by Kamryn Hart
“You haven’t done this before,” Max said.
Shaking her head, Ava averted her gaze to try and hide the shame there. Max reached up and placed his hands on her cheeks, easing her to look at him again.
“I-it kind of hurts,” she confessed.
“You’re tight. If we ease in little by little, it shouldn’t hurt anymore. You’ll adjust around me. You’re in control.”
Ava nodded. She placed herself over his erection again and focused on what felt good. If she rubbed against him, he brushed that sweet spot at the top of her slit. It made each time she let his shaft bury deeper inside of her less painful. Pleasure and pain, and she was loosening up. Bit by bit. She was taking more of him.
“God,” Max breathed. “You feel so good, Ava.” He was clenching his teeth. His hands were digging into the bed because he was trying to restrain himself from bucking into her. She could feel his impatience growing.
“So do you,” she replied. The pain wasn’t so bad now. Him being buried inside of her no longer seemed like an impossibility. Her fears were gone again, and she was back in the moment. She rolled her hips and sat deeper, deeper. It still hurt some, but she didn’t care. She wanted Max as deep as he would go. The farther she went, the better he felt.
She moaned when he was so far inside of her that his abs touched the sensitive part of her slit. This was perfect. This was where she wanted to be. She rubbed against him, each brush of his skin taking her closer to the peak of pleasure. Max groaned with her and now his hands were on her hips, fingers digging into her skin. He moved with her, small bucks of his hips.
“Ava,” Max gasped as he kept moving, “please tell me you’re close.”
“I’m so close,” she whimpered.
Just as the first waves of her orgasm came crashing through her body, Max pushed her up, pulled out of her, and placed her chest first on the bed. She was lost in the throes of utter bliss and didn’t have the strength to react at all to what he was doing. She braced herself against the bed because it was the only thing to steady her. A sharp pain mixed with the high of pleasure jolted her. She was barely aware of it, though. It was the claiming bite. Max bit over her Lunas Sigil, right on her left inner thigh. When her orgasm was almost through, the pain got worse, but then Max was hovering over her, positioning her quickly, grabbing her hips and angling her ass high, his knees forcing hers wider. He eclipsed her, covering her body with his heat. Then he was inside of her again with one quick stroke. He went so deep, she gasped. He pulled all the way out and then pounded into her like that again.
Ava screamed his name as she braced herself against the bed. There was a flood of energy swirling through her, and her body was already pulsing with the onset of another orgasm. Again and again they joined like this until Max didn’t pull out again. He stayed deep inside of her and stroked hard, filling her like she had never been filled. Ava arched her back when she hit her climax again. She screamed because it was overwhelming. So good, so right. Max shouted with her, froze, and then shot streams of warmth inside of her as his cock throbbed. He moved again, spilling everything inside of her.
This was right. This was where she was meant to be. Max was everything. Ava had never been so sure about anything in her life.
When both of them were spent, Max slipped out of her, and caught her in his arms as they both collapsed onto the bed. Ava turned to face him and immediately buried her face into his shuddering chest. They were both slicked with a thin sheen of sweat, and she loved it. His heart beat fast and warm. So warm. He was the light in the darkness of her existence. The darkness wasn’t so dark anymore.
Max’s hand snaked down to her left thigh. He touched her gently. She expected to feel a sting, but all she felt was the burst of energy that came when he first touched her Lunas Sigil. It made her moan.
“You might have a scar,” Max said.
“It’s still there? I don’t feel it,” Ava replied. Curious, she reached her hand down to her thigh. Sure enough, she could feel the ripped skin and warm blood. Now it hurt a little, but she didn’t care. Having Max’s mark on her was something she was immensely proud of.
Max puffed out a breath that tickled the top of her head. “This claiming stuff doesn’t work the same with you as it would another wolf I guess. Maybe I shouldn’t have done it. Gwen and Willow don’t have scars. I don’t know if Karol does…”
Ava didn’t know who Karol was, but right now she didn’t care. She eased up so her nose touched Max’s. “I’m glad you claimed me. I’ll wear your mark proudly.”
“You sure it doesn’t hurt?”
“Not much.”
Max sat up. She wanted to pull him back down, but his hands were back on her left thigh. He hunched over and started licking away the blood. When his tongue laved her wound, she thought it would hurt, but it didn’t. His tongue was a cold that numbed the pain.
“That feels perfect,” she whispered when he was done. “Max.”
“Yeah?”
She reached out her hand. He took it.
“How are your fingers?” he asked.
“Also perfect.” She smiled warmly. Her mate took good care of her. Mate. She was his. She was his the moment they met, but now it was official.
She tugged him toward her. He listened and lay down next to her again. His hand went to the small of her back as he held her close.
“My mate,” Max said.
“Your mate,” Ava agreed.
“Get some rest, angel.” He ran his fingers over her buzzed hair, petting her scalp, and she closed her eyes in contentment. She wiggled closer to him and smiled into the skin of his neck.
Tonight, Ava wouldn’t have bad dreams. She wouldn’t have the recurring nightmare. She would never have that nightmare again because the deed was done. Max killed the person she was, and she was emerging as someone new. It all started with the light Max planted inside of her. Someday it would grow to the surface and the change wouldn’t be obvious to only her but to the people around her as well.
She had to survive tomorrow.
No, she had to make sure Max survived tomorrow. He was hers to protect.
Chapter 14
WAKING UP TO THE most beautiful woman in the world was something Max looked forward to for the rest of his life. His mate was stunning. His heart pressed against his rib cage as he hugged her to him, feeling her skin on his. She was fast asleep, and he made sure not to wake her, but he loved her so much. He needed this closeness with her. It had been literally over a day since he met her, but a hell of a lot had happened. He felt like he had known her his whole life. Since she arrived, everything had fallen into place for him one piece at time. He was no longer a wolf shifter on the verge of going Berserker. He accepted what and who he was. He vowed to be better every day. And every day he would get to learn something new about Ava.
A big grin took over his face. He looked forward to it. He looked forward to every day with her. He wanted to know absolutely everything about her. He wanted to grow to love her more and more as time went on.
Unable to resist, Max kissed her forehead. She was going to make it through everything. She was going to survive the consequences of the past life she was thrown into. He would make sure of it. Everyone would see how beautiful she was. She would be forgiven. Cedric would come around, too. He had to. Yes, Max was biased. Ava was his Fated Mate, but she was good.
She was good.
Ava stirred when he kissed her again. “Sorry,” he apologized as she opened her tired eyes. “Can’t keep my mouth off you.”
“I like your mouth on me,” she said with a soft smile.
That comment deserved another kiss. Max met her lips and kissed her sweetly, lips brushing on lips. Ava was calm and relaxed. She was feeling safe, exactly the way he wanted her to feel.
Ava’s skin flushed a soft red. “I want to wake up to you like this always. I have never slept so well.”
Max hummed. “Good because I plan on waking up to you every morning.”
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br /> Ava ran her hands through his hair, ruffling it up even though it was probably already sticking out in strange places. “We have something important to do today,” she said solemnly. “We should talk to the Alpha.” She kissed him again, a small peck on the lips, and slipped out of Max’s arms.
When she got off the bed, she took a moment to stretch the sleep out of her limbs. Max watched her with hungry eyes. She was giving him a major boner. She was slim and had the beauty of a pixie. He could picture wings sprouting from her back. They would suit her. She had emerged as a butterfly. She was brave and preparing to confront the woman she had lived most of her life with. She was going to do her best to fix the pain she had caused and to put an end to the pain Beatrice caused as well.
Beautiful mate. Brave mate.
Max wanted another tumble in the sheets, but he sensed that was the last thing on his mate’s mind at the moment. She didn’t smell like arousal. Her scent had a bitterness to it that told him she was concentrating. Max needed to do his best too. He needed to support his mate. He needed to repay Blue Pack for putting up with him so long. They never gave up on him even when he had given up on himself.
This was worth fighting for.
He watched Ava scurry to the bathroom and shut the door just as he was about to get off the bed. There was tension in the air. Her scent had soured, too. He told himself not to act like a worried mother hen, but he was worried. He listened for the sound of running water. When minutes had passed and he heard absolutely nothing, he walked up to the bathroom door.
“Ava?”
She didn’t answer. The panic was screaming in his chest, but he made sure to keep his actions calm and controlled. His hand went to the doorknob. It wasn’t locked so he turned it and let himself in. Ava’s hands were placed on either side of the sink. She was slightly hunched over and she was staring at herself in the mirror. He saw that one of the bandages covering her sore fingers had been torn into and was dripping red again. She was fighting not to pick at the rest.
She glanced away from the mirror, but she couldn’t quite meet Max’s gaze. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I don’t know… I want to be better, but it’s just…” She sniffled and a tear streaked down her cheek. “I’m so weak.”
“You stopped, Ava,” Max said. He bridged the distance between them and held her in his arms. “You stopped.”
“You deserve someone better than me.” She choked back a sob.
Max cupped her cheeks. “I want you. All of you. You want to change, right?”
She nodded her head.
“I’ll be here to help support you as you change. I accept you, Ava. All of you. I love you.” It was the easiest thing in the world to say because he meant it. He didn’t like that she hurt herself like this. He didn’t like what she had done in the past, but she didn’t want any of those things anymore. She never did.
“I love you,” he whispered.
“You love me,” she repeated. “Still?”
“Yes. Always. I’ll keep telling you. I’ll keep showing you. Just like I said.” Max took the hand with her bleeding finger and gently kissed the back of it. “Before my wolf showed himself, I always believed in God and being good to other people. I believed love was something you should have for everyone. But I thought it had to be earned. Now I don’t think that’s true. The best people are the ones who love people they just met. Everyone deserves your compassion, your love and understanding. Without an open mind and being open to love, no one could ever be forgiven. I want to be better too, Ava. So let’s work together to become the people we want to be.”
“I want to give Beatrice another chance,” Ava whispered. “I don’t want her to die. I don’t want to kill her.”
“That’s because you have the best heart, Ava.” Max gave her a sad smile. “I don’t think you’re wrong. I think Nick is on the same page. He wants to hand Beatrice over to Trinity, so all we have to do is capture her. Nick really believes in Trinity. That means they’ll give her a fair trial.” He wiped away the rest of her tears with the pad of his thumb. “Let me be your rock. I’m here for you.”
She hugged him, wrapping her hands around his back. “I’ll make you proud of me someday.”
“I’m proud of you right now. You’re the strongest person I’ve ever met.”
Max leaned down to kiss her. She closed her eyes and kissed him back. He could sense the tension slipping away, however small the amount.
“I’m going to try to save Beatrice. I’m not delusional. I don’t think it’ll work. I think she wants to be the way she is, but I’m going to try,” Ava told him.
“And I’ll be there to support you.”
Moonwatch was bustling with activity. The whole town was making its way to the amphitheater. It was the easiest place for Nick to address everyone at once. News of the meeting Nick called traveled through the air quickly, so Ava and Max followed the others as they made their way to the amphitheater in the snow to see the Alpha.
Ava clung to Max and walked with her eyes downcast. She wanted to talk to the Alpha alone again, but she supposed this thing with Beatrice did involve the whole pack. She didn’t want it to. She wanted to be the one to take care of Beatrice, to spare anyone else from getting hurt. Being a sacrifice didn’t bother her. She meant well on all the shifters in Moonwatch, but she couldn’t stand tall and look any of them in the eye. She let Max lead, and she kept her eyes on the ground. How many of them hated her and always would? Her captive wolf’s senses didn’t pick up any anger, only confusion. That likely meant no one else knew what was going on just yet. They didn’t know what this meeting was about.
Everyone could turn on her at once as soon as they hit the amphitheater and learned the truth about her. Or maybe not. Nick wasn’t in a hurry to get rid of her. They would listen to him.
It was snowing again, lightly. Based on the gray clouds overhead, there was a good chance it would turn into a storm later. Ava shivered at the thought. The worst storm by far would be Beatrice.
The amphitheater came into view. It was packing up tight. Blue Pack must have grown a lot since the place was constructed. Not that it was a problem. There was a field beyond the amphitheater for the shifters to stand at attention, but any seats were filled up. Ava caught sight of Cedric as she and Max found a place to stand nearer to the stage. He glared at her with golden owl eyes. He probably wanted to tear her eyes out with his powerful talons. Nervously, Ava leaned into Max for support. He wrapped his arm around her, keeping her safe and warm.
The wolf inside of Ava was calm in her cage, steadfast. She was urging her on instead of fighting. She approved of what Ava was doing, approved of getting revenge on the one who gave the order to have her life literally ripped apart. It was like Nick said. This wolf would be useful in stopping Beatrice. When it was all over, she would be allowed peace. Ava would let her go.
The feeling of so many pairs of eyes watching Ava was overwhelming for her. She wondered if she could hide in Max’s shadow, but shadows couldn’t help when there was a spotlight trained on her.
Ava’s eyes darted to a shifter jogging toward them. It was Derek. He had one of those dangerous grins on his face. He had a look that said “predator” to Ava, but the way he treated his mate didn’t quite match up with that assessment. She wondered if he knew she was a witch before anyone else, before she confessed to Nick. He was always wary of her, and his wolf was always right there when he was near her.
Derek clapped Max on the shoulder when he was close enough to do so. “Sly dog,” he said, shit-eating grin growing wider. “You claimed her like it was a fucking race, man. You’ve known her for like a whole day. Never thought I’d see you take things so fast.”
“H-how?” Ava asked.
“Smell, girly,” Derek replied as he tapped his nose with a finger. “Everyone here knows Max claimed you.”
Ava’s cheeks heated up.
Max grinned. “At least I didn’t claim her the same night I met her.”
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��Touché.” Derek shrugged. “I just couldn’t wait.” He glanced over his shoulder in the direction Ava could see Willow weaving her way through the crowd. Willow was a very pretty woman. Perhaps the prettiest Ava had ever seen. She was so curvy. The way she walked was naturally elegant. She wore makeup and nice clothes, but her beauty ran much deeper than that. The way Derek looked at her was soft, and it was a look he spared only for her. Maybe it was love that made her shine so bright. Gwen had a very different look, but she was just as beautiful.
“Everyone’s here,” Nick announced from the stage. His mate was at his side. “Listen up.”
Willow made it to Derek and grabbed his hand. She gave Max and Ava quick smiles and said, “Congrats,” before turning her attention to her brother like everyone else.
“Tonight, we’re going to catch a Black Witch,” Nick stated.
There was dead silence.
Nick gestured to Ava, picking her out easily in the crowd. “We’ll do it with Ava’s help. She’s also a Black Witch. She worked with the witch who provided Erin Smith with her shifter slaves.”
If all eyes weren’t on Ava before, they certainly were now. Everything was out in the open. Oh, God. She tried to keep her nervous shakes in check, but it was damn hard. She would have been on the floor cowering in fear if Max wasn’t holding her up, supporting her.
“Ava is aware that what she’s done can’t be pushed aside. She’s prepared to face the consequences of her past actions, starting with helping us capture Beatrice,” Nick established.
Ava glanced at Cedric. He was a shifter she hurt personally. She wondered if he was satisfied with Nick’s words. The severe look on his face said he wasn’t. He wanted to get justice for himself. Well, if Cedric did take out his talons and scar her, she would deserve it. She would take it.
“We’re witch hunting without the help of Trinity?” Howard called out over the crowd.