Suddenly Fated (Wolves of Riverton #1)

18. Esyn

PART TWO

18. Esyn

“Ladies and Gentlemen of River Pack, I give you, your Alpha and Luna, Michael and Esyn Belisarius.”

Elder Sheehan stood behind us on the ballroom stage, the rest of the Elder Council seated at his back. Jamie and Avelin stood next to us, beaming. The audience of pack members stood and clapped enthusiastically. “See, Little Mate? They love you,” Ari murmured before he kissed me. Hand in hand, we faced our people, the official Alpha and Luna ceremony complete. A cacophony of cheers rose up and I placed a hand on my stomach as the baby gave me a hard kick.

Ari and I got married a few weeks before that day’s ceremony. We chose not to have a formal wedding, opting to say our vows privately at home. We felt it was important to show the pack that my commitment to them was as deep as Ari’s, especially considering the threat looming over us all. We were preparing for war. Avelin and Jamie traveled to other packs garnering support. Several Alphas promised us warriors to add to our already sizable army. They hated Blackwell as much as we did. I’d been doing the job of Luna for a while already. It became my task to set up emergency communications for the town, to help them to evacuate in the face of an attack, and to set up safe houses for them all. It was a lot of work, but it gave me a strong sense of pride to do my part. I’d been terrified to talk to people at first, sure they’d hate me and blame me for the danger, but everyone turned out to be incredibly supportive. Well, almost everyone. Elise’s group of society women despised me and shunned me from their events, but I couldn’t possibly care less. Avelin received invitations to everything, of course, and she often went just to report the gossip. We hoped to hear news of Elise’s whereabouts. Alas, they were more interested in who had an affair, whose child got caught drinking at the pack bonfire, and who wore a tacky outfit to the last dinner party. Word of Elise never came up, though they continued to sing her praises.

“Congratulations, Alpha and Luna! May your reign be long and happy.” Avelin held up her wine and we all clinked glasses. After I became the official Luna, the four of us sat in the formal dining room along with my parents. We invited them to live with us in the manor, especially considering the now completely empty east wing, but they refused, preferring their modest, cozy house. They did agree to have dinner with us at least once per week, though.

I smiled, happier than I’d ever been with my husband, my family, and the cub growing inside of me. If only we didn’t have Blackwell threatening us, life would be absolutely perfect.

“So, Avelin and Jamie, when is it going to be your turn?” My Mom asked them, gesturing to my rounded stomach.

Jamie grinned and Avelin blushed. “Hannah, at least let us get married first!” Av joked, her face making us all chuckle. They wanted to wait until after the danger passed. “Here’s to a quick wait!” I held up my glass of juice for a toast. “Hear hear!” Jamie said, and we all clinked again. “Here’s to Blackwell running himself over with his stupid giant Humvee,” Ari said, raising his glass. We all laughed and clinked a third time.

My head fell back against the mattress, involuntary cries filling the room. Ari knelt beside the bed. His hands held my thighs, spreading them out as he used his mouth and tongue to set me on fire - swirling, licking, and finally sucking, making me scream as I came apart. He stood and slid into me, prolonging the mind-numbing pleasure. The room filled with our swirling scents as he took me first gently and then harder. My hands fisted in the blankets as the tension built again. “ Yes , love, come again for me,” Ari growled as he pushed me over the edge again, coming with me with a moan. All I could see in the dark bedroom was the sheen of his eyes as we panted. He crawled up my body and kissed me, then moved me with him up onto the bed properly, our heads next to each other on the pillows, saying nothing for a few minutes. I kept touching him, never tiring of the feel of his muscular body under my hands.

He stroked his hand over my belly and felt the baby kick back. “Someone wants us to knock it off,” he joked.

“Someone doesn’t get a vote,” I answered, kissing my way up his chest and neck, my hand moving down to stroke his cock, still slick and growing hard again. I threw one leg over his body as I kissed him forcefully. He raised a hand to touch me and I smacked it.

“Uh uh, not this time,” I said playfully. I grabbed both his hands and put them over his head. Reaching down, I guided him inside me.

“Goddess, Esyn-” he moaned.

“Now I’m in charge, and you’re going to come for me, ” I informed him, and he nodded his head. “Yes ma’am.”

I rode him slowly, purposely torturing us both, savoring the feeling of him filling me up completely. He lifted his arms and moved them as if to grab my hips, and I pushed them down again. “Ah ah ah, I said no,” I told him.

“If you don’t go faster I’m going to lose my mind,” he begged. Showing mercy, I sped up. “ Fuuuuuck. Yes. ”

Soon we were both in a frenzy. I forgot about his hands as we moved together, his hips bucking off the bed to meet me. Suddenly, I felt my own canines begin to lengthen, and I didn’t even think about it, leaning forward and sinking them into the side of his neck. I screamed, my mouth still on him as a bomb went off inside my body. He roared out a sound that could likely be heard all the way in town. Slowly, slowly we both came back to our senses. He held me tight for long moments.

“If someone told me they’d give me a million dollars to explain to them how fucking incredible that was, I wouldn’t be able to do it,” he said into my hair. “Is that how the marking felt for you?”

“Absolutely, yes.”

“Holy shit, I wish we could mark each other more than once.”

I pushed myself up, my hair falling like a curtain around us. He exclaimed, “Esyn!”

“What?”

“Your eyes are glowing silver.”