Áine: Chapters 61 & 62

Chapter 61

Damien is practically vibrating in bed as he waits for me to wake up, his polite actions overshadowed by his borderline annoying excitement.

"Can I help you?" I groan, peeking through my eyelids to look up at his smiling face.

It's way too early for this, and after the craziness of last night I'm ready to sleep all day long. Maybe I can convince Damien to bring me some breakfast in bed.

"No. I'm just excited to start our day." He admits, grinning down at me in a way that is more creepy than endearing.

His smile slowly falls as I make no effort to move, choosing instead to glare at him. I have a feeling that his eagerness for me to get up is so he can leave and find Freya. He shared with me before falling asleep that he would leave after breakfast in the morning, his desire to make the morning after marking me special quite endearing.

Moaning, I roll over to face him and throw my arm around his waist, looping it around as much of his torso as I can and pressing myself against him. His chuckle is silent, but I can feel his chest vibrating beneath my head as he returns my hold with one of his own.

"I have no intentions to get up any time soon. Why don't you head out now to do what you need to do and bring back some breakfast from the dining hall on your way home." I speak into his chest, my voice muffled slightly as I speak directly into his skin.

Damien hums quietly, thinking it over.

"You promised Alex that you would distract Olivia, remember?" He reminds me, his words earning another loud groan from me.

"I suppose I did do that." I admit, unwrapping my body from his and pushing myself up off the mattress. "Let's get to it then."

Damien's hands abruptly grab my arms and tug me back down onto the bed as I try to get up, his body immediately rolling on top of mine and trapping me beneath him. I splutter and push at his chest in shock, my face heating up as I realize that now he will be able to sense my arousal when he does these things to me.

His smirk tells me that he can feel it as he presses his hips down on top of mine.

"Do not let me rush you, my love. We can and will stay in bed as long as you please." He whispers between quick kisses to my lips. "Besides, I've heard that there is nothing like having sex with a completed bond. They say that everything is doubled through it, and I'd quite like to experience that for myself."

I chuckle, the noise cut off as he lowers his hand to my breast and begins to kneed at the soft flesh.

"For science?" I tease, back arching as I push myself into his palm.

He nods.

"For science."

To back up his words he thrusts up against me, my mouth falling open in a shocked gasp as I feel both the pleasure from my stimulated clit and his hard cock pulsing through me. Never in my life have I been so glad to have slept naked. His smooth length presses between my folds before tilting upwards to sit parallel to my body, the tip of his cock nestled against my clit.

"Why couldn't I feel this when only you were marked?" I ask, eyes rolling back as he repeats his action once more.

Damien's guilt reaches me before the look on his face gives the emotion away.

"I kept it from you. I wanted to experience it together, but didn't want to rush you into letting me mark you." He says, his explanation curbing any anger I may have felt.

If I'm honest with myself, I'm glad that he hid it. I faintly remember feeling his pleasure when our bond was completed before, but it wasn't as intense and slipped my mind after everything that happened between us. Knowing that I was experiencing his enjoyment when he couldn't feel mine would have admittedly made me guilty, preventing me from truly enjoying his touch.

"Anything else you've kept hidden from me?" I tease, distracted slightly as I take in the sight of his muscles tensing as he shifts above me.

Without waiting to hear his response, I reach out and stroke his bicep, enjoying its hardness before moving down to his abs. The muscles lining his stomach tense and quiver beneath my touch, so reactive to me as I slide my hand lower and lower towards where I know he truly wants me to touch him.

Damien's breaths pick up as I finger with the hairs leading down to his cock, ignoring the red tip that sits on my belly just inches from my hand. His hips twitch slightly as he struggles to remain still, and I reward his politeness by wrapping my fingers around his length.

"Áine." He warns, voice gruff as he moves his hand to cover mine.

"Now that we are fully mated you should know that the likelihood of you getting pregnant is pretty high. I can continue to pull out, which is a bit risky since my Beast is dead set on impregnating you, or I can wear a condom." He explains.

My eyebrows furrow as he says this, unsure what he means by that.

"What's a condom?" I question.

Damien's lips twitch as I ask this, his joy at my innocence reaching me. Unappreciating it, I tighten my grip on his cock and give him a firm stroke, jaw clenching shut as I feel it within myself.

"It's a plastic covering that I put on my penis to catch my cum." He explains, grimacing slightly. "I don't have any on me, at least ones that aren't long expired, so we will have to hold off on the penetration if that is what you want. I will put my mouth on you instead."

I reject his offer with a shake of my head. I want him inside of me.

"I'm getting my period any day now so it's pretty unlikely that I will get pregnant, especially if you pull out." I eventually answer.

Damien nods his head, agreeing with me.

"That's true, but I need you to be aware that there is always a risk involved. I don't want you feeling caught off guard or angry with me if we do accidentally get you pregnant." He explains gently.

Dropping my gaze from his face, I look down his body until I reach my hand wrapped around his manhood. My fingers tense up around it as I take in the sight, my lips pulling down in a frown as I think about covering him up with plastic.

It's hard even to imagine what that would look like, and I hope that it does not affect the feeling of our sex. I've come to love the smooth glide of his velvety cock inside of me.

"I am willing to take the risk when I'm so close to my period, but when the time frame comes that I may be ovulating I would like you to wear the condom." I answer after a moment of thought.

At this point in the month it is so unlikely that I will get pregnant that the risk feels low even if he does forget to pull out again. I'm by no means ready for a child right now, but I know that I would not be too upset if it did happen. I love Damien and know that he will make a great father, and nine months is a long time to prepare everything needed for a child.

Damien's excitement mingles with my own as I give him permission to fuck me, his teeth on full display as he grins down at me.

Not wanting to waste any more time, I stroke him again and pull my hips back slightly so I can run the tip of his cock between my folds. My mouth falls open as his thick head presses against my clit, and I take a moment to circle it around the small nub before lowering it to my entrance.

"You're not ready for me just yet." Damien murmurs as I try to push him inside of me, my eagerness to be filled by him throwing caution to the wind.

Sensing that I'm going to ignore his warning, Damien reaches down and swats my hand away with a huff. My anger must reach him as seconds later he is laughing and pressing a wet kiss to my mark, the contact sending fire through my body.

My gasp turns into a choked moan as his tongue darts out between his lips and strokes over his bite. There's a slight soreness as it still works to heal, but it only serves to further my arousal as my back arches against him.

"You must be out of your mind if you think I'm going to fuck you before you're properly wet for me. I want you dripping when I sink inside of your tight pussy." Damien pants before pulling back to look at me.

I resist the urge to share with him that his tongue on me has managed to do just that, but I can tell he already knows as shaft slides through my folds with ease. My wetness coats him and makes the glide smooth, the feeling forcing me to bite my lip to muffle my groan.

"Do you want me to love you or degrade you?" He grunts into my ear. "I know you like both."

Without waiting for my answer he grabs my thighs and forces them up around his waist, my hips instinctively jerking up to meet his as he does this. His fingertips will undoubtedly leave bruises with how hard they are digging into me, but I almost love that I will carry a physical reminder of his touch on my skin.

"I don't even know why I ask." He taunts before pulling back and pushing his cockhead against my entrance. "My mate loves to be a little slut. Loves to be fucked like she isn't even my mate."

My body aches as I buck beneath him, desperate to be filled as he finally buries himself inside of me.

"Shit!" I shout as he begins to fill me, his hips slapping against mine as he releases my thighs and grabs my hips. My eyes roll back as he rocks slowly into me, the action a drastic change from his abrupt entry.

"Fuck, just like that. You're taking all of me like such a good girl." He praises, his voice barely audible over my loud pants.

Damien's actions begin to speed up as I grow used to the intrusion, my mind unable to comprehend whose pleasure I am feeling as both of ours course through me. Under normal circumstances I would beg him to touch my clit and get me off, but I don't even need it with the bond.

He's going to push me over the edge without even having to touch it.

My wetness spreads to my inner thighs as I push back against his thrusts, the ache between my legs growing as he drives us both towards our release.

Damien's mouth drops down on top of mine in a dominating kiss, his tongue forcing its way between my lips and swallowing my loud moans. His own strangled noises vibrate through me as he makes no efforts to hold them back, shamelessly letting me know just how much he is enjoying this.

My entire body trembles beneath him as I feel my orgasm building inside of me, Damien's balls slapping against my ass with each of his smooth, hard thrusts.

"You feel so fucking good. I'm close, I'm-" He splutters, fucking into me at an almost frantic pace.

I gasp, begging him through the bond to cum. My own body convulses below him as I'm pushed to the edge, my thighs tensing around his waist as I stiffen and throw my head back in a silent cry.

Damien's own moans are cut off as he drops his head down and licks at the mark on my neck, drawing out my pleasure as he pulls out and begins to stroke his cock over top of my stomach.

My body falls limp as he empties himself on top of me, his cum coating me from my belly button to chin.

He sags on me as he finishes, seemingly not caring as he lands splat on top of his own release. Both our chests heave as we struggle to catch our breaths, our pants loud in the suddenly quiet room.

"I'm sticky." Damien murmurs after a moment, pushing against the mattress on either side of my head until he is hovering over me once more. "We can't do that without a condom anymore. My Beast was milliseconds away from convincing me to cum in you again."

I laugh at his admittance, slightly flattered.

"At least you know your limits. You'll just have to go out and get the condom then."

His adoration reaches me through the bond as he chuckles and smiles, his attention straying from my face as he finds himself distracted with my cum-soaked body.

"Not the condom, a condom. They are disposable, and we will need many."

My face heats up as he corrects me, but I find myself not caring as he sits back on his heels and begins to evaluate my hole. I try to snap my legs shut, grunting as his hands fly out to stop me and hold me open to him.

"I want to make sure you aren't injured." He explains.

My lips flatten as I pull away from his hold once more, satisfied as he finally lets me go.

"You know you don't have to do this every time we have sex?" I question.

Damien shrugs, both agreeing and disagreeing with me all at once. I know that it's his Beast that forces him to worry about and check on my health, but nothing I say seems to be soothing him. I bled a tiny bit one time. It's really not that big of a deal.

Sitting up, I grab his face and begin to tilt it left and right, humming loudly to myself as I evaluate his hair and chin.

His laughter is loud as he plays nice and lets me manhandle him, his confusion reaching me through the bond.

"What are you doing?"

I hum again, holding back a smirk.

"Making sure that you are still cute and fluffy."

Chapter 62

I force myself to take a deep calming breath as I stand outside of Alex's house, my hand shaking slightly where it rests parallel with the door. Damien insisted on coming with me here, but I told him to go out and find Freya while I went to get Olivia.

I want to get this over with as quickly as possible.

Despite my hopes that I could convince him to do this another day, he is adamant that since Freya knows that we are aware of her hideout it's unlikely she will go back there. He worries that she will disappear and they won't be able to find her again, and that he needs to get it over with before she gets too far and his Beast can't scent her out.

Taking another deep breath, I pull back my fist and knock at the door. The noise feels loud and disturbing in the quiet of the morning, and I resist the urge to turn and run away before anybody can open it.

If it were me I probably wouldn't even answer. It feels so impolite to be bothering her after such an important day. In my old village, it was custom that newlyweds spend days alone in their home, not seeing any guests or accepting any rude visitors.

Never did I think that I would be that rude visitor.

The door flies open to reveal a very angry-looking Alex, his eyes still heavy with sleep and clothing seemingly having just been thrown on. Without meaning to, my eyes immediately scour over his neck before locking in on his mark.

I hold back a smirk as I make note of the red bitemark that sits on his skin, the surrounding area covered in small hickies that disappear in front of my very eyes.

It looks like sleeping is not what was happening before my intrusion.

"Can I help you?" He questions, shifting his weight to his left foot as he leans against the doorframe.

Unsure what to say, I offer a weak smile and nod towards the human that lurks behind him.

"I came to collect Olivia. It's urgent." I spit out, cheeks heating up at the lie.

I'm sure that Alex knows exactly why I'm here, his tight grip on the wood of the door and pursed lips giving his annoyance away. His chest expands as he takes a slow inhale, his face expressing a thousand emotions that I'm glad Olivia cannot see at this moment.

I only hope that he is blocking them from her as well.

With a solemn nod he pivots his body to reveal Olivia, her face curious as she timidly holds up a sheet to her chest. I hold back a smirk at the matching mark on her neck, glad to see that they were finally able to consummate their bond last night.

I'm eager to hear all about it, and selfishly hope that she spares no details.

"Can you come with me to Damien's office? There are a couple of things I want to chat with you about." I ask, attempting and failing to find an excuse to pull her away that sounds inconspicuous.

Her eyes dart rapidly between Alex and me before she finally gives a nod and excuses herself to get changed. As she leaves the silence between Alex and me is tense, neither of us knowing what to say but both thinking the same thing.

My mate is going to kill his and he is allowing it to happen. Not that Freya doesn't deserve it, but I'm sure this is going against everything Alex has ever believed in.

Alex bends and presses a firm kiss to Olivia's lips as she comes back dressed and slips past him, a quiet gasp falling from her mouth as he catches her off guard.

I look away politely as he whispers his love to her, my cheeks heating up as his promise of love turns into a promise of something much dirtier upon her return. I pretend as if I have not heard when Olivia finally tears herself from him and begins the short walk with me to Damien's office.

There's a calm silence between us as we move, and I take the opportunity to think over an excuse to have pulled her away. It's not as if we are close friends or anything and I've never really sought out her company before.

"What's going on?" She speaks up as we enter Damien's space.

I purse my lips as I take a seat in one of the chairs in front of his desk, remaining quiet as she sits herself down as well. Reaching into my pocket, I subtly wrap my hand around the small thumbtack in there and press the sharp metal into my palm, wincing slightly as it penetrates the soft skin.

Damien and I couldn't think of a better way to signal that Alex is alone without alarming Olivia, and knowing he can now feel my pain I figured this was the sneakiest option.

Slowly removing my hand from my pocket, I clench it shut to hide the blood as I tilt my head to the side. Almost immediately I feel his emotions detach from mine. I'm grateful as he does this, happy that I will not be forced to feel his mind as he kills her.

Knowing it's happening is very different than feeling it. I don't judge him for doing this, but that doesn't mean I want any part of it. He told me he would be quick and would rush immediately to Alex's to be there with him, so I assume that this will not take too long.

I doubt this is something that he wants to draw out, anyways. Hurting his brother is by no means an action that he enjoys.

"Damien marked me last night." I explain, grimacing as I begin with the only lie that I could think of.

Damien will kill me for telling it, but this is all his fault in the first place so he has no place to get angry with me for the lie I conjured. He should have helped me think of things as I requested before rushing off.

Olivia smiles slightly at the sight of my neck, her eyes soft as she looks over it.

"I'm happy to see that! I assume it was by choice this time." She questions, her smirk telling me that she already knows the answer to it.

Ignoring my heated cheeks, I look to the ground before darting my eyes up to her mark.

"Yeah, but that's not why I asked you here. After it happened he, well, he couldn't get hard. He told me that it was normal for a Beast to be unable to stay erect immediately after a marking and-" I pause for a moment, sighing painfully. "Well, I can't exactly ask Jenna and you are the only other person I trust enough to share this with. I just want to know if Alex had the same issue or if Damien is lying to me."

Olivia's eyes go comically wide as I share this with her, her mouth dropping open before snapping shut as she takes it all in.

"I, well, we managed to make it work but Alex did struggle a bit, yes." She eventually splutters out, her lie nowhere near convincing.

Despite the overwhelming guilt I feel for lying to her, I have to admit that I am a bit complimented that she was willing to shame Alex to make me feel better about Damien's perceived issues.

My leg kicks out against the chair as Damien opens the bond up once more, his emotions muted but there. I pause for a moment as I try to figure out what he is feeling, disappointed  when I realize that he is purposefully keeping them hidden from me.

As much as I want to pry, I force myself to stop digging and focus back on Olivia. He will be back shortly and I can ask him about it then. He only shut them off for a couple of minutes which means either he did it swiftly or changed his mind altogether. Admittedly I hope that he saw it through, but I won't judge him either way.

Olivia's eyebrows furrow as she stares at me, waiting for my response. I shake my head slightly to rid myself of my thoughts before responding.

"Oh, good." I sigh, sagging into the seat. "I knew I shouldn't have bothered you so soon after your ceremony but it was just tearing me up inside. I thought it was just me."

Olivia's lips twitch as she tries to console me, her words comforting and without judgment.

"It was probably just nerves. Marking is such an important thing to the Beasts and I can only imagine how stressful it must be." She thoughtfully shares.

I nod in agreement, my mouth going dry as I realize that that was all I had. Thankfully, though, Olivia continues the conversation with ease, clearly trying to take my mind off last night.

Guilt continues to grow in me the more I lie, and I hope that Alex shares with her everything when she returns home to him later. I'm not sure why he didn't want to be completely honest with her from the get-go, but I suppose it's not my relationship to understand.

I just know that I would be upset if Damien pushed me away during a moment of pain. Even if it hurts me to see, I would still want to be there to bring him comfort. I wonder if I will be doing any of that later, if killing the woman he once loved as family will torment him into the night. I won't be surprised if it does.

I'm at least glad that Damien will be there for Alex, and hope that he gets there quickly. The thought of him wallowing alone in his home makes me feel awful, and even if I am a bit worried about Alex's Beast lashing out at Damien I still want him to try and comfort him.

"Where is Damien right now?" Olivia speaks up, glancing at the empty seat on the other side of the desk.

I shrug, frowning slightly as nothing comes to mind.

"Uh," I start, panicking. "Well, we tried again this morning to no success and he left shortly after for a walk. I imagine that he has wandered over to Alex's by now."

Olivia hums slightly but doesn't question it any further. My body warms as I realize that I have now lied and said that Damien failed to please me twice now. My mark feels itchy the more I knowingly humiliate him, and I wonder if this is its way of telling me that it's displeased.

We make more idle chit-chat as I wait for Damien to return, Olivia doing a great job of steering the conversation away from my sexual issues. I also refrain from bringing up Freya, unsure how she feels about everything that happened yesterday and not wanting to ruin her mood by reminding her of it.

After what feels like forever Damien finally comes to join us in his office, his face and body giving away no signs of what he just did. A small smile forms on his lips as he looks at me, taking his time to evaluate my entire person from head to toe.

Olivia catches his reaction as well, a smug smirk spreading on her face.

"Well, I should probably be getting back to Alex now." She murmurs as she stands to her feet.

Damien finally pulls his attention from me as she steps towards the door, his excitement filtering through me as he takes in her newly marked skin.

"Morning, Olivia. I'm happy to see that mark on your neck and hope you guys had a great night. Sorry we didn't stay for the after-party." He greets her, stepping to the side so she can pass.

She nods politely.

"It was great. We struggled to get it going after he marked me but it was beautiful nonetheless." Oliva shares, clearly trying to alleviate some of the shame she believes Damien to be feeling.

I slap my hands over my mouth at her words, my eyes wide as I struggle to hold back a booming laugh. My chest heaves from the effort, and I find myself grateful that Olivia's back is to me at this moment. I'd be given away in a heartbeat if she could see me right now.

Damien blinks once, twice, three times before nodding, his expression sharing nothing but his bond giving away all the confusion he is feeling.

"Uh, glad to hear it." He replies, eyes narrowing at me. "Why don't you go on home? Áine shouldn't have pulled you away so soon after your marking."

He waits until she is out of the room before sagging and approaching me. I frown as I take in the tired state of his body, opening my arms immediately for him to crawl into them. He does so without complaint, switching us around so it is me sitting in his lap.

"Is Alex okay?" I eagerly question.

As much as I care about Damien's emotions, he is not the one who had a true mate killed today.

Damien nods slightly, his arms tightening around me as he replays this morning in his head.

"He felt it, but is okay. I tried to stay with him longer to make sure, but he kicked me out pretty quickly with complaints that he wanted Olivia more. Not that I blame him, though. All I want is you." He admits.

I nod, glad to hear it.

"And you?" I probe.

Instead of speaking, Damien opens his bond up with me completely, allowing me to feel his pain. There's some excitement and joy in there, but overshadowed by it all are sadness and tension.

Sighing, I urge him to move towards me. For years he loved her as a sister, and despite everything that happened I'm sure that a piece of that always remained. I grab his head and pull it down against my chest as I try to comfort him, running my fingers through his soft hair and whispering quiet words of encouragement.

Eventually, and slowly, he begins to calm, the storm of emotions within him settling down just enough that I feel like I can finally breathe.

"She raped me." He murmurs after a long silence.

"I know."

"A part of me still loved her." He admits, his shame running rampant inside of me.

"I know."

"I broke her neck before she even knew I was there."

His hands tighten into fists behind my back as he shares this, his muscles tensing up around my body. Releasing his head, I pull back slightly until he looks me in the eye.

Unsure if this will work, I grab his hands and climb off his lap before pulling him up with me. He doesn't question my actions as I lead him out of the office and into our house, carefully guiding him up the stairs until we reach the bathroom.

He stands tensely in the corner as I start the shower and help him undress. His giant frame appears almost small as I direct him under the spray and begin to wash him, overcome with love as I realize that he finally trusts me enough to open the bond so wide and share with me his deepest emotions.

We speak no words as I scrub his body and wash away all of today's pain, but our bond shares everything. It shares his fears and doubts of self-worth, each negative emotion pouring into me as he finally stops holding them back.

In return, I try to shove as much love and adoration as I can into him, giving up as I realize that I don't know how the bond words and choosing instead to press hundreds of soft kisses to his skin.

He laughs and jerks away as I lift his arm and kiss his inner bicep, playfully scowling at me for ticking him.

"Thank you." He murmurs as I shut off the shower and pop open the door to grab our towels.

I smile, glad that it seemed to help. My love by no means is going to magically heal him, but I hope that it will help to start the process. We will need to to take this one day at a time, and thankfully we have nothing but time on our side.

We fall into a comfortable silence as I hand him a towel and we dry ourselves off. He seems to be in much better spirits as he wipes away the wetness on his skin and ties the material around his waist.

I also don't miss his cocky smirk when he catches me watching the missed water droplets trail down his stomach and into the towel. Tearing my eyes away, I turn towards the mirror and begin to brush out my hair.

It's still too short to really do anything with it but is just starting to get long enough to tangle if I don't give it a quick comb.

Damien comes up from behind and watches me through the mirror, his arms wrapping around my stomach as he hunches forward and rests his chin on my head.

"Can I ask you something?" He speaks up after a moment, pulling back slightly to press a kiss to my temple.

"Of course."

Damien's eyes narrow at me as he wipes away a water droplet that falls from my hairline.

"Why did Olivia lie to me and say that Alex couldn't get it up last night? I could smell him inside of her."

After chasing me around the house demanding answers for almost fifteen minutes, I finally dissolve into giggles as I tell him what I said. The smile that spreads across his face cements in me that I've made the right decision, my heart soaring as he throws me over his shoulder with the promise to make me regret my words.

____

The end!!

It's bittersweet posting this chapter, but I'm super excited to begin the editing process. Please let me know your feedback, and if there were any parts you really liked/disliked and anything that you feel wasn't wrapped up!! 

I plan to add about 5-6 of the bonus chapters to the final version and write a couple more in Damien's POV to help add some more background and growth to his character. I'm also teetering with the idea of adding some more Alex and Olivia as well (and generally try to make her character more liked). 

Fun fact: When I first started the book Olivia was actually going to be a woman that Damien had an affair with but I changed my mind because I couldn't bring myself to write about Damien cheating on her. Freya was also planned to just be a random Beast woman that Damien fucked around with too, but somehow ended up Alex's true mate and Damien's rapist. Crazy how things shape out haha.