Chapter 16 - Sage
I had been a healer for years, and it wasn't until Noah touched me at the height of my heat that I really understood what it was to be healed in return.
He had given me relief in so many ways, and his lips were soft and hot against mine.
His weight was a comfort, and his fingers were tangled in my hair.
The beast inside me was feral, and I wanted everything my mate had to offer me. The orgasm he had given me with his mouth had quenched the fire somewhat, but there was a pounding deep inside of me, a drumbeat that wouldn't be assuaged until I'd been knotted by my Alpha.
Aching need washed over me at the thought, and I needed to be filled more than ever. "I need you now, Noah. Right. Now."
"I know, sweet mate." his hands never stopped touching me, stoking my inner fire higher and higher. "And you'll have me."
He leaned back enough to pull his shirt over his head, and I was momentarily distracted but just how damned beautiful he was. Noah's body was like a work of art, scars interrupting the dusting of chest hair from the fights he'd been in, the lines and dips of his muscles making my mouth water.
I sat up, wanting to explore every inch of him, and ran my fingertips across the broad planes of his shoulders, down his chest and stomach, and then I reached for his cock.
He was everything I had imagined, thick and heavy, with soft skin over hard iron.
The tip was leaking, and the fluid made my touch slick, allowing me to move faster.
Noah's breathing grew ragged as I stroked him, his hips thrusting up against my palm, and I knew he wanted me just as badly as I wanted him.
"Enough," he said suddenly, pushing me down onto the bed again, and his mouth was back on mine, "I'll finish in you. That's the only place I'm coming tonight."
A thrill went through me, and I wrapped my legs around his waist, "Fuck me. Fill me up."
My mate chuckled, all confidence and cockiness, "You have no idea what you're asking for, or how good I'm about to make you feel."
Noah leaned back again, taking his cock in his fist and lining it up with my entrance. I'd raised myself up on my elbows, needing to see as he sank into me for the first time, but Noah was in no hurry, even if I was.
He took the blunt head of his cock and slid it over my clit, mimicking how he would move when he was finally inside of me, and my toes curled at the sensation. The pleasure was sharp and electric, but an emptiness was still thumming inside me. I needed more.
I'm not ashamed to admit I begged, cupping my own breasts and pinching my nipples as he thrust himself over my sensitive bundle of nerves over and over until I came again, sharp like the crack of a whip. I panted, whimpering, and rolled my body against him to get more contact. More. I needed more.
While I was still in the throes of my climax, Noah gripped my hips, slid his cock lower, and finally gave me what I had been aching for, filling me up in one smooth stroke while I was still coming apart.
The sensation was almost too much, and it made my orgasm start all over again, rolling through me like one long aftershock as he settled his hips against mine, fully sheathed inside my pussy.
Finally, I was full, and the empty space inside of me was satisfied. I revelled in all the sensations, back arching off the bed, pussy stretching around him, riding that line of pain and pleasure.
Noah growled, his eyes locked on where his cock was disappearing inside of me. "God, Sage. Look at you. Taking all of me."
He was still, and I could tell he was holding himself back, trying to make sure that he didn't hurt me. As much as I loved the feeling of him inside of me, and adored how patient he was, I knew that neither of us would be satisfied with anything less than his knot.
"More," I begged, lifting my hips and pressing into him, hands grabbing at his shoulders, "Please, Noah. Knot me."
He groaned, gripping my hips tighter, and started to move. He wasn't gentle, his strokes rough and demanding. Each time he bottomed out, it felt like he was splitting me open in the best way, and I clung to him, meeting his movements and trying to draw him deeper.
"So wet," he growled, his forehead dropping to mine, "You feel so fucking good, Sage. Fuck. My sweet mate. I've waited so long for this."
His words made my heart clench, and the emotions bubbling up within me threatened to spill over. It was hard to stay in the moment; every sensation, every feeling ratcheted up as high as they could possibly go because of my heat, and I was spiraling.
But then Noah hiked my legs over his shoulders one by one, changing the angle, and making it so he could lean over and slant his mouth against mine.
He kissed me, grounding me, bringing me back to reality until there was nothing else in the world except his cock pistoning into my pussy and his tongue gliding against mine.
"More," I begged, digging my nails into his skin, "Fuck, Noah."
He kissed me harder, his rhythm increasing, and then his knot started to swell at the base of his cock, and it was everything I needed.
"One more time, Sage," he demanded, "Come one more time for your Alpha. Let me feel you."
His knot rubbed against my g-spot with every thrust of his hips, and I was teetering on the edge of something monumental. Shakin and gasping for breath, I dug my nails into the flesh of his shoulders, holding on for dear life. "Knot me, Alpha."
Noah's thrusts turned jerky, and he bit the side of my neck, just hard enough to make me yelp as his teeth grazed my scent gland, and the sensation had a ripple effect, pushing me over the edge.
The pleasure was all-consuming, my magic flashing over both of us, every piece of me taut as I shuddered through the orgasm.
I sobbed Noah's name as his knot swelled inside of me, locking us together.
"So fucking perfect," he rasped, "You're mine, mate."
One by one, my muscles started to relax as the last wave of my orgasm rolled through me. He was mine, and I was his. There was no denying it.
We were stuck like this until his knot receded, and I had never felt so sated, the fog of heat having lifted from my mind. Finally, I could think clearly.
"Are you okay?" Noah peppered kisses along my neck and jaw, "Did I hurt you?"
I smiled up at him, wrapping my arms around his neck, and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. "No, Alpha. You were wonderful."
I could tell he didn't believe me, his eyes scanning my face, "Are you sure?"
"Mm," I nodded, and pulled him in for another kiss. I felt impossibly full, but also impossibly content. In the back of my mind, the hesitations I'd felt about getting too close to Noah were still wrapped in the bubble of my heat, and they weren't bothering me. At least not yet.
For the time being, I was simply content in the arms of my mate.
Noah carefully rolled us over so we were lying on our sides, facing each other, his hands rubbing up and down my back in a soothing gesture. My leg was thrown over his hip, and my cheek was pressed to his chest. The slow rise and fall were comforting.
"You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," he murmured, brushing my hair out of my face. "I still can't believe you're real."
I huffed, burying my face in his shoulder. "Stop it."
"Never," he chuckled. "My beautiful mate. You have no idea what you've done to me."
His voice was like warm honey, and I was helpless but to smile at his words, snuggling closer. We were connected, and my body was starting to settle. There was no lingering heat ache left. It had finally been satisfied, and thankfully, I'd have some peace until my next cycle came around.
I wanted to tell myself that I'd be long gone from this pack by the time that happened, but with each passing day, that looked less and less likely.
I pushed the thoughts aside, focusing instead on the way Noah's hands moved across my skin, and how his breath felt as it fanned out across the top of my head.
We were stuck together for some time still, and it would be all too easy just to fall asleep and stay with him for the rest of the night.
In fact, the idea was so tempting that it was hard to resist.
He was in my room anyway. What was the harm in it?
There in Noah's embrace, I could see a future with him.
A future where I helped him continue to modernize his pack, where I used my magic to help the land, and where our marriage became something legitimate.
Maybe in time, I could find work as a healer again.
It wouldn't be the same as the life I'd created in the Brokenclaw pack, but it could be a good life.
A life where I loved Noah, and he loved me in return.
Would it be giving up? Would I lose part of myself if I gave in and became the Luna of the pack that I'd fled so long ago?
Would I regret letting myself care for the man who had rejected me so terribly years ago?
"You're thinking ridiculously loud, just so you know," Noah chuckled. He wouldn't be so amused if he knew what I was thinking about.
"It's nothing," I lied. "Really." "Anything I can help with?"
I smiled and tilted my head up to press a kiss to the underside of his jaw, "Not yet."
Noah seemed pleased with that answer, and he kissed me softly, his tongue tangling with mine.
We traded kisses for a long time, and the knot at the base of his cock finally deflated, allowing him to pull out of me.
Once again, I was in awe of how good the experience had been, and the way Noah had brought me to heights I hadn't even known were possible.
Noah had changed. It didn't heal the wounds he had left behind when he rejected me as his mate, as old and scarred over as they were, but it was impossible not to feel something for him. We had been friends back then for a reason, and that connection, that chemistry, was still there.
I liked the man he had become, but was that enough reason to accept him as my mate and give up my old life? The question ate at me and made me feel restless.
The bed was soft, Noah's body was warm, and I was so tired...but it was impossible to fall asleep. It was like my brain had been on standby while I was overtaken by my heat, and now that it was gone, I was drowning in all my worries.
"Why can't you sleep?" Noah grumbled, sounding half asleep.
I was laying on his chest, and his arm was draped across my shoulders. If he hadn't been talking, I would have thought he was already asleep.
"Sorry," I whispered, feeling guilty, "Just...can't. I'll go lay on the couch."
I made a move to sit up, but Noah tightened his arm around me, stopping me from going any further.
"Stay," his voice was rough with sleep. "I want you here with me."
I didn't point out that he was in my bed, and that I could ask him to go to his own bed if I wanted.
Instead, I gave in once more to the temptation that Noah offered, snuggling up against his body and letting my eyes flutter shut.
After all, I'd already slept with him. Surely there was no real harm resting with him, at least for a little while.
I was safe. Noah would take care of me, as long as I allowed him to.
The last thought was the one that finally made the tension drain out of me. Listening to the metronome of Noah's heart, warm and content, I allowed myself to drift off.
This is nice, I thought, feeling a warmth spread throughout me. I'll just nap for an hour or two and then get up.
Maybe this could be enough.
***
A few hours turned into the entire night.
It was the best sleep I'd had in years, and when I woke up, the early morning sunlight was filtering in through the curtains. I was warm, comfortable, and still in Noah's arms.
His eyes were closed, his breathing even, and I took the chance to admire him while he slept.
There was something incredibly vulnerable about him.
Even though he had been the one taking care of me the night before, now he looked like the one in need of a little care.
His brow was relaxed, and the faint worry lines across his forehead had disappeared.
There was a slight scruff across his cheeks and jaw, and the beginnings of stubble on his chin.
Despite the weight of the world on his shoulders, Noah still looked....kind. Trustworthy.
He was handsome and caring, and I was his mate.
That last word gave me pause, and let worry start to creep in.
We'd gone so far last night, and it would be effortless to just fall into the role of Noah's mate in more than just name.
It would be nice to be adored by him, in public and private, and I considered just letting it happen for a long moment.
But...I couldn't let sex change everything, as tempting as it was.
So what if he made me feel amazing and see stars?
He'd still kidnapped me. Falling for him after that should have been impossible, but our mating bond changed things.
It made me vulnerable to him. I was predisposed to desire him above all others, and to forgive him time and time again.
When I looked inside myself and reached for our bond, it was stronger than ever, glowing and solid, and it spooked me. It was so much bigger than it had been before my heat. The more I let him in, the more we were connected.
Worry settled cold in my belly, and I slowly untangled my limbs from him, not wanting to wake him. I didn't want to answer any questions from him, or have him charm me into staying in bed with him. Noah was like a drug to me, and I was slowly becoming aware of just how easily addicted to him I was.
Moving as carefully as I could, I finally slid out of bed and broke the connection that we'd kept since the night before. I wanted terribly to climb back under the covers with him, and that worried me even more.
With that worry gnawing at my gut, I slipped out of the room, grabbed my robe and headed for the kitchen. I was in deep trouble with Noah, and the best thing I could do was make sure I didn't spend any more time alone with him.
Even if it hurts to admit.