CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

You son of a bitch!”

Derren’s eyes snapped open. Looming over the hammock, his face twisted with incredulity and anger, was a very familiar male wolf—and the last person Derren would have expected to see. Three other faces stared down at Derren, curious and grim.

Ally shot upright, almost tipping over the hammock. “Fuck. What are you all doing here?”

“What’s he doing wrapped around you?” demanded Cain, fists clenched, his chest rising and falling with uneven breaths. This was going to be bad, Derren knew. A battle between him and Cain was inevitable, since the fact that he and Ally were mated wouldn’t placate Cain much.

She raised her hands as she said softly, “Let’s just all stay calm.”

“Calm?” echoed Cain disbelievingly. “Calm?”

“Yeah, that would be good. Why didn’t you call ahead of time to let us know you were coming? Uncle Wyatt,” she growled at a shifter who clearly went for the cowboy look, “stop snarling at Derren.”

“This is the guy you asked to protect her?” Wyatt asked Cain, his voice bland. “Hmm. I think he might have taken the bodyguard role a little too literally.”

The second male, looking like he belonged on a GQ cover with his Armani suit and gelled hair, regarded Ally curiously. “You have a thing for Betas or something? I mean, you were with the Collingwood Beta not so long ago. And now you’re involved with this asshole.”

“Dan has a point, Ally,” said the third—and seriously muscular—male. Hell, he was even bigger than Dante. “Well, Cain, your worry about this guy’s bias against Seers was unnecessary. He seemsvery . . .closeto our Ally.”

“Don’t make this worse,” Ally hissed at the mountain of muscle.

Wyatt nodded. “She’s right, Brad. We don’t want Cain getting more worked up than he already is. Besides, Ally’s a grown woman—if she wants to get involved with a wolf who took advantage of his friend’s trust, that’s her business.”

Oh, these males were good. Derren could tell that they obviously wanted Cain to be totally riled and were doing their best to get him all worked up. And that was exactly what he was.

Cain glared at Derren, his eyes glittering with rage. “You. Get up.” Then he backed off the porch and took a position on the grass, rolling his shoulders. “I’m going to shatter every fucking bone in your body!”

Ally placed her hand on Derren’s leg, encouraging him to stay in place. “No, Cain, you have to listen to me.” But Cain wasn’t paying any attention to her; he only had eyes for her mate. Worse, Derren had hopped out of the hammock and was striding off the porch before she could stop him. Leaping to her feet, she got between them. “Cain, you need to hear me out!”

“In a minute, Ally. I want to deal with this motherfucker first.”

“No, listen to me now before you do something you regret.”

“I won’t regret kicking the ass of this devious piece of shit, sweetheart.” At Derren’s growl, Cain arched a brow tauntingly. “Oh, you don’t like it when I call her that?”

No, Derren didn’t—and neither did his wolf; the animal raked his claws at this male who he perceived to be a threat to his bond with Ally. Derren found himself just as pissed. No one would ever take Ally from him. She was his. And he’d fight God himself for her if he had to. “She’s not your ‘sweetheart,’ asshole.”

Her mate’s provocative tone had her spinning to face him. “Derren, what are you doing? I’m trying to keep this situation calm and you’re not helping.”

Cain growled at Derren. “I’m an asshole? You were supposed to look out for her! Not use her!”

“Wait,” Ally snapped at Cain, “it’s not like that, he’s my—”

“Dan, get her!” Cain signaled to his uncle.

Dan raised his hands. “Oh no, I’d like to keep my ball sack. You taught her too many dirty moves.”

“I trusted you with her safety!” Cain shouted at Derren, baring his teeth.

Derren shrugged carelessly. “She’s alive, isn’t she?”

“You goddamn bastard!” Cain bypassed Ally and launched himself at Derren.

They met in a furious clash of fists, growling and snarling. Ally flinched at the sounds of fists meeting flesh, at each pain-filled grunt. Her anxious wolf paced within her, worried for her mate but also concerned for a wolf who had been her friend since they were pups.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone bait Cain before,” mused Brad, turning to Ally. “You couldn’t have chosen someone who’s, I don’t know . . . sane?”

When Ally moved to part the brawling males, Wyatt blocked her path with his arm. “You know better than that.”

She did. When two male wolves locked on each other like that, there was no separating them until they were ready. So she could only watch as they punched, shoved, head-butted, and charged at each other. She winced as Cain’s claws sliced into Derren’s bare chest, drawing blood. Her mate’s eyes flashed wolf, and then the two males went at each other even more furiously than before.

It was only moments later that the Alpha pair, Eli, and the enforcers arrived, but a signal from Derren made them resist interfering. None of them looked worried on Derren’s behalf as they stood back and watched—or surprised that a fight had commenced between the two males.

Shaya dashed over to Ally. “We didn’t even know they were on our territory.” She nodded in greeting at Dan, Brad, and Wyatt as she said begrudgingly, “You guys are good.”

“Why, thank you,” drawled Dan with a charming smile.

“I take it Cain doesn’t have all the facts yet,” Shaya said to Ally, sighing.

Shaking her head, Ally replied, “Cain’s too worked up to listen. And Derren seems happy to fight him.”

It pissed her off that Derren was fighting back rather than explaining the truth, but she had to wonder if her mate thought Cain deserved to get a few shots in, considering that Derren had pursued her before knowing they were true mates. Dumb but understandable for someone like Derren to whom loyalty was extremely important.

Or maybe Derren was fighting with Cain since he viewed the male as a potential threat to their mating and wanted to make his point that no one could come between them. She knew from her experience with Miranda that the need to ensure rivals understood a mate was off-limits was too strong for anyone to ignore.

Spitting out blood after a particularly hard uppercut fromDerren, Cain pointed hard at him. “You shouldn’t have touched her.”

“Jealous?” taunted Derren, swiping the back of his hand over hisbleeding brow.

Cain jerked back in abject horror. “What? No.” His tone said that being with Ally in a sexual sense would be like incest, but that only slightly mollified Derren’s jealous wolf.

Derren shrugged. “Then I don’t see how this is any of your concern.”

“Ally is family to me. That makes her, and this, my concern.” Then Cain was rushing at him again, his face a mask of anger.

Ally yelled, “Stop before one of you gets seriously hurt!” They didn’t. They continued to brawl like two drunken bikers in a bar fight. The only difference was that they were also clawing and biting each other—and they weren’t dressed in leather.

Pausing to snap his nose back into place, Cain grunted. “After today, I don’t ever want to see your ass again, you two-faced fucker. And you’ll stay away from Ally. I’m taking her away from here—”

Panting and sweating, Derren shook his head. “I can’t let you do that.”

Cain stilled. “What did you just say?” It was a menacing dare for Derren to repeat himself. It made her uncles wince.

“I’ll rephrase. I won’t let you do that. Ally stays with me.”

“Do you want me to kill you, is that it?”

“You could give it a shot.”

“Don’t think you can stop me from leaving with—”

“You can go wherever the hell you like, I really couldn’t give a fuck. But Ally stays. She’s mine.” It was a possessive rumble that seemed to surprise Cain with its intensity.

Still, the male scoffed. “Yours?”

“We’re mates, Cain!” shouted Ally, her stomach hurting at the sight of Derren’s busted lip, swollen jaw, clawed chest, and the gash on his brow.

Cain completely froze, falling silent for a moment. “Mates?” The eye that wasn’t swollen shut darted repeatedly from her to Derren. Then Cain tipped his bleeding chin at Ally’s neck. “Show me.”

When she tugged at the collar of her T-shirt to reveal her claiming mark, she said, “There. See? He wasn’t betraying your trust or disrespecting your friendship. This isn’t some casual fling.”

“You’re mates?” He looked at Derren. “You aren’t using her?”

“We’re mates,” confirmed Derren. “That’s as far from casual as you can get.”

“So you didn’t touch her until you realized you were mates?” When Derren didn’t answer, Cain lunged at him again.

“Cain!” growled Ally. As the males wrestled each other to the floor, she threw her hands up in the air. “Goddammit!” She marched into the lodge, reappearing only moments later with a bucket. As she slung the contents over the two males, they both jumped apart and got to their feet.

“You drowned me in ice-fucking-cold water,” said Cain in pure disbelief.

“Yes, I did.” Ally strode over to him and forced herself to speak calmly. “Now listen to me, hear me out. I know you’re just looking out for me. I know you don’t want to see me used or disrespected. I appreciate all that, I do. But . . . you can’t hit him again.”

“Why not? I like it.” He sounded like a child sulking over his toy being taken away.

Smiling a little, Ally replied, “Because I kind of like him in one piece. Not bleeding and bruised.”

“He broke my trust.”

“Probably because on some level he knew I was his mate and the draw was there.” She’d felt the draw from moment one; she simply hadn’t understood the source of it.

It was clear to Derren that her attempts to placate Cain weren’t working well; he looked eager to pounce on Derren once more. “Come at me again if you want. But it won’t change anything. She’s mine and I’m keeping her. I’ll never let anyone take her from me.”

A muscle in Cain’s bruised jaw ticked. “She can do better than you.”

“I won’t dispute that.”

“Hey!” complained Ally, not liking Derren putting himself down in any way. A silence descended as both males stared at each other, their expressions inscrutable.

Cain spoke first, pointing his finger hard at Derren. “If you ever hurt her, I’ll shove a pole so far up your ass you’ll feel it in your throat. You got me?”

Frowning thoughtfully, Derren tilted his head. “Not really, since that’s physically impossible.” As expected, Cain snapped with a roar and charged at him again.

Ally yelled, “Cain, not his nose!”

 

Half an hour later, Derren was wincing as Ally none too gently placed her hands on his wounded chest. His mate hadorderedhim into their lodge, and everyone had followed them inside and were now scattered around. After giving both him and Cain towels to dry off with as best they could, she’d ordered them to sit at the table.

Cain was opposite him, in no better shape than Derren. She’d delayed healing both of them, pissed at Cain for not listening to her and pissed at Derren for provoking Cain rather than aiding her in keeping the situation calm. Basically, she blamed Derren for his own injuries.

Even as her healing energy hummed through his bones, reaching each of his wounds as her hands slid over him, he could feel her anger. The last thing he wanted was for her to be upset in any way. Cupping her nape, he pulled her down for a brief kiss that was both possessive and apologetic. Her taste calmed him and his wolf. “Now I feel better.”

Ally just humphed, not ready to forgive him yet. Although she understood that Derren wasn’t someone who backed down from a challenge, no matter the circumstances, she didn’t have to be okay with it. Once her mate was healed, she moved to Cain, pretty much slapping her hands over the deep slashes on his arm. He barely winced, which pissed her off even more. “When were you released?”

Cain glanced at her sideways before going back to glaring at Derren. “Yesterday. We slipped away last night to come for you and take you someplace safe.”

“Ally stays with me,” Derren stated firmly yet again. Cain growled his displeasure, but he didn’t contest Derren’s claim this time.

“Were you followed here by the humans?” Nick asked Cain, his arm draped over the back of Shaya’s chair.

Cain grimaced at the Alpha. “Don’t insult me.”

Tapping her fingers on the table, Shaya asked, “Why sneak onto our territory? We wouldn’t have turned you away. You’re Ally’s family.”

“We like the challenge,” Brad told her.

Shaya leaned back in the seat, running her gaze along the uncles. “If you three think of Ally as family, why was it only Cain who reacted so badly to seeing Derren with her? My father would have torn apart any guy who touched me.”

It was Wyatt who answered, shrugging. “She’s mated.”

“But you didn’t know that at first,” said Shaya.

“Sure I did. From where I was standing, his claiming mark was easy to see.” Brad and Dan nodded, indicating they’d also seen it.

Ally gaped at them. “And you didn’t think to help me explain this to Cain and stop these two idiots from fighting?”

“Just because we can accept that you’re mates doesn’t mean we like the look of any male wrapped around you like a clinging vine,” said Brad.

Dan nodded. “He needed to fight for you, prove he could protect you.”

Ally sighed, turning to Shaya as she pulled away from a fully healed Cain. “I don’t understand men.”

Shaya patted her hand. “I’m not sure we’re supposed to, sweetie.”

“You might be right.” Wetting two cloths, she gave one to Derrenandthe other to Cain so that they could wash away any blood ordirt.Each male then slipped on one of Derren’s clean shirts,thoughCain wasn’t too happy about it.

“Be fair,” Cain said to Ally. “He didn’t exactly try to explain the facts to me. He seemed pretty damn happy to fight with me. Some of the shit he said was like waving a red flag at a bull.”

Roni cocked her head, her irritated gaze on Cain. “Did you know that bulls are actually color blind? It basically means they’ll charge at any cape, no matter the color.”

“Roni.”As usual, Marcus’s rebuke was filled with amusement.

She blinked innocently. “What? What did I say?”

Derren smiled, understanding that Roni, being protective of Derren, was annoying Cain on his behalf. “But you forgive me for baiting him, don’t you, baby?” he asked Ally.

Not really, but she’d have him make it up to her later with multiple orgasms. Hearing Cain and her uncles growl, Ally smiled weakly at Derren. “I said that out loud, didn’t I?” He just chuckled.

Sighing, Cain turned back to Ally. “Okay, now that you’ve healed us, why don’t you tell me everything that happened between you and the Collingwood wolves? I want the whole story.”

She took the seat on Derren’s left, and he immediately threaded his fingers through hers. “It’s resolved now. Forget it.”

Cain snorted. “You know better than to think I’ll even consider letting this go. Tell me.”

“I don’t want you to lose your shit and do something drastic.”

“You know I’d never assassinate an entire pack in retaliation for something a couple of wolves did.”

That was the thing, though. The entire pack had turned on her. Although their betrayal hurt, she didn’t think buying a skank’s lies warranted death. “I’m away from there now. It doesn’t matter anymore.”

“They don’t deserve your protection, Ally,” insisted Roni, unwrapping a lollipop.

Derren looked at his mate, understanding why she was reluctant to share the tale but knowing it was important that her family knew. The Holts might not be her biological relatives, but DNA didn’t make family. “Either you tell them or I tell them.”

She gaped. “Thanks, Judas.”

“I get that you don’t want the Collingwood Pack to be under a mass attack, but your safety is more important to me than theirs. That’s what it boils down to.” Derren wished he could be sure that Rachelle would quit bothering Ally, but the kind of hatred that female harbored for his mate didn’t just evaporate.

With a resigned sigh, Ally nodded. She told them everything, from Rachelle’s very first accusation to the visit the skank had made with Zeke and Matt to Mercury Pack territory a little while ago.

When she was done, all four Holt males were scowling. “What a fucking bitch,” spat Cain. “And this Zeke guy is no better.”

“The Alpha’s a shithead too,” stated Dan. “He should have protected you.”

“They need to pay,” growled Brad. “All of them.”

Ally waved a nonchalant hand. “They’re not important compared to the whole ‘having a bounty over the pack’s head’ business.” When her uncles and Cain looked at her, puzzled, she smiled wanly. “You didn’t know about that, huh.”

“A bounty?” echoed Brad.

Derren explained everything before adding, “The bounty has been lifted, but we don’t believe the female who put out the hit on us is done.”

After a moment of pensive silence, Wyatt declared, “We’ll stay until this is all resolved.”

“We don’t know how long it will take for that to happen,” Ally told him.

Wyatt seemed unmoved. “Holts protect their own, Ally. You’re our family. We’re here for you until you’re safe.” Brad, Dan, and Cain nodded.

“Then I guess we’d better set you all up in one of the guest lodges,” said Shaya.

Within minutes, the Alpha female was ushering everyone out of Ally and Derren’s lodge, intending to lead the Brookwell wolves to their temporary accommodation. Although Cain had left without delivering any more insults to Derren, he still hadn’t looked any happier about Derren’s claim on Ally.

Surprisingly, it had been the elegant-looking, cultured Dan who had growled a warning at Derren before leaving: “You will be good to her. Or I’ll come for you. Believe me, you don’t want that.” Derren had a feeling that Dan was much more dangerous than he looked.

Closing the door behind everyone, Derren pulled Ally to him and pressed a kiss to her throat. “Still mad at me?”

“Maybe a little.” But she was sliding her hands up his solid chest to curl them around his neck. “I get that it’s instinctual for you to protect our mating and that you don’t back down from a challenge—”

“It wasn’t just about that, baby. I had to make Cain understand that things will be different from here on out.” He nipped her lower lip and then laved it soothingly. “He’s been your protector all his life. He thinks he has rights to you. I need him to understand that I’m your protector now, that you belong to me and I have no intention of giving you up. If I hadn’t stood up and fought him today, if I hadn’t made my place in your life and my claim on you very clear, he would have tried to take you.”

Unable to deny the truth of that, Ally inclined her head. “Fine. But no more fighting with him. I don’t want either of you hurt.”

Derren might have been jealous of her regard for Cain, but he and his wolf had come to understand something after watching their interactions today. “He’s like a brother to you, isn’t he?”

“Yes. He’s always looked out for me the way a brother would.”

“You sort of anchor him, bring out a little of the old Cain.”

“He’ll always be part of my life to some extent,” she warned Derren. “Always feel he has some rights where I’m concerned because, well, he isn’t normal.”

“As long as he understands you belong to me, I can accept that.” It was only today he’d realized that somewhere in the back of his mind he’d worried about her relationship with Cain. Not that Derren believed there was even the slightest possibility that the guy was her mate. No, but Derren knew she and Cain were close. She’d known him since childhood, had gone through a horrific event with him, and had had him as her protector all these years. Something like that could form a very strong bond, and Derren had worried that said bond was stronger than what he had with Ally, given that their mating link wasn’t yet complete.

But Derren no longer had that concern. She’d tried to protect him from Cain’s anger, had defended his honor, and had proudly declared they were mated. Even the mere fact that she’d healed Derren before she’d healed Cain indicated that he came first to her. Derren needed to know that he was as important to her as she was to him, that their bond, despite being incomplete, was still stronger than any she might have with anyone else.

He cupped her face, staring into those almond eyes he loved. “I didn’t think anything could be this essential to me.” Intellectually, he’d known his mate—if he ever found her—would be important to him in every way. But he hadn’t imagined that such an incredible depth of emotion was possible for anyone to feel, particularly him. There was something else he’d been wrong about. “I always figured that love was sappy and gooey. But it’s not.” What he felt for Ally was a feral, hissing, clawing, boundless emotion that probably should have scared him but didn’t.

Her features softened, turning vulnerable. “You love me?”

He smiled. “Fuck yeah.”

“I’m glad, because it’s rare for one-sided relationships to work out well.”

His smile widened. “Is that your very poor way of telling me you love me?”

“It was pretty poor, wasn’t it?” Rubbing her nose against his, she said, “I love you.” With a rough groan, he brought his mouth down hard on hers. Fingers digging into her hips, he held her flush against him as he dominated and consumed her mouth with every stroke of his tongue and every nip of his teeth. Need unfurled, inflamed, and fired through her body fast and furiously.

Shoving his hand under her T-shirt, Derren tugged down her bra and cupped one firm breast. It fit perfectly in his hand, reminding him that she was made for him. She was his. Would always belong to him. And he knew he would never have been whole without her.

He tasted her, caressed her, and breathed her in—igniting and filling his senses with her. His body tightened with the molten lust that was ripping through him, making him need more. “I want you slick for me.”

The breath rushed out of Ally’s lungs as he backed her into the wall, caging her there with his broad, powerful body. Literally clawing away her jeans and panties, he then clamped his hand around her pussy, pushing up against her with his palm.

“You’re already wet,” he rumbled. “But I want you even slicker.” He slipped one finger inside her, loving how hot she was. “Take off the T-shirt and bra, Ally.” She obeyed without hesitation. “That’s my girl.” Swooping down, he flicked her nipple with his tongue. Threading her hands through his hair, she arched toward him, hinting for more. He gave her what she wanted.

Ally groaned as his hot mouth latched onto her nipple, and he drove another finger inside her. Thrust. Suck. Thrust. Suck. Thrust. Suck. The rhythm was torture. And when that rhythm sped up, a relentless, raw ache began to build deep inside her pussy. Wanting his skin against hers, she bit out, “Shirt. Off.” She jolted as he scored her nipple with the edge of his teeth.

“I’m busy, baby.”

“Take it off or I’ll rip it off.” Two dark brooding eyes met hers; both were alive with heat, hunger, and caution—he didn’t like her issuing an order.

Refusing to be intimidated, she bit his lower lip. “I want to touch you.” His eyes flared, and she knew she had him. Withdrawing his fingers, he whipped off his T-shirt. But before she even had the chance to experience a moment of triumph, a strong hand roughly tangled in her hair hard enough to make her scalp prickle.

“You know I don’t like it when you give me orders.” He also knew that was exactly why the little minx did it. Holding her head in place, he tugged her bottom lip with his teeth and then drove his tongue inside her mouth to stroke hers. He licked, sipped, and bit. She tasted of everything he wanted and needed, of sin and sex.

A growl rumbled out of him when she sucked on his tongue, conjuring images and fantasies in his mind. She knew damn well what she was doing. Pulling back, he tore open his fly. “I need your mouth.”

Ally licked over his lower lip. “You have it.”

“I need it on my cock.” She hadn’t yet sucked him off, since dominant females did oral sex on their own terms and in their own sweet time. She’d licked him a few times, teasing him with what she would one day give him, and he’d known she wanted him to be so desperate for it that he’d eventually do exactly what he was doing now—lose control.

“Oh, you do?” she drawled, not at all liking the expectancy of obedience in his expression. Her wolf wasn’t too pleased about it either.

“Yes. I want your mouth.” The words came out harshly through clenched teeth, and her mesmerizing eyes narrowed dangerously.

“Yeah? Well, I want to fuck.”

“And you’ll get fucked . . . when I’ve had what I want. You’re mine. This gorgeous mouth is mine. And I want it.” Using thehandbunched in her hair, he pushed down, urging her to drop toher knees. She didn’t. “Now, Ally.” He felt like he’d go out of his goddamn mind if he didn’t feel that plush mouth around him right then.

Ally arched an imperious brow. “Or what?”

“Or you don’t get fucked.” When she would have objected, he growled. “This is what you wanted, baby. You wanted me to need this so bad I couldn’t take it anymore.”

He was right, she had. And the dangerous glint in his dark gaze told her she’d teased him past the point of endurance.

“On your knees.” She did nothing other than stare at him defiantly. He growled, “Do it.” Ever so slowly, she dropped to her knees. The defiance didn’t leave her gaze, and fuck, that just made it a million times better. “Very good.” Rewardingly, he brushed his thumb across her lower lip. “Open up, baby.”

Fisting the base of his long, thick cock, Ally opened her mouth . . . but only enough to deliver a catlike flick of her tongue to the head. His warning growl made her smile. Although she opened her mouth a little wider, she only lazily laved the head before lapping up the pearl of pre-come there. And apparently her mate had had enough, because she sensed the feverish tension that had tautened his body simply snap.

Tightening his grip on her hair, Derren snatched her head back. “Don’t tease. I want those lips wrapped around me, so do what I fucking told you and open up.”

That order, which rang with dominance and authority, should have pissed her off. But knowing she’d driven him past the edge of his control made self-satisfaction settle low in her stomach. Her wolf kind of liked it too. The moment she opened her mouth wide, he surged inside.

Derren groaned as the burning heat of her mouth finally enveloped his cock. It felt too fucking good. Seeing her there on her knees, his cock in her mouth, her nipples hard, and her defiant stare boldly meeting his while the scent of her need cocooned him . . . it was all enough to make him almost explode right then. “Suck.” She swirled her tongue under and around him as her head bobbed up and down his cock. “That’s it, baby. Fuck, that’s good. Take more.” He used the hand in her hair to guide her movements, urge her to move faster and suck him deeper.

Another groan was wrenched out of him as the head of his cock bumped the back of her throat. Instead of panicking as he’d expected, she relaxed her jaw and swallowed. “Good girl.” As her throat contracted around him, he felt the telling tingle at the base of his spine and knew he wouldn’t hold out much longer.

Then she glided the edges of her teeth along his length, trailing it with her tongue, and Derren’s release barreled into him. Just as he was about to burst, she tugged on his balls. “Son of a bitch.” He erupted into her mouth, watching with utter bliss as she continued to suck and swallowed every last drop—it was yet another way to mark her as his, and it made his wolf release a satisfied growl.

Gently pulling her to her feet, Derren brushed her hair aside. “Thank you, baby. You definitely deserve a reward for that.” He kissed her, capturing her breathy, needy little moans as she rubbed against him almost frantically, desperate for relief. “Shush. I’ll give you what you need.” Cupping her ass, he lifted her. She curled her limbs around him as he carried her to the bedroom, where he gently laid her on the bed.

Ally watched as he quickly took off his shoes and jeans, his eyes on her pussy. When his hands slid down her thighs, she shook her head. “No tongue, no fingers—I want your cock.” A cock that was quickly reviving, most likely directly in response to the scent of her unanswered arousal. “You said I’d get what I want when you got what you want.”

“But I want your taste on my tongue.”

Spoiled motherfucker. Ally swiped a finger through her slick folds and then offered it to him. A wicked smile curving his mouth, he sucked her finger clean. “Now you have it.” She shot her hand out and curled it around his cock. Again and again, she stroked him with a firm, possessive grip, knowing exactly how he liked it.

Thick, hard, and aching with the need to be inher, Derren tugged her hand away and flipped her onto her stomach. Graspingher hips, he pulled her onto her knees. “Keep your head down, baby.”

Ally jerked forward as he slammed into her, burying every inch of himself in one swift, smooth thrust—no warning, no finesse, no preamble. It was exactly what she wanted. His pace was frenzied as he pounded into her with deep, powerful, branding thrusts that drove every thought from her mind and sent pleasure whipping through her.

She tensed as his hands parted her ass cheeks and one wet finger circled the ring. “Derren . . .” That finger then gently pushed inside, causing a burn that was somehow both pleasure and pain.

“I’m going to take you here, Ally.” He punctuated that by thrusting his finger in and out.

Of course, it was pure reflex for Ally and her wolf to challenge that dominant tone. He must have sensed that, because one strong hand slipped around her throat in a very possessive and cautioning grip.

“You’re mine, Ally,” he ground out, still hammering into her. “That means this mouth, pussy, and ass are mine to fuck.” Her pussy was so hot and slick around him, squeezing and quivering—nothing had ever felt better. “I’m going to come in your ass, claim it. And you’re going to love it, baby, I promise you that. I just need you to relax for me, okay? You want this.”

She did want this, so she forced her body to relax as he inserted a second finger into her ass. At first it stung, but then the burn spread and became pure pleasure, making her pussy throb—much like when he spanked her. By the time he added a third finger, she was so far gone the pain barely registered.

As the thumb of his free hand found her clit, Ally moaned. With his cock pounding into her pussy, his fingers thrusting into her ass, and his thumb circling her clit, she was more than ready to come. Then it happened. Bliss flooded her veins, making her pussy ripple and spasm as she plummeted hard into an almost painful release. It was right then that he snatched his fingers out of her ass and replaced them with the head of his cock.

“Relax, baby.” Derren rubbed her lower back. “Push out as I push in. Remember, you were made to take me.” Little by little, his cock slid into her ass, and he loved the feel of it stretching around him. He was so damn close to coming it wasn’t even funny. When he was finally balls deep inside, he groaned. “So fucking hot and tight. You okay, baby?”

“I’m fine.” It wasn’t a lie. Sure, it hurt. But not enough to make her want to stop. “Get moving.”

Very slowly, Derren reared back and then smoothly slid back inside. Over and over, he did that, determined not to cause her any pain. Through their bond, he could feel that, although there was a slight sting of discomfort, she was enjoying it. When she tried throwing her hips back at him, he upped his pace. Soon she was moaning and squirming, and he began pumping his hips, giving her what he sensed she wanted. His cock was pulsing and throbbing with the need to explode, to give over to the pleasure it promised.

Draping himself over her, he spoke into her ear as he returned his thumb to her clit. “I want you to come for me, Ally. Let me feel it, baby.” He slammed in and out of her ass as he circled her clit, wrenching groans and gasps of his name from her throat. “Now, Ally, I need it.”

Sinking his teeth into her nape and pressing down hard on her clit with his thumb, Derren threw her into her second release, and her mouth opened in a silent scream. Her ass clenched so tight around him it almost fucking hurt. He rammed into her one last time, groaning as his cock shot jet after jet of come into her ass, claiming and marking it as his.

When his brain finally rebooted, he carefully slipped out of her body and crashed on the bed beside her. For a while, neither of them spoke as tremors rocked them. Derren kissed her shoulder. “You okay?” One eye slowly flipped open, and she nodded. He smiled at the sight of his mate, boneless and fully sated. Something made his smile widen in both wonder and surprise. “Baby, what can you smell?”

Frowning at the odd question, she shrugged a little as she mumbled, “Sex.”

“What else?”

Inhaling deeply, she stilled. Opening her eyes, she returned his smile. “Our scents have mixed.” Her wolf stretched out inside her, content and a little smug.

“At fucking last.” He pressed another kiss to her shoulder, sharing his wolf’s intense gratification. “Now you’ll always smell of me, and everyone will know you belong to me.”

She rolled her eyes. “Like you’d ever let them forget.”

He chuckled. “I did warn you the possessiveness probably wouldn’t fade.”

“The bond’s a little stronger now. More vibrant.”

“Good.” Dragging himself to his feet, he scooped her up. “Shower.”

“I don’t think I can stand.”

“Yeah, I’m sensing that.” So he kept her cradled against him as he turned on the spray and stepped into the stall. “I love you, baby.” It was a lot easier to say than he’d expected. She gave him a shy smile that plucked at a heart he hadn’t been sure he had.

“And I love you. For a while, I had a hard time believing I’d ever say that to anyone. That I’d ever feel that way.”

He’d had the same doubts. He still doubted his ability to make her happy. “I’m going to piss you off a lot, Ally. I’m going to mess up, say the wrong things, be crazy jealous, and annoy the shit out of you with how overprotective and interfering I can be. But I’ll never take you for granted, never purposely hurt you, and never betray you in any sense of the word—I swear that to you.”

Melting at that statement, which was about as romantic as her mate was ever capable of being, she smiled. “Same here. Please note that I’m going to drive you equally insane. We’ll clash and we’ll argue sometimes. But that doesn’t mean I’ll ever care about you any less.”

“That’s good, since you’re stuck with me.” At her chuckle, he added, “I’m serious, Ally. You’re mine. Everything you are belongs to me. I’ll never give you up.”

She arched a brow at his dominant tone. “If I wanted to leave, I totally could.”

“You’re always going to challenge me, aren’t you?”

“I’m so thrilled we got that cleared up.”