Three days later was when the Noxier sent their second in command to deliver their preliminary drawings of the new neutral area between the two clans.

Loveday was pleased, as this meant she would not have to suffer the oppressive gleaming stare of their leader…

And, though she hadn’t met many Noxier face to face, Aubrey seemed surprisingly low-threat.

Maybe she was just imagining things. It wasn’t a good idea to be too relaxed in the presence of any Noxier at the moment, but she sort of couldn’t help herself. The guy was funny.

Without the threat of their King being present, Loveday was sent to receive the maps from the man, and as fate would have it, the two got talking, Loveday finding that without Davorin Ingram, his second was much more pleasant and not scary at all.

He looked a bit intense, but in a silly youthful sort of way. Loveday wished there wasn’t the threat of war between the Noxier and the Calleigh. Perhaps there were more like Aubrey… or perhaps she was seeing friendship where there really was none after all.

“I’m surprised your King let you come all the way down here to meet me by yourself! Doesn’t he worry about you falling prey to us?!”

Loveday rolled her eyes, unable to stop herself.

“Dimitri is too busy to mind me every second of every day. Besides, he trusts me.”

Loveday raised an eyebrow at the man and smirked.

“Does your King not trust you too?”

Aubrey Asema cackled, his laugh sounding so human and slightly hysterical as he crossed his arms and appraised her evenly.

“Trust, yes. Worry, no. Davorin Ingram is an old man, nothing like your young Wolf Lord… how could the mere trust of an ancient creature like that even come close to your loved one’s concern?”

Loveday shook her head. Aubrey had handed over the maps a while ago and now they were just chatting. He laughed again and waved a hand when she inquired…

“Oh, don’t mind me. I’m just imagining the test of wills it would be between a Calleigh/Noxier couple. It’s a good thing you’re Held, Ms. D’Aboville, a good thing indeed.”

Then he grinned, “Do be sure to tell your beloved King how eager our King is for the happy day. My Lord was adamant when he said to convey to you how important he sees your mating with the Calleigh King. It should prove to solidify the Calleigh as more stable. God knows they need it, am I right?”

Crap.

As soon as Aubrey left in a flurry of giggles and winks, Loveday practically slammed into the walls three times as she vaulted through the castle trying to find him.

Crap crap crap-

After running for several minutes, she finally spotted Dimitri talking to two older wolves outside the corridor to his study. Heart racing in panic at their lack of time or preparation, she didn’t think twice of wrapping her hand around the King’s wrist, smiling and apologizing awkwardly to the two stunned old men, and pulling her mate past a group of startled maids and into one of the service hallways.

“Loveday-“

She just shushed him and eventually, after deciding they’d made enough random turns through the labyrinth that they were in a relatively private location, Loveday stopped, swallowing anxiously as she turned to him and caught sight of those glinting amber eyes in the dark.

Candle-light shone, but it was nothing compared to his eyes…

“What happened?” Dimitri sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. “Did that creep bother you?”

Loveday shook her head and gathered her hair in one hand, pulling it over her shoulder and effectively baring the side of her neck.

She knew, in theory, how this worked, but it was definitely still daunting. Hopefully the King would be nice about it and not make this more awkward than it has to be.

Loveday was proud that she didn’t look away from his face as she stepped closer and said brazenly;

“Give me your mating bite.”

Silence. Dimitri didn’t even breathe. Then-

“What did he say to you?”

She shook her head, swallowing again.

“Just that they were anxiously awaiting the news of our union. He made it a point to remind me how important it is to my continued survival in your clan. Pretty sure he meant the clan’s survival.”

To her surprise, Dimitri didn’t react to that news except to draw in a single deep breath. As he stared at her, unblinking, she was suddenly sure he was only looking at her neck.

Loveday knew it would be difficult to convince him, and so suddenly, but they really didn’t have any other choice.

“Did he say when they would be returning?”

Dimitri’s gaze never strayed…

Loveday was starting to feel a little bit like prey, but she nodded anyway and replied;

“Three days.”

“Bastards-“

“…what?”

Dimitri’s face darkened in a scowl.

“They know damn well this is a scam. Calleigh mating lasts for weeks when done properly-“

Loveday’s mouth went bone dry.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Three days isn’t enough time.”

She swallowed.

“But it’s… okay for us, right? It’s just a bite without the… the-“

Mating. For weeks-

Dimitri seemed to blink then, as if finally seeing her properly. He had the gall to look a little embarrassed.

“Hm. Yes,”

Then he pouted, “Sorry.”

Loveday glared at him and the little twitch of his lips and the softening around his eyes lifted her spirits considerably.

Still nervous, mostly because she just didn’t know what to expect in terms of pain, Loveday raised one hand to Dimitri’s shoulder and placed it gently, hesitating.

“How do we-“

She felt one of his arms go around her waist, pulling her closer. The other fluttered up to her hair, her neck, further pulling the strands away from her flushed skin.

“It shouldn’t hurt…” Dimitri’s voice was low and waxy, sticking to her like a warm night in June.

She only nodded, “Right. Healing properties in your saliva-“

Dimitri was already nosing at her neck when she spoke and she heard his rumbly little laugh as he exhaled. When he spoke again, it was obvious from his slight lisp that his fangs had slid free.

“Love it when you talk dirty…”

Loveday didn’t have the brainpower anymore to even roll her eyes at him. A startled gasp left her throat even though she was expecting the warm mouth on her skin. She just… wasn’t really expecting Dimitri to… kiss her so much-

“Why are you-”

“Mn, shut up.” He grumbled, “If I’m going to be forced to give away my one and only claim, I’m at least going to make the most of it.”

Guilt gnawed at her, recalling that for Calleigh, a mating bite was even more final than marriage. It was binding even after death… maybe she should have hesitated more when asking the King?

“I’m-”

As a useless apology died on her lips, Loveday’s felt a shiver run down her spine.

Dimitri’s lips were open on her throat, a hint of fangs dragging over her skin while he sucked and licked to form a bruise.

It really shouldn’t… feel that good, she thought irately. This was just another in a long line of things they had to do for the clan’s continued survival. God, but why was she even complaining?

He wasn’t being gentle.

“Dimitri-“

A sound like she’d never heard from him spilled from his throat, and Loveday could only hold her breath in shock as the wolf King grabbed her and completely cornered her against the wall.

“I said, shut up…”

She was going to have to give him another lecture on speaking to her that way, but god, not now.

One of his hands had slid from her waist to her thigh and was ratcheting it up to slot himself between her legs. Despite herself, Loveday felt her heart race. It had been some time since she’d explored her own desires, let alone with a partner. It felt a little strange, a little foreign, because this was Dimitri Veil and she’d literally seen him fall off the roof after falling asleep on it, and he was also the most insufferable man she’d ever met. But… he was also breathing hard against her skin, fingers bunching up her shirt, biding his time as he enjoyed himself before giving her his one and only mating bite. Ever.

Fuck it, she thought, a little thrill zipping through her as she imagined what it would be like to truly let everything go…

This is his one and only chance, but it’s also mine. I’ll never have this again now that I’m throwing my lot in with the rest of the Calleigh.

Loveday was momentarily awestruck that she felt no regret at the idea of tying herself to this man for the rest of her life, as long as it would save the people she’d come to care about like they were her own.

Abandoning self-restraint and all thoughts of what the hell she’d feel like after, Loveday wrapped her arms around Dimitri’s neck, hearing him groan as she finally got her hands in that tousled hair. It was softer than she’d thought…

“Loveday?”

It was a question. Whispered against her skin where he had paused in pressing kisses into her neck.

It wasn’t a question of what they were doing, that had already been made very clear. It was a question of how far it would go.

Loveday answered by pulling him up to her lips and claiming his with as much fervor as she could bear to show.

The sigh Dimitri let out as he molded his body against her and parted her lips with his own, was perhaps the sweetest thing she’d ever tasted…

It was a little laughable how easily they came together. Maybe there had always been some underlying tension between them, maybe they’d thought about doing this before, subconsciously, and that’s what made it so good now. Whatever the reason, Loveday basked in it. Revealed in the feeling of Dimitri’s tongue claiming her mouth, adored the way he cradled her in his arms, suppressing a full-body shudder everytime she ran her fingers through his hair and tugged.

Their lips parted with a wet smack, and he cursed-

“Fuck. That’s good…”

Heat pooled low in her belly as she felt him trying not to rut against her. He was holding himself back, but barely.

As Dimitri’s lips slid to her jaw and then her throat again, she leaned her head back and heard him huff;

“Do that again, with your nails, I just- Ah…”

She felt him shudder and then the press of his fangs on her throat.

This was really happening-

“Are you sure?” She said, surprised at how steady her voice was, “You don’t have to do this.”

She heard the King inhale deeply, scenting her like she’d seen others do. Like this it was exceedingly intimate…

“Fuck, you’re a tease, aren’t you?”

Maybe giving someone a mating bite made them lose their minds a bit. Dimitri growled, caging her in, thumb rubbing across the thigh he still held aloft.

“I’m going to enjoy making you mine-“

Breathless, she tugged hard on his ponytail and he hissed, chuckling weakly.

She felt him kiss her throat once more, sighing softly in reverence. She realized he was probably stalling.

Resolved, Loveday grabbed the back of his neck, held him at her throat, and slightly angled her outstretched leg to make contact with his groin.

The wolf King hissed, baring his fangs.

“Bite me, Dimitri-“

She heard his helpless snarl echoing off the walls as he did exactly that.

The feeling of his teeth piercing her skin was definitely painful, but after the initial sting it only felt like a dull throb. Mostly, her attention was focused on the way Dimitri whimpered and whined, folding himself against her in a way that felt impossibly dear, like he wanted to become one being.

His soft cries touched her heart. It was as if he was suddenly baring a part of himself to her that no one had ever seen before, maybe even him. Loveday ran her fingers gently through Dimitri’s hair as she breathed out a deep sigh, her eyelids fluttering. She could still feel him weakly grinding against her thigh, but it was drowned out by his needy moans as he worked his teeth deeper into her skin, ensuring the mark would leave a large scar.

She couldn’t help the way her heart skipped a beat at the idea of it, of being so visibly tied to him. It felt a bit… good.

“Well done,” she heard herself say. “Perfect-“

Dimitri whined, so high-pitched and frantic she was worried he was hurt, but then he slumped against her, carefully withdrawing his teeth, and began licking delicately at the wound.

Loveday hissed. It definitely stung. Dimitri cradled her in his arms, scenting her over and over as he cleaned the mark. The scent of blood wafted to her nose, but Loveday ignored it.

She tried to soothe Dimitri with more soft murmurs and strokes to his hair, but what really seemed to do it was when she took the hint and pressed her nose into his neck and scented him in return.

Dimitri breathed out a pleasant sigh, relaxing in her arms and gradually coming back to himself. His voice was low and hoarse as he eventually whispered;

“Mine. Mate.”