Page 36 of Fated to the Alpha Warrior (The Wolf’s Forbidden Mate #1)

Aurora

My heart is heavy as we make our way through wide-open desert scrub, my motorcycle’s engine humming beneath me, Kieran’s wolf form a stocky silhouette in the distance.

The sun has set and the moon hangs heavy in the sky, our guiding light as we head southwest toward Pack Diamond to warn them about the impending fae attacks.

Every time he pauses to scent the air, muscles rippling beneath thick fur, I feel the broken mate bond pulse in my chest. The kiss we shared in the ruins is at the forefront of my mind.

I can still taste him on my lips, feel his tongue seeking entry into my mouth.

His scent lingers on my skin. It felt so right in that moment, like the completion of something that was a long time coming.

The memory torments me, making my skin flush hot even in the cool night air.

The road ahead splits into two divergent trails, each leading toward the pack.

Kieran signals for a stop, so I pull over, my engine idling.

He shifts behind a tree, and I hear rustling as he pulls his clothes on from his pack.

When he emerges, his shirt is in disarray, a strip of tanned skin visible just above his waistline, and moonlight plays across the defined planes of his abdomen.

There’s a visible patch of pubic hair trailing off toward his hips, and his hair is sticking up all over the place. My mouth goes dry at the sight.

He’s brooding as he approaches me. “I know it’ll add time to our trip, but I’ve decided we should take the northern route,” he says, his voice commanding, as if he’s the only one who gets a say.

Something about the growl in his throat makes my thighs clench around my bike.

“The southern path may be faster, but it’s too exposed. ”

“It’ll add hours to our journey.” I cut the engine of my bike, swinging my leg over to dismount and face him, despite the way it makes my heart race. “We don’t have time for that. Every minute counts if we want to warn Pack Diamond in time.”

“The southern route not only takes us through territory known for fae activity—it’s a winding mountain road. It’s dangerous to take your bike that way.” His jaw clenches, the scar that bisects his cheek and jawline pulling taut. “It’s not safe for you.”

“Nothing about any of this is safe, but that’s not the point of it!

” Frustration bubbles inside me, mixing dangerously with the arousal still thrumming through my veins and the strength of the mate bond reborn.

“The fae are going to attack one way or another. At least this way, we can save lives by getting there as soon as possible.”

“And what about your life?” Kieran steps closer, looming over me, so close that I can smell pine and cinnamon and pure, raw man. His voice rises with emotion. “You were nearly killed by those fae in the ruins. I won’t risk my—” He cuts himself off, looking away.

“Won’t risk what? Your mate that you rejected?” I move into his space, tilting my chin up defiantly. The heat of his body radiates onto me, intoxicating and difficult to resist. “I’m not some fragile woman that needs protecting, Kieran. I can handle myself—you made sure of that.”

“I know you can… and I know that I hold some responsibility for that. You wouldn’t have had to fight so hard to prove yourself if it weren’t for me.” His ice blue eyes, dark with emotion, lock onto mine. “But I can’t stand the thought of something happening to you.”

“Why do you care?” The words burst out of me with raw pain and emotion. “You rejected me, Kieran. You made it very clear that I wasn’t good enough to be your mate, and as far as I know, nothing has changed. I’m still not good enough for you.”

“That’s not—I never—” Frustration flashes across his face, as if he feels torn between saying or doing… I don’t even know what anymore. “I never should have rejected you,” he finally blurts out, freezing as the words hang between us.

My heart stops, and for a moment my chest doesn’t ache at all. “What did you say?”

“I shouldn’t have done it.” He breathes rapidly, his eyes wide and his voice full of wonder, as if he also can’t believe the words that just came out of his mouth. “Rejecting you was the biggest mistake of my life.”

The bond flares to life between us, no ache or wild thing this time, but a steady flow of emotions. I can feel his regret, his shame, his desire—all of it, without words, without touch.

Staring up at him, I find that I’m afraid to even breathe, just in case it all goes away. “Then why did you do it?”

“Because I was weak.” Now that the words have started, he seems relieved to keep them going.

“Because I let my father’s teachings about strength and weakness poison everything.

Because I thought it was the right decision, not realizing how deeply it would hurt us both.

Especially you, Aurora. I—I never meant to hurt you. ”

“Kieran…”

He doesn’t let me finish. Reaching for me with his broad, calloused warrior’s hands, he pulls me to him.

With gentle hands, he tilts my chin up and cups my cheek.

I know that I should pull away again, but I’m just so tired of running from this.

I don’t have the strength to protect myself from him anymore—not when he’s all my heart wants.

When his thumb brushes across my skin, I lean into his touch, my eyelids fluttering. A whine rises in my throat, and suddenly I find a deep, yawning hunger within me for so much more than this simple touch.

“Aurora,” he breathes, then his mouth crashes down onto mine.

There’s nothing careful or slow about this kiss.

It’s raw need, desire and arousal exploding between us.

His tongue sweeps into my mouth like a conquering army as he backs me up against a tree.

One broad hand grips my hip and draws me against him, while the other slides into my hair and holds me still.

I moan, hands clutching his shirt, the rough bark of the tree pressing against me as I lose myself in the taste of him.

He slides his hand under my shirt and heat blossoms everywhere he touches.

The bond sings between us as I wrap my arms around his neck and press closer, his cock firm against my thigh.

His body is hard and hot against mine, all solid muscle and barely restrained power.

When he growls low in his throat, the sound makes desire pool low in my belly, my thighs instinctively parting for his muscular thigh.

He slides his hand further beneath my shirt, callused fingers skimming the underwire of my bra, and I arch into his touch. He breaks the kiss to trail his lips down my neck, pausing and sucking on a sensitive spot just below my ear in a way that makes me gasp and shudder.

“Fuck, you’re perfect,” he murmurs into my ear. “So beautiful. I don’t know how I resisted you for so long when just inhaling your scent makes my cock harder than it’s ever been.”

His words, filthy and full of praise, go straight to my core.

No one has ever touched me like this or made me feel this way.

Every brush of his fingers is like a branding.

When he pulls my shirt up toward my shoulders, I lift my arms without hesitation, letting him pull it over my head and discard it.

The cool night air hits my heated skin, but my arousal can’t be abated.

Kieran’s eyes darken as they roam over me, and the hunger in his gaze makes my breath catch, especially as it stops on the peaks of my nipples pressing up against my sensible bra.

He cups my breasts and brushes his thumbs against my nipples until I shudder and whimper.

“My Aurora,” he says, “I’m going to make you feel so good.”

Then he captures my mouth in another passionate, dominant kiss, proving himself right.

I reach for his shirt with shaking hands, desperate to feel his skin against mine.

He helps me pull it off his broad, muscular shoulders, followed by my bra, so that there’s nothing between us but heated skin as he presses me back against the tree.

But when his hands skim my abdomen and reach for the button of my jeans, uncertainty creeps in. “Wait,” I gasp, pushing at his chest and biting back a moan at the incredible, masculine strength of him. “Kieran, wait.”

He pulls back immediately, although I can see how it pains him. Even through his thick denim jeans, his arousal is obvious, and he trembles from restraint. The black of his pupils has almost completely eclipsed his ice blue irises. “What is it?”

“I’ve never…” My cheeks burn as I realize there’s no way not to admit this aloud. “This would be my first time.”

“You’re a virgin.” His nostrils flare as he takes in my scent, hunger and possessiveness flashing across his handsome face. “You’re sure you want this? With me?”

“Yes.” I’m never been more certain of anything, even as nerves flutter in my stomach. “I want you so fucking badly. I’m just… nervous.”

“Don’t be.” His voice is gentle, as is his hand as he brushes my hair back from my face. The tenderness of the movement makes my heart skip a beat. “You’re so beautiful, Spitfire. So perfect. Too good for me by far.”

A shiver goes through me, and he pulls our bodies together again, rubbing circles over my lower back. “You’re just saying that.”

“No, I’m not.” Cupping my face, he forces me to meet his eyes.

The earnestness in his expression steals my breath away.

“You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.

So kind and strong, so loyal and fierce.

Your eyes are gorgeous and your smile lights up a room.

The way your passion comes to life when you talk about the things you care about, how you’ll stand up for anyone, even a stranger…

” He swallows hard. “You take my breath away, Aurora Blackburn.”

Tears prick at the corners of my eyes. No one has ever looked at me like this, or said so many wonderful things about me.

To have it come from Kieran, the mate who rejected me, heals something inside me that I didn’t know still ached.

As the tears fall, he brushes them away with his thumbs, his gaze never leaving mine.

Then he kisses me again, softer this time, but still hungry and raw.

When his hands return to my jeans, I let him unbutton them, shifting my hips so he can pull them down my thighs.

He follows with his jeans, then his boxers, then finally my panties, until there’s nothing between us but our mate bond.

The air between us feels like everything and nothing at all.

Licking my lips, I take a step back to look at him, and he lets me, his hands loose at my waist. His chest is broad and muscular, his abdomen chiseled, his hips V-shaped.

Everywhere his skin is perfect, the scar on his face the only blemish.

And between his thighs, rising thick and straight, is quite possibly the biggest cock I’ve ever seen.

I’ve never looked at Kieran naked for long, never let my eyes linger, but I’ve seen plenty of naked shifters. Most are well-endowed, at least compared to what I know of human men. But Kieran’s erect cock is like nothing else—thick and long, and so huge that I feel nerves fluttering in my stomach.

Surely that can’t possibly fit inside me.

I drag my eyes up to his face, uncertainty spreading through me.

“You’re so big,” I whisper, a blush rising to my cheeks as my gaze drops back down again, and I take in the large, flared head, the thick shaft, and the impossible length of it. “What if you don’t… what if it won’t…”

“Hey.” He tips my chin up, his touch impossibly gentle for such a large man. “It will fit. Don’t worry, we’ll take it slow, Spitfire. I would never hurt you. I promise.”

The tenderness in his voice is undeniable.

Rising to my toes, I press my lips to his in a soft kiss that slowly deepens.

His hands tighten at my waist as he pulls me flush against him, arousal and all.

I can feel every hard inch of him against my belly, and it sends electric tingles racing along my nerve endings.

“I just want to make sure you’re certain about this,” he says again between tender and delicate kisses, his breath hot against my lips, then on my neck as he nips at my jawline. “We can stop here. I can stop.”

“Don’t stop,” I breathe against his mouth, casting aside every doubt and worry, knowing this is what I want—and tonight may be the only night I ever get it. “Please don’t stop.”

I thread my fingers through his hair and drag his mouth to my pulse point. He groans, his erection trapped between us as he captures my mouth again. Heat spreads through my body like a wildfire out of control, and I tremble as his big hands come up to my breasts, thumbs tracing my nipples.

The bond pulses between us, stronger than it’s ever been, even more than the moment it first flared to life.

There’s no ache in my chest, no misunderstanding between us, no broken pieces or rejection—just us, finally whole, as mates should be.

My body feels like it’s full and empty at the same time, as I revel in his touch and desperately reach for more, craving every impossible inch of him.

There’s no turning back now.

I wouldn’t even if I could.