Chapter 16

Xander POV

I looked over the finances. I felt terrible leaving Ida alone in my wing while I tended to business my father had ordered. I longed to be back with her, and my Lycan was in one of his moods. I had a lot of difficulties keeping him in check ever since we had found our mate. For him, it was inconceivable that we parted from her.

I kept reminding him of our duties, but he snarled at me. Besides, I was down to our last bit of business before I could call it a day and finally be able to see her.

I had to get Ida’s papers from Mr. Crane, my notary. I had them drafted the morning after I had marked her, but I was missing some information before they could be signed and sealed. I had finally gotten word that they were ready.

Ida had reluctantly provided some information about her family and past, simply saying that she didn’t have a last name since she was orphaned and lived most of her life as a slave in different houses.

It made my job harder since I had nothing to go on. Nothing beside Ida’s first name and last employment location was on her indenture papers to my father's estate.

I had looked at the birth certificates of hundreds of Idas in various archives. I even had some records shipped to High Hill from other cities to increase the chances of finding any legal information I could use for her free-citizen papers. But none fit the description of a female babe with red hair.

I kept hitting dead ends.

My Lycan was impatient. “You know that if you can’t find Ida, there’s a good chance it’s because she doesn’t want her records to be found.”

I knew he was right, and I wanted to respect her privacy.

When we sat down to get whatever information I could gather, she froze up, and I felt a hurricane of emotion raging inside her. I sensed it through our bond. Faiths, she was almost making me feel dizzy.

Ida seemed like a complete mess. If she was going through all this trouble not to be found, then I would wait until she trusted me enough to share her past.

As for her last name, I gave her the name every orphaned child gets when they usually come into the care of a children's home—Raven.

The orphanage headmasters gave them that surname since the children often arrived with nothing, either following the death of their family or were shrouded in mystery. It was also a way for everyone to know that they were wards of this country.

They sold most orphans to workhouses or wealthy families. They were, unfortunately, very cheap labourers.

I bunched my fists until my knuckles turned white, thinking about what Ida had gone through in her mysterious past.

I looked over the paper that Crane handed me and sealed it with the Kestrel crest of my ring once the documents were in order. Everything was now official and legal. Ida was no longer a ward of Airedah; she was, by every term, free.

I smiled when I thought about how happy this would make her.

I instinctively put my hand in my front pocket, where I had placed another gift I would give her later that night with the papers. I had just gotten it resized, and I hoped she would like it.

It was getting late, so I returned to the estate by horseback and quickly climbed the stairs to my living quarters.

When we entered my room, I had to control my Lycan; he was desperate to be reunited with our mate. I noticed Ida sprawled on the bed, asleep, so I closed the door silently and went to her, dropping the papers on the desk near my bed.

She only wore my nightshirt, which had rucked up on her body while sleeping. Her fiery hair was stretched out on her pillow like a tree ablaze, and her winter white skin almost shone in the pool of moonlight.

She, indeed, was a magical sight to see.

I gently slid my gift on her ring finger and trailed soft kisses up her arm to her neck, passing over my mark and ending alongside her jaw. She smelled of lavender and peppermint, but I could also smell myself on her, something that happened once I marked and mated with her. It was one of our ways of letting other shifters know she belonged to me.

She let out a soft sigh at my touch, her lips curving slightly upwards, and shifted a bit on the bed, inviting me next to her. However, I had no intention of going to sleep just now. I had something to do first.

I dragged my hand the length of her waist, then went down to her hip and under her thigh, raising it as I moved my head between her legs. I pressed my mouth to her sensitive region and made circular motions with my tongue. She tasted sweet, which made me purr in delight.

I raised her leg higher to gain more access and placed two fingers at her opening, pressed forward, and let them slide inside her hot wetness. I kept playing with her clit, earning a deep moan from her small throat.

My fingers kept pumping into her slick channel while I devoured her. I noticed goosebumps forming on her legs and lower stomach; then, I felt fingers run through my hair, gripping them and urging me on.

I sensed my eyes glaze over, my Lycan wanting to take part in claiming her again.

The scent of her arousal excited me, and I felt my dick twitch between my legs. The tightness of my pants became almost unbearable.

Ida’s breathing had become more ragged and loud, her inside tightening with every slip of my fingers.

I didn’t want her to come just yet, so I backed myself and started removing my clothes, locking eyes with her, teasing her with every piece I slowly removed.

“Please,” she cried.

Even through the darkness, I could distinguish the brown center of her irises, ringed with greens, yellows, and blues that made her eyes enigmatic and mesmerizing. I had never seen eyes like hers.

I pulled on her ankles, making her slide toward me on the bed and place my body over hers.

Ida’s legs wrapped themselves around me. I took my member and guided it to her slit. I didn’t want to give in just yet; I wanted to make her beg for it. I wanted her to yearn for me as much as I craved her.

Her hands tightened on my neck and lowered me until our lips touched.

She wiggled her hips, trying to force me to slide into her. Her kiss was becoming impatient, and she bit my bottom lip hard. It sent shivers up and down my spine once I tasted her.

“Ida,” I sucked in a breath.

I could no longer restrain myself. I growled and gripped Ida’s ass, pulling her lower on me. She gasped at my sudden intrusion but arched her back to allow me in even deeper.

I felt waves of pleasure passing through me from the bond, making me mad with lust.

Her breathing was becoming erratic, and I didn’t want to stop.

My Lycan instincts kicked in, and I rammed into her with even greater force, kissing her womb with each stride. The pleasure was almost blinding. I needed more of her.

The sound of our flesh slapping against each other resonated in the room while her intoxicating scent drove the beast inside me wild.

I lifted her from the bed and moved us to a large table close to the window. I sat her on the edge of the desk, sprawled her legs open, and continued with my assault.

My fingers dug into her hips, forcing her closer. I hoped it wouldn’t leave marks on her beautiful alabaster skin.

She had removed her nightshirt and made it fall on the floor. The midnight glow gently kissed Ida’s skin.

My hand pressed her chest, making her lay on her back against the wooden surface of my desk. Her breasts were moving up and down with my every hit. She was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen, and she was mine.

I felt a pressure building within me, and I knew I didn’t have too long before my release.

Ida was holding my wrists tight, her nails biting me, and I saw her soft lips quivering from her climax, her insides pulsing around me, making me go over the edge along with her.

My cock twitched, and with my last stroke, I spilled my seed deep in her, groaning in her ear when I pulled her back to me.

We were both still panting when she straightened herself on the desk, trying to calm her fluttering heartbeat, when she noticed the gold band I had slipped on her earlier. She raised her hand to inspect it, gently caressing it between her slender fingers.

“Xander, what is this?” She asked breathlessly.

I chuckled at her question and took her hand with the ring in mine.

“I thought it was obvious. Will you marry me?”

I never wanted anything more, and I hoped she knew what she meant to me.

From the moment we met, I realized I would never love someone as deeply as I did her. The feeling was almost making my heart burst out from my chest. I knew being my mate was already a commitment of sorts, but I wanted Ida in every imaginable way possible.

The gold band was simple, yet it held the promise of forever.

She looked up at me, and I saw tears gliding down her cheeks.

“I–I can feel you—in here,” she pressed her hand to where my mark was. Her voice trembling with emotions. “Yes!”

I exhaled loudly and crashed my lips to hers in relief.

I knew that whatever happened, I would take the good, the bad, and everything in between if it meant having her for the rest of my life. Mysterious past included.