Chapter Twenty-Nine

Ellie

I couldn’t put my finger on why, but I was jittery. My heart was pounding against my chest like a drum. I was almost certain Seth could hear it. Even if he couldn’t, he seemed to pick up on my unease.

Was I that transparent? Or was it our connection as mates?

The tingles coursing through my body were intensifying, and his scent was becoming more potent. Was Nix finally stirring? I’d tried to reach her a few times, but she remained silent.

Was it all in my head, or was this what humans experienced when they discovered their werewolf mate? Was this how my grandmother felt when she met my grandfather?

I pushed my thoughts aside and tried to focus on the here and now.

As Seth guided me up the stairs, I sensed a change in the house.

We’d only made it as far as the hallway before we were interrupted, so I hadn’t had a chance to really see the house. Now we were heading to the bedroom.

I wondered if it would still be shrouded in dust sheets. The house had been vacant since Seth’s parents lived here.

He never talked about them. I knew they were gone, but he never shared how or when they passed.

There was a lot I didn’t know about Seth, but then again, there was a lot he didn’t know about me.

If Olivia was right—and I had no reason to doubt her—once we marked each other, we would know everything about each other.

The thought made me swallow hard. Some memories were better left buried. I didn’t want Seth’s pity.

We stopped in front of a door on the upper landing. Seth’s arm was still wrapped around my waist as he reached for the brass doorknob with his free hand. He looked at me, his eyes filled with love.

“Ready?”

I nodded, my mouth dry. I wasn’t sure what he was asking me to be ready for, but it was too late to back out now. Besides, I doubted he would let me.

If Nix was here, she wouldn’t let me either. I was certain she was lurking somewhere close. The tingles and the scent I was picking up from Seth were undeniable. We were second-chance destined mates.

Nix had lost one mate; she wouldn’t let me risk losing another one, and honestly, I didn’t want to either.

Seth turned the knob, agonizingly slow. Then, with the same leisurely pace, he pushed open the door. The grand reveal.

I gasped as he led me inside.

I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this.

The first time we entered the house, it was dusty and deserted. This room was a stark contrast.

A massive oak four-poster bed dominated the space. The bedding was a deep green, seemingly made of silk.

The wooden floor was polished to a shine and covered with a plush sheepskin rug. There were two additional doors. One likely led to a bathroom, the other probably a walk-in closet.

“When...How…” I stammered, unable to believe my eyes.

“Do you like it?” Seth asked, a hint of nervousness in his voice.

I spun around to face him, a wide grin spreading across my face.

“It’s wonderful...but how?”

Seth stepped closer, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me against his chest. His other hand gently stroked my face.

“Anything for my mate...for you,” he murmured.

His lips crashed into mine, kissing me with a hunger that reminded me of a man starved of water in a desert.

I kissed him back with equal fervor. I knew I wouldn’t be able to stay mad at him for long.

All my earlier worries evaporated as his tongue explored my mouth, as if tasting me for the first time.

Not only had my worries vanished, but so had any thoughts of sleep.

As he broke the kiss, his lips trailed down my skin, nipping and sucking until he reached my collarbone.

His lips barely left my skin, his teeth gently grazing it.

“This is where I will mark you tomorrow,” he growled.

I pulled back slightly, cupping his face in my hands. I looked into his eyes, which were filled with lust and love.

“I don’t want to wait, Seth,” I whispered, “mark me now.”

Seth closed his eyes and sighed. He was struggling to keep his control. Control of his wolf.

“I can't… Your father…”

I shook my head.

“No. He doesn’t get to decide. Not anymore. Not since he’s decided to throw himself at the devil himself. We’re not just chosen anymore, Seth. We’re fated. I can feel it.”

Seth opened his eyes, still conflicted.

“If I had my wolf I’d mark you right now,” I finished.

Seth cupped my face.

“You know what will happen when I mark you? You will know me. Everything I feel, all my memories will be yours, and if… when you mark me…”

His voice trailed off.

I swallowed nervously and nodded.

“I’m ready,” I whispered, my voice trembling slightly.

Seth removed his hand from my face and took a step back.

“Then we do this my way,” he declared.

My heart pounded wildly in my chest. I knew he would never hurt me, but I had no idea what he was planning.

I nodded hesitantly. Now wasn’t the time to back out. He was my mate. I could sense it. Maybe Nix was just beneath the surface. Maybe that was why I felt the way I did.

Maybe that was why his scent had grown stronger to me over the past few days.

Even if she wasn’t there, and it was all in my head, I knew this was the right thing to do.

I looked into Seth’s eyes.

I knew what I had to do. I had to give him complete control.

I closed my eyes, tilted my head, and bared my throat to him—an act of submission.

When I heard him chuckle, I opened my eyes and frowned. His hand gently stroked my face as he shook his head.

“Not like that, Ellie. When a male marks his mate, it’s not cold. It’s not an act of dominance but an act of love.”

I furrowed my brow.

“But I thought...”

Seth’s smile was gentle.

“I know what you thought. You thought my desire to protect you was about control. That I wanted you to submit.”

His tongue darted out to wet his lips, a smirk playing on his face. His eyes roamed over my body with a hunger that made my heart race.

“In a way, I do. But not in the way you think. Let me show you.”

His hand left my cheek, moving to the buttons of my shirt.

I felt my cheeks heat up, but I didn’t pull away.

I’d always been self-conscious about my body. I think that’s why shifting in a group made me so uncomfortable.

But Seth was my mate. He would love me, flaws and all. At least, that’s what I had to believe.

His fingers worked the buttons of my shirt, sliding it off my shoulders with a gentleness that made my heart flutter.

His hands moved down my arms, leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake.

When my shirt hit the floor, his lips found my shoulder. He kissed the small mark that was the only reminder of the bullet wound I’d once had.

His fingers traced my ribs, moving to the waistband of my jeans.

My mind was a whirlwind. I couldn’t decide whether to focus on his kisses or the gentle touch of his fingers.

I gasped as my jeans were suddenly undone. He hadn’t even bothered with the button.

Before I knew it, my jeans were pooled around my ankles, leaving me standing in just my underwear.

The next thing I knew, Seth was carrying me towards the massive bed.

He set me down gently on the mattress.

“Don’t move,” he warned, starting to unbutton his own shirt.

I couldn’t tear my eyes away from him. I’d seen him naked before, when we shifted and trained. But that was when he was just Seth. Now he was my mate. I looked at his body with new eyes.

No wonder I felt safe in his arms. His body was a fortress of muscle. His dark skin seemed to glow—or was that just my imagination?

He undressed much quicker than he had undressed me, leaving him in just his boxers. I glanced at the bulge and quickly looked away.

What would happen when he marked me? Would he expect us to mate? My face heated up at the thought.

I didn’t have much time to think as he straddled me. The anticipation of what was to come was almost unbearable. I thought he was just going to bite me, and that would be it.

Now I wasn’t so sure.

I placed my hands on his chest, not to push him away, but to steady myself.

His skin was warm and smooth. His muscles were as hard as they looked. If he wanted to do something, there was no way I could stop him.

He gently stroked my face with the back of his hand.

“Relax, Ellie. I can hear your heart pounding from here.”

I tried to swallow, but my mouth was dry.

“I...I…”

His finger pressed against my lips.

“Shh,” he whispered, “I’ll never hurt you, or do anything you're not comfortable with. If you’re not ready, we can wait. You do trust me, don’t you?”

I nodded, letting out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding. I trusted him. I’d always trusted him. Ever since the day he’d saved me in the cave.

Seth gently moved my hands from his chest. He leaned in, his hands framing my face, and kissed me.

His fingers tangled in my hair as he kissed his way across my jaw, and down my neck.

When he reached my shoulder, a moan slipped from my lips. There was something about that spot.

His other hand slid behind my head, pulling me closer to him.

My moan turned into a cry as a sharp pain shot through my shoulder.

Seth held me tightly, and just as quickly as the pain came, it was gone. I gasped as a wave of pleasure washed over me, followed by a flood of memories that weren’t my own.

Not just memories, but the emotions that came with them.

The joy of a happy childhood, the love of two parents as milestones were reached. From learning to walk, to a first shift.

I realized these were Seth’s memories. I felt his joy, but also his sadness.

The memory of his parents’ death. The last words of his father's mind-link. I heard them as if they were spoken to me.

Even the strange voice, which I assumed was Seth’s father.

“~It's too late for us now, my son. Clayton will take care of you. When the time is right, you must avenge our death. Kill the one responsible. Kill Dante…”~

Tears welled up in my eyes, and a sob escaped my lips. If this wasn’t bad enough, I also felt what he felt when he lost his mate. A reminder of what I had felt.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t the loss of his mate that hurt him the most, but the realization that I belonged to another.

When the memories had passed, I was left with the raw emotions, as if everything that had happened to him had happened to me.

The physical pain of his bite had long since passed, and as his lips left my shoulder, he looked into my eyes.

“I...I’m so sorry,” I stuttered.

Seth pulled me into his chest and shushed me.

“It’s okay, Ellie,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to the top of my head.

But it wasn’t okay. I felt a surge of anger. Anger at what Dante had done. Not just to me, but to Seth.

It wasn’t my anger though. It was stronger than that. Was this part of the mate bond? Part of the marking?

Then I realized whose anger it was, as her voice echoed in my head.

“~Mate...~” Nix whispered softly at first. Then a voice that wasn’t my own growled it out loud.

“Mate!”