Chapter 12 - Mia

I haven't said anything to Evan, but my entire body has been throbbing and aching since we left that lake. Now that we're back at his cabin, it's only gotten worse, and my body feels like every single nerve ending is on fire. He's drawing me a bath to warm me up while I lie on the bed under the covers, but I honestly don't think I could walk that far if I tried.

When he comes into the bedroom to check on me, I can see the concern written all over his face. He walks over to the bed and kneels next to me, reaching out to brush my hair away from my face. His touch is cool and soothing, and when he pulls his hand away, the throbbing ache returns.

"Are you okay?" he asks.

"I think so," I mumble. "My body just aches. It's like I'm covered in bruises or something. My legs hurt too much to move."

"I can carry you," he offers, and the thought of being pressed against his bare chest makes me tingle.

"I don't think that's a good idea," I say quickly. "I'll just lay here and wait until the pain goes away."

He looks like he wants to protest, but the look on my face must change his mind because he just climbs into bed next to me.

"I'm sorry," he whispers, pulling the covers over us. "If I'd known it would hurt you, I would have never taken you out there."

I roll over onto my side, facing away from him, and his arm slips around my waist, pulling me against him. His warmth soothes the ache, and when his lips press against the back of my neck, my body reacts, arching into him. On the surface, the pain is all but gone, but beneath the surface, a deeper, more powerful ache has taken its place. Now it's my core that's throbbing, pulsing, and it's excruciatingly painful.

"What are you doing to me?" I groan, shifting my weight.

"What do you mean? I'm just holding you."

"It hurts, Evan."

"Where?"

"Everywhere." I can barely choke out the words. The pain is overwhelming. It's like a thousand needles pricking at my insides, and the agony is unbearable. I try to get up, but the moment I lose contact with Evan, a wave of nausea sweeps over me, and the stinging sensation travels back into my muscles and my skin. I fall back against the bed, and he's hovering over me, his hand brushing against my cheek.

"Mia, talk to me. Tell me what's happening. Tell me how to fix it."

Once again, his touch soothes the pain, and I cling to him, wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling him closer. My body is pressed against his, and when his bare skin touches mine, I shiver. He's radiating heat, and his body is solid, muscular, and hard. I can't explain what's happening to me. All I know is that the only place it still hurts now that he's against me is on the inside, and I can't stand it anymore. Only one thing has helped, and if I want to find any relief, I'll have to swallow my pride and take it.

"We have to have sex." The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them, and the look on his face tells me that he didn't expect to hear them.

"What?" he sputters, pulling away from me.

I claw at him, begging him to hold me again before the pain returns, and he quickly obliges.

"What are you talking about, Mia? What's happening to you?"

"I don't know," I cry, tears streaming down my cheeks. "But something inside me hurts, and it's getting worse. I'm begging you, please. Just do it and make it stop. I don't care, just make it stop!"

"Mia," he whispers, kissing my cheek. "Mia, calm down."

"Inside, Evan." My body is shaking, and my teeth are clenched together. Every second he's not inside me, the pain is growing. "Please. Please."

"Okay, shh, okay." His voice is soft, reassuring. It calms me, but the pain is still there, burning deep inside me, and I can't bear it any longer.

But when I feel his hands pushing my legs apart, my body must know the relief is coming because the pain all but disappears, replaced by an ache that makes my insides throb. My body is begging him to do something to ease the agony, and when his fingers graze my clit, it's as if he's found a magical elixir.

The relief is instantaneous, and I let out a long, drawn-out moan, my hips moving in rhythm with his hand. He strokes me gently through the fabric of my underwear, slowly, and his touch is feather-light. My entire body shudders, and my pussy contracts. He's barely even touching me, and I feel like I'm losing my mind.

"Does it feel better now?" he asks, his voice a low rumble in my ear.

"Yes," I whisper.

"Tell me what you need," he urges, his hand still working between my thighs.

"Don't stop," I moan, my hips rocking against his hand. "Don't st─"

His mouth is on mine before I can finish, swallowing the words, and his touch is no longer gentle. He shoves my panties to the side and pushes his finger inside me. A strangled gasp escapes me, and he thrusts another finger in, filling me. They're pumping in and out of me, curling against my walls, and his thumb is stroking my clit. His tongue is thrusting against mine, and he's moaning into my mouth. The sound is so primal and feral, it sets off a spark inside me.

When he pulls his mouth away from mine, his lips travel down my neck, and he drags his tongue over the sensitive skin. Without thinking, I pull the straps of my dress off my shoulders and lower the top, exposing my breasts. My nipples are already hard, and when his lips wrap around one, the heat of his mouth sends a jolt through me. I grab the back of his head, pressing him closer. He swirls his tongue over my nipple, flicking and teasing, and his fingers are still moving as his thumb works in circles over my clit.

"Oh, God," I gasp, grinding my hips against his hand. "Evan. Oh, God, Evan!"

He lifts his head, kissing my mouth again, and the feel of his cock rubbing against my leg makes me moan. I reach down and work at the buttons of his jeans, fumbling between our bodies, and he moves his hand from between my legs to push them off. I grab a hold of his dick, stroking him, and the feeling of his hard shaft in my hand makes me wetter than I already was.

"Are you sure this is what you want, Mia?" he asks, looking into my eyes. I can see the hunger, the desperation, and the longing there, and it almost matches my own.

"Please, Evan. Please fuck me."

He nods and grabs my hands, pinning them above my head. His other hand is on his cock, guiding it into my pussy, and I can feel every inch as he slowly eases himself inside me. There's a sharp sting, but it quickly fades, and I close my eyes and gasp once he's fully buried.

"Fuck, Mia. You're so tight," he moans.

"Don't stop," I whisper. "Just keep moving."

His pace is slow at first, like he's trying not to hurt me, but soon his thrusts become faster and deeper. He releases his hold on my hands, letting me wrap my arms around him. His face is buried in my neck, and I'm clinging to him, the pain finally completely gone. All that's left is this incredible feeling of fullness, and warmth, and pleasure. It's building inside me, and when he shifts his weight, I cry out. His cock is hitting a spot inside me that makes me feel like my insides are about to explode. My entire body is tingling.

"That's it, Mia," he grunts. "Let go. Let me hear you. Say my name. Say it. Tell me you belong to me."

"Oh, God," I gasp.

"Say it," he growls, his lips hovering over mine.

"Evan," I whisper, and he presses his mouth against mine, capturing the word.

"Yes, Mia. Fuck. Yes."

"Evan," I moan again, louder this time as he thrusts deeper, faster.

His hands are on my hips, holding me steady as he pumps in and out, and when he pulls my legs apart even wider and slides his hand down to stroke my clit, the feeling of his cock slamming into me and his fingers teasing the sensitive bundle of nerves sends me over the edge. My orgasm hits. It rips through me with so much force, I lose all control.

I'm thrashing, unable to stop screaming. The feeling is too intense, too powerful. When he buries his cock inside me one last time and I feel him release, he's grunting and gasping. The look on his face is so erotic, it makes me shudder.

He collapses next to me, breathing heavily, and when he wraps his arms around me and kisses my shoulder, I feel his lips turn up into a smile.

"How do you feel?" he asks.

"I'm not sure yet," I admit through ragged breaths. "The pain is gone, that's for sure."

"Thank God." He pulls me against him, kissing my shoulder, but I grow stiff.

Now that my mind is clearing and the fog of lust is beginning to dissipate, the reality of what just happened is settling in. I had sex with Evan. I wanted him. I enjoyed it. I asked for it. No, I begged for it. I begged him to fuck me.

The thought makes me cringe, and I push him away and climb out of the bed.

"Where are you going?" he asks.

I'm standing next to the bed, clutching the dress to my chest. "What the hell was what, Evan? What did you do to me?"

He's looking at me like I've lost my mind, and maybe I have, but there's no way I'm just going to brush this under the rug and act like everything is normal.

"I asked you a question."

"Why are you angry, Mia? I only did what you asked me to do."

"Why am I angry?" I'm practically screaming, but I can't help it. My emotions are getting the best of me. "I'm angry because I want an explanation for what the hell happened to me, for why I felt so much pain. And the minute we have sex, the pain goes away, and then you act like everything is normal. Like nothing weird just happened."

"Nothing weird just happened, Mia. It's natural for mates to share a spiritual connection. It's how the gods ensure our kind will survive."

"What are you talking about?"

"When we went to the lake, we asked the spirits to bless us, and they did. They solidified our union on a deeper level. We're forever connected, Mia. Spiritually speaking, it's until death do us part. Your body must've felt the urge to mate, and you tried to reject it, and that's why you were in so much pain."

"No," I gasp. "That's not possible."

"It's the truth. I wasn't sure at first since it took so long for the pain to hit you. I was beginning to think maybe it wouldn't."

"And were you going to say something sooner? Or were you going to let me suffer?"

"Don't be like that. It's a blessing. A sign from the spirits."

"No. No, I can't accept that. I can't accept any of this. You drugged me or something so I would sleep with you, didn't you?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Mia."

"How am I supposed to know? Maybe the wine at the party was spiked or something."

He throws his hands in the air, and I can tell he's losing his patience. "Okay, I can prove it to you. Let's go back to the lake. Now that we've mated, the spirits will recognize you as an equal, and you can see for yourself."

"I'm not walking all the way back there in the middle of the night."

"We'll take my motorcycle, then. It'll only take a few minutes, and you can see for yourself, okay?"

I hesitate, not sure what to do. I could stay here and let the doubt eat away at me, or I could go to the lake and get some answers. I don't really have a choice, do I?

"Fine," I say, pulling my dress back on. "Let's go."

He grabs his clothes off the floor and pulls his pants back on, grumbling about how stubborn and unreasonable I'm being. When he finishes getting dressed, he grabs his motorcycle keys and heads for the door. I follow, and once he gets on the bike and starts the engine, he motions for me to climb on.

"Where are the helmets?" I ask, my heart racing.

"Do you see any, Mia? Just wrap your arms around my waist and hold on tight."

I do as he says, and when we start moving, I squeeze him tighter. It's so dark outside, I can barely see. I wonder how he can possibly see where he's going.

"Slow down!" I yell, but he either can't hear me or is ignoring me because he doesn't slow down.

By the time we make it to the lake, my heart is pounding so hard, I feel like it might explode. If he's telling the truth, and this is all a spiritual connection, then the gods are seriously playing a cruel joke on me. How can they expect me to spend the rest of my life with a man I was forced into marrying? And not just any man. A man who's arrogant and conceited, who's always looking at me like he's plotting his next move.

As soon as the bike comes to a stop, I jump off and rush over to the water's edge, diving head-first with my clothes still on. The water is cold, and it's murky now from the earlier disturbance, but I can still see. I swim to the bottom to touch the statue.

When I place my hands on the stone, a strange sensation washes over me. It's like a current, and I can feel the power surging through me. It's the strangest thing, and it doesn't feel entirely natural. After a few seconds, a voice comes into my head.

"Your union is blessed, daughter of the wolf. Your mate has claimed you as his."

I scream, pushing away from the statue and swimming toward the surface. I can't breathe, and my body is shaking. The only thought I have is to get away.

As soon as my head pops above the water, Evan is by my side. He's reaching for me, and I try to push him away, but he grabs my arms and pulls me close.

"Let me go!" I shout.

"What happened?" he asks. "Mia, talk to me."

"Take me back home. Now. Please."

"Okay."

He leads me out of the water and back onto the bike. On the ride home, rage boils in my blood. I don't know if it's the adrenaline or the lingering effects of whatever the spirits did, but I'm suddenly furious. My fate has been sealed, and I had no say in it at all. Evan has taken everything from me. My freedom, my life, and now, the possibility of ever being able to find someone I truly love.

When we get back to his cabin, he takes my hand and tries to lead me into the house, but I pull away from him.

"No!" I yell and storm inside, making a beeline for the bedroom. "I'll find a way out of here, Evan. I promise you. I'll do whatever it takes, and I will be free of you."

He stands in the doorway, leaning against the frame, watching me as I pace the room like a wild animal in a cage.

"I'll give you a little time to cool off, Mia," he says, "but know this. You are my wife. My mate. Whether you like it or not."

And with that, he leaves, slamming the door behind him. I'm relieved at first, more than pleased to have the peace of sleeping alone. But then I hear the lock click into place. I run to the door and try the knob, and when it doesn't open, I beat on the door.

"Evan, let me out! Don't do this!"

But there's no answer, and after a few seconds of silence, the fear begins to creep in. It's almost paralyzing. The walls are closing in on me, the room is spinning, and I can't breathe.

I have to find a way out of here. I need to get outside.