Page 30 of Lord of the Lone Wolf (Bonded Hearts #3)
Kitsuki
M oonlight spilled across the palace grounds, casting silver shadows that danced beneath his window. By dawn, he would lead his army west to face Nasume’s forces. The weight of his crown had never felt heavier. A king’s duty never ended, especially not on the eve of war.
The door opened behind him. Auslin’s footsteps crossed the threshold and then halted. Kitsuki remained still, his enhanced senses cataloging the changes in the air. Something was different.
“I’m so happy you’re here.” Auslin rushed forward, encircling his arms around Kitsuki’s waist and pressing his face against his mate’s back.
The familiar warmth of Auslin’s embrace should have brought comfort, but Kitsuki detected no scent from his mate. Magic masked whatever natural aroma Auslin carried, leaving only the sterile absence where his beloved’s essence should bloom.
He turned within Auslin’s embrace, pulling him closer. “Are you suppressing your scent to hide the fact that you met with Maseo?”
Auslin’s eyes widened with confusion, his hands splayed across Kitsuki’s chest. “No, I wasn’t trying to hide that. I asked Maseo to come here so I could talk to him before you leave. In case…” He swallowed hard, unable to finish the thought.
Kitsuki searched for deception in his mate’s expression and found none. If Auslin had not been concealing his meeting with Maseo, there remained only one other reason he would mask his scent. “You have started your heat.”
Auslin blushed, confirming Kitsuki’s suspicion. “A servant told me. I didn’t want to distract you from what you needed to do tonight before you leave in the morning.”
“Take it off,” Kitsuki ordered, his eyes fixed on the pendant that masked Auslin’s natural scent. His hands tightened around Auslin’s waist, drawing him closer.
Auslin shook his head. “That’s not a good idea. You need to stay focused on your soldiers and the battles ahead.”
The refusal cracked Kitsuki’s restraint. His dragon came to the surface, silver eyes gleaming as he took control. “We will not be denied what is ours.” His voice transformed, taking on the dual-toned rumble of dragon and man speaking as one. “Take it off this instant.”
“But you have to leave at daybreak,” Auslin protested, his hands pressed against Kitsuki’s chest to create space. “If I do that, you won’t want to stop, and you need to lead your army.”
His dragon snarled, patience exhausted. With one swift motion, he reached for the amulet and tore it from Auslin’s neck, dropping it to the floor.
The spicy and intoxicating scent of Auslin’s heat called to the most primal part of his nature.
But it was not only Auslin’s arousal that flooded his senses.
Maseo’s distinct aroma of sun-warmed cedar, wild mountain herbs, and the subtle sweetness of berries clung to Auslin’s skin.
It was strongest around his neck and cheek, as if Maseo had nuzzled against those places.
The combined effect roused Kitsuki’s dragon.
We taste him on our mate , his dragon roared within his mind. The third piece of our bond calls to us.
Kitsuki’s cock stirred with need as the trinity bond blazed to life between them. The knowledge that both his mate and their intended third were present in scent and touch drove his dragon into a frenzy.
“Perfect. Ours.” His arousal strained against his formal attire. His claws extended, pricking through the fabric as he fought for control. “You would dare to deny us on the night before we depart for war?” His dragon dissolved their clothing into smoke, though Maseo’s wish pendant remained.
“You sequester me for the full week of my heat.” Despite his protests, he reacted to Kitsuki’s dominant display with visible arousal. “I was trying to be a supportive mate and not distract you.”
His dragon ran possessive hands down Auslin’s sides, mapping the familiar territory. “The only thing we need to be doing is you.” He slipped his fingers between Auslin’s ass cheeks to tease him.
Auslin scowled. “This is what I was trying to prevent. You leave in a few hours, and you need to be focused, not exhausted from?—”
“We will not leave without a reminder of the pleasure you bring us.” His dragon seized Auslin’s ass with both hands, pulling their bodies flush against each other. Their erections slid together with delicious friction. “The memory will keep us company during our lonely nights away from your side.”
“You have plenty of memories to entertain you,” Auslin protested.
His dragon captured Auslin’s hand and guided it to wrap around his erection. “We ache for you. We long to be inside you. To mark you so all will know who you belong to.”
A groan escaped Auslin as his fingers curled around Kitsuki’s girth to stroke. “I want that, too. But my heat is still days away from being over, and you don’t have the luxury of time for this right now.”
“If this is our last night together, we want to make it memorable.” His beast rocked into Auslin’s grip, using his mate’s hand to pleasure himself. “We wish to make you feel us for days after we are gone.”
Fear flashed in Auslin’s eyes, cutting through the haze of desire. “Please don’t talk as if you might not come home.”
Auslin’s distress tempered his dragon’s hunger with concern. Kitsuki lifted Auslin into his arms and carried him to their bed, laying him down. The sheets rustled beneath them as Kitsuki positioned himself above his mate, his larger frame caging Auslin.
“Let us show you enough love to last a lifetime,” Kitsuki murmured, nuzzling Auslin’s throat where Maseo’s scent lingered strongest. The pendant dangled between them, brushing against Auslin’s skin in a gentle caress.
His mate’s heat combined with the half-wolf’s aroma created an intoxicating blend that made his dragon purr with pleasure.
The trinity bond sang between them, incomplete but undeniable.
“You can’t talk like that,” Auslin whispered, tears gathering in his eyes even as his legs fell open in instinctive invitation.
“Do you doubt our abilities?” Kitsuki lowered his head to claim Auslin’s mouth in a possessive kiss, his tongue delving deep to taste every corner.
“It’s not about that,” Auslin denied. His hands clutched at Kitsuki’s shoulders, nails digging into the muscle there. “I can’t bear to lose you.”
He trailed kisses down Auslin’s neck, pausing to suck a mark into the skin where Maseo’s scent was strongest, as if claiming both with the same gesture. “Kizoshi has assured our victory. Our sister would not lie about such matters.”
The mention of Kizoshi’s Divine assurance seemed to ease some of Auslin’s tension.
Kitsuki felt the shift beneath his hands as Auslin’s body yielded to his touch, eager despite his earlier protests.
His dragon took it as permission to explore further, trailing his mouth down Auslin’s chest and lavishing attention on each nipple until they hardened into sensitive peaks.
With each movement, the pendant followed, casting indigo shadows across Auslin’s skin. Kitsuki noticed how Auslin’s breath caught whenever the metal touched him.
Kitsuki’s claws retracted as he moved lower, spreading Auslin’s thighs with gentle but firm hands. He looked up the length of Auslin’s body, maintaining eye contact as he took his mate’s arousal into his mouth. The taste of precum burst across his tongue, sweet and familiar.
His dragon hummed in satisfaction, the vibration drawing another moan from his mate.
He worked his tongue along the underside of Auslin’s length, savoring the taste and feel of him hardening further.
His hands gripped Auslin’s hips, holding him in place as he took him deeper still, swallowing around him in a way that made Auslin cry out.
When Auslin relaxed into his efforts, surrendering to the pleasure, Kitsuki summoned his magic. A slick substance coated his fingers as he reached between Auslin’s legs, circling his entrance with teasing pressure. The first finger slipped inside without resistance, and Auslin’s body welcomed him.
“More,” Auslin demanded, his hips lifting in invitation, seeking deeper penetration. “I need more.”
His dragon complied, adding a second finger while continuing to work Auslin with his mouth. He curled his fingers, searching for the spot that would make Auslin forget all worries about the war. When he found it, Auslin’s hands flew to his hair. “Oh, Kitsuki!”
The sound of his name spoken with such need spurred Kitsuki to greater efforts.
He added a third finger, stretching and preparing Auslin while his tongue teased the sensitive head of his cock.
He could feel Auslin’s pleasure building, his body tightening around Kitsuki’s fingers as his release approached.
“I’m close,” Auslin warned. His thighs trembled on either side of Kitsuki’s head, his muscles taut before his release flooded Kitsuki’s mouth as he cried out his mate’s name.
Before he could recover, Kitsuki positioned himself between Auslin’s spread thighs. “Remember who you belong to,” his dragon growled before pushing forward to bury himself to the hilt in Auslin’s welcoming heat.
The tight channel surrounding him drew a rumbling growl from deep in his chest as their mating bond responded to their physical union.
Pleasure coursed through him, amplified by the lingering taste of Maseo on his tongue.
His dragon set a relentless pace, driven by the need to claim and mark what was his.
Each thrust was a statement of possession, a promise of return.
Auslin’s aura reached for Kitsuki, seeking a deeper connection through their bond.
He opened himself to it, allowing their energies to intertwine in that sacred space where their souls touched.
The sensation overwhelmed him, his pleasure doubling as he felt both his own desire and Auslin’s response.