49. Mai

My eyes filled with tears as our renegade Pack rushed toward us. Wally got to us first, sweeping me up in a hug.

"You did it!"

"We did it!" I replied, as Sofia and Thomas joined our hug.

I let their scents envelope me. It grounded me, connected me to . They were my family, and after everything we had been through, I just wanted to enjoy this.

"You, girly, are going to make an awesome Alpha!" Wally said, as he put me down.

He must have seen the panic on my face as the idea of actually being an Alpha, of running the Three Rivers Pack and being responsible for over four hundred Shifters, hit me. Wally laughed. "That's a challenge for another day, Mai."

Sofia leaned in for another hug. Wally was right. I'd face that challenge tomorrow. Today was for celebrating and recuperating.

I felt Sofia sob quietly on my shoulder. I was so happy that she was alive I didn't want to let go. She smelled of blood and exhaustion but also of elation and relief.

"You okay?" I whispered. "I was so scared for you."

She nodded. "Me? I thought for sure that Brock had killed you. And then you had to go through that challenge. Fucking hell, Mai! Having to watch and not help in any way, it was worse than when Tristan took me."

I squeezed her tight. "I saw you fighting. You and Derek moved like you were one person. You guys did amazing!"

I felt Sofia shrug as she stepped back. "I'm guess I'm not just your friendly barista anymore; I've picked up a few things. Besides, I'd fight back to back with daemons if it meant getting you free."

I looked at her and grinned. "Comparing Derek to a daemon?"

"No. That would be unkind to daemons."

I guess them fighting together hadn't thawed Sofia's heart. I opened my mouth to tell her that she'd been wrong all this time and there was nothing between Derek and Shya, when Wally said, "We've sent out a call. The whole Pack is coming here. We're going to have a cookout and celebrate properly."

"In that case," Ryan said, as he grabbed me from behind and lifted me up into his arms. "I want some alone time with my Alpha before the hordes arrive."

I giggled as Ryan set off towards the forest. "What are you doing?"

"Taking you somewhere where it will just be us." He growled, holding me so close that I could feel his heart pounding against my chest.

A bolt of desire shot right to my core.

"Ryan," I whispered, my voice husky.

"Nearly there."

He stopped in a small clearing at exactly the point where I judged no one would be able to hear us. He put me down on a bed of soft moss, but I was determined to have control this time.

His expression changed as I unbuttoned his pants and pushed them down his thighs until they fell away to the ground. He wasn't wearing underwear, and his huge cock sprang free. My fingers traced the length of him, from root to tip. He felt solid in my hand, warmth seeping into my palm as I worked him, teasing him with my touch. I lowered my mouth onto him then—savoring the heady flavor of him as the flared crown pushed past my lips and onto my tongue. One hand palmed the thick base, while my tongue worked the top that was just as hard and hot. The saltiness heightened the sweetness of his skin and left a burning trail on my tongue as he pulsed against my lips and tongue.

Ryan moaned when I took another inch of him between my lips, sucking lightly at the rigid flesh throbbing against the back of my throat.

His hips bucked beneath me, meeting every flick of my tongue with a groan.

I lost myself in his pleasure, basking in his panting moans.

"Mai," he warned, his voice low and gruff, as I took more of him into my mouth and sucked. "Fuck!"

That was it. He hauled me up and dropped us both to the ground, his arms snaking around me to protect me from the fall.

I grinned up at Ryan. "Feeling impatient, are we?"

He thrust my legs apart, settling between them. The hard length of him pressed against me, eliciting a throaty moan.

One hand slid under my panties, teasing me with swirls of his finger. His fingers brushed my core, circling but never entering.

"Ryan!" I cried out in frustration.

Laughter rumbled in his chest.

I fisted his shirt, glaring at him. "Now."

He kissed me, and then finally gave me what I craved. Three fingers thrust deep inside me. I broke the kiss, throwing my head back in a strangled gasp. He pumped into me, curling his fingers with each stroke.

The pleasure was almost too much as he increased his pace. Sensation shot from my core, spreading throughout my body.

"Come for me, Mai," he ordered, his eyes locked onto my face. "I want to watch you come."

The coil in my belly snapped, pleasure flooding my veins. My muscles clenched around him as my orgasm ripped through me. I shuddered, crying out his name.

"That's my girl."

He kissed me softly, gently easing his fingers free. I whimpered at the loss, still wanting more.

He knew I wasn't done and grinned wickedly at me. Then he hauled me up and turned me, so I was facing a tree.

"Hold on," he ordered.

A growl rumbled in his chest as he positioned himself behind me. In one hard thrust, he buried himself to the hilt inside me.

I cried out, nearly collapsing at the sensation of being so utterly filled by him.

Ryan's fingers dug into my hips, holding me in place. "You feel so damn good." He pulled back slowly before pounding into me again.

I rocked back to meet his thrusts. This was what life was about. We'd fought for our lives, we'd finally gotten justice for Jem, we were both alive and there was nowhere else I wanted to be. Our bond flared to life, desire and pleasure swirling between us. He pounded into me, each slap of his hips pushing me closer and closer to the edge. Our bond was flooded with sensations. Not just the feel of him against my inner walls, filling me up, stretching me with such pleasure, again and again but I could feel what he was feeling, could feel his raw desire to fill me up with his cum, to make me scream his name.

"Ryan," I gasped.

"That's it, Mai." One hand slid around my hip, fingers finding my clit.

He rubbed tight circles over the sensitive nub and my vision went white. Pleasure erupted through me as I came.

"Fuck, Mai!" Ryan surged into me once, twice more, before stiffening behind me. Warmth flooded my core as he found his release.

My arms shook, threatening to collapse under me. Ryan wrapped an arm around my waist, easing us onto the ground without breaking our connection.

I sighed, snuggling back into his embrace. Our hearts pounded as one, breaths mingling in the cool forest air.

"I love you," he murmured against my neck.

I smiled, lacing my fingers through his against my stomach. "And I love you."