Moon Marked

17| Mark of Beauty

Aurelia

His scent was stuck to me even as I slept, the tethers of our mate bond working their magic even in my dreams. The warmth of it sparked against my skin, the hazy feelings of pleasure gently caressing the needy ache that was floundering inside of me.

Even in my dreams the thought of him filled me with a dark intensity, searching and sprouting for a semblance of release that mimicked the truth of what we felt.

Even in my dreams I wanted more than what he had already given me, the lack of his touch creating an empty cavern in my chest, clutching onto my consciousness and constricting the beat of my heart.

I groaned as I started to wake, my wolf clinging onto the carnality of my desires as she sought him out even as my body was slowly adjusting to its sleepy state. I opened my eyes to the darkness, feeling lost as my gaze flitted over the unfamiliarity of the setting before me. The mountains I saw through the windshield of this car stood tall and foreboding, shadowing over us even with the barest of light, their sharp peaks carried forth for miles and I couldn't help myself as I brought my hand to my chest, my fingers tracing the familiar lines of my mark as I memorised the scene in front of me.

This was the home I had been waiting for, the strength of our bond tightening around me now that I was looking out onto his territory.

An Alpha's pack was his pride, and now that I was here I would be his joy.

My heart hammered in my chest as I turned to my side, finding the driver's seat empty and my mate nowhere near it. My mind clutched onto the worst of my thoughts before I felt his hand running up the side of my leg, comforting me in my terror.

"Aurelia." His voice was soft as he recited my name, pulling my attention towards him instantly. He was crouched on the other side of me, the passenger door wide open as he leaned into my seat. His lips curved into a slow smile as he took in the wildness of my gaze and the heavy beat of my heart. "I'm right here, little moon—I'm not going anywhere." He whispered, his eyes flashing to his wolf for a moment. His gaze was black with its intensity and ringed with silver to prove his devotion, but just as I'd gotten a sense of his beast he was just as quickly snatched away from me.

There was so much power inside of him, a raging wildness that he refused to let free, and an aching need he was holding back from—I could feel it all twisting inside of me, like I was the key to a lock that had been melded over. I reached out for him, my hand resting against the underside of his jaw as his eyes cleared from their darkness, he pushed his face into the simplicity of my touch and let out a soft growl.

"We're here." He announced, his voice deep with feeling. "We'll have to walk the rest of the way, we won't be able to take the car from here." He said before he started to help me out of my seat. The excitement of finally reaching his pack was skittering against my skin, my ache for him sparking with energy as his hands settled against my waist.

Now that we were here there was only so much time to waste before he'd give me what he had promised, and once he was exactly where I wanted him to be— it would be days before I'd let him leave my side.

He steadied me as my feet hit the rockiness of the ground, my legs stretching out their idleness and trembling with the memory of the way he had used his fingers to play with me. The soreness sprouted between my legs and I let out a squeak of embarrassment, leaning forward as quickly as I could so that my hair would cover the flush on my cheeks. My wolf rose to the surface as I tried to hide my groans of discomfort, it was a sweet kind of pain that was adding to my arousal, but even as I tried to hide it, my mate was not a fool.

He pushed my hair out of my face, his hands moving from my waist to the apples of my cheeks. "What's wrong, are you hurt?" He asked so tenderly, and my heart flourished around him.