16. Dylan

Dylan

Chapter 16

"Come on, alpha. Is that all you've got?" I taunted.

His chuckle was dark and dangerous beside my ear. "You seem to have forgotten, I've reformed my bad boy ways. Now I'm too nice to do what you're asking." We both knew that wasn't entirely true.

"Maybe I don't want you to be nice. Maybe I like it best when you're bad…"

His palm came down across my ass in a stinging slap, and I gasped. I tried to arch my hips back to offer a pretty target, but I found it was hard to do with his hand clamped down over the back of my neck, pressing me into the wall. "Again," I panted.

A whole month had passed since I arrived at the camp, and not a single day had gone by when he hadn't bent me over and claimed my ass. I felt like he was punishing me, showing me who was boss after I thoroughly owned him during my heat. So it was a good thing I happened to like being punished…

Another slap came down in almost the same spot, leaving a hot impression of his hand. I'd bet you could see all five fingers outlined in detail, right down to the whirls of his fingerprints. My whole body was on fire, and he hadn't even fucked me yet.

I felt the silky-smooth head of his thick cock at my entrance, and I held my breath, waiting for him to thrust in deep… but he never did. He just kept sliding it up and down my crack in slow, even strokes, spreading my excretions until they were dripping down the insides of my thighs. He was like catnip to me, driving me wild. He inserted the tip, then drew back, and I hissed at him.

He chuckled. "So feisty."

I bit back the whine that wanted to slip out. It would only serve to draw out the torment. "We don't have time to tease," I reasoned. "Everyone else is preparing for the festival. They're going to wonder where we are."

"They won't wonder; they'll know exactly where we are." It was true, but that just meant we'd have to withstand more teasing, this time from my new packmates.

Tristan had unbreakable willpower when it came to holding out, but he had one weakness… In a last-ditch attempt to get railed, I decided to play dirty. "Vesta should be here soon. What would she think if she knew you were—"

His fingers tightened the tiniest amount on my neck, and that was all the warning I got before he spanked my ass a final time, followed swiftly by filling me up in one go. We both groaned, and while I might've won this round, I had a feeling he would punish me for it later.

His entire body pressed into me, his front to my back, and he nipped at my mating mark. "Why can't I ever get enough of you?"

"I guess I'm just too damn sweet," I sassed, turning my head enough to accept a slow, seductive kiss. I swallowed his moans, my whole body shuddering as he crept his fingers around to grip my hip.

"You want me to fuck you?" he asked, and I managed the barest of nods. "You should be careful what you wish for." He canted my hips back. "You'd better hold on to something."

As he pulled back, I scrambled against the wall for something to grab onto, but there was nothing. I settled for wrapping a fist around my erection. That had to count, right?

I was so worked up from all his teasing that one pump of his hips was all it took to get me tingling from head to toe. Precum dripped from my tip to the floor, and I had the wild notion that it would stain. I hoped it would be there forever.

Tristan set a steady pace, the sounds of grunts, pants, and the wet grinding of flesh filling our cabin. I wanted to scratch him, to bite him, to fight for every inch of his cock, and then I wanted to kiss him better and start all over again.

The room spun around me, my pulse rushing in my ears. "Shit, Tris, I'm about to—"

"I know, baby. I can feel it. You're so tight." He grunted as he increased his speed, his balls slapping against my ass, until the points of his hips came up against me. "Fuuuuuck," he moaned. I felt the first pulses of his climax deep inside me, deeper than he'd ever been before, hot and thick.

It was enough to push me over the edge, and I swore I saw stars as my cock erupted, splattering cum across the floor and wall. His knot pushed its way inside my channel, filling me to the brim and locking his seed inside me. My legs might've buckled if I weren't impaled on his dick. Yep, that is definitely going to stain, I thought as my cum began to soak into the untreated wood.

Tristan sagged behind me, dropping his sweaty forehead onto my shoulder. "Daaaamn," he drawled. "I wish we had enough time to go again."

"Why? You didn't get me to beg enough this time around?" I teased, reaching over my shoulder to tangle my fingers through his damp hair.

His chuckle was sleepy and sated. "Baby, it's not about making you beg. I don't want to break you; I want to ignite you. When I push you the right way, you get vicious, and having you fight me for control is the hottest thing. Confidence looks good on you." He ran his tongue up my neck, lapping up my sweat.

"Really?" I hadn't even realized that was what he was doing. I'd been so subjugated under my father's rules and restrictions. Being meek and obedient didn't come naturally to me, but it had always been what was expected of me, so I just kind of assumed that my mate would expect the same. "Well… then I guess I'll just have to fight you harder next time."

His chuckle made me feel all kinds of ways, and my cock twitched, oblivious to the fact that it had just been drained. It didn't help when he wiggled his depleted knot free of my ass, and it slid past my prostate with a sensual pressure, like a whispered promise for next time.

My pleasured groan made him laugh, and he gave my ass a final spank. "Hurry up and get dressed. Someone reminded me that we have a responsibility to help get things set up for tonight."

"Fine," I grumbled. I washed quickly with cold water and a cloth, then I pulled on a pair of boxer briefs and some jeans I'd bought, still too new and stiff to be considered comfortable. I missed my old wardrobe. The more durable denim, flannel, and cotton just couldn't compare against my skin. It chafed in places I hadn't even known could chafe. It was a good thing I spent so much time naked…

As soon as I'd pulled a t-shirt over my head, Tris took me gently in his arms, smoothing a palm across my ass cheek. "I hope I wasn't too rough on you."

"It will certainly be interesting to see you explain to Vesta why I can't sit this evening." His mouth quirked into a horrified scowl, and I laughed. "I'm kidding, I'm fine. I love it when you're rough with me." For too many years I'd been handled with kid gloves, always guarded and pampered. Tristan treated me like I was strong, capable, and apparently, he strived to push me further in that direction.

And as hard as the adjustment had been to living rough, I found that I was… happy. More content than I'd been in a long while.

"Come on, mate," I said, throwing a towel over the cum stain, vowing I would ask about buying a can of paint later. "We've got a party to plan."

As it turned out, much of the planning had already been taken care of by the time we got there. Dawn was so type-A that she spearheaded most of the prep herself, getting downright aggressive when anyone tried to help. Meanwhile, her twin, Sasha, followed her instructions to a T without saying a word, after a lifetime of practice living in her shadow, though he didn't seem to mind at all. In fact, the omega seemed happiest being told what to do. I reminded myself that just because I didn't like it, that didn't mean it wasn't a legitimate role for someone else.

Thanks to Dawn, the bonfire was already built and ready to be lit, so I helped Tara and Mary in the outdoor kitchen for a bit, preparing some potatoes, but there wasn't even much to do for dinner. Jude had gone out early this morning and caught a small boar, which he'd prepared and set to cook over a bed of coals underground. It seemed to me a ridiculous amount of meat for a relatively small group of people, considering they didn't have a fridge, but Tristan assured me it wouldn't get wasted.

While we waited for Vesta to make her appearance, I played with the chickens for a bit. They were one of the highlights to my new life here. I'd never been allowed to have pets growing up, and while they weren't exactly cuddly, Martha would often sit in my lap and make cute little clucking sounds as she fluffed her feathers up.

"Traitor," Tristan said, lowering to the ground beside me.

"Who, me or her?" I asked, smirking.

"You. I hope you're not replacing me with my nemesis."

I laughed. "Your nemesis is a chicken? That's really sad. I watched you take down a huge tiger—while you were poisoned, I might add. I just assumed a big, bad alpha like you would have some impressive foe, maybe a dragon shifter. Not Martha."

He arched an eyebrow at me. "First of all, there's no such thing as dragons, and second, Martha is more dangerous than she looks. She might be all cute and fluffy for you, but don't be fooled. The second your back is turned, she unleashes unholy fire. She is secretly the spawn of Satan." He reached out a hand with one finger extended and tried to touch her, and sure enough, she lashed out with her beak and clamped down hard. He jerked back with a hiss and sucked the injured finger into his mouth. "See?" he mumbled around the digit.

"Are you sure you didn't do something to deserve that?" I asked suspiciously.

"I'm a saint, I swear." He crossed his finger over his heart, and Martha gave a low raspy cluck in warning, her brown-speckled feathers puffing out, looking like she was ready to launch a second attack.

The hair on my arms rose, and I shivered. "I feel like someone just walked over my grave."

"Ah! That must mean Vesta's here." He grinned at me. "You're very attuned to these things."

"What things?" I asked, frowning.

He shrugged. "I dunno what to call it. First picking up on Brody's pregnancy before anyone else, and Vesta's entrances are always very sneaky. She doesn't make a sound or even leave footprints, but you can sense her coming. I always knew there was something special about you."

I scoffed, slapping his arm. "You just think I'm hot."

He laughed and dropped a quick kiss on my lips before needing to dodge away from Martha's sharp beak. "Come on. Put the damn devil bird back and let's go introduce you to Vesta."

I'd heard so much about the elderly shaman that I felt like I knew her already. She was the woman responsible for bringing Tristan into my life in the first place, and for that reason alone she would forever have my gratitude. Without her interference, I would likely have been mated to Azar right now instead. I would never have known what it meant to be this happy.

After guiding Martha back into the chicken pen, I stood up and brushed my hands off on my jeans. Tristan was waiting for me, and he took my hand and led me over to a break in the trees. Sure enough, I could just make out the shadowy form of a hunched figure emerging from the forest.

Even as prepared as I thought I'd been, I gasped. The crone who stepped forward into the clearing had an otherworldly aura about her that belied her frail figure. Her back was bowed from countless years spent on this earth, gravity taking its inevitable toll. Her hands were gnarled with arthritis, though her grip on her walking stick was firm, her skin papery and deeply creased, the color of a newborn fawn. Her silver hair glistened in the twilight, winking like starlight as she walked toward me without hesitation. There was a faint smile playing on her lips, and even though her eyes were milky white with blindness, I felt like she saw more of me than anyone ever had.

"Dylan," she said in way of greeting, reaching for my hand. Her grip was stronger than I would've thought possible, and it anchored me in the moment. "Even more handsome than I imagined. I hope you're settling in all right?"

"Yes, I'm… Sorry, but have we met before?" I asked as a wave of familiarity washed over me.

"Not in the light of day," she said mysteriously.

I could sense everyone watching us, their curious gazes making my skin itch—or maybe it was just the creeping chill that had started to inch up my arm from where she still had a hold of my hand. A strange look came over her, her jaw going slack, when she said in a strangled, raspy voice, "The time is almost upon us…"

Tristan immediately sensed something was wrong and moved closer, wrapping one arm around my waist, while he reached out with the other and took our clasped hands in his. His touch was so hot it nearly scalded me, and I cried out, but when I tried to pull away, I found I couldn't. It was as if our hands were glued together. Tris went into protection mode, trying to pull me free, but it was no use. "Vesta? Vesta! Stop! You're hurting him!"

With a deep, gasping breath, as though emerging from underwater, Vesta's eyes flew wide, and she released me. We stumbled apart. Shan came up behind Vesta, checking to make sure she wasn't hurt. Clutching my hand to my chest, I looked down to see a strange mark seared into the back of my hand. "Wha—what is that?" I stuttered, a shudder wracking my body.

Tristan took my hand gently in his and held it up in the last of the dying light. "It looks like a crow…" He glanced over at Vesta. "Care to explain, Grandmother?"

Her smile was dazed, and she looked unsteady as she approached. "All will be revealed in time."

Tris frowned. "Uh-huh. How much time, exactly?"

I tried not to flinch when she reached out to touch me again. Vesta looked almost sad as she brushed her calloused fingers against my cheek, but when she brought her hand to my stomach, her smile blossomed. "Hmm, I would say in about four months."

Warmth spread out from her hand, and I gasped. "You mean… I'm pregnant?"

"Right on schedule." I wanted to ask what she meant by that, but from what Tristan had told me, she had an uncanny sense of timing, so who was I to question her?

My mate wrapped me in his arms and held on tight, burrowing his face against my neck. "Thank you, Dylan. You've given me everything." I swore I felt the dampness of his tears on my skin, which would only be fair, since I was bawling myself.

As tired as Vesta seemed to be, she signaled for the bonfire to be lit, and we joined together in a circle to celebrate the summer solstice—and the creation of new life. Brody sat beside me and linked his arm in mine. "We're going to be big-belly buddies," he teased, though he already had a slight head start.

Our children would grow up together, move through the world side by side, and for a moment, I swore I could see it unfurling before my eyes. Two boys, one dark, one light, the best of friends. It was so strange, because how could I possibly know both our kids would be boys, but… I just knew.

I shivered as the image dissolved, and I cuddled into Tristan's side. Now was not the time for speculation about the future. Here in the present, around this fire, I felt loved and accepted, surrounded by my new family. It was as welcome as it was unfamiliar, and I promised my child I would do whatever it took to keep him safe and happy, to protect our home.

Night descended to full dark, the sparks from the fire floating into the air as if they could join the stars in the sky. And as Jude and Stuart dug up the boar, my stomach gave a hungry gurgle. I patted my stomach. "I know I teased you about how much food there was, but I feel just about hungry enough to eat that entire boar myself."

"You and me both," Brody agreed.

We both seemed to get the same idea at the same time, and we smirked at each other. "We're pulling the pregnancy card," I said, loud enough to be heard by everyone. "We get first dibs on that meat."

Tristan laughed and bowed in front of us. "Anything for you."

Brody leaned over and stage-whispered, "Did you hear that? He said anything. I'm sure you could think of a few things he could do for you over the next four months…"

"I'll start a list," I said, and Tristan gave me a wink.