Chapter Twelve

No matter how many times I held the shovel in my hand. It always felt awkward and heavy, as if reminding me that it wasn't something that is supposed to be comfortable or light. It's job was to dig graves and that is what it told you as soon as you picked it up in your hands. The blood and sweat of the shifters who had used it for its purpose stained the handle and it almost made it that much heavier. It was a steady and constant reminder of the death, of the loss, that the grave represented.

The shovel dug deep into the earth and I pulled shovelfuls of dirt out of the hole I was standing in. I had been at it for hours. My shirt was discarded shortly into the heavy labour and sweat rolled down my frame as I dug the grave deeper. Michael and Ezekiel had both shifted, leaving their fur for skin to help me dig the other graves. The other pack members dug the graves for their loved ones further away. Bennett was digging a grave for Dylan. I had been surprised by his offer and would have refused but he had simply grabbed a shovel and moved to the appropriate spot before I could stop him.

The air was filled with an eerie symphony. The sound of dirt and rock against metal and faint grunts of exertion as we create the final resting place for the ones that were lost. There was an almost rhythmic sound to it, like we had all synchronized our motions. It was a symphony that I believed none of us really wanted to create but we had too. There was no escaping what had happened and this was our way of cementing it in our minds, pouring out our grief and sorrow through blood and sweat if we couldn't spare tears. I couldn't spare tears. I was to be strong, an Alpha for my pack. I had created this situation.

If I had only dealt with Dylan at the beginning. If I had only ignored those who told me it would settle down. If I had only shouldered my responsibilities sooner. If I had only been the Alpha they wanted me to be. If only that semi hadn't lost control. If only I hadn't lost my father and my brothers. If only, if only, if only. My life was filled with them and they were a mantra burned into me as I dug the grave for the death I had caused.

If only. If only. If only. My shovel moved to the beat of the words. I had caused the grief in my pack. I had caused the loss of life. I was the sole reason for the shovel in my hand and that was harder to bear than the wooden handle against my bare palms. The wood had torn at my skin, breaking it open, making me bleed but the realization that it was all my fault made my heart and soul tear and my pack's tears were the blood that I lost. I had caused it. It was all me. The shovel hit the dirt more forcefully.

If only I had listened more. If only I had been strong like my brothers. If only I had showed them how much I truly cared for them. If only I had convinced them to spend the night in a hotel. If only I had accepted their deaths. If only I had grieved. If only I hadn't resented the position. If only I hadn't fought against fate. If only. If only. If only.

My breathing grew hard as I almost robotically dug into to the earth with the shovel. The pile of earth I had removed from the grave was growing but my burden only seemed to be getting heavier. The act of digging a loved one's grave was supposed to help you release the negative emotions but in my case they seemed to only be growing. I doubted my pack members could resent me more than I resented myself.

I had caused deaths that should have never occurred. Andy was like a heavy stone pressing down on my chest. I would live with the burden because it was my fault. It was my fault because I didn't take care of the problem. Everything had consequences. It was how the world worked. Every year, every month, every week I let Dylan's poison spread, the more consequences and pain I caused.

I was the reason my pack shed blood, sweat, and tears in this grave yard. I was the reason they held the heavy shovels and tried to lighten their burden one shovelful of dirt at a time. I was the reason for their pain. Some Alphas could push that away, feel completely justified and never think on it twice but I couldn't. I needed to linger in the past to remind me I was a shitty Alpha. I wasn't the Alpha they deserved and I was slowly waiting for them to realize that fact.

I dug the shovel deep, ignoring how my hand slipped on the wooden handle. My blood had joined the blood of the countless others who had used it. When the pack realized it, I wasn't sure what I would do. I would have the instinct to protect my position, my wolf would demand it, but I wasn't exactly sure if I even wanted to keep it. I didn't want to disappoint my father and my brothers but on some level I knew I already had.

"That should be deep enough, Luka." At Bennett's voice I jolted slightly as the world came back to me. I had zoned out. I wiped at my forehead with the my arm. I took another shovelful of dirt from the corner and tossed it onto the pile. The grave was five feet deep and six feet long, as were all of the graves. I sighed and ignored the burning pain in my hands and the aching in my muscles. Bennett held out his hand and I clasped it, ignoring the pain that flared as my torn skin brushed against the heel of his hand. He helped me out of the grave with a faint grunt.

I stood up and shook the slightly dark thoughts I had away. "Is that all of them?" I looked around, Michael, Kiel, Bennett and I had dug one grave each. All through the clearing, where Fortis pack members had buried their dead for centuries, lay empty holes. Pack members stood around the dark holes as if staring into them would bring back what they would soon take. It was easy to pick out those who had lost family members or friends. Their postures spoke of a heavy weight on their shoulders. Their auras were dark and pressing and I felt each one pressing down on me as well.

"Yes." At the quiet word I looked up at the sky. The sun was at its highest point and its heat was nearly unbearable but I suffered through it. It was part of my punishment for what I did. "So when were you going to mention you found your mate?" Bennett asked it nonchalantly and I jolted. The thought of my pisică seemed to make everything melt away. Just thinking of her was like a soothing balm to the grief and resentment that plagued me, a strength that pushed away the heavy burden.

I looked around, seeing if anyone was around to hear my words. Michael and Kiel were lying under a tree, panting from the heat and I let out a small sigh. "Wasn't planning on telling anyone to be honest." I wiped at my forehead again and Bennett raised an eyebrow. I shrugged. "She doesn't want the bond and telling the entire pack about her would cause her to panic. Saves me the trouble of trying to talk her out of running. I want to build a bond with her first." I would do everything in my power to make sure our bond stayed content and fed. The future was a demanding thing and a need to make sure that future came to pass was starting to run through my veins.

"That's smart. Maricella says she's a bit blunt." At that I couldn't help but chuckle.

"Caustic is a better word I would use. That and abrasive. She isn't afraid to speak her mind about anything." And everything. My little cat had an opinion on everything and I think she did so because she liked arguing. She was combative and hated to be wrong. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that she had more Alpha traits than I did.

"Maricella also said you killed a Hunter this morning." His tone turned inquisitive and slightly cold. He didn't approve of that but I knew not many people would. My wolf and I agreed on the fact he had to die. My wolf had wanted his blood and I had needed to make a point. Do not touch what was mine. It was simple and effective, just like our claws in his throat.

"He shouldn't have touched her." I shrugged and looked at Bennett carefully. "What would you have done if they had pinned Maricella down? Would you have just let them go?"

He scowled and shook his head. "That is completely different, Luka, and you know it." He gave me a pointed look, his blue eyes narrowing. I took a deep breath in, contemplating telling him but I knew he would most likely meet her regardless and then he would know.

"My mate is a muddie." It came out calmly and evenly. I wasn't embarrassed or ashamed but a lot of people reacted negatively to muddies. Thought less of them, treated them worse, made them Omegas. I wouldn't allow that for Pisică. I had no Omegas and I refused to allow her to be treated any differently.

"She's a what now?" Bennett blinked in surprise and I sighed. I didn't think he expected that to be dropped on him. To be fair, i doubted anyone would expect that to be dropped on them.

"A muddie. Her wolf is so weak she's practically a mundane." It was a fact I was overly aware of. She couldn't take the same treatment as one of us. She would heal slower, run slower and depending on her connection with her wolf, her senses wouldn't be as sharp as they would have been if her wolf was at full strength.

"Oh." He looked floored and I nodded. Our situations were different but in a different way than he had been thinking of. He thought Maricella had been the most vulnerable but kiddo only had her own demons after her. Pisică had our entire world.

"Oh is right. Maricella needs to be protected, yes. And I would protect her from everything that wished to harm her, even from her own demons, but my little cat cannot physically protect herself in our world. She has training, extreme training, but she is too weak to use it effectively. She's too weak." I shook my head. "You need to protect Maricella from that which harms her. I have a murderous, bone deep compulsion to protect Pisică from our world." I squinted and looked up at the sky again. It was strange how bright and cheery it seemed on the day that was be tainted by grief. The wind should have been howling, the sky should have been clouded over and rain should have fallen.

"I will not abide by anything harming her. The Hunter did." It was something so intrinsically simple to me. If something harmed her, I would not let it live. My wolf and I were together with that. She wasn't strong enough to protect herself, despite what she had shown me. Both actions she had taken to take down bigger opponents had caught them by surprise. I wasn't saying she did not have training or was not capable of using it because she was. Just not effectively. "I removed the threat to her well being." I would do it again if given half the chance.

"The Hunters will want your head." Bennett's voice carried a warning and I shrugged. I didn't care. I would tell them the same thing I told Bennett. They had harmed my mate and I would not stand for that behaviour.

"Probably." I wiped at my forehead again, not even bothering to find my shirt as I stuck the shovel into the mound of dirt I had created at the side of the grave. "However, I killed only one and he gave me ample reason to tear his throat out. Enough of a reason that the Council will most likely go lenient on me." I had thought it through. My wolf and I had wanted to kill them all but we settled on just one. Just one because it could be overlooked, forgiven.

"The Council tends to be fickle from what I hear." Another warning that I chose to ignore. I would deal with it as it came but I would never regret what I did to protect the well-being of my mate.

"The Council can be what they like. It doesn't change what has happened or why it did." I knew I should have been slightly worried. I should have cared a bit more but I couldn't find it in me because I felt too justified in my actions. I had accepted my actions as necessary even before I had killed him and the consequences would be on me and no one else.

I looked around the area and noticed the pack members had started to look at me, waiting for direction. I looked up at the sky once more. It was almost too hot but the graves had been dug and the bodies would need to be buried soon. I looked back at the slowly gathering pack members and nodded. I could see their returning nods before they shuffled onto the path towards the temple.

"I would have killed him too. If it had been Maricella." Bennett's voice was even and I gave a small nod. Any mate would have done it.

"I know you would have." It was simple and animalistic but it was who we were. Our mates were the only things in this cruel world that brought us untold happiness, strength, and love. Without them our lives were dark and full of blood and violence. We had an urge to protect our happiness with everything we had.

"Maricella says your mate was protecting her." The news pleased me. She was already creating small bonds between herself and my family members. It was something I approved of and I needed her to do. The more bonds she created, the less she would be inclined to leave everyone behind. "She also said a shifter named Ian was hitting on her." At that I frowned darkly. I didn't want to be jealous or upset with Ian because he didn't know but at the same time, Pisică was my mate. Ian should have known better than to flirt with someone who he wasn't mated too.

"Why do you bring that up?" There was an edge to my voice. I didn't see the point in bringing something like that unless to directly piss me off towards a random pack member who didn't entirely deserve my wrath.

"Because Maricella told me she wasn't exactly participating and looked quite irritated with him. She wanted me to tell you because it would please you to know that your mate refuses to flirt with other males while mated to you." He shrugged and a bit of anger left me at the comment. I hated to prove Maricella right but I was pleased that Pisică didn't flirt back. That she respected our bond enough to not allow someone else to enter it.

"Kiddo seems like she's learning all sorts of things about my mate." It was nice but at the same time I wanted to be the one learning the nuances of her behaviour. I wanted to learn everything I could about my mate.

"Maricella has a way with people." Bennett's affection was undisguised as his thoughts turned to his mate. I briefly wondered if there would ever be a time when Pisică spoke of me like that. I shook the thought away. There would be a time for that but currently I had to deal with fourteen funerals. At the reminder even the thought of Pisică couldn't hold back the oppressiveness that hung on my shoulders. The burden showing itself once more.

"They will be arriving soon." I said it carefully. As Alpha of my pack I needed to deliver what passed as a eulogy for shifters. I pinched the bridge of my nose with a sigh. There was nothing I could do or say that would lessen the grief I had caused the pack members. I didn't regret my actions, I regretted not acting sooner but not my actions themselves.

"They will. What will you say?" Bennett's tone was low and I shrugged.

"Oh I was thinking the usual, 'I'm sorry mercilessly tore your loved ones to pieces' but that seems a bit of a lie in regards to our current situation." I turned my head to look at the bulkier shifter. "Because honestly? I'm not sorry for killing them." I watched as his mouth twitched slightly and he nodded.

"Spoken like a true Alpha." He said it with respect but I couldn't help the scoff that came out. I had accepted the pack, accepted my responsibilities but I was not a true Alpha. I never would be.

"True Alpha, my ass. You know what is fucking hilarious? My muddie mate acts more like an Alpha than me and you can barely sense she has a wolf at all." I crossed my arms over my chest. That was the truth My cat had Alpha Blood in her and it showed with the Hunters. My attention was diverted to the pack members who were slowly leaving the tree line. All of the pack would come for the short ceremony. The Alpha never said anything for every single shifter that died. It was an Alpha's job to give a general speech and then the loved ones would have their own speeches at the graveside. I was to acknowledge the group's grief and then the private words would acknowledge individual pain.

"Maricella will be here shortly." The thought made me relax slightly. I needed her help to get through it. Despite how much I didn't regret the actions, how justified I was in them, I still grieved for the lost pack members. I felt their lose acutely and I wanted her there because she understood in a way. She knew grief intimately and was the best person to guide me through it in my mind. She was my family and I needed that. "Will your mate be joining us?" I stiffened, I didn't know who to answer the question. For selfish reasons I wanted her there but I also knew that her presence would cause questions I wouldn't have answers to. I wanted to share her with my pack but I knew building a bond with her was more important that my needs to share the future with my pack.

"Luka, I just wanted to let you know Pisică is doing some paperwork so I doubt she will make it to the funerals." Maricella's sweet voice carried on the breeze as she made her way to us. I let out a large exhale of relief. "I didn't want you to worry needlessly." She gave me a look of pure compassion and I opened my arms for her embrace. I held her tightly as she stepped into them. I needed the comfort, the silence, her hugs brought.

"That is good to know. Paperwork will keep her out of trouble." If this morning was anything to go by, my mate seemed to enjoy doing paperwork to an extent that puzzled me. I dreaded it but her face lit up brightly at the thought of it.

"She seemed rather thrilled at the thick stack of papers that landed on your desk." Maricella seemed confused at the prospect and I nodded in agreement. The stack of paperwork must have been the papers that would come with killing a Hunter while they were on duty.

"She likes her paperwork." I said it softly and hugged her a bit tighter. The pack members carrying the bodies on stretchers were starting to come out of the trees and I knew it was time. I let her go and she took my hand without a word as I started to move towards the gathered pack members. Their gazes were like heavy weights on my form but I forced through it.

I stopped in front of them. They huddled together in a close group, not from fear but from support. Each of the pack members were standing close to one who had lost someone, holding them up, protecting them from their own grief. Death was good for nothing but I could not deny how close it brought us together. How it showed us what was truly important in our lives.

"I cannot apologize for what I have done. Their deaths were necessary but I will apologize for letting Dylan Colter's poison to spread. I apologize for letting it drift through the pack, poisoning the hearts and minds of those we have lost. I apologize for not doing my duty and stopping the poison before it spread." I closed my eyes unable to look at them. "I am not the Alpha you truly need. I am weak and I am selfish. I push away so much of what it means to be an Alpha. If I had buckled down and done my job from day one, your loved ones would be standing here and we wouldn't be standing here listening to me say meaningless words." I gritted my teeth, my wolf had willingly placed himself in his cage. His grief was crushing and I wanted to buckle under the force of it all pushing down on me. I stood straight. I couldn't buckle, I had to try to be the Alpha they needed.

"There is nothing I can say to lessen the anguish and pain I have caused you. Words cannot mend those wounds. Words cannot take away your pain, your suffering. I cannot fix what I have broken with my actions but know that you do not grieve alone. Each one of their deaths, while necessary and justified, tear into my heart and soul with blinding pain." I looked up and met their gazes, sorrow stared back and me and I resisted the urge to flinch from it. "The act of digging a grave is supposed to lessen your burden. To give you closure about death but know that as I dug the grave for the shifter who had never had a true chance as living his life, my burden only grew heavier. I feel his name branded upon my soul as I feel the lives of all those I took."

I wanted them to understand that despite what I felt justified in doing I felt no joy in it. I did not revel in their loss as so would have. I felt their sorrow as deeply as they did. "I take no joy in their deaths. They were part of this family. Part of this pack regardless of their actions. I will mourn them as you do. Bury your dead, lessen your burdens and accept their passing. I shall bury those I claimed and perhaps earn their forgiveness from their place in Mene's arms." I let out a heavy sigh, my chest felt tight and my shoulders slumped as I turned away. Maricella rubbed at my arm, squeezing my hand gently at the same time. The actions brought me comfort

"Alpha." Ian's voice brought me up short and I tensed, knowing but hating what he was going to ask. "Why didn't you let her go? You promised us." His voice had an edge to it and I lowered my head, trying to think of response to his question. I could hear murmured agreements to his question and I turned around. My mind raced, I couldn't let them know but at the same time they needed an answer.

"She wanted to try and see if she could fit in with the pack. After she saw how you guys protected her she wanted to see if pack life was for her." Benji's voice was my life preserver in the middle of an ocean. I thanked every deity that I could for his quick thinking.

"Is this true, Alpha Sterling?" Sanny was looking at me with pain filled eyes and I forced myself to nod. I hated how guilty it made me feel to lie to them but it was better for Pisică if no one knew.

"After what happened, I didn't want to banish a potential pack member." I said it slowly and they all nodded at me, relief evident on their faces. Ian narrowed his eyes slightly at me and I sighed. "Let's just bury the dead and let them rest, Ian. The harder questions can come later." I tried to keep my tone soft and he jolted slightly, his face falling to sadness as he nodded.

"You are right, Alpha. Brandy deserves to rest." He turned around and I followed suit. Maricella rubbed at my arm as I led her towards Andy's grave. Three holes lay side-by-side and Michael and Ezekiel were already waiting, shovels in hand. They at least had the foresight to put on pants. The jeans were dirty and torn but they covered what was appropriate.

Maricella stiffened before she dropped my arm and hand and bolted for the large shifters. Michael dropped his shovel and grabbed her first. Picking her up easily and hugging her tight to his chest, he kissed her cheek as she hugged him tightly. Ezekiel dropped his shovel and placed a large hand on her head, looking at her with affection.

The image almost looked like an Abercrombie & Finch ad about gay parents. I bit back a laugh at the rather inappropriate thought as Michael handed her over to Ezekiel with one more kiss to her cheek. His smile was so wide I was almost afraid it would break his face in half. Ezekiel set her down on her feet and both he and Michael bent down. She kissed their cheeks and hugged them both tightly. I glanced at Bennett but he didn't seem to be too concerned as he watched them interact with each other. I guessed it didn't bother him as much because the affection was very much brotherly. Even a blind male would have been able to see it.

"Alpha." At the new voice I turned around. The bodies had arrived. I nodded to the shifters carrying them.

"The Lewis family members go beside these ones and then Dylan goes over there." I pointed to the edge of the graveyard and the shifters nodded, moving into position. I looked over the bodies and froze when I saw Zane. His form was bare, there were no moon vines wrapped around him. I stooped closer to him as they set him down. Black veins ran outwards from his mouth and his face looked almost tormented. It felt unnatural and wrong to see him like that.

"Mene reject him." Michael's voice was slightly loud over the distance between us and I glanced at him before looking back at the body. He pushed a memory into my head. The shadows stealing Zane's spirit from his body, the vines holding Pisică in place to watch. I nodded slowly. I didn't like it, it was unnatural but if Mene rejected him then there was nothing we could do but bury his body next to his family.

The shifters were silent as they slowly lowered the bodies into the grave and I picked up the shovel once more, looking down at Andy's peaceful form. His face was pale and he carried the faint scent of decay that was hidden well beneath the scent of the moonvines that wrapped around him. I dug the shovel into the pile of earth, ignore how my freshly healed skin protested the action.

"Forgive me, Andy." I threw the dirt into the hole and started my penance. Shovelfuls of dirt rained down on him as I tried to bury my sins like I was burying him. Nothing would bury the guilt and grief I felt for his death but I was trying my hardest as the grave slowly filled. My palms tore open once more as the rough wood of the shovel handle rubbed incessantly against my skin. I ignored the pain it brought, the blood it caused to flow.

Forgive me. Two simple words that could build a person up or crush them into nothing. I had no right asking for forgiveness, not from any of the Lewis family. I had ended their family line. I had destroyed it by allowing Dylan's poison to seep into the pack. I had no right to beg for forgiveness but the words danced on my tongue anyway.

Sweat rolled down my body once more as I continued my actions. My mind was curiously empty as I tried to bury my guilt in the grave with Andy. My muscles ached and protested but I forced through it. My chest was heaving as I scraped more of the dirt into nearly full grave. Nothing would change what had happened but I had fulfilled my promise to Andy. He would forever lay with his family, tucked between the two siblings he loved and a few feet away from his parents. That eased my burden a tiny bit. It let me breathe as I continued.

That small amount of relief made me realize just how heavy the burden was on my shoulders. It pressed down on me as I let the pack's grief roll over me intently. I didn't let it stop. I wanted to feel their pain. I groaned as I grabbed another shovelful of dirt, my hands shaking on the shovel. My muscles screamed at me to stop but I couldn't. Not until I was done.

I felt my mind focus only on the sound of my shovel hitting the dirt. Each one seemed to be a hollow sound in my chest. Each one reverberated through me. The sound was dragging me down into what felt like insanity as the crushing weight of the pack's sorrow held me in place. It was my duty as their Alpha to shoulder their grief. To relieve them of their burdens. The shovel hit the dirt and I felt the impact on my very soul.

You know, just because you are their Alpha it doesn't mean they can't grieve themselves. Some burdens are theirs alone.

Pisică's words ran through my mind, shoving the burden off of my shoulders almost violently. Just the memory of her voice was enough to send renewed strength through my limbs as I reached the end of my grisly task. My mind went from focusing on the sound of the shovel to thoughts of her. My wolf was waiting for me to be done. He wanted her in our arms. I found I wanted her scent in my lungs and her warmth near me. I wanted her because she was the only cure for the burden that was crushing me.

As soon as the last bit of dirt had been placed on Andy's grave I dropped the shovel with a faint clatter. I ignored the voices calling after me I moved silently forward, my eyes almost unfocused. I needed Pisică. I needed my mate. I needed her. There was nothing that could save me but her. My heart couldn't take the burden and the thoughts of her were no longer enough. I needed her sharp voice and her scent to shove everything off of my shoulders, even for a little bit.

I stalked through the trees, my wolf fuelling my actions nearly as much as I was. We needed her and we could not let her go. We knew that if we did there would be others but she was there now. We didn't want to wait for another female, another shifter. We wanted her.

The pack house came into view and I increased my strides as I made my way across the lawn and shoved open the large front door. I was breathing heavily as the door slammed into the wall. I was already halfway up the stairs by the time I registered I would probably need to fix the wall. It didn't stay long as her scent became stronger in the hallway, the scent alone removed the burden from me.

I strode down the hall and shoved open the study door, letting her scent swirl around me and enter my lungs. My eyes finally focused on her. She was leaning across the desk and I nearly groaned at the position it placed her in. I took a step forward when she straightened and turned around seemingly without a care.

"Holy shit." She stared at me, the muttered words falling from her pert lips. I doubted she had actually mean to say them but I moved across the study with purpose. She let out a small squeak and darted her eyes about as if looking for an escape. The thought made my wolf and I snarl. She froze at the sound and I gripped the desk on either side of her. I could almost feel her chest touching mine as I heaved out my breaths, taking more and more of her scent in with each inhale. I brought myself closer to her, yet still not touching her.

I wanted to touch her. My muscles ached more from that than they had from digging and filling the grave. I wanted to slid my hands up her sides and back, to feel her soft skin under my hands. I wanted to feel her with an intensity that left me nearly breathless. The burden was gone, unable to remain with her near me.

"You can't keep doing this." Her voice was almost squeaky but had a breathy quality to it and I became faintly away of a new musky sweetness to her scent. I growled low in my throat as I brought my face to her neck and inhaled deeply. Arousal. "Ignore that, Dickhead. Ignore it because I can't help it." She damn near squeaked the words out but I couldn't ignore the scent as it grew stronger. Her body responded to my presence as it should have. The only thing that hated the bond was her mind but even that could be won over with time.

"Let me touch you." I growled it out. I needed to touch her before I went insane. Feelings swirled around my body. Grief, lust, remorse, desire, sorrow all battled within me. I couldn't settle them without her touch. I needed her skin on mine. I needed it because I would slip into madness if I didn't.

"No. You aren't thinking, Dickhead. Just back up and breathe." She said it calmly but I could hear the tremble of want in her voice. Her body was responding to the bond. I inhaled once more, salivating slightly at the intoxicating scent of arousal she was putting off.

"No. Let me touch you, Pisică" I felt my nails pierced the wood of the desk. The heavy old piece of furniture had survived my grandfather and my father but if Pisică resisted me it would not survive me.

"Don't touch me, Dickhead." Her voice held a warning before she pressed a hand to my chest, right above my heart. The touch jolted me to my core, her hand against my bare skin sent my heart racing and I couldn't help the rumbling growl of pleasure that escape my throat. Her breath hitched in her chest and I held the desk tighter as she smoothed her fingers across my skin. Her hand was warm against me and I closed my eyes at the fire that erupted in me at the motion.

Her touched soothed my wolf, soothed the raging emotions moving through me. The bond had me wrapped tightly but I didn't care. I needed my little cat and I resisted the urge to bring my face closer to her neck and taste her. The urge was the exact same as the one I had this morning but more intense. Her fingers moved against my skin again and my nerves tingled from it. Everything in me was attuned to her presence and my arms shook for the need to wrap her in them tightly.

"Don't touch me." She didn't even try to hide how breathless she was and her sweet scent of arousal rose once more. I gave another low growl of pleasure, pressing my chest harder to her hand. I liked her touch, I liked her skin on mine. I wanted to much more but I would take what she was giving me. The bond would be whispering at her, the future tugging at her just as badly as it was at me. I wouldn't let her escape me. I couldn't bear it. I had lost my first mate. I had been rejected once and I refused to let my little cat fight against fate. She was mine and I was hers.

She just couldn't see that yet. My wolf rumbled and approving sound in his chest. He would like teaching her just how much we were hers, teaching her how little any other female meant to use while she was ours. He grinned ferally in the back of my head and I couldn't help the feral grin that spread across my face. I couldn't wait to teach my pisică just how much she belonged to me and from the scent she was giving off, I knew there would be little time before she couldn't wait as well.

You couldn't fight the pull of the moon for long. We would either be marked or mated and I didn't care which it was as long as she didn't leave me.