Chapter 156

Ava

Chris’s warm member throbbed between my legs, hovering just out of reach. His hands roamed over my bare skin with growing urgency, his palms branding me with their heat. I let out a helpless whimper, silently begging him not to wait any longer.

Smirking, Chris rolled us over so that I was pinned beneath the solid weight of his body. He growled low in his throat—a purely visceral, possessive sound.

I arched my hips into him shamelessly, my nails raking over the flexing muscles of his back as he trailed scorching kisses along the column of my throat. Finally, after what felt like far too long, he thrust himself into me in one swift motion—causing my breath to force itself out of me in one strained gasp.

Our bodies moved together in a feverish frenzy. Chris’s broad body ebbed and flowed hurriedly above me, leaving me clinging to him in an effort to keep myself grounded to the creaking bed. I dug my nails into his back, eliciting a tense groan from him, and he possessively gripped my wrists and pressed them into the mattress before leaning forward to nip at my neck and ear.

“Mine,” he growled against the base of my neck, the deep tone of his voice seeming to reverberate straight through me. “All mine.”

…

The soft sheets pooled around my bare skin as I reclined against the plush pillows, watching the moonlight dance across Chris’s toned back. He stood facing the window now, his muscles rippling beneath his skin as he reached up to rake his free hand through his tousled hair. The other hand came up to sip his wine, a small bead of sweat trailing down his neck at the same moment.

Even after our passionate post-dinner lovemaking, there was a palpable tension thrumming through him—I could sense it in the rigid set of his shoulders, the furrow of his brow. He was thinking about something.

Sipping from my own glass of dry red wine, I let my gaze wander over the hard planes and contours of his body, admiring the sight. When he shifted slightly, I caught a glimpse of the still-hardened length between his thighs and felt a fresh flicker of desire stir low in my belly.

“You’re being awfully quiet over there,” I murmured, propping myself up on one elbow and drawing the white sheets up to my chest. “What’s on your mind?”

Chris’s jaw tightened briefly before he turned to face me, and his green eyes were burning with a fire that gave me pause. He held my stare for a long moment, then sighed, rolling his shoulders as though trying to release the tension.

“I was just thinking about what Edward told me earlier,” he said, folding his arms across his bare chest. “About the old Moonshine pack Alpha who married an Omega against New Moon’s wishes.”

My lips pursed as I processed his words. “What about it?” I asked, although I already knew the answer.

He shrugged, his jaw tensing. “I don’t know. It was a long time ago, and times have changed. But…”

Trailing off, Chris sank down onto the edge of the bed, the mattress creaking beneath his weight. I reached out instinctively, letting my fingers trail along the taut muscles in his back.

“But you’re worried,” I finished for him.

He let out a mirthless chuckle and turned to pin me with an intense look over his shoulder. “Can you blame me, Ava? Especially after everything that’s happened—the poisonings, that damned moonbite powder… Hell, even Olivia tried to poison you once.”

His words made me sigh. Setting my wine glass on the bedside table, I sat up fully, letting the sheets fall away from my bare breasts as I scooted closer. Looping my arms around his shoulders from behind, I pressed a soft kiss to the side of his neck.

“That story with Zerrick and the Omega was a long time ago, Chris,” I assured him. “Things are different now. No one is going to start a war, and no one is going to be killed—and besides, you weren’t betrothed to anyone before me. Your choice may not have been traditional, and it may ruffle some feathers, but it’s not the same as what happened over a hundred years ago.”

He let out a weary sigh, his head dropping forward for a moment before he reached up to cradle one of my hands against his chest, right over his pounding heart.

“It’s just that… I just got you after all this time, Ava,” he said softly. “I don’t want to lose you now. Or ever.”

His words made my arms instinctively tighten around him. Sighing, I rested my chin on his shoulder. For several long moments, we simply sat that way in silence, breathing in tandem—until finally, an idea began to take shape in my mind.

“You said that Edward told you that some of the other Alphas sent him strongly-worded letters voicing their displeasure over our situation,” I said. I felt Chris tense slightly, but he remained silent. “But do you think that’s because they simply don’t understand? That they don’t see the bigger picture of what we could accomplish together—not just you and me, but all of us?”

“What are you getting at?” He shot me a glance over his shoulder.

I shrugged, gently disentangling myself from him and standing fully nude in front of him. “What if we made it our mission to change their minds? To remind them that, at the end of the day, we’re all the same species?”

“Go on,” he said, leaning back on his elbows.

“It’s been far too long since a Moonstone Alpha has done a tour of the packs,” I began, pacing slightly in front of him. “We should go; we’ve already visited Moonrise, and we have plans to help Edward and Lily with their moontea dilemma. We should visit the other three packs as well. See if there’s anything we can do for them—anything to make up for what happened, as well as to strengthen our bonds.”

Chris was silent, although I could see his green eyes flicking back and forth. He was thinking deeply, considering my proposal. But I wasn’t finished.

“Then, we could call for a proper summit of all five Alphas,” I continued. “Right at home in Moonstone; it would be a chance to bring the packs together again, relieve some tensions between all five. What do you think?”

For a long moment, Chris remained as silent as ever, his eyes fixed on the floor between our feet. I thought he might refuse my offer, if I was being honest.

But then, finally, his lips quirked up in a half-smile and he looked up to meet my gaze. He rose to his feet and took my face in his hands, kissing me deeply. The scent of musk and pomegranate momentarily overwhelmed me, and a rush of heat coiled through my belly at the taste of his soft lips.

“Ava, you’re a fucking genius,” he growled once he pulled back, causing me to grin. “Maybe once we get settled, we could begin planning…”

He paused then, shaking his head.

“But there’s still one thing bothering me,” he murmured, his gaze darkening. “If you want to do this, you have to promise me something.” His hand fluttered down to rest against the small of my back, his fingertips digging into the sensitive skin there.

I leaned back a bit. “What is it?” I asked.

Suddenly, one thick arm snaked around my waist, pulling me flush against his bare chest as he leaned in close, a rough growl rumbling in the back of his throat. My eyes widened at the rare Alpha display, and that heat in my belly began to radiate outward.

“I need to keep you safe in the meantime,” he growled, nipping at my ear. “So you’d better stay by my side. And that’s an order.”