Chapter 197: Beasts With Soul Mates

As much as Dimitri wanted to sweep Alek off her feet, carry her straight to his room and peel that dress off her body—carefully, because he genuinely liked it too much to risk ruining it—he was needed at that party. Duty didn’t give a damn what his body wanted.

Moreover, he wouldn’t deny his girl the chance to have fun tonight, although he could think of several other ways to entertain her himself.

So instead, Dimitri leaned down and kissed her.

It was soft at first, nothing more than the warm press of his lips against hers. Then he tasted the faint sweetness of apple cider on her mouth and realized she’d been drinking and having fun all day while she and her friends had tormented him with thirty-seven fucking errands.

Now he wanted more of that taste. He deserved some compensation after everything they’d put him through.

His mouth moved against hers slowly, deliberately, coaxing rather than demanding, although there was nothing uncertain about it. Dimitri kissed her like a man who intended to savor every second, one hand cradling the side of her jaw as he tilted her face exactly where he wanted it.

Alek’s lips parted for him without hesitation, and when his tongue met hers, unhurried and sure, a soft moan slipped from her throat. Dimitri swallowed the sound greedily, as though he’d been waiting all day just to hear it.

Her fingers curled into the front of his shirt as he deepened the kiss, gentle but insistent enough to leave her thinking about nothing except him. She melted against him, her body leaning fully into his, and Dimitri caught her easily. One arm wrapped around her waist while his other hand drifted lower, settling over the curve of her ass through the black fabric of her dress. He squeezed slowly, possessively, feeling the little hitch in her breathing against his mouth.

Somewhere behind them, someone let out a low, teasing whistle. Neither of them paid it any attention. Alek’s fingers slid into his hair and tugged lightly, drawing a rough groan from Dimitri as he pulled her even closer.

When he finally dragged his mouth away from hers, neither of them looked quite as composed as they had before. Alek’s lips were swollen from his kisses, her chest rising and falling rapidly against him while Dimitri stared down at her as though he was seriously reconsidering every reason he’d just given himself for attending that damn party.

"Later," Dimitri murmured against her lips, the word sounding far more like a promise than a farewell. "I’m not done with you tonight."

"Oh, thank God," Trisha commented. "While that was an amazing performance, I don’t think I want the sight of my best friend making out with her boyfriend seared into my head."

"I don’t mind, though," Brittney said.

Trisha gave her a look.

Brittney immediately became defensive. "What? I could learn a thing or two..."

Trisha rolled her eyes. That pervert.

Except Dimitri seemed to hear only one word. His attention immediately returned to Alek, one brow lifting with unmistakable interest.

"Boyfriend, huh?"

A blush crept up Alek’s cheeks. She bit down on her lower lip shyly before asking, "You don’t want to be?"

Dimitri gave her an are you kidding me? look. "Yeah, because I’d be crazy enough not to want to be the boyfriend of the most beautiful woman standing right in front of me."

Alek’s face felt like it was on fire. She wasn’t used to a man showering her with compliments so freely, much less looking at her like he meant every single word.

"Although, I wish I’d taken you somewhere special and asked you properly." His expression softened. "You deserve to be asked to be my girlfriend, not just told you’re my mate."

Except both of them had forgotten about a certain chipmunk and squirrel shifter who didn’t know that particular piece of news yet.

"Blessed Bond..." Variant gasped, staring between them as though someone had just dropped the biggest piece of gossip she’d heard all day.

"Did you just say mates?" Valerie asked in disbelief.

Alek looked at them apologetically. "Sorry. I planned to tell you later. Everything was happening too fast." Then her eyes found Aria’s, and the question in them was obvious. If they were telling secrets now, perhaps it was time Aria told hers too.

Aria’s eyes narrowed immediately, silently warning her not to even think about it. Alek understood and quickly looked away. Thankfully, Brittney—the biggest loudmouth among them—and Trisha seemed to understand the warning too, because neither said a word.

"It’s all right." Valerie waved her off. "And congratulations to you and Beta Dimitri. Mate bonds are sacred. I can already see the two of you having a good life together."

"Except not every beast is going to be happy about this," Variant pointed out. "That’s one of the reasons some of them don’t want humans here in the first place. They’re afraid something exactly like this might happen."

"I thought mate bonds only happened among wolves," Aria suddenly asked. "So why would the others be scared?"

It was Dimitri who answered. "Wolves have the clearest records of mate bonds, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we’re the only beasts who have them. The general theory is that mate bonds are universal. It’s how they manifest that’s different."

"With wolves, it’s obvious because our beasts recognize their mates instinctively, and most of us are raised knowing what that feeling means. Other beasts might experience the same bond completely differently. Some could spend years mistaking that same pull for attraction, obsession or simple compatibility. They can as well feel it and refuse to acknowledge it altogether."

He took Alek’s hand and intertwined their fingers, his expression becoming more thoughtful as he looked down at her.

"Even humans have spent generations talking about soul mates without having a beast inside them to confirm it. So I find it difficult to believe wolves are the only creatures in the world born with another soul meant to complement theirs."