He attempted to do just that and tone down his instincts as he thrust deep inside her. His pace quickened and she arched against him from below as the pressure grew higher.
“Damon.”
“What is it?” He attempted to pull back, but she held him close.
“You can do it. Bite me.”
His eyes widened as he searched hers. “Do you mean that?”
“I do. I don’t want you to hold anything back around me.”
He exhaled. “You understand what it means—that I’m claiming you with this bite?”
“I do.” She took a slow breath and released it. “Because I love you, Damon.” She then turned her head to the side on the pillow and bared her neck for him.
She loved him? The instinct that he’d been struggling against so desperately rose like lighter fluid dousing a bonfire. As he thrust into her again, he leaned forward, and his fangs pierced the gentle flesh where her neck and shoulder met.
She moaned with a gasping sound and held on to him.
Her blood rushed over his tongue, mingling with the addictive taste of her honey. Sweet nirvana rushed through him. All the mysteries of the universe remained but one thing was so certain—their bond was sealed.
His thrusts grew wilder and more frantic, and the pressure coiled with him like a funneling storm cloud.
She grasped onto him from below, limbs taut and skin scalding. “Oh—oh my—I’m—I’m—” Her words ended with a scream.
She shuddered with a climax that pulsed so tightly around his shaft, it shot him right over the edge, too. Desire rushed through him, alighting every sense, and he exploded deep inside her.
His wolf settled, content for the first time. Finally.
Damon retracted his fangs and then gently licked the spot as his saliva would seal the bite mark. He rested his weight gently on her, satiated with a euphoria like he’d never felt before—and feeling something foreign—contentment.
He pulled his head up. “Are you all right, Sophie?”
She smiled. “I’m eight thousand degrees, but just had the most epic orgasm of my life, so I’d say yes.”
He kissed her. “Me, too.”
After he rolled on his side, he ran his fingers in figure eights over her hip. The coming days would be tense dealing with the repercussions of killing a Sacco wolf, but his future was still infinitely better with his mate at his side. He’d suffer torture at their hands for the exquisite happiness that flowed through him now.
With Sophie at his side, Damon could face anything. Even if it meant sacrificing himself to save her and the pack.
“Earlier, you said I’d saved you, Sophie, but you’ve done the same for me.”
She propped herself on her elbow and gave him a curious look.
He kissed her bare shoulder. “In more ways than you’ll ever know, you’ve saved me.”
Epilogue
Grayson
Grayson hung up the phone and exhaled. Some days his role as pack beta and CFO of Franconia Resort were easier than others. This situation with the Sacco pack made it one of the hardest negotiations yet.
Although he didn’t fault Damon for killing the Sacco wolf, Grayson had the unlucky job of dealing with the mess. As happy that he was that Damon had found his mate, the cost for the pack was high.
As the most rational one, Grayson kept things running smoothly at the resort and within the pack. Yet, it was growing more difficult to keep the restless wolves restrained. They prowled the mountain, ready to respond to the slightest provocation from the Sacco wolves.
Discussions were failing. Each side accused the other of spying. The Saccos were convinced the Franconia pack was trying to encroach into their territory and expand the Franconia Ski Resort.
“We need an outside mediator,” Grayson told his alpha, Rafe.
Although he knew the basics of law to run operations at the mountain, that mattered zilch when it came to navigating territorial claims when it involved rival packs.
“Whatever you think will keep this situation from escalating,” Rafe said. “We are not going for their eye-for-an-eye demand and giving them Damon as a bloody sacrifice.”
Grayson agreed. Damon wasn’t just pack to him, he was family. He’d been so lost when his parents abandoned him that Grayson had taken on a caretaker role. He’d do anything to protect him.
Grayson called a supernatural network in Salem, MA, and asked if they could suggest someone to help.
“Yes, we have a witch skilled in negotiations we can send up. She has helped other supernaturals deal with territorial disputes.”
A witch. His muscles tightened. Witches and wolves were far from allies and regarded each other with wariness, just like other supes. Not a trusting bunch.
Still, Grayson was desperate. “Please send her right away.”
The sooner she arrived, the better. Grayson needed an outsider’s help to douse the spark that ignited the battle before it flamed to full out war.
Even if it meant bringing a witch up to Franconia Mountain.
Author’s note: I hope you enjoyed the introduction to the White Mountain Shifters with Damon and Sophie. Grayson’s story is next in The Wolf and His Forbidden Witch!
This series is set in a fictional region in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. I love to visit there with my family to ski and hike, so created a resort inspired by the magic of the area.
This series is a spinoff from the Underground Encounters series, which is set at the Gothic club Vamps where Damon, Grayson, and Rafe entered at the opening of the book. Enter a world of steamy paranormal romance where the statues are so much more than stone.
The series features different couples and doesn’t need to be read in order.
Shifters, vampires, witches, and demons—who will you meet at Vamps tonight?
Read the Underground Encounters series today!
Visit Vamps
Visit lisacarlislebooks.com to find playlists, Pinterest boards, and more from the series!
Be a VIP Reader!
Visit lisacarlislebooks.com for the latest releases, news, book trailers, and more!
Sign up for my newsletter. Subscribers receive a welcome gift and access to exclusive free content!
Acknowledgments
As always, I am tremendously grateful to everyone who helps make each
