“I would like to claim you now,” he says tentatively, stroking a circle with the pad of his thumb around the pulsing gland that seems to come alive beneath his touch.
All I do is nod in response, suddenly feeling shy as he shuffles closer, slowly entering me as he stares even more deeply into my eyes.
“I, Alpha Dawson Black, claim you, Omega Yvonne Lang, as my mate and luna.”
My heart pounds wildly in my chest as tears simmer to the surface of my eyes. My natural response is to reciprocate the claim, realizing that I hadn’t reciprocated his rejection in the past.
With good reason, too. The words that leave my lips now are the only ones I’d ever dare to speak, and they’re the only true ones.
“I, Omega Yvonne Lang, accept your claim, Alpha Dawson.”
As soon as the words leave my lips, Dawson has his lips on mine for the softest kiss we’ve ever shared. Claiming me as his mate is his declaration of love, and he begins by pepperinggentle, open-mouthed kisses on my neck, while all I can think about is how whole I feel in this moment.
It’s exactly what I wanted, all I could ever dream of when his sharp canines distend from his lips and the pointed tips pierce my flesh to draw enough blood to be mixed with his saliva before the exchange of fluids is considered the claim to his territory.
The mark of his fangs will remain on my neck for the rest of my life, to show his possession as the mate to whom he has devoted himself. It’s all I could have wanted in the past, and I never thought that it would eventually happen for us.
It feels like a dream come true, and what’s most important is that now Gio gets to grow up in a complete family with both his parents present. I couldn’t have asked for more, and now I realize that all the challenges we faced were orchestrated by fate to lead us back to each other and realize how important this bond is.
I see that realization reflecting in Dawson’s eyes when he draws back, a trickle of my blood caught in the corner of his mouth. I lean in a lick his lips, and it turns into a kiss as he slowly begins to thrust inside me.
Feeling so whole, I never thought I’d feel this way, and there’s something so freeing and liberating about being the alpha’s mate, that I’m more determined than ever to train myself in using my psychic abilities and the gift that filters through my hands.
This is what I always needed—to be claimed by Alpha Dawson Black.
Our slow lovemaking carries on throughout the night, until we’re both spent and my eyelids are too heavy to keep open.
Sighing, I nuzzle my face between Dawson’s heavily muscled arm, letting my eyes drift closed as I settle into the comfort of his warmth while tingling continues to spread through my body.
“I’d like you and Gio to move into the main house,” Dawson whispers just before he sighs.
I peek through one eye to notice that he’s falling asleep, simply smiling to myself as I bask in this feeling of bliss that has finally come.
We’re going to be a real family now, and nothing could have prepared me for how happy that makes me feel.
***
“Wow! You’re really good at this!” Aurora praises as she watches from the side as I wield my magic bolts of energy and charge up the amethyst crystal.
I turn to her when I’m done, feeling the magic receding and changing my vision until it’s clear enough to see her proud smile.
“I’m learning,” I giggle shyly as I shake out my hands, my fingers tingling with the aftermath of sensation that I’m learning to release once I’ve finished harnessing my powers in my palms.
“I take it things are good between you and Dawson,” Aurora says cheerily as she comes closer, warmly placing a hand on my shoulder.
Blushing profusely, I reach up to the scarf tied around my neck and pull it to the side to reveal the mark Dawson had left with his canines. Aurora gasps, a hand slowly lifting to her mouth as her eyes widen with wonder.
“Oh, my Goddess!” she claps her hands excitedly. “When didthathappen?”
Straightening the scarf to once again hide the mark because I haven’t determined if I’m ready to make it public knowledge that I’m claimed by the alpha, I give her a shy smile.
“The other night, after he announced to the council that I’m his mate…”
“Hm,” Aurora hums thoughtfully. “It’s no wonder you’re getting better at using your magic. I told you—it’s heavily linked to your emotions and your mate.”
Aurora throws me a wink that has me feeling shy all over again, but it’s not because I’m not proud to be claimed as Dawson Black’s mate. The only reason I haven’t worn the mark like the priceless jewelry it is and flaunted it for everyone to see is because I’m waiting for Dawson to pick the right moment to announce our mate bond to everyone in the pack.
It’s not like everyone in the council had been glad to hear that he wanted me as his mate. Some of the elders, especially, have their reservations because of my family’s history within the pack, and it feels almost as if I need to prove myself to the council by using these powers to help Snehvolk defeat the demon.
