Chapter 5

  

Ramsey's POV

"My mate," I whispered, and my inner wolf leapt for joy.

Her eyes widened as I said those words, and I caught myself melting in their deep-brown intensity. The ecstasy inside of me was unmatched: In a sudden twist of fate and destiny, the Moon Goddess had given me my mate. I wanted to pull her into my arms and hold her there for forever. 

My mate, however, had other ideas. "You pervert!" She yelled and pushed against my chest until I took a step back, and then she staggered towards the dining room door. I watched as she fumbled with the doorknob for a few moments, then gave up and slid towards the ground.

I immediately crossed the room and crouched beside her before she hit the ground. I took her in my arms and pulled her to my chest as she shivered.

"It can't be..." She murmured, her voice muffled by my shirt. "It can't be...."

"It is, Peach." I whispered. "The Moon Goddess blessed us with each other."

She leaned away from my chest and searched my face, her eyes darting between mine. "I have a mate..."

I frowned: I hadn't remembered catching the scent of another when I sniffed her hair. And my wolf had called out to hers; if she was already mated to another, this would not have happened.

"You don't," I cut in. "If you were, I won't have imprinted on you."

"I am...I mean, I was," she insisted, her brows furrowed. "He...rejected me."

"Exactly," I urged her, then reached out and gently tucked her tightly-curled black hair behind her ear, exposing her neck. I caressed the soft, spotless caramel skin, my groin jumping with desire. "See? No mate mark."

She raised her brows and reached out, touching her neck. Our fingers brushed, the slight contact sending delicious goosebumps racing down my arm. "It must have disappeared."

"The alpha who banished you," I started. "Was he your mate?"

She looked up at me and nodded. "Yes."

Fiery-hot rage made me grit my teeth. I had no idea the history she had with this alpha, but I wanted nothing more than to make him pay for how he'd treated her. But she was mine now, I reassured myself. She was mine, and would forever be. 

I let out a grunt, then stood to my feet. Then I stretched out a hand to help her up to. She slipped cold fingers between mine and stood to her feet, muttering a thanks.

"I don't care what that asshole did to you," I whispered, moving closer to her, hearing her soft gasp as I brushed my lips against hers. "I will love you in ways he can never, would never. You are with me now, Peach."

She smiled against my lips. "My name is Astra." 

"You're Peach to me." I whispered, my heart bursting at the seams with love.

She leaned back and moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue, her eyes still glistening with tears unshed. "I'm scared," she said in a scratchy whisper. "I really don't need a mate right now—"

"You cannot fight it," I stated. "I can hear it in your erratic heartbeat. You are drawn to me as I am to you. I believe the Goddess has other plans for us." I looked down at her mouth, at the slight tremble of her pink lips, the lower lip paler and fuller than the upper one. It made my groin instantly swell with desire. I longed to taste her, to see if she was as soft and sweet as she looked. 

She definitely looked like it: she appeared tiny and feminine and vulnerable, though I could guess that she wasn't like this before. The things she'd gone through had probably broken her spirit, and again, I felt the urge to wrap my arms around her and cuddle her to my chest.

I felt myself moving towards her again, as though something beyond my power was urging me forward. I leaned forward and traced a line along the nape of her neck with my lips, then forward to the hollow of her neck. Her pulse leapt beneath my mouth, mimicking the throb of desire in my lower belly. Then my mouth was within a breath of hers, her soft breath wafted over my lips, and then she raised her mouth to meet mine, and I totally lost it.

A feral growl escaped my lips as I pushed her backwards till she hit the dining table, my mouth plunging into hers and taking what she was offering. She mimicked my groan and wrapped her arms around my neck: I reached down and lifted her by her thighs, placing her on the dining table.

I drove my tongue through her softly parted lips and my lower body jumped in response as her tongue began to flicker and curl over mine. She looked like a girl, but she kissed like a woman who knew what she wanted. Heat coursed through me, the burning lava-hot need to bury myself in her and claim her as mine, but I held myself back. I restricted my desires to grinding against her pelvis with my mine, and my wolf almost went crazy as she moaned in response.

"Please," she whispered a plea, and I knew she was begging me to go all the way.

I ignored her plea and continued to drive wave after wave of pleasure into her, grinding between her thighs with my bump, until I groan after groan slipped from my lips.

Her small white teeth nibbled at my bottom lip, the tugging sensation making my control go haywire. I knew I was going to explode through my pants if I didn’t call a halt soon. I felt like a teenager who hadn’t learnt how to control the trigger on his release just yet. I wanted her so badly I could feel my body preparing for it, the ache unbearable as she brushed against me in increasing urgency.

"Let's stop, Peach," I murmured, then lifted her and placed her on the ground, my voice still husky with desire. "This is not a good time."