“I guess that makes sense.” She wrapped her arms around my body and dropped her head against my chest. “Maybe it’ll help if I knew more about what usually happens with fated mates.”
“Sure, baby. Whatever you need.” I led her back over to the couch and got us comfortable again with her on my lap. “Shifters can recognize their mate at first sight or smell.”
She turned her head to sniff her shoulder. “Is that your subtle way of trying to tell me I smell?”
“Only like the best thing I’ve ever smelled.” I buried my nose in her neck and inhaled deeply, her delicious scent filling my lungs and giving my wolf the first sense of peace he’d had since she talked about going back to her campus. “It’s the biggest fucking turn-on for me.”
Larissa wiggled on my lap, gasping when my cock pressed against her ass. A pretty pink blush filled her cheeks. “Yeah, I kind of noticed.”
“Only kind of?” I growled, shifting my hips up.
“Definitely more than kind of,” she confirmed with a giggle. “Since that would be difficult to miss.”
I maneuvered her to the left when she started to wiggle again. When my cock nestled between her thighs, she went still, and her scent deepened and turned sweeter. “Fated mates feel a fierce desire for each other. The need is more intense when they first meet, but it never wavers over the years. I’ll always want you. That will never change.”
She tilted her head to the side and smiled shyly at me. “I like the sound of that.”
“I’m glad, baby.” I brushed my lips across her cheek. “Because there are other aspects of mating that are probably going to be more difficult for you to accept.”
Her eyes went wide again. “Like what?”
“A part of the process involves me marking you.” I brushed my fingers down her neck to her shoulder. “While we’re still connected after sex, I’ll bite you here, and it will solidify our connection, making you mine forever.”
“It won’t turn me into a shifter, right?” she asked.
“No, you’ll still be human,” I assured her, “but you’ll age slower and heal faster.”
Her eyes narrowed, but they gleamed with humor. “No super strength, huh?”
“Nope.” I grinned. “But you’ll have me around to kick ass if you ever need it.”
“That works for me.” She winked, and she was so fucking adorable, I almost spread her out on the couch so I could taste every inch of her body. But then she turned serious again. “Will it hurt?”
I shook my head. “I’ve been told it enhances the sexual experience, taking our pleasure to another level.”
“Wow,” she breathed, the scent of her desire filling the room again.
I lowered my head, intending to claim her sweet lips in our first kiss, and wanted to howl in frustration when there was a knock on my door. I wanted nothing more than to ignore the world outside of this room, but my responsibilities as alpha made that impossible. “Sorry, baby,” I whispered before stalking over to the door to flip the lock. I waited until I returned to Larissa before I called out, “Come in!”
The door opened, and two members of my pack walked in. Luke had been working his way up the ranks of the pack ever since he turned eighteen, but his sister was a different story. Her parents had given her pretty much anything she wanted, and she’d grown to expect everyone else to treat her the same. Neither my wolf nor I respected her much, but it wasn’t her presence that bothered me at the moment.
It was a damn good thing my wolf had rubbed up against Larissa and I’d held her on my lap while we talked. Having my scent all over my mate was the only thing stopping me from attacking the unattached male who was too damn close to her even though he’d quickly taken in the situation and remained by the door.
6
Larissa
Twisting on Kace’s lap, I glared at the two people who had interrupted what I had no doubt would’ve been my first kiss if they hadn’t knocked on the darn door. The guy flashed me a welcoming grin, but the girl returned my dirty look with a scowl of her own. A deep growl rumbled up Kace’s chest, and her gaze softened when she focused her attention on him. He stood, taking me with him and setting me on my feet. The quick change in position left me unsteady, and I gripped his arm to regain my balance. When my hand grazed his chest along the way, I realized he was still shirtless, and the girl’s reaction to him took on a whole new meaning. One that had an unexpected surge of jealousy racing through my system.
“Put your shirt on,” I muttered, earning me a chuckle from the guy and another glare from the girl.
Her gaze stayed on Kace as he bent over to grab his shirt off the floor. I stepped in front of him and earned myself another dirty look from her.
“Cut it out,” the guy grunted, elbowing her in the side.
“Shut up, Luke.” She widened her eyes, and she pasted an innocent expression on her face that I didn’t buy. Not even a little bit. “As usual, you don’t know what you’re talking about because I wasn’t doing anything.”
Kace moved to my side after tugging his shirt in place, his arm going around my back. “Don’t try to pull any shit, Heather. I didn’t put up with it before, and I’m not going to start now.”
“And he sure as fuck isn’t going to let you do anything to upset his mate,” Luke added.
“Mate!” Heather shrieked, her gaze raking me up and down before her lips curled up in a snarl. “Wow,
