“Yours,” she said, nearly breathless.
Torren couldn’t bring himself to pull out just yet, and he held her tight as he rolled to his side. They stayed connected as he listened to her heartbeat, and waited for her breathing to slow.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t gentler,” he said.
“It was perfect,” she said.
“Did I… did it hurt?” He wasn’t sure he wanted to know. If he’d hurt her, he’d never forgive himself.
“It pinched a little at first, and burned a bit until I got used to you being inside of me. But it didn’t really hurt. Not like you read about in romances sometimes. Probably helped that I was born without a hymen.”
His hands tightened on her. “Born without one?”
She nodded. “My mother made me get an exam when I turned fourteen. I think she was preparing even then to sell me to the highest bidder. The doctor informed her that I didn’t have a hymen, and since I’d never had sex, it meant I’d likely been born without it. I’ve heard sometimes they can tear for other reasons though.”
“How did your mother react?” he asked.
“She took me home and beat me. She didn’t believe that I hadn’t had one, and insisted I’d been a slut and given my virginity away.”
He growled again. “Remind me to pay a visit to your parents.”
“No. I don’t even want to think about them. They’re dead to me.”
“Fair enough. But if they ever come looking for you, they won’t be leaving.”
She shivered and he hoped he hadn’t scared her, but he’d been deadly serious. If her parents ever showed their faces on pack land, he’d tear them limb from limb and have them buried someplace no one would ever find the bodies.
“I know you want to pay your own way, but I want to buy you the clothes and things you need, and before you argue, hear me out. Wolf shifters are different from humans. I’m not trying to be an asshole and keep you under my thumb. It’s my duty, and my privilege, to take care of my mate and my pack. The beast inside of me wants to protect you, to make sure you never want for anything. I’m not trying to control you, Olivia. I’m trying to take care of you. The way a shiftershouldtake care of his mate.”
She sighed. “Maybe I overreacted a teensy bit. I’ll let you buy me some essentials, but if any of my money is left, I want to use it to help out here. Buy groceries or whatever.”
“We can talk about finances later. Right now, we should get cleaned up, then I need your sizes so I can send someone for clothes and shoes. As much as I don’t like the idea of you going around town, I don’t want to keep you on lockdown either. If you’d like to go pick out your own things, I’ll take you, or send my Beta with you.”
“Not Jaxon?” she asked.
“No. He’s too young, inexperienced, and just…” He sighed. “He’s too much like a damn puppy most days. He’s not enough protection for you.”
“Fine. Then I want you to take me.”
He nodded and kissed her shoulder again before slowly easing out of her. Torren helped her stand, then spent the next hour letting all the hot water disappear as he claimed her all over again in the shower. By the time they were dressed and he had dispatched someone to buy proper clothes for her, his mate was tired and fell asleep curled up in a chair in the living room.
Torren brushed the hair off her cheek and smiled softly as he watched her. He’d thought his life was cursed after what happened with Gwen, but it seemed he’d been blessed after all. He only hoped he didn’t do something to fuck it all up.
