SWNOVELS Chapter ⊰ 21 ⊱ His to Claim
**I Penelope I**
The mansion is quiet now, the last of the guests having filtered out into the night. The silence feels strange after the chaos of the ball, the echo of music and laughter still ringing in my ears.
I welcome it, the chance to breathe and process everything that's happened.
*Everything I've done.*
I still can't quite believe it, the memory of the beast kneeling before me, the weight of the pack's awe and Elijah's rage pressing down on me. It feels like a dream, a surreal flickering of images that can't possibly be real.
But it is real. I can feel it in the ache of my feet, the soreness of my cheeks from forcing a smile throughout the night. And I can feel it in the warmth of Malachi's hand at the small of my back, the solid reassurance of his presence beside me. *My mate. My Alpha.*
He guides me up the stairs, his touch gentle but firm, and I lean into him, letting strength buoy me. I'm exhausted, the events of the night catching up to me in a dizzying rush, but beneath the fatigue, there's a spark of something else. Something bright and warm and fierce, unfurling in my chest like a flower seeking the sun.
*Pride. Triumph. A sense of belonging I've never known before.*
Malachi seems to sense my emotional state, because he pulls me closer, his lips brushing my temple in a fleeting caress. "You were amazing tonight," he murmurs, his voice low and rough with an emotion I can't quite name. "So fucking brave and strong. I'm in awe of you, Penelope."
I flush, pleasure and embarrassment heating my cheeks. "I didn't do anything special," I demur, ducking my head. "I just... reacted. Did what I had to do to protect our baby."
He stops, turning to face me fully, his thumbs stroking over my cheekbones. "You faced down a literal monster, with no training, no preparation. Just the strength of your own will and the love you have for our child."
His voice softens, wonder and reverence threading through his tone. "Do you have any idea how incredible that is? How incredible you are?"
Tears prick my eyes, my throat tightening with a swell of emotion I can't contain. "Malachi," I whisper, my hands coming up to curl around his wrists. "I... I don't know what to say."
"You don't have to say anything," he murmurs, leaning in to rest his forehead against mine. "Just let me take care of you, yeah? Let me show you how much you mean to me."
I nod, a shaky breath gusting past my lips. "Okay," I breathe, my eyes fluttering closed. "Okay."
He leads me into his bedroom, the space transformed by the soft glow of candlelight and scatter of rose petals across the bed. It's an unbearably romantic gesture, and I feel my heart squeeze in my chest, a rush of love and gratitude welling up to choke me.
*He did this for me? *
He reaches for me, his fingers finding the zipper of my gown and lowering it with aching slowness. The whisper of silk and lace against my skin is a sensual caress, a promise of pleasure to come, and I shiver, goosebumps racing over my flesh. He eases the dress off my shoulders, baring me to his heated gaze. I can feel it like a physical touch, tracing the curve of my breasts, the swell of my belly, the flare of my hips. But there's no judgment in his eyes, no hint of disappointment or dissatisfaction.
There's only hunger, a raw, primal need that sets my blood on fire.
He leads me into the bathroom, the space already filled with steam from the running shower. I let him undress me fully, his hand skimming over my skin with a reverence that borders on worship. When he steps back to remove his own clothes, I can't help but stare, my mouth going dry at the sight of his sleek, muscled skin, and the thick length of his cock jutting proudly from its nest of dark curls.
*He's perfect. And he's mine, all mine.*
He steps into the shower, pulling me in after him. The water is hot, almost scalding, but it's a welcome pain, a cleansing burn that washes away the sweat and grime of the night. Malachi reaches for the soap, lathering it between his palms before smoothing it over my skin in long, luxurious strokes.
He washes me from head to toe, his touch at once soothing and arousing. He lingers over my breasts, my belly, the slick folds of my sex, until I'm panting and writhing against him, my nails digging into his shoulders as I silently beg for more. He gives it to me, my back flushed against him as his fingers delve deep, stroking, circling, and teasing until I'm right on the edge, my body drawn tight. I turn my head to the side, looking up at him through hooded eyes before he seals his mouth over mine, swallowing my cries as I shatter in his arms, wave after wave of pleasure crashing over me until I'm boneless and sated, clumped against his chest.
He washes my hair next, his fingers massaging my scalp in slow, hypnotic circles. I can feel myself drifting, my limbs heavy and languid, my mind hazy with a blissful sort of lassitude. It's only when he shuts off the water and reaches for a towel that I rouse myself, blinking up at him with a drowsy smile.
"Thank you," I murmur, leaning into his touch as he gently dries my skin. "For taking care of me and making me feel so safe and loved."
His eyes soften, a wealth of emotion swirling in them. "Always," he rasps, planting a kiss on my forehead. "I'd do anything for you, Penny. I'd *be* anything for you."
I rise up on my toes, capturing his lips in a soft, sweet kiss. "I just need you to be you," I whisper against his mouth. "My mate, my love, the father of my child. That's all I want."
A rough sound echoes from the back of his throat, his arms banding around me like steel. "Fuck, I love you," he growls, walking me backwards until my knees hit the edge of the bed. "I love you so damn much it hurts."
He lays me down on the soft mattress, his body covering mine, his skin blissfully pressing against my own. I can feel the hard length of his cock nudging against my thigh, hot, heavy, and insistent. But he doesn't rush, doesn't take me with the fevered urgency I can feel thrumming through his veins.
Instead, he worships me with hands and mouth, mapping every inch of my body with a focused intensity that leaves me gasping and arching beneath him. He pays special attention to my belly, pressing reverent kisses to the taut skin, murmuring words of love and promise to our unborn child.
When he finally, *finally* sinks into me, it's with a groan of pure, unmitigated bliss, like he's found his home, his sanctuary, his very reason for being.
*He's so big...*
We move together in a slow, rolling rhythm, our bodies perfectly in sync, our hearts beating as one. The pleasure builds between us like a storm, until we're both panting and straining, our skin slick with sweat and our voices hoarse with need. Just as I'm teetering on the brink, just as I'm about to fall apart in his arms, he suddenly shifts above me. His eyes glow brilliant, supernatural blue, his features sharpening into something wild. I watch in awe and a distant, primal thrill of fear as a pair of his teeth lengthen into fangs.
Before I can so much as draw breath to cry out, he's lunging forward, those razor-sharp canines sinking deep into the tender flesh where my neck meets my shoulder.
I scream, my back bowing off the bed as a searing pain lances through me, chased by a rush of pleasure so intense it borders on agony. I can feel him marking me, claiming me on the deepest, most fundamental level, his essence pouring into me like molten gold, searing me from the inside out.
I want it. I *crave* it like I crave my next breath. I arch into his bite, my nails raking down his back as I urge him deeper, harder, pouring everything I am, everything I feel for him into this single, perfect moment of communion.
He growls against my skin, a sound of pure, savage triumph, and the vibration of it sends me hurtling over the edge. I cum with a hoarse cry, my body clenching down on his in a vise grip of ecstasy, dragging him with me into the abyss.
He pulses inside me, hot and thick and so, so good. I can feel his own release rushing through me, marking me just as surely as his bite. It's a branding, a binding, a promise written in blood and seared into my very soul.
*I am his, and he is mine.*
Slowly, reluctantly, he releases his hold on my flesh, laving the wound with his tongue in a gesture of apology and benediction. I can feel it healing almost instantly, the skin knitting back together under the gentle ministrations of his mouth, leaving only a silvery scar behind.
A scar I will wear with pride, a badge of honor that marks me as his chosen, his beloved, his *mate*.
He collapses beside me, gathering me into his arms and tucking me against his chest. I burrow into him, my face pressed to his heart, listening to the steady, reassuring thump of it beneath my ear.
"I love you," I whisper, my lips brushing his sweat-damp skin. "More than anything in this world or the next."
A low, rumbling sound of contentment vibrates from his throat, his arms tightening around me. "I love you too, little rabbit," he murmurs, his voice rough with spent passion. "My mate, my queen, my everything."
I smile, my eyes drifting closed as exhaustion finally claims me. I know there's dangers outside of these walls, but in his arms, I feel invincible, untouchable.
*He is my safety.*
It's with that thought that I slip into a deep, dreamless sleep, my soul at peace for the first time in my life.
But peace is a fragile, fleeting thing.
And the nightmares that come for me in the dark, the horrors that lurk in the shadows of my mind... They're only the beginning.