Chapter 9

9

Gideon's golden eyes reflected the light of the moon as they rested upon Maize's quivering form. Her chest heaved in a post-bliss cadence, painting the perfect image of desire fulfilled. She was the embodiment of his wildest dreams, her skin shimmering with a sheen of sweat that spoke of the satisfaction he'd given her. And he wasn't done.

Through the growing bond between them, he felt her heart still racing, each pulse syncing with his own, as if the very earth and sky had conspired to join them together. The primal satisfaction that surged through him wasn't just from the pleasure he'd drawn from her core, but from the certainty that bloomed like a night-blooming flower in his chest — she would be his by dawn, utterly and irrevocably.

The raw, unbidden need pulsating within him led Gideon's hands to his swollen length. He watched Maize's gaze drift downward, lingering on him with hunger. Her lips parted slightly as she took in the sight.

"Maize." His voice rolled out deep and husky, laced with the undercurrents of the beast within. "Are you ready for me?"

His words were less a question and more of a warning. She was laid out before him like an offering. Gideon had already worshipped at her altar. Now it was time to seek his heavenly reward.

Maize's eyes locked on to his. In them, he saw the flicker of resolve. She wasn't going to reject him, she was going to accept him, accept the bond. The nod she gave him confirmed it. That simple gesture snapped the last remnants of his restraint.

She spread her thighs, an invitation as clear as the stars above them, beckoning him into the sacred space between. Gideon's breath hitched, his body primed and ready, every fiber of his being focused on the woman who'd captured his soul. This was it, the pivotal moment where two destinies would entwine and nothing would ever be the same. He was poised at the edge of forever, and together, they were about to leap.

He positioned himself at Maize's entrance. The hunger of his beast clawed at the edges of control. With a reverence reserved for sacred rituals, he pressed forward, feeling the initial resistance give way to a warm embrace. Her inner walls clung to him, velvet heat welcoming him inch by painstaking inch. The sensation was nothing short of divine—an exquisite melding of flesh that tethered his spirit to hers.

"Maize, my beautiful mate," Gideon murmured against her lips, each word a kiss, "you feel incredible."

His voice trembled with the weight of emotion as he continued to move deeper, slowly, savoring the moment. He worshipped her with praise, every inch gained met with a soft whisper of adoration.

"You are so strong, so perfect for me."

Maize's breath hitched. Her eyes fluttered closed. Her hands wrapped around his neck, her ankles locked at his low back.

Gideon felt the ripple of pleasure through her body. It echoed in his own. It was more than physical. There was no denying they were connecting on an emotional level, a spiritual one as well.

Now fully seated within her, Gideon paused, allowing both of them a moment to adjust to the connection. Their stillness did not last. The urge to claim, to mate, surged through him, and he began to thrust. Inside, the beast clawed at him to go deeper, faster, rougher. Man and beast wanted to claim every inch of his fated mate until the bond firmly snapped into place.

"More," she begged, clearly in line with his beast.

"Maize," he gasped, the sound torn from his throat as he fought to maintain a gentle rhythm. She was perfection personified, her body a haven that beckoned him to lose himself within its depths. Every angle, every curve of her fit him as though she had been crafted from the very stars to be his other half. The struggle raged within him, the shifter's desire to dominate at odds with the man's wish to cherish.

His arms trembled as he held himself above Maize, the sinews in his body taut with the effort of restraint. He moved within her, each thrust an act of willpower against the tide of desire that threatened to sweep him away. Her soft moans were like whispers of wind through the trees, urging him deeper into the wildness he fought to contain.

"Let go, Gideon," Maize breathed out, her voice a silken thread binding him to her will. "Please, don't hold back."

Her words were the spark igniting the kindling of his control. A low growl rumbled in his chest, a sound more beast than man, as he drove into her with a newfound fervor. Gideon's world narrowed to the heat of her body, the slickness of their union, and the relentless pursuit of a pleasure so intense it bordered on pain.

With each rough plunge, he felt her welcome him, her inner walls clenching around him in a rhythm as ancient as the shifter blood coursing through his veins. Maize's fingers dug into his shoulders, leaving crescent marks that only stoked the fire within him further. His name fell from her lips in a litany, a chant that pulled him deeper into the haze of lust.

"Maize," he groaned, surrendering to the need that demanded he claim her completely. There was no room for thought, only the overwhelming drive to mate, to merge until there was no distinction between where he ended and she began.

Without conscious thought, his claws extended, sharp and deadly, but controlled. They skimmed across her back, barely grazing her skin at first, as if testing the boundary between pleasure and pain. Instead of pulling away, Maize arched into him, a soft gasp escaping her lips, not in fear or pain. It was as though she knew what he was about to do. The only one not wholly on board was Gideon.

There was a roaring thunder in his ears as the wolf slipped its leash. His claws dug in just slightly, enough to break her skin, to leave his mark on her. Maize cried out, pressing into him, her body trembling against his.

The mark he left wasn't just a physical one. It was a shifter's mark, a claim that sent waves of pleasure through her body, lighting up her nerves in a way that made her shudder with every breath. The connection between them strained closer but didn't snap into place. It wouldn't. Not until Maize gave herself to him completely.

Their bodies moved together in a dance of raw power and unbridled passion, the connection between them transcending the physical realm. The moon above bore witness to their coupling, its silvery light casting a halo around them. And when the crescendo of their shared pleasure came, when they both spiraled into the abyss of satisfaction, Gideon knew that this—this fierce, all-consuming love—was his destiny.

"Mine," he whispered into the night, the word a vow as he collapsed beside Maize, their hearts beating as one beneath the canopy of stars.