Pleasure burst over him in waves so shocking in their strength and intensity that they stole the breath from his lungs and made his vision dim. He exploded like a fucking volcano, ramming deep as he emptied every bit of his come inside her.
He collapsed on top of her, breathing hard, but she didn’t complain. It was a few minutes before he could move. Reluctantly withdrawing from her pussy, he slumped beside her on the mattress. She snuggled into his side, struggling to catch her breath. He trailed his fingers up her back, doodling lazy circles here and there. “You good?”
Her eyes closed, she let out what could only be described as a dreamy sigh. “Yeah. Do the claw marks hurt bad?”
“No. They sting, but I like it. I like that reminder that they’re there. How’s your cat?”
“More relaxed than she’s been in a while. How’s your beast?”
“Smug as all shit. He would have fought me if I’d tried to leave you, which I never would have.” Skimming his fingertips over the globes of her ass, he added, “You know something?”
“What?”
“I think you were right in what you said about ravens. They’re onto something when they say a person’s destiny doesn’t have to be intertwined with their true mate. Because I always felt like you should be mine, and now you are.”
Bree’s chest squeezed, and she swallowed hard. He leaned down and took her mouth, sipping and nipping and biting, no doubt totally unaware that—with those words—he now had her soul in the palm of his hand.
The staring started pretty much the moment they stepped out of the building’s elevator, where some pride mates waited. It wasn’t just the fierce territorialism so blatantly evident in Alex’s body language that snatched people’s attention. It was the brands they were both sporting.
Her claiming bite was perfectly visible. Although Alex’s bite was concealed by his tee, the claw marks on his upper arms sure weren’t—marks she’d given him during their second round of sex in the shower, along with the bite on his jawline. So, yeah, people stared.
Casual as you please, Alex breezed down the street paying no attention to the gawkers. He was too busy scanning his surroundings, including the rooftops. But he didn’t miss her discomfort, because he gave her hand a soothing squeeze and brushed his thumb over her knuckles.
Catching sight of a familiar figure standing among a group of youths, Bree said, “There’s Kye.” It was no surprise that the girls were staring at him all gooey-eyed—something he seemed to take in his stride. Hell, he wasn’t even paying them much attention.
She could see why he appealed to the girls. He was a good-looking kid. He might only be eighteen, but everything about him screamed alpha—his assertive posture, his powerful build, his astute gaze. “He looks bigger every time I see him.”
Right then, Kye glanced their way. He tipped his chin in greeting. Bree gave him a smile. Alex only grunted.
“It wouldn’t kill you to say hi, you know,” she said.
“I know.” But Alex didn’t say it. “The kid’s going to have to leave his pack in a few years to start his own. More than one natural-born alpha pallas cat can co-exist just fine in a pride, but it’s different for wolves.”
She nodded, feeling sad for the kid.
As they reached the jewelry store, Greg opened the door for them, his mouth curved. “Mated, huh?” He looked at Alex. “I figured that’d eventually happen if you ever made a move on Bree. Glad you got your shit together instead of hesitating like a pussy.”
Alex cursed at him in Russian and then, ignoring a laughing Greg, guided her inside with a hand on her lower back.
Alone on the showroom floor, James looked up and did a double-take. “Well, well, well, this has certainly improved my morning.” Crossing to them, he kissed her cheek and then patted Alex on the back. “Glad you got your shit together, son.”
Alex scowled. “My shit has always been together.”
“I wouldn’t say so.”
High heels clicked along the marble floor. Valentina appeared from behind the drapes. She took one look at Alex and Bree, and then she shot her husband a smug look. “There. Did I not tell you years ago that he would claim her one day? You do not listen, even though you know I see all. Then you are always so surprised when I am right. Why is this?”
James sighed. “Well—”
Valentina waved a dismissive hand his way and then crossed the space to Bree. She pulled her into a hug. “I considered you family before. I am glad you are now officially part of it.” Breaking the hug, she frowned at Alex. “Why you took so long to claim Bree, I do not know. It is good to see you are done being foolish. No mother wants an idiot for a son. Tonight, you will join both me and your father for dinner. I will cook. We will celebrate.”
The front door opened, and Elle strolled inside. It took all of five seconds for her to notice the claiming bite on Bree’s neck. Her eyes darted from Alex to Bree, taking in all the brands. She squealed. “You guys imprinted on each other? How fucking amazing is this?”
While Elle demanded all the details from Bree, James turned to Alex and said, “I’m guessing you’re staying here all day today.”
“You guessed right,” said Alex. His protective instincts were on overdrive. Plus, honestly, he just plain wanted to be with her. He’d never liked being away from her, and he liked the idea even less now.
His mother had long ago warned him how hard it was for a wolverine to be separated from their mate; that their need to be with them was something close to a compulsion. But he hadn’t imagined that would apply to him, given that he didn’t have a high need for social contact. But being apart from Bree … yeah, he didn’t even like the thought of it. She was easy to be around, though. She didn’t feel compelled to fill a silence or load the atmosphere with so much bubbliness that he felt exhausted by her.
It was still a little strange to be partially mated, but it didn’t unsettle him. Instead, it gave him a sense of fulfilment he hadn’t realized he was missing.
“Just do not stand around brooding,” Valentina told Alex. “Your scowls will scare people away.”
He frowned. “I don’t brood.”
His mother gave him a droll look. “Have we not discussed this before? You know I do not like to repeat myself.”
Seeing that Bree was still deep in conversation with Elle, he moved closer to his mother and said, “Maybe we could move the celebratory dinner to tomorrow. She’s still a little fatigued after the memorial yesterday—it took a lot out of her.”
“Bah. She will be fine. Our Bree is strong.”
“Yes, she’s strong. But she also looks—and probably feels—hungover. Have a little compassion.”
“Compassion? What is compassion? I not know this word. Sounds like weakness.”
Alex sighed. Whatever.
As the hours went on, he kept himself busy. If he wasn’t in his office, he was working on the door with Greg or helping the others with various things.
The day was pretty uneventful, if you didn’t count the amount of times a pride mate stopped by to see if the imprinting rumors were true. It was shortly before Pot of Gold was due to close that Vinnie, Ingrid, Tate, and Luke showed up.