Fated to a Tyrant

WILLA'S POV

For nearly all of my life, I had dreamed of the moment I would finally meet my fated mate. But never in my wildest imagination did I ever think I would meet him in the middle of a violent battle, fighting for opposing and irreconcilable causes.

And yet... Here I was.

I stood frozen in place as my hold around my daggers loosened slightly.

It seemed as if the world blurred into nothing, while time took on an odd shift, moving sluggishly in slow motion. But my heart defied the seemingly slow ticking of time as it thundered in my chest, clamoring for the magnificent wolf standing in front of me.

His thick pelt that was darker than the gloom of the bloody night looked unfairly silky underneath the brilliance of the waxing gibbous moon. His eyes glowed a vibrant amber, so beautiful in their depth that they almost looked like an endless pool of liquid gold.

"My mate," I called out even though I knew my voice would simply drown in the noisy din of the battle.

But the wolf seemed to have heard me. He took a sure step towards me, and then another until the distance between us was close to nonexistent.

The need to touch coursed through my entire being, and it was so strong that I dropped my weapons to the ground against my better judgment.

We were in the middle of a battle! Only fools with no care for their lives would leave themselves unarmed. And if I had any working brain cells left, I would've shifted to my wolf form in the next heartbeat.

But I didn't.

Rationality seemed to evade me, because the next thing I did was touch the quiet black wolf, petting him on his head, right on the spot between his ears.

The thudding of my heart grew quicker and louder, and my blood seemed to burn as it flowed through my veins. Carnal desires awakened in the pit of my stomach, and wet heat slowly pooled in my underwear.

A low, reverberating growl erupted from the wolf, and I knew then that he was aware that he had triggered my heat, putting me at the precipice of my instincts to bond and mate with him.

All around us, the ruthless and bloody fighting continued, oblivious to the moment shared between me and an enemy wolf.

All except for my twin brother.

"What are you doing?" William hissed, tugging my arm so harshly that I staggered backwards.

But he wasn't looking at me. His eyes that glowed a vivid viridian were glued on the black wolf, staring with barely held fury. His tight and sure grip on his wharncliffe blade never wavered as he pointed the weapon threateningly at the enemy that was now snarling aggressively at him, baring all sharp teeth in warning.

A wave of pleasure ran through my spine at the reverberating sound, and my knees nearly buckled as the need for my fated mate grew stronger.

"Will," I began to say, prying my brother's hand away from my arm, and it was enough to earn me a bewildered look from my brother. "I must go. I'll..."

I sent the wolf a glance, my mouth growing dry.

"He is an enemy, Willa!"

"I know!" I retorted, my voice becoming almost shrilly. "But he is also my..."

William stole a glance at the wolf, his anger fizzling into defeat. "Fuck. Of all people..."

"I know," I repeated, softly this time and meaning it differently. "But our bloodline has always known the sacredness of such ties, Will."

Green eyed werewolves like us had been known as the descendants of the very first fated pair of werewolves. And while a coupling of two fated mates was irrefutably rare as it was precious among our kind, it was all the more sacred for my bloodline.

Just then, a piercing and harrowing howl rose above the chaotic cacophony of the battle. A wolf had just lost a mate in the fight.

"It's Strome," William breathed out in horror, recognizing the pained and angry howl of his best friend. Then for a moment, a torn expression crossed his face, and his grip on me finally loosened.

I quickly took the opportunity to bolt, and my fated mate moved in sync with me. He pivoted, positioning his body to allow me to climb on his back.

"Go!" I yelled at my brother, comfortably settling on the wolf's back, securely digging my fingers through the soft pelt on the back of his neck. "Do not worry about me. I can handle myself."

"He may be your fated mate, but he is still an enemy. Do not be complacent," William warned, giving me a hard look.

"You should be careful too."

And with that, the wolf dashed away, whisking me from the scene of the battlefield that went on in the middle of the Ferndell Forest.

The crisp night breeze hit my face as the wolf ran through the forest, heading east towards the neighboring human kingdom that had already been conquered by the Alpha King and his Culling Army that was headed by his son, Gallahan Wick.

'Of course,' I thought wryly, 'He is bringing me to enemy territory.'

But I didn't truly feel any dread nor any fear. There was comfort and safety in the presence of my fated mate, and I was confident that despite being on different sides of this war, he wouldn't dare hurt me. Much less kill me.

What I was confident of was how he would take care of me in all the intimate ways a good wolf would to his mate in heat.

The mere idea of it sent a shiver all over my body, and my need to be claimed and marked by him hit me like a truck.

A copious amount of wetness oozed out of me, and I had no doubt the wolf felt my slick on his back from the way he growled impatiently.

If I had no shame, I would've transformed in that moment and be mounted in my wolf form. But as heats usually lasted for a few days with the help of a mate, a proper place to be filled and knotted would be more ideal than a dirty ground in the middle of a thick forest.

Thinking about getting filled and knotted by the perfect person birthed for my soul and my soul alone sent me bending forward, burying my face in the soft fuzz of the wolf's pelt.

"Faster," I pleaded, desperately wanting to see the man I was lucky enough to have as my fated mate.

'He is an enemy,' my mind unhelpfully reminded, but the caution blurred into nothing when he let out a possessive snarl.

"Yes," I moaned, rutting my hips on my mate's back. "Yours. Take me home now."

Whether it was his own impatience or the fact that I was getting wetter with every second that ticked by due to being on the cusp of a full blown heat, I wasn't entirely certain. But the wolf was spurred to run faster, all four legs working with fervor to bring me to a safe place where he can claim me.

Finally, after minutes that seemed to drag on for an eternity, the wolf came to a stop right in front of a simple but homey cabin, just on the outskirts of fallen human kingdom.

I slid off his back as gracefully as I could with my heat-addled mind and the juices that trickled out of me ceaselessly in preparation for our impending mating.

Anticipation thrummed beneath my skin, and desire coiled in my stomach, while my instincts clamored to override my logic.

This was a moment I have been waiting for. Enemy or not, this man was mine. Mine in body, heart, mind and soul. So completely and utterly mine that I absurdly felt like I am in the safest place in this world. Worries and doubts had no place in the moment, and I knew then that it was okay to succumb to my instincts and my wolf's desire to be claimed and bonded for life.

So when I was immediately caged by my mate, who had already shifted back to his human form, once inside the privacy and safety of the cabin, I didn't even bat an eye nor wince at the suddenness of the act. Instead, I welcomed him in my arms, his naked body pressing me against the door.

"Mine," he growled, his nose buried in the juncture where my neck met my shoulder. He stole a deep whiff of my scent, then moaned in sheer delight.

"Yes, yours."

"Call me Han," he murmured, his lips ghosting my ear.

"Willa," I managed to say while being utterly distracted by the way his hands were sliding up and down my waist and hips.

"Willa," he parroted huskily.

The sound of my name on his tongue had me smiling. How could anyone manage to make my name sound so sensual and oddly beautiful at the same time?

"Yes, Han?" I purred as I gifted his arms with feather-like caresses.

"You are driving me insane."

Suddenly, with eyes still glowing in its beautiful shade of amber, he pulled away and stood a good step away from me, uncaring of his state of undress.

But I suppose he wouldn't find any problem with it given the way his face and body seemed to be sculpted by an expert artisan's hands. His face was chiseled in an attractively masculine way, yet it retained a boyish charm through the vivaciousness in his gaze and the blitheness of the smile on his pink lips. His shoulders were broad and confident, and he was packing muscles, defined and strong, giving him exquisite lines I could spend a day or two tracing with my fingers. Then, the star of the glorious image of him, was the manhood he was endowed with. It stood erect, thick and long with a tip flushed and mildly leaking in clear arousal that I felt too.

"Are you interested in having a conversation right now to address the elephant in the room, or would you rather see what other things my mouth can do for you?"

"And by elephant, do you mean the fact that we are on different sides of this war?" I asked, tilting my head slightly to the side. It was a small and subtle gesture of seduction that got his gaze hungrily staring at the spot where he clearly wanted to bite me. "Even though I think now is not the ideal time for us to parley, I would definitely love to learn later on why you fight for the Alpha King for such a greedy and violent cause."

Han grinned rakishly, his eyes seemingly becoming brighter at the challenge of having an enemy as his fated mate. "Oh goodie. You are one of those deeply self-righteous heathens then!"

I shot him the deadliest glare I could manage while in an aroused state. I then retorted, "So what other things can your mouth do for me then? Because it's clearly not the best at dirty talk."

He was on me in a heartbeat again, pressing himself so damn close that I could feel his body heat permeate through the fabric of my clothes.

"And do you have a point of comparison, mate? Have you given yourself to someone else? Are you going to compare me to them? See who's better in bed? Hm? You don't have to. I'll make sure you forget them for good. I'll erase every trace of their kisses and touches on your body, and-"

"Have you taken a proper look at my green eyes? I am sure you know what these eyes mean for our kind," I interjected breathlessly.

Han grunted his affirmation before his lips found my neck and started peppering me with light kisses.

"It has been a strict tradition, rule actually, for green eyed werewolves of our bloodline to always wait for our fated mate. It is only, ah-"

A distractingly pleasant suck at a spot just below my ear had me moaning softly, cutting my explanation short.

He slid a thigh between my legs, pressing it upwards against my weeping cunt, making me moan once more.

Feeling the wetness that had leaked through the fabric of my breeches, he then murmured, "Maybe it's time for our bodies to do the talking."

WILLA'S POV

His lips were on mine before I could even utter a reply, and I responded eagerly to the kiss, feeling the rightness and perfection of the act.

It felt like being completed even though there wasn't a missing piece of me before. It just seemed like it moved my heart, mind and soul, putting my entire being to right.

I couldn't help but sigh into the kiss that was surprisingly slow and steady. I had expected him to kiss me with hunger and fervor, wanting to explore every inch, given the way he had been rough and impatient in invading my personal space earlier.

"Han," I gasped when he pulled away to lick, bite and suck on the side of my neck.

He slightly moved his thigh that was lodged between my legs, moving it slightly to provide friction to my cunt.

"Fuck," I cursed, feeling a thick spark of pleasure ran through my entire body. I began to move my hips, chasing the same delicious friction he just gave me.

I could feel his smug smirk against my jaw, and I would've wiped it off his face if I wasn't so lost in the pleasure of it all.

"Hold on, sunshine," he rasped out as he gripped my hips to halt my desperate movements. "Allow me to divest you of all your constraints."

I blinked blearily, a whine threatening to come out of my lips.

I was about to waspishly ask him about what constraints he was pertaining to, when all of a sudden, he freed my body from my fitted long sleeved shirt and my breeches, tearing the fabrics with ease and leaving me with my bra and underwear.

My mouth ran dry as he withdrew from me a little and took an appreciating look at my figure.

I bit my lip, wondering what he thought of what he was seeing. Because I wasn't entirely made up of unblemished skin and soft curves, which were things that were conventionally attractive to the male gaze. While I was naturally gifted with a svelte frame all thanks to my mother, my body was packed with toughened muscles and earned battle scars. After all, I was a Warrior for my pack, and a soldier for the war effort against the tyrannical regime of the Alpha King and his vicious enmity towards humans.

"Beautiful," Han praised after he had raked his gaze all over me, his hand slowly stroking his rigid erection. "How fucking lucky to have such a woman like you to be my fated mate."

I swallowed, watching closely as his cock leaked a bead of precum.

"See how I'm this eager for you, Willa? I have waited for you as much as you have waited for me."

My eyes darted up to meet his lust-filled gaze, my entire face wearing my utter surprise. But beneath my surprise, I felt my heart leap in joy, while my inner wolf howled in satisfaction, knowing there was no one else in the world would ever have Han the way I would have him.

"So you..."

He chuckled, ceasing his stroking on his erection to slide a finger on the drenched patch of my underwear.

"H-han," I moaned, gripping his arms tightly.

"Yes, I am quite a romantic, aren't I? But don't mistake my... certain degree of abstinence as some sort of indicator that I wouldn't be able to cater to you well. I had my fair share of sexual adventures. I have simply never gone all the way with anyone. But you aren't just anyone. Right, my Willa?"

He didn't wait for my answer. He immediately claimed my lips in a searing kiss, hitching my thighs upwards in one powerful motion. I quickly wrapped my legs around his waist, glad that I wouldn't have to support my weight anymore. Because any second longer, my legs would've melted into goo with how hot and bothered he was making me feel.

His lips and tongue shared a wet dance with mine as he moved us to his bedroom.

He gently laid me down on the canopy bed without breaking our liplocking, the mattress slightly dipping under our weights. My legs were spread quite widely, making space for him to take.

And he did. He knelt in the space I provided him, while he let his upper body hover above me, leaving us nearly chest to chest. One of his arms rested above my head, supporting his weight as he continued to ravage my mouth.

Just as his hand gently squeezed my waist, my arms slithered around his neck, clinging to him as though he was my last anchor to sanity. Eventually, as I eagerly returned his fervent kisses, my hands found his charcoal black hair, carding my fingers through the smooth and silky strands.

"Fuck... You taste divine, sweetheart," he panted against my slightly parted mouth. "I just know your juices would be even sweeter."

His hands made a quick effort to render me completely naked, carelessly discarding my torn undergarments off to the polished cherry oak floor.

"So fucking breathtaking. You are mine for the taking, yes?"

"Y-yes... Han, please... I-"

In response to my incoherent begging, he pulled away from me, forcing me to let go of the loose grip on him. But Han maintained his kneeling pose between my legs, his lustful gaze greedily drinking in my vulnerable form.

One of his hands splayed on my stomach and slowly descended, going exactly where I wanted to be touched the most. A finger then circled my clit, eliciting a sharp moan from me. I needily arched my back at the burst of pleasure that zapped through every fiber of my being.

"That's right, sweetheart. Moan for me. Let me hear you. Don't shy away from me. Not your voice. Not your body..."

With his other hand, he held my hip to keep me from squirming too much and shying away from his touch.

"Han," I called out breathlessly, sounding utterly wrecked already.

Involuntarily, my legs jerked, knees bending slightly at the incessant sparks of euphoric bliss caused by the insanely titillating motions of his fingers against my clit. I couldn't help but move my hips slightly, my heels digging against the mattress, creating small divots.

"Quite sensitive, I see," Han remarked teasingly, dragging a finger against my weeping cunt. "Are you sensitive here too?"

His other hand reached out to my breast and lightly flicked my nipple that had perked up in attention as soon as he had removed my bra earlier.

A loud mewl made it past my lips as I found the mild sting quite pleasurable.

"Oh?" Han's eyebrow rose in interest, and a predatory grin graced his handsome face.

"Oh gods," I moaned, shamelessly loud, when he placed his lips on my left nipple and his unbusy hand on the other.

He sucked, licked, squeezed, and toyed with my breasts, clearly trying to draw out more reactions for me.

"H-han," I whined, back arched slightly and hands gripping at the sheets above my head.

The attention given to my humble mounds, as well as the relentless teasing of his fingers on my wet folds, were too much, and yet I found myself craving for more.

Then the 'more' he gave me came when he easily slipped a finger inside of me, moving in and out at a deliberately slow pace.

It was just one finger, but it had my eyes rolling at the back of my head at how good it felt. My body is on fire, and yet I was willing to burn brighter and hotter if it meant he wouldn't stop, if it meant he would give me more of him.

One finger became two, scissoring me open in preparation for something bigger: his cock that had been standing erect and hard since earlier.

"So good," I cried out, toes curling at the sensations Han was bombarding me with.

Just then, his mouth left my breast, and he began showering licks and nibbles to my clavicle, saying in between, "Gorgeous... My mate. My Willa. Tell me. What do you want..."

I groaned, feeling myself grow hotter. "I should've known you would want me to beg for it."

There was a devilish glint in his eyes as he replied, "Not really beg... I simply wanted to hear you say it. To hear what you want and need from me. To hear a resounding consent that I can fuck you, knot you and breed you."

It was mortifying that every obscenely filthy word that left his lips had me gushing like a lecherous and desperate woman.

The embarrassment must've shown on my face because Han's expression softened for a brief moment.

He ceased all of his touches on my body, leaving me feeling bereft and oddly cold. But before I could whine in protest, he set himself hovering above me with one arm set beside my head to support his weight. Then he brought up the hand that was wet with my juices and made a show of licking and sucking the wetness from his fingers, lewdly making noises as he did so.

The sight of him left me speechless, and I could only watch, blushing furiously as our eyes maintained a heated contact.

Still with such a mesmerizing dark gaze on my face, he freed his fingers from his mouth and rested his second arm on the other side of my head. Then he rolled his hips, slow and deliberate. His hardness deliciously brushed against my cunt as he said, "Feel this, Willa? I am as desperate for you as you are desperate for me."

I moaned wantonly at the electrifying slide of his cock against my leaking hole, and my legs instinctively wrapped around him, trying to keep him and his cock near my cunt.

But as much as I wanted to be filled by his thick and sizable hardness, Han didn't slip himself right in. He simply rutted against my cunt again and again, the side of his cock sliding easily due to the wetness that oozed out of me in steady rivulets.

His groans and moans mixed with my incoherent cries of his name, of breathless pleas, and loud exclamations of sheer pleasure. Added to the symphony of blissed out sounds was the slight creaking of the bed as Han rocked his against my wet cunt with fervor, the headboard mildly hitting the wall.

"Do it now, Han," I encouraged in a soft whisper. "Claim me now and, ah, and breed me like you want to."

He groaned and cussed beneath his breath. Then he pried my legs from his body as he instructed with a voice raspy with desire, "On your knees and arms then. I shall mount you to your heart's content."

Anticipation thrummed heavily in my blood as I did as I was told. With my ass offered up to him, I got on my knees and arms, my juices generously sliding down my thighs. It was a telltale sign that I was more than ready for him.

He gave my ass a firm squeeze before one of his hands gripped my hip as he murmured, "Relax, sweetheart. Trust me, yeah?"

"Just do it, Han."

And then there it was.

The head of his cock finally breached my weeping hole, the sensation too good, too perfect, too mind-numbing.

"Good, sweetheart?" Han asked softly, his hands running up and down my sides in comfort as he slid inside me inch by inch.

"Perfect," I managed to breathe out, feeling the pleasure and pain of being torn open by his hard cock.

Once he was buried to the hilt, what happened next became quite a blur, my heat and the heaven-like pleasure of it all overriding my mind. I was reduced into a moaning, crying mess as Han fucked me onto the mattress with abandon. The bed creaked dangerously loud with every hard thrust, the headboard slamming into the wall now, and the sound of flesh on flesh echoing obscenely around us.

At some point, he lifted my upper body up, firmly pressing my back against his chest, all the while his hips continued to ram into me with animalistic intensity. His hand cupped one of my breasts, toying with my hardened and perked up nipple, while one arm kept a firm and possessive hold around me. He also kept his mouth busy, whispering filthy promises next to my ear and often sucking and licking any spot of my skin he could reach.

But more often than not, his mouth dangerously hovered above the juncture of my neck and shoulder, teeth grazing my skin every now and then. He was clearly itching to bite and seal the deal between us.

"Willa, Willa, my Willa," he chanted into my ear as he drove into me hard and fast, chasing his completion while also leading me into mine. "Let go for me, Willa. Give me your cum, then I shall reward you with mine."

"H-Han," I brokenly called out, my head falling back to rest against his shoulder as the tightening in my lower belly finally reached a breaking point.

I came undone, my juices squirting out of me in generous streams.

"Well done," he praised, thrusting his cock deep inside me. "Fuck, you're insanely beautiful, Willa. Can I? May I?"

I wasn't entirely sure what he was asking permission for. Claiming me with a bite? Or mating me fully with his knot?

Either way, I was sated and blissful, so overjoyed to be with my fated mate. There was no way I could ever say no to him in my state. So even when a small, cautious voice from the back of my mind warned me that Han was an enemy, I still said, "Go on, Han. I am yours."

Han groaned loudly and cursed, the expletive harsh and gravelly. My words must've been the push he needed to reach his peak, because the movements of his hips grew erratic, and he burst inside of me, emptying his seeds into my womb and knotting me in place just as his werewolf fangs sank into my skin, biting well and deep to claim me as his mate.

The pain of the bite was nearly nonexistent when the elation of being claimed and bonded to my fated mate consumed all of me-body, mind, heart and soul.

The last thing I ever thought before blacking out was, 'He may be an enemy, but he is my fated mate. I can fix him and his twisted and ruthless bigotry.'

GALLAHAN'S POV

My knot had finally abated after nearly a fucking hour, and I slipped out of Willa as carefully and as quietly as I could, so I wouldn't accidentally jostle her awake. Even pulling out nearly had me moaning, my sensitive cock twitching in interest.

'I am a man with a well-functioning head. Not a beast with nothing but instincts,' I mentally reminded myself, willing the desire to bury my traitorous cock inside her hot and welcoming channel that felt so snug around me.

I had to take a slow, shuddering breath to calm myself and my inner wolf.

Willa whined softly in dissatisfaction as I shifted on the bed. She rolled around, turning to face me, her eyes closed and her eyebrows furrowed.

The lines between her brows eased and disappeared once she had burrowed herself against my chest. The sight of it nearly made me burst at the disgusting affection that swelled inside of me. To make matters worse for my weakening heart was the fact that the contours of her body fit so well against mine. It was outrageous how we just seemed to fit.

I supposed it just came with us being fated mates.

Yes.

Fated. Mates.

Fuck. I never thought I would be lucky enough to actually meet mine, even though I have secretly dreamed of having one in my life ever since my Mom told me stories about fated lovers like her and Dad.

The fleeting thought of my Mom drew out a wistful sigh from me.

God, I terribly missed Mom.

"You would've loved to meet Willa, Mom," I whispered softly, brushing a stray wisp of Willa's fiery red hair that obstructed my view of her beautiful face.

Just then, I caught myself smiling, my cheeks already aching from the strain of smiling far longer than I was used to.

Damn it.

I was becoming soft and saccharine for a woman I just met, and yet, I couldn't bring myself to regret anything that happened so far.

After taking a long and deep inhale of her scent that was heavily interlaced with mine, then placing a soft kiss on the crown of her head, I wrapped my arms around her frame, pulling her closer to me.

Yeah, I wouldn't let go of this woman.

Damn the war and all the people who would probably tell her that I would be no good for her.

I would kill them before they could even say so.

An angry scowl marred my face as my train of thought shattered my happy bubble.

I gingerly and slowly slipped out of the bed, an action that garnered another dissatisfied whine from my mate.

"So needy and clingy," I teasingly whispered, stroking the top of her head. "Sleep, sweetheart. You need it for round two."

Her eyes, which were now dulled into a pale shade of green, slightly opened, and my grin only widened. Willa shot me the most menacing glare she could manage in her sleepy and tired state, but her efforts only came across as terribly endearing.

"I will run you a bath later. I will wake you up then."

She moved her head in an attempt of a nod, but her cheek was pressed deeply on the pillow, making the movement unclear and undignified.

Still unfairly adorable though.

I bit my lower lip to suppress the happy smile that wouldn't leave my face, leaving the cozy comfort of my bed and the warmth of my beautiful mate.

A quick shower and an easy recipe later, I was back on the bed, sitting on the edge and shaking Willa awake.

"Willa, I have run you a warm bath."

She blinked blearily and slowly rose up from her comfortable cocoon on the bed. "You really did?"

"Of course. I said I would, didn't I?"

"That's..." She paused, seemingly unsure if her next words would be taken with offense.

Her strong hesitation was what would offend me, actually.

Did she think I would lash out or hurt her if she said something wrong just because we were enemies in the war? Did she really think she had to walk on eggshells around me?

I understood her caution, but that didn't mean it didn't sting. I began to trust her with my whole life the moment my eyes landed on her. Why didn't she feel the same with me? Did she think of me as a monster who hurt humans for nothing but pleasure?

It seemed to me that our warring beliefs on the conquering and subjugation of humans had sowed a rift so deep that not even the fact that we were fated mates could mend it

I held back the instinct to go on the defensive. Instead, I tried to feign nonchalance. So I arched my brow at her and said, "What? Go on, sweetheart. I don't bite."

She reddened considerably, her hand going to the healed claiming bite I had left on her.

"Except for that, of course," I added mischievously.

"It's just... odd," she finally said, daring to meet my eyes.

"Odd?" I unconsciously parroted, my logic malfunctioning for a second as I got lost in the sea of her pale green eyes.

"Odd," she affirmed. "It's just... I met you in battle. You are an enemy. I expected you to be harsh and all rough with me after I saw you gravely injure one of my allies. Then you went all rakish and confident in bed."

"Kept you satisfied, didn't I?"

My mischievous remark went ignored.

"And now, you're this gentle, considerate and well-mannered man," Willa said, her mesmerizing green eyes unflinchingly gazing at me, as if trying to search

"You know what they say... Manners maketh man."

"Be serious. What is this, Han? Who are you really? Why... Why do you fight for the other side? What do we do when there is this war between us?"

I sighed, knowing that this conversation was inevitable, but I at least wanted to have it with Willa decently covered with something other than my blanket pressed against her chest. It would also be a great favor to my focus and my cock if she no longer smelled strongly of our mingling scents and... of the byproduct of our intimate horizontal tango.

Besides, talking over food would also help my case. A satisfied stomach could drastically save my ass and this relationship if our talk about the war went awry. After all, my mated and married friends always said that a happy wife would mean a happy life. And surely, food could make her happy.

Right?

Right.

Well, I hoped so.

"There is no getting out of this talk, I know. But why don't you get to the bath I have prepared for you before it gets cold? Then we could talk about this over the food I have cooked for the both of us. I believe we still have a few hours before another wave of your heat strikes."

"You cooked?"

"Is that so surprising?" I asked with a light chuckle. "But that is beside the point. The point is... I have prepared for you a warm, bubble-filled bath that is, by the way, getting colder the longer you stay on this bed."

Willa stared at me silently for a second before saying, "Right... First of all, I don't even know where the bathroom is."

"It's that door, sweetheart," I answered, pointing at the unassuming arched polished door a couple of meters away from my wardrobe.

"Thank you," she said as she gave me a wry look. "Second, do you expect me to walk there stark naked while you're still in this very room?"

"It's not like there is still something I haven't seen, touched, and kissed before."

She gave me a deadpanned look, one that made me want to pinch her cheek, ruffle her hair, and maybe kiss the expression away.

I almost did so, but then she suddenly said with an austere tone, "Out."

"Alright," I replied, raising my arms as an act of defeat. "Damn. So feisty. Couldn't you ask a little more sweetly, sweetheart?"

Willa smiled, all tight-lipped and dripping with feigned saccharine. "If you want someone sweet, then I am sorry. You will only be disappointed. I have no sweetness to offer you, Han."

"Liar. I did lick my finger clean, remember? It was quite sweet. Perfect sweetness, in fact."

I watched with pure satisfaction as a pretty shade of red bloomed on her neck, creeping up until nearly her entire face was blushing at the sexual innuendo.

"OUT!" Willa yelled, throwing a pillow at me and clutching the blanket tighter towards her.

Laughing, I easily caught the pillow, which I then brought up to my nose. "Smells sweet too. Extra sweeter actually, considering it is mixed with-"

I didn't get the chance to finish my teasing remark, because Willa had encroached my personal space and placed a chaste kiss on the corner of my lips.

"Do you want me to be in that bath you've prepared or not?"

Right.

The fucking bath.

And the fucking food.

Both were getting colder the longer I lingered in her presence. But really, I didn't think I should be blamed. Her presence alone was addicting. It was as if she was a cosy and warm hearth on a wintry night, or a familiar bed that I could burrow myself in for all the days of my life. Or... or my mom's hearty soup she would cook when I get sick.

She was warmth, security, comfort rolled into one. She felt like home, the way none of my houses across the Midland Continent had ever felt like one since my mom's and sister's deaths.

I didn't think I could afford to lose her when I had been granted this chance by the universe.

Ugh, ew.

What was I becoming?

Suppressing a shiver over my sappy thoughts, I leaned over to Willa and claimed a proper kiss.

She granted me access to her mouth, and I eagerly grabbed the chance to explore the hot cavern.

Lips on lips.

Tongue against tongue.

I couldn't help but cup her cheeks, tilting her head a little for a better angle.

Gods... I could get lost in the taste of her mouth, and I wouldn't even mind. Fuck the world and reality. She was even better than any other sweet dream.

Still, I managed to pull away a little, murmuring against her pink and mildly kiss-swollen lips, "That's a proper kiss, sweetheart. Remember that."

Making my remark as my parting words, I left the room to give her the privacy she wanted.

I dutifully stood outside my bedroom with my arms crossed against my chest, waiting for the faint clicking of the bathroom door as it opened and shut.

When the sound came and went, I waited a few seconds more before re-entering my bedroom. I worked swiftly in cleaning the room and changing the sheets and the pillowcases, dumping the used ones in the hamper by the laundry area at the very back of the cabin. I did the same to her unsalvageable clothes that I had torn earlier in the heat of the moment.

After airing the room by sweeping the curtain to the sides and opening all the awning windows, I left for the kitchen to retrieve the bed tray of food that had been left to wait for far too long.

I brought it to my bedroom and set it at the center of the bed that was now wrapped in fresh linen.

I paced around the room, itching to see Willa again.

She didn't run away through the window, did she?

I inhaled deeply, stopping the paranoid thought from spiraling further.

I didn't have to make any other effort than that because Willa finally emerged from the bathroom, donning my favorite dressing robe.

I bit my lip and surreptitiously pinched the side of my thigh before my cock could even get the idea of standing erect in attention at the sight of her wearing something of mine.

Damn it. What was wrong with me? Why was I being so randy like I was a teenager again? Maybe it was simply the novelty of having my fated mate with me, and soon enough, this sensitivity and irrational reactions would ebb away in time.

But it wasn't as if I thought that this fiery connection between us would ever wane. Perhaps I would simply get better at controlling myself. For one thing, I was entirely sure that, in my current state, I would go completely ballistic if a man ever dared to breathe too near her.

"Han?"

I blinked at her, repeatedly for good measure, as I snapped out from shamelessly gawking at her.

"You look good," I complimented like an utter fool.

Willa's brows furrowed. She looked at me as though I had grown a second head. "Are you okay?"

"Perfect, actually." I cleared my throat and gestured at the simple meal for two I had cooked. "Anyway... Shall we eat?"

"In bed."

"Yes, in bed."

"I am not fond of eating in bed."

"Humor me just this once."

"Why should I?" Willa asked, but she was already walking to the bed, her eyes glued to the food.

"Because," I answered, slightly prolonging the word needlessly. "If our little chat goes south despite the good food, then I could at least trust in letting our bodies talk again to salvage us."

Willa merely rolled her eyes in reply. She settled herself comfortably on the bed, resting her back on the plain wooden headboard and criss-crossing her beautiful legs.

I wasted no time sitting across from her, the bed tray of food perched between us.

"So," I drawled. "This war..."