She couldn’t follow the conversation. Rylek wasn’t making sense. People were calling back and forth in the background, a man’s voice was screaming.
Then all sound mercifully quieted as Rylek raced into their suite. Mura was already there, standing by the wide bed beside Vasily and an elderly man she didn’t know.
“A human doctor,” Mura said, bowing. “But I see that his services will not be required. I will arrange for him to be escorted home.”
Ellie wanted to protest when Mura sent the doctor out with Vasily. She felt so sick. She really wanted a doctor. Her limbs spasmed and she gasped for air. Her objection was a high-pitched howl that made Rylek wince.
He laid her down on their bed and sat on the edge.
Valeri skidded to a halt just inside the room. He looked at Ellie for a long moment.
“Well, now we know how Roga got clawed up so badly,” Valeri said. “His face is a mess. The wounds are still bleeding.”
His voice held a curious note of…awe? Ellie couldn’t be sure.
Her eyes were almost back to normal now, neither blurry nor too sharp. It gave her hope even though her ears were ringing. Ordinary sounds seemed distorted and unnaturally loud. Her head was throbbing, her bones ached, and she felt like her heart was on fire in her chest. She was in bad shape. She hardly noticed when Valeri left the room.
Rylek stroked her face. His touch was so light she could hardly feel it, but the warmth of it spread throughout her system. It calmed her, gave her strength when hers was failing. She absorbed it gratefully.
All she wanted was for him to hold her. She was so thankful that he had found her.
Ellie had been determined to fight, to escape if she could, but in the back of her mind was the very real fear that she would never see her mate again. That she would die in that little airless room with a madman gloating over her. And she had never told Rylek that she loved him. She had never said the words.
Her eyes filled with tears, and she tried to choke out the words to tell him how much she loved him. How happy she was that he had mated her. That he was the man she had dreamed of all her life. The sounds that came out of her mouth were wrong. She still couldn’t speak properly.
“Ellie,” Rylek said in a calm tone, “relax into it. You don’t need to fight so hard. I’m here.”
He stroked a hand down and patted her ribs. She wanted to object, but it felt strangely good. She wriggled against his hand and he patted a little harder.
“You are so strong, my beautiful mate. There is no need to be frightened. I will guide you through your First Change.”
And then she knew.
She closed her eyes and howled.
Chapter 15
His mate was howling in fear, and it broke Rylek’s heart. He could actually feel the pressure building in his chest. A wave of tenderness swept through him. He gathered her furry body close and cradled her. He let her feel his warmth, his deep love for her, both as his mate and as the woman herself.
Gradually, as he rocked her, Ellie’s frightened howls became tormented whimpers. Through it all, Rylek held her close and soothed her with the gentle support of his Alpha power.
Touch was so important in the vulfen world, especially between mates. And his mate was terrified. She burrowed against his chest, trying to make herself small. He dropped his head down to rest over hers. Offering his strength to her. Offering reassurance.
He had never expected this. He was quite sure that Ellie wouldn’t think of it as a blessing right now, but he did. That he would be so fortunate as to be granted a mate and one who was so compatible with his vulfen nature that his mating bite had allowed her to transform. Truly, the goddess had favored him beyond anything he could have imagined.
He stroked Ellie’s sleek coat. As a human, she was beautiful, but as a wolf, she was striking. Her stature was smaller than normal, her coloring unusual with blue-black fur and the same soft blue eyes that had stolen his guarded heart so easily. His mate was exquisite.
He rubbed his chin over her head. She wasn’t whimpering any longer, but her little body was still tense.
He would be forever warning off unmated males. He could hardly blame them, his mate was a vulfen male’s wet-dream, but if they valued their lives, they would keep a careful distance. Perhaps the next county would be far enough. He didn’t want to kill in front of his mate, but he would if other males made it necessary.
Ellie nudged his hand. He realized with a choked off laugh that he had stopped petting her. He resumed his long rhythmic caresses, and she relaxed in his arms.
After a few minutes, Rylek judged that she was calm enough to follow his lead through the First Change. The vulfen youngsters often changed for the first time at an emotional moment, but then didn’t know how to get back to their human forms. A powerful older wolf would be called to act as a guide for the younger one. Ellie would need that guidance now.
He transformed into his wolf and stood facing her on the bed. He licked her muzzle and jumped down to the floor.
He gave a quiet yip, and she moved to the side of the bed. She looked down at him. When he barked, she got down on her belly and awkwardly slid off the edge of the bed to join him. Certain now that she would follow, he moved in close where the shifting patterns of his energy would froth around her. His famous control strained to the limit, he changed as slowly as he could. He could feel the moment her energy started to follow his into human form, because she panicked at the strong pull.
He bared his teeth and let his Alpha authority flood into her, and she grabbed it with startling strength. She held the warm stream of power like a lifeline and let it pull her into human form.
Rylek suppressed a sigh of relief at the ease of her change. She had been traumatized enough for one day. Like most young wolves, Ellie came back naked this first time, and the poor thing was shivering with reaction.
He gathered her up, stuffed her in their bed under the covers, shed his clothes, and crawled in to wrap his big body around hers skin to skin. He could feel her heart pounding. She curled up close to him and they held each other until their hearts began to beat together.
“Rylek, I love you,” she whispered and snuggled against his shoulder. Her breath warmed his skin and only then did he realize he had been cold. He had wondered if she would blame him for not protecting her, for giving her incorrect information about the consequences of becoming his mate.
“I love you. You are my heart,” he said and was shocked to hear his voice crack.
Rylek’s arms tightened around her. He wasn’t sure which one of them needed the contact more. He was shaken, his disciplined thoughts in disorder.
She just kept surprising him. His precious mate. His queen. She was everything to him. He held his world in his arms.
* * * *
Ellie cuddled in Rylek’s arms, the place she most wanted to be, and tried not to think. Her mind shied away from the events of the day. It was too much. She couldn’t handle it right now. She just wanted to savor this time with her mate.
She pressed a kiss to his shoulder and watched his skin twitch. She nuzzled his throat down to his wide chest where she ran her nose through the crisp hair. When she found a tight male nipple, she laved it with her tongue until Rylek moved under her.
“Ellie,” he said, and his voice held a warning.
She ignored him and shifted down further.
Rylek pulled her up his body by burying his hands in her hair and tugging.
She allowed him a brief, hot kiss, and then took his hands in hers. She guided his hands to the headboard and curved his fingers around the metal bars.
“Hold on and don’t let go,” she said, and watched as his eyes fired and began to glow.
She took her hands away and waited, but Rylek stayed still, his big hands wrapped around the bars at the head of their bed. When she realized that her strong Alpha male was putting himself in her hands, giving her control of their pleasure, she felt a rush of liquid heat.
&n
bsp; Ellie took the gift he gave her. She explored his body with her hands and mouth, stroking and kissing the brawny muscles under velvet skin. His well-developed legs drew her attention, and she kneaded the solid contours there before moving further down to his rock-hard calves.
She spent long minutes exploring and enjoying his masculine form, even as she ignored his growing erection. She could see his pulse beating in the thick flesh. It twitched each time she came close. The flared head soon became damp but she bypassed it once again as she worked her way back up his body.
She was trying to tempt him, to give him pleasure, but she didn’t count on how the submission of such a commanding man would captivate her. Her nipples tightened and her sex was damp.
When she reached his face, she rubbed his nose with hers in an affectionate caress. He surged upward and captured her lips, plunging his tongue deep, seducing her vulnerable mouth. The carnal kiss went on and on until Ellie moaned in deepening arousal and the headboard rattled.
Ellie pulled back a little, panting, staring into Rylek’s eyes.
His nostrils flared and his knuckles turned white, but he held on.
She smiled and he groaned.
“Ellie, please.” His voice was rough, grating.
She slid one hand down his body and curled her fingers around his rigid cock. It flexed eagerly in her grip and the bars of the headboard creaked in protest under Rylek’s gripping hands. The muscles in his arms stood out in rigid relief.
“Ellie, come up here. Put your knees beside my face,” he coaxed, licking his lips. “Come sit on my mouth.”
Her body flushed and tingled as the image raced through her like an electric shock. But she shook her head in denial.
“Please. I must taste you.”
She stroked his firm shaft, and he groaned harshly. “Ellie, I have never been so hard. Please. I must make you ready.”
When she hesitated, he narrowed his gaze. “Come up here,” he said, and his tone made it a command.
Gingerly, she climbed him. He didn’t wait until she was situated, but lurched forward to lap at her with an urgent hunger as soon as her pussy was in reach.
She gasped out a cry and smacked her hands on the wall to steady herself as his wicked tongue flickered into her moist entrance. He licked and sucked. His growls of enjoyment and the sounds of his lips and tongue moving over her wet folds sparked fire through her nervous system. The man was driving her mad with only his mouth. His hands were still anchored around the bars where she had placed them.
His mouth was in constant motion, stimulating her until she cried out. The sensations were so strong, she almost tried to pull away, but he didn’t give her the chance. He found her tender clit and sucked hard. Electrical impulses shot through her and pushed her into a shattering orgasm.
Her head slumped down to rest on her extended arm. After a moment, she realized that her other hand was clutched in Rylek’s hair, holding his head to her. Appalled, she loosened her convulsive grip, but Rylek didn’t back off. Instead, he pushed his face up closer to her greedy core and licked her swollen flesh with a gentle tongue. A blazing aftershock rolled up her spine and she convulsed again.
When she came back to herself this time, Rylek was still nuzzling her wet flesh. She should be satisfied, but she wanted more. She needed to feel him inside her, filling her aching emptiness.
She moved down his body until she felt the tip of his cock brush the sensitive apex of her legs.
Rylek’s face was dark, his glowing eyes intent with a savage hunger that sent a tremor through her. She wanted him.
Ellie reached down and grasped his stiff penis, angling it up to lodge at her gate. Rylek’s teeth clicked together. But he let her take the lead. He had given her his body, and she was taking it.
She pressed her body down, enveloping his thickness in a slow, slick glide that tore the breath from her lungs and made him gnash his teeth. Her flesh stretched and burned around him. She made that first penetration last until both she and Rylek were gasping for air.
Ellie swiveled her hips experimentally, and the resulting hot blaze of sensation made her grind down on Rylek. His big body shuddered under her. She looked into his eyes and repeated the move.
Rylek snarled and his fangs gleamed in the dim light. He lunged upward, piercing up into her softness until he was fully buried. Her pussy clenched around his intrusion.
“Yes,” she cried, “Rylek!”
His hips worked like a piston, plunging his solid cock up into her again and again, bouncing her weight on his hips with breathtaking vigor. He continued his brutal thrusts until her blood sizzled in her veins and her heart pounded to his rhythm. She grabbed his shoulders and hung on for the bruising ride while the waves of orgasm crashed over her.
She screamed and her body arched above him in an agony of pleasure.
She heard him shout and thick bursts of heat filled her. She could feel every fiery blast. It went on and on until spots swam behind her eyes, and she collapsed on his heaving chest.
His arms came around her finally and the world was right. He made her fly and caught her when she fell. She finally had her perfect mate.
Chapter 16
“Ellie. Ellie, please wake.”
A beautiful voice disturbed her sleep.
Ellie mumbled a response and tried to pull the blanket up around her face. The blanket resisted.
“Ellie, please.”
The voice was starting to sound desperate. How long had it been calling her? She couldn’t have been sleeping very long, she still felt exhausted.
“Ellie, the Crowning Ceremony is in less than an hour. You must wake up.”
“No.”
The voice sighed.
The blanket disappeared, and she was lifted into a pair of strong arms. She snuggled her nose against a warm chest and inhaled. Mmm. Her mate.
Mate?
The events of the day came rushing into her consciousness. Her eyes popped open and she gasped.
“I’m a wolf. You said it wasn’t possible!”
Her words came out as an accusation, and Rylek grimaced.
“I am so sorry, my heart. Sorry that I brushed away your question and doubly sorry that you went through your First Change in trauma. Your wolf rose to protect you. You are a true vulfen female now. I did not know such a thing was possible. To my knowledge, no human has ever been fully turned before.”
He looked thoughtful. “There are legends, of course…” His voice trailed off. “Perhaps we will set our historians searching for an answer.”
“Mura would enjoy a project like this one, I think. And she knows already,” Ellie ventured and was gratified when he nodded.
“Every vulfen will know soon enough,” Rylek said as they entered the master bath. “The news of a First Change in a human who was unguided and in distress will spread like a wildfire through our people. The estate will be inundated with vulfen in the coming days and weeks. They will all want to see you, scent you, and marvel at the strength of their new queen. And of course, the unmated warriors will be even more attentive to you than they are now.”
He didn’t sound pleased about that.
He twisted the knob and stepped into the shower with Ellie still in his arms. He set her on her feet and gently but thoroughly washed them both.
“You are so beautiful in both your forms,” he murmured against her sensitive shoulder. His breath flowed over the faint imprint of his bite, and it tingled in vivid response.
Ellie leaned back and let him support her weight. His arms came around her, and they stood for a moment under the cleansing spray.
“Rylek, I need some time to get used to this,” she said. “I feel—” She didn’t have words to describe how she felt. Terrified. Magical. Nothing she could think of quite covered this.
“I understand. I can help you, Ellie, tell you the stories we tell our young, guide you until you are more comfortable. Mura will help as well. There is no hurry. You have all the time you need
.”
He urged her out of the shower. His touch was affectionate as he dried her, and she let him reassure her. She just let go and basked in his love and support. It had been so rare in her lonely life. That made it all the more precious to her now.
They dressed together, Ellie in scarlet silk and Rylek in a stunning tuxedo, exchanging small kisses and caresses along the way. When they emerged from their suite and greeted Rylek’s seconds and the lone Queen’s Guard, they were just a little late.
Valeri grinned at them and tapped his watch.
Ellie couldn’t help but laugh, even as Rylek bared his teeth in warning.
They descended the stairs with their Honor Guard leading the way and walked into the large room where she had been introduced to the vulfen people two nights before. So much had happened in those brief days that it seemed like a lifetime ago.
The room was decorated in red, black, and gold. The stage area now held two huge, beautifully ornate wooden chairs carved with wolves wearing crowns and lined with plush red velvet.
Ellie looked sideways at Rylek in time to catch his eye.
“Just for the record, you told me it wasn’t a throne,” she whispered to Rylek, and his quick answering grin made her heart beat fast.
She heard Valeri laugh under his breath only to have his sister shush him.
In an unknown world with unfamiliar rules, Ellie was surrounded by friends. It was a warm and wonderful feeling.
Her smile was radiant as she ascended the dais on the arm of her gorgeous mate. It didn’t falter even when Vasily approached in a long black robe, flanked by two other Elders to ask her the ritual questions to confirm that she understood and accepted the responsibility of her new position. She gave the required responses with joy.
She could feel Rylek’s pride and approval flowing over her from his position of support behind her. For the first time in her life, she was exactly where she was meant to be.
“Kneel to accept the crowning, and rise as queen,” Vasily intoned, and Ellie knelt. He lowered the hammered gold circlet over her forehead. There was a rustle of fabric as Ellie rose and the crowd bowed.
Kenney, Laina - Vulfen Alpha's Mate [Vulfen Cadre 1] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 10