Chapter 31

Chapter

Thirty-One

Evelyn

T he door to Rowan's house swung open with a whisper of sound, and I stepped through the threshold. My legs felt like they were encased in concrete.

"Rowan," I murmured, half-supporting the weight of his solid frame as we shuffled toward the sanctuary of his bedroom. His breaths were labored, a sign of his still-mending body, and yet, there was strength in his grip around my shoulders. Strength that spoke of an alpha who would bend but never break.

"Easy," I whispered, guiding him down to the bed. His blue eyes met mine, a silent thank you passing between us as I gently removed the boots Jasper had lent him, setting them against the wall.

My mate. The words pulsed with the beat of my heart. As I'd watched him fight with my palms forced to the dirt, I'd known the truth with every cell in my body. There was nothing else for me. I couldn't imagine my life without Rowan Steele, and I'd almost had to watch him be stripped from me.

"Rest." My voice caught, and Rowan's gaze sharpened.

"Evelyn—"

"Later. I promise." I leaned over him, pressing my lips to his forehead. Rowan sank into the mattress.

I watched his eyelids shutter closed. This formidable alpha of the Black Lake Pack laid bare and vulnerable beneath me. His dark hair on the pillow. His lashes brushing his cheeks.

I settled myself into the chair beside his bed, watching over him as the moon rose high outside the window. There was nowhere else I'd rather be. As my breathing deepened, I clung to the stirrings of a bond that ran deeper than blood—a connection I planned to etch into my soul.

The door creaked, and my eyes shot open, my wolf jumping to the surface. I jumped from my chair and shot into the hall, then froze. Two of Rowan's pack mates stepped inside, their arms heavy with bowls and a casserole dish. The scent of roasted meat and freshly baked bread made my mouth water.

"Morning, Evelyn," the woman with her hair pulled back into a braid gave a quick smile before heading to the kitchen.

I didn't know either of them, but that didn't matter. They were my pack now. My throat tightened at the realization that they'd accepted me—a Kitimat, a defector—long before I'd accepted them.

"Thank you," I murmured as they set the feast down on the counter, steam curling in the air.

"Make sure he eats. You, too." The man put his hand on my shoulder.

"Get your damn hands off my mate, Andrew!" Rowan barked from the bedroom.

A smile split Andrew's face. "There he is." He made his way back to the door, and I could barely wait for them to walk out the door before rushing back to the bedroom.

"You're up. Can I get you?—"

"I want you." Rowan held out his hand.

I took it but didn't allow him to pull me to the bed. "You need to eat something."

"That was my plan." He gave a wicked grin, and my cheeks heated.

"Nice try." I raised an eyebrow. "You might not be willing to admit weakness, but I'm not going to let you ignore your body's needs."

"Not all needs are created equal."

I laughed as he yanked on my wrist, and I dropped onto the bed next to him. Rowan's hands were instantly on my skin, slipping up the back of my shirt. I dropped my head and pressed my lips to his.

"How about we go in order," I whispered.

"Your way or my way?"

I grinned against his mouth. "Mine."

"Which is?"

"Food. Then a shower."

With a slow nod, he pushed himself up into a sitting position, leaning back against the headboard. "Only if you join me."

"Deal." It was the simplest agreement I'd made in weeks. I made up our plates, and we sat together, sighing with the pleasure of filling our bellies with roast beef, glazed carrots, and fresh rolls.

After a few mouthfuls, I dipped a cloth into the bowl of cool water I'd fetched earlier, wringing it out before placing it gently on his forehead. His eyes closed at the touch, a sigh escaping his lips.

"Thank you," he murmured, his hand reaching up to cover mine where it rested on the cloth, his grip firm but tender. "For everything."

Sunlight played across Rowan's features, softening the hard angles of his jaw and igniting the streaks of pale blue in his eyes. His dark hair was tousled, and I ran a hand through it.

"Did you sleep at all?" Concern knitted his brow.

"Enough," I lied, brushing off the question with a small smile. My gaze lingered on his face, on the faint shadow of stubble and the fullness of his lips.

Rowan wrapped a hand around my neck, his touch sending a jolt of electricity through me. I hastily stacked our plates and set them on the nightstand.

The intensity of his gaze held me captive, and I couldn't resist leaning in, drawn by a force stronger than my own will. Our lips met, and his scent, the taste of him—wild and familiar—ignited a spark that flared into a flame.

Rowan's hand cradled my cheek, angling my head as the kiss deepened. The world narrowed to the space between us, where every brush of skin lit me up like a flare. Desire curled in my belly. It was a need that went beyond the physical, echoing the call of our inner wolves, the primal part of our nature that recognized its mate.

We were both starved for this connection and now that I knew, nothing was holding us back.

Rowan pulled back, his eyes searching mine.

"Yes," I answered before he could ask the question. "I'm yours, Rowan."

"Your life in Seattle?—"

"I don't give a shit about Seattle."

Rowan's grip tightened on my neck. "What about Bruce?"

I laughed out loud, collapsing onto his chest. "I mentioned him one time. How the hell do you remember his name?"

"You were talking to another man on the phone. He's on my kill list."

I tipped my head and playfully nipped his jaw with my teeth.

"Don't tease unless you're ready to pay the price." Rowan threw me over onto my back, covering me with his body. The weight of him pressed me into the mattress, stealing the breath from my lungs.

He pressed his knee between my legs, and I arched into him. "We haven't showered."

"You win some, you lose some." Rowan's lips were on my skin, his hands frantically pulling at my shirt.

I grabbed at his gray t-shirt. "I thought you said we were going to take our time."

"That was before I had to wait a damn week." With a growl of frustration, Rowan ripped my shirt open, pulling the torn fabric off my midsection. His eyes darkened, his breath coming in short bursts.

"I never sleep in a bra," I whispered.

The sheets caressed my skin as Rowan shuddered and pulled me further down the bed toward him.

"What thread count are these?"

"You're asking about my sheets right now?" Rowan traced the lines and curves of my body with his fingers, his eyes hungry.

"They're soft. I like them."

"I like you in them." He lowered his head to my stomach, his lips grazing my skin, and my fingers tangled in his dark hair, pulling him closer, needing to feel every inch of him.

Rowan growled low in his throat, the sound igniting a primal fire deep within me. His strong hands roamed my curves. "My mate," Rowan's hands tightened on my hips. "My heart. My everything."

He nipped at the bone of my hip, making me gasp. "Tell me what you want." His voice was raw, pleading.

I looped my calves over his ankles. "Make me yours. Please."

He lifted his cheek from my stomach, and his lips crashed against mine, his tongue slipping into my mouth. I gripped his neck and poured all my longing into the kiss, feeling the desperation radiating off him in electric pulses. Every brush of our tongues, every shared breath, deepened our connection until I felt both hollowed out and full to bursting.

"You're everything," he gasped, his hands roaming over my body, reading me like braille. "I've waited for this. I've waited for you."

I didn't know it, but I'd been waiting for him, too. My existence in Seattle was pond water. Stagnant. Starting to stink. But before I saw Rowan again, I didn't think I had another option. Now, I felt connected with a crystal clear mountain stream. Fresh and life-giving.

"Damn, Strawberry," he murmurs, his voice thick with longing.

The scent of our desire hung heavy in the air, a heady mix that filled my senses and set my blood aflame. We undress each other slowly, deliberately, savoring this moment as though it were the last. My heart races as his fingers brush against my spine, sending waves of heat cascading through me.

"Rowan." His name scraped from me like a plea. An invitation. I leaned closer, feeling the warmth radiate from him. His fingertips danced along my collarbone, igniting sparks of desire that plummeted to my hips.

My wolf thrummed beneath my skin, yearning to connect with her mate. She paced restlessly, whining with need, desperate to complete our bond. It was a primal, spiritual longing that transcended the physical.

As Rowan pressed hard against me, I sensed the same desperation in him. His wolf called to mine, their spirits begging to intertwine.

"I can feel it," I whispered. "Our wolves, our souls...they're meant to be one."

Rowan's eyes shone with fierce love as he settled between my thighs. "You're my soulmate, my other half. Without you, I'm incomplete."

Tears pricked my eyes at his words, the depth of our connection overwhelming me. I pulled him closer, wanting to be filled, to be consumed by him. With a surge of urgency, our bodies moved as one, pressed so tight that our edges blurred together.

In that sacred moment, we were no longer two separate beings but one soul sharing two bodies. I clung to him, my nails digging into his back as my mouth filled with heat. My fangs lowered as pleasure coursed through me, my heart desperately trying to keep up.

"Mark me," I gasped, my body so tight and hot, it didn't feel like my own.

His eyes darkened with intent as I bared my neck for him, and he sank his teeth into my neck, a sharp bite that sent a wave of ecstasy surging through my veins.

"Rowan—" I was going to shatter. I was?—

Rowan gasped, his eyes nearly black as he wrapped his hands over the crown of my head and rocked into me. My fangs retracted, and I wrapped my legs around his hips, crying out.

My hands—my claws?—

His blood was hot and wet on my fingertips. I had marked him. My wolf was satisfied, and the world around us faded, dissolving into an ethereal haze.

"Together," Rowan gasped, our bodies wild and furious, his alpha energy washing through me like a drug.

"Yes," I moaned, our connection swelling like a rising tide, pulling us closer to the brink, crashing against the cliffs. I couldn't think except in colors. "Rowan!" My voice was swallowed in his flesh as I pressed into his shoulder, my teeth scraping against his skin, begging for release.

"You. Are. Mine. "

Lights exploded behind my eyes as we crested the peak, our bodies trembling as if caught in a tempest. Rowan's body bucked, both of us gasping for breath as my arms crossed over his slick skin, completely useless.

I seemed to float, weightless and free, my cheek pressed against Rowan's flushed neck as his arms gave way. He collapsed against me, his heart gradually beginning to slow against my chest.

I threaded my fingers in the damp hair against the base of his neck. Mine . Rowan Steele was mine.

My wolf howled her approval as we lay there, basking in the afterglow, our bodies intertwined, our souls forever bound by our love and the mated bond of our wolves.

"Did you have any idea?" I whispered, my voice raw.

"Hell no. Or I wouldn't have waited."

I laughed as Rowan's lips grazed my temple. "Do you think it will be that way every time?"

He grinned against my skin. "Damn straight."