13. Cillian
“F uck’s sake almighty,” I groan, pressing my bride into our mattress to steal another hungry kiss from her lips. Only one, before I lose myself to the rut creeping ever close.
Being so near to her is exquisite torture with her perfume all around me, woven into every thread of my being. She’s all soft curves and whimpers, and my cock throbs in anticipation of finally bedding my mate.
With the noises spilling from her lips, I’m pleased I sent the guards from their post outside our door. They can man the halls at a distance that won’t allow them to hear the sounds Ivy makes for me. I’m greedy in my desire to hoard them, and murderous over the thought of anyone outside my pack being graced with intimate knowledge of my wife. Her sounds are for me—every last one of them. I’ve waited many long nights to know them again.
Gods, this woman, this sensual creature who was made for me to cherish, is more than I could ever have anticipated. I’m normally a composed, reasonable alpha. I’ve had to be all my life. Taking care of my brothers, shielding my mother as best I could, preparing to rule—every day has been planned with meticulous precision.
Until I met Ivy.
With a single look and one glorious tendril of her apple-soaked scent, the bars bent on the cage this world had built around me. Since then, every ounce of logic and self-control I possessed has taken flight.
Aspiring toward any semblance of sanity seems futile, unless some well of clarity lies between her thighs. With her taste on my tongue and my hands on her skin, perhaps I can ground myself in something other than fantasies of her. Now though, in my bed, regarding me with coy curiosity over what comes next, my omega is so much more than make-believe.
The rosy remnants of my kisses stain her lips the most enticing shade of pink—the same lovely color flushing her cheeks. Her ardent acceptance of my carnal attention is all I could have dreamt for my wedding night. Whether we take our physical connection further, I’m sated by the way my mate seems to crave me.
The look of trust she offers me is, in itself, the greatest gift of all.
“Why did you stop?” Ivy asks, trailing her fingers up my chest. The featherlight caress speaks to soft-hearted intentions, but her tender touch is a deception. Without warning, she roughly threads her hands into my hair and tugs me on top of her.
Lips like heaven press fervently against mine until I can no longer think beyond the need to rut her. The introduction of her tongue against mine is my finishing blow.
Fumbling through heated touches in the dim lighting, we only break the blessed meeting of our mouths for the purposes of breathing—and ripping this gown from her body. Some other night I’ll take my time in disrobing my mate, relishing in the teasing thrill of each bared inch of her. But tonight, I possess no such patience.
“Is this all right?” I ask through heaving breaths, my hands shoving beneath her skirts to lift higher and higher. Despite my deep-seated need to devour her, my omega’s comfort is one thing on which I’m never willing to compromise.
“Do not stop again,” she commands. Her tone leaves no room for argument, and I chuckle at her restlessness.
The laugh dies in my throat the moment I pull her gown overhead and toss it to the floor. I’ve dreamt too often of this moment: Ivy naked beneath me, pink-cheeked and eager for my touch. But my dreams have done little justice to the sight before me.
My mate is stunning beyond words—a veritable goddess in the flesh. Her soft thighs are parted around my hips, exposing her beautiful cunt and the desire glistening there. Her breaths are labored, be it nerves or excitement from our enthusiastic kissing, and I’m mesmerized by the rise and fall of her breasts.
I could bury myself against them, get swept away by the sound of her beating heart while I fuck into her with reckless abandon. Hours— days —spent learning every beautiful inch of her and still, it wouldn’t be enough.
I feel out of my mind—this obsession so ingrained in me since the sacred night we spent in my study. Ivy encompasses everything I could ever want.
She’s beautiful—sensual and alluring in more than her physical being. Her tender heart is open with eager readiness to accept mine, and I can’t think of a time in my life when I’ve felt so wanted. Not for my title or influence, but for a genuine partnership. For building a life together.
Ivy sought me out from the moment she stepped onto the grounds of Castle Ancaire regardless of my obstinate insistence on being apart. She pursued me when, as an alpha, I should have been the one to chase her.
My omega’s presence here, in my bed, tells me we stand a chance at growing together in all the ways that matter. I have no doubt my heart is already hers—the seeds of love planted when I first scented her. Apple cake and custard. Spices, honey, and all things anchoring me in home and happiness.
She is a delectable, darling dream come true.
“You’re staring.” She chuckles. Blushing, bashful, and so very bare, she stares up at me with heated anticipation.
“ Yes ,” I sigh, content. “I’m in awe of the goddess in my bed.”
“A goddess? Have you had too much wine, perhaps, husband?” Ivy laughs, rolling her eyes. The sweet way her scent intensifies spears right through the center of me. Does she not understand? Can she not comprehend how perfect she is to me?
I reach for her hand, bringing it to my lips to kiss her palm and rub my scent into her skin. Every touch is a blessing, and I am in desperate need of salvation. “No, goddess . I’m merely your most devoted worshiper, ready to pay tribute.”
The heaving of her chest deepens, lust turning her eyes glassy. Honey and cinnamon swirl all around me, the tart apple of her scent crisp in the air. “How do you intend to honor me, then?”
“In any manner that so pleases you,” I say simply—because it’s true. Poetry is not necessary when I’m prepared to put action behind my words.
Ivy grins, pondering over her next retort when her eyes flash with an idea. I wait with bated breath to give her whatever will keep her keen and soft like this.
“I find it offensive that I should be so bare while you are fully clothed. As my self-proclaimed devotee, should you not be similarly undressed?”
Wicked little thing.
I adore her mind and the way in which she arranges her words. My queen is sharp wit and ardor personified all at once. Truly, I’m blessed beyond measure.
“Are you asking to see my cock, omega?” My tone is light, teasing, but the excitement in Ivy’s gaze speaks to the seriousness of her request.
“It only seems fair, alpha.”
I nod in concession. A fair point indeed, though I’m eager to hear her say the words. Some fiendish thing inside me wants her to writhe a bit longer before we give in to this rising heat between us.
“Ask me then. Tell me how best to display my supplication and it will be done.”
A ferociously precious frown forms upon her lips, her forehead creasing in mock displeasure. “For a supposed worshiper, you are quite demanding, I must admit,” she quips.
Another kiss to her palm as I bury a laugh against her skin. “I only wish to please you, my sweet fate. Tell me how.”
“Perhaps I don’t want to see it after all,” she huffs. Ivy turns her head, breaking our gaze to hide her embarrassment.
That won’t do.
Gently taking her chin between my fingers, I turn her focus back on me. “There’s no need to be shy. I’ll do anything you ask of me.”
Ivy shivers then, the motion accentuating the subtle sway of her full tits. I would do depraved, wicked things to get my mouth on them right this moment. Perhaps if I were to just?—
“Show me your cock, alpha,” she rasps, seeming surprised she managed to speak the filthy words aloud.
“As you wish.”
Slowly I ease myself from between her legs and off the mattress to stand at the edge of our bed. Ivy shuffles up onto her elbows, staring at me with rapt interest in my next move. If my mate wants a show, she will have one.
Reaching behind me, I grab the fabric at the nape of my neck to pull my shirt over my head. Ivy regards me, unblinking, and I love the manner in which her eyes caress my skin.
“More,” she whispers, nodding toward my trousers. “You said you would show me.”
“Patience, you little terror. It’s not going anywhere,” I gently chide, though the bravado is a farce. My hands shake ever so slightly as I reach for my ties.
Logically, I’m aware I have no reason to be nervous. At the risk of sounding immodest, I’ve been fortunate in many regards. It’s just that I’ve never been naked with anyone before. That my first time doing so is at the request of my flawless, scent-matched mate—the moment feels important in a way I can’t articulate.
Pushing past the panic threatening to ruin the momentum we’ve built, I swiftly untie my laces and let the material slide from my hips to fall to the floor. I’ve been hard as a fucking stone for what feels like hours, and I hope my omega isn’t put off by the mildly aggressive introduction.
Ivy’s eyes widen as her gaze travels below my waist—her perfume blooming so beautifully, I fucking throb. The scent of my mate’s desire awakens something powerful and primal inside my chest. Paired with the sight of her spread thighs wet with wanting me—I’m riding the edge of a rut. I can’t even fight the need to squeeze my already swelling knot.
“Gods,” she exhales.
My mate falls back against the mattress with a dramatic flair— adorable . Is this moment meant to be so painfully precious?
“Are you displeased?” I ask, crawling back atop the mattress. My weight now presses against the heat of her skin, caging her in, as we share breath.
“Heavens, no. Your cock is—well, you know what it is, Cillian. You brought that beast into bed with us. I’m merely concerned about being able to walk tomorrow.”
More laughter. More smiles that leave my cheeks aching. How she can make the preamble to sex both intoxicating and silly is a wonder to behold. I kiss the tip of her nose, her cheeks, her lips.
“I’ll be gentle with you, darling. If you’ll be patient with me.”
Ivy regards me, confused about what I could mean. Though it shouldn’t matter— it doesn’t —I want to tell her just the same. I feel so out of my depth, surrounded by her scent. She smells so eager for her alpha to fill her. But what if I can’t satisfy her? She is my first in all things carnal. And while I’ve had an entire year to envision every way I want to touch her, in practice, I’m lacking.
“I’ve never been with an omega before,” I confess. A half-truth. Less than she deserves. “No, that’s not right. I’ve never been with anyone before.”
Ivy’s grin is instantaneous. “You are too sweet, husband. But please don’t lie because you feel as though you must protect my pride. I wouldn’t expect an alpha like yourself to remain celibate all this time.”
Frowning, I shake my head. She doesn’t understand. I would never lie about such a thing. Beyond the information I’m currently keeping from her, I would never otherwise deceive her.
“Ivy.” I grasp her thighs and tug her legs securely around my waist so she’s anchored to me. Her wetness is a welcome warmth against my skin, and my eyes roll back as I imagine the sensation of finally sinking into her. “Fuck, Ivy. You will be the death of me. I’m certain of it.”
My mate blushes, arching her back so her tits thrust toward me in anticipation for my touch. We’re both similarly affected by this connection we share—by what our scents do to each other. But I need her to hear me and know what I say next is true.
“There’s been no one before you. And there will be no one after. I swear it.”
A beat of silence. She offers me a tender, tentative glance. It’s as though she wasn’t expecting this emotional intimacy between us so early on. But she will soon learn the many ways in which I desire her. Some of which extend far beyond the call of our pheromones.
“Truly?” she asks, cautious in her acceptance of this vulnerability I’ve offered.
Precious. To me, she is all that’s good in this world. I want to make her every moment blissful. I’m aware I can’t achieve such an ambitious end on my own. When the time comes—soon—she will find similar devotion in the arms of my packmates. Together, we will aim to give her everything.
“Cross my heart.”
Ivy hums, smiling up at me with heated interest. “I think we’ve both waited long enough then, alpha. Wouldn’t you say?”
Anticipation wraps its silken fist around my cock, readying me for the unleashing to come. “I’d say so, goddess . I’m quite desperate to continue with my worship, if you don’t mind.”