Closer and closer he drew her in, every few long moments he’d change up, stab his tongue deep into her body or suck just so lightly on her clit. Build it into the overall rhythm hurtled toward orgasm so fast and so hard her entire body seized as she hissed out his name.

But he kept on, on and on, relentless tipped, hard, into another orgasm on the heels of the first, this one rendering her thigh muscles to burning, useless blobs. Before she collapsed,

he flipped her onto her back and moved up her body, even as her pu**y continued to spasm, seeking to be filled.

And he answered that need in one hard thrust as he held her open, keeping her thigh up at his waist. Thick, wet sounds filled the room, buffeted by indrawn breath and the frenzied meeting of flesh.

Need crawled through her veins, craving for him, for the man she was fated to belong to forever, the man she’d been born to love and be loved by. What a momentous thing it was to be with him, truly, completely with him as he pressed into her and withdrew all but the very tip of his cock, on and on.

In the course of a single day she’d moved from desolation and terrible loneliness to the sort of completeness she’d heard her sisters talk about but truly doubted she’d ever had lodged within her.

Her hands needed to touch every inch of his skin she could reach, needed to hear the way his breath changed as shedidhe really liked. His skin broke into gooseflesh as she dragged her nails up his sides, his pupils enlarged and his breath caught. His ni**les pebbled as she arched up to lick over one and then the other.

“God that feels good.”

She nipped at the sensitive skin before looking up at him. “You’re not doing so badly yourself.”

“I love you and I’m sorry I hurt you.”

Swallowing her emotion, she smiled and rolled her hips. “I have waited since the first moment you touched me for you to truly accept me and what this is.”

“I don’t deserve you. But I’m keeping you anyway. The bond saves my worthless ass from being tossed out onto the street.” He laughed as he thrust, changing his angle and dragging the entire line of his c**k over her sensitized clit. She writhed against him with

a sharp intake of breath.

“That’s right, your pu**y feels so good around me like this. You’re so damned right.

Beautiful. Mine.”

And it hit her, the feeling she’d been so hard pressed to define? It was that she belonged to him, truly and completely. How amazing was that? Tears welled in her eyes and the pain released, unfurling from a tight ball deep within her. She wept even as he made her come again, even as he came while raining kisses over her face, tasting her tears, whispering her name and that he loved her.

Deep gulping sobs wracked her entire body, , every part of her released the grief stored within every cell. And he held her through it all, held her as she cried the pain away, replacing it with love, replacing it with understanding and caring, and he did not leave.

He stayed there, still half inside her body, his own sheltering her as he did not hide from what he’d created, from what they’d created together.

And when she was done it was as if a switch had been thrown. She sniffled her last and looked up at him. He wore a half smile, his brow still etched with concern. “I can say I’m sorry again but it can’t make up for what you just went through.”

She touched his face as he fell to the side, still holding her. “No more of that. It’s over.

This is day one and we can only move forward.”

Chapter Twelve

She looked at him, her wolf, her mate as he lay on his side, breath heaving from their run up the side of the hill. The small patch of white on his front leg pleased her as much as the glint of sharp white teeth.

The earth welcomed them as they’d run, welcomed them each night as they slipped their human skin and let warm loam and fresh pine crush beneath footpads. He howled, answered in the distance by another of their Pack. The strength of such unity rang through her, made her feel welcomed and safe, fiercely protective and proud.

Things were good. And right. The life within her stirred, the human flared, reminding the wolf of thatothertime when she lived within instead of on the outside. Her mate looked to her and stood. Nudging her, pushing her back to that place with the bright lights.

Shane watched as she found her human skin again. The swell of her once flat belly brought joy to him, their child grew there. After two years together, they’d created a baby, a baby he’d hold in his arms in just three months.

“You?” He kissed her temple as he handed her the fleece hooded sweatshirt.

She smiled, leaning into his body. “Yes, of course. Just a bit tired. Gestating is a tough job.”

“If you hadn’t insisted on weeding the entire back garden with Gabby and Nina you probably wouldn’t be so tired.” He laughed as they made their way back to the house just a few feet away.

Off in the distance, Lex and Nina’s place peeked through the trees. Their own house had been finished for about a year. His entrance into Cascadia had been slow but solid. Lex was overbearing and nosy but he loved his sister and as Shane did too, over time, the two of them built a solid friendship.

Layla and Sid were already on the back deck, holding out mugs of hot chocolate. Megan took hers and looked to Shane and rolled her eyes. “Go on. I’ll see you later.”

“You are so awesome.” He kissed her soundly and she laughed. Before he went off with his cousin to watch the movies he’d brought over, he caressed the bump on his wife’s belly and the corresponding squirm and kick against his palm made him look into her face again. “You are. I adore you. There isn’t a moment during my day when I don’t discover some new way to love you.”