by Maddy Barone
“Motorcycles,” he growled.
“And what about the ladies in the camp?” The mayor sounded apologetic. “Your mother and the other women?”
Taye let out a growl beneath his breath.
The mayor nodded at him. “I don’t like to use women in war, but we are outmanned and outgunned. We’ll use whatever advantage we can.”
“I don’t like it,” Taye said flatly. “I didn’t like it when I heard the President’s women were captured last week, and I don’t like it now. Women deserve to be respected and cherished.”
“They were treated with great respect, and Kansas-Missouri took your women first.” The mayor held up placating hands. “As a last resort only. My word on it.”
Gina cleared her throat. “They’ve probably been sent back to Kansas City. That was the plan when I, er, left, and that was a few days ago.” She paused, debating with herself, and finally cleared her throat. “One of the wives is pregnant. My stepfather wants a child very badly, so I’m sure the women have been sent home for safety.”
“One of the wives,” muttered Stone with disgust behind her.
Taye shook his head. “Why bring a pregnant woman all this way? It’s dangerous.”
“Because of me.” Gina had thought about that too. “My mother probably wanted to be on hand when I was found, and my stepfather tries to treat all his wives equally. If my mother got to come, so would the other wives.”
“Huh. The other wives,” said Stone, clearly still disgusted.
Judge Case steepled his fingers and tapped them against his chin. “A man desperate to have a child might be willing to do anything to get his pregnant wife back.”
“Even walk away from a war,” McGrath agreed.
Taye stood up. “We’ll have nothing to do with it,” he said flatly. “We don’t steal women.”
McGrath arched his eyebrows. “Not married ones, you mean.”
There was a brief silence before Taye shrugged. “Only mates, and we never hurt them or force them to accept the mating. No wolf I know has ever stolen a married woman. We won’t start now.”
“Fine, fine.” The mayor stretched back in his chair, smiling faintly. “But is this woman really married? After all, Todd has how many wives? And is she his true wife?”
Taye’s brows pulled down, and he glanced at Gina. “Did he marry her first, before another woman? Is she happy as his wife?”
“No, Shelley is his fourth wife.” She considered for a moment. “I think she is happy. She’s very proud of maybe being the mother of his heir.”
“Maybe?” said Cole, stroking a hand up and down her arm. He was focused on her, so he might not have even known he was caressing her. She did though, and she liked it.
“His wives have been pregnant before, but the babies never lived.”
“It doesn’t matter.” Taye turned to McGrath and said with steel in his voice, “She’s a woman and the mother of his child. We don’t hurt women for any reason.”
McGrath straightened. “Good enough.”
The judge nodded. “The women are probably out of our reach anyway.”
A knock sounded on the door.
“Come,” called McGrath.
A young man in the uniform of the Omaha City Guard stepped in. “Mayor Madison has sent word that his son Ray has come out of the coma.”
****
Cole stared through the glass wall at the man lying in a pristine white bed in the hospital room. He had known Ray Madison all his life. They were only a year apart in age. Their mothers were best friends. Ray was his sister’s fiancé. Ray had never been a heavy man, having the lean, lithe body of a mountain cat, but now he looked wasted. His hair, usually a tawny gold, was dull blond. His face had a gray tinge to it. Even with a blanket drawn up to his neck, his body seemed to be nothing but bone. How could he have become so thin in such a short time?
Beside him, Gina squeezed his hand. He put his arm around her, thankful that he was out here and not in the hospital bed. Inside the room his sister perched on a chair only inches from her fiancé, holding his hand while a doctor listened to Ray’s heart with a weird contraption that hooked into his ears. Ray’s dad and mom, Eddie and Lisa Madison, stood on the other side of the bed, watching the doctor with anxious eyes. Ray’s eyes were open, but their color was dull like his hair.
A whisper of a sob came from Gina. She pressed her face into his shoulder.
“Are you alright?” he asked.
She nodded and shrugged at the same time. Lifting her head, she sniffed. “That could be you,” she whispered. “It’s a miracle you’re even alive. When I saw you shot…” Her voice broke. “You were dead. I was sure you were dead. But somehow you’re alive.”
“I’m a wolf warrior.” He shrugged, but inside he was pleased by her reaction. “What did you feel when I was shot?”
She was silent for a long minute. “I was horrified and guilty and furious. I wasn’t very nice to you at first, and they killed you.”
“And you’re sorry you weren’t nice to me?”
Her head tilted to look at him. No smile. “Not then. Maybe I am now. A little. Cole.” She paused to look around. His parents were a yard away, also looking into Ray’s room. “Let’s go sit down somewhere private.”
He followed her down the hall to a small room where visitors could sit. He thought he would follow her anywhere because he never wanted her to be alone and unprotected again. She took a chair and waved him to the small couch. No, he didn’t want her sitting alone, so he tugged her over to the couch. She came without resistance.
“Cole, I accepted your, uh, mate claim and I want to be your wife, but I don’t know.”
He stared. “What?” he said blankly.
“I mean, can we even think about that until this mess with my stepfather is done? It’s a terrible time to be getting married.”
“It’s the best time to get married,” he countered. “We don’t know where we’ll be a week from now.”
She blinked and looked away, biting her lip. “You’re right.” She drew a deep breath and looked back at him, delicate pink shading her cheeks. “I want to be your wife.” The color deepened. “I want you. Before everything goes crazy when Todd does whatever he’s going to do, I want … That is…” She coughed and glanced away, before looking back at him. She pressed her hands to her brilliant cheeks and appeared utterly adorable. Her voice lowered to the merest whisper. Only a wolf warrior could have heard her next words. “I want to make love with you as your wife.”
Those words were the finest poetry he’d ever heard. “I want that too. Tonight?”
“Where?”
It didn’t matter to him, but it obviously did to her. “At the Limit. The room we have there is private. Do you still want a wedding?”
“Yes.”
It appeared her embarrassment was fading because her voice was strong again. “Mayor McGrath can do the ceremony, can’t he? He offered.”
He couldn’t care less who performed the ceremony, but he would do anything to make her happy. “Sure.”
She bit her lip. “But he’s busy, isn’t he?”
Cole smiled like the wolf he was. “He’ll make time for us. It won’t take long. Not like a fancy church wedding? Is that okay with you?”
She nodded firmly. “Yes. Where should we get married? At the mayor’s house or at the Limit?”
That was another thing he couldn’t care less about, but he would do anything to make her happy. The ceremony itself was important only because it would tie them together in the eyes of the world. “Wherever you want, darling.”
“Let’s be nice to Mayor McGrath and let him decide what is most convenient for him,” she suggested.
“I love you.” The words burst out of him. “Let’s go talk to my mom and dad. They’ll make it happen.”
****
It’s amazing how much can be accomplished in only three hours, Gina thought. Like most girls, she'd dreamed of her wedding day. As the daughter
of a powerful man she thought she'd be married in a big ceremony in a lavishly decorated hall, attended by a dozen bridesmaids, with hundreds of people present. Her gown would be the envy of every young woman who saw it. Her veil would be a waterfall of filmy lace cascading down her back, spangled with pearls and crowned with diamonds.
Tonight she stood in a tiny annex to the hospital’s small chapel with Patia, her single bridesmaid, beside her. She smoothed a sweaty palm down the skirt of her wedding dress. It was actually her soon to be mother-in-law’s dress, one the older woman wore when singing for the public. It was navy blue cotton sateen. The folds of the full skirt caught the light in a glossy sheen. The bodice had been a little loose, but Mrs. Madison, Ray’s mom, had made alterations by hand while sitting at her son’s bedside. Now it fit her perfectly, far better than any of her party dresses bought by her stepfather.
That made her remember Mrs. Clarkson. The poor generous woman had been murdered because of her. Gina had to force back tears. This was her wedding day. Only tears of joy were allowed.
She stood on tiptoes and peeked out the small square window in the door at the chapel. It was meant to hold perhaps twenty people. It was crammed with at least thirty people, mostly men. Mayor McGrath stood at the front of the room, on the slightly raised section meant for a minister. Her view was partly blocked by all the heads, but she saw Cole pacing in a small circle in front of McGrath. Gina wrung the stems of the silk flower bouquet one of the hospital staff had loaned her and let out a shaky breath.
Patia raised her eyebrows. “Are you nervous?”
Gina opened her mouth to deny it but stopped. “I guess I am.” She swallowed. “I barely know your brother. What if I’m making a mistake? What if I don’t really love him?”
Patia’s face took on an expression of exaggerated disbelief. “Why wouldn’t you love him? Has he beaten you? No? Then, does he order you around like a servant?”
Gina opened her mouth again but paused. “He tries to.”
Patia snorted laughter. “It doesn’t work with you, though, does it? I’ve known him all my life –literally—and I’ve never seen him so mild, so reasonable. He asks you if you want to do something. Everyone else just gets orders barked at them.”
That was true. When they were walking from the Clarksons’ house to Omaha, Cole had made obvious efforts to tone his bossiness down. “But what if he doesn’t truly love me? What if he only thinks he wants me because of the mating thing?”
“Cole would lay down his life for you.” Patia’s tone was utterly sure. “You know that, don’t you?”
Gina clutched the bouquet with both hands. When she and Cole were pursued by her stepfather’s motorcycle scouts he could have left her and run ahead to safety. Anyone else she knew would have abandoned her. Cole hadn’t. He’d refused to even consider it. She swallowed, feeling tears press against her eyes again. Since the moment she had left Omaha on the train with him, he had done everything to protect her. Even after he had been nearly murdered, he continued to do his best to protect her.
“Yeah,” she whispered. “I know that.”
“Would a man be willing to die to save someone he didn’t love?” Patia stood up and put an arm over Gina’s shoulders. “Cole loves you. Believe it.”
She did. She really did.
Patia gave her shoulders a squeeze. “Bridal jitters over?”
Gina sniffed inelegantly. “Yeah.”
Patia handed her a hanky. “Uncle Sand?” she called, barely raising her voice. “We’re ready.”
The ceremony took almost no time at all. It seemed to Gina that she had taken Cole’s hand one minute and the next Mayor McGrath pronounced them man and wife. Cole’s kiss was light, a promise of what would come later. It curled her toes. Two dozen of her new in-laws howled like wild wolves, while Cole grinned and squeezed her hand. Gina smiled blindly, groping to remember the ceremony. Had she said any vows? Yes, she was pretty sure she had said vows.
Cole was warm and strong beside her. He put his arm around her waist and pulled her toward his parents, who were standing only two yards away. Her husband. He was warm and strong beside her. Like an immovable rock and a solid comfort.
That thought sank into her bones. Not a weight to drag her down, but an anchor to keep her from drifting. The smile that curved her lips was small, but real. Cole was her husband now, someone she could depend on. His arm dropped away with what Gina was sure was reluctance as the audience surged closer.
Patia gave her a hug. So did Mrs. Wolfe. No, her new mother-in-law had told her to call her Carla. Taye kissed the top of her head. Todd had never kissed the top of her head.
“Welcome to the Pack and the Lakota Wolf Clan,” Taye said loudly.
A fresh howl poured out from the men packed into the little chapel. The welcome made Gina blink back tears. Her tears seemed to alarm her new family.
“Are you alright?” her new father-in-law asked urgently.
“Yes. Just happy,” she managed.
Mayor and Mrs. Madison congratulated them and stepped back to allow others to come forward. Rose gave her a hug, and then a dozen strange men crowded around her, patting her arm and beaming at her as if they were truly glad to have her marry Cole and become part of their tribe. Clan. Whatever. They told her their names, but she was sure she’d never be able to keep them straight. After a few jumbled minutes, Cole came back to her and put his arm around her waist again.
The men around them parted to allow Mayor McGrath to approach them. He shook Cole’s hand and smiled at her. “Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Wolfe. I wish you many happy years together.”
“Thank you,” Gina said.
McGrath looked over her head at Taye and nodded, his smile fading. “Tomorrow, at eight?” Taye must have nodded, because McGrath stepped back. “Good evening.”
Gina watched the mayor of Omaha leave the little chapel with a frown. “Tomorrow?” she murmured to Cole.
He shrugged. “War planning.”
That unwelcome intrusion of reality made Gina sigh.
Cole leaned close. “But we’re not going to think about that tonight, are we.”
It wasn’t a question but a statement. “I don’t know.” She gave him a wide-eyed glance, hands holding her bouquet primly at her waist. “That’s a pretty serious topic. Hard to ignore, really. Did you have something planned to take my mind off it?”
He leaned in so close his lips nearly brushed hers. “Yes, I do. I’m going to make it my goal to make sure you don’t think about it even once tonight.”
Gina swallowed, feeling a spark flare to heated life between her thighs. “Oh, really?”
She meant to sound sultry, but her voice cracked on the last syllable. Blushing, she noticed several of the Wolfe men had indulgent smiles on their faces. Her voice hadn’t been loud, but Cole had really good hearing so probably the other men of the Wolf Clan did too. She wanted to bury her blush in Cole’s chest.
She was saved from her embarrassment by Patia giving her another hug.
“I’m so happy for you,” her new sister-in-law told her. “You too, Colby.” The teasing note in her voice said she knew how much Cole hated being called his full name. “I’m going back up to Ray now. Save me a piece of your wedding cake.”
Wedding cake? Gina hadn’t even thought about a cake. Taye gave a nod and two of the men from his Pack followed Patia out of the chapel, shadowing her like guard dogs. Mayor and Mrs. Madison left too. Cole bent down so his lips brushed her ear.
“Let’s go back to the Limit. We’ll have supper and eat our cake and then …” His voice dropped to the merest whisper. “And then we can be alone at last.”
****
Cole set his fork aside. Supper had been good, if simple. The cake was simple too, just a butter cake with whipped cream frosting flavored with dried strawberries. His wife –yes, his wife!—seemed pleased with it. He watched the smooth line of her throat as she swallowed a bite. A tiny smear of frosting clung to her lower lip. He ho
ped fervently it would still be there when they went upstairs to their room so he could lick it off.
Wife. He loved that he could call her that now. She sat beside him at the table in The Limit’s private dining room, her thigh pressed like a hot iron along his own. Sky and Aunt Rose were across from them. Ms. Mary was at the head of the table. His parents were at the foot. The wolf warriors who weren’t guarding Patia or running back to Kearney to fetch help were gathered around the table. Cole caught a few winks from his younger cousins.
Hid dad glanced casually at the wall clock. “A little after seven o’clock,” he remarked. “It’s been a long day, and tomorrow will be busy too. We better turn in early.”
Cole could have kissed him. He returned his dad’s grin. “Good idea.” He gave Gina’s hand a gentle pull. “Good night.”
Her cheeks blazed an adorable shade of red, but she stood up and gave the entire table a general nod. “Good night.”
A few of his cousins howled as he hurried his wife up the stairs to their room. He closed the door gently and turned to face her. The sun hadn’t set yet, and the curtains were open enough that they could see each other plainly. He was glad. He could see fairly well in the dark, but he wanted his mate to be able to see him. Her face was still vividly pink, but she looked eager and just a tiny bit shy. The wave of tenderness that crashed over him made his breath catch. They were alone at last. And yes, that little smear of frosting was still on her lip. He bent his head and kissed her lightly, tasting the sweetness of the frosting on his lips. To be sure he got it all, he swept his tongue over her lips, and when she opened, he forgot the frosting. His mate tasted even sweeter. He wanted to taste all of her. First he had to get rid of their clothes.
“Should I get undressed?” he asked, voice a little rough.
She nodded, looking up at him with big eyes.
“I’ll be gentle,” he promised.
She nodded again, and her eyes got bigger as she watched him quickly strip off his clothes. When he stood, naked and aroused, in front of her, he saw where her gaze was fixed. Somehow, his cock got even harder, as if her wide-eyed stare was a physical caress. He wanted to throw her on the bed and bury himself deep inside her.
