The Gamma’s Second Chance (Crescent Lake #3)

38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

NOLAN

Cassandra strolls in front of me, her skirt lifted in one hand and my hand clasped in her other. She glances back at me every few steps as she leads me across the stepping stones in the grass and up the stairs into the temple, smiling as she does.

A breeze blows, catching the fabric of her gown and swirling the material, making the loose, wispy tendrils of her hair dance in the moonlight. The white, semi-sheer fabric of her dress almost hides her body from view. But the moon and stars give enough light to make out the outline of her long, graceful legs, the curve of her ass, and the swell of her breasts beneath the layers of the gown.

The train rustles across the grass and up the stairs, the clicking of beadwork adding depth to the music she makes as she walks. The jeweled pins holding her hair in place sparkle and tease my eyes, disappearing and reappearing like stars in the night sky. It all combines to create an ethereal, sensual image of Cassandra, one I’ll remember for all our days.

Innumerable stars twinkle in the sky, but she shines brighter and more exquisitely than all of them combined.

My stunning, incomparable Cassandra.

Mine.

When we reach the threshold, she stops, and her breath catches in her throat as she stares at the interior, tears pooling in her eyes. I pause behind her, hands resting on her hips, gazing at it with her.

It’s dark inside, save for one large candle near us. Unlit candles line the temple, one in front of each column holding up the open-air roof. On the opposite side from us, a glass of wine sits in front of a large unlit candle matching the one to our left, and in the circular, sunken floor of the temple are cushions, pillows, silks, and furs.

And strewn about the temple, arranged in vases and small, hand-tied bundles, are daisies of every color. Just as I requested.

Cassandra inhales, her breath shaking, and she covers her mouth with a trembling hand. I dart around her, cupping her face in my hands and frowning down at her as the tears fall down her cheeks. “What is it?”

She shakes her head and wipes the tears from her face. “It’s silly.”

“I’m sure it’s not.”

She smiles through her quivering lips. “I’ve helped prepare the temple for this ceremony countless times as an acolyte.” She licks her lips and reaches her hand out to my chest, her fingertips grazing over my skin, like she’s not sure I’m real. “I never thought I’d see it set up for my own marking ceremony.” A little tear-filled laugh falls from her mouth. “It feels like a dream.”

I wrap my arms around her torso, tucking her against my chest and kissing the top of her head. “It’s not a dream.” I grip her chin and lift her gaze to mine. “It’s real. You and me, Daisy. Forever.”

My hand travels down her neck, and I circle her mark with my fingertips, her eyelids fluttering as she sighs. “Forever. I like the sound of that.”

I smile. “Me too.”

She reaches up and presses her lips to mine. The kiss is soft, sweet, filled with joy, and tinted with a deeper sensuality, just like Cassandra. I long to deepen it and extend it, but she backs away and connects our hands again, guiding me to the one lit candle in the temple.

Two wooden lighting sticks lay on the pedestal the candle sits on. She grabs both and hands one to me, gesturing at the candle with her chin. “This candle represents how our souls started as one before splitting into two halves. We each will light half the circle of candles until we reach the large candle on the other side,” she says, sweeping her arm out and gesturing at the unlit candles around the temple. “We light them to signify our journey to find our other half, showing how, although our souls were split, we endured our separation, growing stronger apart to become a powerful, singular entity upon reuniting.”

We gaze into each other’s eyes as she finishes speaking, and my throat bobs as I swallow back the emotion building there. She entwines our fingers, and as one, we light our wooden sticks before separating and circling the temple.

It’s silent, save for the susurrations of her dress on the temple floor. It whispers and sighs, like a lover in the night, reminding me of her steady, unchanging presence in the temple and in my life.

I light each candle on my side of the temple, taking my time to soak in the beauty of the symbolism of the ceremony and to reflect on the journey that led me to her.

My mate.

Our souls may not have been one to begin with, like the candle represents, but our journey through life to find each other did strengthen us. Our trials forged each of us into a sharpened weapon, a soldier clad in iron mail. It made it harder for us to find each other and let the other in. But it made finding each other more meaningful, because we had to work for it. We had to fight for what we wanted, what our souls knew we needed before we were ready to admit it.

The light from the candles we ignite grows brighter with each of our steps closer to each other, an outward representation of how Cassandra has brightened my days and my heart with her sunshine spirit and her wildflower soul. Our love for each other blossomed even with the barbed wire exterior I presented to her when I was too damaged to realize what I felt for her was love.

We reach the last candle at the same time, and once again we join hands, both of us exhaling as we touch. Without words, we extend our sticks to the wick, igniting the large candle as one. I take hers from her and set them both on the pedestal before wrapping my arm around her waist.

The temple is aglow with candles, lighting up every inch, every alcove, spotlighting the carved architecture and the flowers everywhere, but all I see is her. The addition of the golden light from the candles to the silver light of the moon and the stars penetrates straight through the sheer fabric of her gown, leaving little of her body to my imagination. I explore her with my free hand, gliding it over her subtle curves barely hidden by the almost sheer fabric.

“The wine,” she says with a gasp as I trail my fingers across the swell of her breasts, tracing the neckline of her gown. “We’re supposed to share it, to symbolize how we will share our hearts and our souls with each other.”

“I don’t want to let you go,” I whisper, aware of how whipped and needy I sound and not caring in the slightest.

“You don’t have to.” She smiles, running her hands over my bare torso before reaching for the glass.

She lifts it to her smiling pink lips and sips it, savoring the red wine as it slips into her mouth. Then she raises it to my mouth, tilting it for me to drink from. I arch my neck and take a sip, and a small drop falls from the corner of my lips, rolling down my throat. Cassandra darts forward, licking the wine away with a swipe of her tongue along my neck, making me groan and my dick harden more than it already is.

She sets the glass of wine on the pedestal without taking her mouth from my neck, teasing and taunting me with kisses and flicks of her tongue, focusing on my marking spot.

“Cassandra…” I grip her body in my hands, fingers digging into her hips, and I rock forward, rubbing my dick against her. “Oh, fuck that is…” Another groan cuts off any further words from me as she palms my cock through the thin linen of my pants, and all I can think of and focus on is her touch and her body in my arms.

“I choose you, Nolan,” she says, backing away from me, her hands undoing the clasp on the front of the top layer of her gown. “I choose you now, and I will choose you every day of our lives together.” The outer garment falls down her arms and to the floor, leaving her in only the dress underneath, held up by two thin straps I could easily slice through. I follow her, matching her step for step, eyes glued to her as she undresses and makes her vow to me. “I choose you because you also chose me. You embrace me as I am, accepting all the broken pieces of my soul. Bond or not, you are my mate, the other, better, half of my soul.”

I close the minute gap between us again, caressing her arms to her shoulders and stopping her retreat. “I love you and I choose you, Cassandra,” I say, trailing my fingertips up her neck, making her breath catch and her eyelids flutter. “It may have taken a while for my brain to catch up, but my heart chose you from the moment you first arrived in Crescent Lake. You smiled at me, and from that second on, my heart was in your hands.”

I pluck a jeweled pin from her hair and then another, dropping them to the floor as I continue my speech to her. “You bring out the best in me, and you’ve given me something to live for, something to look forward to. Your resilience and your positivity brighten my days and bolster my heart. Your love is like a field of wildflowers—lush and dense, vibrant and untamed, the perfect combination to balance my intense stoicism.” I drop the final pin to the floor, and my arm wraps around her shoulders as her hair cascades down her back in loose waves. My lips brush a kiss against her collarbone as I weave my fingers into the hair at her nape. “You are my mate in every way that matters, and my heart is yours forever.”

Emotion fills my chest, thick and sweet as caramel. It coats my soul and pools in my eyes, and I turn my face into Cassandra’s neck, breathing her in. But I don’t force it back or hold it in. I let the tears fall onto her skin, then lift my gaze to hers. I pour everything into her with my stare—all the words I don’t have to express to her what she means to me and how she’s changed me. “I’m yours,” I say again, repeating the only sentiment that matters. “Make me yours, Cassandra.”

She angles her body to descend the small set of steps leading to the center of the temple, and I am right behind her, my hand moving to the small of her back, ready to catch her should she fall. She lowers herself and scoots backwards as I remove my pants and kneel before her, crawling over her as she reclines against the pillows and cushions on the temple’s floor, sliding my hand up the outside of her leg and lifting her skirt as I go.

The graceful curve of her long leg comes into view, her skirt pooling and billowing around her waist. I kiss across her chest and down the swell of her breasts, the edges of the lace daisies teasing my chin. I reach her bare hip and slide my hand around to squeeze her ass before I continue my exploration of her body beneath her gown. Her skin is warm and soft, and it pebbles under my touch, little shivers of desire wracking her body as I explore her suppleness.

She gasps as my fingers part her lower lips, and my cock jerks at how wet and ready for me she is. Her chest heaves and her neck arches as she supports herself on her elbows, and I gaze at her beautiful, pleasure-filled face as I slip my finger inside her, twisting it as I slide it in and out.

Her legs spread more, showing off all of her beautiful pussy to me, and my hand grips into her thigh, thumb pressing into her skin hard enough to leave a bruise as I hold her apart, keeping her open for me. She clutches at the cushions beneath her as I graze her clit with my other thumb, nails scraping against the fabric, her hips bucking into my touch, and her greedy pussy pulsing around my finger. The flimsy straps on her gown fall off her shoulders, and the bodice drifts down her chest, revealing the edges of her pink nipples.

I watch her, transfixed, as she gives in to the pleasure she’s receiving from me. She is pure sensuality, caught up in her bliss. Her eyelashes flutter, her heart races, and sweet sighs and moans fall from her lips, floating through the temple and up into the night sky. I kiss the top of her knee and down her inner thigh until I reach where my hand spreads her open, and then I make the journey back to her knee. She tenses with anticipation as I repeat the movements, over and over, never placing my mouth on the specific spot she wants me to.

A frustrated groan escapes her after the third time I tease her, and I laugh, my lips tickling the inside of her leg right next to her knee. “I know, Daisy,” I say underneath my deep, resonant laughter, leaning over her and lifting my hand to her face as I continue playing with her pussy. “But we have all night, and I want to take my time with you.” My finger drags out and swipes up to her clit, circling it in a spiraling, swirling figure eight. “I want this night to live in your memories as a magnificent, impeccable moment.”

I glide my hand up her abdomen, my eyes closing at the softness of her beneath my touch. When I reach her breast, I twist her nipple between my thumb and finger, and she rolls her body in response, her throat vibrating with her moan.

“Let me make this night special for you,” I say, lifting her dress up and over her head, revealing her gorgeous naked body to my eyes.

The dress drops to the cushions somewhere off to the side, and I lower my body over hers again, returning my fingers to her pussy and pressing my lips to her mouth. She wraps her arms around my neck, and everything is sweeter with her returning my touch. Her hands cup my neck as she deepens our kiss, our tongues dancing and tasting the hints of the robust red wine we shared. One hand slips around to my shoulder and down my chest, her palm resting over my pounding, love-filled heart.

“Let’s make it memorable for both of us,” she says, leaning away from our kiss and staring up at me. Her eyes glisten with joy and love, the gold swirling with passion and a hint of mischief, the green deepening with the presence of her lycan.

Before I can say anything, she lunges for me, kissing me and flipping us so I’m beneath her. I growl at the sneaky, cheeky attack, but I recline against the luxurious, soft cushions and give in to her temporary, unexpected dominance, letting her have the upper hand for a moment.

She kisses my jaw and neck, passing over my marking spot with an exhale that makes my cock twitch before she continues down my torso. When she reaches my abs, her tongue darts out, and she swirls it over each outlined muscle, tracing the dips and hardened planes with precise but languid movements, her palms supporting herself on my thighs. Her breasts sway, her nipples scrape my skin, and her little ass lifts into the air as she lowers her mouth onto my waiting cock.

A hiss of pleasure escapes from between my teeth, and my hands spear into her hair, weaving into the soft strands and gripping tight as I punch my hips up, pushing my cock deeper into her mouth. Her gorgeous, plump pink lips spread as she takes me further, her fingernails digging into my skin as she grips me tighter too.

“I love fucking this pretty mouth almost as much as I love fucking your pussy,” I grunt out, pulsing my hips in time with the bobbing of her head. “The way your lips look wrapped around my cock… fuck, I can’t get enough of it.”

Her eyes shine with satisfaction, and she practically swallows my dick, hollowing out her cheeks and opening her throat to make room for me, and my eyes roll into the back of my head.

“Goddess damn it, Cassandra!” I lift her off me and flip our positions again, so she’s under me, and I’m pinning her to the floor. That one simple movement of her mouth had my balls tightening and me on the edge of release way too soon. I narrow my eyes at her and growl. “You are coming first tonight. Not me.”

I rock my hips against her, sliding the length of my dick through her pussy lips, and her head rolls back, her breasts bouncing from my jerking of her body. “Or we can come together. As one.” She lowers her chin towards her chest and meets my eyes, hers glowing with certainty and determination.

As one. As equals. Together, as a united pair, a pair who found each other even with all the odds stacked against us. There was no bond helping us, but we fought for each other, fought to build a relationship stronger than titanium, a relationship more exquisite than either of us could have imagined or asked for.

I nod at her. “Together. With my teeth in your neck and your teeth in mine.”

Her eyes glisten, and she smiles, swallowing against her tears. “I love you,” she says as I position myself at her entrance.

“I love you so much, Cassandra.”

Our breaths catch together as I enter her pussy, our bodies tensing with pleasure at the feel of each other. She writhes slowly beneath me as I gently stretch her pussy with my cock, pushing my hips forward in a steady pace, savoring the moment. She relaxes into the cushions beneath us, giving in to my requests to take this slow, to create a lasting memory of the moment we mark each other.

When I’m completely inside her, and our hips are flush against each other, I pause and gaze down at her. Love swells in and around me, crashing through me with the force of a tidal wave. Everything we’ve been through, everything we’ve faced, led us to this moment. It was painful and filled with heartache, but I’d endure it all again a million times if it meant finding her in the end.

I collapse above her, holding my weight over her with my elbows, staying as close to her as possible as I pump in and out of her. We continue to keep our movements slow, but they’re no less passionate than when I take her hard. The feel of her skin on mine and the way her pussy wraps around my cock, taking me deeper with each thrust of my hips, is pure heaven. Nothing compares to being with her and feeling and watching her shudder with absolute bliss beneath my body.

I hook her leg over my hip, spreading her wider, my hand curling possessively around her ass. Thrust for thrust, she meets me, clinging to me and panting my name in my ear.

“Nolan…” she says, music filling her voice. “Nolan…” she murmurs, her fingers trailing up my spine and around to my marking spot. “Nolan…”

Over and over she repeats it, washing away all memory of any other vocalizations of my name. There is only her, and her voice, and her sincere, sparkling eyes holding mine as she lays claim to my soul with my whispered name on her lips.

Higher and higher we climb. Straight into the heavens themselves, our hearts open to each other as our souls merge.

“Cassandra…” I echo back to her, sitting back on my heels and lifting her with me so she straddles my thighs.

She gasps at the sudden change of position, her mouth falling open. Her arms clasp around my shoulders, pressing her perfect breasts against my torso. Their pillowy softness beckons me, and I pepper kisses across the curve of them as I wrap one arm around her waist and the other around her upper back, pinning her to me as our bodies slide against each other.

“I’m yours, Nolan,” she says as I kiss up her body to her face. “My heart has always been and will always be yours.”

Her chin lifts to the sky, her neck bared to me, and my wolf howls in delight in my mind. The cresting waves of pleasure grow inside me, building up behind the wall I create to hold them back. My gums itch as my canines descend, and I make my way to her neck, to where I’ll deepen my mark on her.

She angles her head too, meeting my neck with her mouth. Sharp teeth scrape the skin, and the groan I make is deep and filled with desire. My heart swells, and we clutch each other tighter, our teeth piercing each other’s necks in unison.

Pleasure rushes through me as we forge our connection—our bond. Our bodies writhe and we move as one, riding each wave of euphoria together, our moans, sighs, and gasps in perfect harmony. Starlight bursts to life behind my eyelids, and the bliss grows, blooming like a flower in the sun, until it doubles, echoing through me and into her and back again. I fall to the cushions with her in my arms, curling around her and holding her to me through the ebbing flow of pleasure, both of us sealing our marks with a swipe of our tongue.

Cassandra’s hands skim over my skin, and happiness overtakes me, along with wonder, love, and a hint of confusion and shock. She continues touching me, and I gaze at her, watching her face as the emotions I feel play across her features.

“I don’t understand,” she murmurs, staring hard at her hand, her eyes following its path over my chest. “Is this supposed to happen?” she asks, pressing her palm hard against my skin.

It isn’t until then that I break out of my orgasmic haze as a tingling shock of dazzling excitement skitters across my skin from where she touches me. I gasp and cover her hand with mine, squeezing it as fireworks dance between our fingers and up and around my arm to my heart.

I lift our hands between us, staring at them in amazement as earth-shattering sparks stronger than those I felt with Kimberly erupt from every point of contact between us. “How is this possible?” I whisper, sliding my fingertips down her forearm, marveling at the way it feels under my touch with the added pleasure from the fireworks.

Cassandra’s eyes flick to my mark and mine to hers, her lip trembling, and then she covers her mouth, a shuddering sob shaking her body. She hides her face in my chest, her fingers curling and scraping on my skin, and I cup the back of her head, shielding her from the world with my arms and my body. The mate bond—I hesitate to call it that, but that’s the only thing it can be—explodes between us, and I grit my teeth against the overwhelming intensity of it so I can focus on her emotional needs.

“Oh, Goddess.” She cries into my chest, the tears flowing freely from her eyes. “I can feel you,” she says, pressing her palm against her chest. “I can feel you here. Like you’re a part of me. Like your emotions are mine.” She switches her hand to my chest, stroking over my heart and then up to my neck, staring at her hand as it moves. “And this… this sensation when we touch…” She shakes her head. “I never imagined… it’s so…”

“Intense? Powerful?”

She nods. “It’s beautiful,” she adds, lifting her gaze to meet mine.

I exhale and lean forward, pressing my lips to her forehead. “It is,” I agree.

“But how?” she asks. “How do we have a mate bond now when we didn’t before? It doesn’t make sense.”

I breathe in her scent—daisies and pears—and tears fall from my eyes as well as I realize I can identify the rest of her scent now, that the sweetness I detected beneath the daisies is no longer just a hint. “I don’t know, Daisy,” I say, my voice cracking with the weight of my emotions and hers. I caress her back, my throat tightening with a groan at the delicious warmth and love blossoming beneath my touch. “But it is a gift. A wonderful, unexpected gift that I will forever cherish.”

She wraps her arms around me, and we kiss—a beautiful, decadent kiss that tastes of wine and tears and laughter, pushing aside our questions and confusion so we can enjoy the rest of our night together. Peace settles within me; our bond is a gift, just like her, and I will never take either for granted.