Chapter 21

Piper

I"d never been so sexually frustrated in my entire life. Everything about Zander"s touch, the way he smelled and tasted, threatened to drown me. I would suffocate on my own need for him. It was indescribable and frustrating. After I shut my door, I walked toward my bed, and buried my head into my pillow to scream.

All of my frustrations spilled out of me like a faucet. I needed a good roll in the sack to release the rest, but obviously, that wasn"t happening until I let him mark me.

Rolling onto my back, I stared at the ceiling. My body cried out to be touched by him. Caressed. Tormented in the best way. I would gladly deal with his slow pace and wicked tongue to get what I needed from him.

No man touched me like him, and we hadn"t even done anything yet. What kind of supernaturals had rules about sex before mating?

It all sounded like a load of crap to me.

Maybe it was his way of torturing me slowly.

Or maybe, he was telling me the truth.

Part of me wanted to go knock on his door and force him to tell me the analytics of the mate bond. My pride wouldn"t allow it. She"d rather die than let him know openly that she considered letting him put his teeth into her flesh.

Instead, I got dressed, since my arousal had slowly leaked out like a punctured balloon when Vivian walked in on us. Stupid Vivian. That"s who I would bug about this. She didn"t have a door to send me out of this time.

She owed me after interrupting us. Not that he would have caved, and given me what I needed, but I could have had a few more moments of his delicious weight on top of me. His scent ... what is happening to me?

Getting dressed, I walked downstairs and found her in the one place I knew she would be. The kitchen. She glanced up at me from sweeping the floors. The flour had been the least of my worries with Zander on top of me.

A tornado could have swept through and I was sure we wouldn"t have noticed.

"Vivian," I said, walking around the counter.

"The cookies aren"t ready yet, Ms. Sloane—,"

"I"m not here for the cookies. I"m here to understand more about the mate bond."

She narrowed her eyes to slits. "You should ask your mate, Ms. Sloane. The alpha."

I pursed my lips. "I"m not speaking to him at the moment."

"Yeah?" she asked, bending down to sweep the flour into the dustpan. "Looked like you were doing more than talking a few moments ago."

When she stood up, she cringed at my face. "I"m sorry, Ms. Sloane. That was ugly—,"

"It"s actually nice to see you say something other than yes, Vivian."

She blushed. "It"s part of being in a pack. You"ll learn--," she trailed off. "If you stay." Her vibrant eyes lifted to mine. "I hope you stay."

Something in the pit of my stomach twisted. Was it regret of the what ifs? What if leaving was a mistake? Could I go on knowing Zander was damned to be the beast forever because I didn"t believe him? Because I didn"t trust him.

"Is it true that a mate can"t ... sleep with their mate until they mark them?" I asked, swirling my finger around in the remains of the flour on the countertop.

Vivian reached forward and swiped the mess up with her washcloth. "Yes, it"s the truth. Werewolves are very traditional. They take mating and being together seriously. It"s the equivalent of being married in the human world. It"s not a bunch of sleeping around—,"

"So they"re virgins before they mate?"

"No," Vivian said. "Some can be, but fated mates can"t until their committed. It"s just a thing. It"s respecting their mate. I think it"s lovely."

I fought the urge to show my distaste on my face. "So you waited with your mate?"

A distant look took over her face. I almost regretted asking until she smiled. "Yes. It was so special. It is for most mates. The males—the good ones—try to make it special."

What a contrast to the only man I"d slept with in my life.

My first boyfriend Todd. We"d been young, so I didn"t blame him too much.

The one thing I never regretted was waiting with Henry.

It turned out to be the right decision. It would have hurt worse if I had slept with him, and then found him in the shower with the blonde woman.

I"d never been one to jump into bed with a man, but Zander, I craved it so badly my bones ached. That deep feeling of need nestle in between my thighs and refused to leave.

I was too big of a coward to send an eviction notice because deep down, I wanted him so badly. My brain fought me, but in that locked place in the back of my mind, it rested there like a caged beast.

"Well," I said, standing up with my palms on the counter. "I"m sorry about the mess. We got carried away."

"You don"t have to apologize to me," she said. "I take my job seriously—,"

"—obviously," I interjected.

"—and it is my job to cook and clean." The buzzer went off, and Vivian grabbed the tray of cookies from the oven.

The chocolate goodness looked delicious. "Those smell amazing," I mumbled.

Vivian sat them on the counter and began moving them to a giant plate on the island. "What else can mates do?" I asked, eyeing the cookies.

Vivian pursed her lips. "They mate for life, unless one dies, and sometimes you get a second chance mate, but not always. They can feel one another"s feelings. Their needs."

My pulse quickened at the thought of Zander knowing my needs. Had I landed in Oz? That was any woman"s most desired fantasy for a man to know what they needed.

The throbbing in-between my legs ached. "Wow," I whispered, tucking my hair. "Vivian, can I ask you another question?"

She grabbed a cookie and took a bite. "Oh wow," she whispered. "That"s delicious. Sure, shoot."

"Is the sex good?" I whispered, though I already knew the answer to that.

She chuckled. "You have no idea. It"s fate. It"s meant to be. It"s God, giving you a mate that is the perfect match for you. You fit perfectly." She moved around the island. "Zander"s wolf—has he called to you?" she whispered.

"What do you mean?"

"Have you been dreaming of him?"

I bit the corner of my mouth, knowing he would come back with a full-blown vengeance after the kitchen incident.

I wanted it so badly.

I prayed he showed up in my dreams and rocked my world.

Even though it wasn"t real. It felt it.

"Yes," I said in a breathy voice.

Vivian smiled. "An alpha"s wolf is strong. Zander"s wolf was big. Pitch black. Eyes gold like honey. An alpha has the biggest wolf in the pack. Before the beast," she whispered. "He"d been so full of life. When he was cursed, it changed him. Until now ..."

"Until now?"

She smiled. "Until you."

The kitchen door swung open, and Zander walked inside. Freshly showered, he wore a nice pair of jeans and a button-down shirt that looked more like the Zander I knew before.

"Ladies," he said, his voice sliding over me. "I see you put some clothes on," he said slyly. "Pity."

I gave him a look that I hoped he felt.

Casually, he walked behind me, and plucked a cookie from the tray in front of me, his chest brushing against my shoulder. With delicately strong fingers, he popped it into his mouth.

Knowing those fingers had been tangled into my hair, and those lips pulled desire from me, had me hot all over again.

Zander smiled as if he knew how hot my insides felt for him. "Try a cookie, Little One. See what we made together."

Vivian suddenly found something to clean in the sink. Traitor.

"Sure," I said, grabbing one slowly, I turned and pushed it against his mouth, smearing the cookie against his lips, while the rest fell to the floor in-between us.

Swiftly, he captured my neck with four rough fingers and brought my mouth to his. "Taste it here then," he taunted.

My pride screamed no.

But that desire inside pressed me forward. My tongue snaked out against his mouth, and I tasted the evidence of cookie on his skin.

Dear God, did they have to taste so good?

With a playful look, he slid the piece of cookie on the side of his face, into his mouth, and his gaze dropped to my chest. "I can"t wait to mark you," he whispered. "I"ll show you what I want to do with those perfect pink nipples."

My breath caught as he unlaced his fingers from my neck. "Come on, Little One. You know you want one." He grabbed a second cookie and left the kitchen.

When the door closed behind him, I let out a deep breath and braced my palms against the island.

Vivian looked over her shoulder. "You"re in over your head, Piper."

"Don"t I know it," I whispered, while snagging a cookie and taking a bite.