BK 3 - Chapter 42 - Mated
Saxon walked over to the bed and sat down with Melanie's legs still wrapped around him. He looked at the sweet spot on her neck where he'd bite, and his mouth watered.
"Are you sure about this? There's no going back after we're marked." Saxon looked into her eyes, and she smiled sadly.
"I know I haven't given you many reasons to trust me after pushing you away for so many years. I'm sure it feels strange for me to change my mind about everything so quickly. The truth is, Sax, I wasn't running away because I didn't want you. I was running because I was scared. You had known before I was born that I was destined to be yours. My entire life, you have put me on a pedestal like I was your prize. I was terrified that I wouldn't live up to your expectations if I accepted you. I didn't want to give you my heart for you to change your mind later on. So I pushed you away. I'm sorry that I made you repeatedly prove yourself to me. When you came to Rio I wasn't upset, I was happy. That was when I knew how much you really loved me. Knowing you followed me across the world just to be with me was all I needed to make up my mind that I was ready to be yours."
Melanie spoke from the heart. Saxon could see in her eyes that she meant every word she said. He suddenly felt ashamed that he had always held her in such high regard, not realizing what kind of pressure that must have put on her. He hadn't done it because he expected her to be a certain way. She was his mate, and no matter what, she would always be perfect in his eyes.
"I'm sorry I made you feel like you weren't good enough. I've always loved you, and nothing would have changed that, no matter what you said or did." Melanie kissed him to make him stop talking.
"Don't apologize; it was all me. I never thought I was good enough. My mom and Emily are perfect, but I'm far from it. Sometimes I would get jealous when you talked to my sister because I thought maybe you were beginning to like her more than me. That was before I understood the mate bond." Saxon chuckled.
"Is that why you would pretend to get hurt? You knew I would run to you, didn't you?" He asked, making Melanie blush slightly.
"Yeah. You and Emily are the same age, and I always felt like the ugly duckling next to her." Melanie felt foolish thinking about it now, but she'd grown up thinking everyone else was perfect.
"You do realize you and Emily almost look like twins. In my unbiased opinion, your eyes are more beautiful than hers, and your body is something I would die for." Saxon smirked at her, and she laughed.
"Unbiased, huh?" Melanie asked.
"Maybe I'm a little biased, as your mate. It doesn't help that you're currently sitting on my lap naked, but that's beside the point." Saxon rubbed his hands up her back and pulled her mouth to his. Chika purred her approval deep inside Melanie. She'd been waiting for them to mark each other for long enough. Melanie pulled away, laughing.
"Alright, let's mark each other, so Chika will stop trying to take over and mark you herself." She saw the hesitation in Saxon's eyes. "I promise this is what I want, and that's never going to change."
"Okay, I believe you. Do you want to go first?" He asked, and Melanie nodded eagerly. Most men wouldn't have asked; they would have taken their turn first. She should have known Saxon would be different.
He tilted his head to the side, bearing his neck for her. Melanie kissed the area she would bite before extending her.
Saxon closed his eyes when he felt her bite into him. As they went into him as far as they could, he could feel his body heating up in response to her. When she pulled back, he looked into her eyes and felt dizzy from her beauty. She licked the blood where she had bit him, and he moaned in pleasure.
"Your turn," Melanie said, tilting her head. Saxon leaned forward and kissed her sweet spot like she'd done to him. When he sunk his fangs into her, the taste of her blood made him go into a frenzy. She tasted like the finest wine on the planet.
Melanie moaned as Saxon's fangs plunged into her. She felt his venom spreading throughout her body. He wouldn't turn into a werelion, and she wouldn't turn into a vampire, but they would be able to mindlink each other. The connection from marking each other would bind them together for eternity. When he pulled back, they both felt a little drunk. Saxon licked the few drops of blood from her neck, and she shivered in delight.
*"How do you feel, my lioness?"* Saxon asked in her head. She smiled and pushed him so he was lying on the bed.
*"I feel like it's time we complete the mating process, my vampire,"* Melanie answered. She quickly helped him out of his clothes before getting back on top of him. Tonight she was taking control, and he had no problem with that. They made love until the early morning hours. Afterward, they passed out happy and mated.
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Mindy woke up still wrapped in Wesley's arms. At first, she feared someone had broken into her apartment and crawled into bed with her, but when she felt the tingles all over her body, she remembered where she was.
Yesterday at this time, she was in the hospital after being raped and had no clue about the world she lived in. Now her rapist was dead, and she was lying in bed with a werewolf. Mindy almost laughed out loud. If she heard someone say that, she'd want to admit them to the psych hospital.
Mindy knew she needed to deal with what happened if she ever wanted to move on. What Raul did to her haunted her, but she kept pushing it away. Now was not the time to become irrational. She had to stay strong and pretend it never happened. That all sounded good in her head, but that's not really what she needed. Mindy needed someone to talk to that wouldn't judge her and just listen as she poured her heart out.
She knew Wesley would do that for her, but she'd rather have someone who wasn't connected to everything. Mindy shifted slightly, and Wesley's eyes sprung open.
"Are you okay?" He asked automatically, with his voice sounding deeper than usual from sleep.
"Yeah, but can you help me with something?" Mindy snuggled closer to him.
"Anything." He answered, burying his face in her neck to breathe in her scent.
"You were right. Before you mark me, I need to deal with everything that's happened. Is there anyone I can talk to that is separate from all of this but also knows about shifters? I want to talk to someone neutral. Does that make sense?" Mindy felt like she was confusing herself, but Wesley chuckled against her.
"I understand. Let me talk to Cat. There's a woman that helps her at the group homes. Her name is Valerie. She's a therapist but also knows about shifters and everything. I believe she would be the perfect person for you to talk to. Right now, she's in a safe house with her husband Roger, Cat and Trey's twins, and the kids from the group homes. Raul had sent men to kidnap the twins, but they stopped them." Wesley smiled, thinking about Grant and Jelena. They were just like their parents.
"That would be great. Is it okay to bring them from the safe house, though? I don't want to put anyone in danger just because I need to talk to someone." Mindy wouldn't do anything to hurt the people who had just accepted her into their family.
"It will be fine. I'll take you to them. Cat and Trey will probably want to go check on everyone themselves anyway. I wouldn't be surprised if Saxon, Melanie, and the cubs go too. It will be like a family outing. We all need a break, even if only for a few hours." Wesley said, reaching for his phone. He texted Cat, who immediately responded that she would round up the family. He chuckled. If Cat was rounding up the family, they would need to take a bus; she didn't believe in leaving anyone behind.
"Cat said she'll tell Valerie you want to speak with her." He asked as Mindy turned over in his arms so they were face to face.
"Your family is really incredible. I have a question for you, though. How are you a werewolf, and your sister Kitty is a werelion?" She asked one of the many questions that had been nagging her.
"Kitty and I have the same mother but different fathers. It's a long story that I'll let my sister tell you, but they were both human before mating with shifters. My mom met my dad, who's a werewolf, and Kitty mated to Aiden, who's a werelion. Cat and Janel were humans before they mated as well. I don't want to confuse you, but Cat and Kitty are cousins. Cat is also Valerie's niece. To top it off, Kitty saved Janel as a child from being molested by her father." Wesley still tried to wrap his head around all the ways their family was connected, but he still got lost.
"Wow, that's a lot of connections. I think I'd also like to talk to Cat, Kitty, and Janel about being marked as a human. Do you think they would mind?" Mindy asked. She liked knowing they had all been through what she was about to experience.
"I'm sure they would love that. Now let's get up before they start pounding on the door." Wesley pulled Mindy out of bed, and they got dressed. Melanie had given her some clothes to borrow, but she wanted to pick up some things from her apartment. The more Mindy thought about being Wesley's mate, the more questions she had. One thing was certain. Her entire life was about to change.
