When the morning light peeks through the curtains in the bedroom, Snow finally lies across my chest and breathes a happy sigh. I hold her to me, running my fingertips up and down her back.
“I didn’t know it could be this way,” I say, kissing the top of her head.
“Did nobody tell you what happens during mating moon?” she asks.
“I’d heard bits and pieces. But I never imagined it could be so wonderful. I promise I will be a good mate to you, Snow. I will protect you and keep you safe. I’ll make sure nothing and no one ever harms you. I’ll make sure that our cubs are provided for and that you have all that you desire.”
She leans up, looking into my eyes, and I see something that looks like love and devotion in hers.
“I know you will, Koda. I’ve been around shifters a long time. But I know that you will make a wonderful mate. I’m lucky that you found me.”
Leaning down, I take her lips, and this time when we make love, it has nothing to do with the moon.
Chapter 6
Snow
I giggle as Koda nips at my neck while I sit in his lap at the giant dining room table. I may have gone a little overboard with all the food I cooked for breakfast, but I’m used to cooking for three shifters, and Koda’s kitchen has more than a cook could dream of.
I could cook for an army in here. A lot of the stuff had never even been used and I’d had to take the plastic off most of it. That just highlighted how much Koda needs me here. He keeps telling me he’s going to be taking care of me, but I’m going to care for him just as much.
“I made you all this food and you’re just going to eat me,” I protest half-heartedly as I lean my head to the side, letting him nibble at my neck.
His big hands run up my legs and under the shirt I have on, going to my ass and squeezing. “I want to eat you first.” This time, he licks me, and the sensation makes me wriggle on his very hard cock. I don’t know how we are still going at each other like this, but we can’t seem to get enough.
“You can’t live off of just eating me,” I tease back, shifting on his lap to rub against him.
“I could,” he grunts, then goes back to his neck assault, making me giggle again.
“Well I can’t.” He pulls back quickly, looking down at me with his big brown eyes.
“You’re hungry?” Concern shows on his face. He always seems so worried about me. Anytime I make the tiniest remark, he’s in action. I don’t even have to try the pout thing. I ask and he does. It’s sweet. It makes me feel important. Like he’s never going to let me go.
He pulls me from his lap and sets me in the chair next to his before getting up and working his way around the table, making a giant plate of food. He piles it with eggs, bacon, pancakes, and some little hash potatoes I made. Then he places it in front of me.
“I can’t eat all that.” I thought he was making the plate for himself. It’s piled so high with food that I’m surprised it hasn’t collapsed.
“You’re small. I’ll make you nice and big.” He nods like that’s that.
I snort, knowing if I eat all that I’ll be sick. “I’m just built small. Trust me, I eat,” I reassure him. I grew up with shifters and spent most of my time cooking. In fact, I ate a lot, but it never seemed to go anywhere. “But there is no way I can eat all this food.”
He sits back down in his chair, pulling the plate over in front of him, before picking me up once again and depositing me in his lap. It’s a habit he’s picked up over the last two days. When he wants me somewhere, he doesn’t really ask. He just picks me up and puts me there.
“I’ll feed you until it’s all gone.” He picks up some potatoes and brings them to my mouth. I open for him. A feeling warms me deep down. I know I can’t eat all the food, but I’ll give it a go.
I’ve always been the one to take care of my brothers. While they were good to me, this is different. I feel cherished as I sit in his lap while he slowly feeds me, bite by bite. I still like doing things around here, cooking and cleaning, but the way he shows me he cares makes my heart flutter. It makes me believe that maybe being mated to a human isn’t bothering him anymore.
I’ve been mulling over what would happen if our children were human. I don’t know how all that works and what happens when a human mates with a shifter. I know with me, he has the mating pull, so he has no choice but to want me. But would it be different with our kids? He wouldn’t have that special bond with them, and if they were human, he might not love them like they’d deserve.
I push the thought away, not wanting to think about it right now. I want to soak this up, enjoy every moment of being the center of someone’s world. It’s intoxicating, and I want more. For so long I felt like I was waiting for the inevitable, when I wouldn’t be useful to my brothers anymore. My future was so unsettled. All I’ve ever wanted is a real family of my own. One that wouldn’t leave me one day.
What would happen when the final one found their mate? Where would that leave me? I have no real skills besides keeping a home and taking care of people. That had never bothered me, and I liked doing it. But I always worried whether it would be enough to get me by once I was alone.
Koda brings another bite to my mouth, reminding me that I’ll never have to worry about that again. I have a mate to care for now. Maybe I could even make him fall in love with me. Guilt hits me at the thought. He’d probably hate me if he knew it was my father who’d kept him caged.
He’d told me his story late last night. How he came to Gray Ridge to live. That he’d tracked down his sister after being caged for years. He didn’t give me all the details, and I could tell from the look on his face that the memory hurt deep. He hasn’t been free that long. A few years. If I had been stronger, he could have been free years before that. He wouldn’t be carrying that sadness and hate I see in his eyes when he talks about being caged.
Looking around the room, I wonder if he even realizes he went from one cage to another. This one might be nice, but he’s still locking himself away. Even the windows are locked up tight, and I realize I haven’t seen the outside in almost two days. I wonder how my brothers are doing.
“Do you ever open the shutters?” I ask, nodding towards one of the windows.
“No,” he says simply, bringing another bite to my mouth.
“I miss the sun. Has the storm passed?”
“Yes. It’s gone. Stopped sometime last night, but you cannot go outside until I get you something better to wear.”
“But I can go outside? Maybe open the shutters?” A frown forms on his face at my question.
“I don’t think I’ll like people looking at you.”
That shouldn’t make me smile but it does. That makes him smile in turn. I shake my head, and the smile drops as his frown comes back. I laugh at his changeable mood.
“As much as I love being locked away with you, Koda, I have to go out sometimes. I want to. I’ve been kept away from town already for over a month. I’m going a little stir crazy.”
He studies me for a second like he’s thinking it over. “Okay,” he says reluctantly. I beam at him. “But you stay at my side at all times.”
I nod. I’m more than okay with that. I still get a little scared that someday my father might find me. I’ll feel safe with him next to me when we do decide to go out.
“But you still need to eat.” He brings some food to my mouth, and this time I bite his finger when he feeds me. He growls in response. “I like that.”
I slide my tongue against his fingertip before I release his finger from between my teeth.
“Your teeth feel good on me.” I turn a little so I’m straddling him. Leaning forward, I lick his neck like he always does to me, before taking a little nibble of him. His whole body jerks. A moan pours from him, and the sound goes straight to my core.
Pulling back, I look into his now-gold eyes. He reaches for my shirt, ripping it right down the center and leaving me completely naked on his lap. My underwear was long gone befor
e I even got out of bed this morning.
“Fuck, you’re perfect. I didn’t even know something could be so perfect.” His hand starts to roam my body, and I can’t stop from moving my hips. Feeling bold, I lean up and reach between us, pulling his hard cock from his flannel pajama pants.
“Take me inside you, Snow. I want to watch you ride me.”
I bite my lip, and he grips my hips, steadying me as I guide his cock to my entrance. When he’s in position, I slowly slide down. Moans fill the room as I start to move on top of him. His hand goes back to greedily worshiping my body, touching me anywhere and everywhere before he slides it between my legs to play with my clit.
“Bite me, Snow, please,” he begs, something I’m sure he never has to do. I do as he asks, leaning forward and biting into his shoulder. A loud roar booms from him as I feel him erupt inside of me, sending me over with him and making me bite harder. I feel more of him flood into me, making me moan as I finally release him. I lean back to watch his face. He always looks so peaceful and happy after we make love, and I love that I put that look on his face.