Page 7 of Not Your Ordinary Shifter

“Aurora, I’m not rejecting you.”

“But….”

“No, I won’t hear of it.” He tilted my head up. “I don’t believe that you’re an omega. But even if you are, I don’t care.” This couldn’t be real.

“Then what do you want from me?”

“Right now, all I want is for you to let me bathe you, feed you, and heal some of these bruises. Let me help you, Aurora. The Goddess paired us for a reason. I choose to believe that she knows what she is doing.”

I chewed on my bottom lip as I thought. “Rora, I prefer to be called Rora,” I said, and his lip curved up.

“Okay. Rora it is. Come with me.” Taking my hand, he led me over to the large clawfoot tub in the middle of the room. I let out a small squeal as he picked me up and placed me into the delightfully warm water. I’d forgotten what it was like to bathe, not having the luxury this past year. “Sit, and I’ll scrub off every last bit of scent left on you from those other males,” he said, a firmness in his tone, but it wasn’t cruel.

Slowly, I sat back while he smiled and grabbed a cloth and some sweet-smelling soap. Lathering it, he began with my shoulders. His hands felt wonderful on my aching muscles.

“Thank you, Alpha,” I said when he moved down my body and rubbed at my legs. He took the time to clean every square inch of my body.

“Call me Sol. You’re my mate,” he said. Sol then instructed me to slip under the water and wet my hair. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from him as he paid particular attention to the areas with the largest bruises. His touch tingled, and a shuddering breath escaped my lips. As our connection grew, his ability healed my old wounds—the aching in my ribs from multiple beatings and the bruises on my hips and neck from being roughly used.

“Thank you, Sol.” I laid my head back against the tub and let my eyes close.

“Would you like to do between your legs?” I was shocked by the question and my body tensed as my eyes fluttered open to stare at him. “I can do it, but I wasn’t sure you’d want me to.”

“Do you plan on mating with me and making me yours in name and body?” It seemed like a dumb question, but I needed to know how he saw this working between us.

“I plan on being a true Alpha and Mate to you in all ways. No one will come between us. Is that what you wanted to know?” I nodded and could feel tears trying to form again. “Here, why don't we take a moment to rest before we do that.”

Sol stood and walked across the room. He was so unbelievably sexy that I couldn’t look away. I traced every line of his muscular back down to his narrow waist. There was a shimmer inside of me, and the first stirrings of my moose in months had me gripping the edge of the tub and sucking in a deep breath.

“Are you okay,” Sol asked. I nodded as he walked toward me with a large tray of food in his hands, but it wasn’t the food that had my moose’s attention.

The pronounced tent in the front of his pants clearly showed how excited he was. I should’ve been terrified and leaping from the tub, but instead, I was picturing what he might look like without the pants. It had to be the mate bond because I had no interest in sex. After everything I’d been through, I couldn’t understand why I would be thinking about it.

“I can smell your moose now,” he said as he sat down beside the tub and held out a grape for me to eat.

“I thought I lost my moose. I haven’t felt that part of me for so long,” I said honestly. I bit into the sweet fruit and moaned. Real food.

“That was unbelievably sexy. Can you moan like that again?” He picked up a small square of cheese and a cracker and held them up to my mouth. I took the bite from his fingers, and my eyes closed as I marveled at the taste of something as exotic as cheese. As soon as I bit into the strawberry, I moaned and shuddered. His honey eyes darkened, and the intensity of the look gripped me as surely as his hands could.

Berries, nuts, meats, and even olives were all fed to me until I was so full that my body was heavy, and my head was light with the sensation of food healing and fueling me. The sweet orange juice made my tastebuds dance, but Sol would only let me have half a glass, saying that too much rich food after so long would make me sick.

My head lolled to the side, and I took in the man being so gentle and patient. He probably had a million things to do as an Alpha, and here he was, playing nurse to me. Sol stared at my legs that he’d just finished healing, then cleared his throat and grabbed the tray. I touched his arm before he could walk away. The rapid thumping of my heart was as erratic as a rabbit, and Sol must have felt it because he touched his chest and looked at me.

“Are you okay?”

I nodded and grabbed the glass of water, taking a large sip to ease my parched throat.

“I’ve known nothing but the heavy touch of a man.”

His eyes darkened again, and a growl rumbled in his chest. An hour ago, I would’ve jumped from the tub and tried to hide, but I knew the anger wasn’t directed at me but for me. It was as if he was able to feed me his emotions as thoroughly as he had the food. Maybe it was the food or the bond that was forming, but a calmness settled in the pit of my stomach. One that allowed me to feel more than fear and pain, and I suddenly wanted to explore what that would be like.

Lifting one knee from the water, I spread my thighs and gripped his shoulder hard like that would give me the extra courage to say what was in my mind but what didn’t want to pass through my lips.

“Please touch me. I want to know something else. I want to wipe the memories from my mind, and you’re right. The Goddess paired us for a reason. I feel….” I struggled for the right word. “Safe. I feel safe in here with you.”

Sol turned so he was kneeling beside the tub, and if he wanted to, he could easily drown me. His hand was larger than my face, and I was no match for his sheer strength. I could hardly stand longer than ten minutes at a time, let alone fight him off if he so chose, and yet, there was no malevolence in his eyes. I could bask in their warmth as I squirmed from the desire staring back at me.

Sol cupped my cheek and leaned over the tub. My heart stopped beating. I moaned as he kissed my lips. The tenderness was there, but the raw need I felt in his touch lit my blood on fire. He coaxed my mouth open, and I tasted the sweet flavor of the whiskey he was drinking on his tongue. I ran my hands through his hair and loved his soft growl against my lips. How could a kiss feel so different? All the others I’d received had been crueland harsh, but Sol was commanding and yet gentle at the same time. There was no explanation of how my body sang or how all my senses came back to life like flipping a switch, but the world seemed full of color and was no longer black and white.

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