Cyn wrapped her arms around him, her hands clutching onto his shirt as if at any moment she could be ripped from his grasp. Thalion released her hair only to grasp her on either side of her waist and pick her up. Her legs wrapped around him and he turned, walking until her back was pressed up against a wall. Thalion’s large hands squeezed her thighs and she moaned at his touch. They needed to stop. There would be people there at any moment, but she could tell he needed her. He needed to be reassured that she was his and she wasn’t going anywhere.

“Love,” she gasped in between kisses. “We need to stop.”

Thalion gave her a growl worthy of an Alpha wolf. “They will knock before they come in. Right now…” He paused to run his tongue up her neck. “I need you,” he finished. He scraped his teeth across her flesh and Cyn made the most wanton sound she’d ever heard.

“By all that is majestic, Cyn, if you make that sound again the meeting will be postponed and you will be in my bed.”

He was serious, she could hear it in the sound of his voice. He’d been waiting so long to make her his. She’d always felt completely safe with him, but in that moment, she was so lost to him—his kiss and his touch—that she would have gone with him to his bed most joyfully.

Thalion jerked his face from her neck where he’d been diligently sucking when he heard a knock on the door. She nearly laughed when she saw the anger and frustration on his face.

She took his chin in her hand and turned it back to her. “We will continue this later.”

“First, we will see our holy man,” he declared, his voice gruff with desire. “Tonight I make you my bride. Then, you are correct, my beautiful female, we will continue this but it will be in our bed and with considerably less clothing.”

She knew she looked surprised, which put a satisfied smirk on his face as he stepped back allowing her to slide slowly down his body. He did it deliberately, but she couldn’t complain. He straightened her clothes and touched his lips one more times to hers.

He grabbed her hand, pulling her toward the living area and front door. “Let’s find out how many allies we have and formulate a plan. I don’t want this to take all day.”

“Eager?” she teased.

“You have no idea,” he purred as he stepped up to the door. He pulled it open and the first of many, many elves stepped inside.

Cyn watched as more and more began to arrive. Perhaps, they did have a chance at keeping his father from making the elves his slaves to the cause of the Order of the Burning Claw.

Zara wandered the halls of the Romania pack mansion. Her little charge was currently playing with Thia under the watchful eye of Alina and Lilly. Slate was there as well, but he was a tad too young to play just yet. She had been thankful that Alina offered to take him for a little while. Zara had been feeling restless and needed to be alone to think.

Her footsteps were quiet as she ran her fingers along the wall beside her. She was in a part of the mansion she’d never been in before, not that that was surprising—the place was massive. She was glad she’d finally ventured out of her own suite, but she still felt very lost. She didn’t know what she was supposed to do with the rest of her life. Would she have a true mate like Bethany? She couldn’t imagine any guy ever wanting her. He’d take one look at her body, with all the scars from the teeth of the leeches who’d fed from her, and be disgusted. And those bites weren’t even the worst part.

Her stomach clenched and her heart hurt at the thought of never knowing the love of another. She’d seen the way the males of the Canis lupus treated their mates. Who wouldn’t want that? They were so gentle, even when frustrated with the females. They rarely stopped touching their mates and the way they looked…well, that was enough to make any one needy with desire. She’d never have that, and that was almost worse than having been tortured by the vampires.

As she rounded a corner, Zara ran head first into someone who was in an incredible hurry. She bounced off a firm chest and caught herself on the wall before she could fall onto her butt. She stepped back, her skin suddenly flushed and her heart pounding hard in her chest. She was afraid to look up. Something inside of her was warning her—telling her that if she did look up, her entire life was going to change, again.

Wadim was breathless as he looked down at the woman in front of him. She was young, no doubt, but she was definitely a woman. His woman. He’d felt her as he was coming up the stairs from the archive room. Her thoughts had filled his mind and his legs were moving before he realized it. His wolf was desperate to get to her and suddenly there she was. Wadim could already smell her scent; it clung to him from where she ran into his chest. She smelled like caramel mixed with toffee and his mouth watered. He wanted to laugh that his mate smelled like two of his favorite flavors. She was perfect. But she wouldn’t look up at him. Why?

“Zara?”

Her breathing hitched. She’d heard her name, but he hadn’t said it out loud. She still didn’t look up.

“I…you…” he began aloud now. “We must talk. You and I are…has anyone explained to you yet… about the mate bond?” he asked her gently.

“Yes, but I can’t have a mate,” she finally spoke.

Her head rose slowly and her eyes met his. She was beautiful, with dark chocolate hair that reached her waist. Her eyes were large and a beautiful shade of light green. She had a cute nose that he immediately wanted to kiss. Her skin was pale, but her lips were a rich red color and looked delicious. His eyes wandered down her form. He probably shouldn’t have been checking his mate out in that particular moment, but he and his wolf were desperate for her. Her frame was petite. He would be able to wrap one arm all the way around her tiny waist. Regardless of the fact that she was a little too thin, owing to her recent captivity, it was obvious that she was plenty curvy. Her hips flared out from her waist and her legs were shapely in the skinny jeans she wore. He was trying to be a gentleman and not notice how ample her chest was, especially for one so small, but he was failing miserably. With an incredible amount of self-control, he forced his eyes back up to her lovely face. The frown on her face reminded him of the words she’d just said. I can’t have a mate.

Wadim wasn’t a submissive wolf, but he wasn’t terribly dominant either. The claws would come out when necessary, but as the pack historian, he was more at home in his archives than on the battlefield. That being said, he and his wolf were still incredibly possessive. All wolves were when it came to their mates, not just the super dominant ones.