13. Ronyn

13

RONYN

Mate.

Our tongues melded together as I picked her up into my arms.

Mate.

I sucked on her lower lip and listened to her moan as I dipped her back down into the tub.

Mate.

I watched her head fall back against the pillow attached to the copper tub.

Mate.

And as I scooped milky water onto her skin, she allowed her knees to fall open.

Which graced me with her scent.

Mate.

I wanted to take my time with her. I wanted to devour every inch of her. But, more than that, I wanted to watch the pleasure I brought my mate rush over her face. I scooted Merida’s chair toward the head of the tub. I eased Bexley’s head up and gathered her wet hair before pulling it over the edge and out of the water. I brushed it out, feeling her relax as soft sighs and whimpers left those plump lips of hers.

Then, I slid my palms down her breasts.

“Oh, fuck,” she whispered.

I placed my lips to the shell of her ear. “Just relax.”

Her head fell off to the side and I watched as her carotid pulsed. With every stroke of my fingertips as I approached her pussy, the beating of her artery beat wildly. I licked my lips as I pressed my nose into the crook of her neck. I sniffed deeply, committing every ounce of her scent to memory. My fingertips danced down her toned stomach. I traced the light outline of her abs with my touch. And as she raised her hips, beckoning my touch lower, I kissed the shell of her ear.

“Let’s see what you got for me,” I murmured deeply against her ear.

“Oh, Ronyn,” she said breathlessly.

I parted those luscious pussy lips of hers as I kissed her bare shoulder. I explored her lower lips with my hands, studying her like a goddamn textbook. Everything that made her jump, I made sure to remember. Everything that made her moan, I took heed of. She bucked against my hand, chasing her high as water sloshed over the edges of the tub, soaking my lap, and dropping to the warmed wood floors where it turned into steam and wafted right back up to us.

I lost myself in the sounds of my mate.

“Ronyn. Right there. Right there. Oh, fuck, these fingers. Jesus, I’ve never—I—I’ve—oooooh, shit.”

I didn’t want to take my eyes off her, not for a fucking second. Not even to stick my dick in her. I wanted all of my faculties alert so I could memorize everything about her. She was my mate. She sounded like my mate. She smelled like my mate. She moaned and groaned and whimpered like my mate. She chased her high against my hand, just like I dreamed my mate would do once I found her.

I lost myself in the headiness of it all.

That is, until her back bowed for her orgasm.

“Ronyn, oh shit,” she choked out.

Her head fell back, and her jaw unhinged as unearthly sounds droned from the back of her throat. I placed my forehead onto hers, feeling her pussy collapse against my fingers as she ground that pulsing nub against the heel of my hand. Gone was some of the bathwater, which exposed her tits to me. Her puckered peaks, ripe for the taking as my free hand cupped one of them and tugged at her nipple.

And the way she mewled for me made all of my dreams come true.

So, why did things still feel off?

She collapsed against the tub as beads of sweat dripped down her brow. I kept my hand between her legs, though. I kept peppering her shoulder with kisses.

“Care for round two?” I murmured against her skin.

Maybe another orgasm would help her bond snap into place, because I knew she didn’t feel it. The passion wasn’t there. The feral efforts weren’t there. She didn’t jump my bones or tackle me to the floor. She didn’t rip my clothes off. She simply spread herself for me and allowed me to take her. Which was hot, don’t get me wrong.

But, that just wasn’t…

“I think I’ll need another bath after that,” Bexley said with a soft giggle.

She closed her legs, and I quickly removed my hand. One and done.

That definitely wasn’t the mated way.

“Humans have jobs,” I said as I leaned back into the chair, “what’s yours?”

She folded in on herself, covering her breasts against her thighs as she pulled her knees to her chest. “That’s what you want to talk about after what just happened?”

I tilted my head. There was something off about her. Something that was simply wrong. She was the foul part of this equation, I just couldn’t put my finger on why. And if I wanted my Alpha to believe any of the shit that came out of my mouth, I had to come with proof.

So, I started digging. “Yes.”

She shook her head softly and placed her forehead against the tops of her knees. “I don’t have a job.”

“You don’t work one?”

She shrugged. “No need, just like you.”

Lie. “Are you between jobs or something?”

“I said, I don’t need one. Just like you.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Well, who’s fault is that, then?” she spat.

Finally, I was getting somewhere. “Why were you wandering in the woods by yourself for so long?”

“I told you,” she said curtly, “vampire attack.”

That was not a lie. “What happened?”

“Nothing that I’m going to tell you, all right?”

“If this pack is in danger because of you, then we have a right to know.”

That made her fall silent before she spoke. “I don’t have a job because I don’t need one. It’s not my fault you don’t believe that.”

That particular phrase wasn’t a lie, however, making things interesting. “Why don’t you need a job?”

“Because I don’t need the money.”

Still, not a lie. “Okay. How long were you in the woods before you found your pack?”

She shrugged softly. “Weeks. I lost count after five.”

“Where were you before that?”

“Home.”

“Why aren’t you home now, then?”

“Because my home no longer exists,” she hissed.

I shook my head as I stood. None of this felt right. This wasn’t how finding my mate was supposed to work. This isn’t how it was supposed to come about. We were supposed to lock eyes and run for one another before I picked her up over my shoulder, took her home, slammed her down onto my bed, and?—

“You don’t think I’m a shifter, do you?” she asked softly.

It was my turn to be silent.

“You know, shifting leaves a heady scent behind, which isn’t good for makeshift packs. It’s how they’re hunted.”

“I know,” I murmured.

She peered over her shoulder, and the anger in her gaze was prevalent. “So, after wandering in the woods for weeks only to stumble across a pack in my same position with no leader, and you’re wondering why I’m not shifting in front of a bunch of shifters I don’t know who have leaders who can’t keep their hands and eyeballs to themselves?”

That forced me onto my feet. “Fine, suit yourself.”

“Fine.”

A low growl emanated from my throat. “But just so you know, no. I don’t think you’re a shifter.”

I stormed out of that bath house, slamming the door open only for Merida to shoot me a look.

“What did you do?” she asked.

I waved my hand at her. “She’s all yours again.”

She grabbed my wrist. “What did you do, Ronyn?”

I yanked away from her and snarled. “If Voss comes looking for me, tell him I’m out with the patrols for the night.”

I had to get away from Bexley. Away from that bath house. If she was a shifter, that simply meant she wasn’t ready for our bond, and I wanted to know why. I mean, part of growing into shifterhood in the first place is being ready for your mate whenever they come along. Unless she was raised by humans. I mean, it was rare, but not unheard of. We had an entire family in our pack who were raised in the human world before Dom ventured upon them during one of his rare trips into town.

“General!” Merida exclaimed.

It was too late, though. With thoughts swirling in my head, the only conclusion I came to was that Bexley wasn’t my mate. I didn’t know who the hell she was and I didn’t know why my body reacted to her the way it did, but she wasn’t my mate. I dreamed of my mate for years. I knew who she would be. What she might look like. What I knew she’d feel like. And Bexley felt like none of that. As far as I was concerned, she was no mate of mine. So, I shifted into my wolf form and sprinted into the woods. I needed to run. I needed to burn off steam. I needed to let out my anger so I could focus on the health and safety of the pack.

What better way to do that than running in the middle of the night?