Chapter 49: You're My Mate

[Dove]
My eyes grew misty again.

Before I made a crying mess of myself, I leaned forward and captured his lips as his arms circled around my waist and pulled me close.

When we broke away, Patrick and his band played a fast piece and I laughed out at the memory of the feast and my complaints.

Scanning the faces that had long become familiar, their smiles bore new meaning for me - their acceptance of me as a member of their pack.

I had wanted to be a priestess of the Moon Goddess because I thought I would be accepted without judgement at the house of the Goddess. She cares for and protects us so I would feel accepted.

But it turns out that I was welcomed and accepted unconditionally in a place where I should feel the least kinship.

Tears welled up in my eyes once more as Cole hugged my shoulder, faced the villagers and thanked them. Once their applause faded, they dispersed to the trays of steaming food.

Cole returned to me. "I have many witnesses now." He wiped away the wetness of my cheeks with his thumb and exhaled lightly. "You can't forget, ever."


******


The villagers took the chance to also celebrate the end of the battle and everyone's recovery, especially mine. So it was a whole day of dance and chatters, drinks and food, with lots of laughter and giggles.

At nightfall, the crowd slowly scattered.

With our hands clasped, we strolled back to the mansion.

"I went to see Aeson about Abe," Cole said casually. He looked at me and shook his head.

I guessed that meant Abe could not be cured. It was the disease of an impatient heart with unfulfilled desires.

"What did he say this time?" I adjusted the hem of my dress and walked on.

"He thought Jude was Oscar," Cole muttered. "So he told Jude everything."

I halted in my footsteps then turned to him. He continued after my silent encouragement.

"Oscar didn't start the battle - he did. He was the mastermind behind everything." Cole lifted his gaze to the dark sky and sighed. "He told Oscar about our secret and Oscar obviously got angry."

I realized that Oscar was also a pawn in Abe's scheme, just as my parents were. Then, a question sprang into my mind.

"How did Abe know about your secret?" I stepped closer to the quiet giant. "A pack’s matters are known only to members, right?" Unless someone from the pack told Abe, he wouldn’t have known that the Whispering Moon Pack had left their faith, I thought silently.

Realizing that this meant a betrayal from the pack, I tightened my grasp on Cole's hand. "I might be wrong. I’m sorry.”

Cole studied my eyes quietly for a long time. Then, he said, “You have the pack’s interest at heart, I know.” He walked on again, tugging me along, and said, “I’ll think about what you said.”

I silently watched his profile. So much has changed in him since I first met him. I dropped my gaze and chuckled quietly to the ground, thinking how much I love this giant Alpha.

After a quiet walk down the corridor, we entered his room, now our quarters. As he closed the door, I thought I would change out of the dress when his thick, muscular arms wove around my waist and pulled me backwards.

My back bumped against his broad, hard chest and his chin came onto my shoulder. I could hear his light breathing and hugged his arms that were on my belly.

After a brief silence, he sighed next to my ear and whispered, “You look beautiful today.” His lips were on the base of my neck and they tickled my sensitive spot as they moved whilst he talked.

Closing my eyes, I savored the feeling of the feathery kisses he was planting on my neck and shoulder. Then, he pulled away and his fingers took the zip of my dress and dragged it down. Coolness caressed my back as the opening widened and I shuddered slightly.

His hand slipped in and brushed across my navel before moving up to fondle my breasts, cupping them to feel their weight and teasing their plumpness. I leaned against him and sighed.

As the dress slipped off my body, his other hand lowered to my soft lips and rubbed them skillfully. His lips came to my ear and he whispered some more. “I told Phia to make this dress using the same materials as the dress you wore to the feast.”

I inhaled sharply as he bit lightly on my ear and deepened the grazing of both of his hands. My breathing started to quicken and my voice went higher. I reached a hand behind to stroke him while the other rose up and went behind his neck to push his lips harder onto my neck.

“Because you looked so d*mn beautiful that night.” His lips continued to nibble my shoulder.

“Cole,” I sighed, arching my back, begging for a release in between my racing heartbeat and breathless moans.

He turned my head and grabbed my lips for a deep kiss as his fingers drove me over the precipice. Cries of pleasure trembled my lips as we kissed, long and hard.

Then, he carried me onto the bed, removed his own clothes and proceeded to kiss every inch of my bare skin. His lips and tongue were everywhere over my body, even at the most intimate and sensitive spots, suckling and licking, driving me to the brink of insanity once more.

At the perfect moment, he entered me, large and gorgeous, filling me completely. Knowing what makes me wild with passion, he went on to do all of it and sent me to another high point. Pushing my knees higher, he entered me deeper and harder, moving faster and faster, his groans lower and louder.

My body was in flame as I exhaled incessantly at the wonder I felt in every limb. Streaks and streaks of electrifying senses rippled inside my body, from my toes to my head and back. The atmosphere was soaked with the heat of our lovemaking.

He flipped me over, covered my damped back with his body and entered me from behind. New sensations circled my belly and streaked up my spine. I gasped sharply at the heightened pleasure and my voice reached a new octave as he continued plunging into me.

Soon, our hasty breathings matched in pace and the bed creaked in rhythm with our rocking bodies. Thoroughly numbed and raw with tingles all over, I was soaring higher and higher to the peak, squeezing him tighter and tighter.

“F*ck!” He bellowed a loud groan. In his swiftness, he gave one final thrust as his teeth came to the nape of my neck and sank into the skin.

The pain was like lightning spreading across inside my body, amplifying my euphoria. I screamed and gripped the headboard as hard as I could as my body arched perfectly to take in the immense pleasure, while his seed poured into me.

The Alpha had finally marked me.

As my mind swam in the blinding lights of sheer bliss, I recalled what he whispered to me when we made love at the waterfall two days ago.

“You’re my mate.”