The God of War - Editing

3rd person POV

Julie looked radiant, waiting for him in her white silk nightgown. Max took a few steps into the room and stopped before her. She was so small compared to him, and her head was at the same level as his chest. “You don’t need to be scared. I won’t hurt you.” He looked into her eyes. “I will spend the rest of my life making you feel loved and whole again. I promise you, while I am alive, you will never feel unwanted again.”

Max could feel some resistance from her. Julie was still insecure and unsure about mating and reached for Aphrodite but said she only needed to experience it with Max. It should be their moment first.

His hand held her neck and caressed the mark with his thumb. Pleasure flooded into Julie’s body. “I am not here because I have to be your mate. I want to be your mate, Julie.” Without stopping his finger, he leaned down and kissed her. The sensation of the sparks was stronger now that he accepted her as his Luna.

Max knew she was in a trance when she kissed him during her heat. For her, it was their first kiss. Max kissed her slowly, savouring her pink lips. He entered his tongue inside her mouth and stroked hers. It took her a few minutes to comply and copy his movements.

Max could read her like a book now. Her thoughts were loud, and she wanted this as much as he did. He felt Ares’ happiness flooding into him. He knew they would become one as soon as he mated her.

He pulled down the straps of her nightgown, which pooled on her feet, leaving her bare in front of him. Max stopped their kiss and stepped back, committing her beautiful nakedness to memory. Julie closed her eyes when he started travelling her body with the tip of his fingers. Everywhere Max touched, Julie felt the pleasurable electricity. A soft moan escaped her parted lips when he touched her breasts.

Max carried her in his arms and laid her on their bed. He did not want to rush anything and slowly kissed her body, it was so soft, and the feeling on his lips was indescribable. That was the first time she felt cared for by someone in a long time, and he would do everything to make her feel wanted.

His kisses took him to a place that would please her, and that was all he wanted to do today. Since her heat, he had the urge to taste her.

Since that day, Max had boxed his feelings inside his mind. What it would be like to have her like that all to himself. Like a wolf, Max licked and sucked her soft clit till he felt her body shuddering from the pleasure he had given her.

Max moved up on top of her to look at her flushed face. Julie’s eyes were closed, and her breathing ragged. He caressed her face and entered her, slowly savouring the exquisite moment. Max whispered in her ear. “Can you feel it, little one? That is how much I want you. And only you.” Julie felt the mate bond completing each time he buried himself deeper inside her. It pulsed, and happiness engulfed her body when he whispered again. “I want to be with you and always protect you. You are mine, and I am yours.”

His movements got deeper and sloppier. He was close and ready to complete the mating. Max’s eyes shone gold, his canines extended, and in seconds, they were again deeper inside the soft spot of her neck, making her come, and he delivered his seed deeper inside her sealing their fate forever.

With deep breaths, they tried to calm their ragged breathing. Max stayed deep inside her till the mate was complete and held her in his arms. She was his now.

It was much more than anything he had experienced before, and Julie felt happier, like when she was a little pup and was loved by her family. Soon she would have a family again—her family with Max in a pack that already adored her.

He pulled her to lay on his chest when he felt the mating was completed, and Max took a deep breath when he sensed all the strength rushing inside his body. Like magic, the room got bright and clear in his eyes, and he felt there was no threat against Julie inside his pack.

Caressing her back, Max inhaled her scent, which was now mixed with his. The possessive Alpha feeling from Ares was there, and they knew no wolf would try mating here with his scent. Ares was satisfied with him.

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Max POV

I woke up and could feel the sparks much stronger than before on my left arm. I was holding Julie, and yesterday was the best night of my life; sleeping with her in my arms after the mating was so magical that I could never describe it.

I felt complete and much stronger than before. I have so much more energy, and Aphrodite was telling the truth about my strength. I had thought about everything and would take a few days off. There are many places to bring my little wolf to see in our land. I laughed at the word “our”. It came out so easily now.

Smiling, I opened my eyes and looked at my mate’s beautiful face, and all the happiness vanished from my body. Julie was looking at the ceiling with tears on her face. Oh, no, did I hurt her? Was I rough with her?

“I am sorry, Julie. Did I hurt you last night?” She did not say anything last night. I could feel happiness coming from her during the mating and before she fell asleep in my arms. I pushed my body up and went to pet her hair. She moved quickly from the bed holding the bedsheets on her chest, and said firmly. “Don’t touch me.”

“I am sorry, sweetheart. I did not mean to be rough in the mating. I apologise if I was. Let me give you a warm bath.” I smiled at her getting up. “Terry will be in charge for a few days. We could enjoy ourselves, and I can show you all the nice places in our land.”

She moved a few steps away from me, and I looked confused at her behaviour. “Are you a power-hungry Alpha like my uncle?”

“I had asked you not to call him that. I am nothing like Michael. I have accepted you as my mate, and I will do everything to protect you. I told you I was wrong before and would spend the rest of my life working for your forgiveness.”

She shook her head rapidly. “I will not let you hurt me as Michael did. Did you only mate me because you would become stronger?” I was offended by her words, I was nothing like Michael, and I would never hit her or an innocent pup as he did. “Julie. I will never hurt you as Michael did. I would never lie a hand on you. He will pay for his crimes; I am making sure of it.”

She sat on the sofa holding the bedsheets, and I felt how confused she was. She must have picked you, my happiness, for being stronger. “I know you are confused because you could not feel me before, and now you feel everything new and old. You were stripped of your title for many years, and now everything is coming at once. That is normal to feel like this.”

I took slow steps towards her. “I swear on the Moon Goddess that I never had any intentions to hurt you, I know I did, but it was not on purpose. I genuinely thought I was doing the right thing for the pack. I will dedicate my life to making things right and showing you how good of a mate I can be for you.”

I squatted down to be at her level. “Yesterday, I had arranged for some of our things to be brought to a wooden cabin near the lake. An Alpha gets very possessive after the mating, and I don’t want anyone in the pack to get hurt by Ares.”

“Ares, I could use your perfect mate’s help now. I am sure you cannot wait to mate her, and it won’t happen if she thinks we are a Monster.”

“She is confused and blocking, Aphrodite, Max. I don’t have to tell you that it is all your fault.”

Why must he lecture me instead of helping me out? “I thought you were done making me feel guilty, Ares. Now is not the time for that.” Sadness flooded my body because of her thoughts that we would be capable of hurting her. “Julie. Karl and Conor can stay on guard near the cabin if that makes you feel better.”

“Oh, great. Now we will have an audience nearby. Is that the best you could come up with, Max?”

“I am not seeing you giving me any good advice here, Ares. Then shut up and let me help her.”

She was looking at me, and I could hear all the thoughts swimming in her mind. I stood up and grabbed a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt from the dresser. My chest felt unbearable because she did not want to be around us. “I will wait outside and give you some privacy. I can feel I am making you uncomfortable. You might not know, but you are blocking Aphrodite. She can help you with everything.”

I smiled at her warmly, showing I would never be a threat and left the room. Of course, the other side of the door was far as I could move without Ares being restless. He needed to be closer to her, and so did I. I decided to mindlink Karl she might be more inclined to leave if she saw them, and I knew they would not be happy as I had given them a few days to rest before starting their new duties.

But the one that was not happy about this was Ares. And it made me feel even more uncomfortable. “Great, now we will be surrounded by males in our perfect place.”

“Chill out, Ares. They will be close by patrolling, nothing more.” After nearly 30 minutes, Julie opened the door, already dressed for the day. And as much as I felt the need to hold her hand, to stop the sensation inside me, I knew I should give her some space to adjust to everything.

I smiled at her. “Your guards are outside waiting by the car. It is a short drive, and you will love the place.” She only nodded, and I felt content inside for a minute, even though nothing was good now.

When we got to the car, I was pleased they had the courtesy to wait in wolf form to follow us. Sure Ares would not put up with them inside the car.

We drove in silence, but I started the conversation when we got inside the cabin. Ares was restless, and I knew I needed to fix everything. I opened my bag, put the book on the coffee table, and motioned for her to sit on the comfortable sofa.

She was looking around, and I felt proud of the house. “Ares and I built this lake house ourselves. It was a project to take our minds out of sadness every time we returned empty-handed of a visit to another pack and did not find you.”

I felt Ares stuffing his chest inside my mind. He loved it here. “It was Ares’ idea. He wanted to have a perfect place for when we found you. We picked the wood for the building and anything else without help.” I put my hand on the book. “I knew I would become stronger after the mating. But that is not the reason I accept you, Julie. And it is not because I am strong that I will hurt you now.”

She looked at me with doubt and finally spoke. “You didn’t want me before, and then things changed.”

“No. You can feel I always wanted you, but I thought you were not right for this pack, and I was fighting hard against my feelings. That is the reason I stopped seeing you. I was wrong not to accept my gift. Selene does everything for a reason, and even if you were a weak Omega, it was not my place to want you away from here.”

“Aphrodite said something about a prophecy starting when I was hiding in the woods.” I opened the book, and she looked at it. “We are meant to be together more than any other mates, Julie. That is what changed my mind about mating you. You showed kindness to our pack even after I told you; you would be leaving. You were merciful with Tania even though you should not have been.”

She got the book and started looking at it, flipping the pages. “You feel confused, but if you concentrate on our bond now that you can feel it, it will help you to see that I was wrong before and ignorant. But my strength now is only to protect you and our family, not to do anyone wrong. My strength will be protecting the wolves against anything bad that threatens our existence.”

I closed my eyes and concentrated on our bond. I felt she was getting better, her mind was back in place, and I soon felt Aphrodite again. I opened up any walls I still had for her to see that I wanted and would always be here for her.

“Max, what will happen now?” Her voice sounded calm again. “Now, we will live our lives together, Julie. I will teach you anything you need to know. There is no reason to feel like that. We have accepted each other, and we will be very happy here. I will make sure of it.”

She stayed quiet for a few minutes, and I knew she was talking again with Aphrodite. “You can send the wolves away, please.” I smiled brightly at her and felt how happy Ares was. The stuffed terrible feeling in my chest lifted. “Thank you, Julie.”

I grabbed the book and offered her my hand. “Let me show you around, and you can pick your favourite spot to sit and read the book. I will cook us a meal while you read it.” The cabin was very spacious. She said before that her favourite season was Autumn, but I was sure she would love it here when the place was covered in snow.

Julie woke up confused about Max’s feelings because now she could feel emotions and senses everything in one go. Max nearly thought now he would be the one rejected.