"Saved me, what do you mean, saved me, I don't understand?"

"We were losing you; your heart had no beat, your body was so, so cold, Doe. We had to mark you, give you a piece of us, tether you to us, otherwise you would have been gone."

"We?"

"My Wolf and I. We."

Eyes are stinging, unshed tears starting to well beneath my lids, as I hear those words from my stranger, my wolf, my mate. No, not my mate. He was my captor? But he is also MY WOLF...

Sadness fills his eyes, and he releases my face, lowering his head, pain and guilt flooding me. I know these are Griffin's emotions. "It wasn't meant to happen that way. You were meant to know. You were meant to be willing. It was part of the agreement."

"Willing?" I scoff, confusion and temper rising, overriding the feelings from my supposed MATE. "How was I supposed to be willing, Griffin? Tell me how, when I don't even fucking know you?"

"Your parents, it was their position, their role. They were supposed to tell you, help you understand your place in everything." He pleads, reaching for me as I leap off the couch.

"Don't you dare, don't you fucking dare, bring them into this," I scream, jabbing my finger at him. "Don't you dare make this their fault, you fucking beast! They would never have allowed something like this."

"Ava," Griffin implores, using my name rather than Doe, standing up and raising his hands in a sign of surrender.

"Don't you Ava me," I spit, "whatever fucking bullshit you're about to spin, I don't want to hear it. You can take your lies and shove them up your fucking ass." I swivel on him, heading for the front door, pausing before I reach the handle, eyes full of tears, anger starting to evaporate, and sorrow at their loss taking over. I look back at him. "You're a fucking liar, my dad, my..." I sob, "he wouldn't have let you near me." Facing the door again, my fingers wrap around the cool metal, but before I can turn it, his massive body wraps around mine from behind, and I'm encased in his muscled warmth.

Placing his face into my neck, his beard scratching my sensitive skin, he pleads again, his voice only a whisper, "Doe, don't be mad, please, don't leave us, we won't hurt you, never hurt you."

His emotions are in turmoil. Fear, sadness, hurt, hopelessness, and loss all rolled into one.

Unable to move forward, his arms holding me like a vice, my heart breaks for him as his emotions surround me. I lean into his warmth, "Doe, I'm sorry your family didn't like me, didn't think me good enough for you. But, but I promise, I would NEVER hurt you." Wetness begins to dip on my collarbone. Tears? Is he crying?

Raising my arm behind me, I reach up and run my fingers through his long hair, massaging his scalp, and use the momentum to turn my body, so I'm facing him. My back against the door, I look up at him and see his eyes are indeed full of moisture, leaving wet streak marks down his face. My heart cracks a little more for this man, my wolf, My Mate.

I shake my head and try to reconcile the man before me with the beast that forced himself on me. It's almost like he's more animal than man at the time. "Why, Griffin, why did my father not like you?"

I watch his adam's apple bob as he diverts his eyes, his face becoming blank, shame filling our bond. "I, I wasn't who he wanted for you. I had some troubles when I was younger, and he didn't like that."

"What trouble?" I ask but am hit with a sudden feeling of terror that makes me pause.

"Not now, Doe, please." He begs, his eyes turn back on mine, pleading for me not to push. Dropping to his knees, he buries his head into my stomach, repeating the words. "Not now," and then, "please."

His words and emotions tug on my heartstrings, and I let the question drop for now. His face, still buried in my stomach, the feeling of relief coming through.

Griffin shifts his face. His mouth is against the soft silk of my gown. His lips are placing gentle kisses along the length of the fabric while his hands run up and down my legs, sending tiny electric pulses straight to my core. Sniffing, scenting my obvious arousal, he growls, his fingers working their way around to the inside of my legs, nudging them apart to gain access to the pulsing apex in between.

Lust and desire overwhelm me, this emotion coming from him and feeding my own, causing wetness to pool at my center. Flexing his hand, his middle and forefinger reaching my pussy and gently parting my folds. Moaning, he continues his journey into my slick core before lifting the hem of my nightgown and pushing his face against my bare flesh, yep, no underwear. Running his strong nose against my soft curls, he inhales my scent while kissing the seam of my lips, his fingers moving about my channel, pumping in and out, causing another moan to escape my lips.

Taking my response as a positive sign to move forward, he nudges my legs further apart and tilts my pelvis, placing my unclothed pussy on full display.

Warm air from his nose tickles my sensitive nub, causing me to shiver, a smile forming on his face and eyes crinkling with knowing.

Griffin moves his mouth lower, his tongue parting my silken folds, before his lips latch onto my clit, causing me to moan again as he sucks it in. He grinds it gently between his teeth, making me buck as he continues to finger fuck me.

Breathing harder, he uses his nose to grind into the flesh above my swollen nub, enhancing the pleasurable sensation and causing me to move in time with his face. Pretty much, I'm literally face fucking.

I'm on autopilot now, my hips rubbing my mound against his face as his lips suck and nibble. His fingers, his massive, thick and long fingers thrust inside, curling them at the ends in a hook formation to extract maximum friction to my G-spot, causing the pleasure to mount as I become lost in the sensation.

Noticing or sensing the onset of my impending orgasm, he stops, releasing me, and tilts his head back, raising his eyes in question, his thoughts a caress as they float through my mind. <Show me or tell me what you want Doe.>

FUCK, he would make me an equal participant, no way for me to cry victim, and I know he would stop if I asked. FUCK FUCK FUCK!

My mind in a lust craze, I give into my desire and wrap my fingers in his hair, ripping his head back and pulling him up to his full height. My face is at chest level, his muscular pecs moving in time with his labored breaths, and his pants tented with his obvious arousal. Looking up into his storm-filled eyes, inhaling deep, I clasp my left hand around his head and pull his mouth to mine. Our lips clashing, tongues, and teeth battling for dominance, I lower my other hand to the elastic waist of his lounge pants and tug at the fabric separating his throbbing flesh from mine. His lips are forming into another smile as we continue to devour each other, his hands pushing mine out of the way as he rips his sweats down, revealing his hard, engorged flesh, pulsating with angry purple veins and precum dripping at its tip.

Moving to grip my waist, he lifts my body, resting it against the wood of the door, my legs automatically wrapping around his solid waist and my arms around his neck. I gasp as I feel his hand travel between us to grasp his cock, positioning the thick head against my folds and sliding it back and forth, coating it with my juices before plunging it deep inside, both of us groaning simultaneously.

Stilling his body, his massive cock embedded in my womb. He moves his hands to grip my ass tighter, his face shifting to my neck as he begins to nibble and lick the skin. Flexing my core in frustration of his lack of movement, he growls and bites down, gentle, not hard enough to draw blood but enough to cause me to focus. Pulling his face back, his eyes dark with a mixture of lust but also something else, maybe calculation, he smirks. "You need to show me or tell me what you want, Doe. This is yours; this moment, and I am yours to command." Moving his face closer, he grazes his lips against mine and waits.

FUCK! There was no denying it, this was all my choice, and right now, if he doesn't start moving, I'm going to DIE!

"Move," I whisper, Griffin smiling wider, his white teeth showing.

"Move where?" he teases, using his massive hands to lift my ass. He painstakingly begins to withdraw until only the tip remains. "Move where Doe? Move back, move away, move...?"

"Inside me, Griffin, fucking move inside me!" I growl. Thankfully, I don't have to explain what I need any further. He readjusts his fingers around my hips and forcefully shoves me back down on his cock until I swear I can feel him in my stomach. Growling again, he pulls himself back out and begins thrusting, his pace brutal but good. Oh, so good as I feel my body become one with his.

Moving his mouth back to mine, he plunges his tongue inside; our breaths mingle as we move together. His mind melding with mine, <Yes Doe, take what you need, my mate, my beautiful mate.>

<Don't stop moving,> I think, as I kiss him back.

<Never Doe! Fuck baby, you feel like heaven. Never want this to stop>" His pelvis grinds against my nub as he drives his cock deep within, the curved, thick shaft rubbing against the sensitive spot inside. I can feel my climax building, <You're close, Doe, I can feel it, hear it in your mind. Take me, Doe, take your pleasure from me. Only me.>

<Bite me. I need you to,> my mind replies as it builds, and as soon as Griffin releases my lips and his teeth sink into my mark, I crest, stars forming before my eyes, and I clench around him.

<Yes Doe, God baby, take me, Doe, all of me, going to knot you!> Hearing his thoughts, I can feel his cock swelling at the base before the pressure travels down his shaft. Hot spurts of his seamen spill into my womb as he groans and continues to thrust. The pulsing of his cock and the movement of his swelling, his knot? It brings me to climax again. <Yes, Doe, take my knot, baby.>

Coming down from my high, my mind reels. <Knot, what?>

<I'm a wolf baby. That swelling that you feel inside of you is my knot. It holds us together while you accept my seed and my pups.>

<Seed, pups, WTF?> Panicking at his words, I try to push off but I'm stuck.

<You can't move Doe. We're stuck together until the swelling goes down.>

Sensing my panic, his throat begins to rumble, a purring-like sound coming out, causing me to relax as he walks us back up the stairs and into his room. Moving to the bed, still lodged deep inside me, he maneuvers us until he lies on his back with me on top. His purring continued, calming peace, filling me, causing my eyes to droop.

<Sleep Doe, rest. I'll take care of you.> His thoughts are the last thing I hear before my eyes close.