Chapter 17 - Senna

Jet lavished me with kisses as those maddening touches continued along my arms and back. I'd never been so hungry for a person before. Every moment with Jet—with my mate—made my entire body thrum with need. It was a low current most times, only a comfortable arousal even just seeing him. But alone like we were now, after having been so bared to him, I craved his touch.

"Please, Jet. I need to feel you." I pulled him with me as I rolled, landing his knees between my spread thighs. "I need…Gods, I don't know how to say this. I just need…ground me, root me in my body."

Jet buried his face in the crook of my neck, scenting and nipping. "I can sense it, sweetness. Everything that you need. I'm more than happy to deliver."

That delicious purr rumbled out of Jet's chest. I practically mewled as he drifted his lips across my neck and chest, kissing my collarbones and sending those vibrations ringing through me. I reached for the flannel, pulling it over my shoulders and off.

Sitting up for just a moment, I tossed the thing to the floor, and then Jet was right back on top of me, his delirious kisses on my heated flesh making me whimper.

Jet kissed my shoulders, trailing the caresses closer to my breasts over the slim bit of lace peeking out from my top. His hands smoothed down my arms until he hit my waist and slowly drew up the blousy tank before slipping it over my head and tossing it to the side.

Cool air rushed around me, and it felt great for how overheated I was. In the back of my mind, I was vaguely aware of the scars that were very visible in the lit room, but the adoration and appreciation traveling through our bond kicked the problematic thoughts to the curb.

"Gods, you're so fucking beautiful." His full, soft lips came back down, lazily inching over my sternum down to my lower belly. "Your mother is a wonder, little cub."

I smiled, and the slow, unhurried exploration of my body continued. Jet freed me of my remaining clothing and then stripped himself. My core throbbed, a blissful beat of want pulsing through me as I admired Jet's impressive set of muscles, a stark V leading to his proud erection.

He was wickedly built, the taught cords of hard-earned muscles tense across his chest as he towered over me. Faint white curls dusted his pecs, leading down to his hips. The gorgeous, unique locks were so beautiful and the way he raked his gaze over me was undeniably sexy.

"Roll over, sweetness. I want to taste you and then rut you. Nice and slow."

My heart was an erratic drumbeat behind my ribs, and I flipped onto my stomach, pushing myself up on my hands and knees. Jet's hand came to the nape of my neck, squeezing lightly before he dragged his fingers down my spine. I arched, my hips lifting and putting myself on full display for him.

"So damn pretty, little Omega. You"re glistening for me."

Warmth bloomed in my cheeks, an odd swelling of pride for being so ready for him. My nerves were going haywire, too, with an overabundance of sensation, and I was so very, very ready for him to claim me.

"Please, Jet. Please. Touch me."

His soft chuckle sounded behind me, and then his lips were at the skin of my lower back, working their way down to the curves of my ass. I felt his claws lengthen, his fangs descending into his mouth again, and he just barely coasted them across my flesh. The tiny pricks sent goosebumps skittering across my flesh as he ghosted the deadly points over me.

"Oh, fuck, yes. That. Oh, Gods."

A fire roared through my blood at the teasing, delicate touches, but damn, they were perfect. I loved the slight scratch of Jet's claws—his fangs—as the feeling mixed with the steady pulse between my thighs. He'd bound us so completely, and the way the arousal rebounded back at me from him was intoxicating.

"You smell like a damned treat, Senna." He slid his nose across my skin, inching his mouth closer to my exposed slit. "And I'm going to taste every inch of you."

And he did.

Jet's skilled tongue explored the weeping folds that were so excited for him. He smoothed it through them from the very top near my clit all the way to the small of my back. I moaned low, pressing against the slippery feeling. I wanted more, so much more.

"Ugh!" I cried out as Jet read my mind, going straight back between my legs and lapping up my juices.

Everything felt magnified by the gentle, slow touches. I could focus on each one in excruciating detail. My pussy pulsed in rhythmic waves as Jet devoured me. There wasn't a single inch of my most intimate skin that was left untasted, unexplored by his sensual magic.

At once, his hands came up to my ass, his thumbs smoothing across the outer folds of my pussy. Jet spread me wide, opening me up even further for him, and a rush of wetness flowed from me as I considered how much more exposed I was.

I adored it. Every part of me loved being Jet's to take and touch and see. Shy was a badge I'd worn basically my entire life, but the intense burn of my embarrassment at being so revealed to him washed away as I felt how much he enjoyed it through the bond.

And leaning into the naughty feelings just made it all so much better.

Jet found the tight bud of nerves at my tip, sucking it into his mouth—hard and slow. His fangs teased me, and when I was nearly crashing over that edge, he dragged his tongue over each sensitive area in a maddening sequence, circling around my clit, then probing into my entrance, gliding further still and exploring deliciously naughty depths.

Looking over my shoulder, I watched him sit back on his heels, his lips coated with my arousal. "You like that, little Omega? Would you like me to rut you? Finally give that aching pussy what it needs?"

A deep, desperate moan escaped me. "Yes. Oh, Gods, yes, please, Jet."

His grin was pure lust—devilish and sinful. I melted, our vibrant mate bond swelling to new heights.

Jet slid himself into me in one powerful, purposeful thrust. He bottomed out inside me, and I came, stars appearing behind my closed eyes. His rocking hips continued, fucking me slowly but intensely. He reached the depths of my passage with every incredible move forward, circling his hips so that the head of his cock stimulated all my hungry nerves.

It wasn't long before Jet's grip on my hips doubled down, and I felt his thick erection get even harder as it filled me up. I was a mess of overwhelming sensations, my pussy clamping down around him as he reached so damn deep.

Stilling for just a moment, Jet leaned forward, shoving himself in as far as possible and making me yelp softly.

"Do you want me to fill your wet pussy, mate?" he growled low, possessive and raw as his dick stretched me. "Would you like that? Such a needy little thing, milking my cock until I coat you with my seed?"

Our scents flared as Jet's words took hold of me, and I dropped down to my shoulders, angling my hips even higher for him.

"Please," I whined.

"Anything for you, little Omega."

Jet thrust—hard. And in two firm strokes, he absolutely destroyed me. I came again in a shattering wave, and Jet wasn't far behind. Roaring out into the room as his shaft pulsed against my walls. Incredible warmth filled me as he emptied himself into my clutching womb. It locked around him, drawing out every drop of his delicious spend.

"Oh, fuck yes, precious. You're perfection."

When the rhythmic pulses slowly stopped, I was warmed through from my bones to my very soul. Slippery between my thighs, I drank in how good it felt to be full of my mate's seed, good and bred for him.

We came down together, maneuvering onto our sides in the large bed as Jet kept himself warm inside me. Exhaustion settled over me like a heavy blanket, and my eyes flickered shut. Before long, Jet yanked the blanket free and draped it across us.

"Dream, mate. I'll be by your side."

I hummed gently, scooting myself tighter against his chest. "Always?"

"Always."

***

Blood. So much blood. It was everywhere, the dead faces of my new packmates—my family—scattered across the ground. Their skin was ghostly pale, dirt and dead leaves piled near their faces. Frigid air stole the breath from my lungs, and I fell to my knees, sobbing.

Terrance.

The terrible alpha stood covered in gore in the middle of the carnage, laughing as he held my Jet in his terrible blood-stained grip. I called out, but no sound escaped as I pleaded for mercy.

Just that horrible laugh echoing around me.

He took Jet's hair in one hand and his shoulder in the other. Suddenly, Jet was shifted; his body was now his wolf's—white and beautiful.

Terrance tore. He tore and tore until the halves were separate, and I could do nothing but scream without sound.

I shot up in bed, gasping for air. It was dark and warm. Frantically looking around, reality slowly solidified, and I remembered where I was. Lying next to Jet in our bed. Our bed.

The gentle quiet filled in around me, and I focused on the sound of the rushing wind outside, allowing it to pull me back into my skin. I was safe, Jet was safe, and the baby…

Looking down, I put a hand over my belly. That subtle warmth, the undeniable presence of something else, was still there.

The baby was safe.

It took a good few minutes before my heart rate calmed down, and I was able to breathe evenly again. That nightmare, that…vision, had been so similar to the other one. And it felt real. I couldn't shake it. My entire body believed that shit was going to happen unless I…unless I did something about it.

"What the hell is going on with me?" I whispered.

Glancing over at Jet, he slept soundly, his breathing even and smooth. I couldn't wake him up. But I also couldn't just go back to bed. The images were still there behind my eyes when I blinked, and I knew they meant something.

The library.

Jet had said there were resources there, and I had to know what was going on. Now.

Hurrying through the room to grab a slim-fitting nightgown and a robe that Kenzie had lent me, I silently slipped from the room. I descended the stairs until I was all the way to the basement, moving like a ghost through the halls.

The area down here was so different from the rest of the house—concrete slab walls and fucking cold as hell. There was a long hallway that only went in a single direction. I followed it past several rooms. One was clearly storage, filled with barrels and food, and even a meat curing station. The next was secured by a thick set of bars at the door, and I imagined it was some type of prison or dungeon.

Last on the right was the largest room, piled high with books on tables, on the floor, and lining the numerous shelves. I went in, immediately scanning the spines for anything that might pertain to the V?lva, magic wolves, or wolfless shifters.

I ended up with quite the stack and took them to the large table in the center of the room. There was a panel that extended from inside the table, which was currently open to display a large map of the wolf territories on a glass panel.

As much as curiosity ignited as I looked at the map and the bit of paperwork by it, I had to understand what was going on with me. So, I began reading. Book after book, passage after passage, and after a few hours, my brain was swimming with all the information.

I leaned back in my chair, staring down at the last passage I'd read.

Believed to be associated with shifter children without a wolf, the V?lva have existed for as long as wolves existed. Perhaps longer. Little is known about wolf origins, but they are inexorably linked to the V?lva. What's more, the appearance of a V?lva and their gifts may be connected to a time of profound change for the entire shifter species. Their gifts are not to be ignored. Look to the horizon when a V?lva appears, for as sure as a wolf howls, the birth of a V?lva or the emergence of their gifts heralds a new era in magic.

"Well, shit."