Chapter Sixty-One
Catherine woke up and stretched languidly, loving how the soft fleece felt against her bare skin. She could feel the power of the moon coursing through her veins. She savored the rare feeling of holding control of her wolf. She was in bed alone, something that wasn’t uncommon with how carly Graham liked to get up.
After Graham woke her in the middle of the night, he didn’t let her sleep until she was thoroughly ravished. His attentions were so thorough and complete, by the time he was finished the memories that had haunted her sleep earlier in the night were barricaded behind a thick, unbreakable wall. There was only him and his touch.
She looked over to the window to find her mate sitting in the chair, watching her. His hair was still wet from his shower. His arms were resting on his thighs and his left leg bounced. Catherine smiled and for a moment his leg stilled.
“Good morning,” she breathed with a sigh of contentment.
“Good morning, Beautiful.”
“How long have you been up?” she asked, sitting up.
His eyes fell to her now exposed chest and back up. He shrugged. “A few hours.”
Catherine studied him as his leg continued to bounce. She drew her knees to her chest and rested her head on them. “What’s the
matter?”
Graham sat back and ran his hand through his hair. “We have to talk about today.”
She raised her head up and nodded in understanding. Today would be a long one, that was for sure. Natalie told her how big a deal the day of the full moon was for their pack. There would be backyard barbecues, most of the city would be shut down, people would be gathered on every street corner and, usually, there would be a pack run at midnight. Tonight, however, her mate would be the
main event.
“The kitchen is closed down today,” Catherine supplied. “How are you feeling about tonight?”
Graham grimaced and shrugged. “It’s a nuisance, it’ll be over in a second.”
“What’s got you so worked up then?”
He sighed and gripped the arms of the chair with white knuckles. “It’s the full moon…”
Catherine flung the rest of the blanket off her and walked to him. He opened his arms for her to sit on his lap. She ran her hands up his chest and cupped his cheeks. His nostrils flared and his eyes blackened.
“Fuck, baby,” he groaned, squeezing his eyes shut and dropping his head back.
“Tell me what you need today,” she said.
His hands gripped her waist and tightened. He looked back at her and his jaw ticked. “The entire pack will be like a live wire today. Normally I avoid it all and stay home. Today, I can’t.” He ran a hand through his hair and his other along her thigh. Catherine grew nervous. Was he planning on locking her in the house? Her hands lowered to his shoulders and she squeezed. “What I need is…”
“Don’t leave me alone… please,” she found herself begging.
His eyes snapped to hers and his brow furrowed. “I told you, that won’t be happening again. I’m not so naive. I noticed you are only
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hurt when I’ve left you alone. No…” He took in a breath. “What I need is you with me… all day.”
Catherine smiled slightly and breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay.”
“I don’t think you understand,” he said, surprised at her quickness to agree. “I need you with me, at my side. You cannot leave it. Unmated males will want you. They’ll try to get you away from me. Lycans during the full moon are… primal, driven by instinct. My tether on control will be threadbare, especially as the moon rises. I won’t be able to think if I can’t reach out and touch you.”
“I’ll be with you,” she told him. Graham closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. “What else?”
His eyes opened and he smirked. “Am I so easy to read?”
“You know I would stay with you today. There’s something you’re afraid to say. Tell me,” she encouraged.
He sighed and dipped his hand down to the ground. He held out a small vial of clear liquid with a singular swirl of red that looked like blood. Catherine took it and examined it. His leg bounced beneath her..
“What is this?” she asked.
Graham ran his hand through his hair. “I promised I would never make you do anything you’re uncomfortable with. Nancy has been doing some research, like she said she would. Until you’re marked, your genes will continue to fight with each other. She can’t be certain how you’ll fair if you try to shift tonight. It… It could be just as painful as the last time.”
*And because I shift when the moon is at its highest you’re worried I’ll try to shift during your challenge and it’ll affect your performance.”
“Of course not!” he said quickly. “I’m worried you’ll shift and it’ll be worse than last time and I won’t be able to get to you.”
Catherine took a deep breath and examined the vial. “This will keep me from shifting? For how long?”
“Twenty-Four hours.”
Catherine nodded. She uncorked the vial and downed it like a shot. Graham’s grip on her thighs tightened. She grimaced and handed the vial back to him.
“Now,” Catherine began. “What are the plans for the day?”
Graham startled her by fiercely gripping her face and kissing her. Catherine gasped at the ferocity in that kiss. His teeth scraped against hers, his tongue fought hers for dominance while his hands tangled in her hair. Catherine pushed against his shoulders until he finally relented and she gulped in air. He pressed his forehead against hers, his hands still gripping her face.
“I love you,” he whispered.
Catherine giggled. “What would you have done if I’d said no?”
“I would have dumped the shit down the sink.”
Catherine laughed again. “I love you too, Graham. Today is going to be hard for you. I don’t want to do anything that may make it even more so. I’ll stay with you until you have to go against Stuart.”
“You’ll be with Jensen during,” he told her.
She nodded. “I’ll be with Jensen during.”
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their discussion.
“Jensen wants to have a meeting about what happened yesterday,” Graham informed her.
“Sounds like a plan. Just let me hop in the shower and…” Catherine hissed as his nails dug into her thigh.
“No shower,” he told her with a small shake of his head.
“Really? I reek of sex.”
“No, you reek of me. I can’t mark you but I can still make sure every male within five miles knows who you belong to. Please, just this one last thing,” he asked, his face turning a cute shade of pink.
His possessiveness turned her on, in fact she’d felt turned on the moment she’d spied him with his wet hair and long sleeve shirt. She plucked at the sleeve he’d rolled up. Most of the time he had his left sleeve rolled up, showing his unmarked skin. Today, however, he was displaying his ink, even wearing shorts when he normally wore jeans. She wondered if he was showing off his tattoos on purpose. The power his tattoos symbolized made her skin hum with excitement and pride. Her fingers skimmed his skin and she rocked her hips against the leg she straddled. She leaned down and kissed his lips softly.
“There’s just one problem with that, mate,” she whispered against his ear. She felt a shiver run down his frame and his hands splayed wide against his back.
“Hmm?”
“You took a shower. How will all the female’s know who you belong to?” she asked. Catherine ran her tongue down the column of
his throat.
“That’s a great question, Baby. How are we going to fix that?”
“Take me to bed, Graham. Now,” she demanded.
Graham jerked up quickly causing Catherine to let out a playful shriek. He cupped her backside as he strode for the bed. He kissed her hard only breaking away when he’d reached the bed.
“Thank the Goddess you’re not a full lycan. I don’t know what I’d do with you if you were,” he mused, kissing her shoulder and making her head fall back.
She gave him a daring smirk. “You’d lay me down and fuck me into submission… But then again, I don’t know why I’d have to be a full lycan to get you to do that.”
Graham growled, his canines slipping over his lips before he flung her down on the bed and pinned her beneath him.
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Surrendering to Destiny
