Page 3 of It’s Kind of a Bunny Story (Hey There, Hop Stuff #3)

H olding my mate in my arms, I struggled to believe it was real and not a dream. She was perfect. Long hair the color of summer wheat framed her heart-shaped face. My mate looked up at me with bedroom eyes the color of a lush spring meadow, stealing my heart and soul on the spot.

When Linc and I had been on our way to help, we knew the female would become our mate. It hadn’t mattered in the least what she’d look like. All we needed to know was that she was going through a heat that would likely kill her without intervention, and we would have a mate.

Someone who needed us. Someone to call ours. Someone to love.

Her appearance didn’t matter, but one thing had me questioning our compatibility.

She was tiny, just like Monroe and Ellora.

I’d never ceased being shocked at how small they were compared to wolf shifters.

Now, holding the female meant to be mine, I was terrified.

Not of lifelong commitment, but of accidentally breaking her.

The alpha and Monroe had explained how heat worked for female rabbits, wanting to make sure we knew Charlee would bond to us during sex. While I was overjoyed to have the gift of a mate drop into my lap, the unfairness of the situation broke my heart.

Charlee wouldn’t get to experience the romance of dating and deciding if we were worthy of a one-night stand, let alone men who she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. She had to give her heart and body to strangers in order to survive because her only other choice was death.

“You are mine.”

Her words had left me breathless and determined to make sure she never regretted trusting me.

She could’ve uttered a simple yes , giving me permission to assist her during the heat, but she’d done more than that. Charlee claimed me before we had sex, before her rabbit had even bonded to me.

I’d been fighting my wolf for control, barely keeping him from ripping the male rabbit away from our beautiful mate’s body. At her words, he forgot all about the male shifter and howled in delight.

She is ours.

Looking into her tear-stained, but trusting face, centuries of shifter energy welled up in my chest.

Mine to protect.

My tongue slid across my bottom lip, pausing at the sweet taste left behind from that soft brush of her mouth against mine.

Mine to love.

Her body trembled, and I moved my hand against her slick skin, trying to better support her.

Drawing in a deep breath, I tasted the air, filtering out the sugary fragrance of her heat.

The sour scent of fear caused my chest to rumble in displeasure.

It was faint, but knowing she was afraid of Linc and I had my heart spasming.

It was understandable, even expected, but that didn’t stop me from despising the position my mate had been put in.

One where she was bonding with a stranger—worse, a beast she instinctively feared.

When the acrid odor of her pain hit me, I forgot all about her lingering fear.

So. Much. Pain.

When experiencing physical trauma, the body released chemicals that were undetectable to humans.

For a wolf shifter, those chemicals painted a vivid picture of what the sufferer was going through.

Her heat was literally destroying itself from the inside out, and she was hiding it with the strength of a seasoned soldier on a battlefield.

Mine to please.

My hand slid between our bodies. There would be plenty of time for me to rectify the things that had been stolen from my mate. At that moment, I needed to focus on satisfying her beast.

Gripping my cock, I stroked it down her soaked slit. Charlee’s moan sent a ripple down my body as the invisible hair beneath my skin rose.

Satisfied she was wet enough to take me without tearing, I pushed inside her tight heat. Wrapping her arms around my shoulders, she placed kisses across my neck and chest, each more frantic than the last. She was still holding herself back, just as she had with the rabbit male.

Gripping her hips, I ground against her, loving the way her body molded against mine. “You won’t hurt me, little rabbit. Wolves have thick skin.”

In response, she uncurled her fingers from the tight fists and raked her nails against my skin.

“ Yes ,” I hissed, my cock swelling at the delicious sensations stirred by my mate’s touch.

My wolf whined as her breathing turned to rapid, shallow pants. Was it from pleasure or pain? Once more, I drew her scent into my lungs, barely suppressing a moan. Did she realize how incredibly intoxicating her scent was? Focusing through the lust, I got my answer. It was both.

My mate was suffering, and I was moving as slowly as the male rabbit had earlier. I could explore her body later, but she needed me to focus on taming her heat.

“Hold on, love.” Wrapping my arm around her waist, I lifted her from my length.

Just before I sprang free, I thrust my hips upward and brought her down.

Hard. Continuing our rhythmic lap dance, I focused on shifting my hips with each stroke, watching her reaction, hoping to find the position that gave her the most pleasure.

Sweat beaded along her hairline and dripped down her forehead, causing her long blonde hair to stick to her flushed face and neck.

Her petal-pink lips were puffy from being kissed by the male rabbit. Just thinking of him had my chest rattling with a growl.

She was mine.

My fingers slid into her hair and tugged until her head was tilted back, granting me full access to her neck.

Trailing my tongue along the pulsing vein beneath her pale skin, I groaned as her flavor danced across my taste buds.

I lapped and kissed her neck and skin like a man starved.

The urge to mark her pulsed through my skull, but it was a longing I refused to give in to.

She was already afraid of me. If I sank my canines into her neck, it could cause her more distress, and that was something I was unwilling to risk.

My fingers brushed across the pale white lines that covered much of her back, ribs, and thighs. What horrors had my mate faced?

“Ohhh!” Charlee gasped as I ground our bodies together.

Her nails dug into my skin, holding me close rather than trying to get away. I sucked the sweet sugar from her skin and slid a hand to cup her breast, not once slowing our pace.

“What are you doing?! Stop!” The male rabbit’s voice came from somewhere behind me.

A scuffle and a resounding thud followed his protests.

“Do you have a death wish?” Linc snarled.

“He’s about to rip her throat out!” the male shouted.

“The only throat in danger is yours, Bunny Boy,” Linc warned. “I know you’re scared, but take the cotton out of your ears and listen. You’re making things worse. For this thing to work between us, you need to sit down and shut up.”

His words were harsh, but it was the truth. The situation was volatile and my wolf was ready to kill anyone who dared to get in the way of claiming our mate. We could smell the fear rolling off him, luring us with the promise of a hunt, and any erratic behavior from him would create more issues.

“I… am… fine,” Charlee tried to assure him.

Fine? She was just fine? That wouldn’t do at all.

Challenge accepted.

Freeing my hand from her hair, I moved it between our bodies.

My thumb quickly found its mark, and I was rewarded by the tight spasming of her body around my cock.

She whimpered, tightening her legs around my waist and scraping her nails across my back.

Her squirming was making it harder to remain in control, and I knew, despite my best intentions, I wasn’t going to last much longer.

“Charlee.” I tried to focus, something that was impossible with her pretty mouth kissing and nipping my chest.

Her cry of pleasure as she climaxed was the most beautiful sound I’d ever heard.

With each pulse of pleasure, her body undulated against mine, her breasts brushing my skin and muscles milking my cock.

As much as I loved seeing her enjoy herself, every move of her body brought me closer to my own release. Too close.

“Get her off of you before you hurt her!” Linc’s panic sliced through the erotic haze enveloping me like a sandstorm.

“No!” Charlee protested, her voice hoarse.

I tried to open my mouth to speak, to explain why she needed to move away, but words escaped me. All I could think about was the naked beauty pressed against me and how much I wanted to bind us together.

“He’s going to swell! If you don’t get off him right now, you are going to get stretched. He won’t be able to stop it even if you’re in pain, and you will be stuck!” Linc’s voice rose with a mix of fear and anger.

Charlee’s arms tightened around my neck, and my wolf howled in delight. Our mate wasn’t ready to leave the safety of my arms. Her stubbornness was adorable.

“Don’t touch her,” I snapped, flashing my elongated canines at my best friend.

I’d been willing to kill for him before we’d entered the cave. Now I was willing to kill him . I would make sure it was a swift and painless death. I wasn’t cruel.

Despite not wanting to let go of her, I knew Linc was right. I needed to pull away before the situation got sticky—or more accurately, stucky.

“Charlee, I’ve got to move you before I?—”

“No! You said you’re mine. And I want all of you.” Her voice trembled, but there was no ignoring her feisty tone.

I could snap her neck faster than she could blink. Yet the tiny rabbit lifted her chin, defiance glittering in her eyes. How was she so freaking adorable?

Her trust that I wouldn’t harm her was my undoing. Rocking my hips, I buried myself inside her one final time, hissing as pleasure like nothing I’d ever felt wracked my entire being.

Charlee moaned as the swelling stretched her tight channel, rubbing every overly sensitive secret place she possessed.

“Are you okay?” I croaked, my tight throat making it hard to speak. “If you can relax, it will hurt less.”

“Compared to the worst of the heat, this is pure bliss.” She trembled and rested her forehead against my chest.

Scenting the air, I hummed in approval when I found the scent of her pain had nearly dissipated. It was temporary, and I knew it would be back, but for now, the demands of her heat had been satisfied.

I leaned back against the cave wall, barely noticing the jagged stones digging into my back. As gently as I could, I adjusted her so that she lay on my chest.

“You have to stop moving,” she gasped.

“Why is that, little rabbit?” I asked, barely hiding my smile.

Her soft pants and the way her body trembled had already given me the answer, but I wanted to hear her tell me.

“It’s just… every time you move, it causes me to…” she huffed. “I-I just didn’t realize it was possible to climax this many times in a row.”

“Such an innocent little rabbit,” I chuckled. “When you aren’t suffering through a heat, I can’t wait to show you just how many times I can make you come in one night.”

Judging by the strangled sound from her throat and the way her body clenched around my cock, she liked that idea. A lot.

“Close your eyes and rest while you can.” Holding her close, I stroked a hand down her slick, sweat-soaked hair. “You’re safe.”