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His body took over, driving him into her as deep as she could stand it. Not deep enough. Her heat was suffocating, every twitch of muscle gripping him like a fist. The fresh air and the moon above worked to enhance this moment despite the dying doubt at the back of his mind.
With a groan, he let go, sinking into her embrace.
The pleasure was a tidal wave, coming out of nowhere to drown them both.
As they finally resurfaced, the forest around them echoed with life, unconcerned by the act taking place beneath its swaying branches. Boneless, Bill groaned as he settled into the damp earth, pulling her close.
For what felt like an eternity, they lay there, catching their breath.
He recovered first, his gaze on the moon. “I should feel far guiltier than I do. You could still be affected by the previous bond. I… This might not be what you want when you grow into your own.”
The strange part was, he didn’t feel an ounce of regret. Not even a little.
And she could feel it. Her mixture of shock and awe thrilled him in a way he couldn’t deny. This was what she deserved from the very beginning. An open, honest relationship in which she had equal footing.
And an equal say.
Her emotions and thoughts flowed into him easily, and there was no wall shielding his from hers. It was a level of openness he had only shared with one other person—and yet, there was no comparison, either good or bad.
Loren was Loren. Her mind was a new breed of animal, so alien to him and yet inherently unique.
“Maybe you’re right,” she murmured, resting her head on his chest. He craned his neck to watch her and couldn’t resist smoothing his fingers through that thick mane of hair. “But I can think for myself,” she added. “This feels…good. Right.”
He had to agree. A corner of his lip quirked upward as he felt her contentment. Then a twinge of pain replaced it.
“I can see now,” she said, grimacing. “Why you did what you did. If I could take your pain away, I would.”
He didn’t question her sincerity. Through clenched teeth, he replied, “I know. But I need to learn to live with it.”
“But not punish yourself.” She lifted her head, meeting his gaze head-on. “If I wanted to, how would I?”
He sighed, torn between his pride and… Was this relief? A part of him thrilled at her desire to help him. Craved it.
“You would reach out to me mentally and form a wall,” he said. “More like…swallow the feelings you can sense bother me and draw them within yourself. But I don’t want—”
He was too late. A grunt escaped him—he could feel her, creeping through their connection tentatively, eager to put his instruction into practice.
And yet, she seemed determined to distract him, continuing their conversation out loud, “So, what now? Will you still issue your challenge?”
“I could, but…”
Just like that, reality threatened to descend on their tiny sliver of peace.
“You’re worried about something.”
He couldn’t hide the truth any longer, even if he wanted to. “Sonia called me. She thinks it’s too dangerous. That Lukka will arrange an ambush the second I even think about approaching the boundary. She was supposed to feel out support for me among the others, but now… I have no way of knowing what the hell is going on. The smart thing to do might be to turn back. Forget the pack and take my chances by leaving without a formal release.”
Even as the words left his mouth, he knew he could never bring himself to actually follow through.
Loren shifted, sitting upright, her gaze pensive. “That man we met with, he was from the other pack? The Eislanders. What if they helped you?”
He scoffed. “As if they would. You heard him. Loreck still doesn’t buy my innocence, and there isn’t enough time to convince him.”
“What if youcouldget their help? And make sure that Lukka had no choice but to respect your challenge.”
He raised an eyebrow. “How?”
“If you think I am…” She seemed unwilling to voice more, not that he could blame her. He couldn’t imagine the upheaval she’d experienced over the past few weeks. First the mess with Fred Connors and now this—not only was she a full-blooded lycan, but the daughter of an Alpha.
