Guarding His Mate

by Jenny Tia

  He was silent. I wasn’t sure if that was a good sign. When a sob broke through, followed by laughter, my heart soared and I let out a relieved sigh.

  “Oh god, Nic. What a rollercoaster you are. Go handle this situation, and then talk to me when the chaos settles.”

  “I will. Stay safe. Please.”

  “As long as you do.”

  “I will.” I ended the call and turned to Casius, but he was already gone.

  “Where’s Cas?” I asked Mikel.

  “He had to report to Alpha Hughes, he said you were in charge of the station.”

  “Good. Then I don’t need his permission to get some fucking answers.”

  I marched down the corridor with Mikel on my heels and guards still scattering on all sides. Mikel whined that he wasn’t sure this was such a good idea, but I barely heard him. I threw open the door to Eli’s cell and barged in to find him sitting on his bed, smiling smugly.

  I gave him a warning growl. I’d only give him one. “What the fuck is going on?”

  He laughed shortly. “It’s just the beginning.”

  “You fucking monster!” I snarled and launched myself at his neck but found myself suspended in midair.

  Mikel gripped my shoulders and held me back from behind. He was a big bear of a man, but I had more agility. I knew I could get answers out of that half-human if I could just get my hands on him. I tossed myself around, trying to get free of Mikel’s grip, and Eli growled. The sound of it sent a shudder up my spine—the sound was far more wolf than human.

  Mikel stiffened. He loosened his grip just a little. His voice came out as a whisper. “It’s not possible.”

  Eli looked ready to rip my throat out, and I felt the same about him. His claws came out. He growled again and exposed his fangs. Hair sprung from his neck, forearms, and face; a half shift. I blinked, and he went for my throat, barely missing as Mikel pulled me away.

  “No!” Mikel shouted.

  Eli stopped.

  I blinked again and shook my head, completely in disbelief about what I saw.

  Mikel let me go and spoke to the half-wolf, using his hands to emphasize his words. “Calm down. Just breathe. Calm down.”

  Eli sank back against the bed and snarled, catching his breath. His claws retracted. His eyes were still wild, confused, and scared but his fangs disappeared, and he looked almost normal. I felt like I was dreaming. I’d never thought of Mikel as such a tough alpha, but his energy was clearly controlling Eli. And he was controlling me too—he shoved me out of the room, followed close behind, and then quickly bolted the door shut behind us.

  I was still reeling, but Mikel looked completely blown away. He put his head in his hands and let out a disbelieving sigh.

  “Are you alright?” I squeezed his shoulders, trying to bring him back to earth.

  “Fine. It’s fine. We have work to do.”

  I swallowed my guilt for putting him in such a dangerous situation and nodded. He was right. We had work to do.

  We followed the river of guards making their way out of the station and into armored trucks. We drove downtown where people were running scared in the streets, and then to the site of the explosion. I heard Stef’s voice echoing in my head, begging me to stay safe, and I strapped on a bulletproof vest before I jumped out of the van.

  The stench of burned rubber and gasoline hit me. It coated my throat and caught in my lungs. I covered my nose with my hand, but it didn’t help. There were no other scents here. The rank smell of terror had covered it all.

  Casius waved me over from the other side of the remains of the black, charred van and the dark halo on the road beneath it. I pushed through the cleanup crew and the assembled Inner Guards with Mikel at my side, and found the Alpha Supreme beside his Select, looking over the scene together.

  “Any information?” I asked quickly.

  Casius nodded. “Suicide bomber.”

  My guts churned.

  Casius came close to my ear. “Not a human.”

  “What? A shifter?” I couldn’t believe it.

  Alpha Hughes nodded somberly, clasping his hands behind his back. “I’m afraid so. At least we have one answer. The humans do have shifters on their side.”

  “Fuck.” I ran a hand over my face. I took a deep breath and almost choked on the stench. Casius took a call while Alpha Hughes filled Mikel and me in on more details about the cleanup, and how we were going to lock down and secure the city. Casius reappeared and reported back to Alpha Hughes that the human at the hospital had died just before the bombing had occurred.

  “Stefan turned over a note that he found in the man’s hand. It read, ‘The mountain was covered in fire because the LORD descended on it in fire.’”

  I clenched my jaw. “That’s not a coincidence.”

  Alpha Hughes cleared his throat. “I don’t think it is, either.”

  “We need answers.” Casius growled and looked over the scene, a deep furrow in his brow.

  “We only have one person who can give us answers, and he’s not giving us anything,” I said, frustrated.

  “Eli. He’s been useless to us. It’s a dead end.”

  Mikel wet his lips. “I… I think I might be able to get some answers out of Eli.”

  He seemed to shrink under the gaze of the three of us.

  “How?” Casius asked.

  Mikel sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m pretty sure Eli is my fated mate.”

  24

  Stefan

  Forty-three badly injured shifters were brought to the hospital, and one in a body bag… The bomber. The entire staff were called in to manage the crisis, and cries of adults in agony filled the corridors where we were used to silence. All the nurses looked wide-eyed and panicked as we rushed around, trying to keep up, trying to find space for everybody.

  I wished I hadn’t had a double shot of coffee before starting my shift. I was shaking like a leaf and useless for most of the delicate work of finding veins and dressing wounds.

  A senior doctor cursed me out for being thirty seconds late on a patient’s medication, and the one who had recognized me earlier took me aside to apologize for her colleague. “This hospital has never seen so much action all at once. We’re all overwhelmed. You’re doing great.”

  I understood, but it still stung. I carried the criticism in my chest for the rest of my shift, along with the new bitter seed of hatred I had for humans. My shift went for three hours overtime and I felt like absolute shit by the time I was able to leave. Add that to the confusing whirlwind of emotions Nic had recently put me through, and I was absolutely exhausted by the time he picked me up.

  I’d called him a little while ago, just to let him know I was about to finish my shift, and he’d offered to pick me up. At first, I’d been reluctant, but I was too tired to argue, and now I was grateful to see him sitting in the hospital’s parking garage.

  I climbed into his truck and immediately melted into the seat. He looked nearly as exhausted as I was, with dark rings under his eyes, and his cheeks hollowed like he hadn’t slept for a week.

  “Thanks for coming for me. I don’t think I’d survive if I drove myself.”

  Nic took a sharp breath. Too soon for joking about death, I guessed. I grimaced and mumbled an apology.

  His voice sounded drawn and tired. “You look like you’re about to pass out. Let’s go to the house and shower, and then we can talk.”

  What was there to talk about? I knew he was in shock when he’d called me, and everything he said was just an animalistic response to facing death and tragedy. People made stupid promises when they were scared. I bit back the desire to take him seriously, to believe he really wanted to claim me. I wasn’t going around on that ride again.

  But I was too exhausted to protest, and a shower sounded really good. “Sure. Okay.”

  I made it inside Nic’s home on heavy legs, and I threw myself into the bathroom without asking if he wanted the first shower. I blasted the hot water an
d scrubbed off layers of stress and fatigue. Pomegranate, grapefruit, orange blossom—I used every single product Nic kept in his shower, and the scents helped me to wake me up a little. By the time I was done, I felt and smelled fresh. There was still a hollowed-out pain in my heart where my wolf was endlessly whining, but I’d been getting really good at ignoring that.

  Nic took a shower while I dressed in a relaxed shirt and a pair of cozy pants that I’d left here. The fresh, clean cloth of the shirt felt like a new skin. I smoothed my hands over it as I sat on the couch and waited for him to join me.

  And then when he did, I waited for him to speak. The silence was substantial. I picked my fingernails and braced myself for him to take back what he’d said on the phone. He cleared his throat. And finally, he spoke.

  “I was wrong. I was wrong to call off courting you.”

  I did a doubletake. “Excuse me? What?”

  The edges of his lips ticked upward in an amused grin, but his voice stayed dead-serious. “I let my fear of what if make me pull back from us. From you. I love you more than anything.”

  I swallowed. My wolf rushed to the surface, uninvited. And for some reason, I let it.

  Nic’s eyes were clear and serious. “What happened today was terrifying, but it taught me that I never want to be without you. I’m so sorry for pulling back. I never should have done that. I never wanted to hurt you.”

  My heart thudded and my wolf pranced and howled with happiness.

  I bit my lip, holding back a sob.

  “Stef… We’re a team, and I should have talked things out with you before making a decision for both of us.”

  Maybe it was the exhaustion. Maybe it was my wolf. Or maybe it was the panic I’d felt after the bombing when I thought I’d never get to see him again. Whether he was trustworthy or not, whether it was safe to be with him, I didn’t want to play games and hold my fated mate at arm’s length. I pressed my forehead against his and let him back into my broken, hurt heart. “I can forgive you.”

  He breathed a soft sigh of relief. “I’m not going to hurt you like that again. I love you.”

  “God. Alright. I admit it. I love you too.” The words tumbled out faster than lightning. I laughed, shocked at what I’d said, but Nic buried my laugh in a warm, deep kiss. I moaned into his mouth as he drove his tongue between my lips.

  Nic ran his hands over my body and left a wave of warm tingles wherever he touched. He slid his fingers under my shirt and just inches into the back of my waistband. Arousal jumped up in my chest, but so did all the other emotions I’d shoved down in there during the day.

  I pulled back from the kiss and caught a breath. “I was so scared. I was so selfish. I kept checking every patient to make sure they weren’t you. I felt so glad when I saw they weren’t. So damn smug! Oh, god. This is all awful.”

  He kissed me, softly this time. “That’s not selfish. You love me.”

  I wasn’t going to waste another second holding back. Everything that had happened in the last few days had shown me life was too short and it could all be gone at any minute, with no warning. It was terrifying but true.

  So I dove into his kiss and flushed with heat from head to toe. Nic growled, and my ass started to throb as hard as my dick. I realized, with only a small amount of surprise, I’d gone into heat.

  “You’re so fucking hot.” Nic nipped at my neck, grabbed at my waist, and practically climbed on top of me.

  Waves of desire smashed against me and washed all doubt out of my mind. Every graze of Nic’s teeth felt more addictive than the last, and I couldn’t get him close enough to me. I gripped his shoulders and held on tight.

  “I want your bite.”

  His growl was louder than I’d ever heard it, and my whole body twitched with the sound of it. “Don’t tease.”

  “I’m not.” I grabbed his jaw and made him look at me. “I want it. Claim me.”

  He believed me, but he frowned. “If you want to be courted, I’ll do it—”

  “That tired old ritual has nothing for us. It won’t define what we already know. We’re meant for each other.”

  A bright smile, a hot kiss, and I completed melted into his arms. He carried me to the bedroom, and we giggled as he threw me onto the bed. In a flurry of desperate tugging and yanking, we undressed each other, and he literally ripped my shirt off. My senses were so heightened that even the sound of the cloth tearing made me harder.

  “Oh fuck, I need you.” I reached for his hips from my place on the bed, and he wriggled forward. He stopped and reached for the bedside drawer. I growled and grabbed his hand.

  “I don’t want that—”

  “Stef, you’re in heat. It’s a big risk. I don’t want a baby born into all of this craziness…”

  “Please.” I didn’t have many wiles, but I pleaded with my glowing omega eyes, a sure way to get a beta to submit. He softened a little, and I pushed him harder as I ran my hands over his chest. “I want to feel you when you claim me. I want to feel all of you when you do it.”

  His cock jumped, and he inhaled sharply. Victory. I spread my legs a little so he could smell more of my musk, and he took the invitation by taking deep, hungry breaths. He growled with so much of his wolf it pulled mine even closer to the surface. The animal in me took over and I pounced on my mate, grabbing him and sinking my fingers into the muscles of his shoulders.

  Nic’s growl deepened and he smothered my mouth with another kiss. I wrapped my legs around his waist and I trembled with desire. I could smell my slick, coming out thick and strong, and my hole ached. My heat ramped up and my whole body started to hurt. It seemed like my joints wanted him to pin me down, my muscles wanted him to pound them, and my hole wanted him to stretch it. I growled with need and let out a wolfish yap, demanding Nic get inside me now. Thankfully, I didn’t have to beg anymore. Nic yanked my knees up and back so my ass was exposed, and as he easily slid the head of his cock inside me, I couldn’t help but moan my approval.

  “Oh fuck, that’s good!” He shuddered as he pushed into my hot slick. My ass clenched around him and drew more of his length in, and it sent a shot of pleasure through my pelvis.

  “More.” I wriggled on the bed to try and impale myself deeper onto his cock. “More. I love you. Please, more!”

  “I love you too, Stef.” He growled and pinned my shoulders down. I purred in happiness at the feeling of his weight on top of me, and then gasped when he shoved his entire length into my hole. He groaned and then started to fuck me like an animal, just how I liked it. Nic fucked me like he was chasing something.

  Our gazes met, and the heat of love passed between us. I laughed with complete joy, and Nic beamed down at me.

  “I’m yours,” I told him.

  “And I’m yours.”

  It wasn’t long before I felt Nic’s knot swelling. His breath seized, and he rammed the rest of his cock inside me before his breeding knot swelled too much. I spasmed from the force of it and groaned at the idea he was going to put a baby in me.

  “Claim me, Nic”

  “Then say it.”

  “I accept you as my mate!” The ancient words of binding fated mates together poured from my mouths like honey, thick and luscious, and for one brief moment, I felt like I was suspended between worlds—between being alone, and being claimed. For a second, I was neither. But then a sharp, searing heat of pain shot across my neck and I was completely, and forever, Nicolas Black’s mate.

  In the headiness of my heat, I’d forgotten to be scared of the bite. But he sank his teeth into my flesh deeply and quickly. The pain lasted for just a moment, and then I became overwhelmed with emotions. My body trembled as I experienced lifetimes of fated mates coming together, their spirits, their love, and the trust and blind faith it took for all those mates to be as one. Magnetic energy pulled from the middle of my chest and wrapped around Nic’s. I felt his heart beating like it was my own. I felt his wolf’s intuition and happiness. We were bonded.

  “It’
s okay. I’ve got you. We’re safe.” Nic’s voice fell over me like a warm blanket as he smoothed a hand over my hair and kissed my forehead.

  I loved that he was here. But then again, where was he going to go? With him tied inside me, I felt impossibly satisfied, not to mention the feeling of having been claimed. I felt brand new. I felt confident. Most of all, I felt trust. The bond between us was certain. It was official.

  What a damn relief.

  I took deep, shocked breaths and threw my arms around Nic, bringing him in close to me. “I didn’t realize how much I was missing.”

  “It feels amazing, doesn’t it? I feel like I can…feel you.”

  “Exactly! Wow.” I laughed and buried my face into the crook of his shoulder where I sniffed at his lemonade and peaches scent. Moving my head made my neck sting and I brought my fingers up to touch the wound. It hurt, but not too badly. There was no blood on my fingertips when I pulled them away. It was already healing.

  And so was I.

  25

  Nicolas

  The corridor outside Eli’s cell was suddenly cramped and tight. Mikel paced back and forth while Alpha Hughes, Lachlan, and two other guards stood with me, waiting for Mikel to go in.

  “It’s fine,” Mikel said. “I’m not worried.”

  I raised my eyebrows and crossed my arms. “You look worried.”

  “Okay, I’m a little worried. It’s just that…” He looked at Alpha Hughes, and then cleared his throat. “Well, your energy might put Eli on edge.” Mikel winced as he spoke to the Supreme Alpha.

  But he was right. Since the explosion, Alpha Hughes was radiating some serious alpha vibes, stronger than ever. At least he was self-aware though. He nodded in agreement and headed for the observation room without any objection.

  “I really don’t need everyone to be on hand.” Mikel glanced around and frowned.

  I stood my ground. “We can’t let you go in there alone.”