14. Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

Rome pulled out his phone, holding Amelia closer. Her hands were all over him like an octopus. He needed to keep calm. The scent of her in full heat was messing with his head, but he wouldn’t take her on the ground next to the dead wolf who tried to kill her. She needed finesse. He was beyond finesse, but she deserved a bed. He might be immortal, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t taken blows over the years that didn’t affect his bones and muscles at certain times. The thought of making love, even if it was heat sex, with his mate on the ground made his bones ache.

“Saul.” His second answered the phone. He explained briefly what happened and that there was a body lying about. “Send Jordan, Callum, Adan, and Draven to take care of it. I’ll be in the truck. Tell them not to approach. When I see them, I’ll take off. Clear everyone away from the private path to my rooms.” He hung up without waiting for Saul to speak. One day, he would understand.

“Let’s take this to the truck, little wolf.” He wasn’t sure where that endearment came from, but she looked like a little wolf in shifter form. Her white hair and the silver eyes. She was an omega wolf, but she was the alpha mate and that made her powerful.

She looked up at him, and he could see that her silver eyes were cloudy. He was going to have to find the strength to move away from her. She needed to agree to what was happening or he would have no choice but to lock her up until her heat passed. He never wanted his mate to think he took advantage of her.

She wasn’t moving. He picked her up and carried her to the truck. Her pheromones were scenting the air. The last thing he wanted was a battle with unknown wolves, or his brothers, because his mate’s scent was so thick and enticing, they couldn’t resist. He got her into the truck and buckled her in. It was an attempt to put space between them in the small space of the cab.

She was fumbling with the buckle when he got in. “Stop.” His alpha voice was out, and he winced at using it on his mate. It had no effect on her whatsoever. That was new. His heart realized that his mate would be an equal partner. That gave him a sense of freedom, and he started breathing again. It was easy to slip into alpha mode after all the long centuries. Now it didn’t matter, he may slip, but Amelia would ignore him.

Rome shook his head, realizing that he was like every other wolf with a mate. He wanted to laugh. He was used to being different, set aside from the larger pack. Now, he would take lessons from them on the art of compromise. His wolf gave a howl of agreement. Not only was their mate beautiful, but she would bring joy and intrigue into their lives. They had grown bored, but now the world stretched out in front of them, new and mysterious.

“Rome.” The pleading in Amelia’s voice snapped him back to his surroundings.

“Drink this, please, mate.” He handed her a tumbler that kept liquid cold for hours on end. She took it in hands that were shaking too much to open it.

He took the tumbler back and opened it, helping her lift it to her lips.

The cold water slid down Amelia’s throat. It was cool and seemed to touch the fire that was licking at her insides. She slumped against the seat, taking shallow breaths. If she breathed too deeply, she’d be overwhelmed with the scent of Rome’s desire.

“What happened?”

“Your heat that has been teasing us has finally arrived. You have decisions to make.”

“Decisions?” She frowned, not understanding. What should she decide? If this heat was here, then it was unavoidable.

“You don’t have to mate with me, because your heat is here. It would be tough, but you can ride it out alone. If you choose to do that, it will give you more time to know who I am, and to trust me. When we finally mate, there will be a claiming involved. My wolf refuses to wait any longer. You will become my mate in more than words and our lives will be joined. There is a chance of pregnancy during your heat. It is the only time you can get pregnant. We’re dealing with the hunters.”

“I killed the hunter.”

“You killed a hunter, one who betrayed her people long ago. Even if she couldn’t acknowledge that to herself. I’m not sure the hunters were even aware of her existence after so many years.”

Amelia felt sadness flare up. So many lives ruined for nothing. She fell silent, thinking of what Rome told her. When the truck started, she bolted upright in her seat. There were two cars parked away from the truck. She could see two of his inner pack get out of each car. Rome was silent, but he had that I’m talking to someone look to him. He had a link with his inner pack. It was all she could think of. He took off, leaving them behind.

“They’ll take care of the body.” Shifters didn’t bury their dead. It was too easy in modern times for a body to be discovered. She knew that burning their bodies was older than anyone could remember. Her mother had a grave, but what they buried there were her ashes. Her father wanted a place to go to remember his mate and a place to take Amelia when she was old enough to understand.

Rome turned onto the highway. “We’ll be home soon.”

He wanted her answer. She was fighting the heat building inside of her. She wanted to run her hands over the planes of his body, feel his chest, and suck on his nipples. Did they get hard the same way hers did? She wanted to know, to explore. There was no way to have everything. If she mated with him, then their connection would be unbreakable. There wasn’t a way to say I’ve changed my mind. What about the possibility of a child? Did she want to be pregnant while running from a hunter? Those questions alone with the thought of her old pack and new pack ran around her head in circles. She was getting dizzy from chasing her tail. What did she want?

Rome pulled onto the pack lands. The tingles of the wards rolling over her skin made her eyes open. They were here and the time to think was over. He parked and got out of the truck to open her door.

Everything she knew about Rome crystallized as she looked into his amber eyes. They were lighter, so she knew his wolf was close to the surface. How he took the time to teach her how to move as a wolf and didn’t laugh when he realized she didn’t know how to change forms. He encouraged her and pledged to keep her safe, even though he didn’t know who she was as a wolf. Then there was the shopping spree. What really stood out was the fact that she knew Rome could have killed Julie. He trusted her enough to allow her to regain her independence and the feeling of self-worth by solving her own problems. The image of him holding Ariella, the baby from the pack, flooded her heart. He’d make a great father.

It wasn’t all about Rome. It was about her and what she wanted. There was a time she dreamed of freedom. Roaming the earth, seeing all the cities and attractions. It was a young woman’s dream. Even though she was still young, she found someone more important than the dream of traipsing from place to place. She wanted an alpha to love her, a pack to respect her, and pups. They could be born in nine months or years into the future.

“Yes.” She said it loud, proclaiming it with every fiber of her body. Then she jumped into his arms and her mouth latched onto his neck. He was hers and she was his.

The sound of the door of the truck closing or the walk through the pack house never registered. She needed Rome desperately. As soon as they were in his bedroom, she pulled at his clothes while he tore at hers. They were naked with their lips entwined, tongues stroking and dueling. She felt when he picked her up and laid her on the bed.

Her hands didn’t know where to touch first. She caressed his shoulders and went down his thick arms. Her hands slid around his back, fascinated with how the muscles moved and the indents, divots and channels between them. She thought about dripping wine down his back then licking it. She should always drink wine from Rome’s body.

A scream tore from her as he took one of her nipples into his mouth. What was this magical feeling, and why did it take so long for her to feel it? He played with her chest, sucking and licking, before he nipped, making her more sensitive. He turned over, so that she was above him. Rome lowered Amelia until it felt like he was picking a piece of forbidden fruit off the vine as he sucked on her nipple.

She moved down his chest, her hands mapping the planes and the dips. He was muscular with ridges, the kind that isolated muscle. Damn, just touching him was making her heat burn wildly. Would she survive being on fire?

Rome lifted her, raising her high, and then he brought his hands over his head and sat her down on his face. She tried to fight, but she succumbed to greedy need when his tongue licked at her slit. A howl of pure pleasure left her as he opened her up and his tongue invaded her. He sucked on her clit before his tongue lapped up the honey flowing between her legs, and then she felt it. His tongue stiffened and dove deep inside of her. She screamed as she moved on his tongue on his face. All she could do was hang on.

She felt it. This wasn’t the first time, but never like this. The tensing in her back, the stiffness of her legs, the impending orgasm that told her life was about to change forever. It rolled through her body, tears, screams, and cries of pleasure came from her. Her wolf howled inside her head. She wanted her mate, needed her mate. Rome didn’t stop. He kept making love to her with his mouth as she writhed on his face. When he finally lowered her, his face was shiny with her honey and his smile was enough to stop her heart.

He lowered her until their mouths met, mating, allowing her to taste herself on his lips. It was decadent. Was this who she was now? A decadent she-wolf who wanted every experience her mate could give her?

“I want it all. I need to belong to you.” She was having a lucid moment. Her heat rolled back enough to give her a chance to think.

“Amelia.” He pulled back, staring at her.

“I’m here, and I know what I’m saying. Make me yours.”

“Your wish, my command.” He got out of bed and went to the door where there was a care package from his brothers with a note from Sheela. “Make sure our alpha mate drinks plenty of fluid.” He opened a bottle of orange juice and handed it to Amelia.

“Drink.” She watched as he put the juices and water in a hidden mini fridge. It was much nicer than the one in the motel room. Then he put the nonperishable food on the side table and placed the rest in the mini fridge.

“You should drink too.” He opened a bottle of apple juice and drank it without a word of protest before he joined her on the bed. She thought she’d be all over him. Tiredness licked at her heels, taking her under. Her heat banked, but she could feel it gently licking at her insides. It would be back.