“You will give this to me.”
She snarled as something she didn’t fully understand roared to life, taking control and obliterating her human half. A strength she’d never possessed before assisted her in breaking free momentarily, allowing her to lift her torso from the mattress. She rotated and had almost slid from his grasp when a loud, terrifying growl filled the room and she felt his hand on her nape once more, fingers rough against the back of her neck. She realized it was the sound of his anger, his beasts overtaking him, staking their claim.
Say it.
His grip intensified, becoming painful. His free hand came down hard on her ass, slapping the flesh, and slid down to her cleft.
“Ava…”
She wanted to say what he wanted so badly, wanted to tell him how she felt, to convey her love, to accept him completely. Yet she couldn’t, held back by something she didn’t understand.
I can’t, she thought, wanting to scream in frustration.
“You can,” Diskant said in a strained voice. “It’s what’s inside you—what’s inside me. They’ll keep fighting until you establish who is in control. You have to give this to me. You have to show them their place. Accept me.”
Another growl from her, this time shrill and high-pitched. She thrashed but he seemed to anticipate it, keeping her in place, his weight hard and unforgiving. As she struggled he remained immobile, unfazed by her wildness, her madness. It wasn’t until she stilled again that the pressure against her throat eased, his fingers going soft.
Desperate and terrified, she opened the connection between them, reaching for something that she understood, something she could control. The moment she did the human portion of her overcame the animal, merging with Diskant in a way that allowed her to think clearly.
“Yours,” she expelled in a rush. Yours.
“That’s right.” His voice was gravel and satin, rough yet smooth. “You’re mine.”
He thrust into her, going balls deep—claiming her, consuming her, overwhelming her. His teeth sank into her shoulder, holding her in place. She didn’t struggle, accepting his will, allowing him to dictate control. He owned her, completed her, loved her.
Mastered her.
“Y-yes,” she echoed brokenly, sobbing in relief.
He continued thrusting, grasping her hips in unyielding, rough hands so that he went deeper. There was no more argument, no words spoken. Whatever it was inside her now—the spirits of his beasts or some small portion of them—reached out to Diskant. As they did they merged with the animals within him, bringing them closer together. Then she felt one entity overcome the others, demanding his place as the most powerful of them all.
Odd scents suffused the air—forest, earth, wood, rain—combining with each other until the perfume of sex was overshadowed. The wolf under her skin rose, growling approval as they brushed against each other, mated in that sensual, age-old dance. The weight at her back continued to pin her in place, forcing her to accept him as her lover, her mate, her Alpha.
Even without their mental connection, she knew this was significant for some reason, that this particular mating was extremely important. Unable to do anything more, she remained passive during his increasingly violent plunges, focusing on how good it felt to have his thick width stretch her as the length invaded her so deeply she could feel him from the outside of her pussy all the way to her womb.
She groaned into the pillow when he let go of her hip, pulled his teeth from her neck and brought one of his hands around. Bringing his fingers down to collect some of her juices, he guided them to her clit and began rubbing and pinching, pain mixing with pleasure. Each thrum was followed by a tight, sharp sting, only to be erased by the sweeping rotation of his wet thumb.
Warmth spread from her belly, tightness in her center that was preparing to burst free. She was aware that her vaginal walls clutched him, holding him tight only to release and start all over again. Her body erupted into violent tremors. She felt that glorious bliss of orgasm hovering just out of reach, waves of fire and need washing over her.
“Come for me now, Ava. Take me as your lover, your partner and your mate.”
The sound that escaped her, caught in the throes of orgasm as he continued pounding into her, was half howl, half scream. She fisted the sheets in her hands, pressing back to meet his thrusts, crazed by the need to feel him come and cement their union.
It felt as if his cock swelled, growing larger, so full and heavy within her that it bordered on painful. Then she felt the jetting in her womb that signified his release. His fingers went taut and his sharp claws pierced the soft, fleshy skin on her hips as he slid into her core one final time and remained in place, her vagina milking the last of him until their combined breathing was the only sound in the room.
He remained inside her as he lifted her leg, rolled her from her stomach to her back and settled between her thighs. Resting his weight on her pelvis, he leaned forward and stole a kiss that was as soft and gentle as their pairing had been rough and wild. He pulled away, revealing irises a beautiful shade of gold. He held her face in his palms and she could feel his fingers tremble.
“I’ve never been as afraid as I was last night. I could have lost you.”
“I can’t remember everything.” She frowned as the events of the evening returned, bringing confusion and a lost block of time. “What happened?”
“A trap.” His reply was a livid rasp. “A well-planned trap to kill us all.”
Her heartbeat faltered, panic replacing bliss. “I don’t understand.”
His brows furrowed as if he were pained. “You will soon. I’m blocking your ties to the pack. I wanted to come to you this morning and solidify our bond before I exposed you to what’s happened.”
“Blocking my ties to the pack?”
He nodded and produced a weak smile. “I’m also blocking the animalistic tendencies you’ve inherited. When you surrendered to me you accepted me as your Alpha and mate. We’ll have to work together to help you control them.”
Understanding dawned. “You mean…what I felt this morning…”
“You are a part of me now, just as I’m a part of you. You’ll never be able to shift but you have a touch of the wild in you, something that you have to respect. It won’t always be easy but we’ll get through it together.” His expression changed, becoming reflective. “That’s what we have now—each other. There is nothing more important.”
He shifted his hips and she felt the still-hard length of him within her. With a roll of his pelvis he started to move, slowly this time, withdrawing from her only to return once more. He caressed her face with his fingers, followed by the backs of his knuckles. She reciprocated by bringing her hands around and brushing her fingertips along his shoulders and back.
“I’m never leaving your side again. From here on in we do everything together.”
“That might be difficult.” She gasped as he slammed against her pussy and rubbed her clit.
“Why is that?”
It was difficult to talk when he took a nipple into his mouth and sucked gently. “Because I have a life of my own, a job, responsibilities…”
He released her breast, nuzzled her skin and brought his hand to the cleft of her ass. “Your life is with me. Your responsibility is to the pack. And you have one part of yourself left to give to me.”
Realizing his intent, she felt her body heat and whispered, “You can’t possibly expect—”
Diskant sealed her lips with his and silenced any further protest. Thoughts of the future were vanquished, put on the back burner.