AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“We ran until we collapsed and waited for her. But she never came. We found her the next morning… ripped apart but not eaten. The scent of the Pro’ll Pack was all over her, wolf shifters known to kill for fun. We had no idea. No way to know it wasn’t just wolves looking for a doe.”
His voice cracks as he squeezes his eyes shut. My heart twists in my chest at the raw emotion in his voice. A lump in my throat bobs as I swallow against the stinging behind my eyes. He looks up with glassy eyes, tears forming in the corners as he stares at me. I squeeze his hand three times. He presses his forehead against my hair, and I whisper into his ear.
“I’m so sorry.” I need the words that will take his pain away. How can I make it better? I stumble over the words, searching his eyes. “It’s not your fault.”
Generic. As if he hasn’t heard that a million times.
I want to grab him in a hug and squeeze until he forgets his pain. He blinks as a tear falls down the side of his face, his voice hoarse. “Thank you.”
“I did terrible things during the months after her death. I hunted down every member of Pro’ll, killing them all. Innocent and guilty. Male and female. Young and old. I was indiscriminate in my revenge, and it wasn’t clean. But in the end, it only made me harder, hollower. The opposite of Eyveriel. Cor’than never forgave me for her death, and I don’t blame him. I wouldn’t forgive me either. Years later, when I took over Valenfall in her place, I was a poor substitute for the glory Eyveriel would have brought to our region. I was surprised when he moved against me, but I probably shouldn’t have been.”
The deep tenor of his voice reverberates through me, washing over me. We sit in silence, hand in hand, for a long time. The life of the forest waking with the rising sun.
Finally, I say, “I’m so sorry that happened to you.”
His shoulder rises beneath my head, as if he can just dismiss the trauma of his past with a simple shrug.
“I apologize for the way I treated you, Mira. You did not deserve any of it. I’ve been so focused on my goal that I didn’t care about anything else. It wasn’t fair to you. And when you started getting under my skin, I pushed you away. I am wrong for doing that. I… I am sorry,” he finishes sincerely.
Taking a deep breath, he looks across the beautiful landscape around us. I follow his gaze while his words sink in.
Under his skin?
My heart swells. Maybe he does care for me.
“Thank you. It means a lot to hear you say that,” I say eventually. He responds with three squeezes for my left hand. I smile to myself, basking in the comfort of his presence and touch. The warmth building inside me isn’t solely from the Chroma passing through us anymore.
He pulls his head away, shifting to face me. The sun is dancing at the edge of the world, teasing us with the allure of its warmth. The grey sky melds to soft purples and pinks between the gaps in the canopy.
Sunder’s eyes rest on mine as he brings his thumb to skim the line of my jaw. His brow creases ever so slightly as he touches me, and the thought crosses my mind that this may be the only time we ever mate if he leaves. I want to remember every second, stamping every moment into my memory.
My hands tremble as I lift them to run through his long, inky hair. A shiver runs down my spine as my fingers brush his cheeks, the spark of Chroma strengthening between us.
“Mira…”
His voice is strained. I know he wants to ask me something, but he keeps quiet. I look up from where my hands are tangled in his hair, meeting the intense blue of his eyes.
“Can I kiss you?” he asks quietly.
A jolt of electric energy zings down chest, straight to my building desire. The contrast to his demanding suggestions when we first met with this timid request gives me butterflies. I flick my eyes to his lips, licking my own, and nod. My heart is pounding as he leans in, lips parted just slightly.
I close my eyes and wait.
When his warm lips press against mine, Chroma floods between us like never before. I moan softly, letting my tongue meet his, tasting him. I pull him closer, feeling the heat of his body radiating off him. My chest heaves, and my heart is pounding as he grabs the back of my neck, pulling me further into his kiss.
I shudder as the connection of our bodies ignites my hunger. I wrap my arms around him, wanting to feel him against me. I want to memorize every inch of him, imprint him on my skin.
He lets out a soft groan into my mouth as my chest collides with his. My fingers dig into the back of his shirt, tugging hard on his shoulders, urging him closer.
The kiss deepens and I forget everything but the taste of him, the way he feels against me. I let go of the reins, letting instinct take over as we devour each other hungrily. His fingers find the hem of my shirt, tugging it up. I help, lifting my arms for him to pull it off.
We break apart, breathing heavily, staring into each other’s eyes as I unhook my bra. I raise my chin to give him a sultry, seductive smile. My breasts bounce as I drop my bra to the ground, revealing my bare chest to him. My nipples tingle as they come to life beneath his gaze.
“Fuuck,” he breathes, clumsily removing his own shirt. My core throbs for him, remembering the way he whispered my name at the cabin.
He’s on me again, capturing my mouth with his passion anew. He puts a hand behind my head as he lowers me to the ground, gently climbing between my legs.
He kisses the sensitive spot on my neck and trails his lips to my breast. I bite my lip, moaning as he takes one of the hard peaks in his mouth and rolls the tip of his tongue around it. My fingers dig into the dirt, clenching tight when his teeth graze me lightly.
