Three

Asher

I awoke fully rested the next morning with Mari lounging across my chest, but it didn’t take me long to figure out something was different from when we’d closed our eyes the night before. Lifting the corner of the blanket, I peered down, confirming that Mari had apparently shed her jeans in her sleep.

My heart rate soared, and I felt my blood drain downward at the sight of my mate’s creamy thighs on display.

Fisting the fabric of the bedding in my clenched hands, I only just prevented myself from reaching out to caress her smooth skin, but I couldn’t hold back my sounds of appreciation when she chose to announce that she was awake by lightly tracing her fingers down my defined abs in steady strokes, growing firmer with each pass.

“Babe, don’t start something you’re not ready to finish right now. I’m more than fine with skipping the rec center altogether if it means I get to keep your hands on me for any length of time.” I ground out as I ran one hand down her back to grip her ass while I used the other to angle her head in the perfect position to steal a kiss.

Mari was unresponsive at first, tensing up with my bold action, but she’d melted into my embrace with the first touch of my lips on hers, proceeding to twine her tongue with mine in a lazy kiss that I never wanted to see the other side of.

I was in heaven, and my cock could nearly cut through steel with how hard it was at the moment.

My other half had begun slowly grinding against my upper thigh as electricity thrummed between us, but I would wager money she was unconscious of her body’s movements in her haze.

It would have been so simple to grasp her tiny hips in my calloused hands and slide her the few inches over until she sat astride my aching dick, the thin shreds of cloth separating our centers was nothing in my blind desperation to have her.

Yet, I settled for slipping my rough hand around her waist, purposefully aiming for the heat I felt stemming from her center in measured movements, but I monitored her actions the entire time, looking for the first sign of dissent.

It never came, not even as I allowed my fingers to skulk under the lace of her panties, but her excitement was broadcasted loud and clear as her personal scent blossomed around me.

Shifting, I pushed Mari onto her back, my wolf growling in delight as she parted her legs to give me more room without uttering a word.

The little whimpers she emitted as my index finger flicked over her clit was music to my ears, and I ramped up my actions now that I was sure my other half was on board.

Her highpoint came long before I was ready for it, but I continued plunging my fingers into her wetness as her muscles spasmed around me.

She gradually returned from her nirvana, and I couldn’t help wishing it was my cock being swallowed up by her warmth as I propelled myself away from my true mate’s luscious body before I lost all semblance of control.

I didn’t have the slightest idea of how I’d managed to yank myself back after her speedy climax, and my wolf was howling violently in my head in response to the distance I’d put between us.

Just the same, I knew I would hate myself if I pushed my mate faster than she was ready for, and that was the direction we were heading if we stayed in bed together.

Not wanting her to get the wrong idea, I leapt into damage control straightaway, saying, “I’m sorry, Mari. I know you said you weren’t ready to get more physical. It’s hard not to lose my mind around you.”

I admitted the last part ruefully, but come hell or high water, I was overjoyed Luna had granted me with a true mate as wonderful as the fair-haired woman whose shield was dropping day by day before my eyes.

We proceeded to get ready to meet the others at the community center after she’d gathered her jumbled thoughts, and I was grateful when she didn’t retreat after our closeness, adoring the rosy tint to her cheeks that hung around.

The relentless pull of our mating bond was intense, but I received some comfort in knowing Mari battled her urges as much as I did.

I knew it would only be a matter of time until we exchanged claiming bites, but I planned to do everything in my power to speed that process along, all the same. I had waited too damn long for a true mate as it was, and I wanted every piece of Mari’s soul now that I had found her.

Alas, by the time I emerged with a towel slung low around my waist she was completely dressed, and she averted her eyes as she darted past me into the bathroom to finish her morning routine.

Shrugging on some clothes, I attempted to contact my beta while I waited on Mari, but he must have been out of bounds because I couldn’t reach him. An anxious feeling settled in the pit of my stomach, but my mate appeared before I could make anything of it, driving the emotion away for now.

We left a few minutes later, trudging the short distance to the rec center on foot. I was aware the walk would be over before it really began, so I knew I had to act quick if I was going to get my question out before we were surrounded by sensitive ears.

After making sure we were alone, I began without preamble, “There is something I wanted to talk to you about. I need to return to the Eastern Province, but I can’t leave here without you by my side.”

I knew I was asking a lot before I began, but I thankfully didn’t have to figure out what I would do if she had said no. I sensed there was something else eating away at her, but we were in sight of our destination before I could delve deeper.

She entered the building ahead of me while I glanced around at those congregating outside, finding Ryker after a moment.

We spent a while conversing about our plans for the next couple of weeks, but my focus was divided by Mari the entire time, worrying whether she was okay with so many people coming together in one place.

I was about to make my excuses to the other alpha, but instead, I curled in on myself in the next instant as agony consumed every part of my concentration for an indeterminate amount of time.

It was difficult to make heads or tails from the barrage of pain raining down on me, but Nicolai’s vocalization through mind link somehow made its way through, his familiar timbre providing something for me to ground myself with.

{The rogues ambushed us! Half the town was already on fire before I could gather everyone. I don’t know what to do, Asher. I don’t even know where the majority of the pack is.}

No other words came, so I was left with little to aid me in determining what the fuck was going on in my province.

Ryker was standing over me when I resurfaced, and I noted he had cleared the bystanders out of the area, though Nic’s words haunted me as I regained my bearings, the defeat plain in his voice.

Stumbling to my feet, I gave Ryker a recap of what had brought me to my knees before I got a handle on the influx of mental stimuli rolling in, but I was already moving in Mari’s direction while I explained the little I knew to the other male.

Consequently, Mari and I were on the road within the hour, one of Ryker’s males transporting us so that I would be well rested upon our arrival. Each mile passing by behind us was like a balm to my nerves, knowing we were taking the most direct route, but I still craved the freedom my wolf offered.  

The inpouring of my pack’s emotions had tapered off a while ago, leaving me worn out, but the silence from my beta was keeping me awake. My mind wandered to the conversation I’d had with Ryker before about reaching out to the dragon shifters for aid.

Although I couldn’t explain the fire Nic had mentioned before, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out the rogue wolves had invaded my territory again, but this time, they had gone too far.

It was dawning on me that the choice for seeking help had been taken from me, and my resolve to find the dragons started to solidify as the sun sank lower in the sky.

I pulled Mari closer into my side while she dozed on fitfully, feeling bad for making her leave her home on such short notice, but my sweet mate hadn’t uttered a word in protest the whole time.

Even so, I did hear her mutter the name Iris a couple of times in between my own bouts of rest. It reminded me that there was still so much I didn’t know about my other half. She didn’t talk much while we were in the vehicle, opting to sleep the majority of the long trip.

I was assuming her shyness was due to the stranger because she had gotten over her inability to express herself for the most part with me by this point, but I also observed something peculiar a at the beginning of our journey.

The male driving the vehicle was attentive and didn’t have many issues, but there were a few times when he stopped too short or passed too close to something when we first started out. Mari stiffened each time, and her shoulders were practically touching her ears with how uncomfortable she was.