by Jade Royal
“Well, you’re a smart ass woman. That’s sexy too. What did you want to do with your career? Be a doctor?”
“Yes, but realistically, even though you said I could, I don’t know if I’d go back to school. Everything is different now.”
“Everything is different, yes, but you also shouldn’t lose yourself.”
“I’m not,” she said. “The way I helped Kyra, I liked that, and I want to help other wolves the way I helped her.”
“That’s why you’re an alpha female, Bliss.” Bliss shook her head.
“Let’s not get into titles.” She smiled. Kellan chuckled. “What about you, Mr. Alpha? Besides crime books, what else you like?”
“I’m a simple guy really. I like making things with my hands, I guess that’s why I went into carpentry. A few pieces of lumber can be something amazing, and I just love creating those things. Oh, and pancakes. I fucking love pancakes. Any kind of pancakes, and I will devour it!” Bliss burst out in laughter.
“Pancakes? You eat pancakes!”
“We eat cooked food, alright?” Kellan scoffed. “In wolf form, we may eat raw meat, but we like a full cooked meal like any other body.”
“That’s very interesting to know.” Bliss smiled. She left out the fact that she loved to make pancakes. How fateful was it that the one thing she loved cooking was the one thing the man she was attracted to loved eating?
They continued their chatter the whole half hour it took them to get to the home Bliss shared with Maverick. Before they left the car, Kellan surveyed the place and inhaled deeply. There was a faint smell in the air, but it wasn’t strong enough for him to believe Maverick was in the house. Once it was clear, he helped Bliss out of the truck and walked behind her to the house. She seemed apprehensive, and when he looked at her wolf eyes, he knew the wolf was ready to pounce as if protecting Bliss. Right then and there, Kellan stopped her. He didn’t need the wolf trying to come to the forefront. He brought his own wolf eyes out and connected to Bliss’ wolf.
“Back off. Let her deal with this. I’ll be here to protect her. Listen to your mate.” The wolf turned its back, upset with Kellan’s order but letting it stand. Bliss blinked and came back to life.
“What happened?”
“Your wolf was trying to come out. I talked her down.”
“Does that happen to you? Blacking out when your wolf gets in control?”
“No, it doesn’t, but like pups and newly turned wolves, you just don’t have a connection with your animal yet. You know she’s there, and you two share a body, but you just have to get a solid connection with her that will keep you in control, which will most likely happen after your first shift. That’s why teenagers are always kept close to the pack because they haven’t connected with their wolf until they first shift.”
“I like giving her control though,” Bliss said. “Because I’m not always prepared to handle my past, and being here, it brings bad memories.”
“It may feel safe, Bliss, but imagine giving her control and she’s angry and pissed for what Maverick did. What do you think she’ll do to anyone she crosses?” Bliss nodded.
“Probably attack them.”
“Exactly, but I told her not to worry. I’m here with you, and you’re a strong woman. Despite how it may hurt, Bliss, you fought to stay alive until I found you in the woods. Just remember that.” He kissed her forehead, and Bliss just wanted to melt in his arms. She’d never felt this safe.
“Okay, I’m ready.”
She led the way into the home. Everything felt bare and vacant like Maverick just picked up and moved out after he killed her. But their furniture was still there. Bliss tried to keep all the memories at bay as she walked up to their bedroom. She heard Kellan grunt, and when she turned to look at him, he was frowning.
“What?” she asked. Kellan shook his head.
“Get your things, and let’s go. If I stay too long, my wolf might go feral.” Kellan could smell old blood that smelled like Bliss. That forced him to think about all the ways that Maverick could have hurt Bliss, and it was driving his wolf insane. He was clawing at Kellan’s skin, and it took Kellan a whole hell of a lot of control to not let the animal loose. Bliss hurried to the large walk in closet and pulled out one of the suitcases so she could pack some of her clothes. She didn’t bother with any kind of neatness. She just stuffed the bag quickly then went to her vanity to pack her hair care and skin products. She hardly wore make up, so she didn’t have much to pack in those regards. In her jewelry box, she pulled out a necklace with a pendant that read Jaime. Kellan was peering over her shoulder.
“Who’s Jaime?” he asked.
“My mother. She died during childbirth. My dad gave this to me when I turned sixteen. I’ve had it since then, and it’s the most important thing I own.” Kellan rubbed her shoulder before kissing it. He sensed her sadness at the loss of her mother, but also the comfort in having something that belonged to her mother.
“We can go now,” Bliss said. “I got what I needed, and this place is making me dreary.” She looked at the disheveled bed. A memory of Maverick holding her down and fucking her hard pressed to the forefront of her mind. She’d told him she didn’t feel like having sex, and he had other ideas about what she felt. Bliss felt her newly acquired claws puncture out. All she saw in her head now was herself ripping Maverick apart. Not only had he hurt her, but he’d hurt other women and was still hurting other women. She may have wanted to be a doctor and science meant everything to her, but being a protector was running deep through her veins. She needed to rid the world of that monster.
One minute, all Bliss could see was red, and then the next minute she was pulsing with arousal, and Kellan’s thick lips were against her. She melted against him as he delved his tongue into her mouth. His scent of sweet ginger and wood filled her senses, and it turned her on tenfold against his kisses, so when he pulled away, Bliss was more than upset, but when she opened her eyes, she realized his kisses weren’t just for the heck of it. Her claws were bleeding with the force of how they’d elongated.
“We need to leave,” was all Kellan said. He grabbed her bag for her and took her hand and led her out of the room. She wasn’t the only one that needed the kiss, because Kellan felt himself pushing his wolf to the limit. This place caused his mate pain, and Kellan couldn’t stand being there. Her own wolf was jumping to the surface again, and that’s why he felt he needed to kiss her so she’d focus on something else. It had worked fabulously, except for the ache that lie in Kellan’s guts--resisting his mate real hard, and it was physically hurting him now, but he didn’t let go of her hand. He led her all the way back into the truck and got her inside before he was able to breathe a sigh of relief.
Unlike the drive there, the drive going back was quiet. Unfortunately for him, wolves couldn’t read minds, unless they were directly speaking to each other, so he had to sit there wondering what she was so consumed with.
“What you thinkin’ about?” Kellan finally asked her.
“Huh?”
“I asked what’s on your mind. You’re too quiet for me.” Bliss countered his question and crossed her arms.
“You’re quiet too, so what you thinkin’ about?” Kellan realized her game, but he wasn’t shy about speaking.
“Well, I’m thinking about land for me and my new pack. Rita and Kyra cannot stay in the same cabin as me. It’ll drive me insane. That, and it can’t just be me and the other girls. I need a beta, and I need enforcers, shit.” Kellan shook his head. He didn’t realize how much being an alpha was a challenge. His basis of being alpha was just to help his mate, Rita, and Kyra, but this was a big deal.
“How are you going to get land?” Bliss asked.
“I have to buy it, or well, my father always thought when I found my mate, I’d separate from the pack and start my own. He said he had a place for me, but he died before he even showed me, so I kind of have to figure out how to find the damn place.”
“Yikes. I didn’t
know having a pack was that complicated.”
“Trust me, it’s no walk in the park.” He shook his head again. “But don’t try and divert me. I told you what I was thinking, now you tell me what you’re thinking.”
“Later.” She sighed. In truth, a whole bunch was going through her mind. From trying to plot how to take down Maverick and then to the way that Kellan made her feel. She didn’t miss the fact that she was attracted to him. Even the kisses; she only just met the man, and she was kissing him and longing for his scent. It was crazy, and she figured the only way she could get away from the temptation was to get away from him completely.
“But I want to ask you why you keep feeling the need to kiss me,” she said looking at him. “I didn’t give you permission to.”
“But you haven’t stopped me.” He countered. She rolled her eyes.
“You know my wolf is vulnerable, and you’re preying on that.”
“Oh, please, Bliss. I can smell your damn arousal, and it’s not because you’re a new wolf either, so cut that shit out.” Bliss huffed and moved away from him. So, he could smell just how aroused she was. Bliss felt embarrassed. When Kellan drove off the road and back into the woods, she spoke again.
“Maverick beat the crap out of me for two years, and half the time we’ve had sex, it’s not because I wanted it, and I know you probably think ill of me because I’m aroused now, and we barely know each other, but I didn’t deserve what Maverick did to me, so I’m not just some slut that got what she deserved.” Kellan pulled the truck up to where it was parked before. He didn’t say a word as he went around to the other side and opened the door for her. She hopped out, feeling agile because of the new powers within her. She thought Kellan wasn’t going to say anything, so she was intending to walk away, but he grabbed her by the crook of her arm. She had a mini flashback of the way Maverick grabbed her. Her natural instinct was to turn and slap him which was exactly what she did, but Kellan blocked her hit, grabbing her by the wrist. The action stopped her momentum, but it was also so damn sexy. Bliss was fighting to keep her breathing even.
“First thing…” He spoke. “You never have to react defensively against me, because I’ll never lay my hands on you, or mistreat you in any way that sorry ass excuse for a man mistreated you. I may say slick shit to you, Bliss. Hell, I may even snap and yell at you in anger, but I will never lay my hands on you or force you to do anything sexual with me. I’m not a rapist.”
“I didn’t--”
“And second thing…” He cut her off. “Just because you feel arousal doesn’t mean that you’re a slut or something. It’s your body’s natural response to something or someone, and you’re perfectly entitled to your arousal. I have no idea what you dealt with in the hands of Maverick, and I have never put it in my head that you deserved it. Especially being dumped out in the woods like a piece of trash when you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on. To me and my wolf, Bliss, you matter. That’s why I can never think horribly about you, and don’t you ever suggest again that I could.” Bliss was at a loss for words. No one, not even Maverick had told her she was the most beautiful woman he’d seen.
“And you know what else?” Kellan asked. “I just turned you into a wolf, gave you the power, and you were already using it to help Kyra when you knew nothing about her or how to handle a wolf who wouldn’t let their human shift. It made me so proud knowing that I turned you, and you were already doing something so amazing.” Bliss was breathing heavily now. It was too hard not to, but Kellan didn’t give her a chance to respond, not that anything else could come out of her mouth. He let her wrist go, and after a fevered gaze, he walked away from her hastily.
Kellan was basically running away from Bliss. He’d professed all those things to her because it was true, and he wanted her to hear his words and understand, but after that, his wolf was expecting him to take her down and make her their mate officially, but Kellan had turned away. Now, he was battling his wolf who was trying to take over and come out so he could go back to Bliss, but Kellan grit his teeth and walked back to cabin. He stumbled inside, nearly falling over.
“Kell?” Kyra was at his side immediately. “How can I help?” she questioned.
“Get away from me.” He growled, but she didn’t hear him. He smelled Bliss walk into the cabin. Her scent came right onto him.
“Kellan, what’s the matter?” Her soft voice was urgent. He felt his eyes succumb to his animal.
“Get away from me!” He yelled, feeling himself losing control of his shift. It was Rita’s voice that rang out next.
“Back away from him, Bliss!” She snapped. She dragged Bliss away.
“He needs me!” Bliss shouted.
“Stay back. He might shift and hurt you. Give him space to control his wolf.”
“I don’t understand.” Bliss was confused.
“Talk to him in his mind,” Rita said to her. “Convince him that you’re not going anywhere and that you’re gonna be by his side.”
“But--”
“Just tell him, Bliss!” Rita yelled. Bliss still didn’t understand, but she did as she was told, and by the looks of Kellan, he really needed to hear it. His eyes were gone, and his canines and claws were both out. His bones were moving and shifting as if his wolf wanted to come out, but he was resisting the shift.
You know I’ll be at your side, right? I won’t be going anywhere. I’m right here for you. Kellan’s eyes met hers letting her know he heard the words she spoke. When his bones stopped shifting, Bliss slowly walked up to him. She knelt down and ran her hand along his face.
“Come back to me, Kell.” She coaxed. “Listen to your alpha female.” She joked. That was enough to bring Kellan’s human eyes out. He smirked at her.
“So, now you’re claiming the title, huh?” Bliss shrugged and smiled at him. She helped him to stand slowly. His face was scrunched up in pain still. Bliss didn’t like it, not one bit.
“I’m gonna go lay down,” he said. “Don’t worry about me, ladies.” He walked away from Bliss, but she wasn’t going to leave it like that.
“What was that?” Bliss asked Rita.
“Sometimes our wolves want control over situations where they should not have control over. In those situations when we resist the shift, the wolf fights harder to get out until they are convinced they don’t need to take over, and what happened with Kellan is what it looks like when you’re trying not to shift.”
“So, why did I need to say those things to him?”
“Because you’re probably the one wolf his wolf would have listened to. Alpha female and all that.”
“Oh,” Bliss said. She looked between Kyra and Rita. “I’ve been thinking. We all went through some shit with Maverick. He thinks we’re weak, and I want to prove him wrong. I’ve been thinking to ask Kellan to show me how to use my strength and this power. When I learn, I’m going to go and fight Maverick. He needs to die for what he did to us and what he’s doing to other women.” Both Kyra and Rita were quiet.
“What?” Bliss asked.
“You’re an alpha female, but doing something like that is big, and Kellan, I don’t think he would want you to,” Rita said.
“It’s not about Kellan. It’s about us as women. In fact, I’m going to go talk to Kellan about my plan right now.” Bliss wanted to help women, and this was her plan. Kellan wasn’t her man. He didn’t have any say over what she wanted to do with her power.
Chapter Eleven
Kellan was scrolling through his phone when Bliss came into the bedroom. He was clutching at his nut sack; the ache was killing him. The only wolf he’d ever known to get blue balls was the wolf who resisted their mate. Kellan wondered if he could screw any wolf to get the damn pain from his scrotum, but his wolf would resist any other female that wasn’t his mate. He tried to get the focus off the pain by looking for nearby land that was for sale. He had enough money from his carpentry business to get new land.
“You okay?” Bliss asked,
noticing he was grabbing his crotch. He’d changed into basketball shorts.
“I’m good,” he replied. But eerily, she felt the pain coursing through him. It was weird.
“I can feel you’re hurting, Kellan,” she said crossing her arms. At this point, Kellan knew it was time to come clean with their whole mate situation, because the longer they resisted, the more the both of them were going to start getting affected, and he didn’t want her to feel any pain.
“I’m fine, Bliss. Don’t worry. You wanted to talk to me about something?”
“How’d you know that?” she questioned. He shrugged his shoulders.
“An assumption that is correct.” Bliss walked over to the bed and hopped on. The moment she was close to him, her wolf was pawing to get close to him. She couldn’t resist putting her nose into his neck and inhaling his sweet ginger scent. He was so damn sexy. Her stomach began to ache again. The pain of it made her back away. She paid attention to what was important.
“Can you fight?” she asked. His brows shot up.
“Yes.” He chuckled.
`“I need you to teach me,” she said. This time his smile fell away.
“What for?”
“Because…after what Maverick did to me, and Rita and Kyra, I feel like it should be us women to take him down. He left me for dead. He’d never expect me to be alive and to be a wolf! I can kill him, and his reign will be over!”
“Absolutely not.” Kellan didn’t mean to sound so harsh, but he wasn’t letting his newly turned mate fight a thirty-five-year-old wolf. Not on his watch, and fights like that were always to the death. There was no quitting, and Bliss as strong willed as she may be, would not be able to beat him.
“Absolutely not?” Bliss echoed. “You just told me that I was so strong, and I’m an alpha female. Why can’t I go fight him for what he’s done to me?”
“If you want vengeance, Bliss, I’ll get it for you. I’ll go kill him, but you can’t.” Bliss crossed her arms.
“I don’t need you to do shit for me. In fact, I don’t even have to ask for your help either. I’ll just do it myself.” She got up from the bed and was ready to leave the room. Kellan lunged off the bed despite the pain in his lower extremities. He rushed to block her from leaving.
