Chapter 97 Ours - Aleksandr’s POV
I pulled back from Amelia's neck, my tongue gently cleaning the mark I'd left on her skin. The taste of her blood lingered on my lips, and Skoll rumbled with satisfaction in my mind. The curse that had been clawing at my mind just hours ago seemed remarkably distant now, pushed back by something stronger, more primal. The mating bond, already forming between us, surged with newfound power. But it wasn't complete yet. She needed to claim me in return.
Amelia's eyes were hazy with pleasure, her lips parted as she caught her breath. The mark on her neck was already healing, faster than a normal wound would, transforming into the permanent scar that would identify her as my mate to any wolf who saw her. My wolf preened at the sight, possessive satisfaction flowing through our shared mind.
'Mate,' Skoll rumbled, his presence stronger than it had been in weeks. 'Ours now.'
'Not complete,' I reminded him silently. 'She must mark us too.'
I tilted my head to the side, offering her the vulnerable expanse of my neck, a gesture of submission that no Alpha King had made to anyone in living memory. My pulse pounded beneath the skin, a visible testament to my anticipation.
"Mark me," I said, voice rough with emotion. "Mark me as yours, as you are mine."
Something shifted in her expression, a flicker of uncertainty replaced by determination. But the eyes that looked up at me weren't entirely Amelia's anymore. One green, one blue, but now both held flecks of gold that hadn't been there before. Kaela was pushing forward, lending Amelia her strength for what came next.
I watched, fascinated, as Amelia's canines began to lengthen, extending past what should have been possible in her human form. Her hands came up to frame my face, small and delicate against my stubbled jaw, guiding me closer.
"Our turn," she whispered, her voice carrying an unfamiliar dual quality that sent shivers down my spine. Amelia's gentle tones underlaid with Kaela's deeper growl.
Her lips pressed against the junction of my neck and shoulder, the sacred spot where mating marks were traditionally placed. I felt her warm breath against my skin, the scrape of elongated canines. For a moment, she hesitated.
'She's afraid of hurting you,' Skoll translated, catching Kaela's concern through their strengthening bond.
I let out a low chuckle. "You can't hurt me, little mate," I encouraged. "Not like this."
That seemed to decide her. With a growl that sounded more wolf than human, Amelia bit down, her newly extended canines piercing my skin with surprising strength. The sharp pain bloomed into something else entirely, a pleasure so intense it bordered on agony. The mating bond flared between us, no longer just forming but solidifying, hardening into something unbreakable.
Skoll howled in our shared mind, his presence surging forward to meet Kaela's across the bond. I could feel both wolves connecting on a level beyond physical, their essences intertwining even as our bodies remained joined.
I began to move again, still buried deep inside her, driven by an instinct older than civilization. Each thrust pushed us closer to completion, both physically and spiritually. The curse that had haunted me for decades seemed to retreat further with every passing second, overwhelmed by the raw power of the mating bond that now flowed between us like liquid gold.
Her body moved with mine, meeting every thrust with perfect synchronicity. I slid my hand between us, finding the sensitive bundle of nerves that would push her over the edge again.
She released my neck with a gasp as pleasure overtook her, her walls clenching around me in rhythmic pulses. The sight of her coming undone beneath me, my mark vivid on her throat, her blood on my lips and mine on hers, it was too much. I followed her over the edge with a hoarse cry, my release crashing through me with an intensity I'd never experienced before.
For several moments, we remained frozen in that perfect connection, bodies joined, breath mingling, the four parts of our shared soul finally aligned. Then, slowly, I withdrew from her body and collapsed beside her on the bed, gathering her against my chest as we both caught our breath.
A strange calm settled over me, not the forced stillness of rigid control I'd maintained for decades, but something deeper, more natural. The curse still existed; I could feel it lurking at the edges of my consciousness. But it no longer dominated my thoughts, no longer threatened to overwhelm me at any moment.
And alongside that calm was a new presence, Kaela. Just as Amelia would now be able to sense Skoll more clearly through our strengthened bond, I could feel her wolf's distinct personality brushing against my mind. Fierce, protective, joyful in a way that Skoll hadn't been in far too long.
"How do you feel?" I asked, brushing damp strands of hair from Amelia's flushed face.
She looked up at me with those remarkable eyes, still carrying flecks of wolf-gold. "Different," she said after a moment's consideration. "Like something's been... rearranged inside me. Kaela feels closer somehow."
I pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. "The mating bond strengthened all our connections. It's natural to…"
Her body suddenly went rigid in my arms, her eyes widening with a shock that quickly transformed into wild excitement. She sat up abruptly, staring at her hands as if she'd never seen them before.
"Amelia?" I asked, concern creeping into my voice. "What is it?"
"I need to go outside," she said, already scrambling off the bed, heedless of her nakedness. "Now. Right now."
I sat up, watching as she grabbed my discarded robe from the floor, wrapping the too-large garment around her slender frame. "What's happening?"
Her grin was radiant, infectious. "Kaela," she said simply, eyes bright with unshed tears of joy. "I can feel her, really feel her. The barrier's different now. I think I can..."
She didn't finish the sentence, already darting toward the door, cinching the robe around her waist as she went. I leapt from the bed, barely managing to grab my second robe before following her.
"Amelia, wait!" I called, catching up to her in the corridor where she'd startled a night guard nearly out of his skin. The poor man pressed himself against the wall, eyes averted from his half-naked monarchs as we rushed past.
But Amelia was unstoppable, a woman possessed by a singular purpose. She flew down the grand staircase, bare feet silent against the marble, and through the main hall. Guards scrambled to open doors before she could crash into them, their faces masks of confusion. I followed in her wake, offering no explanations because I had none to give.
She burst through the eastern doors into the garden, not slowing for a moment as she raced along the moonlit paths. Her destination became clear as she headed straight for the edge of the forest, where the trees stood dark and welcoming under the silver light of the moon.
'She's going to shift,' Skoll realized, his excitement matching the wild energy radiating from Amelia ahead of us. 'Kaela's coming through.'
The thought filled me with hope and fear in equal measure. Her first shift had been miraculous but fleeting. Her subsequent attempts had all ended in failure and pain. What if this too led only to disappointment?
But as I watched her reach the tree line, her movements fluid and purposeful, I couldn't help but believe that something fundamental had changed between us tonight. The mating bond had altered something deep within all four of us, reshaping the landscape of our shared souls.
Whatever happened next, we would face it together, man and woman, wolf and wolf, bound by something stronger than curses, stronger than fear, stronger even than death itself.