Orion’s POV
My eyes tracked Aurora’s body as she excused herself from the table, and it took every ounce of my willpower to keep my hands from drumming a beat against my thighs. I wanted to follow her instantly. In my peripheral vision, I caught Rook flashing a sly, knowing smirk. A second later, I felt a sharp tug pull at my mind as his teasing voice whirled into my mind.
‘You are definitely whipped, Alpha. Look at you, you’re practically seeing stars just watching her walk away,’ he joked via our pack link.
I gritted my teeth, throwing a dark glare across the table. ‘It sounds like you aren’t tired from yesterday’s training ring, right?’ I snapped back, raising a threatening brow. ‘I can easily arrange a rematch.’
Rook whined internally, the mental link severing instantly as he retreated from my mind. That would keep him too busy to tease me. Ever since Aurora arrived, he hadn’t missed a single opportunity to poke at me, forcing me to get my revenge out on the training mats.
I grabbed my tankard and brought it to my lips to take a slow sip, but my eyes never stopped scanning the room. That was when I saw Josephine; she was whispering in a hushed voice to her circle of friends before abruptly standing up and stalking off in the direction Aurora had gone.
I placed my glass back onto the table and jumped out of my seat. The sudden movement caused the surrounding pack members to sit up straight, their eyes wide with a mixture of respect and fear. They always worried I might lose control of my beast, and given the protective rage currently spiking my scent, I couldn’t blame them. I forced a tight, reassuring smile, waving my hand for them to continue eating before shoving my hands into my pockets and walking casually toward the corridor.
I stopped dead in my tracks the moment when I heard Josephine’s harsh voice, telling my mate to go back to where she came from. A deep growl clawed at my throat, wanting to be let out, but then Aurora’s serene, confident voice followed. I paused, a proud smile spreading across my lips.
My mate might be a vulnerable human in a world full of apex predators, but she had claws of her own. Every single mocking word and taunt that poured from those perfect lips was delivered with a mellow grace. The defiance of it sent a violent bolt of desire straight through my lower belly.
Fuck. My cock tightened painfully against the denim of my jeans as I let out a low groan into the empty hall. I had been walking around with agonizing blue balls for days, and now, the image of my woman standing her ground was causing blood to rush to my cock, making me impossibly thicker and harder.
I heard her final insult—touché—followed by the stomp of her footsteps. I took two quick steps back as she rounded the corner. Her chin was held high, her beautiful face flushed with a triumphant look. Without a single thought, I reached out and grabbed her arm from behind before she could step back into the banquet hall.
Her heartbeat skipped a beat, her lips parting to release a scream, but I slammed my mouth down onto hers, swallowing the sound. I used the opportunity to plunge my tongue deep into her mouth, tasting the sweet residue of the banquet wine and coaxing her into a soft, rough rhythm. She recognized me instantly, and her muscles relaxed as she sighed in my arms.
Her hands flew straight to my head, removing the elastic band from my hair and raking her fingers through my hair. I smirked into the kiss; she was obsessed with my hair.
When I finally detached my lips to trail a line of wet, bruising kisses down her throat, her chest rose and fell in vigorous, ragged gasps.
“Orion,” she breathed out, her voice broken in a helpless whimper.
Fuck. I nearly cum in my pants right then and there. That breathless, needy sound was a total weapon. My head throbbed, my frantic heartbeat matching hers as I pulled her full hips flush against my aching groin. I tugged her full lower lip between my teeth, sucking it into my mouth until she let out a loud, delicious moan.
“I heard what you said to Josephine,” I muttered against her skin.
Her blue-gray eyes widened in a sudden flash of panic, looking unsure of my reaction. I quickly pecked her swollen lips, a dark rumble vibrating in my chest.
“It was hot as fuck, goddess,” I confessed. It was the truth. If Aurora hadn’t stood up for herself or had let Josephine continue her pathetic jabs, I would have intervened myself. But because Josephine was an elder’s daughter, and she was still enjoying the benefit, that was why she was still alive to run her mouth, but Aurora had handled it.
Pushing the pack drama to the back of my mind, I crashed my lips onto hers again, desperate to feel her heat. I had never believed I could feel like this. In the past, normal sex or looking at females never did anything for me; I had spent years thinking I was asexual or completely broken inside. But with Aurora, I felt a thousand intense emotions at once. I just wanted to be with her—fucking or not, kissing or not. I wanted everything.
I groaned as her body molded perfectly to mine, her lush, plus-size curves fitting against my muscular frame like she had been tailor-made for my hands. I groped the soft flesh of her ass, squeezing tightly as my cock strained aggressively against my zipper, begging for action.
“Goddess,” I murmured against her lips, forcing myself to try and stop the make-out session before it went too far. I couldn’t push her. I had promised to give her time. With agonizing difficulty, I pulled my head back a few inches.
“Goddess, we need to stop,” I called out again, but her eyes were hooded with lust, her mouth slightly parted as she panted for air. The sight nearly tore through my remaining sanity.
I closed my eyes, physically pushing her hips back a second to create space. Aurora blinked, her dazed eyes focusing on me.
“Why?” she asked softly, her throat bobbing as she swallowed hard. “Why are you stopping?”
I gulped, my fists clenching at my sides. Fuck, she was making this so hard for me. “We mustn’t go beyond this right now. We are—”
She didn’t even let me finish. With a defiant, needy whimper, she jumped up, wrapping her thick thighs securely around my waist. My hands acted on my animalistic instinct, instantly catching her under her backside to hold her up.
“I want you,” she murmured, her hands trembling, clutching the front of my jacket, burying her face in my neck and pressing a nip on my jugular.
“Aurora—”
“Don’t you want to?” she whispered, looking down at me with a gaze that was innocent, but there was nothing innocent in it, as the heat in her eyes bared her true intentions, and she leaned forward and bit my earlobe hard.
A guttural roar ripped from my chest. “Fuck!” I growled, burying my face deep against her throat, my voice strained. “You are making this impossible, goddess.”
I knew the mate bond was affecting her, like it was taking all my reasoning—the desire, the need to claim, mark, and—
“Don’t stop, Orion,” she murmured, her lust-filled gaze pinning me to the spot.
I slammed her back against the stone wall, her thighs locking tighter around my hips. With a growl, I hitched her dress up to her waist, my hands squeezing the plump flesh of her bare outer thighs before digging my fingers deep into the soaking wet lace of her panties.
I adjusted my stance, arching my pelvis forward and slamming my rigid, rock-hard cock directly against her drenched panties. Even through the barrier of my denim jeans and her wet underwear, the friction was blinding. Aurora threw her head back against the wall, a sob bursting from her lips as I began to dry-hump her ruthlessly, my movements fast and frantic.
“Orion—fuck, please!” she gasped, her fingernails clawing into my jacket as I violently pounded my pelvis into hers, matching the frantic rhythm of our racing hearts.
Every shove of my hips sent the seam of my jeans crushing directly into her sensitive clit. She was gushing for me, her slick arousal soaking through the thin fabric of her underwear, creating a loud, wet, slapping sound against my denim with every stroke. I was losing my mind, lifting her weight higher against the wall just to drive the length of my crotch deeper into her.
The friction was like a wildfire between us. My movements became feral, my jaw clenching as I shoved my hips forward in a relentless, non-stop rhythm.
Suddenly, Aurora yanked the back of my hair tighter, making me grunt as she let out a choked cry of ecstasy, her teeth sinking deep into the skin of my shoulder as her body went rigid. Her release erupted, soaking through her ruined panties and sinking through the front of my jeans. The sight of her undone on my arms and her cum touching my cock pushed me to my own release.
I let out a guttural roar against her neck as my cock twitched violently. My mind went white as my cock spent itself inside my underwear, shooting thick, hot waves of semen into my pants from the intensity of watching my mate unravel.
Fuck!
Our breathing ragged hardly against each other; I held her close for long minutes, relishing the moment as I let her heart rate slow down while her head fell limply against my shoulder, her teeth still gently nipping at my skin in a dazed, after-climax haze.
Slowly, I slid her down my body until her shaky legs touched the floor. I peeled off my dark leather jacket and draped it securely over her shoulders, zipping it up to carefully cover her flushed, blissed-out face. I didn’t want a single person to witness the beautiful, exposed look of my mate’s ecstasy.
I cautiously scanned the back exit of the corridor, ensuring the path was clear, before smuggling her out the rear doors and taking her straight home. My jeans were uncomfortable against my skin, cold and soaked through with our combined, sticky heat, but my inner beast was completely satisfied.
***
Aurora and Orion, what are you doing