Galen leaned his head back against the headboard and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath through his nose, trying to clear his mind.

“Alpha Caleb chose you, Beta Galen,” Landon’s words haunted his thoughts, “and you accepted.”

Galen clenched his jaw, squeezing his eyelids shut as they burned with unshed tears. His chest felt tight, and his stomach felt empty. Yet, somehow, it still churned violently.

The sound of footsteps and the turning of the knob forced him to shake away the wave of emotions. He sniffled and cleared his throat, wiping away any tears that might have escaped as the door opened.

“Did he fight to stay up?” Galen asked with a smile as Bell stepped into the room.

“He tried,” Bell chuckled as she moved across the room to their closet. She opened the door and stepped in as she continued talking. “He insisted that he wasn’t at all tired and should get to stay awake until he was.”

Galen smiled to himself.

“So, I said that we could read one story,” her voice called out from the back of the closet, “if he was still wide awake when it was done, he could stay up a little longer.”

“How quickly did he fall asleep?” Galen asked with a grin.

Bell leaned her head out from the closet with a bright smile.

“Two pages,” she grinned before ducking back to finish changing her clothes. “Works every time!”

Galen chuckled and nodded to himself.

“It’s the soothing sound of your voice,” he said sweetly, a gentle smile on his face. He looked down at nothing in particular. “It helps him feel at ease… like he can let go of all his worries.”

“Sounds like you are talking about yourself.”

Galen lifted his eyes to where she stood before the closet door. She had changed into her pajamas, comfortable shorts, and one of his favorite t-shirts. She pulled her hair up into a loose bun and looked back at him warmly.

Galen nodded, keeping his eyes on hers.

“You are the peace in my life, Bell,” he said softly. “Hearing your voice, looking into your eyes, and holding you in my arms… I can let go of whatever else is happening.”

Bell tilted her head to the side, carefully observing him.

“So, I’m the sugar, huh?” she smiled, walking toward him.

Galen furrowed his brows as she got closer to the bed.

She moved onto the bed, positioning herself on hands and knees over his legs. She looked up at him with a wicked grin as she crawled toward him.

Galen swallowed as his body naturally reacted to her. Bell let out a soft chuckle and leaned in close.

“And here I thought I was the spice,” she whispered inches from his lips.

Bell squealed as Galen grabbed her and rolled, pinning her shoulders to the bed. He got on top of her with a growl. His movements were expected but faster than she had anticipated.

Galen leaned in and nuzzled his nose into the crook of her neck. Bell grinned as he pressed a delicate kiss to her throat.

“You are the sugar…” he whispered.

His hot breath tickled her skin. She bit down on her lower lip to keep from moaning.

Galen pressed another kiss to her throat and removed his hand from her shoulder. He trailed it down over her chest slowly. She was already taking slow breaths, reacting to his touch, his kiss.

Galen smiled against her throat as his thumb grazed the hardened nipple beneath the t-shirt.

He pinched it between his thumb and index finger, and Bell gasped with a shuddered breath. Galen bit her and rolled the nipple between his fingers. Bell groaned and bit her lip again as her back arched in response to him.

“Spice…” Galen smiled, his tongue flicking against the red spot where he had bit.

Bell grabbed his face, forcing him to look up at her, and she kissed him hard. She started this, only intending to tease him. She knew they would likely eventually end up making love, but she didn’t expect him to react so quickly or to take control of the game. But now that he had, she needed more than his teasing touch.

Galen kissed her back, their tongues winding together as their hunger for each other grew. His hand moved away from her breast, down low on her stomach. He gathered the material of the shirt, pulling it up until he felt the smooth skin underneath.

Bell felt the warm touch of his fingertips against her flesh, and the excitement she was feeling only grew as they moved further down to the waistline of her shorts.

Galen pulled away from their kiss, and he looked down at her as she panted beneath him. The dark look in her eyes encouraged his hand to continue. He slipped beneath her shorts and the panties below.

Bell pushed her head back into the mattress as anticipating his next actions made her need that much more painful to bear. Already, she lifted her hips up toward him.

Galen smiled and leaned down into her ear.

“And everything nice…” he whispered as his fingers slipped between her welcoming folds.

Bell gasped and moaned as his fingers moved against her swollen clit. Galen pressed against the familiar spot, watching her face as it twisted in pain and pleasure. He knew how sensitive it could get for her. He pinched it lightly, drawing a soft cry from Bell.

But she didn’t tell him to stop or try to pull away from him. She closed her eyes, leaning back and taking short breaths as he drew soft circles around her with his thumb. When he could feel the pressure in her mounting, hear the small gasps she took, and see how her body moved on its own, Galen plunged his fingers inside her.

Bell’s eyes shot open as she felt him move inside. She was close, the stimulation against her clit, and now his fingers moving, curling inside. It was almost more than she could take. She rolled her hips, trying to match the pace of his hand. It didn’t take long before Bell cried out. Her body stilled as the pulse of pleasure shot through her body.

Riding the wave of her orgasm, she hadn’t noticed when he slipped the shorts and panties off her body. But as he spread her legs wide and pulled her toward him, Bell looked down to see he had lowered his lounge pants just enough to free himself.

Bell swallowed as she looked at his thick, hardened cock. She couldn’t count the number of times she had seen, tasted, or ridden it. But it never ceased to amaze her how much she craved it.

He moved her legs over his thighs and lined himself up at her entrance. Even the touch of his head pressing against her made her gasp. She was still quite sensitive, yet she couldn’t wait.

Bell crossed her legs behind Galen and pulled him toward her, shoving him inside her. She gasped at the sudden pressure and then moaned softly as he moved deeper.

“Impatient?” he asked with a grin. “Me too.”

He let out a low growl as he pushed himself to the hilt. Bell cried out. But he didn’t stop or move slowly. Galen thrust in and out with speed and force. He held her hips tightly as Bell panted and moaned, letting out soft cries with each thrust, but she never released her hold on him.

When Bell shifted her hips, Galen knew she was giving him a deeper angle. The hunger in him grew. He braced his hands on the bed and pounded himself into her harder than he ever had.

Her walls squeezed tightly around him as she called out his name and grabbed his arms, digging her nails into his muscles. Galen let out a thick groan as the pressure of her orgasm led to his own.

Bell relaxed her legs around him and tried to catch her breath. But as she felt Galen begin to slide back and forth once more, as he grew inside of her, and she looked up into his hungry eyes, she realized that he was only getting started.