Red's Wolf

by Piper J. Drake

  The growling reached her then, not a menacing growl, but a low rumbling from deep in his chest. She heard him struggle to speak clearly, his voice rough. "You need to tell me you want this, Red."

  If she opened her eyes, she'd be caught by his stare like a rabbit, and the words she wanted to say wouldn't come. Instead, she kept her eyes closed and turned her head, catching one of his fingers in her teeth and nipping gently. Another growl answered her move, and brought a smile to her lips. She flicked her tongue out to lick the place she’d lightly bitten, not apprehensive anymore.

  He slid his hand under her hair to grip the nape of her neck, the touch warm and slightly rough, encouraging her to tilt her head back even farther. He bent to kiss her then, his mouth sealing over hers with inexorable pressure, his tongue licking gently until she opened for him. He explored, tasting her with long strokes of his tongue, stoking the fire building slowly inside her until he coaxed a moan from her throat.

  Their lips parted for a moment, and her breath came in soft huffs. When he didn't kiss her again, she experienced a pang of panic. Hadn't he enjoyed it? Maybe he changed his mind. Her eyes flew open and immediately filled with the sight of his steel grey eyes hovering over hers.

  "Look at me, Red." His voice barely more than a husky whisper, with a tender tone she’d never heard before. "I want to be sure you're right here with me."

  She couldn't think of anything or anyone else. Her here-and-now consisted solely of him with his scent of snow and woods, and the musk specifically his. She met his eyes steadily, letting him see, allowing the maelstrom of emotion he created into her gaze.

  He smiled then, a real smile touching his sensuous lips. He dropped a kiss on the bridge of her nose and then moved lower to cover her mouth in drifting kisses, interchanging with playful nibbles until he filled with want and a touch of frustration. Sitting up in her chair, she captured his mouth and deepened the kiss. She reached up, sliding her fingers into the short black hair at the back of his head as she tried to hold him. A flare of determination leaped up as she went after what she wanted. She was no timid little rabbit.

  He chuckled into her mouth, sweeping his tongue across hers in a kiss so deep, she lost all grasp on anything beyond the feel of their mouths against each other. They fed from each other, their tongues tangling and exploring, taking and giving in to something much more carnal than any kiss she’d ever experienced.

  Abruptly, he ended it, and she muttered a curse. He laughed then, swinging her chair around and lifting her out of the chair as easily as if she weighed nothing. Setting her on the counter, he pressed between her legs and sliding his hands along her hips up to the curve of her behind, pulling her close as he kissed her again, a soul-searching kiss leaving her breathless and aching with need. She clung to his shoulders for balance when he released her mouth, as he dragged his lips in a burning trail down her jaw and the line of her neck. His strong hands moved in steady strokes, pressing against the curve of her lower back and encouraging her body to fit against his. The heavy length of his cock, rock hard under his jeans, pressed snug between her legs.

  "Jason." She didn't know if she whispered his name or shouted it. She only wanted—wanted him with every cell of her body so badly she began to tremble.

  He froze then, his head shot up and turned towards the door. A moment of tense silence, and then he turned to drop a light kiss on her forehead before disentangling himself and striding toward the door. Clutching the edge of the counter, her knees pressed together and her body tense from the interruption, she scowled. Needless to say, she was less than happy. Freaking understatement. "What?"

  "We've got a visitor." He tossed the words over his shoulder as he unlatched the door and swung it open.

  A burst of frigid air swept in as the open door revealed Bradley standing there with a basket. He grinned, his eyes searching the room and immediately fastening on Carri. "Brought you a snack from Jenna, with lunch for later." He stepped in and paused, his nostrils flaring as he took in the scents in the room.

  She flushed in embarrassment. The whole scent thing really had her at a disadvantage. Then she straightened, seeing Jason's face turn blank. She wasn't ashamed of what they were doing, and wanted to be sure Jason knew it. "Thank you, Bradley, but you really didn't have to. Jason would have taken care of me."

  "Right." Bradley said the word slowly, his eyes turning golden as his temper rose up in his face and a snarl grew in his throat. "The stray shouldn't be 'taking care' of you. That's something for one of the pack."

  Jason said nothing, but his eyes turned silver, his posture coiling in subtle preparation as he faced Bradley.

  Oh no, they were not about to have a fight over her right there in the surveillance tower. She slid off the counter to her feet with an audible stomp. There wasn't enough space for two shape- shifter wolves, and they might destroy delicate equipment.

  "Last I heard, I'm entitled to my choice, Bradley." Her annoyance colored her voice, even though Bradley definitely concentrated on Jason. Neither male paid attention to her anymore. Her temper shot past annoyed to pissed. "Fine, if you two aren't interested in what I have to say, take it the hell outside so you don't damage my equipment in here."

  "As my lady wishes." Bradley's voice strangled, the words mocking her.

  "She's not your lady." Jason snarled, finally breaking his silence.

  "Let's not do this." She actually started to feel a hint of fear. Shapeshifters could do a serious amount of damage to each other. She had no way to stop them from hurting each other and no way to stay clear. Her heart froze at the thought of Jason hurt. If she tried to intervene, she was much more likely to put herself in need of medical attention or worse, get him hurt even more if she got in the way.

  She knew the instant Jason's attention sharpened on her, even though he didn't take his eyes away from Bradley, and realized he must have scented her fear. She clamped down on it, knowing it would only make things worse, but he drew himself up and forcibly relaxed his posture.

  He gave Bradley an aggressive smile full of teeth. "No worries, Carri, Bradley is just in time to help me install the first sensor array we were talking about, isn't he? It'll take two to get it up and into position."

  They’d reached some sort of a male moment. After a hesitation, Bradley relaxed his posture too. He returned Jason's smile with one of his own, his jaw clenched so hard, she heard his teeth grinding. "Sure. Let's get the thing outside."

  In complete accord, the two of them lifted the sensor array and left the building. She wasn't fooled. She stalked over to the comm set and dialed up Jenna.

  "Carri?" Jenna's voice was surprised.

  "What's with Bradley showing up today?" Carri tried to keep it civil, but she knew some of her temper leaked into her voice. "I thought we'd had a talk yesterday."

  "Bradley's over there?" Genuine surprise. "I sent the basket over with Ben today."

  "Ah, hell." Carri figured Ben wasn't going to be happy with her choice, but she hadn't thought he would do something quite so domineering. She should have. As alpha, he embodied dominant male. "They took themselves outside."

  A fraction of a second passed in consideration, and then Jenna stated in a grim voice, "I'll track down Ben and send him to pick up Bradley. You stay inside until he gets there. Your presence will only ramp up their aggression."

  "Fantastic." Carri's voice dripped with sarcasm as she disconnected the call. Of course, Jason and Bradley might rip each other to shreds before Ben got there.

  Jason walked side by side with Bradley, not out of some false camaraderie, but because neither trusted the other at his back.

  "Let's get this installed first." Jason was not about to make himself into a liar. The animal aspect of him simmered below the surface, barely restrained and tired of the other male. Hell, not only Bradley, but every pack male who sneered in Jason's direction over the years. There had never been a reason before to engage the old anger, but now it stood between him and a very fragile thi
ng. It had been a long time, but Jason recognized the gift Carri offered and rival males weren’t keeping him away.

  Bradley nodded once, and the two of them took the sensor into the upper reaches of a large tree where Jason had brackets already in place. The job completed faster between the two strong wolves. Their speed and agility helped them gain a height in the huge tree that would’ve daunted others. Once installed, they traded feral looks and dropped from branch to branch at breakneck speed. The branches were thick as Jason's arm and slick with moisture from the morning's frost. One slip meant a potentially fatal fall to the ground.

  "My alpha sent me." Bradley announced as they both planted their feet on the forest floor.

  "Not your alpha’s choice to make." Jason bared his teeth in another unfriendly smile. By any pack law, the females chose when males competed for her. In a pack, a male could stake a claim on the female, and the other males would step back to give the female time to decide, but Jason was a lone wolf and outside pack law.

  "My claim, stray." Bradley confirmed Jason's read on the situation.

  "Female's choice." He parried easily, letting the pleasure he felt seep into his voice. Carri had made her preference very clear to him. "Your claim is too late."

  Temper broke then, as Jason intended, and Bradley charged him. Jason dodged the fist full of claws and had his own claws out in a flash to take a swipe at the man's side. Bradley twisted away in time to save his skin, but his clothing shredded. Size, reach and speed matched them on the same fighting level. They separated and circled each other, reassessing, looking for openings. Bradley moved well, probably in line to be a Sentinel, one of the elite soldiers guarding the pack. But Jason had a few more years, a little more experience, and he’ seen more of the world.

  The next time they clashed, Jason ducked past a devastating right hook and dropped his shoulder, plowing Bradley into a nearby tree. Air left Bradley's lungs in a whoosh, and Jason took the miniscule opening to get his arms under Bradley's thighs. In a massive effort, Jason hoisted Bradley off his feet, lifted up and then twisted to one side, dropping his adversary to the ground hard. Bradley fell on his back with bone-cracking force, and Jason was on him instantly, one hand gripping Bradley's throat, his mouth dangerously close to the vulnerable jugular.

  "Carri is mine." Triumph sang through Jason’s blood. "Yield."

  Eyes dilated in panic, Bradley gave a whine signaling his submission.

  Struggling with the rage of his wolf, Jason considered killing his opponent anyway. A fleeting thought, instantly quelled by the part of his mind more man than beast.

  "Enough." Ben's voice lashed out across the meadow. Growling, Jason didn't release Bradley but he changed position so he could scan the woods for the new danger. Ben stepped out of the trees, radiating dominance the way only an alpha could.

  Reluctantly, Jason released his hold on Bradley. The other wolf scrambled to his feet and staggered to his alpha, left arm hanging limp at his side. A clean break, Jason concluded with his experienced eye, the other wolf would heal quickly and be ready to use the arm again in weeks. A human, with slower regenerative ability, would have lost the use of the arm for months. He experienced a fierce satisfaction seeing the proof he’d left his opponent with decisive evidence of his strength and skill. Carri was his and he was strong enough to take any challengers to his claim.

  Ben's eyes scanned over Bradley in a similar assessment before he gestured for the defeated wolf to leave. Bradley took himself away with due haste, his head down and shoulders bowed.

  Warily, Jason waited to see what the alpha would do next.

  After another moment, Ben spoke calmly, offering no violence. "Carri is yours, you say."

  "Yes." The right of it surged through him to the very marrow of his bones.

  "You're her choice," the alpha acknowledged. "But what can you offer her, wolf? She's human, delicate. She's from the city, used to the luxuries that technology has to offer and comforted by the high walls humans build to keep them safe. How will you keep her safe? And happy?"

  No answers. Jason didn't have them. Hell, he’d asked himself those questions over and over again since kissing her at the BBQ.

  "She's going back to the city, wolf." Ben made it a statement of fact, one Jason knew without asking. She’d only come to visit, to set up the surveillance system. The brightness she’d brought into the grey of Jason's world would fade back into city lights.

  "I know." His doubt must have shown in his face, his body language. Jason saw the hard twist in Ben's expression as the alpha growled low.

  Ben made a sharp gesture with his hand, slicing through the air between them. "She deserves better."

  The words slashed Jason to pieces, because he believed them to be true.

  Carri waited.

  She lingered for about ten minutes, cognizant of Jenna's warning for her safety. She even choked down a sandwich from the picnic basket, not hungry but needing something to do. She didn't doubt the effect her presence would have on Jason and Bradley, especially if they were already fighting, but it only made waiting harder.

  She knew a lot about shapeshifters in general, more about pack wolves specifically. Her mother told her next to nothing about the behaviors of males competing for a female's attention, and it wasn't as if dating was the same as with human males. Not only faster, stronger, or driven by the animal aspects of their nature, shapeshifters felt with more intensity, as if some deity turned the volume up on their emotions, and she responded to Jason as if he resonated with some chord deep inside her.

  "Jason." A whisper of worry touched with need. She needed to know he was okay.

  Refusing to wait any longer, she barreled out of the surveillance building and strode towards the nearby clearing.

  Ben met her beyond the trees, his expression neutral. "It's done, for now."

  Suspicious, she approached him with caution. "You sent Bradley out here on purpose, Grandpa Ben."

  Ben ducked his head a fraction, a huge concession from an alpha. "Jenna will tear into me for sending him, I'll admit it." He spread his hands wide at his sides. "I wanted to be sure you had choices, Carri. Safer choices."

  "Where's Jason?" Carri looked past Ben's shoulder, even more worried she didn't hear any sounds to tell her where Jason had gone. Even the forest remained silent.

  "I sent him to think on some things." Ben shrugged. When Carri made to walk past, Ben stepped in front of her and put his hands on her shoulders. "Hold up for a second and talk to me. I need to hear, officially, what your choice is, and I'll support you."

  Looking directly into the alpha's eyes, Carri felt the impact of his dominant personality bore into her, penetrate directly to her soul. He spoke to her, not as Grandpa Ben, but as alpha, a pack leader asking for her choice. "Jason. I want to find Jason."

  "He's a lone wolf, Carri. Do you know what it means?"

  Shaking her head, her frustration sharpened. "I'm getting the idea, considering how you all treat him. I don't know where this is going, Ben, but I want to find out. We'll figure the rest out along the way. Is it so hard?"

  "It can be."

  Temper snapped, anger flowed through her, singing through her blood. "Fine then. Don't make it harder. Or better yet, get out of my way." She glared up into the alpha's eyes, baring her teeth.

  For a brief second, hard, inscrutable eyes stared down on her. Her anger toned down a notch as she refused to drop her eyes, knowing it could be suicide to challenge him, but too stubborn to give way. Then, Ben blinked and he chuckled, all of the pressure easing around them. "You are your mother's daughter, girl. Will either of you ever be satisfied to let me keep you safe in my pack?"

  Relieved, but still wary, she frowned. "I’m still wanting to go look for Jason, Ben."

  "Go." Ben released her. "Go find your male, then. This old wolf is going to have to think creatively to figure out how to keep you safe and keep you happy at the same time. Otherwise, Jenna and your mother are going to have my hide."
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  Carrie stepped away and then broke into a jog, headed for the clearing. Jason couldn't be far, or Ben wouldn't have let her go looking for him alone. When she didn't find him in the clearing, she headed for the guesthouses. There was nowhere else in pack territory for Jason to go.

  "Go away, Red."

  She scowled at the closed door of the only guesthouse showing any signs of habitation. Jason's voice sounded gravelly and full of temper as he spoke through the door, but she was not about to leave until he faced her.

  "Open the door, Jason." She pounded a fist on the plasteel door, exasperated and frustrated beyond all hell. First Ben, now Jason. Were all the males in her life going to drive her insane?

  "What are you going to do, Red, break down the door?" The mocking tone of voice pushed her buttons, maybe even hurt a little.

  She stepped back and let loose a hard kick to the door, hard enough to set herself on her butt. "Damn it!" Heat burned her entire face, even her ears. Tears welled up in her eyes as she realized how stupid she must look when even a door could set her on her ass. Embarrassing wasn't the word for it.

  The door flew open. Jason filled the doorway. "Did you hurt yourself?" His voice came urgent, concerned.

  Triumph swept away the embarrassment as she scooted right into the doorway at his feet before sliding up to stand. "You're going to have to shut the door on me to get me to leave."

  Scowling, he stepped back, closing the door until it pressed against her shoulder. "You did it on purpose."

  "No." And the humiliating truth still urked her. "But I'll take what works. Talk to me."

  "What is there to talk about?" He growled, running one hand through his disheveled hair. She’d never seen him this unhinged. Her heart jumped a little.