Chapter 118
Kara
"Why?" The word cracked like a whip.
"Because!" I pulled my hand free, wrapping my arms around myself. "Because I didn't want to cause more problems. Didn't want you to—to do exactly what you did. Get yourself in trouble. Give the pack more reasons to say I'm not fit to be Luna."
"Kara." He reached for me again, slower this time, giving me space to refuse. When I didn't pull away, he cupped my face in both hands, his palms warm against my chilled skin. "Those words he said? They're the same poison my family fed you for a decade. The same lies that made you believe you weren't worth protecting."
Tears burned behind my eyes. "They feel true sometimes."
"I know." His thumbs brushed across my cheekbones, catching tears I hadn't realized were falling. "That's why he had to learn. Why they all had to learn. You are everything, baby. And anyone who makes you doubt that—anyone who touches you, insults you, makes you feel small—they answer to us."
Through the bond, I felt Asher and Blake's fierce agreement, their protective fury mixing with Cole's until I could barely breathe under the weight of their devotion.
"You're lucky, Kara," Cole continued, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Lucky that you found three Alphas who would burn the world down to keep you safe. Who would break every bone in Tyler Kane's body just for making you afraid. Not everyone gets that."
"I know," I breathed. "I know, and it terrifies me and—and it makes me feel so safe at the same time, and I don't know how to reconcile those two things."
"You don't have to reconcile them." He pressed his forehead against mine, our breath mingling in the small space between us. "You just have to trust that we'll never use that violence against you. That every drop of blood we spill, we spill to protect you."
My wolf surged forward, pleased and possessive and demanding. Mark him. Make him ours. Show him he belongs to us just as much as we belong to him.
"Close your eyes," I whispered.
Cole pulled back slightly, confusion flickering across his features. "What?"
"Close your eyes." I unbuckled my seatbelt, my hands already reaching for him. "I have something I need to give you."
Understanding dawned in those blue depths, followed immediately by such raw hope that it stole my breath. His entire body went still, like he was afraid any movement might shatter this moment.
"Kara, you don't have to—"
"I want to." And I did. God, I wanted this with an intensity that shocked me. "You protected me today. You got blood on your hands for me. You're asking me to trust you with my pain, my secrets, my fear. The least I can do is give you this."
He closed his eyes, and I watched his throat work as he swallowed hard. Even with his eyes shut, I could see the tension in his shoulders, the way his hands gripped the steering wheel like he needed something to anchor him.
I leaned in slowly, pressing my lips to his eyelids first, feeling them flutter beneath my touch. My fingers threaded through his hair, softer than I'd expected, and I felt him shiver. Down to his sharp cheekbones, where I could feel the bone structure under smooth skin. The strong line of his jaw, where the faintest hint of stubble scratched against my lips. The corner of his mouth that quirked up even now, betraying how much he wanted this.
"You're mine too, Cole Sterling," I murmured against his skin, letting my breath ghost over his neck. "Just as much as I'm yours."
His pulse hammered frantically under my lips as I found the scent gland on his neck—that spot where the cool mint and ozone scent was strongest, where I could feel his heartbeat racing. I let my tongue trace over the spot first, tasting the salt of his skin, feeling him tense beneath me.
Then I let my wolf surge forward. My canines elongated, sharper than any human teeth, and I felt the exact moment they pierced his skin.
Cole's entire body went rigid, his back arching off the seat. A sound tore from his throat—desperate, shocked, pleased—as the bond between us exploded. White-hot pleasure crashed through our connection, so intense it was almost painful. I felt my scent—white musk and fresh snow—mixing with his cool mint and ozone at the cellular level, intertwining until I couldn't tell where I ended and he began.
Through the bond, I felt Asher and Blake gasp in tandem, miles away at the estate. The pleasure of the marking rippled through our shared link like an electric current, and I felt Blake's knees buckle, felt Asher grab the edge of his desk to stay upright.
Fuck, Blake's voice echoed in my head, rough with arousal. Fuck, that feels—I can feel everything—
She's marking him, Asher's thought was tinged with wonder and fierce possessiveness, his usual control fraying at the edges. Our girl is marking our brother. God, I can feel her teeth in his skin, feel her claiming him—
Cole made another sound low in his throat—not quite a moan, not quite a whimper, but something desperate and surrendering. His hands came up to cradle my head, not pulling me away but holding me against him, silently begging me to take more, to make it permanent.
I licked over the mark, tasting copper and salt and something uniquely Cole, sealing the bond permanently. My saliva carried my scent, my claim, embedding itself in his flesh in a way that could never be undone.
When I pulled back, his eyes had gone full gold, his wolf shining through as he stared at me with something like worship. Blood trickled from the twin puncture wounds on his neck, and without thinking, I leaned in and licked it away, marking him again with my tongue.
"Yours," he breathed, his voice wrecked. "Always yours."
Then he was kissing me, desperate and tender all at once, his hands tangling in my hair as he pulled me across the center console and into his lap. I went willingly, straddling him in the driver's seat, my coat suddenly too hot, too restrictive. I could feel him hard beneath me, the evidence of how much the marking had affected him.
"Back seat," he growled against my lips, his hands already tugging at my coat. "Need more room. Need—fuck, need to show you what you do to me—"
He didn't finish the sentence. Instead, he lifted me effortlessly, maneuvering us into the back seat of the Tesla without breaking the kiss. The leather was cool against my legs as he settled me on his lap again, my thighs bracketing his hips.
My coat came off first, then his, tossed carelessly into the front. My sweater followed, and his hands were already working on my jeans, his fingers fumbling slightly in his haste.
"Wait." I was panting, my body singing with need, but I needed him to understand. I caught his wrists, stilling his movements. "I want this. But I need—I need to know you're here with me. Not just because of the mark, or the bond, or biology."