“Not about this.” She lowered her gaze so that he couldn’t spot the happiness that was surging through her before she was ready for him to. “I’m talking about the bond. You never had any intention of breaking it, did you?”
She heard him exhale a ragged breath. “Not without one hell of a fight.”
The sensation in her chest was so warm and sweet she was surprised she hadn’t melted, and in an aching voice, she said, “You really do love me, don’t you, Eli?”
He made a hard, thick sound, as if he’d finally realized he had her, and when she looked back up at him, she could actually see the tears in his eyes. God, was there anything more seductive than a badass alpha willing to cry?
Reaching out and yanking her close again, he buried his face in her hair, his body shaking with a visceral wave of emotion. “I love you more than you could ever possibly understand, Rey. And I’ll never regret anything more than letting my old man take you from me for all those years, when we could have been together. Not just the ones while I was gone, but the ones before that, when you belonged with me and I was just too damn scared to do anything about it. I was such a stupid jackass.”
He lifted his head, connecting that bright gaze with hers, and he held her head in his hands as he growled, “I’ve missed you so damn much. It was killing me inside a little each day, not having you in my life. In my arms. Not being able to tell you how much I love you. How deeply I will always love you.”
“Damn it, you are such an ass for making me cry again,” she sniffled through her tears, leaning up on her toes to press her trembling lips to his. He groaned as he quickly deepened the kiss, his arms locking around her, lifting her off her feet as he crushed her against his body.
“God, I need you,” he said in a guttural burst of words, turning and laying her down on the bed, the blueprints crinkling beneath them as he came down over her, putting his face close to hers. “I need you to be mine, to be my wife, Rey, because there isn’t any part of you that I don’t love. I love your strength and your mind and your wicked sense of humor. I even love that you’re a little badass, because it means I can do whatever the hell I want to your beautiful body and you’ll be able to take it.”
She arched against him, rubbing her breasts against his chest as she gripped the hem of his shirt and tried to rip it off him. They struggled for a moment, panting and giving breathless moans of excitement as they tore at each other’s clothes, until they were both blessedly naked, her legs spreading wide for him as he rubbed his heavy erection against her sensitive folds. “Tell me, Eli. What are the things you want to do?”
His eyes scorched as he braced himself on straight arms and looked her over. “Everything,” he said in a dark, velvety rasp that made her shiver. “I want to do every single thing there is to do to you, Rey.”
“I want that, too,” she gasped, lowering her gaze as she reached between them and curled her hand around his impressive length, the plump tip so swollen and succulent it made her mouth water. Did other women think this part of their male was so beautiful? She didn’t know. She only knew that she loved looking at him, tasting him, holding him inside her. Loved the weight and the veined ridges and the sleek skin. Loved how powerful it was and what he could do with it. The intimacy and the trust she felt from him when she held him like this, stroking him with her hand.
Leaning down and pressing his forehead against hers, he groaned, “Christ, you really are trying to kill me.”
“No,” she whispered, lifting up and running her lips across the stubbled edge of his jaw. “But I love making you crazy.”
“You do...I am...and I can’t wait,” he growled, reaching down and positioning himself at her entrance. “I need inside you, Rey.”
“Then get inside me,” she said, smiling up at him as he lifted his head and stared down at her with those smoldering, thick-lashed eyes. “It’s where you belong.”
His expression tightened with lust as he slowly started to thrust, working himself in deeper...and deeper, while his lips parted for his jagged breaths. He seemed even bigger than he’d been before, and it wasn’t easy for him to get inside her, even though she was drenched with need. Then he was there, hitting the end of her, both of them breathing hard and fast, their mouths coming together in a kiss that was raw and wet and deliciously wild. His body started to move in a hard, shattering, devastating rhythm, and as wonderful as it’d been with him before, this was...different. Richer, and more intimate, as if something that had already been the best had somehow become even better, and in that blinding, poignant moment, Carla realized that she no longer wanted to forget their past, because it had taught her the valuable lesson to never take love for granted. To be brave and say what needed to be said.
“Eli?” she whispered against his mouth.
He lifted his head and locked her in his dark gaze, while his body kept thrusting deeply into hers, so thick and hot and hard that she was already completely addicted to the feel of him. “Yeah, baby?”
Clutching his broad, muscular shoulders, she said, “I just wanted to tell you that I love you.”
He froze, lips parted and eyes gleaming, and she felt his cock get even harder...thicker, throbbing inside her. She’d stunned him, but it was clear from the look on his face and the reaction of his body that he’d liked what she’d said. The words had completely wrecked him, and she couldn’t help but smile.
“I do. I’ve loved you forever,” she told him, cupping his gorgeous face in her trembling hands. “I always will. And I should have told you that years ago. But I’ll always say it for as many years as we have to come. I’ll say it until you’re sick of hearing it.”
“That,” he breathed out shakily, “will never happen.”
Tilting her head to the side, she wrapped a hand around the back of his strong neck, and pulled him down to her as she said, “I’m ready, Eli. Show me how much you want me.”
He made a rough sound that was so much more animal than man, and it drove her wild, knowing that she affected him so deeply. Even the most primal, possessive parts of him. He fisted his hand in her hair, holding her head tight, and she shivered when she felt the soft warmth of his breath against her sensitive flesh. He flicked his tongue against the smooth column of her throat, moaning with pleasure at her taste, and then she felt the hot slide of his fangs. He dragged them across her tender skin, teasing her, making her writhe, until she reached down and grabbed his magnificent ass, pulling him even deeper inside her. He shuddered as he gave a raw, guttural growl that was smothered against her throat, then drove his fangs deep, and it was so freaking good that she screamed.
Holding him to her, she opened her heart and soul to the beauty of the emotions that were flooding into her—to the love and tenderness, so protective and everlasting, combined with a greedy hunger that was so fierce and ravenous she could only shiver in rapture—and she wrapped her arms and her legs around him as tightly as she could. She was undone by the beauty of the bond as it built between them, twining their hearts and souls together until they couldn’t ever be torn apart. She could feel his throat working as he swallowed the rich spill of her blood, his body driving into hers with all the raw, primal ferocity of their connection, until they were both gasping and shuddering. And then they were both crashing into a dark, savage pleasure that completely consumed them, and everything in her world went warm and soft and black.
She didn’t know how much time had passed when she finally came back to her senses, but Eli was still inside her, and her lips curved as she blinked her eyes open, finding his gorgeous face right above her.
“There’s that beautiful smile,” he said huskily, nuzzling his nose against hers, and she could feel her smile growing, spreading through every part of her. Pulling his head back, he stared down at her with a breathtaking gaze that was molten with love. “I’ve waited a lifetime to see you look at me this way, Rey.”
“You know, as badly as it hurt, I’d do it all again,” she told him, her own eyes burn
ing with tears.
“Do what?”
Sniffing, she said, “Relive every moment of pain, of anguish, that I’ve gone through. I’d do it all again if it meant we got to this point. Because it was so worth it, Eli. You’re worth it.”
“God, I love you so much,” he groaned. “I love you more each day, woman, and it scares the hell out of me, because I don’t know how to hold it all inside.”
“Don’t. You can trust me with it. I’ll keep it safe, because I’m never letting you go,” she whispered, pulling him down for another tender, soul-searing kiss, the moment so perfect and right she wanted to freeze it in her mind for the rest of eternity.
They’d completed their bond, her man was buried deep in her body, and she was wrapped up tight in his arms.
After all this time, they were both exactly where they were meant to be.
Epilogue
One week later...
Standing on Carla’s front porch, Eli looked out over the twilight-colored Alley, watching the preparations being made for Elise and Wyatt’s wedding, which would take place in two days. His life was more blessed than he could have ever imagined it would be—and he knew, without any doubt, that it was only going to get better. He had his woman, his family, and a new sense of purpose to fill his days...while his nights were for Carla alone. And, God, were they incredible.
Someone called out a greeting to him, and he waved with his free hand, a cold beer in the other, looking forward to the event that had the entire Alley buzzing with excitement. Though the glade had seen its fair share of weddings lately, this one would be different, because it would no longer be just their small group of friends and family. For the first time in history, after the ceremony took place in the Alley, there would be a reception held up in Shadow Peak, since the townspeople had insisted on taking part in the celebration. The social divide between the Alley and Shadow Peak had been all but laid to waste after the war, and those who hadn’t been willing to accept the change and move forward with an open mind had been invited to leave and make their homes elsewhere.
But while they’d lost some members, they’d gained others. After the battle, the Bloodrunners had offered sanctuary to the women and children from the Whiteclaw pack who had wanted a new beginning, and the town, for the most part, had accepted them. Were there still some assholes who would never change or learn? Of course there were. Nothing was ever going to be perfect, because this wasn’t a bloody fairy tale. But things were finally on the right track for the Silvercrest, and he knew the coming years would only see greater changes that brought everyone on the mountain closer together.
Instead of creating hatred, his father’s legacy had accomplished the complete opposite of what he’d wanted, and none of them were happier to see that happen than Eli was.
Once the Whiteclaw had been defeated, Eli had taken Eric and Elise aside one night and confessed about the help he’d given their mother. They’d been angry, just not over what he’d expected. Instead of blaming Eli for what he’d done, they’d been pissed at him for not trusting them with the truth...and for not having the faith in them to understand. It’d been an emotional moment for the three of them, but it’d brought them closer together than they’d been since they were kids, and he’d slept lighter that night for having the burden off his chest.
Then he and Carla had finally gotten the new beginning they deserved, and sleep had been the last thing on Eli’s mind. They’d been holed up in her cabin the entire week, and the bed was pretty much shredded, seeing as how his wolf had definitely wanted to come out and play now that they’d finally claimed their mate.
No matter how wild Eli got with her, she never feared him. If anything, the little hellcat reveled in his absolute need for her, pushing him harder, demanding everything he had to give her, including the parts of himself he hadn’t thought anyone would ever want or accept.
The way Eli saw it, a person could easily go through life living with fear, letting it strangle them. Fear of someone they loved getting hurt. Fear that they weren’t good enough. Of loss. Heartbreak. They could let that fear hobble them—or realize that all it really meant was that they had something worth keeping...worth loving. Someone worth giving the very best parts of themselves and finally letting the fear go. So that’s what he’d done during the battle. And though it’d taken her a bit longer to realize, he could have sworn he’d felt Carla do the same on the day she’d come to him and they’d bonded.
That had been the best damn moment of his life, and he’d be grateful for it, for her, until the day he died.
As if she could sense that he was thinking about her, Carla came out onto the porch with him, snuggling up against his side as they watched the flurry of activity together. They’d offered to pitch in, but everyone had shooed them away, telling them to take some time to simply enjoy their bonding. They’d definitely done as they were told, and Eli was wearing the claw marks on his back to prove it.
And he was sure as hell wearing them with pride.
Of course, in another month, he’d be wearing something else that his mate had given him: a ring on his finger, on the day they had their own wedding there in the Alley. A wedding that his men had insisted on planning the reception for, which made him grin just thinking about it. With that lot, there was no telling what they might cook up. Eli only knew it was sure to be the party of the decade, and he couldn’t wait to experience it with Carla right by his side, where she always belonged.
He was about to ask her if she wanted him to grill some steaks, when Jeremy came over and invited them to dinner with him and Jillian. They accepted the invitation, enjoying the evening they spent with the couple, and then Carla took him home and had her wicked way with him. He’d fallen asleep in her arms, and found himself waking up hours later with a damn grin on his face. At first, he didn’t know what had roused him, and then he realized someone was tapping on the bedroom window.
What the hell?
Rolling out of bed while being careful not to wake her, he raised the blinds and found Lev standing outside in the moonlight. “What’s going on?” Eli asked, after lifting the window.
Lev jerked his chin toward Cian’s cabin. “I thought you might like to know that the Irishman’s running.”
With a scowl, he muttered, “Why should I care if he’s going for a run?”
Shaking his head, the merc said, “He’s packing, Eli. As in leaving.”
“What? You mean...?”
Crossing his arms over his chest, Lev nodded. “That’s exactly what I mean.”
It took Eli only seconds to throw on a pair of jeans and head outside. Lev was nowhere to be seen, leaving him to deal with the situation on his own, and he choked back a curse, thinking he’d have to thank the jackass for that later.
He hadn’t seen how things had worked out on the night of the battle between Cian and Sayre, but it’d become clear to everyone in the Alley that the Runner and the witch were doing everything they could to avoid each other in the days since. Eli had thought that meant the Irishman had finally come to terms with his feelings for the young woman. But he’d apparently been wrong.
Making his way down the porch steps, he walked through the damp blades of grass, toward the Land Rover parked beside Cian’s cabin. The Runner was leaning into the backseat through an open door, and it was clear that the interior of the car had been filled to the brim with the guy’s belongings.
“What the hell are you doing, Hennessey?”
With a cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth, the Irishman turned toward him and frowned. “You’re a clever bloke,” he drawled. “Give it a guess.”
Working his jaw, he said, “All right. Then let me ask you this. Why?”
“I just need a break from things for a bit,” the Runner offered in a bored tone that Eli knew damn well was forced.
“Bullshit,” he grunted, jerking his chin toward the loaded Land Rover. “You’re not packing a bag. That’s damn near everything you own in there.”
Cian leaned back against the open door, and took a sharp pull on his cigarette as he held it between his thumb and forefinger. “All right. I can’t stay here,” he bit out, exhaling the smoke on an angry, frustrated breath.
“Because of Sayre?” When the Irishman’s head jerked back, his silver eyes gleaming, Eli said, “Don’t look so surprised. We’re not blind. We’ve all figured it out.”
“You haven’t figured out shit,” the Runner snarled, curling his upper lip.
“She’s your life mate?”
Cian didn’t respond at first. He took another deep drag on the cigarette, the tip gleaming like a demon’s eye in the moonlit darkness. The silence stretched out, punctuated only by their breaths and the wind whipping through the leaf-draped branches, until he quietly growled, “She’s nothing but a little girl.”
“I call bullshit again.”
Throwing the cigarette butt on the ground, the Runner pushed away from the door. “Damn it, the best thing I can do for her is to get the hell out of her life.”
Eli gave an irritated shake of his head. “You might think that, but I’d be willing to bet that you’re wrong. And you have no idea what you’re setting yourself up for. You’re gonna hurt out there,” he predicted, pointing his finger toward the road that led out of the Alley, “because there’s a big ass difference between screwing around and being with the one woman who matters.”
Cian’s mouth curled in a slow, chilling smile. “Trust me, I know.”
“Then don’t be a jackass! You can’t run from fate, man. Take that from someone who knows. Even when you try to convince yourself that leaving is the right thing to do, it’s nothing but a goddamn lie. And it all comes back to bite you hard in the ass when it finally catches up to you.”
Shifting his turbulent gaze to the interior of the Land Rover, Cian said, “That’s a chance I’ve got to take.”
“You could try taking a chance on her instead,” he argued.
“No. She’s not the problem.”
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