Chapter 11

Book:True Mate Rejected Published:2025-2-8

Axel
In the truck, I roll down the windows, letting the hot, damp air in. Luna pokes a finger out into the air rushing by, then sneaks a glance at me. When I don’t reprimand her, she sticks a hand out, spreading her fingers and letting the wind stream between them. A shy smile spreads across her face, growing bigger as she hangs her arm out, swooping it up and down through the air currents. I offer her a smile, and she laughs, turning back to the window. She’s like a little kid playing airplane with her hand.
Maybe I was too hard on her at the picnic. I should have eased her in more slowly, gotten to know her before I showed her off to the pack. I’ll just have to teach her a few things before I take her out in public again. I can’t have the pack thinking my mate is some kind of idiot.
By the time we get home, we’ve both calmed down.
“Where’s Mama?” she asks, peering off into the late evening darkness.
“She’s still at the healers,” I say. “I’m sure she’ll come right here when your mother wakes up. So this is the best place for you to stay until we hear back.”
Luna looks hesitant, then nods. “If she’s going to bring news here, I’ll stay.”
“We need to confirm that we’re True Mates, anyway,” I say. “Are you ready to do that?”
She nods. “I’m ready.”
I’m a little surprised she’s so willing, but it only makes my life easier, so I lead her inside and up to my bedroom. The room is sparsely furnished-just a king-sized bed, a dresser, two nightstands, and a closet- but it’s big enough for the two of us to cohabitate nicely. While Luna washes up, I close the curtains to give us privacy and light some of the candles I had Ama buy for the occasion. Now that we’re alone, I’m more relaxed. If she’s a defiant animal in front of the pack, it makes me look weak. If she’s an animal in the bedroom, I won’t even try to tame her.
Luna emerges from the bathroom and perches on the edge of the bed, gripping her hands together in front of her. “What do you need me to do?”
“We’re going to mate,” I say, coming to sit next to her with enough space between us, so she doesn’t feel crowded. “That’s how the True Mate bond forms. Once we have the mark, we’ll know for sure that we’re made for each other.”
She nods, swallowing hard. “Where do we do this… This mating?”
I pat my bed. “Right here.”
Her lungs rise and fall in a sigh. “What should I do?”
I’m not surprised she’s a virgin, but I’m a bit surprised by how pleased my wolf is at the knowledge that she hasn’t mated before. I usually like a woman who knows what she’s doing, but Luna isn’t any woman. She’s my mate, and knowing that she’ll only ever be mine makes my wolf swell with pride. She was made for us and us alone, and we will take what is ours and give her all the pleasure she’s never had in return.
“All you have to do is lay back and enjoy it,” I say. “It hurts for a minute the first time, but then it feels good.” My cock begins to stiffen at the thought. I’ve heard stories about how amazing it is to fuck a True Mate, like nothing else on earth. We have plenty of time to learn each other, for her to learn what she’s doing and for me to learn her body and how to give it pleasure. It can only get better from here.
“Mama told me about True Mates,” Luna says. “I thought it was something you were, not something you did.”
“It’s both,” I say. “Once you go into heat, I’ll breed you, and you’ll produce an heir to raise. Hopefully many heirs. Our leadership will be even stronger with many pups.”
“Where do I find them? Do I have to search the swamps and saltmarshes?” Her brow furrows into a quizzical expression.
“No, my love,” I say, taking her hand. “You’ll give birth to them.
They’ll grow inside you.”
She gazes down at her stomach, sweeping her head slowly from side to side. When she lifts her head to gaze at me, her blue eyes stare at me in confusion. “Like I came from Mama’s belly?”
“Exactly like that,” I say. “So an heir is a baby?”
“Right,” I say. “Our baby.”
“Well, I don’t go into heat no more,” she says. “I did once, but I wanted to leave the swamp, and Mama said we couldn’t have that. So she got a spell put on me to suppress it from then on.”
“When was that?” I ask.
“I don’t know,” she says. “A long time back. I think I built the house around then.”
I nod. “We’ll get that spell reversed. An Alpha must breed his mate and give her heirs.”
My cock throbs at the thought of breeding her, filling her with my seed and my children. My wolf growls at me to take her and claim her now, to breed her full of our babies. But I know she hasn’t been seeking a True Mate like we have, and she deserves tenderness and care her first time, to I push back my wolf instinct and focus on my mate.
“How about a nice shower to relax?” My cock engorges even more at the thought of holding her in my arms beneath warm water.
“That’s when it rains from the ceiling?”
“Yes,” I say with a nod. “Would you like to do that?”
“Can I scrub all this shit from my face?” She taps her cheek.
“Yes, you can scrub all the shit from your face. I’ll even help.”
Her luscious lips part, and she nods shyly. “Okay.”
This time she doesn’t resist, taking my hand when I offer and letting me lead her to the ensuite bathroom. The walls are covered with black and white checkered subway tiles. The sink is slightly stained with rust from the pipes, and the white-tiled shower is small, but there’s room enough for two.
I lean into the shower stall and turn on the hot water. When I turn around, Luna has already stripped, and I suck in a breath at the sight of her stunning, petite little body. This time, I don’t have to keep it professional in front of Ama. I take my time, drinking in the sight of her perky little tits, the nipples a soft, rose-petal pink that makes me want to lick them. Her belly is flat, but I have a feeling that before a meal, it will be concave-until I fill it with my heir. Her ribs protrude more than they should, and her hips aren’t yet wide enough for childbirth, no doubt delayed in growth by malnutrition.
I intend to fix that first thing, feeding her until she’s plump before her next heat, when it’s time for her to grow round with child.