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him. Her plan had been to go down on him, both as a thank you and as a reminder that she was still his mate. But now, with his tongue thrust into her mouth and his thumb furiously working her clit, all she wanted to do was surrender to the sensations.
     
    Within moments, Hale took her from mild arousal to being seized by one of the best orgasms she’d had outside of the mating thrall. Without much warning, her body locked up, as if bracing itself. Seconds later, her vision went white as ecstasy came crashing over her.
     
    As soon as she began to climax, Hale shifted position. He wrapped her legs around his hips and plunged into her with barely controlled force. With her orgasm still pulsating across her body, he began to thrust within her, heightening her body’s response and drawing out her pleasure.
     
    Loud, animalistic sounds tore from his chest with each thrust. She matched him blow for blow, moaning and grunting as he drove into her. When he climaxed, she was sure the whole den could hear him howl. Rather than embarrass her, it gave her a strange sense of satisfaction.
     
    Her body spent, she slumped against him. They stayed like that for a few moments, listening to the sound of labored breaths as the scents of their sweat mingled together.
     
    Hale broke the silence first, his voice rough and scratchy.
     
    “Was I too rough?”
     
    Taylor realized then that he hadn’t taken her with his usual wild abandon. While he’d been far from gentle, he had clearly been exercising moderate restraint. Had he been worried about hurting her?
     
    She looked down to see that his hands had moved from her hips to her waist. While her body had shed several pounds over the past few weeks, her waistline had noticeably thickened. Usually, she didn’t mind her expanding belly, as it was the only evidence she had that her babies were growing. But under Hale’s gaze, she felt oddly self-conscious.
     
    “You were great,” she said, wriggling from his grasp. She grabbed her dress from the floor and slipped it back on. “Hey, do you think I could sit in while you debrief Lark?”
     
    “Why?” Hale asked, adjusting his furs.
     
    She lifted a shoulder. “I dunno, maybe I can help.”
     
    “Doubt it. She’s the queen of useless information. Alder’s even starting to think she may be working for Whiteriver.”
     
    “Like a double agent?” Taylor asked, unable to keep the amusement from her voice. “You honestly think Lark could pull that off?”
     
    Hale gave her a wry grin. “Not a chance. But you know how Alder’s been lately.”
     
    ***
     
    Lark’s big eyes were brimming with tears when she saw Taylor. She took a few steps forward and Taylor winced, bracing herself for one of the raccoon shifter’s suffocating hugs. It never came. Grabbing Lark by her upper arm, Alder yanked her back. With a frustrated sigh, Lark slumped back down into her chair.
     
    Taylor had been in this room before. It was in the upper chambers and the windows had been carved into the mountainside. During the summer, leafy greens had snaked in through the openings, but now the greenery was gone, leaving nothing but decay and dried husks.
     
    When she exhaled, Taylor’s breath hung in the air for a few seconds, before being swept away by the cold draft. She tightened Alder’s furs around herself. Said alpha had been noticeably displeased when she’d shown up, but didn’t put up a fuss.
     
    “Your face looks a lot better,” Lark told her.
     
    Taylor absently caressed her cheek. The wound had taken a while to heal, but Lark was right, it did look a lot better. The first time Taylor had braved a mirror, she’d cried for at least an hour. Thankfully, once the stitches had come out, it looked a lot less grotesque. It had healed to the point where it was now just a shallow red trench across her cheek.
     
    Alder folded his arms across his chest. “You’re not here to talk to Taylor. Let’s go, what happened this week?”
     
    Lark