Hidden Lycan. (COMPLETE)

Chapter Thirty Five

Oddly enough Hades stayed for dinner. Tell me that sitting at a table, eating dinner with a god doesn't make you self conscious. When you're comfortable with the people around you, you eat like you normally would, not really taking into account what they may think of the way you eat. But when a god is sitting at the table with you, you're left second guessing every decision you make, no matter how small. 

The guys were still pilling my plate like a mountain making Hades look at me with a quirked brow and a smirk. The heat that filled my face at his stare could've fried an egg. Needless to say I ate like a sloth had taken my place. Taking small, slow bites, doing my best not to start shoveling the food in my mouth and make a fool of myself. By the time he left I was exhausted from being on guard, and not in a normal way. I think being on guard from danger was better than being on guard not to humiliate myself. 

I leaned into Eli on the couch, my head resting on his chest over his heart. The steady beating against my ear helped calm me, and I couldn't help but smile when I realized his was beating in perfect synchronization with mine. I'm not sure how it happened, but I liked it. My smile must have gotten his attention because he looked down at me "What are you smiling about?" He asked. 

I sat up wordlessly and placed on of his hands over his heart and the other over mine. His brows furrowed in confusion at first, then he smiled softly, realizing what I did. Eli pulled me back down to him and started running his fingers lightly up and down my spine, sending shivers through my body. "Sometimes, when mates are predestined to be together, their hearts will align, beating in rhythm with the others." He explained. "What do you mean predestined?" I asked him, playing with a button on his shirt. 

"It means the two souls were bound before birth. Even together at some point in a past life, or more than one past life. The two souls will always recognize the other, no matter what face it belongs to." His tone was soft, almost whimsical. "I didn't believe in it, thought is was a fairy tale. Something parents would tell their children as bedtime stories. Never once did I think I would have one." The air around him grew denser. "Or deserve one." 

The last words were barely above a whisper and filled with so much pain my chest ached. But then, the ache was replaced by anger. I sat up and narrowed my eyes at him. "You deserve more than you give yourself credit for Eli. You deserve better than me even. I've killed people, came to all of you broken,  nothing but a shell of a person." I cupped his face between my hands my eyes softening. "But you put me back together. You insisted I come with you, insisted you protect me. You took care of my wounds fed me until I was healthy again. You're a good man Eli, kind and caring. You care more for the people around you than you do yourself. You're generous and selfless and smart." I shook my head, trying to shake the tears that threatened to fall away. "And maybe some things in your past was done. But that's just it Eli. It was in the past. You have an entire future ahead of you. And your future can only be as bright as you allow it to be." 

He just stared back at me like he was seeing me for the first time. The storms in his eyes swirling as emotions fought for control, like he didn't know what to feel right now. Finally, he covered my hands with his, bringing them down to my lap and intertwining our fingers. "You are amazing Fallon. The way you see the world, see the people around you. None could hold a torch to the flame that lives inside of you. Even after everything that's happened to you, you somehow managed to keep your soul pure, to see the world through untainted eyes." He shook his head and ran the back of his hand down the length of my face. "And I am glad you're mine." 

His. He said I was his. And the certainty, the joy, the love in that one sentence, melted me. I was his, and he was mine. I wouldn't allow nothing or no one to take him or the others from me, even if it cost me my life. It was a price I would willingly and happily pay to keep them safe, to keep them alive. I push that thought away though and caressed his face. He closed his eyes and leaned into my touch. "And you are mine." I whispered. 

His lips were on mine before I could register what happened. It took a spilt second before I wound my arms around him, pulling him closer. The heat from his body seeped through my clothes, my own body heating in kind. The others had gone out for a few hours looking for allies against the council so we were here alone, and I wanted to take advantage of it. 

My fingers found his hair, winding around the silky strands. Eli grasped the nape of my neck bringing me impossibly closer, deepening our kiss before he started to trail his kiss down my jaw, then my neck and onto my collar bone. I shivered under his touch, the movement causing a growl of approval rumble from him. 

When he nipped at my neck, then my ear, I couldn't stop the breathy moan that escaped me. Eli pulled away, his gold eyes darker with lust as they stared back. He must have found whatever he was searching my eyes for because the next moment I was in his arms heading up the stairs. It was my turn. On the way up I trailed light kisses down his neck, goose bumps rising in their wake. Eli groaned, picking up his pace until we were in my room. The door slammed behind us before he lay me down crawling over me. 

"Off." I demanded, tugging at his shirt. Eli laughed as he grasped the hem and pulled it over his head. My breath caught at the sight of him. My hands lifted of their own accord, my fingers trailing down his chest and stomach tracing his muscles and abs. Eli growled and grabbed my hands before pinning them above my head. with one of his. With the other hand he shredded my shirt leaving me bare to him since I didn't wear a bra. 

Eli stared down at me, his eyes going darker. "You're beautiful." He whispered. My face flushed under his compliment. His hand explored my body, cupping my breasts, and pinching my hardened buds. My body arched into his touch gasped moans falling from my lips. When his mouth found my breasts I was a goner, the feel of his lips on me, feeling him nipping and sucking making heat pool at my core. Eli growled no doubt smelling my arousal. 

It didn't take long before we were both naked, his skin pressing on mine sending my body into overdrive as my need for him skyrocketed. He trailed kisses down my body to my inner thigh before his lips landed on my core. A harsh breath escaped me, my body arching into him needing the friction. He licked the entire length of my folds, my toes curled. He plunged his tongue into me making me moan, my hand shooting to his hair to help ground me. 

His growl vibrated against me sending a new kind of pleasure through. He stopped running his tongue to the most sensitive part swirling his tongue around, his fingers finding my entrance. He was relentless, his fingers matching the pace of his tongue sending me up and over the edge. My orgasm was hard and fast, and he extended it to its max never stopping his movements until my legs were vibrating with the release. 

Eli braced himself over me, his eyes peering down into mine, pleased that he could cause me pleasure. I pulled him down to me, needing to feel his lips on mine once again, feeling he was too far away even being only a few short inches apart. That was all the permission he needed before he thrust himself into me hard. The way I was beginning to think was the only way shifters knew. I yelled out from the pleasure and the feeling of him filling me so completely. 

Eli didn't stop, his wolf too close to the surface, his need to claim what was his too much for him to hold back. I didn't mind. My nails dug into his back as his thrusts became more chaotic, each one harder than the last as his speed picked up. I wound my legs around his waist sending him impossibly deeper. My moans filled the room, not even caring that I could probably be heard outside. 

I could feel the need climbing, with each thrust Eli sent me closer and closer to release. He must have sensed it because his hand slid between us, his finger starting to swirl around my core. I gasped his name, my nails digging deeper into his back. Eli hummed at his name on my lips, his groans growing stronger indicating his release was close. When Eli pinched my core I shouted my release, seeing stars as I finished with his name falling from my lips. Eli finished with me, his head falling back as he thrust deeper. 

Eli rolled off me bundling me into his arms pulling me close to his side. My body felt like jelly, my muscles refusing to obey my commands, but I didn't mind. I just rested my head on his chest my hand over his erratically beating heart, both of us covered in sweat but not caring. I don't know how long we stayed like that before Eli kissed my forehead and carried me to the shower. He was so gentle as he washed my body and hair. Making sure he got every inch of me covered in the coconut scented suds. 

I felt overjoyed, content, happy and just felt like I was finally home. But other feelings were filling me that I wasn't aware of. Jealousy? That couldn't be right. Love? Yes, while I loved Eli, this felt...different. Reassured? Renewed? What was happening? I wasn't jealous, and I had no reason to feel reassured. 

"Are you alright Fallon?" Eli asked as he dried my body. I smiled. "Yes, just confused. There are feelings." I said pointing to my chest. "That I swear aren't mine, but that don't make sense. Who's else could they be?" I furrowed my brow and rubbed my fist in circles on my chest trying to alleviate the pressure. Eli froze, his eyes locked on mine. "Eli?" I questioned. 

He shook his head and smiled softly. "You're right. Those feelings are not yours. We've cemented the mating bond, so you can feel my emotions. If you've cemented it with any of the others, you can feel theirs as well and vise versa." He explained. Wait, I could feel their emotions? And they could feel mine? That felt like such an invasion of privacy. 

"It's normal parvulus, don't worry. It's a way for wolves to know when their mate is in danger or needs help. If anything ever happened to you and we were not around we would feel it and we could follow the bond to you, as you could for us." He sounded so sure, even happy about it. And that was enough to soothe my worries. He was happy, his tone so light and almost carefree. My heart soared at hearing him so unguarded with me. 

Oh how I loved this man. He was the first to protect me, the first to take care of me. The first I fell for. How I fell so hard and so fast is beyond me, but I wouldn't want it any other way. Just watching and feeling as he took care of me now made my heart swell. 

Eli gasped and stumbled. My hands shot out grasping him to help steady him. Worry filled me at his sudden change. "Are you okay?" I asked, my voice frantic. His eyes snapped to mine, searching, storming. "I felt you." He whispered. "It was so strong, so potent and pure." He shook his head, while I remained confused. Eli chuckled. "I felt your love Fallon." He said gently. Understanding struck me and I ducked my head hiding behind my hair as my face turned red. 

Eli put his fingers under my chin and tipped my head to face him. "Don't hide from me Fallon." He whispered, kissing my forehead. "I love you as well." My eyes widened. He loved me? He said he loved me. The smile that broke through must have been something because even Eli smiled from ear to ear, a smile I'd never seen on him. 

I threw my arms around him, my heart in overdrive as happiness felt like it was going to burst from my chest. Shadows started to dance around us like they wanted to be apart of the joy. They bound the two of us together, holding us together as they danced along our skin in a soft caress. Before fading away they left something behind. Matching marks right above our hearts. I gasped as I stared at it. It was the tree of life. The shadows still danced within the mark as if it were alive, the branches blowing in a breeze that couldn't be felt. A moon hung above the tree with two stars beside it, pulsing with the shadows. 

"A mate mark." Eli said running his fingers over it. "The shadows must approve. The two stars must be the two mates you've cemented the bond with, the moon must represent you. While the tree of life represents life, growth, wisdom, strength." My breath lodged in my throat as I looked between our marks, knowing Xavier had gotten one as well. It was a mark of my love for them and theirs for me. Proof that we belong together, that our beasts chose each other. I smiled, elation swarming in me like a raging fire. They truly were mine.

"We need to get some rest." Eli said leading me out of the bathroom by the small of my back. "We meet the council tomorrow at the gathering. I will need you to stay with us Fallon. The gathering can be dangerous, other unmated she wolves may try and challenge you as our mate, while other unmated males may try and challenge us." A growl formed deep within me. "No one will take you from me." I seethed. The thought making fire course through my veins. 

Eli pulled me to him "No one will take us or you away." He assured me. "We just need to be prepared. The gathering is not safe, and can get dangerous as fights break out challenging others for positions of power. Just stay with us please." The plea in his voice was enough to make me give in. Not that I planned to stray away from them in the first place. Now though I definitely wasn't going to leave their side, because the first time someone approaches them with intent to harm them, I'll cut them down without a second thought.