Chapter 24 #2
The bond pulsed between us, hot and bright, and I could feel her climbing toward release, feel it building in her body the same way it was building in mine, that coiling tension low in my spine, that tightening in my balls, that desperate need for more, harder, deeper.
But I held back. I kept the rhythm steady, kept my touch gentle on her, even though my arms were shaking and my vision was starting to blur at the edges.
She came first. I felt it through the bond a heartbeat before her body clenched around me, felt the wave of pleasure crash through her and echo back into me, tipping me over the edge with her.
I tried to hold on. Tried to keep control for just a few more seconds, give her time to come down, but the tight pulsing of her body around me was too much.
My control shattered like ice under a hammer, and I thrust myself deep with a groan that came from somewhere primal and ancient, feeling my release tear through me in waves that left me shaking.
The pleasure was devastating. Not just physical, though that alone would have been enough to unmake me—but the bond amplified everything, feeding her pleasure back into mine until I couldn't tell where one ended and the other began.
I could feel her satisfaction, her contentment, the way her body was still humming with aftershocks, and it prolonged my own release until I thought I might actually die from it.
I buried my face in her neck as the aftershocks rolled through us both, feeling her body pulse and clench around me, milking every last drop of release from me.
My whole body was trembling, my breath coming in ragged gasps against her skin, and I could feel her heartbeat racing beneath my lips, as wild and unsteady as my own.
When I finally came back to myself, I was collapsed half on top of her, my face buried in her neck, my chest heaving like I'd just run up a mountain.
My arms had given out at some point, though I'd managed not to crush her completely—one forearm was still braced beside her head, taking most of my weight, but the rest of me was sprawled across her smaller frame in a way that would have mortified me if I'd had any capacity left for embarrassment.
I didn't. I was wrung out, hollowed clean, every muscle in my body trembling with exhaustion and satisfaction.
“Daska," she whispered, her fingers threading through my hair. "That was..."
I lifted my head to look at her, suddenly worried. "Did I hurt you? Was I too—"
"Perfect." Her eyes were bright, her smile soft and wondering. "You were perfect."
Relief flooded through me so intense that I had to close my eyes against it. The bond had settled to a warm, steady hum between us, contentment replacing the desperate hunger, and the sensation was so profoundly right that my chest ached with it.
I rolled to the side, pulling her with me so she ended up sprawled across my chest, and wrapped the furs around us both.
She came willingly, tucking herself into the curve of my body like she'd been made to fit there.
I wrapped my arms around her and held on, feeling the steady beat of her heart against my chest, the warmth of her breath against my skin.
Ellie's fingers traced idle patterns across my chest, following the lines of ochre that had smeared and faded during our joining. Her touch was light, exploratory, and I felt my body begin to stir again despite the bone-deep exhaustion.
"Are you all right?" I asked after a moment, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "Truly?"
She nodded against my chest. "More than all right." She paused, then added softly, "I didn't know it could be like that."
Something in her tone made me pull back enough to see her face. There was vulnerability there, mixed with wonder, and I remembered what she'd told me weeks ago, sitting in my cave with her arm bandaged and her voice hollow. Three years with Nathan. Three years, and he'd rejected her for Megan.
"He was a fool," I said quietly.
She blinked up at me. "What?"
"Nathan. He was a fool to let you go." I brushed a strand of hair back from her face, tucking it behind her ear. "The biggest fool I have ever known."
Her eyes went bright and wet, and she pressed her face back against my chest. I felt her shoulders shake slightly, and panic flared in my chest.
"Did I say something wrong? I didn't mean to—"
"No." Her voice was muffled against my skin. "No, you didn’t. Tell me something, something about you. Something I don't know."
I thought about it, running my hand slowly up and down her spine.
There were so many things I wanted to tell her, so many pieces of myself I'd kept hidden for so long that I wasn't sure how to bring them into the light.
But she was my mate now. She deserved to know all of me, not just the careful, useful parts I showed the world.
“I was only a cub when I came to live at Hanging Rock. Hilar, Rivik and Ryke’s mother found me during a hunting trip. There had been…” I hesitated, not sure how to explain an earthquake for her limited vocabulary. “Where the earth shakes, destroys. Earthquake.”
“Earthquake.” She repeated the word. “Know what mean. Must have been…” She searched for the word, and I guessed it.
“Terrifying. Yes, it was. It caused our cave to collapse, and my clan were killed. I was the only survivor. Hilar dug me out of the rubble and brought me back here, and Nane, the alpha, Rivik’s father, he agreed I could stay.
” I paused, swallowing hard against the tightness in my throat.
Even after all these years, talking about it made my chest feel like it was being crushed.
"Nane was kind to me. He treated me like his own sons, even though I wasn't wolf. Even though I was..." I trailed off, searching for the right words. "Different. But Nane said every spirit has purpose. He said the Great Mother doesn't make mistakes."
Ellie's hand stilled on my chest, her fingers spreading flat over my heart. "He sounds like a good man. How old were you?"
"Four winters. Maybe five. I don't remember exactly. The memories from before are... broken. Like looking through water."
"So young," she whispered, and I heard the ache in her voice. Her arms tightened around me, and I felt her press a kiss against my chest, right over my heart.
"I was. I didn't speak for almost a full moon cycle after Hilar brought me back.
Just stayed in bear form and hid in corners.
" I paused, remembering the overwhelming confusion of those early days, the way everything had felt too loud, too bright, too much.
"Rivik was the one who finally coaxed me out.
He was only seven winters himself, but he would sit outside whatever dark space I'd wedged myself into and just..
. talk. Tell me stories about the pack, about his father's hunts, about the summer gathering.
He'd leave food where I could reach it without coming out.
Never pushed. Never forced. Just waited. "
"He's a good man," Ellie said quietly.
Something twisted in my chest at that. Yes. Rivik was a good man. The best man I knew. And I had just mated the woman he loved, the woman the Great Mother had chosen for him, because pack law and Karik's hunger had forced our hand.
"He is," I agreed, my voice rougher than I intended. "He's my brother in every way that matters. He and Ryke both, though it was Hilar who taught me the healing magic. I wasn’t fast enough to hunt with the wolves, and I wanted to be useful.”
"Useful," she repeated softly, and there was something in her tone that made me look down at her.
"Yes. I learned quickly that being useful meant being kept. That if I could heal wounds, set bones, ease pain... then I had value. Then I had a place." I paused, running my fingers through her hair, feeling the beads under my fingers.