“You don’t believe that you could find fulfillment with me?” he asked.
“I find sexual fulfillment with you,” she said. “That’s what we agreed on when we were teenagers.”
He flinched and a sour expression marked his face. “We’re not teenagers anymore. Is that the only fulfillment you find with me now?”
“You told me yourself when I first met you. You’d never get married. You told me you didn’t believe in true mates, and that you would never bind yourself to just one person.”
“I admit it. That’s how I felt, until I fell for you and found out what you were to me.”
“After you found out…do you admit to seeking fulfillment with women other than me?”
He closed his eyes, and shook his head. “I have a mate that doesn’t want me. One that leaves the state just so she wouldn’t have to face me. It has been shameful for me. What did you expect me to do?”
“I wasn’t ready to commit then.”
“And now…?”
“The commitment that you require from me is a lifelong one.”
“Arianna, I love you. What in the world do I have to do to convince you?”
She broke their gaze, and exhaled. “Don’t say that.”
“I won’t say anything, then. I’ll keep showing you.”
He kissed her lightly on the lips. They were butterfly soft kisses. The kind that produced a reassuring feeling in her gut. One taste and she was done. One touch…and she submitted.
Slipping his fingers behind her head, he led her to lie onto the bed and came down on top of her. Their lips meshed together, and then parted. She opened and explored his mouth, pushing any thoughts of resistance aside.
His hands roved up and down her body as his tongue dipped inside her mouth again and again. He reached up under her tank top and cupped her breast. She inhaled sharply when his teeth scraped the column of her neck. He sipped hungrily at the veins on her throat. By the time he made his way to her chest, her body was already hot and ready for him.
She lifted her arms, allowing him to shed her of her top. As he sucked on both nipples, he growled softly into her flesh. His breath was hot and cold on her, all at the same time.
‘Arianna.’ He’d breached her mind, and somehow she’d allowed it.
He sucked hard on her and she screamed out and arched into his mouth. She could feel his thick rod through his pants as he pressed it into her thighs. Letting her fingers tangle into his hair, she moved him from one breast to the other. He obliged her silent request and took turns playing with each nipple until they were taut like round dots.
Reaching down between them, she unbuttoned his jeans and pulled his belt out of the loop. Pushing her hand down inside, she groped his thick cock. He was already wet and slippery at the crown. She licked her lips in remembrance of the sweet and salty taste of him.
Groaning, he slid down her body, kissing every inch of her and removing her shorts and panties in the process. He took his time tasting her skin and making love to her with his mouth for what seemed like too long to bear. He left all her most sensitive areas untouched.
“Jayson…” She writhed on the bed, ready for something more solid to dominate her.
‘I remember how it was. You’d let me taste you for hours, just like this.’
He rubbed her mound lightly with his chin.
“Please.”
‘The foreplay always made listening to you climax much sweeter.’
His mouth was directly above her, and his cool breath fanned her clit. He took her thighs in his hands and spread her. Something wet slid up her thighs and her legs quaked in his grip. He kissed her, only slightly grazing her bare pussy lips.
Her nails dug into the mattress, and her toes curled in untamed impatience. She tried to close her legs, but he pushed her thighs open again with the sides of his face. He took long swipes at her lips, careful not to touch her needy core. She could feel warm liquid pooling inside of her.
He didn’t seem to care that she was in pain and pleasure. He tortured her with the expert strokes of his tongue.
“I’m going to come,” she panted.
He stopped teasing her long enough to push two fingers into her wet pussy. “Damn it, you’re wet.”
Her gaze moved lower, and she was forced to observe him as he pumped into her while watching intently and licking his lips at the same time.
‘I always know when you’re ready for me.’ He rolled the pad of his finger over her clit. ‘When you’re like this…plump, ripe, and ready.’
‘Jayson, take me, please.’ She gave in, responding in the way that only true mates could do.
A low grumble erupted from his throat before he sucked her clit between his lips. Her pussy clenched as he lashed her clit again and again, and dipping lower to dip his tongue into her.
Her body was on fire. Pleasure wrapped around her, holding her on the edge of a precipice. Her lips fell open and she gasped for breath.
Jayson seemed determined to conquer her. It was the way in which he gripped her thighs and pulled her to his mouth to feast on her that told her this.
She cried out as an orgasm ripped through her. He lengthened her climax, holding his lips firm to her clit. Only when she was still and panting for dear life on the bed, did he stop the torture. Her body continued to pulse under him as he came up over her, kissing her damp skin as he rose.
‘How do you want it, Arianna?’
Arianna took one look at his throbbing erection and grinned. The things he was capable of doing to her had her pussy clenching again in anticipation. She rolled over onto her hands and knees. Pushing her hips back, she pressed her ass against the thick length of him.
“Fuck me like this,” she demanded.
He bent over her and pushed in just past her opening.
She moaned, and pressed her eyes closed, bracing herself.
“You make demands, but are you prepared to accept?” He teased her earlobe with the tip of his tongue.
She rotated her hips, wishing that he’d give her more. “I know what I like.”
He speared her, burying himself to the hilt.
She screamed as the pain cut through her body, and clutched at the headboard in front of her.
Jayson wasted no time as he pounded into her with intense determination. He filled her, stretching her to accommodate his throbbing cock. The tempo of his strokes changed from quick and powerful into long and deliberate. He gripped her hips and titled them up for maximum penetration. His testicles tightened and slapped against her. She pushed her hips back meeting him thrust for thrust. Her core tensed and a second climax began to build like a bundle of nerves.
“Jayson,” she called out.
“Let go.”
She came again, arching her back as what felt like fireworks shot through her. Icy hot sensations pulsed through her body throughout her climax. Jayson was relentless, riding her through the peak and deliberately quickening his thrusts to keep her in a state of elation.
Spent, she leaned forward and pressed her face into the pillows. Her clit still throbbed uncontrollably begging for another release. Jayson pulled out, and then placed the crown of his cock at her anus. She bit into her bottom lip, bracing herself once again. He kneaded her ass and kissed the back of her neck. His dampened forehead rested in the middle of her shoulder blades.
Jayson pushed into her, slowly and carefully. The pleasure-pain ripped through her as he buried himself as deep as her tight canal would allow.
“Ah, Arianna, how could I have lived without you and without this?”
He moved within her, in and out, with even unified thrusts. Each drive into her ass sent her closer and closer over the edge. His fingers played with her clit as he worked her toward ecstasy.
His cock plundered her repeatedly. She gripped at the headboards and took him deeper still.
Suddenly, he stiffened and pressed his mouth to her shoulder. He wanted to bite her. His wolf wanted to claim her. He held back,
just as he’d done hundreds of times before—just as she’d requested.
His hot seed splashed within her, and a fiery sensation forced itself through her veins and cells, reaching the surface and skating across her skin. Jayson’s serum took her into a third climax, and she joined him at mountain’s peak.
They both collapsed on the bed of rumpled sheets and clothing and stared into each other eyes, as the evening sky folded away making way for nightfall.
CHAPTER TEN
All six members of the Council were present for the emergency meeting called by Devin Caedmon himself. They were seated at the round conference table in the Alpha’s meeting hall waiting as the minutes ticked by on the grandfather clock hanging on the wall.
Jayson had a bad feeling about this. It was not like Devin to call them together just for a group chat.
Aiden, who’d just arrived, took off his vest and hung it on the hook near the door, then carefully placed his firearm on the corner table next to it. He walked over to Devin’s bar and helped himself to a shot of vodka before taking his seat across from Blake.
“I thought you’d laid off the liquor, man,” Blake joked.
“It ain’t so easy with the type of shit I deal with daily,” Aiden responded.
Blake and Aiden were close buddies even before they’d come from another pack to join Caedmon. They were all there for each other when help was needed. And they all had occupations and lives outside of the Council.
Devin Caedmon entered the room, and Jayson looked down at his watch. It was four p.m. on the dot. Devin was a stickler for being on time, and had never once been late to any event. Jayson couldn’t say the same about himself until serving under Devin’s rule. It only took one slip-up and tardy to a Council meeting to make the Alpha mad. Jayson had been set straight, and from there on out, he’d been on time—for everything.
“It was brought to my attention that we have yet another threat against us,” Devin said, as soon as he took his seat.
The man didn’t waste time; that was for sure.
“What kind of threat?” Aiden asked.
“It’s indirect, but the outcome will affect us all,” Devin said, and then turned to his brother, Dawson.
“I was approached by a group of outsiders,” Dawson stated. “Zeldano’s followers.”
Jayson narrowed his eyes, and his ears perked up. “I know where this is going…”
“I was told that a certain member on our Council has something that belongs to him,” Dawson continued.
“This is something I should have addressed with utmost attention earlier,” Devin said. “And for that, Jayson, I apologize. There are other matters…it has not been announced officially yet, but Tamara is pregnant.”
The table grew silent.
“How is she?” Nick, the Alpha’s Second-in-Command, who hadn’t said a word until now asked.
“She has not been doing well. It’s her first trimester, which is to be expected, according to her nurse. I fear that most of her ailment stems from being human and carrying my offspring.”
“Tamara will pull through,” Nick reassured him.
“With bed rest, the nurse assured me that she would,” Devin replied.
“I’m sorry, Devin,” Jayson said. “The time wasn't right.”
“It’s not your fault. You are more than an advisor to me. I treat you as my brother. We’re all in this together. I will do what is necessary to help you,” Devin said.
“What exactly is going on?” Blake asked. “What does Zeldano think we have?”
“Yeah,” Dawson said, sitting back in his chair. “Would you care to elaborate, Jayson?”
Jayson sighed. “We’re receiving threats because of me. As you all know, Arianna Klein is my mate. Everyone in this town knows that she’s refused me for over a decade.”
“Yeah, and?” Blake frowned. “You’re not the first wolf with a mate who likes to be chased?”
Dawson frowned at Blake. “Do you even know who the Klein’s are?”
“Who doesn’t? They’re one of the Caedmon human branches. ” Blake shrugged. “It doesn’t make them any better than we are.”
“When Arianna was born, her father made an agreement for an arranged pairing,” Jayson continued. “The contract would unite two prominent bloodlines and possibly form one of the most lucrative investment firms in the world.”
“What a mess,” Aiden said slowly, and dropped his face in his palm.
“A mess, indeed,” Jayson agreed. “One that I did not see coming.”
“You’re going to sit back and let Zeldano use your mate?” Nick asked.
“Fuck no,” Jayson replied, quickly.
“Why haven’t you claimed her already?” Nick asked, again. “Wouldn’t that have solved the problem? Zeldano can’t take what you’ve already claimed.”
“I told you,” Jayson said between clenched teeth. “Arianna doesn’t want to be mated.”
“It wouldn’t have solved anything.” Devin leaned forward. “Are any of you listening? This arrangement was made when Arianna was born.”
“How can an agreement trump what should be?” Blake asked.
“The agreement was made before Jayson could have ever laid claim to Arianna. With the way the Caedmon laws were written, the arranged pairing would stand.”
Blake threw up his hands. “This is insane! Does Arianna want this?”
“From my understanding, she doesn’t want anything to do with Zeldano,” Jayson answered. “Arianna is loyal to our Pack, despite her father’s dealings. Even she can see the treachery in all of this.”
“Why hasn’t she told Zeldano to shove it?” Blake asked.
“I wish it were that easy.” Jayson thought back to the suitcase full of money, he’d delivered to Mr. Klein. He could only hope it was the solution for getting Arianna out of this mess.
“My intuition tells me it won’t be,” Dawson said. “Zeldano’s men specifically told me that you had something he owned.”
Jayson’s body grew hot and he thought the veins in his neck would literally pop from the steam blasting through them. “Arianna is mine. I may not have claimed her yet, but no other man will while I am still alive.”
“We can’t risk another threat on our community,” Dawson shot back. “After Darius, I don’t know how much more our small town can take.”
“Can’t this deal be broken? What can we do?” Nick asked.
“There is one non-life threatening way in which the agreement can be broken.” Devin rose from the table, walked over to the bar, and filled a glass with ice.
The room remained silent.
“Pay Zeldano off,” he finally announced.
“I’ve already delivered the money to Klein for that purpose,” Jayson replied.
“Then you’re one step ahead of the game.” Devin turned around, with glass of Scotch in hand. “Let us all hope Zeldano accepts.”
“And if he doesn’t?” Dawson chimed in.
“Jayson will have to choose when that time comes.”
Arianna sat back in the sofa next to Tamara’s bed and watched as Nurse Whitney checked her vitals. From the expression on her face, she could tell the Alpha’s mate was a little anxious. Any mother would be worried about the health of her unborn child.
Arianna had only been here a few hours, and within that time frame Tamara had rushed to the bathroom to puke several times. She almost felt sorry for her, but knew all this would eventually pass. From what she’d heard from all her previously pregnant female cousins and relatives, the first trimester was the worst. Carrying a wolf’s offspring couldn’t have been an easy feat.
The nurse slipped an armband on Tamara Caedmon’s wrist, and pumped it with air. “With Selene’s help, I was able to access most of your medical history.”
It was Tamara’s second checkup with the nurse. Devin had been unable to attend because of an emergency Council meeting. Tamara had asked them to join her in the room during the examination.
Ta
mara’s best friend, Selene, stood at the foot of the bed and wrung her hands together. Her sister-in-law, Elisa, was also in the room sitting on the windowsill with a journal and pen.
Tamara looked worriedly at the nurse. “Did everything look okay?”
“You have a clean medical history. Other than the broken arm you had three years ago, everything looked great.”
“Broken arm?” Selene gaped. “You never told me about that.”
Tamara looked at her friend and frowned. “Not something I want to really remember.”
“Oh,” Selene replied.
Something in Tamara’s past always worried her. Selene seemed to understand, but Arianna didn’t want to intrude.
“Your blood pressure is within normal range.” Nurse Whitney made some notes on her pad. “How is your back?”
Tamara lifted herself into a sitting position with the help of the nurse. “My lower back is killing me. It’s like something is sitting on it.”
“That is to be expected,” Whitney replied.
“I hate being held prisoner in this room.”
Whitney smiled and looked around. “Looks like a sanctuary to me. Sixty inch television. California King bed. Downy pillow and mattress. Room service from the Alpha, himself…I’d trade any day.”
Tamara laughed, and Arianna and Selene joined in.
“In a week or two, you’ll have reached your second trimester. We can gradually add in more activity, like walking,” Whitney assured her.
“When do we get to see everything on the ultrasound?” Elisa moved away from the window and came to join them next to the bed. At ten years old, she resembled a Barbie doll with her bouncy brown curls and rosy lips. She had only the slightest resemblance to her half-brother, Devin.
“In two weeks.” Nurse Whitney smiled. “I’ll be back with the machine…and we can hear the heartbeat better.”
“I can hear loud and clear,” Elsie declared.
“A nurse in the making?”
“I’d love to be a nurse.” Elisa’s smile turned into a frown. “But it’s not in the cards.”
Elisa seemed very mature for her age. Other ten year olds were interested in fashion, music, and hobbies like ballet and jewelry making. From what Arianna had learned about Elisa today, the young girl was more interested in science and the elements.
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