Page 55 of Monster. Me.

The awareness is here.

Marlow…

He's my fated mate!

I've found him.

Really? Incredible.

Everyone says mutants don't have perfect matches. A lie. A complete lie. He exists, and I can touch him.

It dawns on me in the cherry-sweet taste of his kisses, in the way I'm surrounded by his scent, imperceptible to everyone else yet still unmistakable to me, while I'm this close to Marlow's skin.

Sure, blockers dull most of his pheromones, but nothing can be fully hidden from my special sense.

So what to do?

I stay silent; I can't tell him now. I don't want to frighten him with the idea that his fated mate could be a monster, someone accused of terrible crimes by the rest of the world. I'm not worthy of him, so I keep it to myself, leaving it in the hands of Fate.

That doesn't mean I can't reach for this sweetness, though, just for a moment. My hands tighten around his waist, and I pull him closer until I'm sitting on the floor between his knees.

Almost instinctively, or maybe on purpose, Marlow presses his groin against me, and I can feel how hard he is. I think he wants me to feel it, like a silent suggestion. As we snuggle like this for a minute, his breathing turns ragged, and my pulse spikes; my throat goes dry at the thrilling prospect of finally touching him in a more intimate way.

My hand slides down from his waist and to the front, my thumb brushing against the hard head of his cock, hidden just beneath the fabric of the T-shirt.

Marlow exhales directly into my mouth, but he doesn't break the kiss. I reach lower, gently lifting the shirt in a slow movement so I don’t spook him. The tips of my fingers graze the hot, silky skin of his cock. He’s rock hard. Fuck, it feels amazing—I know he wants this too; he feels it just as much as I do.

With that same unhurried motion, I wrap my fingers around his shaft. I feel a thin trail of moisture and gently rub it in, slowly starting to slide my hand up and down.

We keep kissing the whole time. I tilt my head, once to the left, once to the right, finding pleasure in new angles, savoring every bit of him.

My other hand slides under his shirt, resting on his hip. I trace small circles on his skin, drawing little 's' shapes that wind their way up toward his ribs until I hit his tight, stiff nipples. I pinch one, while my other hand picks up the pace on his throbbing dick.

I know it, I can feel it almost in my own nervous system, that he’s getting close. His breath grows shorter, his skin hotter, his body locked in that specific tension that comes right before the explosion.

I slide my hand away from his nipple, circling his chest and tracing a line from his shoulder blade down his ribs. My finger wanders along his spine in winding lines, going lower and lower toward his tailbone. I feel Marlow lean forward into me, giving me access to the space between his ass cheeks. And I follow the movement, the sweet plea, sliding one finger there with a very light touch, no pressure for now, just a lazy exploration of the pleasures to come.

I’ve never been with an alpha before, only betas and omegas. My fingers probe the area with curiosity, unsure of what they’ll find. The tissue is soft and delicate, more closed off than an omega's, similar to a beta's, but I also detect a hint of slick. I let the moistened tip of my finger trace a few small circles around it.

Marlow lets out a hot gasp. Suddenly, he breaks the kiss and… falls back onto my bed!

For a second I freeze, but he's already arching his head back, his body sensually taut. I can't see his face, but his whole energy is sending a clear signal.

Following the motion, Marlow pulls his knees up and spreads them wide… a sweet gesture, so submissive, so reminiscent of an omega. He’s handing himself over to my sexual dominance completely willingly, like it’s only natural.

What I sense emanating from him, his entire sexual energy, is the opposite of the initiative typical of alphas; even this simple gesture, the way he offers himself to me, is a blatantly obvious plea for pleasure, and it makes my blood boil.

My other side is trying to fight again, whispering to me, Look at how he’s giving himself to you; take what he’s offering… But I ignore it and do my own thing.

Marlow’s crotch is completely exposed to me. He's smoothly shaven, his solid manhood leaning over his flat lower abdomen, his well-formed balls drawn tight. His hole is presented for my admiration, as if he wants me to stare, to study it. The skin is pale pink and delicate, his entrance resembling closed lips.

I lean in and press a soft kiss right there, and Marlow lets out a sudden exhale.

"Lick me, make me come…" he murmurs.

His pleading turns me on even more, and I fully intend to do exactly that. With a gliding motion, I slide across his ring of muscle.

Marlow lets out a raspy moan. "Yes, yes, like that…"