Chapter 22

*ITS FINALLY HEREEEEEE

MATURE CONTENT AHEAD FOLKS!!!!!*

As my eyes inched open, the first thing I saw was Asher. Bright morning light was curling around his sleeping form, highlighting his incredible features.

He was so at peace when he was sleeping; his mouth slightly parted and his eyes closed angelically.

I suppose it was nice to see the natural side of him, not his facade.

Unconsciously,I lifted my fingers up and lightly caressed his stubbly cheek, a burst of electricity writhing through me at the touch.

Reluctantly, I retracted my hand, not wanting to wake him up. After all, I wondered how long it had been since he had properly slept.

But to my surprise, his hand, which was comfortably laying on my stomach, lifted and he clasped my hand to his, pulling me up over the top of him.

"I'm sorry I woke you up" I whispered groggily into his mass of ebony hair.

His eyes sleepily dragged open, glaring at mine with playful accusation.

"I'm glad you did" he nestled into my neck, leaning down on my shoulder tiredly.

My fingers filtered through his hair and I adjusted my body so I was laying as close to him as possible.

"Not close enough" He whispered lightly by my ear, causing my heart to swell with emotion.

After 2 months without him, I couldn't keep my hands to myself, needing to feel his solid presence by my side.

It was lonely, staying in that house ,despite its extravagance, for such a prolonged period of time.

And when I saw the state Asher was in, a piece of my heart broke. It was my fault that he was a broken mess, and I'll never be able to forgive myself for it.

The remnants of his pain are scattered everywhere: in fragments of furniture littered around the house and on his bruised and swollen knuckles.

I pulled his hand into mine and kissed each red welt, my heart sickened at the state of him.

"Rose" Asher's started softly, tilting my neck so I was looking straight at him.

"What's wrong?" His eyebrows furrowed in concern.

I wouldn't tell him though, that despite how brilliant and incredible our relationship was now, that one day we would rip each other apart.

I couldn't tell him that yet though. But it was one of the deepest truths I would have to accept, and im not entirely certain we could overcome how different our lives truly were.

But you're falling in love with him

My subconscious whispered.

And I couldn't deny it, especially as I looked at the man underneath me and I could feel his heartbeat on my chest, beating in sync with mine.

"Nothing, nothing's wrong" I looked at him in the eyes and gave him a genuine smile.

By his unwavering stare I knew he could tell I was lying, but he didn't push it which I was beyond thankful for.

I lay my heavy head down onto his collarbone and closed my eyes, relaxation engulfing me.

"When do we need to get up?" I asked Asher, my body nuzzling closer to his, our legs mingling.

"An hour ago" he laughed."But..our pack knows that it's our first night back together so it's not a problem"

"Oh..r..right" I stuttered on my words, a blush spreading up my cheeks.

I felt Asher's laugh before I heard it; a deep and dark sound which made my stomach clench with desire.

Truthfully, the desire to be intimate with him was a constant thought in my mind, but I didn't know whether I was ready to be fully mated to him and to be bonded with him forever.

I still have dreams and future plans for my life, and I wasn't ready to discard them for these overwhelming emotions.

"What have we got planned for today"

I huffed onto his shirt,reluctant to haul myself out of bed.

"Alpha Tolkien is coming today with his band of enchanters and his best warriors so we can try and rid the witch once and for all. His borders have been attacked so we are both tired of her by now, so we are banding together. He's coming at dusk"

"Ok, this is good news, but do we have room to accommodate all of them?" I inquired, wondering where we would house such a large congregation.

"Yeah, I mean I didn't give you a tour of it because we didn't have any packs visiting when you were here before, but a few miles away we have a mansion deeper into the woods. We also keep our supplies there and in case of an emergency I've made it clear that everyone bar the warriors need to stay there. It's one of the safest places in the pack"

"You never told me about this! Should we go now and make sure that everything is prepared for them?"

"No no," he shook his head, "there are housekeepers who will make sure the eclipse pack will be comfortable."

"Okay.... where will we be meeting and working out a plan?"

"Within the mansion there is a large room suitable"

"Right. I think I'm gonna go take a shower and get ready then" I declared, begrudgingly untangling myself from Asher's warmth, my body feeling immediately cold from his absence.

When I looked back at him, he was yawning and lifting his arms, broadcasting his unbelievable biceps. He was pulling the duvet over him and closing his eyes, his eyelashes fluttering onto his cheeks.

"Are you actually going to get out of bed?" I laughed throwing a pillow directly at his face, and oomph escaping his lips.

"Yes" he spoke matter-of- factly, dark humour glinting in his grey orbs. Untangling himself from the covers, the pillow clenched in his hand.

"No no no don't you dare" I shrieked, running out of the bedroom to avoid a pillow being thrown at my body. I legged it down the hallway, shrieking like a maniac.

I curled my arms around my head, and forced my legs to stop.

Turning around I planted my feet into the carpet, skidding to a stop just before the stairs.

He wouldn't hit me with it, I told myself, realising that there was not even an ounce of fear in my body for this man anymore.

He was striding towards me, and to my surprise, he didn't stop. He lunged towards me, grabbing my waist and pushing my back against the wall, lust dripping of his frame. I curled my legs around his hips as his mouth attacked mine with primal ferocity. His lips devoured mine in lustrous hunger, stealing all of the air from my lungs.

I lightly bit Asher's bottom lip as I pulled away gasping for air, my eyes never leaving his.

"You just bit me" He growled playfully, his fingertips caressing the skin of my waist sending ripples of desire through me.

I whimpered quietly, but he heard me as his eyes glared down at mine with nothing but pure want and need.

I threw my hands up in the air, grabbing his strands of Ebony hair and yanking his lips down to meet mine in a  more intimate and deep kiss.

I hummed in approval, my whole body alight with emotions I couldn't quite decipher.

His hard chest was pushed against mine, and I could feel every curve and line of his body.

My back was completely against the wall as his hands held me there with ease, his mouth devouring mine.

I hummed against him, a low moan of desire.

Make me yours I urged to say, beg.

My mind clouding with lust.

His hands yanked my legs further up his waist, holding onto me like steel as he pulled me away from the wall.

A moan of pleasure escaped my lips at the contact his movement caused, which made him growl with need.

"Ashhh" I whispered breathlessly onto his lips as he lay me down onto our bed, his hands scraping my thighs.

Rose, my subconscious murmured desperately , are you sure you want to

discard your dreams just for moments of pleasure?

I wasn't sure I could answer that question, especially as Asher was delivering kisses down my still-clothed chest. Venturing further, near the point of no return.

"Don't stop" I could feel myself whisper and writhe in desire underneath his potent touch.

"You are addictive" he murmured just below the bare skin of my belly button where my shirt had ridden up.

"Beautiful" he planted a kiss just below the same spot.

"Incredible " he whispered another inch further down.

I was burning for his touch.

Fire was scorching my veins.

My body begging him to make me forget all of the hate of the world,

Replacing it with undiluted pleasure.

But it wasn't just pleasure I was feeling with him as my fingers clenched in his obsidian hair and lightly scraped his stubbly cheek. As his grey eyes, blackened by lust, stared into my soul and unravelled me piece by piece.

"Oh my god" I whispered as his kisses neared the waistband of my pyjama pants.

"Please" I begged him,

Rip them off I internally pleaded.

He crawled back up my body to devour my lips, his mouth sending me delirious with pleasure.

"Stop teasing me" I growled, unable to recognise the voice that possessed my body.

I feared that in my mindset I would do things I would regret.

Think about your future.

Future

Future

Future

I forced myself to repeat.

I couldn't do this, not yet.... but his body could persuade the Gods to do his will. And his mouth... was otherworldly, inhuman.

His mouth slowly left mine, leaving me gasping for breath. I pressed my forehead against his and leant down to kiss all over his face: his cheeks, his forehead, his nose. I couldn't get enough of him. He was nicotine, an addictive blend of pleasure, but also detrimental. Bad. By now,I knew he was bad. He was a bad man. He has murdered and tortured people emotionlessly, he had made decisions regardless of their effect. He laughed at other people's pain. He was Satan.

He was rough and brutal.

But with me, he was soft and tender.

His touch was featherlike, and as gentle as a newborn dove.

When I looked at him, I saw darkness.

But I saw light aswell.

A blinding, pure ray of white light

Which grows under my presence.

Like my touch intoxicated his being with purity.

I moved my head down into the crook of his neck, planting such gentle kisses.

My actions echoing sentiments my words could not.

Then I realised, I wouldn't regret this.

How could I regret sealing the shallow crevice of my soul?

Giving myself to this man- who I was falling in love with- in the most intimate way?

How could I ever say that I would regret this?

He was my future

So was this pack.

And I knew that I would still be able to fulfill my dreams, I would just have an extra soul guiding me along the way.

"Please Ash, I'm yours" I whimpered as he sensually pushed me back down onto the bed, his legs nudging my legs slightly open.

But when I said those words, he stopped in his tracks.

He straddled my waist and softly brought his calloused hands down to cup my face.

"You have it all wrong Rose" he started gently, "I'm yours" his voice dripped with emotion.

"I'm yours. Every single inch of my body and my soul is yours for as long as you'll have me. I am yours-"

I didn't let him finish as my lips crashed against his, tears falling down my cheeks and onto his.

No one had ever made such a romantic declaration to me. And it meant more than anyone could ever imagine.

He lifted his fingertips to wipe my tears away.

"You mean so much to me Ash" My throat croaked and I lifted our bodies up so our chests were mingling.

Desire took over me as I began to unbutton his shirt, some emotion I couldn't quite place running through me.

"Are you sure you want to do this?If we go any further I won't be able to stop myself" Asher stared straight into my eyes with a kindness I knew he was possessed with.

"I've never been so sure of anything" I spoke with resolution, looking back at him ,my eyes glinting with happiness and surety.

His mouth met mine once more in a gentle movement, our lips moving in pleasurable synchronisation.

His tongue explored mine, and I could taste his past experience in the way his body and mouth moved.. like he was a package of pleasure delivered just to me.

I let him take over, my instincts guiding me because of my lack of experience.

I'm glad I waited for him. What we were going to do would be incredibly special, but sharing my body with just my soul mate would be the most beautiful and intimate thing.

His hands circled under my top, wrapping around my skin as he lifted my tshirt, my body arching into his as he removed the article of clothing, revealing just my thin dark red lace bra.

"So beautiful" He muttered into the skin just above my breasts, his hot breath near my intimate area causing a spike of pleasure to run through me.

I moaned softly, my head rolling back as he began unclasping my bra.

An ounce of self consciousness ran through me, but that all vanished when my chest was bare to him and he looked at me with awe, bringing his lips down to mine once more, whispering into my mouth,

"Your body was carved by the gods"

I hummed into his lips, whining when he pulled away. He laughed darkly at my action, smiling at me, his eyes brimming with emotion.

"Let me worship you" he kissed my breasts, his tongue driving me delirious with pleasure. I'd never felt anything as good...until Asher began unbuttoning his shirt, throwing it aside carelessly, displaying his toned chest.

I unfurled my arms from around his neck and began running my fingers along his chest, kissing each line and curve with all of the passion I felt in that moment.

His low groans of desire urged me to venture lower, lower.

I kissed the waistband of his boxers, his prominent and hard member skimming my fingertips, causing a soft moan to escape his lips.

His reaction caused me to pull down his boxers, revealing his full length.

I tried to conceal my gasp as I looked at Asher's size, how could that fit inside me?!

"Don't worry, I'll be gentle" he smiled, kissing my neck and lowering me onto the sheets, pulling off my underwear in one swift motion.

I was fully exposed to this man, and he was fully exposed to me in all of his naked glory.

"You're so beautiful" he said, his head plunging into my intimate area.

"Oh my godddd" I pulled on Asher's hair. This pleasure was indescribable.... my whole body was alight and alive.

I couldn't prevent the moans flying out of my mouth, as my climax neared and neared from Asher's expert tongue.

My whole body shook,

"Ash" I screamed, my legs clenching around his head and my eyes rolling back in ecstasy.

My breathing was ragged and my entire body buzzed as Asher's head emerged, kissing around my navel and thighs.

His member was nudging at my entrance as Asher climbed on top of me, my hands unconsciously curling around his neck.

"Are you ready?" He asked, desire black in his eyes.

I answered him with a passionate kiss, our tongues entwining as he plunged into me.

A spike of pain ran through me, and I stifled a whimper of discomfort. But I felt this overwhelming feeling of wholeness which dominated my body

As Asher continued his slow thrusts, I lifted my hips to push him deeper into me, a moan of pleasure gasping out of me.

"Jesus Christ" Ash groaned,Causing me to keep pushing to meet his thrusts.

Then the pace went from slow and sensual to fast and hard in one quick movement of Asher's hips. With a low growl, he delved into the deepest parts of me.

All of the pain I felt before disintegrated into unbelievable pleasure. My whole body felt alive and bursting with the greatest and most indescribable pleasure.

"Ash" I moaned loudly, my climax on the horizon.

I pulled Asher's body to mine, our sweat mingling as I kissed him with all I had.

My head was cloudy and I could barely remember my own name as he plunged into me, over and over.

"Asher"I whimpered, unable to control my constant moans and groans.

"Together" a growl tore from his throat,

Sweat from his biceps dripping onto my chest.

"Together" I repeated breathlessly.

With that, his pace quickened and his thrusts became violently deep and hard. My body was swimming in pleasure, and my climax wouldn't stop rising and rising.

With one final pelt, a scream tore from my throat as my climax hit me harder than anything imaginable, and Ashers climax followed shortly after as I could feel his hotness seep into me.

My fingernails clawed his back and his head drooped into my neck as we both regained our breath.

I didn't want him to pull out of me,I wanted the fullness I felt when he was inside me to stay forever.

Me and Asher stayed entwined from an unquantifiable amount of time,until he reluctantly pulled out of me.

Unconsciously, A small whimper escaped my mouth. But Asher just laughed, planting a light kiss on my mouth,

"Trust me, there will be more where that came from" he offered me a wink, his grey orbs buzzing and sparkling.

When I looked at him now that we were fully mated, he seemed to have this light around him, and all that my attention could focus on was him.

I cocked my head so I could continue to look at him, absorb his otherworldly beauty despite not having all of the time in the world.

"Do I look weird or something?" He asked laughing.

You look so beautiful I said to myself.

But to my surprise, Asher gave me a dazzling smile,

"You're the beautiful one" he exclaimed.

"Wait, did I say that out loud?" A small blush spread up my cheeks.

"No, no you didn't mate" his lips met mine in another heart-wrenching kiss as realisation dawned on me.

"Were fully mated" I whispered, almost to myself.

"Were fully mated" I repeated, a smile that would envy the Cheshire Cat's spreading up my cheeks, as I circled my arms around his chest and brought him to me once more, our bodies mingling and tangling around each other.

"My mate" Asher spoke, his fingertips tucking a piece of hair around my ear.

"My mate" I whispered, looking into his eyes, a smile unable to leave my face.

So, this is the 2nd largest chapter of the book so far because I didn't want this intimate scene to be rushed. I wanted it to be as perfect as possible.

When I was writing this I really really wanted to avoid making it sound like a porn scene. I just wanted it to be very special for Rose and Asher so I hope that you found it as beautiful and intimate as I did ❤️