Taze (Rise of the Pride, Book 11)

by Theresa Hissong

  “Holden Manzelli is a fake name,” she began, standing tall. “We all know that, but what I couldn’t figure out was why the fake name? Wolf alphas have an ego, and they’d want their real name spread to show their enemies who to fear.”

  “Understood.” Talon nodded for her to continue.

  “Looking at the actions of the Amburo family, I dug through the paperwork to see if maybe Murdock was planning on marrying the sister. You’d think they would have made him sign a prenuptial agreement or something, right?”

  “That family has a lot of money,” Talon agreed.

  “There wasn’t a thing. Only a power of attorney for the sister to act on her brother’s behalf if he wasn’t around to sign a document.” She ran her hands through her hair and paced a little, finally looking into the eyes of every single Guardian and Protector. Those males and females were her family. She wanted them safe, and they needed to stop the war.

  “What are you saying, Calla?” Talon pressed.

  “Okay.” She paused to take a deep breath. “Agent Murdock is seeing Magan Amburo. The brother is a known drug lord. He’s made a few trips to the states in a short amount of time. During that time, your capture of Gadaí netted a lot of the drug, Khat. The more I thought about the alias and the Amburo brother, the more I felt the dots connecting.”

  She held out her hands as the males surged. They felt her panic, but this time it wasn’t because of her own issues. This was huge news.

  “Talon, I have reason to believe that Agent Murdock is Holden Manzelli,” she announced, waiting for the room to calm down when everyone exploded into a volley of curses and heated growls coming from their panthers. “It makes a lot of sense.”

  “But he’s human,” Talon reminded her.

  “Is he?” she asked with a raised brow. “Hope said he scented of nothing except his expensive cologne. Everyone, even humans, have a specific scent. He doesn’t, and I assure you the oils they use to cover their scent work very well. I have firsthand knowledge of that.”

  “I can’t find any reason to dispute your tracking, Calla,” Talon cursed. “If this agent is a wolf, then he’s doing a lot to cover himself when he’s in our presence. Do you think he’s wearing contacts, too?”

  “He has to be,” Lucky said as he pushed away from the wall. “I noticed the other night, he kept blinking a lot when we questioned one of the areas where he’d sent us to look for rogues. He was angry, too. That would explain the eye irritation if he was wearing contacts while his eyes shifted.”

  “He kept his mouth tightly closed as he told us to not question him,” Storm, who looked like he was barely holding it together, advised. “He could’ve been hiding his canines, and to be honest, I never noticed.”

  “Okay, then this changes things,” Talon announced, casting a glance toward the angel. “This may be why you’ve had no visions surrounding Murdock.”

  “That’s true, and if we are dealing with a Gadaí alpha working directly with the FBI, there are a lot more things we need to be concerned about. I suggest we all watch our backs and talk to Agent Tabor.”

  “Agreed,” Talon replied. “Everyone, be on alert. I will come up with a plan to take him out, and hopefully, after that, the drugs will come off the streets and we can go back to living in peace.”

  A round of agreements filled the room as Calla relaxed for the first time since she’d put everything together. When she looked over at Taze, his smile was full of pride. He gave her a short bow and winked right as the alpha dismissed everyone, reminding them he’d be calling everyone back for a meeting at midnight.

  She’d been relying a lot more on her panther recently to guide her when it came to mating Taze. The animal had assured her that mating the male was nothing like what had happened to her as a teenager.

  She tried to control her mating scent, but there was no use. Evie and Hope gave her hugs and saucy winks as they said their goodbyes. Evie wagged her brows when Taze approached, but took off down the hallway, leaving them alone. She felt an ache in her lower belly as his mating scent greeted her.

  There’d been a lot of thinking on her part throughout the day. She was falling for Taze more and more as the days went by. Trusting him was never a problem. It was trusting herself not to fall apart that kept her away, mostly. The need to finalize their mating was coming to a boiling point, and the more time they spent together, the harder it was to fight it.

  As she looked over into his eyes, she felt the push from her panther. She needed to talk to him tonight and lay it out there. She may not be a virgin, but she was totally inexperienced. He’d said he would wait for her to initiate contact, and Calla couldn’t think about a better time than immediately.

  Taze had never been prouder of someone than he was of Calla in the moment she finally put together the pieces of the war they’d been fighting. The Guardians and Protectors gave her nods of respect as she left the room.

  Malaki hugged her and gave a rare show of emotions when he smiled and ruffled her hair. She released him and pushed him out the door, waiting for Hope and Evie to give her some praise. Taze stayed back, waiting until he could be alone with her.

  His panther was pacing in his mind at the thought of getting the alpha and stopping the rogues. If they could get Murdock off the streets, they would have to find the rogues within a few weeks or they’d end up having a rash of uncontrollable shifters fighting their way out of the death that would be coming for them.

  “Hey,” she said with a huge smile as he approached.

  “Hey yourself,” he replied, looking down into her beautiful eyes. She had tiny flecks of amber showing up, telling him her panther was prowling around in her mind. “For the record, I had no doubts in your tracking abilities.”

  “I know that,” she blushed and headed toward the back door. Taze followed her until she stopped on the porch, turning around to face him. “You were the one who saw something in me all those years ago that led you to believe I had a natural ability to track. So, I should be thanking you.”

  “I know how you can thank me,” he teased.

  “What’s that?” she smirked. The female was in a great mood, and he hadn’t seen her smile that much in years. Her happiness at helping her pride was contagious.

  “Go back to my place?” he pressed. He wanted to touch her and make love to her. Of course, he was going to stick to his word and let her make the first move, but with each passing day, the need to mate her was getting harder to bear.

  “I’d like that, Taze,” she replied.

  They ignored the pride as they walked side by side to his cabin. Malaki was sitting in one of the rocking chairs on the back porch, and her brother just watched as they left. Calla had never told him what Malaki had said to her that day, but he assumed it wasn’t anything to upset her.

  The panic attacks and anxiety she’d been going through were starting to lessen, and he hoped it was from her time with the human therapist. She told him what she wanted to divulge from the sessions, but some of it she kept to herself. He let her keep the private things she wanted to keep private, because he had a feeling she would tell him more of her story when she was ready.

  She walked up the steps to his porch and froze at the door, turning around to stare up at him. Her lips were full and her eyes were heated. His cock responded, thickening in his pants.

  “You can’t look at me like that, sweetheart,” he reminded her.

  “I wanted to look at you,” she pouted and pushed the door open. The moment he closed them inside, both of their mating scents blended together, and the animals inside them purred. “We need to talk.”

  “About?” he drawled.

  “Me…us,” she blushed. “Our mating.”

  “What about it?”

  “I mean…” She paused to clear her throat. “I want to touch you, Taze. It’s becoming harder to fight this, and I keep telling myself that my life with you will be different. My therapist told me not to punish you for the things done to me by someon
e else.”

  “Your therapist is right,” he replied. “You have to remember that those men are dead. The alpha and the Guardians took care of them. They can’t hurt you anymore, and they don’t deserve the space you’re giving them in your mind.”

  “That’s what the doctor said, too,” she sighed. “I’m ready to move on with my life, Taze.”

  “Move on, how?” he inquired.

  “I want to be your mate,” she admitted, but held up her hand to stop him from saying anything else. “I don’t know how this will work. No one knows what will happen when we touch for the first time.”

  He watched as scenarios played through her mind. The need to reassure her had him stepping closer. She didn’t shy away from him, and he took that as a good sign.

  “Calla Marshall,” he began, looking into her sparking amber eyes. Gods, she was so beautiful. “When we mate, it will be as our ancestors mated. I assure you, it will be intense, but whatever happens, you will be in control. Your beast will guide you. Even in my worst feral state, I would never, and I mean never, do anything to scare you. My panther knows his place in this.”

  “He does?”

  “Yes,” he smirked. “I’ve been repeating it over and over in his mind. He knows.”

  “I don’t even know where to start,” she admitted. Taze felt his beast surge, releasing his scent to calm her. Her eyes darkened as she leaned her head back to look into his sparking amber eyes.

  As much as he wanted to touch her, he had a feeling she wasn’t ready. Hell, he didn’t know if she’d ever be ready. She’d never experienced intimacy, and she associated sex with her trauma.

  “We start when you are ready,” he told her. “I can wait for you, Calla.”

  “I don’t want you to have to wait for me,” she whispered and took a step toward him. He didn’t move…didn’t even breathe as she approached. “I wish I could kiss you.”

  “Oh, sweetheart,” he groaned. “There is nothing more I want than to have your lips on mine.”

  “I crave you,” she added. Her desire and mating scent blended with his own, and his cock hardened painfully.

  “I want to kiss you, make love to you.” He paused as his canines thickened in his mouth. His desire for her had finally reached a peak. “After I make love to you, I want to tuck you under my skin to protect you, but I also want to take you to that training facility and have you kick my ass without all of the barriers between us.”

  “I want that, too,” she replied. Taze couldn’t move as she slowly brought herself closer to his body, standing on the tips of her toes. This was happening.

  Chapter Seventeen

  She was so tired of fighting her demons when it came to her past. Taze was right. They didn’t deserve the space in her mind. She shouldn’t let it define her anymore.

  “I’m going to touch you, Taze. Please, make me your mate so I can finally get past this,” she begged as she inched closer.

  His huge body vibrated under her gaze, and she knew he was holding on by a thread when it came to his need to mate her. Her human side wasn’t going to make the first move. Her panther was in charge for once, and as their mating scents blended, she let the animal take over.

  “Are you sure?” he asked with a shaking voice. “Calla, you have to be sure.”

  Her eyes glowed as she released the hold she had over her beast. A snarl rumbled out of her chest as she went higher on the tips of her toes. Taze was so damn tall compared to her, but she didn’t mind.

  Her fingers tingled as she slowly reached for his face. Gods, how she’d dreamed of this moment, but had been too scared to follow through. But here they were, face to face, ready to make the connection.

  She kept her eyes open as she reached for him, wanting to remember this moment for the rest of her life. Taze would never do anything to hurt her, and she knew that…hell, her panther knew that, too.

  The moment her fingers made contact with his skin, an electric shock rocketed through her body. His eyes glowed amber as his canines shot forth into his mouth. She gasped as she pressed her lips to his, finally tasting him for the first time.

  His hands cupped her face, and she felt the wetness between her legs. The animal was priming her for the mating, knowing exactly what needed to be done. In that moment, there was no past…only their present and their future. There was no fear, only love and passion.

  “Mate me, Taze,” she growled as he picked her up and carried her toward his room. She’d been in his bed several times already, and the idea of making their mating final in that very space made things a lot easier than she thought they’d be.

  “Come here,” he ordered and wrapped his arms around her waist, bringing her body flush with his. She immediately felt the hardness of his cock as it pressed into her belly.

  She reached behind herself and unhooked her bra. “Taze, this is so different.”

  “Different good or different bad?” He froze, but she reached for his lips again to prove she was okay.

  “Good,” she hummed. “It’s very good.”

  She reached for his shirt, struggling to get it over his head, but Taze was there to assist. Her fingers immediately went to his abs, dancing across the muscles. His nipples hardened under her touch.

  “I don’t know what to do, Taze,” she whispered.

  “Do you trust me to take over?” he asked. Calla knew he was beyond ready to mount her, and she respected him for his chivalry, but she needed him to touch her.

  “Please,” she begged and stepped back to pull her shirt over her head. There was a difference seeing your mate without their clothes than when they were just another pride member stripping for a shift.

  There was lust in his gaze, no hatred, and she felt her body loosening as the panther inside her prepared her body for what was to come.

  Taze reached for the fly of her jeans, popping the button with a raised brow. When she nodded, he unzipped them and slipped them down her legs. He knelt at her feet and looked up at her with a questionable look.

  “Gods, you smell so good,” he moaned. “I’m going to kiss you here.” With his admission, the male pressed his lips over her mound. Her panties were already soaking wet, and he inhaled deep. “I’ll never get tired of this.”

  “Oh, Taze,” she hummed when he slowly began to rise, stopping at certain intervals to press his lips to her skin. When he reached her breasts, he glanced at her again, silently asking for permission. When she nodded, his tongue made a long pass over each nipple, driving her insane.

  A snarl echoed in the room as she dug her fingers into his shoulders, moving her body closer to his lips. She’d never felt like that before, and as weird as it was, she welcomed it. She wanted his touch and his seed. Calla wanted nothing more than to crawl on that bed and submit to him.

  “I need you to mount me,” she begged as an ache built between her legs. “I need it now, Taze.”

  Her beast was pushing at her skin, demanding the male finish the mating. The sensations of touch from him were intense. That was the only description she could come up with at the moment.

  Taze unleashed a claw and tucked it into the waistband of her panties, flicking his wrist to slice through the material. “Climb on the bed.”

  Somehow, she instinctively knew to go to her hands and knees, dropping her face to the mattress. He never pulled his hands away from her as she prepared herself, and Calla needed that connection. Taze had always grounded her, and now that they’d touched for the first time since she became of age, Calla remembered the confidence he had when it came to her care. He’d never done her wrong in training, always there with a steady hand.

  “I’m going to touch you, Calla,” he announced as he ran his hand up the center of her back.

  “I’m ready, Taze,” she promised, pushing her ass in his direction. The panther growled at the lack of his cock and seed. They needed to complete the mating. “Mount me…mate me.”

  The first touch of his cock to her entrance caused her to jump, b
ut she reached for him when he started to back away. “I’m fine. We’re fine.”

  “Calla,” he moaned as he used his fingers to rub the outside of her sex. He sucked in a breath through his teeth when she moaned at his attention. “I…I can’t hold on much longer. My panther is trying to shift. He wants to mark you.”

  “Then, do it, Taze,” she ordered. “Don’t be afraid…I’m not.”

  He said her name like a prayer to the gods as he pushed his cock inside her, pausing when he was fully seated. They both cursed as he began to move. Her panther bucked, but Taze was there to hold her in place.

  “I’m going to mark you, my mate,” he warned, but there was a hint of playfulness in his voice that caused a smirk to lift the corner of her mouth.

  His hand tangled in her hair, his palm resting right against her scalp. When he made a fist, pulling her back flush with his front, there was no pain…only pleasure. With his free hand, he found her clit and circled it with his index finger as he jerked her head to the side. His tongue was rough as he licked over the spot where her neck and shoulder connected.

  “You are my mate, and I will honor and cherish you for the rest of our lives,” he vowed. “I will protect you when you are unable to protect yourself. I will love you enough to keep the demons away, Calla Marshall.”

  He struck as fast as a snake, burying his canines into her flesh. The marking caused her body to explode. Her release was met with heavy strokes as he kept her pinned close to his body. She had never felt as safe and secure as she did in that moment. All of the other bullshit in her life was nothing but a fleeting memory. Taze replaced it all with one bite.

  The next thing she knew, they were laying on their side, his cock still buried inside her body. He moved slowly, keeping her primed. “Are you ready to mark me?”

  With a snarl, her panther pushed, telling her human mind to roll him to his back, and that was exactly what she did. The animal gave her the information she needed to mark him. She let her human side relax as the beast ruled. She took his cock and worked it deeply inside as she grasped the hair at the top of his head, pushing it to the side.