CHAPTER TEN

Bastion's POV

"Hurry the hell up, man." I complained over mind link, tapping the leather dashboard of my midnight black Tacoma. Seconds later I saw my childhood best friend, Brett Lawson, bounding down the pathway of his family home, clumsily pulling his t-shirt over his head. "You literally have the worst concept of time. We're going to be late." My complaints seemed to strike a familiar chord and he glared at me as he lifted himself into the truck.

"I know, I'm sorry, okay? I had a late night studying for exams. I fell asleep this morning."

"Yea, well you're lucky I woke your sorry ass up. I could've just used your poor planning as an excuse to miss myself."

"And break your pops heart? Come on, Bas, that wouldn't go over well." I growled at his retort. I knew he was right. My dad had been freaking out about me attending this year's Eclipse since the previous Christmas. I thought he might just be anxious to get me going steady, but last night he decided to drop some more of his crazy prophecy bullshit on me too. Something about a King and the hybrid, I wasn't sure. I zoned out after he mentioned the name Aria.

Shit, with the way he talked about the girl, I was convinced he liked her more than me. I agreed to go on the basis that he would drop all the crazy, and he surprisingly complied. Now, I was stuck attending an event that I had dreaded every year since I turned eighteen. Five years and not a whiff of my mate. I was not looking forward to a sixth. It took about fifteen minutes to arrive at the large event center. The ceremony hadn't changed for the last six hundred years, something they bragged about with a large banner on the front.

Each year, all of the unmated she-wolves that had come of age would be placed in a private room connected to a large corridor. I guess the privacy was important because each wolf set had varying levels of attraction upon meeting their mate, and they didn't want people fucking out in the open for their families and loved ones to see just because their bond overwhelmed them. I heard some women say that the rooms were beautifully decorated, and filled to the brim with delicious treats of all kinds. Pretty sure this was to soften the women from complaining that this was basically one big meat market, but I didn't have the heart to tell them.

Once a stupid speech was made about the power of the mate bond, the unmated men would be allowed to walk the corridor, waiting to be possessed by love or some shit. Possessed was the most accurate word to describe it. I had seen men in the past straight up transform on their way to their mates. It freaked me the hell out. It was like they had no control anymore, and that was not something I liked to consider. That a woman could bring a strong warrior to his knees was a major flaw in the mating system, which was partly why I didn't bother placing all my eggs in that basket. I had earned myself a bit of a reputation in the pack for being fuck buddies with various she-wolves, but it wasn't because I was insatiable like people thought. I just preferred to find love my own way. After witnessing my parents sorry excuse for a marriage, I didn't trust the Moon Goddess to pick my spouse, but after all these years, I didn't really trust myself to pick one either. Every girl I had been with had been high maintenance and half were only with me to feel rebellious or some shit. Regardless, they always found their way to their real mates in the end, leaving me alone once again.

My friend nervously ran his fingers through his jet black hair, trying to style it to look like he didn't just roll out of bed. This guy's mate actually mattered, since they would become future Luna of our pack. That's right, Brett was Alpha Lawson's eldest son and future boss of the big shebang. He deserved it. The guy was crazy smart, studying both Business and Civil Engineering in college. He wasn't as strong as me, but what else were the warriors there for if not to make up for our Alpha's shortcomings?

"Still hoping to be mated to Rose?" I asked, cocking my brow while keeping my eyes on the broken pavement.

"Of course. She's smart, caring, strong... she would make a great Luna. Fuck, she would make a better Alpha than me." He joked. He had had a crush on Rose Pennington since the fifth grade and nearly died of excitement when he found out that earlier this month she turned twenty-one. I was happy for him, and if they didn't end up mates I really would lose faith in the Moon Goddess' ability to pick partners. The two would be perfect together. I shut off the engine, stepping out of the cab while twirling my keys on my finger and whistling along to ACDC's Back In Black playing in my head. We missed the speech, but I didn't care. It was the same every year.

"Hey man. Just letting you know, if you start acting crazy, I'll trip you on your way to Rose's suite." I laughed when he gave me a playful shove, stopping abruptly and jerking my head towards the hall when I felt Dorian squirming inside of me.

"She's here." He whined, eager to be let free.

Shit.

Suddenly, it felt like all of my senses were numbed to the outside world, the people around me being drowned out by the all-consuming cries of my wolf in the recesses of my mind and the sweet smell of peaches.

Mate.

Aria's POV

"He's here!" Sella cried.

The glass of apple juice I was carrying dropped from my frozen grip, shattering onto the darkened hardwood beneath me.

"Who's here?" I asked hesitantly, trying to mask the dread that filled me from head to toe.

"Mate!" she cried.

I only had a brief moment to panic before my body became frantic and obsessive. The spacious room felt five times too small as Sella and I stalked the door with anticipation, our noses filled with the tantalizing scent of spearmint and Hugo cologne.

Mate. My mate.

Within seconds, the door to our suite burst open, and I was amazed to see a massive black wolf stalking through the frame towards me. The wolf closed the door behind him with a flick of his tail, and Sella rolled over in my head, showing her belly.

"Dorian," she whimpered.

Dorian must be the wolf.

Who's my mate?

On cue, the large wolf transformed in one fluid motion, stepping towards me until I faced the naked body of the most attractive wolf man I had ever seen.

"Aria," his husky voice spoke.

Holy shit.

"Bastion." I raked my hungry eyes down his chiseled features. His tan skin and masculine body had my wolf panting, and his well-endowed manhood had me panting. Before I even finished observing, he let out a deep growl from his throat, grabbing onto my face and crashing his lips onto mine.

I instinctively jumped into his strong arms, wrapping my legs around his muscular torso as he carried me with ease to the back wall. His eyes were deep black, and I could feel that mine were too by the way my wolf growled back at him in response. He didn't bother stopping and instead pushed me against the wallpaper with delightful force. It was as if his wolf was fighting me into submission, his hands tangling in my hair and gripping my ass simultaneously with no regard for gentleness or romance.

He pushed me away from him abruptly, turning me around and covering my back with his towering form. I could feel myself pooling from his show of dominance, and all I could focus on was mating with Bastion right then and there. I spread my legs for him, and he gripped my wrists like a vice, pulling my arms behind my back so that only my face and chest were touching the cool interior wall.

"Fucking hell, Aria," he growled as he brought my dress up to the small of my back. He gave my ass a quick smack then massaged it, shamelessly guiding his fingers towards and into my opening once he had had enough. I moaned at the confidence of his touch, feeling my knees weaken when the rush of our bond flowed through his hands.

"Please fuck me, Bastion!" I cried. I would've blushed at my phrasing if I hadn't been so utterly possessed by the untamed passion my wolf nature showered me in.

Mate. I need to mate.

"Fuck yes, baby."

With one pull of my cotton underwear, he buried himself inside of me. I cried out at the sudden fullness but had no time to adjust as he immediately began pounding into me vigorously. My knees gave out completely, but he held me up, his free hand now wrapped around my body and squeezing my breast with no reserve. His grunts clouded my senses, and I longed to hear them again and again as he dominated me.

I felt myself start to climb, but as soon as I began to squeeze down on his cock, he pulled out of me.

"Not yet, baby," he demanded, dragging me onto the rug beneath our feet. His heavy frame was covering me in no time, his arms wrapped around my body as he entered me again, being held still as he picked up the pace and strength of his movements.

"Shit! Bastion... Bastion—fuck!" My hands snaked their way from his broad shoulders into his rich brown hair, tugging at it firmly in sexual aggression. He groaned loudly in response, sliding a hand down to cup my ass.

"Yes, Aria. Cry my name." His voice was rough and laced with lust, and I couldn't help but squirm at the sound of it combined with the naughty words he said. The knot formed once again in my belly, and I didn't think I would be able to handle it if he asked me to wait again.

"Bastion, I need to come," I whimpered against his shoulder.

"Yes, baby, come! Come with me now," he demanded, his voice taking on a frightening authority.

My body responded immediately, obediently pushing me over the edge into an all-consuming orgasm. I couldn't think, couldn't breathe, couldn't do a damn thing except clutch onto my mate with every ounce of strength in my body. I could feel my walls clamp down on his cock, forcefully massaging him into his own orgasm in which he latched onto me just as hard, burying his face into my neck and growling out mumbled renditions of my name.

We stayed embracing each other on the floor as our breathing regulated, and I was amazed at the level of comfort I felt in the arms of a man I was pretty sure didn't even like me before. With one final deep breath, Bastion untangled himself from me, meeting my eyes with his now warm hazel ones. They were a lot like his father's, but they held an edge that James' lacked. It was dangerous but enticing, and it really got Sella going.

"So... my dad was right." Bastion smirked, revealing the most breathtaking dimples I had ever seen. I could feel my eyes heating up at the sight, causing Bastion's to widen in wonder.

"Holy shit, you really are a vampire," he mumbled, still not moving himself from on top of me.

"Oof, I'm so sorry." I blinked rapidly, trying to make my eyes return to normal.

"Hey..." Bastion's unexpectedly soft tone drew me from my bout of insecurity, and he placed his large hand against my cheek. "Don't apologize for who you are, baby. I love you as is."

My eyes filled at his words. For a wolf to say such an accepting thing was rare—no, nigh unheard of—and the emotions that were born of hearing my mate say them made my tears inevitable. He panicked at my outpouring of emotion, pulling us both up to sit.

"What's wrong? Did I hurt you?"

"No, it's not like that, Bastion. I'm just overwhelmed."

His thumbs swiped at my tears, and he eyed me with concern. "Baby, I understand. I'm overwhelmed, too. I honestly didn't expect this." He gave me a soft smile, tucking a wild piece of hair behind my ear as I tried to hold in my sobs. "It's just that so much has happened in the past couple days with Rory and my dream and—"

Oh my goddess. Rory.

He was coming to pick me up directly following the ceremony. My mom was going to drive me to the border at three so he could take me for the weekend. I jumped to my feet, dashing to my phone to check the time.

2:56.

"Shit!" I shouted, tripping over my feet to gather my things.

"Wait a second, Aria. What's the rush?" Bastion pulled on a pair of shorts that had been provided by the pack for such an occasion. The way they hung from his hips made my mouth water, but I had to focus on my task.

"I'm really sorry. I have to go. My mom has been waiting on me for half an hour already. I lost track of time, and I have to meet someone at three."

His disappointment resonated as a pain in my chest, and I wanted to do something to reassure my mate of our love. I wanted to see those gorgeous dimples again. I walked to him slowly, holding his gaze with mine until I saw his face relax. Then I stood on my tiptoes to give him a tender and loving kiss on the lips. He seemed to melt into it, his eyes fluttering closed as he took me in.

"When will I see you again?" he whispered longingly against my lips, his arms wrapped tightly around my waist.

"Soon" was my only response before I gave him one last peck and pulled away, letting the door fall closed behind me.