Page 26

TWENTY-ONE

MAYA

M aya laughed, the sound echoing against the cave walls. "Hold still or I'll have to pin you down."

"Under different circumstances, I might enjoy that challenge." His silver-blue eyes flickered with heat despite his pain.

Maya carefully prodded Kieran's bullet wound, her touch clinical but tender.

The silver-laced metal gleamed malevolently in the flash of lightning that illuminated the cave.

Blood seeped slowly from around the foreign object, but what concerned her more was the network of blackened veins spreading outward from the wound like poison-filled tributaries.

Maya focused on the task, using her newly enhanced vision to locate the bullet lodged against his rib cage.

The silver had prevented his shifter healing from working properly, but somehow their connection seemed to counteract the worst effects.

With careful, steady fingers, she dug into the wound, following the path of destruction until her fingertips brushed metal.

"Almost there." She bit her lower lip in concentration. "This is going to hurt."

Kieran's jaw tightened. "Just do it."

With a swift, decisive movement, she extracted the bullet, immediately tossing the toxic metal as far from him as possible. Blood welled up, but already she could see his natural healing beginning to respond.

"I need to dress this. Don't move."

Maya darted outside into the storm, her naked form drenched within seconds.

The large gash across her back stung as rain hit the raw flesh, but she pushed aside the pain.

Her newly awakened wolf senses helped her quickly find what she needed—large, waxy leaves and the sticky sap of a balsam fir.

She gathered an armful, the rich scent of the forest intensified by her enhanced smell.

Back in the cave, she crafted a makeshift bandage, spreading the antiseptic sap onto the leaves before placing them over his wound.

"You're a natural," Kieran murmured, his hand brushing against hers.

The touch sent electricity through her. Maya's mind flashed back to the medical facility—to the moment her wolf had killed for the first time.

Under Kieran's wolf's guidance, she had taken down a guard who'd tried to drag her back to that cold hospital room.

The memory should have horrified her human mind, but instead, it felt right.

Natural. As if her DNA had been recoded for this very purpose.

"I can't believe I killed today," she said softly, securing the leaf bandage with strips of bark. "In wolf form. It felt..."

"Like coming home," Kieran finished for her.

"Yes." She met his gaze. "How did you know?"

"Because that's what finding your true nature feels like."

Maya nodded, remembering how her wolf had instinctively known what to do after Kieran was shot. Without conscious thought, she'd seized him by the scruff of his neck and pulled him to safety, traversing miles of mountain terrain with a certainty she'd never experienced in her human form.

"Before you came to rescue me," she admitted, "my wolf was chaotic—shifting in and out without my control and not listening to me.

But when you arrived, everything clicked into place.

" Her fingers traced the edge of his bandage.

"My wolf listened to yours instantly. Submitted to you. Accepted its place."

"Not submitted," Kieran corrected, his voice deep with meaning. "Recognized. There's a difference."

He struggled to sit up, grimacing with the effort.

"You shouldn't move yet."

"Turn around," he commanded softly. "Your back needs tending."

Maya hesitated, then complied, presenting him with the long claw marks that ran from her right shoulder blade to her lower back.

Kieran's sharp intake of breath was followed by gentle fingers tracing the edges of her wound. "Who did this to you?"

"The guard with the gray muzzle. Before I..." She didn't need to finish.

"Good." His approval was primal, sending an unexpected thrill through her. "Hold still."

Despite his own injury, Kieran meticulously cleaned her wound, his touch possessive yet gentle. The intimacy of the moment—both naked and tending each other's battle injuries—struck Maya as more binding than any formal ritual could be.

"Your wolf is already healing this," he noted, his breath warm against her skin. "Faster than it should for someone newly awakened."

Maya shivered at his proximity. "I think it's because of you. Your presence seems to stabilize me, physically and emotionally."

His hands worked gently but firmly on her back.

His breath was hot against her skin, sending tiny shivers down her spine as he cleaned the long claw wound.

His touch was deliberate, almost reverent, as if he were tending to something far more precious than just flesh and blood.

She could feel the weight of his body behind her, his legs straddling her hips, his chest pressing close enough that she could feel the heat radiating from him despite his weakened state.

The air between them was thick with something unspoken—something primal and electric.

His response to her words was a soft hum, a vibration that she felt more than heard.

Then, his lips were on her neck, trailing soft, feather-light kisses along the curve of her shoulder.

The sensation was both soothing and electrifying, as if his kisses were somehow stitching her back together from the inside out.

She let out a soft gasp, her fingers gripping the makeshift bed beneath her.

"Kieran, you should rest," she breathed, her voice trembling with a mix of surprise and desire.

He didn't stop though. His lips moved lower, kissing along the edge of her wound with a tenderness that made her heart ache.

His hands slid around her sides, brushing against her ribs before settling on her breasts.

His touch was firm but careful, his fingers teasing her nipples into hardened peaks.

Maya's breath hitched, a soft moan escaping her lips as pleasure began to pool within her.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered against her skin, his voice thick with emotion. "Every inch of you."

Maya turned in his lap, her movements slow but deliberate.

She faced him now, their bodies pressed together, her hands on his shoulders.

His silver-blue eyes were dark with desire, his gaze locked on hers.

She leaned in, capturing his lips in a kiss that started soft and tentative but quickly deepened into something hungry and desperate.

Their tongues tangled, the taste of him flooding her senses—wild and untamed, like the forest itself.

When she finally broke the kiss, her chest heaving, she leaned back just enough to look at him.

His face was flushed, his breathing ragged, but there was a softness in his eyes that made her heart swell.

She trailed her fingers down his chest, marveling at the hard planes of muscle beneath her touch.

Her lips followed, pressing soft kisses along his collarbone, down the center of his chest, and over the ridges of his abs.

Each kiss felt like a promise, a silent vow to heal him just as he had healed her.

"Maya," he groaned, his voice thick with pleasure as she moved lower, her lips brushing against the sharp V of his hips. His hands tangled in her hair, not guiding her but simply holding on as if he needed the anchor. "Whatever you're doing... I think it's helping. I'm feeling stronger."

She looked up at him, her green eyes meeting his silver-blue ones, and gave him a small, knowing smile.

"Good," she whispered before taking his hard length into her hand, her touch firm but gentle.

His sharp intake of breath was all the encouragement she needed.

She leaned down, her lips closing around the tip of his large cock and felt him tense beneath her.

"Maya, you don't have to—" he hissed softly, his fingers tightening in her hair.

"I want to," she interrupted, her voice steady despite the heat flooding her cheeks.

And she did. There was something about this—about the way he responded to her, and the way he seemed to come alive under her touch—that made her feel powerful in a way she never had before.

She took him deeper, her tongue swirling around his cock as her hand worked in tandem with her mouth.

His groans filled the cave, the sound raw and unfiltered, and it only fueled her determination.

But just as she felt him tensing, on the brink of release, he gently pulled her off him, his chest heaving. "Not like this," he said, his voice rough but firm. "I want to be inside you when I come undone."

Maya's breath caught, her heart pounding in her chest. She nodded slowly, her eyes never leaving his.

The air between them crackled with anticipation.

She shifted closer, her hands on his thighs as she prepared to climb into his lap, ready to take him in a way that would bind them even tighter together.

Maya's breath hitched shakily as she climbed up into Kieran's lap, her body trembling with anticipation.

His hands gripped her hips, steadying her as she positioned herself over his cock.

The heat of his body radiated against her, and she could feel the tension in his muscles, the way he held himself back, even now.

She lowered herself slowly, inch by inch, until he filled her completely, stretching her in the most delicious way.

A soft gasp escaped her lips as she adjusted to his size, her inner walls clenching around him instinctively.

"You're perfect," Kieran murmured, his voice thick with need. His hands slid up her sides, leaving trails of fire in their wake, before settling on her back, careful to avoid the wound. "Take your time."

Maya nodded, her hands resting on his broad shoulders for balance.

She began to move, rocking her hips in a slow, deliberate rhythm.

Each movement sent waves of pleasure coursing through her, and she could feel the way he responded, his body tensing beneath her.

His eyes locked onto hers, and she could see the raw intensity in his gaze, the way he was holding himself back, letting her set the pace.

"You're still healing," she whispered, her voice trembling with the effort to keep her movements slow and controlled. "I don't want to hurt you."

Kieran's lips curved into a smirk, his hands tightening on her hips. "You could never hurt me, Maya. Not like this."

She laughed softly, the sound mingling with the distant rumble of thunder outside. Her movements grew bolder, her hips rolling against his as she sought the perfect angle. Kieran's breath hitched as his hands slid up to cup her breasts, his thumbs brushing over her nipples causing her to gasp.

"You're driving me insane," he growled, his voice low and husky.

Maya's response was cut off as he surged up, capturing her lips in a searing kiss.

His tongue swept into her mouth, claiming her in a way that left no doubt about his dominance.

She moaned into the kiss, her hands tangling in his hair as she ground down against him, seeking more of the pleasure that was building between them.

Kieran broke the kiss, his breath coming in ragged gasps. "I love you, Maya," he said, his voice raw with emotion. "I've never felt this way about anyone. You're my mate, my everything."

Maya's heart swelled at his words, and she felt a surge of emotion that threatened to overwhelm her. "I love you too, Kieran," she whispered, her voice trembling with the intensity of her feelings. "I've never felt this connected to anyone before."

Her confession seemed to unleash something in him, and he surged up, flipping her onto her back with a growl.

His body covered hers, his hips driving into her with a rhythm that left her breathless.

Maya's nails dug into his shoulders as she clung to him, her body arching up to meet his thrusts.

The pleasure built, coiling tighter and tighter until it finally snapped, sending her over the edge with a cry of his name.

Kieran followed her over, his body shuddering as he spilled himself inside her.

He buried his face in the crook of her neck, his breath hot against her pale skin as he whispered her name like a prayer.

The small mark on her neck from their previous encounter seemed to burn with a new intensity, as if recognizing the bond that had just been solidified between them.

They lay there for a long moment, their bodies still joined, their breaths slowly returning to normal.

Kieran finally pulled back, his eyes soft with affection as he brushed her hair from her face.

"You're mine, Maya," he said, his voice firm but gentle.

"And I'm yours. Nothing will ever change that. "

Maya smiled up at him, her heart full. "I know," she whispered, her fingers tracing the line of his jaw. "And I wouldn't want it any other way."

They curled up together on the makeshift bed, their naked bodies pressed tightly together for warmth.

The storm outside raged on, but inside the cave, there was only the warmth of their love and the promise of a future together.

Maya's mind drifted to the challenges they still faced—the silver poisoning, the High Council, and the uncertainty of what tomorrow would bring—but in that moment, she felt a sense of hope.

With Kieran by her side, she knew they could face anything.