Page 66 of Echoes From the Void

Sleep vanishes instantly as I jerk in his arms.

His low chuckle reverberates through my body.

“They’re what?” I hiss, warring between exhaustion and curiosity.

Matteo’s lips brush my forehead. “They’re just sleeping,” he chuckles again. “But I wouldn’t mind seeing where that goes either.”

Mixed emotions flutter in my chest—a hint of disappointment tempered by hope that they might discover their own connections naturally.

“Bishop?” I ask.

“He decided to keep watch.” Matteo carries me into the bedroom, nudging the door shut behind us. “He’s making sure we all get some rest.”

I hum softly, accepting but not pleased. For now. I’ll deal with Bishop’s overprotective streak in the morning.

Alone at last with Matteo, the mating bond pulses between us, demanding completion.

My alpha instincts surge forward. I drag my tongue along his neck, letting my extended canines graze his artery. His full-body shudder and deep moan send satisfaction coursing through me.

He retaliates by tossing me onto the bed. A surprised giggle—so foreign yet perfectly right—escapes my lips. The sound belongs to someone lighter, someone who hasn’t seen the darkness I have. But maybe that’s who I’m becoming with him.

Matteo’s lips quirk upward as he arches an eyebrow. “What do you think you’re up to?” The playful challenge in his voice makes my heart race.

I flash him a bold grin, propping myself up on my elbows. “What do you think?” The words come out as a purr.

Darkness floods his eyes as he stares down at me, predatory intent written in every line of his body. “I think you’re playing with fire, little alpha,” he growls, the sound low and dangerous.

That growl ignites something primal deep inside me, sending electricity racing down my spine. I rise slowly, holding his gaze. “Maybe I like the heat,” I whisper. My fingers curl into his shirt, pulling him closer.

He yields to my touch, allowing me to draw him in until barely an inch separates us. His warm breath fans across my face, and I lose myself in his eyes—dark brown with flecks ofmolten gold that seem to spark with power. Time stretches like honey, the air between us crackling with possibility and need.

Matteo surges forward, claiming my mouth in a kiss that steals my breath. I dissolve against him, arms wrapping around his neck as he presses me into the mattress. His weight anchors me, a delicious contradiction of comfort and electricity that makes my shadows purr.

When we break for air, my fingers trace the hard planes of his chest. “I want this,” I breathe, the words carrying the weight of everything unsaid between us. “I want you.”

Something tender flickers in Matteo’s eyes as his lips curve into a gentle smile. “Are you sure?” His fingers brush away a wayward strand of hair, the touch impossibly soft. “There’s no rush, Frankie. We have time.”

“That’s the thing.” My hands tremble against his chest, betraying the fear I’ve tried so hard to hide. “We don’t have time. You’ve seen it—the void consuming Shadow Locke’s borders, devouring our world piece by piece. The shadows...” My voice catches. “They’re thinning, slipping through my fingers like smoke.”

Darkness floods Matteo’s expression, his protective instincts rising to the surface like a storm. “Frankie...”

“No.” I press my palm to his cheek, forcing him to meet my gaze. “Listen to me. The void grows stronger every day. You feel it too—how the shadows fight us now, wild and untamed. They’re destabilizing, and we both know what that means.”

His arms lock around me like steel bands. Through our nascent bond, his fear bleeds into mine—not for ourselves, but for our pack, for each other, for everything the void threatens to consume.

“I won’t wait.” My voice gains strength with each word, fueled by desperation and determination. “I refuse to look backwith regret, counting moments we could have shared. Not when tomorrow...” The words die in my throat, too terrible to voice.

“Tomorrow the void could devour Shadow Locke.” Matteo’s voice comes out rough, raw with emotion. “Tomorrow we could lose it all.”

“Everything except this.” The words emerge as a fierce growl. “Except us. Our bond. Our pack.” I drag him closer, my shadows reaching for his, intertwining until they become one dark tapestry. “I choose you—not because time is running out, but because whatever time remains, I want to spend it as yours. Completely yours.”

A growl rumbles through Matteo’s chest, reverberating through my entire body. His next kiss burns with desperation, with possession, with promises too profound for words. When he pulls back, his eyes blaze with shadow power, turning them obsidian.

“Mine,” he snarls, the word both prayer and claim. “My alpha, my mate.”

“Show me,” I plead against his lips. “Prove we’re alive, that we’re real, that the void hasn’t stolen everything. Make me feel it, Matteo.”

Matteo claims my mouth with bruising intensity, desperation fueling each hungry kiss. His hands map my body like he’s committing me to memory, leaving trails of fire that make my shadows writhe. I arch into his touch, craving more, needing everything he can give. Our ragged breaths mingle in the darkness as the world narrows to just us.

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