Mated To The Cold Hearted Alpha
Chapter 77

The beast pulled his front paw and hind leg off of me, giving me a brief reprieve from the overwhelming heat, but in no way, was he allowing me to get up. I knew because his canines scraped against the soft flesh of my neck.

Searing heat shot through my belly.

In my head, my Wolf pawed at the ground and shook her a*s at him. She wanted his attention.

Oh, we had it…

Leander’s Wolf focused on the skin of my shoulder, his warm tongue flickering out to taste my flesh.

I inhaled sharply.

With purpose, he shifted position slightly and began to lick down my spine.

My breathing shallowed, coming in short pants when he reached the crest of my bottom…and continued lower.

A knock at the door interrupted us.

Reluctantly, he pulled away. There was a displacement of air behind me, and suddenly, Leander’s hands held my h**s. He pressed his forehead into the curve between my shoulder blades and g*****d, “This is going to be a long day.”

I couldn’t say I disagreed with him. I worked to control my breathing and calm down. But presently, I was more surprised by the insistent knocking at the door. “They’re early.”

“No, love, they’re right on time. You slept in.”

I looked around the room, finally noticing Leander was right. There was far more light than the early hour I’d presumed. Nervousness wound through my belly. Today would be steeped in tradition, rituals that went back hundreds of years, generation after generation of wolves.

…and I would be the next to follow in their footsteps.

Leander lifted from the bed. He opened a nearby drawer and slid on a pair of boxer shorts. I followed his lead and got out of bed. Looking over his shoulder at me as he walked to the door, he said, “Go get ready. I’ll let them in and be right behind you.”

I did as he instructed and made my way to the bathroom. After relieving my bladder, I washed and dried my hands before picking up my toothbrush. Halfway through brushing my teeth, Leander joined me and grabbed his own toothbrush. He gave me an encouraging nod in the mirror. With a mouthful of toothpaste, I couldn’t verbally respond even if I wasn’t so edgy that I was replaceing it difficult to form words in my head, let alone speak them out loud.

I finished, spit the toothpaste out and rinsed my mouth. Pulling on yoga pants and a T-shirt, I left the bathroom so Leander could finish.

Gwen and Willow were waiting for me by the door.

I drew in a sharp breath at their appearance.

They were stunning.

Adorned in strips of buttery soft lambskin in periwinkle and ocean blue, Gwen’s skirt rested so low on her waist, it barely covered her pubic bone, and ended mid-thigh, just a few inches beneath her buttocks, revealing her lean and muscular legs. Hazelnut brown skin played peekaboo behind hand-cut lacing that crisscrossed on each side of her h**s. More strips of leather in similar blue tones wrapped around her breasts to create a halter.

Willow wore a similar ensemble, only hers was comprised of leather in hand dyed shades of Cyprus and verdigris green, perfectly complementing her eyes, a unique combination of hazel with butterscotch flecks.

“You’re beautiful,” I said with open appreciation.

Glowing radiant with happiness and excitement, both smiled widely. Stepping close, Gwen grasped one of my hands.

“How do you feel?”

I considered her question. My body temperature had risen, not excessively yet, but noticeably. It would continue to increase as the day went on. But they already knew that, so I didn’t feel it necessary to state it. The strange sensation in my chest continued, my heart still following the beat of the drums, but for some reason, that part felt too personal to share. So, I focused instead on my emotions and murmured, “Restless.”

Willow squeezed my other hand. “That’s perfectly normal. We’re going to take good care of you today.”

I nodded silently. Leander had already told me Gwen and Willow would stay with me at the pack location for most of the day, while Ever and Asher took care of preparations at the cabin site.

Leander exited the bathroom wearing a pair of dark pants, blue T-shirt, and boots. Darkened cerulean orbs locked on me. “Are you ready?”

A wave of nervous excitement prickled down my spine. It felt like a thousand butterflies fluttered in my belly. I took a deep breath. “Yes. I just need shoes.”

Slipping into the sandals I’d set aside the night before, I took his hand and we followed Gwen and Willow out the door. It only took a few moments before we exited the packhouse and crossed the vast compound to a small dwelling.

Entering the single room structure, built just for this occasion, I was amazed to replace a polished bamboo floor and walls handcrafted with rough-hewn granite, each generous sized block carefully placed, an interlocking puzzle of stone. Ceramic tile framed an inground pool in the back half of the dwelling, leaving the front space to contain two comfortable preparation tables side by side, each bigger than an exam table but smaller than a single sized bed. On one wall, a workspace had been created, intricately carved wooden tables at varying heights, filled with a variety of ingredients that would soon be applied to our bodies. There was no electricity, so the entire space was lit by over a hundred candles nestled in hanging wrought iron fixtures and strategically placed on small tables and ledges around the room.

Mimi and another older shewolf, who I recognized but didn’t know her name, waited in front of the tables with a mated male on either side.

Mimi stepped forward. She wasn’t only the cook, she was also an Elder, and no one was more skilled in the alchemy of ceremony preparation, which made sense, considering her excellence in mixing ingredients in the kitchen.

Crossing the room, she held my shoulders and rubbed her cheek against mine on both sides. “Welcome, child,” there was a motherly inflection to her voice, warm with emotion that immediately put me at ease.

Mimi pulled away and turned to introduce the other three. “Hycinth, this is Elder Gemma.” She pointed to the males respectively. “And that is Ryan and Aiden. They will be assisting us in the process.”

“What?” I asked, tightening my grip on Leander’s hand. I understood the preparation process would be quite intimate and hadn’t expected any males to be involved.

Recognizing my concern, Mimi explained, “They will not see you exposed or touch you in any way. Leander’s Wolf wouldn’t allow that. In the same way, your Wolf wouldn’t allow Gwen and Willow to see or touch Leander. Your Wolf will allow Gemma and I access to Leander visually but touching will require a barrier between his skin and ours.”

“Okay,” I said, not fully understanding the process but trusting Mimi knew what she was talking about.

“Let’s get started. You will begin with a Himalayan salt bath.”

I looked over at the shallow pool, just big enough to comfortably fit two people.

“Rich in essential minerals, the fine crystal salts will help cleanse and purify as well as prepare your bodies for the next steps. If you will step over there, you can disrobe.” She pointed toward a large three-panel freestanding partition.

Disrobe…

Okay.

I followed Leander to the designated area and tried to keep my hands from trembling as I reached for the hem of my shirt. Noticing my shaking, Leander grasped my fingers and nuzzled into my neck. “Shh, little mouse. I’m right here with you.”

Gazing up at him like he was my lifeline, I swallowed thickly and nodded.

As if on cue, the sound of drums began…much closer than before, no more than thirty feet away. Feet began to stomp the dirt, keeping rhythm with the low and steady beat. Guttural sounds joined the melody, rising and falling in a beautiful symphony of voices, music without words but the meaning was clear.

A love song to my Wolf.

I froze. My heart once again changed its beat to match the alluring music.

Leander’s eyes widened as he placed a palm over my heart. He seemed as surprised as I was. For a lingering moment we just stared at each other until finally, he removed his hand and rather than leave me to my own devices, Leander took it upon himself to carefully remove my clothes before doing the same with his own. When we were both naked, he took my hand and tugged me out from behind the partition.

Looking around, I realized only Mimi and Gemma were still in the room. The other four had exited. My gaze landed on the crystal clear water that reflected the brilliant blues and greens of the ceramic tile. I walked by Leander’s side to the pool.

“Be careful. The stones are hot.” Gemma motioned toward the barrier of medium-sized stones that framed the exterior of the pool on all sides except for one.

Leander sat on the smooth edge and then gently eased himself into the three feet of water. He turned to me, his large hands grasping my h**s, easily lifting and then placing me in the water next to him.

“Oh!” I gasped, not surprised by the hot temperature but by the feel of the water. I couldn’t exactly describe it but it felt thick.

“Just leaned back,” Mimi soothed. “Let your body float.”

Leander’s fingers linked with mine. He leaned back and I did the same, quickly realizing that I wasn’t going to have to work to keep my body afloat. There was enough Himalayan salt in the liquid to suspend our bodies without any effort on our part.

As soon as we were in position, both Mimi and Gemma poured water over the hot rocks. Instantly, steam billowed around us. It filled my nostrils and obstructed my vision.

We lay suspended for several minutes, not only immersed in the water but entranced in the music. There were long moments when the instruments and sounds nearby would stop, only to have the musicians located at the cabin filled the empty air. Back and forth, in perfect synchronization, they played to each other and to us.

The moist heat filled my lungs and took the temperature of my already warm body up a notch, and then another, causing sweat to pour off of me. I clutched tighter to Leander’s fingers.

Recognizing my distress, Mimi soothed, “Not much longer, sweet Luna.”

Her words caught me off guard, temporarily taking my mind away from my overheated body. Only a few of the mated pairs knew Leander’s mating to me was a ruse, a means to an end, a way for them to conceive, and me to gain my freedom. I wasn’t going to be their Luna…