Page 24

Durin

The green of Rue’s eyes stands out against her cozy nest of blue and purple blankets. Jade and Paren filled our room with as many soft items as they could get from the elves to help her through her heat. At first, Rue stared blankly at the pile of blankets on the bed, unsure what to do with them. But once the heat progressed, she went right to work building the perfect nest for herself.

I guided her gently through the early pains of her heat, kissing away her discomfort and giving her the pressure she needed. Now, I’m watching her pupils slowly expand, taking over her beautiful emerald irises.

She holds my gaze until all the green has slipped away. Then, she looks around the room, seeming a bit lost. I go to reassure her but freeze when a soft whimper escapes her lips. I’m technically in control while she’s in this state, protecting her, but I’m such a slave to her it’s pitiful. The sounds she makes, the way she needs me… I just can’t put a thought together if it’s not about pleasing her.

I bring her hand to my lips and whisper a kiss against her fingers. She stiffens. Her eyes snap up to meet mine like she just realized I’m here. A low growl rumbles from her chest, but I see her shoulders begin to relax. The wildness in her eyes simmers down as she recognizes me.

She narrows her eyes at our hands and slowly pulls hers away. When she returns her gaze to my face, she gives me a fierce look and a bigger growl.

I keep my chuckle to myself and lie down. I don’t know how she’ll react to me giving her my back, but I’m hoping it makes her feel a little more in control. I spent some time talking to Sashon about heats and shifters in general. I want to be sure I’m doing the best for Rue as her mate. He said trust is everything.

I wait for a growl, a whimper, or even a tiny Omega attack. What I get is a stunning black-haired beauty tentatively crawling up beside me.

She bites her lip and flicks her gaze from my face to my body. I close my eyes, giving her the space to decide what she wants to do. I keep them shut while she shuffles up to my side and wiggles her way under my arm. She slips one knee between my thighs and presses her body tightly against mine.

Her hands glide along my bare chest and over my shoulders. I feel her hair tickling my arm as she presses her nose into my chest and takes a deep breath. Chills cover my back when she tentatively licks my pec and trails her tongue up to my clavicle.

I wrap my arms around her, enjoying her warmth as she continues to scent me and taste my skin. I’m excited to experience this heat without guilt and to know the way she’s acting with me is real.

She suddenly stops and pulls away. I open my eyes to find her looking at me with those intense, black eyes.

“Hey there, mate,” I whisper, trailing my fingers down her spine.

Her eyes widen at my words and dart toward my neck. A frown tugs at her lips as the tips of her fangs slide out between them. The nails on one of her hands dig into my shoulder, and she uses her other hand to grab my hair and pull my head to the side.

I know what’s coming, but the sweet burn of her bite still pulls a loud moan from me. She growls and bites down harder, shaking her head back and forth to make sure it leaves a good mark.

When she’s done, she licks the wound, then pulls back and examines her work. After a moment, she releases her grip on my hair and trails her fingers softly across my forehead, down the bridge of my nose, and along my jawline.

Her eyes linger on my lips, and her fingers follow, pressing and tugging on them. Her eyes shine as she captures the bottom one with her fingers, then sucks it into her mouth.

I feel a pinch from her fangs. The pain is nothing compared to the excitement I feel when she throws her leg over my hip and grinds her slicked core against my shaft.

Arousal shoots through my stomach and down into my balls. My knot throbs against her folds, craving the deep pressure of her walls closing around it. I try to hold back and let her lead, but she tears down my will, uttering a beautiful word that takes me back to the time we first met.

“Please,” she whimpers, rocking against me. “Please.”

I wrap my hand around her thigh and slip my cock in all the way to my knot. She moans and pulls it greedily inside. After savoring it for a moment, she lifts her head and stares at my ears. I expect her to reach for them, but she just looks at them curiously while rolling her hips and grinding against my knot.

I squeeze her tight and grind back, growing my knot until she shivers. I lean in to kiss her, but she’s still focused on my ears. She tilts her head to the side curiously and then looks at me with confusion.

“Alpha?” she asks.

Before, Rue calling me Alpha would have stung. She was terrified of them during her first heat. But now, looking down at my little Omega mate, totally enthralled with her Alpha’s pointy ears, I’m damn proud to be that for her.

“Yes, mate. I’m your Alpha,” I tell her, glamouring a pair of impressive fangs of my own.

Rue growls viciously when she sees them. I roll on top of her and lean down, finding the place on my neck she usually chooses. She’s frozen in surprise, and I take the opportunity to latch onto her exposed neck. I bite gently first. It feels wrong to hurt her. But it’s what her Alpha should do. It’s what she wants. So, I bite harder and growl against her skin, reveling in the moan it tugs out of her chest.

When I think it’s been long enough, I lick the wound and pull back, checking to see if it looks right. It’s mine. Of course it looks right. It’s perfect, just like my mate. Part of me wants to carry her through the halls showing it off to everyone. But maybe I should wait until after her heat. I’m sure she’d prefer that. Before they heal, I’ll study them and glamour them on each of us to wear proudly. Her mark will tell everyone she’s taken, and guide my fangs to the perfect spot each time we mate.

Rue lifts her hand and brushes it across her new mark. My gaze travels from her neck to the tears slipping from the corners of her eyes. Her lip quivers like it did in the cave when she thought I’d left her. But there’s no devastation in her expression. She looks happy. Thankful. At peace.

I’ll carry my scars with gratitude. I’d face a thousand deaths and a lifetime of pain just to see her smile. I don’t need a grand mission to find meaning in life. Rue saved me from that emptiness. She’s my purpose.

The realm is safe, with honorable guardians protecting the new order. All I need to do now is thoroughly satisfy my mate and give her a heat so memorable, even the fever can’t make her forget.

I can’t think of a calling more noble than that.

The End