Everything burned. The film of my heat may have lifted, but it hadn’t completely dissipated. Flames still licked in my blood, and my pussy clenched, trying to take more of Kaelen. I tangled my fingers in his hair, loving the feel.
The tip of his tongue lashed over my skin as he trailed his mouth to the juncture of my neck.
My head rolled to the side, submitting to him. I gave all of me to him, willingly. My omega might have quieted, but she was still in control and commanded me to submit to our alpha. I released akeening sound that broke the last of his restraint.
“Omega,” he breathed, his voice a husky whisper. The points of his teeth grazed my flesh. “You’re mine.”
“Prove it,” I hissed, the sound morphing into a moan as his knot stretched me.
The next words died on my lips. A sharp, brief pinch pricked on the side of my neck. It wasn’t the painful, agonizing bite I had expected. Instead, it was a quick, searing pain that soon gave way to something otherworldly.
My stomach coiled and then snapped as I came with his knot and his teeth buried inside me. My head fell back, sweat sticking to my flushed skin. Large, callused hands gripped my waist, holding me still on his lap, forcing me tofeeleverything. He came with a roar, the sound muffled as his teeth sank in further.
Every cell in my body sang with the sensation. The lingering burn of my heat vanished. The firestorm swirling within me quieted into a gentle warmth, lapping at my limbs until I was euphoric with the feeling. My omega settled, purring like a contented kitten basking in the afternoon sun, finally at peace in the presence of her alpha.
Our alpha.
A heaviness grew behind my sternum, the bond settling into place.
It washim.It was Kaelen.
It was his passion, his desire… his love… for me. Tears welled in my eyes. The intensity of it was too much, but also not enough.
This was what I thought I would never have, and now that I did, I almost didn’t believe it.
The teeth in my throat receded, and his tongue lathed over the wound in tender strokes. I sighed, and he nuzzled the mark, caring for it as we both rode out the high of combined release and our new bond.
It was subtle, but it was there. Kaelen was there, the beat of his heart pulsing with mine. When I was younger, I worried a bond would be too distracting. How wrong I’d been. This was glorious. The most brilliant sensation.
IknewKaelen loved me. That all the things he had promised mewere true. His vows played on repeat with each thump in my chest, reminding me of my alpha’s words.
Devotion. Love. Protection.
I’d never question my feelings for him again.
Not when the strength of it made our bond glow like a full moon on a cloudless night.
He shifted, his hands moving to cup my face. His thumbs stroked my cheeks with a tenderness that made my heart ache. Instinctively, I wrapped my legs around his waist, rubbing my face against his, marking him with my scent.
Although the nest smelled of us, I needed more. I needed my alpha to smell of me.
Gently, he tipped my head back, and his eyes met mine. Flecks of obsidian glimmered in the jade. They were the color of emeralds, shining under the moon at midnight.
With the tips of his fingers, he flicked the tears away, his lips hovering over mine.
“Mine,” he whispered, his vow thrumming in our bond. “You are mine, Willow. My omega. My mate. My wife. My everything. Just as I am yours.”
“Mine,” I murmured back, running my fingers through his beard. “Will you add something for me? Here?”
My nails trailed over the swath of un-inked skin near ribs.
“A willow tree for my heart,” he said, sealing his lips to mine in a coaxing embrace.
I clung to him, a pliant and willing thing. A simmering warmth curled in my belly, a different kind of fire. Gone was the intense need. Instead, it was a soft blend of intimacy and passion.
After his knot deflated, a hollowness remained, my omega not quite satisfied. I whimpered, holding his face in my tiny, shaking hands.
“Alpha. More. Please.”
