Page 51 of Tracking His True Mate

Trace shifted his weight and clapped a hand over my mouth to muffle the sound of my ecstasy.My arms gave out from under me, but my ass stayed in the air.From Trace’s view above, I could see that his handprints on my backside were still visible, a fact that he found most satisfying.

My mate grabbed a fistful of my hair with his free hand, using it to force my face harder into the mattress.It was a little degrading how he pounded me into the bed, almost acting as if I was just a vessel for his desire.

I whimpered at his assault on my pussy, not sure how much longer I could accommodate him taking me from behind.

“You’ll take it until I finish.You’ll take it like a whore. You are my whore, aren’t you, Mariam?”

I shook with another orgasm, surprised by how the combination of punishment, rough sex, and name-calling affected me.I had always been sensitive about being thought of as a whore, but the way Trace said it hit me differently.I was, in all ways, eager and willing to be his whore.

My mind drifted, and I started floating.I wasn’t having another orgasm, but it felt like my body was alive for the first time.I was vaguely aware when Trace grunted his release.He held onto my hips, pumping his seed into the condom until he finally pulled out and discarded it into the waste bin.

He slipped into the bed beside me, pulling my shaking body to him.The feeling of flying was still going strong, and I blinked a few times, trying to focus on his face.

“Shhhh, little wolf,” he said, tucking my head under his chin.“Welcome tosubspace, mate.”

__________

I smoothed the front of my white dress and checked my reflection one more time in the full-length mirror. I had shut Trace out of my mind again, but at least this time, it wouldn’t earn me a trip over his knee. Everyone knew that it was bad luck to see the bride before the ceremony, and the last thing we needed was to start off our marriage with that hanging over our heads.

Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I would be taking part in a human mating ceremony —a wedding— of all things. But ever since Trace caught wind of the fact that I had referred to Patrick as my husband to the hotel receptionist, he had been dead set on us getting married before going home to Tumblewild.

His reasoning was that if I was going to call anyone husband, it was going to be him. He had also taken to referring to me as his bride while interacting with humans during our stay in Las Vegas.

Getting married in Sin City was probably the most cliche thing we could do, but Trace wanted it done fast so we could focus more time and resources on our mating ceremony, where we would invite our packmates, friends, and family to celebrate our bond. A mating ceremony was the werewolf way, but my wolf was equally happy to take part in this, as well. She wanted to be his; heart, body, and soul. I couldn’t disagree with that.

The engagement ring Trace had given me earlier that day glimmered on my finger, making me smile. He hadn’tknown about that tradition until Patrick mentioned it to him over breakfast, causing a last-minute trip to the jewelry store.

One day I would have to thank him for helping my mate select the perfect setting. While neither of them was particularly fond of the other, it seemed like Trace and Patrick had reached some kind of truce.

There was a brief knock at the door, and Patrick slipped inside to join me in the bridal suite without waiting for an invitation. I knew that normally human women had a maid of honor, which probably would have been Ella in other circumstances, but I liked having Patrick by my side even more. He had seen me through so much, sometimes to his own detriment.

“Are you ready, Mariam?” he asked, his eyes sweeping over me and taking in the beauty of the dress. I had to admit, pointless human tradition or not, the gown was gorgeous.

“I think so,” I said, reaching for his hand. “You know, in a way, Trace should be thanking you for all of this. We wouldn’t be getting married if you hadn’t gone rogue and kidnapped me.”

“You should absolutely point that out to him sometime,” he said, pulling me in for a chaste hug. “If you’re happy, I’m happy for you, Mare. That’s all that’s ever mattered to me. You know that, right?”

I leaned my head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat and knowing without question that his words rang true. I felt tears well in my eyes, but I forced them back. My makeup had taken way too long to ruin it before things even got started. “Iamhappy, and now it’s time for you to find your own happiness, Patrick. Just promise you’ll comeand visit me, okay?”

He chuckled, the sound rumbling through his chest. I smiled, but my eyes remained misty. I would miss him.

“Shall we?” Patrick offered me his arm, and I accepted it. Together we crossed the threshold of the chapel. The room was stunning, but my eyes went straight to the man who had successfully tracked me down not once but twice. When he saw me for the first time, the look on his face said he considered it worth the wait.

Epilogue

The bonfire crackled, releasing a ribbon of smoke that swirled above our heads. I snuggled in closer to Trace, enjoying the warmth from the flames and his arms wrapped around me. He kissed the top of my head and rumbled contently. After a pack run and a delicious meal of barbeque ribs, there was an air of satisfaction shared with everyone around us.

“I could stay like this forever,” I said. “Maybe we should have pack runs every other week instead of once a month.”

“You do a lot of the planning, so that’s entirely up to you, Mariam,” Trace answered. “I doubt anyone would argue with you about it.”

“Every week would be even better,” Justine agreed. She set down her plate and curled up on Randy’s lap.

Our mating ceremony was quickly approaching and overseeing the logistics for the pack run had been a welcome distraction. Surprisingly, there were quite a few Dark Claw pack members who would be joining us for the big day.

Jeremy would have to be present as my former alpha, but I was a little surprised that Patrick, Lance, and Ella also RSVP’d to attend. I had only spoken to my sister once sincegetting married to Trace.

The conversation had been short and surprisingly awkward, with her making up an excuse to end the call without offering any kind of congratulations to us. I had to wonder if she was only coming to the ceremony out of a sense of obligation. She didn’t seem too happy about the fact that I was content and mated before her.

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