Chapter Eighty-Three
Catherine sprinted through the trees. Branches reached out and brushed through her silky coat as she dodged left and right. Her paws dug into the damp forest floor. Her muscles flexed and stretched in pleasurable relief. The sights and sounds of the forest were amplified as she ran, barely making any noise herself. For the first time in her life, she saw the various streams of energy lining the forest floor, connecting trees, brambles, the squirrels skittering up the trees, the birds soaring home for the night. She came upon a rock outcropping and stared upward.
Only half of the moon was visible in the night sky. A sudden wave of loneliness swept through her. She’d always run under a full moon and she somehow felt it had become a friend. She raised her head and howled. Her howl was cut off when someone spoke in her mind.
Rule number one when being chased by a top predator, Baby: Try to stay quiet. I’ll be on you in 45 seconds. Better run.
She turned her head in the direction she’d just come. The voice sounded familiar, similar to Graham’s. Something had changed about it though, it was far darker, deeper, dangerous. Whatever just spoke to her was feral, completely ruled by instinct. And it’s instinct was apparently to track her down. Her hackles rose and she stood, ready to flee.
Graham? she questioned through the mindlink
35 seconds.
The snapping of branches and the thud of heavy feet snapped her out of her curiosity. Something big was coming. Catherine turned on her heel and sprinted. She wove through the trees now, not for the sense of freedom, but the desire to keep it.
She’d practiced running from other wolves while living in Sterling. The woods here though were far different. The ground was rocky. Boulders jutted out at random intervals and sharp drops waited around nearly every turn.
Second rule: try to hide that delectable scent of yours. It’s as thick as a river leading me to you.
Catherine kept running but tried to think of a way to cover her scent. River. There was a river at the bottom of the valley. A mile, maybe a bit more and she could get to it.
A deep chuckle reverberated around her mind as she slid down a rocky cliffside.
Another good tip: don’t forget to block your thoughts. The river is too far, I’ll give you two minutes before I’m on you. Think of something else. Quickly.
Catherine could sense Graham in his lycan form closing in on her. She couldn’t hear him, or even scent him, but she could feel his power, his energy, radiating outward from him like tidal waves crashing onto the shore. A run with your mate was supposed to be fun, an enticing game that also served as practice when faced with a similar situation. It was a vital piece to any mating bond to be able to chase each other, challenge each other. She’d always fantasized about this moment. She never imagined it would happen under a partially darkened moon.
She spotted a patch of mud and ran for it. She slid into it and rolled until her entire coat was coated in the dirt. She shook off once and then took off again. She was getting quite far from the cabin and was considering doubling back when his voice came again.
Mud? Very inventive, Little Mate.
Catherine slowed and tried to get her bearings. Her breath was coming fast now. Her legs shook from disuse. Adrenaline pumped in her veins and blood roared in her ears. She kept a jogging pace, making a large circle so she could double back to the cabin without running into him. A twig snapped nearby causing her to still. Her ears twitched as she waited to hear anything else. She moved forward slowly.
Don’t forget rule number one, I can still hear you.
Catherine glanced down at her paws and wondered how he’d heard her. She walked on soft earth, no leaves or twigs gave away her position. She tried to walk lighter on her feet, barely putting her paw down before stepping slowly forward.
That’s it, Baby. Quiet as a fucking mouse. Not quite quiet enough though.
Catherine’s heart slammed against her chest. She knew he was watching her. She could feel his eyes boring holes into her. She could not see him though. She took two steps forward and saw a shadow in front of her. She stopped, one foot raised as she tried to decipher what the shadow was.
Most important rule: Never stop.
A crashing sound came not from in front of her where the shadow-lurked, but to her left. A startled cry escaped her mouth as the large brownish-red lycan came sprinting from the treeline. Catherine tried to run but only took three steps before being slammed in the side by the lycan. The pair tumbled over each other, hitting the ground hard with each spin. Unable to focus, Catherine felt herself shifting back. A moment later, Graham followed until their inertia ran out.
Graham lay on top of Catherine. They were both breathing heavily, and were covered in dirt and leaves. Catherine kept her arms sprawled out to her side as she tried to regain some air while her heavy mate crushed her lungs. Graham’s head lifted from the crook of her shoulder. His brown eyes were crinkled in humor that matched the wide grin on his face.
“Caught you,” he whispered before pulling a stray leaf from her tangled hair.
Catherine couldn’t help but return his smile. She brought her hands up, grabbed a fistful of his hair and pulled him down for a kiss. His shocked expression quickly morphed. He took control of the kiss, driving his tongue into her mouth with the intent to plunder. His fingers dug painfully into her arm as a blistering heat pooled in her lower stomach. A growl vibrated through Graham’s chest and his hold tightened further.
“Graham,” Catherine whimpered in between savage kisses.
Rather than letting up, Graham seemed to lose more control. His hands left her arms and scoured her body. He roughly gripped one breast while his teeth descended on the sensitive nipple. She cried out and scratched his back. His teeth dug in, drawing blood that only seemed to make the pool of heat seep outward up her stomach and into her legs. She felt his hard erection press into her leg as his mouth grazed over her stomach.
Within a moment his lips touched her sex and the heat exploded everywhere. Catherine cried out, already lost in a sudden, nearly painful orgasm while Graham was only getting started licking and sucking her sensitive flesh. Her hips rocked against his mouth while his nails sunk into her thighs to keep her still.
Nearly lost again to another orgasm, Catherine was helpless when he pulled away. She caught one brief glimpse of his face which caused her to cry out in shock before he took her legs and flipped her roughly onto her stomach.
“Graham!” Catherine cried out, his expression of feral determination forever imprinted on her memory.
He was lost, his eyes black and blazing with fierce need that made her stomach queasy with nerves. The heat was still there, blazing in her belly, becoming nearly painful.
Graham pulled her ass into the air, grabbed a handful of her hair and shoved her face into the dirt. He entered her with an agonized groan. She felt his cock press against her cervix. The heat along her skin subsided for a moment and then came back with a vengeance. She sought relief by pressing her backside against Graham’s hips and moaned when he pulled back and rammed home again.
“Oh Goddess,” Catherine moaned as Graham fell into a steady, harsh rhythm.
Chapter Eighty-Three
Each stroke pushed her farther forward into the dirt. He held her hips, refusing to let her shaky legs find reprieve. Catherine’s hands fisted into the earth and her cries of pleasure echoed through the empty forest. The heat enveloping her burned her skin and lit her nerve endings on fire. As the heat grew higher, so did Graham’s desperation. His thrusts were fast and demanding. The sound of their hips colliding mixed with Catherine’s pleas. His hands had moved to her ass and she knew there would be bruises from his harsh grip.
She didn’t want him to stop. She wanted him to fuck her into the forest floor until the end of time. She needed his release. She knew it was what her body craved. Her heat rose higher and higher. A dull pain started in her stomach where the tip of his cock
slammed inside of her.
Graham leaned over her, pushing one hand against her head and his other arm around her middle. His cock barely left her as he tried to drive himself deeper and deeper into her. She lost her breath as he sought the release that would free them both from this haze. She felt his cock expand, seemingly growing larger as his thrusts became more erratic. She recognized the sound of his moans and breathing as he neared his orgasm.
He thrust into her once with a loud grunt and then again. The third time, he stopped fully inside her. His fingers in her hair tightened and his arm around her middle squeezed as his hot cum filled her. Catherine cried out, her orgasm coming like an avalanche that buried her completely. Graham gasped and shook violently, holding her impossibly tighter as she felt his cock expand
even more.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Graham groaned as his cock swelled inside her, locking them together. “Shit.”
Catherine knew this wasn’t good but she could do little to care. Her body continued to ride through a prolonged orgasm that curled her toes and forced her eyes shut. She felt drool pool in the soil beneath her mouth as Graham tried a maneuver that only succeeded in burying himself further inside her. His fingers flexed against her skin as he fought the pleasure he’d brought on to
both of them.
“Graham,” Catherine whimpered again as his release inside her extinguished the raging heat.
She experimented with squeezing her lower muscles, tightening her walls around him. Graham hissed and shuddered behind her. His teeth sunk into her shoulder blade. She moaned and sighed as his teeth left to be replaced with soothing kisses along her spine and up the back of her neck. Slowly, they felt his swelling lessen. Graham circled his hips and sucked air between his teeth as he finally was able to pull out of her. Catherine’s legs finally succumbed to the assault and fell to the forest floor.
Catherine stretched her legs out and swiveled so she was laying on her back. She looked up at her mate whose eyes had returned to normal. He had a worried expression on his face that slowly eroded to a proud smile as he looked at her state. He knelt down in front of her. His hand smoothed over her calf and up her thigh. He lowered himself until he was laying flat over her again. Catherine sighed in contentment as his lips followed the curve of her collarbone.
“You’ve gone into heat,” he whispered. “We should get back to the cabin.”
Catherine hummed in agreement as she gently maneuvered his head down to her breasts. She felt rather than saw his smirk before he closed his mouth around one nipple. Catherine moaned and wrapped her legs around his waist. She rocked her hips up against his returning erection. The scorching heat returned, bringing with it a new more potent pain. She gasped as the pain sliced up her
stomach.
Graham’s head shot up, his eyes slowly blackening. He shut his eyes hard. “We need to get back before I go into another haze,” he warned her.
“Why? The last one was rather enjoyable,” she teased, licking her bottom lip and trying to reach down to touch him.
He quickly seized her wrists and shoved them to the side of her head. Catherine made a gasp that sounded closer to a moan.
“Your pain is going to get worse and my haze is going to get rougher.”
ト
Chapter Eighty Three
Rougher? She could feel the bruises forming along her body. Why did the idea of him being rougher make the heat furl outward? Catherine pivoted her hips causing him to lose his balance. She took the advantage and spun them so she straddled his hips. She gave him a mischievous smirk before running her hands down his chest and grasping his dick. The feel of him hot and wet in her hands caused a spike of searing hot pain to shoot up her spine. Graham growled. She wasn’t quite sure how it happened but a moment later she was on her feet being shoved against one of the larger oak trees.
“You don’t take control from me, Mate,” he hissed in her ear.
His voice had returned to the deep, dangerous one she’d heard in her head. She didn’t need to look at him to know his haze had returned. She didn’t care. She didn’t argue. Instead she stood on her toes and pushed her ass against his cock. His chest vibrated with another low growl.
“Good girl,” he whispered as he wrapped her hair around his fist.
Her erect nipples scraped against the rough bark as he rocked into her again. Catherine cried out and Graham bit into her shoulder as he hammered into her.
Surrendering to Destiny
