Damon
I always thought my fearsome reputation would serve me well, and it has, until today.
I also knew that everyone outside my pack assumed I’d killed my own mate. No one knew the real story, and I thought it wouldn’t hurt to spread the word.
Fear is a useful weapon, making it much easier for me to get what I want. No pack has ever been willing to oppose him, which is why they send tributes without me asking for them.
But that reputation almost cost me dearly today. If she hadn’t literally needed me to save her life, I doubt I’d be hugging Ember now. She was afraid of me. She assumed I was exactly the monster I pretend to be.
Feeling her soft skin beneath my fingers makes me realize how fortunate I am. The Moon Goddess has gifted me with a second companion. I’ll be sure to cherish and protect her.
The Moon Goddess always likes to test her strongest children, and I suspect that’s why neither Ember nor I have felt the full impact of the bond until now. I’m sure we both felt something, but it took the mark of a couple to make it obvious.
However, as soon as I marked her, the mate bond activated, and I feel exactly what my wolf has been feeling all this time. Ember is my other half. Nothing can separate us. I would die to protect her.
My only hope now is that the healer was right, and our mate bond will help Ember to heal. I’m happy to share my healing ability if it means curing her of the traces of celestial silver that run through her veins.
The Dark Moon Pack has always used that brand for a reason. Not only because it marks each wolf for life, but also because it weeds out the weak wolves.
The tradition started with my grandfather. A warrior pack needs the strongest warriors, he always said, and the tradition always stuck.
These days, though, there are rarely any wars between the packs. After what happened to Ember, I wonder if now is the time to dispense with this archaic practice.
That’s not to say that our pack shouldn’t carry a mark, but there are other less painful, and less dangerous, ways for the pack to be marked.
Perhaps this is why the Moon Goddess chose Ember for me, to challenge me to see value in something beyond warrior strength. Perhaps she chose that dickhead from Craven Moon Pack for Ember as a test as well.
Whether that test was for him or for Ember remains to be seen, but Ember is mine now, and I have no intention of surrendering her to anyone.
I reluctantly remove my hand from underneath her shirt, and my lips from the newly created mark on her neck.
I chuckle when her hands don’t move from my shirt in turn.
“We have to bathe, little wolf,” I whisper in her ear, seizing the opportunity to deeply inhale her scent.
She sighs, but she does release her grip and let me move away.
I leave her sitting on the counter. She can’t move from there without my help, which makes me wonder how soon the healing process will begin and how long it might take.
I turn on the bath taps. While I’m waiting for the tub to fill, I mind-link the healer. “How long?” I demand.
I’ve never been the most patient of alphas, and the healer knows this. His answer comes quickly, but it’s not necessarily the answer I want.
“It’s not a definitive science—especially where your mate is concerned, as she has no ability to heal herself.”
I growl. The only thing that bolsters my patience is the fact that the healer referred to Ember as my mate. I liked hearing that. I want to hear it more.
I want to present her to the pack as their luna, I realize. But that might prove difficult if she is unable to walk.
Normally, once the introduction ceremony is completed, the pack’s alpha and the new luna will shift and lead a pack run. I imagine if Ember is unable to walk, her wolf won’t be able to either.
I grind my teeth in frustration.
“Don’t fuck this up,” my wolf growls in my head. “~None of this is her fault.~”
The bastard is right, of course—again!
I take a deep breath and roll my shoulders before turning off the taps, the bath full and steaming. I know my frustration will ease as soon as I’m holding Ember again. It will ease even more once she marks me, completing the mating process.
No será fácil para ella. Para que un lobo marque a su pareja, se necesita un cambio parcial, lo que significa que el lado del lobo debe unirse con su contraparte humana.
Aunque a veces discrepemos, mi lobo y yo tenemos un vínculo muy fuerte. Ni siquiera tuve que pensarlo cuando dejé que me tomara el cuerpo para el mordisco de apareamiento. Pero me temo que Ember y su lobo tengan un vínculo más tenso.
Intento apartar ese pensamiento de mi mente mientras me doy la vuelta desde el baño y regreso a la encimera, donde Ember sigue sentada pacientemente. Verla me tranquiliza al instante.
Me quito la ropa rápidamente. Se sonroja y mira al suelo.
Hoy en día, la mayoría de los lobos duermen con varias personas antes de establecerse con sus parejas. La probabilidad de encontrar pareja al alcanzar la mayoría de edad es remota, así que no es gran cosa experimentar mientras tanto.
Pero puedo decir de inmediato que mi pequeña compañera es tan pura como la nieve recién caída. Debería haberme dado cuenta en cuanto la vi tan reticente a quitarse la ropa y cambiarse al llegar.
No entiendo por qué se siente tan cohibida. Es hermosa, y no soy el único que lo siente a través de nuestro vínculo de pareja.
Camino hacia ella y pongo suavemente mis dedos bajo su barbilla; incluso ese leve toque provoca una pulsación eléctrica en mi piel.
Le rozo los labios carnosos con la yema del pulgar y tarareo de satisfacción al verla entreabrirlos. Luego, presiono suavemente mis labios contra los suyos, y esta vez, responde.
Mientras ella está absorta en el beso, desabrocho la camisa que lleva puesta y se la quito de los hombros.
Ella jadea y aprovecho para saborearla por completo mientras mi lengua invade su boca.
Ember no se resiste mientras nuestras lenguas chocan. ¿Será este el vínculo de pareja, o por fin está empezando a aceptarme? ¿A darse cuenta de que no soy el completo cabrón que todos creen que soy?
Ella gime contra mi boca mientras la tomo en mis brazos y la llevo hacia la gran bañera, sin interrumpir el beso en ningún momento.
Sus pequeñas manos se envuelven alrededor de mi cuello, enviando ondas de choque por mi columna y directo a mi polla, que ahora está rígida en posición de firmes.
Deseo desesperadamente reclamarla, aparearme con ella, pero no sé hasta dónde llegará su parálisis. Quiero que disfrute de nuestra primera vez juntas, y si eso significa que tengo que ser paciente, pues lo seré.
Entro en la bañera y finalmente rompo el beso. Ember frunce el ceño al perder el contacto, y no puedo evitar sonreír al darme cuenta de que lo desea tanto como yo.
Mientras me siento en la bañera, la coloco entre mis piernas, acercándola a mi pecho. Suelta un pequeño jadeo y se tensa ligeramente. Sin duda, puede sentir mi erección contra su espalda.
—Tranquila, ángel —le susurro al oído—. Nada pasará hasta que tú lo desees. Acaricio suavemente su marca recién hecha con mis labios, sabiendo que será sensible para ella.
Ella gime, y es como música para mis oídos. Mientras se relaja en mí, sé que no tardará en querer completar su posesión. No puedo esperar a que su dulce voz me suplique que esté dentro de ella.
Mi lobo ronronea en el fondo de mi mente.
Rezo en silencio para que las piernas de Ember sanen para que nuestros lobos puedan correr juntos. El lobo de Ember lo necesita tanto como el mío.
The chance to run free, without male wolves trying to control her. The chance for Ember’s wolf and mine to mark each other.
I realize now that every time one of those Craven Moon dogs tried to tame Ember’s wolf—every time a wolf other than her mate touched her, let alone tried to subdue her—it must have hurt them both.
The idea of another wolf touching our property infuriates both me and my wolf. We won’t let that happen again.
I allowed myself to gaze at my partner’s sweet, naked body in my arms, but frowned at the purple marks on her chest. Why hadn’t I noticed them before?
My fingers gently brush against the discolored skin. “Who did this to you?” I growl softly, barely managing to contain my wolf’s rage—and my own.
“I… It was me,” he stammers, “when I hit you. If I try to hurt you, it reflects on me.”
I’ve never heard of anything like this. I clench my jaw. How can the Moon Goddess be so cruel? My little companion not only can’t heal, but she can’t defend herself either. Not without hurting herself and suffering.
She must feel my anger, which is not directed at her, but at the injustice of her situation. No one deserves such a fate.
“I’m sorry,” she murmurs, her voice barely above a whisper.
I press my lips against his temple.
“You have nothing to be sorry for, my angel,” I whisper. “I will always protect you. Nothing will happen to you as long as I have breath.”
As soon as the words leave my mouth, I decide I won’t wait to introduce her to the pack as my moon. I’m proud of my mate, regardless of her weaknesses or injuries, and I want to show her off.
We can delay the pack run, and when it happens, it will be a celebration not only of Ember being my mate and my moon, but also of her recovery.
