“You didn’t ask me about it.”
“A good Lupine, eager to learn, would have pointed it out. Would have told me, the alpha, how old the scent is, how big the prey, and if it were in a herd, so we could hunt later.”
A good Lupine? His condescending tone made her bristle. “I’ve taken good care of myself.”
“In the human world. This is different.”
He turned and gave her a look filled with male disdain. “It’s not going to be easy for you or for Darius. He’s a natural alpha. I figure he got along so well with Aiden as his alpha because they’re friends and Aiden treats him more like a partner instead of a beta. But here, he’s like the others. And if I call for disciplining you, his animal instincts will urge him to protect you, his mate. I don’t like punishing females any more than I enjoy punishing my sons when they misbehave. So do him and me a favor. Don’t fuck up.”
She narrowed her eyes. “I don’t plan on it. And you do me a favor. Don’t assume I’m going to fuck up just because I’ve been living in Skin and I failed to mention a goddamn elk turd. In case you’re wondering, as we stand here, I also smell dead flowers, a rotting fish on the bank, and some really bad BO from an Elf who waded into the river. Guess he forgot to wash.”
Ryder stared at her and for a minute she feared she’d pushed the alpha too far. Then he threw back his head and laughed. Relief made her knees weak.
He squeezed her shoulder and the annoying condescension was gone. “Elf, huh? Even I didn’t catch that. Good for you. You’ll fit in just fine here.”
“You mean there are other smart asses in your pack you tolerate?”
Ryder’s laughter died. “Smart asses? Yes. Hell, I like them. They’re the ones who will pull us out of the mire when things get rough. Like your mate. I’d fight with one arm tied behind my back with Darius at my side. Aiden, too. They’re strong bloods. Cocky and arrogant, but strong.”
They sat watching the game for a while, and then Kara came over with Wendy. Sam smiled at the little girl, who chattered about the new bike she’d gotten for her birthday. Sitting next to Kara, Ryder caressed his mate’s back, running a hand lightly down her spine. Kara sighed and glanced at her.
“Sam, can you watch Wendy for a minute?”
“Sure.”
Ryder and Kara vanished.
A few minutes later, the players took a break. Darius jogged over, chugging a bottle of water. Sweat dripped down his face and molded his shirt to his muscled chest. Sam’s toes curled inside her sneakers.
He dropped beside her at the picnic table where she’d settled. “Looks like we’re babysitting for a while.” He wiped his forehead with the back of a hand. “Happens sometimes.”
Sam shot him a questioning glance. “She asked me to watch Wendy for a minute.”
“Uh huh.” Darius watched the little girl kick the soccer ball to her older brothers. “What they’re doing will require more than a minute, even for the fastest male.”
Sam flushed. “I didn’t even think…”
“It happens. Advantage of pack. Built-in babysitters to give Mom and Dad private time to make more babies. Everyone pitches in as they can, when they’re needed. Loyalty to the alpha pair, which is why the pack didn’t hesitate when Ryder asked them to come here as a favor to me. And a favor to you, because you needed help.”
It was sweet and thoughtful, a side of Lupine life she’d never seen. She felt deeply touched they would do this for a stranger.
She touched his hand, feeling tensile strength. “Thank you for going to all this trouble for me and asking Ryder for refuge. It can’t be easy, for you to swear temporary allegiance to him when you’re already loyal to Aiden.”
Darius blinked in surprise. “You’re my mate, sweetheart. It’s my job to protect you and make you comfortable in your wolf-skin.”
A loud shriek drew their attention to the field. They jumped off the table, Darius beating her to the soccer field. Jon sat on the ground, crying, holding his knee. Through the tear in his jeans, blood and dirt showed.
“I went down hard, and it hurts,” he whimpered.
Darius’ jaw tightened. “I’ll get the First Aid kit.”
“No! Not the stingy stuff!” Jon wailed louder.
As Darius raced back to their townhouse, Sam gathered the little boy into her arms. “Don’t cry, sweetie. How about I sing you a song? Would you like that?”
His eyes filled with fresh tears, but Jon nodded.
Stroking back his hair, Sam sang, the notes sweet and pure, the one song she’d remembered from childhood. The other children, who had resumed their play, stopped and listened. When Darius returned with the small plastic box, she kissed Jon’s brow.
He beamed at her. “It doesn’t hurt anymore! I don’t need the stingy stuff.”
“Brave boy,” Darius murmured, opening the kit.
Sam peered down at Jon’s leg. “He’s right. Look. It’s healed.”
Frowning, Darius touched the unmarked skin. “Not even a bruise.” He winked at Jon and ruffled his hair. “You’re the son of a powerful alpha. Happens this young sometimes. You gain your Lupine abilities early.”
“Can I go play now?”
Darius nodded. He and Sam sat on the ground to watch the game resume.
“Odd,” he mused. “Lupine children usually never gain their healing abilities earlier than twelve.”
“Maybe Jon healed because he is the son of an alpha,” she suggested.
“Perhaps,” he said softly.
But as they watched the children chase the soccer ball, her mind drifted. Jon had healed after she’d sung to him.
And Ryder, with all his alpha powers and sense of smell, hadn’t detected the scent of pure Elf.
But she had.
Sam wondered about that.
Chapter 14
The bathroom had gleaming black marble tile walls and floors, and stainless double sinks. Two sprays of white orchids in tall glass vases filled with black stones flanked the wide mirror. Sam splashed water on her face and stared at her reflection.
Darius came behind her, gently squeezing her shoulders. “Hey, beautiful. You okay? You haven’t said more than two words since Ryder and Kara returned.”
“Two. Words.”
“Smart ass.” He dropped a tiny kiss on her bare neck, making her quiver.
“Darius…”
“Sorry. Forgot myself. You’re so fucking gorgeous. This is going to be hell. Pure hell.”
“Maybe we can ask for separate townhomes.”
“Darling, separate states wouldn’t help.” He dragged in a deep breath and met her gaze in the mirror. Desire had darkened his blue eyes and a pulse beat madly in his neck.
His jet black curls were damp from showering, and he was barefoot, though he’d changed into a tight black T-shirt and faded jeans. The shirt molded to his thick biceps and muscled chest. Sam moistened her mouth, everything female in her roused to full awareness.
The wolf was devastating, and she wanted nothing more than to roll around the sheets with him. Well, more than roll. Get naked, wind herself around his gorgeous body, feel him push slowly inside her…
Awareness filled his gaze. Darius ran his hands down her arms, and her body tightened. She wanted to turn around, pull his mouth down to hers and surrender to the raging need. But she remembered how his eyes had turned amber, and how feral he’d been in bed.
Sam tensed. Would she turn that feral? Turn into a Lupine with a thirst for hunting prey as she had when she was twelve? Become a beast that killed rabbits as she’d seen Maxim kill her pet long ago?
What was she?
Darius nuzzled her neck and then drew back, his gaze glinting. “Come with me.”
She followed him to the kitchen.
“We’re going to shift and run in the forest.”
Panic clogged her throat. “I haven’t shifted in a very long time.”
“I know. And it’s about time you did. You’ve been living in Skin too long,
Sam. There’s raw meat in the fridge Ryder skinned and left for you.”
Her stomach roiled. “Let me guess. Rabbit. I can’t eat it, Darius. Please. Any meat but rabbit.”
“You must, if you want to remain here in the pack.” He herded her into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator door, removing a plastic container. “Ryder’s carved up the meat into bite-sized pieces.”
Nausea rose in her throat. She watched him open the container and saw the fresh meat and her stomach contracted.
Sam raced for the sink and retched. She heard him swear softly, the container dropping onto the counter. Then he was at her side, brushing back her hair as she emptied her stomach.
When she finished, she rinsed out her mouth, and sat at the kitchen table. Darius wet a dishtowel. Gently, he wiped her face. Then he fetched her a glass of water. She drank deeply, grateful for the icy coolness.
“What’s wrong, Sam?”
Setting down the glass, she shook her head. “I never told you what I did when I was twelve. We had just joined the pack, it was my first change and I didn’t want anyone to know, I was so ashamed. I was afraid if you found out, you’d make fun of me, or worse, Maxim might throw us out because I didn’t fit into his pack.”
His face solemn, Darius shook his head. “He’s not here, sweetheart. And I would never make fun of you. Tell me. I need to know.”
“I had a pet rabbit in the woods. An older bunny, it was kind of lame and you could tell it was old. It used to come to me when I’d go for walks in the woods. I snuck it lettuce. And then the night of the full moon…” She swallowed past the rising nausea. “I changed into a wolf for the first time, and your father took me on my first hunt in wolf-skin. He saw my rabbit in the forest. And snapped its neck…and ate it.”
She looked at Darius, waited for his reaction, wondering if he’d find her weak because of the love she’d held for a creature all Lupines learned to kill as wolves.
He merely looked stunned. “No wonder you never hunted rabbits back in my father’s pack. And you refused to eat them until I cooked the meat a little.”
“I was afraid to tell you because you’d find me weak.”
Sympathy filled his gaze, not disdain. Darius reached for her hand. She let him take it, feeling his strength and gentleness as he stroked her fingers with his thumb. “Never, Sam. I’d have avoided hunting rabbits, too.”
A little relieved, she sat back. “You? Macho wolf?”
“Hell yes.” His expression tightened. “Why did your mother allow you to keep a pet rabbit? She knew what would happen to it, living among wolves.”
“She didn’t know I’d made the rabbit into a pet. After, she told me that it was merciful, because the rabbit was old and sick. What Maxim did was good because the rabbit would have probably died a painful death from starvation instead of a quick one. To me, it was horrible and savage.”
Moisture flooded her eyes. She went to turn to hide the tears, but Darius held out his arms. “Come here.”
She sat in his lap as he wrapped her in his strong embrace, stroking her hair. Darius kissed the top of her head, and she felt an awful weight lift. “I’m sorry you had to endure that, sweetheart. It would have traumatized the strongest Lupine at that age. I promise you, no more rabbits.”
As she sat back, he gently wiped a tear trickling down her cheek.
“But Lupines hunt and eat rabbits.”
“You don’t need to hunt rabbit to shift. All you need is fresh meat. I asked Kara to stock the fridge with raw hamburger. She seasoned it with spices, the way Lupine mothers do when their young are getting close to the change, to introduce them to raw meat. Come with me.”
In the kitchen, Darius put the container of rabbit meat in the refrigerator and removed another container. He popped it open and held it out to her. A dozen small, uncooked meatballs sat inside.
“Try this.”
He popped one into his mouth. Hesitating, she did the same. It tasted surprisingly good. Fresh energy surged through her body.
Sam ate until the container was empty. Darius set it into the sink as she beamed at him. “I did it!”
Giving her a tender smile, he touched her cheek. “I knew you could.”
Darius went into the living room and began to strip. “Get undressed.”
“You want me to get naked…”
He paused in unbuckling his jeans. “Darling, you haven’t shifted in years. Part of the energy you need to shift requires magick to eradicate your clothing. You’ll avoid draining your powers this way.”
Hookay. But she stole glances at Darius, at the firmness of his taut buttocks as he bent over to tug off his jeans, at his heavy sac and thick penis.
Her nipples turned rock hard. Sam finished undressing as Darius padded over to the sliding door and opened it to the night air. He went into the kitchen and snapped on the range light, then returned to the living room and shut off all the lights. She blinked in the gloom.
“Your eyesight will be very sensitive when you shift back. It’s best to have total darkness, but since you haven’t shifted in years, I’ll leave the kitchen light on. Let’s go outside.”
Standing on the dirt path leading to the river bridge, she watched him. Beneath the moonlight, he faced her, his expression grim. “I’m giving you signals so you understand me in wolf-skin. A nip on your flank means you’re wandering and you need to follow me. Nose to the ground means I’m following a scent trail. Tail moved to one side and I sense danger ahead. Any time you see my tail up, you let me clear the way.”
“What about my tail?” Sam wriggled her bottom playfully. “What do I do with my tail?”
He grinned. “Move it to one side. That’s the symbol to mate, darling, but we’re not there yet. Basics first.”
When he’d finished going over the symbols, she felt foolish and naïve and way out of her league. Calculating figures and analyzing data to compartmentalize it for a proposal was a cakewalk. Shifting into a beast that could tear and rip and rend?
“Darius…”
Instantly he was at her side, cupping her face, his palms warm. “Sam, you can do this. You did it before, remember? It’s in your blood.”
“But what if my blood isn’t all Lupine? What if I am something else and my wolf is suppressed by it?” She bit her lip. “I never did find it easy to shift, except around you.”
His gaze remained steady. “That’s why you’re here with me, darling. I’ll teach you once more to let the wolf out. Watch me. And take a minute to acclimate yourself once you’re in wolf-skin. Your senses will probably explode. It is overwhelming.”
Raising his hands to the moonlit sky, Darius shifted.
Gray-furred and blue eyed, the big wolf gave a mighty shake, fur rippling sleekly in the crisp breeze. Then he stilled, watching her.
I can do this. I must do this. Sam lifted her hands to the sky, fighting the fears that had gripped her since Darius had taken her, savage and rough, back at the beach house. She tried to call upon her magick. Nothing. Not even a spark.
Despondent, she sank to the ground. “This isn’t working,” she told the wolf Darius.
He loped over and gently licked her cheek. Sam flung her arms around the wolf, feeling thick fur and bone and muscle. She breathed in his scent and then a thought flickered in her mind. Pack. Connection. Bonding.
Maybe she couldn’t do this on her own, but Darius was here. They’d forged a connection. She tunneled her fingers through his thick fur, dragging his unique scent into her lungs. Sam closed her eyes and let the night sounds sweep over her. She heard the buzz of insects along the river, the gurgling water, leaves rippling overhead in the night breeze.
She remembered shifting into wolf form when much younger, chasing Darius across forest and glade, relishing the pure joy of being wild and free.
The change came swiftly, with only a flash of pain. When she opened her eyes, she was sitting on her haunches. Thick fur covered her body. She smelled the night air, so cold and sharp and
crisp, heard the scuttle of creatures among the trees and bushes. Sam lifted her head and blinked hard, the sensations overwhelming her, her vision seeing the rushing river, the trees and blades of grass in sharp relief. She felt as if someone had shot her full of a drug, making her wild and free.
And very uninhibited. Sam pawed at the ground, eager to run and play. Darius playfully butted his head against her flank and wagged his tail, baring his teeth in a wolfish grin. Then he barked once.
The signal for “let’s go.”
She followed Darius across the bridge, padding into the thick forest. Silvery moonlight dappled the pine and oak trees, spilling onto the ground. After they crested a ridge, a narrow pathway cut through the forest. Darius stopped and sniffed at several trees, lifting his leg on a few. She loped over to a nearby pine and sniffed. She scented the same woodsy scent she had earlier with Ryder, twined with rich spices. Elf.
In the distance, she heard a sweet melody of harp and lute. Sam’s ears pricked up and she whined, her blood charging to follow the pathway down the ridge to the source. Sam loped toward the path, then felt a sharp nip on her flank.
Shaking her head, she turned and saw Darius, his blue eyes gleaming. She turned and followed him as he ran through the forest in the other direction.
But part of her longed to draw close to the strange, enchanting music and explore each lovely note.
When they returned to the townhouse porch, he shifted back. Sam did the same. Naked, Darius padded inside. She followed him, looking at their discarded clothing lying jumbled on the carpet. She dressed quickly.
Darius remained naked.
He faced her. In the dim light, she saw his gaze smolder with sexual intent. And as if she had any doubt…
Sam glanced at his groin and saw his thick penis jutting upward.
“Running brings out the wildness in me,” he said, his voice husky. “Shifting into wolf charges up our sexual energy. Passion is part of our nature. It awakens the primal urge to mate and breed. I want you Sam. Badly. But I’m not letting the wolf take over this time. The wolf in me wants to throw you to the ground and cover you and fuck you hard. But the man in me wants to love you, as you deserved to be loved.”
The Mating Rite (Big, Beautiful Werewolf) (Werewolves of Montana) Page 20
