Their days apart had made her tighter than before, and when he was fully inside of her Cain held still for a moment, marveling in the feel of her. Then, he began to move.
Cain held her in his arms, fighting to control the pace of his thrusts. His mate met him blow for blow, her quiet whimpers rapidly morphing into cries of ecstasy.
His sac growing taut, Cain knew that his release was imminent. Reaching between their sweat-slickened bodies, he pressed his thumb against the stiff nub of her sex, stroking it in fevered circles. His skilled fingers brought her to climax within seconds, and he felt a rush of pleasure and masculine pride as her inner walls convulsed around him.
For a moment, Cain felt too full, his cock swelling to the point of pain. Then he thrust again, pleasure exploding through his body as his release overtook him. His body spasmed as his seed burst from him, gushing into his mate in a torrent of heat.
As he collapsed on top of her, his head went to the crook of her neck, his animal instincts driving him to nuzzle at her throat. He nipped at the fragile flesh, resisting the primal urge to bite her. He did not need to mark her, not now. She was carrying his pup, and that was enough to satisfy the possessive wolf inside of him.
Chapter 8
Sarah laughed as Cain disappeared under the furs. She swatted at the lump she presumed to be his head, but was too tired to put up any real resistance.
“At least let me wash up before…” Sarah trailed off as Cain stopped at her midsection.
She pulled back the furs, just enough so that she could see him press his ear to her abdomen. The sight triggered a kaleidoscope of emotions within her: love, happiness, excitement, and even a little fear.
They hadn’t by any means resolved what was between them, but for now she didn’t care. There would be plenty of time to deal with unpleasant matters later. This moment was too perfect to pass up.
“Can you hear it?” she asked, stroking his hair.
Sounding disappointed, he said, “I am not sure.”
“I’d be pretty impressed if you could. It’s only about five or six weeks old. Its heart is really tiny.”
Cain looked up, his eyes narrowed in scrutiny. “It has not been that long.”
Sarah rolled her eyes. “Doctors don’t measure how old a baby is by the date it was made.” She pointed at her belly. “You know, there was a lot going on in there before you came along.”
He seemed satisfied by her reply. Giving her a lazy grin, he said, “We are going to have a pup.”
Her heart fluttered. Feeling suddenly bashful, she looked away. “Well, we already sort of have one.” Her eyes widened and snapped back to Cain. “Oh, crap!”
“What is it?” he asked.
Sarah sat up, shooting him an apologetic look. “Caim. I got up because he wandered off again. I think he may have left the den.”
Frowning, he placed his hands on either side of her waist. “Go back and rest. I will worry about Caim.”
Sarah shook her head. “No, let me get my shoes, I’m going with you.” When Cain wouldn’t let her up, she scowled at him. “You and Caim are a package deal. If I’m going to be your mate—”
“You are my mate,” he interjected.
“Well, that also makes me Caim’s mother.” She felt silly adopting the title so brazenly, and immediately felt the need to explain herself. “Look, I know it’s strange and—”
Cain cut her off again, this time with a kiss. Drawing back, he said, “It is not strange. I think a mother is exactly what Caim needs.”
* * *
The winter nights were far colder than the mornings, and it wasn’t long before Sarah regretted not changing into something warmer. Cain had wrapped her favorite rabbit-skin pelt around her shoulders before they left, but the frigid wind still seemed to find its way up her gown.
Fortunately, Caim wasn’t very hard to track. No matter how sneaky the boy was, it was nearly impossible for him to disguise his trail in the snow. Cain and Sarah followed the small paw prints through the woods, to the hill that overlooked the river.
They stopped when Caim came into view. To Sarah, he was just a black smudge silhouetted against the moon. Her heart sank at the sight of him sitting alone in the snow. He was too young to be so troubled.
“Can I go?” she asked, nodding up at the hill where Caim sat.
He raised a questioning brow.
Sarah smiled reassuringly, and started up the hill. She walked slowly, careful to avoid any slippery rocks and hidden tree stumps. Halfway up, she glanced back to look for her mate, but he seemed to have faded into the shadowed rows of trees.
As she neared Caim, Sarah thought she saw the pup’s ear twitch, but he gave no other indication that he was aware of her presence. Making sure to give him a little space, she crouched down a few paces beside him.