The She-Wolf’s Mate (Book 2 She-Wolf Series)
Chapter 21

Ivar

It was probably a mistake to agree to one more night. Every moment I was with her was going to make it that much harder to walk away. Running through the woods with her, I couldn’t care less.

She was just as beautiful and wild as I remembered. The moonlight glinted off her soft, white fur as she raced through the trees just ahead of me. Rankor could have easily overtaken her, but I urged him to let her lead so that I could watch her. I wanted to remember every single detail about the she-wolf who would no doubt send me away in the morning.

In fairness, I was the one giving her an ultimatum, but I had expected her decision. I couldn’t blame her. She had people she loved and who adored her in return.

We ran for several miles, deeper into the mountains until we came to a small pond. Ayisha slowed and sidled up next to me as we trotted to the water. We were both panting and when we reached the edge and lowered our heads to drink. The stillness of the forest, away from the busier suburbs of the pack, soothed me.

When we finished, Ayisha turned and nuzzled Rankor’s chin lovingly. In turn, he rubbed under her neck and licked her cheek. He was rarely such an affectionate wolf, but with our mate, he would have rolled over for belly rubs.

Ayisha looked at him with a challenge in her eye before snapping at Rankor’s front paw and pulling it out from under him. Caught off guard, he tumbled to the ground with a thud as she charged off into the woods with a triumphant howl. Rankor stood and shook as I laughed internally at my mate’s antics.

Sugar and spice, that one.

He gave her a bit of a head start before signaling with a warning bark and taking off after her.

I realized quickly that Ayisha had been holding back on the run here. By the time we started following her trail, I could no longer hear her feet against the soft ground. I knew she was a formidable wolf, but she was still a she-wolf and I, the king. Surely, I would catch her easily.

However, it became quite clear that I was in her domain. I found myself confused, following her scent only to realize I was following an old trail. Even paying close attention, I struggled to find her current heading.

Someone else had been practicing masking their scent.

Immediately, Rankor was on guard. Maybe it was I who was the hunted.

I listened closely for any indication of her close by, but the forest at night was filled with creatures also on the prowl. Picking out a single wolf purposefully hiding and distinctly powerful was easier said than done.

Rankor trotted along, trying to appear casual. A twig snapped to our right and the faintest waft of her scent carried on the breeze.

Got her.

Rankor took a few more steps before a white blur came flying over a group of shrubs. She clearly thought she had caught us unaware because she made no attempt to block a counter attack. Rankor turned and used her momentum to flip her on her back, landing on top of the mighty alpha.

She yelped in surprise, her eyes wide. Rankor stood over her, teeth bared and snarling. Ayisha continued to struggle, but found no give in his hold. After a moment, she narrowed her eyes before reluctantly submitting.

Rankor stood back and gave an ear-shattering howl. Ayisha stood and rolled her wolfy eyes before she casually trotted towards her home. I followed her, smiling internally at her obvious frustration.

We shifted on the back deck, and I once again took in the beauty of her naked form. She didn’t seem to notice as she punched the code into the lock on the backdoor.

“Thanks for the run,” she said, giving me a small smile.

“Anytime I can get the better of you, little wolf,” I said, giving her a smirk.

“Hmph,” she snorted. “Ayisha’s never had to submit to anyone. Her pride is a little wounded.”

“Interesting,” I said. “I forget that you came into the werewolf world as an alpha.”

She nodded and wrapped herself in a blanket from the couch, then tossed me another that I slung around my waist. I caught her eyes wandering over my exposed chest and smirked.

“Like what you see?” I asked her.

“Who wouldn’t?” She scoffed.

I loved that about her. There wasn’t any game. She said what thought and rose to any challenge unafraid. It was also what scared me. She wouldn’t back down in the face of danger.

“I’m going to go shower,” she said, pulling me from my thoughts. “I feel yucky after the long day.”

“Alright.”

I frowned as she turned away. A part of me didn’t want her to leave my sight. The minutes and hours were already passing by faster than I could stand. I would give anything to make the night last forever.

Just as I heard the water turn on upstairs, I got an idea.

Samantha

I felt so confused. While I really did need the shower because I hadn’t been able to take one with all the company at my home, what I really wanted was a moment to breathe.

After my talk with Luke, my mind started racing with thoughts of what if. I couldn’t believe I was even considering it. It probably made me the worst mother in the world, but Luke was right. If I didn’t mate Ivar and take the throne alongside him, I was going to miss out on my last chance at love.

When Rankor had pinned Ayisha in the forest, it brought back memories of the time that I had done the same to Emerick. It was part of what had been missing between us.

Emerick didn’t challenge me. He was kind and caring, even loyal to a fault, but at the end of the day he would back down every time. I needed a partner who could stand at my side as an equal, not behind me as a supporter. Ivar offered me that and probably more.

No other werewolf came close. They looked up to me as an alpha or down on the fact that I was a female. Even most of the other alphas had seen me as an opportunity before their king claimed me.

I turned off the shower and sighed. Facing the man downstairs was inevitable. When I stepped out, a faint smell of smoke wafted to my nose.

“Ivar?” I called. “Is something burning?”

“Yeah. I lit the fireplace.”

“Oh. Okay,” I said.

After quickly drying my hair, I dressed first in sweats and a sweatshirt and then second guessed my choice.

Is this really what I wanted to wear if this was our last night? I thought. Depends on how I want to play it.

I stood staring at the drawer of lingerie I had never opened. The one time my sister, Kate, visited, she insisted I was missing out on too many “werewolf hotties” pining over the absent king. For the following few months, she had sent a new scandalous piece until my mom informed her she wasn’t helping.

Now, I hesitantly pulled it open and stared at the various combinations of lace and leather my very forward sibling had purchased. While I wasn’t prude, we definitely had very different styles and Kate had always been much more confident in herself.

I picked a red satin and lace teddy that felt more like me than some of the other options. Still, my nipples were on full display and the thong bottom left little to the imagination. Staring at myself in the mirror, I had to admit I looked sexy, despite the nerves settling as butterflies in my stomach.

“Sam?” Ivar's voice carried upstairs. “Everything okay?”

“Uh, yeah.” I called back. “Coming.”

I took a deep breath, squared my shoulders, and turned to go face my mate.

He walked out of the kitchen holding a wine bottle and two glasses as I started coming down the steps. He had put on jeans and nothing else, leaving his muscled torso and bare feet exposed. The distinct V of his abs drew my eyes lower. I felt my desire pooling between my thighs while I scanned over his more than impressive frame.

He looked up just as I reached the last few stairs and his eyes noticeably widened. His long legs carried him quickly until he stood before me, looking down from his towering height.

“You’ll be the death of me,” he growled.

“There’s probably worse ways to go,” I pointed out.

“Hmm,” he murmured as he leaned in to take my mouth in his.

Our kiss was slow and passionate, nothing like the last time we made love. Each of us was savoring this moment. Both knowing, it might be one of our last.

Ivar leaned down and scooped me up, still holding the wine. I reached up to kiss his lips before continuing down his jaw and to his ear. His chest rumbled at the contact as he walked to the fireplace in the family room.

I paused to take in the scene before us. Apparently, Ivar had taken the time to set up a comfy bed of blankets and pillows in front of the crackling fire along with a charcuterie board of grapes and cheese. He set me down in the middle before pulling the cork on the wine bottle and pouring us each a glass.

“I thought you said you weren’t a romantic.”

He sat down next to me with his legs out in front of him handing me one of the glasses.

“Little wolf, I’ll be anything you want me to be,” he replied without a hint of sarcasm.

I grinned and clinked my glass against his. “Cheers to that, Your Highness.”

We each took a sip, not taking our eyes off one another. The fire danced across his angular features, giving him an increased appearance of danger. As he scanned over me, I saw the bulge in his jeans tighten. I set my drink aside before climbing onto his lap and straddling him.

I looked into his icy blue eyes and felt none of the coldness from him that I had just days prior. Instead, I saw only his hungry affection. I smoothed my hands over his rounded shoulders while my hair cascaded around us.

His hands roamed over my entire body and I shivered at the tingles his touch sent through me. I kissed him slowly, intertwining my tongue with his. In turn, I felt his hand reach between us to squeeze one of my breasts. I moaned at the contact and he gently bit my bottom lip. He tweaked my nipple through the sheer fabric and I ground against the cock I could feel pressing from inside his jeans.

In a flash, I found myself on my back as he knelt between my legs. When he leaned down and his mouth found my center, I whimpered. He hummed his satisfaction, causing me to grip the blanket beneath me.

He pulled the fabric of the lingerie to the side. Then, his tongue was flicking over my clit and I wrapped my legs around him. He held a steady rhythm before inserting a finger to my hot center. I moaned again and he increased his tempo while I tangled my fingers in his hair.

I came apart completely, seeing white behind my eyes. My back arched in the shear pleasure coursing through my body. I shouted his name, but he didn’t let up until the tiny earthquakes at my center had ceased. He crawled to tower over me and his knee landed between my legs.

“Good girl,” he whispered against my ear before trailing kisses down my collar bone.

When he reached my nipple he frowned at the fabric in his way before easily tearing and discarding the now tattered lingerie.

“Hey, that was new,” I chastised him.

“I’ll get you a new one,” he said, his hot breath tickling my breast. “I’ll buy you a hundred if you promise to wear nothing else.”

“Might get weird in public,” I bit back.

He narrowed his eyes at me in warning before taking my taut peak in his mouth and bringing his fingers to circle against my clit. I reached up to his waistband to undo the button and zipper on his pants. His cock sprang free and I noted he wasn’t wearing underwear. The thought ignited more heat in my core.

My hand barely fit around his girth as I stroked him. He growled with pleasure in return. After I felt him harden to stone I pushed against his chest and he willingly sat back as I once again straddled him, this time grabbing his member to guide it to my entrance. I kept his gaze as I slowly worked him inside me, feeling myself stretch against his size.

He held back as I rode him, gripping my ass tighter as I moved faster. I felt his control break as I reached up and cupped my own breast, pinching each nipple and moaning as I ground against him.

In a second, he flipped me over and hammered into me at an unrelenting pace. I gripped his biceps just to hold on as he adjusted his angle to hit my most sensitive point on every stroke.

“Ivar!” I shouted as I broke apart around him.

He stiffened and held me against him as he followed me over the edge. I felt his cum fill me and the sensation brought moisture to my eyes.

“I love you,” I whispered.

“I love you, too, little wolf,” he replied without hesitation.

Tears fell freely then. Although, I kept them silent. I wrapped my arms around the king who was undoubtedly my mate. He held me just as close, running his fingers through my hair.

I wasn’t sure how long we stayed that way before Ivar rolled onto his back, separating us. I curled around him, laying my head on his chest, and he wrapped an arm behind me.

“Luke said I should go be your queen,” I broke the silence.

“Mmm,” he murmured.

“I feel like a terrible mother for considering it,” I confided.

“The fact that you raised that boy to be the young man he is should prove to you that you’re not,” he argued. “Whether you mate me or not, he’s going to make a great alpha someday.”

I leaned up on an elbow to look at his face. I found his expression peaceful and his eyes closed.

“It feels selfish, regardless,” I pointed out.

“Maybe it is,” he agreed. “But I don’t think you’re forcing him to do something he doesn’t want to do. He was born for it.”

“He said something similar,” I murmured.

He gave a small nod before opening his eyes.

“Whatever you choose to do,” he said, “I’ll love you for the rest of my life. Thank you for tonight and every moment you’ve given me.”

I gave him a small smile before laying down once again. I let the familiar sound of his heartbeat lull me to sleep as my own matched it. At some point, I felt him pull a blanket over the two of us before he wrapped himself around me.

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