Chapter 25

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

I laid my head against Everett’s chest, listening as his pounding heart came back down to a steady rhythm. I used my fingertips to trace the tattoos that graced his chest. More thick swirls and loops. The patterns soothed my mind, which raced with thoughts about what Everett was thinking and feeling.

“Don’t worry about me, Lyka. I’m nothing but fully satisfied.”

It was like he’d read my thoughts. My head popped up from his warm chest, and I rested my chin on his pectoral muscles and looked at his face.

His eyes were closed, and the skin across his forehead was relaxed. “I’m sorry if that was shorter than you’re used to. I’m trying to get used to how you feel. I find it very hard to control myself.”

Giggling at his admission, I snuggled in closer. Everett had made sure I’d found my pleasure, but his own had been short lived. I hadn’t given it a thought until he’d mentioned it. It felt good that I had that effect on him.

I changed the subject, not wanting to extend his embarrassment. “Why do you call me Lyka?” My question was one I had already asked, but this time I wanted a definition for the pet name he called me.

“I already told you—it’s something I like to call you.” Everett opened his eyes and brushed a stray piece of hair out of my face.

“Yeah, but I don’t even know what it means. It could mean ‘small, dumb female’ for all I know.”

“Oh, Lyka, you’re not a small, dumb girl. Although you’re kind of small. And for sure a female.” His arms wrapped around me fully, and he rolled on top of me, bracing himself with his hands above me.

I swatted at his chest playfully, wanting an actual answer.

“ Lyka means a wild, fierce wolf—something I’ve found you to be.”

“I’m not a wolf.”

“You don’t need to be a wolf to capture the qualities of one.” Everett bent his head down and nuzzled that spot between my neck and shoulders.

I couldn’t help but purr at the feeling. His lips against my neck and his scruffy beard rubbing against my skin had my already sensitive areas inflamed once again. My hand shot to my neck, putting space between Everett’s lips and my skin. He lifted his head and looked at me, puzzled.

“There isn’t a…mark there, is there?” I asked. “I didn’t feel anything, but Kleio said shifters like to bite their mates, and I saw her mark from Jack tonight and…” I was rambling in my panic. Having sex was fine, but now that I knew about marking, I wasn’t sure I was ready for that.

Everett pulled my hand away from my neck and kissed my palm gently. “No, Elise, I didn’t mark you.”

His answer quelled my panic, but I also found myself disappointed. The chemistry between Everett and me was undeniable. I couldn’t get enough, and I had a hard time staying away from him. The thread between us had never been tighter, and I had a feeling I wouldn’t be able to get it untied.

Kleio had told me that Lycans had mates—and if I wasn’t his, if he wasn’t feeling the same, I knew I would feel crushed.

“I can see the thoughts running through your mind, Elise. They need to stop. I’ve wanted you since I smelled you at No Bars and Wilder took you home.” His body tensed at the memory. “You’ve been driving me crazy ever since. I can’t stay away from you. Now that I’ve had you, all of you…” Ye looked down over my naked body lying underneath his. “You’re mine.”

My breathing stopped. My heart might have stopped too. “Am I your mate?”

The question was simple yet complicated. I wasn’t sure which answer I preferred.

“Yes, you’re my mate,” he said. “I knew it from the moment I saw you, but I had to wait until you were ready.” Everett lowered himself onto me. I could feel the warmth of his body envelop me. He planted a kiss on my lips that wasn’t rough. It was soft. I moaned into his mouth. “I never thought I would find you. All this time waiting. I should have known that you would be the one to discover me.”

“How do you know that it’s me?” My question was breathy.

“That thread you spoke of before. The one that was pulling us together?” Everett looked deep into my eyes, remembering our first kiss.

I nodded, remembering as well.

“That’s your mating bond reaching out to mine,” he said. “I felt it too, my bond reaching to yours. The bonds know when they have met their mate, even before the individuals do.” Everett nuzzled into my neck again.

There had been an undeniable pull between us from the beginning. The thread, or the mating bond, had pulled me to him, even when I’d tried to fight it. I couldn’t control it—I didn’t want to control it. It was intoxicating.

“Being mated to an alpha is no simple task,” Everett whispered into my ear, sending shivers down my neck.

Turning toward him, I licked his cheek with the tip of my tongue until I made it to his ear. “I’m more than up to the job,” I whispered into his ear.

It was like something had snapped between us. I had accepted him, us for what we were. Mates.

He groaned, whipping his head around to find my neck, planting kisses along the side. Everett was mine. He wanted me, all of me, and I was more than willing to give. Wrapping my legs around his waist, I lifted my core up to meet his cock that had already recovered from a couple of minutes ago. He groaned at the wetness I dragged along his hard length.

“I want you to know, Elise,” he said, his formal tone making me slow down, “I will not mark you until we’re both ready. Marking a mate is a powerful ritual that will change your entire life. It links two people together forever and makes one’s desire for their mate all-consuming. Once I mark you, there will be little you can do to stay away from me,” he continued. “I want to make sure that this what you truly want before you make that sacrifice to me.”

I was ready. I was ready now. My body was buzzing with longing underneath Everett’s. Ready yet again for him.

“Impatient, my Lyka.” Everett’s smirk was aggravatingly sexy. “I’ll give you what you need, but not that.” His fingers brushed along the spot he claimed he would mark one day. “Not today.”

I shivered at the anticipation of what his fangs would feel like piercing through my skin.

Everett snaked his hand between our bodies and scooped some of the liquid that was practically dripping out of my slit onto his fingers. He grabbed hold of his hard length and began smoothing the liquid up and down, coating himself. I looked down to watch what he was doing, only for my face to be brought back up to meet his gaze. His large hand cupped my jaw, keeping my head still.

“I want to watch your face as I claim you again now that you know you are my mate,” he said.

I barely felt him at my entrance before he plunged into me, filling me completely. There was nothing that could stop the gasp that left my lips at the feeling of being stretched so quickly. It was uncomfortable at first, but once my body got over the shock of the stretch, I wiggled my hips, getting comfortable with him inside of me.

“Lyka, you’re so ready for me again.”

The wet noises that came from between my legs were something that would have made me embarrassed if not for Everett’s genuine delight of them. I moaned his name as he slid in and out of me slowly. I needed more. I always needed more when it came to Everett.

“I shouldn’t have stayed away from you for so long, Elise.” Everett’s breaths were becoming ragged, and his cock was getting even harder inside of me. He was already close to coming. “I’m going to have to fuck you every day to build up a tolerance for you so I can last longer than a couple of minutes.”

“Yes.” I whimpered as he continued pulling in and out of me methodically.

I could tell he was concentrating on not exploding too quickly. I felt powerful being able to make Everett feel this way. It was incredible that my body could make a man lose control like this. Maybe this was what all mates were like. If it was, I was ready for him to mark me immediately. I lifted my hips to meet his thrusts, and he growled with pleasure.

“Mate, you’re going to come with me.” He said it in his alpha voice, and I nearly came apart.

Mate. I was his mate, and he was mine. If the mating bond was the reason for all the tension between us, I felt happy that I had discovered how I could release it.

His fingers slid between us and found the sensitive nub between my legs. The muscle memory Everett had was impressive. He remembered exactly what to do to send me over the edge.

My back arched, my body meeting his thrusts that had become uninhabited. I saw stars as my eyes rolled to the back of my head. I might’ve been screaming? My hearing was momentarily inoperative.

Everett lost all sense of control and grabbed the top of the headboard with both hands, pounding himself into me until he found his release. A loud cracking noise filled the room, and I yelped as he pounded my body deep into the mattress that had abruptly sunken down several inches. His cock continued to pulse inside me as he carefully laid himself on top of me, moving his hands from the headboard back to the bed.

His head nuzzled between my neck and shoulder, teasingly dragging his fangs against my skin. I shuddered at the sensation.

Everett’s voice mumbled against my neck. “Don’t tell me you’re ready to go again, Lyka. I don’t know how much more of you I can handle tonight.”

“I’m nothing but fully satisfied,” I said. I couldn’t help but smirk as I used his words from earlier.

Chuckling, Everett lay his body next to mine. “Good night, mate.”

He wrapped a muscular arm around me and pulled me next to him so my back was flush with his front. I snuggled in against his warm skin.

The words felt unfamiliar against my lips the first time I said them: “Good night, mate.”