“And you’re mine,” she breathed back, her body arching against mine.
My mouth crashed into hers, and my body pressed against hers as hard as I could without hurting her. Our kisses were usually tender, sensual, and passionate, but at that moment, I needed to claim and possess. My hand wrapped around her throat, and her head tilted up for me without further prompting, eliciting another low growl from me at her minor act of submission.
It didn’t matter to me that Lennox wouldn’t be able to smell her on me or me on her because of the wolfsbane in his system. My brain wasn’t in charge at the moment; my instincts were. I needed as much of my scent on her as possible. Needed to remind everyone who she belonged to and who I belonged to.
The kiss was brutal and hard, and I wouldn’t have been surprised if I’d bruised her lips. But her returning kisses and touches were just as frantic and desperate as mine. It was like she knew how much I needed this, or maybe because some instinctual part of her wanted to stake a claim, too.
I stood up straight and pulled her body with me, keeping her close with my arms wrapped around her in a vise grip. Her hand moved to my face, her fingers scratching through my short beard as we gave each other one last kiss.
“Are you sure about this?” I asked her as I pulled back just enough to breathe.
“I am,” she replied, nodding, her fingers still playing in my beard. “I really need this, Wesley.”
I sighed but nodded, then released her from my arms, keeping one of her hands in mine as we made our way to the cells.
Inside, Levi, Sebastian, and Nolan waited for us as they stared at Lennox through the window. He sat in his chair, still chained, and glared at the center of the mirror, like he was staring right at Seb and Nolan, even though he couldn’t see through it.
All three of them turned to look at us, and as soon as their eyes landed on Haven, a growl let loose from my lips, and I pulled her behind me to keep her from their view. My lycan was very much at the forefront of my mind, ready to let loose and lash out at anyone who threatened our luna.
“Goddess, Wes.” Seb sighed. “I was just going to say hello.”
“Sorry,” I breathed, cracking my neck. “I’m on edge about this whole thing.”
Haven’s hand reached up and rubbed between my shoulder blades. My body relaxed, surprising me with just how tense I’d gotten.
“You’re going to need to control that once we’re in the room,” Nolan warned. “He’s going to taunt you. Try to get a rise out of you. Especially once he sees her.”
My lip curled, but I held in the growl threatening to release. I could do it. I could keep myself under control. My Sugar Plum would be safe, next to me or in my arms the entire time.
“Let’s do this,” I declared, walking towards the door.
“Wait,” Sebastian said, glancing at Haven again. “Haven, what… uh… ” His eyes shifted to me and then back to Haven. “Uh… what are you wearing under your jacket?” he asked, crossing his arms and looking at the floor.
“What the fuck?” I snarled, my nostrils flaring.
“Just trust me!”
“A tank top?” Haven answered, her brow wrinkled. “Why?”
“You should take your jacket off. Let him see you’re not ashamed of your scars, that you’re not trying to hide them from anyone. Let him see that he didn’t break you,” Sebastian said.
Goddess, he was good. I let out a low chuckle and looked at Haven. She shrugged and said, “Okay.” Then proceeded to unzip her lightweight gray hoodie and hand it to Levi.
The white sleeveless top she wore underneath showed off almost the entirety of her scarring running across and down her neck and across her collarbone and chest. The raised lines had already faded from a bright, angry pink to a soft peach color, and soon they would be white.
They’d never disappear completely, but that didn’t matter to me. Like I’d told her, they showed how strong she was, showed she was a fighter and a survivor.
“Let’s go.” She nodded.
Sebastian smirked and opened the door. Nolan walked in behind him, followed by me. And the last to enter was Haven. Levi shut the door from the other side, and I linked him to be ready to open the door at a moment’s notice.
As soon as Haven walked in, the atmosphere in the room shifted, as did Lennox’s demeanor. A predatory smile painted itself across his face, and his eyes scanned her from her head to her toes and back again.
“Hello, Haven,” he crooned, licking his lips.
Sebastian’s fist connected with Lennox’s crushed hand. The crunching of his bones filled the room, along with his yell of pain.
“What did my brother tell you about saying his luna’s name?” Sebastian snarled, his fist twisting and pushing down on the top of Lennox’s hand.