by E A Price
Judging by the surprised twin looks on Brad and Stephanie’s faces, that wasn’t an option in their relationship.
“Did you hear that Jenny Carlyle ran off with her babysitter?” asked Stephanie.
“No way!” exclaimed Melanie, thinking of the snooty president of the debate club. Her witty put downs had tormented Melanie throughout high school.
“Yep, took the kids too.”
The two women fell into an animated conversation about people they used to know and what they were up to now. Brad started looking at his phone, and Hans focused on his beer.
Melanie and Stephanie soon relaxed and were chatting like old friends should. Much too soon for Stephanie’s liking, Brad started yawning and making noises about having to get up early the next morning.
Reluctantly, the women said goodnight and agreed to call one another. Brad gave Melanie a half-hearted goodbye and didn’t dare say anything to Hans. Stephanie was more polite and told him it was nice to meet him. She might not understand what Melanie saw in Hans, but he made her friend happy.
After Stephanie and Brad had left, Melanie gave her mate a thorough kiss. “Thank you for tonight.”
Hans wrapped his arms around her. “I admit it wasn’t as bad as it could have been.”
“That’s the spirit. Now how about we head home, and I show you just how appreciative I am?”
Hans eyed some of the club patrons with loathing. He was convinced they were all staring at his mate. “The sooner, the better,” he growled and his wolf snapped his jaws.
He figured that none of the men were dumb enough to try anything with his mate while he was there. But he certainly didn’t want to give them the opportunity. He wanted Melanie at home, safe and away from all other males.
He wanted…
“Hans?”
Hans looked around to find himself being approached by a she-wolf about his own age. “Myra?”
A smile broke out over the she-wolf’s face. “It is you.”
Hans loosened his grip on Melanie, and the she-wolf took the opportunity to give Hans a hug.
Melanie felt herself shunted to one side. Who the heck was this woman? Why the hell was this stranger hugging her mate?
Hans carefully disentangled himself from Myra’s grip. “Wow, how long’s it been?”
Myra beamed at him. “It must be at least eight years. You haven’t changed a bit. Although, I think these muscles have got even bigger.”
Melanie’s jaw almost dropped to the floor as Myra proceeded to feel Hans’ biceps and abs. Her astonishment was even more pronounced when Hans, instead of being angry at the she-wolf, just chuckled. What the hell?!
Melanie let out a small cough as her feeling of uneasiness grew. Hans always told her he didn’t have any friends other than the ones she knew, and he said he’d never been in a relationship before. So how had he managed to keep this Myra bitch a secret?
Hans turned to Melanie and slid an arm around her waist, pulling her against his body. At least he hadn’t completely forgotten her.
“Myra, this is my mate, Melanie. Mel, this is Myra; we were in the army together.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” said Melanie quietly.
Myra looked her up and down and smirked, before turning back to Hans and talking about other people they served with. Melanie flushed and wriggled against Hans, who just tightened his grip.
What the hell was Myra’s problem? So Melanie wasn’t a five foot ten strapping she-wolf with glossy brown hair and startling blue eyes. Big deal. Hans always said she was the most beautiful woman in the world. She had nothing to worry about, right?
“We should get going,” interrupted Melanie.
Myra huffed and completely avoided looking at Melanie. “It’s still early; come and join us for a drink, Stone and Warwick are right over there.”
Hans looked down at his mate. He wanted to stay; she could tell. Five minutes ago, before stupid Myra turned up, he’d been all for rushing her home and ravishing her senseless. Now, he barely noticed she was even there!
Melanie bit back her annoyance. “We can stay if you want.”
“Great!” exclaimed Myra, “we’re right over here.”
Tall, gorgeous Myra started making her way through the crowd; the men parted for her like the damn Red Sea. Hans took her hand and tried to follow, but Melanie pulled away.
“I just need to go to the bathroom.”
Hans frowned and looked around the club, his wolf prowling unhappily at the thought of their mate being away. “Don’t be long, or I’ll come find you.” He took her hand and kissed her palm.
She nodded and walked away. In the bathroom, Melanie spent a few minutes staring at herself in the mirror, trying to pull herself together. What the heck was wrong with her? Hans was her mate; she was blood bonded to him. They belonged to each other. She had nothing to worry about... or did she? Of course she didn’t. She just wasn’t used to feeling jealous. Women in their town weren’t attracted to Hans, they knew him too well, and Melanie liked that just fine. But, really, she shouldn’t be surprised that another woman would desire him; she found him infinitely sexy, so why wouldn’t others? Ooh, what she wouldn’t give to send a zap or two Myra’s way.
Melanie shook her head. She was overreacting. It was all nothing. She pushed her way out the bathroom and made her way over to Hans. He wasn’t hard to find; Myra’s hyena-like laugh resounded even louder than the thumping music.
She clenched her fists as she found Myra once again feeling Hans’ muscles. She gritted her teeth and went to sit by Hans; she was not going to lose her temper. She just prayed that they could leave soon.
*
Melanie stared at Hans as he drove. She was giving him the silent treatment, but he hadn’t even noticed. Knowing Hans, he was probably just enjoying the silence, and probably hoped it would become a regular occurrence. It just infuriated her more that he wasn’t even reacting to her not talking to him.
Hans’ old friends Stone and Warwick were funny and charming toward her, but respectful of the fact that she was Hans’ mate. Hans had made sure they knew that Melanie belonged to him and clutched her to him tightly. The same could not be said for Myra. She flirted, teased and took every available opportunity that she could to fondle Hans. And Hans… did absolutely nothing! He let the bitch Myra do whatever the heck she wanted and didn’t say a single word. Last week, he shifted and chased a drunken bear for two miles when he had the nerve to tell her she looked pretty. But apparently he had no problem with Myra’s antics.
After a while, Melanie couldn’t take it anymore. “Aren’t you going to apologize?” she demanded, furiously.
Hans raised an eyebrow and had the audacity to smile. “For what? For once, I don’t actually think I did anything wrong.”
Normally when they went out, he picked a fight with at least two people, and insulted about a dozen more. He had actually been on his best behavior that night, apart from one thing...
“You were flirting with that woman!”
Hans blinked as his wolf roared. Abruptly, he swerved and parked at the side of the road. He took off his belt and shifted round to look at his mate. Was this some kind of joke? He’d assumed so, but the angry hurt in her eyes said differently.
His jaw ticked as he forced his livid wolf to back down. “What woman?”
Melanie looked at him incredulously. “Myra, of course!”
Hans felt like he’d been punched in the gut, and his braying beast was not helping. “I was not flirting with her.”
“Ooh, Hans, look at your muscles,” hissed Melanie, in an unflattering impression of Myra. “Ooh, Hans, we’ve missed you. Ooh, Hans, let me fondle you while your mate watches!”
With that, Melanie got out the car, slamming the door behind her. Quick as a flash, Hans jumped out and ran round, grabbing her arms. She squirmed under his grip, and his fangs lengthened as his wolf became excited. The animal in him wanted nothing more than to take her and give her so much pleasure t
hat she completely forgot what she was mad about. The man, however, hesitated. He knew that if she were mad enough, she wouldn’t forget that easily.
“Sugar, I was not flirting with her. You know full well from when we met, I’m not capable of flirting.”
Melanie huffed. “I can’t believe you. You give me crap if I so much as flash a friendly smile at another man, but you expect me to just sit there while your ex-girlfriend tries to molest you!”
“She was never my fucking girlfriend!” roared Hans.
“But you had no problem with her touching you.”
Hans shook his head. “We used to work out together; that was it. We were the only wolves at the base, so naturally we found each other. We were sort of friends, and barely even that.”
“Well, how would you feel if some old, male friend of mine started groping my stomach?”
Hans snarled in time with his beast. “I’d fucking murder him!”
Melanie threw up her hands in exasperation. “You don’t see the double standards here, hmmm?”
His nostrils flared as his beast simmered. “It’s different.”
She rolled her eyes. “How is it different?
“You have no reason to be jealous; I would never cheat.”
Melanie was so mad she was almost spitting. “And you think I would?!”
He shook his head as his beast started to howl at him. “That’s not what I meant...”
Melanie completely freed herself from his grip and started pacing. “You think that you love me more than I love you?”
“I didn’t say that,” he replied quietly.
“It was implied.”
“It’s just different. I’m a wolf and a possessive one. Some wolves can get over losing their mate, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t live without you, but you could live without me.”
“Says who?” she demanded fiercely.
He let out a growl as his muscles trembled holding back his animal. “It’s obvious. Look at us; we’re beauty and the fucking beast. You could do better than me; that’s why I don’t want you round other men. I don’t want you to find someone who’ll be able to treat you better. You deserve someone better than me, but I don’t want that. I want you to be with me.”
Melanie let out her own mini roar of disgust. “You idiot, I am with you! Does this mark not prove to you how much I love you?” She pulled the collar of her dress to the side so he could see the bite mark he had placed there. “And what about this?”
Hans’ eyes bulged, and his wolf panted pathetically as she turned around and lifted her short dress up. She revealed both the tattoo she had of his name on her lower back and the fact that she was wearing stockings. He looked around to make sure no one was lurking in the shadows, perving on the luscious sight before him.
To his disappointment, she smoothed the dress back down. “You’re in my skin, Hans. Look, I’m not a wolf, and I know it’s disappointing that I can’t bite you in the way you bit me, but I thought this was enough for you.”
Hans felt a stab of pain through their bond, and his wolf whined at him. “It is enough; it’s more than enough, and you’re not disappointing. You’re more than I ever hoped to deserve...”
“So what the crap are we arguing about?”
“You were angry because you thought I was flirting, which I fucking well was not!”
Melanie folded her arms and pouted. “Maybe you weren’t, but she was.”
“So what? I didn’t even notice. She might as well have been another guy for all the difference it made.”
Melanie looked at him doubtfully. “She’s an attractive she-wolf…”
He put his hands on her hips and maneuvered her closer to him. “I couldn’t care less if she were a bear, a wolf or a fucking martian. I wasn’t interested in her before I met you, and now that I have you, no one else will ever be enough for me. I love you Melanie, and you’re the only woman I have ever loved or will ever love.”
She softened as she saw the emotion in his eyes and felt the love pass through their bond. “I love you too, and you’re the only man I have ever loved or will ever love… you idiot.” She threw the last part in for good measure.
His wolf panted happily, and Hans stroked her hair. “I’m sorry if I upset you,” he told her softly. “But you never have anything to worry about. Even if hundreds of women threw themselves at me, I wouldn’t be interested.”
Melanie raised her eyebrows. “I don’t think we have anything to worry about there, but I get what you’re saying.”
His expression darkened. “I don’t like you being jealous.”
“Welcome to my world,” she muttered lowly. But not so low that he didn’t hear.
“I’m sorry... I’ll try not to be so jealous.” He winced as he said it and his wolf roared. He knew this was as restrained as he was ever going to get.
Melanie snaked her arms around his neck. “It’s okay; it just bothers me that you don’t seem to have a problem with random females slobbering all over you.”
Hans bared his fangs, and Melanie felt a flurry of arousal. “What will it take for you to get over this?”
“Ooh, I don’t know. What are you offering wolfman?”
“What do you think?” Hans ground his hard erection against her slender body and, in spite of how many times they’d been intimate before, she gasped.
Melanie’s expression went from surprised to delighted. She pulled her mate down for a punishingly sensual kiss. He grasped her ass and pulled her up his body; she wrapped her legs around him and moaned as he pushed his sex against hers.
They broke free from their kiss and panted.
“Maybe we should go home...” he murmured as his wolf howled excitedly.
“Think you can wait that long, wolfy?” she cooed.
“No,” he growled.
He pushed her up against the truck, letting it take her weight. He smothered kisses over her neck as he fumbled to release himself. Melanie gripped his shoulders as he pushed a finger past her panties and twirled it inside her core.
He groaned at finding her so wet and ready for him. Lining himself up, he quickly pulled her down his thick length. She muffled her scream by biting his shoulder. The pain and thrill of her biting him as a she-wolf would sent his feverish wolf wild. His beast roared, and Hans began taking her with rough, hard thrusts.
She clung to his body as passion permeated every inch of her. The need for release quickly overtook her, and she bit him again, silencing the cries of happiness that wanted to escape. His movements became jerky as he and his wolf were overcome by the lust they felt from their mate; within seconds his own release followed hers. He buried his head in her shoulder and howled as he exploded.
Melanie stroked his hair as they stood, still entwined, and slowly came back down to earth.
Hans ran his hands up and down her thighs. “Stockings, sugar? Fuck me, you’re trying to kill me.”
She giggled. “My Valentine’s gift to you.”
“Fuck, now I feel bad I didn’t get you anything. Not that anything I could buy could compare.”
She nibbled on his earlobe. “Don’t worry, you have all night to make it up to me.”
Hans graced her with a devilishly wolfish grin. Mine.
Liv & Alec – Cheating
14th February
“Angel, I’m home.”
Liv’s eyes widened, and she almost scraped a line of mascara across her cheek in surprise. What the heck was he doing home?
“You upstairs?” called Alec, as his heavy tread mounted the stairs.
“Ummm, yes, I’m just getting dressed,” she replied as she kicked her shoes off.
She heard him chuckle. “Perfect timing then.”
Liv quickly dabbed at the lipstick she had applied. Alec hated her wearing make-up. She never used to, mostly because she didn’t really have the money to buy make-up. But recently, she had gotten some tips from a fellow pack mate and witch, Kayleigh, whose own make-up skills would put Estée Lauder
to shame. And Liv had started using eye shadow, lipstick, mascara and a little blush. She thought it enhanced her face; Alec was peeved because he assumed more men were looking at her.
Alec was a wolf shifter, and Liv was a witch. They had mated just under six months ago, and Liv had joined his wolf pack. She was also pregnant with their first pup, or witch as the case may be. Alec was just a tiny bit possessive toward her and jealous of other males, to the point where he had beat up one of Liv’s best friends when the other male put his arm around her. All male wolves were possessive to some degree, but the fourteen-year age gap and Alec’s somewhat rogue nature seemed to make him worse. Not that Liv minded; she loved him just as fiercely as he loved her.
She just didn’t love him coming home in the middle of the day like this…
Alec sauntered into the room, and Liv sighed. Mmmm, he was a six foot three god of a wolf shifter, with tightly packed muscles, and a ruggedly handsome face. She couldn’t believe how lucky she was that this man mountain would even deign to look at her. Frankly, she was a little on the chubby. Okay, a lot on the chubby side, and the pregnancy certainly wasn’t helping with that. But Alec told her over and over how much he loved her curves, and who was she to argue?
Alec frowned at her. “You look very nice,” he said suspiciously.
Liv jutted her chin and tried not to look guilty. It was true she was wearing her nicest maternity dress; it was black with little daisies all over it. But that was no reason for his suspicion. Because she was actually sneaking off to do something she shouldn’t; that was a reason for his suspicion.
He folded his arms. “Where were you going?”
Liv smiled at him and tried to calm her thundering heartbeat. “Out to brunch with Terri,” she told him, confidently. “You’re home early; I thought you were working all day.”
His lips twitched. “I managed to swap shifts so we could spend Valentine’s Day together; I thought you’d be pleased.”
Liv almost giggled at the hurtful needy tone of his voice. Alec was the pack Beta as well as the town Sheriff and generally a force to be reckoned with. While the rest of the pack was terrified of him, Liv knew he was a big softie deep down.
