by Nora Ash
“You sent me to him,” I said, still stroking his chest to keep him calm. At this point, I was pretty sure he didn’t understand what I was saying, but my voice seemed to have a soothing effect on him. “You said he’d take care of me, and he has. He got me to you—he and the others are the reason I could get you out. And… he told me what you did, before. You’re a hero, Zach. Not a criminal. And I didn’t know. You almost died without me knowing who you truly are.”
Zach turned back to look at me, something in my voice drawing his attention from Jerome. He frowned down at me, raising a hand to clumsily paw at the single tear trickling down my cheek.
Pain lanced through my stomach and chest when I caught sight of the many scars covering his hands and fingers. I’d been there when he got them, tearing at the barbed wire until his flesh hung in grotesque strips from the bones, all so he could save me. He’d had to use his teeth to kill the soldier who’d aimed his gun at me. The doctors had done a decent job at patching them up, but they were never going to look the same again. No part of his scarred body would.
“Do they hurt?” I asked, reaching for his hand pressed against my cheek. He allowed me to take it, and I ran my fingertips along the jagged lines. They were stiff, swollen, and when I gently pressed, a little growl rolled from his throat.
“Shh, I’ll make them feel better.” There wasn’t much I could do to thank him for everything he’d sacrificed for me. I couldn’t even guarantee I could bring his mind back from the drug-induced void they’d rendered it. But this… this I could do.
I massaged his hands, rubbing along every scar in long, smooth motions until the tension in them began to ease. I looked up at his face and smiled at his half-closed eyes, his expression full of wonder, like he’d forgotten what it felt like to have someone’s touch bring pleasure rather than pain.
My smile withered when I remembered that he probably had. “It might take a while, but I think we can eventually bring some more mobility back.”
Zach stretched his fingers experimentally, wincing when his tendons protested. They were still very stiff and clumsy, but at least some of the swelling seemed to have gone down.
“All right. What do you say I give you a shot of your medicine, and then we go stretch our legs and find some breakfast? We’re gonna be staying here for a while.” I turned to reach for the bag in the back of the Jeep that held the bottles of di-hydroperalimitus and syringes, pulling out the supplies I needed. I wasn’t sure how often or how much would be the correct dosage, but I’d decided half a milliliter each morning and evening would be the best bet.
Except when I turned back around to Zach, needle in hand, his face twisted into first shock and then rage.
Too late I realized what the sight of a drawn syringe would symbolize to him.
“No, no! I’m not going to hurt you, I promise!” I quickly dropped the needle behind me and held up both hands in surrender. Zach glared at me, nostrils flaring. The look of distrust on his face was clear.
“Hey, you know me,” I said, slowly reaching for him. His lip curled up higher in response, but when he didn’t growl, I reached out to rest my palm against his chest once more. “I’m never going to hurt you; you must know that. You must be able to feel that.”
His heart thudded unsteadily underneath my palm, and my gut twisted when I realized how scared he was. His anger I could take, his animalistic fury and mistrust too… but naked fear? It crushed me.
I blinked away the tears threatening to spill down my face and leaned in. When my lips pressed against his, he startled, but I persisted. Gently, slowly, I coaxed his mouth to follow mine as I guided our kiss. It was so different from when he’d kissed me, every brush of our lips light and soft and sweet, until finally some long minutes later, his heart eased to a slow, steady rhythm.
Only then did I pull back so I could reach around for the syringe with the hand not resting against his chest.
His upper lip rose again at the sight of it, but he didn’t bare his teeth fully.
“This is medicine, Zach. To make you feel better—to heal you,” I said, keeping my gaze locked in his. “It’s going to make you feel better.”
He narrowed his eyes at me, but when I grasped his hand and put the syringe in his palm, he stayed still.
“Hold that. I need to get the rubbing alcohol.”
It wasn’t only out of a sense of convenience that I allowed him to hold the syringe; I also wanted to give Zach a sense of control over his fate, and it seemed to work. He sat still as a stone while I rubbed the alcohol over his bicep and allowed me to take the syringe from him again, though he never stopped watching me for any indication that I would break his trust.
I breathed deeply and evenly, ensuring I didn’t give him any reason to kick into fight-or-flight mode, and jabbed the needle into his skin. He let out an angry growl at the prick of pain, but I managed to push the plunger in before he jerked away.
“Stop that,” I scolded, keeping my tone light and friendly as I reached for his arm to free the needle.
I got a low growl in return.
“I know, you have every reason not to like needles.” I leaned in again and kissed him right over his heart. “When you calm down again, we’ll go look for some breakfast, okay?”
I could feel his glare as I rested my cheek against his chest, snuggling close to soothe him with my nearness. Instinctively I knew his bond would work to calm him the same way mine did when we were skin to skin.
It didn’t take long before he relaxed and wrapped both his arms around me. I sighed as my bond hummed in appreciation of being surrounded so completely by him.
But when he buried his nose in my hair and began sniffing at me, I gently untangled myself from his grip and pulled back. “Yeah, no, I need to pee way too much for you to start getting any ideas.”
Zach rumbled at me, a questioning sound rather than a growl this time. I reached behind him and opened his door, hoping to distract him with the smell of fresh air. It worked.
The big alpha turned toward the now open door, sniffed once—and leapt outside in one jump.
I quickly got out my own side of the car, momentarily worried he’d run off, but he just stood in the middle of our impromptu camp, staring up into the canopy of trees above us.
Jerome shot me a worried look, one eyebrow raised in silent question, and I shook my head. I’d been trapped in the underground lab for a week, and the shock of fresh air during our escape had been nearly overwhelming. For Zach… it’d been much longer. He needed a moment’s peace to feel the sunlight on his face.
I quietly gathered up some protein bars from the SEALs’ packed rations and found a towel, a bar of soap, and spare clothes for both of us as well. Zach was still staring up in the trees, his head tilting in the direction of each bird chirping nearby. Only when I approached him did he turn his head to me, eyes locking on mine. His face held an expression so novel to him that it took me a moment to decipher it.
Joy.
I bit my lip to stop more tears from welling. I’d cried so much, but I could do nothing to temper the relief brimming in my chest.
He was capable of feeling something as human as joy.
“Come,” I said softly, shifting the bundle to one arm so I could reach for him with my free hand.
Slowly, as if he wasn’t quite sure how, he put his scarred hand in mine. His fingers closed clumsily around mine, engulfing them completely, and I couldn’t hold back a smile. I didn’t know if it was the drugs working, or if it was just a reaction to finally smelling fresh air, but there were signs. He was in there.
We walked around the Jeep, but when Zach spotted Jerome keeping watch by the other alphas’ car, he jerked to a stop, upper lip curling again.
Jerome didn’t react—he only looked at his friend.
“It’s just Jerome,” I murmured, pulling gently on Zach’s hand. “Remember?”
Zach huffed, glaring in the dark-skinned alpha’s direction for a few more moments before he f
inally deemed him non-threatening enough not to attack. It didn’t stop him from ensuring his body was blocking any chance Jerome had of seeing me as my mate clutched me to his side in a none-too-pleasant death grip.
I put up with it, just thankful he hadn’t decided to attack.
* * *
The river was really more of a creek, only about five feet wide and three to four feet deep in the middle, with a sluggish flow and rocks covering most of the bottom.
When Zach spotted it, he gave a low sort of hum and proceeded to stalk toward it, dragging me along like a doll.
“Hey, wait up!” I called, trying to pull free from his grip as he steered us directly toward the flowing water without slowing. “We have to take our clothes o—oh damn, that’s cold!”
I squealed the last bit, because Zach didn’t let such a thing as being dressed stop him. He pulled me straight out into the icy stream, clothes, shoes, towel, and all, and only let go when the water hit my navel.
“F-Fuck!” I shuddered, trying to raise up on my tippy-toes to save my midsection from the icy cold. Only the smooth river rocks underneath us were too slippery for that sort of balancing act, and I had to reach out and support myself against Zach to not end up getting dunked.
He gave me a quick glance, ensuring I was all right, and then returned his focus to the water. It only reached mid-thigh on him, so he had to bend down to gather some in his joined hands. He stared, mesmerized at the light playing across the surface for a moment before he brought it to his lips and drank.
Despite my now numb lower half, something soft twisted inside of me as I watched the big man so fascinated with something as mundane as a river. This was his first taste of freedom, even if the drugs still held his mind captive, and despite our dire situation, I wanted him to enjoy it.
I climbed out of the river to deposit the towel on the shore before it got too wet and pulled my clothes off as well. My pants, underwear, socks, and shoes were soaked, and the bottom part of my top equally so, but since I was already mostly wet, I decided I might as well have a proper bath.
I had to grit my teeth and force myself to step back into the frigid water, and when I reached Zach, I quickly ducked under.
He turned my way at my gasps and splashes when I resurfaced, but at the sight of my now very perky nipples, his frown changed to unmistakable hunger.
“We’re not having sex now,” I said, folding one arm across my chest to break his line of sight while I reached for his shirt with the other. “Come on, it’s bath time.”
* * *
Bathing a feral alpha determined to turn me around so he could mount me was not an easy task. But as interested in my naked body as he was, I got the distinct impression he was… playful about it. We’d had sex often enough while locked up in the compound, and he’d been rough and forceful about it every time. I knew he could easily force me into submission if he wanted to, and yet he allowed me to squirm out of his grip when he got a hold of my hips, as well as pull off his wet clothes so I could toss them to shore.
And I…
I wasn’t afraid.
It dawned on me when I finally managed to slip behind him to rub soap on his broad back, and he momentarily paused his attempt at spreading my legs to emit a rumbling noise of pleasure.
In there, he’d been a beast. Angry, scared, violent. Out here… While maybe not quite human, he was… something other.
My mate.
I pressed my soap-free hand to my chest when my bond hummed. If this was my future… if he never fully recovered… I could find happiness in this.
Zach allowed me to wash and rinse his back before he turned back around again, slipping his strong arms around my midriff.
I put a wet hand on his chest, shivering when I touched the place our bond anchored on his end. “Hey, big guy.”
He rumbled in response, and I looked up into his eyes.
He looked… so different. Light. Happy.
I didn’t think before I stretched up toward him like a flower searching for sun, but he met my lips without hesitation, hot and hungry—eager to devour.
I moaned, teasing him with small flicks of my tongue and shivering when he growled in response. His thick, brutal cock pushed against my stomach in obvious demand.
“I made you a promise, once,” I whispered against his increasingly aggressive lips. “That I would always submit to you. And right now… I think I… want to.”
It wasn’t that I hadn’t enjoyed it when he mated me before. That I hadn’t needed him like he did me when he forced me to the floor and rutted me last night. But this time was different.
He was every bit the demanding alpha I’d known since he forced his knot into me and claimed me as his mate, his kisses were rough and his hands on my hips would likely leave bruises before we were done, but he was also… patient.
I realized then what the difference was. He wasn’t afraid. He wasn’t angry. He was just an alpha enjoying his mate.
He would still make me submit—but he allowed my surrender to be on my terms.
My body heated despite the cold water and I leaned in closer against him, reveling in the sensation of his scarred skin against mine. When he pulled back from our kiss, I let my hand slide down his rippling abs and close around his hard length.
Zach jerked and went rigid in response, gaze turning molten. I stroked him gently, up and down, once, and then he yanked me up out of the river and into his arms.
I squealed as he swung me over his shoulder and waded out of the river and onto the shore in three strides. At first I thought he was going to dump me on the hard rocks, but he stalked further up to where rotting vegetation had created a light layer of dirt over the years. I didn’t notice the fallen tree trunk until he swung me off his shoulder and draped me across the round barrel of it, ass pointing up.
I panted, my senses alight with the smells and sounds of the woodland and the rough bark pressing into my breasts, stomach and thighs. But mostly… Mostly, I felt him.
He was right behind me, his presence warming my hamstrings even though he wasn’t touching me. As if aware of what his nearness meant, my sex throbbed, eager for him to take what was his.
When his hands finally connected with my skin, I couldn’t hold back a wanton moan.
Strong fingers dug into my fleshy backside, spreading me open to the cool air.
“Zach…oh!”
His mouth against my upturned pussy startled me, but he didn’t give me a chance to squirm away. This time, he kept hold of my hips as he dug his tongue into my channel, licking up inside of me as if trying to drink me. But the river had washed away most of my natural scent, and he growled irritably and flicked his demanding tongue lower down, spreading my slit until he reached my pearl of nerves.
I shrieked as he sucked it into his mouth in one hard pull, jerking up on instinct when he relieved my sensitive nub of its protective hood. He dug his fingers into my spread cheeks, ensuring I stayed in place while he sucked on my throbbing clit.
I howled into the woods, begging for him to be gentle. He ignored me, only growling low with obvious pleasure as my slick began to flow thick and rich. His teeth scraped over my swollen nub, tongue lapping up my offerings without ever giving my poor clit any respite.
My release came from deep in my pelvis, dragged out by his mouth’s merciless manipulation. Like a slow tidal wave, pleasure rose from the roots of my clit until my entire abdomen crackled with energy, my splayed legs jerking hard in preparation. He sent me over the edge with one final, deep suck, and when I screamed, he jammed two thick fingers deep in my spasming sheath.
“Shit! Oh my God!” I groaned, rocking my pelvis back to meet his digits. They spread me out so deliciously, teasing my orgasm to stretch out to small, rippling echoes that traveled up my spine.
My pussy squeezed his fingers tight as the rich sound of his desire sparked another wave of lust deep in my core. He moved behind me, pulling his fingers free with a wet pop that betrayed my body’s re
adiness for what would come next.
I didn’t have to wait long.
Zach ranged over me, the broad heat of his cock head pressed up against my opening. My lips were slick and open from my orgasm and split apart easily, allowing him access to my entrance.
I bit my lip when his girth caught in the mouth of my pussy, my body tensing in anticipation of pain even as my sex wept and softened in welcome.
He shoved forward, forcing his cock inside me, and I whimpered as tendrils of agonizing bliss seared up inside my dilated sheath. Fuck, that first penetration always hurt so goddamn much!
Zach groaned as my pussy clamped down around him, trying to stop the invasion even though slick dripped from where we were joined. Another rough shove, and his cock barreled through my last resistance, seating the full length of him all the way inside of me and conquering my spasming core.
“Fuck!” I whimpered, widening my legs as far as I could to open my pelvis to him. Not that he needed it—he’d taken possession of my body now, and we both felt that mind-breaking moment of ecstasy when his head kissed my cervix.
Bent over the tree trunk, my sex was presented to him much the same way as when I’d been strapped to the breeding post, open and vulnerable—his for the taking.
Every vein in his too-thick cock pulsed with the thundering beat of his heart. It hurt to be taken by my alpha, yet nothing would ever complete me like this. He was rough, he was big—and he was mine.
“Fuck me! Please, Zach! I need you! Take me!”
If he was as surprised about my outburst as I was, he didn’t show it. He did, however, obey.
His hips withdrew with a snap, only to smack back against my upturned ass that same second, forcing his cock all the way in again. He set a punishing pace from the start, incapable of holding back his desire for me any longer. He fucked me with everything he was, forcing me wide over and over and over, grunting with effort and pleasure.
It hurt so much—he was too big, too rough, and I… I craved it. Craved the pain, craved that ecstasy-riddled burn of being forced to my limits and pounded into submission. The woods resonated with the fast, wet slaps of his cock dominating my defenseless pussy and my howls for more, more, more!