Wolfkissed

Chapter 74

CHAPTER SEVENTY-FOUR

VALERIAN

Home. We are back. It’s hard to believe it. It feels as if I’ve been away for years, not mere weeks.

I don’t feel the usual yearning, though. Probably because I’m carrying my real home on my back.

Rosamund.

Aeric opens the door, and I almost leap on him to hug him. I see the moment he recognizes us and relaxes.

“Come in,” he says, and we trot into my ancestral home. I make straight for the lit fireplace. She’s cold, and I need her warmed up quickly, before she gets sick.

She sits on my back for a moment longer, though. “Sorry,” she whispers. “I can’t feel my legs.”

With a growl of concern, I lower myself onto the rug and force a shift so I can properly take care of her. It fucking hurts, but slowly my body changes.

She slides off me and settles on the rug beside me. My heart rate spikes with stupid panic because I can’t move properly yet, my limbs twitching and my face aching, and she’s not touching me.

I need her touch.

As if feeling it, she puts her arms around my neck and rests her head against my side.

Instant relief.

Whether it’s the bond or my love and concern for her, I can’t tell.

Can’t tell the two apart. She is my fate and my pleasure, my mate and my beloved.

She’s my entire fucking world, and with her body curled against mine, I close my eyes and allow myself to relax.

Rest. And loosen the wolf part of me, to allow my body to complete the shift.

I wake up a few times to voices, but they are familiar and safe. That fact seeps through my consciousness, calming me down.

A blanket has been thrown over us. I make out Darian and Konstam a few feet away, curled up and recovering under more blankets.

This isn’t an uncommon occurrence, waking up naked with my friends strewn around on the rugs, while the family chitchats in the background as we return from a shift.

What is new is the delicious feel of a woman curled against me.

And not just any woman.

Rosie.

Finding her in the plain right before the asshole lord’s men got her, carrying her through meadow and field, over hill and rise, and then up the mountain all the way here, to my home, now seems like a dream.

The entire time I was away from home feels like a dream, from the moment I was put inside a cage, to running away with her and guiding her to the manor where that asshole abused her.

Waking up from one has never felt better because she is still here. It’s real.

She chose to come with me.

She said she loves me.

Fuck, when did I get so lucky? After my mother vanished and rumors said she’d been killed, after my father broke and started drinking, I felt like my life was over. I ran in the forest, drank and fucked around, losing the thread.

Losing my mind.

That was when I entered the temple and offered myself as an acolyte of Ares. It felt right. Abusing my body, emptying my head, on some days it felt like the one thing keeping me alive.

There, I had a dream of Goddess Cassia telling me to find out what had happened to my mother. She also told me that my fate was waiting for me on the plain.

I never thought what kind of fate she meant.

Not until I met Rosie.

I’ve thought of going to the temple to make an offering to the Goddess, thank her for her guidance. If not for that dream, I might never have found Rosie.

Why didn’t the Goddess keep my mother from going on that fateful raid, on that rampage, killing humans and abducting a little girl, scarring her for life? Why didn’t she heal her, keep her from dying?

I close my eyes, letting the feeling of my mate pressed to my side erase the past. My cock is hard and weeping, and my knot is aching. Her sweet, curvy body is so tempting.

Sinking my cock into her hot pussy is so damn tempting.

Or how about burying my head between her thighs? The thought makes my mouth water. I want that for breakfast. Or dinner. Whatever time it is.

I open my eyes when she stirs, her dark lashes fluttering. She gazes up at me and smiles, a soft, sleepy smile that has my heart turning over in my chest. “Valen?”

“Right here, love. How are you feeling? That was a long, cold ride.”

“Mm… Warm now. You’re so warm.”

I grin. “Hot for you, baby. Always.”

She giggles softly. “And hard.”

“Always hard, for you and you only.”

Her smile widens. “With your knot swollen.”

“So swollen for you, love.”

She squirms a little. “Will you put it in me? I want…”

“What do you want? Tell me.”

“You, inside me,” she breathes.

“Fuck…”

And then Konstam says from somewhere behind me, “How about you get that room now?”

“Not that I would mind watching,” Konstam is muttering, like the dick he is, as I wrap her in the blanket and get up to find us some clothes.

“Shut your trap,” I say, “or we won’t be friends anymore.”

“That hurt, Valen. I thought we were like brothers.”

“Wait until you find your mate, and see how you feel about someone else watching.”

He scratches his head. “It’s that intense, huh?”

“You bet your balls it is.”

“Apologies.” He grins. “Please, leave my balls alone.”

“We need clothes,” I say. “And food. Where is Darian?”

“Went to get clothes and food.” Konstam rolls his eyes. “Aeric is gathering the family to welcome us back and be introduced to your woman.”

“Good,” I say absently, turning to check on her. “Good.”

She’s wrapped up in the blanket, watching us with wide eyes.

I curse when I realize she’s yet again faced with my friend’s dick, but her gaze is trained on me.

If she doesn’t mind the dicks swinging around, then who am I to complain?

After all, it’s true that she should get used to some nudity here.

And my irrational anger when other men are near her should subside eventually… I hope. After bedding her. Sinking inside her and staying there for nights and days. Then, maybe. Maybe I will stop growling at every male looking at her or being in her vicinity.

I won’t apologize for that. I’m a dark fae and a wolf. I’m in a rut for her.

In fucking love with her.

I belong to her, body and soul, and all I want is time with her, to lose myself in her body, her laughter, her voice, her kisses.

But my family decides to bustle in, notified by Aeric, no doubt, and though I missed them dearly, I fucking wish for once they’d taken their time to arrive.

I don’t want my girl to get too stressed and panicky.

I haven’t even had time to warn her about the craziness that is the Canagans and their extended relations, who all decided to come welcome us home.

I can’t deny that joy fills me as they file inside. Okay, more like, burst inside, fighting one another to get to me faster, muttering and laughing.

Darian shoves his way through them, already dressed in loose pants, carrying a bundle of clothes for us. My cousins, uncles, aunts and other relations wouldn’t bat an eye at seeing us all naked, but I’m still thinking how to minimize the shock for my mate.

When I first met her, I wanted to shock her out of her rigid ways, her ignorance of the outside world, of her own body’s desires, and now all I can think of is how to protect her from anything that might upset her.

Darian thrusts a pair of pants into my hands, and I pull them on, while Konstam does the same behind me. By then, the first people have reached us, and I’m not surprised to see it’s my aunts. Since my mother vanished, they took over mothering me. Well, on the rare occasions that I’m home.

“Valen-pup, look at you! We were worried!”

There are three of them, and they smother me in their arms. They are tall, strong women. Mothering-smothering. Not that I can complain. I let myself relax in their hold, feeling indeed like a pup for a moment.

Then I pull back as my uncles fight with my cousins to grab me in their turn and toss me about like a ragdoll.

Which is where I need to put a stop. “Hey, cut it out, everyone.”

My words fall on deaf ears, but then Darian and Konstam growl and come pull me free of the writhing mass of family.

My uncles frown, but slap their sons and daughters upside the head and fall back.

“What’s going on, pup? Uncle Armin asks. “And who’s the cutie over there? Hi, girl. Don’t be scared. We don’t bite much.”

I turn around to see Rosie staring at us with huge eyes, but she is on her feet, and she has already pulled on a loose dress.

“Who are all these people?” she asks, her face pale.

“Rosie.” I reach for her and smile when she takes my hand without hesitation. “Meet my extended family. Family, this is Rosie, my mate.”

Her hand clenches in mine, but when I glance down at her, I find her smiling, too, her color returning.

A weight falls off me. “Don’t be intimidated by all these loudmouthed idiots. They are nice people, as you will discover when they shut up for a moment. Lina, Jandar! I’m speaking! Shut your traps.”

A giggle escapes her.

I grin. “Good. Now that I have everyone’s attention…

Rosie will be staying with us.” I squeeze her hand in mine.

“With me. She’s only staying if she likes it here, so put on your best behavior, okay?

Please, I fucking beg you, don’t scare her away.

It took me forever to convince her I’m not going to eat her alive. ”

“Liar,” she whispers, but another giggle escapes her.

It’s a good sound. It makes my mouth twitch. It’s carefree and untainted by fear and doubt. I think I’m seeing the real Rosamund, and she’s more beautiful than ever.

“Valen!” Jandar calls out. “You didn’t tell us you were going to bring a pretty human for us to play with.”

“Don’t you dare,” I say, “not even in jest.”

“Valerian,” Aunt Gwanda says, hands on her hips. “Did you feed the poor girl? She looks wan. What is Aeric doing? I see no food!”

“Is she human?” Cousin Tristan mutters, rubbing his chin. “She’s so small.”

“She’s perfect,” I say.

“And… I heard through the grapevine that she’s your soulmate?”

“You heard correctly.”

He grins. “Bonding coming up? Or is it done already?”

“Not yet,” I grind out.

“She’s cute,” Cousin Maeve says.

“She is, but she’s not a doll for you to play with, Maeve, okay?” My patience starts to run out. “Everyone, have you looked your fill? Have you posed your questions? Because we’re tired, and as mentioned, hungry and would appreciate some food and some quiet.”

A stunned silence falls over the family.

To be fair, I’ve never snapped at them like that before.

We wolves like to pile up together, know no privacy, and tend to run in packs inside and outside our homes.

Boisterous, back-slapping people, ruled by our women because what other way is there to be ruled?

Our big mamas in their kitchens, our curvy females in our beds. A matrilinear society. The best kind.

But now, I have to place some boundaries.

Muttering and shaking their heads, my relatives slowly turn around to leave. They file out the door one by one, occasionally glancing back at us, as if hoping I’ll change my mind.

No chance.

“Are you throwing us out, too?” Konstam pushes his fair hair out of his face and squints at me.

“He already said he doesn’t want us watching,” Darian says. “Nobody wants you watching them as they knot their mate.”

“What, are you going to knot her now?” Konstam mutters. “Here?”

“Okay,” I say, “get out. Both of you.”

“Fuck,” Konstam says. “You’re a prick. We followed you for weeks to make sure you were okay and see how you treat us.”

“We need some space,” I try to explain. “When you find your mate, you’ll understand.”

“Nah. Me and Dar, we’ll share, right, man?” Konstam slaps Darian’s back so hard the man stumbles. “Nothing will get between us.”

“Sure.” Darian laughs and steers Konstam out. “Anything you say.”

“Boys.” I shake my head, unable to hold back a smile. “They’ll never grow up.”

“They are good friends of yours,” she whispers.

“The best. They are like blood-brothers to me.”

She steps closer to me, and I place a finger under her chin to tilt her head up. Her eyes sparkle.

“Are you all right, Princess?”

“It’s very moving, you know? The way your family loves you. My parents loved me, but I lost them so long ago I barely remember it.”

“You have me,” I breathe. “I love you with every fiber of my being. And this family… it will be yours, too. Whether you bond to me or not, Princess. They will love you because you are so lovable.”

“I’m not lovable,” she mutters. “I’m cold and forever hiding. The Frost Princess, remember?”

“That was your defense mechanism. Your wall. You needed a helping hand to climb over it.”

“You broke down my walls,” she whispers, “smashed my defenses and carried me away.”

“I saw the real you. And what I found behind your wall was amazing.”

She looks away, cheeks reddening. “Books and embroidery?”

“The loveliest girl imaginable. The most beautiful woman in the world. The cleverest. Kindest. Bravest. Sweetest.”

“Stop.”

“Never.” I stroke her cheek, tuck a midnight-dark strand behind her delicate ear. “I’ll never stop telling you how I see you, until you believe it.”

“You make believing easy.” Her eyes shimmer. “You make life worth living.”

“Right back at you, Princess. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. Fuck, I missed you.”

“When? We’ve barely been apart.”

“One moment apart from you is too much.” I draw a shaky breath. “I’m pushing you. I won’t apologize for wanting you so much. Tell me to stop whenever you need space. Whenever I push too hard. Promise you will.”

“You’re not pushing me, Valen. I want to be here. Did you mean it?” She swallows hard. “What you proposed… did you mean it?”

“If I meant… what? Wanting to be with you? Wanting to bond with you? So that you will be my wife and I will be your husband?”

Another tiny nod.

“I’ve never been more fucking serious about anything or anyone in my life.” Hope sparks in my chest. “Are you considering it?”

“I’d like…” A smile breaks over her face. “I’d like that.”

I grab her in my arms and spin her around. “You’d make me the happiest man in the Nine Worlds.” I finally put her down, and she laughs breathlessly. I bury my face in her sweet-smelling neck. “Don’t you want to explore my world first? Get to know my family and friends? See if you like our ways?”

“I like you,” she whispers, her voice a breath. “I love you. Anywhere you are, no matter the circumstances, that’s where I want to be.”

I want to laugh, but my throat closes up. My eyes fucking burn. “Princess… My love. This place, my family, they are everything to me. Or they used to be. You are my everything now.”