Page 19 of Howl For A Kiss (Rebellious Mates #3)

SEVENTEEN

ELENA

E lena sat by the fire trying to process everything that had happened and been revealed in the past several days, let alone the past several hours.

She realized with startling clarity that the years of building emotional walls to protect herself hadn't really created a fortress around her but had actually trapped her inside a prison of her own making.

And somehow impossibly, Damon had managed to dismantle those walls in just three days, revealing the vulnerabilities she'd buried deep.

Before his honest confession just now about his life, she had felt like a fool for exposing herself so openly to him.

But now, as she processed it all, she felt a sense of connection with him—like they were finally on the same page.

She glanced at him where he sat a few feet away, his muscular frame illuminated by the firelight.

The makeshift cloth tied around his waist did little to hide his alpha presence, and she found herself drawn to him despite the whirlwind of emotions still churning inside her.

His honesty had been a double-edged sword—cutting deep but also freeing her in ways she hadn't expected.

"Damon, I didn't join the rebellion or become a rebellion leader because I wanted a civil war," she said, her voice steady but laced with the weight of her convictions.

"I did it because I can't bear to see our world torn apart any more than it already is.

I can't watch anyone else suffer under these traditional pack laws.

" Her gaze found Damon's face. "I fight because I have no other choice. "

Damon's eyes locked onto hers, intense and unyielding.

"Elena, you always have a choice. And maybe running from your past and abandoning all tradition isn't the answer.

Those parts of you—your family, your mistakes, your pain—they're what made you who you are.

You can't just erase it and start over. You have to embrace all of it if you want to truly change anything. "

His words struck a chord, but they also stirred up a storm of frustration.

"How can I embrace any of it?" she shot back, her voice rising slightly.

"I've spent my entire life trying to figure out who I am, and now I find out I'm a hybrid—some kind of bridge between worlds.

I'm supposed to be the third part of a prophecy that's supposed to restore harmony?

How can I do that when I don't even understand myself? "

Her hands clenched, the heat of her emotions threatening to boil over again.

Damon's calm demeanor only intensified her frustration.

He wasn't arguing with her, he never did.

He was just listening and providing support as he'd done for the past three days.

Yet it infuriated her and comforted her at the same time.

"You're not broken, Elena. Far from it," he said, his voice low and firm. "You're the embodiment of both worlds—human and shifter. That's your strength, not your weakness. But you have to stop running from it. From all of it."

His words hit like a punch to the gut. She'd spent so long running—from her father, from her past, from the truth. And now Damon was here, forcing her to confront all of it. It terrified her. She shot up from the cavern floor, pacing in front of the fire.

"Stop it," she snapped. "Just stop. You don't get to come in here and tell me how to feel or what to do.

My entire life has been flipped upside down in a matter of days.

" She paused, taking a steadying breath.

"First, my best friend is killed trying to save me.

Then, my rebel base is ambushed and compromised.

Next, I find out I'm a hybrid which my father hid from me my entire life, and I'm tied to some ancient prophecy.

And on top of all that, you lied to me for three whole days hiding your true Beta identity and the fact that you're my fated mate. "

Damon rose to his feet in one fluid motion, his height and presence dominating the space.

"You're right. Maybe I shouldn't tell you what to do or how to feel after having your life flipped upside down.

" He stepped closer to her. "But I've lived it, Elena.

And I know what it's like to feel trapped and lost, and to question every decision I've ever made.

I've spent fifteen years trying to live up to a role I wasn't ready for and enforcing laws I didn't believe in.

I know what it's like to feel like you're losing yourself.

But I also know that running doesn't fix it. You have to face it head-on."

Elena turned to face him, her chest heaving with the force of her emotions. His words were like a mirror, reflecting her own fears and doubts back at her. She hated it. She hated how he could see through her so easily. Hated how he always seemed to know what to say and what to do.

"And what if I can't?" she whispered, her voice cracking. "What if I'm not strong enough to face it?"

Damon closed the distance between them, his hands coming up to cradle her face.

His touch was firm but gentle, his fingers brushing against her skin.

"You are strong enough," he said, his voice a low rumble that sent shivers through her.

"You've been strong enough this whole time. You just have to believe it now."

His eyes burned with an intensity that made her breath catch. She wanted to argue, to push him away, but something in his gaze held her captive. The firelight danced across his face, highlighting the strong angles of his jaw. Her pulse quickened as he leaned in, his breath warm against her skin.

"Stop running," he murmured. "From your past. From me. From us."

Her heart pounded in her chest, her wolf stirring with a hunger she couldn't ignore. She wanted to kiss him and to lose herself in the safety of his arms. But fear held her back this time—fear of what it meant to let him in completely.

"Damon," she breathed, her voice trembling.

He didn't say anything. Instead, his lips captured hers in a kiss that was both tender and fierce.

It was a kiss that spoke of understanding, of raw emotion, of a connection that went deeper than words.

Elena melted into him, her hands gripping his shoulders as the fire roared in the background, casting them in a warm, golden glow.

Damon deepened the kiss, igniting a wildfire between them, far more intense than their first. This kiss was primal and all-consuming, the kind of heat that burned through logic and fear until only raw need remained.

Elena's entire body lit up with sensation, every nerve alight with the undeniable truth.

Damon was hers. Had always been hers, across time and space, in ways she couldn't explain but felt in her bones.

She tore her mouth from his, gasping. "What the hell was that?"

Damon's pupils were blown wide and his breath ragged.

His hands flexed against her hips, possessive even in their restraint.

"The mate bond," he said, his voice thick with desire.

"It's been growing stronger every hour since we met.

And it's only going to get more intense—especially after I claim you. "

The words should have terrified her. Instead, they sent a shudder of anticipation through her. Her wolf surged forward, hungry and impatient, drowning out every protest her rational mind could muster.

She didn't resist when his hands slid to the straps of her shoulder holster, his fingers deft as he unbuckled it.

The weight of her weapons hit the cavern floor with a thud, and with each piece of gear he removed—her hip holster, her thigh straps (his touch careful around her bandaged wound), her ankle sheath—it felt like shedding armor.

Not just the physical kind, but the walls she'd built around herself.

When he reached for the hem of her thermal top, his gaze locked onto hers.

A silent question. She nodded, her breath catching as he peeled the fabric up and over her head.

He reached for the waistband of her beige cargo pants next and unbuttoned them, gently pulling the fabric down her legs.

He then removed her boots, leaving her in nothing but her white lace bra and panties.

The firelight painted her skin gold, and Damon's gaze burned hotter than the flames.

"You're so beautiful," he murmured, the words so raw they scraped against her heart.

Elena had never felt beautiful. Not like this—not treasured, not worshipped. But under Damon's gaze, she believed it.

His hands skimmed her waist, then higher, tracing the lace edge of her bra. "Can I take this off?"

She swallowed hard, then nodded again.

The bra joined the pile of discarded clothes, and then his mouth was on her—not just claiming, but savoring.

He kissed her like he had all the time in the world, his lips trailing from her mouth to her throat, lower to her collarbone, lower still until he took one peaked nipple between his lips.

She arched into him with a gasp, her fingers tangling in his brown hair.

Every touch was deliberate, and every flick of his tongue designed to unravel her. By the time he knelt before her, his hands sliding her panties down her legs, she was trembling.

His breath ghosted over the apex of her thighs, hot and teasing. "Tell me if you want me to stop."

"Don't you dare," she breathed.

The first slow lick nearly buckled her knees.

Damon didn't rush—he explored her like she was something sacred.

His tongue traced every fold and every sensitive spot until she was panting and her thighs shaking with pleasure.

When his fingers joined, sliding inside her with torturous precision, she cried out, the sound echoing off the cavern walls.

"Damon—"

He growled against her, the vibration sending another shockwave of pleasure through her. His rhythm was relentless, his mouth and fingers working in perfect harmony until she was teetering on the edge, her grip in his hair tightening.

"Come for me," he ordered, his voice dark with command.

She shattered. Pleasure ripped through her like lightning, her back arching as her climax tore through her with such force she nearly collapsed. Damon held her up, his arms wrapping around her waist as she rode the waves, her cries of pleasure mingling with the crackle of the fire.

When she finally came down from her ecstasy, boneless and breathless, Damon pressed a kiss to her inner thigh, his lips curved in a satisfied smirk.

Elena could barely think at all. But one thing was certain—she didn’t want to right now. She just wanted to enjoy this incredible man before her.

Elena knelt beside Damon, her naked body glowing in the firelight as she gently pushed him onto his back against the cavern floor.

His green eyes burned with hunger, tracking her every movement as she reached for the cloth around his waist. The moment it fell away, his cock stood thick and ready between them, and her breath hitched at the sight of him—all hard lines and primal need.

She straddled him, her thighs bracketing his hips, and guided him to her entrance with deliberate slowness.

His hands gripped her waist, his fingers digging into her skin as she sank down onto him, inch by glorious inch, until he was buried deep inside her.

A gasp tore from her lips at the stretch and the fullness, the way he fit her so perfectly.

Damon's jaw clenched, his breathing ragged. "Elena, you feel like heaven."

She rolled her hips experimentally, savoring the way his cock dragged against her inner walls and the way his muscles tensed beneath her. "And you feel like mine," she murmured, leaning forward to brush her lips against his.

His growl vibrated through her chest as his hands slid up her back, pulling her flush against him.

She began to move in a slow, deliberate rhythm, each thrust sending sparks of pleasure spiraling through her.

His hips lifted to meet her, driving deeper and harder, until the cavern echoed with the slick sounds of their bodies moving together.

Her wolf surged forward, wild and ecstatic, howling in delight at the claiming it had waited for. Damon's grip tightened, his control fraying as his thrusts turned rougher and more possessive.

"Look at me," he demanded, his voice rough with need.

Elena met his gaze, her breath coming in short, sharp gasps as pleasure coiled tighter inside her. His eyes were pure dominance, dark with desire, and it sent a thrill through her. She leaned down, capturing his mouth in a searing kiss as their bodies moved in perfect, primal sync.

His hands slid down to grip her ass, lifting her slightly before slamming her back down onto him. The sudden shift in angle had her crying out, her nails digging into his shoulders as pleasure exploded through her.

"Damon—I'm close?—"

"Let go, Elena," he growled against her lips. "Let me feel you come undone."

The command shattered her. Her climax ripped through her with such force her vision whited out, her body convulsing around him as wave after wave of pleasure crashed over her. Damon's hips stuttered, his rhythm faltering as her tight walls clenched around him.

And then—sharp pain.

Elena gasped as his teeth scraped against her neck, his canines pressing into her skin. For a heartbeat, she thought he would bite all the way—would claim her fully—but then he stilled, pulling back with a ragged curse.

Her fingers flew to her neck, coming away smeared with blood. Her wolf whined in protest, aching for the mark that had been denied.

Damon's expression was a mix of horror and regret. "Elena—I didn't mean to?—"

"You could have finished it," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "I wanted you to."

He shook his head, his jaw tight. "Not like this. Not when we still have so much to figure out."

She swallowed hard, the sting of rejection warring with the understanding in his words. But before she could argue, he cupped her face, his thumb brushing over her bottom lip.

"I will make this right," he vowed, his voice low and fierce. "But I won't claim you in the middle of chaos. You deserve more than that."

Elena exhaled shakily, her heart pounding. For the first time in her life, she wasn't running—she was standing still, tethered to something real. To him.

"I know you will," she murmured, pressing her forehead to his.