Page 15 of His Secret Mate

He had no way of telling if she was too far gone to survive the transition. Too many times, especially if the woman didn’t want it or was too weak, the transition could kill her. The dilemma wasn’t all that difficult to decide. If he did nothing, she would be dead by morning. If he inflicted a claiming bite, the transition might kill her, but it was her best and only chance at survival. She remained unconscious—her lifeforce slipping away into the long night of eternity. He had to act decisively, and he had to do it now. For Orion, there was no choice.

Leaning down, Orion kissed the spot between the hollow of her throat and the beginning of her clavicle. He supposed he could have bitten her wrist, but he knew this wasn’t just a bite to save a human life, this was a claiming bite. She would bear the prominent scar associated with being mate to an alpha male dire wolf. At least Lara knew about shifters. No doubt she would see the mark and know exactly what it meant. If she survived, she could very well reject him. If not, she would be dead, and he would be alone until he could join her on the other side. Or, if the stories were true, by claiming his mate, he had linked his life inextricably to hers and would follow her into the great beyond within a year. The devil wasn’t offering him a good deal, but it was the only deal Orion was willing to make.

He kissed the spot he meant to claim, willing his canines to lengthen and sharpen into fangs capable of ripping and tearing flesh. Growling possessively, he lifted her chin before lowering his mouth and sinking his teeth into her neck, feeling and tasting her blood as it flowed into his mouth. The bite was savage and deep and would create a great gaping wound for his DNA to invade her body, overwriting it and making her one with him.

Lara was so weak and so close to death; he was sure she never felt the pain of the brutal bite. Had he waited too long? He shook his head, refusing to believe it. He lifted his head, revealing her neck and then kissing the spot he had bitten. He went into the bath and got the first-aid kit, returning to her to clean the wound. Perhaps he had waited too long. Perhaps she would never awaken again or know what he had done. Or perhaps she would wake up and rage at him for imposing his choice on her. He grinned; he really wanted that last one—not just because she would have survived and become a dire wolf, but he found the idea of fighting with and subduing his mate, making her surrender to him, intoxicating and arousing. God, he was a sick bastard.

CHAPTER 7

ORION

Orion sat up, watching his mate struggle to survive. He had been dozing, his forehead resting on her shoulder, when against the odds, her breathing changed, becoming deeper and losing the rattling sound he had heard all night. He was awake instantly and put his ear to her chest. Her heart was beating stronger, as well. Slowly, color began to return to Lara's cheeks. Orion's shoulders sagged with relief, but he didn't dare move. He didn’t want to disturb her. She needed peace and quiet in which to get stronger. He would give that to her. He knew the battle wasn't over, but they had a chance now, a precious chance to survive.

The storm raged outside, but within the walls of Aurora Station, a fragile sense of hope flickered. Orion watched over Lara, his heart swelling with a fierce protectiveness. She was his mate, his destiny, and he would do whatever it took to keep her safe.

As the night began to give way to dawn, the howling wind seemed to lessen in severity, whispering secrets of the past and promises for the future. Orion's gaze never wavered from Lara's face, his mind filled with mixed images of her buried in the snow, of the life they would have now that she had survived and the unbreakable bond that had led him to her. In the heart of the storm, amidst the relentless cold and the fierce winds of the Arctic, their fates had become intertwined. And as dawn broke over the horizon, painting the sky with hues of gold and pink, Orion knew that no matter what challenges lay ahead, they would face them together.

LARA

Lara woke to find Orion sitting in a chair next to the bed, his head resting against its back, sound asleep. He looked exhausted. She extricated herself from the bed and went into the bath, turning on the luxurious shower. She indulged herself with the feel of the steamy water pelting down from the rainfall shower and various body sprays. It felt like heaven.

When she emerged, she began to dry herself off, wincing as she ran the towel over her throat. Fearful of what she was sure she was about to find, she wiped the steam off the mirror and stared at her reflection, her fingers tracing the angry wound left by an alpha male wolf’s claiming bite—in this case an alpha male dire wolf. The claiming bite. Her heart raced as she tried to comprehend the implications. She'd heard stories, but nothing could have prepared her for the reality of it. The sonofabitch had bitten her.

A growl echoed from the other room. She spun around to see Orion standing in the doorway, his eyes blazing with a mix of anger and possessiveness. His muscular frame filled the space, and the raw power emanating from him made the air crackle between them. He didn’t have on a shirt—god, he was gorgeous. He had broad shoulders, sculpted pecs, and washboard abs. His chest wasn’t devoid of hair but had a nice amount that narrowed at the bottom to make a pleasure trail to the bulging cock behind his fly.

"What did you do to me?" she hissed.

Orion took a step forward, his expression darkening. "I did what was necessary. I claimed you to save your life. I protected you after that foolish stunt you pulled."

"Protected me? Foolish stunt?" Lara's voice rose, her hands clenching into fists, and then it hit her… "Oh god, the samples…”

“The samples are fine. I was able to get a message to Trudi who talked to some other researchers and told me how to store them.”

“Well, that’s good at least, but it didn’t give you the right to claim me.”

“Didn’t it? You’re my fated mate, and you were dying.”

“Says you. You claimed me without my consent, without even talking to me about it."

“Lara, you’re my fated mate. You were unconscious. There was no time to discuss it like reasonable humans. Besides which, at the time, only one of us was human.”

“And now I’m not,” she snarled.

"You don't understand," Orion growled, his eyes narrowing. "I couldn't—no scratch that, let’s be honest with each other—I wouldn’t let you die."

"You took away my choice! You bound me to you without even asking me," she growled, kind of liking how it sounded coming from her. “You had no right.”

Orion's jaw tightened, and he took another step towards her. "I had every right. I wasn’t about to risk losing you. You’re mine. I might point out your argument would hold more water if you hadn’t disobeyed me and gone out on your own after the damn plant."

"I am not yours! You don’t just get to make unilateral decisions for me." Lara's anger flared, and as he closed in on her, she pushed him away with all her strength. "No. You do not get to come in here, pawing at me and making me want you so much I’ll forgive you anything just to get you inside me again." She stopped, her eyes widening in shock. Had she really just said that?

The smirk on his face said she had. “I never paw.”

Lara shrieked, picked up his shaving mug and threw it at his head, almost hitting him. Orion staggered back but quickly regained his footing. His eyes flashed with a dangerous light, and he moved with lightning speed, pinning her against the wall.

Lara's breath hitched as she felt the heat of his body pressing against hers, the magnetic pull between them undeniable. She struggled against him, but his grip was unyielding.

"Let me go," she demanded, her voice wavering.

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