Epilogue

Two Months Later

Violet squeals when I throw her over my shoulder with a growl. She breaks into a fit of giggles a moment later as I stride out of the dining hall. My clan hoots, cheering us on as we leave.

"You know," Violet says, her hands spread on my back. "In the human world, the bride and groom usually stay in the wedding party for at least a couple of hours."

"Mm, good thing we're not in the human world. We've already waited too long."

"Fifteen minutes."

"I would have left straight from the mating ceremony."

Violet laughs. The sound makes me smile like a fool. "Funny thing. I remember arriving in this place in this same position." She takes a beat. "Did you ever imagine you would mate a human?"

"No. I never imagined I would mate with anyone."

"Really? I didn't know that."

We get to the bedroom door and I open it. "Never had the time or the interest, really. I always expected I would adopt an orcling when I needed an heir. Never thought I'd meet a bold and smart-mouthed human who would take my knot." I kick the bedroom door shut behind us and put her down.

Violet giggles. "You make it sound so naughty."

"Oh, you have no idea, little mate. No idea of the things I do to you in my head."

A mate. I never expected I would have any. Violet has buried herself beneath my skin. I had no interest in mating anyone, not before her. She changed everything.

It's not about mating—it's about being with her. Having her for the rest of my existence.

My lips crash into hers and I tease at the seam of her lips with my tongue. Violet moans when she lets me in. I taste the wine we drank during the toast.

She's mine now, officially my mate, and I can't help but revel in the fact that everyone in the clan knows it. Everyone knows she's mine. I grin against the kiss.

Violet pushes her off her toes, almost trying to climb me. I pick her up and fling her legs behind my back. Sometimes I wish I could spend the day like this, with my cock buried inside her tight heat.

She locks her ankles behind me and holds me around my shoulders. Now I can slip both my hands under her dress. The soft skin of her thighs is pure heaven under my fingertips. I grab her ass and grind my hips against hers.

Violet makes a choked sound and I do that again.

I break the kiss. "Are you already getting wet for me, mate?" And I bury my face in her neck, lapping at her pulse.

"Mm, I don't know," she replies with a breathy voice. "Maybe I need some help."

"Oh, I'd love to help."

I pull her dress over her head, desperate to feel her soft skin against mine. My shirt follows, ripping in my haste to be closer to her. Her pretty tits press against my chest, demanding attention.

But I have other things in mind first.

Lying with my back on the bed, I grab her delicious thighs. The amber in her eyes is like melted gold.

"Ride my face, mate. Let me get you wet."

Violet's brows raise. "You sure? What if I suffocate you? I don't want to become a widow this soon."

I chuckle, but my voice comes out raspy with need. My cock hardens in my pants, twitching, already aching for her.

"Mate. I cannot imagine a better destiny than dying between your thighs."

Biting her bottom lip, she straddles me. I grab her hips and shove her down against my mouth. With a gasp, Violet sits down on my lips.

And she tastes fucking perfect.

I lap at her juices, devouring her pretty pussy. I don't mind making a mess. This woman is a whole fucking meal.

She grows bolder, circling her hips, rubbing her wet pussy over my mouth. I groan as her scent invades my senses, intoxicating me.

She grinds against my face, and I drink from her like a starved man. I suck and lick, eager to taste her release. My tongue flicks against her clit, and she bucks against me, crying out as she climaxes. Her body trembles, and I hold her hips, savoring every moment of her pleasure.

Once she catches her breath, I push her down toward my cock, desperate to be inside her. There's no way I could fit her without stretching her first, though. This is where the size difference becomes glaring.

Violet straddles my waist, her tits brushing against my face. I slide one finger into her slick heat, sucking her hard nipples into my mouth. She moans, arching her back as I add a second finger, stretching her for what's coming.

She circles her hips around my fingers, her eyes dropping shut.

"Is my little mate hungry for my cock?"

"Yes," she breathes out, increasing her pace. She shoves at my arm. "I don't want your fingers. I want your cock."

I don't even ask if she's sure. Fuck if I could ever refuse that.

I kick my pants off and guide her onto my rock-hard cock. She gasps as I hold her hips and push her against the head. My heart races, my entire body focused on this. I allow her to adjust to my size. She can only take the head at first, but I'm patient.

Violet rolls her hips against every shallow thrust. Slowly, she takes me in, inch by inch.

She's so fucking tight. I grunt as she slips down halfway. She's so wet. It takes everything in me not to slam her down the rest of the way.

Violet looks down at me with those golden eyes, her abused lips parted and glossy, her pussy dripping for me. The sight of her drives me mad with lust.

My knot swells, and I groan as she slips further down my length; the sensation is almost unbearable. She squeezes me so deliciously.

I meet her eyes, glazed with desire. And fuck, I'm one lucky orc.

She pulls her hips up and then sinks closer to my knot.

"I'm knotting my mate," I grunt, and she nods.

Violet moves her hips up and down again. I grab onto her thighs and, with one swift movement, shove her down my cock. She gasps as she takes the last two inches and my knot swells.

My mate shudders as my knot locks us together. I can feel the heat of my release building fast. Spreading her thighs, I rub her clit furiously, eager to send her over the edge once more.

Violet's mouth drops. She tries to move on my cock, but she's stuck. At my mercy. I groan as her eyes roll in the back of her head.

Her body trembles as she comes, again and again, her walls clenching around my cock. She moans, and the sound reverberates through my bones. I fucking love the sounds she makes. I'm so glad Eirik has a nanny for the evenings.

Violet tries to close her thighs, but I keep them parted.

She whimpers. "It's too much. I'm too sensitive."

"Give me another one, little mate. I need to feel you squeeze my cock once more."

She shakes her head. "I can't… my king."

How does she make it sound so filthy? I double my speed around her clit, my hips jerking on their own. Violet's body stiffens, her nails sinking into my arms, but my mate moves her hips in small circles around my thumb, seeking her release. She moans and gasps and I pick up my pace. Then I grab a nipple and twist it.

She goes off with a moan so loud it borders on a scream. And she squeezes me so tight that I have no option. Pleasure barrels down my spine, setting every nerve ending on fire.

With a final groan, I release inside her. My hips buck, filling her with my hot come. It's so much and she's so much smaller than me, that some of it manages to pass the seal of my knot and pour out of her.

The sight is the hottest thing I've ever seen.

Violet collapses onto my chest, still locked to me. I catch my breath, inhaling the scent of her hair. She relaxes, her hand on top of my racing heart.

This. This is what I've always wanted, and I didn't know. I belong to her now, and I can't wait to see what comes next.

I can't wait to spend the rest of our lives like this.