Page 25 of Rejecting his Mate (The Wolves of Black Mountain #2)

Chapter 25

Halle

I feel relaxed and sated as he leads me into the living area. Wrapped in my towel, I sit on the edge of the couch, unsure of what all this means.

My fingers gravitate to the bite mark on my neck. It tingles as I touch it, and I’m not sure how he could give me a claiming mark when I am already joined to somebody else.

Is that possible?

I feel Dalton fading from my awareness, remaining only in the deepest vault of my mind, but his scent, his touch on me is nearly gone. I hate that he’s there at all, corrupting and degrading the way I feel for Cade.

I come back to the present, to the dark-haired wolf in front of me. His eyes are intense as he crouches down in front of me.

“We left the bags in the truck,” he tells me. “I’ll grab mine and get a clean change of clothes for you.”

The way he is looking after me makes me want to cry. There is so much care and affection there, and I don’t know what the hell to do with it. I’m not usually emotional, but the past few days have been hard for me to deal with.

Dalton would never have helped me this way. I’m not sure Adeline would have either.But this man is caring for me and has just given me two orgasms without even considering his own pleasure.

“Okay,” I say, keeping my voice soft and hoping it doesn’t betray how I’m truly feeling.

Cade kisses my forehead before he straightens, a seemingly benign gesture that tightens my throat even more. “I won’t be long,” he assures me before he goes to the door.

He pauses before he opens it, looking back at me as if he can’t bear to lose sight of me for even a moment. I have to admit, I like the way that makes me feel, and I give him a reassuring smile, telling him without words that I’ll be alright for a moment without him.

Finally, he strides through the door, leaving me alone. I grip the edge of the couch, a smile playing over my lips. I don’t know what is going on between us, but I know my wolf approves. She is stretching in my mind, yawning and feeling as sated as I am.

We like him.

We more than like him.

But there’s still the issue of Dalton.

I want him gone.

Having him in any part of me feels like a violation. Dalton disgusts me. He hurt me because I did not fit the idea of what our perfect life should be. Cade knows I am different, and he does not care. He wants me for me .

That’s what a true mate should be like.

Pushing to my feet, I cross the room and step into the bathroom. The mirror over the basins is covered in steam, so I wipe it clean with my hand. My image appears, a little wobbly and a little flushed, but there. I still look like hell, the abuse I suffered clear on my face and in my eyes. I hate Dalton for making me feel weak and making me believe I was worth nothing. I hate him for pretending to be something he is not.

I deserve better.

I want better.

I want Cade.

The thought drifts through my mind. I do want him. My body itches to be with him.

Turning my head to the side, I stare at Cade’s claiming mark. It completely covers the one Dalton gave me as if it was never there. I still feel it seared into my skin like a brand, though.

I don’t want to be mated to that asshole for another second.

I don’t know what I’m doing, and it is probably dangerous to use my powers when I don’t understand them, but I don’t want to wait.

I am tired of being tethered to that son of a bitch.

I close my eyes and I reach inside myself, tapping into the magic that makes me the target of dangerous hunters. It is that power that is going to fix my life. The irony is not lost on me.

I don’t know what I’m doing, but I keep Dalton’s face in my mind. I mumble under my breath, “I don’t want to be his mate”, over and over .

Envisaging tearing out our mating bond, I focus my energy and my strength there.

I feel the magic swirling around me, growing and multiplying. It is almost too overwhelming to hold onto, and I grip the counter, palpitations fluttering in my chest. I don’t stop, even though every instinct tells me I should. I want him gone. I hate him with everything I am.

Not knowing where to direct my power, instinct tells me I need to let it flow through me. I’m not sure if that makes sense, but the magic inside me seems to understand my intention.

It blasts through me, nearly knocking me off my feet. Stumbling, I scramble for purchase on the wet floor, and I slide before slipping backward. My body jars as I slam down, my breath wheezing out of me as I lie there, stunned.

I snort, even as I groan.

Way to go, Halle. A slow round of applause for that epic failure.

Reaching inside me, I realize all that pain was for nothing. The mating bond with Dalton is still there, faint but still present.

I bang the back of my head against the floor and then carefully peel myself off it.

It was never going to be that easy.

Everyone told me it had to be undone by magic, but I have magic. What’s the point of it if I can’t use it the way I want to?

As I reach the door of the bathroom, Cade is slipping in through the front door, a large bag in his hold. He takes me in with a frown. “What happened?”

I shake my head. “Nothing.” If I tell him what I did, he’ll lose his mind, and we are in a nice place right now. I don’t want to ruin the mood.

He narrows his brow suspiciously but doesn’t call me out on my bullshit. Moving into the living area, he places the bag on the coffee table and opens it up. Grabbing a clean sweater and a pair of sweatpants, he thrusts them in my direction. “For you.”

“Thanks.” I don’t move to put them on, and he arches his brow.

“What’s wrong?”

“You gave me a claiming mark.”

Cade suddenly becomes fascinated with the contents of the bag. “Yeah.” He doesn’t elaborate or offer anything else, which makes me suspicious.

I grab his arm, stopping his motion. “How?”

“I don’t know. It shouldn’t have been possible, but…” He shrugs in response.

“The connection between us is not our pack link.”

Cade freezes and lifts his head. “No.”

I stare at him, wondering what any of this means. “So, it’s a mating bond?”

“I don’t know, but I feel you everywhere inside me. You consume every thought I have. Even going to get the bag from the truck was difficult because it meant leaving your side. That isn’t the behavior of someone connected by a fucking pack link.”

“I feel the same, but Dalton is still there, in my awareness. I don’t understand how I can be mated to him and yet want you as much as I do because you consume me too. You were the reason I was in those woods every damn day. Because you brought me peace when everything else in my life was chaotic.”

I hold my breath after I say this, feeling as if I have just laid myself bare to him. I have been rejected once before by a wolf who was meant to be my forever. It hurt coming from Dalton, but I’m not sure I would survive Cade's rejection.

He stands, and I track him as he strides across the room to me. His hands go to either side of my neck possessively while his eyes scan my face. “I don’t care how this is possible, but my wolf recognizes you as his, and so do I.” He trails his finger over his mark on my neck, and my whole body tingles. Then his gaze finds mine. “You’re mine. My mate .”

As soon as he says these words, it unlocks something inside me. I realize it is true. I am his, and he is mine. Whatever I had with Dalton was not real, and it barely scratched the surface of the feelings rolling through me right now.

I feel the rush of magic that spans between us as the mating bond slams into place, and I’m not sure if it comes from me or both of our wolves. I don’t even care where it comes from, because all I am focused on is what is happening to me.

I know the moment my connection to Dalton is severed. It is like someone punches me in the gut and then begins to pour heat into my body as Cade takes up the space he left.

The air leaves my lungs in a rush, and I feel completely overwhelmed with emotion as the new mating bond works through my body—a bond between Cade and me.

My wolf throws her head back and howls into the air even as I become dizzy. Sweat beads along the back of my neck, and I’m glad I’m in a towel only as heat infuses my skin. All the saliva in my mouth seems to vanish, my tongue glued to my soft palate.

Mate.

The word echoes through me like a tolling bell. He is my mate and not a chosen one, but my true mate. Was Dalton the only thing standing in the way of it?

It was always there, even if we didn’t understand it. I was always drawn to Cade, and he to me, but I never imagined we were fated before either of us was even born.

My wolf cries and whines, pawing at the ground and urging me to set her free. I don’t think that is going to be my choice or Cade’s—especially not when his eyes flash red.

I watch as his back arches and his shoulder pops.

My body viciously twitches in response, making the muscles in my back ache fiercely. I recognize what is happening because it has happened before on the night of the moon ceremony.

My wolf is trying to come out to meet him.

Panic claws at me. I can’t shift, and all this is going to result in is the same pain I felt last time.

My wolf paces inside my mind as I drop onto my haunches.

Stop!

I scream the word in my head, trying to reach my wolf, but she isn’t listening. Her only focus is on greeting Cade’s wolf.

Everything scatters as my spine bends, twisting savagely and making me cry out in agony. I’m vaguely aware of Cade going through his own shift, but all I can focus on is the agony I am feeling.

I drop onto all fours as my legs and shoulders crack. My wolf doesn't care that I'm telling her it's impossible. She is not listening, and I don’t know how to reach her.

That familiar feeling of burning from the inside out crawls over my skin. I’m alone in this agony, or at least I think I am until I feel a cold nose nudge against me.

Cade.

His wolf is fully in control now, but mine is trapped in an endless cycle of hell as she tries to break free and fails.

I reach deep inside me, finding my magic and pushing it through my body. I have no idea what I’m doing; I just want the pain to stop.

I cry out as my body twists again and my stomach contracts. I want to vomit, but I swallow it down.

Enough!

I hear Cade’s voice in my head, and it is not through the pack link. This feels different. I feel him in every cell of my body, and he exists in every fragment of my mind.

Stop trying to shift!

The barked command makes my wolf stop, ending the shift that she was trying to force.

My body feels looser, and my bones return to their normal place, making me groan. Exhausted, I sag face- first onto the floor, the scent of the wood filling my nose.

Then Cade is there.

He is back to his human form. If I wasn’t in so much pain, I might have cracked a joke about him being naked, but the look in his eyes tells me he would not take it well.

He pulls me up off the floor as if I weigh nothing, pressing me back against the wall behind us. I grunt as I hit it, but I barely have time to focus on that as he pins my arms over my head.

My towel must have slipped off during my forced shift, and I’m hyperaware of our nakedness and the tattoos he has running down his arm and across his chest. I want to study every inch of them, lick each one, but all I know is how much I want him right now.

I don’t move a muscle as he gets in my face, his mouth inches from mine. His chest heaves as he tries to draw in air as if his lungs are being choked. Mine feel the same. He seems dazed and wild, need reflected in his eyes as he takes me in.

He bares his teeth at me, looking more wolf-like than human. I bare mine back, a challenge.

Come and get me, wolf.

He accepts, a curl of a smile playing on his lips as he growls, “Mine,” at me.

My body buzzes, my pussy clenching as he ducks his head and licks over the mark on my neck. It feels as if his tongue is connected to all the nerves in my clit. I lift my hips away from the wall, pushing my pussy against his stiff cock.

There is an ache inside me, an emptiness that only he can fill, but Cade is in no hurry. Instead, he holds me captive, the cold wall at my back and his heated body at my front.

“Your eyes,” he sounds breathless.

I grimace. Fucking Dalton. “I know I look demonic—”

“No, you don’t. They’re amber.”

Amber?

He uses his free hand, the one not pinning me in place, to seize my chin. I can’t look away as his eyes become red, like his wolf’s. “Your wolf might not be able to shift, Halle, but she’s greeting me all the same.”

Something jolts in my chest, like someone has taken a sledgehammer to my sternum. My heart feels strangled into silence for a moment, but then it starts to beat again, only stronger as if Cade’s and my heart are one.

“ Fuck ,” Cade breathes the word as if it pains him to speak it. “I’m going to fuck you now, little wolf, until you’re screaming my name.”

I clench my thighs together as fire pools deep in my belly.

Yes.

I want him to fuck me.

Now would probably be a good time to tell him I’ve never done this before, but that thought skates right out of my head the moment his lips crash against mine.

There is a feral demand in the way he kisses me, an unapologetic need driving us both. This is lust and love, but also biology. Our wolves recognize we belong together, and the ferocity of his hands on me must be leaving bruises on my skin, but I don’t care. The little bites of pain are like an aphrodisiac, making my insides quiver even more.

He moves from my mouth, kissing along my jawline until he finds my neck. Sucking and licking around the mark, he keeps my hands over my head, so I’m completely at his mercy. I don’t feel scared or out of control, even if he is. I like how desperate he is, like he can’t wait to taste every inch of me.

He grinds his naked body against mine, the hardness of his cock making my pussy throb deliciously. I roll my hips, trying to find the friction I desperately crave as my clit throbs with every swipe over the mark. It isn’t enough. I need him inside me.

Cade isn’t ready to move on, though. He releases my hands and takes my breast between his fingers, bringing the nipple up to his mouth, swirling his tongue around it before sucking it.

A wolf as big as he is shouldn’t be able to be this gentle, but Cade is focused on my pleasure. He doesn’t want to hurt me, though he is rough with me too, letting his teeth skim over my nipple.

As he releases his hold on my hands, I lower them, tangling them in his hair, not sure if I want to pull him off my breast or force him to stay there. My pussy is throbbing as he takes his time laving both my breasts.

“Cade.” I whimper his name out through swollen lips that urge for more kisses.

He is too preoccupied with my tits, squeezing one even as he sucks on the other. I writhe beneath him as he nibbles and bites the soft skin, leaving more marks on me, claiming me with each of them. It feels as if he wants to show the world I am his, and my wolf is happy for him to do that.

I’m happy for him to do that too.

He pulls off my nipple, coming back to my mouth and kissing me as if he is drawing life from me. There is a desperation in the way he holds the back of my neck, pulling me tighter against him, sliding his tongue inside my mouth, and I meet him stroke for stroke.

I grip his shoulders, not entirely sure what I’m doing but letting my body and instincts lead me. Cade isn’t complaining, though, growling low in the back of his throat as he devours my mouth.

His fingers move tantalizingly lower down my stomach. My abdominal muscles ripple, the torment growing stronger as he strokes along my hip bone.

I grab his hand, guiding him to where I want him, which makes him laugh against my lips. “What a needy little wolf you are.”

“Touch me,” I tell him with a ragged breath, and he obliges, his fingers sliding between my folds, stroking through my wetness.

And I am wet, embarrassingly so, but Cade seems to like it. He stops stroking me and brings his wet fingers to his mouth, sucking them, and my heart stops.

Then he leans in, his breath warm against the side of my neck. “So wet for me, little wolf. Do you like how it feels?”

My pussy pulses at his words. “Yes. But I should probably tell you something.”

He presses against me, his cock nudging at my entrance, making my thoughts scatter in a thousand directions. “Tell me what?”

I suck in a breath, my hips lifting to try and push him inside me, but he moves along my slit, not sliding home like I want him to.

“Tell me what, Halle?” he repeats when I don’t answer.

I place a hand on his chest, gently stopping him from leaning into me further. Cade pulls back a little, a mask of confusion covering his face. “I’ve… I’ve never… You know?”

Clearly, he doesn’t know, because he stares at me blankly, and my face heats because now I’m going to have to tell him I’m a virgin.

I swallow hard, wondering whether he’ll be okay with my lack of experience.

He cups my face with his hands, a tender gesture among all the greedy desire he has shown. “Tell me.”

I can’t say the words, so I push the message through our new mating bond. Cade’s head tilts to the side as if he’s trying to listen before his eyes raise to meet mine, and I see a flash of possessiveness. Through our bond, I feel how much he likes this information.

“You’re not upset?”

Keeping hold of my face, he kisses every inch of my cheeks and mouth, and between those, he says, “Am I upset that I am the first one to be inside you? That I’ll be the only one ever inside you? No, little wolf, I am not upset. Do you know how crazy it drove me thinking that fuck had you before me?”

I stare at him, a mix of shock and something more primal warring inside me. My wolf likes that he wants to be the first, and his likes that he is.

His fingers tease at my folds again, stroking close to my clit, but that is not his destination. He slides one finger inside me, and it goes in easily, my wetness granting him easy passage as he pumps it in and out once, twice, three times before adding a second finger as his thumb toys with my clit.

My eyes roll shut as pleasure washes over me. I am addicted to him, needing more. He presses more scorching kisses along my throat before looking over the mark again, which makes my hips jerk.

I shatter, coming apart as I lose control. I dig my fingers into his biceps as I wrap my legs around his body, begging for him. He finally gives in, guiding his cock through my folds, the tip pressing against my entrance. Cade’s eyes lock on mine, and I get lost in them, nodding my approval.

Then he presses forward. It is barely the tip, but I feel it stretching me already and the burn that comes with it. I take a shaky breath, holding him tighter. “Just do it,” I tell him, trusting him completely.

Cade pushes in a little deeper, thrusting shallowly into me. I try to keep my face neutral, even as the pain pinches. It is uncomfortable but not unbearable as he slides in deeper, lifting my legs further to help with the angle. I feel every inch of him inside my body as it stretches to accommodate him. There is a fullness, and the feeling of finally being tethered to him in every way.

I dig my fingers deeper into his shoulders, no doubt leaving bruises on his skin, as he slides even further into my pussy. We both groan—he is holding back for me, and I'm impossibly stretched around his shaft.

Then he finally starts to move, dragging his hips back before pushing back inside me. He thrusts deeper each time, the aftershocks of my previous orgasm making me extra sensitive.

I sink my teeth into the junction between his neck and shoulder, needing something to ground me as I start to feel pleasure through the pain. He is so thick inside me; I feel as if I can hardly move.

“You’re so big,” I gasp as he hits the spot inside me that makes my eyes roll to the back of my head.

“You were born to take me,” he soothes.

Sparks explode in front of my eyes, and my heart is racing so hard it is impossible to maintain my breathing.

I ignore all of that, focusing on him and the sensation of having him inside my pussy. I keep my gaze magnetized to his, not daring to look away. Everything else fades away. I don’t want to let the outside world into this moment, and neither does he.

I twitch, my body convulsing as my orgasm tears through me, and my pussy clenches around him. Cade moans at that, and his hips jolt, driving him deeper inside me before I feel him coming. The satisfied hum he is making in the back of his throat makes me happy—I’m the one who gave him pleasure.

His movements slow before coming to a stop completely. He doesn’t pull out of me, though, instead burying his head in my neck. His heated breath makes my skin tingle as my pussy continues to contract around his length .

“So perfect,” he murmurs against my neck. “You were made for me.”

I close my eyes, still pinned to the wall by his huge body. I have never felt so content, so complete as I do right now.

When Cade finally looks at me, his eyes scan my face. I’m not sure what he is seeking, but his eyes relax and soften, so he must find it. He presses a kiss to the corner of my mouth before softly claiming my lips.

“I never thought it could be like that,” I admit.

Lowering me to the floor, Cade slips out of me, and I whimper at the loss. His smirk tells me he liked the sound. There's blood on his shoulder from my bite and more on his cock where he broke through my barrier. I feel his seed dripping out of me.

Cade kisses me, making my toes curl. “That was just the beginning, little wolf. Next time will be even better.”

I’ve never been so grateful to hear there will be a next time. “When you said you would take care of me, I didn’t expect that.”

He smirks. “I’ll always look after you, Halle. You’re my mate. You're mine in every way.”