A Mate's Submission: (Hot Paranormal Shifter Romance) (Ozark Mountain Shifters Book 4) (11 page)

It worked. It fucking worked. They were both alive. And although it had been a bit uncertain at the end… it was worth the risk.

Avan struggled to her feet, trying to shift, but it was impossible. Lexar rushed forward, his fury rippling off him.

“Don’t move,” he snapped. Fuck, she was going to be in so much trouble.

He scooped her up, carrying her through the crowd, which gave him a wide berth. She blacked out several times between the ring and her bed, but when she awoke, it was to the wrong mate’s face.

Avan jolted, and realized she was in her human form again. And naked. And fucking Cael was touching her.

“Stop,” Lexar soothed. He was at her head, stroking her matted hair. No, her head was in his lap.

Cael’s hand moved along her thigh and it made her stomach retch.

“It’s almost over, baby.”

Avan squeezed her eyes shut and tried to focus on Lexar’s breathing. Lexar’s hand in her hair. Lexar’s scent and how it swallowed hers.

Cael pulled back and Avan opened her eyes to find him standing. “That, and some rest, should do it. Let’s hope this is the last of the challenges, yes?” He looked as squicked out as she felt.

“Thank you for coming,” Lexar ground out.

Cael nodded, but there were traces of shadows in his eyes. “Ravendale will miss you,” he grumbled. “But I still consider you my brother. If you are happy here…” He sighed heavily. “Who the fuck am I to keep you from it.”

“My friend. That’s who you are. But this is where I belong.”

Cael nodded, turning to Besh where she stood by the dresser. “You have Isabesh to thank for my leniency,” he said, softly. “She threatened me within an inch of my life if I caused you two trouble.” He kissed her cheek. “The pregnancy hormones are making her soft.”

“Oh, shut up.” There was a sadness to her voice even though she grinned. “I want to see Ozarka happy is all. I think it starts with a happy alpha.”

Avan teared up as she stared at her former First Mate. She was stronger than Avan could ever hope to be, and sappy as all fuck. How she’d made it out of her twisted circumstances, Avan could only imagine the steel in that female.

Avan turned her face into Lexar’s leg, hoping they’d just go away before the dams on her eyelids broke.

“We’d better go,” Besh murmured. “We’ll see you two soon.”

When they were gone, Avan rolled off the bed and went to use the bathroom. She showered in five minutes flat and dried herself off on the way to the bedroom.

She was digging through her drawers when Lexar appeared behind her.

“Come here.”

She shook her head. “I need to go find my sister.”

“Please.” His tone was broken. “Please let me hold you.”

“I don’t need you to—”

“I know,” he snapped. “I know you don’t need it. But I do. I need to hold you. Let me.”

She stopped, turning to gaze at him. His face was aching. She knew they needed to talk, but was dreading it. She didn’t want him to tell her she’d made a mistake, that she’d endangered herself, that she’d taken too high a risk. She’d managed to save her sister’s mate from certain death and keep her pack at the same time. Worth it.

She stepped into him, realizing she
did
need to hold him, just as much as he needed her. His arms were steel bands around her waist. She’d never break them, no matter how hard she tried.

“My Captain,” she breathed. “You almost blew the whole fight, you know.”

“Fuck that,” he whispered. “If you ever put me in that position again…” His threat petered out on a shaky breath. “Don’t you
ever
fucking do that to me again.” His chest heaved on an empty sob.

“
I’m
sorry
,” she said, her own sob bursting forth. “Shit, I’m sorry.” What that must’ve felt like for him. If the tables were turned, she’d be fucking raw inside.

She’d make this better.

Her hands slipped around his neck as she pressed her face into the strong tendons there, inhaling deeply. She ran her lips along his jaw. “I’m sorry,” she breathed, her mouth leaving tiny kisses as she worked a trail to his mouth.

His hands slid to her bare ass, pulling her hips into his. She could feel his need for her pressing through his jeans.

She cradled his face, kissing his lips softly, coaxing a response from him. “I’m so sorry.”

“I’m trying, Avan… I’m
trying
not to pin you against that wall and fuck you senseless.”

“Is that what you need?” She clung to him, her lips brushing his as she spoke.

His brow furrowed, troubled and relieved all at once. “I need you to be okay. I need to know
we’re
okay.” His hands tightened on her. “I need to
feel
you, consume you.”

Avan’s fingers dug into the back of his head, pressing him closer. “I need that too.” Urgency made her voice shake and her body quiver.

Lexar growled as his mouth crushed hers, pushing her backward until she felt the wall unyielding behind her. One hand left her hips to grip her jaw, tilting her face so he could explore her deeper with his tongue. He tasted like heat and aching need, and his kiss was so hard, her lips might bruise. But she couldn’t care a bit.

She wanted him to work her body the way she knew only he could. Make her remember who she was. Who she
really
was.
His
.

He moved so quickly she didn’t know what he was doing until he had her arms pinned to the wall above her head. He bent, taking one desperate nipple between his lips and rolling his tongue around it. His knee spread her legs wide, his thigh moving against her hot core.

Avan moaned at the sensation, arching her back for more. One hand moved frantically up her ribs until he palmed the other breast, squeezing and rubbing his thumb over the hard tip. He licked a path up her chest, stopping at her mark and lapping at it wildly. The sound coming from him told her his animal was in control. His chest rumbled as he pressed it against hers.

Mine
.

Her wolf needed him now.

As if he’d read her mind, he released her hands and stepped back, unbuckling his jeans in record time, and yanking them down to release his hard cock.

Avan reached for it, wanting to feel, but Lexar grabbed her wrist before she could make contact.

“No.”

Instead, he grabbed her thighs, lifting her. She wrapped her legs around his waist, feeling the tip of is erection teasing her entrance. Staring into her eyes, he slammed into her, a rumble leaving his throat.

Avan cried out. Bliss and the tenderness from his entry, making her head spin, making it hard to keep her eyes open. She was determined not to break rule number two, and she was rewarded by the emotion he fed her through his gaze.

So much love there, in his eyes. Desire. Need. He didn’t have to say a word. His wolf loved her; her wolf loved him. It was enough.

Lexar began moving. It wasn’t slow and sweet, but it was perfect. His hips swung with urgency.

“Yes,” she hissed, nails digging into his shoulders.

“Can’t ever… lose you,” he murmured between thrusts. “Never… do that… again, mate. Never.”

“I had no choice,” she groaned.

His weight pressed her harder into the wall. “I know,” he ground out. “That’s what scares me.” His thrusting slowed and his head bent until his face rested in the curve of her neck. “I was so fucking scared, Avan.”

Shit. She needed to tell him the truth. If he was laid bare, she should be too.

“Me too,” she whispered against his cheek. “I don’t know if I’ve ever been that scared in my life. Not about dying really, but…” Fuck, saying it out loud was hard. “Scared I wouldn’t get the chance to have a life
with you
. But that’s why I had to give Raden every chance to walk away. If there was any way to spare Seleka that loss, I needed to do it.” She held his face, forcing him to look at her. “You understand, right?”

He frowned. “You didn’t tell me because you knew I’d try to stop you.”

Her teeth came down on her lip, but she nodded.

He pushed against her, reminding her of their connection. “You’re right. I would’ve locked you in a fucking room and killed that bastard myself. Then you would’ve hated me, but I wouldn’t have cared because you’d be safe.”

She angled her hips so he could push deeper.

“I’m your alpha,” she reminded, letting her dominance show.

“Yes,” he said, the force of his thrust sliding her up the wall, and bringing her closer to the edge of orgasm. “You’re
my
alpha. You’re
mine
. And I’ll always do whatever it takes to keep you safe. If that means breaking rules then I’ll break them.”

He increased his speed, and she struggled to speak past the pleasure. “Then I’ll just have to do my best to stay out of trouble.”

“Just so we’re clear.”

“Crystal clear.”

Satisfied with her answer, he focused his attention on their building pleasure. Avan squeezed her thighs together, clinging to his shoulders. “Harder,” she commanded.

“Yes, ma’am.”

His hips pounded her, each surge forward pushing her closer. The pressure spiraled up and up and up, a firework launching into the air, waiting for the right moment to detonate.

“I love you,” he gasped, staring into her eyes.

And that was it. His words ignited the most powerful burst of ecstasy and she exploded, every muscle clenching. Hearing those words fall from his gorgeous lips was a moment she’d treasure for the rest of her life.

“Watching you come…
fuck
.” Lexar jerked inside her, groaning through his release, but unwilling to stop his rhythm altogether. His fingers dug into the flesh of her thighs as he slowed. “So beautiful,” he murmured. “And all mine.”

“Thank you,” she said, struggling to catch her breath. “Thank you for understanding. For bending to my will even when it conflicts with yours. You…” She wrapped her arms around his neck, clutching him tighter, “… are exactly what I needed.”

Carefully, he pulled out of her, letting her legs drop to the floor. He hugged her close, his strong arms holding her so steadily, she regretted all the days that came before him.

“I love you too,” she blurted, because it wasn’t going to come out any other way, and it needed to be said.

Lexar grinned softly, fingering the corner of her mouth. “I know, baby.”

“Yeah?”

He nodded.

“Well, remember that, would ya, when I do something else that you don’t like.”

“Deal. As long as you remember what I said. The safety of the pack might be your first priority. But
your
safety is mine.”

She could live with that. “Noted, Captain.”

He pinched her ass, earning a yelp. “And you have to keep calling me Captain.”

“Yes, sir.”

His face went slack, his eyes turning hot. “Oh, hell. I like that too.”

“Noted, sir.”

Deep breath. One foot in front of the other. She could do this. Even without Seleka, she could do this. There was Mama. And the all the pack had gathered. Even most of Ravendale. Everyone was here for her.

Her sister refused to come to the mating ceremony, but Avan was working on her. She was going to find her sister’s mate, and fix things. She just needed more time.

It had been six months since the last challenge, and she figured it was safe to say Ozarka belonged to her. Or rather to themselves. She was taking a page out of Cael’s book. Slowly and surely they were making changes. Never again would they be bullied by an alpha. Never again would they let a bad man—or woman—lead them into darkness. They were coming into the light little but little, and the future was mighty fucking bright. A burning star on the horizon.

Not to say things weren’t shaky still, but they’d get there eventually.

Lexar stood at the front of the crowd, looking better than water in a parched desert. Besh and Illia, Avan’s most trusted Elder, stood to his left while Cael stood to his right. Weird as fuck to be walking toward her intended but mating his best friend instead. But then, Avan never did anything they way people expected her to. Why start now?

Lexar watched her intently as she made her way to the front. His gaze was hot, running the length of her body and back again before settling on her face.

Seeing him made her want to run. But not away. She wanted to run down the aisle and leap into his arms… and maybe find a secluded place to take a little fuck break before this ceremony got any more serious.

Except there he stood, shirtless, with all his dark skin, smooth and flawless, and his muscles perfectly rippling. His body was crying out to be licked by her.

It was getting hot under this dress.

Three more steps and she was close enough to feel the heat from his body. He reached for her hand, threading his fingers through hers and bringing them to his lips to tenderly kiss each one.

Her heart hammered in her chest and her bones felt like putty. He was turning her into a puddle of melting alpha.

Illia stepped forward.

“We’ve gathered together today to celebrate the union of our alpha and her captain, her chosen mate. In the tradition of our forefathers, a ceremony is to be held in order to record the vows these two will take, and to brand the male with the female’s mark.” Illia nodded to Lexar. “As you can see, Lexar has already been marked by the alpha’s bite,” she smirked. “However, he will also take the brand.”

“Right, he will,” a voice boomed from the crowd. Avan turned to find Vesh, nodding with pursed lips, his arm slung around a cute little blonde. “Take it, big boy.”

Lexar gave him a nod, and bumped his fist to his chest.

Illia removed the marker from the warming kettle and stood before Lexar. The white hot tip glowed ominously, but he stared at it like it was his salvation. His reaction made Avan giddy with excitement. There was no going back after this, and that fact made her so happy she could burst.

“Lexar, with this mark, you commit your life to the serving of your mate,” Illia’s voice rang loud to be heard by all who’d gathered. “For as long as you both shall live and even into death.”

Lexar nodded solemnly. “Understood.”

She moved to stand in front of Avan. “Avan, my alpha, by placing this mark, you deem your mate worthy of your devotion. For as long as you both shall live and even into death.”

Abso-fucking-lutely
, she wanted to cry. No one deserved her devotion more than the man who held her hand. Tears filled her eyes to the brim, but now wasn’t the time to be ashamed of them.

“Understood,” she squeaked. She cleared her throat. “Absolutely, one hundred percent agree with that statement.”

Illia smiled, passing Avan the marker.

Shit, this was it. She was going to mark him good.

“Let nothing come between you, and may your bond outlive the sun.”

Avan stared into Lexar’s anxious eyes.

“Come on, baby. I’ve been waiting for this,” he whispered. “Rule number three.”

She grinned. “Are you nervous?”

“Not even a little.”

“This is going to hurt.”

He shrugged, his gaze falling to her chest where it peeked out the top of her dress. “I’m sure I’ll find something to take my mind off the pain.”

“Right.” Her grin widened, tears spilling over onto her cheeks. “Just try to think about Elvis.”

“Memphis,” Besh added.

Cael raised an eyebrow. “Or Oprah in the afternoon?”

Avan pressed her lips together.
Mine
, her wolf reminded. And she sealed the deal, pushing the marker into Lexar’s shoulder just under her bite.

His eyes flared with a new awareness, and she felt it too. The commitment solidifying before all their people. Cement bonds. So solid only death could break them.

Fair, since he was her life.

She dropped the marker and it clattered to the ground. She heaved herself at him and he caught her in his arms.

Just as he always would, she knew.