Griffin

My heart pounded so hard, it sounded loud to my ears. My fingers trembled. I thought it was just relief at first. Relief that Wulfric loved me.

I choose you.

Did he have any idea just how much those words meant to me? There was no doubting his sincerity. Wulfric had been painfully honest with me from the start. I always knew where I ranked in his priorities... or, I thought I did until today. When had it changed? How had I not seen it happening?

I choose you.

The words bounced around my head, pulling my thoughts back to them again and again. My stomach started cramping, and the trembling in my fingers intensified and spread through the rest of my body. Not again!

I choose you.

I clung to the words now as my stomach heaved and I tried to quell the nausea.

I didn't realize I had curled in on myself until I felt Wulfric pull me against him. "What is it? What's happening?" he asked urgently. I felt him digging in my pocket and grabbed his hand with preternatural strength to stop him from using my phone to call my parents as he had done the last time I'd felt so sick.

"It's okay," I managed to say even as my throat pooled with saliva. I needed to get out of here. I refused to throw up in my car.

"No, it isn't! Something is clearly wrong," Wulfric argued.

I knew my brow was getting sweaty and that he could feel the trembling running through my body. "It's the bond," I admitted. A particularly bad stomach cramp hit and I whimpered. "After intimacy, incomplete bonds make us sick."

No need to get into all the details of how I'd kept the sickness at bay this long. I wasn't holding back from completing the bond for the sake of my mate anymore, so I had no way to stave off the symptoms.

But we weren't exactly in a good position to seal our bond here. And I didn't want to do it like this, feeling forced by my instincts.

The cramping intensified enough to drive that thought from my mind. I tried to breathe through the pain, but my breathing came out in labored gasps. Wulf started shifting, and the motion sent my head spinning. I groaned in protest, but he was relentless. I couldn't overpower him in this condition, and moments later, I didn't want to.

Wulfric had maneuvered us so that my lips were against the base of his neck, right where I always paid careful attention during sex. Right where my mark belonged.

There was no thought involved. Almost the instant my lips brushed the soft skin of his neck, my teeth were embedded in it. Wulf cried out and seized up under me. I couldn't let go, though. I had to fight through the strong instinct to clamp down harder, to push my teeth in deeper. It took all my willpower to hold myself still as my world shifted.

The bond didn't require sex to fully set. We traditionally used intimacy both as bonding ritual. The act caused a release of oxytocin, a bonding hormone, and serotonin, which promotes happiness. It could help offset any pain from the bite. And, you know, sex made it more fun. But it wasn't required.

All that was required was intent. And after everything I'd heard and all we'd been through together, how could I do anything other than bind him to me?

I choose you.

Well, I chose him, too.

The trembling in my body gradually slowed. The nausea receded, and I was left feeling warm and pliant. The bond between myself and Wulf was more tangible than before, and when I mentally prodded at it, Wulfric shuddered.

Human mates couldn't feel the bond like we could, but I'd heard of them feeling something. It was usually described as a shiver down the spine, something that sends your hair standing on end.

The confirmation that Wulfric could sense the bond again, even if it was only barely, eased my fraying nerves and helped me regain control of myself again. I finally withdrew my teeth from him, and his hands on my waist flexed. I carefully licked at the wound. He couldn't heal like I could, but werewolves had healing properties in their saliva and it would speed things along considerably. Still, he'd bear the mark of this – a little half-moon arc that clearly showed the indentations made by my teeth.

"Sorry," I said. "That looks painful."

Wulf lifted his hand to gently cup the wound. "No," he said, "waiting was painful. This is..."

He seemed uncharacteristically lost for words, but his eyes were warm on mine and I understood, because I felt the same. I leaned forward and kissed him, starting with a couple of soft pecks before Wulf's hand cradled the back of my head and he pulled me in for a deeper kiss I felt to my core. His tongue swept against mine and I trembled with need for him. Only, he pulled away with a laugh.

"What?" I demanded. What could possibly be so funny at a time like this?

"I taste my own blood in your mouth," he said, laughing again.

I flicked his nose, laughing, too. "Gross."

"I never minded the taste of blood," he said, still chuckling.

I stuck my tongue out at him and basked in the moment. "You really don't mind?" I asked.

"The blood?" Wulfric checked, and I swatted at his shoulder.

"No! I mean, that I claimed you. You didn't really have much choice."

I'd admit, I was mostly just fishing to hear the words again, though there was still an awful niggling doubt in my mind that was instantly silenced when Wulfric reaffirmed, "I told you, Griffin. I choose you. I always will." I opened my mouth to apologize, and he silenced me. "I'll remind you as often as you want or need."

I relaxed into him for one more precious moment before heaving a sigh. "Alright. Let's get you home." After all, I had promised Wulfric we'd make it to a bed tonight. And I intended to keep that promise.

The drive felt longer than usual, but it was only fifteen minutes before we were pulling onto the road that led into my pack's territory. The guards on duty at the gate waved us through, and Wulfric took hold of my hand as I slowly drove the winding road through the forest.

I rolled my windows down a fraction as we approached the parking lot, hoping I wouldn't scent anyone nearby who might stop us to chat. Anyone we encountered would be aware that I'd marked Wulfric. I knew our relationship's glacial pace had been the subject of pack gossip, so people could hardly fail to notice the change. Luckily, there was a minimal amount of people nearby – and none of them were related to me. If we moved quickly, we should be fine.

Wulfric seemed to have the same idea. He took my hand and pulled me along once we got out of the car. Despite his weaker human strength, I liked it and let it happen. He couldn't tell when we were approaching pockets of people, so I navigated around them and let him take the lead again once we were through.

Once we were shut in my apartment, I expected to be led straight to the promised bed. Instead, Wulfric pulled me into the bathroom with him. He stared at his reflection as his fingers gently brushed over the mark I'd left on his neck, and for a moment I could have sworn I saw his eyes welling before he blinked and smiled at me.

"I want you to mark me again, but this time I want to watch," he said. "What do you think?"

My mouth went dry and I knew my eyes were comically wide as I imagined it. I nodded enthusiastically.

Wulfric chuckled. "Where to start?" he muttered, reaching out and gently pulling one of my curls. As usual, he released it and smiled when it sprang back into place.

Wulfric slid his hands up and down my sides, slipping them under my shirt after a few passes. His fingers were gentle on my skin, applying just enough pressure to have me shivering. I impatiently yanked my shirt over my head and reached out to remove his for good measure.

"Play later," I said.

Only, Wulfric wasn't in the mood to take orders. His smile grew as he slid his fingers into the waistband of my pants and leaned down to kiss and nip at the side of my neck. "Do I have to do everything?" I asked irritably, though I enjoyed the attention.

I finished removing our clothes and dropped to my knees. I knew how to get this moving along. I wrapped my lips around Wulfric and applied myself to giving the best head I could. He trembled and wove his fingers through my hair, gently pulling and pushing to guide my pace. I relaxed my throat so I could take him in deeper and was rewarded by a groan. Wulf jerked and pulled back.

"I love the way you use your mouth," he complimented even as he arranged me with my hands on the counter. He gently guided my hips backward and pushed on my lower back so my ass was angled up. We kept lube in most rooms, and he pulled a bottle from the medicine cabinet. Wulfric poured some directly on my hole and got to work, watching my expression in the mirror as he prepped me.

I felt so exposed, so debauched, that I trembled with need. As Wulfric pushed his fingers in, I eased myself back. I wanted this part over so we could get to the main event. The instant I thought I could take him, I pulled away from his hand and said, "How do you want me?"

He didn't need any further prompting. Wulfric lifted me up onto the counter, pulled forward and tilted so he still had access. He guided my legs around his waist and I enthusiastically obliged. "Good?" he checked.

"Could be better," I said, and tightened my legs to pull him closer. He laughed at my impatience, and his laughter cut off in a strangled groan when I grabbed him and started guiding him into me. Wulfric's eyes rolled back as he slid home and gave a couple of gentle pumps.

This was it. A dance we'd done countless times already, and would continue enjoying for the rest of our lives. But it was different, this time. More. I caught sight of my mark on him and pulled him closer, clinging with arms and legs and using the strong abs and thighs I'd earned through years of training to ride him. Wulf kept one arm around my waist and used his other hand to grip the counter. His breathing came fast, matching mine. I followed his gaze to look back into the mirror and felt a shiver run down my spine at watching myself take him.

As earlier, my teeth elongated and I knew I wouldn't be able to hold out long. Wulfric is human. You can't keep biting him, I reminded myself. Only, His hand left the counter to pull my head down toward the base of his neck again in clear demand.

Well, just this once...

As the pleasure spiked and I felt the first wave of tingling in my lower abdomen, I bit down over my mark a gently as I could, just enough for my teeth to prick open his skin. Even exercising restraint, it was enough to send me erupting with Wulfric closely following. I knew he had watched the whole event in the mirror, and when I pulled away and looked at him, I found him still starting into the mirror with a look of deep contentedness and satisfaction.

He finally looked away to smile warmly at me, and pulled me in for a kiss. "How about a shower?" he asked.

I hopped down and felt my muscles cramping a bit. "Yeah," I agreed. "A hot one."

Wulfric rubbed my shoulders while I twisted the shower knobs to get the heat just right. He never cared what temperature the water was, but I was finnicky. After a few small adjustments, the water was perfect and I climbed in. Wulfric followed, making the small space feel cramped.

"Our next place will need a bigger shower," he said.

I smiled. I loved hearing Wulfric talk about the future. "No argument here."

"Do you have any preferences for our home?" Wulfric gave me a very direct sort of look, so I knew he was asking seriously. He poured some soap onto his palm and started washing my stomach while he waited for a response.

I frowned. I'd been toying with an idea, one that sounded a little crazy. But I knew Wulfric would support me, and that made it easier to speak the words aloud. "I was thinking... I want to try college."

Wulf nodded slowly. "What for?"

"Finance," I said. "That was always the plan." I'd grown up hearing Dad talk about his work and understanding the impact it could make on a pack. When I was old enough, he used to bring me into his office with him so I could see what he did for myself. One summer, he'd even allowed me to do a little work for him as a sort of informal internship. It turned out, I loved numbers. I liked forecasting them and tweaking my model to make it as accurate as possible. I liked seeing how it played out in real life. And I knew I'd be good at it.

"What school?" Wulf's tone was no different than someone commenting about the weather. So casual, as if none of this had any bearing on his future.

"UC Berkeley, if I can get in again. Or I can try USC, maybe. USC is closer, so I can prioritize that one if you prefer? Or is it all too far?" Surely, Wulfric wouldn't want to go far from Edmund... and Edmund would want to stay local to be around Kit.

"Don't let me impact your choice. It's only a few years, and I can live anywhere. Maybe I'll join you. I haven't gone to college in a few decades. I'm sure things have changed a lot."

I squinted at him. "You went to college?"

"Just once. I had to take evening classes, and couldn't always attend in the early autumn or late spring if it was too sunny. It wasn't entirely worth the headache... though college students did make for easy meals."

I shook my head and smiled a little. I still had so much to learn about my mate.

Wulfric drew me from my thoughts by nipping at my shoulder, right where a mating mark would go if I weren't mated to a human. The thought made me shudder against him, and he chuckled lowly before capturing my lips with his. "I love you," he said once he'd kissed me thoroughly.

"I love you too."

We finished our shower in silence, washing ourselves and each other. My mind was too full to speak, thinking through everything I'd need to do to prepare for going back to school. Applications, finding somewhere to live, telling my dads...

They would be happy, I knew. Not because they thought college was necessary, because it wasn't. They'd just be happy to see me making a choice for my future and following it through. It would be hard to be so far from them, but as Wulf had pointed out, it was only for a few years. And then maybe I'd be able to work with my dad. Wouldn't that be something?

I smiled to myself. I had a lot to look forward to – a whole life to live. And I wasn't afraid.

--

Thank you all for coming along on this journey - and to those who have been waiting, a sincere thanks for your patience.  

Expect another book in the future, though with how busy my life has become, I don't intend to post as I'm writing anymore -- I need to have it completed so I can ensure there won't be big gaps between chapters again.  So, follow me if you're interested in seeing where this world goes next.

In the meantime, I'm always happy to take requests for bonus content.

Wishing you all the best,

Nia