CHAPTER 480: MARKING HER

Warning: Mature content in the Chapter

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Kieran:

The moment my teeth broke her skin, my entire world snapped inward, collapsing into a single, blinding point of sensation.

Evaline.

My mate. My woman. My everything.

Her name wasn’t just in my mind anymore. It was through me - pouring, flooding, roaring through every vein.

And her reaction...

Stars.

Her body jerked under mine, not in pain but in a kind of overwhelming shock, a pleasure so fierce it made her gasp my name like a prayer. Her hands shot up, gripping my shoulders, her nails digging into my skin as if she needed something solid to hold onto before she shattered.

As our souls linked, I started feeling everything she was feeling.

Every shiver.

Every wave of pleasure.

Every beat of her heart hammering in her chest.

Every desperate pulse of love.

Every emotion she tried... and failed... to hold back.

Her soul hit mine like a lightning strike.

And my wolf - my furious, restless, demanding wolf - fell silent for the first time in years. Not calm. Not tamed.

Home.

Her breath rushed out against my throat, warm and uneven. Her legs tightened around me instinctively, pulling me closer, needing me deeper. Her pleasure rolled up the bond in thick, hot waves... so strong I staggered above her, barely able to breathe.

The bond sealed.

And pleasure - raw, consuming, dizzying - hit us both.

Her emotions crashed through me until my vision blurred.

Her love was bright and steady.

Her trust was painfully pure.

Her joy was so strong it made my wolf bow its head.

I pushed inside her again, deeper than before, and she arched up with a sound that vibrated straight down my spine. The pleasure took her apart... took us apart... and the newly sealed bond amplified it until it was impossible to tell where her pleasure stopped and mine began.

She came undone first - loud, breathless, trembling. I felt her inner walls squeeze around me, drag me under with her. Her head fell back, lips parted in a silent cry, her hands clutching me like I was the only thing tethering her to the world.

Her pleasure hit me through the bond - white-hot, overwhelming - and I followed her over the edge with a groan against her neck, our bodies locking together as we both spiraled into release at the exact same moment.

Mate.

Mine.

Forever.

For minutes... long, endless minutes... lwe didn’t move.

I stayed inside her, my forehead pressed against hers, our breaths tangled, our bodies slick with sweat. I could feel her heartbeat still racing under her skin. I felt her calm slowly settling. Felt her love pulsing through the bond like a warm glow.

Her fingers stroked the back of my neck slowly, tenderly. I lifted my head to look at her, and her eyes... those beautiful amber orbs were soft enough to break me.

She lifted a hand to my jaw, thumb tracing my cheekbone, and whispered, "You finally marked me."

I didn’t say anything. I couldn’t. I leaned down and kissed her instead.

Slow.

Deep.

Claiming.

Her lips were soft and warm, opening under mine as my hand slid down her side, over her hip, and pulled her closer. My other hand cupped her cheek, angling her head as I gently pushed my tongue past her lips. She met me eagerly, kissing me back with the same fire that always managed to undo me.

She tasted like the bond - warm and sweet and dangerously addictive.

I pressed deeper into the kiss, tilting my head so our mouths fit perfectly, her breath catching when my thumb stroked the underside of her jaw. She slid her hands into my hair, pulling me closer, her chest rising against mine as the kiss deepened into something slow and consuming.

By the time I finally forced myself to pull back, she was flushed, lips swollen, breathing unsteady.

Reluctantly... stars, so reluctantly... I withdrew from her. She whimpered softly at the loss, and my wolf growled in agreement. I pressed a kiss to her temple before getting up, discarding the condom, and then scooping her into my arms.

She curled against me instantly, small and warm and still trembling slightly. I carried her to the bathroom, nudging the door open with my foot and setting her gently on the counter.

"Stay," I murmured.

She nodded, watching me with that soft, glowing smile that sent heat curling through my chest. I turned the tap on, adjusting the temperature until steam began rising. The bathtub slowly filled, the water warming the air around us.

When I turned back to her, she lifted her arms toward me without a word. I stepped between her legs and lifted her, lowering her into the tub before stepping in behind her. She settled against my chest with a quiet sigh.

The moment my arms wrapped around her, she turned her head and pressed a kiss to my jaw. I cupped her face, guiding her lips back to mine.

This kiss was different.

Not hungry.

Not urgent.

Warm.

Lazy.

Possessive.

Her hands slid over my shoulders, down my chest, tracing every line of muscle slowly as if memorizing me anew. I angled her chin, deepening the kiss, our lips moving in slow, unhurried sync. Her tongue brushed mine... gentle, teasing... and I gripped her waist under the water, pulling her firmly back against me.

A soft, satisfied sound escaped her.

I kissed her again. And again. And again, each kiss slower and deeper than the last, until the water sloshed quietly around us and the only sound in the room was the soft, wet slide of our lips and her faint, breathy moans.

We didn’t speak.

We didn’t need to.

The bond spoke for us.

And it said everything we both needed to say or hear.

Though I had heard stories about how men could hardly separate from their mates after marking her, and even saw Draven going through it when he marked our mate, it was only now I understand what it really implied... as I slipped inside her once again...!