“Get in.” Max pulled back the sheets, revealing the fact he was naked.
He might still be recovering from what Xen did to him, but that didn’t stop my gaze from sweeping over every inch of him on display. Broad shoulders, solid chest with a dusting of dark hair. Someone had removed his stitches in our absence, my money was on Rys. He’d know more than anyone when Max’s body was healed enough that they were a hinderance rather than a help. The claw marks across his chest had faded to thin silvery lines, but they were a stark reminder of what I’d almost lost. Enough to snap my gaze back to his.
He patted the bed. “Jake.”
I didn’t need asking twice.
“And get naked,” he said with a nod at himself. “It’s only fair.” He winked and a laugh burst out of me.
“We’re not doing anything,” I mumbled as I pulled my T-shirt over my head. “Not until you’re fully healed.” I kicked off my joggers and underwear, and when I looked up, Max was staring at me, frowning.
I huffed. “Not the expression I was after when I’m standing here naked.”
He shook his head. “Sorry. It’s just… What do you mean? We can’t do anything anyway.”
Crawling into bed, I knelt beside him and slid my hands along the rough stubble of his jaw to cup his face. Better to show him than explain, so I kissed him. He opened up instantly, sliding his tongue into my mouth to tangle with mine. It was everything we’d been missing out on for the last three months. I’d gone so long without my mouth on his it almost felt like we were doing this for the first time, if not for the sense ofcoming homesinking into me with every second we kissed. I wondered how long it would take for Max to realise. I counted in my head. One, two, three—
His whole body stilled, then his hands found my chest, gently pushing me back. “How?” With wide eyes, he searched my face for answers, his expression flitting from confusion to disbelief, with a heavy dose ofwantlingering underneath everything.
“Xen isn’t my alpha anymore,” I stated simply, fully expecting Max’s confusion to deepen.
“What? How?” His hands moved to grip my wrists. “What the fuck have I missed?” His jaw tightened with tension and the sudden spike of anxiety coming off him wasn’t what he needed while still healing.
“Hey.” I squeezed his wrists. “It’s okay. Let me explain, yeah?”
Max nodded, settling back into the pillows and I slid my hands around his.
“Rys said that a traumatic event can sever our wolf’s connection to our alpha. If Xen did something so bad that he shattered the trust and the respect between us, then the bond can break without any outside intervention.” I hesitated, not sure how much Max remembered about what Xen had done to him. “Seeing him attack you… almostkillyou. That apparently did it for me. I no longer see him as my alpha. Not here.” I tapped the side of my head. “Or here.” I laid a hand over my heart. “He no longer has a hold over me. His orders have no power. I’ve told everyone who matters about that night at Stella’s because I’m no longer forbidden to talk about it.” I sucked in a shaky breath. “And I can also do this…”
Leaning in, slow enough that Max could stop me if he didn’t want this, I pressed my lips to his again. Soft, gentle, waiting for him to decide what he wanted.
A split second was all it took for Max to let go of my hands and grab my hips, pulling me on top of him. Despite him ignoring it, hewasstill recovering from Xen’s attack, and I wasn’t about to subject his abused body to all my weight.
Our hips lined up, the delicious slide of his hard cock against mine derailing me for a moment, but I kept my weight off him. Supporting my upper body on my forearms either side of him, I shook my head. “We can’t.” The words were a struggle to get out, everything in me wanted to pin him to the bed and do what we’d never got the chance to do before.
“Why not? You said Xen’s orders don’t matter anymore.” Max’s hands slid lower, hesitating at the base of my spine before finding purchase on my arse and staying there. His next words were quieter, edged with wonder. “I can touch you too.” As if to emphasise his words, he slid a finger down between my cheeks, brushing the pad back and forth, increasing the pressure when I pushed back against it.
“Fuck,” I hissed, dropping my head to his shoulder, his scent potent and addictive. “You’re killing me.”
I felt his smile, heard it when he whispered, “We can’t have that.” Teeth scraped along the side of my neck, too sharp to be human, and my body reacted. Instinct tilted my head, giving him more room to work. “I want to make your heart race, make your body come alive in ways you’ve only dreamt of.”
He bit down at the base of my throat, and my pulse kicked into gear, heat racing through my veins like liquid fire, all the way to my toes as he did exactly what he’d promised. My wolf rolled over, belly up, fully onboard with whatever Max was offering, but the human side of me couldn’t forget that he was still hurting inside. However much we wanted this, and there was nothing more I wanted in this moment than to let this play out to its obvious conclusion, I couldn’t do it.
With more restraint than I thought I possessed, I eased off him and onto my side. He turned to face me and the wince he couldn’t quite hide only strengthened my resolve. “We have time,” I murmured, stroking his dark hair back from his forehead. It was longer than he usually wore it—cutting it had probably been the last thing on his mind recently—but I liked it like this. Liked the way it slid through my fingers, and I couldn’t resist giving it a tug.
Max’s gaze darkened, his hand capturing mine and linking our fingers together. “I can take a little pain,” he whispered.
I shook my head, the image of him lying broken and bleeding on our living room floor burnt into my mind. “I can’t.” I traced the path of his faded scars, staring at the visual reminder that I’d almost lost him for good. “Not while these are still here. I can’t hurt you.” I met his eyes, silently begging him to listen. “Please don’t make me.”
His gaze softened immediately. “Okay.”
“Come here.” Rolling onto my back, I carefully tugged him closer until I could wrap my arm around him with his head on my chest. I closed my eyes and inhaled. The familiar scent of pack was gone, but something else had replaced it. Not the combination of mine and Max’s scents that a bond would produce, but similar.
Unique.
Tying us together like our very own pack of two.
Whatever it was, I wanted more of it.
