Chapter 40

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~ TARKYN ~

When Tarkyn blinked awake hours later, the moon was still high-and bright enough to cast shadows. A wide arch of silver light made the stone floor at the entrance to the cave glow, but cut in a hard line to black where the high moon’s light didn’t reach.

For a moment he was disoriented. This wasn’t his tree.

He had been asleep. He was in a strange cave-the Outsider’s cave! But where was Harth!?

He sat bolt upright and almost sobbed with relief when a small weight fell from his waist, and his beautiful mate rolled onto her back, sucking in a deep breath and blinking, smiling at him in the dark, her face puffy with sleep, hair falling around her on the thin pillows he’d found in the back sleeping room.

.....

“You’re awake. How are you feeling?” her voice was gruff, husky with sleep, but she looked so beautiful!

Unable to resist, he leaned down over her, taking her chin in one hand and kissing her softly, then deeply.

She gave a small, happy sigh and wrapped her arms around his neck as he braced one elbow on the other side of her and covered her, sipping at her with his lips, letting his weight pin her to the furs. Her kiss was honey that lighted in his heart and-

“Wait, stop!” Harth hissed, pulling out of the kiss and blinking up at him. “We’re not supposed to!”

“Not supposed to what?”

“Mate. Remember?” she smiled, laughing a little.

Tarkyn growled. “There are no drooping twigs on this branch!” he muttered, nudging her hip with his growing arousal to make his point.

Her brows rose and her smile broadened-fuck he loved that sparkle that appeared in her eyes. But then her lips pressed then and she started pressing to sit up.

Tarkyn rolled off her immediately, but stayed leaning on one elbow, his hand at her waist as she sat up and looked around, shaking her head as she looked towards the cave mouth.

When she spoke next, it was in his head.

‘She said it could stop you from healing as quickly, Tarkyn. I want you strong. You need to be strong today.’

‘I’m feeling stronger than I have since the ritual,’ he insisted, tracing up her side, letting his fingers follow the hollow of her waist, the round of her ribs, before sliding his hand to cup her breast and take the warm, soft weight of it, in his calloused palm.

She sucked in a breath and he watched, awed, as her nipple hardened under his gaze. He stroked it gently with his thumb, and she bit her lip, arching slightly into the touch.

He was about to lean forward, to put his mouth on it, when her breath rushed back out of her and she took his hand firmly, pulling it away from her breast. ‘No, Tarkyn. I want to, but I don’t think Sarayu was lying. She said it was really important for you to rest. I don’t... I don’t want to hurt you just for... I mean... just another day or two...’

He could feel the waver in her that matched his own reluctance to wait, but he didn’t want to press her. Didn’t want their first time to happen under pressure, so he sighed and sat up, too, facing her.

She smiled up at him, putting one hand to his chest and leaning in, her eyes bright, beaming a smile. “You are such a good male, Tarkyn... I know it seems impossible, but I’m already in love with you.” Her eyes silvered with happy tears and he leaned down to kiss her gently.

“It’s beyond possible,” he rasped. “Because despite everything that’s happening... Harth I can barely think except for how much I love you. For how precious you are.”

They both stared, marveling at each other.

“I’ve never met anyone like you,” she whispered.

“Me either,” he said honestly, both baffled and attracted to the strange mix of fierce strength and naivety that seemed to dwell within her.

“You’re young to be in the position you have... aren’t you?”

He nodded. “But the Queen is much younger-younger than you,” he said with a shrug.

“Really? She seems so... sure of herself.” Harth shook her head. “This land is strange. I wish we could have found each other in a way where we could just learn each other’s people and... be at peace. I wish this could be a time of curiosity and growing instead of so much stress. I wish I could just mindlink with your Queen and show her everything so she’d know who we are and how we think and I could see your people and... Then maybe there would be peace.”

Tarkyn blinked. “Is that... could you do that?”

But Harth shook her head sadly. “The mindlink only works between our wolves, and occasionally people we’re very close to. But there has to be a great deal of trust on both sides for that to happen.”

He smiled. He felt like a cub again. “That means you trust me?”

She snorted. “Do I have any choice? You’re the other half of my heart, Tarkyn. I suppose I should be grateful for that much in the middle of all this. For the first time, my heart is at peace because I’ve found you.”

His breath rushed out of him at her willingness to just lay herself bare to him like that. He swallowed and made himself hold her gaze. “I yearned for peace,” he said, searching her beautiful eyes. “But when it came for our people I was always uneasy. And I realized it was because I didn’t have you. I was...” he looked at her, stroked her cheek with a finger, pushing back a strand of hair that had stuck there. “I think if we found peace now I’d be able to enjoy it.”

Her brow furrowed, but she smiled. “I want to learn you, Tarkyn. I want to know everything about you.”

He nodded and pushed the furs back to stand up.

She was worried. “You need to rest-”

“I’ve been asleep since the dinner bell, trust me, I won’t be sleeping for some time,” he said dryly, offering her a hand. “Come, talk with me. Let me show you... me.”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

With a shy smile, she slid her hand into his palm. He held her tightly as she got to her feet and wrapped one of the furs around her shoulders. Then he took her hand again and didn’t let go, but led her to the cave mouth, to the trail and edge of the land that fell away from the cave mouth so steeply it was almost a cliff.

Then, still slightly shaky, but much stronger than he’d felt in days, he lowered himself to sit, letting his knees dangle over the edge.

Harth had picked up the bag of food and waterskins as they passed it. She settled herself on the dirt next to him, but handed him a waterskin first, then when he’d drunk obediently, she exchanged it for a rosy apple.

“I don’t care if you talk with your mouth full,” she said with a smile. “I just want to hear you talk, and you need to keep eating.”

He took the apple and crunched a large bite out of it, then gestured with it over the WildWood, spread out below them, glowing silver in the moonlight. “Where do you want me to start?” he said, chewing.

“Start at the beginning,” she said softly, resting her hand on his thigh, which made his cock twitch, but he ignored it.

She wanted to hear him talk? Well, he wanted her story as well. So he would share first, then draw her out.

“I was a normal cub,” he said with a shrug. “I loved my family, loved the pride. I was tall and strong so everyone said I was meant to be a warrior but I was never confident enough to believe it. It seemed... too important. It wasn’t until the day the King-Elreth’s father-selected me for his Queen’s bodyguard when I was still young and in training... that was when I knew what I was created to do...”

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DO YOU WANT TO SEE TARKYN’S BACKSTORY? Just read the first scene in Chapter 138 of my book, “Falling in Love with the King of Beasts,” to see how he was introduced to the royal family. It doesn’t include spoilers if you haven’t read the book, but you’ll get to see Tarkyn as a young male, finding his place in the world!