Kyle POV

From my semi-opened eyes, I look at Rob, giving himself another shot of silver. He clenches his jaw painfully and breathes hard. I can only imagine how awful he must feel right now.

As much as I don't want to admit it, I'm grateful for everything he has done for me till now. He's been so kind, so careful. Every time he touched me, he paid full attention to any signs of fear or displeasure I could give. He made me and Skyler feel safe.

Skyler..., after some time, seems to finally accept that there will be no mating and marking today, he's not happy, but at least he stopped being pushy about it. During the last couple of hours, I almost panicked twice, thinking that Rob would just give in and fuck me. The pain was so strong that for a moment, I thought I could do it, and yet when he got closer, suddenly, all I could recall was pure fear. He really did his best not to hold me down, although I scratched him quite deep in his arms and chest. And yet all I could see on his face was sadness and worry.

Carson starts crying, and Rob takes him into his arms and starts walking with him around the house.

"Shhh, little guy, I've got you," he hums, gently waving my son in his arms.

How many hours has it been since we have been stuck here? I've lost count; the moments when Skyler is and isn't in control are mixed, the pain is actual all the time, and memories of Rob touching me are a blur. I'm not sure what really happened and in what order. 

 When Rob doesn't touch me, he feeds, changes, and carries my son. When I feel better, he lets me hold him. He doesn't force me to eat but makes sure I drink enough water. Before he puts his hands on my body, he always gives me a warning and time to protest. He makes sure never to tower over me or restrain my movements.

"Let's go to mommy," he says and comes closer.

He tenderly puts my son on my chest and lies next to wrapping one of his arms around my stomach and playing with my hair with his second hand. Despite the pain, I can feel my body relaxing in his arms and Skyler purring in my subconsciousness.

The last person I let be so close to me was Hannah; since my rape, even Mikkeli has held me only once.

I give up and snuggle more into Rob; the tears keep coming down my face. I don't know why I really cry. Is it because my whole body hurts or because the two things I love with all my heart are so close to me?

Celia POV

"That definitely the strongest snowstorm I've seen in recent years," says uncle David looking by the window. "But  tomorrow, there will be enough snow to build the snowman."

Kathy cheers on this idea, and he smiles at me. But I also can see him eyeing my mark, and somehow I feel embarrassed about it.

"Are you angry with me?" I ask when Kathy goes to another room; my uncle and I are alone, and even the warrior in charge of him is talking in the corridor with someone.

"No, honey, never. It's just... It's kind of weird. You are married now, married to..."

"My rapist," I say, but I don't turn my eyes away; we must have this conversation whether we like it or not.

"Celia, your father once told me that when someone hurts you, he takes your choice away from you; he makes all the decisions. But it's later up to you if you want to forgive, forget, ignore, or kill the one who hurt you. That's your choice, and no one has any right not to honor it. But tell me one thing, did they force you? Did they pressure you into it?"

I shake my head.

"No, they explained to me all possibilities, and I must say the odds were not in my favor, but I made that choice myself."

He reaches to hold my hand.

"Celia, I have a lot on my conscious. But the worst I did was not accept the responsibility after your parents were gone. I should've taken you and Terry and left, I should've never let my fucking father and brother influence Terry, and I should have protected you. I hate Hank for what he did to you, but I also believe that everyone can atone for their crimes to a certain degree; that's why prisons and courts exist. But as I said before, this choice is only yours."

When we go silent, I think about Hank, my mate, father of my child, my husband, if I can call him like that, a polite stranger I know nothing about. But, no, he is no longer a polite stranger. After so much time, I know things about him. I know what dishes he likes, that grey is his favorite color, that he doesn't snore in his sleep, and has a real mess in his wardrobe. He enjoys reading and rolling in the grass or leaves in his wolf form. He is solid and hardworking; he can be strict but is also kind and rarely loses his patience. And for whatever reason, he thinks that I'm pretty.

In the late evening, the storm doesn't seem to calm not even a bit. My uncle is back in his room, and everybody else is already sleeping when I enter the bedroom. I look at the three of them, now my family, for a long moment. This time it's Danny who is in the middle lying between Kathy and Hank. Both of them hold him close as if they are trying to shield him from the nightmares that keep haunting him.

I hesitate for some time; there is enough space from Kathy's side to lie next to her, yet I don't do it. Instead, I go next to Hank and let myself be pressed to his back. He sleeps, but somehow I feel Greyson so close to me purring in contentment; I slowly drift away to sleep feeling safe, feeling calm.

Rob POV

SMUT WARNING

Skyler/Kyle moans loudly as I keep rimming his hole; my tongue dances as I taste my delicious mate, squeezing and teasing his nipples with my fingers and pumping him with my second hand. I've been trying to make him come for at least an hour, and it seems not to work this time. The pain and temperature of his skin only go higher. I think, almost panicking, what else can I try to improve it?

I take my tongue away from his hole and lean closer to look at him. Skyler whimpers, looking at me:

"Hurts, mate, it hurts."

My heart clenches hearing this, but I know I can't do this no matter what. Mating will stop the pain but, at the same time, can cause another trauma for both of them, especially that's when I reach my hand to touch his cheek, his first reaction is to cringe away before pressing after a moment his face into my palm. If I do it, it won't be my mate's choice, and he's already had enough choices taken away from him.

 I lean closer and touch his lips with mine. I kiss him slowly and then more passionately; I feel his sharp canines piercing my lips and his fingers digging into the back of my neck, and his legs tightly wrapped around my waist. When he stops kissing me to take a breath, I use this chance and start sucking the crook of his neck where I should lay my mark.

He starts moaning louder as I start gently biting this place; Blake is pushed so far away because of the silver I took that I know there is no risk in what I'm doing, and Kyle seems to finally relax a little bit as I reach and start to palming him again and then move my fingers down to his hole. I roughly thrust two at once, moving them quickly in and out of him. Till this moment, I was cautious about touching this part of his body. Then, to my surprise, Skyler reaches his hand and grabs me, and starts stroking me up and down. We both pant and moan for some time, although I don't stop teasing the skin on his neck. I sit between his legs, enjoying how beautiful he looks; for some stupid reason, I'm almost sure Kyle can finally enjoy what we do too. We both move faster, breathe harder, moan louder, and both reach our peak simultaneously.

I collapse on top of him and feel his body getting tense immediately. I quickly move slightly away and reach to cup his face into my palm and whisper:

"It's alright, love, it's me; I've got you; you are safe."

Dark eyes of Skyler pierce through my soul as he whimpers:

"Please love us, mate; we know we are dirty, but please love us back."

I kiss him again. Fuck, he is not dirty; he is not damaged. How can I make him believe that?

A slight knock on the door makes me raise my head as Roseanne enters the cabin. I quickly reach for a blanket to cover both Kyle and me, who seems to start dozing off.

"I had to kick asses of some wolves who managed to sniff your mate." She says.

"You know you are my best sister" I smile even though I'm so tired I really only want to close my eyes and sleep.

She smiles back and comes closer.

"How are you feeling?"

"Tired as hell, that fucking silver almost makes me want to rip my muscles away from my body, but I still kept control; I took care of him."

She smiles again and goes to Carson, who starts whimpering.

"Sleep Rob. I'll take care of my new nephew."

"No, I'll take care of everything."

And saying that, I stand up and slowly go to the bathroom to clean myself. After that, I bring a wet washcloth and proceed to clean Kyle, who sleeps soundly. And after that, I take Carson from Roseanne and wash and feed him.

"I guess you made your decision," my sister says after I lie next to Kyle with Carson in my arms.

"Yes, I did. Kyle is mine, and I will earn his love," I say with conviction.

"It's not his love you must earn; it's his trust."

The chapter is up; vote and comment :)

Do you think Rob deserves a second chance?