I Will Possess Your Heart

Oliver

I smiled into Lya’s neck, pretending for just a moment that it was Lya who said my favorite four letter word I so desperately wanted to hear tumbling from her lips. This was Anna’s moment, though. One that would go correctly. She wouldn’t be able to see it at first, and maybe not ever, but Trevor had kept his distance from her so he could come to her with no demons. He probably felt as if it’d be wrong to bring all the baggage he still carried from unfinished business to a mate, but Anna knew it all already. And a mate was supposed to help heal you.

“Come on,” I said, taking Lya’s hand. “Let’s go watch this.”

I pulled Lya toward the alpha wing, in view of Trevor’s doorway. Watching someone find their mate was a beautiful thing, and one I wanted Lya to see.

Anna stood at the end of the hall, her back toward us, eyes on Trevor’s door. She was frozen in place, and I was certain Trevor could smell her, too. Thom had probably stayed in there, too, just to make sure he didn’t try and escape through a window or something again. And like it was scripted, the door swung open and Thom shoved him out. I wasn’t surprised - he had already made it four years of resisting the bond.

This was different from Cody and Elise - Trevor had just resisted it, not rejected it. But sometimes, resistance can result in a rejection. He wouldn’t be able to hide it from Anna that he had denied her four years, and there was no telling what her reaction would be. But then again, she was just eighteen when he discovered they were mates - just a child. Maybe it would work out for the best for them that he held off.

I leaned against the wall, pulling Lya’s back to my chest. This was the first time she had seen mates meet. She seemed almost as absorbed in it as Trevor and Anna. My eyes were all on her, though.

Like a coordinated dance, they stepped toward each other. Their wolves at the forefront, it was undeniable what was happening. Four fractions of a soul becoming one.

“Let’s go,” I murmured into my own mate’s neck. It was selfish to have her watch. I was grasping at any possible opportunity to spur her to fess up to what I knew she had to know by now. Lya was unmoving, though, completely engrossed in their moment. I dragged her along behind me in an effort to give them the more intimate parts of their moment in peace. She snapped to attention when they were out of sight, willingly following along behind me.

Adair and I had found her scent lingering in the clearing she had spent the previous afternoon in. It suited her perfectly - a tranquility to quiet the overworkings of her mind. She had mentioned the safe havens she found in each place she had lived before, and it was easy to see this place becoming that for her here. It felt natural to bring her to this spot, too.

Riverbanks were her thing. She sank down on a rock, dangling her feet in the stream.

“I feel like you don’t lie to me,” Lya said cautiously, eyes following the current. “You just don’t speak on things until you fully understand them.”

I sat down and tugged her onto my lap. “It’s hard to put into words things you can’t wrap your head around.”

“What’s a mate bond to you?”

Lya’s question stopped my mind in its tracks. I replayed it a few times, examining each syllable. “Evolving,” I finally admitted. “Everything I need and nothing I expect.”

“You’ve met her already, then?” The hurt was palpable in Lya’s voice. As if she didn’t already know.

“I met her before she turned eighteen,” I confessed. “It feels… different… then. There’s no lust yet.” I didn’t know the best way to navigate this conversation. All the doors were wide open for me to lay it out and tell Lya it was her - she was my world. But, I was convinced that Lya would bring it up when she was ready. If she wasn’t talking, there had to be a reason. “Back then, she was my motivation to make this world safe. I failed her in that, but I have to hope that what I did for her resulted in better lives for others.”

“I thought you couldn’t meet your mate until you were eighteen?” I quickly thought through the books Thom had in his room. None of them discussed the intricacies of mate bonds. This girl had been asking questions.

“I think it’s just that the signs people expect out of a mate bond don’t crop up until you’re eighteen and the moon goddess sees us as fit to mate the verb. I think it’s a fallacy that your mate is first and foremost your romantic partner. Your mate is supposed to complete you.” I at least was not completed by who I went to bed with every night. The person who would willingly point out when I am wrong, challenged my ego, gave me a safe space to confess my secrets and fears - that was who completed me. Of course you’d fall in love with the person uniquely designed to provide that. “I swear, I am about to make it so schooling ends a year earlier… It’s gross seeing so many kids in high school all wrapped up with their life partner just because the sex drive kicks in at eighteen.”

“I have to agree,” Lya giggled. “I imagine it’s a big distraction from school, too.”

“Maybe it’d be better to make sure their basic education is complete before all the additional hormones of mating kick in,” I chuckled.

Lya shrugged. “Maybe it’s because I’m half human, but I still went through puberty at a normal time.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about, love,” I said, placing a kiss on her shoulder. “You’ll start going into heat once you’re marked.”

“Heat?” she squeaked. “Like an animal?”

“Like a wolf, yes,” I told her. My teeth grazed along the nape of her neck, sending shivers down her spine. “Would you like me to mark you so you can find out?”

Lya didn’t turn to look at me as she spoke, but her body betrayed her, pressing closer into me. “I don’t even know what the marking thing is for, anyway.”

“It is to let everyone know our souls are bound,” I told her. “You felt it when you marked me. You can sense my emotions easily, you could read my thoughts if you tried. I can feel yours now, if they’re overwhelming enough, but it would become a two way street.” I looked down at her, trying to gauge her reaction. “When I mark you and our bond is completed, we’ll be able to mindlink even if you aren’t pack yet. And once you are Luna, you’ll have as much control over the pack as I do.”

“I don’t think I’m ready for that yet,” she said quietly. I knew that would be her answer, but it was worth a try.

I quickly shifted us around, so she was under me and I was between her legs, pressing my hips into hers. I fought to keep my canines from surfacing, but if I couldn’t mark her permanently, I’d leave whatever marks she would allow. I nipped and sucked at the skin along her collarbone, leaving bruising marks behind as my hands pushed the hemline of her skirt upward. Sundresses were my new favorite thing.

“Everyone is still going to know you’re mine.”

My hands slipped under her dress, disposing of it and leaving her exposed. I took a sharp breath in. “Oh, but where to start?” I muttered before sucking along her neck, only a little disgruntled it was a hickey instead of a mate mark.

“Oliver!” Lya giggled. “What are you doing? I don’t think anyone is going to argue that I’m yours.”

“Mm.” My hands had a mind of their own, running up her ribs and skimming under the fabric of her bra and unclasping it. “They still need to see proof. But say that again?” I pinched her nipple. Her gasp elicited a growl from myself.

“What? That I’m yours?”
I dragged my teeth down her collarbone and sternum, leaving red trails behind. With one hand still kneading her breast, the other tore away her underwear. “Again,” I growled. I pushed a finger inside of her, rumbling in approval at how wet she was.

“I’m yours,” she breathed.

I sat up, admiring my handiwork thus far while casting my clothes to the side. This girl would be wearing turtlenecks in the summer or showing off all the ways her alpha could mark her.

I leaned over her again, biting down on her shoulder. Another mark her sundresses couldn’t hide. Before I could nestle myself back between her legs, Lya’s hands were on my chest, pushing me over. I reached up, digging my fingers into her hips to pull her closer, but she resisted. With the sly glint in her eyes, I was absolutely done for.

“If I’m yours, though, what are you, Alpha?” she asked.

I grasped her hips harder, claws nearly puncturing the skin. I was certain Lya could see the animalistic shift in my eye. “All yours, baby.”

Lya purred in approval, slowly lowering herself down onto me. I pushed my hips up to meet her, groaning at the feel of her core. “What was that, Alpha? I don’t think I heard you.”

“Fuck, Lya, you own me” I rumbled. I held her still and began thrusting into her. I couldn’t take her taunting because I knew she would use her body for it, too. Primal was what I needed.

Without warning, I pulled out of her and rearranged us so she was on her hands and knees, ass on full display. I positioned myself at her opening, teasing her with my tip. My hand smacked down on her ass, causing Lya to jump. My hand returned to massage away the sting and plunged into her. I picked up a pace that had her writhing and moaning, doing my best to commit all the sounds I could get out of her to memory.

She clenched down around me, and my balls tightened. Feeling her climax pushed me over the edge, releasing into her. I reached forward, fisting my hand in her hair and pulled her up so her back was flush against my chest. I buried my nose in her neck and took in as much of her scent as I could.

“So whose are you, love?” I murmured into her ear.

She was breathless. I could hear her heart pounding. “I’m yours.”

The rumbling in my chest reverberated through us. “That’s right.”

The Runaway Rogue
Detail
Share
Font Size
40
Bgcolor