CHAPTER 7: YOU ARE MINE AND I AM YOURS

MAKENA

My heart beat so hard it felt like it was going to burst out of my chest as I slowly turned, expecting to see him, but there was no one.

“I know you’re here!” I yelled, grabbing the T-shirt from the floor and quickly pulling it on since I was still naked from the shift, the familiar warmth rising from my chest as soon as the fabric touched it.

“Who are you? What are you?” I asked, taking slow, cautious steps toward the entrance.

I could feel him on the other side, and his dark, heavy energy made my legs weak. But I knew he would not harm me, even as my body reacted to his aura; after all, I was alive because of him. I could also clearly tell he wasn't a wolf, or Snow would have felt her counterpart. There was also an absence of a heartbeat.

A tense silence ensued, interrupted only by the pounding of my heart in my ears. I opened my mouth to speak again, but before I could finish, he appeared in front of me.

I gasped at his speed and stood frozen, fighting the urge to back away as our eyes locked. His turned completely crimson before clearing back into the most beautiful blue I'd ever seen.

“My name's Makena... Makena Blackwell. What’s your name?” My voice trembled at the end, emotion rising in my chest as I took in his rugged appearance.

What had he been through? He looked like someone who had suffered. “Can you speak?” I asked again, noting how he just stared at me in silence. “Why are you staying here?” I pressed gently, reaching out to touch him, but he caught my hand in midair, eliciting another gasp as sparks shot up my arm from the point of contact before he let go quickly, as if I had burned him.

"Who are you?" he finally asked, even though I had just told him my name. A silent breath left my lips, and my toes curled at the sound of his voice.

"I'm Makena... Blackwell." The words came out softer than I had intended, as goosebumps spread across my skin.

“Who are you to me, Makena? Why do I feel this way around you?”

“You-you don’t know?”

“I feel like I do... but at the same time, I don’t. I feel like..." he said, drawing closer to me. His hand rose to my face, and he cupped my cheek with such warmth that I shuddered as Snow began to lose control inside me.

Every nerve was tingling, and my voice came out in a trembling whisper, even more overwhelmed with emotion as his words, that I would always be safe as long as he existed, echoed with the same intensity he had spoken them that night.

"No one will hurt you again. Not while I breathe, not while I exist." My hands rose to rest on top of his, and I could feel him trembling. “Why did you say that if you weren’t sure what we are to each other?” A tear I didn’t feel escaped until he caught, rolled down my cheek as I asked, and his lips moved but stopped again before the words finally came out.

“Because I was sure.”

“Sure of what?”

"Sure, you are mine," he said, and I shuddered, letting another tear fall as I whispered. “I am yours... and you are mine.”

It was as if a thousand years' worth of shackles had been ripped from my soul as the words spilled out of my mouth, and my mate's eyes welled up with tears as he leaned in and kissed my lips, severing the very fiber of my being. Rising to my toes, I pressed myself against him, our lips colliding with a force that silenced all questions.

Heat pulsed through me, igniting every nerve as I dissolved against him, surrendering completely. He drew me in, his hands firm around my waist, lifting me as if I weighed nothing. We crumbled to the ground, and he withdrew from the kiss, his eyes meeting mine as he gently caressed my cheek.

"You are so beautiful." His lips brushed against mine again, this time gently, igniting a sweet spark between my legs, and before I knew it, my hands were drawn to his hair. I pressed my lips against his again, unable to get enough of his sweet taste. His tongue wrapped around mine once more, his hands exploring every curve of my body.

My head sank into the sand-cushioned floor as he moved from my lips to my jawline, but my eyes popped open when he whispered into my ear. "I want you so bad." His voice was hoarse, and I clenched down below as I breathlessly responded.

"Then take me."

I wanted him to extinguish the fire that burned inside me, and he pressed his lips against mine again. I don't know how long we went on, but I was breathless when we pulled back. His eyes peered into my soul as I broke the kiss, my hands scrambling for the hem of his shirt that I was wearing. He met me halfway as I leaned up, reconnecting our lips again while his hands took over, helping me pull the shirt over my head.

The fabric scattered to the floor along with his chinos, which were the only thing he had on. Our hands moved in haste as sparks exploded with each touch and caress, sending our hearts into a frenzy.

My breathing was labored, and I arched my back as he moved from my lips to my neck and chest. His lips wrapped around my nipple, and his right hand slid between my thighs, eliciting another breathy moan as I lost all sense of reality. His fingers teasingly rubbed my clit ever so slowly, causing my vision to blur in ecstasy.

I ached to feel him inside me. I wanted him to claim me as his because I was his. And his lips left mine again, heading south. My fingers sank into the sand as he parted my legs. And I shuddered as his lips brushed against my inner thighs. I lost myself in the sensation of his tongue on my clit as he ate me out, my hips moving in their own silent rhythm.

He licked me up and down in circles and sucked before rubbing and rolling my clit between his fingers, making me crumble at his mercy. “Oh!” I shrieked, burying my claws in his shoulders, and it was not long before I exploded, fireworks going off in my head.

He leaned in and pressed his lips against mine as he positioned himself before slowly entering me. I jerked just as he paused halfway, my hands instinctively gripping his hips at the sharp sensation.

"It's my first time," I confessed, and he kissed me tenderly before returning my gaze. “I’ll be gentle,” he whispered, pressing another kiss to my forehead, and just like that, like my body wanted him to say that, the sharp pain started to fade.

My hands shifted from his hips to his back, and he took that as his cue to move. I gripped his shoulders, crying out once more, feeling every inch of him as he stretched my walls. He was thick and hard.

“I love you,” he said, and my heart raced as I told him I did too. I didn’t know him, but in that moment, I couldn't deny what I felt: love, a love that felt like it had always been there, just waiting to be unlocked, which I suppose it was.

He moved slowly at first, but his deep, slow thrusts became wilder when I met him halfway, our moans and groans echoing off the stone walls as we lost ourselves in each other’s arms.

My fingers tangled in his hair, bringing him closer as our bodies moved in perfect sync. It was as if the entire world had vanished, leaving only the two of us in this state of raw, unfiltered emotion.

Eventually, my body shook as I prepared to explode again, but this time he pulled out, causing me to cry out in protest, a cry that instantly turned into a moan as his mouth devoured my pussy again. My breath came out in short spurts as he sucked and licked me out of my mind.

My thighs shook, and I began hyperventilating as he held me in place and devoured me like a ravenous beast.

"Fuck! You're so sweet," he groaned, slowly inserting two fingers inside my slick walls again, causing my body to tremble once more. My toes curled as another orgasm ripped through me, and he came up and pressed his lips against mine again, sliding his throbbing cock inside me once more.

My arms wrapped around his waist, pulling him closer, before letting him go and raking my claws up and down his back, not knowing what to do with myself. He picked up the pace, ramming into me hard and fast and soon, I felt that spark about to explode again.

I gripped his shoulders with one hand while the other slid just below his waist, holding him in place as he hit a spot inside me I never knew existed.

Our hearts fell into a perfect rhythm, the world narrowing down to his voice, which called out my name, his touch, our souls entwined. In that moment, we became one, bound by a bond neither of us had imagined we would ever find again.

I writhed beneath him, and he wrapped his arms around my waist, holding me in place until he pushed me over the edge again and followed suit.

We broke apart, our foreheads resting against each other, and his eyes searched mine, full of love, longing, and something that spoke directly to my soul.

"That was... incredible. You were amazing," he whispered, his voice heavy with emotion, and mine trembled with shyness, my cheeks flushing as I told him he was amazing too, catching my breath.

His hand cupped my cheek as he gently reminded me that he loved me, and we kissed again, this time slower, savoring the connection as my heart swelled with a love so fierce it felt like it might burst.

Flipping us around, he lay me on his chest, and a contented smile spread across my face as I rested my head against where his heartbeat would be. But the smile was short-lived, as a loud groan ripped through his throat.

Scrambling upright, my eyes widened as his hands flew to his face, clutching his head while writhing in pain.

“What’s happening?” My heart raced as I scrambled to my knees, cupping his face, and just then, blood trickled out of his nose. Before I could even react to it, the groaning stopped, and he went limp in my arms.