Nox Bay Pack: Complete Series Collection

by Connor Crowe

9

  Felix

  “I think I’ll be able to walk now.” Markus sat up, wincing but managing to regain his feet.

  It wasn’t until I’d seen him naked that I realized how many scars the alpha had. He was no stranger to fights, that was for sure. My hands lingered just a second too long as I wrapped his wounds, tracing each pale line with my eyes. They worked a criss-cross pattern across his torso and neck, still raised and shiny against his tanned skin.

  Everyone said that Nox Bay was one of the most violent packs out there, but how did they know, really, if no one had ever actually seen them? I had to admit, though, seeing the fallout in person was something different. It roused a deep, aching sadness that wouldn’t leave.

  Despite myself, and despite the fact that he was my sworn enemy, I wanted to help him. I wanted to be there for him. To take care of him and all those countless scars.

  And Goddess help me, if he didn’t get some clothes on, my fox was gonna go nuts. He’d been attractive in his uniform back at the pack, but seeing him naked and vulnerable in the wild grasslands made me even harder.

  It was impossible to ignore the angular cut of his jaw, the tough muscle on his arms, or the broad planes of his chest. Not to mention that (yes, I admit—I looked) he was packing some serious heat, and I don’t mean firearms.

  “Anyone home?” He waved a hand in front of my face and I cleared my throat, my cheeks flushing with embarrassment. Guess I hadn’t been as subtle with my glances as I thought I’d been.

  “Yeah?” I asked.

  “I said I think I can walk. We—er, well, I at least—should be getting back to pack borders. The sun will go down soon. The ferals will be back, and in greater numbers. We can’t stay here.”

  No. We couldn’t. Those hungry, bloodshot eyes and gaping maws still played over and over in my mind. Tonight, they’d have a starring role in my nightmares.

  “I know you must think me a monster. I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to high tail it out of here, right now. I can get back to pack lands myself…But I want to give you a choice.”

  His voice echoed through me like warm honey, filling in all the empty cracks and spaces I didn’t know were missing.

  “I’m not your prisoner anymore?”

  His eyes lingered on mine a second longer than necessary, and I couldn’t make out what I saw there. The smallest hint of amusement, like there was some hidden joke he couldn’t name.

  “You paid off your debt the moment you saved my life. I'll take the heat at the pack if I have to, but you will be safe. I promise you that.”

  Safe. Now there was a word I hadn't heard in a long time.

  I weighed the options in my mind. What life did I have left anymore? I wouldn't be able to return to the Black Hands after the failed mission, even if it meant I had to leave some friends behind. I could strike out on my own, try to make a life for myself, but if those ferals were any indication of what I'd have to deal with...

  I shivered.

  That left the final option: return with the hauntingly handsome alpha and join his pack. It was a risk, yeah. But I’d made a living taking risks. And if the way my soul lit up around this alpha was any indication, this could be the biggest risk of them all.

  “I’ll join you,” I said at last, taking his warm, strong hand in mine. “Let’s go.”

  The full moon hung heavy in the sky above us by the time we returned to Nox Bay. Only the night guards were awake, and Markus helped us slip easily past. I thought again about the tunnel I’d discovered. Couldn’t we have used that to return to pack lands just as easily?

  Unless he didn’t know about it, but how couldn’t he? He was the Pack Alpha…

  I didn’t have a chance to ask him, though, as he whisked me through the corridors and back to a large room. Even more resplendent than the one I’d stayed in, this room was lined with wall to wall carpet, a huge window overlooking the forest, and the full moon smiling down upon us.

  A lush four-poster bed sat against the wall, illuminated by moonlight. To the opposite corner was an elegant armoire and a huge clawfoot tub that looked like it could have been carved from marble.

  “Where are we?” I asked, though the answer was clear enough by the quickening of my pulse and the spikes of desire racing through my blood.

  “These are my personal quarters, Felix. Until I can consult with my clansmen, you’ll need to stay with me.” He moved closer, his face now level with mine. “I can’t have anything happen to you.”

  The sincerity in his voice was staggering. He meant it. It was…odd, feeling cared for. Back at the compound, about the best I could ever hope for was valued or needed. Only in the sense of what I could provide to the guild, not for who I was.

  My lips parted, my eyes half-lidded. His delicious scent washed over us again and I remembered for the millionth time that night that we were naked. Both of us.

  And that meant I didn’t have to guess about his arousal. It was all over his face, but the real giveaway was the hard, jutting length of his cock.

  All he would have to do would be to reach out and touch me…

  “Let’s get you cleaned up,” he rumbled in a voice so low it made my toes curl. He stopped only inches away from my lips, his own quirking upward in a smirk. He knew exactly what he was doing to me, and he loved every second of it.

  This alpha was gonna be the end of me.

  Markus stepped over to the tub and worked efficiently, turning the knobs and gathering towels out of the nearby armoire.

  The sight of the hot, steaming water filling the basin made my mouth water. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had a bath, much less a hot one. Resources were always scarce back at the compound. We made do with what we could. Occasionally we’d get a quick hot shower as a reward, but nothing like this.

  He must have noticed me staring. Markus came up behind me and wrapped his hands around my waist in a hug. I leaned into his warmth and let out a breath. He was right. I felt…safe here. Wanted. And not just for their stupid missions. Whatever this was, it went further than a business relationship. The song I heard in his soul reached out to mine, and to deny it would destroy us both.

  “Will the pack be okay with me?” I asked, still a little concerned.

  “They will accept us,” Markus promised. “For you are my mate.” He pressed a kiss against the side of my neck. “If they don’t, then we don’t need them anyway, do we?”

  He held me closer. The hard length of his cock pressed against my back and made it difficult to think. He wasn’t the only one that was hard, either. My own cock throbbed between my legs, aching for him. Without any clothes to conceal it, my arousal was plain as day.

  “Come sit with me,” Markus whispered in my ear. Each hair on the back of my neck stood up as goosebumps raced down my body.

  “In the bath?” I asked. The idea of the warm water covering our bodies as we curled around one another heated me from the inside out.

  “I want to hold you, and my sore muscles need the heat. I’m sure yours do as well.” He broke away from the embrace for only a moment, but already left a sense of absence in his wake. I didn’t know how much I needed him until he wasn’t touching me.

  All of my skin, all of my body cried out for this man. This alpha. Was this what people were talking about when they said they’d found their mates?

  Markus slipped into the water gracefully, letting out a contented sigh as the water covered his muscles. He sunk in all the way up to his neck, leaning his head back on the edge of the tub and looking at me. “Come on in,” he urged me with a lazy smile. “The water’s fine.”

  I pushed the last of my inhibitions to the side and listened to my instincts. My life and my future were here with this man and this pack, and it started here, today, in this tub.

  The water stung at first, hitting my bare skin with such force I nearly jerked back.

  “Ease into it, darling. I’ve got you.”

  Markus soothed me, his hands running gentle l
ines across my thighs and soon my back. I let out a breath and submerged myself in the water, feeling the warmth of the bath and the warmth of the alpha surround me. It was like my own little cocoon.

  “There we go,” he whispered when I’d situated myself against his back, his arms wrapping around my stomach. “That’s nice, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah,” I breathed, sinking back into him. I felt so protected here in my alphas arms...I might never want to leave.

  Markus took a towel from the side of the tub and squirted a bit of soap on it, lathering the cloth before he tapped my shoulder. “Lean forward,” he told me. “I want to wash your back.”

  Well, I'd certainly never had anyone do that before. He treated me with a gentle, almost reverent awe. Warm strokes eased the tense muscles in my back, lulling me into a state of peace.

  With each long forgotten scar or scrape or crusted on dirt that he wiped away, so too did he uncover layers of me. In his presence all pretense fell away. I didn't have to pretend to be a badass thief. I didn't have to pretend to be anyone. That was the beauty of it.

  Markus saw through all that. He saw me, and wanted me anyway. No amount of jewels or riches could make up for that.

  “You okay?” He asked me softly, running small circles on my back now with his hand instead of the towel. His touch was intoxicating—my body lit up around him and suddenly I didn’t know if it was the hot water or something else that had me feeling like I was on fire.

  I turned around, craning my neck to face him. “I’m good,” I breathed, my gaze locking on to his parted lips. “Really good.”

  And before I had a chance to second guess myself, I kissed him.

  Markus was hot and sweet. Just like I’d imagined. His lips curled around mine after a moment’s hesitation. There was a distant splash as he dropped the rag into the water and wrapped his arms around me. I shifted in the tub, unmindful of the water splashing to the floor as I straddled him. I just knew I needed to be closer. Much, much closer.

  “Mmm,” Markus hummed against my lips. The vibration drove my fox crazy and echoed all the way down to my cock, now brushing against the hard planes of his abdomen. “See something you like?” He teased.

  “Several things,” I muttered, claiming his lips again.

  He held me closer, his hand snaking down to envelop my cock. “So do I,” he said with a wink.

  Before I could react I was airborne, my wet, naked body clinging to his. He stood, water dripping off of both of us, stepping out of the tub with sure, careful steps.

  He sat me on my feet for only a moment before tossing a fluffy towel at me. I wasn’t prepared and it smacked me in the face, but it did nothing to quell the heightening desire rippling through my skin.

  It was him, my mind and body screeched in unison. He’s yours!

  Well, I was about to find out.

  Markus rubbed the towel over my tired skin lovingly but efficiently. When he was done, he tossed the towel aside and led me to the bed, holding both my hands in his.

  “You still wanna do this, foxy?” He rumbled, a smirk playing at his face.

  “Oh yeah,” I breathed. I wrapped my arms around his neck and brought us both down to the bed together. “But don’t call me foxy,” I snapped with a wicked grin.

  “Sure thing,” Markus teased as he flipped me over, straddling my much smaller body on the bed now, “foxy.”

  I growled, and this time it was no idle threat. It came from deep inside me. From my fox.

  “Sounds like foxy wants to play,” Markus mused as he moved down my body, worshiping every curve.

  I gritted my teeth, about to throw another retort at him. Then his hand closed around my cock. I hissed and threw my head back, pawing at the sheets. Never in my most fevered wet dreams had I reacted to a man so strongly.

  “What are you doing to me?” I spat, all but humping his hand.

  “Oh, nothing,” Markus trailed off. He worked his hand faster for a moment then let go, leaving me with that aching, empty feeling all over again. I watched him with hungry, needy eyes. “Lift up your legs,” he told me, and I complied at once.

  His strong arms held my legs aloft as his head dipped lower. I held my breath, focusing on the ceiling and trying to keep my thoughts straight. The moment I felt his hot breath on my hole, though, I couldn’t take it any longer.

  I let out a breath and it came out as a strangled moan. I tensed around him and angled my hips upward, trying not to beg. This didn’t make any sense, I told myself. I wasn’t even in heat!

  But he’s your mate. Yours. Forever.

  “Please,” I managed to choke out, and then his tongue found my hole.

  It was like nothing I’d ever felt before. More intense than a finger. Wet and warm and probing, his tongue pressed around my ring. His saliva mixed with my natural slick and made everything that much more sensitive.

  My balls tightened with every flick of his tongue, and I was already teetering on the edge when the tip of his fat cock pressed against my hole.

  “Good?” Markus mumbled and looked up at me. His lips and chin were smeared with slick and the smell of my juices, and I’d never seen anything so sexy in my life.

  “Great,” I promised him, and wiggled my ass again for good measure.

  “Felix.” Markus said my name like a prayer. “Will you be mine?”

  “Yes,” I whispered, and it didn’t even come from my brain. The word came straight from me, straight from my heart.

  “Felix,” he said again, and pressed into me.

  I hissed at the stretch, wrapping both my arms and legs around him in an effort to bring him closer. He filled me all the way to the hilt and stayed there for a moment, his eyes never leaving mine. “Fuck,” he breathed, and I could already feel his heart racing.

  “Fuck is right,” I agreed. “Now fuck me, alpha.”

  This time it was Markus’s turn to growl. His eyes shifted from their usual color to a glowing gold as he pulled out inch by inch. “Mine,” he growled, and pounded into me.

  Our bodies worked up a rhythm, hips moving in perfect synchrony as we gave and took our energy and lust. Markus’s cock plunged into me again and again, each thrust sending me higher still, leaving me panting and clasping at the sheets and him and crying out and —

  “Fuck, Markus, I’m—fuck!” My words drowned out in a babble of pleasure as my cock erupted from the pressure, spraying ropes of hot seed between our bodies.

  The sounds of my arousal sent Markus into a frenzy, his eyes glittering and a growl ripping from his throat right at the moment of his deepest thrust of all. I let out a long, low moan and sunk into the sensation. Our bodies and souls, meeting as one. Wolf and fox. Alpha and omega. His knot swelled within me and locked us together not only in body but in mind as he emptied himself within me.

  Mine. My own. My alpha.

  “My mate,” Markus mumbled, holding me close through each wave of his orgasm. “My omega.”

  10

  Felix

  “Felix.”

  Someone was shaking me.

  “Felix, wake up.”

  My eyelashes fluttered open to a room that was not my own. A bed that was not my own. Panic welled in my chest for the briefest moment and I fought the urge to shift and run, but then I saw Markus’s concerned face watching me. His strong hands holding me.

  And just like that, it all came back.

  This was no stranger. This man was my mate, and last night we had come together so passionately, so violently, that I knew I’d never be the same again. My muscles certainly agreed as he pulled me to my feet, tossing a bundle of clothes in my direction.

  So much for morning-after cuddles.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked, keeping my voice hushed.

  “Put these on and follow me,” he hissed, peering out the window then drawing the curtains closed. “And be quick about it.”

  I did as I was told, only because I’d been in this kind of situation far too many times before. Every early
morning and late night at the compound when we had to flee or move our hideout. Every time the authorities were closing in. Every time the ringleaders thought their “investment” might be in danger.

  It left a cold, bitter taste in my mouth. Somehow, I’d thought that staying here and joining Markus’s pack could put an end to all that. But it looked like I wasn’t done running yet.

  “This way,” Markus whispered, leading me out the door and down the hallway. He crept along with quick precision, checking around each corner before leading me through.

  “Where are we going?” I asked him when I caught up with his long strides.

  “Somewhere you’ll be safe,” he answered in quick, clipped tones. “I should have known this would happen.”

  We rounded another corner. I was trying to keep track of our steps in my head but each switch back had me feeling dizzy. Did he mean to disorient me? A clashing sound came from nearby, one I knew all too well.

  The sound of a struggle. The sound of a fight.

  Markus slammed me against the wall and covered me with his body, knocking the air out of my lungs. I stared up at him, dazed, trying to figure out what was going on, but he didn’t say anything. His panic-stricken face said it all.

  “Get down and stay there,” he hissed, wrenching open a small compartment in the wall. Markus pressed his lips to me in an urgent, bruising kiss, and ran a hand through my hair. I hated that this felt so final. “I’ll come back for you, but you can’t let them know you’re here. I won’t lose you.”

  I was still trying to figure out what he was talking about when he shoved me into the small alcove and rushed away, out of sight.

  Through a small crack in the walls I could see the invaders pouring in through the gates, and the sight turned my blood cold.

  These were not roving bandits. No. I recognized their dress all too well. Recognized the faces of the men I’d once cowered under.

  The Black Hands were here.

  I covered my mouth with my fist to hold back a scream. I should have known I’d never escape their reach. I should have known better than to think I’d ever have a life outside their walls. Their words crushed in on me, suffocating me in the small space.