I looked to Mina, unsure of what was happening. She pointed to her lips and then began to mouth words. She took a deep breath and mouthed screaming too. No, she wasn’t mouthing it. Her voice was being swept away by a strange wind. The moment she went to talk, it seemed as if the air was stolen right from her mouth.
The brunette snapped at me again. “The gatekeeper is awaiting an answer while Prince Aldrich pumps poison though his body. Answer!” Her attitude made me want to punch her right in the throat, but the woman was right.
I turned to the tree, not knowing what to do or say. I didn’t know anything about the Pack. All I knew, at that point of time, was Aldrich. He was all I had to offer. “It’s obvious Aldrich is important to the Pack. So much so, I’m sure he could have his pick of the litter, so to speak.” I pulled on the string that held the hood in place and stood naked from the waist up. I had meant to show them my mark, show them that he had claimed me, but…
A gasp sounded from all around me. My skin reflected moonlight as if I were covered with glitter. The shimmer made the dark skin where he marked me stand out in contrast. “That being said, I don’t know why he picked me, why I’m his mate, but I know I am. I was always meant to be. He took one look at me and saw so deep into my soul that he wanted to tie his to mine, and he…he’s the most caring, honest, stubborn man that I’ve ever met. He looked at me and knew I was worthy, so who are you to contradict his proclamation? I am his mate…now open this damned door and save him.”
The tree shimmered, and I watched each of the leaves slowly turn from green to red. A man stepped from the trunk and smiled at me. Short, brown hair cut in an unruly crop, a soft kind face, and warm amber eyes put me at ease immediately. His expression was serene, but those eyes of his were playful, sparkling with mirth and teasing. “Quite the impressive show, Roux. I daresay I’ve never see the tree blush before.”
My own blush killed the shimmer in my skin with red heat. I quickly retied the hood and caught a glimpse of Ulric and Mina. Both of them were on one knee with their heads bowed. I moved to do the same, but Aldrich grimaced and I moved to his side, pulling on his power to lift him up from the kneeling Undedicated.
Ignoring the echoes of his pain battering at me, I moved to stand before the man again. “May we see the Elders now?” I all but shouted the question. His agony was almost unbearable, and I was only getting a tiny little bit of it. “He’s hurt.”
The man with the kind eyes slid a look between us and then bowed. “I am Botolf, second of the four standing Elders.”
I gaped for all of a second. I don’t know why, but I expected someone…older. “Then do you know how to save him? You will help him?”
Botolf’s eyes never lost their glow of warmth. “I can do nothing for him…but you can. You can save his life.”
I shifted his weight eagerly. “What do I do? I’ll do anything.”
Botolf’s smile grew wider, and I saw a hint of Aldrich’s rakish grin in the corners of his mouth. “If you were a true mate, you could use your tongue to remove the silver from his body. There is healing in a wolf's mouth here just as there is with an ordinary canine.” He reached out to touch the place where my mark was covered by cloth. Even in a vortex of pain, Aldrich let out a growl before his fingertips could make contact.
Botolf laughed, and for some reason I found the sound almost…contagious. I cleared my throat. “What do I need to do?” I asked again and a little more pointedly this time.
He held up a fist and a skitter of wariness pounded in my blood. “Simple. Complete the ritual and make love with your mate and his beast. Accept him and heal him.”
As he finished, he opened his hand to reveal a palm filled with shimmering, pink powder. Mesmerized, I leaned in to examine it only to have it blown in my face.
“Hey—” was all I managed to get out before darkness swarmed my vision.
Chapter 5
I awoke to the sound of a symphony of giggles. “He hit her with so much,” a high-pitched voice squealed.
“Well she is Aldrich’s mate. I just bet he had to use a lot to affect her at all.” I felt my body being shifted.
“Did you hear what she did at the tree? Adalwolfa said she had moon beams trapped under her skin while she was flashing the Elder.”
I blushed but tried not to stir so the two girls would keep talking. “Oh, you shouldn’t pay her so much attention, Frauke. You know she’s just bent out of shape because she wants Aldrich to herself. I mean…everybody thought they’d end up together since she's the Lupa of her Family and Aldrich is supposed to take the seat of Elder soon.”
I was surprised neither girl could hear my teeth grinding. I mean sure, he was lying in agony somewhere, but I was going to save him, so I didn’t feel bad about being pissed. No wonder I didn’t like the shrew. She wanted my man and everyone knew it. I frowned inwardly at the drop of doubt that settled into my chest. Maybe…it should be her to do this.
“Her skin really is all shiny,” the girl identified as Frauke said cheerfully. A hand ran over my naked thigh, and my eyes popped open. “It’s a good thing we’re leaving her riding hood on. I think it’s really sexy. I know Botolf will have a rough time getting the image of her peeling it off out of his head. Maybe Aldrich will…”
She trailed off when she met my eyes. “Cundrie, maybe he didn’t hit her with enough. She’s coming out of it.”
Cundrie leaned over, sponge in hand, and squealed. “Oh no! You can’t be awake right now. You have to be asleep for the ritual because the Prince is hurt.” She vanished from my sight, and I heard the slosh of water, which told me I was suspended on top of some sort of pool.
“Wait,” I whispered, and my voice was gritty and harsh as if I’d been inhaling smoke. “What’s happening?”
Frauke leaned over me and ran an herb-scented cloth over my forehead. “Don’t be afraid, soon-sister. We are only preparing you for your wedding. Before you know it, you will be with the Prince, but now you must sleep.”
Cundrie returned with the powder from previously, and before I could protest, I was again pulled into sleep.
The black nothingness of sleep without dreams flashed away as scenes are wont to do in reverie. The sky filled into a midnight blue, and a beautiful glowing moon hung itself high above my head along with thousands of diamond stars.
Beneath my feet, a vibrant carpet of grass winked and shone like jewels under the falling moonbeams. Far in front of me was a pond mirroring that breathtaking sky, framed with the glowing petals of night-blooming cereus. I sank down into the grass and pulled my knees up to my chest, drinking in the sight.
“Do you like it?” I didn’t flinch when Aldrich came up beside me and sat down before drawing me into his awaiting lap. He looked and smelled the way he always did. “Are you all right? What about the silver? Is there pain?”
He laughed, and it stirred the hair at the top of my head. “We have been put in a state of meditative sleep. No harm can come to me as I am now, but once we awaken, I will either be healed or perish. All or nothing.”
I couldn’t help my reaction, and I imagine that if I could have, I wouldn’t have wanted to. I turned in his embrace, pressing my parted lips to his chest. A deep, crippling fear held me stiff, and I pressed so hard against him it was like I was trying to bury myself under his skin. “What if I can’t do it? I don’t know anything about being a wolf. If I mess this up…” I hiccupped and tumbled over the next words. “You should have chosen Adalwolfa. She would have known what to do.”
Aldrich tugged me gently from the safe place I had created against his chest and held me at arm's length. “Roux, look at me.” When I refused, he tucked a knuckle under my chin and tilted my head so I was forced to meet his eyes. My breath caught, for they were both the dark, unforgiving black I was used to seeing only one of. “From the moment I first scented you, I knew everything I could ever want began and ended with you. I smelled the sunlight and laughter you wear like a second skin, and I smelled the sweat
and blood you pour into everything you do. I smelled the tears you’re too valiant to let anyone see, and I smelled the kindness you show to anyone willing to see it.”
He brushed a tear I fought to conceal away with his thumb. “I picked you that day because I loved you. No one else, just you. If this doesn’t work, I am still glad of the choice I made, for it was the right one. I love you.”
His hands slid up my shoulders and moved to frame my face so gently I caught my breath when he brushed his lips against mine. I felt that kiss all the way to my soul. It sank into my body and filled me with a warmth I didn’t know I hungered for.
His hand ran back down my arms and around to my back where he stroked the sensitive skin lightly. I shivered against him, arching my back like a cat to get more of his touch.
“I don’t want to lose you, Aldrich. I can’t.” I pushed myself away from his chest and brushed my mouth against the springy curls of his chest hair. My tongue snaked out and ran across one of his velvety nipples, and I smiled when he let out a low groan. His body shuddered, and he squished me to him so my mouth engulfed the hardened little nub.
Not to be left out, he snaked his hand over my chest and untied the red ribbon that held my only stitch of clothing. I thought he would go right for my nipples, but he took his time. The roughened pads of his fingertips glided over my skin, leaving goose bumps in their wake. I moaned against his nipple when he brushed against my own hardened peaks. He cupped the heavy globes in his palms, squeezing gently until I rocked against his touch, begging him to feel me harder.
When he finally rolled the tips of my tits between two fingers, my mouth left his skin while I panted. “Aldrich, please.”
Pushing me back against Nature’s carpet, he flashed me a cheeky grin before stripping out of his robe. Hard, lean muscle towered over me, and the sight of the throbbing tool that had my name on it made my mouth run dry. “What do you want?”
I pushed myself up, scooted close to him, and folded my legs under my bottom. “I want to touch you.” My hand moved up and wrapped around the base of his shaft, stroking him in a slow, upward squeeze.
The groan that left him was so deep, I felt it originate from his abdomen. I kept pumping my fist, watching his legs shudder with the force of his pleasure. A drop of glistening liquid appeared at his tip, and I used my thumb to spread it over the mushroom head, enticing yet another noise of ecstasy from his mouth.
“It’s very slippery.” I giggled when his head fell back, and I experimentally cupped his heavy balls in my palm. What had been gentle shudders quickly turned to dangerous quakes as I massaged the lightly furred orbs. “It’s so hot down here…” I leaned over and blew on him, only to be stopped when he gasped and dropped to his knees, pushing me onto my back.
“I never got to pay you back for before.” His hands traveled along my curves, only to be followed by his mouth. Gripping me in careful hands, he pushed my breasts together and slid both of my nipples into his awaiting mouth. I bowed under his ministrations, his mouth working over my sensitive tits while a rough hand made its way toward the curls shielding my virginity.
“Don’t…don’t touch me there,” I whimpered, embarrassment making me timid even while a fire blazed its way through my stomach. His wonderfully intense eyes met mine while he continued to suckle, and I found myself missing the mismatched coloring for all of two seconds before he found the throbbing bud of my desire with the pad of his finger.
My already arched back lifted high, and my hips rocked and begged him to slide into my slippery wet opening. “Give it to me, mate. Please, I can’t wait.”
My words affected him greatly, and I could see the way his rod twitched violently, aching as much as I was. His eyes flashed from black to silver and back again while I watched, and he gritted his teeth.
Slowly, I realized what he was doing. Still, he was holding the beast at bay.
His finger slid inside of me, and I gasped at the urgent sensation that moved my hips on their own accord. I whimpered and pleaded, but he continued to love me slowly, carefully.
Frustration mounted low in my belly and took the form of a threshold of pleasure I couldn’t cross over. After what seemed like ages of torment, my mate slid another finger inside of me, his thumb still caressing the sensitive pearl between my thighs. I bucked helplessly, trying to make him give me more, but his control held. Need had me sobbing with pleasure even as my muscles bunched and tensed trying to help me over. “Aldrich, please. Give me all of it. All of you.”
He shook his head, and I growled, reaching between us and taking his shaft in hand. The meat pulsed wildly, and he pumped his hips a few times, but I refused to let go. Pulling away from his magic hands, I rolled onto my belly in front of him, propped up on one elbow. “This,” I whispered huskily. “This is what I want.
A steady ooze of his sweet nectar was sliding down onto my knuckles, and I ducked my head to lap it up. He tasted salty and sweet, and even though I wasn’t sure if it was proper, I wanted more. I sucked his head into my mouth and moaned around the hard skin. Still eager to taste, my tongue slid over the underside of him even as I moved up and down, trying to work him into my throat.
“Liebling, stop.” He groaned when my hand reached up to grab his heavy sack again. “Liebling, you don’t understand.”
I could feel the fear coming off him in waves and pulled back to look him in the eyes. “You don’t have to hold it back, Aldrich. You never did. I’m not afraid of your Beast. I’ve known him for as long as I’ve known you, and I know he would never hurt me. Let him loose, mate, let him free. You’ve been gentle enough. I don’t mind if you like it rough too.”
He closed his eyes and shuddered hard, pulling away from me so quickly the grass under him squished in protest. When I managed to right myself, he was crouched inches from my face. A wicked grin spread across his face, and he watched me from milky silver eyes. “Beautiful,” he murmured and reached out, winding his hands through my hair. “Have you ever been fucked before, my Roux?” His grin grew wider with my eyes, and he moved around me, flipping my body over with one hand so that I was on my back.
My heart skittered against my rib cage, and I all but swallowed my tongue. He was so strong, and I flinched at the casual way he moved me. “I’m a virgin.”
“Good. I should be your first and only lover.” Aldrich smiled again and spread my legs. “Such a wet little slit. I could just drink you up.” Before I could respond, he bent down, lifted me up by my thighs, and settled them onto his shoulders.
“Aldrich!’ I cried out his name, wrapping my legs around his neck and winding my fingers in his hair in case he dropped me.
His laugh filled the clearing as he moved to cup my butt in his palms. “I’ve wanted to know what you taste like down here since the first time I smelled you.” He took a whiff, and I blushed as he held me to his mouth. The moment his tongue touched me, I cried out and he chuckled, sending vibrations through my already pounding body. He rubbed his lips and tongue over my puffy folds, sucking me into his mouth and flicking his tongue lightly.
I moaned low in my throat, and he pressed me harder against his lips, sliding his tongue up and down playfully as I writhed against his face. He pulled away and my hips wiggled of their own accord, begging him to come back. “Tell me what you want.” His gruff voice bathed me with heat even as I shook my head. “Say it or I’ll stop.” He blew against my body.
“I want it.” I whispered it shamefully, bent over to hide my face in his hair.
“No, Roux. Say it for real. You know what I want, give it to me.” He dipped his nose against me, butting my overloaded button. “This is your clit. Tell me you want me to put it in my mouth.”
I flushed, my body burning eagerly even as I fought my own arousal. “Look, you’re dripping wet. Just tell me, baby. Tell me what you want, and I’ll do it, but you have to ask properly.”
This was Aldrich. I reminded myself of that over and over even as he teased me with his breath. I search
ed my mind for the dirty words I knew he’d like and swallowed. “I…I want you inside of me, mate.”
Aldrich smiled, and I saw his thoughts turn in his head. He pulled me away from his mouth, only to sink his teeth into my inner thigh. "Such a tasty little morsel."
The squeak I let out was half because of what he said. The other half was because I knew the pressure from his mouth on my delicate skin should have hurt. Instead, it felt deliciously hot, skimming the border between pain and pleasure.
Those silver eyes sparkled with mischief even as they softened. He ran his tongue over the stinging flesh his bite left, immediately cooling it. "I'll have to remember to take care with my delicate little Roux, won't I?"
I huffed out a breath, not wanting to admit my own fragility. Before I could speak, he pressed his teeth against me again, much softer this time. Pleasure shot through my body like an arrow, and his mouth moved higher. He found the hub of nerves which was the cherry on top of my arousal.
My breaths came out in jerky pants as I got closer and closer to falling over the edge of oblivion. I rocked my hips against his mouth, pleasure expanding inside of me like a living, feeding thing. It ate up my ability to form thoughts or words, so when he pulled away, I couldn't articulate my frustration. "Nnngh!"
I angrily wiggled on his shoulders, and he kissed my center when he shrugged. The mark at my shoulder burned when he lifted my body and slid me downward. It took me a moment to realize that it was glowing in time with my rapid heartbeat.
“Get ready for me,” he groaned and positioned his tip against the warm, puffy folds. He slicked himself, stroking and moving until I was so sensitive I felt his shaft pulse against me. A strangled cry slid out of my throat when he sheathed himself in one thrust, filling me up so completely I was afraid I would burst. There was a deep, almost painful pressure, which caused me to gasp; a discomfort quickly diminished when he began to thrust hard. He pounded into me, holding my shoulders even as he bounced me in his lap. I wrapped my arms around his back and moved with him, pressing my mouth to his neck.
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