He delved a hand into my hair and gave a sharp tug. He placed his lips at my ear and growled loud enough to shake the leaves of the nearest trees. Fear lanced through me, colliding with my burgeoning need. The result was a deep fervent ache in my loins. Breathless with desire, I felt moisture leaking from my quim as I struggled to escape Knot. Beneath my dress, I wasn’t wearing undergarments, as my new husband hadn’t permitted me to wear any today, and I felt the moisture on my inner thighs as I squirmed on the ground.
Grasping onto a visible root, I tried to propel myself forward. Knot growled again and I heard the ripping of my dress. My heart jumped to my throat as the cool evening air suddenly drifted over my bared flesh.
In a frenzy of need, he tore at my dress and shredded it completely. Pieces of fabric went flying in the breeze. Completely naked—well, aside from my shoes—I glanced over my shoulder and shuddered at his dark expression. He didn’t look like the Knot I knew. Indeed, he looked more beast than orc. His eyes were still black, and his lips were curled to reveal his sharp pointed teeth. Growls continued to emanate from his chest.
He cupped my pussy and gave a hard squeeze. I gasped and wiggled around as I clawed at the ground, trying to escape. Heated pulses caused me to gush moisture. I was so hot and needy, desperate to feel his hugeness inside me even as I feared his roughness. His savagery.
He leaned over me and dragged his nose through my hair and along the back of my neck, sniffing me loudly. Judging by the pleased noises that soon emanated from his throat, I supposed he liked the way I smelled.
I heard the clink of his belt and the rustle of fabric. Then I felt his cock at my entrance. Another growl. I tried to crawl forward, but he grasped my hair and gave a hard yank, keeping me in place. He forced my thighs wider apart.
“My female,” he said in a guttural tone. “My mate.”
He surged deep in my pussy and his scrotum slammed against my clit. Holy gods. My senses spiraled with the ecstasy of the moment. Even though he was being rough and yes it hurt a little.
He’d hunted me down and now I was all his.
There was no stopping him. I knew that, and I soon gave up my struggles and surrendered to the rough, primal fucking session. True to his word, he held me down on the forest floor as he took what belonged to him.
He pounded me longer than he ever had before, and my vision became blurred as our bodies remained joined and his rapid thrusts didn’t abate in the slightest. His cock felt larger than usual inside me. Too large. It was too much, and I didn’t know how much longer I would be able to endure.
Without warning, his teeth pierced my shoulder. I cried out at the pain and thrashed in his hold, shocked by his action. Yet the pulsing in my core never ceased. I ached and I ached, and several times during the savage fucking, I found myself overwhelmed by an intense quaking release that stole my breath and my ability to reason.
I became as primeval as Knot. Waves of submission cascaded through me, and I parted my thighs wider and arched my back, allowing him to pound me deeper. I surrendered to the beast I’d never known lurked inside him.
Quivering with pleasure, I allowed him to use me as he pleased.
Blood trickled from the bite wound on my shoulder, but I didn’t care. I reveled in the knowledge that he’d bitten me. A bite so deep it would result in a permanent mark.
Leaves pressed against my face as he held me down during the harsh fucking, and my fingers curled in the dirt. I inhaled the pungent scent of the earth as well as the masculine scent that wafted off Knot.
At last, he held my hips in a punishing grip and pumped faster into my pussy, so rapidly it caused my teeth to clang together. Roaring like a ferocious animal, he spurted his seed deep in my core. His release went on and on, until he finally collapsed on top of me, though just like earlier he remained careful not to crush me with his full weight.
Without a word, he withdrew from my cunny, scooped me up in his arms, and carried me back to the cabin. Satiated beyond measure and sorer than I would’ve ever imagined, I rested my head against his chest.
I felt thoroughly claimed.
CHAPTER25
KNOT
A mating mark.I could scarcely believe I’d given Natalee a mating mark. During the next few days, it healed nicely, and my sweet bride didn’t seem to mind. If anything, she seemed proud to wear the mark, and I couldn’t deny that I liked seeing the proof of my ownership on her shoulder. It wasn’t visible while she was wearing clothing, but it was a secret between us. Proof of our everlasting bond.
I tried not to think about why I’d never felt the ancient urge to hunt Emalise down and rut her and bite her. I couldn’t explain why Natalee brought out the possessive beast in me, and I eventually decided not to examine the reasons too closely. I loved her with an intensity that often stole my breath, and she loved me in return.
We were together now. Not just husband and wife, but mates. Our shared love was all that mattered.
During the days that followed the chase in the forest, as Natalee recovered from the ordeal that had left her quite sore, she set about putting feminine touches all over the cabin. She sewed curtains from the fabric she’d brought along and hung them on the downstairs windows. Little doilies appeared on top of the various pieces of furniture around the house, and she even displayed an embroidered tapestry in the dining room, a piece she claimed to have made years ago with her nanny.
Though we spent a great deal of time in the bedroom, I couldn’t ignore the homestead and I still had plenty of chores awaiting me outside. I tended the horses, chopped firewood, and began constructing a storage building beside the woodshed, where I planned to store the mining equipment I’d ordered weeks ago that hadn’t yet arrived at the mercantile.
Natalee expressed an interest in learning to ride, so on some mornings I saddled Lady and gave my bride riding lessons, opting to teach her to ride astride the horse, rather than side saddle, since I thought the latter method wasn’t very practical. After a few lessons, she was able to trot Lady in circles around the house and handle the horse with confidence. A well-worn path soon appeared around the cabin, and I wished there was a more open area on my land for her to ride, but there were too many trees and much of the land rested in areas too steep for her to safely ride.
One morning, I announced that I was leaving for a few hours to ride the perimeter of my claim and also to visit Dalton. Natalee was most upset that I wouldn’t allow her to go with me, but after a stern look, she quieted and ceased arguing.
I leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Be good, my sweet. In my absence, I expect you to remain within eyesight of the cabin. I will return well before night falls.”
She looked worried. “Why must you ride the perimeter of your claim? That will take forever. Why don’t you just go visit Dalton quickly and then come home?”
