Anny studied him for the longest time. His cock jerked and he bit back a groan. Probably not the smartest time to be bringing this up, but he wanted this, he wanted Anny bound to him for all time.
She was too precious to him. He wanted to give her everything he was.
The pulse in her neck fluttered wildly. Her breathing escalated. He was almost at the point of recanting, of swallowing his disappointment, when she gave a quick jerking nod.
“I trust you.” She was pale but looked determined.
Her bravery almost overwhelmed him. He kissed her as gently as possible, which in the hyper-aroused state he was in wasn’t anywhere near as gentle as he’d like. He tangled his tongue with hers, worshipping her mouth. He tasted her, stole her breath and gave her his.
Anny had given him her love and trust. Now she was giving him a future.
Chapter Twenty-One
Anny tried to hide her nervousness and knew she was doing a terrible job of it. Armand was a wolf, he could smell her fear. He was going to claim her, marry her in the way of his people. Her people now too, she supposed.
It was sudden and scary. Only a short time ago, she’d thought they were through now that the danger to her was over. Instead, here she was agreeing to allow him to bite her, to claim her for all time.
Was she out of her ever-loving mind?
Even as she questioned her sanity, he kissed her and all her doubts melted away beneath the onslaught of his passion. She’d told him she trusted him and she did. More than she’d ever trusted anyone in her entire life.
It was both scary and exhilarating.
She could allow her past and her fears to hold her back, to deny her happiness. Or she could take the chance and grab on to the uncertain future with both hands. She was through with being a coward, with holding back. She wanted it all. She wanted a life with Armand with all its problems and up and downs. He was worth the risk. What they could have together was worth the risk.
He molded their lips and bodies together until there wasn’t enough space between them for a draft of air to seep through. His tongue rubbed against her, her turgid nipples poked his chest and his cock pulsed deep inside her. He surrounded her, filled her.
And still she wanted more.
Her wolf wanted this claiming and so did she. He was offering her everything she’d ever wanted—a place to belong and someone to belong to. He hadn’t said he loved her, not in words, but for some reason that didn’t bother her. His actions spoke more than words ever could. The man had killed, had risked his life to protect her. That was worth everything.
Still, she hoped someday he might be able to say the words to her. For now, this was enough.
The kiss ended and they stared at each other for what seemed like forever. He lifted her off his lap. She moaned when his cock slid from her. She felt empty, somehow less without him.
Anny was so confused. She didn’t understand the myriad emotions coursing through her. She loved Armand, but she was frightened of the intensity of her feelings. In some part of her mind, she knew the physical need she had to touch him, to have his skin in contract with hers was brought on by the wolf side of her.
Wolves were affectionate with one another, touching constantly. She’d noted that in the time she spent with Armand and his friends. They’d thump one another on the back or touch a shoulder as they walked by. She’d even seen Cole and Gator touch foreheads one afternoon when she’d glanced out the window, and it hadn’t seemed strange at all, but natural.
And Armand was always touching her, and not always in a sexual way. Little things like rubbing his hand up and down her spine or running his fingers through her hair. He often held her hand or reached out to her in some way when they talked.
She understood now there was a primal need to be in contact with other wolves. But understanding didn’t make this new dependence any easier to deal with.
“What’s wrong?” he asked. They were kneeling on the bed, facing one another. A lock of his black hair draped across the left side of his face, partially blocking his scars from view. His eyes smoldered with passion, but he sat calmly, waiting for her to answer. He placed a hand on her knee and squeezed softly.
Anny knew she was lost. As much as it scared her to be so dependent on anyone, to give them such power over her, she knew she could not walk away from Armand. She loved him and nothing would change that. Better she learn to deal with the new reality she found herself in.
And, really, it wouldn’t be so bad. Not with Armand by her side.
She shook her head. “Nothing.”
“Anny.” He frowned and his forehead furrowed. She knew he didn’t believe her.
“Nothing I want to talk about right now,” she clarified. She placed a hand over his heart, absorbing the heavy beat through her palm. “Later, but not now.”
He lifted her hand and placed a kiss in the center. “All right, chère. Not now, but later.”
Armand released her hand and ran his fingers over her face as though memorizing every feature. “You are so beautiful.” There was no doubting the sincerity of his words. She knew she was pretty in her own way, but beautiful was stretching it. Still, she believed he thought she was and that was more than enough for her.
“I love the wonder I see in your blue eyes. How they darken when you are aroused.” He kissed her forehead. “Right now, they are very dark.”
Her nipples tightened and her breasts ached so much she wanted to cup them with her own hands. Her pussy throbbed, needing his cock back inside her to ease the growing emptiness within her.
But Armand wasn’t through cataloguing her facial features yet. “Your skin is so soft. He feathered his fingers over it. “Your cheekbones high, your nose small and straight.” He brushed his thumb across her lower lip. “I adore your mouth. Your lips are full and inviting. Do you have any idea what it does to me to see that lush mouth wrapped around my cock?”
He shuddered and so did she. Her tongue darted out to lick her lips and Armand groaned. Liquid seeped from the tip of his cock, and she reached for his erection.
He caught her hand and shook his head. “Not now.” Armand gripped her by the waist and started to turn her. “On your hands and knees. It’s time.”
The sheets were cool beneath her as she placed her palms shoulder-width apart on the mattress. Her knees were hip-width apart.
He traced one finger down the length of her spine and she arched into his touch. His large hands covered the globes of her behind, squeezing and caressing.
Anny took a deep breath. She could smell Armand, the soap he’d used in the tub and underneath it was the scent of hard, hot male. She could also smell her own arousal and it sent a blast of heat rocketing through her.
Armand caressed the crevice between her butt cheeks and kept going until he was touching her pussy. “So warm, so wet you are.” There was wonder in his voice. “And it’s all for me, isn’t it, chère?”
She could deny this man nothing. “Yes.”
She felt the mattress depress behind her. Then the warmth of his breath just before he licked the slick folds of her pussy. She cried out and spread her legs wider to give him better access. He growled, a primal sound that ratcheted up her arousal to an even higher pitch.
Armand teased her clit, rubbing the nub with the tip of one finger. Anny circled her hips, trying to get what she needed. He gave her enough stimulation to put her on edge, but not enough to push her over.
“That’s it,” he crooned. He eased one thick finger into her slick channel and then added a second. “You’re so fucking hot.” His voice was deeper, more guttural.
“Armand.” She wanted him inside her. Now. “Do it,” she ordered.
He growled again, removed his hands and knelt behind her. The broad head of his cock nudged her opening and then pushed inside. He caught her hips in his hands, holding her immobile.
Just when she thought she was going to scream with frustration, he thrust hard, burying himself to the hilt so
his balls rested against her pussy. Her inner muscles stretched to accommodate his length and girth. From this angle, he felt bigger, more powerful.
He slid his hands up her sides and around to the front to cup her breasts.
Anny moaned and bucked when he lightly pinched her nipples. They were so sensitive it hurt, but in a good way.
He covered her with his much larger form, and she froze when she felt his hot breath on the back of her neck.
“It’s okay. You’re safe,” he murmured. He grazed the sharp edges of his teeth across her nape. Shivers raced down her spine. But it wasn’t fear she was feeling, not anymore.
She ached for Armand. “Finish it.”
“Tell me you want me,” he demanded.
Anny sucked in a breath and moaned when his cock flexed inside her. “I want you.” She was sweating now, her entire body burning up with desire. Inside her, her wolf was frantic, wanting the mating as much as she did.
“Ask me to claim you.”
Anny was panting heavily. He tweaked her nipples and she cried out.
“Ask me, Anny.” The heat from his big body surrounded her and tension rose around him. She knew he wouldn’t finish this unless he knew she was sure it was what she wanted. Even now, he was putting her first.
Love burst within her, the sensation so painful she sucked in a breath. “Claim me. Do it.”
Armand kissed her nape and then struck fast and hard, sinking his teeth into the delicate skin. But he didn’t go deep. She cried out with surprise and then with desire. Her wolf howled inside her, accepting Armand’s claim.
He flexed his hips, fucking her hard and fast, keeping his thrusts short and intense. She loved the slick glide of his cock as it forged in and out. The heavy slap of his balls against her pussy.
Anny met him stroke for stroke, pushing her butt back against him every time he powered forward. He growled and slid one of his hands from her breasts, down her stomach and delved between her thighs.
He touched her clit and her orgasm exploded within her. Her pussy clenched hard around his cock, squeezing it tight. Armand withdrew his teeth and lapped at the small wound in her neck. Anny cried out as spasms of pleasure rocked her.
Armand’s hand tightened over her breast and he roared her name as he came. The hot flood of his seed filled her. She cried out again, overcome by another orgasm. Or was it the same one? It was impossible to tell. Her body was not her own. She was lost to the sensual experience and Armand.
His cock seemed to swell at the base, and she knew he was locked inside her. Her hands gave out and her upper body collapsed to the bed. Armand rolled to the side, still buried deep inside her. He wrapped his arms around her and held her. Shivers wracked her body, but through it all he was there, murmuring to her, stroking her breasts, her stomach and between her legs. She found it both arousing and comforting.
Anny had no idea how much time had lapsed, nor did she care. For the first time in her life, she felt whole, complete. Her wolf stretched inside her, the hussy pleased with herself. The wolf had gotten its mate and that was all it cared about.
But Anny needed more. She needed this, the caring, the quiet time of connection that came when the passion cooled.
Armand finally softened enough to slide his cock from her. She closed her eyes and swallowed back tears, suddenly feeling very emotional.
He turned her onto her back and smiled down at her. “You’re mine now. And I’m yours. Forever.”
In spite of her best effort to control it, a single tear slipped from the corner of her eye and slid down her temple. Armand caught it with his finger and brought it to his lips. “I want all of you in good times and bad.”
His words were a vow as binding as any marriage vow. More binding.
She felt different. The sense of aloneness that had plagued her throughout her life was gone. Vanished.
She was under no illusions that life with Armand would be easy. He was as demanding as any alpha. All the men were. It was a wonder they all got along as well as they did. She knew they would argue from time to time. Armand was so protective of her it was inevitable. But the connection between them was solid bedrock on which to build their relationship.
Armand pulled her close. “Rest for a bit. You’ve been through a lot today.”
Secure and content in his arms, Anny closed her eyes and relaxed.
Armand watched his mate sleep. Her expressive eyes were closed, her lush lips partly opened. Her nostrils flared slightly as she breathed deep. Her hair was tangled and he smoothed it as best he could across the pillows.
His mate. He savored the words and what they meant. Anny belonged to him now, had given herself freely. Maybe he should have waited until she was over the trauma of being attacked yet again. But he didn’t want to risk losing her.
She snuggled closer and he pulled her more securely into the curve of his larger body. She fit perfectly, as though she’d been made for him. And she had been. The chance of him finding his true mate was one in a million. Over the past generations, true matings had grown fewer and fewer. Yet here he was with Anny, and Jacque had Gwen.
The Louisiana pack was wrong to keep to themselves. Too many years of breeding among the same families and never looking outside had led to the problems they now faced. He believed that finding your true mate made a difference to the man and the wolf. How different might his life have been if his parents had been truly meant to be together?
Anny stirred and he left all thoughts of the past behind him. He could not change it, so it did no good to dwell on it. But the future looked much brighter.
Her eyelids fluttered open and she gave him a sleepy smile. “Hey.”
He pushed aside a stray lock of hair and kissed her forehead. “Hey, yourself.” Anny had given him the greatest gift he would ever receive. She’d given him her body, her love and the promise of a future. She’d given him hope.
“How are you feeling?” He’d worried how she might feel about him marking her with his bite. He’d been as gentle as he could be, barely breaking the skin. There was just enough of a scar to ensure she would wear his mark, and a mating mark never faded. No one quite knew why most scars faded over time but a mating mark didn’t. It was one of the many mysteries of his species.
Anny stretched beneath the covers and released a groan. “Good. I feel surprisingly good, all things considered.”
“I want to see your wolf.” Not what he’d meant to say. He’d meant to reassure her, to comfort and cuddle her, not demand she shift.
Anny sat up in bed, keeping the sheet pulled up over her breasts. He didn’t want her to hide her body from him and pulled at the covering. They played tug of war with the sheet until she finally lost her end. The fabric slid away, exposing her breasts to his view. Her nipples were erect and puckered, more reddish in color than their usual pink.
He growled and reached for her, but she pulled back. He froze. Had he frightened her?
She licked her lips. “We can either make love again or I can shift and show you my wolf. I don’t think I have the energy to do both.” Her stomach chose that moment to growl.
He was an idiot. “Forgive me.” He touched her cheek with the pads of his fingers, unable to keep himself from touching her. “After shifting to your wolf and going through the claiming you must be famished.” Wolf metabolism ran much hotter and faster than humans and shifting expended a huge amount of energy.
“I’m hungry a lot more now. Is that normal?” He could see the concern in her eyes and wanted to kick himself. There was so much she didn’t know, so much she’d simply accepted. Once again, he was in awe of her bravery. She’d accepted him without truly understanding her new life.
“That is normal. We’ll eat three big meals a day and snack in between. Our metabolism runs faster than a human’s. And shifting burns a huge amount of energy. You’ll need to replenish your reserves often.”
She smiled and the radiance of it almost blinded him. “Cool.” Then she laughed. “No
more having to count calories for me.”
Her laughter was contagious and he found himself chuckling. “No, that won’t be a worry from now on.”
She rubbed the back of her neck. “I can feel the scar there. Will it fade?”
He shook his head. “No. The mating scar doesn’t fade. You are mine now, and I will take good care of you.”
She cocked her head to one side, studying him intently. “No. We will take care of each other.”
He reached for her, but she slid out of reach and climbed out of bed. Naked, she faced him proudly. “You wanted to see my wolf.”
“More than anything.” He’d had a brief glimpse, but there hadn’t been enough time to truly enjoy it.
She closed her eyes and reached her hands upward, almost as though in prayer or supplication. Then she began to fall forward. The shift was fast for someone who wasn’t used to doing it. Fur coated her skin, her skull reshaped and her jawline lengthened. Soon her familiar features were gone, replaced by a long jaw and snout. But the blue eyes that stared back at him were the same.
He climbed out of bed and went to her. She poked her nose into his groin and nuzzled him, making him laugh. “You should know better than to tease the big bad wolf.”
She snorted, obviously not the least bit impressed.
He dug his hands into her thick brown pelt. “You are gorgeous. Perfect.” She arched her back slightly, as though preening. Then she turned her head from side-to-side trying to see herself.
“Go to the bathroom and have a look.”
Anny padded into the attached bathroom and jumped up, placing her front paws on the vanity so she could see her face in the mirror. She turned her head one way and then another.
He went to stand behind her and scratched behind her ears. She closed her eyes and leaned back against him, enjoying his touch, trusting him.
“Do you want to go for a run?” He wanted to shift into his wolf and race through the woods with her by his side. He wanted to share his world with her.
She gave a happy yip and dropped back to the floor. He followed and opened the bedroom door. The house was empty, but he knew the rest of his family was outside, patrolling, keeping them safe.
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