Chapter Forty - Three

WOLF

By the time we get back to Erebus. The red, orange, and purple color palate cascades down to the rim of the horizon, and suddenly, all those colors seem to take on an even more profound kind of beauty than before.

I’m still busy trying to wrap my mind around the mind-blowing sex we just had up at that lookout point, the rock formation ledge overlooking the entirety of Sitka and Erebus. Fucking Sasha up on that ledge was mind-altering. Sitka as a whole and Erebus far down below as I pumped my dick into her, over and over again, as she lay sprawled out with her legs wrapped around my waist. My spine is still tingling all the way to my dick just thinking about it.

Her hand is in mine, our fingers laced as we make our way out towards the back of Erebus and towards the flaming bonfire. We’re immediately met with many people I don’t know; Erebus pack, I know that much off the cuff. A massive bonfire near the center of the property, logs, and people casually seated around it as the high flames lick the evening sky. The sudden mouth-watering smell of burger patties hitting my senses has my stomach groaning in response as I turn to see someone manning a grill with a beer in his one hand; everyone looks so happy; couples are holding each other and just cheerfully talking among themselves, like they’re all... family.

The moment I feel Sasha pull at my hand, my eyes are right back on her. I immediately feel the looks and stares of the pack members land on me, whispers filling the air as I suddenly become the center of their interest. But Sasha merely tightens her grip on my hand, clearly sensing my sudden unease; she swings around and looks up at me, longing and adoration in her eyes as she leans up on the tips of her toes.

I instantly wrap my arm around her waist as my other hand tilts her chin up to me, claiming her mouth. The sudden sparks of ecstasy begin coursing through my veins instantly, as it has my dick twitching hungrily in response. Fuck, this girl does things to me nothing could ever compare with.

Slowly breaking the kiss, my eyes are instantly on hers,

“What was that for?” Biting her bottom lip, I watch her wolf swirl around in her eyes, specs of gold fighting for dominance among the green, blue, and red.

“Just confirming their suspicions so they’ll stop gossiping.” She whispers as she pushes herself up against me even more fuck. I’m pretty sure that ripping her clothes off right here in front of everyone probably wouldn’t go down all that well. Still, when she’s pushing up against me like she is right now, it’s challenging to concentrate on anything besides having her ride my cock like she fucking owns it.

I suddenly feel a hand on my shoulder from behind pull me back, swinging around. I’m surprised to see Damien holding a beer up to me.

“Hey, thought I’d grab you one, you know, before there’s none left. I am on a sole mission to kick back tonight and not give a fuck.” He chuckles as he hands the open beer to me. Mason is right by his side, and for the first time, it doesn’t feel awkward to be around her.

“Thanks, man. Where have you two been all day?” I ask curiously.

“Just sorting out the last bits of shit at the mine shaft, we torched the place to make sure Caius wouldn’t have a place to return to.” That name instantly left a bad taste in my mouth,

“Any word on where he’s hiding yet?” I don’t want to know where he is, but I need to know so we can be prepared for the threat he left in that note.

“If I know him, he’s probably gone back to South America; he’s got a whole bunch of rogues down there, places he can stop along the way.” A sudden growl reverberates from my chest.

“That’s what I’m afraid of.”

When I suddenly turn back to look at Sasha, I find her crouched down on the ground; my brows come together curiously when they land on a little girl. She has dark brown hair and can’t be older than three; she hands Sasha two flowers and climbs into her arms. Sasha slowly stands up with this little girl in her arms and clutches onto her. Turning towards me, she smiles, and for the first time, it reaches her eyes in a way I’ve never seen before. A strange thought suddenly enters my mind: Sasha holding our pup like that one day. My heart instantly drops into my stomach; I’ve never thought of having a pup with anyone.

“Her name is Binki.” She says as she smiles at me.

“Binki?” I’m suddenly cocking a brow curiously.

“Yes, she doesn’t like people calling her by her first name, so we all have to call her Binki; her real name is...”

“No, shh, no telling,” The little girl suddenly says as she covers Sasha’s mouth with her tiny hands, and I can’t help but chuckle at how cute and persistent this little girl is.

“I guess you and Binki have a lot in common, Sam,” I say with a teasing grin as I fold my arms across my chest.

Rolling her eyes playfully, she lowers the little girl, who suddenly scampers off to her mother; the moment she stands up, I’m already pulling her back in my arms. Fuck, I really wish all these people weren’t here right now so I could actually do to her what I want to do to her.

The moment Edith calls Sasha over to the deck, both our heads snap up to look at her, and with that, so does everyone else.

Talk about being under the microscope all of a sudden, fuck. Pack life, am I really ready for this?

Sasha nods before making her way towards Edith, holding my hand firmly. Well, I guess I’m going up there with her after all.

Standing up before the entire Erebus pack is suddenly intimidating. For the first time since Sasha asked me to take over as alpha, I’m questioning and second-guessing whether that is a good idea. I mean, what the hell do I know about being an alpha?

I’ve been brought up as a rogue, an outsider my whole life. Yes, I might be the son of an Ultima wolf tribe, and yes, he might have been the alpha of his tribe. But that was him, not me; alpha are brought up to lead from the moment they’re born, kind of how you train a puppy to become an attack dog or a guard dog. All that takes training, something I know nothing about; every inch of my life has been based on sheer instinct.

Sasha, however, doesn’t seem phased in the least with the entire pack’s eyes on us; of course not; she’s used to it; this is her pack. It takes a whole lot of self-motivation not to be running in the opposite direction of the pack because, let’s face it, in their eyes, I’m still just that, a rogue, a nobody.

Edith walks away, giving us the stage, so to speak, fuck, fuck, fuck. And if my wolf could raise a brow and roll his eyes at me right now, he would. He’s totally and completely ready and on board with this, not me; however, I’m suddenly wondering which one of these pack males will drive me out of here first.

The moment Sasha clears her throat and begins to address the pack, however, I turn my face to look at her in surprise; she speaks with such confidence in front of them, nothing like the scared and timid little girl I’ve known her to be before.

“Erebus has been a pack of strength and dominance for many centuries, not forgetting the sheer power my father, grandfather, and great-grandfather placed behind it through their leadership, power, and will. I know we all miss alpha Fenris, and... Don...” She suddenly swallows hard, and I’m instantly aware of how hard mentioning their names right now must be for her. Tightening my grip around her hand, I give it a reassuring squeeze.

Nodding, she takes a deep breath before continuing, “I’m sorry I wasn’t here when they were laid to rest; I wish I was; I wish... I wish I had the chance to say goodbye. “Her voice suddenly breaks, and Fuck, this is the hardest thing I’ve ever watched her have to do, bearing her own emotions and feelings before her pack for all to see and yet staying strong throughout; only a true alpha female could ever have that kind of inner strength.

“I know you are all looking to me to step up as alpha because it’s my place and responsibility. But throughout my time of being captured by the rogues, I came to discover my own fated mate.” Turning her head to look up at me, she smiles earnestly, reaching all the way up to her eyes with pride as she looks at me. “His name is Wolf, and he is the last blood descendent of the Ultima wolf tribe.” At once, murmurs erupt among the pack members as they watch me with wide, surprised eyes.

Sasha slowly raises her hands above the crowd to get their attention, and it’s instant; they all quiet down and respect her. “I know you all have questions, and I’m sure Wolf will happily answer them in due time. But the most important thing I need to bring to your attention this evening is that Wolf will be taking over as alpha of our pack as of right now, and I will be standing alongside him as your Luna; together, we will rule Erebus and live up to the legacy my father left behind, and make it even stronger and more forthright than it ever was before.”

There are long moments of silence as I stare out over the crowd before us. They’re looking at us, and honestly, I’m expecting an uproar to break out at any given moment, and they will chase me out of here with pitchforks or something worse. So I’m completely dumbstruck when they, like a shot, break out in cheers and start clapping and whistling, happy smiles filling the faces before us. I’m literally standing there with my jaw going slack, thinking, what the fuck just happened? It can’t be that easy, no way.

Sasha suddenly turns to Edith, who approaches her, holding a sharp knife; my eyes fly down towards it warily before looking up at her curiously for a moment.

Looking up at me, she smiles nonchalantly like this is the most ordinary and natural thing she’s about to do. Taking the knife, she holds the palm of her hand out and slices across it in one fluent movement, a thin line of blood beginning to pool as she winces, and my own breath catches in my throat in response, but she never takes her eyes off mine. Giving me the knife, she gestures for me to do the same; taking it from her, I suddenly go to slice the blade across the palm of my hand. The moment the blood begins to pool, she holds her bloodied hand up to mine, our palms instantly sealing our blood and bond as our fingers lace our hands tightly together.

My breathing is low and steady as I look down into her eyes, and her wolf is swirling around in them excitedly and dominantly. “Now repeat after me,” She says softly as she bites down against her bottom lip. Fuck, I’m nodding, but it’s so hard to concentrate on anything else when she does that. “I Wolf,” “I Wolf,” “Solemly swear,” “Solemly swear.”... As she continues, I keep repeating after her every word, my heart beating faster and harder in my chest as I do... “To uphold the sacred bond of my pack, to protect and defend them at all costs, to always put them first above all else, and to rule fairly and with just and forthright compassion for each and every one of my pack members, until the end of my reign.”

Once we’re done, we’re both just standing there, staring longingly into each other’s eyes. I can feel my wolf swirling around in my eyes with such pride as I look down at my girl; how the fuck did she get to be even more breathtakingly beautiful than she was before.

I can vaguely hear the happy shouts and laughter from the pack, and then, it’s instant... gasping, I immediately feel it the moment I’m officially connected to the pack. I feel them suddenly deeply embedded within me like the roots of a giant oak tree running deep underground, and so does the bond with a pack. Something I’ve never felt before in my entire life, and I swallow hard the moment I break eye contact with Sasha and look out over the whole of the Erebus pack, my pack.

~

Everyone is enjoying themselves around the bonfire. I think I’ve probably met almost every member of my pack by now, including little Binki, whose real name she still refuses to give me; imagine that.

The white lighters decided to join us, not because they really wanted to, but because I insisted they do. They’re all sitting around the bonfire, getting something to eat. The only two looking happy and comfortable to be there are Noah and one of the others I haven’t yet been introduced to; I think he goes by the name of Liam. Another one, I don’t know, I believe, is called Caleb. His expression is severe, dark, and unmoved, almost like he’s expecting to attack anything that poses any threat at any moment. Smirking, I almost want to laugh the moment my eyes land on Captain Duche; he’s aimlessly staring into the flames of the fire, almost like he’s completely lost in thought over something.

I’m suddenly acutely aware that my mate is missing. So I decide to take my cue while everyone is engaged in the fire and conversations among themselves to go and look for her.

I make it up the stairs in under five seconds, taking two to three steps at a time; the moment I land before her bedroom door, I slowly swing it open. Striding inside, I gingerly make my way over to the bathroom, where I can hear the shower going, so she decided to sneak off and go and have a shower without telling me. Huh, naughty little Luna princess of mine, I suddenly think to myself with a sinister grin.

I pull my shirt up above my head as I drop my slacks to the floor, pushing the door open; the steam is instantly misting up the entire bathroom when I suddenly hear her switch off the shower tap. Smirking, I slowly step right up to the shower door as I wait for her to open it, like a predator about to pounce on its prey; my dick is already rock hard and twitching, ready and eager to be inside her.

SASHA

The moment I step out of the shower, I bump into his rock-hard chest as he shoves me back into the shower. His lips crash to mine like a man starved as my back hits the white tiles; he growls as his lips trace down my collarbone. Every soft kiss sends a shiver down my spine like he wants to taste every inch of me to convert it to memory.

“Wolf, I...” But his mouth starts to hungrily devour mine, his tongue greedily diving into my mouth as a soft moan suddenly escapes my lips. Pulling away slowly, the gold specs in his eyes pierce my own,

“I always want to remember you this way.” He groans, and it’s then that my heart suddenly drops into the pit of my stomach. The moment he scoops me up by my ass and wraps my legs around his waist, I’m gasping for air between his mouth, assaulting mine. The moment the head of his cock lines up with my entrance, he suddenly slams into me so hard that I scream, complete euphoria and ecstasy erupting within me as he pulls back merely to slam back into me again.

My arms are around his neck; I hold on for dear life as he pounds into me repeatedly. The water suddenly cascades down over us, and I don’t know if it was him or me who accidentally bumped the tap, but honestly, I don’t fucking care right now. The spray of water only fuels the intense, electrifying energy between us as I’m clawing at his back, my heart racing so fast it feels like it’s about to burst from my chest.

This isn’t merely him fucking the life out of me; it’s him claiming my soul. He’s stamping his mark, leaving no room for debate about whom I belong to. It’s him, it’s Wolf, it will always be him. No matter if I climb through that portal tomorrow or if I’m away for a week or a month. I belong to him wholeheartedly, and it’s to him whom I will return.

His name is rolling off of my lips like a prayer, and as he hungrily thrusts his hips forward, pounding into me over and over again, a deep and possessive growl suddenly reverberates from his mouth beside my ear as he commands me with his seductive alpha voice, “Cum for me baby.” And on queue, my body responds, respects, and adheres to her alpha as fireworks suddenly explode through my body, like a star exploding in the night sky; I’m suddenly plummeting right over the edge of complete and utter elated rapture.

He’s still pounding into me maybe a second or two longer before he suddenly grips me tightly, his body tensing sporadically as he finds his own release. Filling me up with his warm seed as it begins seeping out of me and running down my inner thigh.

We’re both a saturated and panting mess, maybe me more than him. I’m unable to form any coherent words right now; all I can do is nod my head countlessly as my eyes find his, the word “I, I, I,” being the only word I can utter, as he smiles and nods, “I love you too,” in response.

I love this man, by the moon and all that has blessed me with him; I love him more than any word or action could ever express. He’s my person, wolf, heart, and soul. And no matter what, once this curse is lifted, I’m coming back home to him.