Page 79 of Wanted

“I don’t remember what happened immediately after that. I must’ve passed out. I was later told, two of my father’s betas came searching for me and found me ten feet away from the tree, unconscious.

“The next thing I remember is waking up in the hospital a couple of days later. Everything was so silent. At first, I thought I was going crazy. I yelled and screamed, but couldn’t hear my own voice.

“Dr. Drake, my mother, father, and Chael tried to calm me down. It took a while for everyone to realize that I couldn’t hear. Dr. Drake told us that it might return, but no one knew for sure.”

He trails off.

It never did return.

My heart aches for him as I stroke his cheek.

“It was my selfishness, my defiance that cost me my hearing,” he says fiercely. As if he blames himself for the actions of a child. “I was born to be the lead beta of my pack. To be the head of our pack’s security and to carry out the requests of our alpha. My selfish decision nearly ruined everything.”

I shake my head, not understanding.

I cup his face, bringing it to me so he can see me when I tell him, “You were a child. A little boy.”

“I should’ve known better,” he insists. “The safety of my pack is my responsibility and because of my silly want to…” He trails off. “I shouldn’t have been out there.”

The tone of his voice lets me know he won’t stop blaming himself.

“But you haven’t let anyone down,” I tell him, still holding his face in between my hands. “Your pack respects and admires you. They know how well you protect them. Not one of them thinks of you as defective or less than because of your lack of hearing.”

He attempts to turn away, but I hold on to his face.

“They don’t blame you. So, it’s time you stop blaming yourself for the actions of a child. You’ve overcome your perceived defect. I wish you knew how your pack talks about you when you’re not around. You think they were just messing with you when they stared at you for having lunch or breakfast with them all?”

I shake my head.

“They like having you around,” I fiercely tell him. “Everyone would like to see more of you, but they respect your need to bein protective mode. But your pack loves you and is grateful for you…just like I am. There’s nothing about you any of us would change.”

I don’t have time to process how I’ve started talking about the pack as if I’m one of them. It wasn’t my intention to speak for them all, but I hear the admiration in their voices whenever Chance’s name is mentioned.

Ms. Elsie told me about how it was Chance who acted quickly to save the pack last year when a rogue member of the Alliance tried to kill them all. They always speak about how helpful he is and how he goes the extra mile by doing rigorous nightly patrols just to make sure they all feel safe.

I would’ve told Chance all of this and more, but his lips are too busy covering mine.

The kiss recharges the energy around us in a way that leaves my nipples hardening to the point of pain.

Chance acts as if he feels the discomfort the bra and shirt cause to my nipples, because he quickly strips me of said clothing before covering one of my breasts with his hot mouth.

A moan slips from my lips and my head falls back. Pure pleasure races through me.

Chance moves his body up higher on the boulder, bringing me with him. He cups my thighs and brings my legs to straddle his. My pussy hovers just above his rock hard cock.

“Chance,” I whisper his name like a plea.

“Mine,” he growls. The sound is so charged that I know he’s put a little bit of his wolf into that one word.

“Yours.” My response comes quickly, as if a separate being from within me is responding. I don’t have the words to put a name to it, but I can’t disagree with it either. “Yours,” I say again because it feels so right to say it.

Chance lowers me onto him, easily sliding inside of me.

Even though I’ve had him inside of me just a while earlier, he still feels so damn full that it steals my breath. I doubt I’ll ever get used to the richness of having him fill me up like this.

“Mine,” he growls repeatedly as he grips my hips and moves me up and down his length.

I tighten my arms around his shoulders and grab a handful of his hair, pulling his lips to mine. He captures my lips, his mouth claiming me without words.