Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Zana

My heart flutters with anticipation as I round the corner onto X's street. I've made up my mind—I want his mating cuffs around my wrists, binding me to him forever. After the way he knotted me so thoroughly, rocking my world and melding our very souls, I can't imagine my life without him by my side.

As I walk briskly, a giddy smile on my face, I let my mind wander to our passionate morning together. The delicious ache between my thighs pulses as I recall the way I took him deep into my throat, relishing the heavy weight and musky taste of his cock. I can almost feel his strong fingers gripping my hair, guiding me, encouraging me as I brought him to the brink of ecstasy.

"Mmm, that's it, baby. Take it all," he had growled, his gravelly voice threatening to undo me right then and there.

I shake myself out of the erotic reverie as I approach his front door, fishing the key he gave me out of my purse. I can't wait to see the look of surprise and desire on his handsome green face when I tell him I'm ready to wear his cuffs, to be his in every way. Biting my lip in barely contained excitement, I slip the key into the lock and push open the door.

"X, baby, I have something important to—" The words die on my lips as an unexpected sight greets me in the foyer.

Giggling and breathy moans float through the air, making me freeze in my tracks. Confusion swirls through my mind as I cautiously step further into the townhouse, my heart beginning to race. That's when I see it—a cascade of platinum-silver hair draped over the back of the couch, and the unmistakable green hue of an orc's skin beneath the writhing body of a woman straddling him.

My stomach drops, a cold, sickening sensation spreading through my veins. I blink rapidly, trying to clear the blurriness that suddenly clouds my vision. This can't be happening. Not X, not my X. But as the woman throws her head back in ecstasy, revealing her face, there's no denying the reality before me.

Bile rises in my throat, and I stumble backward, my hand fumbling for the doorknob. I need to get out of here, need to escape this nightmare. As I burst out onto the street, gasping for air, I collide with a solid wall of muscle.

"Zana? What's wrong, love?" Xnaurl's deep, concerned voice washes over me, his strong hands grasping my shoulders to steady me.

"I... I was just... and then... but you..." I stammer, my tongue tripping over the words as my mind struggles to process the betrayal I just witnessed.

X's brow furrows, his amber eyes searching mine intently. "Breathe, Zana. You're shaking like a leaf. Tell me what happened."

I swallow hard, trying to find my voice. "I w-went inside, and there was... I saw..." A sob catches in my throat, and I bury my face in my hands, unable to continue.

X pulls me into his embrace, his warmth and scent enveloping me. "Shh, it's okay. I've got you," he murmurs, stroking my hair soothingly. "Whatever it is, we'll figure it out together."

But as I cling to him, my heart shattered and my dreams crumbling around me, I can't help but wonder if there's anything left to figure out at all.

Xnaurl's eyes narrow, a dangerous glint flickering within their amber depths. "Wait here," he growls, his jaw clenching as he strides purposefully towards the townhouse door.

I stand frozen on the sidewalk, my heart pounding in my ears as I watch him disappear inside. Muffled voices drift through the open windows, rising in volume and intensity with each passing second. Suddenly, the door flies open, and Xnaurl emerges, dragging a disheveled platinum-haired woman by the arm, followed closely by a sheepish-looking female orc.

"Noreah, what the hell are you doing here?" Xnaurl demands, his voice a low, menacing rumble.

The woman, Noreah, straightens her clothing and tosses her hair over her shoulder. "We were just having a bit of fun, X. No need to get your panties in a twist."

My cheeks burn with embarrassment and anger as I realize who she is—Xnaurl's ex-fiancée. And the dryad must be her new mate, Linden.

Xnaurl's nostrils flare, his grip tightening on Noreah's arm. "In my guest bedroom? Without my permission?"

Noreah rolls her eyes. "Oh, please. It's not like we haven't done it before."

Something snaps inside me, and before I know it, I'm marching up to them, my finger jabbing accusingly at Noreah's chest. "Listen here," I seethe, my voice trembling with barely contained rage. "You can't just waltz into X's home and do whatever you please. It's disrespectful and downright rude."

Noreah blinks, taken aback by my outburst. She looks me up and down, a slow smile spreading across her face. "Well, well, well. Looks like our little X has found himself a feisty one."

I bristle, my hands balling into fists at my sides. "I'm not just some ‘feisty one.' I'm his mate, and I won't stand for anyone disrespecting him or his property."

Noreah's eyebrows shoot up, and she glances at Xnaurl, who's watching me with a mixture of surprise and pride. "Is that so?" she muses, her tone softening. "In that case, I apologize. It won't happen again."

She turns to Linden, who's been shuffling awkwardly in the background. "Come on, babe. Let's give these two some privacy." She winks at me, a mischievous glint in her eye. "But if you're ever up for some fun and games, you know where to find us."

As they saunter off down the street, arm in arm, I let out a shaky breath, my bravado deflating like a punctured balloon. I can't believe I just did that.

A low growl emanates from Xnaurl's chest as he scoops me up, throwing me over his broad shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "You heard my mate," he rumbles, his voice sending delicious shivers down my spine. "Come back when she allows it."

Noreah and Linden's laughter echoes in the street as they disappear around the corner. I'm too stunned to protest as Xnaurl carries me up the stairs to his bedroom suite, my heart hammering against my ribs.

He kicks the door shut behind us and tosses me onto the bed, his eyes blazing with a fierce, possessive hunger that takes my breath away. "You're mine," he snarls, tearing off his shirt and prowling towards me like a predator stalking its prey.

I swallow hard, my mouth suddenly dry. "X, I?—"

But my words are lost in a gasp as he pounces, his lips crashing against mine in a bruising kiss that steals the air from my lungs. His hands roam over my body, rough and urgent, as if he's trying to claim every inch of me.

I melt into his touch, my own desire rising to match his. I've never seen him like this before, so raw and primal, and it ignites a fire in my veins that threatens to consume me whole.

He tears off my clothes with a savagery that should frighten me, but instead, it only fuels my own desperate need. I arch into him, my nails raking down his back as he thrusts into me, hard and deep.

The pleasure is almost too much to bear, and I cry out, my body shuddering with each powerful stroke. He's relentless, driving me higher and higher until I'm teetering on the brink of oblivion.

"X," I gasp, my voice hoarse and broken. "Please... I need..."

He growls, his teeth grazing the sensitive skin of my throat. "What do you need, love? Tell me."

I swallow, my heart swelling with a sudden, fierce certainty. "Your mating cuffs. I want to wear your mating cuffs."

He stills above me, his eyes widening in shock. For a moment, he just stares at me, his expression a mix of wonder and disbelief. Then, slowly, a smile spreads across his face, so bright and beautiful it takes my breath away.

"You're sure?" he whispers, his voice rough with emotion. "You really want to be mine, forever?"

I nod, tears pricking at the corners of my eyes. "I've never been more sure of anything in my life. I love you, X. I want to be yours, in every way possible."

He crushes me to him, burying his face in my hair as he shudders with the force of his own feelings. "I love you too," he rasps. "More than anything. More than life itself."

And as he claims me once more, his passion tempered now with a tenderness that makes my heart ache, I know that I'm exactly where I'm meant to be. In his arms, wearing his cuffs, bound to him for all eternity.

His large, green hands tremble slightly as he reaches for the mating cuffs on the bedside table. The intricate metal gleams in the soft light, and my breath catches as he clasps them around my wrists, the cool weight of them sending a shiver down my spine.

"Your turn," he murmurs, holding out his own wrists to me.

I take the matching cuffs, marveling at the intricacy of the design, the way they seem to pulse with a magic all their own. As I fasten them around his thick wrists, I feel a surge of emotion, a sense of rightness and belonging that threatens to overwhelm me.

And then we're moving together, slowly, reverently, our bodies joined in the most intimate way possible. But it's more than just physical pleasure. With each thrust, each caress, I can feel his emotions flowing into me, merging with my own until I can no longer tell where I end and he begins.

His joy, his wonder, his all-consuming love - it pours into me like molten sunlight, filling up all the empty spaces inside me that I never even knew existed. I gasp and clutch at his shoulders, my nails digging into his green skin as the intensity of it threatens to sweep me away.

He groans, his hips snapping forward with increased urgency. "Feel what you do to me," he growls, his voice strained with the effort of holding back. "Feel how much I need you."

And I do. Oh, I do. Every touch, every kiss, every roll of his hips is perfectly attuned to my body's needs, stoking the fire within me to impossible heights. He reads me like a book, anticipating my desires before I'm even aware of them myself.

A twist of his fingers against my slick folds, a nip of his teeth against my earlobe - the blissful torment is exquisite. He wrings pleasure from me with expert skill, building and building until I'm nothing more than a writhing, incoherent mess beneath him.

"Let go," he commands, his voice rough with his own impending release. "I've got you."

And with a keening cry, I do, my world shattering into a million glittering pieces as ecstasy overtakes me. He follows a moment later, his roar of completion echoing through the room as he spills himself deep inside me.