Mated to the Werewolf King Book 2

‘Produced by: Bethany Sharp’

‘Written by: Mike Butler & Elana Zeltser’

‘Sound by: Fionn McNeill’

I examined it in the mirror. The perfect red, circular puncture in the nape of my neck.

I brushed delicately over the mark with my fingers, and—

I relished the pain. The pain meant that it was real. The pain meant that finally, after far too long, I was his.

I felt him before I saw him.

He crept up behind me, pressing his hips into my backside. When I looked up, he rested his chin on my shoulder and licked the love bite that he had inflicted just an hour before.

But we both knew that we didn’t have forever to laze around, basking in the glory of our bond.

Sooner or later, we would have to face the inevitable.

And there was something I needed to do before the reckoning.

It was my opportunity to return the favor: to mark Keith and make him mine for all eternity.

By the look of anticipation in his eyes, he knew what was coming when I grabbed him by the waist and started leading him back to the bed.

“Are you sure you’re up for it?” he asked me as we reached the edge of the mattress.

“Are you?” I dared him.

He grabbed my face. “I’m already yours, Belle. Let’s make it official.”

I nuzzled my cheek into the rough surface of his jaw, until my entire face was buried.

I tried to keep my heart rate steady, but the truth was, I was nervous.

It’s not like anybody ever teaches you how to make your mating mark in school. And my werewolf parents were always super private about this kind of thing.

But now, as Keith drew me close and pulled me in for another kiss, I relaxed.

While our tongues explored each other’s mouths, a flame ignited somewhere deep inside my core.

It started small, but began to grow steadily, fanned by Keith’s mounting desire for me. As the flame spread to my feet, my toes curled. As it moved to my fingers, I clawed ruthlessly into his scalp.

When Keith finally slipped inside of me, the flame exploded, engulfing me entirely.

He nodded. I gripped his back, slick with sweat, and steadied myself over his shoulder.

I was about to sink my teeth into my chosen spot when—

Tessas’s voice rang through my head, softly, but undeniably, calling out my name.

This interruption was like a cold bucket of water on the flame that I had nurtured.

Keith could immediately tell that something was wrong when I pulled away from his grasp and retracted my fangs.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, his voice heavy with concern.

“Do you hear that?”

“Hear what?”

I closed my eyes, and the voice got louder.

As I suspected, Tessa was trying to create a mind-link with me.

But my anger at her was misplaced. Really, I was mad at myself for failing to seal the portal after several futile attempts. I was one of the most powerful witches in the world…

I was physically and emotionally drained, and now, to top it off, I was struggling to create the simplest of telepathic connections.

Tannon put a hand on my shoulder. I felt him channel some of his magic to me, as he always did when I needed it most.

“Try again,” my twin said urgently.

We had to warn the wolves that the portal to the Underworld was bigger than we had ever feared— that demons would likely be headed toward the Werewolf Kingdom in droves to finish what they had started.

So I mustered all of my strength and tried to speak to Belle one more time as Tannon increased my energy with his touch.

When I broke the telepathic connection, I caught Tannon’s worried gaze.

It had been centuries since I had seen his face so full of dread. But I understood why.

A portal this large could threaten to blur the line between the Underworld and the Earthly realm. And that could only mean one thing:

“Let’s go,” I said to him, and we soared in the direction of the Werewolf Kingdom.

I couldn’t hear the witch’s message to Belle, but I watched as the color drained instantly from my love’s face.

My body was aching for her mark. I was just moments away from the feeling of connection that I so desperately craved.

But now it would have to wait. A proper marking requires full, uninterrupted focus, and now Belle’s attention was with Tessa.

Her brow furrowed, and she synced deeper with the telepathic frequency.

Then she whispered again, sternly, “Summon the packs.”

My mind raced through all the worst-case scenarios. But it didn’t seem like there was time for answers, so I withheld my questions.

I kissed Belle quickly on the lips and raced off to the watchtower.

I was out of breath by the time I reached the top of the spiral staircase. I leaned over my knees and clutched at my thighs.

Marking Belle had required an insane amount of energy, but I needed to muster even more now. I counted myself down.

I had never had to perform a call so sweeping and expansive, but it worked.

Within the hour, all of my packs were gathered in the main hall, awaiting instruction.

I watched as gossip ripped through the hall like wildfire.

It was all variations of the same obvious, obnoxious sentiment:

I couldn’t stand it. I’ll be the first to admit that I wasn’t celibate before I met Belle.

But I didn’t want my previous reputation to make anyone believe that I was unwilling to commit to her now.

I desired Belle’s mark more than anything in the world.

I also knew that if she didn’t give me her mark in return soon, the one I’d given her would fade with time.

It was the reciprocation of marking that made the mating bond permanent.

For now, I just gripped her hand tighter to diffuse any further speculation.

Standing on our left was Belle’s mother and father, and beyond them, the other Alphas and their mates.

They were anxious, and looked nervously in my direction. I hated that I had no information to offer them.

But I was as much in the dark as they were.

Moments later, Tessa and Tannon came in so stealthily I didn’t notice them until they were right beside me.

I cleared my throat to urge the crowd to quiet down. They immediately obeyed.

I opened my mouth before I even knew what words were going to come out.

“Thank you for joining me on this dark day,” I began. “I know you have all suffered great losses. Your property and your packs have all been affected, and for that, I am deeply sorry.”

I lost sight of faces as the werewolves hung their heads.

I allowed for a moment of silence before continuing. “These demons are relentless in ways we cannot fathom. That is why Tessa and Tannon are here to provide us with some insight.”

When Tessa spoke, her voice echoed clearly and melodically through the cavernous space.

“We have just returned from the portal to the Underworld. Unfortunately, it is a bigger gateway than we’d anticipated and is going to require much effort and time to figure out how to seal it back up again.”

Murmurs spread throughout the crowd.

“If we’re going to survive this,” Tessa continued, “we’re going to need to work together. On our way here, we spotted a flock of demons headed toward the Vampire Kingdom.

“We suspect an alliance might be in the works. If that’s the case, we need to form one, too: Wiccans and Werewolves.”

“What do you need? We’re ready to help,” I said, with the most confidence I could muster. I was relieved to hear howls of approval from the crowd.

“To start,” Tannon cut in, “we need a pack of wolves to guard us while we work on the portal.”

Alpha Meyer, a gruff, bulky wolf from the southern quarter, stepped in front of the rest. “My crew will see to that,” he said.

“Thank you, Alpha Meyer,” I replied, bowing toward him in deepest gratitude. “Anything else?” I asked the warlock.

“Someone should head to the Vampire Kingdom and spy on their proceedings. We need to stay one step ahead of them at all costs and know what they’re planning with the vampires.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a hand shoot up. My heart sank when I saw that it belonged to Xavier.

“Let me go,” he pleaded. “I can’t just sit here and twiddle my thumbs.”

I didn’t want to send my right-hand man, my Beta, to the front lines. But I knew that being cooped up, away from the action, would kill Xavier quicker than any battle.

I nodded solemnly in his direction before turning back to the rest of the wolves. “Return to your homes. Gather your belongings. We must leave this place at nightfall.”

My home, my kingdom, the safety of my people were now compromised.

It was time to run.

I knew that torment and uncertainty were awaiting us. I just didn’t realize how quickly the looming future would become our very real, tangible present.

We needed to plan. We needed to pack. We needed to leave.

Keith and I had sacrificed so much to be together. I wasn’t about to run toward some unknown fate without giving him my mark, once and for all.

Watching him fearlessly lead his people had sparked the flame inside me again.

By the time we returned to our room, it was a raging fire. And this time it wasn’t going to go to waste.

Without words, without warning, I pushed him against the wall and began to rip off his clothes.

“Belle—” he protested.

“Shhhhh…” I jumped into his arms and wrapped my legs around his waist. I ground in hard circles on his member until it stood at attention.

It didn’t take long for him to stop resisting.

When I pushed him inside me, he cried out my name again. And again. And again.

Again, just as my mother had said it would, that great primal knowledge took hold of my body. I bared my teeth and sunk them deep into his flesh.

My mouth filled with the delicious cocktail of his blood, skin, and sweat.

And just like that, I made him my mate.