31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Bri

M ATE.

My orgasm explodes through me as my wolf forces to the surface. Instinct takes over, and I find myself biting into his flesh, heat filling my mouth as his blood leaks into me.

He's fucking delicious.

Mate.

Every cell in my body is connected to him, static spiraling around each nerve. My essence pours into him as I take his into me, becoming one as our bond anchors itself in the very fiber of our DNA. Our heartbeats sync, matching in cadence as we become intricately woven together.

My skin crackles with electric energy, and it feels as if every nerve has been touched by lightning.

Deep within me, I feel his thoughts, emotions, and even his memories flash before my eyes. His Awakening, Meeting Dante, graduation, his parents moving away, Marcus's death, and even the day he met me all snap into my mind as if I'd lived them.

The last memory that flows into my consciousness is a vision of me. My cheeks are flush, my forehead gleaming with sweat from the last orgasm he gave, and my eyes are glowing in a burnt orange hue.

Seeing myself through his eyes has me gasping.

Stunning.

Is this how he sees me?

My gasp releases the bite and, with it, seals our connection. Warmth envelops me, and I feel the skin on my shoulder begin to knit back together.

When my breath finally evens, I lean back to see the damage I'd done to his shoulder, only to find that instead of open sores and blood stains, his flesh is now intricately decorated in glowing silver lines so vivid they appear to be moving in his skin. The pattern begins with three stars where my bottom teeth punctured, and from those stars, lightning charges in every direction over his shoulder, in between his other tattoos at the top of his arm, and down the entirety of his back.

My fingers are drawn to it like a magnet. Delicately, they slide over the hundreds of branches, and I can feel the touch on my skin as they glide.

Mate.

When I glance at him, I see he's also staring at my shoulder. The same three stars sit at the top of my back, and silver lightning spreads off in every direction, just like it does on his.

They match.

Our Mate Marks.

Cain's lips drop, and he individually kisses each star before turning and placing a final kiss on my lips.

"I love you," he whispers, not needing to say the words because I can feel them thrumming through me.

"I love you too, Candy Cain," I respond, melting into him. The satisfaction of feeling genuinely whole for the first time brings a sense of peace I've never known—the missing part of my puzzle.

"I told you that you would be mine," he says, snark filling his tone as he rolls me to my back and drops a kiss on my nose. "The first time I kissed you in that parking lot outside Dante's car, I said I would have you, and look at us now. You're mine."

The way my heart soars at the term has me closing my eyes to bask in the feeling.

I'm his.

"Let's go get cleaned up," he finishes, pushing himself off me as he stands, pivoting to the bathroom.

Bri: Well, with this view, there is definitely no buyer's remorse.

Cain: Buyer's remorse? Firefly, is that all I am? An object for you to own and play with?

Bri: Maybe

Cain: Good, come play with me in the shower

He sends in the mind-link and looks over his shoulder, a Cheshire smile spreading across his face before he strides off to turn on the water.

It's as if my whole body is smiling, and I can feel his love for me radiating over the bond. The connection is like being plugged directly into his emotions; the fact that they mirror mine only intensifies the feeling.

I crawl my way over to the edge of the bed to follow him as another mind-link comes through.

Dante: Welcome to the Vegas Pack, Brielle, and congratulations on your wolf.

Holy shit.

Having Cain's voice in my head is one thing, but the way Dante's message came through without any sign startles me.

When the vampire did it, I felt him kind of sliding around in there first.

Cain pokes his head out of the bathroom, concern etched in his features and worry running along the bond.

"I guess I'm connected to Dante now, too," I say, pointing to my head in explanation. I feel his relief wash over him.

Bri: Thanks, boss errr… Alpha?

Dante: Dante is fine. You don't work for me, so outside of official pack functions, we can stay on a first-name basis. Are you two okay?

"Careful, he can feel your emotions too if you don't shield them from him," he says, returning to the bathroom.

Bri: We're fine. Any news from the LLC? Are they mad at Cain?

I ask him because I don't think stealing a person from the LLC's custody is a small thing.

Dante: We're working on it. We should have an appeal date soon. Please worry about keeping you two safe. I'll reach out when I know more.

With his last message, I head into the bathroom, questions weaving themselves together in my mind as I join Cain under the steamy spray.

I have to fix this.

We can't hide here forever while others fight this battle for me.

It's time we go on offense, and I'm ready to play their game.

Brielle DelaCourt, Alpha, is off the bench.