39. Aurelia

Chapter 39

Aurelia

W ithout thinking, I worked at his tie, loosening it further before going after his buttons. They came away easily, as they were not buttons, just snaps. His pants were next as he ripped the sash from my waist, his teeth still in my shoulder.

"Yes, Weston," I groaned, shoving at his pants and taking his cock into my hand. "Yes. Take me."

I stroked as he pulled his teeth from my flesh so he could pull the tie over his head and toss it away. He yanked off the shirt and jacket next, then stepped out of his pants, making me lose contact with his shaft, before slowing a little as he reached my dress. He stood naked before me, a dribble of my blood down his chin, a god among men.

Slowly, he hooked his thumbs into the top of my dress. A cough sounded somewhere, and it reminded me of everyone watching. I nearly looked around to see how many as reality started to seep into this strange dream state.

"Eyes on me," he commanded. "I will always protect you." He inched my dress down. "Even in the hard times, I will love you, unconditionally." He pushed the dress over the swell of my hips until it fell the rest of the way. I now stood nude with him in front of all these people. "I will choose you, every day, for the rest of my life."

Before I could reciprocate, he grabbed the back of my neck and pulled me to him. His lips fastened on mine, deep and delving, his tongue sweeping through. He pulled my body to his, moving his hands along my skin and then reaching between my thighs, feeling my readiness.

"That's right, baby," he said in a voice soaked with sin. "Let's see how you taste."

Like the first time we were ever together, before we ever knew each other, he lay down in the dirt, pulling my pussy over his face and sucking me in. I groaned, gyrating against his lips, feeling his hand come up and his fingers delve within me. He curved them expertly; he'd been great the first time, but now he knew exactly what I liked and how firm I wanted it. He stroked me as he sucked in pulses, rolling his tongue around and working his fingers. I groaned louder, then louder still, already taken right to the edge.

He yanked my hips away, leaving me on that edge. I mewed out my displeasure as he positioned me over his cock.

"Rub against that hard dick, baby," he said. "Get it all slick."

I worked my hips while bringing his hand up to my breast. He rolled my nipples in that way I liked, sending pleasure right down to my core. It wasn't enough to get me off, though. His dark chuckle said he knew that.

He sat up slowly, one hand on my back and the other running up my belly to my cheek, making me arch backward so that he held all my weight. So that he was in control. Keeping me there, he sucked a nipple as he slid his hand back down, his fingers landing on either side of my clit so he could rub me just a little bit. He was making me crazy.

"Please, Weston," I begged, suspended, at his mercy. "Please, I need your cock. I need to come."

Still, he rubbed as he teased my nipples. The pressure to climax was unbelievably intense. He ran his lips just under my breasts, from one side to the other, then back to my nipple.

I begged again, trying to gyrate but unable to in this position. And then he sucked hard on my nipple while squeezing my clit and setting me off.

"Ho-ly fuck !" I screamed out my release as my whole body shook.

He pulled my upper body against him, positioned me above him, and then slammed me down onto his cock.

I rocked my hips as he bounced me, his cock going in deep, already starting to swell.

"You're going to take my knot like a good girl," he told me, his voice vibrating through my body.

"Yes, Alpha," I purred. I ran my fingers through his hair.

"You're going to come on it, over and over until your legs feel like jelly, and then we're going to shift so my wolf can take his turn."

My wolf shivered within me, suddenly incredibly impatient.

"Isn't that right?" He shook me just a little.

"Yes, Alpha," I replied wantonly.

We worked against each other, his movements getting smaller the bigger his cock got. I twisted and turned, working my clit, still rocking.

"I love you, Weston," I told him, clinging to his shoulders, my lips against his neck. "You are the greatest man I have ever known, and an impeccable alpha. I've struggled with fear and uncertainty all my life, but with you, I don't crave walls or borders. With you I feel safe in a way I didn't know was possible. I will choose you, every day, for the rest of my life and beyond."

He pulled my head back so that he could kiss me as our bodies created the most glorious friction.

"Claim me now, Little Wolf," he told me, love and desire burning brightly in those beautiful gray eyes. "Make me yours. Ruin me for anyone else."

My heart surged, and I did just that, sinking my teeth into him and allowing the magic to come naturally. It wound through us, around us, in us, and then a strange new feeling took over. A delightful, tranquil sort of feeling that carried with it an enormous punch of pleasure.

I cried his name as I shook against him. Weston shuddered as well. We immediately started to build again, and it felt like flower petals descended upon us. Another heartbeat thudded in my chest, pounding once, twice, and then seeming to merge with mine.

I backed off to see his face. His eyes were liquid metal, so open, so soaked with love.

"That's us imprinting, baby," he said with a note of reverence. "Even after all of this, I don't know that I totally believed you loved me. That you could love me. I've done so many things I regret, things I'm not proud of, despicable things that ruined families. And I've done things against my will that... I'm such a mess, my head is so fucked up, so dark, I didn't truly believe in my soul that your love could be real. You're too pure, too innocent."

He kissed me in a rush, and I backed him off, laughing.

"I made drugs for a woman who turned them lethal, I've killed a great many people starting when I was twelve, I've helped trap a village, and now I'm pulling a dragon kingdom into the dark side of hallucinogens while they are forced to fight with the fairies because of ill-gotten magic. I don't think I'm as pure and innocent as you've built me up to be. Don't you remember why you were sent to find me? I've ruined plenty, believe me. We've both suffered, Weston. We've both dreamed. And now here we are, fucking in the dirt while people are trying to eat. It's a match made in the heavens."

He laughed, holding me close, brushing back the hair that had escaped Leala's design.

"I'm just glad to have you," he said.

"How many kids do you want?" I whispered, rocking against him. "I never asked."

His arms constricted around me. "As many as you desire, my love. I won't ever get tired of fucking you. You control what comes of it."

"So, like"—I kissed his lips, letting it linger—"a wagonload?"

"The more, the merrier."

I laughed softly and kissed him harder, rolling my hips. Little bites of pain tugged at me from his knot, and he crushed me closer, thrusting and pulling to keep himself embedded deep.

"Fill me up, Alpha," I moaned, my head falling back. "Fill me with your seed. I need it."

"Use me, Little Wolf. Use your alpha to your heart's content. I'm yours."

His body pulsed inside of me then, the delicious vibrations sending blooming pleasure throughout my body. It was even more delicious than usual, more consuming. I mentioned it as we worked toward another orgasm, straining against each other.

"It's the imprinting." He sucked at his claim, making me groan at the exquisite sensations. "It makes everything better."

The pleasure pounded through the bond, sweeping me away. He sucked his claim a little harder, and I shattered, coming on top of him again.

"That's right," he cooed, running his lips up my neck. "Come all over your alpha's cock. Show the pack who you belong to."

We kissed as we kept going, wild and raw, utterly primal. We'd always been good at this, but for the next few orgasms I was lost to him and him alone. Only his touch registered. Only his voice and the heat of his skin.

Our bodies were slick with sweat when I finally laid my head on his shoulder, my lips against his neck. I needed a little break before the next one.

"This can't be comfortable for you," I murmured.

"It's perfectly comfortable. I could move us to a chair, but I like it better here. I like the pack seeing us like this, lost to each other, not giving a shit where we are or how dirty my ass-crack is getting."

"Oh man." I laughed, tracing the muscles on his back with my fingers. "And what are they going to do?—"

"Eyes on me," he commanded just as I twisted to look around.

His power forced my eyes to snap to his. Pleasure unfurled within me, and I started rocking against him yet again.

"Yes, Alpha." My tone was smooth as silk. I saw heat bloom in his eyes. "Is looking around against protocol?"

"No, but you're new to all this, and I don't want the moment derailed, not for a second. You asked what they are going to do?"

"Yeah. This is going to take a while. We can't really expect them to stay and wait, can we?"

"The royals? No, though I bet they will, just to see how running with the pack goes. They'll probably remove themselves a little so Finley can sit on Nyfain's lap and have their own fun. The others? Yes, they will stay here until their alpha and his new mate releases them. They'll eat and drink and slip off into the trees in pairs, the males seeing if they can hold their knot as long as the alpha and the females just looking for an orgasm."

"I get the feeling that it'll be more than twos or even threes in this place."

He smiled and kissed my neck gently. "You're probably right. This castle is on another level. You can thank the curse for that."

I rocked as another orgasm bloomed on the horizon. "So we're definitely going to run with the pack?"

"Absolutely. I need to show off my mate—so quick and agile no one can catch her."

Weston

Time started to slow as the orgasms decreased in fervency. I'd prolonged my knot once, having learned that if I just started actively pleasing my mate again, her ardor for me rose high enough that my body responded eagerly. She couldn't seem to get enough of me, nor I of her. It was time to let it wane, though. We had the next phase of the claiming to get to.

She draped around me, her head on my shoulder and chest against mine. Her heartbeat—our heartbeat—pulsed strong and sure within us, something I'd heard happened with imprinting but had never really understood. Feeling it now was comforting. Reassuring, even, with my mate so close—closer than a bond. It was a primal feeling right in my middle, her heart given to me for safekeeping as was mine to her.

Fuck, this was heaven. I didn't want it to end.

The pack lounged around us, having waited for over three hours at this point, which was definitely a record. A few people still lingered in the trees, the whole place having basically fled once we'd joined, ripping off their clothes as they headed for cover and the feel of flesh. Some hadn't even waited to get into the trees before they reached for the first willing partner. Aurelia must've let loose her magic and convinced the whole party to join us in pleasure, not that they'd needed much prompting.

Most people partook in sexual activities during a claiming, watching the lead pair and feeling the heat. Some more than others, of course. A great many alpha pairs were arranged based on power and bloodlines. There often wasn't much passion or desire, which withered most people's interest. It was not so with my mate and me. We would've sparked heat without Aurelia's magic; I'd heard enough rumors about how the pack viewed our compatibility to be assured of that.

The pack's lust was why I hadn't wanted Aurelia to look around. She would've clued in on what she'd done and felt bad about it, or maybe embarrassed. I hadn't wanted that to ruin her experience.

I trailed my fingertips along her back as the king and queen rejoined the group, each wearing a slip like everyone else. It seemed no one cared about getting re-dressed into their finery. They probably figured they'd either shift soon or just end up banging again. Both were probably true.

"We're going to head onto the next phase," I whispered into Aurelia's ear. "Are you ready?"

"No," she grumbled without lifting her head from my shoulder.

I breathed her in, holding her close. The imprinting had mostly settled, though these tranquil effects and my extreme possessiveness and protectiveness over her would continue for days to come. I'd never heard of a shifter who'd disliked it.

"It's time for you to bond with the pack." I kissed my newly laid mark, and she shivered, moving on my cock again. "No, no." I chuckled and held her still, making her groan. She liked when I showed my strength. "No, Little Wolf, stop. We have to stop now, baby."

She pulled back a little, kissing me and letting her lips linger. "I don't want to stop. I want to go back to your room and keep going until I am dripping with your seed."

"Fuck," I groaned, squeezing her close, mashing my lips against my mark. "We will. After all this, we will. But we have to take care of the pack. They've waited long enough."

That made her quiet. She let her hands drift down my back.

"Fine," she grumbled, kissing along my neck. "Let's get this done. My wolf is eager for... you know."

"They won't take nearly as long."

"Good." She paused. "Oh, shut up, you can wait a little longer."

Clearly, that was for her wolf.

My cock continued to settle down until she was able to slide off me and stand, her legs stiff. She held on to me as I stood, laughing as we clung to each other to stay upright.

"You must've been miserable," she said as Finley and Nyfain slowly walked closer.

"I wasn't. It was perfection. I wasn't uncomfortable at all." And I hadn't been, not even a little. I'd only been able to focus on her body wrapped around mine, her solid weight, our heartbeat. "I love you."

"Well," Nyfain said as he stopped well away from Aurelia. Finley kept her distance from me. Wolves weren't as volatile as freshly imprinted dragons, but we did have boundaries. "That was fun. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I wish dragons could do that knotting."

"That looked like a good time." Finley's eyes sparkled as she took in Aurelia. "Are you happy?"

Aurelia slipped her arm around my waist. "Yes. Very."

Finley nodded. "Good. Okay, Nyfain and I are going to shift and take to the sky so that Aurelia doesn't get weird and have wolves climbing trees trying to find a way to attack us. You guys can shift and do what you do. If there is a problem, give us a howl and we'll help figure it out. No one is supposed to challenge, though, right?"

"Correct," I replied. "This should just be a bonding experience. There will probably be more intimacy, though the shifters aren't required to stay for that. They usually do, however, many of them joining in. It's one of the few times wolves... engage when they aren't in heat. They are usually all eager, even more so than the humans."

Finley grinned, grabbing Nyfain's hand. "In that, we have it better. Okay, we'll get out of here. Good luck, Aurelia. You'll do great!"

Nervousness rippled through the bond. Aurelia's heart beat faster, increasing the speed of mine. What a trip.

"It's going to be fine, love." I pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. "If you don't feel the bond, we'll just run. Only do what feels natural."

Vemar and Calia emerged from the tree line as Finley shifted and lifted off. Nyfain wasn't far behind her, the great golden dragon blotting out the moon for a moment. The shifters discarded their flowing clothes, some folding them and setting them down and some just tossing them where they stood. Calia and Vemar got close, though he reached out to stop her from getting too close.

"Well now, Captive Lady, are you more relaxed?" he asked with a smirk.

She turned into me a little more. "Very much so, at least until this moment."

"Oops." He covered his eyes with his hand. "There, better?"

"Aurelia, I am so sad!" Calia told her, giving her a little pout. "I wanted you to come back to my kingdom with me."

"I'm sorry," she said, leaning her head against me. "I should've told you in person. I wasn't thinking. I chose here because..." She shrugged, looking up at me. "It'll be the best place for our family, I think. It'll be the best place for me to start over."

I pulled her in tighter, the warmth radiating through me catching my breath.

Calia smiled at Aurelia as Vemar peeked between his fingers at her.

"Just between us—and the royals know this," Calia said, "I can't blame you. Why do you think I have a residence here? I count the people here as friends, or as close as someone in my position can get to friends. But..." She affected a stern face. "As a representative of my kingdom, I will say that you are making a huge mistake. Be prepared to sever all ties. We do not take kindly to people who shrug off our offer of aid." She winked at Aurelia. "I'll chat with you later. Apparently soon you will be making food for the dinner you are invited to." She shrugged. "Welcome to a kingdom with a mediocre cook, I guess."

"Shall I just head into the sky, Alpha?" Vemar asked me, taking his hand away now. "Or should I skedaddle?"

"Your choice. You seemed able to shrug off her magic, so I don't think you're a danger."

He arched an eyebrow. "I didn't do much to shrug off her magic earlier."

"Yes, she is very strong." Calia smiled at Aurelia, whose expression had turned quizzical. Then she smiled at me. "You're a lucky man, Alpha. And I just want to tell you... You were my rock in the demon dungeons. I don't think I ever said that to you. You were a rock to a lot of us. You kept us steady. I think many of us would've lost our will to live if it hadn't been for you. You kept us going until Finley could get us out. For that, I thank you. Truly. You deserve all the happiness."

I bowed to her. "It was a dark time. I'm glad we were able to help each other through it, and that we are able to keep in touch, too."

Vemar nodded his agreement. He'd been on a different level in those dungeons, but he was no less affected by the experience.

"Okay. Away." Vemar waved us gone. "Go! Let's see what the new wolf can do!"