Claimed by the Mate, Volume 3

by Kate Douglas

  “Lock your doors, Trak. The bastard got loose. I was in the shower and he somehow got out of the locked cage. Elle heard some noise and went down to check and he coldcocked her.”

  “Is she okay?”

  “She’ll be fine, but she’s got a badly bruised jaw. We’ve got ice on it. I’m calling the pack, but I’m sure the bastard’s headed your way. We’ll get there as soon as we can.”

  “Stay with Elle. Call Cain and the others, tell them what’s going on, but you keep her safe.”

  He hung up the phone and turned to Chelo, but she was already pulling on her robe. “Is he human or wolf?”

  “I’m guessing he’ll come as a wolf. I locked the doors before we came up here, but I need to meet him. This has to end now.”

  Chelo grabbed his arm. “Trak, the man is crazy. He’s strong and he has no sense of conscience. He’ll do his best to kill you.”

  “Well, I intend to kill him and I’ve got you to come home to, so I think that gives me a lot more incentive to beat that bastard. Stay in here. You’re too important a target, and if I’m worried about you I might end up getting hurt.” He kissed her. “I really, really don’t want to get hurt.”

  “I don’t want you to get hurt, either. Be careful. I love you. I promise to stay inside. I’m guessing you’re right. He’ll come as a wolf. He’s stronger then.”

  “Figured as much. I’m going to shift inside, so follow me so you can get the door, okay? I’m going out the back. Stay safe. I’ll come home as soon as I can.” He pulled her into his arms and held her close. “I want to finish what we were just starting. Keep the lights off in here. I don’t want him to see you.”

  He shifted. Chelo followed him down the steps and opened the back door. Trak slipped out into the darkness. He glanced over his shoulder and watched her close the door. He didn’t move forward until he heard the dead bolt click into place.

  Trak picked up Cain’s scent not far from the cabin, but there was no sign of the crazy alpha. Slipping quietly through the trees, Trak went straight to Cain. They both shifted. “Any sign of him?”

  “I picked up his scent near Tuck’s place and he was heading this way, but I lost him near the swampy area in the meadow. He might have rolled in mud to throw us off.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind. Is Brad with Cherry?”

  “He is. We’ve got all the women at the lodge. Wils and Ronan are patrolling together, Manny’s over by the lodge in case he heads that way, and Drew’s with Brad and the women. Lawz and Darian left for Eureka about an hour ago. They were both out of vacation.”

  “I’ve always told Lawz he’s got great timing.” He heard a snap, just the sound of a single twig, but it was way too close. Trak and Cain shifted and slipped away in opposite directions.

  He didn’t smell wolf, but he did pick up the foul miasma of old mud and algae. Cain had been right. The sound had come from the direction of the boggy meadow. Trak moved quietly to a point where he could see the meadow. He quickly spotted Cain slinking through the grass toward a spot of darkness that was most likely their wolf.

  Watching Cain Boudin in action was actually pretty exhilarating—he moved so quietly, so carefully, that the grass didn’t even wave with his passing.

  Trak slipped closer, keeping to the opposite side of the meadow, crouching low in the thick grass. Cain was still drawing closer to the dark shadow when it suddenly rose up to full height and charged Trak in an aggressive flash of sharp teeth and powerful jaws.

  Trak dove low, feinting as if going for the wolf’s throat but snapping his jaws on the upper half of the beast’s front leg and taking him down. A loud yelp and the sharp crack of breaking bone was proof his attack had been successful.

  There would be no mercy tonight.

  * * *

  Chelo sat alone in the dark cabin, waiting. Trak wouldn’t face the bastard alone. His pack loved him and would do anything for him, but she couldn’t help but fear for him. A lifetime of abuse at the hands of monsters had conditioned her to expect the worst.

  It wasn’t easy to be an optimist.

  She had to hope, though. It was all about hope. Hope had kept her alive and helped her escape. It had led her to Trak, a man she loved with all her heart.

  He would be safe. He had to be.

  A sharp knock at the back door startled her. She walked across the room. “Who is it?”

  “Chelo, it’s Armando. Manny. Sorry, you’ve probably only heard my nickname. Are you okay?”

  She quickly unlocked the door and let him in. “Have you heard from Trak? Is he okay?”

  Manny stepped inside and locked the door behind him. “He’s going to be fine. Cain’s with him and nothing can stop that guy. Trak’s pretty tough on his own. I was worried about you here by yourself. Thought I’d stay and keep you company. Are you okay with that?”

  “Thank you.” She drew her robe more tightly about herself. She’d not spent much time with him—his work as a forest ranger took him out on the trails a lot—but she knew his mates, Drew and Jules, and liked both of them. Armando was definitely welcome. “I appreciate it. I hate waiting. I’m so sorry all of these bad things are happening because of me.”

  “Don’t be. None of this is your fault. If you want to blame anyone, blame the two who kidnapped you so many years ago. I’ve heard your story, Chelo. It’s terrifying and amazing.”

  He walked over to the counter and went about making a pot of coffee as if he’d done it many times before, so comfortable in Trak’s kitchen that Chelo realized she was actually beginning to relax.

  “You’re a strong woman, and an alpha besides. This pack needs you as much as we’ve always needed Trak.” He poured two cups. “You take anything in this?”

  “Black, please. Thank you.

  “How does the pack need me? Trak has said that, too, but this is the most stable group of people I’ve ever met, and your lives were safer before I showed up. You can’t deny that.”

  Manny laughed and took a sip of his coffee. “I won’t even try to deny that, though we’re not bored, either. Chelo, Trak has been lonely for too many years. All of us were, but this summer each of us found mates, and that’s made a huge difference in all our lives. We’ve been worried about Trak because he hadn’t found anyone, because not a single woman who’s come through here over the past few months would have been right for him. You are. Hold on to that and know that we all accept you as the one who will make this pack stronger because you’re making our alpha stronger. We’re pack animals, Chelo. Not meant to live alone. With you and Darnell joining us, we are finally complete. We’re all excited to see what the future holds.”

  * * *

  Trak stood over the dead wolf, head down, sides heaving as he struggled for air. A bloody gash along his rib cage was his only injury, but the alpha had not been an easy kill. Tearing out the wolf’s throat had finally stopped him, though he’d fought a brutal fight on three legs until he’d finally gone down from loss of blood. Cain had sat back and watched, ready to help should Trak need him, but he’d stayed out of the fight.

  As it should be. This was Trak’s battle and he’d prevailed. Standing here over his vanquished rival, he realized he’d always wondered if he could handle himself in a fight to the death. He’d feared that he didn’t have what he needed to lead this pack when it got down to the feral side of fighting for control.

  Tonight’s battle had settled that argument. His heart had finally stopped trying to beat its way out of his chest, his ears were no longer ringing with the sound of growls and yips, and the damned wolf had finally stopped breathing.

  From the amount of blood at the scene, it appeared he’d finally just bled out.

  Trak shifted. Cain joined him, the two men standing over the dead animal. “I’ll get the guys to help me bury the body,” Cain said. “Tuck’s got a graveyard for wolves that have died over the years. This one won’t be shifting back, so that’s where he belongs.”

  Nodding, Trak turned away. “I need
to get back to Chelo. She’s there alone and probably worried sick.”

  “I think Manny’s with her. When I left to meet you, he was talking to Jules about going over to sit with her until you got back.”

  “Thank you. Thank you for worrying about us. Cain, inviting you into this pack has got to be the smartest move I ever made as an alpha. Sorry it’s taken me so long to figure that out.”

  Cain slapped him on the shoulder. “S’okay. I wasn’t worried about it.” He looked at the dead wolf for a moment and then raised his head. “I say we leave him here, take care of the body in the morning. It’s been a long day.”

  Nodding, Trak agreed. “Hell of a good wedding, though. And we handled it all without a wedding planner.”

  “Only because Chelo and Darnell showed up when they did. Of course, that makes the whole idea of doing weddings a more workable concept, the fact we can do stuff in-house.”

  “Good point. I think I need to go and let Chelo know that.” Trak turned to go but thought of something else. “Can you stop and tell Evan that all is okay? He was going to turn Darnell tonight, so I imagine he’s afraid to leave her at all, thinking that guy’s still running loose.”

  “Will do. See you in the morning.”

  Trak watched as Cain shifted and trotted off through the woods. Then, without a backward glance at the dead wolf lying in the weeds, he went back to Chelo.

  * * *

  Tuesday morning

  There was a sense of heightened expectation on the deck at the lodge this morning. Evan was officially introducing his mate to the pack. Darnell had awakened the night before and made her first shift with Evan standing by. He’d called Trak to tell him that she was fine, that he’d taken her on a short run because she’d been too excited to wait for her official acceptance into the pack.

  Trak sat with the rest of the pack, telling them about Evan’s phone call and laughing. He couldn’t imagine Darnell waiting for much of anything. She’d certainly given up waiting on Evan, and it hadn’t taken her long to wrest control of that situation. “Anyway,” he said, “they should be here any minute.”

  A moment later Evan stepped out of the forest and into the sunlight. Beside him was a beautiful wolf, average sized with a creamy belly and silver, gray, and tan coloring around her head and body. A dark bar made a striking pattern across her chest and over her shoulders.

  Trak turned to Cain and, behind his hand, said, “She even walks cocky.”

  “Evan’s going to have his hands full with this one.” Cain didn’t even try to lower his voice, and when Darnell’s ears pricked forward it was obvious she’d heard.

  The women were already spilling off the deck and running out to meet her. Trak hung back a bit, watching, listening.

  Laughter. There was so much laughter with his pack. He remembered not that long ago when it had been only a pack of men, all of them knowing what they lacked and willing to do what it took to find their mates.

  They’d had more success than any of them could have imagined, and the women now part of this pack had only made it stronger. One of these days, there’d be babies, too. Sooner rather than later, he hoped. It had been a long time since there’d been any young, and never any with his pack.

  He realized Chelo hadn’t gone down with the others. She stood behind him, waiting patiently. No point in making her wait any longer.

  “What were you thinking about, Trak? You looked sort of pensive.”

  “Thinking about how much healthier this pack is, and all because of the women who’ve become a part of us.”

  “And that makes you sad?” She took his hand and led him down the steps to greet Darnell.

  “Not sad at all. Just thinking of what the future might hold. Imagining children. Are you okay with trying? I know your past is . . .”

  “My past is over, Trak. I’m only looking at beginnings. And yes.” She grabbed his arm and hugged him close as they walked. “I want to try. I realized I’ve lived my life on hope for things to get better. They are definitely better. Now I can start looking at my future. At our future. We’ll never know if babies are part of ours unless we try.”

  He leaned close and kissed her. And there in the parking lot in front of the Feral Passions Resort lodge, Traker Jakes stripped off his clothes and shifted. With his lovely mate beside him, they turned with the pack and raced into the woods.

  Chelo was right. They truly were racing into a brand-new future.

  Bound to the Wolf

  A. C. Arthur

  Prologue

  “I’m. Not. Interested,” Marena said pointedly for the third time.

  He wasn’t going to listen. She could tell by the way his eyes narrowed, his mouth opened slightly, and his chest heaved. He was going to come closer and touch her and that was the last thing she wanted.

  She took a step back, and then another, the high heels of the black pumps she’d worn to the firm’s anniversary celebration sinking into the plush hotel carpet. Getting a room at the same hotel where the party was being held had been a mistake. Marena should have gotten into her car and driven the twelve miles back to her house, even if it was almost one in the morning. She hadn’t been drinking, so she was fine to drive. But she’d wanted to treat herself. This hotel had a spa with a great reputation, not to mention the pool and five-star restaurant. She’d planned to make a weekend of it, to take some time for herself to relax and unwind after back-to-back cases at work. After all these years Marena had finally decided to follow the advice of every girlfriend she’d ever had. She was doing something just for her pleasure.

  Only tonight, she feared that wasn’t going to happen.

  “I’m simply trying to help you celebrate the win on that Vale case. You’ve just made millions for the firm and all but solidified your partnership in a six-hour settlement conference. You deserve a grand celebration,” he said, with a smile spreading slowly across his wide face.

  Davis Sumpter was already a partner at The Arrington Law Group, one of San Francisco’s largest law firms. He wasn’t a very tall man by her standards, considering her own height. He was maybe six feet tops, with a medium build, his love of fashion apparent in the custom-fit designer suit and Italian leather tie-ups he’d worn to the party. And on a good day, Marena would even go as far as to say that he was an attractive man with his strong jaw, almond skin tone, and dark, exotic-looking brown eyes. Of course every female at the firm would swear Marena was blind or too overworked to see straight if she didn’t admit to Davis’s good looks, because they all loved Davis Sumpter. They all wanted to sleep with him, hoped he would marry them, and all that fantasyland crap that tended to take place in a firm with over one hundred attorneys and two hundred and fifty staff, and that was just in the San Francisco office.

  Still, to Marena, he was just a man. A man she had no intention of celebrating with tonight, or any other night for that matter.

  “I’ve done as much celebrating as I plan to, Davis,” she told him. “I have twenty other cases on my desk waiting for my return on Monday morning.”

  “Just twenty?” he asked with a coy smile as he moved closer.

  They were in the sitting area of her suite. She hadn’t known, but Davis had apparently left the party and come upstairs behind her, so that when she opened the door to her room he was right there, slipping inside just as she let herself in. Davis was like that, she thought, slippery as a snake and as charismatic as a practiced Hollywood actor. That’s how he won most of his cases.

  “It’s late, Davis. You should go,” she continued, being sure to keep her voice level and serious, just as she did when she was in the courtroom, cross-examining a witness.

  He shook his head, loosening the navy blue and white tie at his neck.

  “I don’t think so,” he told her. “You’ve been strutting your thick ass around that office for years now. Turning down one guy after another, holding your head up high like nobody was good enough for you.” He pulled the tie from his neck and undid the top two but
tons of his shirt. “But I never asked,” he finished just before he removed his jacket, tossing it on one of the ivory-colored couches.

  Marena took another step back until her butt met the edge of the sofa table where she’d placed her purse when she came in.

  “I never asked if I could have a taste of you,” Davis continued, licking his tongue along his bottom lip, his eyes glazing with lust.

  A huge fan of crime procedural shows, Marena could see exactly where this was leading. These were the first few minutes of the show where the brutal rape and murder would occur. It would take the remaining fifty minutes to solve it. Unless the unwitting—but not defenseless by a long shot—female quickly got her act together.

  “No need in asking,” Marena told him while reaching a hand behind her back, attempting to unzip her purse. “I’ll go ahead and give you an answer. No.”

  Davis laughed. “You’re funny,” he told her. “Never figured you for having a sense of humor, but that was really funny.”

  His hands had moved to the belt that he quickly undid. He unbuttoned his pants, and then there was that unmistakable sound of unzipping. Her arms and legs shook as she struggled to hold back that piercing scream that would alert someone to his presence. Davis Sumpter in her hotel suite after midnight was not going to go over well. Rumors would spread like wildfire throughout the firm and her dream of making partner would be shot to hell. Marena wasn’t about to let that happen.

  “I’m serious, Davis. I know it may seem strange to have someone tell you they’re not interested, but I’m really not,” she told him. “And it has nothing to do with you as a person. I’m just not interested in dating anyone right now. I’m really focused on my work.” Marena talked as her hand worked.

  But she hadn’t worked fast enough.

  Davis seemed to close the space between them in the blink of an eye. He locked one hand at the back of her neck and pulled her flush against him. Marena gasped and he pounced, sticking his tongue through her slightly parted lips. It was wet and messy and had her stomach roiling in disgust, but Marena tried like hell to keep it together. Even when his other hand gripped her ass painfully.