Page 13 of Fated
“Go well, Alpha.” Pride warmed Erik’s voice. “The summit will test you, but you’re ready.”
The air felt different as Caleb stepped outside. The crisp chill no longer bit as harshly. His gaze swept over the familiar landscape. Uncertainty lay ahead, but a spark of purpose had kindled. He would face whatever the summit held with faith, strength, and the unwavering support of those who believed in him.
CHAPTER SEVEN
KAI
The morning light painted Kai’s suite in gold, but it was Ava’s scent that drew him from sleep. The floral perfume she favored masked her natural fragrance. Curated. Just like so many things about her lately.
Her warm, bare skin pressed against his as her lips traced his neck with the kind of precision that came from years of their practiced intimacy. Her teeth grazed his pulse point as her hands mapped his chest.
“Good morning, my future Alpha,” she purred against his throat. The title felt more like a claim than an endearment. She pushed closer, soft curves molding to hard planes. “I’m going to miss you, you know.” Her teeth caught his earlobe,and the groan she drew from him felt like both pleasure and capitulation.
Kai opened his eyes, body already responding to her touch even in his sleepy haze. She’d been spending the night in his suite more and more as his birthday drew closer. Practicing. Preparing for the time where his bed would become their mating bed. She was especially enthusiastic last night, taking his mind off the summit with her supple mouth and soft hands.
He knew he should rise, get ready to join his father for the journey to the summit lodge, but surely there was time for more of her.
Gripping her hips, Kai pulled her astride him and met her gaze. Her blue eyes shimmered with what looked like tears, but years in her orbit had taught him better. He’d never seen Ava cry without there being something she wanted.
She tucked her chin, hiding behind a curtain of soft blonde curls. He’d seen this exact pose before. The same vulnerable, subservient look she’d used during tense run-ins with his father over the years.
“What am I going to do without you for three whole days?” Her words dripped honey-sweet sadness as her hips rolled with calculated purpose, rubbing her ass against his growing erection.
Beneath his skin, Orion’s hackles rose. The wolf’s discomfort rippled along Kai’s spine like someone dragging claws down his back.
“What if you find her?” she whispered. “Your fated mate. What if she’s at the summit, and you forget all about me?”
The words “fated mate” struck like a physical blow. Orion surged forward with such force that Kai’s fingers dug into Ava’s hips. His wolf longed for their destined mate with a yearning that constantly clashed with Kai’s resolve. A battle they’d waged countless times.
Kai shoved Orion’s reaction aside. Sitting up to cup Ava’s face in his hands, he forced her to meet his gaze. “Ava, you know that won’t happen. I’ve told you a thousand times—I have no interest in pursuing a fated bond. I want you.Onlyyou.”
Her lips curved into a satisfied smile, though the glimmer of tears remained. “You mean that?”
“Of course I do.” Kai’s tone left no room for doubt as he brushed her hair back. His thumb traced her lower lip, watching her eyes darken at his touch. “You’re the one for me, Ava. No one will change that. It is why I know Selene will bless our bond, because it’s real. It’sours.”
The words had barely left his mouth when Ava’s entire demeanor shifted. The vulnerable, trembling female vanished, replaced by the fierce, unapologetic she-wolf he’d fallen for. The one who never backed down from a challenge. Who matched his own stubborn will with her own.
Her smile curved slow and predatory as she caught his wrist, pulling his thumb into her mouth. The wet heat of her tongue, the sharp scrape of teeth—it was a promise, and a threat wrapped into one.
Before he could react, she pressed him back into the bed with unmistakable intent. Her movements were liquid grace as she climbed his body with the assurance of a conqueror claiming spoils. Tangling her hands in his dark hair, she straddled his face, gazing down at him, ice-blue eyes blazing with lust.
“Good.” Her voice was a commanding purr as she guided his mouth where she wanted it. “Then take a taste to remember me by.”
Something primal ignited in Kai at her command—or perhaps at the challenge in her eyes. He wrapped his muscular arms around her thighs, spreading her wider as he pulled her flush against his mouth. The first taste of her electrified his nervous system, her arousal warm and intoxicating on his tongue.
Orion growled deep in his mind, the wolf’s presence like waves battering against a cliff.“This is wrong,”he snarled, voice sharp and guttural.“You give what should belong only to our mate!”
But Ava’s pleasure was a symphony Kai couldn’t resist conducting. He took his time as he dragged his tongue through her pussy, savoring each tremor that ran through her body. Her thighs tensed against his cheeks as he flicked his tongue over her clit, alternating between feather-light strokes and firm pressure that made her gasp his name. The scent of her arousal clouded his thoughts until his wolf’s protests became mere whispers against the storm of sensation.
“That’s it, Kai.” Her voice hitched as she ground against his mouth, hands tightening in his hair. The sharp pull sent sparks of pleasure-pain down his spine. “Just like that.”
His erection bordered on painful, cock throbbing with each sound she made. Every gasp, every shudder drove him higher, made him want to prove something—to her, to himself, to fate itself.
“Goddess, Kai…” Ava’s voice broke as she rocked against his face. “Don’t stop.”
The taste of her, the sound of her, the way her body trembled—it spoke to a feral need in Kai that even Orion couldn’t fully deny. His hips ground involuntarily against the sheets, seeking relief. The friction was maddening, but not enough.Never enough. Years of toeing the line without ever fully crossing it had taught Kai exquisite control, but also left him with an ache that grew deeper with every intimate moment he shared with Ava.
He groaned against her core, the vibration making her shudder. His fingers found her clit as he licked and sucked with renewed intensity, urging her closer to the finish line. Ava’s walls began to flutter around his tongue, hips jerking as the first waves of her climax built.
