Page 53 of The Alpha Wolf's Bullied Bride

“No,” I shake my head, taking a step closer. She appears so small right now, and it's not because she's at least two heads shorter than me. It's because she's vulnerable—a side I thought she'd lost when I came back from special ops training and was faced with her indifference.

“I didn't pick you as my mate to make up for what happened here two years ago,” I continue. “Something came over me that night during my swearing-in ceremony. Itcompelled me to utter your name during the most important time of my life.”

She frowns. “What…?”

“There is no way to explain it. Not with words, anyway,” I sigh, lifting a hand to cradle her cheek as I stare deeply into her eyes. “It's something you must feel for yourself. Something you will understand when I've properly claimed you.”

Lila's lips part with a gasp, her eyes softening and melting me in that moment. The tenderness I feel wraps its warm embrace around my heart, compelling me to lean in.

“I've been making so many mistakes as I go along. It's time I did the right thing.”

“Then do it,” she whispers, the warmth of her breath enticing as it fans my lips.

Her consent is all I need to close the mere inch of distance between us, time freezing until my lips meet hers. The gentle press of our lips ignites a fire deep inside, my heart blooming with a new sense of achievement.

My greatest one in life, and I haven't even touched her neck yet. Instead, I lose myself to the plushness of her lips, the kiss soothing every part of me that was ever troubled.

My fated mate…

The title swirls in my head like a marble in my skull, leaving me thoughtless as I pull her closer. Driven by the desire that pools at the apex of my thighs, her sigh is what sends me over the edge.

That feeling of being attracted to her all along was just an indication that she was fated to me. I wasn't crazy, but right now I'm about to go insane if I'm not inside her. I tilt my headand deepen the kiss, swiftly removing the layers of clothing that prevent me from feeling her soft skin in my hands.

She pulls away in a flurry of hot pants when she realizes she's unclothed, her chest heaving as if she's pushing her breasts at me.

“We're doing this?” she whispers with uncertainty.

I nod, hastily tearing off my own clothes. “I'm not running away this time.”

My oath of conviction is met with open arms that fling around my neck. I grab her to me, lifting her off her feet before stepping into the pool of water. When she gasps, I crush my lips to hers and distract her while carrying her into the deepest part of the dam until we're waist-deep in the cool water.

She clings to me for support, pulling away to allow me the pleasure of staring into her soul through the depths of her sapphire eyes.

With the moon's silver rays lighting up our endeavor, it glitters on her skin and leaves me breathless. If I ever thought I was worthy of meeting the Moon Goddess in the flesh, then I am the luckiest werewolf alive right now. Lila Hargis is the embodiment of the rich beauty of the moon, her warm smile a testament to the feminine softness provided by the night. My lips tug in awe as I sweep Lila's hair away from her beautiful face.

“Gorgeous…” I praise before pulling her closer and kissing her lips, drinking in the little moan she makes when I press my throbbing erection between her thighs.

Holding her glorious, supple body flush to mine, I reach behind her and guide my cock into the depths of her folds. She hangs onto me, nails biting the flesh of my shoulders as shesinks onto every last inch, stretching out her walls deliciously. A fit as perfect as a glove, my rigid length is buried in the warm sheathing of her womanhood.

Complete. That's what this feels like, the female destined to be my mate in my arms where she belongs. She lifts her head, her face contorting with the intricacies of pleasure as her lips form a perfect “O.”

“Flynn…” she breathes, her voice a sultry moan as she links her fingers behind my head.

Cupping the voluptuous mounds of her rear, I begin rocking her on my cock, each thrust building the knot of pleasure in my core.

“I'm sorry,” I whisper, overcome with intense emotion and remorse for all the crimes I've committed against her.

“No…” she says breathlessly, planting a loose kiss on my lips to dismiss the apology. “It doesn't matter…none of it matters…”

“Say you forgive me,” I press, staring regretfully into the depths of her blue eyes that reel me in, allowing me to see the reflection of the man I once was. A man I choose to never be again.

“I forgive you,” she murmurs, nodding softly, urgently, as she clings to me while I guide her hips. “I forgive you…”

When her eyes light up like the stars, I know that I've truly been forgiven. It's the permission I'm granted to finally take the leap of faith, dipping my head at her neck where her scent gland pulses with life. Radiating the pheromones that have been calling out to me, enticing me toward the truth, I press an open-mouthed kiss atop the flesh there. I can almost taste thesweetness from the mere scent, drooling with the need to mark her.

She tilts her head to the side, giving me the liberty of the expanse of her neck as her eyelids flutter like butterfly wings ready to fly off to its beautiful exploration. I take a deep breath to fill my lungs with the sweet scent, parting my lips and distending sharp canines that sink into soft flesh.

“Ah…” she mewls, tightening her arms around me just as my teeth puncture her skin and I taste her blood on my tongue. “Oh, my Goddess…” Lila whimpers, moaning as I complete the marking and remove my teeth from her neck.

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