Chapter 16

16

Maize pushed open the door to the cabin. Gideon's scent was the first thing that welcomed her back. On top of that, she smelled another familiar scent. One she'd first smelled when her mother had brought home her baby sister.

"Liza?"

Liza emerged from the kitchen, a look of relief washing over her face as she saw Maize. She rushed forward, throwing her arms around her sister. Maize clung to her, the warmth of Liza's embrace grounding her in the moment.

"Are you okay?" Liza asked, pulling back to examine Maize's face.

Maize nodded, a tear slipping down her cheek. "I'm fine. Rob will never hurt you again. Gideon took care of it."

Gideon stood just inside the door. He gave Liza a wave and a nod before backing out to join the other males. But not before Maize heard a growl. It came from a large male that looked familiar.

"Is that Rylan Stone, the Alpha of Ironwood?"

"Yup." Maize stepped out of her sister's embrace, avoiding her gaze.

"Why's he looking at you and growling?"

Liza bit at her bottom lip. She reached for her nose, then thought better of it. Twitching her nose was a tell that she was telling a lie. "Don't get mad."

"You only say that when there's cause for me to be mad."

"Rylan claims I'm his fated mate," she admitted, rolling her eyes. "But I don't want to go through it again."

Rylan stepped up to the door, but he didn't come in. "It's real this time, Liza. I swear it."

Liza crossed her arms, a skeptical look on her face. "I've heard that before."

With Liza's head turned, Maize noticed a faint mark on Liza's neck, something that looked suspiciously like a hickey. She glanced back at Rylan, her suspicion growing.

Twenty-four hours ago, Maize would've taken her sister and hightailed it out of here. That was before she'd met the Blackwoods and mated Gideon. If this was Gideon's Alpha, she knew the man had to be honorable. Still, Liza was her flesh and blood.

"Liza, you can stay with me if you want," Maize offered. "You don't have to do anything you're not comfortable with."

Liza shook her head, a small smile playing on her lips. "It's clear that Gideon wants some privacy with you. Besides, I can handle Rylan."

Maize studied her sister, searching for any sign of fear or hesitation. But all she saw was a mix of determination and something else—something that looked a lot like acceptance.

"Are you sure?"

Liza nodded, her smile widening. "I'm sure. Trust me, Maizey. I'll be fine."

"Time to go, Elizabeth." Rylan's voice was filled with command.

Maize felt that command skitter over her skin. It must have to do with the mating bond. If Rylan was her mate's Alpha, that likely made him the boss of Maize, too.

Liza's back remained straight as she regarded the other wolf. Glancing at her sister, Maize knew what that something else in her eyes was. It wasn't exactly acceptance. It was sass. Her sassy sister was back.

Maize would've fist pumped the air, but she wasn't about to make the mating easier on Rylan. The man looked like he needed to be taken down a couple of pegs.

"Talk tomorrow," said Maize.

"Tomorrow," agreed Liza before stepping out of the cabin and then ducking away from Rylan's hold.

Gideon came inside, his hand gently touching Maize's arm. The warmth of his touch sent a comforting wave through her, easing the lingering tension. "It's real with Rylan. I promise you. He'd die for Liza."

"He might die because of her."

"What's that?"

"Nothing," Maize said, turning into her mate's hold.

Maize looked up at him, seeing the adoration in his eyes. The bond between them felt stronger than ever, a tangible connection that promised safety and love.

For the first time in what felt like forever, Maize allowed herself to believe in the possibility of a future filled with love and security. As she looked into Gideon's eyes, she knew she had found her place, her home, and her heart.

"Every moment since I met you has led to this," Maize whispered, stepping closer until she could feel the heat radiating from Gideon's body. She lifted her hands, placing them gently upon his chest, feeling the steady thrum of his heartbeat beneath her fingertips. "I never knew what it meant to belong to someone completely, to feel destined for another soul."

Gideon's eyes shimmered with unspoken words. The wolf was there in his gaze, looking out at her as though it worshiped her. The quiet strength of man and beast enveloped her, promising safety, promising eternity.

Maize wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself against the solid wall of muscle that was Gideon. Her voice was soft, imbued with the reverence of a sacred vow. "To be recognized as your fated mate... it honors me beyond words. I love you, Gideon. With every fiber of my being, I love you."

The admission felt like a release, the final piece of her spirit locking into place. There was no uncertainty in her mind, no shadow of doubt that lingered—only the purest form of truth that resonated through her, amplified by the mate bond that tethered her soul to his.

"It was love before I even laid eyes on you. The moment the bond tugged at me, I knew you were my destiny."

The raw confession stripped her of any remaining defenses, exposing her soul to the man who claimed it without effort.

"Before I saw your face, I felt you here." He pressed a palm over his heart, drawing her hand to rest atop his. "Right here, inside me."

His eyes reflected the feral, untamed spirit inside him, yet she saw in them an endless depth of tenderness. It was as if he saw through to the very core of her, to the place where her wildness met his, and understood her completely. She reached up, threading her fingers through Gideon's hair, pulling him down to her. Her lips found his in a deep kiss, one that spoke of passion and pain, of battles fought and won together.

Despite the soreness that reminded her of their recent struggles, the need to express her love eclipsed any discomfort. She pressed her body firmly against his, giving herself over to the sensation of his skin against hers. Maize poured all that she was into Gideon—her protector, her lover, her mate.

Gideon's arms encircled Maize with a tenderness that belied his towering strength. Carefully, he scooped her up, cradling her against his firm chest as if she were the rarest treasure.

The door to Gideon's bedroom swung open, revealing a sanctuary of soft shadows. The moon outside cast a silver glow through the window, bathing the room in an ethereal light that seemed to recognize the sanctity of their bond.

He laid her down on the bed. The mattress yielded to her weight with a gentle sigh. His fingers worked deftly, peeling away the layers of her clothing with reverence. Each garment that fell to the floor was a barrier removed, not just between their bodies, but their souls.

As her skin was bared to the cool air of the room, Gideon's lips followed, pressing tender kisses to the bruises that marred her flesh. "I'll never let anyone hurt you again."

Maize believed him; the conviction in his tone left no room for doubt.

Naked now, beneath the gaze of the man who had claimed her heart, Maize felt a vulnerability she'd never known. Yet it was a vulnerability laced with power. In Gideon's eyes, she saw nothing but awe and adoration.

His mouth descended toward the apex of her thighs, breath ghosting over her sensitized flesh. A shiver ran up her spine, anticipation coiling tight within her. And then his lips met her intimately, sending sparks of pleasure radiating outward from where they touched.

She gasped, hands fisting the sheets as waves of ecstasy began to build. Gideon's tongue, skilled and knowing, drew patterns of sheer delight across her folds. Moans escaped her throat unbidden, each one louder than the last, as he brought her closer to the edge.

"Gideon..." Her voice broke on his name, the world narrowing down to the sensation of his mouth on her, to the relentless pursuit of a climax that loomed on the horizon. Then, with a final flick of his tongue, her muscles clenched, and she tumbled over that edge, her body convulsing in rapture as her release washed over her in a torrent of sensation.

Her breath came in ragged gasps as the aftershocks of her orgasm rippled through her. Gideon barely gave her a moment of reprieve before he was prowling up her body. His mouth, still slick with her juices, left a deliberate trail of heat that reignited the embers of desire within Maize.

His body was a shadow over hers, muscles rippling with restrained strength, a primal elegance in his movement. She felt the brush of his length at her core, a teasing pressure that promised to fill her. Her breath hitched as he parted her folds with the head of his cock, and then, with a single fluid motion, he thrust home.

A gasp escaped her lips, morphing into a moan of profound satisfaction as he stretched her completely. The sensation was an exquisite blend of pain and pleasure, a perfect melding of their two forms.

Gideon moved within her. Each stroke a deeper claim. Each retreat a tantalizing promise of return.

Maize wrapped her legs around Gideon, drawing him closer, urging him to deepen his possession, to leave no part of her untouched. His hands roamed her body, worshipful and fervent, leaving trails of fire in their wake. She arched into him, needing more. He gave her all.

When their shared climax broke over them, the waves of pleasure were so intense that they crashed into one another. Her nails were dug into the skin of his back. His hands left a print on her ass.

In the aftermath, as tremors of delight continued to shudder through her, Gideon's embrace was both a fortress and a sanctuary. He held her tightly, his chest rising and falling with each labored breath, his heart thundering against her ear. Maize held on to him with equal fierceness, her arms a vise of devotion around his broad shoulders.

"Don't let go yet," she begged him.

"Never," he whispered. "I will never let you go."

This pledge was a sacred vow, a promise that went beyond words and sank deep into the marrow of both their bones. The mate bond pulsed between them, a tangible force that sealed the promise under the watchful gaze of the moon above.

Want to know what Liza and Alpha Rylan were up to while everyone thought she was missing?

Grab Mated by Twilight to find out!