Chapter 11

Mora

Acold rush flows through me as I wake with a jerk, sitting up in my bed trying not to scream. It’s only the fourth nightmare I’ve had since coming here two months ago. The last month has been a rollercoaster of emotions. Waking in Cole’s bed to Mom’s worried, tearstained face had me feeling awful and angry with Cole for telling her and Dad.

That anger soon faded after Mom made me talk to her about what happened, why I didn’t tell any of them, and everything else that they or Dana had done to me I never mentioned. I knew Dad and Cole could hear every word with the door open, but it was better they hear it the first time since I didn’t think I’d manage to ever say it again.

It took me a week before I could begin to admit it in front of Cole, still terrified that somehow, he’d blame me, get angry and lash out, but all he did was hold me close and promise I’d never have to worry about someone I didn’t want touching me doing it again. Now, I’ve even managed to talk to Teresa about it, which helped as has the aromatherapy oils she gave me to use if I started feeling really scared or anxious again. They’re not as good as Cole’s scent to calm me down, but they do work.

Ryan and Sammy know the truth now as well. I didn’t tell them, but they overheard me, Mom and Dad talking about it one night when they weren’t yet asleep. They wanted to somehow bring Mark and Tyler back from the dead to kill them almost as much as Cole did.

They’ve all been gently urging me to give Cole a real chance, telling me to spend more and more time with him, and I have been. Although I’m still worried at times that he’ll snap and lash out at me when I pull away from his kisses or holds. He never does, but it’s something I can’t seem to completely put aside just yet.

I don’t know why since Cole hasn’t even raised his voice at me since that day when he figure out what happened. He’s been the sweetest, gentlest man with me. Even when I do pull back from him, all he does is pull me into his hold differently, so I don’t feel his desire so blatantly, or just press a kiss to my forehead while holding me close.

I’m falling deeper and deeper under his spell and while most of me doesn’t mind, there’s a tiny bit that’s clinging to the life preserver still.

Warmth floods me and I slip out of the bed, pulling on a comfy sweater over my leggings and long-sleeve tee I wore to bed, and move to the front door in surprise. “Cole? What are you doing here this early?” I ask, taking a second glance at the clock to confirm it really does show as five-thirty still.

“I woke up about ten minutes ago and couldn’t get back to sleep. It just felt like I needed to get to you,” he answers me, barely above a whisper. “What are you doing up, baby? You should be sleeping.”

“Bad dream,” I admit, resting my head against his chest when he pulls me to him, and I don’t argue when he picks me up, closing the door behind us, and takes us to the couch.

“Bad dreams aren’t allowed, baby, let me keep them away,” he says, stretching out his sweats covered legs onto the cushy ottoman while pulling me over his lap. He pulls a throw over my legs, and I curl up against his chest, smiling when he unzips his hoodie and my hand slips under the t-shirt he’s wearing beneath it. The feel of his skin against mine wakes something deep within me, and I let it flood me, as Cole’s hand gently soothes back me to sleep.

A small moan falls from my throat as I wake, my face buried in Cole’s neck, my body draped over his with his chest completely bare. A flush floods my cheeks when I find his gaze on me, along with Sammy and Ryan gawking at us from the end of the hallway.

“Well now, I didn’t know we were having a sleepover,” Ryan says pulling a question from Mom and my cheeks redden further as she appears behind the boys.

“Good morning, sweetie. Why don’t you freshen up while I get breakfast going?” Mom suggests, swatting the twins away when they begin to make teasing comments, and I drop my face back against Cole’s neck for a moment.

“Next time I’ll just take you back to our room to help you avoid the blushes,” Cole whispers against my ear, then drops a kiss on my lips when I lift up a bit in surprise that he said next time.

Amazingly, it doesn’t scare or worry me, and I slip off the couch, moving into the bathroom quickly to not have to say a thing. I brush out my tangled hair, foregoing makeup like normal, before slipping into my room to exchange outfits for something newer. I swear someone’s been sneaking sweaters into my closet, but I don’t know if they’re from Mom or Cole. Either way, I enjoy them with the temperatures dropping more and more every day.

We actually had snow fall a couple days ago and Cole said it was actually late in the year for the first snowfall, that it usually occurred in September rather than October. That was shocking since we never even got snow back home. We were too far south for it to fall. We rarely got ice, which makes this place a complete and utter surprise, but one that I’m starting to love.

I move back into the living room, a bit sad that Cole’s once again wearing his t-shirt. He looks amazing in the sweatpants that cling to his thick thighs, the shirt molding to his sculpted shoulders, his thick arms straining the edge of the sleeves. He turns my way as I come into the room, holding out his arms for me, and I don’t even begin to hesitate slipping into them.

His arms wrap me in what feels like a heated blanket, and I can’t help but smile when Mom gives me a huge grin seeing us together. This feels right and I just hope the other shoe doesn’t somehow drop, ruining it.

Cole slips onto my normal chair, holding me on his lap as Mom drops off a plate of French toast for me and a huge plate of eggs, bacon, and sausage for Cole. It surprisingly feels perfectly normal to eat like this even though my brothers all stare at us throughout the meal. I start to get up to help clear the table, but Sammy stops me, taking the plates instead and I rest back into Cole’s arms, as Dad lifts a brow our way, while he finishes his coffee.

“So, is the meeting with Rennick still on or should I tell him something came up?” Dad asks, and I fight against a smile, shocked that Cole asked him to be his beta in a way and yet I’m not. Rennick had no issues with it when he came back a week ago. He’d been at our old pack still, ensuring they were following Barry’s leadership. Cole handpicked the thirty-something shifter to take charge when he left, even though the man had never been in charge of pack prior to that. Which is why Rennick stayed with him until he and Cole were certain there wouldn’t be any issues.

“What do you say, baby? Want to come with me to see something special or should I head to my meeting instead?” Cole asks me, and I honestly can’t think of any reason not to go with him right now.

“Is this something special somewhere I’m going to freeze my butt off?” I ask, pulling a chuckle from him and I flush as he drops a nuzzling kiss onto my cheek, his short beard slightly rough against it in a good way.

“No, I promise you won’t be cold, sweetheart,” he states, and I give him a nod, pulling a smile from him that I honestly love. “Good, you can tell Rennick I won’t be coming and the two of you can decide what you think is best,” he tells Dad, holding out his hand to me after he stands us up.

“I’ll see you all later,” I tell them, curious as Cole grabs my thick coat and boots from the entryway.

We move over to his suite, and I change shoes while he gets dressed, coming back in a pair of jeans that mold to his body even better than his sweats did, and I feel a deep tug low inside me as he pulls me up from the couch, smiling seeing my boots on my feet. He has a bag in his free hand, which makes me immensely curious, but I refrain from asking questions until he stops us at the back door, pulling my coat on me. He only has a jacket for himself, but out of the pockets he pulls a fluffy white hat, thick knitted scarf and gloves for me.

“I told you I wouldn’t let you get cold, baby,” he says, kissing my nose before we move out into the cold wind. It’s definitely icy but wrapped up next to Cole, I barely feel it beyond on my face.

I’m surprised when we move into a garage, and he heads over to a large ATV. He straps the bag onto the back of it, then lifts me up before sliding on behind me. A laugh bubbles up when he zips his jacket up around us, me and my thick coat inside it with him, but I lean back against his chest letting him cover my face with the scarf before he starts the ATV and takes off up the mountain.

My legs are a hint chilled, but the warmth coming from Cole’s body staves off the full cold, and when we stop outside a gorgeous, glass-walled cabin, my jaw drops completely. Cole hands me the bag, before pushing the ATV under the overhang the porch creates, tying off a tarp to keep snow from covering the thing.

My head swivels as we move up the steps and into the stunning space. The view from the glass windows shows off the packhouse in the distance, from this height, no one there could possibly see into this place. I don’t think anything other than birds could from the way it’s positioned.

“What is this place?” I ask him as he moves to the fireplace, throwing logs into it after lighting the kindling.

“My cabin. I had it built for when I needed to get away, decompress for a bit. No one else comes up here unless I’ve asked them to bring out food,” he tells me as he moves across the large open space towards me. “I don’t know why but I had Edgar bring stuff up here earlier this week. At the time, I think I was just telling myself I needed to get some space so I wouldn’t do anything stupid, push you, but now, I know it’s because we were supposed to come out here for the weekend,” he states, surprising me entirely at that. “I’m not going to press you for anything more, when you’re ready for me to claim you, make you mine in every way, I will gladly do it, but that’s not why I brought you up here. I just wanted some time where we won’t be interrupted, by pack business, your brothers,” he teases making me laugh. “Time that we can spend together, relaxing, doing nothing, and not feeling bad about it, okay?”

“Okay,” I agree as the fire begins to warm the entire space. “I just have one question,” I add pulling his brow upward a smile on my lips. “Does this place have running water or a bathroom? You might not freeze going outside to use it, but I definitely will.”

“There’s a bathroom over there behind the kitchen. It’s like an RV’s bathroom so no plumbing, but there’s a grey tank that collects the yucky stuff, so you don’t have to deal with it. I put it in after going outside once when it was just five below and something decided to freeze, and I don’t mean my skin,” he says with a wink that makes me laugh fully. “You can wash your hands using the sinks. I collect snow and heat it until it melts during the winter for washing hands, pots and pans, while using bottled water to drink, or for coffee and cooking. There’s a small generator in the backroom that runs the pump and works the stovetop. The rooms are built into the mountainside, so it doesn’t normally freeze up, and the exhaust is filtered outside. It’s completely safe, I’d never use it if I thought it might hurt you.”

“Thank you,” I sigh, sliding into his arms until it’s warm enough to take off my coat and hat.

We make an early dinner after skipping lunch, then go back to the couch, watching the world darken, and my breath is completely taken away when the sky fills with the most amazing colors. “Is that…”

“The northern lights? Yeah, it’s one of my favorite views from here, along with the sunrises—well before you entered this place at least,” he states, melting the last bit of resistance inside me entirely. I lean forward, brushing my lips against his, and sink into his body when he takes over the kiss, deepening and quickening it, until my body is tingling from head to toe.

He lets out a low growl, pulling back and I can’t stop the whimper that escapes my throat, bringing his brilliant eyes back to me. “Mora, baby…there’s no rush. I promise that’s not what…”

“Kiss me, Cole, please,” I whisper, holding his gaze until he lets out a low, guttural moan, but he does exactly what I asked. His mouth claims mine, devouring it and me, as his hands glide over my body, flooding me with need deep down within me.

My hands slip beneath his sweater, touching his bare skin, and Cole pulls back from the kiss for two seconds, pulling his sweater completely off, giving me his entire chest to touch. I can’t stop from exploring it as his mouth returns to mine, shivering from anything but cold when he lifts the hem of my tops just enough that my belly touches his with nothing between us.

“Mora, are you sure? I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop if you don’t make me now,” Cole questions, his tone deep and growly, with need that resonates through my entire being.

I don’t answer with words. Instead, I lift my tops off, leaving me in just the bralette beneath them, as I press up against him seeking his warmth and touch.

A new growl flies from his lips, but it doesn’t frighten me in the least. Not even when he lifts me from the couch, guiding my legs around his waist, bringing his hard, thick erection right up against my core, only our pants separating us.

I expect the bed to be cold with it situated directly in front of the windows, but it’s just as warm as the couch was, and grows warmer when Cole lays me down, crawling over me after kicking off his pants. His body is completely bare, letting me see every single thick, hard, needy inch of him.

He settles it right against my belly his eyes holding mine, and I squirm beneath him, trying to get him lower where I ache most. “I’m going to come all over you belly if you don’t stay still, baby, and believe me, that not even close to where I want to be when I come.”

“Show me,” I urge him, emotions and desires flooding me entirely, making it impossible to resist or hold back. His mouth comes down on mine as his hands skim over my body, and I’m thankful the bralette has a front clasp he finds with a happy growl against my lips.

His hands cover my breasts, teasing them before his mouth parts from mine, his lips trailing down my jaw, teasing over my neck pulling a whimper from me, but he keeps going down my chest, until he covers a tight peak, pulling a gasp of shock from me. “Cole!”

“So sweet, everywhere,” he growls, nipping and lathing at my breasts before he moves lower, teasing my belly button as his hands push my pants down, taking my panties with them. He sits back, staring at me, sending shivers through me that’s all heat, not a single ounce of cold buffeting against my body. “You’re mine, Mora. Tell me you’re mine, that I can claim you because there’s no way I can claim your body without claiming you entirely as mine now.”

“Yes, please,” I tell him, earning a shake of his head that makes me whine. “Cole, please.”

“Tell me I can claim you baby. That I can sink my teeth into your skin right here,” he says, teasing my neck with his fingers, and it makes my body clench hard, my eyes fluttering shut, as all of me comes alive. “Mark you for the world to see, to show you belong to me, warn them that if they touch you, I will end them,” he adds, his body hovering over me, finding his face right above mine as my eyes reopen.

There’s not an ounce of anger in his gaze, just pure, unending need and something I’ve only ever seen between my mom and dad before—a look of absolute love and devotion, and I can barely speak through the emotions coating my throat. “You can claim me, make me yours. I know I’ve made you wait…”

I don’t get another word out before his mouth takes mine in a harder, hungrier kiss, quieting my tongue for all but tangling with his. His lips pull away from mine once more, trailing down my body but this time, they travel much faster, only giving me the barest little whisper of a touch on my neck, but it makes my pussy clench hard again. His hands pull my legs open, his shoulders widening them further, and I can’t stop the scream that falls when his mouth covers my pussy, licking and suckling, and nipping at my flesh until a coiling inside me snaps, sending me over the edge and flying into those stunning colors in the sky with a shout of his name.

He growls out as he sends me back into them, his hand cradling my head and neck as I come back down to him once more. His body is pressed against mine, and my legs part, bringing his hard, pulsing cock into the v of my body. “Claim me,” I tell him, my leg wrapping around his waist, and his thick head glides past my opening, filling me fuller and fuller, a hot stretch making me hiss as his thickness claims every bit of me as his.

“Mine,” he growls into my ear, his body tight as he tries to stay still.

“Yours,” I agree, my hips lifting sending a full shiver through me.

“Mine,” he growls again, before his body begins to move, taking me with him on the sweetest, most beautiful journey ever. His mouth claims mine, teasing and nipping at my lips, my tongue, as he moves slowly at first, his thrusts growing harder and faster as I cling tighter to him, needing something more, something I can’t begin to explain as I teeter on the edge.

“Let me have it, baby. Let me have all of you, Mora,” Cole urges, pulling my eyes to his, my body melting into the mattress, and everything inside me breaks. My body arches hard up against him, leaving the earth to meet him in the beautiful sky above us, and tears slip free as he holds me close.

Warmth is all around me as I shiver against his body. My face in his neck. There aren’t any words needed at this moment. Not even to ask why he didn’t mark me yet. Right now, none of that matters because I just found the only place in the world I want to be…in Cole’s arms in the heavens no one else could possibly have reached before us.