Page 172 of Alpha Mates

“Oh my Goddess!” I cry, trying to back away from him, but he follows me with a grin.

“I feel what you feel. Once we mark each other, a mental channel opens through our bond so—”

—If you leave your mind open, I can hear your thoughts,he finishes in my mind.

I sort of gasp and scream, then slap my hands over my head as if that would stop this. Meanwhile, Aiden laughs like I’m his personal jester.

For all my parents’ failures, I did get the talk about what happened when a mate bond is completed, so of course, I knew. I’d even done a bit of training on my own to be able to close that link when the time came, but all that practice disappears as if it didn’t exist. Even now, as I try desperately to shut him out, I can’t … because this is Aiden, and I want him in every way I can have him.

Sadly, that means I’m forced to live my worst nightmare.

“Worst?”

“Kill me now!” I groan, burying my face in my hands. “I can’t stop.”

“Hey,” he murmurs sympathetically, all teasing fading as he tries to ease my hands away.

“Don’t,” I warn. I’m not in the mood for a speech about why I shouldn’t be embarrassed when I'm already dying from it.

He nods, giving me space as I turn away from him. But the bond goes two ways, so even with the physical space, I can feel his upset threading into me, along with the anxiety that builds as the seconds pass by.

“I didn’t do anything because I thought it was too soon,” he says quietly. My head snaps up. Our eyes meet in the mirror, and even though I’m flustered, he’s the one who struggles to hold my gaze. “We had sex for the first time last night. I thought you’d be in pain.”

“Why would I be in pain?” I ask, incredulous.

“Because that’s what the websites said usually happened after!” he defends, and I turn to face him.

“Websites?”

“Yes, websites. I did research to prepare,” he says boldly enough to make my eyes widen. “What? You thought I was just going to wing our first time?”

“So, you did research?” I ask instead of answering. It makes sense, I suppose, but in the moment, I’d just thought Aiden wasreallygood.

“I wanted you to feel good, so obviously I did,” he says, looking away as my blush transfers to his face. “And anyway, I thought your body would need time to rest.”

I stare at him—sweet, ridiculous Aiden Calderon. The same wolf who laughed at kids tripping and would race down streets butt naked when he was drunk enough. And apparently, also the wolf who spent time on sex-health websites before getting in bed with a guy. My embarrassment melts away.

“Aiden,” I say, smiling as I face him properly. “I’m not in pain.Youmade sure of that. And besides, I’m a werewolf, not a human. I don’t break so easily.”

“Well, good. That’s good,” he says awkwardly, which only makes my smile grow wider as my heart flutters.

“Yeah, it is,” I reply, as I take a measured step back.

Keeping my eyes glued on him, I retreat step by step, dragging my feet as I put space between us. His brow twitches, discomfort prickling through the bond—until my grip on the towel slackens.

The fabric slips down one hip, and his eyes immediately dart down to the strip of exposed skin, hunger flashing in his eyes. I smile, letting the towelslip lower, inch by inch, until it slides off the other hip and falls in a lazy pool at my feet.

Aiden’s eyes slide over my body, and he watches me in a near trance, frozen. His throat works around a swallow, and the heat in his gaze sharpens until it feels like a physical touch against my skin.

I step into the shower, unhurried. Steam rises as I twist the handle, the spray roaring to life. Water cascades over me, soaking my hair, my chest, my thighs. I push wet strands from my face, then glance back at him.

He hasn’t moved. He’s still watching me, dark eyes burning, and the intensity of it makes goosebumps race up my back.

“Well … are you going to fuck me or not?”

Aiden stays still for a moment before my invitation finally computes, and then he can’t move fast enough. The shower door wobbles behind him as he slips inside and drives me into the wall, his mouth crashing onto mine.

His tongue slides between my lips as his muscled thigh wedges between mine, grinding up and making me whimper at the glorious friction that sends pleasure straight to my balls. I try to hold onto him as I crane forward, but he grips my wrists and pins them beside my head.