Chapter 70: Sacred mating bond

The couch was deep and broad, easily accommodating Andrew as he settled onto his side beside Caroline. Their legs tangled together beneath the fabric of her skirt. He rested his head on his hand, his gaze fixed entirely on her face while his long fingers reached out to gently brush a stray lock of hair away from her forehead.

"You have beautiful lips," he whispered "Kissing them will never be enough."

Caroline’s heart continued to hammer wildly against her ribs. Flustered by the intense weight of his stare, she instinctively drew her lower lip between her teeth, entirely unaware that he was watching her every move.

Before she could process his intent, Andrew shifted beneath her. In one swift motion, he hooked his arm around her waist and rolled onto his back, pulling her body directly up on top of his.

Her lips parted in a gasped moan as he caught her mouth in another deep, demanding kiss.

Instinctively, Caroline planted her palms against his chest and tried to push herself upward, her mind flashing instantly to his bandaged wound.

She panicked, terrified that the full weight of her body against his torso would inflame the injury, but Andrew showed no intention of letting her retreat. His hands pressed firmly against the small of her back, holding her flushed body securely against his broad chest.

"Mine," the word echoed in his mind, instantly mirrored by the resonance of his wolf, Ares.

Sensing the futility of her resistance against his strength, Caroline let the last of her tension drain away.

Her hands softened against his broad chest, her fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt as she surrendered entirely to the mounting heat between them.

After a long moment, Andrew finally eased his mouth away, though his gaze remained entirely fixed on her.

"We haven’t marked each other yet," Andrew reminded her.

Caroline looked up at him through heavy-lidded eyes, a flicker of genuine surprise cutting through the haze of passion.

"Do you want to mark me?" she asked softly, seeking confirmation. Through the whirlwind of their marriage and the chaos that followed, she had assumed he harbored reservations, choosing to leave the bond incomplete for now—a thought that had kept her from ever bringing it up. ℴ𝗆

"Of course," Andrew answered without a single second of hesitation, his thumb tracing the sensitive line of her jaw.

"From the very day I found you. I want to claim every inch of you. Your heart, your body, and even the depths of your thoughts. And the same goes for me. Once it is done, we can open the mindlink whenever we choose, feeling each other’s thoughts and emotions with a clarity that words can never reach. Our wolves will be bound completely. I intended to do it at the beach house, but we never got the time. It turns out this quiet place is exactly where we were meant to fulfill the final, most sacred ritual of our bond."

He then flipped her down on the couch, her hands holding his arms.

"Mark me, Andrew," she said, her gaze locking onto his without a single flicker of hesitation.

A slow smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. Instead of keeping her pinned beneath him, he gently eased her up into a seated position.

He buried his face in the crook of her neck, his nose brushing against her sensitive skin as he inhaled deeply, savoring the rich, sweet scent of her that never failed to drive him wild. His warm tongue flattened against her skin, making her shiver and flinch slightly at the sudden contact.

His fingers caught the fabric of her jacket, sliding it carefully down her arms before easing the strap and neckline of her dress away from her left shoulder, exposing the skin of her neck and collarbone to the air of the room.

"It’s going to hurt, Caroline," Andrew murmured with warning and the burgeoning edge of his own restraint. "And once the bond settles, you may slip into a heat while I am already deep in rut."

"I know," she affirmed, her fingers tightening slightly against his shoulders. "Just do it. Do not stop. I trust you that is why I want to complete this final step with you, Andrew."

The conviction in her words vanished any hesitation and filling him completely with a clarity.

His mate wanted him, fully and entirely. There was nothing more wonderful in the world than knowing she already desired him so much.

His eyes shifted entirely, the deep burgundy melting into a luminescent pink hue as his wolf took closer control. Without a second hesitation, he parted his lips and sank his teeth hard into the tender skin of her neck.

A breathless cry tore from Caroline’s throat, muffled instantly against his shoulder.

Her fingers curled into tight fists, clutching at the fabric of his shirt as a searing wave of pain rippled through her veins—only to be instantly swallowed by a roaring rush of euphoria.

Tears pricked her eyes, slipping down her lashes as the sacred mating bond locked into place beneath her flesh.

Deep within the sudden, dizzying expansion of their shared consciousness, both she and her wolf, Lily, caught the silhouette of Ares, his wolf form shimmering as he threw his head back and growled with a joy that vibrated through their very bones.

True to his warning, the sudden influx of the bond triggered an immediate, feverish heat, flooding Caroline’s body with a sudden, restless ache.

Her fingers slid upward instinctively, tangling in the thick strands of Andrew’s hair as she gripped him closer.

Sensing her sudden distress, Andrew shifted instantly, his warm tongue sweeping soothingly over the burning skin of the bite to ease the sting before pressing a kiss directly over the mark.

When he pulled back slightly to look at his handiwork, his breath hitched. The mark did not take the traditional form of a standard royal mark; instead, etched into the skin of her neck was a breathtaking, intricate butterfly mark that left even Andrew completely stunned.

Before he could find his voice to speak of the anomaly, Caroline’s gaze locked onto his.

Driven by the fierce, intoxicating pull of the heat and the mark, she caught his jaw, tilting his head upward and capturing his lips in a demanding kiss as she rose onto her knees to straddle him.