He could handle it. My beautiful, amazing, strong, perfect mate. He was made for me, and I for him. With that thought, the last of my restraint vanished. I plunged into him over and over, his back sliding along the grass with each thrust as he clung to me. Each movement wrung the sweetest, sexiest sounds from him, as wave after wave of his ecstasy rolled through me.
Our hearts beat in tandem, wild and erratic. Heat and tension pooled within me. His, mine, both? I couldn’t tell, but when I pushed into him as deep as I could go, Bowen let out a primal shout that was met with a loud roar from me as our releases exploded out of us at the same time. It was so intense to feel it inside and outside that my vision whited out and my head swam.
Bowen hummed happily, and when my vision returned, I could see his brown eyes glazed over and a sated smile stretching his lips. I was wrong before when Bowen looked up at me with hunger in his eyes.This! This was the most beautiful sight in the world.
Bowen carefully unhooked his ankles and lowered his legs. “Holy shit! That was mind-blowing, like… my mind is blown, and my body is limp in all the best ways.”
I brushed my lips against his and nuzzled my nose into his hair, breathing him in. “Mmm. You are perfect, Bowen. My beautiful, perfect mate. Gods, I love you so damn much!”
A sweet sigh came out of him as his fingers played through my hair. When he scratched above my ear, I nuzzled even closer, as if that were possible. Our bodies were still joined everywhere they could be, and yet, I felt like I could never get enough of him.
Bowen turned his head so that he could look at me. “Wolfie, I…” His eyes welled up, and I could see him fighting to find words. Usually, it was I who didn’t know what to say. I pulled out of him, making us both whine at the loss of our physical connection. Already, I wanted to bury myself in him again and never leave him again. Later, though. Bowen needed something else right now. I rolled, bringing him with me, until he was lying on my chest. His eyes roamed over my face, and he smiled softly.
“I convinced myself I didn’t need a partner, as a way to protect myself. It was easier to live a life among animals than to have to keep such a big part of me locked away. But I was missing something and I didn’t realize it. I always thought my world was big because I could go anywhere and find a creature to talk to, but then I came here, and my world became ten times bigger. It wasn’t just Aurelia who taught me about who I am, but you. I know who I am and who Iwantto be when I’m with you. After a lifetime of being dismissed, learning that it was hard to trust people, I know with absolute certainty that you will always have my back, and I can always trust that you will believe me. I can’t begin to express how much that means to me. I’m so damn proud to be yours and to call you mine. You are perfect,allof you. I love you, Wolfie.”
I swiped a tear that escaped and rolled down his cheek, feeling my own eyes burn. My wolf spoke into Bowen’s mind before I could, a strange sensation to have a thought reach him that I didn’t initiate. “Our mate.”
Bowen gave me a watery smile and stroked the side of my face. He responded to my wolf in my mind with that loving caress inside my head at the same time as the caress on my face, letting me know he was speaking to both of us. “That’s right. I’m proud to be your mate.”
My heart felt so full I could burst. I had so many things I wanted to say, to confess everything to him the way he had me, but more than anything, I just felt so damn grateful. “Thank you, Bowen. Thank you for loving all of me. You make me feel worthy of it.”
“You are, Rudy. You are so worthy.”
I pushed up to kiss him, pouring my gratitude into him, and I felt his love, his pride, and his trust. All of it. Doubt had been a constant companion for as long as I could remember. Doubt that anyone would ever want me and fear that I would lose control and chase someone away, or worse. Doubt and fear no longer had a place in my heart, not when Bowen filled every inch of it.
I held my mate to my chest as we lay beneath the moon. It was new, getting to see it like this, through these eyes and not the pink hue of my wolf’s. To not have to lock myself away at the sight of it. A new life. That was what I had to look forward to with Bowen. He was my key. He unlocked the steel door that trapped me away and set me free.
Bowen
Anudge at my side stirred me awake. For a moment, I didn’t know where I was, and was afraid that when my eyes opened, all I would see was the black nothingness that had swallowed me in the mine.
A gentle voice in my head whispered, “It is all right, young one.You are safe.”
Recognizing her voice, I turned to the side, finding myself face-to-face with Aurelia. Rudy’s arms tightened around me as he wiggled closer. His warmth radiated through my back, reminding me he was here, that I was under the open sky, and I was safe. The pleasant ache in my body reminded me of the intensely hot pounding Rudy had given me, and the fact that we lay here in the nude with his dick nuzzled against my ass. Safeandsatisfied.
Ellie’s wide amber eyes were only inches away from mine as she studied me. It didn’t bother me that she’d found us in the buff. If it were one of Rudy’sfriends or a guest, that would be different, but animals didn’t have the same kind of concerns with nudity as humans did, and they didn’t seem to care much for personal boundaries. It was funny how often I ended up having conversations while naked… with animals, at least. Though Aurelia wasn’t a typical animal.
I held my hand out, and she rubbed her head against it. She eyed me once more before lying down next to my chest, with a wing spreading over my side and over Rudy’s arm that banded my waist. It was as though she were trying to offer comfort to both of us at the same time.
“I am grateful you have returned. I did not doubt it, for I knew the wolf would find you, but I was worried for you.”
Running a hand along her back, careful to avoid the spiked ridges that ran down her spine, I spoke into her mind so I wouldn’t disturb Rudy. “Thank you. I knew he would, too, but I’ll admit I got a little lost for a while.”
Ellie leaned her head against my stomach. “That is understandable. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to come to your side. I cannot leave Malterra. I’m bound to this island.”
My brows pinched together. Having been bound myself not too long ago, the idea didn’t sit well. “What do you mean? Like a captive?”
“No, Bowen. I am no captive. My magic is tied to this place. If I leave, my magic leaves with me, and the island will be left vulnerable to the outside world.”
Magic. It would have been hard to believe in such a thing not too long ago, but not anymore. What didshe mean that the island would be left vulnerable? My mind went back to my first trip here and the way the island was covered in mist, or the clouds that covered it most of the time, blocking it from view. I’d even looked up the island to see what I could find out about it, but the satellite images only showed a blur where I thought the island should be. It didn’t have large gates like Jurassic Park or any kind of defense system, though I was certain many of the beings here were defense enough, but still, it wasn’t somewhere most people just found, aside from me.
“You’re the curse!” I shouted to her in my mind. Somehow, she managed to cover the island to keep it away from prying eyes.
“Mmm. Curse or guardian, it’s all in how you interpret it, descendant of Gwrhyr.” Her voice had a hint of smug amusement. “There are limits to my magic; it isn’t as strong as it once was, back before the earth was corrupted with technology and civilization growth, but I use what I have.”
“Incredible.” I found myself smiling as I thought of this small creature who often came to comfort Rudy, and now comforted me, but who had the entire island under her care. It made me wonder… “Why Rudy?”
“Hmm?”
