Captivated by the She-Wolf

by Kristal Hollis

  Maybe it was another manifestation of the mate-bond, or it could be simple intent. When she’d thought Bodie was just a human, she hadn’t tried to communicate telepathically with him.

  They neared a dense area of trees and a jutting of large boulders near the water sparkling with moonlight. Bodie alighted on the ground and transformed into his human form. Ronni did the same.

  Still crouched from the shift, she looked around. “This is where we met.”

  “My life changed that night.” Moonlight glanced off Bodie’s long, dark hair and rained down his muscular frame, bathing him in a silvery glow.

  Ronni’s body tingled as he helped her stand. His hand stroked the hair from her face. “I couldn’t think of a more perfect place.”

  He drew her into his arms. She loved how her softer, curvy body molded against his hard, sculptured physique. Her fingers waltzed along his broad shoulders and slipped through his long, dark hair. Beneath the slashes of his brows, intense desire glittered in his eyes and pressed against her stomach; his hardening shaft lengthened and thickened.

  Lifting her chin and tipping back her head, he claimed her lips with a fierce, demanding kiss that left no doubt in her mind about what he wanted.

  She yielded her body, but wanting to remain focused on only the physical connection with him, Ronni broke the kiss before his essence reached into her being. Smiling, she drew her palms down the chiseled plains of his chest and knelt, lightly gripping the base of his cock. Then, she kissed and licked the slit before taking his length into her mouth.

  He sharply sucked in his breath. Watching from beneath hooded eyes, he twisted his fingers in her hair.

  Moving to his sack, she teased the seam with her tongue and gently nibbled. Deep guttural groans rumbled in his throat. Taking his tip into her mouth again, she sucked hard while her hand milked his length. Unintelligible words tumbled from his lips. The sheer look of indulgence on the face of the strong, towering man before her shot a surge of feminine power and satisfaction throughout her body.

  Through slitted eyes, he watched as she worked her mouth and tongue down his shaft. He held his hips still, though she saw the strain in his clenched muscles.

  “If you keep going, I won’t last.” From the fierce look on his face, she knew he wasn’t ready to end this so soon.

  She allowed him to slip from her mouth and he knelt beside her. Hand cupping her head, he kissed her hard while easing her down to the moss-and-leaf-covered ground. The earthy smells of the forest mixed with his male musk and her own scent heightened her expectation.

  He stretched beside her, his fingers sliding over her hip as he trailed kisses down her neck to the valley between her breasts. Despite the slight nip in the autumn air, her body burned and tingled beneath his touch as he took her breast into his warm, moist mouth, his tongue teasing her peaks into maddeningly tight buds.

  His fingers slid through her wet tender folds, teasing her opening and heightening the anticipation curled in her belly. Barely dipping his finger inside her caused a needful clench in her sex. She ached to the point of breathlessness, wanting to be filled, possessed. Completely joined with him.

  Kissing her slowly, deeply, stealing her breath and sharing his own, he taunted her, rubbing his plump cock against her opening but not entering.

  Full of need and want, she grabbed his shoulders and rolled him onto his back. His laughter was deep and soft, and only added to her frustration.

  Straddling him, she slid down his shaft with a long, deep, heavenly sigh. Her eyes opened and she laid siege to his mouth, thrusting her tongue inside and dueling with his in a furious mating ritual.

  He palmed her back down to her butt to knead the fleshy muscles there as her sex gripped his shaft in a hard, fast ride until the clenching ache built into maddening pressure. Hovering on the brink, she held her breath in anticipation of welcomed relief.

  Bodie’s fingers dug into her hips and lifted her from his body. Before the protest formed on her lips, he rolled her beneath him and surged inside her. Hard, deep thrusts quickly drove her back to the point of ecstasy.

  She pressed her face against his throat and kissed where his neck and shoulder met. The place he expected her to bite.

  The taste of his skin, salty, musky and deliciously male, caused her canines to prick the inside of her mouth.

  This time, there was no hovering on the verge; he drove her right over the edge. Her head tilted back as her body came undone from the tremors of pleasure pulsing through her. With his own release, Bodie’s essence flooded her being. She opened her mouth, pressed her teeth against his skin and froze.

  Growing still, he slowly opened his eyes and adjusted his body so his weight wouldn’t become uncomfortable for her. He brushed the errant strands of her hair from her face.

  “I’m sorry.” Tears stung her eyes. Even though Bodie had consented to Ronni claiming him, it just didn’t feel right tonight. If they were to become mates, Ronni wanted the foundation of their relationship to be love, not desperation.

  “Hey, beautiful,” he said gently. “It’s not your fault that my sexual prowess so completely overwhelmed you with pleasure that every thought went right out of your head except how good I was making you feel.”

  The tension inside her broke and she laughed. “I was not overwhelmed by your sexual prowess.”

  “Are you sure?” Amusement sparkled in his eyes. “’Cause from my viewpoint, you looked pretty damn into me.”

  “How do you know? You had your eyes closed and couldn’t see anything.” Smiling, she rolled toward him on her side, loving how he could tease away her worries.

  Propped on his elbow, Bodie rested his other arm comfortably on her hip.

  “Don’t overthink it.” He pressed soft kisses on her neck and shoulder, causing chill bumps to spread across her skin despite his heat. “I don’t need a bite to prove what I already know. You’re mine, Ronni. And I’m yours.”

  “Maybe once my problem with Jeb gets settled, I’ll be ready.”

  “Our problem.” Shadows cast by filtered moonlight sharpened his features and he watched her intensely. “You are not in this alone.”

  Bodie’s essence saturated her being, except the little part of her that wished Jeb dead, likely the only way to be rid of him for good. Because if and when Ronni did decide to claim Bodie, she didn’t want their future haunted by the likes of Jebediah Lyles.

  * * *

  Bodie heaved a relieved breath, pulling into the drop-off lane at the high school. He hadn’t expected traffic to be so heavy on the last day before the Thanksgiving break and wondered if it was always this hectic.

  “Bye, Dad!” Willow opened the front passenger side door, and slipped out of her grandmother’s car.

  “Bye, chickadee.”

  Bodie was grateful Ronni had slept in, finally giving him the chance to take the kids to school and run some errands. He loved Ronni’s doting ways, but some days, she ran herself ragged trying to take care of everyone.

  It also gave him time to think.

  On the last full moon, he and Ronni had agreed to make their relationship permanent, at least in terms of the wolfan laws. But, when the moment came, she had hesitated.

  What he’d told her that night was true; he didn’t need a mate-claim to prove a mateship. In his heart, they were already mates.

  And he completely understood her need for closure regarding the situation with Jeb. Even though it made Bodie a little sad and more than a little frustrated knowing the simplest and fastest way to get that closure would be establishing a mate-claim.

  “Later...Bodie.” Alex gave a slight wave, his expression unreadable. The kid didn’t seem to mind the new family dynamic, but it was hard to tell, since he never said much.

  Ronni had told Bodie not to worry. Alex took after Rafe—a deep thinker but a man of few words. Bodie wasn’t s
ure that trait in a teenager was a good thing.

  Willow and Alex made their way to the school entrance. Of course, Lucas joined them and Bodie didn’t appreciate the arm the boy snaked across Willow’s shoulders.

  Nothing personal against Lucas; he seemed to be a good kid. In all likelihood, Bodie would be disgruntled by any young man showing an interest in his daughter. After all, Willow was still his little girl.

  After breaking free of the traffic in front of the school, Bodie headed to Wyatt’s Automotive Service. Despite the early morning hour, several cars were already waiting. He parked, then walked into the service area.

  Wearing jeans and a button-down instead of his usual work coveralls, Rafe strolled toward him.

  “It looks like a guy has to get up before the roosters to be first in line here.”

  “Pretty much.” Rafe cracked a rare smile. “I’m tight with the boss, though. I’ll get him to squeeze you in.”

  “Thanks. My mom’s car needs an oil change and tire check.”

  Rafe whistled over one of the service technicians and Bodie handed her the keys.

  “I’m meeting Tristan at Mabel’s for breakfast,” Rafe said. “Care to join us?”

  “Sounds good. I only had time for coffee this morning.” Bodie fell into step with Rafe as they walked toward the diner across the street. “I took the kids to school so Ronni could sleep in. She’s been taking care of my mom and working like crazy from home.” Not to mention the multiple times they’d coupled last night. “I figured she needed a break.”

  “You’re a good man.”

  “I’m trying.”

  Mabel’s Diner was already bustling with activity when Bodie and Rafe walked inside. The delicious breakfast scents of fresh cooked eggs, sizzling bacon and cinnamon rolls made Bodie’s mouth water and his stomach growl.

  They didn’t have to wait to be seated; Tristan had already claimed a booth. He stood as they approached. His rumpled uniform was a sign that he had just got off duty.

  “Hope you don’t mind me crashing the party,” Bodie said.

  “Not at all.” Tristan clasped Bodie’s hand in a firm shake. “I was going to call you later.”

  They took their seats, Bodie and Rafe on one side of the booth, Tristan on the other.

  “The check is on me.” Bodie handed out the plastic menus tucked behind the condiments. “This guy...” Bodie tipped his head toward Rafe. “He pulled some strings to get my mom’s car at the head of the line for an oil change. And you,” he said to Tristan, “I owe you a lot more than I can repay for the assist you and your team gave me with the poachers.”

  “I’m more than happy that we were actually there in time.” Tristan reached his hand toward Bodie. “Oh, I hear congratulations are in order.”

  Puzzled, Bodie accepted the handshake. “For what?”

  “Didn’t Ronni claim you?” Rafe asked.

  It seemed news spread fast among the wolves.

  “Not yet.”

  “Why not?” Rafe gave him a hard, dark look.

  “Ronni didn’t feel it was the right time and that’s okay. Mate-claim or not, I plan to spend the rest of my life with her.”

  “Well, all right then,” Rafe said.

  The server took their orders, then delivered their breakfast platters while conversation easily flowed between the three men. Bodie knew he needed to tell his friends about his shifting ability but wasn’t sure a public diner was the place to do it. He would talk to Ronni later. Maybe they could plan a dinner party for the occasion.

  “Will you be at the Co-op’s festival on Thanksgiving?” Tristan asked.

  Bodie unwrapped his silverware. “That holiday doesn’t quite mean the same thing to my family as it does to most Americans.”

  “We simply celebrate our family and friends on that day. And reflect on the losses and additions to our pack over the past year.” Rafe gave Bodie a sincere, accepting look. “There won’t be anything there that disparages your heritage. You have my word.”

  “I’ll think about it.” Willow had already said she wanted to attend when Ronni mentioned the get-together. On the other hand, his mother had adamantly refused.

  “Jeb is still planning to come,” Rafe said quietly. “Just thought you should know, in case you didn’t.”

  Still coming?

  Bodie’s heart sank that Ronni hadn’t told him Jeb was coming in the first place. If she had confided in him, he could’ve allayed her fears and given her more assurances about his desire to do everything possible to safeguard her and Alex. “No, I didn’t know.”

  When he explained his family’s reluctance to celebrate Thanksgiving, instead of telling him the truth, Ronni had suggested that they spend the day at home, creating their own family traditions.

  “Ronni is very sensitive to others,” Tristan said. “If she knows you had concerns about attending the festival, she wouldn’t put you in a compromising position where you had to choose between her family and yours.”

  “Here’s the thing.” Bodie swallowed the lump in his throat. “As far as I’m concerned, it’s our family.” And he was going to make damn sure Jeb Lyles knew it.

  Chapter 28

  Standing on the ladder and hanging the last of the seasonal decorations, Ronni caught herself humming the tune she’d heard so often from Bodie. She smiled, then laughed because she couldn’t remember the last time she felt so...happy?

  True to his word, Bodie had not pressured her about a mate-claim. He understood and supported her decision to wait, while Jeb still lurked in their lives.

  His compassionate reaction strengthened her belief that one day, she would feel confident in claiming him. Until then, she had relaxed in the knowledge that he actually cared for her, and Alex.

  “The house looks perfect,” Mary said. “Like it popped out of the pages of a storybook.”

  Ronni’s heart tweaked. The little A-frame she and Alex lived in upon moving to Maico had truly been a fairy-tale cottage. Her plans to spruce it up and revitalize its original charm had gone up in flames, literally. And their new home was a mansion compared to the little shack they’d owned in Pine Ridge.

  She and Alex owed so much to Rafe and the Walker’s Run pack for their support and encouragement. Every day, she was thankful for their new life. Without them, she wouldn’t have her home, her business and she wouldn’t have been in Walker’s Run to meet Bodie. His presence in her life had banished the loneliness and gave her a new sense of herself that she hadn’t known was lacking.

  “I wish I could’ve helped more.” Because of her foot, Mary mostly sat in the recliner, advising Ronni where to put things.

  “You saved me from going up and down the ladder a hundred times to check if something was crooked.”

  From the purr of the car engine coming up the drive, Ronni knew Bodie was home from his errands. A little thrill revved her heart.

  “I’m going to sit on the porch swing for a while,” Mary said.

  “Do you need help?”

  “No, no.” Using her knee scooter, Mary hobbled toward the kitchen door.

  “I’ll be fine.”

  Ronni fussed with the garland draped over the large entertainment center. One little piece simply did not want to bend in the right direction.

  The front door opened and closed.

  “Need help with the groceries?”

  Bodie’s palm cupped the back of her calf and her skin tingled. “I didn’t go to the store.”

  “Did you forget the list?” She glanced down.

  Bodie’s jaw was clenched and his gaze was cold and hard. Her mind filled with the worst-case scenarios a parent could imagine.

  “What happened?” In her haste to climb down the ladder, Ronni’s foot slipped.

  “Slow down.” Bodie’s strong hands gripped her waist and kept her from fa
lling. “The kids are fine.”

  Taking a deep breath, she stepped off the ladder. “Why do you look worried?”

  “Because I am, and a little pissed, too.” He rubbed his jaw. “Scratch that, I’m a lot pissed.”

  “Why?”

  “When were you going to tell me about Jeb?”

  “Um, I did tell you. He’s the reason we got together in the first place.”

  “Ronni.”

  She found the warning growl in his voice utterly sexy.

  “I know Jeb is coming to the Co-op’s fall festival.”

  “You should, I told you.”

  “When?”

  “Right after he told me. You called after I hung up on him.” She could almost see the wheels turning in his mind as he tried to remember. “I had taken your mom to her first doctor’s appointment and you were calling to check on her.”

  Bodie blew a long breath. “We must’ve had a bad connection and I didn’t hear you. Why didn’t you bring it up later?”

  “Well, I didn’t know that you hadn’t heard me. And I really don’t want to talk about Jeb more than necessary.”

  “Is he the reason you decided not to attend the festival?” Bodie asked flatly.

  Acid crept up from her stomach and scratched her throat.

  At her silence, Bodie anchored his hands on his hips and he seemed to loom over her. Ronni wasn’t afraid, but knew she’d disappointed him.

  “I shared with you that Thanksgiving is a time of mourning and remembrance for my people because of the exploitation our clans suffered when our lands were settled by foreigners. How dare you use something so personal to me as an excuse to avoid a situation that needs to be resolved before it escalates any further?”

  “It wasn’t intentional,” she said quietly. “You didn’t want to go. And honestly, I don’t want our first holiday together to be ruined because of Jeb.”

  “You do realize that he will show up here if you and Alex aren’t at the festival.”

  “No, he won’t. I warned Jeb that I would shoot him for trespassing if he comes here again.”