30. Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Locke

I f there was one thing in this world that could instantly deflate my knot, it was the sound of her tearful cries. The sight of a woman shedding tears was unbearable to me, their faces flushed with anguish, the glistening trails of sorrow streaming down their cheeks.

It was why I had my men take care of the women after a mission. Women saw me as a dick. I was stone-faced around them, ordering the men to take care of the weeping women after rescue missions. My men were better capable.

I couldn't handle seeing women in distress.

My mate was now sobbing in front of me while my knot was lodged deep inside her. It was softening more quickly than I ever thought it could. My body was shutting down, my heart breaking. I could hear the cries of my mother when my sister died, and I had to make her stop.

The only tears I wanted to see from her were of pleasure, not of pain.

"Baby, I'm so sorry." I pulled on my cock. My knot was still hard, but it had softened enough to dislodge from her cunt. It made a slick pop when it fell from her body. My wolf was protesting. He wanted to shove it back inside her, but damn it, I would not have my princess cry.

I climbed over her, letting my skin feel the dampness on the sheets. I brought her body closer to me and let her head rest into my neck. "Fuck, I know I'm a lot sometimes but I swear it's to keep you safe. But you crying like this is gonna break me."

She sobbed again, gasping for air. "I-I am not crying. My eyes are sweating."

As my wolf snorted, a soft snore filled the air, causing a smile to slowly spread across my face. I observed her face, which turned a deep shade of red, while her nose twitched and sniffed with each breath.

When my mother cried, my father would try to beat her. I'd always be around to stop him; tell him if he laid a hand on her, I'd do everything in my power to ruin what he had built. He would stop, but still, I would cross the line if I comforted my mother in his presence.

Mordecai saw me as nothing but a walking, emotional, weak wolf. I was weak in my father's eyes because I had feelings toward my mother. I wanted to protect her from the bastard, but that didn't stop the insults, the punches and blows I took for her.

"An alpha isn't allowed to have feelings. Females are to bear children for the betterment of the pack."

I cleared my throat and continued to stroke her face as she continued. What does one say to comfort a female?

" Emmie, let me fix it. What do you want?" I pleaded.

I fucking pleaded!

"I—I need to call someone," she said.

I raised my head and looked for the phones that sat on the nightstand. I reached over her, bringing the phone between us and laid it on the pillow.

"Here, it's right here. You can call whoever you want." I very well knew it was her family. She was worried sick now that the reality of it all was crashing down on her.

Emm sniffed and stared up at me. "Can I have privacy?"

She looked so hopeful I almost let her win.

"No," I shook my head. "You're my mate, no secrets between us. You are finding out mine through the bond we share—"

Her eyebrows raised, and her lips parted.

"I know you've seen some shitty parts of me. And soon I'll be able to see all the shitty parts of you. I know some Emmie; I've seen that you have been with other men, and how you've worked hard to be who you have become."

Her lip wobbled, but she tried to set her lip into a pressed thin line to hide it.

"But you are mine. The Goddess decided, I decided, and you accepted my bite and my knot. Nothing about your past, what you have done, will deter me."

This made her roll her face into the pillow and cry even harder. An overwhelming power of guilt radiated off her. I was surprised the bond was this strong even without her bite to claim me fully.

I growled and shook her shoulder. "Stop crying!" My wolf had his hackles up inside my mind. Fur was sprouting over my arms. "You cannot cry in my presence. Not when it breaks my damn soul to see you this way."

She sobbed again and rolled on her back. Her breasts heave and I tried my damnedest not to look. I was trying to make my mate stop crying, this powerful female does not cry, and I feared I'd fucking broke her.

My mouth instantly went to her nipple, forgetting all logic. She cried out in shock and she ran her fingers through my hair. My come that was still leaking from her body mixed with the fresh scent of arousal.

"Locke," she whined and I sat her up in the bed. I made her straddle my lap, my hands dug through her hair, and I gripped her scalp firmly to keep her looking at me.

"Nothing-nothing about you will keep me away. And everything I have done—" I chuckled darkly, "I don't give a fuck if you don't' like it."

She giggled and wiped away the tear with her hand.

"I am the president of the club. My members are vigilant. They knew where you lived, every move you made, tried to get into your laptop—"

Emm tilted her head, her wild hair tickling my skin.

"And why do you think that is? Hmm? Why do you think they know all that? I trained them and also—" I leaned forward, letting my lips graze her ear. "I've heard almost every phone call you've made since you got to town, my mate. And I know who you have spoken to."

My mate's eyes widened. "What?" she muttered. "Y-you could hear—you know?"

I nodded, pressing kisses down her neck. "You have a family in Venezuela. You're desperate to get them up here, aren't you, Princess?" My arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer to my cock. I was ready to sink into her again, my rut not giving me an easy time.

Her heat was building as well—so much for feeding my mate actual food. Now, she's just going to need a shot of protein.

"My little hunter was on the job." My hand traced between her legs and I stroked her clit. "My hunter, my luna, my mate was hunting me. I was a difficult target for you, wasn't I?"

Emm's breaths came in rapid pants. Her fingers tightened on my shoulders and she tried to push me away. I held onto her tighter, pulling her so her pussy rubbed up against my shaft. She groaned, her breasts pushing against my trimmed chest.

"You were gonna turn me in. Collect the money and save your family, weren't you, baby?"

Emm's once rhythmic movements on my cock came to a halt, leaving us in an eerie silence. The taste of her skin lingered on my tongue as I delicately traced a path from her collarbone to her neck.

"H-how does that not make you angry? I scouted this place, got to know your club. To search for you to—turn you in?"

I chuckled against her shoulder. "It was the best foreplay I've ever had. Touching the enemy, licking the enemy in front of the bar. Fuck, Princess, I say we do more of that roleplaying shit."

Emm pulled away from me, her mouth opened in shock. Her eyes were still puffy and swollen. "It wasn't foreplay, it was real, Locke. I was going to take you in—for the money to save my family. And now—I can't." Her eyes softened and looked at my cock standing to attention between my legs.

"I feel so guilty for it," she whispered. "I told my family I'd get them here and I fell for the—"

My shit-eating grin exploded on my face. "Yeah, baby. You fell? Fell for who?"

Emm slapped me on the shoulder and covered her breasts. "Stop, you're being such a bastard."

I pushed her back into the bed and planted kisses down her neck. "Last person that called me a bastard I ripped their heart out. When you say it, though, it really gets me fucking hard."

"You're always hard!" she squealed, as I sunk my cock back into her body.

My mate relaxed and let me touch her where I wanted.

"We need to talk," she said with a pleasurable gasp. "I need to talk to my fam—"

My knot lodged inside and I pulsed it in her pussy. My hips pump into her gently, letting my knot push in and out of her opening.

"Shit, you can't do this to calm me down." She cried out as her back arched.

I very well can damn try.

I left Emm lying in the bed, filled with furs to keep her warm. I still needed to explain to her about her upcoming change, the heat, and the other secrets I have kept from her.

I had so many surprises for her, but getting her through her heat, her transformation and the brief history lessons on the pack was enough to worry about. I was so giddy with all my surprises I didn't know how I was going to keep them from her.

"Just hope she doesn't learn how to enter your mind," my wolf drawled. "Then, we're fucked.

"You always were a mood killer," I mumbled back to him.

I was fucking trying to be communitive and shit. I'd even bought a book on it.

I flipped the last of the dozen eggs on the pan. I heard my mate's gentle footsteps and I turned around, seeing her in one of my shirts. Her breasts were tightly pressed against the fabric, her nipple piercings showing through the dark color - I could spot them a mile away - and oddly, I'm not so hungry for eggs anymore.

I turned back to the eggs and cleared my throat.

We've done enough, let her pussy rest.

"She can fucking handle it," my wolf growled appreciatively. "I think she wants more, just do it on the table," my wolf panted.

I switched off the gas stove with a quick flick of my wrist and turned around to brace myself. "Sorry I didn't ask before, but you were sleeping. But how do you like your eggs?" I let the fried eggs slide off the pan and onto a plate.

"Fertilized," she purred.

Instantly my cock pressed up against my sweats, and Emm laughed softly. "It's so easy to get you riled up, huh, Alpha?"

I rolled my eyes to the back of my head when she referred to me with that title. I never thought I would like it. It was a power title, one I refused to take while me and my members were rogues. We took it in jest, as a joke. Because I fucking didn't feel like an alpha after I destroyed a pack that was supposed mine.

The way she said it though—maybe I could be an alpha. A real one, with her by my side.

"I'm guessing you like being called that?" She raised a brow and strolled toward the table.

"Only when you say it. It's like Dom or Master."

Emm rolled her eyes and padded over to me. "You're something else. You know that?"

I wrapped my arms around her waist. "I think people use more colorful words, but, ah, yes, I am quite different, huh?"

She hummed, her fingers grazing down my torso. "Yeah, you are. I went from a crying mess to being fuck-comforted. Anytime I get upset, I'll be sure to come to you."

My chest swelled with pride. "You always come to me. I'll fix it."

Emm backed away and looked at the table, filled with eggs, sausages, pancakes. One day, everyone in this massive home would be served a basic packhouse breakfast.

"This is a lot." she grabbed a sausage from the plate and took a bite. "Mm, that tastes so good." She sat down and didn't look at me as she grabbed food and barely put it on her own plate before she'd started to inhale it.

I watched her in awe at how the smallest things made me love her more. Yes love, I fucking craved her. The smallest things she did made me obsessed with her.

A feeling of contentment washed over me; I had provided for her, for my mate. Of course I had, because I was going to be the best mate.

She choked and panic rose in my throat.

"Slow down," I barked at her.

My mate narrowed her eyes and shoved another forkful into her mouth. "Hey, if I'm going to keep up this bod, I'm going to need some calories." She shimmied her breasts.

Ignoring her enormous globes, I took the fork from her. She looked absolutely appalled when I took her plate and held it in my hand. She watched me, still chewing the food left in her mouth, and a look of amusement washed over her. Once she'd swallowed, I held the fork up to her.

"You-you're going to feed me?" Her quiet voice entered my heart.

I scooted my chair closer to her, our knees touching.

I knew she'd got a lot of emotions running through her right now. She cried in my arms, because she'd seen my past; I could feel her heart squeeze in mine when she looked at me. It isn't pity, it's—an understanding of why I'm the way I am. On top of it all, she was in heat, and I'd heard from my men that is fucking awful.

All I wanted to do was to protect her, be the mate my mother would want me to be.

A male that showed her protection and care, not just give her the severed hands of her enemies.

Wait, no, I'd still do that.

I held the fork up to her and she tilted her head. I let my eyes plead with her just to take the food. I didn't feel like explaining to her why I needed to do this—that this was the way of a shifter; to provide food and substance.

I didn't want any smart-ass remarks, no joking, no—-none of that. My heart just wanted her acceptance.

And she did.

Because she is perfect.

My mate leaned forward and took the bite I had ready for her. We stared into each other's eyes. It was such an intimate moment that I felt my heart grow two sizes. She finished her plate, and I wiped her clean. The only sounds we could hear were the birds outside and the rustling of the trees.

My throat constricted when I pulled her into my lap from the kitchen chair. "Thank you." I rubbed my cheek against hers.

"For what?" she whispered, her hand touching my chest.

"Letting me feed you. It is a high honor when a female eats the food that a male provides." My voice was quiet while I said this, soaking up every moment. She really was my church, and I wanted to be reverent to it—for now.

My mate ran her finger over my cheek. "And what else do shifters do? To please their mate? Are there other traditions?" Her voice was so understanding. There wasn't a hint of malice or anything condescending.

I swallowed, my throat bobbing as I nodded. "Yes, one is to make a proper nest. Especially when their female is in heat and it's their first time." My hand trailed up her side and tickled the underside of her breast.

"You are having a heat because of me. My bite, not only helped solidify the bond between us but also—it's going to change you, Emmie."

Emmie's nails raked across my back, sending shivers up my spine.

"You will be a shifter. I don't think you will be Lycan, but a wolf. Like what I was. I'm sorry—I should have told you." I turned my head away, too fucking embarrassed to see her yell at me. But she grabbed my chin firmly in her hand and brought it toward her face.

Instead of seeing anger, I was met with her soft eyes and a gentle kiss on my lips. "I had a feeling. I don't know how to explain it. I'm just glad you confirmed it." She took a long, steady breath.

"You aren't angry?" I squeezed her thigh.

She shook her head. "I'm more relieved you found out I was hunting you. That I was going to sell you off to get my family." She winced and looked at the time on the wall.

"I need to call them, but—"

I could feel her dampness already pooling on my leg.

"And, so you know, I'm on birth control. I'm not ready to have any babies."

"Pups," I corrected. "And no, human birth control won't work. Now that you are changing, human contraceptives aren't a thing."

Her mouth opened slightly.

I kissed her cheek. "Don't worry, I'm taking my contraceptive. Males are usually in charge of the reproduction control, if they are proper mates."

Emm blushed and smiled. "That's amazing. I hated that stupid shot."

"But, Emm," I said and tilted her chin back to me. "I need you to do something this time. It will solidify our bond, more. Just so you know, if you do this, I will see everything in your mind just as you can see everything in mine. I've only been able to see fragments, just as you have with my life. After your teeth sink into my skin," I shuddered, "we will see each other's—everything."

She looked away and fiddled with her fingers. "That's intense," she finally said. "Just—don't go digging into when I was a teenager, when I had a crush on Jonathan Taylor Thomas. It's kind of embarrassing."

I barked out in laughter, put one arm under her legs and the other behind her back. It was going to be official now, I was going to be claimed.