Page 36 of Furever Bound (Hollow Oak Mates #7)

SERA

T he warmth of Maddox's bedroom felt like sanctuary as Sera settled against the headboard, watching him feed the fireplace that would keep them comfortable through the November night.

The stress of federal confrontation and supernatural communication had finally caught up with her, but underneath the exhaustion was a bone-deep certainty that she wanted to complete their bond before any other crisis could interfere.

The firelight cast dancing shadows across his broad shoulders as he moved, highlighting the defined muscles of his back and the way his dark hair caught golden highlights. When he turned back to her, his piercing blue eyes held a hunger that made her eager with anticipation.

"You're sure about this?" Maddox asked, settling beside her. His large frame made the bed dip, and she could feel the heat radiating from his skin. "Completing the mate bond isn't something that can be undone if you change your mind later."

"I'm not going to change my mind," she said, reaching for his hand with fingers that trembled slightly from anticipation rather than uncertainty.

"Maddox, I've spent years in relationships that felt conditional, connections that could be severed the moment they became inconvenient.

I want permanent. I want unbreakable. I want you. "

The raw honesty in her voice seemed to break the last of his careful control, and when he kissed her, it carried desperation and reverence in equal measure. His lips were firm and demanding against hers, his tongue sliding into her mouth to claim her thoroughly.

"The marking," he said against her mouth. "Once I mark you, the bond becomes irreversible."

"And you'll be mine in exactly the same ways," she replied, meeting his possessive intensity with claiming desire of her own. Her hands found the hem of his thermal shirt, needing to feel his skin against hers. "Show me, Maddox. Show me what belonging really means."

He caught her wrists gently, bringing them to his lips to press kisses against her racing pulse. "First, let me worship you properly," he murmured, his eyes dark with promise. "Let me show you how precious you are to me."

He guided her back against the pillows with reverent attention, his hands mapping the curves of her body with touch that felt like worship. The firelight played across his features, highlighting the silver in his dark hair and the depth of emotion in his piercing blue eyes.

"I love you," he said simply, the words carrying weight that transformed them from casual endearment to solemn vow. "Everything you are, everything you're becoming, everything we're building together."

"I love you too," she replied, the words tasting more natural than anything else she has ever said. She knew it long before she said it and hadn’t even realized it.

When he began removing her clothes with careful deliberation, each revealed inch of skin felt like territory being claimed rather than simple physical intimacy. His touch carried supernatural awareness that seemed to resonate with her developing psychic abilities.

He pulled her sweater over her head slowly, his gaze drinking in the sight of her in the firelight. Her strawberry blonde hair spilled across the dark pillows like liquid gold, and her hazel eyes held flecks of green that seemed to glow with desire.

"Beautiful," he murmured against her throat, his teeth grazing skin that seemed to burn wherever he touched. "Perfect. Mine."

The possessive endearment should have triggered her independent instincts, but instead it felt like exactly what she'd been unconsciously craving—someone who wanted her completely enough to claim her permanently, someone whose protective instincts made possession feel like gift rather than constraint.

"Yours," she agreed, arching into his touch as his hands explored with increasing confidence. "Completely yours."

He unhooked her bra with practiced ease, his breath catching as her breasts were revealed to his hungry gaze. The cool air made her nipples peak, and when he lowered his head to take one into his mouth, she cried out at the sensation.

"I love the sounds you make," he said against her skin, his tongue swirling around the sensitive peak before moving to give the other the same attention. "Tell me what you want, Sera."

"I want you," she gasped, her hands tangling in his dark hair. "All of you. I want to feel your cock inside me when you mark me."

Her bold words made him growl low in his throat, a sound that was more wolf than human. He made quick work of the rest of their clothes, his movements urgent but still careful of her comfort.

When they were both naked, he took a moment to simply look at her spread out beneath him. Her body was perfection in the firelight—all graceful curves and soft skin. Her pussy was already glistening with arousal, and the sight made his cock throb with need.

"You're so fucking beautiful," he said roughly, his hands skimming down her sides to settle on her hips. "I could look at you forever and never get tired of the sight."

"Then touch me," she challenged, her eyes sparkling with mischief despite the desire darkening them. "Make me yours in every way."

He didn't need to be asked twice. His hands explored every inch of her body with thorough attention, learning what made her gasp and what made her moan. When his fingers found her wet heat, she arched off the bed with a cry of pleasure.

"So wet for me already," he murmured appreciatively, sliding one finger inside her tight warmth. "Your pussy is perfect, Sera. So hot and tight around my fingers."

"More," she begged, her hips rocking against his hand. "Please, Maddox, I need more."

He added another finger, stretching her carefully as his thumb found her clit. The dual sensation made her vision blur with pleasure, and she could feel her orgasm building already.

"That's it," he encouraged, his voice rough with his own arousal. "Let me feel you come on my fingers first. I want to taste your pleasure."

His words pushed her over the edge, and she came with a cry that echoed through the bedroom. Her pussy clenched around his fingers as waves of pleasure washed over her, and she felt him groaning in appreciation.

"Incredible," he said, bringing his fingers to his mouth to taste her essence. "You taste like heaven, sweetheart."

The sight of him licking her arousal from his fingers made her pussy clench with renewed desire, and she reached for his hard cock with eager hands.

"Now I want to taste you," she said, sitting up to push him back against the pillows.

His cock was impressive—thick and long, with a broad head that was already weeping with pre-cum. She wrapped her hand around his length, marveling at how her fingers couldn't quite meet around his girth.

"Fuck, Sera," he groaned as she stroked him from base to tip. "Your hands feel incredible."

She lowered her head to take him into her mouth, her tongue swirling around the sensitive head before she took him deeper. The taste of him was addictive—salt and musk and something uniquely Maddox that made her moan around his length.

"Christ," he gasped, his hands fisting in her hair as she worked him with lips and tongue. "You're going to kill me with that mouth."

She pulled off him with a pop, her lips swollen and her eyes dark with desire. "I want you inside me when you mark me," she said, straddling his hips so his cock pressed against her wet entrance. "I want to feel you claiming every part of me."

"Are you ready?" he asked, his hands gripping her hips as she positioned herself above him. Though his careful control couldn't disguise the alpha demand for claiming that radiated from his supernatural nature.

"I'm ready," she whispered, sinking down onto his cock slowly.

Their joining felt like coming home and flying apart simultaneously, physical connection amplified by supernatural recognition until she wasn't sure where her consciousness ended and his began. He filled her completely, stretching her in ways that bordered on too much but felt absolutely perfect.

"God, you feel incredible," he groaned, his eyes rolling back as her tight heat enveloped him. "So perfect around my cock."

Through their developing bond, she felt his wonder at her acceptance, his protective fury toward anything that might threaten what they were building, his deep satisfaction at finally claiming what his wolf had recognized as mate from their first touch.

She rode him with increasing urgency, their bodies moving together in perfect rhythm as pleasure built between them. When he sat up to capture her mouth in a searing kiss, the change in angle made her cry out as he hit that perfect spot inside her.

"I can feel everything you're feeling," she gasped against his lips. "Your desire, your love, your need to claim me. It's overwhelming."

"That's the bond strengthening," he explained roughly, his hands guiding her movements as they chased their release together. "Soon it will be complete, and nothing will ever separate us."

He flipped them suddenly, pinning her beneath his larger frame as he took control. His thrusts were deep and powerful, each one sending sparks of pleasure through her entire body.

"Now," he said against her ear, his voice carrying alpha authority that made her entire nervous system respond with eager submission. "The marking. Last chance to change your mind."

"I'm not changing my mind," she said. "Mark me. Make it permanent. Make me yours forever."

His pace increased, driving into her with primal need as he placed his hand near her hip. She could feel his claws elongating slightly, preparing for the mark that would seal their bond permanently.

"Mine," he growled against her skin. "Always mine."

"Yours," she gasped, teetering on the edge of climax. "Always yours."

When his claws pierced her skin in the claiming scratch, the marking sent electricity racing through her system.

The sensation built until it felt like lightning illuminating every nerve ending, and then suddenly she was aware of Maddox's consciousness intertwined with her own in ways that made separation impossible.

Her orgasm crashed over her with devastating intensity, her whole body spasming against him and his cock as pleasure consumed every inch of her being. Through their bond, she felt his own release as he came deep inside her with a roar that shook the windows.

Mine, his thoughts whispered through their completed bond. Always mine.

Yours, she replied through the connection that transcended words. Always yours.

The supernatural marking created a permanent reminder of their bond that would be visible only to them but felt with every movement, every breath, every heartbeat that now synchronized with his through magic that predated human understanding of commitment.

"How do you feel?" he asked, gathering her against his chest where she could hear his heart beating in rhythm with her own.

"Different," she said with wonder, testing the new awareness that let her sense his emotions. "Connected. Like part of me was missing before and now it's complete."

"That's exactly what it is," he said, pressing a kiss to her temple while his hands traced patterns on her skin. "Completion. Two souls choosing to become something neither could achieve alone."

Through their bedroom windows, she could see November snow continuing to fall over Hollow Oak, covering the town in pristine white that made everything look peaceful despite the federal threats still lurking beyond their temporary sanctuary.

"What happens now?" she asked, settling more comfortably against his warmth while their completed bond hummed with contentment.

"Now we face whatever comes next together," he replied with certainty that made her feel capable of handling any challenge. "Elena's federal pressure, community protection, building the life we want despite forces that might try to interfere."

As sleep claimed them in the early hours of November first, Sera realized that completing their supernatural connection had transformed her from someone seeking belonging into someone who could never be separated from the home and mate she'd found in Hollow Oak's magical sanctuary.