It’s not until he sits decidedly in the chair that I get my first wave of doubt.

You can’t break a mate bond. It lasts forever.

But so is the Echelon.

I reach for the first pair of cuffs but stop. “Should you . . . you know.” My eyes drop to his hips. Desire flares in my stomach, but it doesn’t feel as quick burning as it has in the past. Knowing this is forever, I lean into this feeling of passion and hunger.

He clears his throat then lifts his hips and unzips his jeans, tugging them down to midthigh. His cock strains against his briefs and my mouth waters at the golden muscles of his quads. His eyes dart up to mine and my cheeks flame; I keep forgetting he can smell my every reaction.

“Your turn, Omega.” He flicks his chin.

I exhale slowly as I bend over to reach under the skirt I put on before leaving our wing. He clicks his tongue and I freeze. “Turn around.”

I’m not sure why I do it, it has nothing to do with my end goal, but part of me likes the idea that he wants to savor this. After all, you only claim your first mate once in your life.

“Bend over.” His voice is distinctly deeper, rougher, and tingles run down my spine from knowing that means he’s going into rut.

The cool dungeon air grazes the back of my thighs and bottom of my ass as I hinge at the hips. I inch my feet a little wider, my heart pounding.

“Now, you can take them off.” The back of my neck prickles like he’s whispering dirty orders against my skin, not from six feet away.

Reaching under my skirt, I slip my fingers under the waistband and begin sliding my panties down, sucking in a breath at the feel of my wet pussy meeting the air.

“Fuck,”he says on a husky exhale. “You look fucking beautiful with your pussy on display. Once I claim you, I’m going to have you presenting morning, noon, and night. Fucking perfect.” I’m glad I’m facing away with the way my cheeks burn.

I finish taking my panties off as he mutters drunkenly, “And you’re going to look even better taking my cock.”

Leaving my underwear on the floor, I stand up and turn back around. He cants his head, his eyes lusty and gold, tracking my movements as I walk back to the chair.

Nothing is actually attached to the chair. Instead, the chains are just long enough to cuff his hands at his sides, as if they were tied to the chair itself.

We are both silent while I secure the shackles. Even when my fingers dip into the waistband of his briefs, not a word is said.

Everything is drowned out by the sound of our heartbeats.

Lifting his hips for me, I pull his briefs down and his thick, hard cock juts between us as I climb onto his lap, still in my skirt and shirt. His chest rumbles and I swear I can feel the vibrations in my core.

He releases a rocky exhale when I tentatively circle his length. I put one hand on his shoulder and rise up, ready to position him at my entrance, but he stops me. “Wait, tell me again. Why me?”

“Because you seem to hate me the least.”

A mix of emotions dance across his handsome features. “I don’t hate you. I hate that I can’t fucking breathe around you.”

As I slowly slide down his cock, I seem to lose the ability to breathe too. My head rushes and my eyes burn as I slip into heat.

“Jesus Christ,”he sputters, his face scrunched as if pained. “So fucking good. You feel sofucking good.”

His eyes flash up to mine, and I’m immediately awed by the beautiful depth of gold in his. His tone becomes increasingly desperate. “Can you take more? All of me?” Then he growls in a way that sends shivers down my spine. “Sorry, that wasn’t a question. Takeallof me.I know you can. I want to feel every inch of your pussy around my cock.”

My lungs are on fire. In fact, all of me is on fire. A disastrously beautiful blaze.

“I . . . more . . . I want . . .more.” It’s visceral. The desire to push against the stretch of his cock and seat myself further and further. Every inch is a reward worth the challenge.

“Is that a question, Omega? Because the answer is ‘fuck yes.’ We need to get this perfect, tight cunt stretched if you’re going to take my knot.”

I moan at the idea of something even wider inside me. “God, those sounds,” he rasps. “I’m not even all the way in and you’re already driving me wild.” His neck becomes corded and his arms twist in their restraints.

I grind up and down, testing. “I’ve never done this before.”