by Viola Rivard
Wolves of the Cordilleras. The gold embossed letters glittered in the candlelight. Mila stared at it thoughtfully before tossing the clothes into the bag and zipping it back up.
The urge to clean inexplicably passed, and all she wanted was to go back up to the main room with her daughter and her mates.
Her family.
Mila would never forget Marie du Luponte, her mate, Rein, and the incredible story of their lives together. But she didn’t need that story anymore. Her own life was infinitely more amazing.
Part Seven
Mated to the Alphas
1
F or the first time in months, Caim was completely at ease. It was the last day before River was due to return, bringing with him all the annoyances of the past year, and Caim had decided to dedicate this final, peaceful day solely to his pup.
He sat in the grassy field with Dawn in his lap and Mila by his side. As usual, Mila was talking about something unimportant, but he did not let it disturb his peace. Caim had long since accepted that his mate would never understand the value of silence, so instead, he had learned how to tune her out.
Sometimes, he enjoyed the things that she had to say. She had a strange way of thinking that had always amused Caim, and she was one of the few people who possessed the ability to make him laugh. Today, however, he was not interested in anything but his daughter.
It had been nine months since Dawn was born. There were many frustrating and aggravating things that had plagued him in the past months, but she had never been one of them. His daughter was the one thing in his life that always made him happy.
Dawn had shifted just before her second month, much to his mate’s dismay. She had shifted back a handful of times, but in her third month, she had given up on her human form altogether, favoring her stronger and more mobile wolf form.
It was normal for their kind, and he knew that in a few months, when she would be able to start walking and talking in her human form, she would favor that form once more. He looked forward to speaking with his daughter, but he knew better than to take this time for granted. She was growing faster than he could keep up with, and he already felt as though he was missing too much of her youth.
Dawn had her paws on his chest. His pup was just big enough to lick his face, provided he was sitting and she was standing on her hind legs. She had her grandfather’s russet fur and her mother’s chocolate eyes. Caim had never particularly favored the color brown, but he was growing fonder of it every day.
Recognizing a shift in Mila’s tone of voice, he tuned back in to catch the tail end of her one-sided conversation.
“…but then again, I never really liked ecology. Oh, Dawn, look, there’s another one.”
The pup whipped her head around to see where her mother was pointing. Caim looked as well, gazing out across the field.
Spring was in full bloom on the mountainside and brought with it all of the colors that had lain dormant during winter. The field was lush with green grass and flowers of more hues than he could name. Even the sky seemed different. The steel gray of winter had been replaced with an expanse of gold and blue.
At first, Caim thought his mate was pointing at a flower. It was an unassuming white weed, and upon closer inspection, he noticed an orange butterfly fluttering around it.
“They’re migratory butterflies. They fly south, just like the birds do.”
As Mila spoke, Dawn climbed down from his lap and sunk down low into the grass. Slowly, she approached the flower.
His mate placed a hand on his thigh. “Look, how cute,” she cooed. “I think she—oh, god!”
Mila shot up to snatch Dawn from the grass. Cradling the pup in one arm, she tried to pry Dawn’s mouth open. Ever the obedient pup, she opened wide for her mother, but the butterfly had already been swallowed.
Recognizing Mila’s distress, Caim resisted the urge to praise his daughter. It was not the first bug she had caught, and he wondered how his mate would react if she knew about the mouse …. Some things were best left unsaid.
“We don’t eat butterflies,” Mila said and tapped Dawn’s nose for emphasis. The pup just stared back at her in confusion, and Caim empathized with his daughter. He had never liked being told what he could and could not eat.
Hooking an arm around Mila’s legs, he tugged her into his lap. She let out a cry of surprise, but then laughed as he nuzzled her neck. She smelled as perfect as ever, though today, her scent bore the heady, underlying fragrance of her impending heat. Another day, perhaps two, and she would be fertile again.
It would be the second time since Dawn’s birth that Mila had been fertile. The first time had been nearly a month ago, and it was not something Caim would soon forget. Neither he nor Asch had anticipated her heat until her scent had begun to change.
Late one afternoon, Caim had awoken to find his body drawn tight with lust. It was not unusual for him to wake up stiff and ready to mate. Oftentimes, when Mila was asleep, Caim could ignore his urges, but that day, he had not been able to.
When he had rolled over to take his fill of her, Caim had been annoyed to find Asch already pawing at her breasts. Anger had surged through Caim at the sight, and before he could stop himself, his hand had been wrapped around Asch’s throat.
They had fought. It had been a bad fight—lots of blood. Caim had won, but Mila had not been impressed. She had forced them both out of their room for days. For Caim, it had been hell.
“She’s growing up so quickly,” Mila said, bringing him back to the present.
Dawn had wriggled away from them and now hopped around the field, looking more like a rabbit than a wolf pup.
“Yes,” Caim agreed, his lips twitching. “She will be hunting in no time.”
Mila let out a huff. “Oh, no, she won’t be.”
“Why not?”
Mila sat up in his lap and straightened out her skirt. “She’s a little girl. Little girls don’t hunt.”
“She is a wolf pup,” Caim replied, his lips flattening.
Dawn let out a high-pitched bark, drawing their attention. Caim watched, momentarily amused by the sight of his daughter barking at a fat beetle.
“I guess you’re right,” Mila conceded, though she did not sound pleased.
Caim squeezed her thigh and ignored the tightening in his groin. “It is your nature, as a human female, to be overly attached to your young. Wolf pups do not need so much coddling. The best thing for you now is to simply have another pup.”
It was a completely reasonable suggestion, and Caim was frustrated to see that his mate looked remarkably displeased with him.
“That’s your solution?” she asked, giving him an incredulous look. For a moment, she seemed as though she was going to argue, but to Caim’s relief, she merely sighed and said, “Talon says all this puppy stuff is just a phase. She’ll stop wanting to shift soon. Then, hopefully, we can start working on making her a normal little girl.”
Caim would have informed her that Dawn was perfectly normal, but there was one thing he could not get past.
“When did he tell you this?” he questioned.
His mate shrugged. “I dunno. Maybe last week?”
“Where was I?”
She shrugged again. “I dunno. Hunting?”
His eyes narrowed. “You should not be around him when I am not present.”
“So you keep telling me,” she said, rolling her eyes.
He hated when she rolled her eyes at him, almost as much as he hated when she was around Talon.
Talon hailed from Blackthorn, a wolf pack that had once neighbored the Lazarus territory. His father had been alpha, and after his premature death, Talon had assumed the mantle of leadership. Within a few months, the pack had been broken apart by rebellious wolves. In the end, Talon had sought sanctuary among the Lazarus pack, where he was proving to be a very aggravating thorn in Caim’s side.
Caim folded his arms across his chest. “You should know, we are making arrangements for him to retake hi
s territory.”
“I know. It’s all everyone’s been talking about.” She placed a hand on his arm. “You really shouldn’t be so jealous. He’s just a boy.”
Hardly.
“I am not jealous. He is an alpha, and as such, he has no place in my den.”
She pursed her lips. “Asch is here and the two of you get along just fine.”
“That is different,” he said firmly. “Asch is my friend and we share a mate. I will not share you with Talon.”
Mila snorted. “He’s like, seventeen. He’s not interested in me like that.”
“I was taking females when I was far younger than that.”
“Seriously?” she asked, then held up a hand. “Wait, don’t answer that. You know, Talon’s been through a lot. He’s probably way more mature than you were at his age.”
“Do not say that as if you know anything about me.”
Her face fell, and Caim immediately felt a stab of guilt. He had not meant to be so short with her. Anytime the subject of Talon came up, Caim’s temper frayed. It was especially worse now that her scent was starting to change again.
Perhaps he was jealous.
His mate looked away, rubbing the back of her neck. “You’re right,” she murmured. “It’s kind of crazy. We’ve been together for almost two years, and we have a daughter together, but …”
Mila looked back at Caim, her brows drawn together. “Sometimes I feel like we don’t know each other at all.”
She looked so sad, and Caim knew it was his fault. He wanted to say the words that would make her feel better. But it was as she had said—there was still a great deal they did not know about one another.
He must have been silent for too long, because she gave him a weak smile before climbing from his lap. She called out to Dawn, but the pup was too busy chasing a grasshopper to be bothered.
Caim reached out and gave her hand a squeeze.
“I will watch her.”
She squeezed back, but he did not feel reassured. “Thanks, big guy.”
2
A sch could tell that Mila had been chewing her lips. They were soft, slightly reddened, and plump. He watched them move as she spoke, picturing them fastened around his cock.
For the first time in months, he was glad that Mila now forced them to wear pants around the den. He felt himself swelling inside of his jeans and was glad she didn’t realize how much he wanted to be inside of her.
Against his better judgment, he continued his perusal of her body. Her thick, chestnut hair was tied in a neat bun on top of her head. One curly strand coiled downward and grazed the crook of her neck.
The spring sun had warmed her skin to a rich honey color, and Asch ran his tongue against the back of his teeth, yearning to lick and taste his mate.
Her thin sweater dipped low, revealing generous cleavage. He swallowed hard when he noticed the slight outline of her nipples beneath the taut fabric.
“Asch.”
His eyes flew up to meet Mila’s disgruntled gaze. He gave her his most charming smile and tried to pretend as though he didn’t want to jump her.
“Yes?”
They sat on the fur pallet in their bedroom where Mila had taken him no less than twenty minutes ago. When she had accosted him on his way out to hunt, Asch had assumed that she wanted to sleep with him. He was not typically one to shirk his responsibilities, but for Mila, he could always make an exception.
“Did you hear anything I just said?” she asked, frowning.
He took a shot in the dark. “You are angry with Caim.”
Mila glowered at him. “It’s even more annoying when you guess right.”
Knowing he wasn’t going to talk himself out of this one, Asch decided to try his luck once again. Without warning, he pushed her back on the furs and pressed the hard length of his body against her.
“I’m sorry,” he said and rested his forehead on hers. “I just can’t stop thinking about how much I want to be inside of you.”
Mila blushed, but didn’t fully give in. “Can we talk a little first?”
Trying to hide his disappointment, Asch nodded and rolled off her. He propped himself up with his arm. “Okay, I’m listening.”
Mila smiled and turned to face him. “Caim thinks that I should just accept the fact that Dawn acts more like a dog than a little girl.” Her brow wrinkled. “He thinks I should give up on trying to raise her and just have another baby. Isn’t that ridiculous?”
Asch scratched his jaw and tried to think of a diplomatic answer. He was fairly certain that, as usual, Mila had misinterpreted something Caim had said. Typically, he was able to smooth things over between the two of them. Today, he wasn’t so sure it would be possible.
While his mind tried to piece things together, his body was still hard and craved her. With the mating thrall only days away, her body was already secreting pheromones that drove his hormones crazy. Every moment with her was a war against his animal instincts.
Even more troubling than that, though, was the fact that he didn’t want to talk Mila out of having another baby—just the opposite.
The last thrall had been a complete bust. He and Caim had fought worse than they ever had before. Mila had been scared and upset, and she had pushed them both away for weeks. It had been four weeks, to be precise. The only other time they had gone that long without having sex was after Dawn was born, and even then, they had done other things.
Now, Asch was determined not only to have her during this thrall—but to have her all to himself.
“Caim isn’t always the most articulate person,” Asch began slowly, not entirely sure where he was going with it. “But … I think what we both have to consider is that his perspective is different.”
Mila cocked her head. “What do you mean?”
“We’ve all been raised differently. You grew up in the city, with human parents. You lived in a house, went to school, had friends, and so on. I was raised by a human mother who was always afraid that people would find out what I was. I grew up having to pretend to be human, being afraid to shift …”
Asch trailed off. The memories of his past seemed to help quell his persistent erection.
Regaining his focus, he continued, “Caim’s the only one of the three of us who knows what it’s like to grow up as a wolf. I imagine Dawn’s childhood will be a lot like his, so I really think we should give him the benefit of the doubt.”
Asch was pleased that he had actually managed to make a valid point. Mila, however, did not look satisfied.
“I don’t know,” she said, shaking her head. “I really feel like I’m screwing things up with her. Sometimes I think …”
When she didn’t finish her thought, Asch reached out to cup her chin. He brushed his thumb over her bottom lip. It was every bit as soft as it looked, and he felt himself grow hard again.
He leaned down and brushed his lips against hers. His pulse quickened as her mouth parted for him to allow him to slip his tongue into her warm depths. She let out a low moan, and Asch responded with an appreciative growl.
Moving his hands to her hips, he rocked his hard, aching cock against her pelvis. He smelled her arousal, and it excited his wolf.
Asch was working on undoing his pants when he became aware of approaching footsteps. He growled again, this time in agitation, and pulled back.
Mila’s eyes were wide with fear, and Asch immediately forgot his anger.
“It’s okay.” He said stroked her hair. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
He wanted to pretend the incident last month hadn’t had any lasting effects on their relationship, but the fact that none of them had mated since was evidence enough. Mila was, at least on some level, afraid of them.
She shook her head and placed her hand over his. “No, it’s okay. I just got a little spooked, that’s all.”
Asch didn’t want to leave it at that, but a second later, Brae rounded the corner. She took in their positions and winced apologetically.
/> “River and the others are back. He’s waiting to speak with you. It seems urgent.”
Asch looked back to Mila. She patted him on the shoulder. “You should go. It was wrong of me to hold you up anyway.”
He sighed and nodded, climbing off his mate. Offering his hand, he pulled her up and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
“We’ll talk more later. I promise.”
She smiled. “Sure thing.”
3
“A nd then, do you know what he said to me?” Mila asked as she paced back and forth.
“What?”
Mila puffed out her chest in her best Caim impersonation. “‘It is your nature to be overly attached to your young. You should just have another pup.’ As if I’m supposed to just accept that my nine-month-old eats butterflies and sniffs people’s butts.”
She looked heavenward and let out a sigh of frustration. Talon reached out and clasped her hand.
“You’re wearing a ditch into the ground. Come sit.”
His golden eyes sparkled with amusement, and Mila couldn’t help but laugh at herself.
“You’re right,” she said and took a seat next to him on the fallen tree trunk. “I’m sorry I’m unloading all of this on you. I’ve been bottling it all up since you left. I haven’t had anyone else to talk to.”
Talon smirked. “Is that your way of saying you missed me?”
Mila nodded and reached to muss up his silvery hair. “I missed you.”
She was embarrassed to admit just how much. Sometime in the months since Dawn was born, Talon had become her very best friend.
While Mila had been relishing in the birth of her newborn baby, Talon had been burying his little brother, who had died from an infected gunshot wound. Talon had come to seek help from the Lazarus pack, but he had come too late.
After the death of Talon’s brother, his sisters and the two elderly pack mates he had brought with him were permitted to stay. Caim, however, was adamant that Talon be made to leave. Maybe it was just her new-baby hormones, but Mila had taken pity on him. He was a teenage boy who had, in the span of a year, lost both of his parents, and then failed to hold together his pack. To top it all off, he also felt responsible for the death of his little brother. She had never seen someone look so broken, and she was afraid that if he left, Talon would take his own life. So, she had advocated for him to stay.
