Chapter 24
ROY
Fuck.
What was she saying–that she was rejecting me? My heart jammed up in my throat.
My gorgeous mate was straddling my waist, her long wavy black hair falling across one shoulder, her perfect tits on full display. She didn’t look like she was rejecting me. The way that slick pussy ground against my hips didn’t feel like a no, thank you.
But I had to remember that Brooke needed to play things safe. She liked to know she had control. She was asking if I’d let her go.
What the fuck should I say?
The howl from my wolf was a resounding never!
But I needed to tread carefully here. She only found out what I was a little while ago. She wasn’t ready to pack up and go to Montana with me right now. That made sense.
Of course she could say no. I’d never force a woman to do anything, especially Brooke. But because she was human, it would take time to feel the connection between us like I did.
“I would definitely respect your wishes,” I told her truthfully, while inwardly panicking. “Always, Brooke.”
She lowered her head and nibbled my ear. My dick went hard in an instant.
“But, uh…” I couldn’t think while her teeth were tugging on my ear lobe. Should I tell her this part? Fuck. I had to. “I, um… could go moon mad.”
She lifted her face and arched her manicured brows. Stared down at me. “What’s that?”
I cleared my throat, wishing her mouth was back on me. “An unmated alpha wolf can go feral–especially if he’s found his mate but hasn’t marked her.”
My dick was ready to go again.
She pushed up a little higher, and I missed the soft feel of her tits against my chest. “What do you mean marked her?”
I winced. Shit. Had I rushed this? Was it too much to lay on her all at once? It wasn’t like I could tell her I was a wolf in half measures. It was an all or nothing situation, and I wouldn’t lie to her. I wish I could gather some advice from my brothers right now. I didn’t want to fuck this up.
She was naked and her pussy was dripping onto my abs. She wasn’t running off. Control your dick. Control your wolf. Answer her questions, and then you could fuck her again.
I wrapped my forearm around her back and flipped our bodies, so she was pinned beneath me. She gasped at the sudden switch of position, then grabbed my face and kissed me hard.
My mate might need to feel safe, but despite–or perhaps because of that–she also loved when I took control.
“Okay, my sweet human,” I said after I forced myself to tear my lips away from hers.
“Here’s how it works. When a male wolf finds his mate, he instantly recognizes her.
Usually in the throes of ecstasy” –I waggled my brows– “he will mark her with a claiming bite. The bite permanently embeds his scent into her skin, so other males will know she’s been claimed and stay away. ”
Brooke blinked up at me. “You want to bite me?”
I gave her a wolf-grin. “Desperately.” My cock surged between her legs.
She let out a breathy laugh. “Wow. That’s…wow.”
“With a she-wolf, it’s easier because she heals fast. Like I did with the bullet wound although it isn’t remotely as bad. I’ll have to be careful with you–keep my wolf on leash. I never want to hurt you, angel.”
“And once you’ve marked your mate, you won’t go moon mad?”
I nodded. “That’s right.”
“What if it didn’t work out?”
I winced. “Wolves mate for life. But yeah, in some cases it doesn’t work out. It’s hard for a male to stay away from his mate. He’d need to protect and provide for her, even if she rejected him. Usually she’d go to another pack–like her home pack–and then he could be sure she was taken care of.”
“But if she’s human?” Brooke persisted.
Every question she asked put my heart on pins and needles, but I did my best to answer them. I’d never been much of a salesman or negotiator. What you saw was what you got with me. Furniture, sure, but I’d never had to sell me before.
I swallowed. “If you wanted to leave me, I’d have to let you go. But I’d show up in a heartbeat if you ever needed me, no strings attached. That’s a promise.” I gave her the full blaze of my wolf eyes in a solemn stare to prove I meant it.
She stared at me for a long moment. I held my breath.
“Let me up,” she whispered.
Fuck. Fuck! She didn’t want me. Didn’t want this. Us.
I wanted to tie her to the bed, so I could keep her, but I would keep my word. Pushing up with my hands, I climbed off her.
She rolled away and off the bed. She took one step toward the door, then another.
She was leaving. No!
She looked at me over her shoulder. “I thought you said you’d be rough with me.”
I froze. What? What was she saying? I arched a brow and stared from my spot on the bed. “What? I thought I was. You… what? Want it rougher?”
She smiled, not sweetly, but with a sly turn of those full lips. “Yeah, I missed out on getting bitten.”
I blinked. My wolf blinked. My dick had been hard, but now it could pound nails.
My fingers grasped the bedsheets. Twisted them. Tore them. “What are you saying, sugar?”
“That you’re not the only one who wants to run. You can bite me, if you can catch me.”
Then she took off out of the cabin.
Oh fate, she wanted me to chase her. And bite her.
And make her fucking mine.
I jumped from the bed, wiped my mouth with the back of my hand as my fangs descended. Counted to ten in my head to make things fun then went after my mate.
She wanted it rough? She wanted my mark?
I grinned. She’d fucking get it.