by Elle Boon
The twins nodded; their jaws set in determined lines. He pulled each of them in for a hug, not the kind you’d give a man that was an acquaintance, but a brother he loved. The hard embraces lasted seconds, but their bonds strengthened. “We’ll get through this like family are supposed to do.” He pulled back, meeting each man’s intense stare. They had the dark eyes of their mother, but none of the hatred.
“We’ve always had your back, brother,” Abyle agreed. His twin squeezed Atlas’s shoulder one last time before they turned toward the door, leaving together like they’d always done.
“I’ll see you two in the morning. I suggest you call a clan meeting after you have breakfast and introduce your mate. Sorta like ripping the band aid off right away. If there are going to be any that aren’t happy with who the Goddess chose as your truemate—well, let them speak up.” Her eyes brightened, showing him the alpha female, she hid beneath the thin veneer of pristine clothing. His little sister was going to be one hell of a handful for her mate.
Once his family had gone, Atlas took Joni to the suite that was now his and hers. In the time he’d been away, Shauny had cleaned out all the old alpha’s things and replaced it with new, adding things of his to make him feel more at home. “My sister is amazing,” he told Joni.
“She seems sad, though. Almost like she’s lost the love of her life?” Joni ran her hands up his chest.
His body responded to her every caress. “I don’t think so. If she’d found a mate, Sonya would’ve had her mated and with cub in no time flat,” he muttered.
Joni gripped his face between her palms. “Not if he wasn’t a match that would’ve benefitted the clan, or wasn’t the perfect bear, or goddess forbid, not a bear at all.”
Atlas sucked in a breath. His mate’s words hitting him like a bolt. Fuck, if his sister had found a mate that the bitch who’d birthed them didn’t find suitable, Sonya would’ve done anything she felt necessary to keep them apart. “Goddess, I hope Shauny never let on who he was if that’s true.”
“We’ll do what we can to help her,” Joni said.
If Sonya found out her only daughter’s mate was anything but what she deemed appropriate, Atlas didn’t think there was any help for the unknown male or his sister. “Tonight, let’s forget about everyone and everything except you and me,” he suggested, lifting her into his arms, need rising in him like a storm.
Joni’s smile lit up her face, her sweet arousal unmistakable as it perfumed the air. He inhaled, memorizing every single thing about his mate. “I like that idea. How about we make it a rule. When we enter our bedroom, nothing else comes in here. None of the stress or politics of pack or clan, or whatever we call our crew, interferes in our mating. In here, it’s just you and me.”
He smiled at that. Yeah, he liked that, liked the way his female thought, liked the way she lit up just for him and wanted to put them first, at least in their bedroom. Oh, he planned to take her whenever, however he wanted.
At the side of the specially made king bed, he set her on the mattress, taking her wrists in his, pushing them over her head. “Hold them here while I undress you. I have a need to take care of my mate.” With slow deliberation, he ripped the top and bra she wore down the middle, making her gasp. Joni had large breasts, tipped with nipples made for sucking. He’d yet to give them the proper attention. Holding her eyes with his, he bent, licking the tip of one, then biting down on the hardened peak before moving to the other. “You like that?”
She nodded. “My nipples have always been sensitive.”
He repeated the action on the other one, making her gasp. “I want to fuck your tits, but not tonight. They’re perfect, fitting in my hands like they were made just for me.” He lifted each one as he spoke, squeezing the firm flesh that would look amazing coated with his come.
“Are you trying to make me come before you even get to the good parts?” she panted.
He looked down her body, fascinated to see her chest rising and falling as if she’d run a marathon, and all he’d done was rip her shirt and bra in half, leaving the edges dangling from her shoulders. “You can come whenever you like, just as long as it’s with me.” Atlas wanted to taste her, every inch of her. Her mouth opened, but he was done talking. They had the rest of their lives to talk. Releasing one of her breasts, he gripped her hair in his fist, tilted her head back, and covered her lips with his, taking her mouth in a claiming kiss.
Joni’s eyes closed, pleasure obvious on her face. She writhed against him, her chest moving against his, making him wish there was nothing between them.
He shifted his hand from her breast, ripping his own shirt off, uncaring he’d just destroyed both of their tops. When his bare chest met her naked one, they both sighed into the kiss. Still not satisfied, he worked her pants down her hips, tossing them off to the side. He broke away from her lips, biting on her bottom lip one last time. Her flushed cheeks had him bending for another lick inside. He leaned back, panting like a man who’d ran a marathon. “Scoot up to the middle, Achwahnaja,” he muttered.
“Bossy bear,” she laughed, but then she flipped over onto her hands and knees, crawling to the center of the bed, glancing over her shoulder. “Is this what you meant?” Her smile lit up her face as she turned onto her back, her hand running down her chest, stopping just below her belly button.
He ran his hands down his face. “Female, you’re gonna be the death of me.” Her sweet arousal soaked the tiny scrap of material between her thighs. He wanted to rip the silk material off with his teeth and keep it as a souvenir. “Did you know teal is my favorite color?” Atlas indicated with a jut of his chin toward the juncture between her thighs, seeing her hand run along the edge of the teal panties.
He worked his jeans down his legs, stepping out of them and then pushed his boxer briefs down, freeing his dick before he lost all feeling to the poor thing. Hell, watching his mate crawl across his bed nearly had him coming. His cock strained against the tight confines of the denim so much he feared he’d have imprints from the briefs along his shaft.
“Aw, poor baby. Does that hurt? Come here, I’ll kiss him all better.” Joni leaned up on her elbows.
Atlas mimicked her moves, crawling up on the bed, stalking his prey. “Ah, my little mate likes to play does she? Guess what, so do I, only I like to be the one in charge.” He stopped with his face over her mound, inhaling deeply. “Your scent drives me wild.”
“You drive me wild, Atlas. I’m yours to do with as you please,” she whispered.
Fuck. His heart turned over with her simple words. Gratitude, love, hope, trust, and longing unlike any he’d known floored him. Gratitude that she wanted him as much as he wanted her. Love, the fact that she could have those feelings for a man whose own parents couldn’t, amazed him. Hope for a future filled with him and her and any children they may have, no matter what species, and trust that she’d always have his back. Atlas never thought he’d find a mate, let alone one who was his truemate. He sent a silent prayer up to the Goddesses for gifting him his forbidden wolf, swearing he’d always love and protect her.
“Hey, where’d you go?” Joni’s hand ran over his head.
He leaned into her touch, then kissed her stomach right above where her panties started. “One day, you’ll carry our children. I swear, I’ll love them unconditionally.”
Joni felt her wolf go still. She wasn’t sure if she was ready to become a mother. “Um, I know you will, but that won’t be for a while, right?”
Atlas chuckled. “I’m not ready right this minute. Although, I do suggest we practice, you know...doing it. We want to get the technique down for when we do decide to make the most precious of children this world has ever seen.”
She laughed at his words. “Most precious?”
Atlas kissed her again, his fingers working her panties down. She lifted her hips, helping him. “Of course, the most precious and most adorable. That is until they get older, then they’ll become the most beautiful or handsome, depending
on the sex. It’s a shame really.”
Joni was having a hard time following what he was saying as his tongue began licking a slow path between her spread thighs. “Holy shit, that feels amazing.” Her ass lifted off the bed, wanting more, but he pressed her back down with one big palm on her stomach. “Why’s it a shame?” she panted.
Atlas looked up from between her thighs, his fingers spreading her lower lips apart. She watched him blow warm air on her exposed flesh, shivering at the sensation. “Atlas, don’t stop,” she moaned.
“You asked me a question. It would be rude to not answer,” he breathed against her. With another lick from her clit all the way to her ass, he seemed content to torture her. “It’s a shame, because our children, the ones way in the future, are going to be the most gorgeous, the smartest, and clearly the strongest, fastest, the best at everything that it’ll be hard for all other children to live up to such perfection.” He grinned up at her, each sentence was ended with a lick or suck, sending Joni flying into an orgasm that had her screaming his name.
Panting, she pushed back the hair from her eyes. “You do realize you can’t say that to anyone else, or they’ll think you’re an egotistical crazy man, right?”
Atlas gave her one last long lick, his face shining with her juices. “Don’t care.”
A laugh burst from her at his words. “Goddess, I love you.”
“That’s good to hear, love, since you’re stuck with me for the rest of our lives and beyond. Now, I have a need to see you on your hands and knees again.”
Her heart raced at the thought of him taking her from behind. Before she could get up, he flipped her over, slapping her on the right ass cheek. “Ouch,” she yelped.
Atlas placed a kiss on the stinging flesh. “Your flesh looks good with my handprint on it.”
His words had her squirming. “Is it bad that just made me hot?”
He knelt behind her, his left hand reaching around and between her thighs. “Achwahnaja, nothing, and I mean nothing we do together is wrong if we find pleasure in it. If ever I do or say something you don’t like, you tell me, and we’ll talk about it. I’ll never do anything that hurts you. My entire life, I’ve only ever wanted to love and be loved. Now that I have you, I plan to spend the rest of my life being the best mate and one day father. Being the alpha is secondary to all of that. I’d walk away from the clan if your happiness was in question.”
Joni pushed back against him, his words making her love him and want him all the more. “Make love to me, Atlas. I want you hard and fast this time. Next time, we can go slow and easy, but this time I need you. The raw you.”
Her words seemed to set off his inner caveman. After checking she was wet, he slammed inside her, one hand holding her hip, his fingers digging into her flesh, leaving his marks there, the other was wrapped around her hair, holding her in place with her head turned to the side as if he needed to see her face. “Fucking love you, Joni.”
“Ah shit, Atlas,” she wheezed. Joni didn’t try to break his hold. He was the alpha in their relationship. He needed to be in control, and she needed to give him this. His thrusts increased, sliding in and out, making her moan as his dick hit every tingly part of her that needed him. Shit, there wasn’t a single thing he did she didn’t love, even when he slowed, only to speed back up.
“I’m close, Konese’,” he growled. He released her hair, his hand moved between them, flicking her clit with his thumb.
Joni tensed beneath him, pushing backward. The firm tap had her tensing. “More,” she said.
He chuckled. “Yes, ma’am,” he answered.
She thought she was prepared, but when he pulled back, almost leaving her body, then slammed back inside, then repeated the action, again and again, his thumb flicking her clit at the same time, she could do nothing but come, his name spilling from her lips as lights danced behind her eyes. “Yes, Atlas,” she screamed, back bowed, hips moving to meet his. “Fuck me.”
“Loving you, always loving you,” he rasped.
The warm feel of his come filling her sent another jolt of ecstasy through her already over sensitized body. He surged up, his teeth sinking into his mark, staking his claim all over again. She smiled, loving the feel of him covering her. If they went to sleep every night just like that, she’d be a happy female.
Her eyes closed, a smile on her face as he slipped from her body.
“Sleep, love, I’ll take care of you.” Joni thought she might’ve agreed, but tiredness had her drifting off to sleep.
Tomorrow, they were going to face his clan as the mated alpha pair.
Chapter Sixteen
Atlas looked down at his mate, his chest blooming with pride. The evidence of their joining trickled from between her thighs. He was tempted to leave it, but decided she’d sleep more comfortably if he cleaned her up. “I will start as I mean to go on,” he whispered, a grin on his face.
For the first time in what felt like his entire life, he was happy. Tomorrow he’d face his clan with Joni by his side. If they didn’t want to accept her as his mate, he’d step down and they could find another alpha. Hell, either one of his brothers would be excellent choices. He shrugged, waiting for the suffocating feel of doom to hit. He’d been brought up with the knowledge that his life was set to become the alpha. Now, because of one tiny slip of a female, he would gladly give it up for her and a life as her mate.
In the master bath, he was happy to see his sister had changed out all of the shit Matilda and the old alpha had in there as well. “You’ll make a fine mate someday, Shauny.” He shook his head, hoping like hell she hadn’t already lost the chance.
He grabbed one of the fluffy teal towels, smiling at his sister’s knowledge of his favorite colors. Shit, he hoped Joni liked it. Tomorrow, he’d find out and give her free reign. That is if they were still part of the clan. He turned the faucet on, waited until the water warmed before wetting the washcloth. He snagged a dry towel on the way out, stopping in the doorway at the vision of Joni lying on her back, her arm over her eyes. A female only slept totally abandoned like his mate if they were secure, if they felt safe. His chest swelled, knowing he’d given her that. “I’ll always keep you safe,” he promised.
With the warm cloth in hand, he leaned over the bed. Trying not to wake her, he eased it between her thighs. Her thighs opened, she moaned but didn’t protest. He quickly wiped his come from between her legs, then dried her off, when what he really wanted to do was slide back where he’d been and get her all dirty again. Her heavy sigh kept him from acting on his impulse.
Tossing both rags through the open door to the bathroom, Atlas climbed in next to his mate, pulled the blanket from the bottom of the bed, curving his body around Joni’s. Tonight, was going to be the first of many if he had anything to say about it.
Atlas woke, feeling something squeezing his cock. He lifted one eyelid, peering down to see his mate lying between his legs. “Good morning, sleepy bear.”
“Mornin’,” he rumbled. He tried to clear his throat so he could speak clearer. “What’re you doing?”
Joni tightened her hold. “Well, if you have to ask, then I must not be doing it right.” Her eyes sparkled.
He was prepared to tell her she was doing it just fine when she lowered her head, taking the head into her warm wet mouth, making any thought leave him.
“Shit, Joni,” he breathed, his head pressed back into the pillow beneath him. He did his best not to thrust his hips forward when all he wanted to do was grab her head and fuck her face.
“Come here, let me taste you, too.” He used his strength to maneuver her over his face, her gorgeous pussy the perfect breakfast for a bear. “Yes, I do so love your honey.”
“Hey, I was the one who was enjoying my treat,” Joni pouted.
He put one big hand on her back, urging her forward. “By all means.”
The feel of her slim hand gripping him had his hips lifting. The next ten minutes was a game of who could get who off first, but
neither of them was the loser as Joni learned just how he liked his dick sucked. “Damn, if you don’t want me to come down your throat, you better stop,” he warned. Her hand moved faster; her lips firmed as she urged him on. Atlas sucked her clit into his mouth at the same time his come exploded from him, her shouting his name, seconds after his dick stopped twitching, was music to his ears.
She lay with her head on his thigh, his dick licked clean. “Did I say good morning?” she asked.
Atlas laughed. He gripped Joni by the waist and lifted her up, shuffling her around until she lay beside him. “Good morning, mate.”
A sound interrupted what she’d been ready to say, the scent of his sister and brothers letting him know they’d already arrived. “Sounds like duty calls. Want to shower with me?” Atlas gave her a kiss on the corner of her mouth.
“If you two shower together, you’ll take forever,” Shauny yelled through the door.
“Shauny, I will hurt you if you don’t get away from my bedroom,” he promised.
The sound of his sister’s laughter trailed away. Joni’s cheeks bloomed a becoming pink. “Goodness, she’s going to know what we’ve been doing.”
He kissed her forehead. “That’s a good thing, Achwahnaja. Come on, lets conserve water.” Atlas picked her up, tossed her over his shoulder, and carried her into the bathroom. Her squeak of delight had him grinning from ear to ear. “You have the sexiest little ass I’ve ever seen,” he said.
Joni slapped his ass. “Oh really, and just how many asses are you comparing mine to?”
Atlas turned his head slightly, letting the stubble on his chin scrape her tender flesh, then nipped it. “I can’t even picture any other but yours.”
“Well, if we’re talking about sexy asses, then I do declare yours is the finest I’ve seen as well.” She pinched him on the opposite cheek. “Damn, son, I bet I could bounce quarters off of here.”
Atlas laughed at her words. “I don’t think we’ll be finding out, love.” He turned the taps on in the huge walk-in shower. Once the water was warm, he led Joni inside. Each side had shower heads, so while Joni stood under one, he stood under the other, watching her wash off. With her head back, her eyes closed, he thought she looked exactly as she had when he made her come.