Chapter 36

I t’s all a blur. The last thing I remember is Violet popping into existence the exact moment that dumb motherfucker was challenging me. He called her a filthy fucking witch, and all I saw was red.

The only consideration I had was keeping Violet safe, protecting her honor, and making that fucking asshole pay.

I groan as I run a hand down my face. My hair is wet, and there’s no crusted blood from the challenge on my face—it’s really rather disgusting when Thorin does that. I blink away the aches and look around, seeing that I’m in the Alpha cabin, and there is a very pissed off, also wet, Violet glaring down at me.

She has the knitted blanket from the couch wrapped around her body as she glares at me.

“What happened?” I groan, sitting up, not giving a fuck that I’m completely naked.

“Which part? Where you’ve been lying about me being your mate, or when our wolves took over and did, Hecate knows what, in the woods together,” she says, pulling a leaf out of her wet hair.

Instead of answering, I just lie back down on the floor.

“Fuck,” I groan, and Violet nudges me with her foot.

“That’s all you have to say?”

“Yeah, or else I’ll wind up yelling at you,” I tell her, and she scoffs.

“Yelling at me?” she says, an irritated pissed off look takes over her pretty face.

“The entire fucking pack knows what you are now, Violet. If one of them slips up, we’re fucked.”

Her mouth gapes open, and she promptly shuts it, knowing that I’m right. She just exposed us. While I might have a handle over most of the pack, along with their respect, there are other factors in play.

“I was being challenged tonight. There are still people in Moon Walker that don’t want me here. They can ruin everything we’re trying to do with this information.”

She rubs her hand over her face, sitting on the couch as I stay lying on the floor, contemplating how we got here.

“I wasn’t thinking. I just wanted to not be alone, not be me for a few moments, so I thought I would talk with Azure. She told me she had a mate, and I panicked, and then when I found out it was you, all I saw was red.”

I stand from the floor and walk over to the laundry hamper in the corner, grabbing a pair of briefs and sliding them on.

“Well, now everyone there tonight knows you’re a hybrid,” I say angrily. Part of me is pissed at Violet for being reckless, but most of the anger is knowing that someone could use this information to hurt Violet.

She stands up, nowhere near matching my height, as she glares up at me. “Why didn’t you tell me? Why did you lie to me?”

I wave a hand at her and head to the kitchen to get a glass of water, her feet pad across the hardwood, following me.

I go to open the fridge and she slams it shut, making all the condiments on the shelf rattle with the harsh closing.

“Why?” she asks.

I lean against the sad white refrigerator and look at her. Some of my anger falls away as I look at the saddened expression on her face.

“It was my problem, not yours,” I say.

“Fucking idiot,” Thorin says as soon as the words slip out of my mouth.

Violet laughs sardonically as she goes to my laundry basket and grabs a shirt, dropping the blanket and tossing it over her head.

“Did you ever consider that I’ve been wondering if you had a mate who would take you away from me? That maybe information has been withheld from me my entire life?” she says, and I shut my eyes and take a deep breath.

“I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Do you want me as your mate?” she says. The vulnerability of the question is nearly dripping off of her as I take a few quick strides toward her and grip her face.

“Violet, I want everything from you.”

“Then why did you lie?” she asks.

“I didn’t lie?—”

“Don’t even start with me, Silas. We’re married. You said you wanted me to stay your wife. You took my virginity out in the woods, but you couldn’t tell me this?”

“You weren’t ready,” I tell her.

“You’re really fucking this up,” Thorin says, and part of me wishes I could strangle my own wolf.

Her eyes harden on mine, and she grabs my wrist and pulls it from my face. Her wand materializes out of nowhere as she heads for the front door of the cabin.

“Violet, stop,” I say, following after her.

As she goes to open the door, I place a hand well above her head and slam it shut. She spins on her heel and shoves the tip of her silver wand into the center of my chest.

“I’m sick and fucking tired of people keeping secrets from me. I expected more from you.”

I swallow thickly and look down at my incredibly pissed witch, who looks too hot for her own good when she’s angry. I grab her wrist that holds her wand and place it above her head, holding it still as I grab her other wrist until both of her hands are secured above her head with my palm.

“Tell me, little witch, what really has you so angry? Was it the thought of me with someone else?” I ask and she glares at me, and I can’t help but to smirk. “There could never be anyone else. All my life it’s been you, Vi.”

“You lied,” she says and I lean in and kiss her cheek, which she tries to tug away.

“I didn’t know if you would be able to feel the mating connection with your wolf not being a complete part of you. There was a lot going on. I didn’t plan on hiding this forever.”

“When, then? When were you going to tell me?” she asks.

My face falters, because I didn’t really have a timeline.

She sighs. “Let me go, Silas.”

“No,” I tell her. Invading her space more and crowding her. “I’m sorry, little witch. Let me make it up to you,” I say, my breath caressing the side of her face.

She softens ever so slightly, but I can tell she’s pissed. But there’s no fucking way I’m letting my mate, my wife, walk out of that door now that she’s in danger, now that she’s been exposed.

“Let me go,” she says, but there’s not enough heat with it.

I hold her wrists with one hand as I use the other to slide down her body and grip her hip.

“I wouldn’t have killed him if you weren’t there, you know? When he said that about you, I haven’t lost control like that in a long time. Do you know why?”

“Why?” she whispers.

“Because you’re my mate, my wife, my fucking everything, Vi. I would do anything to keep you safe, to protect you. I think that’s part of why I didn’t tell you. This hex, the circumstances, I wanted you to choose me the same way I’ve always chosen you. It’s always been you.”

“How do I know you want me for real?” she whispers. I tighten my grip on her wrist and press my body against hers.

“I loved you when I didn’t have a wolf present, and I’ll love you till the day that I die, Vi,” I tell her softly.

Her big blue eyes search my face as she licks her lips.

“I love you too,” she says softly.

As soon as the words slip out of her mouth, there’s a gentle sensation that slithers its way through me. It’s strong enough to give me pause and to loosen my grip on Violet’s wrists.

She must have felt it too, with the way she relaxes against the door. Her brows furrow, and she blinks rapidly as she tries to escape my hold. When I tighten, not letting her move, she groans.

“See if you can take off your wedding ring,” she says and confusion hits me. That is not where I saw things going after confirming our feelings for each other. “Just try it. You can put it right back on,” she says with a smirk.

I let her wrists go, and they fall to her sides as I reach over and grip the tungsten carbide ring between two fingers and pull it off of my finger.

“What the fuck?” I say.

She smiles and shakes her head. “Of course,” she says, clearly not passing the revelation on to me. “The hex. We gave it what it really wanted.”

Still confused, she shakes her head at me like I’m an idiot.

“We did what we promised when the hex was cast on our free will. It’s broken now,” she says, looking over to the kitchen as she wraps her arms around herself.

I slide my wedding ring back on and grip her chin.

“Violet Delvaux, will you stay my wife?” I ask her.

It’s like I’m forcing the smile on her face, but she nods anyway.

“I’m still mad at you,” she says, which just makes me grin, as my fingers dig into the soft skin of her face.

“I’ll make it up to you,” I say and she glares at me, which is too precious. So I lean forward and press my lips to hers, kissing her cute little pout away.

“Silas,” she whispers my name against my lips, and I shiver. She might still be pissed, but I plan on fucking the anger out of her.

“Hmm?” I ask, as I bend down, kissing the soft skin of her neck.

“You can’t seduce me out of being angry with you.”

“No?”

I slide my hand over her pussy, cupping her there, where I can already feel she’s wet.

“You know, we’re not fully mated?” I ask her and her brows furrow as I slide a finger over her wet lips, grazing gently over her needy clit.

“What?” she says in a breathy moan.

“You’re my mate, but we’re not fully mated until my mark is on you. Do you want my mark, baby? Do you want to be mine in every way?” I ask.

I’m not sure how I turned being scolded, to feeling my own frustrations, to shamelessly begging her to let me mark her, but here we are. I can’t contain this beast that’s been riding me since the day she walked back into my life.

She licks her lips, the back of her head thudding against the aged front door.

“You’re mine, Violet. It’s why we both waited to feel this fucking good. Let me sink my cock and teeth into you at the same time to prove it,” I plead. It’s slightly pathetic, but I don’t care.

I know as soon as I really mate with her, seal her with my bond mark, that I’ll always know she’s safe.

“Do I…do I mark you too?”

I groan, rubbing my hard cock against the soft skin of her stomach as I grab her waist and fist the back of her hair, protecting her head from the door.

“You want to sink your teeth into me and mark me, little wolf?”

She shivers at the mention of her wolf and bites down on her plush lower lip as she nods her eagerness.

“Take my cock out,” I tell her.

Her hands shake as she grabs the waistband of the underwear I just put on as she shoves them down my thighs and I kick them away. I grab the hem of my shirt and tug it over her head. She smells like me, she’s married to me, but she’s about to belong to me in every sense of the word.

I grip her ass and heft her higher against the door as her legs wrap around me. Her dripping pussy grinds against my length as she wraps her arms around my shoulders and her lips crash against mine.

The kiss is hungry, hurried, and everything I’ve ever wanted. Violet kisses me like I’m her oxygen and I kiss her back, knowing that she’s mine.

Adrenaline, want, and need are coursing through my veins. I’m about to have the thing I never thought possible. The woman I’ve always wanted, but couldn’t have, is about to be mine in the way that matters most to an Alpha wolf like me, and she’s giving it freely.

The scent of her arousal is heady and has a moan of desire ripping out of my throat.

“Silas,” she whispers my name, her fingers tangling in my hair as her legs squeeze me in tighter.

“Are you going to take all of me, Vi?”

She swallows as I slide the head of my shaft against her wet pussy and I can tell there’s some apprehension there.

“Will it hurt?” she asks, and I smirk.

“No, baby, it was made for you,” I say, thrusting deep inside of her.

She moans loudly, her nails digging into my shoulder and scalp as I slide in and out of her, letting my knot press against her entrance, but not giving it to her yet.

I lick and suck on the skin on the side of her neck, feeling eager and impatient about giving her my mark, about giving her everything.

“Are you going to take my knot, little witch? Are you going to take it all?” I ask her.

“Fuck. Yes,” she says, her body banging against the door with each thrust. My fingers dig into the soft flesh of her ass, the tips of my fingers feeling the way her tight hole shifts every time I fuck her.

I want her there at some point, too.

“Where do you want me to mark you?” I ask her, hoping and praying she lets me put it on her neck, where everyone can see.

I need everyone to know that she’s mine.

She tilts her head to the side, showing off the pink marks from the way I’ve been sucking on her throat, and I groan, fucking her harder.

Her mouth parts on a moan, and I quickly silence it with my own mouth. Nothing else exists right now. We have no problems, nothing to work through.

Right now it’s me and Violet and the rest of the world doesn’t matter. At this moment, I feel more peace than I have in my entire life. I’m consumed with her scent, the way her skin is pressed against mine, and the delicious way her cunt grips my length.

This is the most transformative moment of my life and I haven’t even claimed her yet.