Page 24 of Howl For A Kiss (Rebellious Mates #3)

TWENTY-TWO

DAMON

T he warmth of the rebel cabin wrapped around them like a protective embrace as Elena guided Fiona toward Elena's bedroom. Damon watched his mate's gentle care with her sister, noting how Elena's features softened when tending to those she loved.

"Take a long shower," Elena murmured, pressing clean clothes into Fiona's hands. "Sleep in my bed tonight—you need the rest more than I do."

Fiona's hazel eyes flickered between Elena and Damon, understanding passing across her features. "Thank you," she whispered, then looked directly at Damon. "Both of you. I don't know how I can ever repay?—"

"Family doesn't keep score," Elena interrupted softly. "Get some sleep. We'll talk more in the morning."

After Fiona disappeared into the bedroom with a grateful smile, Damon studied Elena's profile as she stared at the closed door, her fingers unconsciously touching the partial mate mark on her neck.

Pride swelled in his chest as he remembered her restraint with Marcus Tidewater. The old Elena might have put a bullet through the Beta's skull without hesitation. Tonight, she'd chosen mercy over vengeance—not because she was weak, but because she was strong enough to be better than her enemies.

"You showed remarkable control tonight," he said quietly.

Elena turned to face him. "I wanted to kill him.

For what he did to Fiona, for holding a gun to her head, for making me choose.

" Her voice carried the weight of old pain.

"But I realized that becoming a killer like him wouldn't bring back the years Fiona lost. It would just make me another monster in a world that already has too many. "

Damon closed the distance between them, his hands finding her waist with the possessive certainty that came with their growing mate bond. "That's why you're going to change everything. You understand that true strength comes from choosing what's right, even when what's easy would feel better."

He led her toward his bedroom, their fingers intertwined. The moment he closed and locked the door behind them, the atmosphere shifted. The mate bond that had been simmering between them all evening suddenly blazed brighter, filling the small space with electric tension.

Elena moved closer until she stood within touching distance, her voice dropping to an intimate whisper.

"Damon, I was really proud of you when you renounced your Beta position tonight.

" She paused, searching for words. "But you didn't have to do that.

And you certainly didn't have to do that for me. "

Damon's hands framed her face, his thumbs tracing the delicate line of her cheekbones.

"I did it for us. For our future." His voice carried absolute conviction.

"I want to spend every day for the rest of my life with you, Elena.

I want to help you change our world and restore the harmony that's been missing for three centuries.

I want to stand beside you as your equal as we build something better here. "

Elena's breath hitched, her blue eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "Damon, I care about you more than I've ever cared about anyone. And I want to spend every day for the rest of my life with you too."

She took a shaking breath, her next words barely audible. "I love you, Damon."

Her declaration hit him with so much force that his knees actually weakened, forcing him to grip her shoulders for support as fifteen years of emotional numbness shattered completely. In all his carefully controlled existence, he'd never imagined three simple words could undo him so thoroughly.

"Elena," he breathed, her name carrying the weight of everything he'd never allowed himself to feel. "I love you too. More than duty, more than tradition, more than the life I built before you showed me what living actually meant."

He kissed her then with desperate intensity, pouring years of loneliness and the promise of their future into the connection between their lips. Elena melted against him, her arms winding around his neck as she kissed him back with equal fervor.

When they finally broke apart, both breathing hard, Damon rested his forehead against hers. The words he'd been carrying like stones in his chest finally found their voice.

"I need to apologize," he said, his voice thick with emotion.

"Not because you require it, but because you deserve to hear it.

I'm sorry for fifteen years of silence and compliance.

I'm sorry for not fighting for what was right sooner.

I'm sorry for the role I played in the horrible acts carried out in the name of tradition and pack law. "

His grip on her tightened possessively. "I'm sorry for the pain you've had to carry alone for so long, and I'm sorry I didn't find you sooner so you'd know you weren't alone. But I promise you'll never be alone again."

Elena's eyes filled with tears she didn't try to hide. "Damon?—"

"You are mine," he continued, his alpha nature asserting itself as he pulled her flush against his body. "And I am yours. Forever. No laws, no traditions, and no Council will ever come between us again."

Elena's voice was barely a whisper. "I've known that, deep down. But I was too afraid to let myself want something real and lasting. Too afraid to say it out loud because I thought I'd lose you if I revealed the truth, and I can't lose you."

"Elena, you'll never lose me," Damon vowed, his lips brushing against her ear. "I'm never going anywhere."

He pulled back to meet her gaze, his green eyes blazing with need and love in equal measure. "Elena, I want to officially claim you. I want to give you my mark and complete our mate bond."

Her breath caught. "You're still recovering from your wound?—"

"I don't care," he interrupted. "I want to complete our mate bond right here, right now. I need you to be mine in every way that matters."

The moment the words left Damon's mouth, the air crackled with an electric intensity that made his wolf surge to the surface, its primal need to claim its mate undeniable.

Elena's blue eyes widened as she searched his face for any sign of hesitation.

There was none. Damon's green eyes burned with conviction as he held her gaze, unyielding and fierce.

"Okay, Damon. I want you to claim me. I want to be yours in every way that matters," Elena whispered, her voice trembling with emotion.

Her words ignited something deep within him, a fire that had been smoldering since the first time their lips had met. Damon didn't waste a second. He stripped her with a reverence that made her shiver, his fingertips grazing her skin as though she were the most precious thing he'd ever touched.

When she was bare before him, he stepped back just long enough to rid himself of his own clothes. Elena's eyes raked over his muscular frame, lingering on the bandage wrapped around his abdomen. Her brows furrowed with concern.

"Your wound," she murmured, her hand hovering over the bandage. "Are you sure?—?"

"I'm fine," Damon growled, capturing her hand in his and pressing it to his chest. "My wolf is strong, and your love has healed me more than any wound could ever hinder me."

She hesitated for a moment, then she finally nodded.

Damon's lips crashed into hers, the kiss raw and hungry, a reflection of the longing that had been building between them since the moment they'd met.

He walked her backward to the edge of the bed, his hands guiding her until she was straddling his lap.

Her warmth enveloped him as she settled over his hips, her body flush against his.

Damon's hands gripped her waist, his fingers digging into her skin as he pulled her closer.

His mouth left hers to trail hot kisses down her neck, nipping at her collarbone before moving lower to lavish attention on her breasts.

Elena's breath came in ragged gasps, her hands tangling in his dark hair as she arched into his touch.

"Damon," she breathed, her voice a mixture of need and desperation.

He lifted his head, his green eyes dark with desire as he gazed at her. "Guide me to you," he commanded, his voice rough with need.

Her hand slid between them, her fingers wrapping around his hard cock to position him at her entrance.

Damon's entire body tightened with anticipation as she slowly lowered herself onto him, inch by agonizing inch, until he was buried deep inside her.

The sensation was overwhelming, her tight heat gripping him in a way that made his wolf growl with satisfaction.

Elena's head tipped back, a soft moan escaping her lips as she began to move. Damon's hands gripped her hips, guiding her rhythm as her pace intensified. Her nails dug into his shoulders, her breath coming in short, desperate bursts as pleasure built between them.

"You're mine," Damon growled, his voice laced with possessive certainty. "And I'm yours."

She whimpered in response, her movements becoming more frantic as she chased her release. Damon thrust up into her with a primal urgency, his own need driving him to push her closer to the edge. The room was filled with the sounds of their passion, their bodies moving together in perfect harmony.

"Damon, I'm so close," she gasped, her voice breaking as her pleasure peaked.

His lips brushed against her ear, his voice low and commanding. "Let go, Elena."

As if his words were the final push she needed, Elena's body convulsed around him, her orgasm crashing over her in waves.

Damon felt her inner walls clench around him, drawing him closer to his own release.

His canines lengthened instinctively, the primal urge to claim her completely overwhelming him.

"I'm going to mark you now," he warned, his voice a deep growl.

Elena nodded, her eyes glazed with pleasure and trust. Damon leaned into the curve of her neck, his teeth sinking into the soft flesh right over her partial mate mark.

She cried out as he drew blood, the bond between them solidifying with every drop.

His release followed, his climax ripping through him with a force that left him trembling.

As he licked the blood from her neck, sealing the mark, Damon felt the mate bond settle deep within him, a connection that went far beyond the physical. He pulled back to look at her, his heart swelling with emotion as he saw the tears streaming down her face.

"You're completely mine now," he whispered, his voice thick with love and possessiveness. "And I'll spend every day proving that I'm worthy of you."

Elena's hands cupped his face, her thumbs brushing away the tears that had escaped his own eyes. "You already are," she whispered back, her voice filled with quiet certainty.

He kissed her then, a kiss filled with all the love and hope he had for their future. When they finally broke apart, Damon pulled her down onto the bed with him, wrapping her tightly in his arms. Her head rested on his chest, her breathing slowly evening out as she drifted into sleep.

Damon stared up at the ceiling, his heart full in a way he'd never thought possible.

Outside the window, the moon shimmered, its light casting a magical glow over the star-studded sky.

Damon couldn't help but feel as though the universe itself was acknowledging the choice he'd made tonight—to renounce his Beta position, to claim his mate fully, and to stand by her side forever.

He closed his eyes, a sense of peace settling over him. For the first time in his life, Damon felt like he was exactly where he was meant to be. Beside Elena—his mate, his equal, his future.