Tatiana whimpered and rolled her hips, needing more. “Fuck me harder,” she whispered as she flicked his earlobe with her tongue. “Faster, Dominic.”
Dominic dragged her leg higher over his hip so he could dive even deeper and give her exactly what she asked for. Carnal need swamped them. Like a man possessed, Dominic pounded into her faster, and with every stroke, the passion peaked higher.
Their energy waves mingled wildly in the air like a tornado as the orgasm exploded and carried them both over the edge. As the final burst of pleasure shot through them, their bodies shuddered in unison, and Dominic’s mind touched hers on a growl. Nos es unus. Materia pro totus vicis. Ago intertwined. Forever.
Tatiana’s eyes flew open, and she gripped Dominic’s shoulders as the delicious weight of him pressed against her. Both of them were completely spent and shaking from the aftershocks of the shared orgasm. However, through the blinding fog of lust, the reality of those whispered words—and what they meant—came crashing down.
“Did I just hear what I thought I did?” Tatiana asked through huffing breaths as her hands gripped his shoulders and pushed him back, forcing him to look her in the eyes. Her voice shook with disbelief and a touch of fear. “D-did you say the mating rite?”
Dominic’s face fell, and he swallowed hard, but he didn’t release her. His body remained locked inside of her. He looked as though he didn’t realize he did it, but even if that were the case, it didn’t change the outcome.
If he said it, they were mated.
“Answer me,” she seethed. “Dominic?”
“Yes.” His features hardened as his mouth set in tight line. “I did.”
Tears pricked the back of her eyes, and all the air rushed from her lungs as she stared at him in shock. Her body cooled swiftly, and a knot formed in her chest as the weight of this betrayal washed over her.
“How could you do that?” she asked in a quivering voice as the tears fell, and she choked on the words. “How could you betray my trust like that?”
Tatiana shoved him away and scrambled to get her shorts on. She turned her back on him and said nothing as she got dressed, but she could feel him there, watching her. She spun around and faced him but did not find the contrite or regretful look she expected. Dominic, now fully dressed, stood with his arms folded over his chest in that cold, arrogant, alpha-male stance. Emotionless.
“We are mates, Tatiana.” His voice was cold and matter-of-fact, but for a moment, the mask slipped away, and she could swear she saw regret. “It is what it is.”
Tears filled Tatiana’s eyes, the weight of his words shrouding her, and she shook her head.
“So that’s it?” she said in a teary voice as anger crawled up her back, and she stalked toward him, her eyes glowing brightly. The urge to shift pulsed beneath her skin. “You go ahead and bind our lives together without discussing it with me?”
“Tatiana,” he said gently. His features softened, and he reached out to touch her, but she shoved his hand away. “Let me explain.”
“You’ve done enough.”
Tatiana raced out of the barn. Panic swamped her as she tore across the field and past the grazing horses. Their energy washed over her, and two of the mares, Obsidian and Poppy, ran alongside her. Tatiana smiled through her tears as the horses trotted with her because she knew they sensed her pain and sought to soothe it.
As she approached the fence, the animals slowed and watched as she slipped between the rails. Tatiana sent them gentle waves of energy, reassuring them before she continued toward the mountains. She needed space. She needed her wolf.
Tatiana didn’t know if Dominic was following—truthfully she didn’t care. Right now, the only thing she could focus on was shifting. Stopping along the tree line, she closed her eyes and pictured her clan animal—the timber wolf. The summery Montana air surrounded her, and moments later, static rippled over skin as the familiar flutter of the shift consumed her.
She threw her arms out and tilted her face to the sky as her body arched and stretched into the beast. Within seconds she burst into the form of her wolf. Skin was replaced by soft brown and white fur with four legs replacing two.
Energy surged through her as she reveled in the power of her canine body. She lifted her snout, breathing deeply, allowing the crisp scents of nature to fill her head, and then she ran.
Power surged through her as she raced through the tall grass and headed into the wooded area. She moved faster, keeping her head low and her gaze sharp. As much as she hated to admit it, shifting into her wolf always put her at ease. Perhaps it was because no one in her life, other than her family, knew what she could do. But when Tatiana became the wolf… nothing and no one could touch her.
Not even Dominic.
Tatiana had, after all, hidden from him in the dream realm for years, and she would have remained that way if she hadn’t set foot on this damned ranch. Now, here she was mated to an overbearing, alpha-male Amoveo who decided to choose what her future would hold. Tatiana whined as the reality of what had happened settled over her, but in spite of it, she couldn’t deny the way he made her feel.
Trotting up the hill, she barely felt the rocks and dirt beneath the pads of her paws. Lost in her thoughts and the exhilaration of the shift, it took her a moment to realize she wasn’t alone.
Tatiana stopped by a large pine tree and stood motionless as she reached out, attempting to identify the subtle ripple in the air. It was a tickle, almost a phantom, as though someone she couldn’t see was trying to disguise his or her presence. She crouched low and pressed her furred body into the brush, praying it provided the cover she needed. Her heart raced as she fought to identify the source of the energy pattern.
Eyes closed, Tatiana used all of her effort to pinpoint it, and as she breathed deeply, the flutter of energy became distinct and vaguely familiar. The sound of leaves and branches cracking beneath feet broke through the usual noises of nature and sent her heart into overdrive.
Tatiana definitely was not alone.
If she weren’t such a chickenshit, she could try to use the visualization skills of the other Amoveo and get the hell out of there, but she hadn’t a clue how to do it. She could call Dominic, but after running out like that… why on earth would he want to help?
Chapter 8
Dominic watched her race across the field with the horses matching her speed, and any anger he felt flew away on the summer breeze. Tatiana was beautiful, stubborn, and spirited, but she was still scared. She was frightened, and instead of reassuring her and letting her figure things out on her own time, he said the mating rite.
“Fuck,” he shouted. The horses lifted their heads from grazing and looked at him as though he were crazy. “I’m in deep shit, you guys.”
The truth was that he didn’t mean to say the mating rite. Hell, he didn’t think he’d really said it until she confirmed it. Dominic didn’t know what came over him, but in that moment, he had to bind her to him. It wasn’t a matter of want to—he had to—and it scared him as much as it did her.
Dominic ran both hands over his face as he strode out to the field, keeping her in his sights. The afternoon sun beat down relentlessly as he stalked through the grass, but unlike with Tatiana, the horses kept their distance. Perhaps it was the predator in him, but they never cared to get too close.
Could that be why Tatiana didn’t want to mate with him?