by Delta James
Arielle tried to push his hand away as he reached for the hem of the shirt. Tristan grabbed both her hands with one of his, lifted the garment out of his way, and landed a hard swat across her naked derriere.
“Enough. It will only be worse if you don’t settle down and show me that you accept your punishment.”
“Tristan, please; I won’t do it again.”
“That’s what you told me last time; so, technically, you lied to me on top of everything else.”
Tristan tugged her over his knee and flipped the shirt up over her back, baring her bottom.
“Tristan, please don’t!” Arielle said, hating the note of whining she could hear in her voice.
She determined it was the last time she would plead. She was quite certain that Rowan and Sloan had never pleaded. Like the ranked members of a pack, the two women she admired most gave orders and those orders were followed. Arielle cleared her throat and prepared to issue her first order.
Her plan to do so was cut short as she felt the harsh impact of a man’s hand on her bottom for only the second time. She was quite certain no she-wolf had ever been swatted that hard. Arielle yowled in response. She kicked her legs, which Tristan had trapped, and tried to wriggle away from his grip.
Tristan held firm and began rhythmically spanking her. Arielle could not believe how much it hurt or that anything could make Rowan forgive Alaric for subjecting her to this treatment. She vowed to learn to use a sword so she could take Tristan’s head... or, at the very least, the hand that he was spanking her with. She struggled and screamed in pain.
“I take it you don’t like being spanked, little wolf?” Tristan asked in an amused tone.
“Not one damn bit,” she snarled, surprising herself. She had never growled at anyone before; until this moment, she hadn’t even known she knew how to growl.
Tristan spanked her harder. “Don’t you growl at me. You want me to believe I’m getting through to you, then you show me you’re sorry.”
“I hate you.”
“I’ll bet you do, and you’re going to hate me worse if you don’t settle down and accept your punishment like a good girl.”
His hand continued to beat a steady tempo of pain on her buttocks. Arielle couldn’t believe anyone had ever been spanked so mercilessly. Her entire backside was on fire. Each of Tristan’s strikes seemed to compound with those before it to continually ratchet up the level of pain. She now understood why Rowan’s behind had been so red when Alaric had carried her into the keep after their first meeting at the standing stones.
Tristan’s hand descended in what seemed to be a never-ending series of blows. Didn’t his hand hurt? Where was Rowan? Did she not know that her beloved sister was being beaten?
Arielle gasped at the pain and tried to hold back the tears by biting her lower lip.
“The sooner you give in to your spanking, little wolf, the sooner I’ll start to think about stopping,” Tristan said calmly.
“I won’t!” she screeched as the tears finally started to fall. “Rowan!” she sobbed.
Miraculously, the hand stopped. “Your sister can do little to help you. You were the one who misbehaved, and you will be the one to face the consequences of that choice.”
“Rowan will have your head!”
“No doubt she’d like nothing better. But she too is subject to Alaric’s authority, both as alpha and mate. Keep in mind that if you try to get her to fight your battles, all that will happen is that you will get spanked harder and ensure your sister finds herself over Alaric’s knee getting her own spanking. Have you had enough?”
Arielle made no sound.
Tristan sighed and then resumed spanking her. “When I ask you a question, little wolf, you will answer me. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” she wailed. His hand continued to strike her. “I answered you!”
“You did, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop until I think I’ve gotten through to you. Have I?’
“Yes,” she cried. “Please stop. I’m sorry. I won’t do it again. Please?”
Once again Tristan’s hand came to rest gently on her fiery bottom. Without a word he helped her to her feet and ensured the shirt fell past her blistered backside. He led her to the corner of her room and placed her there, facing it.
“Let this be a lesson to you, Arielle; little she-wolves who break the rules and disobey their alpha get their bottom turned bright red and have to stand in the corner until they have atoned for their behavior. You are to remain here until Bryan, Alaric, or I give you permission to come out. Understand?”
She nodded and his hand connected with her rump in another painful blow. “Yes, I understand. Please be done.”
“For now. When I come back, if you’ve minded me, I’ll consider your punishment over.”
“Yes, Tristan. Thank you,” she said meekly.
Tristan tilted her head toward his and kissed her temple. “That’s better,” he said kindly.
He left the room; Arielle remained where she was. She knew the door remained open and prayed no one would walk by and see her standing there. She was grateful that Tristan hadn’t left her naked backside visible for anyone to see but wished he had closed the door so that she didn’t feel so exposed.
It wasn’t too long before Arielle heard the sound of boot steps on the stone floor. She glanced over her shoulder and was shocked and dismayed to see Alaric. The legs of her desk chair scraped along the floor as it was being pulled out.
“Tristan seems to think he managed to get through to you. Did he?” he asked.
“Yes, Alpha.”
“Your sister will be glad to hear it. She too has her nose in a corner.”
“That’s not fair. She didn’t do anything,” Arielle protested.
“Like you, she failed to respect my authority and had to be reminded that not doing so will get a she-wolf in this pack spanked.”
“You’re a bastard and I don’t know why my sister loves you.”
Alaric surprised her by laughing as he left the chair and joined her. Turning her around to face him, he kissed her forehead.
“She loves me because she has no choice. I am her fated mate, and the day will come when you are called to a mate of your own. If you think you can behave, you can get dressed and rejoin the pack.”
“What about Rowan?” she asked as he headed out the door.
“Rowan and I plan to spend the evening alone in our chambers. A claimed she-wolf has a different way of atoning to her mate,” he said, chuckling. He turned to look at her and grinned affectionately. “That too you will learn when your fated mate claims you as his.”
“What if I don’t want to be claimed?” she asked softly.
“I might remind you that neither your sister nor Sloan wanted to be claimed and it did them little good. When the alpha wolf that is your fated mate seeks to claim you, if he is worthy of you, no power on this earth, including your stubbornness and pride, will prevent him from doing so.”
With that, Alaric strode from her room and walked down the hall toward his own chambers. Arielle stood there considering his words. She knew he was right. She-wolves in their society had few choices and even less power. He may have been right about her sister and Sloan, but she would avoid the trap that had ensnared them. Arielle determined that she would never answer the call of a mate. She had no intention of being subjected to being spanked or marked for that matter. Both were painful and humiliating.
Hadn’t one of her ancestors once founded an all-female pack? Perhaps the time had come for another attempt at autonomy within their society for a group of she-wolves. Perhaps that was her destiny... not as mistress to a great pack, but as alpha to one.
Chapter Two
Ruari, beta of Ravenscar, paced his tent while Gareth, his alpha, watched him silently.
“My brother has sent word,” Ruari started. “He has been wounded and is not expected to live.”
Gareth stepped forward and placed his hand on his beta’
s shoulder. “I’m very sorry to hear this.”
“As am I. Like you and Alaric, my brother and I are close and there was no animosity between us when he took over as alpha of our pack upon my father’s death. I have spent many of the best years of my life as your beta...”
“But you are an alpha wolf and now it is time for you to go home so your brother can transition into the next life knowing he leaves his pack in safe hands,” Gareth finished for him.
Ruari nodded. “That is part of it...”
“The other part being a certain golden blonde she-wolf that is the younger sister to my brother’s mate?”
Ruari grinned ruefully. “You knew?”
“I suspected, as did Alaric. Why didn’t you make a claim for her, or at least say something about feeling called to her?”
“Everyone said, and I agreed, that she was destined to be mistress of a great pack. At the time, I was your beta, and therefore didn’t feel worthy of her.”
“It is not just alphas or pack leaders that feel the call of their fated mate. So, what do you plan to do?”
“I feel I need to go home and be with my brother. Once he is passed, and I have ensured that my pack is settled with me as alpha, I mean to talk to your brother. I was wondering if you thought he would look upon my suit with favor?”
Gareth laughed. “Would it really matter?”
“Not much.”
“Far be it from either Alaric or I to deny a man his fated mate. Hopefully yours will not prove as difficult as either his or mine.”
“Really? Watching from the sidelines, it looked like you were rather enjoying it.”
“Only when she isn’t scaring me half to death with her antics. But to answer your question, yes, I think Alaric will be happy to hear you are called to Rowan’s sister. If nothing else, it wouldn’t be a bad thing for Calon Onest and Ravenscar to be allied by blood with Dundalk.”
“Then, once I am settled, I will ask your brother if he might allow Arielle to visit with an eye toward my courting her and taking her to mate.”
“And if that doesn’t work, find yourself a nice tunnel or ring of standing stones,” quipped Gareth, alluding to the places he and Alaric had claimed their mates.
“I doubt my mate will prove to be difficult. But if she does, I will offer to let her run and then will claim her in the most ancient way of our ancestors.”
Gareth smiled and extended his hand to Ruari. “I will miss you both as beta and confidant. You have been an excellent ranking member of my pack. Your brother will die easier knowing he is leaving his pack in good hands.”
“He does so because I have learned how to lead from one of the best. I am grateful, Gareth, for all you have done for me.”
“I feel the same.”
“If possible, I’d like to leave today for Eire.”
“Might I suggest taking Fallon and a small escort with you? I will send a rider to Alaric to let him know you are headed to Eire and that in time you would like for Arielle to visit you there.”
“I was told there was no hope for my brother...”
“Perhaps not, but Fallon could ensure as gentle a passing as possible.”
“Once again, I am in your debt, Alpha.”
Ruari watched Gareth as the latter detected his mate’s presence.
Gareth smiled. “I’m beginning to wonder if she can follow even the simplest command without either feeling my hand connecting with her backside or my cock stroking her cunt.”
Ruari shook his head. “I believe your Sloan will prove to be a great mistress, but I am glad that Arielle is far more traditional and should prove easier to take to mate.”
* * *
The more Arielle contemplated the idea of making a break from the pack and the structure she had always known, the more empowered she felt. The downside was that her life experiences had been mostly confined to learning to be mistress to a great pack, not leading one, or for that matter running away and starting one.
She was walking by the door to Alaric’s council chamber when she overheard Alaric making plans to send the smaller of his two warships to a pack in Eire. Arielle tucked that bit of information away and joined her sister in the bailey of the castle that had always been her home. They mounted their horses and left the courtyard with a small escort of soldiers.
“Do we always have to have some of his men with us when we ride?” asked Arielle resentfully.
Rowan laughed. “Right now we do. Considering that neither of us has been very good at following the rules lately, I’m just happy Alaric agreed to let us go for a ride at all.”
“I don’t know why I have to mind him. He isn’t my mate.”
“No, he’s mine. But he is your alpha. Honestly, Ari, I’m kind of surprised that you haven’t settled in more easily. You were always such a good girl.”
“I don’t like being the good girl. But when you were alpha, at least I got to do what I wanted.”
Rowan stopped her horse and looked her younger sister in the eye. “I was never a traditional alpha. Our women lived by the same rules as the men. Alaric is far more traditional. He wants our she-wolves to be protected and happy. Sometimes he’s a bit over the top, but it’s because he wants to make sure we’re safe.”
“I don’t understand how you can be happy with him.”
“He’s my fated mate,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “I love him. I didn’t want to, but I would be more successful trying to live without breathing than I would without him. He makes me happier than I’ve ever been.”
“But he spanks you,” Arielle argued.
Rowan nodded slowly. “Only when I deserve it.”
“He had Tristan spank me when I didn’t deserve it...”
“That’s not true and you know it. You disobeyed Alaric in several ways. You were in the tunnel; you were outside of the castle walls; and you came barging into our chambers without so much as knocking. I have to tell you that as aroused as he had me, I could have killed you.”
“I thought the information I had was important.”
“It might have been had Alaric not already known.”
“The only reason I didn’t know he knew was because you didn’t tell me,” Arielle said defensively.
“Partly because you were never interested in things like that before and partly because you had no real need to know.” Her sister reached across to her. “What’s all this about? You seemed happy when Alaric first came. Are you upset because he was called to me and Gareth to Sloan and not you?”
“Yes... no... I don’t know. It’s not that I don’t want you or Sloan to be happy, I just always thought I’d be mistress of a powerful pack by now, and now I wonder if it will ever be... or even if I want it anymore.”
“Why do you say that? Alaric wants you to find a mate and believes you are destined to sit beside a powerful alpha...”
“So he plans to barter me for some kind of alliance?” Arielle asked with some concern.
“Absolutely not. Both he and Gareth want you with a pack with whom they can build an alliance but will settle for nothing less than a fated mate for you.”
“But even a fated mate will think he can spank me if he wants to.”
Rowan laughed. “Yes, but mated or not, if you misbehave, you’re going to be disciplined and that will usually include a spanking. At least with a mate it can fuel your arousal and the sex afterwards is amazing.”
“I don’t believe you. I heard both you and Sloan scream.”
“If an alpha is your fated mate, he will mark you as his,” Rowan said, caressing her mark. “And when his knot breaches you, it is painful, but what comes after both is more deeply pleasurable and satisfying than you can possibly imagine. Even though I sometimes chafe at having to obey Alaric, I am happy that he claimed me.” Rowan started to ride on, but hesitated and turned back to her sister. “He completes me in a way I didn’t even know I needed. He also makes sure I know how very much he loves me. Even Gareth, who can be a nasty bastard, l
oves Sloan and ensures she wants for nothing and never questions his feelings for her. I can’t explain it except to say that all the bards and poets got it wrong; mere words cannot express the rapture to be found in your mate’s embrace.”
Arielle said nothing for several moments as she nudged her horse forward. “I overheard Alaric talking to Tristan about sending the smaller of his two warships to Eire.”
“Yes, Ruari’s brother was mortally wounded and Alaric thought he might have use of it and a few of our men. Ruari hasn’t been home in a number of years so Alaric wanted to make sure he has what he needs. Eire is far less civilized than Britannia. Mutants still have a foothold there. And while our kind is still dominant, some of the other shifters have been known to make a grab for territory.”
“So there are unclaimed territories?” Arielle asked, hoping she was able to mask her intense interest.
“A few isolated ones—mostly along the western coast. They’re fairly remote, which means it would take a large and powerful pack to claim and hold them. Come on, let’s see if Alaric’s men can ride as well as he thinks they can. What do you say we race them back to the castle?”
Arielle grinned, nodded, and spurred her horse to a gallop. They had already raced by their escort before the men were aware of their intentions. The sisters thundered into the bailey laughing louder than the men pursuing them were swearing.
Both women dismounted and headed into the keep. Rowan hugged her sister and went in search of her mate. Arielle asked to have a tub prepared and headed for her room. She undressed and once the tub was ready, she slipped into the warm water.
Rowan had, unknowingly, given Arielle a lot to think about. As she allowed the water to soothe her body, the thought of creating her own fate took hold—the idea of starting an all-female pack along the western coast of Eire. The most immediate problem would be how to get there. Trying to do anything on her own would, she knew, require that she not be in Britannia. She would be far too easily returned to Calon Onest or Ravenscar. Gareth and Alaric both had a long reach.
