Her Wolf: A Why Choose Urban Fantasy Romance (Silver Shifter Book 1)

by Katherine Bogle

  “About that,” I said.

  “What about it?” he asked, drawing back a little. “We claimed each other. Our blood mingled. There can be no doubt in anyone’s mind, no matter what Maximus would prefer.”

  That was true—just not the whole truth. I knew that Maximus would definitely prefer to be my only mate. And yet, he wasn’t.

  Inside me, my wolf was lounging happily, satisfied at last. Finally, I understood what she’d been trying to tell me all along. I had accepted Maximus first because it was obvious and expected that the Silver Shifter was the mate of the alpha of her clan. But it was more complicated than that.

  Because I wasn’t simply supposed to be with the expected alpha, or even to choose one of the other alphas as a mate. I was supposed to choose all four.

  16

  Ariana

  I woke up to sunlight shining on my face. With a groan, I untangled myself from Cash. I could use a serious dose of mouthwash. Or a whole bottle.

  It took me a second to realize where we were—curled up on the leather seat of his Ferrari in the middle of a field. And it was daylight.

  Fuck.

  “Cash,” I said, shaking his shoulder. “We need to get back. They’re going to kill us.”

  He opened his eyes and smiled, his dark hair mussed from sleep. He reached for me, but I swatted his hand away.

  “Seriously, we have to get back,” I said. I could feel Maximus's distress through our pack bond, and worse, his despair.

  “If they’re going to kill us anyway…” Cash said with a grin.

  “I mean it,” I said, taking his hand and giving him a pleading look. “Take me back.”

  As Cash climbed in the driver’s seat, I closed my eyes and opened my mind to Maximus.

  I’m okay. I’m on my way back.

  “He would have come and found you if you were in danger,” Cash said. “He knew you were okay.”

  “I know,” I said. “But…”

  I couldn’t explain to Cash how much it hurt to hurt my alpha. His pain was my pain, and knowing I’d caused it only made it worse. I was pretty sure my wolf was right about my mates. Cash was my mate, and so was Owen, and even Jett, who I barely knew. But Maximus was my alpha.

  We were wolves, and even though my wolf had somehow been destined for four mates, I was still part of Maximus's pack. He was the only one of them who could command me, thank heaven for small favors. I didn’t even like him doing it, and I couldn’t imagine being under the command of all four of them.

  When we got back to the city, Cash turned to me.

  “Let me handle Maximus,” he said. “This is between us.”

  “This? You mean me.” I narrowed my eyes.

  He quirked an eyebrow. “I guess I do mean you.”

  “So how about you let me handle Maximus?”

  “I have more experience in that department.”

  “True,” I said. “But somehow I think I can diffuse the situation in ways you can’t.”

  He shot me a frown. “What ways?”

  I sighed. “Let me talk to him, okay? And then you can do your little dance for dominance.”

  “Little dance?” he asked with a smirk. “Like a cha-cha?”

  “Whatever you want to call it,” I said, turning to the window to hide my smile. I was glad Cash was acting so normal, like nothing had happened. Not awkward, like we were avoiding the topic of the night before, but like nothing had changed. As distracted as I was, I didn’t think I was up for heavy declarations. Still, he was so normal it made me wonder again how often he did this. It might have been just another night of crazy sex for him. For me, it had been a night I’d never forget as long as I lived.

  When we got out of the car, I was reminded of it with every step I took. I was really fucking sore. It hurt worse now than it had the night before.

  When we got in the elevator, Cash pulled me close and gave me a lingering kiss. My heart was already racing, and the kiss just made it worse.

  “Don’t tell me you’re doubting what happened last night,” he said.

  “No,” I said. “But…can we talk about this later?”

  I could only handle one mate at a time right now. My head was still spinning with the realization that I had four. Four. How the hell was I going to juggle them all? Although from the waves of fury coming through the pack bond from Maximus, I thought he might just kill the other three and take care of the problem once and for all.

  And then we’d have an all-out war on our hands.

  Shit. Wasn’t I supposed to smooth things over between the clans and make peace? How the hell was getting tangled up with all four of the alphas going to accomplish that?

  The second we stepped out of the elevator, Maximus launched himself out of his chair and grabbed my arm, pulling me to him. “You’re going to pay for this,” he growled over my shoulder at Cash, his voice murderously calm.

  “Maximus, it’s okay,” I said, gripping his upper arms with both hands. “He didn’t do anything wrong. He didn’t hurt me.”

  “I know that,” Maximus said, still staring at Cash, his eyes flashing molten gold. “I would have found you and killed him.”

  “Trust me, I didn’t do anything to Ari that she didn’t want,” Cash said with an easy grin.

  Maximus lunged forward, but when I blocked his way, he let me stop him. I pushed him back, flattening my hands against his ripped chest. His muscles were tensed so hard they shook under my palms.

  “He’s right,” I said, swallowing hard.

  Maximus took a deep breath, his nostrils flaring. Pain rippled through our bond. “I’m glad you’re back, Silver Shifter,” he said. Then he turned and stalked off.

  My throat tightened, though I knew from my years in the cages that crying did nothing but show people how to hurt you more. But Max… He was my mate. And he hadn’t looked at me once, not even when he’d spoken to me. I couldn’t stop the ache of tears at the back of my eyes, but I refused to shed them. I wanted to collapse into the boxy leather chair he’d set up to watch the elevator and wait for our return, but I couldn’t leave things like this for even one more minute. The gulf that had opened between us was unbearable.

  Cash caught my arm and pulled me in. “We can break the news to him together.”

  “No,” I said. “I need to do this.”

  He shrugged and released me. “If you need me, I’ll be in the garage. The Ferrari’s not used to jumping ditches. I better make sure she’s okay.”

  I turned and squared my shoulders, taking a deep breath before starting down the hall. I felt like I was marching down death row. If this was how the whole Silver Shifter thing was going to be, I wasn’t sure I wanted any part of it. Smoothing things over between alphas was not fun. And how was I supposed to know how? Making peace was the exact opposite of what I’d been doing for the past decade.

  I stopped at the door to the guest room where Maximus had gone. “Maximus?” I said. “Can I come in?”

  Nothing.

  “Seriously?” I said. “I know you’re there. I can feel you through our bond, too. Don’t you think this is a little immature?”

  The door swung open and Maximus grabbed me and pulled me inside, shutting the door hard behind me. “Immature?” he growled. “You took off without telling anyone, in a city where we were attacked just a week ago. We barely fended off a vampire attack with all three of us there to protect you. And then you come waltzing back in and expect me to pretend nothing is wrong?”

  He was breathing hard, his eyes flashing gold at me like a warning. My own wolf leapt to the surface, ready to fight back. “I’m not asking you to pretend,” I said, determined to keep my cool and be the mature one for once. “I’m sorry I worried you.”

  “Are you?” he demanded. “Because I didn’t feel much remorse coming through. You did whatever you wanted, laughing at our concern while you ran straight into the face of danger.”

  Forget keeping my cool. I wasn’t going to let him talk to me that way
.

  “Well, excuse me for doing something I wanted for once in my life,” I shot back. “I haven’t gotten a chance to be selfish for one fucking minute in the last decade. I think I’m a little overdue.”

  “This isn’t just about you,” Maximus roared. “You need to think about the pack. About all four clans. You’re not just a pit fighter anymore. You’re the Silver Shifter.”

  “I never asked to be your fucking savior,” I yelled back at him. My wolf was raging to get out, to rip him apart for accosting me.

  “You don’t get to make that choice,” Maximus said, his voice low and even. “You already are.”

  His words sent a bucket of ice water cascading over me, instantly cooling my anger and sobering me to the reality I faced. I’d run off and had fun last night, but I couldn’t escape this. Like it or not, I was their damn Silver Shifter.

  “Well,” I said after a long moment of silence. “I’m sorry I put your Silver Shifter in danger and made you worry about your future alliances.”

  “I wasn’t worried about our future alliances,” Maximus said. “I was worried about you.”

  We stood there staring each other down for a minute.

  “You slept with him,” he said, his eyes hard.

  I didn’t know what else to say, so I just nodded. “Yes.”

  “You’re my mate,” he growled, his voice harsh with anger and pain. He grabbed my shoulders and glared at me like he wanted to shake me. “Do you hear that? You’re not his to touch, to claim, to take. You’re mine.” His mouth crashed down against mine so hard I could feel my teeth cutting into my lip.

  My wolf growled with pleasure, and my arms circled Maximus's body. His neck arched as he leaned down to kiss me, his hands pressing into the small of my back, drawing me hard against him. But when I opened my mouth for his tongue, he pulled away. His eyes searched mine, the anguish clear in his gaze.

  “If you know I’m your mate, if you feel this way about me, then how could you—” His voice broke, and he stopped speaking, his eyes cutting away from mine.

  I took his chin in my hand and turned his face back to me. “Because,” I said. “He’s my mate, too. I let you into my head, Maximus. You know that.”

  “It’s not possible.”

  “I know,” I said. “But it’s true.”

  “Cash knows better than that,” Maximus said through clenched teeth, his hands curling into fists. “And you… No matter how new you are to this, you know what it means to be someone’s mate. It’s instinctual. I would never go behind your back with another woman.”

  Tears sprang to my eyes, pain cutting through me at his words. I’d expected his anger, but his hurt was harder to bear.

  “I didn’t go behind your back,” I said.

  “No,” he said. “You rubbed it in my face.”

  “I didn’t,” I said, swiping at a tear.

  “You shut me out all week, but when you’re with him, you let me in. What do you call that?”

  I gulped past the ache clenching my throat shut. “I wanted you to know why.”

  “There’s nothing to excuse what you’ve done, Ariana.”

  “You don’t understand,” I said, a tear trickling down my cheek.

  Maximus swallowed hard a few times, and then he stepped over and pulled me into his arms. His chest was tense, his body stiff even as he held me. I fisted my hand in his shirt, choking on my sobs.

  “You’re right,” Maximus said, his voice softer now. “I don’t understand. But I’m your mate, and what you did doesn’t change that. Nothing can.”

  “There’s no way out of it,” I said, lifting my teary face. “Right? Once your wolf chooses a mate, it doesn’t matter what they do. You’re bound together for life.”

  “Yes,” Maximus said. The sadness in his voice tore at my heart. Did he want a different mate? Did he wish his wolf had chosen someone else?

  “Well, if you want the truth, it hurt like hell,” I said. “I hope you’re happy.”

  Maximus's eyes flashed yellow. “He hurt you? I’m going to fucking kill him.”

  “No,” I cried, grabbing his arm. I could feel a vein in his upper arm pulsing hard and fast with anger. “I—I wanted him to.”

  “You wanted him to hurt you?” Maximus asked, his fiery eyes fixing on my face.

  “I wanted him to—no, I wanted to claim him. My wolf claimed him as her mate, Maximus. Like you said, it can’t be undone.”

  “That can’t be,” he said, his voice choked. For a second, I thought he’d cry, too.

  “She’s been telling me all along,” I whispered. “But I was confused by your stupid Silver Shifter traditions, and I haven’t been listening to her. But Maximus, I’m not just your mate.”

  “What are you saying, Ari?” he asked, and I could feel the hurt twisting his heart.

  Fresh tears sprang to my eyes. Seeing him in pain was almost enough to make me take it back. Almost. But I couldn’t deny my true feelings, not even for one of my mates.

  “I’m saying I have two mates. I don’t know how it’s possible, but my wolf hasn’t released her claim on you. I have more than one mate, that’s all.” I tried to say it gently to placate him, but Maximus's shoulders tensed, letting me know my easy tone had not softened him.

  He stared down at me like he didn’t trust me, like I was a stranger. “Is that all?”

  “No,” I admitted, suddenly trembling under his gaze. “Owen is my mate, too. And…maybe Jett, too. I don’t know for sure, but my wolf wanted to claim you all when you were together that day.”

  He gulped, cords of muscle standing out in his neck. “Anyone else?”

  I shook my head, tears rising in my eyes again. “No.”

  “So I get one fourth of a mate.”

  “No,” I said, shaking my head hard. “Claiming them doesn’t make my claim to you any less strong. In fact, it seems to be getting stronger. I feel things for you that I didn’t when it was just us. I’m your mate, Maximus. Never doubt that.”

  “I never have.” His face softened, and he reached up and stroked my hair behind my ears and then cupped my face between his hands. He ran his thumbs across my cheeks, drying my tears.

  “And you’re my mate, Maximus,” I said, raising my eyes to his. “My first mate.”

  He let out a soft snort as if he didn’t believe me.

  I clutched his forearms, but he dropped his hands to my shoulders and simply stared into my eyes, dropping his shield so I could feel the turmoil of emotion rolling through him like storm-tossed waves.

  “Are you mad at me?” I whispered, my heart twisting with anguish.

  “No,” he said quietly. “I’m hurt that you chose Cash to be your first.”

  His honestly punched straight at my heart. I squeezed my eyes closed, another tear leaking from under my lid and sliding down my cheek. “I didn’t. It just happened. You are all equal to my wolf. She doesn’t care about first or second. She just wants. She’s an animal.”

  “So am I. But you don’t see me losing control and—” His voice broke, and he took a breath before finishing. “Hurting you.”

  “Then show me what it’s like when it doesn’t hurt,” I said, stepping into his arms. “I claimed you first, Maximus. Now claim me.”

  A primal, animal growl rumbled somewhere deep in his throat, and he scooped me up and strode to the bed. He rolled over me, pulling me toward him so we lay facing each other. His lips skimmed over my cheeks, kissing away the dampness left from my tears. I tugged at his shirt, drawing it up. He sat up and peeled it off, dropping it onto the floor before reaching for mine. After peeling it off he hesitated, his eyes widening slightly as he took in my bare skin and the simple white bra I wore.

  And though he hadn’t even touched me, I suddenly felt exposed and naïve, more naked than I’d felt when Cash had been beside me. I reached for Maximus, pulling him down on top of me. The enticing scent of my first true mate surrounded me. An instinctual need had risen within me, a need to close the
gulf that had opened between us. When his bare skin touched mine, I gasped at the shock of intimacy.

  Maximus drew me closer, his mouth finding mine, tasting it. His warm hands slid up my bare back, pinching the clasp of my bra to unhook it. A second later, he drew it slowly down my arm. A tremor of need shimmered through me when the cool air brushed over my bare nipple, and it hardened instantly. A soft moan escaped my throat, entering Maximus's mouth. He groaned and ran his hand up my side, cupping my breast.

  His warm hand massaged gently, his tongue sliding against mine in a slow, erotic rhythm as his thumb caressed my nipple . Heat built in my core, and I raked my nails down his back, relishing the shiver that rippled over his skin at my touch. Maximus pulled his hand back a bit, skimming the tip of my nipple with his palm until it tightened almost painfully. He pinched it between his finger and thumb, pulsing with the rhythm of his tongue. My clit throbbed, and I arched up, pressing my bare skin to his, aching for more. Drawing my knees up, I wrapped my legs around his hips, a shudder of pleasure wracking my body as his rigid length pressed between my thighs.

  Being with him felt so right, so good after the distance between us all week. I dropped my head back with a sigh, letting his lips play over my chin, down my neck. Shivers raced across my skin as his mouth moved down, his lips and teeth and tongue pulling and biting gently, expertly dancing along the line between pleasure and pain. At last, I didn’t think I could stand another moment. I slid my hand between us, gripping his thick cock through his pants.

  “I want you inside me,” I whispered.

  Growling, Maximus drew away and sat up, unbuttoning my jeans and quickly tugging them down over my hips, my knees, and finally my feet. He dropped them onto the floor as if forgotten, his eyes fixed on the tangle of hair at the apex of my thighs. His lids lowered halfway, his eyes clouded with lust. Kneeling on the mattress, he lifted my feet to his shoulders.

  I squirmed toward him, wanting to close the distance between us as quickly as Cash had the night before. But Maximus had other plans. He ran his hands from my ankles to my knees, then down my thighs, parting them further.