Chapter 15: My Mate

Samantha's POV

King Maddox had just arrived at Emberclaw Castle. My heart was pounding, I paced back and forth with my own clothes, not waiting for him to come looking for me.

I wanted to look him in the eyes and ask him about Odette. I wanted to ask him why he had hidden something like that from me, I wanted to ask if he truly loved me.

I was so apprehensive that I could barely organize my thoughts. And to my surprise, when the door opened, there he was. Standing tall and powerful, his body muscular, his face hairy, his eyes yellowish, canines exposed.

He held the undergarment containing my scent that I had given him for the trip, his large, twisted fingers gripping the small garment tightly as if he were holding himself back. He wasn't breathing, he was grunting; it was his normal self trying to fight the beast inside him that seemed ready to explode at any moment.

“My king…,” I stammered, my heart pounding harder than before. My mouth was dry as if I were thirsty; you weren’t thirsty for water, I was thirsty for him… I felt the pain of my own body boiling from the inside out just looking at him, and he looked at me with the same thirst. It was amazing speaking through us.

He crossed the space between us and enveloped me in a tight embrace, his mouth engulfing mine in a desperate kiss. The kiss even hurt, but it was a pain I realized I loved.

I pulled at his shoulders, trembling for more contact, while he caressed my back, my whole body, his grunts and growlings escaping with desperation. “I need you, Goddess, how I need you…”

I shuddered at the words. “Take me all. Make me yours, Maddox…” I gasped. I was very aware that in his current state it was dangerous for him to possess me. I had heard many accounts of how several of his soothers had died, mating with him when he was in this altered state.

And from what Odette had told me, even she, his first mate, had been in a coma for years. I knew I probably wouldn't survive if I let him continue, but it was as if my reason ceased to exist at that moment; only the fire of passion and the soul connection between us consumed all my thoughts.

“I want to be yours…” I found myself crying with love; nothing and no one could stop me now.

Maddox grunted as he grabbed my waist, pulling me with him and violently throwing all the objects onto a nearby dresser. The jars and artifacts hit the polished floor with screeching sounds. Maddox pushed me against the dresser; there wasn't even time for him to take off his clothes.

Standing behind me, his mouth kissed my shoulders and neck, his saliva too hot, burning my skin. He wasted no time, pulling up the skirt of my dress, my soft, warm skin in contact with his strong, hairy hands.

When he penetrated me, I groaned loudly; his member was thicker than ever before, larger and thicker than ever before. I melted in his arms, accepting my fate.

Then he fucked me, without pity or mercy, completely out of his mind, losing himself between the man and the beast. I didn't know who I was making love to now, whether it was Maddox or the monster that had subjugated him for years, but at that moment I realized that both coexisted.

My hips were pushed toward the dresser countless times, my hands gripping the flat surface, my fingers gripping the edges of the furniture tightly because that was the only way I could stay upright.

Maddox's superhuman hand, hairy with long, twisted fingers and claws, held my chin, lifting my face, while his other hand held my waist.

His thick, hairy thighs slammed against my soft, small ones, the erotic sound echoing throughout the room. I felt him hitting places inside me I never thought could be hit before, his size concealing everything within me.

"Oh, Maddox… Oh, Goddess!" I moaned, the pain mixing with so much pleasure that the world blurred before my eyes. I was completely groggy, as if drugs were coursing through my veins.

"You are mine, only mine." His voice was a grotesque mix of man and monster, his thrusts growing stronger and deeper.

And when I thought I was going to die, he and I reached orgasm with explosions of feelings and sensations. Maddox was tense behind me, his large body covering me, but he was slowly beginning to calm down; I could feel his breathing becoming more even.

Then he carried me like a bride and walked me down until he laid me down, spooning me. “Sorry? I didn’t mean to hurt you,” he said, caressing my hand, his voice now normalizing. The monster inside him was being tamed.

“I’m okay…” I kissed his forehead tenderly. His canines were beginning to recede, the hair on his face too, just as the gold in his eyes was starting to soften. “You were suffering.”

“Never let me be away from you again…” his voice trembled. He had really stayed longer than he should have on that trip; without me around, things hadn't been easy. You could see how hard he'd struggled to maintain his sanity until he managed to reach me.

“I won’t allow it, never again,” I said, hugging him. “You’re with me now, safe.”

He gasped, pulling me closer, hugging my waist, and then I felt his body soften, his breathing becoming heavier as sleep overtook him. It was clear he hadn't slept in days.

I stayed there, stroking his hair, caressing his arms and shoulders as I tended to him. I hadn't forgotten about Odette, but that could wait for another day; now simply wasn't the right time.

Now it was time to take care of my mate.