The angle was deeper this way, allowing him to fill her completely. She cried out, her back arching, her fingers twisting in the sheets. He gripped her hips and began to move, long, hard strokes that made the headboard slam against the wall.
"God, you're beautiful like this," he growled. "Taking everything I give you. Opening up for me."
"Harder." The word came out choked, desperate. "Please, Corin. I need..."
He gave her what she asked for. Harder. Faster. His balls slapping against her with each thrust, his cock hitting depths that made her scream. The pleasure was building now, impossible to hold back, his bear howling for release.
"I'm going to come," he gritted out. "When I do, I'll mark you. Are you ready?"
"Yes. Yes, I'm ready. Do it."
He bent over her, covering her body with his, his mouth finding her shoulder. One hand slid around to find her clit again, rubbing fast and relentless, pushing her toward a second peak.
"Come with me," he commanded. "Come with me, Chloe."
She screamed as her orgasm ripped through her, even harder than the first. And Corin let go.
He came with a roar that shook the walls, his cock pulsing inside her, filling her with his release. At the same moment, his hand shifted, claws emerging, and he raked them across her hip in one swift motion.
The bond snapped into place like a thunderclap. He felt it everywhere. In his blood, his bones, his soul. She was there, bright and warm and undeniably his. He could feel her pleasure, her pain, her overwhelming love flooding through the new connection between them.
Chloe collapsed beneath him, her body shaking, tears streaming down her face. He gathered her against his chest, rolling them onto their sides, still buried inside her.
"Are you okay?" He pressed kisses to her temple, her cheek, the corner of her mouth. "Did I hurt you?"
"It hurt for a second." Her voice was hoarse, wrecked. "And then it was... god, Corin. I can feel you. Inside me. Not just physically. Everywhere."
"That's the bond." He nuzzled her neck, breathing her in. "It works both ways. I feel you too."
She turned in his arms, facing him, and what he saw in her eyes made his chest ache. Wonder. Joy. Complete, unwavering love.
"We're mated," she whispered. "Really mated. Forever."
"Forever." He kissed her, soft and sweet. "No take-backs."
She laughed, the sound watery but genuine. "I don't want take-backs. I want this. I want you."
He held her close, their bodies tangled together, the bond humming between them like a second heartbeat. His bear settled into a deep, satisfied rumble, finally at peace.
She was his. Marked. Claimed. Chosen.
And he was hers, just as completely.
They lay in comfortable silence, her fingers tracing the lines of his chest while he stroked her hair. The mark on her hip was already healing, shifting from raw scratches to silver scars that would stay with her for life.
"Does it look okay?" she asked, craning her neck to see.
He helped her roll onto her back and examined his handiwork. Three parallel lines, curved slightly, like claw marks rendered in moonlight. His mark. His claim, written on her skin for the world to see.
"It's perfect," he said. "You're perfect."
"Flatterer." But she was smiling, her eyes heavy with satisfaction and exhaustion.
"Just honest." He pulled the quilt up over them both, cocooning them in warmth. "Sleep now. You need rest."
"We both need rest." She snuggled against him, her head finding its place on his chest. Her breathing evened out, deepening into sleep.
Corin lay awake for a while longer, savoring the feeling of her in his arms. The bond pulsed between them, warm and steady, a connection that would last the rest of their lives.
