by Kym Grosso
“The truth lies within you. No matter what you’ve been told, it’s true. Something about you. It’s as if I’ve always known you.”
“No,” she half protested.
“Time to prove it to you. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Hunter reached between her legs, dipping his finger into her slick heat. Willa cried aloud as the pad of his thumb circled over her clit. Her mind told her to resist, but her body ignited with arousal, her wolf claiming her mate.
His lips crushed upon hers, and Willa moaned into his devastating kiss. She tilted her hips as he delved inside her pussy. Her breath quickened as his mouth found her neck, his tongue teasing the skin behind her ear.
“Hunter,” she cried, her body on fire with arousal.
He palmed her breast, gently rolling her nipple between his fingers. Willa moaned in response, the gentle pinch igniting desire throughout every cell in her body. She trembled as he added another thick digit inside her slick core, stroking her sensitive strip of nerves, bringing her closer to climax.
“Goddess.” She wasn’t sure if she was begging or praying but her Alpha certainly acted like a God. As he stroked her clit, she lost control.
Willa’s orgasm seized her, and she panted, her eyes on his as he withdrew his fingers. She sucked a breath as he rolled her onto her back. His intense gaze bored into her soul, and Willa’s heart pounded as his dick pressed through her wet pussy, breaching her core.
“You’re mine, little wolf,” he growled in a low, sultry voice.
Panting for breath, Willa nodded in agreement. My wolf. My Alpha. Hunter’s dominant energy overwhelmed her senses. Her savage wolf clawed for her mate, demanding she claim him.
She wrapped her hands around his neck, sucking a breath as he thrust deep inside her pussy. Feral with lust, she submitted, wrapping her legs around his waist as he drove himself deeper. As he stretched her open, her head tilted backwards, exposing her neck. His lips trailed along her collarbone, and her wolf howled in delight.
“Yes, oh Goddess, please,” Willa cried as his pelvis brushed over her clit and her climax drew closer.
“Hunter…I need…” You. Passion swirled in his eyes as she pleaded for mercy. “Please…I’m going to…yes, just like that. Hunter, please.”
“Willa,” he growled.
“I’m so…oh Goddess.” Breathless, she arched her back, tilting her hips upward in rhythm with his. She struggled to keep her orgasm at bay, utterly immersed as his thick cock filled her.
“You belong with me. Do you feel it? Ah, Goddess, yeah.” His lips traveled to her shoulder.
“Hunter,” Willa cried out loud. She bared her neck, willingly submitting to the Alpha. As his teeth clamped down onto her shoulder, her orgasm tore through her. She writhed beneath Hunter, taking in every hard inch of him. Willa’s fingernails stabbed into his skin, her pussy tightening around his cock as he slammed inside her once more. She trembled, her body tingling from her head to her toes as waves of her orgasm rushed through her.
Mate. She’d submitted. He’d claimed her. Emotion twisted through Willa as her mind spun with the implications. There would be no turning back. Hunter was forever hers.
Chapter Nine
His name on her lips rung in his ears as he slammed inside her tight pussy. The sting of her fingernails drove him to thrust harder. As she shook with orgasm beneath him, he thrust a final time, coming hard. Her ethereal energy rushed through him, his Queen demonstrating her power.
Fuck, fuck, fuck, he inwardly told himself as he stilled, shivering from the last tendrils of his orgasm. Hunter released his bite and buried his face into her chest. Challenge accepted; he’d taken his mate. Only for a second had he considered the ramifications of his actions, but the fierce instinctual urge won out over logic.
Hunter rolled onto his back, bringing her with him. He panted for breath, brushing a kiss to the top of her head.
“Alpha,” she whispered, her warm breath grazing over his chest as sleep claimed her.
Hunter slowly released the air from his lungs, staring up at the pressed tin ceiling, his mind racing. Royalty. Willa’s confession brought back childhood memories. Hunter’s parents had told them the tales. A family who begot the origin of wolves. While some had believed them to be hiding in seclusion, others simply discounted their existence. And now, the princess lay sleeping within his arms. My mate. He’d lost control and marked her as his own.
Doubt seeded in his mind as it spun with the ramifications of his actions. It wasn’t the hellfire flowing through her veins that concerned him. Rogue. She’d lived a life on her own without pack for over a hundred years. She’d chosen to live in solitude among humans. Strong willed, she’d do as she wished, and he questioned if she’d ever truly submit. Sexually, allowing his bite was instinctual. Within the context of pack, she’d be tested and could easily choose independence over the family of wolves.
If he was forced to walk away from her, he suspected his ability to lead could falter. Logically he told himself it didn’t matter. He barely knew Willa, yet it could kill him to abandon her.
Hunter shoved away the negative thoughts, embracing the exhilaration that coursed through his veins. As he drifted to sleep, he breathed in the scent of his mate, his beast content.
Suspecting they’d be making a trip to New Orleans, Hunter had arranged to have his home stocked with food while he was in Wyoming. Although he owned a home in the bayou, he’d decided to stay at his home in the French Quarter, closer to Samantha’s coven. He’d always loved the multicultural city, partaking in both its music and art. He excelled as a concert pianist, but it was the Alpha’s cunning skills collecting and selling antiques that had earned him his fortune over the years.
Hunter’s stomach growled as he opened the refrigerator and searched for something to eat. He selected a few blocks of cheese and some prosciutto, his thoughts returning to Willa. Claiming her hadn’t been so much of a plan as more of an instinct. He could have cared less about the hellfire, but his pack would bring scrutiny. Her claims of royal blood might breed jealousy and challenges. Without seeing her fight as a wolf, the outcome was uncertain.
Hunter placed the food on the counter and turned to the pantry, retrieving crackers and a soft plastic honey bear. He eyed the fresh loaf of French bread he’d had delivered and reached for a serrated knife. As he heard the creak on the wooden floor, he spun fast as lightning, withdrawing a razor-sharp chef’s knife from the block and pointing it at the intruder.
“Miss me?” Viktor asked with a smile.
“Jesus Christ, you need to stop doing that.” Hunter set the knife on the counter and continued his task. He reached for wine glasses and set them down onto the black granite.
“You always seem surprised. I really don’t get it. You’re friends with my brother. You know how it works. Flash in. Flash out.”
“Yeah well, it appears I’ve picked up another blood sucker.”
“When you put it that way it sounds quite nice. You sure are a sweet talker.”
“If the shoe fits.”
Viktor cocked his head and rolled his eyes, noting Hunter’s lack of clothing. “Wolves.”
“What’s your issue?” Hunter opened the wine vault and sighed. “Hmm. Domaine Leroy Richebourg Grand Cru?”
“The wolf doesn’t wear pants, but he knows his wine.”
“Chateau Petrus Pomeraol?”
“The pinot noir.” Viktor glanced at the cheese and turned his nose upward in disgust.
“Quint cooks. What’s your issue? Food is good.”
“Food was good.” Viktor picked up the pie-shaped chunk of brie, inspecting the package. “My brother doesn’t need food. He’s weak. Insists on cooking this human shit as if he is one. We drink blood. Preferably human. A witch or wolf every now and then is fine, but a human? It’s as natural as you eating this.” He tossed the cheese block onto the counter.
“Don’t let Quint hear you talk that way. He’ll kick your ass.”
>
“He’d try,” he grumbled.
“He would.”
“He depends too much on this human sustenance and now that he’s with Gabriella,” he sighed, “I’m afraid he’s gone even softer.”
“It doesn’t make you weak to eat food.”
“We all make our own choices, Alpha. Vampires are reborn. And the moment it happens, we’re stripped of our human privileges. We must embrace what we’ve become. Adapt or die. If we spend a lifetime remembering or worse, lamenting, the evolution of ourselves, that serves no purpose.”
“No offense but you’re an old dude. You’d think you’d be good with it by now.” Hunter opened a drawer and rummaged through it, searching for a corkscrew.
“Of course I accept it, but I cannot allow myself to reminisce about my human days. They’re over. I’m vampire. It’s all that I am now.”
“Well…ah, found it.” Hunter smiled and held the tool up in the air. “I’m just sayin’ maybe it’s time to let this thing go. Relax a little.”
“Tell me about Willa,” Viktor said, deliberately changing the subject.
“She’s amazing.” Hunter smiled, making quick work of uncorking the bottle.
“Look at me,” Viktor demanded.
“What?” The Alpha shrugged, a silly smile forming on his lips.
“You are like a girl.”
“Girls are amazing.”
“You didn’t?” Viktor sniffed into the air. “You’ve mated, haven’t you?”
Hunter laughed and began opening the cheese.
“You wolves be droppin’ like flies.”
“I didn’t mate her. I marked her. Big difference.”
“So, you peed on her then? I licked her she’s mine sort of thing? You wolves are animals.”
“Fuck off, Vik.”
“Ah well, all of you can live in bliss. Poor me will have to fuck a different hottie every night. I’ll suffer but someone’s gotta do it.” He slid a chair out from the table and sat.
“It’s not like I have control over these things. I didn’t go looking for her. I was looking for your ass.”
“You found ass, that’s for sure. And it wasn’t mine.”
“What’s done is done. The Goddess determines fate, not me. If I hadn’t marked her, my wolf would have gone berserk.”
“You blame it on the animal? Pfft. I’ve seen the way you look at her.”
Hunter grinned and held the bottle up to Viktor. “Do you want a glass?”
Viktor shot him a hard glare.
“I’ll take that as a no.”
“Where is she?”
“Upstairs. She needs to rest. I want her to eat something and get a good night’s sleep before we go tomorrow.”
“The witch?”
“Yes. The witch. Ilsbeth.”
“Friend or foe?”
“Foe. Definitely foe. But she saved you and Willa. So off we go.”
“She’s got a long history of riding the fence. Demons. You play with fire, you get burned.”
“And burned she did. Dimitri almost lost his beast. She did that.”
“Bargained for black magick. There’s always a price.”
“It could’ve killed him.”
“He must have some game in the bedroom to drive a witch like her to do something so batshit crazy.”
“She liked the D.” Hunter shrugged and smiled. “I don’t know. Maybe I shouldn’t be so harsh. It could’ve been more than that, but we all know the score. Including her. Wolves can only mate with wolves. Sometimes a hybrid. But never a witch. Or a human or vampire for that matter. It’s just our nature. If we’re going to breed, which we choose to do when we want, we have to have shifter blood.”
“And your girl?”
Hellfire. “She’s special.”
“Do you care to share why?” A wry smile tugged on Viktor’s lips.
“It’s not my place to tell you.”
“So that’s how it’s gonna be?” Viktor’s gaze went to the ceiling, the sound of footsteps above. “She’ll tell me eventually. I’ve had her blood.”
“That’s all you’re ever going to get,” Hunter growled. The thought of anyone hurting Willa spiked his ire.
“I thought you wolves liked to share,” Viktor countered.
“Yeah, well. Not me.” In truth, Hunter hadn’t considered it but as long as they remained unmated, sharing her with another, even for her pleasure, simply wasn’t an option.
“Pity. She is lovely.”
“Vik. I just got done marking her. It wasn’t exactly very well thought out. It just kind of happened. Can you cut me a break?”
“Perhaps. Depends on the secret.”
“All I can tell you is that the price on her head still stands. The demons will come for her again through these assholes.”
“Demon issues can be solved by demons.”
Hunter stopped mid-slice of the cheese and set the knife down on the counter, turning toward the vampire. “Do not summon a demon. I’m fucking serious, Vik. We will handle this. Ilsbeth…”
“Ilsbeth deals with demons. We don’t even know if she’s clean or what the hell is happening with her.”
“We’ll find out soon enough. Tonight food. Sleep. She’s had a rough go of it.” Julian. “What happened in the jungle…”
“I haven’t found him yet. I looked,” Viktor offered. “There was nothing inside or outside of that building.”
“Are you reading my mind or something?”
“You have your secrets. I have mine.” Viktor flattened a palm onto the table. “He could be in Hell, but he could have flashed somewhere safe. Speaking of which, I sensed that he flashed when we were back at the house. It does leave this tangible energy in the air. We didn’t have time to discuss it, but don’t you find it odd? A wolf with that sort of power? In all my years, I’ve never met a wolf who could do that. A witch every now and then. This wouldn’t have anything to do with Willa would it?”
“If he flashed away, then why isn’t he here right now?” Hunter ignored Viktor’s question. Hellfire. Royals.
“I was able to flash in, but the entire thing had been burnt to a crisp. Fucking demons. Maybe he’s got a tail on him. Can’t shake it and doesn’t want to bring it our way.”
“Hopefully it’s that, because I sure as shit don’t feel like taking another trip to Hell.”
“What was your girl doing in Guatemala anyway?” Viktor set his attention on Hunter, who was carefully arranging crackers onto a plate.
“She got into some trouble.”
“What kind of trouble?”
“Human trouble.”
“They can be quite difficult.”
“The short of it is that she found a rare plant.” Hunter popped a piece of cheese into his mouth and continued. “There was a kid who was going to die, and she used a special serum to save her.”
“And?”
“She used her blood in the serum.” Hunter sighed. “Even you vamps don’t go around saving humans with blood very often.”
“Some have. It’s a rookie mistake. Your girl is no rookie though. And besides, wolf blood won’t do shit to save a human, which means there really is something special about her. And since you’re being cagey, let me guess. It has something to do with her blood.”
“She went to Guatemala to destroy the formula.”
“I’ve had her blood,” Viktor mentioned casually.
“Yes, I know. You said it was tainted. We’ve discussed this.”
“Now I know it was Hell so things are a little fuzzy but there was something about it.” He scratched his head.
“I told you. She has to tell you herself. With Julian missing…” Possibly dead. “Just give her a night before you ask her, okay? Tomorrow we’ll see if Ilsbeth knows if there’s anything we can do to get the price off Willa’s head. She’s neck deep in demon shit and I know she probably has an idea how to deal with them. Assuming Ilsbeth is operating with a full deck. I wasn’t there when you dropped he
r ass off at the coven so who the hell knows? But I know the old Ilsbeth. That one? She knows demons.” He set the cheese plate onto the table. “We should buzz Samantha. She’ll know what’s up.”
“About Ilsbeth. You’re not going to like this bit of news that I have.” Viktor’s voice morphed into a serious tone.
Hunter’s stomach tightened. “What now?”
“Now don’t panic because I did get a text from her.”
“What happened?”
“She refused to stay at the coven and flew the coop.”
Hunter slammed his hand down on the counter, rage tearing through him.
“Easy now. Just listen. She’s going to meet with us.”
“I told you not to take her…”
“Perhaps you were right about that bit but…”
“Where is she?” Hunter demanded.
“I don’t know yet. She’s going to message me the location.”
“I hate that witch.” Hunter exhaled loudly, and reached for his wine, taking a long draw.
“She’s what I’d like to call a necessary evil. But let’s not focus on that tonight. I promise we will meet with her tomorrow or I will track her down myself and drag her back here on her broomstick. Now about Willa. Is she okay with meeting…”
“She,” Hunter went still, hearing the floorboards creak above his head. He pointed upward, “is awake so mind yourself, vamp.”
“I do like her. And not just her blood.” Viktor shrugged. He reached for a piece of cheese and sniffed it. “She’s a fighter.”
“Let’s hope she is.”
“And that means?”
“It means she’s going to be pack.”
“Ah, you beasts are all about dominance. I suppose we are the same. But we aren’t loyal to a band of vampires.”
“Kade is.”
“Yes. He rules New Orleans, but in general, ancients like me? I have no time for assholes. I just kill them. Listen or die. Easy choice.”
“She’s coming. I…” Hunter lost his words as a white wolf padded into the kitchen. He smiled, admiring her confident stride.
“She shows herself again,” Viktor commented as she passed by him.
“My beautiful wolf.” Hunter reached for her as she approached him, running his fingers over her fur. “Are you hungry?”
