Chapter Twenty-Two
Carl
H aving Gwyn fall asleep in my arms made the world take a whole new turn. I had already been aware of the pull between us and my bear claiming her as our omega, but having such a strong woman trust me enough to invite me into her nest and then ask me stay, and falling asleep with me, proving her trust…
I was done for.
Before that moment I’d have grieved if things took a turn and Gwyn was no longer in my life, but I’d have kept going.
After hearing her soft, sweet purr as she drifted off…
There would never be another woman for me. She could disappear that second, without our relationship ever having the chance to progress further, and I’d still never get over it. My bear might even go feral. I knew I had to do everything I could to protect her from her past, no matter what the risks were.
Once my knot loosened I rolled to the side, Gwyn keeping her arms locked around me so I couldn’t escape even if I’d wanted to. I knew the threat she faced was real, and it carried consequences for the Knights as well, but I couldn’t bring myself to pull away from her. I laid there, purring, soaking up the closeness I’d missed for so long, until somehow, I fell asleep too.
When I woke I knew I couldn’t have dozed off long since there was still sunlight shining through the window and Gwyn was still asleep. She’d finally lost her hold on me, rolling onto her back again with her arms flung wide, which was what must have woken me. It was a struggle to make myself ease away from her, but reminding myself that her safety as well as that of my brothers could rest on me informing them of what was going on won out over the desire to remain in her bed.
Alpha instinct drove me to fetch a glass of water to place on the nightstand, along with the lone, sad, spotted banana I found in the kitchen, before hunting down my jeans and the phone stuck in the pocket. Unable to resist, I was sliding back into her nest before the spot I’d left even grew cold.
She muttered in her sleep, sounding like she was scolding someone, until I tucked her against me and resumed my purr. Her features smoothed, and a soft smile played on her lips, but her eyes remained closed. I’d have been happy to stay there all night just watching her, but I had to settle for the feel of her against me as I unlocked my phone and opened my texts.
I could have typed the messages faster with two hands, or just called Sebastian instead, but I didn’t want to wake her from the rest she seemed to need, nor could I pull my other hand away from her silky flesh. My shaft laid thick between us, eager to be buried inside her again, but I did my best to ignore it as I informed Sebastian of the dangers that could come knocking right next to our favorite place.
Boss Man: “Are you going to claim her?”
Me: “Not yet. She’s not ready.”
Boss Man: “But she’s yours?”
Me: “Yes.”
It felt good to acknowledge it to someone else, even if I knew she’d deny it and have my head if she found out. One way or another, no matter how long it took, I’d convince Gwyn she was mine. Even if she never let me claim her, I couldn’t let her go.
Boss Man: “Any idea who her mate was?”
My bear growled in my chest, not liking anyone else being called her mate. That alpha may have claimed her at one point, binding her to him, but he hadn’t deserved her, and she was free now.
Me: “No.”
I hoped Gwyn would feel comfortable enough to open up to me one day, but I wasn’t going to pry. The story would likely enrage my bear anyway, but I’d listen if she ever wanted to talk.
Boss Man: “Have you talked to Danger yet?”
Me: “Working on it.”
I’d sent Gabriel a message letting him know I needed to talk to him, but he hadn’t responded yet. It wasn’t unusual, although he’d kept in better touch since Charity came into his life. The omega had been good for him, showing him it was okay to care for others, and that he could open up and stop hiding who he was from everyone.
Me: “I might not make it to The Hangout tonight, so if he shows up, tell him to call me.”
Boss Man: “Got it. I’ll let everyone know to keep their eyes peeled and watch their backs. Let me know if you need anything.”
It was a relief to know I had others who I could count on, and I hoped Gwyn was coming to think of me that way as well. I’d do anything for her. She didn’t need to walk through life alone, even if she wanted to be independent. There was nothing wrong with having people on your side, willing to fight for you when you needed it.
Putting my phone on the nightstand, I looked down at the woman curled against me, sleep smoothing away the stress lines and giving me a glimpse of what she must have looked like in her youth. Nature had designed omegas to be beautiful, but Gwyn’s fire was what really made her shine, and as pretty as I was sure she’d been when she was younger, I loved the steaks of grey in her hair and the subtle signs of maturity on her face.
As hard-headed as I’d been before I had sense knocked into me enough times for it to stick, I was glad I’d met her now instead of then. As much as I’d have given for all the time in the world with her, I hadn’t been ready before I’d become a Knight, and if she still had an independent streak after years under an abusive alpha’s thumb, we’d have likely clashed when we were young. Now, we knew what life could do to you, and we had a better chance of making things work.
If she’d just let me have the chance to try.
Brilliant brown eyes blinked open, a crease appearing where moments before the skin had been smooth. I didn’t need a bond to know the nerves starting to grow inside her, I could watch it happening, and I leaned in to cover her mouth with mine before she could get a word out to ruin what had turned into the best day of my life.
Licking along her lips, I thrust my tongue inside as soon as they parted, tangling with hers. There was no need to worry what the future might bring while we didn’t have all the pieces we needed to make a plan, and I was determined to keep her from worrying for a while longer.
Pulling back just enough for us both to drag in a ragged gasp, I claimed her mouth again as I let my hands take hold of her pillowy breasts, the flesh filling my palms and spilling between my fingers. When I tweaked her nipples she moaned, her hips twitching against the length of me.
“Carl!”
The way she said my name when she escaped my kiss was a blend of demand and confusion. If she denied me I’d be gutted, so I decided not to give her the chance to claim she didn’t want more. I replaced one hand with my mouth, my fingers gliding down to slide through the mess between her thighs and press inside her drenched channel. The scent of our mingled fluids was intoxicating, making it feel like there was a buzz just beneath my skin.
“I told you I wanted you unable to walk for the rest of the day. It’s going to take more than one knotting for that.”
I heard her drawing in a breath, knowing she was going to say something to try to dissuade me, so once again I moved to keep her quiet. Releasing her nipple with a gentle scrape of my teeth, I had my mouth on her pussy before she’d barely parted her lips.
“Ung!”
Her back arched, legs clamping around my ears, but she wasn’t strong enough to push me from my position. With the first swipe of my tongue her legs jerked, the second making her hips tilt so I had better access, and the third had her trembling as if she laid on a vibrating bed.
Warmth spread in my chest at the desperate sounds spilling from her throat as she scratched at my scalp, the pushing turning into clutching me closer to her center. My bear rumbled a happy sigh, and I let him surface enough to lengthen my tongue, making it as wide as the palm of my hand.
Brown eyes that had clenched shut flew open, shock written across her features, but it only took thrusting my tongue into her channel beside my fingers and curling it inside for them to roll back as she arched again.
“What? How?”
The words were gasped to the ceiling, and the answer didn’t seem important enough to her for me to stop what I was doing to answer when she was riding my face as if she’d explode if she didn’t come right then. I let the textured flat of my tongue drag over her clit as I pulled it out of her, adding a third finger and curling them into the soft spot on her inner wall.
Gwyn howled, slick gushing from her core to flood my mouth as she thrashed against the blankets, my own cock leaking with the need to fill her. I barely resisted long enough to get her through the peak of her release, surging up to cover her when she sagged into the mattress.
“I’m a shifter, Gwyn, and I’m old enough to know a few tricks. That’s not the only way we’re superior to human alphas.”
She cried out as I thrust into her. I was too impatient to feel her wrapped around me to take it slow like I had before. I needed her, needed to make her come on my cock again, so I could knot and fill her until she was so full her belly rounded from my seed.
And then maybe I’d let her feel the main difference in being with a bear.