by Riley, Alexa
It might have been sneaky, but my brute of a mate needs to learn that I might leave sometimes, but I’ll always come back.
“I’m sorry, Ruby. Things have been...” I can’t think of the right word. Too many words come to mind. Perfect, crazy, intense, exhausting, overbearing? It’s been all those things rolled into one giant ball that made my heart race and my stomach flutter. And I loved every minute of it. I wouldn’t change anything for the world. I have my mate, the missing piece to my soul. I’ve never been happier in my life, but I still feel guilty for leaving Ruby in a bind. She’s part of why I found my mate. She gave me the job at the bakery that started Xavier and I on the path to each other once again.
“It’s fine.” She wobbles over towards a chair, placing her butt firmly in it, and I can tell she’s anything but fine.
“I called in some people to train so you’re not spread so thin with the bakery. I’d love to train them for you,” I offer, knowing I might be training myself out of a job, but it’s the least I can do after leaving her to handle this on her own. I love working at the bakery, but Ruby has to do what she has to do. She has three pups on the way, and I’m willing to do whatever will make her happy and show my appreciation for how great she’s been to me. Not only did she give me a job when I had zero experience, but she also gave me her little apartment so I could get away from my brother. Two things I’ll always be grateful for.
“I’m not going to lie. I’m kinda shocked you're here, even more so without a giant shadow behind you.” She eyes me suspiciously, and I don’t blame her. I’m a little shocked he hasn’t shown up to get my ass already, but I did try to mask my scent. If he’s going to follow me around everywhere I go, I can at least make it a little fun and give my mate a challenge. I haven’t had a moment alone in weeks.
Just when I’d go to tell him to back up off my ass because I needed to pee or something, he’d give me this cute little pout. How he pulled off a pout I have no idea, but the reminder has me fighting a smile.
“I might have given him the slip.” At my words, Ruby jumps up from her chair, heading for the back door to unlock it.
“I do not want to buy a new door today,” she tells me, waddling back to her chair.
“Good catch,” I laugh. When X finally catches my scent, he won’t be knocking. He’ll probably just go right through the door like the Tasmanian Devil. I should just open it, but the December cold is seeping into the air.
“And yeah, the training is yours if you really think you can swing it.”
“Just to train them?” I push a little, wondering if I’m out of a job when I’m done with the training. From the way Xavier talked, I won’t need to work. He has a plan to fill me with babies, but until I have a pile running around at my feet, I don’t want to sit at home. Xavier said he has family money in the bank, and he talked about building more houses. I knew when he was giving me this information, it was his way of telling me to keep my ass parked at home because I wasn’t needed by the pack anymore. I’m his pack now.
This might be something that can’t be fully followed. Xavier just wants it to be him and me, but he’ll soon see that the pack would be good for our family. Not only for our children, but for us. Only time will show him that, and I think he’s still so scared of losing me. I gave him his time during our mating, but it’s time to start pressing back.
As much as I enjoy being locked away in our home together, I’m a social person. I always have been and probably always will be. I like helping the women in the pack, because it makes me feel good. The need to lead and to help others comes from my alpha blood. It’s something I knew made us perfect for each other. I can draw him out and, sometimes, he can pull me in.
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love how overbearing he can be. It makes me feel cherished, but I also want him to be confident in me. Secure. I don’t like the idea of him worrying that I won’t come back to him, or that I wouldn’t fight to be with him if someone tried to pull us apart. I showed him my response when my brother tried, and I hope that eases some of his fears. After that incident, Stone has been oddly absent in the past few weeks.
“For whatever you want to give, Gwen. I think we’re both on the path to babies, and together we can run this place if we train the right people.”
“Oh my God, what if our babies are mates?” The thought pops into my head, and I can’t stop myself from squealing. The plans for running the bakery leave my mind completely.
“I should’ve known your mind would go right there,” she laughs, and I can’t seem to stop bouncing on my feet at the idea. We’re both going to have little ones running around together. I was so happy when Ruby moved to town and Dom found his mate, but part of me was jealous. I wanted that, too, and now everything is sliding into place better than I could’ve imagined.
“As much as I would love to talk about all of our babies mating, my feet feel like they might explode. I’m going to head out when Dom gets back. He’s just popping into the police station to drop some stuff off, so he’ll be here any moment.” She rises to her feet, pulling off her apron and tossing it onto the prep table next to my purse. “Who are the new hires?”
“Winnie and her stepsisters.” I knew I had to hire within the pack, or Dom would have had a major issues about it.
I have to fight a growl at my own words. When I called to ask Winnie if she wanted to train at the bakery, I somehow got roped into having her stepsisters there, too. They aren’t really Winnie’s stepsisters—they’re wolves and she’s a bear—but she grew up in the same house as them for the past few years, so I guess they’re almost like stepsisters. Those two are bitches in every sense of the word. I’ve been noticing a lot how they treat Winnie lately. But maybe this could work. I can keep a better eye on them if they’re here.
I smell him before I see him. Turning, I see X standing in the back doorway of the bakery. A look I can’t quite make out is on his face. His hair is wild like he’s been running, and he seems a little out of breath. He isn’t charging in, picking me up, and throwing me over his shoulder. I also catch Dom’s scent, who I now notice is behind my mate.
“So we’re out of here.” Ruby chirps, breaking the odd silence coats the room. X moves out of her way, letting her out the back door. She goes to Dom, and he gives me a half-smile before he pulls Ruby into his arms, mumbling something about her feet.
X continues to stand there, and I wonder if that’s his plan. Just to come to work with me every day. It’s something that seems pointless if I’m busy. I’d tell him he probably has better things to be doing, but I know that would be a waste of breath. He’d argue there isn’t anything he’d rather be doing.
“Good morning,” I say in the sweetest voice that just earns me a grunt. I give him the stink eye and try again. “You don’t think it’s a good morning?”
“A good morning would’ve been me waking to the same breakfast I’ve been having for the past few weeks.” His words are laced with bitterness, and we both know the breakfast he’s talking about isn’t bacon and eggs. No, it’s me. I’d missed that too when I’d silently slid from our warm bed this morning.
“My room is upstairs, and I have—”
He’s on me before I can finish. He easily throws me over his shoulder, something he does more often than not. He gives me the response I thought he would the moment he found me. Seems someone is finally learning a little patience. ‘Little’ being the key word.
“Old room,” he growls, making me smile. I playfully bite his jean-covered ass, which is directly in front of my face. He tosses me onto the bed before covering me with his body. “Old room,” he repeats, wanting my confirmation.
“Well, it would be if you’d let me pack my stuff,” I remind him. This is something I’ve been telling him we need to do. He kept saying he could do it, but all I can envision is my favorite shoes and bags thrown carelessly into a box, then duct taped up. Nope, not happening. I love those shoes and bags.
“Fine. We’ll do it n
ow. And then you’ll come home?” I hear the hope in his voice, and I’m a little taken aback by it. This was not how I thought this would go. I didn’t foresee my brute of a mate asking me anything when it came to not being within reaching distance of him. Something’s up.
“You’re acting odd.” I eye him suspiciously, but he gives me nothing. “What if I say no? We’ll pack after I’m done with my shift today?”
“Okay, I’ll wait.” Shocking. He’d stand like a statue in the corner all day. I could see it now. He’d growl at every male that tried to talk to me. Hell, the bakery would be bankrupt in a month. Even when the mating heat passes, I know Xavier will still be more possessive than most males. It’s just who he is. He’s more animal than man. Logically, he knows no other shifter would want me, but he doesn’t care. He sees every male as a threat.
“No, you come back at three.”
I see him fight himself. “This will make you happy?” He searches my face, and I just smile up at him.
“It will make me happy that you trust me.”
“I can’t keep you caged.” He says the words like he’s repeating them from another source. “You’re so full of life. It’s unfair, no matter how much I want it. I just thought I had more time.”
His words surprise me. Then I remember he walked in with Dom, and I’m guessing he had a talk with my mate. Dom seems to be the only other male in the pack he trusts.
“You do have me, but Ruby and Dom are our friends, and they need our help right now. Just like I’m sure if we need them when our babies come, they’ll be there for us, too.” It’s a step in the right direction. He might not be ready to be a part of the pack as a whole, but this is pulling him in little by little. “I want us to be together all the time, too, but if we are going to have all these babies like you want, then we’re also going to have to learn to be apart at times.”
“I’m fighting my instincts, but I want to give you this, give us this.” Xavier nuzzles my neck for just a moment, then looks back into my eyes.
“One day at a time. I’m not going anywhere. If I’m ever at the bakery or running errands, you can call me and come right to me. I know it’s been a while since you had one, but you can track me with your phone.”
He seems pleased with that idea. “I love you,” he growls, before taking my mouth in a deep hungry kiss.
Thank God we have a little time before Winnie shows up.
Chapter 13
Xavier
I’m on my way to pick up Gwen from work when I stop in the woods. I catch her scent leading to another trail, and it has me on alert. It’s faint, but I don’t remember smelling it this morning when I walked her to work.
The past two weeks have been difficult for me, but as the days go by, it gets easier. I walk her to the bakery every morning and then leave her there while I work on houses. Dominic told me that there was a need for a builder in the shifter community, and he recommended me to a few people. The work keeps my mind busy while Gwen is away from me, but I don’t know that I’ll ever be completely okay with her being out of reach.
I pull out my phone and check the tracker. I see that she’s still at work, or at least her phone is still inside the bakery. I put my phone away and smell again. Her scent is coming from the opposite direction of the bakery, from a trail that leads to the stream.
I decide to check out the scent just to be safe and to see what’s going on. I take a few steps down the trail and follow the smell. When I make it a few feet, I stop. I can smell Gwen’s wolf, and she’s close. Suddenly, I can feel a wicked smile spreading across my face. My mate is trying to play hide and seek.
I slip off my shirt and jeans and leave them in a pile beside a tree. This is shifter territory, and no one will bother things that smell of other shifters. The snow is light today, only just having started falling yesterday. The afternoon sun is peeking through the trees, and the cold breeze lends a crisp chill to the air.
Gwen and I have gone for runs in the woods a few times. At first, I was really nervous, keeping her close to me and never letting her out of my sight. But like all things with my mate, she opens me up to life. I would have kept locking us inside our home for the rest of our lives if she’d let me, but she keeps reminding me that there’s life outside our bubble.
Once I’m naked, I shift, easily slipping into my large black wolf. I catch her scent even faster this way, and I take off in the direction she’s headed. I lengthen my stride as I prowl through the woods, bringing her closer and closer to me. I run through the trees, letting my wolf come to the front and control my instincts as I track my mate with precision.
When I come to a small meadow, I stop, sensing she’s close. I crouch down on all fours, looking around and waiting for her to make her move.
This place is several miles from town and utterly beautiful. I’ve been out this way before, but most shifters don’t come out this far. It’s still in the protected zone, so I know my mate is safe. I scent the area again just to be sure, and she’s the only other one out here.
The meadow is small and surrounded by thick trees, covered with a light dusting of snow. I lie in the shadows and wait until she makes her move.
After a few moments, my patience pays off and I see her breach the trees. Her wolf walks through the clearing, slowly making her way to the center.
Each time I see her, her beauty takes my breath away. Her wolf is solid white with crystal blue eyes, and she’s long and lean. She’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, and I’ll never get tired of looking at her.
Silently, I creep forward just to the edge of the trees, and I watch as she goes to the middle and stops. She looks over in my direction as if she senses me, and lowers herself to the ground, growling.
Oh, my mate wants to wrestle? Done.
Digging my feet into the snow for traction, I leap out of the trees and into the small clearing. As I come down to land on my mate, she rolls over and kicks up her paws, knocking me off her.
I can feel my wolf grin as I run back to her, and we begin to roll in the woods playfully. I can’t remember a time before our mating when I played. Since mating with Gwen, she’s opened my eyes and my heart to life. I had shut down who I was and what I wanted for so long, just existing and not living. Thanks to her I laugh every day. I say ‘I love you’ every day. And I never forget to tell her just how important she is to me. I have a family again.
After we are both covered in snow, I pounce on her one final time, holding her to the ground. I playfully nip at her neck and watch her shift under me. I shift at the same time, both of us naked in the middle of the meadow.
“I knew you’d find me,” she giggles, reaching up and rubbing my face. She likes to pet me, and we’ve both discovered I like to be petted.
“You shouldn’t have run in the woods without telling me.” I try to be stern, but my voice always softens when it comes to my mate.
“Are you saying you didn’t like the chase?” She pushes her hips up, pressing against my hard cock. She raises her eyebrows as if to prove her point.
“I’m always this way when I’m within ten feet of you. Don’t act surprised,” I growl low in my chest, leaning down and nipping at her neck again. This time when my teeth graze her skin instead of her fur, my need becomes stronger.
Gwen moans and turns her head to the side, exposing her neck fully to me. It’s her submission and invitation all at once. Sitting up on my hands and knees, I turn her over so she’s underneath me and in prime position. I have her smaller body caged under mine.
Shifter bodies naturally run warmer than humans, so the snow on the ground doesn’t hurt her hands and knees. The leaves make a soft bed beneath us, and being this far away from any humans, it’s as if we are in our own private world. I would never risk someone seeing my mate like this, and having her safe is my first responsibility.
“Present your body to me, mate. I want you.”
Gwen spreads her knees wider apart and lowers her shoulders slightly. The
motion tips her ass higher in the air and exposes her pussy to me.
I breathe in through my nose, smelling her need, and my cock gets impossibly harder. For some reason she’s so much sweeter today. I noticed it this morning when I was waking her up with my mouth between her legs.
I grip her shoulder with one hand and keep the other hand pinned by her head, holding her steady. My cock is so hard it’s sticking straight out, leaking cum and ready to enter her. I feel the warmth of her opening kiss the tip, and I thrust hard inside her, filling her with all twelve inches of me at once.
There’s nothing tighter than her channel locking all around me.
“Fuck. Harder, Xavier,” she moans, pushing her ass against me.
Pulling out halfway, I thrust back into her, harder this time. Gripping her body tighter, I hold her in place as I fuck her roughly. Her sounds of pleasure echo through the forest, and I give her everything she asks for.
Laying my body over hers, I grip her shoulder with my teeth as I rut into her. I reach around and my fingers delve between her thighs to find her wet clit. I’ve gotten to know exactly what my mate likes when it comes to sex, and I give her exactly what she desires most. I don’t tease her or make her beg. I only want to give her pleasure.
She clenches around my cock at the first touch, and my breath catches in my throat. I nearly spill inside her before she’s had her orgasm, and I bite down on her shoulder to help keep myself from going too soon.
I rub her clit in just the right way, and she moves her hips with me. After only a couple of strokes, she’s gripping me tightly and shouting out her release. She cums on my cock, coating me with her juices, and the scent has me going crazy. I’m barely able to make it two more pumps inside her before I hold her hips and cum inside her womb. Her pussy sucks my cum out of my cock, taking it into her body. I hold her to me as she catches her breath, letting the extra heat from my body warm and relax her.
