Page 47

I understood without him having to explain. I could smell his readiness, could feel the slick heat of him against my thigh. My fingers found him, testing, and I was shocked at how wet he was—another sign of his omega nature awakening. He was ready for me, his body preparing itself in ways I'd only heard about in stories.

"Are you sure?" I asked one last time, positioning myself at his entrance.

"If you don't fuck me right now," Danny growled, "I swear to god I'll die and come back and haunt your ass for eternity, and—"

I pushed inside in one smooth thrust, turning his threat into a gasp of pleasure. The sensation was overwhelming—tight heat enveloping me, his body yielding to mine as if made for it. Danny's back arched off the bed, his fingers digging into my shoulders as he adjusted to my size.

"Move," he commanded after a moment, his eyes wild with need. "Bayer, move."

I obeyed, setting a rhythm that was deep and steady, fighting against my instinct to claim him roughly. Danny would have none of it. His heels dug into my lower back, urging me faster, harder.

"More," he demanded, his voice breaking on the word. "Don't you dare stop. I need all of you right the fuck now."

Something in his tone broke my control. I lifted his hips, changing the angle, and drove deeper. Danny cried out, his body clenching around me as I hit the spot that made him see stars. I growled, my rhythm becoming more primal, more insistent as I chased our mutual pleasure.

"Yes," Danny gasped, his head thrown back, exposing the vulnerable curve of his throat. "Just like that… Bayer..."

My bear roared with approval, recognizing the submission in that bared throat. I bent down, nuzzling against his pulse point, inhaling his scent where it was strongest. The urge to bite, to mark, to claim was nearly overwhelming, but I shook my head. We hadn’t talked.

Danny tried to arch his back, scraped his nails down my arms. “Fuck me, you overgrown Ewok!”

"Danny," I warned, my voice barely human. "I can't—my bear wants—" I thrust harder, deeper, feeling a change beginning at the base of my cock—the beginnings of a knot, something I'd never experienced with a human partner before. Danny felt it too, his eyes widening in surprise and then darkening with renewed desire.

"What is that?" he gasped, even as his body clenched around the growing pressure.

"My knot," I managed, slowing my thrusts as it began to swell. "It's—it happens when—the mating—" I fought to maintain a shred of control. I had to explain. "I can pull out. We don't have to—"

"No," Danny yelled, his legs tightening around me. "I want it. I want all of you, Bayer. I want everything."

Those words broke the last of my restraint. I thrust deep, feeling my knot swell fully, locking us together. Danny cried out, his body clenching around the intrusion in rhythmic pulses. I bent to his throat, my teeth grazing the sensitive skin there.

"Mine," I growled, the word torn from somewhere deep.

“Yes,” Danny agreed and tilted his head to show his long creamy throat.

I bit down, my teeth breaking skin just as my release crashed over me. Danny screamed, his own climax hitting simultaneously, his body milking every drop from me as my knot pulsed inside him. The taste of his blood was copper and sweetness on my tongue, and something more—a connection forming, a bond snapping into place.

We lay locked together, panting, as the implications of what I'd done slowly filtered through the haze of pleasure and instinct. I gently licked the mark on his neck, my saliva healing the wound even as it sealed our bond permanently. What could I say? How did I…but Danny opened fever-bright eyes and whimpered. I heard my bear roar and then I was lost.

Hours blurred together in a haze of need and satisfaction. I lost count of how many times we came together, my knot locking us in place as Danny's heat demanded more and more. The sun rose and set again and again, filtering through the curtains as we moved together in an ancient dance neither of us fully understood.

At some point I knew we’d had water delivered, energy drinks, but I’d been too out of it to do anything other than make sure my mate stayed hydrated. I didn’t question anything. Didn’t worry.

By the time his fever finally broke, the sheets were ruined, and we were both exhausted beyond reason. Danny lay curled against my chest, his breathing deep and even in sleep. I traced the mark on his neck with gentle fingers, still trying to process what we'd done.

We were bonded—mated in the most permanent way. The bite had sealed it, creating a connection that couldn't be undone. I could feel him now, even in his sleep—a warm presence in the back of my mind, a sense of contentment and safety radiating from him.

What would he think when he woke? When the heat-madness cleared and he remembered everything—not just our joining but the harsh words we'd exchanged before? Would he hate me for marking him, for binding him to me?

A soft knock interrupted my spiraling thoughts, and I inhaled, knowing Phoenix wouldn’t have risked coming as my bear would have ripped into him. I pulled the blanket higher over Danny's sleeping form before calling quietly, "Come in."

Esther entered, carrying a tray with water, food, and what looked like medical supplies. Her eyes took in the scene—the destroyed bedding, the marks on my back where Danny's nails had dug in, the bite on his neck—but her expression remained respectfully neutral.

"His fever's broken," she said, setting the tray on the nightstand. "That's good. The first heat is always the most intense."

"I bit him," I said, the words sounding hollow in my own ears.

"I can see," Esther said gently. "It's rare for a human omega to trigger such a strong response in an alpha, but not unheard of. Especially when there are already feelings involved."