The Hunter's Heart (Wilde Creek Book Seven)

by R. E. Butler

  He chuckled. “Mine is with my car. But I need to destroy it anyway, because it was used when I was a hunter.”

  “Mine was in my pocket when the ravens took me.”

  “Looks like we both need new ones.”

  His dad’s truck didn’t have a GPS, so Lucian got on the highway and watched for signs for a hotel.

  “Do you think Mal is still watching your place?”

  “Yeah,” she said. “Either him or some of the protectors. Two of them were there when your friends came for me, and I defied them. I’ll have to answer to Acksel for that.”

  The berserker sat up, wanting to take her place for any punishment. Or maybe beat the alpha a few times for good measure.

  Just don’t kill him.

  “What will happen?”

  She shrugged. “Probably nothing. Brynn is my best friend, and Acksel isn’t too big of an asshole anymore since he’s mated her. But I might not be allowed to hunt on the next full moon, or something like that.”

  “Won’t that make your wolf crazy?”

  “Nah. I mean I’ll just have to find something else to do with my energy.” Her voice slipped to a sultry tone at the end, and he had the urge to pull over to the side of the road and play.

  “I’ll happily help you use up the extra energy.”

  “I thought you would.”

  While he drove, they talked about the future. At least some of it. He was still planning to make things right with Mal and get back into working in the security business. He’d been hands-off for years because of his job, but now that he wasn’t a hunter anymore, he’d need a way to take care of Mia.

  “My main job is working at the credit union, but because I’m an omega I also help out on the full moon at the alphas’ house.”

  “Are the omegas ranked?”

  “No. All females are omegas, and males who are old or injured, or who don’t want to be ranked, are also omegas. We take care of the ranked males, except for those males who are mated.”

  “Now that you’re mated?”

  “I don’t think anything will change. Everyone’s supposed to help out on the full moon. I always eat dinner with Brynn at their house. Mal, Nila, and Jack join us, and so does Acksel’s sister, Eveny, and her mate, Luke.”

  “Will they accept me?”

  “Why wouldn’t they?”

  “Because I’m not a wolf.”

  “It doesn’t matter to me, and it won’t matter to anyone else. You won’t be able to be an official member of the pack, but as my mate you’ll be an honorary one. If you want.”

  He saw a sign on the side of the highway for a well-known hotel chain, and he put on the blinker and took the next exit.

  “I want to be with you, Mia. I spent too long denying what we are to each other, and I don’t want to waste any more time. However you’ll have me is what I want.”

  “Okay.”

  He parked in the hotel lot and turned off the truck, then helped her out. They walked into the hotel together. The manager at the front desk wasn’t thrilled that they wanted to check in without a credit card, but Lucian offered to pay double to cover incidentals and explained they were traveling and just needed a place to crash for the night, and she took pity on them.

  With the room key in hand, they walked back to the truck and moved it to the back of the hotel, where their room was located.

  “I wish I had things for you,” he said as he turned off the engine.

  “Like what?”

  “Clothes. Food. That things weren’t fucked up with your pack so I could take you to your house instead of a hotel.”

  He unlocked the door and then swung her up into his arms. She gasped and then giggled, snuggling into him. “We can deal with my pack and everything else tomorrow. I don’t want to worry about anything but us tonight.”

  “Me, too.” He kicked the door shut and reached back, flipping the security bar closed.

  He carried her into the bathroom and set her on the floor. After turning on the light, he flipped the shower on and turned to face her. He wanted to say a million things, but he couldn’t find the words to express how he felt in that moment. A soft growl rumbled in his chest from the berserker and Mia smiled, her wolf answering. Maybe they didn’t need words right now. It was just the two of them. No family, pack, or hunters. Just a berserker and his cyon.

  He closed the short distance between them and cupped her face. Lowering his head, he kissed her. She moaned softly as their tongues touched. He tilted her head, deepening the kiss and exploring every inch of her mouth. She slid her hands up his sides, gathering his shirt as she went. He parted from the kiss long enough to tug his shirt over his head. She grabbed her own shirt, but he pushed her hands gently away and lifted it over her head, slowly baring her.

  Her breasts were covered in a plain, white bra, but he’d never seen anything so sexy in his life. She reached behind and undid it, wiggling slowly from the material. Lucian let her undo his jeans next. Her clever fingers pushed them down his hips, before he toed off his boots and kicked them aside. He unbuttoned her jeans and lowered the zipper, sliding his hands inside the waistband and around to her back. He cupped her ass and squeezed before hooking his fingers in the jeans and panties and pushing them over her hips.

  She took off her shoes and socks and stripped from the jeans entirely; he didn’t let his gaze stray from her body for even a second. She was so beautiful. Creamy, soft skin, long blonde hair, and curves in all the right places. He’d held her and fucked her, but he hadn’t made love to her. He wanted her to know that he could take his time. That he would take his time with her.

  He pulled the heavy fabric shower curtain aside and tested the water; it was perfect. Taking her hand, he stepped in and brought her with him. On the ledge were bottles of shampoo and conditioner, and a bar of soap that smelled like aloe and cucumber. He opened the shampoo and poured half into her palm. While she washed her hair, he lathered the soap in his hands and began to wash himself. He couldn’t take his eyes off her.

  “My hair still feels dirty, can I have some more shampoo?” she asked as she finished rinsing.

  He put a small amount in his palm and gave her the rest. She side-stepped and let him under the water. When he’d washed his hair and rinsed off, he let her back under the spray. While she cleaned her hair of suds, he began to clean her body.

  He covered his hands with lather, and then set the bar on the ledge. He settled his hands on her neck and shoulders, massaging them before moving down her arms, covering her skin with lather. After gathering the soap again, he washed her back and stomach, taking his time on her breasts and ensuring that every inch of the heavy globes were covered. Each time he ran his fingers over her tight nipples, she let out a sexy gasp.

  He cupped her bottom with his soapy fingers, spreading the lather down the backs of her thighs and up between her cheeks. He dropped to his knees, reaching for the soap. He gently rubbed his soapy fingers over her pussy, then moved down her legs to her toes. She leaned back and water flowed over her. He watched, mesmerized, as the suds trailed down her body.

  She slid past him, moving out from under the showerhead. He turned on his knees to face her. She slid her fingers through the short hair at the side of his head, and his beast purred at the touch. Then she hooked her hand at the back of his neck and smiled down at him. He leaned forward, pressing his nose to her belly and gripping her legs. He kissed her navel and then lowered his head to her core, finding her clit with his tongue and flicking the bud. She gasped, her nails digging into the back of his neck. He slid a finger inside her pussy, licking her clit slowly as he explored her. She was hot and wet, her pussy gripping his finger tightly. Adding a second finger, he moved them in and out of her faster, matching the pace of his tongue as he flicked it over her clit. Her inner walls clutched him rhythmically, her clit swelling under his tongue as he moved faster. In and out of her pussy, his fingers were slick with her heat, his tongue rubbing over and around her, making her p
ant for breath.

  “Fuck, Lucian,” she whispered, a moan trailing after her words.

  He sucked her clit into his mouth and moved his fingers into her hard and fast. She let out a moan that reverberated down his spine and screamed his name, her pussy clamping down on his fingers. He pulled his fingers from her and sucked them into his mouth. She tasted sweet and wild, wolf and woman all mixed up together.

  Standing, he slammed the shower off and lifted her into his arms, carrying her to the bed. He didn’t care that they were soaked, he wanted to make love to her in the bed. He laid her down and settled over her, her legs wrapping around his waist as he kissed her. Their bodies touched, his cock brushing her heated entrance before he tilted his hips and pushed in slowly.

  She felt so good his eyes crossed. Every inch of her hugged him tight. She cupped his face and he lifted from the kiss, seeing her eyes glazed with passion. He pulled out slowly and pushed back in. Her back arched and she spread her legs further, allowing him to go even deeper. He kissed her again and began to move, his tongue stroking into her mouth as his cock plunged into her. Her hands roamed his upper body, leaving light scratches in her wake. She met his thrusts, her hips rising as their pace increased, moving faster and faster.

  He gripped her knee and lifted it up his side, spreading her body and swiveling his hips until she groaned loudly, her pussy clenching. He pounded into her, driving against that same spot as her groans became one long, loud moan. She screamed, her nails raking down his back as her body locked down on his. He finally let go, shouting her name as he came inside her, spasming over and over.

  He lowered her knee to the bed, and lifted his head. Her eyes were bright blue flecked with the amber of her beast. Her chest heaved as she caught her breath, still trembling from the aftershocks of her orgasm. He slipped from the cradle of her body, making both of them groan. Moving to the other side of the bed, he tugged the covers back, beckoning her to join him.

  She settled against him, her head resting in the crook of his arm as he curled around her and drew the blankets over them.

  “I love you, Mia mine,” he said, kissing her neck.

  “I love you, too.”

  Chapter 12

  Mia heard the rattle of chains and felt something holding her down. Had she been dreaming? Had Lucian not come for her? She screamed, thrashing to get away from whoever was touching her. Panic swamped her, clogging her senses.

  “Mia!” Someone shouted her name, piercing through the darkness. “Mia! You’re having a nightmare.”

  She opened her eyes and found herself in the hotel room she’d fallen asleep in. Lucian was leaning over her, his face etched with concern.

  Tears slipped from her cheeks as she sat up and hugged him. “I’m sorry.”

  He pulled her into his lap. “Don’t apologize, sweetheart. You had a nightmare. You can’t control what your brain does when you’re asleep.”

  “I dreamed,” she said, shivering as the vividness of the dream intruded into her mind again.

  “About what?” he said gently.

  “That you hadn’t come for me. That I’d imagined everything and I was still their captive.”

  “You never got a chance to deal with your abduction and what they did to you.” He growled softly and kissed the top of her head. “Do you want to talk?”

  Part of her wanted to tuck the bad thoughts so far into her subconscious that she’d never think about ravens or what happened to her again. But the more rational part of her knew that if she didn’t deal with what happened, she’d never really be free.

  “That night you told me you didn’t want to be with me,” she said, scooting away and leaning against the headboard, “I decided to just find a mate and move on with my life.”

  It had seemed like a simple enough plan. Find a nice wolf, settle down, and start a family. There were wolves in the pack who would’ve been willing to mate her, even though they would both know that they weren’t each other’s truemates. Her wolf had hated the idea, but Mia had been tired of chasing after a male she thought didn’t care about her.

  “Dario was following me that night,” he said.

  She blinked in surprise. “What?”

  He nodded. “He and some of the other ravens followed me and my team. We had no idea we were being watched. The ravens were looking for weaknesses to exploit so they could get Antonio free.”

  Her eyes stung with fresh tears. “I ruined everything, didn’t I?”

  “What are you talking about?” he demanded, his eyes flashing to the red of his berserker.

  “If Nila and I hadn’t conned you into showing up at Mal’s, if we hadn’t had the argument in the yard, the ravens wouldn’t have found any weaknesses in you. You lost everything because I couldn’t walk away.”

  He growled and bared sharp teeth at her. Rising to his knees, he grasped the headboard on either side of her and gazed down at her. His voice was deep, a raspy mix of human and berserker.

  “I have everything now because of you. I was empty. Existing, not living. Because of you, I’ve got my beast now. For the first time since my mom was killed I feel hope. Hope for the future, with you and the life we’ll build together.”

  The harsh rasp of his voice changed as his eyes returned to their normal shade of blue and the fangs receded. He cupped her face and kissed her. “I regret nothing but the years I wasted pushing my beast, and especially you, away.”

  He settled next to her, and she leaned against him and brushed at her wet cheeks with a sniffle. “I’m glad we’re together now. I feel like I can face anything with you by my side.”

  “Me too, sweetheart.”

  It felt so nice in his arms that she wanted to drift off to sleep and not think about anything but what their future held, but she knew it was good for her to talk. Stepping back into the memories of her abduction, she told Lucian about meeting Dario at the bar, then waking up in the lab, naked and strapped down.

  “I told them that you weren’t my mate, but they didn’t believe me,” she said.

  “Did you think I would come for you?” His voice was soft and sad.

  “I hoped you would, but I didn’t really understand about your job as a hunter. I had no idea if you could get his brother free, or if my life would even be worth his. I was the most scared I’ve ever been in my life.” She was thankful for some things about her captivity – mostly that it had been only hours instead of days – but also that none of the ravens had really touched her, and none of them had followed through on their threats to mate her against her will. It would have been a hellish life to be mated to a male who had no regard for her, who thought nothing of torture and rape.

  “I’m glad they’re dead, even though saying that out loud makes me feel kind of ghoulish,” Mia said.

  “They were evil. I’ve seen a lot of bad shifters, but they were a deadly combination of mad scientist and general psychopath.”

  “They were so bad that you were let off the hook, kind of.”

  “It would’ve taken years for the hunters to prosecute Antonio, and getting to the rest of the ravens would’ve been hard. They were something of a mafia-type group, running drugs and guns and dabbling in drug manufacturing. If they’d been successful in replicating the drug they used on you, for sure it would have wound up being used for shady purposes.” Her hand rested on her stomach, and he placed his hand gently on top of it. “Do you think you’re pregnant?”

  “It seems likely. In a real heat, the cycle keeps going until the female becomes pregnant or it runs out its time. Whatever they dosed me with, it felt real. And the heat went away eventually.”

  “As if you were pregnant.”

  “Eveny said that when she was in her heat she was able to fall asleep at one point after she and Luke were together, and knew it was because she was pregnant. I don’t feel pregnant, but if I am it’s only been a day. Traditionally, wolves can only get pregnant during the heat and no other time of the year, so the short answer is I just don
’t know.”

  “Do you feel okay now, though?”

  “Yeah. A little tired still, but happy. You?”

  “Are you kidding? I’ve got you. The world could fall apart and I wouldn’t care.”

  “I hope it doesn’t, even if that is very sweet.”

  They snuggled under the covers, and she found herself feeling more at peace.

  “Thanks for letting me talk.”

  “You can tell me anything, anytime,” he promised. “If you wake up again and you’re scared, I’ll be right here.”

  Closing her eyes, she scooted closer and smiled when he pulled her firmly against him. One hand rested on her stomach, the other arm stretched out under her head. It was hard to believe how much had changed in such a short amount of time, but all she cared about was that she’d finally mated the male who’d held her heart all these years.

  * * *

  Mia woke to the smell of bacon and coffee, and found Lucian setting food on the coffee table in front of the couch.

  “I ordered room service,” he said. “I didn’t know what you liked for breakfast, so I got a bit of everything. Do you want to eat in bed?”

  “Nah,” she said, stretching fully and getting up. He handed her a robe and she put it on, tying the terrycloth belt around her waist to keep it closed. He wore only jeans, his delicious upper body on full display.

  “Are you sorry about the tattoos?” she asked as she sat down and fixed a cup of coffee with lots of cream and sugar.

  “Kind of. I think he’d let me get regular tattoos as long as I didn’t try to magically cage him again.”

  “I didn’t even know that was a thing. Would it work on shifters?”

  “I think it would work on anything if it was started early enough. I kept having to get a new one every year, and sometimes the magic would start to fade away from the older ones so I’d have the outline reapplied. To be honest, I always felt like I was missing a part of myself. I never admitted that it was the berserker, because I was afraid of him.”