The sickened luna’s last chance

Ella

Alexander's arms were warm and secure around me, his heartbeat steady beneath my ear. The calm rhythm

of it chased away the fear, the doubt... everything outside that room.

“How did you know where to find me?”

“Lilith managed to get a picture of the car,” he replied. “I recognized it immediately. It was Sophia’s.”

| jerked my head up to look at him, making it spin. “Did Sophia hire someone to kidnap me?”

As soon as | blurted out those words, | feared I'd overstepped. Alexander still adored Sophia above all else-

he wouldn't take kindly to such an accusation. Surely he would say that Sophia hadn’t had anything to do

with it. Perhaps her car had been stolen.

“I don’t know,” he replied. “But I'm going to find out. And if that were the case, then | assure you, she'll be

punished.”

| blinked in surprise. | hadn't expected him to even entertain my statement, let alone promise that he would

punish her.

For a moment, | just searched his face in the moonlight streaming through the window. There was something

fierce in his green eyes, something possessive that made my heart flutter.

“Thank you,” | breathed, leaning up to press a soft kiss to his cheek. “Thank you for saving me.”

But just as my lips touched his skin, Alexander turned his head. Our mouths met in the middle, and suddenly we

were kissing.

It wasn't like our fake kisses for the cameras. His lips were too warm and soft against mine to be performative,

and here, with no one to watch us, it couldn't possibly be for anyone except us.

This was real.

And, Goddess, how badly | wanted this,

In that moment, a force shot throughthat wanted nothing other than to hold onto this moment with all my

might and never let go.

And so | kissed him back without thinking, my hands fisting in the fabric of his shirt. When his tongue traced the

seam of my lips, | opened for him without hesitation. The taste of him flooded my senses-bourbon and

woodwire smoke.

My mate. My husband.

1/5

11:36 Sat, 23 Aug t

Chapter 74

60%

Alexander turned to face me, and without even meaning to, | hooked my leg over his waist. He gripped my hip

and tuggedcloser so our bodies were flush.

That was when | felt it: the hard length of his arousal against my groin. The evidence of his desire sent heat

racing through my veins, and my body responded instinctively. Something deep inside ofstirred- something

that felt an awful lot like my wolf.

But | didn’t have tto wonder if she was returning, because then he was shifting so he was on top of me, his

lips never breaking from mine.

I must have made a small sound of approval, because only then did he pull back to look at me. His gaze

wandered unabashedly across my face, my shoulder, the curve of my collarbone...

And then down. Down to where my peaked nipples were visible through my nightgown. Down to my hips, where

the fabric was bunched up and wrinkled. Then the soft flesh of my thighs, and even lower-calves, feet. Back up

again until his gaze met mine.

The hunger in those green eyes was undeniable.

Nothing incould possibly believe that what we were about to do was a mistake.

This was the most natural thing in the world. Two mates exploring one another, experiencing one another

for the first time.

That was precisely why, without hesitating, |

was wearing nothing underneath.

“P and pulled my nightgown over my head by the hem. |

Alexander's eyes widened slightly, tongue flicking out across his lower lip. My heart pounded, but I held his

gaze.

“You've seennaked so many times now,” | muttered, tossing aside my nightgown, “but I've only seen you

once. We're not even anymore.”

Alexander placed one hand against my chest, pushingback against the pillows.

“Lettaste you first. And then I'll decide.”

The raw power in his voice was enough to make my toes curl. He slipped his hands down my body, over my

breasts, lingering briefly on the gentle swell of them, then skimmed through the dip of my waist and over

my hips. With each descent, | shivered again and again until my thighs were practically trembling, but he

warmed them quickly with the heat of his palms.

Slowly, he gently pushed my knees to the side until | was on display.

Green irises turned as hungry as a wolf eyeing a fresh steak.

“Beautiful,” he whispered, scooching down until his face was level with my womanhood.

2/5

11:37 Sat, 23 Aug

Chapter 74

60%

And then his mouth was on me. The sudden warmth and wetness of his tongue was enough to makegasp,

and my back instinctively arched away from the mattress, seeking more of the sensation. His tongue swirled

around my clit, then down across my opening, and lower still until | was writhing beneath him.

He feasted onlike a starved animal, sucked and nibbled and licked until | was a quivering mess. My clit was

quite literally throbbing within minutes, unlike any pleasure I'd given myself before. Lights danced at the edge of

my vision with each flick of his tongue, and when he slipped the tips of two fingers into me, | nearly splintered on

him right then and there.

Only then did he pull back just enough to speak, his mouth slick and shining with my wetness.

“It's just the tips of my fingers, and already you're a mec

My cheeks heated. “You've never-I haven't-"

he teased.

He tilted his head, fingers dipping in a little further. “You're not seriously tellingyou've never pleasured

yourself.”

“I have,” | admitted, and the heat in my face was on par with the heat between my legs now. “But not in a

long time. And it’s... different when it’s not my own hand.”

The mention of pleasuring myself seemed to ignite something in Alexander. His fingers slipped in further,

and | nearly cried out again, gripping the sheets. “Tellwhat you like,” he whispered. “In detail.”

My throat bobbed, but once again, that raw power in his voice was enough to makeobey without him even

using his Alpha Voice. Shakily, I replied, “I like it slow, but deep. And a finger on my clit.”

“Like this?” Alexander placed his thumb right over my clit, pressing into it as if it were a button.

“Yes. Like that.”

Slowly, Alexander began working his fingers into me, thumb circling my clit in twith his thrusts. Once

again, within moments, | was nearly a wreck.

Only once | was a quivering mess again did Alexander sit up, gently extracting his fingers from me, and wipe

his mouth with the back of my hand.

“Now we can get even,” he said.

| reached for the buttons of his shirt, my fingers trembling slightly as | worked them open. When | pushed the

fabric off his shoulders, | couldn’t help but stare. Just as | remembered, Alexander was all hard muscle and

golden skin. My mouth immediately went dry.

His mouth found mine again, tasting of me, as his hands worked at his belt. A few moments later, trousers and

underwear tossed aside, he was fully exposed to me.

All of him.

3/5

11:37 Sat, 23 Aug t

Chapter 74

Every fucking inch.

60%

| nearly cried out just at the sight of that impressive member standing at attention between my thighs, and the

soft whimper that did escape only made it twitch invitingly. Holding my gaze, he spat onto his palm and rubbed it

along his length, then positioned himself at my entrance.

For a moment, the tip of his cock lingered at the apex of my thighs, so close | could feel the heat radiating from

it. He lowered himself onto his forearms so he was cagingagainst the mattress.

“You look frightened,” he noted.

My throat bobbed. “I've never been with anyone. And you're... large.”

Alexander's eyes flickered with amusement, but there was a tenderness there too that soothed me. “I'll be

gentle,” he murmured, brushing a strand of hair out of my eyes. “Letknow if you need to stop.”

| nodded, and he gently began to push at my entrance. When the head of his cock pushed inside, there was

a moment of sharp discomfort that madegasp and dig my fingernails into his back, but it faded quickly,

replaced by a feeling of fullness as the rest of him slipped into me, inch by glorious inch.

He began to move, slow and careful at first, givingtto adjust. But soon we found our rhythm,

moving together like we'd been made for this. For each other.

And in a way, we had been.

My hips began to rock in twith his, seeking our dual pleasure. Soon, my own movements had begun to make

Alexander's voice grow husky, and | knew | was doing something right.

“Ella... Goddess, Ella...”

My nsounded like a prayer on his lips. Like the most beautiful thing I'd ever heard.

When Alexander reached between us to touchwhere we were joined, | shattered completely. The climax hit