Page 28 of Heroes & Hitmen
My parents are fated mates. My siblings and many of my friends have found their fated mates. They all say the feeling of forming that bond is indescribable, the connection stronger than anything they’ve ever felt. But if a shifter bonds with a chosen mate before they find the one fate intended for them, the tie is severed– neither will ever know who they were truly meant for.
“They’re so rare they may as well be,” she grumbles.
“Not where I’m from,” I say, my jaw tightening. “In my pack, mating is more than a goddamn business transaction. It actuallymeanssomething.”
Miley swallows thickly, sadness tinting her violet-grey gaze. “Must be nice to have that luxury.”
My inner wolf claws at the inside of my chest with the urge to comfort her, to make her feel better somehow.
I slide closer, tossing an arm around her shoulders and pulling her in. She stiffens at first, then relaxes into it, her small body melding against the sharp lines of my much larger one. She turns her head to meet my eyes, and I can’t help myself. I lean in slowly, giving her time to stop me.
She doesn’t, so I fucking go for it. Our lips collide, my hand coming up to push her hood back and wrap around her nape, holding her in place while I claim her mouth. Her lips are soft and supple, salty from the beer. My tongue slides against them before delving into the warmth of her mouth, a fierce wave of possessiveness coursing through me.
Mine.
Miley Beckett may be promised to someone else, but I don’t give a shit. I want her.
Her fingers knot in my hoodie as she presses her body closer, kissing me like she’s drowning and I’m the last breath she’ll ever take. I slide my hand up her back underneath her sweatshirt, the warmth of her soft skin bleeding into my palm, sparks blooming between our skin. My lips coast down the curve of her jaw, kissing a path down her neck as she pants against me, back arching as I start to lower her into the sand.
My teeth skim her pulse point and she stiffens, palms pressing against my chest as she whispers, “Stop.”
My body goes rigid.
She gives me a shove and I pitch myself backwards, giving her the space she’s asking for while my brows raise in question.
“I can’t do this,” Miley grits out, shaking her head adamantly as she scrambles backwards in the sand. “I can’t…”
I sit up fast, hands raised. “Hey, it’s okay…”
“No, it’s not,” she snaps, pushing to her feet and brushing sand off her leggings with sharp, agitated movements. “This can’t happen, Ares. I’ve told you so many times, what’s it gonna take for that to finally sink in?”
“A fucking mark on your neck,” I bite out as I slowly rise to stand.
She crosses her arms angrily. “Well in two days, I’ll have one.”
“Not if I can help it,” I snarl.
Miley throws her head back on a bitter laugh. “What do you think you’re gonna do, Ares? Tell Alpha that I can’t be paired with Elias because you want me for yourself?”
“Yeah,” I fire back, puffing out my chest.
“What about what I want?” she demands, jabbing her index finger into her sternum, eyes wide and wild. “How is that any different from what Alpha’s already making me do?”
I snap my mouth closed, my inner wolf whining in my mind.
It’s different. Sheknowsit’s different. But the way she’s looking at me right now…
Miley flips her hood up, wrapping her arms around herself as she starts backing away. “Don’t follow me,” she murmurs with a faraway look in her eyes. “You have to just forget me, Ares.”
I hold her gaze, meaning it with my whole chest when I reply, “Never.”
But for now, I let her walk away. I stand there in the sand for a long time after she’s gone, nursing a beer that I don’t even want anymore while the cold air bites at my skin through the fabric of my thick hoodie.
My wolf is quiet now, but it doesn’t feel like peace.
It feels like mourning.
CHAPTER 10
