"That's it," he praised, adding a third finger. "So perfect for me. My beautiful mate."
His free hand caressed my chest, my sides, my thighs—touching me everywhere as if memorizing my body through his fingertips.
When he lowered his head to take my cock into his mouth while his fingers continued their careful stretching, I had to grip the sheets to anchor myself against the dual assault of sensation.
"Rooster," I gasped, one hand flying to tangle in his fiery hair. "Please. I'm ready."
He lifted his head, his eyes dark with need but still checking, still making sure. "You're certain?"
I nodded, beyond words again, but absolutely sure. This was what I wanted—what I'd been moving toward since that first plate of food left on a picnic table had shown me that not all humans were threats.
Rooster withdrew his fingers and positioned himself between my thighs, coating his length with lubricant. The blunt head of his cock pressed against my entrance, and I forced myself to relax as he pushed forward with careful restraint.
The stretch was intense, bordering on painful despite his thorough preparation, but I breathed through it, focusing on his face—on the love and concern etched into every line as he watched for any sign of discomfort.
"Still okay?" he whispered when he was fully seated inside me, his arms trembling with the effort of holding back.
I nodded, wrapping my legs around his waist to draw him even deeper. "Move," I managed to say, the word barely audible, but enough.
He began to withdraw and thrust back in, establishing a slow rhythm that gave my body time to adjust. Each stroke became easier than the last, discomfort fading entirely as pleasure built in its place.
I felt myself opening for him, not just physically, but something deeper, some part of myself I'd kept walled off for fifteen years of survival.
As our rhythm intensified, I became aware of something unexpected—a warmth spreading from where our bodies joined, different from physical pleasure. It was energy, distinctly Rooster's—protective, fierce, nurturing – flowing into me like honey, thick and sweet. My own energy rose to meet it, wilder and sharper, but no less powerful.
"Do you feel it?" Rooster gasped, his hips snapping forward with increasing urgency. "The bond forming."
I nodded, unable to find words for what was happening between us. Our shifter energies were intertwining—his bear heat merging with my lynx agility in waves that crested and receded with each thrust. It surrounded us like a visible aura, a golden-red glow that seemed to pulse with our shared heartbeat.
Rooster's movements became more forceful, his control slipping as our pleasure built toward its peak. I matched him thrust for thrust, my body singing with sensations I'd never imagined possible. His hand wrapped around my cock, stroking in time with his thrusts, pushing me closer to the edge.
"Liam," he groaned, his voice deeper, rougher—his bear nature rising to the surface. "I need to... the claiming bite..."
I tilted my head, exposing the juncture where my neck met my shoulder—the traditional place for a claiming mark. "Yes," I whispered, giving permission.
As our bodies drove toward completion, Rooster lowered his head, his breath hot against my skin. The moment his teeth broke through, sharp and decisive, pleasure exploded through me like a supernova.
My release hit with such force that my vision blacked out at the edges, my body arching beneath his as wave after wave of ecstasy crashed through me.
Rooster followed immediately, his cock pulsing deep inside me as he maintained the bite, sealing our bond with the ancient ritual of our kind. I felt something click into place between us—a connection that transcended the physical, binding our souls as surely as our bodies were joined.
When he finally released my neck, licking gently at the wound to encourage healing, some instinct I didn’t know I had hit me and I struck fast, sinking my teeth into the soft flesh of Rooster’s throat. His groan was more satisfaction than pained.
I could still feel him in my mind almost instantly—a warm, steady presence that hadn't been there before.
The mate-bond, complete and unbreakable.
He gathered me against his chest as we collapsed onto the bed, our bodies still joined, unwilling to separate just yet. Morning light streamed through both our bedroom window and the glass ceiling of the atrium he'd built for me, bathing us in golden warmth.
"I love you," he whispered against my temple, his fingers tracing gentle patterns on my skin.
I didn't need to speak for him to hear my response through our new bond—the emotion flowing freely between us, stronger than any words could express. But I gave him the gift of my voice anyway, one more time.
"I love you, too."
Chapter Nineteen
~ Liam ~
