18. Chapter 18
Chapter 18
Alyssa
I think I was pulling off the whole pretending I knew what I was doing. Or at least with the guys. If Fizzle had been here, he’d never have let me get away with not admitting I had no idea how I did what I did back at the clearing.
One thing was for definite; I desperately needed to start training with my magic again.
Something was different, and I couldn’t put my finger on when it had changed. Had it been when we’d come through the portal? There had been so many occasions when I’d accessed my magic and something unpredictable had happened.
It should have freaked me out. After all, I wasn’t exactly the poster child for normal when it came to magic. I was still having difficulty accepting what I’d done to the guys. Or at least I think I was responsible. I wasn’t entirely sure about that either.
Fuuuuuuuck!
Why was this always the way my life went?
One thing was for sure, though, the guys had definitely changed since going through their shift, and I was surprised they were even still awake considering what had just gone down. Dean and Tank had accessed magic they had no business possessing, not if we were going by the normal rules of this realm, at least.
Ryder bounded into the suite of rooms, looking like a hyperactive puppy as he twisted on the spot, like he was searching for something.
“Someone has been here,” he gasped, not sounding like it bothered him in the least. Instead, he all but sprinted to the fire in the fireplace like it was the first time he’d ever seen such a thing.
We followed him into the rooms. Dean and Tank slunk over to the seats, sitting down and practically pouting as they pointedly ignored each other. The alphas apparently didn’t enjoy getting put in their places—especially when it wasn’t on top.
Maddox, on the other hand, might have changed just as much as the others, but I had a feeling it was because his lion was still riding him for control.
His hands came to my waist, and he jerked me back against his chest as he ran his lips across my shoulder. I shuddered in response, already feeling my toes wanting to curl as he moved to gently bite the lobe of my ear.
“We need to figure out what we do next,” I stumbled out, Maddox throwing me off what I wanted to say as he trailed his fingers down my arms.
This was the part where I took control, where I told them our next steps to try to get us a few moves ahead, or at least on a path that ended up with us surviving this place. Instead, my entire attention became fixated on how Maddox’s hands slipped back to my waist and then slowly began to move up my sides.
My nipples pebbled, begging for attention as I bit my lip and tried to stop myself from panting in need.
Sexual tension charged the air and my mind was so hazy with lust that I didn’t even stop to wonder what had caused the sudden change between us.
“I think we all know what needs to happen next,” Maddox whispered into my ear.
It didn’t stop the others from hearing. They weren’t just ordinary humans anymore; they were as fully shifter as they’d ever be, and with that came a heightened sense of, well, everything. Couple that with the fact that they weren’t even normal shifters, and it all added up to me being fucked. Hopefully, literally.
Dean slowly stood from his seat, his gaze locked with mine. I’d never felt like prey before until right this moment, and for the life of me, I couldn’t see why it would ever be a bad thing.
Maddox, no doubt watching his friend slowly advance towards us, braced my chin with one hand as he gently turned my head to the side, exposing the length of my neck to him as he did. He pressed a soft kiss against my skin, and I felt the subtle graze of his teeth before he spoke. “Beautiful, isn’t she?”
Dean growled softly as he prowled closer. His gaze fixed on the spot on my neck that Maddox had kissed and I knew exactly what was crossing the alpha’s mind—the need to mark, to claim—and it made my thighs clench at the mere thought alone.
I didn’t notice Ryder move until I felt a hand reach for mine. The smile on his face when I met his eyes was everything. It held the promise of something I’d never even dared to hope for before. But since these men had come into my life, I was finally seeing the potential for what the future could hold. And I wanted absolutely everything about it.
Dean’s hand on my cheek turned my head back to face him, as he pressed himself against the front of my body, pinning me between him and Maddox. He wasted no time in capturing my lips with his own. His kiss filled with the dominance only an alpha could possess.
At first, I pressed back. I fought to lead the kiss as my tongue surged to meet his own. But then I realised I didn’t want to be in control. I didn’t want to dominate these men. I wanted the promise of release that only submission could bring, and I trusted Dean and the others enough to give it.
My body slowly softened beneath their tender caresses. Hands roamed to the edges of my clothing as fingertips drifted across the soft skin they revealed.
Dean moaned in pleasure as he felt me wilt beneath him. His hands slipped into my hair as he gripped me tightly, tugging at the roots just enough for the thrill to turn into a slow wave of pleasure that flooded my body. He tilted my head to the angle he wanted and then he kissed me with a passion I didn’t know he could possess. His tongue licked into my mouth like he was trying to taste me, to commit every single thing about me to memory.
The sound of the door opening behind us had him pulling away. I was too lost in the bliss of having the three of them so close to register that it could be someone coming to interrupt. Dean, however, seemed to have at least retained some of his senses. “Stop,” he growled.
Ryder lazily turned to see what was happening behind me, but I didn’t have the chance as Maddox tipped my head back, capturing my lips with his own in a lazy kiss as he gently nibbled at my lips with teeth that weren’t entirely human.
“Close the door and come back inside. The pack stays together. We do this together.” Dean’s hands drifted down my front as he spoke.
He caressed across my breasts as he trailed his hands to the waistband of my trousers and started to lazily untie the fastening.
It was only then that I realised who he was talking to and what this meant. Tank . Tank was staying, and they’d claim me as a pack.
It sent a thrill through my body at the same time as a small amount of fear touched my mind. Could I do this? What if I wasn’t enough for all of them at the same time?
Ryder leaned into my side, softly kissing my shoulder to draw my attention to him.
“You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. Let us love you. Let us show you the possibilities of what our pack can be. We can stop at any point that you want us to. Tonight is all about you,” he whispered as his fingers drifted to the buttons of my shirt before pausing as if waiting for permission.
I didn’t think. I didn’t let myself second guess what I knew would be a beautiful thing. I wouldn’t let fear ruin this thing that blossomed between us.
So I nodded my head, and I gave myself over to their whispered words of affection and soft touches as the three of them slowly pulled the clothes from my body.
Only when I was standing fully naked in front of him did Dean step back, his gaze drifting down my body as a satisfied smile touched his lips. Then his gaze darted to the side, and Tank stepped in front of me.
He looked so unsure of himself. Like he was waiting for me to tell him he wasn’t welcome with the rest of us. It was my fault that he doubted himself. We’d spent so much time stepping around each other back at the garage, and since we hadn’t fully bonded the first time, I could see why he’d doubt if I wanted to now.
I felt for that fragile shadow of a bond inside me. It was the promise of a beginning as it waited to be made whole. A sparkling thread of magic that connected me to the man I’d already committed to joining my life to, without reservation. Because this was Tank. From the moment I’d met him, he’d been there, at my side, asking for nothing more than I was ready to give.
And I wanted to give him absolutely everything.
A smile crossed his lips as I let the love I had for him flow through our bond. I held nothing back. I sent him the sadness I felt for the time we’d wasted, the love I had for him, my fierce protectiveness and the determination that we wouldn’t see the end of our stories, for a long time if I had anything to do about it.
“I love you too,” he murmured, his fingers threading in my hair as he pulled my lips to meet his own. “I have loved you from the moment I set eyes on you, my beautiful mate. Nothing, not even some stupid prophecy, will tear us apart.”
A tear came to my eye and slowly trailed down my cheek as the realisation that I could actually lose him struck my heart. But I shoved the fear away as his thumb swiped away the evidence from my cheek.
Now wasn’t about fears for tomorrow.
Now was about accepting that these men were the missing pieces of me. The part that I had longed for while lost in my grief and isolation.
Tank’s hands came to my waist, and he lifted me easily as I wrapped my legs around his waist. The other guys stepped back to give us some room as Tank turned towards the bedroom, striding quickly through the door that Ryder opened for us.
My back met the soft mattress as the four of them crowded around the bed, and I squirmed in delight as they all began to slowly peel the clothes from their bodies. I knew they were putting on a show for me. The flash of their animals came to their eyes as they put themselves on display. I bite into my bottom lip as I let myself look, my gaze trailing from one body to the next, taking in everything they had to offer.
I held my breath, as if doing something as ordinary as inhaling would ruin this perfect moment.
I wanted to reach out and touch each one of them, but I didn’t know where to start.
Thankfully, Tank took pity on me and as soon as his knee touched the surface of the bed, my attention was fully on him. Dean let out a low mumble in agreement as my beautiful bear moved closer. He dipped his head and trailed kisses up my leg as he leaned over me.
My eyelids fluttered closed, and I was just about to relax back and enjoy the ride when Tank’s hands closed around my waist, picking me up. He turned and sat on the edge of the bed, pulling me onto his lap.
I couldn’t help the giggle that burst out of me, and the grin on Tank’s face at the sound made it all worthwhile.
For a split second, his face became serious. “Are you ready for this?” he asked.
“So very ready,” I purred, leaning forward to capture his lips.
Tank’s fingers threaded through my hair as he hungrily feasted at my mouth, his dominance pouring through as I became putty in his hands. The rest of the world slipped into the background as my entire universe boiled down to this one room and the four men that currently occupied it.
I felt hands brush my hair over one shoulder and a second set of lips kissing my skin. When I turned, I came face-to-face with Ryder, who wasted no time in stealing a kiss of his own.
“You look delectable perched there in your mate’s lap. I couldn’t resist.”
And then he kissed me again. Longer and slower as his tongue licked teasingly across my lips.
Tank’s hands came to my waist again, and I felt as he slowly raised me up onto my knees. He notched his cock at my entrance and I whimpered against Ryder’s lips, who grinned in response.
And then nothing happened.
I squirmed in Tank’s grip, desperate to feel him fill me. When I went to turn my head to beg for more, Ryder held me in place.
Maddox moved to the other side, dropped soft kisses on my bare shoulder, his fingertips teasingly grazing across the nub of one nipple.
I wanted so much, but I was caught between them all, on the edge of something I knew I’d never forget.
Except I wasn’t between them all. Dean wasn’t here.
I wanted to turn my head to see where he’d gone, but Ryder had his hand resting on my throat while someone else gripped my hair. I was powerless but to let them guide me how they wanted. And the thought drove me even wilder than before.
My hips thrust, a wordless plea for more. Anything.
I needed one of them to touch me, or preferably Tank to slam that rock-hard length inside me and fuck me like I wanted.
I heard Tank growl just as my need reached the point of desperation.
“That’s my good girl. I can feel your sweet pussy practically weeping for me,” he purred.
A whine left my throat. A noise I was pretty sure I’d never made in my life before. As soon as I realised that, I wondered if violence was the only way to get what I wanted here.
“Have I ever mentioned how much I love it when you get that murderous look in your eyes?” Ryder told me with a grin.
I didn’t have time to answer, though, because as soon as my mouth opened, Tank pulled me down onto his cock and the delicious burn of him filling my pussy had me practically screaming in satisfaction.
Ryder finally released my head and let me return my attention to Tank.
Tank rolled his hips beneath me and pulled me down to grind my clit against him as he did.
It was the most delicious sensation that swept through my body. As my head rocked back on my shoulders, I caught sight of Dean leaning against the wall beside the bed. He watched us all with a possessive look in his eyes.
But this wasn’t about the rest of our group. It was all about Tank, and I leaned forward to kiss his lips gently as I slowly pulled myself up the length of his cock before sinking back down.
This gorgeous man had been by my side ever since he’d come into my life. He was always there when I needed him to be, and I knew without a shadow of a doubt that he always would be.
“I love you,” Tank muttered again, dropping quick kisses against my lips as his hands roamed my sides, almost like he was worshipping my body.
“Bond with me,” I whispered, kissing him again. “Bond with me and make me your mate, my love.”
“You were always my mate,” Tank told me. “Sealing the bond doesn’t change that.”
“I know. But I can feel a glimmer of you inside me. The bond is barely there right now, and I want it all.”
He searched my eyes as if he was trying to tell if I was being serious or not.
“I love you,” I whispered back to him.
The smile on his face was enough to light up the room, and instead of letting me continue with the slow, lazy ride on his cock that I was currently greatly enjoying, he grabbed my hips and slammed me down on top of him again.
We became a frenzy of motion as we chased the high that only the other could give. Everything that had happened over the past couple of days was pushed to the side, and I tipped back my head, closed my eyes, and just let myself feel.
It was intoxicating. Being in the grasp of this man, having my other mates watching us in appreciation. It was always supposed to be this way and as that telltale tightness grew in my lower stomach, the moans dripped from my lips as I frantically clung to Tank’s broad shoulders, letting him take full control of my body.
When his arms wrapped around me and he pulled me closer, I felt the air around us practically shimmering. I looked into his eyes and saw the glow of his bear close to the surface as Tank’s teeth sharpened.
My pussy clenched in anticipation. I wanted this so much. I wanted to feel every part of Tank so far inside me we could never be parted.
I darted forward and licked my tongue across one of his sharpened incisors.
“I know you can hear me,” I whispered to Tank’s bear. “Bite me. Bond me. Mate me.”
The bear roared and Tank twisted, throwing me to the mattress as he continued to pound into me. My legs wrapped around his waist, and I unconsciously tipped my head to the side.
He lazily moved forward, completely at odds with his frenzied thrusts, as the alpha made me wait for what he knew I wanted. Tank licked the length of my neck and then suddenly, just as I thought he was about to deny me, he struck. Sinking his fangs into my neck, Tank’s bear bit hard, and I knew this was a mark that would never fade.
It had the orgasm that had been brewing, slamming into me as I screamed out my release, clinging to Tank as if I never wanted it to end.
He growled around my shoulder, not releasing the bite as he came deep inside me with one final brutal thrust. Only then did he withdraw his teeth and gently lick my now bruised and bleeding skin.
I was about to reassure him it didn’t really hurt, but then I felt something else.
The bond between us lit up, and the magic in the air vibrated with joy. I felt the royal marks on the other side of my neck writhe and move, almost like they were rearranging themselves, and I watched in awe as Tank’s marks transformed as well.
His fingers moved to my own mark, and I felt it like he was brushing them across the bond.
The smell of spring floated through the room. It was the promise of new life, abundance, and renewal. It was a beginning in every sense of the word.
Tank kissed me, pulling away with a look of awe on his face, only for it to darken into a wicked grin. “You’ll always be my good girl, now,” he purred before adding, “I hope you don’t think you get to rest,” as he reluctantly moved away.
I didn’t have time to say anything in response because as soon as Tank moved; he revealed Dean standing behind him. The wolf gleamed in his eyes, and I knew the alpha had something he wanted to prove.
And I was here for it.
If my life was going to boil down to four men trying to outdo each other in the bedroom, I’d gladly suffer through it.
Tank laughed when he saw Dean’s face, and Dean’s wolf growled in response.
“The bear went first because he’s always been with you, protecting you when I wasn’t,” Dean explained lowly. “I can play nice this once. But now it’s time for me to claim what was always mine.”
Ryder and Maddox moved to either side of the bed, and I watched them cautiously through my peripheral. The atmosphere had shifted in the room. I was lying naked between three predators and they were ready to feast.
It made me want to clench my thighs in need, the earlier orgasm already forgotten as my mouth watered in anticipation.
Ryder and Maddox reached for my wrists as if they’d somehow discussed this before. They pulled my arms out straight to either side, my back bowed, pushing my breasts higher on display, and Dean growled in appreciation.
He moved between my legs before slowly wrapping one hand around my thigh, gripping me tightly as he lifted it and wrapped my leg around his waist. Then he repeated the movement on the other side.
It had the effect of lifting my hips from the surface of the bed and putting my pussy on display as Dean gazed greedily down my body.
His thumb came to my clit as he slowly circled it, watching the expression on my face as if he was trying to catalogue every twitch of muscle.
“So wet,” he purred as he dipped a finger inside, scooping out Tank’s come and spreading it across my clit to slicken his path.
My hips thrust as my pussy ached with an emptiness as if it hadn’t just been thoroughly fucked.
“I think I want to watch you come around my cock before I fuck you,” Dean told me. His thumb moved faster as he increased the pressure. “But I’m not a patient man. Ryder?”
I looked at the man in question, not understanding what was about to happen, but then Dean thrust inside me and my eyes rolled back into my head instead.
I should have known better than to look away because before I could even catch my breath, I felt a mouth close around my clit and suck.
My eyes flew open again to find Ryder feasting at my clit as Dean grinned down at his brother and friend. He held himself still, refusing to move even when I gripped him tighter with my thighs, hoping to urge him on.
Instead, Dean laughed. “Our mate is getting impatient, Ryder.”
I felt his grin against my pussy, and then his hand moved to my ass as his tongue lashed against my clit.
My eyes practically crossed as I felt Ryder push his finger against my asshole. Not quite breaching me, but increasing the need inside me to an almost feverish level.
As Maddox closed his lips around my nipple and gently bit the hard nub, I was lost.
The orgasm rocketed through my body, curling my toes, and Dean swore, his head rocking back as he tried to push himself deeper inside me.
“Fuck, that feels good,” he groaned.
Ryder fell back to the mattress with a laugh. “Then hurry the fuck up, because I don’t know how much longer I can wait.”
Dean growled, the alpha inside him rebelling at the order from his beta. When he pulled his cock free of my pussy, I honestly thought he was about to step away just to prove a point. Instead, he flipped me over, bent me over the side of the bed, and thrust home once more.
I barely had time to catch my breath before Dean pounded inside me. His hands wrapped around my hips in a bruising grip as he held me still, and I took every punishing thrust with a grateful moan.
I pushed up onto my toes, trying to urge Dean deeper, faster, anything that would push me closer to the edge I could feel myself balancing on.
I’d already come twice. I shouldn’t be so ready for a third. But I needed it with a frenzy I didn’t quite understand.
Dean leant over me, never once stopping his punishing thrusts as he covered me with his upper body, pushing me harder into the mattress as he did.
“Are you going to come around my cock as I bond you, mate?” he whispered wickedly.
“Fuck, yes. Do it!” I demanded.
“It will only ever be you, my love,” Dean told me as he surged forward, the shout as he came muffled as he viciously bit into my shoulder just below Tank’s bite.
It shouldn’t have felt as good as it did. It shouldn’t have triggered the orgasm that had the edges of my vision blackening as I screamed until my throat felt hoarse.
The air around us grew colder as the bond blazed to life between us. It was like a touch of ice lodged in my chest and was then melted by the fire that came from the bond.
I gasped at the sensation, looking back at Dean to see if he could feel it too.
A look of complete wonder was on his face, and I nearly didn’t feel the telltale itch across my skin as my royal mark spread further down my arm because I was so lost in how a mark blossomed across Dean’s neck and right shoulder.
“Impossible,” I whispered.
I’d never heard of this before, but maybe it shouldn’t have surprised me. Bonding was taboo amongst the fae, but the more I thought about it, the more I didn’t understand why.
“I… I can feel you,” Dean said in wonder, his hand coming to his chest as he did.
When he smiled, it was a smile I’d never seen on his face before. It came with a look of peace and a sense of belonging swept through our bond. Dean would always have a home now, here with me and each of his brothers who entered the bond with us.
He stepped away then, looking to Maddox and Ryder, nodding before looking back at me and smiling.
No one moved. And as I looked at Maddox first and then Ryder, I knew it was because they were unsure what was going to happen next.
“I want you all,” I reassured them. “I wouldn’t be whole without you.”
Ryder nodded at Maddox, acquiescing to the remaining alpha, and for a moment, concern touched my heart. Would he always be pushed to the back to make room for the alphas in the room?
But as soon as the question came to mind, I pushed it aside. Of course, he wouldn’t be. Ryder was an equal with the men in this room because he was their brother. Besides, I wouldn’t let him be left out.
Maddox grinned, rolling to his back and pulling me on top of him. I could feel the come slipping down my thigh, but if Maddox felt it too, he didn’t care. Instead, he lined himself up and thrust his cock deep inside.
“I think Ryder deserves a reward for being so patient. Don’t you?” Maddox suggested cheekily.
I grinned in response, looking at the man in question, who seemed nothing but surprised.
“Oh, he definitely does,” I purred, leaning forward and pulling him closer.
Ryder cautiously shuffled closer, a curious look on his face. One that seemed filled with awe, like he never thought this would ever happen.
I licked my lips as I stared at his beautiful cock. So hard and bobbing in anticipation for what was to come.
Leaning forward, I ran my tongue over the head, licking the shiny bead of pre-come from the tip as I did.
I felt the purr that rattled through Maddox as he watched me suck his brother’s cock deep into my mouth, swallowing the tip before licking my tongue up the length as I pulled back.
“Ryder, I might need your help,” I told him, looking up at him through my lashes as I did. “Maddox is going to try to take all of my attention, so I need you to fuck my throat deep and hard.”
He swore softly, one hand coming to my cheek as his thumb swept across my lip.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
“More than you know.”
Maddox laughed, looking at his brother as he did. “You’d better hope I don’t draw this out.”
Ryder swore softly then, as if only now realising what this meant. It was about to become an endurance race of Maddox trying to finish while Ryder held out so he wouldn’t lose his chance to complete the bond.
At first, I worried maybe it was pushing him too far. But then Ryder looked at his brother and smiled. “I’m game if you are.”
It was as if those words were a starting pistol and Maddox thrust his hips, fucking up into my waiting pussy with brutal efficiency as Ryder dragged the head of his cock across my lips.
“Open wide, sweetheart,” he practically purred, and I did exactly as he said. Ryder pushed his cock between my lips, resting the head on my tongue momentarily. “Good girl.”
And then he slowly pushed his cock deep into my throat, holding it there before pulsing forward, each one slowly sinking deeper and deeper into my throat, before withdrawing as I sucked in a greedy breath.
It made my pussy clench in delight, and Maddox swore as he fucked me even harder. “Fuck, she likes that,” Maddox groaned.
Ryder grinned, pushing forward to do it all over again while I tried to stay as still as possible, surrendering my body to the two men dominating it.
My mind slipped away, sinking into the pleasure they both steadily built inside me. The magic surged through the air, whipping around the room in a frenzy that matched our movements.
Maddox’s hand came to my hip as he held me exactly where he wanted, and I became pinned between them both.
I almost missed the moment that Maddox buried his teeth in my shoulder, his bite lining up next to Dean’s. The orgasm flared hot and blinding inside of me, and I was whimpering and moaning around the cock in my mouth, greedily trying to swallow him deeper as I did.
Maddox suddenly withdrew at the same time as Ryder, and hands hooked around my thighs as I was lifted from the bed.
Ryder strode three steps away with me, slamming me into the wall at the same time as his cock pushed inside my pussy. The orgasm that was still burning inside me flared higher and I fell straight from one into another as I ground down on the hard cock inside me.
My body was nothing but sensation. The magic built and burned inside me as the third bond surged to life from Maddox’s bite, but Ryder fucked me hard and brutally as he finally got his chance.
“Never stop,” I begged, writhing on Ryder’s cock as he thrust.
“Never,” he promised. “You have me forever. Whatever you need. Whenever you want it. It’s yours. I’m powerless to your pull, and I’ll spend the rest of my life showing you just how much I love you.”
The never-ending orgasm that flooded my body surged higher still, and I felt my pussy lock down on Ryder’s cock as every muscle clenched. He darted forward, biting into the crest of my shoulder as he did, leaving me with a line of bites that flowed from my neck across my left shoulder.
My mates. My marks. Proof of our bond on display to the world. Just like it was supposed to be.
The magic in the room reached a fever pitch and as Ryder groaned, coming deep inside me, it suddenly exploded, a wave of power pulsing out into the court in announcement.
The queen had claimed her mates and all of Nymeria would know.
Ryder sank to his knees, holding me tightly in his lap as he did.
The bonds inside me twisted and turned, blazing hot with the same power that flooded the room and now the rest of the Court. I could smell smoke and feel the bite of cold in the air. The ground beneath my knees felt soft, almost like new grass, and I heard the rush of water flowing around me.
When I opened my eyes, I was still in the same room and it was exactly as it had always been.
Except for the four satiated men that now lay scattered around the room.
“I love you too,” I whispered into Ryder’s ear, knowing that I could never let him walk away from this moment with even a single doubt that I returned his feelings.
He clung to me tighter, burying his head in my shoulder for a moment as he did.
When he pulled away, I saw the mark that now ran down his neck and across the top of his left shoulder. It was the same royal mark Tank had, marking him as my king.
My gaze darted between each of my mates, seeing identical marks now branded them all.
I didn’t feel bad about it. It warmed a part of me that had long laid cold with grief. They were mine now, and I was theirs. Exactly how it was always supposed to be.
Exhaustion clouded my mind, and I was grateful when Dean scooped me up off the ground and moved me to the shower. I sleepily leaned against the tiles as he gently cleaned my body.
Something significant had happened in this room, and it wasn’t just the fact that I’d claimed my mates.
The magic inside me felt different, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on why.
It didn’t matter right now. All that mattered was sleep. And as Dean gently dried my body and moved us both to the bed, we snuggled in, waiting for the others to shower.
“Whatever comes for us, I’ll tear it apart. Now that I have you, I don’t think I can ever let you go. So if that means I have to hunt Arik down and take down an army, then I will. Nymeria was once your home, my beautiful mate. And I won’t stop until it is again.”
I ran my hand across his cheek, feeling the stubble that was growing there, and smiled, because I could not only hear the truth in his words, but I could feel it too. The bond I held with Dean burned with love and violence, and I knew it was a force no one would ever be able to stop.