Part 71

(POV - Marcus)

They raced through the woods, their wolves trilling and howling with joy. It was late, although it was probably early considering the light of dawn stained the horizon beyond the mountains. Marcus chased after her with a brand new fire blazing in his lungs, something he never thought he'd ever get to feel again.

He caught up to Aria again and pounced on her, tackling her to the ground and loving the way she huffed in amusement as they both fell to the grass. Before he could do anything, he heard the telltale rumble of hunger coming from Aria's stomach. Without another thought, he hopped up and gently nudged her with the end of his snout, silently telling her to wait for him. She nipped his ear in agreement and slithered out from under him.

He stalked off into the thicket of trees, hackles raised and nose low to the ground. He could faintly pick up the scent of deer not too far off. There must have been two, no, three of them just a few hundred feet away. They'd left behind traces of shorn leaves and kicked-up chunks of dirt, and he tracked them until he found the straggler.

It was a stag, its large antlers twisting up into the low branches above. His breath blew out low and silent, his lungs deflating to minimize the sound of his steps.

He'd have to be quick, just one leap and a snap of his jaw so he could feed Aria. There was no logical reason for it, just an innate urge to prove that he could provide for his chosen mate.

It was these kinds of instincts that he still cherished, the need to protect and provide because it was his duty and his privilege. It was something he was born to do and he did it well. Not to mention the deep sense of satisfaction he got from doing things that may seem small and insignificant to others. And he had given up on ever feeling the need to sate any of those urges the day that Helena died.

He was on the deer in a heartbeat, the creature having no time to let out anything but a soft, frightened bleat before going limp in Marcus's jaw. With a renewed sense of pride, he hauled the carcass back to where Aria was waiting, her tail swooping at the sight of him and his kill.

He dropped it in front of her and dipped his head, encouraging her to eat, and she snorted her thanks before her fangs shredded meat and muscle. He watched her eat, her satisfied little grumbles so endearing as she tore away to the bone.

After a beat, she lifted her head, her snout stained with blood, and she looked at him questioningly. He wasn't sure what she was asking, so he tilted his head, probably looking like an overgrown pup.

She rolled her eyes at him, the burning amber fell of sparkling joy, and nudged the carcass towards him with the tip of her nose.

'Eat', she offered. Well, it came across as more of a command than a suggestion, but Marcus didn't mind either way. He always loved seeing her confident and unafraid to speak her mind. And, if he was being honest, he really loved the way she stood up to him with no fear.

He shook his head slightly and joined her, their noses bumping gently as they ate. He wasn't always the biggest fan of fresh kills, but the meat tasted so much sweeter with Aria humming softly beside him.

Her scent shifted then, deepening to something earthier, headier.

Lust.

He glanced at her, catching the way her pupils dilated, turning amber to black when they locked eyes. He knew what she was asking without having to hear her speak the words, and within seconds, they'd both shifted back to their human forms, wrapping around one another without needing to say a word.

Marcus melted into her arms, breathing her in like she was all he'd ever breathe again, needing to be close, closer, closer. Everything around him fell away, the mossy ground beneath his feet disappearing, leaving only Aria to keep him from drifting away into the abyss.

The trickle of a nearby stream and the cawing of nocturnal birds faded until all that lingered in his ears were her soft sighs and warm moans, the click of their tongues and teeth. She was so warm under his hands, her bare skin giving beneath his palms and pulling him further into her, until there wasn't a single breath of space between them.

He knew where they were, he was lucid enough to realize that anyone and anything could happen upon them this way, both of them naked and slick with sweat, their chins bloodstained from his kill.

He knew and yet he didn't care. He only cared about the sudden rush of desire that sparked through her veins, palpable in the way her teeth coaxed his lips closer, closer, closer. He should have expected it, honestly, because it was common for female wolves to feel a surge of arousal when their mates brought them fresh kills. It was primal, and he loved how easily she gave into it, so willing to fall into the arms of her wolf's desires because she loved how it felt.

He loved how she silently pulled him in. He was nothing more than a puppet following her every whim on a string. There was no doubt that she had him so bewitched.

She pulled him down to the soft, moss-covered ground, her arms circling his neck, fingers tangling in his knotted hair. He dropped his weight onto her, his elbows on either side of her head. Almost on instinct, she giggled and wrapped her legs around his hips, pressing him impossibly close, every inch of her dripping core flush against his length.

He felt how her spine arched into his touch, aching just as much as he was to be joined again. He didn't know how either of them managed to go so long without tearing each other's clothes off at any given moment. No matter where they were or who might be around, he felt a constant, magnetic pull towards her, a vibrant buzzing that only settled once she was beneath him, sighing his name through exhausted gasps.

Slowly, with every measured breath twining between their lips, he sank his cock into her soaking heat.

It was as if every nerve in his body was set alight, curling towards her like she was the sun and his life was tethered to her existence. Heat coiled all around them, in his veins, his chest, his stomach, and his groin, and he swore he might evaporate.

She keened into his ear, her nails carving her possession into his back, her thighs tightening around his waist until he was sure he'd stop breathing if she ever let him go.

It was in the warmth of her arms, in the heat of her lust that his jaw began to ache and his gums tingled, that all too familiar sensation of need holding him captive again.

It made him break their heated silence.

"Mine," he rasped, his tongue laving across her neck, his fangs elongated and catching on her skin.

"You're mine."

She only sighed wistfully, baring her neck for him in submission. He growled and drove forward, his fangs breaking skin and drawing blood, his teeth splitting Aiden's mark. He felt his wolf snap forward, his eyes flickering. He let go and allowed his wolf the pleasure of claiming his mate once and for all.

She cried out, the pain and pleasure reaching a crescendo and pushing her over the edge, her thighs shaking and her pussy fluttering around his cock. The taste of her blood on his tongue and her orgasm hanging thick in the air had him spilling into her, almost choking on the force of the pleasure that shot down his spine.

Her arms tightened around him, her hands cradling the back of his head so gently it took him by surprise.

"Yours," she said, breathless and shivering. "Just like you're mine, baby."

He blinked away the post-orgasm haze and looked down at her, at the fresh, bleeding wound on her neck.

"Finally," he murmured, pressing his blood-slick lips to hers and feeling his entire body melt into hers. It wasn't enough to completely sever the mating bond between Aria and her true mate, but he was satisfied that it was enough to stake his claim on her. What was better was the fact that Aria had asked him to share it with her, and asked him to do it, unlike Aiden who had forced his claim on her.

"Yeah, yeah," she giggled, kissing the top of his head. "You okay, baby?"

He snorted, lifting himself off of her and helping her into a seated position. He gently moved her hair away from her neck, tilting her jaw gingerly so he could get a better look at the bite.

He'd been careful despite letting his wolf take over, so the damage wasn't nearly as severe as he'd feared. His bite was bigger than Aiden's, something he was secretly smug about, but there was very little left of the silver scar that had slowly formed since the bite.

"You're asking if I'm okay when your neck is bleeding," he scolded playfully, swiping a droplet of blood away with the pad of his thumb. "I shouldn't be surprised."

She reached up and laced her fingers through his, uncaring of the blood smearing under their joined hands.

"I may be the one bleeding," she said, looking deep into his eyes. "But I know what it does to you to see me hurt."

Damn. She had him there.

Once again, she knew far more about him than most ever could. He ducked his head, an idea slipping into his mind.

"I think," he paused, chewing the inside of his cheek before he shook his head. "No, I know. It's time I tell you what happened five years ago."

She blinked in surprise but nodded, knowing he was serious about sharing his past with her. And he was grateful that she hadn't questioned him, but trusted his judgment and let him make the call.

"I'm ready," she said, getting to her feet. She was a little shaky on her legs and he suppressed a smirk and followed her.

"We should shift," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. Even though it wouldn't make a difference, Aria's bare body was doing a lot more to distract him in her human form. "It'll make the run easier."

She scoffed and flipped her tangled hair over her shoulder, exposing more of her chest to him.

"Don't get shy on me now, mate," she teased with a wink. She was trying to make him feel better about what he was about to do, it was clear from the weight hiding behind her eyes. He knew her enough to know she was concerned for him more than she was for herself.

"Never," he whispered, stepping forward to kiss her softly. She sm smiled for a beat before shifting, and he followed suit, taking a deep, rumbling breath before leading her back to his old house.

The path there was too short and too long all at once, the scent of death looming the closer they got. Marcus knew she must recognize the scent as the one she'd smelled before.

They rounded the last cluster of trees and he faced it, the house he'd made with his true mate. The house that they'd expected to be their home until they died.

It was only true for one of them.