Page 17 of Rescued

The mingled scents of our orgasms fill the air, intoxicating and primal. My cock, refusing to soften, throbs with renewed need as I hold Gabe against me, his weight pressing me into the mattress.

“Sorry,” he mutters against my neck, but he doesn’t move. Instead, he buries his hands in my hair, threading his fingers through the dark strands and holding me close.

I grip him with everything I’ve got, savoring the moment even as my mind spins with the implications of what we’ve just shared.

When our breathing slows, and the sticky mess between us becomes impossible to ignore, Gabe finally stirs. He releases my hair, pushing himself up onto his knees until he’s once again straddling my thighs.

I look up at him, my chest aching with an emotion I can’t name.

Every detail of him etches itself into my memory—the flushed hue of his skin, the faint sheen of sweat glistening in the low light, the way his eyes soften when they meet mine.

This is my mate.

And I will do whatever it takes to keep him.

I watch him closely, waiting for something—though I’m not sure what. His expression? His next move? His thoughts? The stillness inside me feels unfamiliar, a charged quiet that I can’t quite name.

Then Gabe smiles.

The sight startles me, though I don’t know why. The curve of his lips is soft but sure, a little mischievous, and entirely too captivating. My chest tightens, the weight of what I’m feeling pressing against my ribs.I won’t let myself wonder what that smile means—there’s no sense in hoping for more than I can have.

“I don’t know what’s going on,” Gabe says, his voice breaking the silence. “Why I feel so compelled to jump you that it’s hard to resist, but you…”

His smile doesn’t waver, but his eyes flicker, studying me.

“You look so serious, Mika. Even after… You still look like you might run.” His voice softens, warm and steady, but the steel underneath it is unmistakable. “But you can’t. Youcan’t.”

There’s no give in his words, no hesitation. It’s not a question or a plea—it’s truth, plain and binding.

Something inside me shifts at the sound of it.

He’s right. I can’t run. Not from him, not from this.

Running would be easier—less complicated, less terrifying—but I’ve done that before. And the ache it left behind nearly broke me. I won’t do it again, not when I’ve found what I’ve been searching for all along.

“Okay, Gabriel,” I say, the words rough in my throat. They come out garbled, almost unrecognizable, but he hears them. I know he does because his eyes light up and his smile widens.

“Your word, Mika,” he says, tilting his head, his gaze holding mine.

“You have it,” I reply. “I won’t run.”

The promise feels heavy on my tongue, weighted with more meaning than he probably realizes. I mean it. I won’t leave. Even if it gets hard, even if it hurts. I’ll stay.

Though I can’t help the niggling thought that Gabe might wish I’d run when the explanations begin.

He narrows his eyes at me, tilting his head in that curious way I’m already starting to recognize. “You’d better mean that. I mean, here I am, trying to wrap my mind around the fact that you’re my—a wolf.” He lets out a huff of breath that’s part laugh, part frustration. “And all the while my hormones have spun out of control like they’re on some major crack. I swear, I can’t keep enough blood up north to get my brain to function.”

The laugh that escapes me is unbidden and genuine. I can’t help it—his honesty is disarming in a way that makes my chest feel warm.

I understand his struggle better than he knows. The pull between mates is relentless, and the intensity of it is something I’ve lived with since the moment I saw him. It’s no wonder our kind bonds for life—no one else could compare.

“What I told you,” I say, my voice softer now, “it’s the truth.”

Gabe chews on his bottom lip, his teeth worrying the plump skin in a way that distracts me far too much. After a moment, he tips his head in acknowledgment, the movement hesitant but deliberate.

“I think maybe it is,” he says finally. “And that makes me feel a little bit better, actually. I was having some uncomfortably weird feelings for the wolf.”

The pink creeping into his cheeks makes my pulse quicken.

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