Page 53 of Into the Dawn

“That’s it, mate. Rest. Because I’m not done with you yet.”

28

BEN

As the sun rises outside, painting the wooded landscape out my bedroom window in golden light, we talk about everything. Our fears, our hopes, our future. The mate bond pulses steadily between us as a constant reminder of our connection.

And all the while, even though they're tough conversations, it's easier to open up with the bond thrumming between us about what happened in the past, letting me feel how genuine and strong her emotions are. And how much she loves me.

My beast purrs contentedly, finally at peace now that our mate is truly ours.

"I won't let anyone hurt you again." I vow, my fingers threading through her hair. The silky strands slide between my fingers as I breathe in our combined scent. "But you don't need me to protect you, Nessie. If you survived a lifetime of that, you're already the strongest person I know."

Tears spill down her cheeks as years of pain and self-doubt begin to crack. I kiss them all away, each touch a promise of unconditional love and acceptance. The salt of her tears mingles with the lingering scent of our mating. I can’t get enough of her.I know this happens to all mated pairs, but this seems even more intense, more dramatic than I’ve heard.

Licking a path up her neck, I nip her mark again, enjoying how she squirms with need already, just from that slight touch.

"So what now?" she asks, tracing patterns on my chest. Her fingertips leave trails of warmth on my skin. She’s hot, even with no covers on, and sweat cools on our skin from our most recent vigorous lovemaking. We never had this before, always forced to sneak around, worrying who'd find out about us.

Never again. This is our life now.

I catch her hand, bringing it to my lips. Our pulses sync through the contact. "Now, we build our life. Together. Whatever we want that to be."

The world outside seems brighter somehow, as if the mate bond has enhanced everything around us.

"Do you want to stay in Sutton?" Vanessa asks as I swing my legs over the edge, feeling deliciously sore and used. I stop, a nagging worry making me uncertain of what she's going to say next. My beast stirs anxiously. Does she want to leave? A fresh start somewhere far, far away?

I don't want to leave again, but I can understand why she'd want to. The memories here must be difficult for her.

"Ben, relax. I don't want to move away. I just want to make sure you're okay. We're still pretty close to the compound…" Her scent carries concern for me, making my heart swell.

Relieved, I stand and stoop to lean over her, pressing a kiss to her forehead. Our bond flares at the contact.

"This is our home. We stay.” Although with Evan having a new baby on the way, maybe not exactly here. “I’ve bought some land close by… it’s going to take a while for me to build, but we’ll get there."

"Forusto build,” she corrects. “I’ll get a job and start saving. We’ll do it together.”

I can feel Vanessa's joy through the bond at staying in Sutton. She knows Kali and Evan, and she has some friends here from before. It's a town that's protective of shifters, even the human population. We're safe here. That knowledge settles something deep in both our beasts.

"First things first. I need to getmyjob back and find a new home while we save up."

Vanessa frowns, but I wave her concern away. Her protectiveness makes my beast preen. “You lost your job because of this?”

"Just a little disagreement between business partners. Apparently, leaving right before a tour and kidnapping people aren't desirable behaviours in an adventure holiday operator."

When she looks at me, stunned, and shakes her head with a grin on her face, I know she's the one for me. Our bond pulses with shared amusement. No problem will be big enough to get us down.

"Maybe they'd hire me instead." She laughs without realizing she might actually be on to something. Her scent brightens with the possibility.

"Come on, let's go."

Dressed and finally out of the house without stripping each other's clothes off and tumbling back into bed, I deposit Vanessa at the Devil's Claw with Evan and Kali there to keep her company and then prepare to swallow my pride. The mate bond stretches between us as I walk away, already pulling me back. I don’t want to leave her, it feels wrong. My skin itches with the need to go back to her, but I force my feet to keep moving, needing to sort this out before I can get back to satisfying my mate.

Jack is going to be pissed, and rightly so. I'm the one who convinced him this was a great idea and to hire extra staff at his hiking goods store so that we could run it together.

Then I go and mess everything up.

The bell jingles as I step inside his shop, unsure whether I even still have the privilege of walking through to our office in the rear. The familiar scents of leather and new equipment fill my nose. Instead, I go to the store's office—Jack's office—preparing to grovel. I stand outside and knock on the open door gently before he replies with his usual gruff grunt.

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