Sasha blinked, still feeling dazed, as if he was watching everything from a distance. He could see what was going on, he could feel and he could hear everything around him, but he wasn't really there.
A warm hand touched his shoulder, sending heat through his blood. It was the jolt he needed to free himself of the stupor he was caught in. He turned slowly, met by Kita's worried eyes. She was on the brink of tears. He could see the moisture glistening in her gaze.
Kita looked at Sasha. At first his gold eyes were dull with fatigue, but the moment he saw her they began to glimmer with renewed life. She opened her mouth to speak, but words never came. Impulsively she threw her arms around his neck, nearly knocking him over as she threw herself into him. Her mouth found his and she pressed her lips against him, never wanting to let go.
His arms circled her waist and he pulled her in tightly to him, matching her kiss with an intensity that would deny any pain that he was feeling or any blood that he was losing. His tongue tenderly caressed hers, relishing the warmth of her mouth. He slid his hand up her back, tangling his fingers in her soft tresses as he crushed her to him. God, how he wished he could claim her right here and now and make her his forever.
Out of breath, he withdrew from her, smiling as he looked down at her. The tears were still in her eyes and reflexively she clenched his neck harder, preventing him from pulling away any further.
He whispered against her, “Kita, my pretty baby, please don't cry."
She looked up at him, and her lips quivered, “you were almost killed.” She rasped as her throat swelled, “I almost lost you."
He chuckled, stroking her hair lovingly, “I was almost killed ... almost—that's the key word.” He kissed her forehead, “but I'm alive and holding you, alive and kissing you, alive and loving you.” He smiled and rested his forehead against hers, “and you'll never lose me, Kita ... ever."
A tear spilled over her cheek.
Sasha pulled her closer to him, pressing his lips firmly against hers. She was warm and sweet in his embrace. His tongue slid along her bottom lip, slowly gliding deeper and deeper until he was inside of her mouth, exploring, tasting, and touching her.
He clutched her closer to him. Much had been sacrificed for this woman, the woman he loved, and he was going to keep her at any cost. The mere idea that his thoughts brought with them made him sink deeper into her kiss. He seized her wet hair in his fist, keeping her from pulling away. He wanted her now. He had been without her for so long, had been haunted by her for so many days, that now he needed her more than anything.
The rain was cold, but with the heat he was feeling in his blood he hardly felt it. He slid his free hand down her waist, slipping it around until he was able to cup her small round bottom in his palm. He squeezed, pressing her tighter against him.
She gasped against his mouth, moaning softly as raindrops flecked her flushed cheeks. She could feel his erection in his jeans, pushing against the denim as it grazed the fabric on the front of her dress. Thunder growled from the clouds and she shivered, trembling in his arms as the rain washed over her bare shoulders.
Sasha squeezed his arms in tighter around her. She tasted like honey on his tongue, sweet and thick and moist. He felt her shiver against him, and while part of him wanted to pursue the fulfillment of his lust and warm her with his body heat the other part of him, the protector, knew better. He pulled away from her with his mouth but kept his arms securely around her waist.
He looked down at her, captivated by her beauty. Drops of water fell from her black lashes like a liquid veil in front of her blue eyes, spilling across her soft pink cheeks and over her red lips. She shook ever so slightly against him as the rain kept falling on her shoulders. He leaned down to kiss a raindrop that had fallen on her collarbone. Her skin was cool against his warm lips.
"It's too cold out here for you, pretty baby,” he said, bringing his palms up to cup her face as he thumbed the tears from her cheeks. “We'll finish where we started later tonight, after we're mated."
Her eyes widened, “Later tonight, so soon?” She groaned inwardly, the words came out a bit awkward, maybe even desperate.
He chuckled and stepped back, “Yes ... I've been patient long enough. I've chased you, I've protected you, and now I've fought for you.” He smiled tenderly, “and now I'm going to make you mine, forever."
She shook her head, unable to keep her own smile from parting her lips, “Sasha, you're such a typical Alpha. You always have to get what you want."
He winked and his eyes shifted to gaze around the meadow. She followed his gaze, gasping softly in surprise. Sasha's pack mates had encircled them. She recognized many of them, and it was more than just the Beta's that were here. Even the women had come.
CHAPTER 19
Kita looked at her image in the mirror, shifting nervously as the auburn haired woman beside her made adjustments. She looked over, biting her lip apprehensively as warm brown eyes twinkled back at her.
"This isn't the only thing I'll be wearing, right?” she asked nervously as her hands slid across the bare skin on her stomach. She was no longer wearing her black dress, but was now wearing what Sasha's pack mate, Cleo, had referred to as mating stripes.
Cleo stuck her tongue in her cheek to keep from laughing. She smiled, “sorry, honey, that's it right there."
Kita's jaw dropped. She couldn't imagine being seen by the entire pack wearing just her “mating stripes."
She knew why they were called that, too. It looked like stripes ... literally. This snaking two inch wide strip of white furred cloth was the only thing covering her femininity. It made her more than a little uncomfortable. The leather strip was tied around her chest, scarcely covering her nipples as it shoved her breast together almost painfully. It was then wrapped around the top of each arm at the shoulder to keep it from falling down. From there it was wound around her back and stomach, leaving slips of skin fully visible between the pieces. At the base, just at her hips, the strap became attached to a scandalously short skirt that she was wearing. The skirt wasn't so bad. It covered more than a simple strap would, at least.
She reached down, smoothing out the soft ivory fur over her bottom just to make sure that her backside was covered. She sighed in relief. At least her bottom half was hidden from view of the rest of the pack.
"Don't be so nervous,” Cleo chirped optimistically. “At least you'll have the robe on for awhile."
Kita scowled, “but once the mating ceremony begins it'll come off."
Cleo's soft chuckling was interrupted by a knock on the door. She left to answer it, peeking into the hallway for the briefest of moments. She ducked back into the room, and her eyes glistened with excitement.
"Are you ready?"
Kita's eyes flashed wide for an instant. She drew in a deep breath, “do I have a choice?"
Cleo shook her head, “nope."
Kita turned, throwing the long robe on as she followed the other woman through the house. The robe was hot and sticky against her skin, clinging to her as if it were molded to her body. Absently she fanned her face with her hand. She didn't know if it was the robe or her nerves that were making her so sickly warm.
Together she and Cleo stepped out into the cool night air. The smell of rain and the distant growl of thunderclouds from the heavens were ominous of another storm. Kita inhaled a long slow breath. It was dark out, but somewhere in the black sky she could feel the clouds and the rain. Her gaze shifted from the sky to the air around her.
The darkness was interrupted by a blazing fire that had been built in the yard, commanding attention as it spit streaks of angry orange and red into the sky. The gray of the smoke disappeared into the blackness overhead, vanishing amidst the starless night and the awaiting storm clouds. Kita's eyes shifted, looking beyond the blaze. Surrounding the fire was the members of Sasha's pack, all standing silently in a large semi-circle as they had turned their eyes on her. She shifted uneasily. Out of the corner of her eye she saw movem
ent behind the blaze, and she looked towards it. Her heart rate sped up and she swallowed, feeling her throat tighten with excitement. Sasha smiled as he approached her.
He stood in front of her, letting her feel the heat of his body before her. He was warm, kissed with the heat of the flames that were now to his back. Kita's breath slipped from her lips in slow appreciation. He was shirtless, and his bronze skin was glistening with drops of perspiration. She followed a trickle of sweat with her eyes as it slid down his abdomen, rising and falling over the ridges of his defined muscles. The moisture ended at his jeans, and she frowned.
"Why do you get to wear jeans and I have to wear these, these, mating stripes?” She whispered almost inaudibly.
He licked his lips and smirked mischievously, “Because,” his warm hands brushed her shoulders, his fingertips lighting her skin with an unexpected quiver as he removed the robe from her shoulders. He handed the robe to Cleo, who was standing just behind her, and he stepped back to admire her, “I don't think I would look anywhere near as good as you do in mating stripes."
She sighed, feeling her heartbeat pump faster as he took her hand in his. She was now exposed without the robe, but as Sasha led her around the fire it was the last thing on her mind. She was nervous, there was no denying it. She was about to be forever tied to this one man, and once he had bitten her there was no going back. She would be his one and only mate for life, and even in death, they would be tied. She swallowed, hard. She had never trusted an Alpha, but Sasha was different. He had fought for her. He had risked everything he had for her.
He sat her down on a large log that had been set before the fire, and she looked up at him before he could draw away. In that instant their gazes locked, and she saw an image amidst a swirl of amber and fire. She saw herself, sitting before a large black wolf—Sasha. He licked her skin, softly, tenderly, lovingly. His lips curled upward in a snarl, and his jaw wrapped around her shoulder. Kita's heart lurched for a split second. She gasped, but then the vision slipped away as warm lips brushed hers in a tender kiss. She blinked, watching numbly as Sasha stepped away from her.
She watched as if in a trance, seeing him circling the fire slowly until he disappeared behind the wall of flames. A black shadow emerged, and her blood raced in anticipation. Sasha had transformed into his pelt, a big, beautiful black wolf with haunting golden eyes. He approached her calmly, and a smile of remembrance slipped over her lips. He looked like the day she had first seen him, like a shadow come to life with unmatched confidence and assuredness.
Her heart was pounding as he stopped before her, and suddenly he seemed larger than life. He licked her exposed shoulder, tenderly, softly, the same as he had in the dream of his eyes. His mouth opened as his teeth surrounded her flesh. She trembled, feeling her stomach quake as her nerves fluttered with anticipation. She closed her eyes. Pain surged through her as his teeth sank into her shoulder, and then, like a jolt of electricity, it was gone. Pain was washed away as warmth sank into her muscles, her nerves, and her heart—every fiber of her being. Everything seemed so full, so complete in this instant. She blinked, feeling dizzy and numb. For a moment everything seemed to spin and the log on which she sat felt like it was rolling away from her. She gasped, clinging to the body against her. Her fingers grazed hot skin and she tried to focus.
Sasha held her against him. Kita was reeling, feeling the effects of the bite as her body adjusted to his claim. She leaned into his arms, grateful that he was back in his human form already where he could hold her and make her feel safe. Everything was a blur as Sasha's thumb brushed her cheek. She saw Kiser approach, the light from the fire casting an orange glow across his body. He bowed slightly to his Alpha, and then turned to bestow a bow in her direction as well before he turned to the rest of the pack. There was motion, too much for her to focus on with her head still spinning. In the next instant a rush of wolves raced past, howling and chorusing into the night air as droplets of water began to fall down softly.
For a long while they sat together, listening to the howling as it distanced into the darkness. The rain began to fall gradually harder, darting onto the fire as the blaze hissed and sizzled in protest. Kita looked at her shoulder, feeling her mind becoming clearer now. The werewolf blood that raced through her veins made her a fast healer, and already the blood that Sasha had brought to the surface with his bite had stopped its flow.
"The pack will honor us with a hunt that could take hours,” Sasha whispered against her as a slow wicked smile crossed his lips. “That means I have plenty of time alone to enjoy my mate."
Kita licked her lips and looked up at him. His eyes were full of hunger and warmth, desire just for her. She raised her eyebrows and slowly stood to her feet. For a moment she felt like she would fall over as a last trace of dizziness swept over her, but she regained her balance quickly.
"If you can catch me, Alpha, I'm all yours.” She giggled as she darted towards the house, knowing that she'd never outrun him.
For months she had tried to get away from him, not knowing how much she needed him, but now, if there was one thing she knew, it was that he would never let her get away from him. She screeched as he caught her in the doorway, swinging her towards him as his lips fell on hers. She felt a strong arm reach around her bottom, and in the next instant she was lifted from the ground. She tightened her hold around his neck, still chuckling against his lips as he set her down on a thick fur rug.
His golden eyes were deep and wild with his need for her as he spoke, and suppressed laughter clung to his words, “my pretty baby, always running from me..."
She smiled playfully and kissed his lips, “I don't get very far though, do I?"
He groaned, sliding his hand up her leg to her thigh, “and you never will. I love you, Kita. No matter where you go, no matter how far you run, I'll follow, and I'll catch you."
She arched her hips, feeling his fingers as they brushed the sensitive mound between her legs, “I love you too.” Her breath caught for a moment as he put pressure on the rise of her womanhood, “but you're such an Alpha, Sash, always have to get what you want.” She blushed, knowing that her words had come out broken and nearly moaned as he gently rubbed and massaged her with his kneading fingers.
He hovered over her for a moment, grabbing the leather strap that covered her in his hands. “Right now, Kita, all I want is you...” The strap snapped apart in his grasp.
Kita opened her mouth to protest, but her words were lost in her lungs as his mouth found her breasts. He kissed each one, licking and sucking as if he meant to remember how every inch of her tasted. He caught her eager nipples in his teeth, gently tugging as he gave them tender love bites that left them swollen and hard with excitement. She moaned and writhed beneath him as his kisses drew lower, covering her abdomen. All the while he never ceased fondling between her legs, pressing his long fingers into her wet welcoming opening as she panted against him.
His mouth drew over her, and she could feel the heat of his breath against her as he removed his fingers. She cried out in pleasure as he tongue swept over her womanhood, darting in and out of her until she was clenching the furred rug beneath her for dear life. He tasted her, devouring her greedily as he kissed and pleasured her, tickling her inside with his probing tongue. She rocked her hips, one minute trying to escape his slow torment, the next begging him not to stop.
Sasha groaned, finally pulling away from her to draw back up to kiss her lips. His tongue caressed her lips, slowly gliding closer until his mouth was sealed against hers.
Kita reached down, sliding her hand down his abdomen until she felt the tip of his shaft against her fingertips. Drops of stickiness met her touch and she grasped the length of his shaft, wrapping her palm around him. Slowly she dropped her hand, rubbing him gently until he was thrusting against her hand. He rasped against her, grabbing a fistful of her hair in his hand.
Kita felt the pull behind her head, and her eyes lifted to see Sasha staring down at her. His eyes wer
e feral with need, his lips slightly parted as raspy breaths left them. She swallowed, feeling her own panting breath as her breasts rose and fell in her excitement. She moved her hand from his erection, wrapping her arms around his shoulders as he dove into her, filling her with his size. She felt the air escape her lungs in a sigh of pleasure, and as he began to plunge in and out of her she wrapped her legs around his hips, taking everything he had to give her.
Sasha nipped her shoulder. He had waited so long to have her in his arms again, had waited so long to have her in his bed again that he wanted it to be perfect. He was losing his control though. He wanted it to last forever, but as he took her, felt her warmth and wetness milking him, he knew that it wouldn't. He thrust harder against her, gritting his teeth just to keep what was left of his resolve.
Kita cried out beneath him, tensing against his thrusting as wave after wave of pleasure washed over her, gripping her muscles until every part of her was quivering with the ecstasy of relief. Sasha felt her pulsing warmth against his shaft, and it was all it took to tear that last little hold of restraint from his loins. He kissed her throat, diving into her one last time as he released his need into her, filling her with his essence.
Together they lay on the floor, panting in each others arms. Sasha kissed Kita's shoulder, silently apologizing for the wound that he had given her. She rolled her head to look dreamily at him and he kissed her lips.
Kita smiled contentedly. “I think I'm going to enjoy having you as a mate, Alpha.” She chuckled absently, “if you keep making love to me like that I'll never run from you again."
Sasha raised his brows thoughtfully as he thumbed the metal under his jaw. He smirked mischievously and grabbed her hips, pulling her in tightly to him. He listened to the rain outside, and when rain was all he heard he ran his tongue across his lips and looked suggestively at Kita.
Sweet Submission Page 18