Chapter 96: The Awakening

James POV

We just lay there, our senses attuned to every shifting movement made by the woman in our arms. Concern crept over us as her body tensed a few hours into her deep sleep. Soon, tears streamed down her face, yet she never woke. I watched each one fall, my chest tightening with a helplessness I rarely felt as an Alpha’s second.

Bradley looked at me, his eyes reflecting the same panic building in mine. I made a move to get the doctor, but my wolf calmed me with quiet certainty. *Something is happening, and it needs to happen,* he told me, his voice steady even as my own thoughts spun. Our wolves assured us that Trishelle was physically safe, yet no reassurance could truly settle us until she opened her beautiful eyes again.

Five hours passed before she began to stir. Even in her unconscious state, we sensed that something had shifted within her, some change too large for words. Her skin grew warm to the touch, and a faint glow began to emanate from beneath it, subtle at first, like the last light of a dying fire.

Bradley and I jumped back as she turned onto her back, and the glow intensified, spreading across her skin. Every instinct told us to call someone, to demand answers, but our wolves quickly shushed us, awestruck by what was taking place before us. Happiness swelled inside our wolves, an emotion neither Bradley nor I could explain, though it eased some of our fear.

The light grew until it engulfed the entire room, so bright we had to close our eyes against it. Then, as swiftly as it had begun, it dimmed, centering around her chest before fading away entirely, leaving only the soft hush of her breathing.

Bradley stepped closer to the bed, and I followed just behind him. What we saw stole the breath from our lungs. She lay in no pain, her body free of any sign of trauma, as though the ordeal had simply washed over her and left nothing behind but peace.

With a soft sigh, Trishelle opened her eyes, blinking until they came into focus. When she turned her head toward us, her eyes shone for just a moment, catching the dim light of the room like twin stars.

She smiled at us, reaching out her hands. "James, Bradley," she called softly, and we went to her side without hesitation, hearts pounding with relief.

We held her hands gently, afraid she might still be fragile, but she surprised us by tugging us close. She kissed Bradley so deeply that he forgot how to breathe, his hands trembling as they found her face, and when she had her fill of him, she turned and kissed James just as fiercely, her mouth hungry and certain.

She pulled back at last, smiling at her mates, no trace of doubt, confusion, or guilt left in her eyes. Only love remained, clear and unclouded. "I have so much to tell you, but first..."

Before she could finish, her stomach rumbled loudly, and her pup protested his skipped meals with an insistent kick. We chuckled, the tension of the last few hours melting into warmth as all three of us placed our hands over the child who would soon be in our arms.

Sam POV

I lay in my bed, my mate curled in my arms, and wished the world outside my room had simply ceased to exist. We had made love so many times in the last few hours that I lost count somewhere after the fourth. All I knew was that life felt perfect in that moment, complete in a way I hadn’t known it could be.

Of course, just as I let myself sink into that thought, life had to barge in uninvited. My phone began to beep, the specific tone I had set for Martha’s notifications. With a sigh, I kissed Trixy on her forehead and slipped out of bed, naked, a sight that pleased her far too well, judging by the way her eyes lit up.

Trixie POV

I stared at my mate, a bit of drool nearly forming at the corners of my mouth. When he bent to search for his phone amongst the remnants of our scattered clothes, my eyes fixated on his right cheek, the flex of those toned muscles making my teeth ache with the sudden need to bury them in his well-sculpted backside. The thought made me wonder if the old family rumors were true, that perhaps I did carry a bit of vampiric blood somewhere in my line.

I smiled at the thought, my eyes drinking him in like a hungry woman standing before an endless buffet.

Sam POV

I felt my greedy little mate devouring me from the bed with her eyes, and immediately, a particular part of me demanded to be eaten first. It took every ounce of my willpower not to throw my phone at the wall and instead throw Trixy’s legs over my shoulders, plunging deep into her all over again.

I took a deep breath to fortify myself, but the stale, intoxicating scent of our combined juices mixed with the fresh wave of my mate’s desire made me close my eyes against it. I had enough memories and fantasies stored away to make me forget, if only for a moment, the very reason I had climbed out of bed in the first place.

The sound of my phone ringing snapped me back. I sighed and cleared my throat before answering. "Hey Martha, what’s up?"

I listened as she rattled off the costs of the damages and the need to sweeten up the hotel manager so we wouldn’t end up sued. She also informed me that all the arrangements for our return had been finalized, and that I needed to get Alpha Bradley ready to travel. She had even placed a medical helicopter on standby, just in case Trishelle needed it.

I praised her efficiency and, after a few more instructions, hung up. I turned to tell Trixy about our departure, fully intending to ask her to come with me, but the words died in my throat and my phone slipped from my hand at the sight of her.

She lay on her side, her body angled toward me, one hand propping up her head. With a wicked smile curving her lips, she bent one knee and, reaching down, began to stroke slowly between her legs.

My knees nearly buckled at the sight, my throat going bone dry, yet I could not tear my eyes away even to save myself. Her fingers grew slick quickly, circling the little nub before dipping inside her heat with unhurried confidence.

I groaned low in my chest as she pulled her fingers free and dragged them over one peaked nipple, then the other, before returning to rub herself again, her rhythm building. My own hand found my shaft without thought, stroking myself in time with her, a sight that seemed to please her even more.

Trixie POV

I shifted so he could see exactly what I was doing, spreading my legs as wide as they would go, wanting him to watch every second of it. Sam stared at my wet lips and the finger that dipped inside and circled my clit with slow, deliberate care.

His hand moved in time with mine, our eyes locked in a heated, wordless conversation. He had never looked at me quite like that before, as though he were seeing me for the very first time, and something in his expression made my chest ache with tenderness. I vowed silently, in that moment, to love him for the rest of my life.

My fingers picked up their pace, and so did his movements, faster and more urgent. I could tell he was close by the way his hips rocked and the way he bit down on his lower lip, fighting for control.

I grabbed at one breast, squeezing and kneading, tugging at the nipple to mimic the way his mouth had suckled it earlier. Sam groaned deep in his throat, his eyes never once leaving my body, drinking in every movement.

My legs began to quiver, and I felt myself climbing toward the edge just as I decided to do something he wasn’t expecting. With quick movements, I flipped onto my stomach, knees at the edge of the bed, chest pressed down, my ass raised in the air and facing him.

I reached between my legs and spread myself open, my juices slowly running down the inside of my thighs in open invitation.

Sam POV

In two strides, I closed the distance and plunged into her so hard she would have shot forward across the bed if not for the bruising grip I kept on her hips. I drove into her like a man starved, lost entirely in the feel and scent of her.

I pounded into her, my wolf growling low with a possessive hunger I had tried desperately to keep leashed. I growled again as I felt her come around me, over and over, her screams of pleasure growing louder with each wave.

My canines extended as she begged me not to stop, the sound of her voice unraveling the last of my restraint. My wolf surged forward, and I felt my claws elongate, the tips biting gently into her flesh. I wanted to stop, to check if I’d hurt her, but she only begged me to keep going, her core clenching around my shaft like a vice.

I felt myself swelling further, a beast’s primal need to claim and keep her overtaking every rational thought until the only word left in my mind was *Mine.*

"Sam, please..." she begged, and my wolf understood exactly what she was asking for, some instinct deeper than language.

I splayed one hand around her throat, pulling her back up against my chest so I could feel every tremor running through her. "Mine," I growled, my voice and my wolf’s merging into one sound, one demand, "you are fucking mine."

"Yes," she cried out, "yours for all time."

With those words, that declaration, the man in me lost all remaining control, and the beast seized the moment to strike, knotting deep inside her while sinking teeth into her neck, claiming her fully with my mark.

She screamed her release as her blood flowed into my mouth, sweet and spiced, a perfect reflection of the woman trembling in my arms. I bent over her, still buried inside as I emptied myself completely. I had spent so long avoiding coming inside her, terrified of pressuring her in any way, but it was far too late for such careful restraint now.

In that same instant, a warm sensation filled me, spreading from my shaft throughout my entire body before settling deep in my hands. I released my mouth from her neck and watched, transfixed, as my mark took its rightful place upon her skin. A beautiful scar formed, one that would let the world know exactly to whom she belonged.

Both my wolf and I felt a deep satisfaction settle over us, and I could feel myself growing hard again even while still knotted inside her. Glancing down, I noticed a tattoo-like design curling around both of my wrists, intricate and clearly new. My wolf regarded them with quiet pride, though I felt only a rising concern for my mate.

I looked at her face and realized she had fallen asleep, exhaustion finally claiming her. I sighed, knowing I should let her rest after everything her body had just endured. Soon my knot softened, and I gently pulled free of her, pausing a moment to watch my seed slowly overflow from where I had claimed her.

I smiled at the sight, then wondered briefly if I was turning into some kind of freak for finding it so beautiful. Shaking my head at myself, I gently lay her down and pulled the covers over her, taking one last moment to stroke my mark tenderly with my thumb. I found myself wishing I had one to show the world too, some visible sign upon my own neck, but then I remembered the strange markings now etched into my hands. My wolf remained unworried, so I decided to relax and simply wait until my mate woke to ask her about it herself.

With a sigh and a long stretch, I headed toward the bathroom, ready to prepare for taking my woman home, knowing I still needed to get my Alpha ready to head back to Goldmoon.