Page 44 of Pleasure and Mane
EIGHTEEN
CAIUS
The first thing Caius noticed when consciousness crept back into his mind was the warmth pressed against his chest—soft, familiar, and utterly perfect. Quinn's breathing was steady and peaceful as she slept with her back curved against him. The morning light filtered through the cabin's windows, casting golden beams across the rustic wooden walls, but even that paled in comparison to the radiance flooding through him.
She was his. Officially, completely, and irrevocably his.
The mark on her hip had healed during the night, leaving behind the distinctive claw pattern that proclaimed to any shifter who saw it that Quinn Marrow belonged to the Alpha of Leon. The thought sent a surge of possessive satisfaction through his chest, his lion rumbling with contentment.
Mate. Mine. Forever.
Caius had never fully understood the stories his uncle Henry told about the mate bond—how it transformed everything, making colors brighter and the air smelling sweeter. He'd thought the stories were romantic nonsense, the kind of embellished tales passed down through generations. But lying here with Quinn in his arms, breathing in her scent of lavenderand rain, he finally understood. The world hadn't just shifted; it had been reborn.
He pressed his lips to her shoulder, unable to resist the urge to taste her skin, and felt her stir in response. The bond hummed between them like a living thing, carrying his emotions to her even in sleep. When she turned in his arms, her eyes fluttering open to meet his, the smile that spread across her face was brighter than the sun itself.
"Good morning, my mate," she whispered, her voice husky with sleep and contentment.
"Good morning, beautiful." He cupped her face, his thumb tracing the curve of her cheekbone. "How are you feeling?"
"Like I could stay in this bed forever." She stretched against him, and he bit back a groan as her curves pressed against his already awakening body. "Everything feels different. Better. Like someone turned up the volume on life itself."
"That's the mate bond," he confirmed, nuzzling her neck. "It's permanent now, Quinn. There's no going back."
"Who said anything about going back?" She tilted her head to give him better access, and he took full advantage, trailing kisses along the sensitive spot behind her ear. "I've never been more sure of anything in my life."
The conviction in her sweet voice made his chest tighten with emotion. He'd spent ten days worried she might run and might decide that an Alpha lion shifter was too much complication for her ordered life. Instead, she'd embraced everything about him—the beast, the responsibilities, and the dangerous intensity of their connection.
"This cabin has seen a lot of love stories," he murmured against her skin, his hands roaming the soft curves of her body beneath the quilt. "My father proposed to my mother and claimed her here thirty-three years ago. Said he wanted to claim her somewhere that felt like home."
Quinn pulled back to study his face, her expression soft. "And now it's where you claimed me."
"The Haider men apparently have a thing for romantic cabins." He grinned, that boyish smile that he knew made her heart skip beats. "Though I have to say, I think our story might be my favorite."
"Oh really?" She raised an eyebrow, her fingers tracing patterns on his chest. "And why's that?"
"Because you're mine now." His voice dropped to that commanding Alpha tone. "Because I get to wake up every morning for the rest of my life with the most incredible woman in the world in my arms."
She kissed him then, soft and sweet and full of promise, and Caius felt his heart swell with a happiness so complete it bordered on unbearable. Nothing could touch this moment, this perfect bubble of contentment they'd created in the heart of the forest.
The sharp blare of Caius's phone shattered their perfect moment like glass hitting concrete. Caius growled and broke their kiss, his arm tightening around Quinn's naked body as he reached for the device with his free hand. The mate bond pulsed with their shared irritation at the interruption.
Laviniaflashed across the screen.
His lion surged forward, sensing danger before his mind processed the frantic text message.Vincent just showed up at the mansion. Henry's handling it but GET HOME NOW.
"Fuck." The word exploded from him as he bolted upright, the quilt falling away from his muscled torso.
Quinn sat up instantly, her hand finding his shoulder. "What is it?"
"Vincent." His voice carried the lethal edge of an Alpha whose territory had been violated. "He's at the mansion. Thatbastard had the audacity to show up at my home while I'm not there."
Quinn's face went pale, her green eyes widening. "Lavinia?—"
"He must know she's pregnant and she's exactly the target he's been hunting." Caius was already moving, his powerful frame uncoiling from the bed with predatory grace. The protective instincts of both man and beast roared through him, demanding action. "Get dressed. We're leaving now."
They moved with synchronized efficiency, pulling on clothes with the urgency of soldiers preparing for battle. Caius's hands shook as he yanked on his jeans—not from fear, but from the barely contained rage coursing through his veins. His lion wanted blood, wanted to hunt down the wolf who dared threaten his pregnant sister.
"Henry's smart," Quinn said, struggling into her blouse. "He'll protect her."
