Page 167 of The Delta's Rogue
“I forgive you.” I cup her cheeks and hold her gaze. “I forgive you for doing what you needed to in order to survive. I forgive you for giving in to their demands so you could save yourself. And I will keep on forgiving you until you can forgive yourself.”
The words of absolution feel wrong. There is nothing to forgive. She did nothing meriting an apology, but she doesn’t see it that way.
She doesn’t need me to convince her she’s innocent. She needs me to accept her as she is. The broken bits, the scars that may never heal, and the nightmares that may never fade—all of it is part of her now, and she needs reassurance that I won’t try to change her or walk away from her.
“I love you,” I declare, my thumbs stroking her cheekbones. “I loved you four years ago, I loved you every day we were apart, and I love you now. There is nothing—nothing—you can tell me that will change that. My heart, my love, and my soul—all of me belongs to you.”
A small smile breaks through the tears falling from her eyes. Her chin lifts, and she reaches up to kiss me, her palms flattening against my chest. Her lips part and mesh with mine, moving in a twisting dance of passion. It deepens as the seconds pass.
I bite back a groan as her body presses closer to mine. Her fingertips dig into my chest, and mine dig into her cheeks, both of us holding each other as tightly as we can.
I wrap my arm around her shoulders and roll us so she’s back on top of me. She has all the control this way–control of our positioning, control of the length and intensity of our kisses, or if she even wants to be this close to me at all. I grant her all the power.
To my delight and surprise, she continues the kiss. She keeps the same pace, the same soft intensity, but her fingers wander up my chest to where my neck meets my shoulder. She brushes over that spot with the barest of feather-light touches, and the groan I held back before rumbles through me at her teasing of my marking spot.
It’s almost too much. It’s almost enough to make me come in my shorts.
Not that I would care. But I’m selfish, and the next time I come, I would prefer for it to be with my dick deep inside her and my teeth in her neck, marking her as mine.
I tremble beneath her, tensing my body to prevent myself from finding that release too soon.
She pushes herself so she sits upright on top of me. “Are you okay?”
“It’s just…been a while. I’ve never— There’s never been anyone else.”
“I know. I would have felt it through the bond.”
I sit so we’re face to face again and rest my hands on her thighs. “If you could feel that, then why’d you demand to know about my other experiences at the club?”
Sarina shakes her head. “I couldn’t feel you through the bond like that until after I tackled you in the forest. Even though I always knew you were my mate, it was different when we were kids. Then, it was your scent and this sense of knowing, of certainty. You felt like home. When you were around, I was whole and happy. When you left, it felt like you took part of me with you.” She laces her fingers with mine and squeezes tight. “After I tackled you here four years ago, the full force of the bond bombarded me. The sparks, your emotions—all of it.” She inhales, slow and deep. “Now I only feel traces of it.”
I wrap my arms around her and bring her so we’re only one inch apart and her hands rest on my shoulders. “There’s still no sign of your lycan?”
“What if she never comes back?”
“She will. She just needs time to heal herself.”
“What if she doesn’t? How can I lead our kingdom without a lycan? No one will follow or respect a queen who can’t shift or mindlink or defend herself. They will think I am weak.”
“You are not weak.” I grab her hands and show her the scars on her wrists. “Anyone who sees these scars and hears your story will know that you are anything but weak. They will follow you to the ends of the earth when they learn what you went through to protect them.”
She doesn’t reply to my declaration. I sense her skepticism. She wants to believe my words, but she can’t. Not with everything currently poisoning her mind.
I can’t fix it, not the way I want to. But I can give her the love, patience, and strength she needs so she can come out stronger on the other side.
I kiss her forehead then I pluck a few stray pine needles from her hair and tuck the strands behind her ear. “Let’s get you back to the house.”
We rise to our feet and I shift into my lycan, scooping her into my arms and taking off towards Peter and Imogen’s house. When the deck is in view, I mindlink Wesley, asking him to bring me a pair of sweatpants.
My lycan sets Sarina on the railing. She sits there smiling, her legs swinging, while we wait for Wes to bring me the clothes.
Goddess, I wish I could mindlink her. Feeling her through the bond isn’t enough. I want to know what her sassy, cunning mind is contemplating.
I know she can’t hear me, but I send her a mindlink anyway.“What are you thinking about, Little Rogue?”
Silence. It’s what I expected, but somehow it’s still a knife to my heart.
I sigh in disappointment as Wesley exits the house, sweatpants in hand. A male I’ve never met before is right behind him, with dark curls on the top of his head and a sharp nose that is vaguely familiar.
