He pinned my arms to the bed to stop my slaps and punches. I growled at him and let a ripple of energy hit him. A threat telling him I was going to shift.
“Shh, it’s okay. Relax,” he whispered against my lips.
The kiss was the magic trick. The sense of calm was immediate, and my body reacted to his kiss as though we were long lost lovers reuniting. My legs wrapped around him again to press my opening against the tip of his erection. I was still wet, and he easily slid inside me making me moan as the pleasure built the second he filled me.
He kissed his way to my ear. “It’s okay. You are safe with me. Always,” he whispered.
His pace quickened a little as his lips met mine again. He felt so incredible on top of me, inside me, and I relaxed, letting him bring us over the edge again.
He settled beside me in the bed. I’d never been comfortable having a man on top of me. Not even when it was Isaac. I’ve always liked to run the show. The guys never seemed to notice or give a shit, so I got away with it.
But with Liam, it had felt right to have him on top. To let him have some of the control. I felt a sense of security with him I’d never felt before.
“We are mates, aren’t we?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
“We are.”
I tried not to freak out again, and I turned my head to look at him. He was my mate. I’d found him. I should have been happy—ecstatic even—instead, it scared the shit out of me.
“Has this ever happened to you before?” I asked. He was ancient, and I wondered if we might get more than one mate if we lived long enough.
“No. Fated mates are once in a lifetime. Those rare times we don’t find them can drive us insane. I’ve heard of shifters lying to others just to have someone to spend their life with.”
A cold panic ran from the top of my head to my toes. “They lie?”
“Yes. I’ve only heard of it happening once or twice, but they tell the other person they felt the ‘thing’ and that must mean they are mates. Eventually the other shifter finds out. Usually because they find their true mate and the bond pulls at them.”
“Stella,” I said, but my voice was weak.
“What about her?” His body stiffened as he waited for me to answer him. I don’t know if it was because of the strain in my voice or because he realized what I was about to tell him.
I told him everything including my theory that Roland was lying to her.
His chest rumbled with his grunt. “If the stories I’ve heard are true, it’s possible that’s what he’s doing.”
“Can you call Shane and ask him what he knows about this Roland guy?”
“Sure.” He kissed me before he slid out of bed.
I watched as he made his way to the dresser to grab his phone. He settled back into the bed, putting the phone on speaker.
My stomach clenched when I heard what Shane had to say about Roland. He was an Omega, a rogue. Omegas are rare but happen because they are weaker than the rest of their pack and their packmates bully them. That’s what happened to Roland, but he stuck it out, taking the abuse for centuries until he went mad when his mate rejected him. In front of the rest of the pack.
She had chosen to live a life without her fated mate rather than be with Roland. That’s the worst insult you could get. And everyone that had ever beaten him or humiliated him had heard her rejection.
I jumped out of the bed and grabbed my phone.
“What are you doing?” Liam asked.
“Calling Stella. I need to tell her.”
He sat on the bed and watched me as I listened to her phone ring. Just as I thought it was going to go to voicemail she answered. “Ember? Are you okay?”
I looked at the time. It was after one in the morning. “Yeah, sorry for calling so late. Are you alone?”
“No. Roland is here, but he’s sleeping.” She was whispering, so I leaned toward believing her.
“Are you able to go to another room or outside?”