9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Corey

Today was an odd combination of sucking and being awesome.

I loved starting my new work, meeting the people whose books I'd be doing, collecting all the documents to be able to begin. Even the diner, which was a hot mess of a mess, was going to be fun. It was like a puzzle I had to put together. Only in the end, instead of having a pretty picture, I was going to have their "get out of jail" card for them if they got audited, because right now, all they had to give the government was a box of confusion and possibly nightmares.

And the barbershop… what a sweet family that owned that one. They could easily be taught how to get their books on track. They'd been doing a pretty good job at it already, but they insisted I do it. Said they'd feel better about it being professionally done.

But as awesome as all that was, there was the torture part of the day—the part where I was no longer anywhere near Zane—the only place I wanted to be. When we were in my backyard, it felt like he accepted me as his mate for the first time. But then he left, mumbling something about it being late and he had to get home. I'd known it was coming; I'd braced myself. It didn't stop it from hurting, and it didn't stop me from thinking about him all day.

Sitting in the diner with a box of random slips of paper I should've been weeding through, I instead stared at them and wondered when he was going to come in, if he was going to have the special BLT they made for the day, or if he had a favorite that he got every single day. I even wondered if he was a milkshake kind of guy or if he just drank water with his meal. He didn't come though, and he didn't get a haircut when I was there later on. Not that I expected him to. It didn't stop me from hoping.

And now, it was dinner time, and here I was my new house, which felt very much unlike my home. My two suitcases were still not fully unpacked, and a box of macaroni and cheese sat on the counter next to a package of hotdogs waiting for me to make my elegant dinner.

The water on the stove was working on coming to a boil so I could make the dinner of champions. I rolled my eyes, although I guessed in a way it was the dinner of champions or at least one—my brother. More than once, he'd made it for me when my parents were being less than parents. It had become my comfort food, and gods, did I need comfort tonight.

The water started to come up to a boil, and I poured in the macaroni. I grabbed my knife and started cutting the hotdogs into little pieces, tossing them in as well. Maybe I should call my brother, tell him what happened, ask him what to do. He'd always been there for me before, and he'd always be there for me, even when I messed up, and I sure was good at that lately.

But also, Aydan was busy, and just me mentioning another alpha had the chance of undoing everything he had done. It was best I wait until he came home.

When the noodles were tender, I drained the water, added the butter, milk, and powder, and mixed it up. The familiar aroma of the meal did calm me some. I filled my bowl and brought it outside to the back and sat on the stoop. I was officially a glutton for punishment, sitting there looking out at the place where Zane and I first kissed, kissed and more. I chewed forkfuls of my meal slowly, wondering what I should do next.

Maybe I needed to go find him. Just have it out—put it all out there. Yeah, that was probably what I'd have to do. This for sure wasn't working.

But then I scented my mate. I wasn't sure at first if it was my imagination or not, but then he came into sight.

"Hey," he said after fully rounding the corner. He shoved his hands in his pockets. "We need to talk."

He was right; we did. I nodded in reply. He came over and sat down beside me.

"That looks good." He pointed to my food.

"It's silly. Kid food. My brother used to make it for us."

"He still does. I wonder if yours is as good as his."

I shrugged and then offered him a taste. Why was talking about us so hard?

"Yeah, I'd like that." Only instead of reaching for the fork, Zane kissed me. "Delicious," he mumbled against my lips and then froze. "I can't... Sorry, I shouldn't have."

"No, you absolutely should." I stood up, grabbed his hand, and dragged him inside.

"I know we need to talk, but also..." I shut the door behind us, set my bowl down, and pressed him against the door, kissing him with all I had, only breaking when we were both out of breath. "I need this more," I pleaded. "I need this more."

The moment Zane's arms wrapped around me, the world outside our bubble ceased to exist. Den politics, arranged matings, none of it mattered. There was only the rhythmic pounding of my heart in my ears, the heat of his body searing against my skin, and the unyielding desire that coursed through my veins.

His grip was firm yet tender, as if I were something precious, something he both revered and hungered for with an intensity that burned. I'd never been this turned on before, my slick trickling out of my needy hole. He did that. Only him.

"Ready?" Zane nipped on my earlobe.

"Beyond," I managed to whisper back, complete sentences not an option.

He lifted me as if I weighed nothing, my legs instinctively wrapping around his waist as we moved toward the bedroom. The strength in his step never faltered, each stride filled with purpose and raw anticipation, his grizzly making sure I felt safe and secure in my mate's embrace.

My fingers wove through his hair, tugging gently—a low growl from deep within his chest telling me I was doing something right.

"Need you," I murmured into his neck, nipping at the tender skin there.

"Gods, yes," he groaned, the words barely escaping him before he was crossing the threshold of the room. We were doing this, it was really happening.

As he laid me down onto the bed, I saw for the first time that we were two halves of a whole, incomplete until joined, and right now, every cell in my body screamed for completion. No wonder our attempts at staying apart had failed. We needed each other in a way I had and would never need another.

"Zane," I breathed out, a plea, the only word that held any meaning in that moment. "You can't deny me again."

Our eyes locked, and I saw my own desperation mirrored in his gaze. A silent vow passed between us. Never again would we deny fate. It was more than physical need—it was a deep-seated bond that only true mates could understand, and the world would have to deal with it.

"I won't," he promised. "Never again."

As Zane hovered above me, ready to claim me in the most intimate way, I knew that this wasn't just another act of passion. It was a promise.

"Too dressed," I whined, and he sprang into action.

Gently, Zane helped me to the edge of the bed, ridding me of the pesky cloth. As each article of clothing was removed, his lips followed, branding my skin with kisses.

"Zane," I murmured, reaching for the hem of his shirt in a desperate attempt to draw him closer, to get our skin pressed together. I needed to feel his body against mine with nothing between us, to explore the planes of his muscle, to feel each breath he took.

But he shook his head. "Not today, mate. I need to do this," he said, his voice thick with restraint. "I'm too close, and I want... I need to be inside you when I come."

A growl rumbled in his chest as he stepped back and began to shed his own clothes, his movements less gentle than they had been with me. He wanted them gone, and when the button of his jeans flew from the force, he didn't even pretend to notice.

I watched, entranced, as the man fate sent revealed himself to me. My fingers twitched, aching to touch, but instead, they found their way to my own erection. I stroked myself absentmindedly, lost in the sight of Zane's body bared for me, every line and curve designed to fit against mine perfectly. Fate sure knew what the fuck they were doing. That was for sure.

My breath hitched as Zane's growl vibrated through the space between us. I loved how close his beast was to the surface, how he didn't hide him from me.

"Zane, please," I begged, voice thick with longing and the weight of our unfulfilled bond. The urgency of our shared need was palpable. No more waiting.

I got up and spun around, placing my hands flat on the cool sheets of the bed, offering myself to him. No, not offering, pleading with him to take me. I parted my legs and spread my cheeks. "I'm slick for you, so ready. Please, take me. I can't wait anymore."

There was no hesitation from Zane. His powerful rough hands gripped my hips, pulling me back against him just before he sheathed himself inside me. It was exactly what I needed. A jolt of sheer ecstasy shot up my spine as he entered, his thick cock stretching me deliciously, filling me in ways only he could, connecting us the way I needed.

The room was filled with the sounds of our movements, the slap of skin against skin as he pummeled into me hard and fast, our labored breathing, and the low, continuous thread of Zane's growls. I never thought of growling as sexy, but gods, it hit every button.

His rhythm followed my lead, each thrust driving deeper, stoking the passion that consumed us both.

"Zane!" I cried out, my voice breaking as my orgasm came barreling toward me, nothing but sheer will keeping it at bay. I wasn't ready for this to be over. I wasn't going to be able to hold out for long.

And then we were there, teetering on the edge of oblivion together, his breathing becoming erratic, my body beginning to quiver.

With one final, deep thrust, Zane's growls crescendoed into a roar. I didn't even know bears did that. Maybe they didn't. Maybe this was all Zane. My own climax shattered through me, the intensity of it growing as his knot began to fill me.

His knot. It was true. He was my mate, the one sent here only for me. For a timeless moment, there was nothing but Zane and me, two halves of a whole joined in the most intimate way.

He managed to get us both up and on the bed with minimal tugging, pulling the blanket up and over us.

Lying there in the aftermath, I was overwhelmed by the urge to mark Zane as mine. Somehow, I managed to keep that desire suppressed enough while we were in motion, but now? Now that we were in post-orgasmic bliss, now the need to show the world he was mine became nearly unbearable. But I couldn't. Not yet.

First, we needed to deal with the den.

"Everything will be okay," Zane murmured, the warmth of his breath caressing my skin. It was as if he knew exactly what I was thinking. Or maybe he was thinking it too. But whatever the case, he was right. I refused to believe anything less. "We'll figure it out, together."

I nestled into him, the steady thump of his heart beating a lullaby that promised safety, promised forever. As sleep tugged at the edges of my consciousness, I held onto his words, letting them be the last thought before sleep took me.