Page 21

Ivy

Briggs and I walked side by side in quiet unison.

The breeze blowing through the trees provided a tranquil backdrop to our excursion.

It had been two days since he opened the envelope, and neither of us had mentioned it since.

There’d been a shift in the aftermath, more subtle than the change between us after I found out why he’d rejected me.

He hadn’t locked the door.

Our walks became hikes.

We didn’t speak more than one or two words when necessary.

Astonishingly, the whole not speaking thing held no air of animosity.

It was more of an acceptance of coexisting in peace.

Today we took a different trail, around the ridge to the south of the territory.

We came around a sharp bend in a narrow ravine and were halted by a large boulder blocking our path.

Briggs took a running leap, effortlessly landing atop the rock.

Though blessed with a dual nature, I couldn’t jump quite as high.

“Here,” Briggs offered.

I looked at his outstretched hand.

Climbing up and over on my own would require very little effort.

I didn’t need his help.

Still, I reached for him.

Instead of the sharp zing of electricity that usually happened when our skin made contact, a comforting warmth from his hand enveloped mine.

It spread up my arm and through the rest of my body.

His grip tightened.

I braced a foot on the boulder and nodded.

The muscles in his arm flexed as he gently helped me up.

"Thank you," I said once we were on the other side.

I expected him to release my hand, but instead, his grip remained firm and comforting as we continued our hike.

We ate dinner together that night—another change—out on the deck.

Finished with the meal, we were enjoying the last of a bottle of wine.

The moon was so bright I could easily see the dips and rolls of the trees covering the landscape.

“The view is beautiful,” I commented.

“It is.” Briggs agreed, making me blush when I realized he was staring at me and not the scenery.

A soft thud on the table drew my attention.

I looked down and stiffened.

“The necklace I bought for Ruby was the first one I saw on the sale counter. I didn't even pay attention to the stones. I didn’t care.”

His middle finger tapped absently on the felt-covered box. I didn’t even think he realized he was doing it.

"Before I … before everything, this was yours," he said quietly. “I know it doesn’t hold the same meaning for you as it does for me, but I would like you to have it anyway.”

He lifted the lid.

“You don’t have to wear it,” he hastily added.

I studied the necklace again, my eyes following the delicate carvings, the ones he designed.

"It was always meant for you."

I sat there staring into eyes that were pleading with me to understand. To forgive.

Forgetting was an entirely different matter. “Briggs, this is a Mating Ceremony gift.”

“Actually, it’s not.”

“But—”

“I wasn’t thinking about a ceremony when I came up with the idea. I was only thinking of you. I’m not good with romantic words, so I thought I’d let an expensive piece of jewelry speak for me, that it would show you that I was thinking about you.”

“I don’t care about jewelry or expensive gifts.”

He scratched the back of his head. “Yes, I’m starting to see that. I can only say that I watched my father buy jewelry for my mother and her face would light up every time she opened a box.”

Harris and Kate McClellan had left Darkwood shortly after Briggs took the reins, as was custom. It helped ease the way for the new Alpha to be seen as independent from the old.

After enough time passed, they would likely return.

I’d often wondered what they thought of their son mating with Ruby, though they technically weren’t here to witness the rejection.

“How are the Alpha and Luna?” I quietly inquired.

Briggs grimaced. “I haven’t heard from them in almost a year. They went off the grid up in Canada and told me they’d be in touch once they were sure my head had been extracted from my ass. Honestly, I’m surprised my father didn’t challenge me for his old position.”

“That bad?”

“Let’s just say the surprise visit they made resulted in quite the shock. Mom even took a swing at me.”

I snorted then quickly covered my mouth. It wasn’t funny.

Though Luna Kate slapping Briggs silly might have felt warranted, she and Alpha Harris were going to be gutted once they knew everything.

“Briggs?”

“Yes?”

“You can put the necklace in the safe.”

His head ducked and I couldn’t see his eyes. “Okay, Ivy. I’ll—”

“I don’t have anyplace else to keep it.”

His face jerked up.

I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as the distance between us disappeared. Briggs leaned in, his lips brushing against mine, ever so slightly.

It was a question, an invitation.

"Are you sure?" he asked, his voice barely audible, filled with longing and concern.

My mind raced with thoughts and memories of the prophecy that haunted him. The pain of being rejected and what it had cost him to go through with it.

I took a deep breath and focused on the pull of the bond, on the sensations vibrating around and through my body.

This is where we belong , Rieka hummed.

“Yes, Briggs. I’m sure.” The air shifted with my words, electric currents crackled between our bodies.

He popped out of his chair, pulling me up and into his arms. I wrapped my legs around his waist as our lips met with urgency.

I lost myself in the kiss, driven by the overwhelming hunger that had been building inside me for so long. Briggs' hands found their way to my backside, pulling me closer as if he couldn't get enough.

"Fuck, Ivy," he breathed against my skin. "You have no idea how much I want you."

"Show me," I dared.

He growled deep in his throat, the action vibrating against my chest and making me quiver.

Suddenly he was marching us through the cabin, barely managing to swing the bedroom door open before pressing me against it. I felt the cool wooden surface prickling against my back, his body hard and hot against mine.

His musky scent filled the air as he nipped at my neck. A whimper escaped my lips and I ground my pelvis into him.

" Ivy ," he warned, his voice ragged and shaky. But that dominant undertone was there too, all Alpha.

His hands traveled under my shirt, skin on skin trailing sparks of desire.

“More,” I demanded.

"Patience," he whispered before pulling away just enough to pull off my shirt.

A quick yank of the cup of my bra exposed my breast to the cool air. His warm palm immediately covered it. His fingers tugged the sensitive nipple.

When Briggs rolled his hips into my core, our breath hitched simultaneously. The raw hunger in his gaze stoked the heat bubbling inside me.

"Briggs," I pleaded in frustration.

He silenced me with another soul-searing kiss as he settled me on my feet. “Lose the bra.”

My arms went behind my back to undo the clasp. His lips were on my chest before the garment hit the floor and I thought I might come from the sucking and nipping alone.

Too soon, he abandoned my breasts, his tongue making its way down my abdomen.

Kneeling before me, his fingers traced the waistband of my leggings, teasing with a gentle tug before starting to peel them away. He stopped, drinking in the sight of me.

Slowly, Briggs rose and peeled off his shirt. His hands undid his jeans, making my mouth water. I licked my lips.

A low growl echoed through him and right into the apex of my thighs. Strong arms hoisted me from the door and he carried me towards the bed.

Barely breaking contact, he laid me down gently before covering my body with his. His weight pressed deliciously into me and I let out a desperate mewl.

“Please,” I begged.

Briggs began to move away and I bit his shoulder. He chuckled darkly, taking himself in hand with long, languid strokes.

“You want my cock, little mate?”

“ Yes .”

“Tell me.”

Rieka growled.

He chuckled again. “Tell me and you can have it.”

“I want your … cock. May I please have it?”

“Fuck yes,” he exhaled, lining it up and pushing inside.

Pain and pleasure intermingled, and my body arched to meet his thrusts. My hands found his back, clinging as he set a punishing rhythm.

His grunts filled the room. Glowing eyes burned with inhuman intensity.

My nails dug into his back as I met his every push.

"Briggs," I managed to grind out between breaths. "Harder."

His lips curled into a wicked smirk as his hands slid down my hips, pulling them higher for deeper penetration. He increased his pace, becoming more urgent, more demanding.

I squeezed my legs tighter around his waist in response.

“Touch yourself,” he commanded.

My fingers slid down my body until I could feel the slick warmth between my thighs. I circled my clit, unexpectedly thrilled to be an obedient mate for my Alpha.

The pressure inside was building. On the verge, my body trembled and quaked.

Briggs’s movements became more frantic, his hips bucking against mine with primal need. His cock thrust in and out as I frantically rubbed myself.

I moaned his name, unable to form any coherent words as I surrendered. Colors burst behind my eyelids.

I was still seeing fireworks when his torso disappeared from above me. I yelped when his mouth clamped onto the bundle of nerves between my legs.

“Briggs … I can’t …”

“You can and you will.”

Like a male possessed, he lapped the length of my center. Up and down and back again.

My fingers tangled into his hair to push him away. Only, I was actually holding him to me.

I whimpered his name over and over. His tongue swirled, flicking and teasing until I was fighting for air.

“You’re going to come against my mouth and then I’m going to come inside this sweet pussy.”

“Ah, yes, please!”

A wicked smile spread across his lips as he plunged back in between my legs. His mouth worked tirelessly against me.

Heat coiled deep within as the familiar sensation quickly brewed. He pinched my abused clit and I screamed at the explosion tearing through me.

My channel was still throbbing when he moved over top of me and pushed inside. He looked down with wild eyes before claiming my lips in a bruising kiss.

His mouth nipped at the column of my throat, down to where it met my shoulder.

Was he going to mark me? Rieka rolled over, begging for it—but he only licked and sucked at the spot.

The motion of his hips quickly became erratic until he stilled, spilling himself deep inside me with a roar.

Briggs collapsed, winded and trying to catch his breath. After a few moments, he rolled off me and pulled me into his arms.

Our bodies were covered in a sheen of sweat. We laid there entwined in each other's arms, sweat glistening on our skin.

My heart swelled but at the same time, fear gnawed at the edges of my happiness. I shuddered.

"What’s wrong, sweetheart? Are you cold?" Briggs asked and reached to pull up the blanket at the foot of the bed.

I shook my head. "No, I'm just thinking."

"About what?"

"Us," I admitted, tracing my fingers along the ridges of his muscular chest. "And what we're doing. What this means."

He caught my hand in his, pressing a gentle kiss to my knuckles. "What do you want it to mean?"

I searched for the right words. "I want this to be real.”

"This is real, Ivy.”

I sat up, keeping the blanket tucked around me to cover my nakedness.

How could I put things to make him understand?

“Trusting you isn’t easy,” I confessed.

My mate sat up to face me.

“I thought we were moving past this.”

“We are. I'm just having a hard time …”

“Forgetting?” he supplied brusquely.

“Can you blame me for being a little gun shy?”

His eyes lingered on my face before he shook his head. “No. But I’ll do whatever it takes, Ivy. Tell me what you need. Tell me what’s bothering you most.”

I didn’t know what I needed. As for what was bothering me, that might have been a different issue.

Just say it , my wolf pressed.

“The challenge.”

His eyebrows lowered. “What about the challenge?"

“Briggs, I’m already scared to trust our bond. What if I lose you before we even really have a chance?”

Tears pricked the corners of my eyes.

He pulled me onto his lap, hugging me close. "We can deal with the challenge later. Tonight, I just want to focus on you.”

“You’re not listening.”

“I promise you, sweetheart, I’m listening. And what I’m hearing from you, from your wolf and from mine, is that you need reassurance. So that’s what I’m going to prioritize right now.”

“Briggs—”

“Shhh, I’ve got you. I promise, I’ve got you.”

Slowly, deliberately, he began to trace soft kisses across my shoulder, reigniting the fire within. When his lips found mine, I surrendered.

He nudged me back down to the bed and spread my thighs with his own. His tongue explored my mouth at the same time his fingers touched my intimate flesh.

“You’re always so ready for me. I don’t think I’ll ever get enough.”

Briggs inched his way in, taking his time, prolonging our pleasure. He moved against me with a tantalizing tenderness that nearly broke my heart.

"I don't want to lose you,” I cried.

"You won’t," he vowed.

Briggs wordlessly pledged himself to me with each measured stroke, with every kiss on my skin.

I held him close, feeling the heat of his body against mine and the steady beat of his heart. I felt bared to him. Flayed open and vulnerable.

Suddenly, everything around us disappeared. The only thing that existed was us, lost in this moment.

Moving in sync, staring into one another’s eyes, we reached our peak together.

In the aftermath, I knew something had shifted between us. Our connection had deepened, changing into something more tangible.

The bond wasn’t complete, but the damage was being repaired. It felt like I was standing on the edge of a precipice.

What would happen when I jumped?