Total pages in book: 182
Estimated words: 171176 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 856(@200wpm)___ 685(@250wpm)___ 571(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 171176 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 856(@200wpm)___ 685(@250wpm)___ 571(@300wpm)
“Cheat to win,” I told him, laughing.
“As long as I fucking win.”
He worked at that pack bond, refusing to give up, feeling incredulousness within it. Everyone was surprised Aurelia could be so effective against a wolf of our caliber. Did they not believe a true mate would have the same power level? Or did they simply not think an untrained wolf new to her fur could be so wily?
“She is perfect,” I said again.
“She is getting on my last fucking nerve, and my claiming bite is going to be hard and deep.” His adrenaline was running through him, boosting his desire.
The pack had stopped moving when communication deadened; they were awaiting further instructions. They had no backup plans laid out to keep them going. There was no precedent for an alpha chasing his true mate through the woods, though their stopping meant their barriers were still in place.
Aurelia came upon one section, trying to get around, but the pack closed in to keep her put. When my wolf could access a glimpse of the bond, he felt their unease about this. They didn’t want to trap her. They didn’t want to gang up on her. That was good for the health of the pack, but it meant we needed to cut this short.
“I know,” my wolf said, feeling it and beating me to the punch.
He pushed harder, running faster, nearly on her now. She hit another wall, turned back, and then we were there, barreling into her with all our speed and might. Both wolves rolled through the dirt; we knocked the wind out of them. She was still up blindingly fast, but my wolf was ready, pouncing on her, closing his teeth around her neck.
She stilled, her body turning languid as she whimpered in submission. Her desire burned as brightly as his.
He loved a chase, and she loved being caught and dominated.
They both released the effects they’d had on the bond, letting the pack know all was well and safe and there were no hard feelings or animosity. The pack started jogging to our location as the dragons continued to circle overhead.
“Now we make that human highly uncomfortable,” my wolf growled.
He licked her fur where he’d bitten, rubbed his head against her side where he’d tackled her, and then waited for her to get to her feet. She rubbed against him before turning, and he wasted no time mounting her. He chomped into her unmarked shoulder, his magic coming from the same place as mine as he claimed her for the second time.
Pleasure spiraled between them, between us. Aurelia didn’t shy away from it this time. She reached for me through the bond and basked in it all—pleasure at being claimed, pleasure at feeling the bond still so solid, desire from our chase and the playful struggle.
This time he didn’t cut it short. Aurelia vibrated within the bond, her fairy magic once again affecting anyone who’d made it to our location. The king and queen climbed in the sky, and it seemed the dragons were going to partake as well. Vemar continued to circle lazily, the ultimate voyeur.
When the wolves finished, Aurelia’s wolf would complete the double claim on him and they’d probably all do it again.
“This is what life is meant to be,” my wolf said as he was with his mate. “That dragon wished he could knot, though I do wish I could purr like they do.”
“Don’t tell him. His ego is big enough as it is.”
“Didn’t need to be said.”
Chapter 41
Aurelia
Two months passed by in a blink. We worked at a frantic pace to get product made, packaged, and sent. Orders were coming in like crazy from our kingdom; people loved the samples and wanted to purchase large quantities. We’d also sent our first shipments abroad, offering products at reduced prices to get people to try them, hoping it would drain away Granny’s sales. If it didn’t, step two would be to start visiting the possible production spots, looking for increased Everlass elixir sales, and hope one of them panned out.
The fairies and Nyfain still hadn’t made any solid progress. Given things were going really well with the pack and my training was going great, Nyfain felt he had plenty of time. He wouldn’t settle for less than I deserved.
It didn’t feel like I had any time, though. Despite the fact that everything seemed calm and I was the happiest I’d ever been in my life, I couldn’t shake the feeling this was all a fleeting moment. Like a deadline was coming up, and all of this was about to be ripped away.
Maybe that was just my uncertainty, my disbelief I could be this blessed in life, because everyone agreed that Weston’s defenses were rock solid. The only holes in his defense were by design. Not that it mattered, because Hadriel had chased away anyone that didn’t belong in the kingdom, and even some who probably did. I was likely the safest I’d ever been in my life.