Chapter 17

Ren

"Please tell me it's not just me," Mikalina whispered, maybe to herself.

I wound my arms tighter around her, needing her closer. Gods, I needed her so much closer. I needed us fused, irrevocably tied together for all of eternity. "I've known you were mine before you even came into my life, iubirea mea." I knew my words would make no sense, and I wanted so desperately to tell her what she really was to me.

Patience.

"What does that mean?" she asked softly, her body warming for me further. I could smell the heat of her, the arousal slowly growing like a fire from kindling.

I pushed her hair away gently, lingering on the smooth, soft, and warm expanse of where her throat met her shoulder. I couldn't help but let my gaze focus on that area… right where my bite would go.

My mouth watered, my canine incisors elongating in preparation.

Patience.

"My love, or something to that extent," I murmured, my focus still on that sweet spot at her neck. My cock was so hard, thick and long, and I couldn't help but roll my hips, knowing I was digging the fucker against her.

She gasped and tightened her nails into my arms, holding on, but also pressing down on me.

I tipped my head back slightly as a shot of ecstasy slammed into me. My eyes dropped to half-mast, my gaze trained on her eyes, seeing she was getting to that moment right with me… the one where she was so fucking primed she couldn't think straight.

I kept my mouth closed so she wouldn't see my fangs, so she wouldn"t see how much my mouth watered to pierce her flesh and give her my mark.

Patience.

"That"s one hell of an endearment," she whispered, and when I lifted my hips again, pressed my cock against her core, she closed her eyes and moaned, gripping me tighter, her words trailing off.

I wanted her… badly. I desired her more than I"d ever desired anything in my long existence, and here she was—my mate—for the taking.

"I feel… like I'm burning alive, Ren."

I had my mouth at her throat after she uttered those words, my lips and tongue lashing at her flesh. I groaned at her sweetness, the flavor of her skin exploding on my tongue. She was an aphrodisiac. Everything about her was so potent to me I knew I'd never get enough. I'd continue to crave and crave and crave her until I drew my last breath. My need for Mikalina would only grow with each passing day.

"I need to feel you, touch you… taste you." I pulled back, a feat hard as fuck. "Will you let me, my female?"

She opened her eyes and looked at me with a drugged expression. I didn't censor my verbiage, even knowing she might think it was weird the words I said. My female. My love. I hoped she thought it was because of a language barrier, English as my second language, so my words sounded strange to her. She could think that right now. It would make things easier for her mind. But eventually—very fucking soon—she'd know the truth of what they meant.

"Will you let me make you feel good?"

Gods, she was breathing so hard, her eyes so blue they almost glowed from her desire.

"This is so crazy," she murmured and lowered her eyes to my lips. "But I can't seem to say no to you." She looked back into my eyes. "I don't want to say no to anything with you, Ren."

I let out a purr of approval and rolled my hips again, loving how she gasped from the contact.

"I'm so confused," she said and looked at my mouth once more. "But I don't even care, because I want you too much, Ren."

I growled, fucking growled like the Lycan I was.

In a matter of seconds, I cleared the table in front of me with a sweep of my arm and had Mikalina sitting on the smooth wood, her legs spread, her eyes wide. While staring into her shocked but pleasure-hazed expression, I gripped her ankles and placed her feet on the edge of the table. She wore pants, but they were no match for my passion. I'd tear them away like they were tissue.

"You want this?"

She licked her lips and nodded.

I was barely hanging on as it was, and the scent of her arousal slammed into my nose, making me sway in my chair, having my whole body ache for more. "Trust me to take care of you, Mikalina. Trust me to make this good for you." Gods, I felt like another male, like someone else occupied my body.

Something does.This beast. This feral creature, that was by all accounts stronger than anything else on the planet, was clawing to get out.

It wanted this female too.

With my hands on her ankles, I spread my palms upward, holding her gaze with mine. When my fingers were perilously close to her core, she let her head fall back on her neck, closed her eyes, and breathed out slow and long.

"Ren," she moaned.

I snapped, letting my nails lengthen to claws and tearing at her pants until they were nothing but shreds of fabric scattered around the table and floor.

She snapped her head up and gasped, looking at the remains of her pants. But I could see she liked this erotic violence, this act of need so strong in me that I had no control over myself.

I kept my hands out of her view so she couldn't see my claws, and while still holding her eyes with mine, I leaned forward. Her scent was even more saturated with only a thin pair of cotton panties blocking her sex from me, and I closed my eyes and groaned. Her heat swirled around me, sucking the energy from the very pit of my soul. Gods, if this was how I died, there'd be nothing better in the world.

I ran the tip of my nose up her center, feeling how wet she was, the material soaked clean through.

"My female is hungry for me." I didn't expect her to respond… not unless she gave me her answer by moaning and spreading her thighs wider.

Which she did.

"Ren… oh yes. God. Ren, yes."

I kissed her gently, inhaled her deeply. I couldn't get enough. I gripped the edge of her panties and in one swift move tore the thin material away. And as I looked at her perfection, stared between her thighs, I grew dizzy from my lust.

Pink. Swollen. Wet.

So… fucking wet.

"The sooner you realize you're mine, the easier this will be." I shouldn"t have said it. Then again, I didn"t. My Lycan was pushing forward, breaking through my control every now and again, taking over so he could experience this as well.

I lowered my focus from her face to her chest, watching as her breasts rose and fell violently under her shirt. I snapped my attention back at her face. "Admittedly, I like the chase. I crave your resistance, because that means your surrender will be all the sweeter."

A small noise left her.

"You're so wet for me, my female."

She made a small noise in the back of her throat and looked into my face.

Wide, aroused eyes.

Blown-out pupils.

Increased breathing.

Pulse beating rapidly at the base of her throat.

"More," she moaned softly, her lips parting in pleasure.

My arms were locked tight, the muscles straining, my need to control myself a razor"s edge. I moved my fingers down her inner leg, right beside her pussy, and then didn't torment us any longer. I touched her pussy lips lightly, spreading my fingers through her soaked slit. I couldn't stop from groaning.

"Yeah," I said to myself low, huskily. "My tiny female wants this, and I'm eager to satiate her."

"God. Ren. Yes, yes, I want this."

And that was all I needed for any remaining control I had to fucking snap right in two.

I slipped a hand under her so I could place it on the small of her back, then moved my other onto her belly, keeping her in place as I started to lick at her cleft, sucked on her clit, and groaned as I savored her flavor.

"Watch me," I growled in a voice that wasn't from my human side. It was rough and sharp around the edges. "Look at what I'm doing, how I'm drinking your honey, letting all that sweetness slip down my throat."

She lifted her head, her lips parting, a soft moan leaving her as her gaze locked between her thighs at what I was doing to her.

I ran my tongue up and down her slit, giving her so much ecstasy I knew she'd always crave me… just like I'd always need her. My groans no doubt vibrated over her pussy. She was spread before me like an offering, a meal for me, something I could feast on until I was drowning in the flavor and scent of her.

I feasted on her, knowing I"d never get enough, and when she came for me, her back arching, her hands thrust into my hair as she tugged at the strands, I growled, letting my Lycan rise up momentarily to experience this right along with me.

Mine.

Ours.

Yes. Claim her now. Now!

It was long seconds before I finally stopped lapping at her, leaning back and breathing like I'd been running for hours, my body super-aware of every little detail that made my mate. My gaze was riveted to the sight of her pussy, her legs spread wide, her knees falling all the way open. So wet, even now.

I finally tore my eyes from between her legs to see her staring at me. The way her eyes widened when she looked into mine told me how I appeared, told me the color was no longer brown in shade but blue and vivid from my Lycan.

I could feel myself start to change, my canines elongating, the twin points pressed to my lower lips. I knew my body probably appeared bigger, more muscular, and that if I lifted my hands, my nails would be long, dangerous claws.

But I couldn't help it, not when I was so fucking turned on, not when I allowed my animal to experience this small snippet of what it was like with our mate.

Her scent covered my mouth, surrounding me, and it was drawing me closer to a brutal start where I truly had no control. I was going to fucking lose it.

I pushed away from her, standing, pacing. I ran my hands over my arms, up and down, up and down. I closed my eyes and just breathed, trying to stem off the change, the shift that would terrify her.

"Ren?" She said my name in this frightened tone.

I spun on her, my eyes now open, my breathing harsh.

She made an almost startled sound and scrambled to sit up before getting off the table and stumbling back from me. "Oh God," she whispered and covered her mouth with her hands. I turned from her, giving her my back as I tried to control myself. "What are you?" Her voice shook, and I heard the rustling of clothing as she no doubt dressed.

Although the need to take her right now was strong in me, my arousal was doused with the revelation of what was about to transpire, and the fact that my mate feared me. I closed my eyes, breathing out. I was shocked though that she hadn't ran out of here screaming.

"What are you?" she asked again, and I exhaled.

This moment was bound to come, especially since I had no intentions of letting her go, but I hadn"t meant for her to be frightened. I wanted to ease her into it, although I'd run out of time.

"I'm not human, not wholly. A Lycan, Mikalina."

She didn't answer for long seconds, and I wondered what was going on in that beautiful head of hers.

"You're saying you're some kind of wolf shifting person?" She sounded skeptical, maybe even hesitant, probably thinking I was a lunatic.

"I'm just another species in the Otherworld. Although I can shapeshift, so yes, I suppose lore got that right."

She was panting, her eyes wide, her confusion and fear so very real. "Another species," she murmured then glanced down and furrowed her brows. "Otherworld, as in supernatural other world… stuff?" My silence must have been confirmation enough because she let out a gust of air. "What else aren't you telling me?" Her voice was steady, her gaze even. "I know there's more," she whispered.

"I'm a Lycan. And you're my mate."