Ryan POV
Fallon digs into learning the art of reaping, being a wolf, and being a witch. She consumes every ounce of knowledge I give her. She fights with her heart and the desire to kill the ones that are responsible for the death of her family.
The ancestors watch as Fallon trains. I watch them as close as they watch her. At times, I do not trust them. They want her to be a reaper. I only want her to be happy.
Fallon flashes a smile at me, catching me watching her as she takes out a wolf being than her. "I think they let me win because of my father," Fallon says, laughing.
The wolf crawls from the practice mat. "I would never insult you, Fallon," the wolf says. He is injured. Fallon has no idea just how strong she really is. To think she hasn't accepted all of her gifts yet.
"I think you can kick their ass, and probably mine too," I say, moving closer to her. I brush my hand through Fallon's hair. Our eyes meet, and we look into each other's eyes for what seems like forever. I want to take her from this and build a family, but I know she wants to be the reaper, at least for now.
Fallon presses her body close to mine. I touch her face and lean into her to kiss her. Fallon's lips are soft and sweet. "She needs to train now," Alpha Mayhem growls.
I let go of my mate and smile at her. "You can fight me," I say, raising my eyebrow and inviting Fallon to kick my ass.
Fallon pushes me back from her. "You think you can take me on, wolf," Fallon teases me. She gets into a position to fight. I hear Alpha Mayhem growl and leave us. We both laugh as we begin to dance around each other.
"I think I can take you," I tease Fallon.
Fallon moves in quickly, but I see her coming and moving out of the way. She quickly takes me down from behind. I land on the ground, and Fallon falls on top of me. Her hair comes undone and falls into her face. She is laughing and happier than I have seen her since the first time I saw her.
Fallon leans down and kisses me. As our tongues dance over one another, our thoughts race with love and hope for our future. Her mind is full of pleasant thoughts. I love this moment with her.
I run my hand up her back and pull her close to me. In one swift movement, I reposition us— Fallon on her back and me on top of her, pressing against her. We are both breathing heavily, and I know exactly where this is heading. I cannot lie. I want her badly. I want to feel every inch of her, but I want her to know that she is loved.
I pull back and sit on the practice mat. "What is the matter?" Fallon asks me. There is nothing the matter except I want her to be loved and know how I feel for her.
"I don't want this to happen here," I look over at her. She sits up and moves close to me. She touches the side of my face.
"I know we are mates, and I feel deeply for you, but love, sex, and all that comes with it are unfamiliar to me. I know I love you. I want this," Fallon says.
She is on top of me, kissing me and pressing her body against me. I pull back for one moment. I look into her eyes, and I see my life with her. I see love in her. I see us growing old together. "I love you, Fallon," I whisper, retaking her mouth.
My first thought was that a practice mat in the woods would be the worst place to make love to my mate for the first time, but being in the woods with Fallon, just the two of us is pure bliss.
I run my hand up her shirt, touching her soft, beautiful skin. I free her from her shirt and bra, exposing her breast to me. I lean down and take her breast in my mouth. Fallon moans as I nibble at her sensitive breast.
I kiss down her stomach to the top of her pants. I unbutton and remove her pants as her body moves with my touch. Fallon is naked on the practice mat beneath me, and I, fully clothed, push against her. "I want you," Fallon moans.
Fallon removes my shirt. Our skin touches, and I feel electrified. I want her. My wolf is screaming, and I will not be able to hold back much longer. I howl as Fallon removes my pants. I am hard and ready to please her. "Take me," Fallon moans.
I press into Fallon slowly. I know she is a virgin. Fallon moans as I push my hardness into her sweet spot. "Yes, please take me," Fallon moans.
Our wolves begin to take over. They want this to happen. They are ready to mate. "MARK HER!" my wolf howls.
"Mark me," Fallon's wolf screams. I have to know what Fallon wants. We sometimes want different things than our wolves want.
I release my wolf fangs, ready to mark. "When I mark you, you are mine forever, Fallon. Is this what you want?" I ask her as I slide in and out of her.
"Yes," Fallon answers.
I push inside her, and while she is in the throws of pleasure and just on the verge of releasing her first climax, I bite into her. Fallon begins to climax as my teeth mark her as mine. Fallon screams out in a mixture of pain and pleasure, but her wolf howls, my wolf howls, and I push into her and release inside her.
"MINE!" My wolf howls.
"YOURS!" Fallon's wolf howls.
I want to stay inside her forever. Fallon feels like everything that has been missing from my life. Our breathing is labored as we look into each other's eyes. I look down at her bite mark and then back to her. "I will always be here for you, Fallon. Not just as your watcher or mate, but as your friend and lover," I say. I lean down and kiss her sweet lips again.
"I love you, Ryan," Fallon says.
I hear rustling in the woods. "We should probably pretend to be training," Fallon says.
"We are training. I am teaching you what real love feels like," I say, smiling at her. She pushes up and kisses me on the nose. She is perfect.
Fallon and I quickly dress and begin training again. Everything is more playful and less serious. She is more tuned to her gifts now because she can feel my love for her, or maybe because her wolf is happy.
I look to my left to see Alpha Mayhem standing in the woods with two of his wolves and Charis. We stop fighting as the wolves approach. "Beta Fromm, Beta Strap, and Charis are here to help train Fallon. She needs help from people experienced fighting Umbra and her crew," Alpha Mayhem says.
I nod and step off the mat. I notice he is looking at Fallon. Thank goodness he did not approach when I was marking his daughter ten minutes ago. I look over at Fallon to see what he is looking at and notice blood on her shirt where I marked her.
Alpha Mayhem rushes toward me. "You marked her as yours, Ryan. You better love her and take care of her," Alpha Mayhem growls. He's words infuriate me.
"I have been there for her, watching her and keeping her safe from Bruce, Braum, and others. Where were you? I love her, and we are mates. Do you want me to reject her and break her heart? Hasn't she been through enough" I ask Alpha Mayhem?
Alpha Mayhem is furious. "You know what will happen and who will be after her," Alpha Mayhem growls.
"Not if we kill Umbra!" I growl.
As Alpha Mayhem and I growl, everyone stops training and focuses on us. "Who will want to kill me?" Fallon asks.
"Everyone!" Alpha Mayhem growls.