Page 81 of His Claim
He continued to thrust into me, his strokes growing faster, his cock throbbing as he drove deeper, his hips slamming against mine. He rode me through my orgasm, his body a relentless force that pushed me higher and higher, past the limits of my endurance, past the boundaries of my own desire.
My vision started to splinter at the edges as the endless pleasure started to become almost too much. I squeezed my eyes shut, just trying to survive, when finally, I felt his cock pulse inside me.
His hand wound around my throat, squeezing tight and blocking off myairway, just as his knot started to inflate inside my ass. A keening scream echoed around me, and it took me several seconds to realize that it was me.Struggling to breathe through my nose, I managed to draw in the smallest sips of air, not nearly enough to sustain me, but I was so lost in the pleasure and the growing agony I couldn’t even bring myself to struggle. I just gave myself to him, completely and utterly.
He let out a roar that sounded of dominance and victory as his knot swelled to its full size inside my tiny hole, locking us together as one. I could feel his cock pulsing as he came, his hot seed filling me, a primal claim that made me shudder with a pleasure that was almost painful in its intensity.
His hand loosened from my throat and air rushed into my lungs, but I was too spent, too boneless to doanything but breathe.His knot held us tight, an intimate, undeniable proof of his complete possession of me, and I felt a sense of wholeness, of rightness, that settled deep in my soul.
He collapsed onto me, his weight a welcome, comforting pressure, his chest heaving against my back. We were joined, not just by our bodies, but by a deeper and more profound bond. He whispered my name, and I felt a tear slip from my eye, tracing a path through the grime on my cheek.
“You said you loved me,” I whispered, the words a raw, vulnerable confession that I hadn’t realized were waiting to be spoken.
He kissed my shoulder, his lips gentle, a stark contrast to his rough claiming of my body. He held me like that for a long time, our bodies locked together, our breaths mingling in the steamy air, the world outside the cave fading into insignificance.
When his knot finally subsided, he pulled out slowly, his movements careful, and I felt a pang of loss at the sudden emptiness. He turned me over, his eyes soft, and gathered me into his arms, his body a warm, solid presence against mine. I rested my head on his chest, listening to the rhythmic beat of his heart, a sound that was more comforting than any lullaby.
“I’ve loved you since I first laid eyes on you, little wolf.”He purred the words into my hair, his breath warm on my scalp. “From the very first moment I saw you in thathallway, fierce and defiant, even when youtried to kill me, I knew. I knew you were mine.”
My heart swelled three sizes in my chest.
“I love you too,” I whispered.
And I meant it.
CHAPTER 19
Mariah
The water lapped softly around us. Steam rose in thin ribbons, catching the sunlight that filtered through the trees above. I let myself drift, my head resting against Varek’s shoulder, our bodies weightless in the warmth of the spring.
We didn’t speak for a long while. There was no need. The silence wasn’t heavy; it was a rare kind of peace that came after too many days of blood and fear. His fingers traced small circles over the back of my hand beneath the surface, a rhythm that steadied my breathing until my pulse matched his.
“This feels almost normal,” I said quietly.
Varek’s voice was soft, roughened from exhaustion. “Normal might be too much to hope for. But this…” He glanced around at the water, the trees, then back to me. “This is close enough.”
We stayed that way a little longer, letting the heat soak through sore muscles and wash away the dirt and blood. It wasn’t thekind of luxury either of us had ever expected to find again, but in that moment, it felt earned.
Eventually, the air around us began to cool. Varek sighed and brushed a strand of wet hair from my face.
“We should get moving,” he said.
I nodded, reluctant but knowing he was right.
We climbed out of the spring together. The chilly air hit my skin, raising goosebumps along my arms. I dressed quickly, pulling on the flannel and jeans that had somehow survived the worst of the wilderness. Varek handed me my boots, then slung his pack over one shoulder.
When I looked at him in the morning light, water still glistening on his skin, I thought of how close I’d come to losing him. The scar that curved along his ribs caught the light, and for a heartbeat, I reached out, tracing it with my fingertips.
He caught my hand, pressing his palm over mine. “I’m not going anywhere,” he said.
“Good,” I whispered. “Because I’m not losing you again.”
He smiled then, the kind of smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes, but was enough to warm the air between us.
We packed what little we had, shouldered our gear, and started north.
The trail wound through dense pines and steep inclines, each turn revealing higher peaks that pierced the clouds. The air grew thinner, the light harsher. But there was beauty in it too—the way the wind whispered through the trees, the glint of snow far above us. The land felt alive, ancient and watching.
