Page 7 of The Alpha’s Bounty (Night Grove Falls: The Alphas #2)

SIX

Mina

The night air feels heavier than usual as we step outside. It presses against my skin like a second heartbeat, thrumming with a pulse I can’t name. I try to keep pace with Cyrus as he practically runs to his truck. I’ve never been so achy, needy, or horny in my whole life.

“In,” he orders, opening the passenger door for me.

I do as he commands. He rounds the hood, climbs behind the wheel, and starts the engine before peeling out of the parking lot.

I steal glances at him as he drives. I swear he presses harder on the gas pedal whenever he feels my eyes on him. By the time his house comes into view, we’re flying.

He’s tense. More than tense. He’s coiled. His jaw is tight, his eyes burning, and every time his gaze flicks to me, my lungs stutter. The heat simmering between us since I met him has reached a fever pitch, and I don’t know how to handle it.

I’m not sure I want to handle it.

The closer we get to his cabin, the more my body feels like it’s not mine anymore.

My skin tingles. My stomach knots with anticipation.

Every nerve ending is tuned to him, to the strength of his arm, the deliberate rhythm of his steps, the restrained power in the way he holds himself, like he’s on the edge of losing control.

“Once we’re together, will this feeling pass?”

“Not tonight. Tomorrow, once the full moon is gone,” he says through clenched teeth.

He’s holding himself back. Being wanted by a man like Cyrus, wanted this badly, is a huge boost to my ego. I burn hotter the longer I stare at him.

Dust and rocks spray as he slams on the brakes. We rush to unbuckle our seatbelts and hop out. He takes my hand, and we head for the front door. The full moon is high in the sky above us, and I swallow hard as I stare up at it.

We reach the front door, and Cyrus curses as he drops my hand to unlock it.

By the time we’re inside, I’m trembling. He shuts the door with more force than necessary, the sound echoing through the cabin like a warning and a promise. His eyes lock on mine, burning green, and for a moment, we just… stare.

The silence stretches, charged and fragile, until I whisper, “Cyrus…”

That’s all it takes.

He’s on me in a heartbeat, pulling me against his chest, his mouth crashing onto mine with a hunger that leaves me breathless. There’s nothing careful about this kiss. It’s desperate, consuming, raw.

And I want more.

My hands tangle in his shirt, clinging like he’s the only solid thing in a world that won’t stop spinning. Heat surges through me, fierce and demanding, and I realize I don’t want to stop. Not now. Not ever.

He doesn’t ask permission when he lifts me into his arms, but I don’t need him to. My legs wrap around his waist instinctively, my lips never leaving his. He carries me to the bedroom, every step purposeful, his growl rumbling against my chest like a drumbeat.

When he sets me on the bed, his hands linger on my hips, his forehead pressing to mine. He’s breathing hard, trying to rein himself in.

“You’re sure?” he rasps.

I nod, my voice trembling but certain. “Yes. I’m sure.”

Something in him breaks. His mouth claims mine again, slower this time, deeper, as if he’s memorizing me. His hands skim over my sides, my arms, my face, his touch reverent and desperate, like he can’t decide whether to worship or devour me.

“Need you naked,” he mumbles.

I nod. “You too.”

I inhale sharply as he reaches for the hem of my borrowed shirt and pulls it up and over my head.

“Goddamn,” he growls when he sees me in my bra.

“I…” I trail off, no idea what I was about to say.

“You’re gorgeous.” His words are so sincere that I believe him.

He reaches for my pants and tugs them down, taking the boxers I borrowed from him this morning with them. I’m left in only my bra.

I unclasp it, toss it aside, and lie back on the bed. “Your turn.”

Cyrus leaps off the bed and tears at his clothes. “The things that you do to me,” he says as he rips his shirt over his head.

My body burns so hot. All I can think about is being with Cyrus. All I want is to be his. “Show me,” I beg.

He climbs onto the bed beside me and pulls me into his arms. His body is hot against mine, his skin smooth.

I’m instantly addicted to the way his hands move over me, to how he kisses me and positions me where he wants me.

I’m a big girl, and I never thought anyone would be able to handle me the way Cyrus does so easily.

He nudges my thighs apart with his knee, rolling me under him and kissing his way down my body. His hands mold my breasts, and I gasp as he pinches my nipples. Kissing his way across my chest, he sucks a nipple into his mouth. The sensation of his hot mouth on the sensitive peak has me crying out.

Cyrus hums in response. “That’s it, mate. Let me hear you.”

“Oh, God,” I choke out.

His head lifts, and he stares at me. “No, mate. It’s just you snd me here. You only say my name when we’re together.”

He switches to my other breast, giving it the same delicious attention. He’s driving me crazy. All I can think about is him. All I can feel is his body and the things he’s doing to mine.

He releases my nipple with a pop and shuffles lower, kissing a trail down my torso and over the soft curve of my belly before shouldering his way between my thighs.

“Cyrus?”

He looks up at me.

“Hmm?”

“I need you,” I say, trying to tug him back up my body.

“You have me. But I need to get you ready for me.”

“I am,” I promise.

He chuckles as his thumb slides through my drenched folds. “I know, but I still want a taste.”

Before I realize what I’m doing, I reach down and swipe two fingers through my pussy, gathering the juices on them. I smile as he looks at me in shock, and press them against his mouth.

“Fuck,” he groans. “That was so hot, mate. I need more.”

He buries his face in my cunt and eats me like I’m his last meal. I scream as he sucks my clit into his mouth, and stars erupt when his tongue pushes into my tight hole.

“Cyrus!” I whine.

He growls as he grips my hips, pinning me to the mattress as his mouth devours me. He licks every inch of me, sucking my clit into his mouth again and rolling his tongue over it. Then he licks his way down to my opening.

My thighs shake, and I suck in a sharp breath as I come. My orgasm combusts inside me, and for a moment, the world goes black.

When I blink my eyes open a moment later, Cyrus is prowling up my body. He kisses me, letting me taste my release on his lips and tongue. His cock bumps against my opening.

“Shouldn’t I take care of you now?”

He shakes his head. “Later. Right now, I need you.”

He braces himself on his hands and kisses me. I wrap my arms around his neck, needing the contact to ground myself. When his lips trail down my throat, I gasp. The scrape of his teeth makes my pulse race, my body arching toward him instinctively.

“I need to mark you,” he whispers, his voice ragged. “To claim you. To make sure the world knows you’re mine.”

A shiver runs through me, equal parts fear and longing. I tilt my head back, baring my neck, offering myself to him. “Do it.”

His growl shakes the air as his mouth closes over my skin.

For a moment, he breathes me in, his lips warm and soft.

Then his teeth sink into me, firm and sharp, but not cruel.

Undeniable. Pain flares, bright and startling, but it’s quickly gone, replaced by a rush of heat so overwhelming that it steals my breath.

I cry out his name as he slams inside me, my pussy walls spasming around his length.

“Cyrus!”

“Mine,” he growls.

He kisses me as he starts to move, sliding in and out of me. He’s so big, stuffing me so full, but it feels amazing. It feels like home. For the first time in my life, I’m right where I’m supposed to be. I’m where I’m wanted.

“More,” I beg.

He groans and picks up his pace, rutting into me harder. I cling to him, my hips working to meet each of his thrusts. We move together in perfect sync, straining to find our release. Mine builds inside me again, and my nails dig into his arms, marking him the same way he marked me.

“I’m close,” I gasp.

“Need to feel it,” he demands.

I drag a ragged breath into my lungs as I reach my peak.

I try to keep my eyes on Cyrus, wanting to see his face as he finds his pleasure.

He takes in every inch of me—the bounce of my breasts, the jiggle of my stomach—before his eyes lock on mine as he claims every inch of my body. He sees it all, and he loves it.

I think he loves me .

“Mina!” he shouts.

I gasp as his release splashes inside me, clutching him. Something clicks into place like a lock turning, a door opening I didn’t know was closed.

He collapses on his side next to me, pulling me with him. I snuggle closer, relishing his warmth.

“You all right, mate?” he asks after we catch our breath.

“I’m perfect.”

He kisses my neck, nuzzling me. Then he gently licks the mark he left on me, soothing it. A baby orgasm rolls through me, and I moan, shivering in his hold.

His eyes glow with something wild and tender. “You’re mine,” he says, voice thick with awe. “Forever.”

Tears blur my vision, but they’re happy ones. “Yours,” I whisper. “Always.”

The heat between us doesn’t fade; it deepens, softening into something more powerful. Every touch, every kiss, feels amplified, tethered to that mark, to our bond. My body hums with it, my heart steadying in a rhythm that matches his.

He holds me close against his chest, and I feel whole. Safe. Loved.

For the first time in my life, I belong.

As I drift in the circle of his arms, exhaustion pulling at me, Cyrus murmurs against my hair.

“They’ll never touch you again, Mina. Not while I breathe. Not while I live.”

I believe him.

And even as the storm of the mating heat still swirls around us, a deeper truth settles into my bones. I’m not running anymore.

Not from him.

Not from us.