Page 31 of Bonded Beyond Trickery

“To what do I owe this delicious pleasure?” Whitaker’s voice is sinful as he wiggles his eyebrows suggestively.

I narrow my eyes to stop myself from laughing…or kissing the man senseless.

“I’m here on behalf of a concerned pack member,” my voice is serious, and Whitaker straightens up immediately. The way his gaze bores into mine, full of intensity, makes me fall in love with him just a little bit more. “Maggie. She owns the bakery?” It’s not a question about whether I’m being accurate, but a check to ensure that he knows who I’m talking about. When he nods, I forge ahead. “She’s concerned about her daughter, Nyx.”

Whitaker slumps back in his chair, the grip he still has on my hips pulling me forward. “Nyx is someone we’re all concerned about. I swear you can feel the she-wolf’s pain as it rolls off her.” He shakes his head and shoots me a look that borders on desperation. “I’ve wanted to help her for years and have kept an eye on her, but I’m not sure what else to do.”

I nod slowly, my heart breaking further for the she-wolf, her child, and the loss they’ve had to endure. “I have an idea,” I offer, my voice gentle.

The last thing I want to do is to make my mate feel like I’m undermining his authority.

Whitaker surprises me when he breathes out, his voice filled with relief, “Thank the Goddess.”

I chuckle softly and then melt against my mate’s chest. “I’ve heard about the changes that have taken place at Waning Moon since the old Alpha family was taken out and Alpha Samuel has stepped in to lead.” Whitaker stiffens slightly, probably not liking the name of another Alpha on my lips who isn’t related to me, but I don’t let that even slow me down. “He has endeavored to create a place for those who don’t fit in, who are struggling in other packs, or who need to heal. He wants to create a pack where everyone is welcome, and no one is bound by their past.”

“Nyx fits in here,” Whitaker’s voice is firm and even though it’s an oversimplification, I understand what he’s trying to say.

I pull back and cup my mate’s jaw in my hands. “The problem isn’t that she does or doesn’t fit in here. The problem is that here she’s surrounded by memories of her mate and the life they shared together. How can she move on, how can she heal, when it could almost feel like her mate could walk back into her life atany moment? She isn’t an outcast or anything, but she’s not the she-wolf she once was either.”

Whitaker relaxes as he stares into my eyes. “I’m one lucky Alpha,” he murmurs softly.

Even without him saying the words, I know he’ll be calling Alpha Samuel and then getting everything arranged to see if Waning Moon is the place where Nyx and Aisley can have the fresh start that they deserve to have. One can only take so much pain before they break.

He doesn’t give me a chance to answer before he plunders my mouth with his own. The moan that escapes is swallowed down by him like it’s a delicacy. My arms slide around his neck, and I hold tight to him when he stands up quickly.

I expect him to carry me out of his office and to our room, but he doesn’t. After slowly lowering me until I’m standing, he grips my shoulders, spins me around and then bends me over his desk. His very large and imposing desk. The same desk where he does all his important Alpha things.

My entire body shudders as he lifts the hem of the dress I’m wearing and rips my panties from my body. I barely hear his zipper before he’s filling my slick pussy with his length.

“Whitaker,” I groan, his name drawn out and sounding desperate even to my own ears.

His fingers brand me as they tighten around my hips. I love it and my body craves more. So much more.

My mate plows into me from behind. With every stroke he takes, I push back against him, more than willing to give even more.

“I love you, little wolf,” Whitaker growls, both man and wolf speaking together.

I feel it through the bond and have for days, but this is the first time I’ve heard the words. They’re important. They hold weight.

“I love you, my Alpha,” my words are breathy prayers, but considering I’m barely capable of thought, it’ll have to be enough.

The bond hums between us, glowing and wrapping around us even tighter. The deeper we fall, the more the bond strengthens, the farther away my trickery feels, even though I felt like I needed to do it.

One day it will only be one moment in a long history of love, life, and devotion.

I might be looking forward to that day, but as my fingers curl around the edge of my Alpha’s desk and my orgasm makes my body shake and my toes curl, I can’t find it in me to mind where I’m at either.

How could I?

This is right.

It’s perfect.

And I’m never letting go.

EPILOGUE

ONE YEAR LATER

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