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He rocked into me slowly, and with each stroke, I wanted to scream. He felt too good. Even at this pace, it felt incredible. He usually went a bit faster, a bit rougher. I never minded because of how amazing it felt. But in this moment, with him taking his time, it nearly made me combust. With each thrust, slow and deep, everything felt… more intense.

Maximus lifted my legs and placed them over his shoulders as he raised my hips off the ground. He was so deep I thought he would split me open. The thrusts were still slow, but now, with him being so deep, I lost my mind. Everything inside me exploded, and another scream ripped through me. Even with the pillow there, it was still loud, and I felt Maximus twitch inside me.

He screamed my name through the bond, and the orgasm was intense. Every muscle in my body tightened as I rode the wave of pleasure. When he finally collapsed on top of me, he nuzzled his nose into the crook of my neck. I thought he would mark me, but he kissed the sensitive spot where the mark would be instead.

That was incredible. I have missed you so much.

The smile that broke across my face made my cheeks hurt.I’ve missed you, too.

Maximus nuzzled again.I love you, Kylie.

I struggled to hear those words. It’s been one hell of a ride, but I knew deep down there was no fighting this anymore.I love you, too.

36

Kylie

It was an adjustment having Maximus around. The way he took care of me after coming home showed progress from the man who had rejected me. His care for Titan was even more amazing to see. When he woke, Maximus was the first out of bed, picking Titan up from his crib and carrying him over to the changing table he had ordered and set up. He had actually organized everything we could have needed for the baby and brought it all through the woods to the cabin. When he told me he would do whatever it took to help me and Titan, he meant it.

While he changed Titan, I walked over to the bathroom and listened to him talk to his newborn. The soothing voice he used brought a smile to my face. When I walked out to see Maximus holding Titan close and nuzzling him with his nose, my heart swelled.

“I know, little man. It’s so hard to be so tiny and not know what’s going on. That’s okay, though. Daddy is here and will show you the way of the world.” Titan stopped crying and stared at Maximus. “There you go, no more crying. We will get you some food and tuck you right back into bed.”

Maximus noticed me standing by and turned to face me. He shot me a soft look and smiled. I walked over to him and held out my arms to take our pup. Maximus leaned in and placed his lips on my forehead. An eruption of tingles started in my stomach, and heat flared throughout my body. I sucked in a breath, and when I looked into his eyes, I saw fire there, burning, yearning to be let loose. Since our passionate night together, this was the look I saw in his eyes every time he looked at me. We hadn’t completed the bond again, but I could see the way he looked at me without it. The pull in my chest toward him was strong, but I pushed it down. Usually, this worked, but now, seeing how he had changed with Titan and the care he was showing me, it was hard. Soon, I wouldn’t be able to ignore my feelings for Maximus.

I took Titan from him and moved to the small couch. Once Titan started to nurse, I thought Maximus would go back to bed. Instead, he sat on the coffee table and grabbed a foot to rub, his thumbs moving in circles, making me moan. My lycan rumbled at his touch, wanting him to touch me more. After another moment of me pushing down my lycan, it barely worked. She wasn’t the only one wanting to put the past behind us and complete the bond.

I just wasn’t ready yet.

Every touch, every look, every moment spent in this cabin with him made it so hard not to want to spend forever with him. Itwas like I was seeing the man who pulled me out of that cage and confronted my father for abusing me.

But how long would I have this version of him? Would it be until we returned to the kingdom? That’s where our problems started in the first place. How long would it take before he would trust someone else’s opinion, other than his own, about me again? I doubted it would be long, considering it hadn’t taken him long before. The fated mate bond hadn’t stopped him from thinking I wasn’t good enough before, so why would it now? I needed more than the fated mate bond to trust that this would remain like this forever.

I needed time. But I wasn’t sure how much time I would be given before he would demand that we return. Maximus seemed willing to do whatever it takes right now while there is hope. Just because I missed the feeling of being wanted and loved didn’t mean I was ready to tie myself to the person who could easily throw me away.

“What’s on your mind? Is it something I can help with?”

Would it be wise to tell him that I still have doubts about this?

I didn’t have time to bring it up. Titan stopped nursing and spit up. This was a normal occurrence. Sometimes, he would drink too fast, which caused him to spit up. I grabbed the burp rag and positioned it over my shoulder. Maximus tried to help, but I shrugged him off. He growled a little, and I heard the hurt in his voice at being denied the chance to assist, but it wouldn’t take much to get him back in a good place. Titan did this fairly often, and it had always been a matter of getting him to expel the gas before he settled down.

Titan spit up some more, but I didn’t panic. Soft pats on his back and gentle massages helped bring out the gas I knew was upsetting his stomach.

But then he spit up again.

Every few minutes, Titan would spit up more. This wasn’t normal. Usually, it would happen once or twice, and then he would be ready to eat more. Not this time.

He wouldn’t stop.

“Max!” I pleaded. “I don’t know why he is still throwing up!”

My breathing became ragged as he grabbed a new burp rag and took Titan from me. He started to do the same but focused on getting the pup through this. Instead of small amounts of spit-up, it turned into bouts of vomiting. We couldn’t contain it, and it didn’t look like it would slow down any time soon. My lycan paced inside me, whining desperately for Titan. It didn’t help my feelings of inadequacy in caring for my child. If anything, it made me feel worse. It made me feel like an awful mother for not knowing how to help.

I grabbed Titan and sprinted toward the door.

Maximus bellowed my name, mixed with a snarl. The bond urged me to keep him close, but I didn’t care about that. My lycan was torn at having Maximus so far from me, but I needed to get Titan to someone who could actually help. My pup wouldn’t stop expelling everything in his stomach and more. I felt his heart rate slowing down, and I pressed his chest to my ear, listening for any sign of something other than my child dying.

Zephyrine came to mind, her words swirling in my head:It will cost him his son’s life.