Page 27 of Crossed Fates

I pressed harder, provoking him to shift. Taking advantage of my newfound space, I wiggled my legs out from beneath me and wrapped them around his waist like a vise, catching Alaric by surprise and knocking the wind out of him. Then I partially shifted and swiped a claw up his front, slicing his sweater and skin in the process, drawing blood. His resulting shock allowed me to push his hand away from my throat so I could finally take in air.

Part of me wanted to collapse with relief and just breathe, but I could already sense Alaric beginning to regroup.

I fought the dizziness and sucked in as much oxygen as I could and began fighting my way out of his hold. He tried to loosen my grip around his waist while I struggled to hold on, my thighs clamping even tighter around him. All our grappling tipped us over and took us to the ground. We tussled and wrestled, both of us attempting to dominate the other, but neither of us managed to keep the upper hand for long. His injured shoulder worked in my favor, suggesting he’d be an even fiercer opponent at full health.

I jumped to my feet, and he quickly followed.

Neither of us held back as we fought, and I couldn’t help being a little impressed and a whole lot turned on. My wolf basked in the glow of his powerful vibes, loving the way he proved himself to be an alpha in his prime. She believed he could protect us and would be possessive, dominant, and a worthy mate. Which really irritated me. Sometimes I felt like I needed to remind her of her status as an alpha wolf and not a submissive.

Alaric finally took me down and pinned me to the ground, his domineering growl vibrating me to my core. We were both covered in superficial wounds, our breathing hard from being ramped up on adrenaline. I stared into his eyes and saw a reflection of my own emotions.

Anger.

Respect.

Desire.

Except Alaric was also drowning in an ocean of grief.

He lowered his head, his eyes still glued to mine, and covered my mouth with his own.

Lust ripped through me and exploded with the force of a hurricane, knocking the wind right out of me. I knew I shouldn’t, but I kissed him back anyway, lost to the high of the moment and the violence erupting between us.

It felt right.

Perfect.

Intense.

And just for a moment, I completely forgot what had provoked our fight. Because all I wanted was to feel. To breathe him in. To lose myself to the flawless moment ofus.

Alaric

Mine.

I blamed my wolf.

There was no other reason I would have kissed Makayla. He was riding me hard after sparring with her.

Fuck.

Bite.

Claim.

Mine.

She moaned, opening her mouth and giving me the opportunity to slip my tongue in and taste her.Damn. She tasted every bit as delicious as she smelled. If her mouth was this good…

Temptation personified.

Goddamn, I want her. I reallywanther.

Fighting with her had been hot as hell. I’d taken all of my anger out on her, and instead of whimpering and begging, she’d hit me back just as hard, refusing to submit. She was all alpha female, and it was sexy as hell. Which meant her submission would be all the more satisfying in the end.

Shit, I’d never been this damn hard before. If she wasn’t my fated mate, then whatever pheromones she’d used to trick me were absolutely working.

Makayla wrapped her arms around my neck, throwing herself into our kiss, making it clear that if I wanted to take her, she’d be game.