Her eyes closed as he shifted, pushing in a little further. Reminding her that she was at his will.
"Whatever you say, Tristan."
He kissed her as he pulled out and then slowly thrust back in. She moaned.
"I thought you weren't meant for me."
Now though, he would prove she was made for only him. Over and over and over.
He slid out and then back in, setting a slow tempo. They had time now; he had forever to show her how much she meant to him.
* * *
"Tristan, I can't go in there."
He looked back at her, stopped dead at the driveway.
"Yes, you can. She isn't on the elders' council anymore. She can't do anything to you, or me."
Paige faltered.
“You're my mate. She can't do anything to hurt you without hurting me.”
Paige nibbled her lip. He couldn't help himself and pulled her in, kissing away the worry.
"My brother's in there with his mate. They get it. Don't worry."
Paige stepped forward, and Tristan held her hand tightly. Not that he was too worried she'd run. Or maybe he was.
They climbed the steps up to the rustic cabin-style home that his mother kept in perfect order. Tristan's dad was more the beta to this family, always had been. Tired of fighting with their mom, he stayed out of the way. So, that meant Tristan wasn't getting any help on this announcement.
Reaching out for the door, he paused and wondered if maybe he should knock. For the first time in his life, Tristan wasn't sure about his mother.
"Now who's scared?" Paige asked. She squeezed his hand and came closer, gripping his bicep in a hug.
"Let's get this over with.” Paige's voice fortified his choice. He wouldn't live another day without her and now, he didn't have to regardless of what his mother said. Matriarch or not, he didn't care. He'd mated the woman he'd pined over for the last two years.
No, Tristan had mated the woman he should have mated in the first place. God, why was being miserable the key to him growing a backbone against his mother?
Pushing the heavy door open, they stepped in. Tristan could feel the caution rolling off of Paige as she slowly entered.
"Well, well, well. Look who returned."
Tristan's wolf growled. Mother or not, he had no issue defending his mate.
"Mother, why wouldn't I return?"
Hands on hips, she tried the same old intimidation tactic she'd pulled on everyone in the pack for years.
"I'm not talking about you. I'm talking about her."
Tristan stood between the two of them. "Yes, Mom. You remember Paige. My mate."
At that moment he'd really wished for a camera to remember the day his mother's stone exterior cracked. He didn't think it was because she grew a heart either.
"You did not!" she screamed.
"Tell me, Mother. Why does it matter? What has she ever done?"
A silence so thick he could practically taste the tension filled the hall.
"Her mother," was all his mother said.
Right. That wasn't an explanation.
"What about her mother?" he asked.
She shrugged.
"She mated the man I was supposed to be with. Nothing important, I suppose."
They watched as his mother walked away as if nothing had happened.
What the hell?
"Wait a fucking minute," he said.
"Tristan, don't you dare use that tone with me." His mother stopped.
Paige came up behind him, wrapping him in a hug.
"You stole the last two years of my life over your own broken heart?"
His mother's eyes narrowed.
"Like mother, like daughter. I wanted to protect you from her before she broke your heart. And, to be fair. I had heard from the council that her family was looking at having the pack matchmaker find her a proper mate."
Tristan ground his molars. "What the hell does that mean? Why am I not a proper mate? I can provide for her. I love her. There isn't anything else."
He'd never seen his mother ever look weak. In fact, he couldn't remember her smiling. Maybe she had, but in her mind emotion was weakness and it had driven his entire life.
"Mother. For the first time in your life try to remember that not everyone can be a robot like you. The one thing about Paige is she's never hidden her feelings and you're the only reason I've ever doubted her or myself. I quit. Just thought you should know that I won't be back. Not until she's welcome."
He turned, pushing Paige in front of him towards the door.
"Wait."
They both stopped, but he didn't bother turning.
"You're right. I never really got over what happened, but that's my issue. I just wanted my son to have better. To never feel what I felt. Go enjoy the evening. You have my blessing. When you're ready, we can have a proper ceremony to celebrate."
He grunted a response. It would take a lot more than this. A lot more to forget two years.
"And Paige?" his mother said.
Paige glanced over her shoulder as Tristan gripped her around her hips. Protecting her.
"For what it's worth, I'm sorry."
Paige nodded and Tristan had no idea what was really going through her head, not that he couldn't hear her thought. He just didn't understand how something so small like a damn apology could make it all seem okay.
As they stepped out on the porch Tristan struggled. Anger seethed through him like a parasite looking for its way out.
A calm surrounded him as Paige looked up into his eyes.
Let it go.
He met his mate's gaze.
"What?"
She smiled. "Let it go. Your mom. Let the anger go. A broken heart can make anyone do bad things for good and bad reasons."
His eyes narrowed. "She put both of us through so much pain. Why are you okay with that?"
A finger trailed down his jaw, running over his lower lip. His pants tightened. Well, hell. If she kept touching him, anywhere apparently, he'd forget damn near anything.
"She did. But not anymore. So, how about you take me out on a date? It is Valentine’s day after all."
A smile crossed his lips. "Fine. Let's go out. I have
