Chapter Text
Warmth radiates from where Simon’s fingers connect with your skin. A slow caress, a ghost of a touch, an observance before the meal.
“Is it not done outside?”
Simon pauses, fingers resting at your collarbone. “The mate bond?” You nod, swallowing, nervous for what comes next. “You don’t have wolf blood.”
“That matters?”
Simon’s fingers dip to the hollow of your throat. “You’re human. Forming the mate bond in the light of the moon would kill you.”
You draw back, Simon’s fingers hovering in the air where you stood. “Does that make me less in your eyes?”
“No.” He shakes his head. “It’s the natural order of things. As alpha, it’s my job to protect the pack. You’re part of it now.”
“You hardly know me.”
“And I hardly know you,” he counters. “But it’s what’s best. Bring peace to the region. Protect shifters and humans alike.”
With a shred of added confidence, you step into Simon’s space. His fingers return, becoming a hand that rests at the base of your throat. “I heard from women in the village that the mate bond is special. A melding of the souls.”
His thumb lightly presses. “Yes, but it’s not the fantasy they make it out to be.”
“How do you mean?”
His grip tightens, drawing you closer. Your hands rise of their own volition, adding counter-pressure to his chest. The man is a stone wall. “Mate bonds aren’t predetermined. No fated connection. They’re chosen. Rare.”
All a lie, then. Upon arriving, you believed that there might be hope yet, that this marriage, this contract, would yield a sliver of potential.
Your voice drops to a cracked whisper. “And us?”
“You’re mine, until death.” Simon’s grip softens, shifting to cradle your head. He tips it up, forcing you to look at him. “As alpha, the mate bond will secure my place. You’ll birth my pups, be my closest ally. A mate bond is required.”
Nothing about this is romantic, but what did you expect? Your father sold you off for the sake of peace, met with this man, and offered you as a compromise. He accepted, and now, you’re married, alone in his den, a roaring fire at your back, a bed of furs to your left where you’ll officially become his wife and belong to Simon forever.
As if reading your thoughts, Simon says, “I won’t hurt you. To raise a hand to a mate is a crime.”
“But you’re the alpha. The law is your word.”
Simon’s head dips, creating a cocoon of intimacy. “I’d slit my throat before I’d harm you.”
“Those are nice words.”
Simon’s lips hover just shy of yours, eyelids heavy. “Then I’ll show you.”
As Simon closes the distance, the heat of him engulfs your senses. He is everywhere, blocking out the room, leaving you with him and him alone. The first kiss is touching but deep, revealing intent. The purpose of this evening is to form the bond, for Simon to consummate the marriage, and fill you with his seed in the hopes it’ll take.
His hands remain where they are, his lips indulging in kisses, breathing quicken with each one. You’re not unmoved. Simon’s touch is liquid fire, the heat unfurling and spreading into your limbs. Boney. Melting. Between your thighs is a growing wetness you’ve only known when you’ve been alone.
Simon’s nostrils flare, eyes widening. He pulls back, leaving you gasping. “Submit to me,” he growls, the sound more animal than human. “I’ll do the rest.”
Before you’re able to answer, Simon grabs the neckline of your dress, ripping it clear down the middle. His nails are longer than before, his eyes glow with a swirling yellow mist, fusing with Simon’s brown irises.
You’re hoisted into the air, plopped down onto the furs, pinned as Simon spreads your legs wide, locking them in place. His mouth is on your cunt, licking wildly, animalistic groans and grunts crawling up his throat to vibrate against your sex.
The sensation is brand new, and you cry out, choking on a sob as surprise becomes intense pleasure. Fisting his hair, you pull, body bent and tense as the orgasm builds. The tug sends Simon into a frenzy. His nails graze over your skin, stinging as he tongues your clit. As the orgasm crests, becoming unbearable, Simon flips you over onto your stomach, draping himself over you, keeping you pinned and submissive.
All you’re able to do is fist the furs beneath you, to moan as he shoves his cock into you, thrusting roughly. It’s not painful, just intense, consuming. Mouth open, tongue lolling, you give in, cunt squelching with each intrusion.
Above you, Simon’s breathing takes on a panting nature. Sharp teeth graze your skin. Open wide. Enclose around your throat but don’t pierce. You refuse to look, knowing Simon will be more wolf than man.
As his thrusts quicken, you sense a pressure in your skull, expanding to the point of suffocation.
Submit. Submit. Submit.
You open yourself to the weight, accepting. It flattens, pushing outward, twisting around in your body until you hear another voice speaking inside your head that is not your own.
Breed. Mate. Mark.
With that voice comes emotions and sensations, a shifting perspective. There is you, and there is Simon. His arousal is your own, and yours his. You finish instantly, squeezing his cock. Simon’s wolf teeth tighten, breaking skin.
Fresh blood fills your nostrils.