Chapter 4

Over and over, he told himself now was not the time for him to take a mate, especially a human one, but Lara's allure was becoming too difficult to ignore. His wolf paced relentlessly in his mind, wanting to be set free. Orion might be conflicted about what he wanted and what he was willing to do to get it, but his wolf was clear and saw only one way to go forward. He made his way back through the station to the hangar via the underground tunnel. Once inside, he turned on the sauna before removing his clothing and calling forth his wolf.

Leaving the safety and shelter of the station, he galloped across the tundra, allowing his mind to float free as he engaged his muscles and tapped into the power and the freedom it was to be wolf. The arctic wind blew across the barren expanse, its icy fingers brushing over the snow-laden terrain. Orion streaked across the frozen landscape, his charcoal and silver tipped coat creating a sleek silhouette against the endless white. His thick fur bristled against the biting cold, offering warmth and camouflage in equal measure.

Each stride captured his power and grace, his paws barely touching the ground before propelling him forward again. Orion"s breath crystallized in the frigid air, leaving a trail of misty puffs in his wake. His eyes, sharp and glacial blue, scanned the horizon with an intensity born of survival. They reflected the stark beauty of his surroundings, a blend of vigilance and primal instinct.

The ground beneath him was a patchwork of ice and compacted snow, each step carefully placed to avoid hidden crevices and slippery surfaces. The muscles in his legs rippled with strength, honed by countless chases and the relentless endurance that came from being a dire wolf-shifter. He was a master of this harsh domain, his movements synchronized with the rhythm of the wild.

As he ran, the arctic moon illuminated the horizon behind the storm clouds that were cast in the colorful lights of the aurora borealis as they danced across the night sky. Even the storm could not contain their magic. The twilight glow bathed the wolf in an ethereal light, adding to his otherworldly presence. He was both a predator and a phantom, a symbol of the untamed wilderness that stretched infinitely around him.

The silence of the Arctic was broken only by the crunch of snow beneath his paws and the distant low, powerful, slightly rasping hoot of the Arctic's snowy owl. The wolf"s ears i towards the sound, alert but unperturbed. His journey was a testament to resilience, each heartbeat a reminder of his unyielding spirit.

In the vast emptiness, the wolf was a solitary figure, yet he belonged to this place as intrinsically as the ice and snow. His breath came steady and strong, a living embodiment of the Arctic"s indomitable force. With each bound, he forged a path through the frozen wilderness, a silent guardian of the icy realm, running ever onward into the heart of the Arctic night.

At the edge of the forest, Orion paced amongst the shadows and ancient trees as they mingled with the dark thoughts clouding his mind. The moon hung low in the sky, casting an ethereal glow over the ground that he traversed. His heightened senses picked up every nuance of the snow as it rushed across the land, every distant call of the creatures of the night, but his mind was elsewhere. Lara. Her name, her image, her very essence haunted him, and she was becoming impossible to ignore.

He had tried to keep his distance, to remain the stoic protector, but every time he saw her, his resolve weakened. She was his fated mate, and every fiber of his being called out for her. Her laugh, her scent, the way her eyes sparkled when she talked about something she loved—it all drew him in, threatening to unravel the control he had worked so hard to maintain.

Realizing his run had done him no more good than the cold shower, Orion turned for home and returned to Aurora Station. Once inside the hangar, he secured their shelter, shifted and went into the sauna to warm himself down to his bones. Once the feeling had returned to all of his limbs, he got dressed and headed back to the main building of the station.

He stuck his head inside Lara's dorm and watched her as she slept. He wondered how long it would take her to learn to curl up in his arms and sleep, either with her head on his chest or spooned against him, her back to his front. His cock hardened at the thought of her naked body nestled against it.

If he'd thought she would readily accept him as her fated mate, he might have pushed harder. But she'd been living amongst shifters for some time and had refused all offers to turn her. She was not ready to give up her humanity.

Knowing she was fast asleep, he went into the common room and looked to see if between the aurora borealis playing more lightly with the electrical fields and the small respite in the winter storm, he could reach out and talk to Derek. They'd never been overly close, but Lara's sister was Derek's mate.

The video chat crackled and hissed before finally Derek's visage emerged from the shadows, his expression a mix of curiosity and concern. "Are you both all right? Tess is concerned," he said, his tone casual but with an underlying note of worry.

"We're fine," Orion lied. Lara was fine; he was the furthest thing from it. Knowing he needed to talk to someone who might understand, he broached the topic on his mind. "Actually I'm losing my mind. It's Lara," he admitted, his voice low and rough. "She's my fated mate."

Derek sat back, his eyes narrowing, his posture tensing. "Lara? Orion, she's human, and as far as I know wants to stay that way. I offered to turn her, as have several others, but she says that isn't what she wants. You know what that means."

Orion sighed, pulling his hand down the dark bearded scruff on his face. "I know. Believe me, I've thought about it constantly. But it doesn't change how I feel—what I know to be true."

"I get it, but that doesn't mean everybody else will. Deke's kind of a dick about females being turned without their consent."

"Oh, that's rich. I'm pretty sure your sister didn't choose to be turned from a polar bear to a cave lioness."

Derek chuckled before crossing his arms, his expression hardening. "To hear her tell it now, it was all her idea, but Orion, you're a dire wolf-shifter. The shifter world is always dangerous for humans and especially now, and she's my sister."

"Sister-in-law…"

"Same difference. I'm fine with you being involved with her if she wants to be turned, but you can't turn her without her consent. She's family. Between Zach, Deke and me, there'd be a fight to see which one of us got to kill you first."

"Go with the cave lion, he's the only one who'd have a shot at besting me. Look, Derek, I get it and I understand your concern. I've tried to stay away, to protect her from the storm, from our world, from me. But it isn't working. I can't ignore what I know to be true. Every instinct within me tells me she is mine and to take her regardless of what anyone thinks—including her."

Shaking his head Derek said, "What about your childhood sweetheart? You thought she was your fated mate. Have you forgotten about her?"

Orion closed his eyes, memories of his past washing over him. "I haven't forgotten. But that was a long time ago and I figured out she was never meant to be my mate—fated or otherwise. Any feeling I had for her died long ago."

Derek sighed, leaning closer to the screen. "Orion, you can't just decide she's yours and take her to mate whether she likes it or not. You deserve to be happy, but at what cost? Lara's humanity?" He shook his head. "I don't know. If I put myself in your shoes and we were talking about Tess, I don't know that I wouldn't have already claimed her."

Orion felt a weight lift from his shoulders at Derek's words. "Derek, you're one of the best men I know. Hearing you say that makes me feel a bit better about all of this."

Derek nodded. "The thing is, you need to be honest with yourself and with her. The one advantage you have is that Lara knows about shifters and doesn't have a problem with our kind. She knows what's at stake."

Orion took a deep breath, feeling a sense of clarity wash over him. "Thanks, Derek. I needed to hear that."

Derek smiled. "Anytime, brother. Just… be careful. And don't hurt her."

Orion managed a small smile. "Not any more than I have to. I promise."

A little bit later, Orion found himself standing, once again, outside the door to Lara's room. The soft glow of candlelight flickered through the windows, and he could hear her moving around. It was closing in on dawn. Raising his hand, he knocked.

The door opened, and Lara stood there in her T-shirt and pajama bottoms. He wondered if she had any idea how incredibly sexy she was standing in the doorway with her hair all messy and falling down around her shoulders. "Orion? What's up? Is everything okay?"

He took a deep breath, his gaze locking onto hers. "Probably not. I needed to talk to you. Meet me in the common area."

"Um, sure. Just let me throw on something a little more appropriate."

He figured now wasn't the time to tell her that for what he had in mind, naked was most appropriate. "I'll wait for you in the main room."

It didn't take her long to join him. "What's on your mind? I've seen the weather reports, and if you think I'm going back before I can harvest that plant, think again." Lara's voice was soft, but firm.

Orion turned from the fire to face her. "Lara, I don't know if you've noticed, but I've been trying to keep my distance. I was kind of hoping you'd notice and say something."

"Yeah, I was hoping you would notice that I hadn't said anything."

"I can't do it anymore. You know enough about our kind to know what a fated mate is."

Lara's eyes widened, and she took a step back, shaking her head as if to deny him. "I don't want that. I can't want that. I won't. I don't have time for you—not you, specifically, but any of you. Trudi is my friend, and by this time next year, she could be dead. I can't let that happen. If there's even the remotest chance I can save her and her kind, I have to do it. I couldn't live with myself if I didn't."

"That's bullshit. Not the saving Trudi part. I get that, but you don't have to sacrifice everything in order to do that."

"Orion, I can't do this," she said turning away.

Maybe she thought by putting distance between them she could keep him at bay, but Orion wasn't having it. His wolf had been spinning out of control for days and now, sensing his unwillingness to let her go, it seemed determined to take over.

Orion grabbed her, turning her back to him and hauling her up against him. "So, you feel nothing for me?"

"Nothing."

"Liar," he growled, fisting her hair and dragging her head back. He brought his lips down on hers in an angry and punishing kiss. She needed to understand, needed to know she was his.

As their lips molded together, a surge of electricity shot through his veins. The taste of her, a subtle mix of sweetness and defiance, ignited a wildfire within him. He deepened the kiss, pouring every ounce of dominance, possessiveness, and need he could into it. If she wouldn't admit what she knew to be true of her own free will, he would force her capitulation.

Lara"s hands found their way to his chest, her fingers curling into tight fists as she grabbed the front of his shirt. A soft moan escaped her lips, muffled by the intensity of their connection. With each passing second, the bonding link unfurled and began to wrap its tendrils around her. He could feel the doubts, insecurities, and defiance that must be clouding her mind begin to dissipate.

Pulling away, he breathed heavily, leaning into her and resting his forehead against hers. Their breaths mingled in the heated space between them. "You feel it, too. The link that already exists between us," he rumbled, his voice husky with desire and tinged with the unspoken promise of pleasure that lay ahead.

She shook her head and tried to push him away. Orion wrapped his arm around her and dragged her back. He knew he should let her go, knew he should let her walk away, but knew he couldn't. He looked down at her—her eyes were glazed over with a raw hunger.

"I don"t know what this is," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.

A flicker of frustration washed over him. The mating bond demanded surrender—a surrender that he knew she didn't want to give, but that choice had been taken away from them. "You are my fated mate, and nothing will change that. Nothing."

Lara"s eyes searched his face for any sign of doubt or deception. Finding none, her eyes softened before she pushed at his chest. "This won't work. I know this is the frozen north but you're not some cave man. You can't just declare me to be yours, and that's the end of it."

"Can't I?" he taunted, the part of him that still remained feral and unbound to the laws of man knowing he would do whatever it took to make her his. "I think you'll find, especially here at Aurora Station, that I can."

He traced the outline of her mouth thinking how good her lips would look wrapped around his cock. She had no real way of knowing that the noble warrior had left the room, and in his place was a primitive barbarian who would take what he wanted.Lara sucked in a sharp breath as he tightened his grip on her so she could feel the strength and size of his throbbing cock. Her eyes drifted to his lips, the link refusing to be denied. The arm that wrapped around her loosened as his hand slid down her back to cup her ass as he ground against her.

Lara moaned as her arm came up to slide around his neck, anchoring herself to him as Orion's lips slammed against hers. This time their kiss was different. The intensity was off the charts and his tongue plundered her mouth. There was nothing tentative or civilized about it; it was the kiss of an alpha male dire wolf intent on conquering his mate. Growling low in his throat and feeling her body tremble against him, Orion scooped her up, tossing her over his shoulder and carrying her back down to his room.

Once inside, he set her feet down on the floor before reaching up to rip her clothes from her body, rendering her naked in reality for the first time. He allowed his eyes to roll over her body, slapping her hand away when she tried to cover herself.

They stumbled backward, trying to find balance amidst the maelstrom of their desire. There was nothing but bare skin and the sweet scent of lust hanging heavy in the air.

"Mine," he growled as he tipped her back onto the bed and stripped himself, letting his clothes fall to the ground.

He covered her body with his, their bodies crashing together in a frenzy of need, a primal hunger clawing at Orion and spreading to Lara. The heat of their passion fueled the flames that licked at their skin, igniting a fire that threatened to destroy everything in its path.

As their lips molded and melted against each other, a symphony of moans and sighs filled the air. There was an urgency in their movements, driven by a need so powerful it eclipsed all rational thought. Hands roamed, exploring every inch of exposed flesh, lighting sparks that sent shivers down their spines.

His fingers delved into her hair, tugging it as he claimed her mouth with an unmatched fervor. The taste of her lips, at first unyielding, then becoming soft and pliant, fueled his desire, leaving him hungry for more. She reciprocated with equal fervency, her nails digging into his back as she pulled him closer.

A flicker of uncertainty crossed her eyes, but Orion paid it no heed. He was certain of this… of her… and he would claim what was his and deal with the consequences later. He captured her gaze, burning with an intensity that mirrored his own. Any remnant of doubt or hesitation vanished into thin air. Their bodies collided once more, fusing together in a dance as old as time itself.

He settled himself between her legs, lining his hard cock up with the entrance to her core. She was soft, wet, and ripe, her body ready for his, almost as if it was begging to be conquered. With a primal growl, Orion thrust into her depths, relishing the tightness that enveloped him as well as the moan of pure desire that escaped her lips. The sensation was electric, sending jolts of ecstasy coursing through his veins as the bonding link snapped into place. They were no longer two separate entities, but one entity forged in the flames of need and desire.

"Wrap your legs around me," he commanded, and she complied, pulling him deeper inside her as if urging him to explore the uncharted territories of her pleasure. She obliged willingly, setting a rhythm that matched the beat of their pounding hearts. Every thrust brought them closer to the precipice, to the edge where bliss and oblivion merged.

The bed beneath them groaned and squeaked as if struggling to contain the intensity of their passion. Moans and gasps echoed through the room, mingling with the crackling of the fire in the fireplace and the sound of their skin slapping against each other.

Their bodies moved with an innate and instinctive synchrony, a harmony born from a longing so profound it transcended time and mere physicality. They were lost in a world of sensation, where time ceased to exist, and nothing mattered but the depth of the pleasure they bestowed upon each other.

Her nails dug into his back, leaving crescent-shaped imprints as she arched against him, desperate for more. He obliged, reaching between them to tease her swollen clit with his thumb. He realized—only vaguely—that he hadn't given her much foreplay. He'd wanted to overwhelm her senses as well as her reasoning. He vowed in the future to spend days exploring her body, knotting and tying her to him, and reveling in their connection. Her body tensed around him in response, her walls clenching with a voracious hunger that matched his own.

The temperature in the room rose to an almost unbearable degree as sweat beaded on their bodies, glistening under the dim light. The intoxicating scent of sex flooded the air.

The walls of her pussy encapsulated his cock, making it harder for him to drive deeper with every thrust. His cock rasped her inner walls, causing her pussy to act like a siphon, begging for him to fill her up.

"Fuck, Orion. This is so good," she moaned.

Her words only added fuel to the fire, pushing him further into a state of primal lust. He could feel himself losing control, succumbing to the intoxicating rhythm of their bodies. Their moans intertwined, creating a symphony of pleasure that reverberated through the walls.

"Take my cock deep," he groaned.

He gripped her hips tighter, his fingers digging into her flesh as he thrust deeper, harder. The sound of skin meeting skin filled the room, drowning out any semblance of rational thought. It was as if they'd entered a realm where only their lust and need mattered, where the only goal was to push each other to the pinnacle of ecstasy.

With every stroke, Orion sensed her unraveling beneath him—not just physically, but emotionally as well. The wolf within him pushed to allow a knot to form. If she was tied to him for several hours, she would have no choice but to accept that they were fated mates. Her body trembled, her breath hitched, and he knew she was teetering on the edge. He wanted nothing more than to feel her come undone, to prove to her that their bodies were in perfect sync.

He increased the pressure on her swollen clit with his thumb, circling it in teasing motions that elicited a throaty moan from deep within her. Her muscles tightened around him, drawing him in deeper, begging for release. Finally, he let go, pounding into her and pushing the two of them over the brink into an explosive orgasm that ripped through them both.

Her back arched up off the bed, a primal keening noise escaping her lips as wave after wave of pleasure coursed through her body. He watched and felt a kind of awe as he rode out her climax, her nails leaving red trails down his back as she raked it. Her orgasm triggered his own release—a torrential flood that utterly consumed him.

He filled her up, but wanted to keep fucking her, continuing to fill her with his seed. That wasn't true—he wanted to allow a knot to form and to drive it up into her, allowing her to experience the complete ecstasy of being mated to an alpha dire wolf. He knew—in the dim recesses of his mind that were still capable of functioning like a human—that was his wolf talking. He knew what it wanted. It wanted Lara completely. He wanted to allow his fangs to elongate, sinking into her throat and marking her for all time.

Orion forced himself to slide from her body, rolling onto his back and dragging her with him so that they were fitted together. There. It was done. They were together. He closed his eyes and drifted into a blissful slumber.