come on my face,” he commands. “Drown me in your sweetness.”
His teeth graze my clit, and I erupt.
White fire licks over my naked skin as my whole body clenches through my climax. My inner walls clamp around his thrusting fingers as he sucks my clit deep into his mouth. Slipping his fingers from me, his tongue spears into my entrance and laps up every ounce of my spend. Once satisfied, he has collected it all—and I am nothing but a twitching mess of nerves—he settles over me.
Sharing my taste with me, his hand falls to my hips. Gently he squeezes me before rolling onto his back and taking me with him. I sit astride him. His rampant cock is trapped between us. I rub myself on it, loving his growl of pleasure.
“Put me inside you,” he encourages. “Take your pleasure. Ride me until you come again.”
I shiver at his words but do as he says. Wrapping my hands around his hard length, his flesh-colored steel is already slick with my wetness. Lifting up onto my knees, I wiggle around on top until I find my position. Once he is settled, I sink down on him with one punch of my hips. With him buried to the hilt, I moan at the decadent stretch.
Ciaryn’s head falls back as his hands drop to my hips. My rhythm is initially disjointed, but I soon find my pace. I rise and fall on his hard cock over and over. My breasts bounce in time with each impale. My mate raises his hips, and he reaches even deeper depths within me. Over and over, I take him as deep as I can.
His hands travel from my hips to my ass and squeeze it gently. He anchors himself with his claws, nearly piercing my flesh, and urges me to move fast. My teeth snap together as I ride him, the pleasure overwhelming. His other hand sneaks between our bodies and finds my clit. Gently, he begins rubbing circles on it and increasing my pleasure.
“You look like a goddess,” Ciaryn growls. “I’m fucking a goddess.”
The words are said as if in disbelief.
“Ciaryn,” I moan. “I’m close.”
His hips raise even further, and he grinds his cock into me even harder. His finger on my clit rubs me quicker until my whole body is shaking. My strength is fading, but Ciaryn guides me through it all. My muscles begin to tighten as another climax tears through me. My head falls back as I scream Ciaryn’s name.
My mate pounds me through my climax, spurring me on to another one.
“So fucking tight,” he snarls. “So perfect.”
“Ciaryn,” I say, forgetting every word but his name.
Rising quickly, he captures my mouth with a deep kiss before plucking me from his length and settling me on my hands and knees. Looking over my shoulder, I watch him spread the cheeks of my ass and run his tongue along my back entrance with a smirk. His tongue travels lower, spearing into me. I gasp, my arms nearly giving out on top of the linen sheet.
“Ciaryn, please,” I beg.
“In a minute, my greedy mate.” His teeth bite softly into my ass.
I make a noise of protest, pushing my hips back against him. I need his cock again, and he knows it.
“Now,” I demand, my need making my frustration grow.
His tongue glides up my spine, tasting my sweat and the water dripping from my wet hair. Once his lips are on my shoulder, he presses a kiss to my claiming mark, tasting it lovingly.
Then, after what feels like an eternity, I feel the head of his cock pushing into me.
“Yes,” I moan. “Fuck me.”
Ciaryn nips my shoulder, not hard enough to break the skin but enough to set my blood on fire.
“I’ll do more than just fuck you,” he growls. “My knot needs to be buried in your little cunt once more.”
My mouth opens with a moan. A delicious shiver goes through me. Ciaryn retreats only to plunge deep. His hips smack up against my ass, and I feel the ridge of his knot against my opening. Again, he retreats and plunges deep. My fingers curl into the linens as I try to keep myself upright.
Ciaryn wraps the long length of my hair around his fist and snatches it back. My head falls back as he powers into me over and over again. His cock butts up against my womb as he takes me over and over again. With each thrust, I feel his knot harden. I begin clenching down on his cock, another climax looming when I finally feel him breach me with it.
The pain is immediate, but it is also fleeting. Once he is deep inside me, I feel his knot swell and seal the two of us together. After a moment, my body is quickening again, and pleasure rolls through me. Wave after wave of climax washes over me, and I clench down on his pulsing cock.
Ciaryn’s hand drops my hair and takes hold of my hips tightly. Rolling himself, he rocks back and forth inside me, moving as much as he can with the knot tying us together. My fingers claw at the stone floor as another climax rocks through me.
“Come inside me, mate,” I say, locking eyes with him over my shoulder. “Fill me with your seed. Get me pregnant.”
The words are out before I can take them back. I had ideas of wanting to wait to start a family, but now I’m unsure if I do. Perhaps I won’t take the contraceptive herbs and instead will let nature take its course. I can’t think of anything more perfect than us having a child. The final piece in solidifying our family.
Ciaryn’s whole body tenses at my command. His claws prick the skin of my hips as he hauls himself harder against me. I come with another cry and Ciaryn follows me. My name is a harsh growl on his tongue. His seed bathes my inner walls, flooding me with torrent after torrent of hot spend. Without the knot, it’d leak out of me in a steady stream.
Instead, it’s all locked inside me, solidifying our bond and tethering our souls together.
Once his cock twitches but releases no more come, he falls panting against my back. Our hearts echo each other, pounding with intensity. His mouth leaves lazy kisses against my spine. My legs and arms tremble as little licks of pleasure still assault me.
Wrapping his strong forearms beneath me, Ciaryn lifts me still impaled on his length. We’ll be joined together like this for some time. My eyes threaten to shut as I feel him carry us back down the dark hall. We return to our room in no time, and he settles me atop the silks and overstuffed pillows.
I sigh deeply as he drapes a heavy arm across my waist. His lips press kisses to my cheek and temple. Sleepily I turn towards him, all my energy waning, but I have enough for one final declaration. After death loomed so close today, I couldn’t feel more alive and at peace.
“I love you,” I whisper.
“I love you,” he returns.
Our bond becomes tangible with our declarations and wraps us in a fine thread of gold. Whether it is real or just my exhaustion making me see things, I hardly care. Ciaryn is mine, and I am his.
Forever.