Page 14 of Denying Her Mate (The Wolves of Black Mountain #3)

Chapter 14

Roux

I lie still, my arm draped over Sawyer’s belly, my cheek pressed against his chest. I don’t know how much time has passed, but the sun set and rose again long ago. I don’t want to move to check the time on my phone, and instead focus on the steady, rhythmic beat of his heart. It comforts me, as does his slow breaths in and out. Even though Sawyer is asleep, I can sense him in my head, a constant presence that gives me more comfort than I ever thought possible.

My wolf is as happy as I am, lying down and comforted, knowing I have finally done what she urged me to do all along.

I let Sawyer claim me.

The mark on my neck feels tight, a reminder that I am his and he is mine.

I never imagined I would find my fated mate. I never intended to let another mate into my life again. When I asked Hester to bind that side of me, I did it to protect my mate from the danger I pose, but pushing Sawyer away didn’t solve anything. It punished him for my missteps.

How long did I really think I could deny the bond between us?

It was never going to be possible.

Our kind are driven by our biological desires, by our needs to connect with our mates, whether they are fated or chosen, but a true mate bond is something that can’t be ignored—not without fatal consequences.

I hate that I hurt Sawyer, that I pushed him away for as long as I did.

I thought I didn’t deserve happiness, not after what I did, but Sawyer gives me hope that I can be happy.

“Babe?” Sawyer’s sleepy voice breaks through my drifting thoughts.

I lift my head off his chest to look at him. Dark lashes frame his eyes, which are staring intensely at me.

“Hey,” I say softly, a smile playing on my lips.

“You okay?”

I’m confused by his question, until I remember he can sense my emotions through the bond. “Yeah, I’m okay. I was just thinking about stuff.”

“About your chosen mate?”

I don’t miss the way his lip slightly snarls at those words. His jealousy shouldn’t please me, but it does. I like knowing he wants me to be his entirely.

“Yeah.”

“You want to talk about it?” he asks.

I know how much it must pain him to offer this, and it warms me. “No.” I draw circles on his skin as I nuzzle against him. “This is our moment, Sawyer.”

My mate deserves this after what I put him through, and I don’t want to take it from him.

“This doesn’t feel real, does it?” he says as I still stroke his arm.

“No, but I’m happy. Are you?”

“Overwhelmingly so.” He kisses me, the angle making it awkward, but the first touch of his mouth to mine ignites me like a beacon.

His tongue finds mine, and I caress along his as if we have been together for a decade and not less than twenty-four hours. I take my time exploring his mouth, my fingers moving over every inch of skin I can reach. The muscles of his abdomen ripple beneath my touch and I know this isn’t going to be enough. I need to feel him inside me.

I shift my body so I’m sitting on him, straddling his hips. His cock is already hard, leaking pre-cum from the tip. The need to taste him nearly has me dipping my head down, but instead I run my palms over his bare chest, watching his eyes turn molten as he watches me. Sawyer’s hands move to my thighs, as if he needs to be touching some part of me.

“You need something, my little enchantress?”

“Enchantress?” I cock my brow at him.

“That’s what you’ve done to me, Roux. Enchanted me.” An ugly feeling spreads through me, and not because of this word, but because of my actions. He grabs my wrists. “Hey, don’t go there.”

“I’m sorry,” I say, meaning every word of it. “I wish I had been stronger, that I hadn’t pushed you away so much.”

“That’s the past, babe. I don’t want to dwell on what happened. All I care about is that we are here now, in this moment, with you sitting on top of me, looking like a fucking treat.”

His fingers slide through my folds to my clit, and my breath catches in my throat the moment he touches me. Tingles build in my pussy as he applies a little pressure there.

“I don’t want to talk, Roux. I want to bury my cock inside you and fuck you so hard you can’t even scream my name.”

Oh. Shit .

A full body shiver goes through me at his words. “What are you waiting for?” I challenge. “An invitation?”

He grins, and it is the first real smile I have seen since he came to the Sanctuary. I hate that I broke that playful side of him, that I made him become someone he wasn’t. I plan on doing everything I can to bring him back, to rebuild the man I chipped away at but, thankfully, didn’t break.

My thoughts scatter as he flips me off him and onto my back. He comes down on top of me and surges inside me in one motion, burying his cock so deep inside me my back arches off the bed, pushing him further into my body.

There is barely an inch of space between us before he draws back and slams back into me, his body flush against mine. The deepness of the penetration has me seeing stars and the sensation of fullness inside me is overwhelming. Sawyer molds himself into me, his nose buried in my neck, as he keeps thrusting. His hand is gripping my hair, the other pressed into the mattress to keep from crushing me completely beneath his bulky frame.

My orgasm overwhelms me quickly, the waves of contractions and pulsing too much, but he doesn’t stop his movement until he finds his own release, spilling inside me.

His hips slow and finally stop moving, his breathing heavy, as he kisses down my cheek before latching onto my mouth. I have never been kissed so reverently before Sawyer. I don’t know how he does it, but I feel as if he is showing me his soul with every press of his lips against mine.

When we both become too breathless to continue kissing, he pulls back and collapses on to the mattress next to me, his hand draped over his eyes, as he gasps for air.

“Halle’s going to make our lives hell for this, you know?”

I don’t doubt it. The little red-headed tau wolf hated me the moment I rejected Sawyer. Her unwavering loyalty is one of the things I like most about Halle. She is strong for the people she cares about, and it comforts me to know that Sawyer has someone like that in his life.

My thoughts shift to the blue-haired tau we captured. I wonder how long she has been with the Order.

Long enough that they were able to use her like a trained dog to fight us.

I don’t know any of the tau who are being held prisoner by the Order of the Crescent Moon, but my stomach twists every time I think about them. How many women does the white-haired man have locked away? What is he doing to them, and why?

And why is Hester building her own tau army?

My coven grows every time we bring in another tau. Our combined power is terrifying. “Sawyer?”

“If you want another round, you’re going to have to give me a moment.”

I snort. “Not that I object to that, but it’s not what I was going to say.”

Lowering his arms from his eyes, he peers at me, and my throat suddenly feels clogged. The way he looks at me is so intense and I don’t want to break through this moment we’re having. “I…”

He sits up, giving me more of his focus. “Hey. Talk to me.”

“I’m not saying I think Hester’s motives are bad, but I want to know what game we’re playing here.” Especially considering me and the other tau wolves at the Sanctuary seem to be the players.

“I don’t know what her motives are, but while you and Halle are here, I’m not going to stop questioning her actions. There are things she has done that put you all at risk. That can’t happen. I will never allow anything to touch you, Roux.”

It’s a heartfelt promise, but it’s one he can’t possibly keep. The Order are dangerous and we’re on their radar now. I don’t see how we can stay out of trouble.

“Do you get the feeling something big is coming?” I ask, unable to keep the tremble out of my voice.

He kisses my face. “Yeah, I do, but whatever it is we’ll fight together. I promise, I’m not going anywhere.”