25. No Better Mate And Match

I expected some whining from Jade about how I kept the fact that we were mates from her, but nothing could have prepared me for her doubt and insecurities. It was glaringly obvious that I failed to show her just how much she mattered to me.

And then, despite her heat, she forbade me from marking her, and I could only respect her decision even if it hurt me and bruised my ego.

I truly did fail her as a mate, I reasoned.

That being said, I would happily spend my life making amends to her, if it meant she would choose me.

After worshipping her body like the goddess she was, leaving no inch of her untouched or unexplored, claiming her whole, I felt like a changed man. And as she slept, looking beautifully spent from our lovemaking, and I contemplated my next move, while drawing patterns on the soft skin of her back, I knew I had my work cut out for me.

She was my mate and luna, and I would happily lay my life for her.

Two hours of rest later, she woke up, feverish and in need again. I was