Chapter 66 Making Love
Ryder pov
I kiss her slowly, reverently, tasting the salt of her skin and the faint wildness that clings to her even here, in this dingy motel room.
"Make love to me," she whispers against my mouth, pulling me closer. "Remind me I'm still human. Still yours. Still just Jolie under all this divinity."
I chuckle, low in my throat. "We just had sex yesterday, Jolie. I promised you when we got home we would."
She shakes her head, eyes glowing in the dark. "I can’t wait."
I strip away the last of her clothes, peeling off her tank top and leggings until she's bare beneath me, silver hair fanned across the pillow. Her body is a map of changes—the faint glow under her skin, the new strength in her limbs—but she's still my Jolie, soft in all the places that matter.
I kiss down her throat, her collarbone, lingering on the swell of her breasts until she arches into me, a low moan escaping her lips.
My hands roam lower, parting her thighs as I settle between them. She's already wet, slick and ready, her scent driving me wild. I tease her first with my fingers, sliding through her folds, circling her clit until she's writhing, begging with her hips. "Ryder... please..."
I position myself at her entrance, the head of my cock nudging against her heat. Our eyes lock—hers glowing that ethereal silver—and I push in slowly, inch by inch, feeling her stretch around me, tight and perfect.
She gasps, her head tilting back, eyes rolling white as pleasure overtakes her.
The sensation is overwhelming; she's hotter than before, her inner walls pulsing with that divine energy, like fire wrapped in velvet.
"Fuck," I groan, gripping her thighs hard enough to leave marks, spreading her legs wider. "Hold still, Jolie. If you move like that, I'm gonna cum right now."
She tries—gods, she tries—but her body betrays her, hips bucking instinctively. I pull back almost all the way out, the drag exquisite, then slide in again, deliberate and deep, bottoming out with a thrust that makes us both shudder. "Fuck," I say again, voice rough, setting a slow rhythm—out until only the tip remains, then in, filling her completely, over and over.
Her hands claw at my back, nails digging in as the light flares brighter under her skin, syncing with each slide of my cock. I lean down, capturing her mouth in a messy kiss, swallowing her cries. She's clenching around me now, so close, and I speed up just enough to push her over—thrusting harder, deeper, until she comes undone, her body convulsing, walls milking me as she screams my name.
I follow seconds later, buried to the hilt, spilling inside her with a guttural growl. The world narrows to just us, pulsing together in the afterglow.
Afterward, she curls into my side, tracing lazy patterns on my chest, her breathing evening out, she smiles up at me, utterly spent and utterly mine.
"Tomorrow we're home," she says softly.
"Nervous?"
"A little." She props herself up to look at me. "What if the pack doesn't accept what I've become? What if they're afraid of me like everyone else is?"
"Then we'll deal with it." I pull her back down. "Together. Like we deal with everything."
"Together." She yawns. "I like that word."
She falls asleep quickly, exhausted from the day's travel. But I stay awake, watching her breathe.
Silver light flickers across her skin with every heartbeat. Proof of the divine power she carries. Proof that my mate isn't just a wolf anymore—she's something more.
And somehow, impossibly, she still chose me.
I press a kiss to her forehead and finally let myself sleep, secure in the knowledge that whatever comes next, we'll face it together.
The next morning, we wake to banging on the door.
"Rise and shine!" Knox's voice filters through. "We've got a problem."
I throw on pants and open the door. "What problem?"
"A crowd." He jerks his thumb toward the parking lot. "Word spread that Luna's vessel is here. There's maybe forty wolves waiting to see her."
I look out the window. He's not exaggerating. Wolves of all ages fill the parking lot, bikes and cars parked everywhere. Some kneel in prayer. Others just stare at our door.
"What do we do?" Jolie appears beside me, wrapped in a sheet.
"We leave through the back." I start grabbing our gear.
"No." She stops me. "I can't spend my life running from people who need hope. Let me go talk to them."
"Jolie"
"Trust me." She kisses my cheek and starts getting dressed. "I know what I'm doing."
Ten minutes later, she walks out the front door. The crowd goes silent.
"I'm not a deity." Her voice carries across the parking lot. "I'm not a savior. I'm just a wolf who survived what should have killed her. If my story gives you hope, use it. Be stronger. Be braver. But don't worship me. I'm not asking for followers."
"What are you asking for?" Someone in the crowd calls out.
"Change." Jolie's eyes glow bright. "If you see cruelty, stop it. If you see weakness, protect it. If you see injustice, fight it. That's all I'm asking. Be better than the wolves who came before you."
The crowd erupts in howls of agreement.
We slip away while they're distracted, hitting the road before anyone can follow.
"That was diplomatic," Knox observes.
"That was exhausting." Jolie slumps on her bike. "How do celebrities deal with this?"
"Usually badly." Doc laughs. "But you did good, kid. Gave them purpose without making promises you can't keep."
The last leg of the journey passes quickly. As we cross into Iron Fangs territory, I feel tension ease from my shoulders.
Home.
The compound comes into view—rough, industrial, perfect. Wolves pour out of buildings as they hear our bikes, and cheers erupt when they see us.
Cass is the first to reach us, grabbing me in a bear hug. "Boss! We heard stories, but we didn't know if they were true!"
"They're true." I glance at Jolie, who's surrounded by pack members wanting to touch her, see her, confirm she's real. "All of them and more."
"Is she really Luna's vessel?" Mara pushes through the crowd. "Can she really make wolves feel their victims' pain?"
"Yes." I watch Jolie handle the attention with grace and exhaustion. "And a dozen other things we're still figuring out."
"Then we need to celebrate!" Cass grins. "Party tonight. Welcome home the alpha couple properly."
"Tomorrow." Jolie extricates herself from the crowd and comes to my side. "Tonight, I just want to sleep in my own bed."
Our cabin looks exactly how we left it. Jolie collapses on the couch and sighs contentedly. "I missed this place."
"Even though it's falling apart?" I sit beside her.
"Especially because it's falling apart." She curls into my side. "It's real. Authentic. Not trying to be anything it's not."
"Like us." I kiss her hair.
"Like us." She yawns. "Divine power and all."