by Kimber White
Her moans of pleasure echoed through the forest. Oh, God. I knew how lucky we were to have these stolen moments. Just a few weeks ago, this ritual would have drawn the Pack. It would again, I knew. But not tonight.
I felt Molly stretch and quiver against me. My own powerful build threatened to unseat me. It was almost time. Molly picked up the rhythm, thrusting back; she fucked me wild and raw. Her grunts grew louder.
“That’s it, baby,” I said. “Take it. Scream if you have to. We own the night.”
And we did.
Molly threw her head back. Her hair dropped to the side again, exposing the nape of her neck. I swelled within her. She shrieked with delight. Then, I couldn’t hold back a second longer. Stretching myself long, I reached for her. I held her still with one hand on her shoulder. Then, I sank my teeth into the sweet spot at the base of her neck. Marking her. Tasting her.
“Yes!” Molly cried. “Oh my God! Yes!”
I knew what she felt because I felt it too. As I made my Alpha’s Mark, Molly felt pleasure there just like the throbbing pulse between her legs. It was as if she now had two erogenous zones, forever connected. She would burn for me there. In time, I would mark her again and again. Each coupling would bind her closer to me. There would come a time when we wouldn’t need words to communicate no matter how far apart we were.
She was mine. I was hers. I claimed her that night. Totally. Completely. Forever.
Molly’s pleasure exploded around me. I couldn’t stop. I bit her once again, sealing the mark and wiping the blood away. By the time I took her in my arms, it would already be healed. As she shuddered out the last spasms of pleasure, mine began.
“Yes!” Molly cried out again, craving my seed. On a night like this, I could even dare to hope that someday, we could let it take root. We could bring a new generation of shifters into the world who would live free as they were supposed to. That night, it seemed everything was possible.
And it was all because of this marvel of a woman beneath me. As I spent myself inside her, Molly sank into me, sighing out my name.
Then, I did hold her close. I took her in my arms and left a trail of soft kisses around her breasts, in the hollow of her throat, until I finally found her lips.
“I love you,” she said. “My God. Why did we wait so long?”
Laughing, I brushed the hair from her face. Molly’s heart beat with my heart. The bond was sealed and it was strong. I felt a twinge of fear at that. For the first time, I could fully appreciate what Jagger was now. If anything happened to rip this bond from me, I wouldn’t want to go on.
Molly’s face darkened. She knew what I was thinking and she shared my fear. But, my brave girl reached up and touched my face.
“We’ll survive,” she whispered. “We’ve come this far. It’s a new beginning, Liam. Whatever happens next, this was worth it. Just this moment.”
Smiling, I drew her close. “Of course it is. I love you, baby.” I brought her palm to my lips and kissed it.
My Molly. My love. My heart.
She was right. While my heart beat alongside hers, everything was possible.
Epilogue
Molly
Six months later...
As always, I felt Liam before I heard him. I stood in the center of the cavern rotunda. A new shipment of food and medical supplies had arrived. Dr. Bess had taken charge of them, barking orders like a regular drill sergeant as her new interns scurried around at her command. She shot me a conspiratorial wink when they weren’t looking.
Liam’s strong arms came around me. I leaned back, resting my head against his chest in the spot where I fit best.
“Things still quiet topside?” I asked.
He nodded and kissed my cheek. “For now. We think there will be a new general installed somewhere near Shadow Springs by the end of the summer.”
My heart dropped. It was news I’d been expecting. We knew we’d been on borrowed time through Christmas. But, Tenley’s demise had given us the window of time we needed to strengthen and rebuild the network Keara started.
“I still can’t believe how much you’ve done in such a short amount of time,” Liam said.
Funny, I barely stopped to think of it myself. It never seemed like there was time. Bess and I had gone back to work at the clinic. Business as usual except I’d started classes toward my D.V.M. I knew the time would come when we’d need more than one doctor around here. We were working on finding M.D. surgeons to join our ranks too. Bess had some leads.
“Come on,” I said. “Let me show you the new setup.”
I took Liam by the hand. He and the others had finished clearing out more passageways and caverns to the east. We had two more miles of space. We’d made barracks, a sort of mess hall, and an infirmary. Bess had been in charge of the last bit. She’d outfitted it with examination tables, enough medical supplies to last two years, and her masterpiece, a fully functioning operating room.
“Looks amazing,” Liam said. “I wish I could say we’ll never need it.”
I reached up and touched his cheek, smoothing away the lines of worry. “And maybe we won’t.”
“How’re Jason and Michael doing with the new borders?” Liam asked.
Three months ago, I’d taken a chance and brought the pair of them down to the caves. Michael had been a godsend. He used his National Guard staff sergeant training to bring order from chaos. We currently had thirty refugees down in the caves. Most of them were on their way across the border. A few of them would stay. With each new escape, we put a crack in the hold the Chief Pack had. I liked to think that each one would bring us closer to liberation day for all of the Kentucky shifters.
“Any change today?” I asked. I’d been asking the same thing for weeks now.
Liam shrugged. “He’s taking food again at least.”
I set down the clipboard I’d been holding against my chest. “What does Mac say?”
Liam’s face grew dark. This had been a sore spot for us. Before he could answer, Mac himself rounded the corner and emerged from the passageway in front of us. He stopped short, seeing Liam and me. He knew exactly what I would ask him.
“Are you sure about this?” I said, going to Mac’s side.
He gave me a sheepish grin and a quick hug. “We’ve been over this. I’m better off alone.”
Mac finally found what he thought was a break in the mystery of Birch Haven. He refused to tell me any more. There was an unspoken rule that Liam and I would stay away from some of the more sensitive details of some of the group’s missions. It was safer for all of them if we had compartmental knowledge in the event either of us ended up in enemy hands. I shuddered and pushed the thought out of my mind.
Mac had a chance to do real good. He hoped to find Birch Haven and liberate the women who had been taken there. I knew he was hoping he’d find his sister, Lena too. I said the same silent prayer for his success and safety.
Mac was leaving. I’d stocked him with supplies myself. I wanted him to wait just a few more days. I had a lead on a new vehicle for him. But, we both knew I was only stalling.
Knowing my mind as he always did, Liam rubbed my shoulder. “It’s now or never, Moll. Mac needs to be long gone before there’s a new general in Shadow Springs.”
My eyes filled with tears at the thought of not seeing him again. There were never any guarantees. Keara had taught us all that.
“I know. I was just hoping Jagger would be well enough to go with you. A look passed between them. I knew what they were thinking. There was a chance Jagger might never be well again. He ate. He slept. Beyond that, he was catatonic. We’d taken him up to the forest, hoping the air might bring out his wolf, but it hadn’t worked.
“Time,” Mac said. “He just needs more time.” His tone held authority we all knew he didn’t have. We were all just guessing and hoping for the best where Jagger was concerned.
“Just be careful,” I told Mac for the thousandth time. Since Liam marked me, I’d grown so close to
all my Mammoth Forest wolves. They were like the brothers I’d never had. I knew why Keara was willing to die for them. Because, I would too.
Mac hugged me and smoothed my hair back. “I’ll see you soon,” he said. It’s what we all said to each other when we parted. Never goodbye. It seemed like bad luck.
Liam and I walked to the edge of the passageway with him. I drew strength from him as I waved goodbye to Mac one last time. We watched as he disappeared into the light of day. I swallowed back my sense of foreboding.
“Shh,” Liam said, shaking me gently. “Mac can take care of himself. We have to have hope. Think positive.”
Smiling up at him, I went up on my tiptoes and kissed him. “I am. I promise.”
We heard a shout and a crash from deeper in the cavern. A string of obscenities flew from Jason’s mouth. Liam and I laughed together.
“Come on, baby,” he said. “Before he hurts himself.”
Liam took my hand and led me back into the caves. Love filled my heart as I turned and walked by Liam’s side. Whatever came, we would face it together. I stole one last glance over my shoulder, letting the sunlight fall on my face. He was right. It felt just like hope.
The End
Up Next from Kimber White…
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On a mission to find his sister, Mac meets up with his own fated mate.
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Books by Kimber White
Mammoth Forest Wolves Series Page
Liam
Mac
Gunnar
Payne
Jagger
Wild Ridge Bears Series Page
Lord of the Bears
Outlaw of the Bears
Rebel of the Bears
Curse of the Bears
Last of the Bears
Wild Lake Wolves Series Page
Rogue Alpha
Dark Wolf
Primal Heat
Savage Moon
Hunter’s Heart
Wild Hearts
Stolen Mate
Dragonkeepers Series Page
Kissed by Fire
Tempted by Fire
Marked by Fire
Claimed by Fire
Freed by Fire
Claimed by the Pack Series Page
The Alpha’s Mark
Sweet Submission
Rising Heat
Pack Wars
Choosing an Alpha
The Complete Series Box Set
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