Chapter 9

Nine

Nick

O n a day that should be filled with excitement, I've had nothing but anger and regret. It would have been hard to hear Chloe talking about being with another guy at any time, but knowing she tried to be with someone else after I told her we're mates still cuts straight through me.

"I talked to Travis," Ethan says. "He swears that Chloe insisted there was nothing going on between the two of you. He said he feels terrible, and I believe him. I really think you should let it go with him."

I nod as my lips press into a hard line. "I'll let it go." I've known Travis my whole life. He's a good guy, and I believe him. "But, he needs to keep his fucking distance from me for a while."

"I think you have to look at it this way," Ethan says, "you know she only did it because she didn't know how to cope with what you told her and her feelings for you, and at the time, you guys were technically not together. At least she didn't go through with it, and you have to admit that the score still isn't exactly even." He raises his eyebrows at me.

I know he's right, but it still hurts. "It would be a lot easier to get over it if it didn't happen after I told her about us being mates."

"But that's the thing, nothing happened."

"It wasn't nothing. She made out with him at the very least. They were obviously on their way to doing it. And yeah, we may not have been officially together, but I was already all hers. Just wait until you find your mate, and then you imagine my position and tell me if it's no big deal because nothing happened."

"I suppose you're right," Ethan says, "but what are you going to do? It's her birthday. You're going to see her today, aren't you?"

As angry as I am about what happened, I know there's no way I can stay away from her today. All of my instincts are already pushing me to go see her, but I'm not sure if she wants to see me. "I've called her several times today, but she won't answer my calls."

"You need to do something special for her." Ethan and I both turn to see Alpha Sullivan standing in the kitchen behind us.

I stand to greet him. "Hello, Alpha."

"Don't worry, I only heard enough to know that you and Chloe are obviously still having trouble."

I nod. "Unfortunately, yes."

Alpha Sullivan shrugs. "Then fix it."

"But—"

"No buts," he says. "Do you want to have a happy life with your mate?"

"Yeah, of course, but?—"

Alpha Sullivan cuts me off again. "I said no buts. Coming together with your mate, especially at such a young age, can be complicated and messy. It's rarely ever simple. If you want to be happy with her, you both have to let go of the past and focus on the future. Move forward. Show her that it doesn't matter what's happened in the past, because the future is all about the two of you."

"I'm not sure what to do," I say .

"You guys come with me," Alpha Sullivan says to Ethan and me. "I'm going to show the two of you how to be a proper mate."

Chloe

This is supposed to be one of the happiest days of my life. Nick and I should be together right now celebrating our bond, but instead I'm still in my pajamas while Mia consoles me as I cry.

"You should just call him back," Mia says.

"I don't know what to say to him. He was so mad last night, Mia. I mean, who could blame him? I wish like hell I didn't get into Travis's car that night."

"Look," Mia says, raising her eyebrows at me, "You've both made mistakes and hurt each other."

"Yeah, I know, but my mistake was after he told me about the bond." Shaking my head, I wipe my nose with a tissue. "I was just such a mess that night."

"I get why you feel guilty, but just because Nick did what he did to you before he knew about the bond, doesn't give him an excuse, Chloe. It was still a dick move, and he hurt you really badly."

I nod. "Yeah, I know. I just don't know how to fix this."

"You still want to be with Nick, right?"

"Yeah, of course."

"And you want to see him today, right?"

I nod. "Everything in me is pushing me to go see him." Just as I finish my sentence, I get a text message. "It's Nick." I show his text to Mia.

Nick

I'll be at cottage number two at 6:00. I really hope you'll join me.

"Okay, you're going, right? I mean, you have to go, Chloe."

I nod with a small smile as I text him back.

Chloe

I'll be there.

Closing my eyes and taking a deep breath as I get to the door of cottage number two, I need a moment to settle my nerves. I straighten my favorite pale blue dress and then fluff my hair which I curled in bouncy waves. I even went a little extra with the makeup today, without going too overboard. I really hope it's exactly as I've heard my entire life. I hope that when he opens this door, all the drama we've had just fades away, and all that's left is our love for each other. My nervous stomach flutters as I finally get the courage to knock.

He opens the door and a lump catches in my throat as my heart pounds. God, he's so handsome in his black button-down shirt and gray dress pants. I look up into his sapphire eyes and my breathing quickens as tears fill my eyes.

He frowns, taking my hand and pulling me inside. "Chloe? Hey," he says, rubbing up and down my arms with his warm hands. "Shh." He pulls me into his hard chest, hugging me tight. "What's happening right now?" he whispers into my hair.

His scent overwhelms me, and I cling to him as I feel lightheaded from the rush of emotion. I pull back and look up into his concerned eyes as all the worry, all the drama, all the negativity just…drains away. "I love you." I take his face in my hands and pull his lips to mine. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I lace my fingers into the back of his hair as I kiss him with a desperate need I've never felt before. He tightens one arm around my waist, while his other hand threads into my hair as he kisses me back with the same urgency.

When we part, breathing heavily, he looks down into my eyes. "Do you feel it?"

I smile as I nod. "Yes." That's all I'm able to say before he picks me up around my waist, and I wrap my arms around his neck as he kisses me. He sets me down and smiles at me, and then kisses me again.

"Nick, I'm so sorry about?—"

He shakes his head and places his finger to my lips. "No. No more apologies. I've hurt you, and you've hurt me, but none of that matters anymore. I know we may never forget the past, but the only thing that matters now is our future. The only thing that matters to me right now is you, Chloe."

I nod as I smile up at him. "Agreed." He takes my face in his hands and kisses me again as there's a knock on the door. I raise my eyebrows at him. "Expecting someone?" I ask with a light laugh.

"Dinner," he says with a big smile. He goes to the door to allow the pack house staff inside to set up our dinner on the cottage dining room table.

"You ordered us dinner?" I ask as the pack house staff leaves us alone again.

"Of course I ordered dinner. I have to be sure my mate is properly fed and cared for." He raises my chin and kisses me before pulling my chair out for me to sit, and then removes the cloches from our entrees before sitting down next to me. "If I remember correctly, you once said this is your favorite," he says with a big smile.

My mouth drops open in a smile as I look over at him. I remember that conversation. It was over two years ago. I look down at my plate and see sesame chicken with steamed rice. "Oh, my God. You remembered." He then lifts the cloche off of another plate, revealing egg rolls. It's not fancy or overdone in any way, but it's my favorite, and he remembered. "Thank you," I say to him with a sweet smile before leaning over to kiss him.

"I want you to know that I paid a lot more attention to you in high school than I ever let on, Chloe. It was actually hard work not to pay attention to you," he says with a light laugh.

I laugh too and say, "I am a little hard to ignore."

"You'll never have to worry about that again," he says. "From here on out, you'll have all of my attention, all of my loyalty, and all of me." His eyes widen, and he says, "Oh, shit."

"What?" I ask with a laugh.

"Happy birthday," he says, leaning over to kiss me.

"Thank you," I say with a smile. "You're the best birthday gift I could ever ask for," I say, kissing him again.

He growls under his breath and says, "Let's eat. I'm going to make sure this is the best birthday you've ever had." I shift in my chair as arousal pulses through my body.

Once we've finished dinner, he takes my hand, pulling me to my feet and into his embrace. "That was delicious. Thank you," I say, wrapping my arms around him.

"I'm glad you're happy," he says, pulling back to look into my eyes.

"Very," I say with a satisfied smile.

"I'd like to make things even better," he says as he threads his hands into my hair to kiss me. I moan into his kiss as his tongue brushes beyond my lips and dances with mine. "I want us to make things official," he says, kissing me again. "I want you to be all mine, Chloe, and I want to be yours too. Would that be okay? Can we do that tonight?"

I nod and release a deep breath as he kisses his way down my neck. "Yes. I want that too."

"Thank God," he says with a grin before taking my mouth with his in a heated and possessive kiss. He runs his tongue along the rim of my ear as he unzips my dress and allows it to drop to the ground. Stepping out of the dress and slipping off my heels, I'm left in only a pastel pink bra and panties set. He shakes his head as he kicks his shoes off and unbuckles his belt. "You are so fucking gorgeous."

I smile as I walk toward him and begin unbuttoning his shirt. His heated gaze never leaves mine as he aggressively removes his pants and I slide his shirt down and off of his arms. His lips meet mine again as he reaches behind me and unhooks my bra, sliding it off of my shoulders and throwing it across the room. He walks me backwards until my legs hit the bed, and I sit, sliding back onto the bed while he follows, hovering over me.

"I love you so fucking much," he says as he kisses his way down my neck, and then I throw my head back with a moan when he takes his time sucking and kissing each breast. He then kisses his way down my stomach and drags my panties down and off of my legs, tossing them aside with my bra. He releases a low growl as he kisses the inside of each of my thighs, and I moan when he uses his fingers to explore between my folds. "You're so fucking wet, Chloe," he says, and I throw my head back in a breathy moan when he licks the length of my entrance, and then sucks my throbbing clit into his mouth.

"Oh, my God, Nick," I say with gasping breaths as he uses his tongue to taste every surface of my center until my body shakes with an orgasm that holds my breath captive in my chest.

"There's one," he says with a proud grin as he comes up to hover over me. "We need at least two more to get both of us marked."

My body is still shaking from the first orgasm. "You're going to make me feel like that two more times?" I ask as I try to catch my breath.

" At least two more times," he says, kissing me. "That's just so we can mark each other. We've got a long night ahead of us," he says with a heated grin. Leaning over to the nightstand, he reaches for a box of condoms, and I take his arm.

"Those won't be necessary," I say. "I went to the pack doctor yesterday. I'm on birth control now."

"And you're sure we're good?"

I nod. "The doctor said the injection takes effect within hours."

He throws the box of condoms aside and kisses me hard. "I get to fuck you with nothing between us?"

"Uh huh," I manage to say as his erection rubs against my entrance.

He crashes his mouth to mine, and our tongues tangle as he thrusts into me, bare and unrestrained. "Oh, fuck," he says as he holds steady, kissing me. "You feel so fucking good."

"So do you."

He kisses me as he begins moving within me. His body being one with mine, with nothing between us, is the best thing I've ever felt in my life. My body is so sensitive that it takes hardly any time before I feel myself tensing around him again.

"I'm almost there," I whisper between moans. He nods and kisses his way down my neck as he thrusts harder. "Now, Nick," I say as I grab onto him, wrapping around him with my arms and legs as I come undone. I barely notice the sharp puncture of his bite at first, but I hold him tighter as the dizzying pain hits me and washes through my body.

"Are you okay?" he whispers into my ear, and then kisses me gently on my cheek as the pain subsides.

I take a few deep breaths and nod as he raises up to look at me. "I'm perfect," I say with a smile. "Is it there? Am I marked?"

He looks down at my neck and smiles with a nod before kissing me again. "You're mine."

"I love the sound of that," I say with a smile.

"Me too," he says, flipping us over. "My turn," he says with a grin.

I climb onto his lap, and my head drops forward to his shoulder when I sink down onto his erection. He takes my chin and raises it so that my lips meet his. His tongue dances with mine as he wraps his arms around me while we move together. Feeling my orgasm building again, I moan and say, "Oh, God. I'm so close again, Nick."

"I've got you, baby," he says, taking my hips with his hands as our movements quicken. "So close," he says. I lean down to kiss his neck, but when I begin to whimper because I think I can't wait any longer he says, "Now, Chloe." I bite down into the tender flesh of the curve of his neck, and he growls out while he holds me tight as he comes inside me and I shatter around him. Looking down to see his mark forming, my heart warms and I can't contain my smile. "It's official."

As I lie down next to him, he kisses me again and says, "Forever."

"Forever," I say with a nod.

"You know what we should do now?" he asks with a bright smile.

"Sleep?" I say with a giggle.

"We can sleep tomorrow," he says. "Let's go shift."

Nodding, I place my hand in his as he stands from the bed. Shifting and connecting in our wolf form is another way that mates solidify their bond. I don't want to put off a single step involved in bonding with him.

"Here, put this on," he says, handing me a robe, and then grabbing one for himself. It's dark outside, and I'm thankful there's no one around in our area of the woods tonight. "Are you ready?" he asks as he slides my robe off of me from behind, and hangs it next to his in the cottage outbuilding.

"I'm ready," I say with a big smile. "Let's go."

We've both been shifting since we were sixteen, so it only takes us seconds to shift into our wolf form. We take off running side by side into the woods. We spend over an hour running, chasing each other, and just sitting and enjoying the quiet together. It gives me such comfort to know that I'll always have someone I can share this with for the rest of my life.

After returning to the cottage and making love several more times, I lie snuggled into him with my arm over his chest. He raises my hand to his lips for a kiss. "You're quiet. That worries me," he says with a short laugh.

I laugh in return and say, "I'm just happy."

"So am I, Chloe."

"I dreamed of this moment for years, you know," I say, looking up at him. "Being your mate, and lying here with you like this, and now it's coming true. It's real. "

He leans over and gives me a slow, deep kiss. "I promise to always strive to live up to your dreams."

"Speaking of our dreams, we should talk about what's next for us."

"First of all, we're getting our own place...like, tomorrow," Nick says. "I'm not spending another fucking second away from you."

"That sounds amazing," I say, looking up into the calm of his blue eyes. I don't really even want to bring up what I'm about to say next, but I might as well rip off the band aid. "We should also probably talk about how things are going to work when you start training with the security department, and I leave for college this fall."

He frowns and raises up on his elbow. "Leave for college? What do you mean when you leave for college?"

"I mean I'm already set to go to school in Boulder this fall."

"Wait," he says, continuing to frown, "you're leaving for school this fall?"

"Nick, I just graduated from high school. It can't really be that much of a surprise that I have plans to go to school in the fall."

"I guess I didn't think about it." He pauses and I can tell the wheels are turning inside his handsome head. "It'll be a little tough to be away from Pinewood the first year of training, but I guess I'll find a way to make it work."

"That's so sweet of you, Nick. It really is, but I'm already registered to live in the dorms, and I've even been paired with a roommate."

He sits up straighter as the crease between his brows deepens. "Wait, you're not actually suggesting that we live apart when you go to school?"

"I had this planned long before you came into the picture, Nick."

"Yeah, but things are different now. I am in the picture. I'm a big fucking part of the picture."

"Of course, you are?—"

"But you want to leave?"

"Nick, it's not like that. Come on. We're not our parents. We don't have to start having babies right away just because we're mated now. We can be together and still do the things that people our age do."

The hurt on his face breaks my heart. "So, you really don't want to live with me?"

I sit up and lean against the headboard. "Of course, I do, but I also want to experience life as a normal college student for a little while. I want to get to know the campus, and I want to make friends. I mean, I'm not saying we can't reevaluate down the road, but I'd really like to move forward with my plans for my freshman year. Plus, you know how busy you're going to be during your first year of training, and you know you really need to be on pack grounds." He releases a deep sigh and crosses his arms. "Are you mad?"

He takes my hand and brings it to his lips for a kiss. "I'm not mad. I want you to have the experience you want. I'm just a little thrown by the news that we might not be living together for our first year being mated. I'm not sure you're considering how hard that's really going to be, Chloe."

"Look at it this way, it won't actually be for a whole year. We'll live together this summer, and then even during the school year, you can come and see me whenever you want. I'll come home plenty of weekends to be with you too. Then before you know it, I'll be home for the summer again."

He sighs and looks at me with his sparkling sapphire eyes. "Honestly, I hate the idea of being away from you for such long periods of time." He pauses and releases another deep breath. "But, I'm not going to be that guy who keeps you from living the life you want to live."

I scoot over to sit on his lap and wrap my arms around his neck. "The life I want to live is with you. You and I are forever, Nick. This is just a little detour. "

He nods and kisses me. "I'll find a way to be okay with this, but I have a request."

"What's that?"

"You live in the dorms your freshman year like you planned, but your sophomore year I'm moving to Boulder, and you and I will get an apartment together. It'll be no big deal for me to travel back and forth by then. I'm not willing to spend four or more years living separately from you, Chloe."

I lean forward and kiss him. "I love that idea. Thank you for understanding."

"I want to see you every weekend," he says, turning me on his lap so that I'm straddling him.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," I whisper as my entrance rubs against his erection.

He starts kissing his way down my neck. "I can't have you going off and forgetting that you're all mine, Chloe Harper."

I throw my head back and moan out in complete bliss as he kisses my mark. "I couldn't possibly forget." Gasping as I sink down onto his erection, he takes my mouth with his in a heated kiss.

"Just to be sure, I guess I'll just have to spend the entire summer reminding you."