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I held Nayeli as she cried, murmuring nonsense into her ear, because I wasn't sure what else to say.

"I'm sorry," she gasped, "I'm so sorry. I should have told you I was going to break it."

"You don't have to be sorry for anything," I said firmly. "I should have told you. I should have given you more credit. I shouldn't have just assumed you knew how I felt."

She looked up at me, eyes red from tears. "How do you feel? Like, exactly?"

I let out a frustrated laugh. "How do I feel?

I feel like you're the only woman I've ever wanted.

The only person I've ever wanted to spend my life with.

The only person who can calm me down when I'm on the edge.

The only person I want to protect, to cherish, to worship.

I feel like I'm an idiot for thinking this wasn't real. "

"But—" she started, but I held up a hand. I knew exactly what she was going to say.

"I know. The rejection. Look—" I sighed.

"I told myself that you weren't right for the role of Alpha's wife, but the truth was that you were too good for the title.

You fascinated me, you made my control slip, and I knew how much you'd lost and I.

..fuck, Nayeli. You were still healing, and I didn't want to mess that up by throwing in some crazy Alpha mate.

So yeah, I rejected you, but it was because I didn't feel worthy of you, not the other way around.

I thought I was doing the right thing, and then we ended up bonded anyway.

It wasn't supposed to happen like this, but damn, I'm glad it did.

It was a second chance I didn't deserve. "

She blinked, eyes wide and disbelieving. "It wasn't because I was...because I am weird?"

"That's what I told myself. I thought we had nothing in common, and that you'd reject the role anyway.

You were already bucking convention in Samson's pack, and I was too immature at the time to see that the change was good.

" My mouth had gone so dry that I had to swallow before continuing.

"I'd do fucking anything to take it back.

To do it again, and do it right. If you still want to leave because I punched your cousin and acted like a fool, then I get it, but—"

Nayeli grabbed the fabric of my shirt and pulled me in for a kiss, cutting me off mid-sentence. "I don't want to leave," she whispered.

"Thank God."

It was late, and the air was chilly, but none of that mattered.

We were on each other like two animals, like we'd die if we couldn't have each other right then.

I don't remember how we got our clothes off, but before I knew it, I had her pressed up against a tree with my teeth dragging across the scent gland on her neck.

Nayeli's legs were locked around my waist, heels digging into my lower back as we kissed.

I was hard as steel, my cock pressed against her belly and her tits squashed against my chest. Nayeli whimpered when I dragged my mouth away from hers, moving back to her neck.

Her fingers tightened on my shoulders when I sucked and bit at the sensitive skin there.

My wolf howled in triumph when I tasted her submission, and I licked across the spot as if sealing my claim.

"Mark me," she begged.

"Not until I'm inside you."

I gripped her ass with both hands and pulled her up, adjusting her legs around my waist. The second her pussy brushed against my length, I growled with satisfaction.

This time, I didn't tease her. I didn't draw it out or try to make her beg.

I just positioned myself at her entrance, gripped her hips tightly, and surged into her in one quick thrust. Nayeli cried out in pleasure, her head falling back against the tree as I buried myself to the hilt.

Her slick heat enveloped me, and I growled against her neck.

"Fuck, you're so tight. So fucking perfect. "

It was messy and chaotic, like so many other things we did.

I knew the bark couldn't have felt good against her back, and I was sure I'd stepped on a splinter the size of a baby tree, but all of that was just background noise to the way our bodies came together.

I fucked her like my stamina was endless, driving into her with hard, fast strokes.

Nayeli rolled her hips against me with each thrust, meeting me motion for motion. My equal. My mate.

"Please," she gasped, "I need..."

I knew what she needed, and I was going to give it to her.

I pulled almost all the way out before slamming back into her, making sure my pelvis rubbed against her clit.

Nayeli keened my name, her back arching as her pussy clenched around me.

I gave her another hard thrust, then another.

She sobbed, head rolling back against the tree as I fucked her senseless.

I was determined to make her come so hard she'd see stars.

The sound of our bodies slapping together mixed with the noises she was making, and I groaned when she bit my bottom lip.

It was like she couldn't get enough of me, her hips moving against mine as I picked up the pace.

We were both lost in the frenzy, and when her walls began to ripple around me, I knew she was close.

"That's it," I growled, "come on my cock, Omega. "

Nayeli's whole body tensed, and then she exploded around me.

Her walls gripped my cock like a vice, and the sensation of her climax was too much.

Just before I spilled inside her, I bit down around her scent gland, and the pleasure rocketed her into another orgasm just as I came inside her.

I grunted, locking my mouth on hers as my orgasm rolled through me, and I had to lock my legs to keep us both upright.

I was so lost in her that my knot swelled before I could pull out, and then it was too late. Nayeli's eyes widened when she felt it, stretching her to the limit. "Oh my God," she whispered, "Here?"

I laughed softly, lowering us to the forest floor. "Sorry, princess. I'll keep you warm until it goes down."

She sighed in contentment, wiggling against me, testing how tightly I was fixed inside her. "It's okay. I love it. I just wish we had a blanket."

"Me too," I said, shifting a little to get comfortable. We were lying on leaves, dirt, and sticks, but all I could think about was how fucking perfect it was. "We'll just have to cuddle real close."

Nayeli giggled, pressing her cheek against my chest. We listened to the sound of the crickets and cicadas, locked together, our new, tentative bond glowing.

After a while, Nayeli spoke quietly, "Scott, listen. If we're going to try to be a mated pair for real, then I have to know something. What did you mean when you said you wanted to keep things simple?"

"What do you think I meant?" I asked carefully.

She sighed. "I don't know. That you wanted us to be together, but not serious. Or maybe that you didn't want to have a family..."

"Woah," I sat up, making sure she was still connected to me, but needing to look in her in the eyes. "I want all of that. A mate, kids, a home, the whole deal."

Her eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yes, really." I laughed. "When I said simple, I meant that I didn't want to complicate things by you leaving or going back to your old pack. I...I'd love to start a family with you one day, Nayeli."

She looked up at me through dark lashes, and her eyes were suspiciously shiny. She took one of my hands and gently placed it on her soft belly, and my breath caught when I realized what she was hinting at.

"Are you saying...?"

Nayeli nodded, smiling shyly. "Yeah. I'm pregnant."

I felt like a deer caught in headlights. Nayeli was going to be the mother of my children. The woman I loved, carrying my child.

Fuck. I loved her. And she was pregnant.

It was the best news I could have received. I leaned down and pressed a kiss to her mouth. "Nayeli, Nayeli..."

I couldn't stop touching her. I couldn't stop kissing her. I picked her up in my arms when my knot went down, even when she complained. I couldn't be separated from her.

"Let's go back to town," I murmured against her hair. "I need to get you home."

***

Hours later, I watched Nayeli sleep, naked beneath my bed sheets, her perfect face lit only by moonlight.

We'd showered the forest off of us, and then fallen into bed again, making love until she fell into an exhausted sleep. I wasn't far behind her, but I just wanted to drink her in a little bit more before I slept.

She was so perfect. So mine. My mind drifted back to what she'd told me out in the forest. Pregnant. I couldn't believe it. It was everything I'd ever wanted, and it felt so surreal. I couldn't wait to see her round with my child. I couldn't wait to see our family grow.

I knew we had a lot to talk about, a lot to figure out. But it could wait till morning.