When he peels back the material around the pole, a wisp of soft snowfall from outside whispers inside the tent before a chorus of chatter follows, and a group of Snehvolk Pack members come waltzing in. Some carry bouquets of lilies and sunflowers, others lug in snacks and trays of food they prepared.
To my surprise, the pack members who visit appear to be as interested in my well-being as they are in their Alpha’s. Amongst the group are Sandy, Delilah, and even Candace and Amanda from the cafeteria. No one says a word to indicate their hostility, and they even go as far as voicing their gratitude for everything I’ve done to save the pack from the demon. I feelmy heart filling with joy and becoming whole with something I always felt was missing.
I finally belong, and I’m not an outcast or made to feel like I’m different because of my gifts. If anything, it’s those gifts the pack members are appreciative of, and I smile as I spare a thought for my Grandmother.
She would be proud to see me living my truth and being appreciated for it.
Rissa joins us eventually, taking a seat on one side of the bed and holding my hand while Elias holds the other. She addresses the pack members and gives them an update about our healing, and it turns out that both Elias and I need to be in close proximity to speed up our recovery.
I glance at my mate and smile warmly, that warmth flowing over me as I realize that I’ve been right all along. Elias McGruff might be much older than me, but we’re equals in ways that cannot be explained, all because of the mate bond we share.
As the night rolls in and Elias and I are left alone in the infirmary tent, he pulls up his chair beside my bed and pulls the snacks that were brought by the pack members onto his lap.
“Would you like something to snack on?” he asks as he inspects what he’s working with. “There’s rice cakes, potato chips, a bag of nuts…”
While Elias perused our options, I couldn’t help but keep my eyes glued on him, tracing every sharp line of his jaw and the way his contoured cheeks held an air of dominance that set my pulse alight.
I might still be recovering, but it’s both my inner wolf and my inner mystic that need to be soothed by his touch.
“That all sounds really nice, Elias. But none of it is what I need,” I whisper slyly as I prop my weight onto my elbows and gaze at him seductively. When he looks up to find me staring at him expectantly, he catches onto my mischief intent and smirks as he sets the snack basket off to the side.
“Are you well enough for this, Aurora?” Elias asks, even though he spreads his thighs on the chair, when I gently throw my legs off the side of the bed. I slip down and land on his lap, his hands already stroking my back to relax me to the heat of his growing erection between my thighs.
“Don’t you think this is what we both need?” I ask as I fold my arms around his neck, drawing my lips close to his as I gaze deeply into his eyes.
“I don’t doubt it,” he responds as he tucks my hair behind my ears and draws my face an inch away to stare into my soul when he sighs. “I was hoping we could do this when we got clearance to go back home. But after what happened with the demon, I think I just realized that there shouldn’t be any more time wasted.”
I frown as I sink back onto his knees. “What are you talking about?”
Elias took a hesitant breath, then continued, “I once asked you for forgiveness, but I wasn’t entirely honest.”
“If it’s forgiveness you want, you already have that, Elias,” I declare without hesitation, but he shakes his head.
“It’s more than forgiveness I want, Aurora. I want your love. The love I threw away in the past. That’s what I want, so I can cherish it for everything it is to me. Because the truth is, I love you, Aurora Sinclair. And I would do anything to claim your love as my own.”
I sit staring at him in awe, a sly smile curling my lips as I take his hand and place it on my chest. “Do you feel that? That’s my heart, and it beats only for you.”
Elias inhales sharply, his eyes flickering between my chest and my eyes. His face softens, his lips parting on a gasp.
“You mean that?”
“Of course, I do,” I affirm with a tight kiss on his lips. “I love you, Elias McGruff. I don’t think I ever stopped loving you.”
Elias cups a hand at the back of my neck, drawing me close until our faces are only a mere inch apart. “I deserved every ounce of difficulty you put me through,” he chuckles lightly. “But now, I’m going to claim you so that you know who you belong to.”
My eyelids flutter sheepishly as I nod slowly and tilt my head to the side. As Elias sweeps my hair away from my shoulder, I take the liberty of pulling down the waistband of his pants to expose his rigid, distended cock that’s ready for me. He strokes my neck with the pad of his thumb, circling my scent gland as I lift my hips and align my needy hole with the tip of his cock.
Elias parts his lips and extends a pair of flashy, pearly white canines that slice through the air with a sharp clink, meeting my eyes with conviction before he dips his head at my neck and punctures my flesh with his piercing teeth. Bordering on the threshold of pain, I embark on the pleasures I find when I sink onto his cock, taking every last inch of his sturdy length between my warm, wet folds that welcome the delicious stretch as he fills me to the brim.
The cocktail of the pain from his marking and the pleasure of him filling me is a heady mixture that intoxicates and sends me closer to the edge than I’ve ever been. Elias pulls histeeth from my neck, leaving the stinging sensations of marking to flow over my body as I sway my hips against the length of him. He grabs my chin and allows me to see into the darkened depths of his eyes, glowing with a primal glint of satisfaction. This time, there aren’t any walls holding me back from recognizing my mate.
Now I understand that I wasn’t wrong in the past when I blurted out that I loved the Alpha. I’d suspected it then, even if I didn’t understand it, but now that our bodies are joined, chasing ecstasy together, and our wolves are bound by the mate bond, I can feel it as if it’s the most natural thing in the world.
Elias nods knowingly, and my heart swells with a flurry of emotions when I recognize that I’ve been the one holding back all along, denying the inevitable. As tears shroud my vision, I cradle his cheeks and press my lips to his, wanting him to feel every bit of emotion that’s pent-up inside and how much love I have for him.
Because when all is said and done, that’s what I feel for Elias. I love him. And I know that he loves me, too.
Epilogue - Elias
