Chapter 53

Shemika stirred from her slumber, her eyelids feeling heavy and rough as they fluttered open. Her vision was hazy as she took in her surroundings. The room was modest in size, its walls a stark white, adorned with a single painting of a beach hanging next to a plain white door. The only sound was the incessant beeping of the medical monitors around her.

As the fog of sleep lifted, she took a more detailed look around the room. Caturix was there, sitting in a corner chair, his chin resting on his folded hands. He was watching her, his gaze intense and unwavering.

“Hi,” she managed to croak out, attempting to raise a hand in greeting but finding the effort too exhausting.

He didn’t respond verbally but stood and crossed the room to stand beside her, looking down at her with an odd expression.

She couldn’t decipher what he was thinking. Shemika took a moment to examine herself. Wires and monitors were attached to her skin, along with an IV. There was no visible blood or injuries. Why was she in a hospital bed? What had happened?

She tried to recall the events that led her here. A wave of revulsion washed over her as she remembered the horrific encounter with Lyosha. She tried to piece together the events: returning to her room after Lyosha, seeing Nikandr, sulking in her room, Caturix’s arrival, their intimate moments, their conversation, going with Caturix to confront Lyosha, the ensuing fight, and her watching it all.

Then it hit her. She had been so engrossed in the fight that she hadn’t noticed Nikandr sneaking up behind her until he was pressing against her back. He had wrapped his arms around her, his claws at her neck, and she had thought he was going to proposition her for sex. She remembered thinking, “At a time like this?” But then he had tilted her head to the side and started gnawing at her flesh like a savage beast.

She had been so shocked that she hadn’t screamed or felt any pain. Her vision had blurred, then turned gray, then black. Everything had disappeared. Her last thought had been, “Kisa will miss me.” She hoped Caturix would never find out.

She reached up to touch her neck, feeling the healed skin where Nikandr had left his mark. His claim on her. “Where is he?” she asked, her voice rough and strained.

Caturix stiffened at her question, his eyes darkening dangerously at the mere mention of Nikandr. “Don’t worry about him, Mika. Just focus on getting better,” he said, his voice devoid of any comfort.

She tried to sit up. “I’m going to kill that bastard—”

Caturix gently pushed her back down. “I’ve already taken care of that, my love,” he said soothingly. He brushed her hair from her face, his hand lingering on her cheek.

Relief and admiration shone in her eyes. “Did he suffer?” she asked quietly.

Caturix nodded. “Immensely.”

“Good,” she huffed, crossing her arms and turning away to look off to the side.

“Mika,” Caturix said, prompting her to look back at him.

She turned to him, her eyes questioning.

“Would…” He hesitated, his voice thick with emotion. “Would you like me…to…to…” He took a deep breath before finishing. “Mark you?”

Shemika stared blankly at him.

There was a long pause.

“What?” she finally asked.

“Would you like me to mark you?” he repeated, his confidence wavering.

She blinked at him, giving him a distant smile. “I’m sorry, I didn’t quite catch that,” she said, her smile forced.

“Nikandr left his mark on you. I’m offering to place my own above his. I’m offering to mark you as my mate, Shemika,” he said, his confidence dwindling even further.

Her eyes widened in surprise. “That’s what I thought I heard you say, but I thought my brain was making things up to cope with you breaking up with me or something,” she laughed nervously.

The room fell silent again.

“Shemika,” he said, breaking the silence.

“Yes?”

“Would you like me to?”

Her grin widened, brighter than he’d ever seen it. “Oh, yes. More than anything in the world, Caturix. But…I get to mark you too, right? This is mutual, isn’t it?”

Her question made him laugh. “Yes, I agree to those terms.”

“Do I need to…you know, fully recover before you can mark me? Because I’d really like that as soon as possible,” she said.

“Well, you’re in luck, you’ve been fully healed for a while,” he said, his voice tinged with sadness. “You were in a coma for nearly two weeks, my love.”

Oh, shit. That’s serious. That’s brain damage serious. “He just marked me. Why was I out for so long?”

“I…I wasn’t there for you and I will live the rest of my life regretting it. You lost so much blood…you were dead for seven minutes,” he said, his voice choked with emotion.

“Wow. Seven whole minutes? Why did they just give up? Not that I’m complaining, of course.”

“I told them to keep trying to resuscitate you until they passed out from exhaustion,” he confessed.

“Wait, so…that means you’re the alpha now? Lyosha is dead?”

Caturix nodded.

“Thank fuck,” she grumbled, fluffing her blanket. “One less jerk,” she muttered.

Her words made him smile, and he reached for her hand, bringing it to his lips to kiss her knuckles, all the while gazing at her.

“Would you like me to mark you now, my love?” he asked, sitting on the bed beside her.

Her eyes widened and tears welled up. She nodded softly, tilting her head to expose her neck to him.

A low growl of approval rumbled deep in his throat, a sound of his wolf’s appreciation for her submission. Caturix cradled the other side of her neck in his hand, pulling her up to meet him halfway. He took a deep breath, trying to memorize her scent as it was. Once they marked each other, their scents would blend and merge. Everyone would know they were mates.

His canines lengthened, ready to mark her. He could feel his mating fluid gathering in his mouth. It was a new sensation; he’d never considered marking another woman before. He bit down quickly, not wanting to cause her any more pain. But Shemika didn’t scream or groan or even flinch. Instead, she let out a soft moan of pleasure.

Her hands moved to grip his jaw, holding him in place, pressing his mouth to her skin. He stayed there, letting his mating fluid flow into her. When he pulled away, she just smiled at him, a blissful, almost intoxicated smile. Or was she high? He wasn’t sure. He wasn’t familiar with the effects of the substances humans used for recreation.

“My turn,” she said in a sing-song voice, sitting up to lean into him.

He had been ready, but now he was nervous. He had never imagined he would be mated to another, especially not someone like Shemika, who seemed so far out of his league. Still, he bared his neck to his mate and let her latch onto him like a ravenous vampire.

His entire body heated and pulsed, waves of pure ecstasy washing over him. This was far beyond anything he had expected. Suddenly, he felt their bond snap into place and…his eyes widened.

Shemika pulled back, looking at him.

Shemika wasn’t just his chosen mate. Shemika was his destined one. He felt it now. He knew it deep in his soul. His wolf howled with pure, unadulterated joy. Shemika was his fated mate.