Chapter 26 Taliana
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
TALIANA
Heat overwhelms every inch of my being as my wolf breathes for the first time in what feels like years. My father always supervised my shifts in the past, his presence required as a guard.
But now I have Oros.
Only, he isn’t hovering over me in a protective manner the way my father usually would. Instead, he’s staring at me with a look of astonishment, like he can’t believe I exist.
I shrink back inside, terrified of what he’s about to say.
I warned him.
I told him I’m a wolf.
So he can’t be that surprised by my appearance.
But maybe… maybe he thought—
“You’re even more beautiful than I imagined,” he whispers, causing me to freeze inside.
“Flames, printesa mea.” He falls to his knees before me, his gaze holding mine.
“I knew you would be majestic, but this…” He reaches out a hand, causing my wolf to instantly lean into him, eager for his touch. “Wow. You’re exquisite.”
My animal gives her version of a purr, dazzled by his praise. She might not understand his words, but she understands admiration. And she is very pleased.
Her eyes close, stealing my vision.
But I don’t care.
Because I can feel Oros’s touch as he explores my animal’s coat.
I can sense the truth in his words.
And for the first time in my life, I feel worthy. Not only that, but cherished and respected and wanted.
“Will you run for me?” Oros asks, causing my beast to look at him once more. “I flew for you. Now it’s your turn to—”
My animal takes off before he can even finish, too eager to let herself fly.
His words were so contrary to the ones my father would whisper.
Be careful, Tali.
Don’t go too fast; I have to be able to keep up with you on two legs.
My dragon can’t stay that low to the ground in the forest.
My father meant well. I know that. But hearing him in my head now almost makes me slow.
However, a burst of golden light to my right has my wolf running faster instead. Because Oros is following us in dragon form, his speed matching ours as his wings beat through the sky.
My animal’s tongue lolls to the side, then she darts to the left, leaving the beach and heading straight for the trees ahead. They’re not thick here, or even that tall, allowing Oros to fly right along overhead as my wolf’s paws race across the earth.
It’s exhilarating.
Amazing.
Freeing.
My father would be growling right now, demanding that I stop.
But not Oros.
He’s above me, keeping pace with ease and coaxing us onward with his loud purr. I’m not even sure how I hear him; he has to be a good fifty feet up in the sky. Yet I feel his rumble like it’s right next to my ear, the vibration teasing every inch of my being.
I tremble, my insides pulsing to life with renewed warmth.
My estrus, I realize.
But my wolf isn’t ready to stop.
She’s running faster than she’s ever run in her life, darting between trees, exploring this island like she was destined to be here.
Home, she seems to be thinking. This is home.
And I couldn’t agree more.
She jumps into a clearing ahead, finding a lagoon of sorts. I can see the vast ocean in the distance, but this area seems to be framed by white rocks rather than black sand.
It’s shallow, too, granting me a clear view of the bottom.
My wolf eyes it with interest, then frolics into the sea, the water providing instant relief to the burn stealing over my fur.
Or rather, my skin beneath the fur.
Oros swoops down to join us, his wings causing the water to spray upward in a gentle wave that has my wolf yipping in delight.
She doesn’t shy away or sputter or express a single ounce of displeasure.
No. She simply pounces instead.
His dragon falls to his back, his wings pillowing his fall as my wolf lands on his exposed belly.
Suddenly, we’re rolling through the lagoon.
What a ridiculous sight we must make, I think, laughing inside at the sheer inaneness of this situation—his much larger form wrestling with my petite animal.
Yet somehow… it works.
And I’ve never been more elated in my life.
We’re playing, I realize. My wolf is playing with a dragon.
I can barely believe it.
But it becomes all the more real when he pins me beneath his massive body and places his mouth at my neck.
My wolf instantly submits, more than happy to be beneath him.
He growls low in his throat, the demand clear to both me and my animal. He wants us to shift. Though, he doesn’t truly command it. Otherwise, I would already be turning back into a human. Because powerful Alphas can absolutely force transformations on others, and many do.
However, Oros doesn’t. He simply releases my throat and stares down at me expectantly.
The moment I transition, I’m going to go into heat. I can feel it in my belly, the warmth swirling in wait.
This will hurt, I acknowledge. But Oros will make me feel good.
I hope he can see that truth in my gaze as I stare up at him through my wolf’s eyes. Because I might not be able to voice it when I finish shifting.
His golden orbs watch me steadily as my fur recedes, his dragon the epitome of possessiveness and protectiveness in his position over me.
By the time I finish, I’m already panting. “So hot,” I manage to tell him, a convulsive shudder overtaking me. “Oros.”
I need him.
And I need him now.
My stomach clenches as lava pours through my veins. My vision goes temporarily dark, the sensations too overwhelming for me to process.
All I am is heat.
A puddle of desire.
Weeping from the profound urge to touch myself between my thighs.
But when my hands move in that direction, I find them suddenly locked in a grip over my head.
My eyelids flutter, catching on a flash of gold. Intent. Dominant. Alpha.
I spread my thighs, inviting him in, begging for his touch, his knot.
“Stay with me, printesa mea,” a deep voice demands.
I don’t know what he means. I’m obviously here. Where does he intend for me to go?
“Taliana,” he tries again, his tone making me gasp as it curls around me in a fist of dominance that I can’t ignore.
“Oros,” I breathe, both shocked by his commanding hold over me and confused by what just happened.
“Good girl,” he murmurs, his lips claiming mine.
I have no idea what he’s praising me for, but I accept the reward he offers with his tongue. Because ohhh, how I love kissing this male. This Alpha. My intended mate.
His cock is hot against my core, making me long to feel him inside me. But something else enters me instead. His fingers, I realize in the next beat. He has one hand between my legs and the other holding my wrists over my head.
I arch into him, needing more. Demanding friction. Requiring connection.
My nipples are so hard that I practically scream when they meet his muscular chest. Everything is so sensitive. I… I can barely think. I can only feel.
“Stay with me,” he says against my mouth. “I need you to remember this.”
I don’t know what he means.
But I try to obey him anyway.
His tongue captivates mine as his fingers fuck me below. I’m so close yet so far away. His touch isn’t enough. It’s… it’s a tease.
I sink my teeth into his lower lip, telling him without words that I need more.
He growls in response.
Then purrs when I wrap my legs around his hips.
“Please,” I beg, pushing up into his palm. “Please.”
“Shh,” he hushes me, adding another finger below. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
My wolf snarls inside me, irritated by his holding back. She fought his dragon, played with him, wrestled. We are not weak. We are ready.
Oros hums, his grip tightening on my wrists. “You’re trying to challenge me, hmm?”
“Knot me.”
He nuzzles my nose, his mouth tauntingly close to mine. “And now you’re issuing commands.” His lips whisper across my cheek to my ear. “As my future mate, I’ll allow it.” He lowers his touch to my throat, his teeth sinking in without warning.
And then I feel him at my entrance, his hardness a threat to my sanity, to my very sense of being.
I forgot how big he is, how intense it is to—
He thrusts inside, drawing a scream unlike any I’ve ever released.
But it quickly turns into a moan at the sensation of being full.
Oh, it hurts. It hurts a lot. Only, it’s a good hurt. It’s the right hurt. It’s the hurt I crave.
Because I’m wet. I’m ready. And I need more.
Which I tell him with a growl, one driven out of me by my wolf. Just as she urges me to sink my teeth into his shoulder.
Which I do.
Harshly.
Drawing blood.
Claiming my mate.
He snarls in response, biting me again on the neck.
Then suddenly my hands are free as he grips my hips and slams into me without mercy. I try to meet his thrusts, but I’m a slave to his motions, his palms placing me right where he wants me for each harsh thrust.
It’s animalistic. Primal. Divine insanity.
I’m not sure when he releases my throat or how I let go of his shoulder, but in a span of seconds, we’re kissing each other with a ferocity that rivals our movements below.
My heart pounds in my chest, my thighs clenching around his. Every part of me is alive. Ready. Demanding his knot.
I squeeze around him, my insides bereft and aching.
Complete me, I try to tell him. Make me yours.
One of his palms leaves my hips to wrap around my throat, his dominant hold exactly what I crave as he devours me with his mouth. Owns me with his cock. Commands me with his presence.
My Alpha, a part of me sighs even as I scream his name aloud.
Because I’m so close, walking right along the precipice of that beautiful sensation, the one he awoke within me.
I chase the heat, embrace the pleasure-pain, and jump headfirst into the oblivion waiting for me below.
Only, it’s not enough.
Gods, it’s nowhere near enough.
Tears trickle down my cheeks, words of need leave my lips, but every begging statement is swallowed by my Alpha. My mate.
He’s driving me mad.
Holding me on the brink, forcing me to walk this tenuous line between misery and rapture.
I weep. I scream. I scratch his back. I bite.
And still he fucks me, holding me with his hands, squeezing my throat as he tells me to “Hold on.”
I don’t want to hold on. I want to—
Stars explode around me as the most fulfilling sensation spasms throughout my lower abdomen. His knot. Inside me. Throbbing. Pulsing. Ohhh… oh, yes…
My nails dig into his shoulders, some part of my mind finally understanding what he meant when he told me to hold on.
But I no longer care.
Not with this euphoric explosion swallowing me whole.
Yes, yes…
I’m lost.
Free.
Floating in ecstasy.
Knotted by my Alpha.
Mated.
I feel him inside me, not just with his knot, but his mind connecting to mine. A whisper of emotion followed by an avalanche of thought.
You’re mine now, printesa mea, he murmurs into my mind. Mine to love. Mine to knot. Mine to create a life with.
My lashes lift a little at that last part, the final vestiges of my sanity flickering in and out. Create a life… a whelp?
We agreed to wait, didn’t we?
Or is that what I want?
I can no longer say.
Because all I desire is him. His touch. His tongue. His hands. His seed.
And I tell him that by wrapping myself around him.
“More,” I demand.
I think he chuckles in response. My knot is still inside you, little diamond. But as soon as it recedes, I’ll fuck you again. Then I’m piercing your tits with my gold.
A shiver works through me. I like the idea of him marking me. Claiming me. Making me his in all ways. Yes.
His lips brush across mine, and something soft touches my back.
Our nest, I recognize.
Yes, Omega, my Alpha replies with a mental kiss. Welcome home, Princess.