Northern Lands: Bound by fate

Chapter 9

ZANDER

I leaned over her, pressing my lips firmly against hers. I poured my emotions into that kiss, everything I had; my heart, my soul, was hers. I wanted her to know it, to feel it.

For a wolf, finding his fated mate was something sacred. My soul already loved her. We were just catching up to the rest of it. The mate-bond tugged us closer, further exploring this connection between us.

I hadn't expected the way that Calandra was sitting on the carpet beside the couch, observing me as I slept off what was going to be a hell of a hangover. Her soft lips on my own had my heart glowing with warmth and a sensation I hadn't felt before.

Wrapped inside my arms, touching my heart with her hand on my chest, I waged an internal battle with my hard-on. I needed to concentrate on anything that wasn't the lovely fae in my embrace. Her sweet herbal scent danced around my nostrils, her silky soft hair caressed my shoulder and the way her nose moved up and down while soft moans spilled from her mouth as I devoured her lips was hard enough.

Those lips that molded perfectly to mine as we kissed. I had never felt this before in my life. I knew it was because of her. The mate-bond did so much more than tie our souls together. It was raw and emotional. She was my other half.

Calandra's eyes fluttered open through our haze, and she gazed at me. I could lose myself in her green eyes for hours. When she stretched her arms above her head and her top rose up, I was completely absorbed by her exposed stomach. Her abdomen had the fine lines of muscles that traced across her soft skin, and I had to bite the inside of my cheek to control the urge to run my tongue over them. My elongating canines were scraping the inside of my mouth, drawing blood.

This woman did things to me. Things that made the Gamma of the Aurora pack fall at her feet to worship the ground she walked on, howling like a lovesick puppy.

Sunlight trickled through the drapes and realization hit that we had been tangled in each other the entire night, making out on the couch like a couple of teenagers.

"Zander," her voice caressed my ears.

"Good morning, Cal," I answered, as the metallic and salty taste of my own blood stained my tongue. "Do you want to take a shower while I fix breakfast?"

She nodded, a slight blush tainting her cheeks as she locked eyes with me. It was testing my self-control, to not flip her over and have my way with her and her petite body. Conan was fighting me for control, the animalistic part in me bubbling to the surface, threatening to spill from the seams.

Calandra noticed and untangled her legs from mine, her hand flying to her mouth to hide her smile when I sat upright and adjusted my crotch. A knowing smirk danced on my lips, my eyes ablaze with those of my wolf.

I stood up with her, taking her hand in mine and kissing her knuckles, scraping my unshaven jaw against her smooth skin. The Celtic band around my wrist tingled, knowing we were growing closer, the mate-bond waiting to be completed.

Calandra's eyes rested on her own wrist, her eyes widening, feeling the same electric current under her skin. I knew I had to take a step back, her reaction a warning that I was going too fast with her. There were still too many secrets between us; bridges needed to be crossed, and we had to be on the same page of our storybook.

I guided her in silence to the bathroom, showing her where everything was in the cabinets and offering her a spare toothbrush and one of my shirts. She took them with a grateful smile and I turned around, putting some distance between us. Trying to calm the bond at play. We needed to step into this relationship with level heads, not driven by the pagan magic urging our souls together.