Page 8 of Arion
A lifetime of lore and lessons had taught her that when an Alpha Protector claimed his mate, he carried her to his home in his human form. He was strong and agile. Though he would ordinarily shift into his wolf form to climb and descend the mountain, he would not do so when transferring his mate to her new home.
Arion removed the top from the small vial and pulled out a dropper. “Tip your head back for me, Little one.”
She was trembling as she did as instructed. She didn’t want him to see her fear. She wanted him to be proud of her strength and trust. As he slid his free arm behind her, spreading his palm on her back, she opened her mouth.
Arion let one drop fall onto her tongue.
She wasn’t entirely sure how long it would be before the potion took effect, but she blinked as he released her to replace the stopper and return the vial to his pocket.
A moment later, his hand returned to her back.
She felt groggy. Her eyes drifted shut. She was slightly aware of him swooping her off the floor, and then she was in his strong arms, tucked against his firm body. Cherished.
ChapterSix
By the time Arion settled in the oversized rocking chair in the nursery of his cabin, he was beyond anxious to have his mate return to him. He hadn’t released her for a single moment since he’d swept her into his arms.
He’d taken his time ascending the mountain. It was no hardship for him to do so in human form while carrying his precious cargo, but it was far more time consuming than in his lupine form.
Perhaps he should have released her for a few minutes and placed her in the center of his bed so he could change into more comfortable clothes, but he hadn’t been willing to relinquish her for even a moment.
Instead, he’d gone through the task of fixing her a bottle and ensuring he had everything he might need in the coming hours handy without ever setting her down.
She would be hungry. He doubted she would have eaten much that morning. Most Little girls found it difficult to eat on the day of their mating. The formula in her bottle would fill her tummy and help her come back to herself as she slowly came awake.
Cradling her in his arms as he gently rocked, he stared at her perfect features, unable to stop smiling. She was so stunning. Her button nose and rosy cheeks had a faint smattering of cute freckles on them. Though he had amazing vision and had seen her smile from a great distance over the years, he hadn’t been certain about the freckles.
He couldn’t wait to stare into her sky-blue eyes again. He could do so for hours and never tire of it. He hoped she would let him.
Arion lifted one of her hands so he could look at her delicate fingers. Her nails were cut blunt and perfectly filed. When he turned to lift one of her feet, he found her adorable little toes equally tended to.
He carefully slipped off her gold sandals and set them on the floor. He considered leaning over to kiss her small toes, but decided against it. If she roused while he was nibbling on her feet, she might think he’d lost a marble.
Minutes went by before she began to stir in his arms. Arion knew from instructions that now was the time to feed her, now while she wasn’t quite lucid and would accept the nipple without quite realizing what she was doing.
There would assuredly be a moment in the next several minutes when she came fully awake, acknowledged her suckling, and panicked, but he would deal with that when it happened.
When a slight whimper escaped his Little mate’s lips, Arion took advantage of them parting to slip the nipple into her mouth.
Jezebel’s bow-shaped lips settled round the nipple without much fuss, and all Arion had to do was jiggle it a bit to get her to suck.
The first draw of formula had him holding his breath. Hoping she would not come awake too quickly and panic. As he continued to grip her against him, he watched with awe and wonder. His Little girl started sucking without fuss, drawing the formula into her mouth and swallowing.
She moaned softly, making his cock jump to attention. He’d done well to keep his erection at bay so far, but her tiny sounds undid him. He had to adjust her on his lap.
Her eyes were still closed while she suckled. She wasn’t aware yet. Not fully. She was feeding on instinct, satisfying her thirst and hunger in her semi-lucid state.
With his free hand, he lifted hers, wanting to touch her skin, but his breath hitched as she wrapped her fingers around his pinky.
Arion’s heart nearly stopped. His Little mate was the most precious being in the world. He prayed she would accept her transition without too much angst. Little girls reacted in many different ways when faced with their new lives among the Alpha Protectors.
Though the entire pack, including everyone who lived in the valley and the protectors surrounding it, adhered to the ancient norms of Dominant males and submissive females, the practice manifested itself in many different ways.
The vast majority of mated shifters incorporated some level of age play into their lives, but the Alpha Protectors took that tradition much deeper than most of the pack in the valley.
Jezebel would have been taught that she should respect and obey her mate. She would have been given some education on the ways of their pack. But she couldn’t have known that she would awaken in her very own nursery where Arion intended to guide her to submit to him in all ways.
Jezebel managed to drink about half the bottle before she blinked her eyes open gradually. When she met his gaze, she froze. Her small hand still gripped his finger, but her lips stopped moving.
