Chapter 110 - I will make you mine

EMMA

The tree bark presses onto my back and It digs into my shoulder blades. Deep tempting sandalwood, cedar and bergamot mingle with the scent of rich earth and freshly fallen leaves. The rough texture of his palms draws a path down my bare arms. Hot shivers run over every inch that Hadrian touches.

“No marks.” I moan when he sucks a trail from my jaw to my neck. Covering love bites with so many observing eyes around me is just too risky.

His chest rumbles with a low growl. One hand travels down my spine and over the curve of my ass. The other holds the side of my head and pulls me lightly in the direction he wants.

My lips tingle from his rough kisses and my breath is shallow from the lack of air.

Hadrian works his way lower and I open my neck further for him. He bites softly in the skin of my shoulder and I gasp out loud. Heat shoots through me and pools low in my stomach. I clutch his shirt and the gasp turns into an embarrassing moan. I can’t help moving my pelvis over his thigh. *Holy crap.*

We had to wait for the moon to rise and ended up making out against a tree. The forest is quiet except for the little animals around. The sky is getting darker now and the forest is barely allowing any light through the blanket of branches.

Hadrian releases my skin between his teeth and pulls away. There’s a challenge in his eyes and he runs a knuckle over the flush on my cheek. He knows what he’s doing to me. “I know.”

He pulls away completely and my body slumps against the tree. My blood is buzzing with desire and begs for more. I swallow the lust that threatens to consume me.

I watch how Hadrian adjusts himself and I turn my gaze to the cover of branches above me. Through the line of trees, I can see the rising moon.

*This is ridiculous.* The effect he has on me is unnatural. This shouldn’t exist. I take a breath before looking back at Hadrian.

He sinks down on a patch of grass that’s surrounded by four tall trees. He casually takes off his shirt and neatly folds it before placing it on the grass next to him. His prominent muscles move with every little action.

I have to actively close my jaw when I realize that I’m staring at him. “What are you doing?”

Hadrian raises his brows. “Did you forget why we’re here?” He rubs the back of his neck when red blooms at the base of his neck. “I mean, I would gladly continue if you would rather…”

I shake my head and dispel the lustful thoughts from my mind. *Not why we’re here.*

“No?” My voice is unsure and I bite my lip. *This is not the time or place, Emma.*

I take a seat across from him with my legs crossed. His knees reach much further than mine. I know that I’m small compared to him, but sometimes I’m reminded just how big the difference is.

“Are you sure?” His gaze is intense and fuels the burn in my cheeks.

“Yes.”

“Do you feel the energy from the moon?”

I look up at the moon, its pale light shining through the trees. The moon hangs in the sky like it always does. “Should I?”

Hadrian nods and he has his eyes closed. “Think of it like the sun. The moon sends waves of energy towards us. Just like it influences the ebb and flow of water, it also influences us.”

I look at how the soft moonlight illuminates his face. It casts shadows over his sharp features. He takes deep breaths in and out and I try to match his rhythm.

“For a werewolf, the energy of the moon flows through our body. We owe everything we are to the Moon Goddess. Not only our wolf but also our other abilities and our enhanced senses in our human form.”

Hadrian draws two fingers from his solar plexus in a circle to the center of his abdomen.“All the energy we receive flows through here. The more energy we receive, the stronger we are.”

“Is that why the Blood Moon gives you more energy?”

Hadrian hums in agreement and beckons for me to place my hand on his abdomen. His skin is scorching to the touch as if a fire burns under the surface.

“What about a fated mate?” I ask as my curiosity bubbles up. I try to connect the things I know with this new information. “It’s supposed to make you stronger too, right?” It’s something I’ve read in one of the many books from the library.

Hadrian nods and places his hand over mine, trapping my palm against the heat. The light of the moon shines in his eyes when he opens them. “When a wolf finds their true mate, marks and mates them, the connection will forge. They’ll receive the energy from the moon as well as through their mate, it will amplify.”

His warmth flows through my hand. I can actually feel it flow through my arm. I look into his warm amber eyes and feel the intensity brimming beneath the surface. Sometimes I wonder how things would be if I had a wolf. What would it be like if I could recognize a fated connection?

“What if they don’t mark and mate?” It's a question that I think I already know the answer to.

Hadrian swallows and the movement is visible in his throat. “Their wolf will die and the connection to the moon will be broken.”

I place my other hand below my solar plexus and I close my eyes. I try to sense the energy around me, like he explained. I try to feel it on my skin and to feel the energy flow through my body. I pinpoint the stream and how it flows in a circle beneath my hand.

I sense the heat building beneath my palm and how it spreads through the rest of my body.

*“Emma…”* A female voice faintly calls in the distance of my mind.

I open my eyes when it shocks me out of my concentration. *Was that real?*

A rumble vibrates through the air. I find Hadrian looking at me, but this time with black eyes and bared teeth. “Hadrian?”

“Your heat...” His voice is layered and the darkness in his eyes is familiar. *The dark prince.* His knuckles are white and his muscles are strained as he tries to hold himself back. “It’s just impossible to deny.”

His hands wrap around my thighs and pull me closer. My hands connect with his scorching chest. He takes a deep inhale and the growl coming from him is resounding and animalistic.

“What are you doing?” I push myself away but it only seems to trigger him more. He growls and pins me down to the ground with my arms pinned above my head.

His weight presses down on me and his hardness digs into my thigh. I can’t deny the heat between my legs as it pulses and begs for attention. *Not a good time!*

He removes my shirt with a swift move and runs his nose along my chest and the length of my neck.

“First, I’m going to mark you.” He clarifies, his mouth moving over my skin.

A substantial part of me is begging for him to mark me. I think the werewolf part of me rejoices at the animal instinct. It missed having Hadrian as a mate. It recognizes the loss and the need to be marked.

The other part, my human side, is begging him not to. A mark like that doesn’t heal and people will find out. My human side that knows being marked will only result in unspeakable pain when things don’t work out.

“Y-you can’t.”

His hand reaches for my throat and exerts pressure to expose my neck. “I will make you mine.” His sharp teeth scrape over my skin from my jaw. They’re a few seconds away from piercing my shoulder.

Hadrian has me completely locked under his body. His pelvis and chest weigh down on my frame. One hand holds my wrists and stretches my arms and the other is wrapped around my neck. There’s no necklace holding him back this time.

“What the fuck!” A familiar voice shouts through the forest. It booms like a storm rustling the leaves from the trees.

I turn my gaze to the outburst beside me. My eyes widen when I spot Alex ten feet away. Her face is pale and anger simmers in her eyes.

Carter comes jogging behind her and comes to a full stop next to her. “Dude, are you… Oh shit.”