Sorin
Pain unlike any other burst open in my chest. Malakh howled until my skull felt as if it would split. One word remained, in both of us.
Mate.
But her eyes had closed.
“No. No. No. No,” I said as I scooped her up and carried her to my bed.
I laid her limp body down and patted her cheek. Nothing. Her newly woken wolf had been fucking electrocuted—I’d seen the fear, the panic, as she tried to protect them both.
“Baby, wake up,” I whispered.
The thought of losing her now flung my head back, and I roared. As it died, Malakh took it up—a howl, long and full of pain.
I dragged Aliana into my lap and felt her neck for a pulse. There. She should recover. Heal. But what if her wolf was too weak?
People burst into my room.
“Get a doctor,” I yelled, my voice cracking.
They scattered.
Ember remained.
“She is your mate?”
I nodded, unable to look at her, and cradled Aliana closer.
She reached out and took Aliana’s wrist.
Malakh growled, and I barely stopped myself from shoving her away from our mate.
“She has a steady pulse, Alpha,” she said, placing Aliana’s hand back on the bed.
I reached for her wrist, rubbing away Ember’s scent.
Aliana was mine.
All of her.
Especially that scent.
? ? ?
The doctor came, placed something beneath her nose—and Aliana groaned. Her eyes opened, and just like that, I could breathe again.
“Ugh. Argh. By the Moon Goddess,” she cried, then gagged.
“Everyone out,” I commanded.
Aliana rubbed the back of her neck, and I winced. That damn collar.
“Why do you smell different?” she asked, voice hoarse.
“Because I’m your mate.”
She blinked a few times, then began to chortle.
She thinks we’re a joke, Malakh whispered.
“You’re my mate,” I said urgently.
She laughed harder, holding her sides. When she finally managed to control herself, it wasn’t any better.
“You. Alpha King of the Bloodborne pack. My mate?” she asked, wiping the tears away.
I remained dignified. Arms crossed, lips pursed tight.
Then her amusement died. Her eyes widened, and she gaped at me.
Her wolf was there—and had just confirmed my diagnosis.
“I, Aliana of the Silvermere pack, reject—”
I leapt forward and slapped my hand over her mouth.
“If I need to cut your tongue out to prevent those words ever being uttered again, then that is what I shall do,” I vowed.
She mumbled something, but I didn’t remove my hand.
I needed a gag.
I shook her, just enough to get her attention.
“You will not reject our bond,” I growled. “I will fucking tie you to my bed until your heat begins. There won’t be any escape then.”
She tried to punch me. I climbed on top of her until she lay flat against the bed, and she was still trying to bite my hand when I settled over her. My eyes rolled back as I breathed her scent in.
Fill her belly full of pups, Malakh growled. As many as you can.
A shudder coursed through our body.
Years of searching and hoping to find our mate, only to discover she wants to reject you. No. Never.
I focused on her.
“You will never reject our bond,” I murmured, burying my face in the crook of her neck.
Her mumbling grew louder.
I inhaled her.
Counting the notes.
Orange blossom. A hint of vanilla. Jasmine. And a rich earthiness found only high in the mountains, surrounded by trees on a wet, cold morning.
“I can live with you no longer having a tongue,” I whispered into her ear—then teased my tongue around it and captured the soft earlobe between my teeth.
I sucked on it, licking away the sting where my teeth had dug in.
“It might even be beneficial.”
I removed my hand.
She didn’t speak.
“I don’t want a mate—any mate,” she whispered.
I cradled her face between my hands, memorising every curve, every shade, every feature, before I lowered my lips to hers. The kiss was soft, and I held myself back from devouring her once I got my first taste.
“You don’t have a choice.”