Page 48 of Marked
“Would you have hurt me if my body had rejected your mark?” I asked,
“No. A failed mark within a female acts as a rather efficient form of repellant actually. I wouldn’t have been able to get near you because it would have made me too sick to continue towards you. My skin would burn and blister should I get too close to you. My eyes would water, and my vision would fail. My strength would wane until I could hardly walk. There would be zero possibility of me maintaining an erection around you should your mark have failed, which would prevent any future couplings between us for the rest of time. It’s another evolutionary defense mechanism that protects a suitable mate from a vindictive or angry male that may want to hurt her for not accepting his mark. If you had rejected me, I could never have you again.”
“So, what you’re saying is that you only had one shot with me. If I had rejected you, you’d never have come back,” I whispered.
“That’s right, sweet girl,” he whispered, his eyes connecting with mine. He stared down at me, his gratitude clear as day. His fingers brushed the hair from my forehead, and I bit my lip as warmth spread through my body at his tender touch.
“Why did you stay away from me for so long if you knew I had accepted you?” I asked next, chewing my lip. He’d left me alonefor a long time. All I remembered was the intense, insufferable feelings of arousal. How much I’d wanted him. How much I still wanted him even though I’d broken through my heat.
“There is a temporary period of time after I marked you that repels me away from you, almost as if you had rejected the mark in the first place. The amount of time for this varies, a month or two in most females. Your body began adapting to the mark in that time, until you finally accepted it fully. After that, I could feel you calling for me. I could feel my mark taking effect and when it did, it activated your very first heat cycle. And I came for you,” he replied, pressing his lips against the top of my head in a gentle kiss.
“Your mark changed me. I am no longer human,” I murmured.
“You’re right, little Lupenii. The mark made you stronger. If it hadn’t, you never would have survived the breaking of your heat. That kind of fucking would have torn your human form apart,” he said.
“Tell me how it works,” I requested, my voice soft.
“Your body accepted my seed, and that induced a mutational volley that changed the very foundation of your genome. It heightened your senses, strengthened your body, and increased the healing rate of your immune system one hundred-fold. You will be able to shift into your wolf form as well, but that’s not all. A Lupenii male has the power of physical strength. He is the muscle that’s required for your protection, but a Lupenii female is granted something much more special than that,” he continued.
“You mean, what I did to the Ghengrills on the surface of Ghengra,” I said, understanding dawning over me now.
“You have the ability to protect what is yours. You can control the elements, straight down to the core of the fabric of the universe. Should anything threaten you or our young, you can focus that anger and fear into the environment around you. Your ability is the strongest I’ve ever seen. There are Lupenii females who live their entire lives and never experience the true strength they are capable of. You were able to harness that power in mere minutes after the breaking of your heat. That is unheard of,” he answered.
“I didn’t want them to hurt you. Or our son,” I whispered.
“I know, little Lupenii. You did well,” he smiled.
“You look different than before,” I murmured. “You looked more human.”
“That was my natural form. Your heat activated this part of me. You made me shift into this, little Lupenii,” he grinned.
“I like you like this,” I purred.
“I know you do,” he growled softly, and my insides tingled. I could feel liquid heat gathering between my thighs just at hearing the sound. He was right. I was connected to him, and it went deeper than just love. It was physical. It was chemical, and it was the most complete connection that I had ever felt.
There was nothing stronger than this.
“Now that you understand just how thoroughly you are mine, little Lupenii, I want you naked. Strip. I want you fully bare for me,” he said firmly, and a shiver raced down my spine. I licked my lips and turned back toward him, my normal feisty nature rearing its head.
“Hmm. Make me,” I retorted, playfully. I cocked an eyebrow and stared him down in challenge, daring him to conquer me in a single look.
I wasn’t disappointed.
His resulting growl twisted my insides into something that felt like liquid magma, but I didn’t back down.
“You’re strong, little Lupenii. I know you’ll be a wonderful mother to our child, but that will never prevent me from reminding you of your place,” he murmured, and I couldn’t help it as a breathy sigh escaped my throat.
He gripped my chin and pulled me into a kiss, his lips as demanding as they were thorough. I returned his kiss just as fiercely, needing to feel his firm touch on my body, reminding me that I was his, that we were safe, and that we’d be together forever.
His hand wound around the back of my neck, and he pulled me in closer, kissing me harder and more deeply than before. His lips met mine with brutal intensity, and I knew I’d feel it for some time to come. Finally, he pulled away and stared into my eyes. They were warm with emotion, startling me at first, but I soon realized it was adoration and nothing else.
“I love you, little Lupenii,” he murmured, and my heart pounded hard in my chest.
“I love you too, Alaric,” I said softly, pressing my palm gently against his cheek.
“Good. Because I’ve already decided to spank you for not obeying my wishes. Just how hard will depend on if I have to tell you again. I told you to strip, baby doll, and I expect youto obey,” he purred, and I could feel my wetness beginning to gather between my thighs.
I needed this. He did too.
