Chapter 22

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

" A t least our wolves managed to find some version of a bed for their first time." Logan harrumphed and Wren couldn't contain a giggle.

They were lying naked in a small patch of green grass beneath a tree. The sound of the nearby creek was a soft song on the breeze. It truly was a beautiful spot and since Logan had made no move to get up after their wolves receded and gave the reins back to their human forms, she'd curled against him and closed her eyes to enjoy the moment of peace after all they'd been through.

Logan had been drifting, stroking her hair, and she'd been on the verge of sleep herself when he finally spoke. She giggled and then laughed wholeheartedly at the absurdity of her mate's thoughts.

"Seriously. What is your obsession with getting me into a bed?" She rolled up onto an elbow to grin at him.

"I don't know. I just think that's what you deserve. The best of everything, including a comfortable bed with luxurious sheets and the kind of mate who takes the time to make love to you gently, and worship every inch of you." He reached a hand up and cupped her cheek. "Our first time was fast and rough. There was nothing sweet about it, certainly not with how that night ended."

Her heart ached at this sweet side of him that she'd never imagined, "Logan, I don't regret it. We came together and that's what's important."

"Still, if I could go back, I'd have taken more time and more care with you."

She lifted an eyebrow, "Who says you have to go back to do that?"

His raised his own brows, "Now? Here?"

Wren shrugged, "You said yourself, our wolves found a nice little bed for themselves. I don't think they'd mind if we took advantage of it too."

"Are you sure you're not too sore? The wolves were…"

"Intense." She finished for him when he trailed off. "Yeah, they were. Do you think they'll always be like that or do you think they were so riled up because we put off completing the bond?"

"I don't know. But I do know that now the bond is completed, I can feel you inside me, right here." He lifted her hand and placed it on his chest, just over his heart. "It's like, something inside me finally clicked into place, the missing piece, as if you should have been there all along."

"I feel it too." Wren whispered softly, leaning down to press her lips to the spot where her mating mark scarred his skin. "You're mine, Logan Kemp."

"And you're mine." He lifted his hand to her face and pulled her closer so he could brush their lips together.

The kiss was gentle in a way that melted everything inside of Wren. He kissed her like that for a long time. Slow, sweet draws of his lips against hers, of his velvet tongue delving into her mouth to twine with her own. He kissed her until she felt dizzy with lack of air and drunk on the power of the emotions that he stirred inside her.

When he rolled her beneath him and loomed over her, her breath caught. The morning sunlight glinted off his skin and framed him like a halo. He looked like a fallen angel in that moment, shift and sex rumpled, with a flicker of mischief that twisted his lips and a flash of gold possessiveness reflecting in his eyes.

Wren had never given much thought to what she wanted in a mate. She'd never truly let herself think about it. Even if she had, Logan Kemp would never have been even an itch in the back of her mind. Yet here they were, because fate knew better than either of them, what they'd needed.

Logan leaned down and nipped at her bottom lip with his teeth, "You're beautiful."

"I'm too tall." The words slipped out automatically, all of her old hang-ups deciding that moment was the perfect opportunity to take their stand.

"You're not. I don't have to break my back leaning down to kiss you all the time." Logan smirked, "And in case you've forgotten, you're the perfect height for me to fuck on a countertop."

She rolled her eyes, "I think that had more to do with the counter height than me."

He tilted his head, "Do you really not know how beautiful you are?" He didn't wait for her to answer. "Let me tell you what I see."

"Logan, I…" She trailed off, her words forgotten as he held himself up on one arm and cupped her breast with the other. "Ahh."

"The most perfect breasts." He gave a gentle squeeze and then lowered his head to lick the nipple, blowing cool air over the tip so that it pebbled under his attention. "Just the right size for my hands… and my mouth."

Wren arched on a gasp as he took her nipple into his mouth and swirled his tongue around the tip. He suckled gently and the answering tug in her lower belly made her squirm. He held her down with his body weight as he continued to tease first one breast and then the other.

She gasped when he lightly grazed his teeth over one taut nipple and he chuckled before moving to nuzzle the valley between her breasts.

"Flawless honey skin that's so soft I want to stroke every inch." He kissed a line down her belly.

Being a shifter, it was second nature to be naked but Wren had never been completely comfortable with it. Something about the way Logan looked at her and touched her, kept her self-consciousness at bay though. She felt loved and cherished as he kissed and stroked her body so she let her lids drift shut and basked in the feeling.

His hand drifted down her ribcage and she tilted her hips up expectantly only for him to glide right past the place she wanted him. He gripped her thighs and gave a little tug, pulling her further down to where he wanted her. Her eyes flipped open and his twinkling smile made her belly flip.

"These legs could be on a runway somewhere, but the place they belong is right here, wrapped around me." He rose up on his knees as he guided her legs around his waist.

Wren locked her ankles together at his back and smiled back at him, "Like this?"

"Just like that." He slid his palms back up her thighs. "Every inch of you is so damn beautiful."

"I think you missed a spot."

"Did I?" His lips twitched as she lifted her hips again and he slid both hands beneath, cupping her ass. "Oh, yes. This is certainly a part of you I'll have to show my appreciation for but I think there's something else that needs my attention first."

"You think?" Her voice came out whinier than she'd have liked and he chuckled.

"So pretty and pink and needy." He moved one hand between her legs to cup her and they both groaned. When he spoke again the amusement was gone from his voice and only the gravel of barely contained desire remained. "And wet, so damn wet. You're dripping for me, mate."

"Logan…" Her hips rocked against the pressure of his hand. "I need…"

"You need what? Me?"

"Yes." She hissed as he adjusted his fingers, sliding one between her folds and finding her clit. "Oh, God, yes!"

"You've got me. I'm right here. And I'll always give you what you need." He leaned over her and pressed his lips to hers.

Wren wrapped her arms around him, wanting to be absolutely cocooned by him. As she did, she felt his hand between them and then the blunt head of his cock as he guided himself to her entrance. He broke the kiss and met her gaze, holding her there, with him, as he slowly sank into her. Wren's mouth opened on a silent scream of pleasure but she refused to let her eyes shut, didn't want to miss a moment of the look of pure bliss on her mate's face.

When he was completely inside of her and she was so full she felt as though she couldn't breathe, a sense of peace like nothing she'd ever known overtook her. Logan must have felt it too because his lips parted and his eyes studied her face. She held him tighter, not wanting to lose the moment, afraid it would be fleeting, but Logan couldn't be still any longer.

Slowly, so slowly she could feel every ridge of him, he pulled almost all the way out and then pushed back in. She whimpered as he kept the torturously slow assault up. She wanted hard and fast like they'd had before, the kind of sex where she didn't have to think about what they were doing or what it meant, but clearly Logan was hell-bent on proving a point.

Only, as her body tightened, her breath became choppy and her mind fogged with pleasure, she couldn't remember what the point had been at all. Just that she had never felt like this. So cared for, cherished, and complete.

"Wren…" His voice was gravel and velvet. "You're beautiful. Smart. Independent. Fierce as hell. You're the woman fate chose as my mate for all those reasons and more."

Her heart fluttered at the sweet words and she ran her fingers through his hair, trying to tug him down for another kiss. She wanted to taste that sweetness on his lips. Wanted to take the words and this feeling inside of her so she could remember it forever.

Logan held himself firm when she tugged on him.

"I love you, Wren. For all those reasons and more. I love you."

She narrowed her eyes at him, "No."

"No?" He tilted his head and did something with his hips that made her gasp, but she refused to be distracted.

"No. You do not get to say that for the first time while you're inside me."

"I kind of already did." His eyes twinkled as he pulled out and thrust back in again.

"It doesn't count." she harrumphed, "Sex-addled love declarations don't count."

"Says who?" He was smiling now.

"Me!"

"Fine. I'll tell you again after I blow your mind so hard you won't even remember this conversation."

"Just shut up and make me come already."

"Whatever my mate wants." He leaned down and put his teeth against his mating mark and then he began to thrust his hips harder and faster. "My mate gets."

Their bodies moved as one, lifting and falling as they joined again and again. Wren lost herself to the moment. The only thing in the world that mattered in that moment was this man who fate had deemed hers and hers alone. He licked his mating mark and her body tensed expectantly. He grunted and one of his hands went between her legs again, finding her clit and rubbing in time with her thrusts. She felt like a bowstring, strung too tight, and just when she was sure she would break, he gently bit her and sent her soaring over the edge into oblivion again.

She was vaguely aware of him thrusting through her orgasm, of the feel of his cock deep inside her as his seed filled her, and she had a momentary second of panic that he would get her pregnant. And then she remembered that he was her mate. He was her forever. If, or rather when, she became pregnant, he would take care of her and their pup and when their child came into the world they'd be a family.

And they would be so much better parents than either of their own had been.

She closed her eyes and let the moment carry her away, the peace she'd found with him staying with her even when the heat of their bodies began to wane. Logan rolled, taking her with him so that she settled half atop him where he lay on his back. She closed her eyes and listened to the fast beating of his heart and the way her own matched it in every way.

They lay like that for a long time, not saying a word, completely content, before eventually he broke the silence.

"Wow." Logan breathed the single word out in wonder and Wren smiled against his chest. "That was…"

"Intense." She finished for him again and felt him chuckle.

He wrapped her in his arms and she nuzzled into his side. The sun was high overhead now and only the cover of the tall trees kept them in the cool shade. The creek gurgled nearby and birds called to one another. Wren closed her eyes and wished that they could stay like this forever, just the two of them, lost in one another, without the distraction of the outside world and the demands it would bring with it.

As if he was reading her mind, and really, with the mate bond fully formed now, maybe he was, Logan sighed, "I don't want to go back yet."

"Back to the house?" She traced a pattern on his chest.

"Back to reality." He tugged her hair gently until she looked up at him and he brushed a kiss over her forehead, "If we were a normal couple we could stay out here until the full moon, mating and bathing in the creek, eating our fill of one another and only returning to civilization when we were good and ready but…"

"But nothing about us being a mated pair could be called normal." Wren agreed with a sigh of her own. "So tell me, what do we need to do first?"

"Well, first we should probably take a shower and find some clothes." He smirked and she jabbed him in the ribs playfully. "Seriously though, there's so much to do I'm not even sure where to start."

"You're not in this alone." Wren promised.

"I know. I know and I'm so thankful for that, and for you. It's just that, there's going to be a lot of questions, a lot of things to answer for in the coming days. I wish I could say things will be easier now that my father's no longer in power but the truth is, I think it's going to get a lot worse before it gets better."

"It's not fair that you have to be the one to answer for the things that evil son of a bitch did."

"Someone has to explain and try to make it right. As the new Pack Alpha, that's my job. I need to bring everyone together so I think I'll get with Darren and have the enforcers put out the word that there's a town hall and attendance is mandatory. Try to get as many pack members in one room as I can, today if possible, so there's less chance of whispers and gossip turning things upside down."

"Good idea." She nodded.

"Darren and the other elders will have a better idea of the order things need to happen in but I know there's a ceremony the new Pack Alpha has to undergo for it to be official. We'll want to get that rolling as soon as possible. Then, as soon as that's done, I want to announce that our mating ceremony will be on the new moon."

"So soon?" Wren blinked in surprise.

She'd expected that their mating ceremony, aka their wedding, would have to take a backseat to the important responsibilities the new Alpha would have to the pack. She had been okay with that too. She and Logan were mated in all the most important ways. They and their animals were bonded. Nothing could come between them. The mating ceremony was for celebration and to be honest, as much as Wren would like to celebrate that the evil Pack Alpha was dead, he had still been Logan's father and there was a funeral to plan, plus Vivian was still in the hospital. A wedding could wait given everything else they had to deal with now.

"We've lost enough time together already. We both know this is forever and it'll give the pack something to celebrate. They're going to need it after I spill all my father's dark, dirty dealings to them. Besides, it'll officially make you my Queen in the eyes of the pack and this Alpha needs his Queen."

"Well, if you need me, I suppose I could find a dress before the next new moon." she teased as he played with her hair but when he remained quiet she glanced up at him again, "What are you thinking?"

"We should go and talk to your parents before I make any announcements."

Wren winced at the very mention of them, "This isn't the middle ages. You don't need their permission to marry me and besides, we're already mated."

"Still, considering our history, I think they should hear it from us, don't you think?" He met her gaze and she saw the worry hidden in the glittery depths. "I need to tell them the truth about Lark's death as well but maybe those two things shouldn't be broached in the same conversation."

She groaned and rolled off of him to her back. She stared up at the trees overhead instead of looking at him. He was right of course, that her parents had to be told, and not just about their mating. She just didn't want to be the one to do it, and she certainly didn't want to do it today when finally, for once in her life, she felt happy and content.

"I know your relationship with them can't have been easy so if you want…" Logan started and she glanced at him quickly.

"We can wait?"

He chuckled, "I was going to say I could go alone while you talk to your sister."

She groaned, "Ugh, why do you have to be such a good guy? It makes it really hard to hate you when you insist on doing the right thing all the time."

"I thought you said you didn't hate me anymore?" His eyes sparkled as he leaned up on one elbow to look down at her.

"Thin line between love and hate, right?"

"Wren Culvert, are you saying what I think you're saying?" He grinned and she rolled her eyes.

"You need me to say the words?"

"I do." He nuzzled his lips against the spot on her collarbone where his mark resided. "I really do."

"I love you, Logan. I didn't want to. I'm still not one hundred percent convinced it'll work considering everything we're up against, but I love you and you're mine and I'm yours and the rest will just have to work itself out."

He chuckled, "Maybe we can work on you sounding less pained by the idea the next time you say you love me."

"Shut up and say it back." she prodded and he grinned.

"I told you already, I love you." he grunted when she elbowed him, "I don't care if you think it didn't count. It does. Because everything with you counts, everything with you matters, Wren, because you matter more to me than anyone or anything."

"Even more than your pack?"

"Our pack." he corrected, "But yes. If I had to choose between you and this pack, between you and anyone or anything, I will choose you every single time."

Wren's heart clenched tight in her chest and she blinked back a rush of tears. She pulled Logan down and kissed him hard, telling him with her mouth if not her words just what that meant to her. Nobody had ever chosen her, but he had, and he would, and that was the foundation they would build the rest of their lives together on.