Page 47 of The Silent Mate

I paused, if only to prolong our second mating a few more seconds, and used my spare hand to sweep a curtain of blonde hair over her shoulder, leaving the back of her neck exposed.

My canines descended at the simple sight of the knob at the top of her vertebra, separating her neck from her spine, and a low groan rumbled into our bond.Aria. I need to mark you again…

She glanced over her shoulder, eyes heavy with lust.Anywhere. Everywhere. Do it. Please.

I didn’t waste another second. My teeth closed around the back of Aria’s neck, sinking hard and deep into her skin. She moaned, a filthy, sinful sound that I felt in my bones as her blood seeped around my teeth and lips. The heady, un-ignorable pressure between my hips surged, and my nerve endings jolted as I bound my little mate to me a second time.

This time, the mark was reminiscent of our ancient ancestors. The first wolves who mounted their mates from behind, brutal and efficient, teeth clamped on their scruff. When I pulled away, the sight of it decorating the delicate knob at the top of Aria’s spine pushed me over the edge.

I began rocking my hips as release barreled through me, a never-ending phenomenon that came in wave after wave. My movements became stunted as the blood swelled at the base of my erection, locking our bodies together once more.

Aria’s body gave out beneath me, but I caught her with an arm around her waist. She trembled, goosebumps peppering her skin as her walls clamped in rhythmic beats around me.

“Goddess,” she sighed, going limp in my arms.

I slowly lowered her to the earth, rolling to my side and pulling her against me. Her back pressed flush against my chest, and my hand cupped her breast, memorizing the fluttering heartbeat beneath it. My other hand rubbed quick circles over the bundle of nerves at her center.

You’re so good. So perfect.The words flooded into our bond before I could stop them, not that I wanted to.I’ll take you home now and clean you up. Then I’ll... Fuck.I gasped, arching my hips in an attempt to push deeper inside of her.

My knot dragged against her tight muscles, and another wave washed over me.Goddess,I was ruined by this female.

Aria groaned, reaching up to stroke my cheek and guide my lips down to hers. We kissed, slow and languid as I spilled more seed inside her womb, satisfying the primitive urge to watch her swell with my pups.

When the latest wave receded, she broke our kiss and grinned against my lips.You’ll take me home, then what?

I chuckled, the sound echoing through our bond, and nuzzled my face, scars and all, into the crook of her neck.I’ll take you home, then we’ll never leave the bedroom again.

21

ARIA

True to his word, Malik didn’t let me out of his sight. Not in the hours when they returned to the cottage. Nor the days following the full moon.

I didn’t mind. In fact, I lavished in the time we spent together.

My life had never felt so full. Nothing had ever felt socompleteas when we lounged in bed two days after the night of the full moon, naked and spent and content to live in our own little world. We didn’t leave the house those first two days, and no one came to visit. Once, I asked for a cellphone to call my father with, but that summarized the entirety of our communication with the outside world.

When Malik could no longer ignore his duties as general, we begrudgingly popped our blissful bubble and reentered society.

“You know, I think Estelle is short-staffed at the clinic,” I mused and flopped onto my stomach on the bed, resting my chin on my crossed arms as I admired Malik’s tight, bare backside from across the room.

He glanced up at me before continuing to rummage through his dresser for a pair of boxer briefs, clothing himself for the first time in several days. I smiled and continued. “Maybe while you’re at the training grounds today, I could return to work as a nurse?”

Malik stiffened, and his movements became slow as he pulled up his boxers before facing me again. A tortured mixture of trepidation and fervor filled his gaze, like he fought his natural inclination to outright refuse my request.

Of course, you can work in the clinic,he answered, raking a hand through his locks. Tension pulsed off of him in waves.You can always do what you want, Aria.

His words didn’t align with his body language. There was more that he was not telling me. Frowning, I pushed up onto my elbows and prompted him to continue.But…?

Things feel a bit,he paused, rubbing the back of his neck. A loud sigh pushed past his mouth.Intenseright now. The thought of letting you out of my sight...

He trailed off, but I understood. The mate bond forced every instinct into overdrive. Malik already possessed heightened protective tendencies, so adding in our fluctuating hormones and the sheer strength of our connection… Well, he hadn’t even let me go to the bathroom by myself over the last two days.

I gave him a soft, sympathetic smile.The clinic overlooks the training grounds. You’ll always be inmysight.

You don’t understand.A soft, pained chuckle filled my head, but he wouldn’t look at me.Everything I’ve ever loved has always been taken from me. By Roman, my father, circumstance…

Pain splintered through my chest. I pushed off of the mattress, clamoring to my feet before closing the space between us and wrapping my arms around his waist.

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