33. Chapter Thirty-Two

Chapter Thirty-Two

Emm

I was seated on his lap, feeling the weight of his body beneath me. His grip tightened, his hands dug into my skin, igniting a mix of pleasure and pain. As I stroked his back with one hand, I lost myself in the sensation of his muscles beneath my touch. My other hand became entangled in his hair, relishing the softness between my fingers.

He was sobbing, uncontrollably sobbing, and my heart tightened in my chest. I'd only seen a few men cry in my life—usually for their lives. They begged me not to take their life, but they were cowards, saying they had too much to live for.

They didn't.

Locke did, though.

Images of his life flickered before my eyes; a rapid succession of memories that filled my vision with a sense of overwhelming weight. The sight was a painful reminder of the tormented past that he had lived through. Though invisible to my eyes, a presence lingered, its ethereal essence permeating the atmosphere, as if a Goddess herself watched over us, trying to show me this man, even through pain, was worth loving.

And, damn, he was.

The haunting visions played in my mind, vivid and tormenting. I could see him as a young boy, the sight of his feet in the wrong stance during training. The sound of his father's harsh voice filled his ears, criticizing his every move. The stench of fear lingering in that young boy as he was beaten by a rival alpha in his teenage years, the pain coursing through his body like a raging fire. His father's presence was suffocating, exuding cruelty and offering not even a trace of pity or mercy.

Despite the pain, Locke maintained his composure in front of his father. He masked the turmoil within, concealing his shattered spirit. Each blow, every punch, claw, and scar etched into his skin, disappeared as if they had never existed, leaving no trace.

My body ached every time my eyes blinked, watching Locke suffer. No wonder he was different, no wonder he clung to me. He lost his family; his sister, and then his mother. All those years he was beaten to protect his mother from his father's wrath, and it was all for nothing.

I don't even remember my mother. My abuela was my mother. I couldn't imagine if I lost her.

Locke let out another sob and I held on to him tighter. I rested my head on his and rocked him gently. Women may find men crying to be the most unmasculine thing to behold, but fuck them. This man has been through hell, and he continued to tread through the fires with bare feet.

"My sweet Koen, you aren't alone anymore." I let my fingers tangle through his hair and kissed his head. "I'm here now and I'm not going anywhere."

If it were even possible, Locke squeezed me tighter and I let out a sad laugh. Locke squeezed me tighter, pressing my breasts against his body and making it hard for me to breathe. I was shocked when my body involuntarily purred. But I let it, not wanting to stop it because it calmed my mate down instantly. Yes, my mate!

His grip loosened, but not enough to let go.

"I'm here, never leaving," I promise him again, my words whispered gently into his ear as I released my grip on his head. As he tilted his head upwards, I observed his face, flushed and red, the aftermath of his relentless crying. His tear-stained cheeks glisten with moisture, a testament to his anguish.

"You must think I'm weak," he rasped.

I shook my head vigorously.

"Never." I swallowed the large lump in my throat. "You have every right to show your emotion. You have every right to let this out, especially to me. I will safeguard all of your worries, and your pain."

Locke closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against mine. "I am supposed to be strong. And I have shown you weakness. You will not find me attractive enough too—"

I pressed my lips firmly against his, savoring the subtle hint of salt on his mouth. As our lips met, a gentle sigh escaped him. With a slight tilt of my head, I deepened the connection, seeking a heightened sensation. Sensing my desire, he opened his mouth, allowing my tongue to delicately explore and caress his own.

Locke groaned into my mouth, while I hastily worked at the belt of his pants.

"Emmie, what?"

I continued to kiss him, unbuttoning his pants and pulling his raging cock free.

"You are my mate, and I will always find you attractive." I let out a heavy sigh into his neck. "Let me show you."

I kissed down his neck, leaving hickies in my wake. They healed quickly, his skin far too superior to leave any sort of bruising. I lifted his shirt, tracing his happy trail with my tongue. He gasped and his fingers threaded through my hair.

"Emmie—no, you don't. I shouldn't— I've been weak, I—."

I grabbed his shaft with one hand, letting my thumb rub on one barbell near his knot. He groaned as I took a lap at the head. I gazed up at him, letting him see the desire, the heat in my eyes, how much I still wanted him even with him breaking down in front of me.

He showed me a side no one has ever seen, and I found that to be the hottest, most desirable thing in my life. A secret only that I would be shown.

His cock was constantly leaking. He wasn't coming but it sure looked like it. I continued to lick at the head, my hand wrapping around his large girth and thumbing against the bars of his Jacob's Ladder.

He sucked in a quick breath through his teeth when I wrapped my mouth around the giant head, and took him all in at once. My bottom teeth grazed the bars and I opened my mouth wider to accommodate them.

"Goddess Almighty, you took all of me."

I felt his dripping come running down my throat. It wasn't salty or musky but sweet. I swallowed continuously because he is just one needy little wolf.

Locke's hand threaded through my hair but he didn't push me. It irritated me, so I put my hand on top of his and had him push on my head.

"Fuck, gods, you're perfect." He got the idea and began to pump my head to the rhythm he wanted.

He fucked my mouth, and I fondled the knot that was expanding. I didn't realize just how large it gets and I opened my eyes watching it fill with his seed.

My pussy fluttered, pulsing as he took what he wanted. He knew I liked it rough and when his head pushed to the back of my throat, I gagged.

My breasts felt heavy as I gagged and I grabbed one of my tits and pinched.

"You fucking like it rough, don't you, Princess?"

I moaned into his cock, letting him hit me in the back of the throat again.

"My pretty little luna loves this cock, doesn't she?" He groaned and pushed me lower as his shaft expanded. He let off a low groan and I felt his come spurt into my mouth. I swallowed spurt after spurt. It kept coming, and I knew it would take ages before it stopped.

I pulled my shirt up over my breasts and unfastened my bra, keeping my mouth on his shaft. My thankful breasts fell from their confinement and touched the cooler air. It took me a moment to maneuver, but he wasn't paying attention. He was relishing my mouth on his cock, sucking him down.

Once I was ready, I let the come, that had gathered in my mouth, dribble out between my breasts. Locke whined pitifully, but I was able to situate his cock between my tits and rubbed it between them.

"Holy hell," he leaned his head back and thrust his hips, while I squeezed my breasts together, "this is so fucking hot!"

He was still coming, spurting on my neck and chin, dripping between my breasts causing it to easily slide between my cleavage.

"Shit, shit, shit," he chanted as he grabbed my shoulder to use for leverage, while he pumped his cock in and out of breasts. The top of his cock bumped my chin and I let his come drip down my neck. "You look so good, painted with my seed." He groaned again and let off one more spurt that covered the top of my breasts.

We were both panting, his hand that had held onto my shoulder fell to my chest, rubbing his come over my skin.

"They will smell me on you for days," he murmured to himself. "Even when we wash it off."

My pussy pulsed. I knew he just came an obscene amount, but the way he talked so dirty, how I was covered in his come and he fucking loving it made me want to ride him so damn much, right now.

He tilted his chin up, his eyes gazing down at me. His knot pulsed and more of his come slipped from the tip.

Lock gritted his teeth. "Come here, Princess, get on my dick."

I shook my head and rubbed my breasts up and down his cock again, causing him to spurt more. "This was about you. I wanted to make you happy," I purred and licked the head.

The sensitivity was too much, the red, angry knot made him double over when my breasts grazed it too hard. His hand gripped my hair and his heavy pants ran down my back.

"Fuck!"

Somehow, I knew his knot was far too sensitive right now to take me. He knew it too, but wanted to please me, knowing I was so turned on. It wasn't about me though; it was about giving him comfort, knowing I was always going to be there for him.

And I was. For the first time in my life, for someone other than my family, I was promising to stay and be with him. I was promising him and the other lost souls he was trying to help.

As his knot emptied, the sun was setting, and the cool air dried his arousal on my chest. He slowly slipped his cock from my breasts and pulled me in for an intense, passionate kiss before letting me go. "Perfect," he whispered into my mouth. "I still owe you a good fucking."

I rolled my eyes and pulled on the hair at the back of his neck. "We are mates. We don't owe each other anything."

Locke's smile went from cocky to a wide, boyish smile. "Yeah, is that right? You are an expert in mate bonds, now?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I'm an expert in many things. I figured I'd be an expert in this, too."

Locke threw his head back and laughed, tucking his cock back into his jeans. He pulled down my top, letting the dried come crackle under the fabric.

Any other time I think I'd be grossed out having dried come on my body, but since it was his, there was something deep inside me that was oddly satisfied about it.

"Let's get you cleaned up." He threw me over his shoulder and I squealed when he slapped my backside.

It didn't take us long to come up on a lake. It was a lake all too familiar to me. Across the clear waters I zeroed onto my RV on the other side. I reveled how I could see so far when, just days ago, I didn't think I could remember seeing anything across the lake before.

Locke kept me busy from thinking too hard, though, because he stripped me down and had me in the lake completely naked, fucking me in the water, while I moaned his name until we were both spent.

If that is his version of cleaning up, I think I could get used to it.

After we finished, the moon had already risen in the sky and the night air felt crisp. It wasn't cold on my wet skin as my hair dried. In fact, I felt warm and comfortable as we playfully chased each other, slapping each other's backsides while we headed back toward the packhouse—our home.

Once we came closer, Locke sniffed the air, then pulled on my hand to put me behind him and growled. A deep rumble in his chest rattled me to my core. It wasn't a playful, seductive growl but one of possession and anger. I grabbed onto his shirt behind him, and of course I gazed all around us, and kept my knees bent to jump and spring into action if need be.

"Stay back," Locke snapped.

I let out a growl in my own throat, one that I was becoming more and more familiar with. The hair on the back of my neck rose and I could feel my nails tingle.

"I will do what—"

"Them, not you," Locke spoke more gently and pulled me close to him, as out of the darkness I could somehow see Hawke and Delilah coming forth out of the bushes.

I furrowed my brow, seeing Hawke holding their sweet baby, Hannah, in their arms. She'd grown almost double in size since I last saw her, looking almost like a small toddler.

"Hi guys, what are you doing out here?" I let go of Locke to greet them, but he grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

"Mine! Get back!" Locke barked.

I blinked several times and jerked my head back and forth.

Hawke raised his arm in surrender. "I know this is a bad time. I know you don't want us here, but hear me out, Alpha." Hawke leaned his neck to the side, but Locke didn't falter. He gripped my arm tighter and fur sprouted all over his arms.

He was going to shift.

"Hey," I whispered to Locke and ran my fingers across his fur. "It's alright. It's your friends."

Locke didn't listen. He pulled me in close and took a deep breath into my shoulder. "Mine." A deep, guttural voice came from within. Fenrir.

"Listen, we—we need help. A lot of the mated do. We have these headaches—"

Locke's grip loosened slightly.

"We know you are still in your mating period, but our mates—we can't stand seeing them in pain."

Locke mumbled to himself, his hand running down his face.

"Can you help them?" I stared up at him. "Is there a way we can help? Why do they have headaches? Shifters can get headaches? I thought they weren't prone to illnesses?"

Locke ran the back of his hand down my cheek and nodded. "Yeah, we can help."

Sorrow hit me, and I wasn't sure why.

"Get Tajah and Bram. Bring every mated couple to the bonfire here at the packhouse. Are Bear and Journey back?"

Hawke put his arm around Delilah, who looked miserable. "Yeah, they did this morning. All the rescued humans have been put up in our apartments or sent back to where they came from, if that is where they wanted to go."

Locke let out a sigh and steered me toward the packhouse. "Have everyone here in an hour. Don't be late."

As always, I had more questions than answers, but I kept quiet and tried to shift through the jumbled mess inside Locke's head.