Page 23 of Rejected and Pregnant by the Lycan King

“You, Max. I need you inside me. Now!”

“Good girl,” he said as he slammed himself inside me.

My passionate cries encouraged Maximus to thrust harder and faster than he ever had before. I started to unravel at the punishing pace he set. Multiple orgasms hit me like a train, and every muscle seized as waves of pleasure coursed through me. The bond opened, and I felt him everywhere around me. The minty scent I loved so much surrounded me, hugging me as his lips captured mine.

Maximus held me close as he slowed down. I could feel his thick length move inside me, caressing every sensitive spot he had learned about over the last week. He pushed himself deeper,which sent me over the edge. I moaned against his lips and sucked on his bottom lip. He groaned as I bit down with my teeth. He broke the kiss, trailing down my neck until he reached my shoulder. The way he kissed and sucked on my skin made it clear he was marking me in a different way, but it only made my walls clamp down harder around him.

When he switched to a new position, pulling himself up onto his knees and lifting my hips off the bed, Maximus was deeper inside me before he continued his hard pace. I screamed his name, as it was the only word I knew. I felt him twitching inside me, ready to release as we climbed into the realm of ecstasy. He roared as he climaxed before slamming his lips against mine again.

Mine,he said through the bond.You are mine. Mind, body,and soul.

I am yours, as you are mine,I replied as he fell beside me.

He was mine, and I was his. Finally, something in my life was going right.

12

Maximus

I watched Kylie closely after our night of passion, searching for the subtle shifts that came with being mated. I sensed a change in her that was undeniable. She adjusted to the weight of being both luna and queen. By day, she pushed through her duties, which sapped her of her strength. By night, when we finally retired inside, I saw that exhaustion clung to her. It was only when we surrendered ourselves to the intimacy of the pack bond that I saw the energy reignite inside her, making her whole again.

Then I had an idea: Kylie needed to build her strength in more ways than just through our bond. She needed to develop her own strength in tangible ways that she could see progress in. So I led her to the gym on the compound and showed her the machines. I instructed her on how to work the weights so she could build strength without hurting herself. That way, she could carve out a foundation of power she could claim as her own.

Kylie lifted a five-pound dumbbell and asked me, “Are you sure this is going to work?”

It seemed she didn’t have trouble with the five pounds, and I wanted to know where her limit was right now. “It’s possible. We need to do everything we can to build up your strength.”

She lifted the ten, then the fifteen. The struggle was apparent, her grip faltering slightly as she tried to steady the weight. When she failed to lift the twenty, the reality settled in. I had a clear measure of her strength. A lycan should be capable of lifting several hundred pounds with ease, yet she was straining at fifteen. I didn’t expect her to be so weak, and I couldn’t ignore the truth when developing a weight plan with her.

The only path forward was clear. Kylie would have to start small and build herself up gradually. For a lycan, that process should unfold quickly, as their bodies are designed for immense strength, rapid reflexes, and heightened speed and senses. Outside of the sharpened awareness typical of our kind, her abilities lagged. It didn’t make sense to me. She had a lycan present, yet she was incapable of lifting anything over twenty pounds. There was no change or shift in her strength or abilities, even after we completed the mate bond. Some unseen barrier was keeping her from reaching her full potential, and the cause continued to elude us. This worried me because the pack respected strength, and they would not respect a queen who was incapable of projecting strength.

Some pack members were starting to cast wary glances at Kylie as she passed through the halls. I could see their skepticism lingering as they leered at her. She held her head high, unfaltering. She offered them the same warm smile that she always did and did not treat them any worse despite their doubtin her. Her resilience and quiet kindness were strengths in their own right, proving the endurance she carried after everything she had suffered. However, quiet kindness is not enough to convince a pack to follow you, and I feared it would not be sufficient. Resilience is strength, but strength is also strength, and that is what the pack wanted.

Kylie had to embody the full strength, power, and command of a lycan, or the pack would tear her apart. The mere thought sent a growl rumbling from my chest. I would allow no one to harm her, but I had a duty to my kingdom to ensure its survival. I faced the harsh truth that she needed to be more than just my mate. She needed to be a queen to the kingdom in every way that mattered.

“Let’s start out small and work our way up,” I told Kylie and showed her how to complete certain workouts.

Kylie crumpled to the floor, exhausted from the strain of this workout. She was covered in sweat, and her face was pale. I scooped her into my arms in a panic, but then her eyelids fluttered, and a hint of warmth returned to her cheeks. I was relieved when I saw the color creep back into her face. However, I could see the exhaustion in her expression and knew that this wasn’t over.

“Sorry,” she told me. “I feel better now.”

It was my touch that brought her back. Her body drew strength from the connection every time she felt exhausted or drained. I had seen this look before: the flush in her cheeks, the glow in her skin, the way exhaustion melted away after we surrendered to each other completely. But this was different. Something was wrong. If the only way to heal her exhaustion was through mytouch or physical closeness, then we had a problem. What if I were away or couldn’t help her? Would the pack take the opportunity to get rid of her when she was defenseless? This was a problem we couldn’t afford to ignore because it went so much further than our bond.

Why was she like this? How could I fix this? My mind whirled with questions, but I couldn’t find a single answer.

I put Kylie in the tub to recover and relax. I hoped that she would fully regain her strength in the soapy waters. My mind churned with the need to restore her lycan strength as I left for the office. There had to be some kind of remedy or technique out there that could help her.

The walk was filled with obstacles and distractions. My people stopped me at every turn, voicing their concerns, seeking guidance, and droning on about grievances. Patrol reports came in, detailing rogue movements near our borders; each update I received annoyed me more and more. When I finally reached my office, I slammed the door shut and sat down. The relief of being alone was almost too much to bear. But I had no time to dwell on it as there was work to do.

Eli walked into the room wearing a grim expression. “What’s wrong with you? You’re the only dude I know who has been having sex nightly and looks like that. How are you mad at the world right now?”

I shook my head to hide my amusement. “You don’t understand. Your mate doesn’t need your touch to survive.”

He cocked his head to the side and sat down in the chair across from me. “Wait. What are you talking about again?”

I gave him a rundown of what was going on. Eli listened intently and nodded along, not once stopping me to ask a question. He waited until I finished before breathing deeply.

“Dude… what? How is that possible?”

---