Her eyes sparkle like emeralds in the sun. “Not really.”
“Then I have lost time to make up for, little wolf.” Touching my lips to her forehead, I close my eyes. The enormity of what we’re about to embark upon settles on me, but I wouldn’t changeit for anything. “You are beautiful. And we’re going to be late if we don’t get moving.”
“Wouldn’t want to be late for our own ceremony.” Her laughter is weak. She’s trying.
We need to get this over with before she loses her nerve. Engulfing her small hand in mine, I whisper, “Let’s go.”
It’s a cool, cloudless night. A million stars twinkle overhead, and I would swear the air around us crackles with energy. I’m sure it does—it’s fate itself finally being satisfied. It brings with it magic, something so palpable I can almost taste it as we walk in the direction of those flickering torches.
Her hand clenches in mine, and I can’t ignore the clammy sensation. “Not much longer now,” I promise as the tree line breaks, and the clearing comes into full view. They’re waiting, all of them, wearing the ceremonial robes with the hoods raised. I sense Tara relaxing—no doubt she imagined looking around into the faces of so many strangers, but those faces are concealed in darkness.
Without a word, the circle parts to make room for us to pass through. “Tonight,” I call out, “I claim my mate beneath the moon, and in full view of my clan. What is joined together tonight, no one—mortal or shifter—may break apart. My mate now comes under the protection of all who witness this deed.”
Voices rise up, soft, almost musical. “So it shall be.”
With that finished, I lead Tara to the altar. She’s trembling when I turn her to face me, though I get a sense of more than anxiety in her now. It’s inevitable. There is no pretending the craving doesn’t exist. The desperate, ceaseless yearning to complete our bond and be cemented together forever.
She follows my lead, unbelting the robe, allowing it to slip off her shoulders until it falls in a pool around her ankles. “Look at me. Just at me.” With those words, I help her perch on the altar’sedge before standing in front of her, then slowly lowering her until she’s on her back and painted by silvery moonlight.
My cock is rigid, dripping with anticipation as I watch her chest rise and fall with every breath she takes. Slowly, I part her thighs, stepping into the gap they create. Lowering my head, I take in the scent of her arousal and let it wind its way around me, almost hypnotizing me, wiping away everything but this. Desire. Need. The drive to come together.
When she trembles again, I remember how nervous she is. The sooner I make my mark on her, the better. Taking myself in one hand, I guide my swollen head through her pink folds, making her roll her hips and spread her legs wider in a silent plea.
There is nothing like the sensation of invading her. Sliding in, stretching her, filling her with all of me. Her back arches, a silent moan tumbling from her parted lips.
“So it shall be… So it shall be…” The clan’s whispers are barely audible over my pounding heart. Two heartbeats, in fact. Mine and Tara’s, perfectly synced, like the drumbeat of the symphony we’re creating together. I pull back and push forward again, again, while my hands lay claim to her ripe body. Luscious tits sway gently with every stroke—I take them in my hands, molding them in my palms, before sliding down to her hips and pulling her against me. Harder. Harder.
It isn’t enough. It takes nothing to pick her up, her legs wrapped around me, and I climb onto the altar so I can pin her body with mine, hands clasped over her head, my hips rising and falling in an almost desperate rhythm.
She stares up at me, breathing as hard as I am, and I see a different light swirling in those green depths. Something soul-deep, something beyond intimacy. Body and soul, I am hers. I’m giving myself to her, promising myself from now until our final breath.
“So it shall be…” Their voices rise in volume when I pull back, making Tara’s mouth fall open in surprise and disappointment. That doesn’t last long before I have flipped her onto her knees so I can pierce her from behind, and take her like the animal I am.
She pushes back against me, grunting the way I do, her muscles tightening around me with every stroke. “Yes, yes,” she moans, and her cries rise and mix with the other voices, like a tapestry woven around us, driving me on.
I can’t wait any longer. She’s so close, practically snapping my cock off. I run my hands up her back and take her by the shoulders, pulling her up until her back presses against my chest. She moves, and I cup her mound to tease her clit while wrapping my other arm around her, holding her tight. Mine. She is mine.
“Kyran!” Her lustful cry is my cue. That and the fluttering of thousands of tiny muscles milking my cock, demanding every last drop.
And the second I let go, my teeth sink into the fleshy part between her neck and her shoulder. The coppery tang of blood touches my tongue, invading my senses. Finally. She stiffens against me with a strained gasp but cups the back of my head, holding it in place, shuddering in her release while I fill her with my seed.
The world spins, and the moon glows, and there is nothing but the two of us. Our heavy breathing, our frantic heartbeats which soon slow into something more peaceful. By the time I realize the night air has gotten chilly, we’re alone. The ceremony has been completed. We’ve been left to our privacy, finally.
There’s nothing to say after something so profound has been shared. Without a word, we get down from the altar, and I help her into her robe before thrusting my arms through the sleeves of mine. It’s a short walk back to the cottage, and we make it hand-in-hand the way we walked to the clearing. “Are you allright?” I murmur, but all she does is nod. She’s overwhelmed. So am I, but the need to protect her is stronger.
There’s nothing to protect her from, as it turns out. As soon as we’re inside with the door locked behind us, she launches herself into my arms. “I love you,” she whispers with her cheek against my chest. “I love you so much.”
I’m holding the world in my arms. Stroking her hair, fighting to make sure my heart doesn’t explode. “I love you, little wolf,” I whisper back, kissing the top of her head, reveling in the peace that’s followed, finally giving in to what was meant to be. We were meant to be.
And somehow, we’ll find a way to make this work. We have to. It’s fated.
Epilogue
Tara
“I swear,I see you once a week, but it’s like you’re bigger every time!” I hesitate before reaching out to touch Nora’s belly, swollen with the life inside it. “Can I?”
“Go right ahead.” The fact that she’s so trusting with me and so radiantly happy tells me there could be hope for us to build something real. I mean, if I can mate with a bear and go against generations of laws, I guess anything is possible.
