Page 82 of Not Your Ordinary Shifter

“Behave,” she warns, but her scent spikes with need. “We don’t have time for that now,” she says through a moan.

I growl playfully, nipping at her ear. “We could make time.”

She pushes me away, laughing. “Save it for after the gala.”

I sigh dramatically, flopping on the bed.

She giggles, going back to the mirror to retouch her makeup. I watch her, amazed at how much my life has changed in just a month.

Before Zora, galas like this were a necessary evil. I’d show up, flash my medal-winning smile, maybe flirt a bit if my manager insisted, then escape as soon as possible. Now? Now I’m actually looking forward to it. Because I get to show off my mate to the world.

My mate. The thought still sends a thrill through me. And I know it always will.

I remember the moment I first scented her in that hotel lobby. It was like being hit by a fucking tsunami - overwhelming, all-consuming. Everything in me screamed ‘mine’. And when I tasted her juices on my suckers? It was fucking game over.

The week that followed was a blur of stolen moments and mind-blowing sex. But it was more than that. It was conversations that lasted till dawn, learning every little thing about her. Watching her stand up to those reporters, fierce and beautiful. Realizing I’d found not just a mate, but a partner.

Zora’s voice pulls me from my thoughts. “You okay there, big guy?”

I blink, focusing on her beautiful face. “Yeah, just thinking.”

“Don’t hurt yourself,” she teases.

I grab her hand, pulling her onto the bed with me. She yelps, then dissolves into giggles as I start kissing her again all over.

“Jay! My makeup!”

I pause, hovering over her. Her eyes are bright with laughter. She’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.

“I love you,” I blurt out.

Zora’s eyes widen, then soften. “I love you too, alpha.”

I lean in for a kiss, slow and deep. I pour everything I’m feeling into it - my love, my gratitude for changing her entire life to build a new one with me, my promise to always be there for her.

When we part, we’re both breathing heavily. Zora’s lipstick is smeared, and I’m sure I’m wearing half of it.

“We’re gonna be late,” she purrs, but makes no move to get up.

I shrug, already working on the zipper of her dress. “So we’ll be fashionably late. I’m Jay Lafayette, remember? I can do whatever the fuck I want.”

Zora laughs, the sound turning into a moan as I trail kisses between her tits.

Chapter

Seven

ZORA

You know how they say you should never meet your heroes? Well, try dating one. Or rather, try being the mate of one. It’s been a month since I became Jay’s “personal assistant,” and it’s been a wild ride.

First, there was the paparazzi incident. We were leaving a restaurant when a swarm of photographers ambushed us. I was blinded by the flashes, overwhelmed by the shouted questions. Jay shielded me with his body and a few well-placed tentacles, but not before some unflattering photos of me mid-blink made the tabloids. That was fun to explain to my mom…

Then came the online comments. I made the mistake of googling myself one night. Big mistake. Huge. “Gold digger,” “fame seeker,” “not good enough for him” - those were some of the kinder ones. I cried for hours. When Jay found me, he posted pictures of us all over his social media with a warning to back the fuck off his mate. Then he spent the rest of the night showing me exactly how “good enough” I am.

The monster celebrities weren’t much better. At our first public event together, a charity gala, I overheard a group of mer-people whispering about how Jay was “slumming it witha human.” He nearly caused an international incident when he barked at them, eyes wild and tentacles on full display.

But then there’s everything else. The day he took me to his private beach house. We spent hours in the water, him in his full kraken glory, me riding on his back as he showed me the wonders of his underwater world.

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