by Kimber White
“I love you,” he whispered. “I’ve loved you from the very first moment I saw you. And I knew, Patricia. I knew.”
“So did I. I didn’t want to admit it even to myself. But I knew. You’re mine, Luke. You always have been.”
“I have nothing to offer you.”
Smiling, I touched his cheek. “You’re everything, you silly wolf. Don’t you see that?”
“But, Patricia...you may want children someday. I can’t promise you that. It’s complicated because I already have Jarred and Lucia. If you bore another son of mine...he would be an Alpha too...they would…”
I put a finger to his lips to quiet him. “Shh. Don’t you see? You’re all I need. You and the pack. Jarred and Lucia too. We have enough. We have everything. And do you really think I’m looking to take care of more people?”
“If I do this...if I mark you, it’s forever. You’ll feel what I feel. You’ll be connected to the pack too.”
“I already am. I was born for it. You know it and I know it.”
Luke’s silver eyes glistened and he smiled. “How did you get to be so brave or so stubborn?”
In answer, I leaned down and kissed him. The heat rose within me the moment our lips touched. The pain in my back faded. It didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was this man, this moment, and the choice burning inside of me.
Luke slid his hands up my arms. Carefully, he worked the clasp of my bra and pulled it down. My nipples formed instant peaks as the air hit them. With Luke still on his knees, he pulled away and reached for the button of my jeans. I placed my hands on his head as he undressed me. We stayed like that for a moment, Luke worshipping me as I stood before him, naked and quivering with unspent desire.
“Luke,” I gasped, barely able to contain myself.
“First,” he said. “Let me heal you?”
“You can do that? I mean, you really can?”
Luke smiled. “It will hurt for a moment. Then it won’t.”
He turned me, helping me to my knees beside him. He urged me forward until he had me on all fours. His every touch was gentle and full of concern. He pushed the hair away from my neck and that steady pulse flared at the nape.
This. Now. Always.
Luke leaned forward and licked me there. I cried out as a shudder of pleasure went through me. God, if just that small touch could send me to the edge of ecstasy, what on earth would it feel like when he touched my sex?
He kissed me in the space between my shoulder blades and a current of heat shot straight to my toes. I closed my eyes and saw myself in the dream again. Except this time, it was real. He had me exposed, vulnerable, and it was exhilarating. My breasts swung as I arched my back. Instinct took over and I lowered myself, bringing my chin nearly to my hands so that my buttocks rose high in the air in the sweetest submission.
Luke’s teeth scraped the nape of my neck and my body sang with need. My thighs began to tremble until Luke put a hand on my hip, gentling me and coaxing me back into position for him. He licked me again.
“Are you ready?”
“God...yes!”
Luke’s hot breath kissed my ear. He put a one hand flat next to mine. With the other, he slid a finger along my swollen sex, making me gasp. I was so wet. So ready. So shameless. He dipped a finger inside of me and my walls spasmed around him.
“Keep still, my love,” he said. “You’re so eager.”
“Luke, please!”
Then he bit me. I groaned as his fangs scraped the tender flesh at the back of my neck. Blood flowed, but only for an instant. It was just like he promised. A flash of white hot pain that blossomed into a pulse of pleasure that went straight to my core. It was as if I had two points of entry, two erogenous zones running from the base of my neck to the throbbing bud between my legs.
Luke kissed me over the wound I knew was already starting to heal. It would leave a mark just the way I saw in my dreams. My Alpha’s mark. I reached up and felt the edges of it...a small, raised, crescent-shaped scar.
With one need sated, another rose inside of me. I heard a rustle of clothes as Luke undressed. He moved, coming around to face me.
“Do you have any idea how beautiful you look right now?”
I felt wild, reckless, wanton. My breasts heaved as my breath came in quick little pants. I could barely contain my lust. I rose up, sliding my hands up Luke’s strong thighs. His eyes flashed with desire and the beast inside of him. His cock was big and hard. Growing bolder by the second, I cupped his balls with one hand and stroked the length of him with the other.
“Patricia,” he gasped, his voice ragged.
I had begun to submit to my Alpha, but as I milked him, the tables turned. Smiling, I grew bolder still and opened my mouth to take him in. Luke steadied himself, placing a hand on my shoulder as I slid my lips around him. I let instinct take over and matched Luke’s thrusting rhythm. I had wanted this for so long. Dreamt of it. Craved it. He tasted like sin and heaven. He was mine.
Luke threw his head back and let out a howl that stirred me even more. My movements lacked finesse as my desire surged and I lapped at him, groaning with hunger. I wanted so much more.
But, Luke had the restraint I lacked. Though it took great effort, he pulled himself away from me, drawing out of my mouth with a pop. Then, he coaxed me back into position on all fours.
My poor, swollen sex throbbed and ached. I could barely contain myself as Luke spread me ever wider. I carved my fingers into the sand and my back bowed as his quick, rough tongue darted along my folds, teasing me.
“Ah! Luke!”
“Hold still, baby,” he said, then went back to delivering that delicious torture. He swirled the tip of his tongue around my most sensitive little bud and my nerve endings ignited. I spread open, aching to receive him. Luke hooked his fingers together and slid them into me, working me from the inside as he suckled me. My movements were no longer my own. I bucked and writhed, begging him with my body for so much more.
He liked what he saw. His wicked laugh only spurred me on. I thrust harder and harder, submitting to him with shameless abandon.
When I reached the apex of pleasure, Luke seemed to know it. He withdrew his fingers and put his hands on either side of my hips, locking me into position. I dipped lower, bringing my ass up even higher for him.
The thick head of Luke’s cock teased my opening and my juices flowed freely, guiding the way. Just like the bite, there was a quick flash of pain that spread to deep, blossoming pleasure as Luke drove himself home.
He held himself there, letting me feel the full length of him deep inside me. There, under the moonlight by the shores of Wild Lake, he claimed me. He pressed his thick cock upward, as deep as it would go. My body opened to accommodate him. It was one more thing I felt born for. Then, Luke let me take my pleasure. He stayed stock still as I thrust backward, fucking him. Leaning forward, he reached around and placed the pad of his index finger against my clit. Electric pleasure poured through me at just that single touch. I ground against it, setting off a thousand fires inside of me.
“Come, baby,” he whispered.
I did. I couldn’t control it. Later, we would couple again and again, savoring every inch of each other. But for now, I couldn’t control it for another second. “Yes!” I cried out, not caring what creatures could hear me. I felt one with them too. I’d lived on Wild Lake my entire life, but that night, I felt part of it. It seemed to come alive inside of me, knitting through my heart.
Wave after wave of pleasure rippled through me as Luke held himself steady. I thrust backward, bracing myself on my elbows. It was everything. I felt part of the earth, the lake, the trees, the air, and most of all, I was part of Luke and he was part of me. He filled me and completed me.
As the last shuddering edges of my orgasm began to subside, Luke leaned far forward, planting one hand next to mine. He held me in place with his other arm curved around my waist. Then, he began to thrust into me again.
I thought
I was done. I thought I’d spent myself around him. I was so wrong. As Luke fucked me, I came alive again. I felt greedy and hungry, wanting everything he had to give. So I took it all. Luke hitched inside of me and went still for an instant, then he filled me with liquid heat as he came. At the top of it, he bit me again, deepening the mark at the base of my neck. In some back corner of my brain, I realized the other marks had faded to nothing. When Luke claimed me, the scratches on my back healed as if they were never there. I would bear no wolf’s mark but Luke’s while he still drew breath.
As Luke spent himself inside of me, the world seemed to change color. The moon brightened and the lake glittered like diamonds. It was as if I could feel the roots of the trees all around us. A living network stretched just below us, vibrant, full of magic.
And I felt Luke. Not just his heartbeat, but what it contained. Love. Desire. Passion. Fear. Power.
Gasping, I could no longer hold myself steady. We tumbled to the ground in a tangle of limbs and Luke held me close. He took my hand and brought it to his lips, kissing me gently.
“That was...oh my God. Luke.”
His low, sultry laugh warmed me all over again. Impossible as it seemed, I felt a tiny flicker of desire kindle inside of me. I would need him again. Soon.
“I love you,” he said. “And you’re mine.”
Smiling, I brushed the hair out of his eyes. The sweat of our coupling beaded his brow.
“Of course I am,” I said. “But you’re mine too.”
Laughing, he pulled me against his chest. I felt instantly sated and drowsy. “Sleep, my love,” he whispered. “You’re going to need it.”
“Mmm?”
“You’re an Alpha’s mate now, Patricia. That was just the warmup.”
My eyes snapped open and a blush flamed my cheeks. I realized he wasn’t kidding and desire shot through me like a bullet. My sex throbbed. I felt suddenly shy. Sitting bolt upright, I scanned the tree line. It was pitch dark save for the moon, but somehow, I could see more detail with new eyes. The pack was out there. They’d kept a discreet distance, but I knew with absolute certainty they knew what had just happened out here at the lake shore.
Luke chuckled. “No time to be modest now,” he said. “With the racket you made, Philippe probably heard you halfway to Ontario.”
I threw an ineffectual punch into Luke’s shoulder. “Come here,” he said, kissing the top of my head.
“You’re impossible. I don’t know what I ever saw in you,” I teased. But, I kissed him back.
God, he felt so good. If I had any doubt about what he thought, I could feel it now, coursing through him. He loved me. I loved him. Tension flowed through him too. We were safe for now deep on Wild Lake lands with the pack standing guard, but Able was still out there somewhere too.
For now though, we had the night, the lake, the stars, and each other. I knew it was all I’d ever need.
Chapter Fourteen
It would have been nice to say we slept wrapped in each other’s arms under the stars on the shores of Wild Lake. Well, we did. At least some. For months I thought when Luke marked and claimed me, it would finally quench the desire I felt for him. It did for a time, but a new, ravenous hunger rose in its place. I couldn’t stand not having him touch me.
As the sun started to peek over the treetops, I went up on my hip and trailed my fingers through the fine, dark curls covering Luke’s chest. I traced the marble-cut lines of his muscles from the top of his shoulder, to his bellybutton, to his tapered hips. He turned toward me, and returned the favor. I couldn’t stop from giggling as he circled each of my nipples and ran his fingers down the slope of my hip. Just that simple touch and he had me wet and wanting him again. I’d lost count of the times we’d coupled throughout the night. I was sore in every muscle I had and was still lust drunk.
“No morning after regrets, my love?” he whispered, kissing my knuckles.
“Are you kidding? No. Never. I just can’t seem to help myself from touching you. I thought it would ease after we...you know.”
Luke smiled. He cupped my ass and pulled me roughly toward him. “I don’t think I’m ever going to get enough of this. You have the finest ass I’ve ever seen. It’s the first thing I noticed about you.”
I tried to bat him away, but Luke held me tight. A now familiar, heat flared between my legs at his rough, delicious touch. I spread my legs for him. He buried his face between my breasts and nipped each one, earning a squeal from me that only spurred him on. I threw my leg over his hip and mounted him. His turgid cock slid home.
“I mean it,” I said, trying so hard to focus. “I didn’t know it was going to be like this.”
Luke leaned back, hooking his hands behind his head he savored the view. I arched my back, offering my breasts to him again.
“If you want to know the truth, I didn’t either. With Sela it was…” he stopped himself and his face darkened. “I’m sorry. I’m sure that’s the last thing you want me to talk about.”
“No.” I willed my hips still, keeping Luke rooted deep. I could last maybe a minute or two, but I knew my body would take over soon. “I mean, it’s all right. I want to know.”
Luke looked at the sky, his mind traveling to some distant memory. I couldn’t be jealous. Maybe I should have been, but two things chased that away. One, Luke was mine now. I had no doubts. Two, it was my body wrapped around his. I only needed to thrust my hips to remind him of that.
“I told you. I loved Sela, but we weren’t fated. We had an arrangement, not a true love match. Not like what I have with you. If she’d lived, she wouldn’t have stayed with me forever. I knew that going in. But, with you...God. Patricia, this is…”
“Forever,” I smiled. I leaned down and kissed him. He smiled back, but shadows chased it away.
“What is it?” I asked. “Tell me what you’re thinking. Am I supposed to be able to hear it?”
“Someday, maybe. That is, if we keep doing this and you let me mark you again and again.”
“Mmm. Don’t tempt me.”
Luke tucked my hair behind my ears, but it was a hopeless cause. The humidity had kicked up and a wild mass of blonde ringlets formed a curtain between his face and mine.
“Patricia, promise me something.”
“Anything, my love.” I threw my head back and started to move my hips. But, Luke stopped me, putting a firm hand on my shoulder. “What is it?” My eyes snapped open and I looked at him.
“I don’t regret making you mine. I wouldn’t have been able to resist for long no matter what I told you before. But, I do have regrets. I’m afraid none of this will be fair to you.”
I put my hands flat on his chest. Luke’s cock jumped inside of me and it got hard to focus.
“And I told you this was my choice. I may not be as old as you are or seen as many things. But, I know my heart and I definitely know my mind. I love you, Luke McGraw. I don’t care if we get married. I don’t care if we never have children. I only care that you’re mine. I’ve spent my entire life taking care of other people and doing what was best for them. This...you and me...this is what I want. Do you hear me?”
“Oh, I hear you. It’s just...I wish things we different and we weren’t in the middle of a pack war. We could have taken more time. I could have let you get accustomed to pack life and all that entails. It won’t be easy. Alphas don’t grow into old men, Patricia.”
I cocked my head to the side and cupped his jaw with my hand. “I’ve got plenty of old men in my life, Luke.”
“I mean it, Patricia. I can offer you my body, my heart, my pack. But, I may not be able to offer you a long life together.”
Closing my eyes, I let out a hard breath. It was hard to hear what Luke said, but I tried to understand. More than that, I tried to make him understand. “Luke, if you give me your heart, your body, and your pack, that’s everything. Nobody gets a guarantee of a long life together. Nobody. Now shut up and kiss me.”
I reached for him, but Luk
e caught my wrists. His eyes were still hard as he locked them with mine. “Promise me something.”
Sighing, I sat upright and crossed my heart.
“Promise me that if anything ever does happen to me...you’ll stay with the pack. They’ll always protect you and care for you.”
I hated the darkness in his eyes. It made my heart hurt and my head spin. Luke’s thundering pulse nearly deafened me. It was a promise he wanted and one I hoped I could keep.
“I promise,” I finally said. “Besides, I know it’s only been a few hours and a few weeks before that, but I can’t imagine living without the pack. They’re part of you, so they’re part of me now, I guess.”
Luke finally looked easy again. That sly, sultry smile crossed his face and he became aware of the view I presented again...naked and wanton...and riding his cock. “How is someone as young as you filled with such old wisdom?”
I couldn’t help myself. “Right now I just wish you’d let me enjoy being filled with something else. Besides, I’m not so young. Yesterday was my birthday. I’m nineteen.”
Luke’s eyes flashed with mischief and with one fluid motion, he flipped me so I was on my back and he mounted me. “Hmm. Well, it seems that I’m going to have to figure out a way to give you a proper present then.”
Then, with my legs wrapped around his neck, he did.
Later, as the sky faded to midmorning, we finally parted. It killed me to do it, but I had to get back to the farm, and Luke had to get back to the pack.
“I’ll come back for you this evening,” he said, zipping his fly. He gave me his shirt and I tied the ends of it into a halter. With any luck, I’d be able to sneak past Grandpa, Harold, and my father and change into my own clothes before they saw me.
“Good,” I answered. Going up on my tiptoes, I kissed him again. “That’ll give me a little bit of time to figure out a way to explain you. I don’t know how any of this is going to work, but we’ll have to find a way.”
