Page 50 of A Promise of Forever (The Vallaverse #3)

Sterling

Forrest moved us to the bed a little while ago, the sounds from The Forge muffled by the soundproofing but still present as a distant rumble.

Forrest is running his fingers up and down my back in slow, soothing patterns that make my whole body relax despite everything happening outside this small sanctuary.

His purr vibrates through his chest where I'm pressed against him, calming me even further.

My breathing has evened out, my heart rate has returned to something approaching normal, and the panic that gripped me when I saw Wilson has faded to manageable background anxiety.

But as the fear recedes, something else rises to take its place—a needy heat that starts low in my belly and spreads outward.

I press my face into Forrest's neck, inhaling his rum and coconut scent. Without thinking about it, my tongue darts out to lick along the column of his throat, tasting salt and something uniquely him.

I pull back slightly to stare at the expanse of skin I just licked, my eyes tracing the strong lines of his neck and shoulder. I want more, want everyone to see that Forrest is mine just as much as I'm his.

"What's wrong?" Forrest asks, his voice a low rumble that vibrates through both of us. His hands continue their wandering exploration of my body, one of them reaching down to palm my ass possessively. The touch sends heat straight to my core and I wiggle against him to stave off the building heat.

"You marked me," I say quietly, running my fingers over the bond mark on my lip. "Everyone will know I'm yours just by looking at me. But you... there's nothing permanent on you showing that you're mine."

Forrest's hand on my ass squeezes gently, and I can hear the smile in his voice when he responds. "Are you trying to mark me, little dove? Want to put your teeth in me and claim me back?"

A flash of jealousy and anger surges through me—Wilson trying to claim me as his property, trying to take me away from Forrest, acting like he has any right to me. I nod vigorously, my hands clutching at Forrest's shoulders.

"I want him to know that it's more than just you claiming me," I explain. "I claimed you, too. I chose you. When you fight him tonight, I want Wilson to see evidence of my choice marked on your skin. I want him to know that even if he somehow won, I would never go back to him willingly."

Forrest's expression grows a little more serious, his eyes searching my face. "Are you really okay with me fighting Wilson, little dove? I don't want to upset you or make you feel like I'm choosing violence over keeping you calm, but I can't..."

He trails off, clearly struggling with conflicting desires. I can see it written across his face; the need to protect me warring with the need to eliminate the threat Wilson represents. The desire to honor my request not to kill anyone fighting against his instinct to remove dangers permanently.

"I'm not upset," I assure him honestly, cupping his face in my hands so he has to look directly at me.

"I just don't want you to get hurt. But I understand why you need to do this.

It felt so good when I was hitting that bag in the basement earlier.

I imagined it was Wilson's face, and it felt incredible to let out all that anger I've been carrying.

I don't like violence, but I get why sometimes it's necessary.

" I sigh, running my thumbs along Forrest's cheekbones.

"Wilson has hurt me in so many ways for so long.

If beating him in the ring helps you protect our family and gives you closure, then I support that. I trust you to come back to me safely."

Forrest's eyes darken with heat and something that might be relief. "Then bite me for real," he says, his voice dropping to that register that makes my knees weak even when I'm lying down. "Mark me so everyone can see who I belong to."

I know the bite won't be permanent. An Omega's mark on a Valla doesn't create the same kind of lasting bond that a Valla's bite creates on an Omega.

It's a biological inequality that's always bothered me.

But right now, I don't care about permanence.

I want Wilson to see the mark when Forrest faces him.

I want visual evidence of my claim, even if it's temporary.

I lean forward and sink my teeth into the meat of Forrest's neck, right where it meets his shoulder.

The skin breaks slightly under the pressure, and Forrest roars, the sound reverberating through the room.

His hands tighten on me, one gripping my hip hard enough to bruise while the other tangles in my hair.

The connection between us strengthens as I bite down, our bond flaring brighter and more intense.

I can feel Forrest's emotions flooding through me, a mixture of pride, possessiveness, love, and arousal so strong it makes my own body respond immediately.

Slick gathers around my rim, threatening to make me need more than we have time for.

I pull back after a few moments, releasing my hold on his neck and staring at my work. The bite mark is shallow and won't last past morning. I didn't even break the skin deeply enough to draw blood. But right now, in this moment, it's beautiful and everything I needed.

"Fuck," Forrest breathes, his chest heaving. "I didn't know how much I needed that. Feeling your teeth in me, knowing you're claiming me back... It's perfect, little dove."

A strained giggle escapes me, the sound slightly hysterical with lingering emotion and building arousal. "We're both so bad at this. Neither of us knows what we're doing."

"It just means we can only go up from here. We'll figure it out together and make our own rules." He adjusts our position slightly, getting more comfortable on the narrow bed. "I'm thinking I'll hold you a little longer and then we can get dinner before I have to go."

As if summoned by the mention of food, my stomach rumbles loudly. The sound is embarrassingly loud in the quiet room, my face heating with embarrassment.

"Dinner first, then. I'm not picky about the order as long as you're fed and comfortable.

" He leans in to kiss me, his lips gentle against mine despite the heat I can still feel radiating from him.

When he pulls back, his hand moves to rest on my still-flat stomach.

"I can't fucking wait until you're all swollen with our child," he murmurs, his voice full of wonder.

"You're going to be even more beautiful than you already are.

Watching you grow with our baby, seeing physical evidence of what we created together. .. It's going to be incredible."

His hand spreads wider on my stomach as he leans in again, his lips brushing my ear, whispering one word with absolute conviction: "Mine."

My eyelids grow heavy, exhaustion from the emotional rollercoaster of the day finally catching up with me.

Forrest's purr continues, a steady vibration that lulls me toward sleep.

His scent surrounds me, his arms hold me securely, and the bond between us pulses with contentment.

"Sleep it is then, little dove," Forrest murmurs with a hint of a chuckle in his voice, his hand resuming those soothing patterns on my back.

"I'll wake you for dinner, and then you can watch from up here while I handle Wilson. You'll be safe the entire time."

I want to protest that I should stay awake, that there are things we should discuss about the fight and Wilson and what happens after.

But my body has other ideas, already sinking deeper into relaxation.

I drift off surrounded by his warmth and scent, the mark I left on his neck a visible reminder that for the first time in my life, I have someone who's truly mine.

Someone who chose me just as completely as I chose him.

My last conscious thought before sleep claims me completely is that no matter what happens tonight, no matter how the fight with Wilson unfolds, I'm going home with Forrest. That he’s going to come back to me.

Wilson has already lost. He just doesn't know it yet.