Chapter 1
Coralie
It has been only two days since my beast made its claim on Jordan, but the bond has only gotten stronger. His lingering touches and heated stares sear me to the core. It seems that he was right about the ring suppressing more than just my beast’s ability to take control, something I would like to believe my mother was unaware of when she enchanted it and gave it to me. I have contacted Darius as well as several of the covens and wolf packs that I have helped during my time away from the council and, much to my surprise, they have all responded and are on their way.
Jordan declared me his mate in front of his father and the elders of his pack yesterday, making his knowledge of our status known to me for the first time. He claims to have suspected for a while, but said he only knew for sure the night my beast stepped forward. He hasn’t been able to stop touching me since, now being no exception. I stand in front of the mirror, running my brush through my hair with slow, careless strokes as my mind wanders to the task that lies ahead of us. I feel his arms snake around my waist as he leaves a trail of soft kisses from my shoulder up to the tender spot right behind my ear.
“What has my mate so distracted?” His heated breath fans my face, making me smile at the tingling sensations.
“Just trying to figure out how this is all going to play out. I have never been so close to finding Luca, but I feel further from him than ever.” I lay my fears bare, trusting that my mate will comfort me.
“We will get him back, Cora.” He reaches up and takes the brush from my hand, running it gently through my hair while I close my eyes and savor the sweetness of this small moment.
“The others will arrive in the morning. Darius should be here by tomorrow evening and we can start the meeting after dinner.” He nods his head while his eyes continue to focus on my hair.
“So, let me take you somewhere tonight. We could both stand to clear our minds before the chaos tomorrow will bring.” He places both his hands on my shoulders and stares into my reflection, the mirror doing nothing to dull the intensity of his gaze.
“I would follow you anywhere, Jordan.” He smirks at me and slides a hand down my arm then takes my hand in his. He pulls me behind him, not stopping until we reach the back of the pack house.
“Shift. We will get there faster.” He strips down and quickly shifts into his large black wolf and in a gentle exhale, I allow my beast to take charge. We dart through the forest, moving like swans gliding on a lake, dodging and jumping over every obstacle with grace and precision. For the first time in my life, my beast is not in control. We are one united being relishing in the beauty and energy around us. After running for about an hour, we reach the small lake and he quickly shifts, standing in his gorgeous, naked glory, bathed in the soft glow of the moon’s light. I shift beside him, my eyes taking in the scenery before us while smirking as his eyes fall on me.
“Damn Lycans and their ability to shift without losing their damn clothes.” I turn to face him my eyes meeting his with both amusement and desire.
“What’s wrong, alpha? Wanting to see more?” I grab the hem of my t-shirt and slowly pull it over my head, tossing it to the ground as I take slow, confident steps backward.
“Yeah, that shirt needed to go.” His eyes rake over my body and his tongue glides across his bottom lip. I reach behind me, unclasping my bra and swinging it by the strap on my finger before tossing it aside. He lets out a low growl as I slide my hands down my stomach, stopping at the button on my pants and slowly undoing it before dragging the zipper down slowly. I slide them down and watch as his eyes darken at the realization that I was wearing nothing underneath them. I kick my pants off my ankles and take another step back, the cold water of the lake doing nothing to decrease the heat flooding me as I finally reach it.
“Do you like what you see, alpha?” He begins slowly stalking toward me and his eyes are devouring every moonlit detail of my body as the water slowly gets deeper with each step I take.
“You have no idea, witch.” I stop when the water is almost to my chest, allowing him to catch up. Despite the cold water, his skin radiates heat that slowly warms the water around us. He reaches out to me, his hand sliding around my neck and pulling me against him.
“Jordan, I don’t know what our life will be like after tomorrow, if we will even have a life after tomorrow.” He presses his lips to mine, kissing me with an intense, fiery passion that is more powerful than anything I have ever felt. His tongue glides across my lower lip and I welcome his intrusion, giving in to the need and longing as we explore each other’s mouths and bodies. When he pulls away, he rests his forehead against mine and gazes into my eyes, all of his overwhelming emotions coming through loud and clear.
“Whatever our future holds, we will meet it together. For tonight, just let me love you.” He lifts me until my legs wrap around his waist then carries me to the shore, never breaking eye contact. He slowly lays me on the sandy beach, trailing kisses from my collar bone to my breasts, his every touch gentle yet demanding. As he makes his way back to my lips, I catch the glowing gold in his eyes as his wolf makes his presence known.
“I’m yours and I need you now.” The gold recedes until his hazel eyes are staring into mine and he slowly positions himself at my entrance, my hold on my control slipping slowly. As if he can sense my battle, he thrusts forward in a smooth, firm movement, sliding into me and filling me completely. He begins his movements slowly, gently, but his restraint is not what I want. I slide my hand into his hair and pull him down to me, sinking my teeth into the soft flesh where his neck and shoulder meet. He begins thrusting faster as the pain takes over and slowly morphs into pleasure. I feel the string of ecstasy pulling tighter within me until it finally snaps. The moment my body falls from the cliff, his teeth sink into me, claiming me and he quickly falls off the edge with me.