A Rogue's Redemption

Chapter 17- Time Away

Mariah

"Marzie...time to get up..."

I crack my eyes open as the sound of my mates voice pierces through the haze of sleep, and my mouth twitches upwards as I see her face lean close to mine...her scent filling the air around me as I inhale it deeply.

Ever since she started feeling the mate bond because of Eva, we've become close to inseparable. She's been spending almost every night sleeping in my bed, and I have to say I enjoy waking up to her in my arms...and the fact that she's wanting to move in with me.

"Five more minutes..." I mumble, trying not to laugh at her cute scowling face.

"Come on...we gotta get on the road now...the sooner we leave the sooner we can get there without hitting traffic." She argues, to which me and my wolf internally sigh in resignation. We had both made plans to leave for the state of Oklahoma today, and spend some time away from the pack to help Juniper work on connecting better with her wolf, have some personal time to deepen our relationship...and to hopefully find the last piece needed to help Juniper shift...

Finding and uniting with her father.

Oklahoma is where her father's pack is located, and the last place her mom saw him. So after having a discussion with Junipers mom, Alpha Scarlett, and with each other...we decided to give it a try. Even if we don't find him, considering how busy our lives are, it still would be good for us to get away.

"Marzie come on..." She pouts, and as she leans in closer, I grab her hand and pull her back into bed, pinning her beneath me as she squeals in surprise. I chuckle as I nuzzle her neck, enjoying the blush on her face as her wolf let's out a content purr. I love how much she responds to me now that she has her wolf, she's much more expressive with her emotions than before.

"You know the rules Junebug, if you spend the night with me, I'm not getting out of bed until I get my good morning kiss..." I remind her teasingly, grinning as she turns even redder. I have to admit it's entertaining to watch her go from confidently initiating a display of affection...to being bashful when she's caught of guard by one.

Gently pressing my lips to hers, I enjoy the sparks that erupt as she begins to kiss back while sliding her hands up my back, my wolf rumbling happily as she pulls me closer. After a minute or two I pull back a little and begin trailing kisses across her jaw and down her neck, lingering a bit as I occasionally nip the sensitive skin with my teeth and make her gasp. As I reach the place where her neck meets her shoulder in curve, I pause there, listening to her little pants as I attack the place a little more feverishly than the rest, definitely going to be leaving a hickey there once I'm done.

"M-Mariah..." June gasps, and I can't help but growl in response.

~Mark her...make her ours...~ Ariana almost demands, snapping me back to reality as I feel my canines start to descend. I can't...not yet, June has to be ready for this.

Damn this is hard...

Separating myself from June, I try to regain control of myself...feeling guilty as I see my mate look at me with a hurt expression, no doubt from how I jumped away from her like she was the plague.

"I'm sorry June...it's just..." I struggle to explain, but at the sight of my descended canines she seems to understand.

"It's okay...you were just caught up in the moment and following your wolf's instincts, I understand." She murmurs as she comes towards me, cupping my cheeks affectionately. "You don't have to apologize for wanting to mark me...because once I figure out what's going on with my wolf, that's the first I want to do with you."