True Wolf (Bennett Pack #3)

11. Zion

CHAPTER ELEVEN

ZION

W hile I stepped into the steamy glass enclosure of my shower, my muscles were straining, my dick was still hard as steel, and my wolf was prowling, begging for me to finish what I’d started. If I hadn’t been convinced before, I was surely convinced now. She was mine.

Mate.

Mine.

Not only was I convinced but my wolf was too. The way Nessah felt, the softness of her skin, her scent, the way she submitted even while trying to assert independence was confirmation. Everything about Nessah resonated with me and now that I’d connected with her, felt the pulse of her pussy around my dick, felt her body writhe and quiver beneath mine, there was no way I could accept anything other than us being together. I ducked my head under the scorching hot stream of the waterfall showerhead.

I should have sealed the gotdamn bond.

No, you shouldn’t have. Not without her permission - Xande r

I lifted my head at the same time my eyes narrowed.

Not the time for your shit – Me

Relax, baby brother. I didn’t intrude on your moment. Some things are off limits and fucking your mate is at the top of that list. I just tapped in because I felt your conflict. Laz filled me in on what we’re dealing with. – Xander

We’re not dealing with anything. This doesn’t concern you. – Me.

I grabbed the soap and washcloth from the built-in shelf and began lathering my body.

Your legacy concerns all of us, Zi. Like it or not, it fucking matters. – Lazar

Not to me. She’s mine. No matter what and my dick is currently in my hand so can we do this another time. – Me

I knew that would end this conversation.

Yeah, I’m done. – Xander

Shit, me too. – Lazar

I smirked and finished cleaning myself before I got out, dried off, and wrapped a towel around my waist. When I reentered my bedroom, I found Nessah sitting on the edge of the bed. Her shoulders and expression were tense.

Instead of answering the questions in her head, I crossed the room and opened one of my drawers, where I removed a T-shirt for her and a pair of briefs for myself. I stepped into the briefs and dropped the T-shirt in her lap before I leaned down and kissed her shoulder on the same spot my canines were aching to sink into.

“Take a shower and come to bed. It’s late. Let’s get some rest and we can deal with whatever the fuck we need to deal with tomorrow.”

“Zion, you’re not hearing me. I can’t stay.”

“No… you are not hearing me. You can’t leave,” I stated calmly with an unmovable authority. She lifted the shirt, stood from the edge of the bed, allowing the sheet to drop, exposing her naked body. Soft curves, a sea of brown skin, and a pussy I could still feel wrapped around my dick. My wolf was going crazy again with the need to taste her, feel her, mark her.

“Fine, if you want to prolong this, then you can, but you can’t force me to stay.” She tossed the shirt on the bed and narrowed her eyes. “ And , I don’t need your clothes, I have my own.”

I smirked, picked up the shirt, and closed the space between us. My free hand grabbed her hip and forcefully brought her body to mine. I bent my neck, lowering my face until it was angled over hers, our mouths a breath away from each other.

“I’m well aware that you have your own, but I want you in mine .”

I backed away, extending the shirt, which she yanked free of my hold and stormed into the bathroom. While she showered, I considered getting her things from the living room but then decided against the idea. My scent was in her, I wanted it on her too. Even down to my body wash on her skin after she showered. So instead, I climbed in bed and waited for her to join me.

When she returned twenty minutes later, wearing my shirt, I smirked and tossed the covers back, inviting my mate to climb in. When her gaze bounced to my bedroom door, I knew exactly where her thoughts had gone, but I quickly shut that shit down.

“You’re sleeping with me, Nessah.”

She frowned and hesitated, considering her options before she stomped to the bed, climbed in, but lingered at the edge of the mattress. I put an end to that also by forcing her into my chest so we were face to face.

“Tell me everything,” I said quietly.

“You said rest, not talk.”

“Nessah…” I warned and she rolled her eyes.

“You already know everything.”

“No, I don’t.”

She sighed and attempted to inch away but I draped my arm across her waist and held her steady. “You know the most important part. I can’t give you children, Zion. The moon goddess got this all wrong. They had to because there’s no way…”

“No way I would want you if you couldn’t give me children?” The thought coiled and tightened in my chest uncomfortably and Nessah nodded.

“Isn’t that a decision you should allow me to make?”

“No, because you’ll do what’s right, what’s expected of you, and not what you truly want.”

I frowned. “You don’t know me well enough to know what I would do.”

Her brows inched in just a bit. “I know enough.”

“About me?”

“Yes, Zion, about you . Everyone around here loves you. The Bennett Alphas . They can’t stop singing your praises. It’s quite nauseating.”

I grinned amusedly. “You mean the women can’t stop singing my praises.”

I felt her wolf growl with the thought of someone else speaking of me, or worse, claiming me. Their jealousy made me smile. My own wolf reacted just as passionately in defense of her wolf’s feelings.

“Don’t be cocky.”

I pushed my hips forward until my dick made contact with her belly. “Hard not to be.”

“Zion.”

I chuckled lightly. “You wouldn’t have to be jealous if you hadn’t been hiding. We wasted three months. Now tell me why you think you can’t give me kids.”

The concern and hesitation that darkened in her eyes tensed my stomach, causing me to urge Nessah to tell me whatever was weighing on her thoughts. I pressed my fingers into the base of her neck and massaged the tension I felt tightened beneath them.

“Tell me.”

“I come from the Calhoun Pack.”

My jaw flexed in annoyance and she frowned before asking, “You know them?”

“We know all the packs and their leaders who reside in our area. My brothers have had conflict with a few of their pack members for not following bylaws. Rolf is too incompetent and not respected.”

Rolf Calhoun had only been Alpha for a few months but he was more or less a seat filler. His father ruled from the grave through his previous Beta, Seth, while Rolf pretended to.

Hollow Grove had multiple packs that existed on their own with a mutual respect for each other’s leadership, but the Calhoun Pack was known for the discourse amongst them because Rolf wasn’t assertive enough to be a true Alpha.

He was only in the position because his father passed. However, his father clearly hadn’t prepared his son for the position. Seth carried more authority than Rolf, ruling from the shadows with a chip on his shoulder. The Beta wasn’t happy about standing behind Rolf.

“Oh…” The way her eyes shifted concerned me. If either of them laid a finger on her…

“Why did you leave?”

“I didn’t exactly leave. I was cast out by the pack.”

“They forced you away?” My wolf was at the surface, growling at the thought of her being mistreated.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“I was promised to Rolf…”

“Their Alpha?”

She nodded. “We were to be married and mated during the full moon before I came here.”

“It never happened?”

“No, tradition is that one of the elders blesses the union by foreseeing what the intended’s future together would be. That night, she was supposed to bless ours before the ceremony but what she saw didn’t align with pack tradition. She said I would never give Rolf a legacy. When she told us, his father announced right there in front of our entire pack that he was refusing to accept me for his son. I was devastated and didn’t know what to do. I expected my parents to stand up for me but instead they asked if he would take my sister in my place.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

What the hell was wrong with them?

“I wish I was. Not only did they demand my sister marry Rolf, against her wishes, but they led the charge to have me exiled from the pack. I embarrassed them. They didn’t want me around as a reminder of how they almost lost their standing and attachment to Rolf and his family because of me.”

“Fuck, Nessah, I’m sorry.”

“You don’t need to be sorry.”

“Yes the fuck I do,” I growled. “I failed you.” The weight of his words hung in the air.

“You didn’t fail me, Zion. You never knew anything about me. You can’t defend what you have no knowledge of. Had you known, things would have been different.”

I smiled. “You want me to defend you.”

“No, that’s not what I’m saying…”

The silence between us stretched and I could see the turmoil in her stormy gray eyes. I reached out and gently brushed her cheek with my thumb.

“Fuck your parents. And most of all, fuck Rolf. Your past is your past. Your future is mine. Get some rest.”

She stared at me conflicted once more but conceded. It was late, there had been a lot of moving pieces to how we ended up here. I was exhausted so she had to be too and maybe that was why she let things go at the moment. Regardless of the reason, I accepted the compliance and pulled her in closer. Her body stiffened but then she relaxed so I nestled my chin on top of her head and let sleep take over.