The Sabertooth's Promise (Ice Age Alphas Book 1)

by Lily Thomas

  Rir guided them over to a tent. “You’ll stay here.” He pushed his way into the tent and placed Ezi down on some furs. “If I find Eron, I’ll send him over here to help with Ezi’s leg.” And then he was gone.

  “He doesn’t know you very well, does he.” Ezi laughed from where she was lounging on the furs.

  “Will you be alright if I leave you?” Aiyre glanced at Ezi.

  “Daerk won the fight, and it looks like the skirmish is over. I doubt there’s much for me to worry about in here.” Ezi shrugged. “And Eron should be here in no time.”

  “I have to make sure Daerk doesn’t get into something he can’t handle. We don’t need Brog coming back the winner.”

  “Go.” Ezi waved her off. “I’ll be fine.”

  Aiyre stripped off her clothing and shifted. It felt weird for her to shift into her pronghorn form in a sabertooth village, but there wasn’t much she could do about it. The sabertooths would be able to scent the shifter smell on her, so there was nothing there to worry about… she hoped. A couple of flashbacks from the night her clan had been attacked tried to flood her mind, but she shoved them down. Now wasn’t the time to let fear choke her.

  She dashed out of the tent. As she twisted her long neck to glance behind her, she caught sight of the bonfire that had almost been the death of her, and the men that were now tied up beside it.

  Turning on her four hooved feet, she skipped into the forest her hooves barely touching the snow-covered ground below them. She needed to find Daerk. He might be a sabertooth, but he’d worked his way into her life, and now she needed to make sure he didn’t accidentally get himself killed.

  “Aiyre!”

  She stopped with a slight skid over the frozen ground as she turned to glance behind her. There stood Daerk in his human form. She shifted, the cold air rushing over her, but she could care less.

  “Did you find him?” Aiyre walked over to him, hopping a bit as her bare feet protested standing on snow.

  Daerk shook his head. “No. Brog got away with a few of his men.” He growled. “I’d go after him but with my one of my legs chewed I don’t want to challenge him alone.”

  She frowned. She was divided on how she felt about that. On one side it was good Daerk hadn’t been in another fight, but at the same time, it meant Brog was still out there… and once he was done licking his wounds, he might be back.

  She shivered and brought her hands up to rub her arms vigorously.

  “Come here.” Daerk coaxed her into his open arms.

  Aiyre rushed into his arms and basked in the warmth radiating off his body. Then he stooped next to her and lifted her up in his arms.

  “Let’s get you back to my hut so we can get you warmed up.” Daerk purred.

  “We can’t warm up that much.” She laughed. “Ezi is also in there.”

  “Eron collected her so he could personally watch over the mending of her leg.”

  “I just left the tent.” She was stunned.

  “He may be older, but he can still be fast on his feet.” Daerk carried her into his tent and Ezi was indeed gone. “I saw him lead her away when I came back for you.” Daerk placed her down on his bed of furs. “I’ve waited so long to get you here in my hut.”

  Aiyre glanced up at the mammoth bones that held up the covering of furs. “It’s a large hut.”

  “Ready to be filled with children.” His golden eyes gazed at her, and she could feel the love rushing off of him in waves.

  “Even if they might be pronghorns?”

  “I have no doubt they will be formidable hunters no matter what they shift into, if their mother is any indication.”

  Aiyre couldn’t help but beam from the compliment. “And your clan?”

  “Together we will show them that they have nothing to worry about. We will guide them through this lean winter.” He sounded so certain.

  Aiyre nodded her head. It would be more complicated than he was making it sound, but they could make it work. She was ready to give it a try. Nothing was perfect, and she knew their life would come with its fair share of problems, but she was willing to work them out with Daerk.

  “Will you stay here with me?” His gold eyes were brimming with hope.

  “I will.”

  A broad smile spread across his face as his head dipped down and he captured her mouth with his. His lips demanded her surrender, and she did just that. She melted underneath him as the warm air in the tent spread over her flesh.

  Daerk ground his hard cock against the softness of her inner thigh. “I’ve waited so long to hear you accept me.” He kissed his way to her neck and licked the area he’d marked her with his teeth.

  “You never gave up.” She panted as his hands wandered over to her breasts, and his fingers teased her taut nipples.

  “Can you blame me?” He sucked the delicate flesh of her neck into his mouth and then released it with a pop. “My mate is something from a dream. She’s the perfect match to me.”

  “What about your wound?”

  “I’ll have Eron take care of it the moment we finish here.” He promised her.

  Daerk continued to kiss his way down her body sending shivers of delight racing through her. As she glanced down her body, she caught Daerk looking up at her his golden eyes glowing with the lust they were both feeling.

  “Spread your thighs.” The words sounded more animalistic, and she wondered if she was talking with his sabertooth side.

  Aiyre did as he bid, and his eyes fell to between her legs. A long low growl rumbled through his chest.

  “Better than a dream.” He purred, and she blushed. He had a way of making her feel completely special.

  His head dipped down between her legs, and he shocked a moan out of her when his hot tongue landed on her clit. “Daerk.” She groaned as his tongue slid over her clit again.

  “Does my mate like this?” His tongue circled her clit, and she nearly came right there as her thighs tightened around his face.

  “More.” She groaned, and he obliged her.

  His tongue continued to circle and tease her clit while his hands pinched her rosy nipples. Her head fell back and her back arched as the pleasure built inside of her. Then his lips wrapped around her clit, and he sucked it into his mouth, and a pleasurable shock spread throughout her entire body.

  “Daerk!” It felt so good, and she wasn’t sure how much longer she would be able to last with him attacking her body like a beast. Her hands clenched into fists by her side as her head thrashed over the fur covers.

  He growled in response, sending sweet vibrations soaring through her.

  Moans escaped her mouth as the pleasure continued to build. She was going to shatter! “Daerk! More!” She bit down on her bottom lip as an explosion of color shot across her vision.

  His fingers abandoned her nipples and instead shot deep into her sheath.

  She broke.

  Her body shuddered as her tight sheath tried in vain to draw his fingers in deeper. Panting her hips bucked as his tongue applied more pressure to her nub. His fingers never stopped pumping in and out of her.

  Then she slumped as the last shudder of ecstasy flew through her.

  Daerk pulled his fingers out of her and gave her one last lick before crawling back up her body.

  “So responsive.” He purred in satisfaction. “I could listen to you all day as you scream my name.” He leaned down and planted a hot kiss on her lips, and she was able to taste her essence still lingering on his tongue.

  His cock prodded her entrance. “Does my mate want more?”

  Gods, did she want more. “Yes.”

  “Good.” His hands landed on her hips, and he flipped her onto her hands and knees. “I’ve wanted to take you this way since I met you.” He drew her back until his cock was once more pressing against her hot entrance.

  “Yes.” She nearly screamed with delight but managed to restrain herself. “Enter me.”

  Daerk couldn’t believe he was about to take his m
ate in his hut and his village. Things were starting to look up for him. His sabertooth growled with impatience. It was done with his thinking. It wanted to take their mate and fill her with children.

  Taking a firm hold of her hips, he guided his cock to her entrance and entered her in one fluid thrust of his hips. Her warmth immediately circled him, drawing him in further.

  He began to thrust in and out of her. Then he reached for her hair, grabbed a handful and yanked back until her back arched. He groaned as pleasure built at the base of his spine.

  After a few more thrusts he released her hair and let his hand find her nub. He began to rub it with the slickness that already covered her hot sex. The nub was swollen, and it didn’t take him long to know she was getting close. Her sheath began to clench around his length.

  A groan worked its way up his throat. “Aiyre.” The pressure at the base of his spine built beyond his control. All it took was one more thrust until he felt the pressure release, and then he emptied his load into her.

  Aiyre broke around him, her body shuddering, coaxing every last drop out of him until they both collapsed back onto the furs.

  He gathered her into his arms and pulled her close, not wanting to lose contact with her lest she slip away like the dream he still thought she was.

  “I love being here.” She murmured as she snuggled into the furs.

  Daerk reached down and dragged a fur up and over her body. Then he placed a kiss on her cheek. “As much as I would love to waste away the night here in your arms, I must return to the bonfire. Now that I’ve won the fight, I need to lead my people.”

  She turned in his grasp. “Should I come out there with you?”

  “No,” he placed another kiss on her nose, “you stay here and warm back up. I’ll join you as soon as I can.”

  “You won’t hear me protest.”

  He smiled as he slipped out from under the furs and watched her curl up under the covers. He was so tempted to just slide back under the covers and take her back into his arms, but they would have plenty of time for that. Hopefully, a lifetime.

  Daerk found a stack of clothing and slid a shirt and some pants on, and with one last look at her sleeping on his furs he left the warmth of the tent and entered the chilly night air.

  He walked over to the bonfire where most of the clan was still waiting to see what had happened.

  “Did you find him?” Rir rushed over, his eyes bright with excitement from the events of the night.

  “He slipped away,” Daerk growled. Which meant trouble for them. Brog wasn’t the type of man to just disappear without causing some sort of ruckus.

  “So, we’ll have to be concerned about him.” Ryion sidled up beside them. “Brog won’t let this go easily. He may have lost this fight, but he’ll be itching to take control once more.”

  “Daerk?” A soft voice called out beside him.

  Turning Daerk was faced with Mira. What could she possibly want?

  “I need to confess…” she looked between all three of them, her hands twisting in front of her. She’d done something, and she knew he wasn’t going to like it. He could smell the fear flowing off of her in waves.

  “What is it?” He urged her on.

  “I… I told Brog about your mate.” Mira never lifted her eyes, just stared at the ground below her feet.

  A slow threatening growl rumbled out of his chest. He watched her flinch at the sound.

  Rir threw out a hand, restraining him before he could pounce on Mira and tear her to shreds. His sabertooth wanted to watch her bleed for the danger she’d put his mate in.

  “She’s the least of our concerns.” Rir reminded him. “What she did was…” he attempted to search for words, “something a clanmate should never do, but it wasn’t like she harmed your mate.”

  “Still,” Daerk ground out, “she should at least be thrown out of the clan.” He watched Mira wilt even more under his anger.

  “She will die out there in winter.” Rir shook her head. “That would make you no better than Brog.”

  Ryion stepped forward. “In the spring, when the clans gather to trade and find mates, we can give her to another clan. Then she can be someone else’s problem.”

  Rir nodded his head in approval. “It is the more sensible way to handle this situation.”

  “Fine,” Daerk growled. “She can stay until spring and then she will be given to a different clan and be their problem.” He ripped his gaze away from Mira. “But,” he called out before she left, “if you come anywhere near Aiyre, you will be cast out sooner.”

  “I understand.” And then he heard her walk away, her fur boots crunching on the snow.

  “Now that we have that taken care of, what should we do with these men that support Brog?” Rir turned his gaze to the men who were tied up like animals in front of the bonfire.

  “We could cast them out,” Ryion suggested.

  “And have them just rejoin Brog and attack us during the middle of the night?” Rir arched an eyebrow. “I think our only choice is to kill them.”

  Daerk shook his head, as he scrubbed a hand over his face shocked to feel the beard that was growing on his face. “We can’t kill them. I won’t lead our people with fear as Brog did. We’ll banish them from the clan and send them on their way.”

  “What if they come back?” Rir glanced over at the men. “They could attack us in our sleep.”

  “So could Brog.” Daerk reasoned. “For that reason, I will have sentries posted in the forest around the village. We’ll know if someone is coming to attack.”

  Ryion nodded his head in agreement.

  “I’ll task you with sending them on their way and making sure they know they’ll never be welcomed again.” Daerk clapped Rir on the back.

  “Now what about the women and many children Brog leaves behind?” Rir asked.

  “We will continue to provide for them. They never did anything wrong. All they wanted was to be in a position of comfort and safety, which a clan leader would provide.” Daerk couldn’t hold that against them. It was much better to be on Brog’s side than against it, as he knew very well. “You can send them to the women’s hut until they find their mate or decide to leave the clan in the spring when we gather with the other clans.”

  Daerk glanced around the camp. “Has Tor still not returned?”

  Rir shook his head, his eyes taking on a haunted look. “I’m beginning to wonder if he will ever come back.”

  It was completely possible Tor was laying somewhere out there dead, but Daerk had a hard time seeing Tor dying so easily when he had a mate.

  “He’ll come back. His sabertooth won’t let him stay away for long. Ezi will continue to call to him.”

  “I hope you’re right.”

  He hoped he was right as well because even he was beginning to wonder when they might see Tor once again. It didn’t feel right that his longtime friend wasn’t here to share in the joy of finally freeing their clan from Brog’s insane clutches.

  “Now that all that’s taken care of,” Ryion smiled over at Daerk, “when can we expect the joining ceremony to take place between you and your mate?”

  Daerk’s heart stopped in his chest before thundering away in excitement. “Hopefully, not long.”

  All the men chuckled before heading off to take care of different tasks. Now that he was the leader, he wanted to take a firm hold of their dwindling supplies and set them back in the right direction. He also needed Eron to take a look at his leg, which was pounding with pain.

  Aiyre held her breath as Ezi, who was seated behind her, braided her hair into one long braid.

  “Are you ready to be joined?” Ezi asked, a hint of sadness marring her words, most likely remembering the one night she’d had with Drakk before he’d been cruelly snatched away by the gods.

  “My hands are shaking, but I think this is the right decision. The gods wouldn’t have brought him into my life if we weren’t meant to be joined.”

  She could feel
Ezi nod her head behind her in agreement.

  “I only wish I could join you.” Ezi finished tying off the end of her braid with a leather strap before motioning to her leg. “Eron wants me to let it heal before I take another step on it. When Brog had us tied up, they only caused more harm.” Ezi patted Aiyre’s shoulder signaling she was done with the braid.

  Aiyre flipped around and took Ezi’s hands in her own. “I wish you could come as well, but you need to listen to Eron.”

  “And I will,” Ezi promised. “Now stand up and let me see you in this fur dress Daerk gave you for the ceremony.”

  Aiyre darted to her feet and spun around loving the feel of the supple leather. Then she ran her hands over the white dress.

  “Pretty.” Ezi smiled up at her.

  “Is she ready?” A now familiar head popped in from the entrance of the hut.

  Ezi turned around and smiled broadly. “She’s ready to be taken by the women.”

  Tira came in all the way, several women following after her. “Our ceremony will have to be changed since you’re not a sabertooth.”

  This was Daerk’s mother, and she felt nothing but joy flowing off the woman. Aiyre had been nervous how his family would react to her, but this matehood had meant more than her being a pronghorn shifter. She and Ezi had been welcomed with open arms.

  “Daerk told me.” Aiyre watched the women gather around her, all of them wearing the brown leather dresses and shoes to match. And they were all decorated with colored beads that were made from wood and stone, and some even made from bone.

  A couple of them held bowls of red dye in their hands.

  Aiyre held still as the women began to spread designs over her exposed skin. Tonight was the night she and Daerk would join together, and she couldn’t be happier. If she didn’t need to hold still for all the women painting designs on her skin, she might give a small jump in excitement.

  When the women finished, Tira came up with a bundle of smoking herbs and waved them around Aiyre. She sucked in a deep breath, the subtle smoke penetrating her lungs, and she felt herself relax as the colors around her seemed to glow brighter.