His breath caught in his throat. It was a nasty bite but she was correct, already it had stopped bleeding and the edges were beginning to knit together. A couple of days and it would be healed. The imprint of the wolfs’ teeth surrounded his mark and he wanted to kill Kandis, did she think it was that simple to erase Imogen from his life, that he would suddenly forget her and fall for her instead?
“Let's get you upstairs,” he picked her up like a child and carried her to their room, ignoring his sisters teasing remarks.
“I am perfectly capable of walking Seann, there is nothing wrong with my legs,” she smiled despite her words.
“I thought my heart was going to leap out of my chest when I saw your sister running through the trees towards us. I should have known Kandis would take this badly but I didn’t know she was stupid enough to try and harm you Imogen, I am so sorry,”
“India was pretty shaken up but Garrett is looking after her,” she said as he lowered her onto the bed and sat beside her, “What will happen to her Seann?”
“She is locked up for tonight, her father will be here in the morning and we will decide what to do with her then. When my father was alpha, if someone had attacked my mother they would have paid with their lives, he didn’t believe in second chances.”
“I don’t want her to die for what she did Seann, she is jealous. She sees me as replacing her and she lost her mind.”
“You didn’t replace her Imogen because we were never together. I thought she was beautiful, but we never dated or hooked up, there was always something about her I didn’t like and I steered clear. I thought that eventually she would mate with someone else and get over it. If she told you anything more then she lied. Kandis is a trained fighter and she was hanging around here quite a bit when she was training my sisters to fight, every pack member needs to learn to fight but some are trained for much more, she is one of them. She could have been part of our security team if the others didn’t dislike her so much.”
Imogen was surprised by how much it pleased her that he and Kandis had never been an item. The woman was mean and she knew Seann had better instincts than that.
She stripped off her clothes, leaving on her tank top and underwear and slid into bed. Sean stripped down to his shorts and climbed in beside her and she felt her face flush as her eyes were drawn to him. She had never been a fan of the bodybuilder type but Seann was all lean, natural muscle and she swallowed before turning her back to him and saying a silent prayer that she wouldn’t have lewd dreams about him.
He chuckled as he pulled her against him and she wondered again if he was a mind reader but despite her misgivings, it felt just right to be wrapped up in his arms.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Imogen
“You know you will need to shed your inhibitions when you go out for your first run, Imogen, the whole pack will be there and we see each other naked all the time.” he laughed softly.
“Not even my sister has seen me completely naked Seann, at least not since we were very small,” she smiled but she dreaded the thought of all of those people seeing her laid bare.
She was sitting up in bed with the coffee he brought her and he leaned against the headboard still dressed in only his shorts. She slept like a log last night and if she snored, he was too polite to mention it.
“Don’t you get embarrassed at all when everyone sees you naked.”
“Nope.”
“I don’t know how India is going to feel either, she is a little more outgoing than me and a lot braver, she will probably take it all in her stride.”
“We need to get ready to meet Lachlan, he will be here in an hour to find out his daughter’s fate,” he kept his eyes on her face as he dropped his shorts on the floor and wandered into the bathroom. Her face colored but she held his gaze until he turned away from her but she couldn’t resist ogling his bare ass as he walked away.
He was glorious!
A growl erupted from her belly and she almost dropped the cup she was holding, she had to reign in the overwhelming primal feelings to follow him into the bathroom and take her chances that she was strong enough to withstand a few rounds of naked twister with this god-like man, her mate. There was so much she had to look forward too.
She heard the low rumble of his laugh and she put her cup down and smirked as she got out of bed. He was teasing her with his perfect body but two could play at that game.
She pulled the tank top over her head and dropped her panties on the floor and combed her fingers through her hair, tying it up out of the way with a scrunchie. She took several deep breaths to garner the courage and tried to look as casual as possible as she sauntered into the bathroom completely naked.
The shower was running but he was brushing his teeth, his head bent over the sink. He closed off the tap and saw her in the mirror and swung around. She saw the shock in his eyes and she looked him up and down slowly before walking into the shower and under the spray.
He leaned against the sink, his eyes never left her as she soaped and rinsed her body, her hands circling her breasts and smoothing down over her hips slowly and sensually. The feeling of power was overwhelming, and she knew she had him in the palm of her hand.
Finally, he cursed under his breath and reached her in two strides. He picked her up like a doll and held her back against the shower wall as he kissed her fiercely. Gone was the gentleness of before as he plundered her mouth with his tongue, his hands cupping her butt were squeezing tightly and she knew she would be tender there tomorrow.
Her breath hitched in her throat when he dragged his mouth away from hers and lifted her higher until her breasts were level with his face and he sucked an eager nipple into his mouth. His tongue swirled around the erect nub and she cried out when his teeth nipped her. Her body was instantly on fire, she had never been this turned on, ever. Her hands threaded into his long hair and she grabbed a handful as he swapped sides and latched on to the other peak.
“Seann,” she gasped as the heat began to build up in her core and she squirmed, needing more from him than this delicious foreplay.
He lowered her against his body again and she felt his arousal hard against her belly. She wanted him desperately, but she already knew he wouldn’t take the risk, not while she was still vulnerable. She cupped her hands on his firm ass and she groaned as he changed the pace and kissed her gently. It did nothing to cool her ardor though and she wrapped her legs around him, urging him to come to her but he pulled away. He wrapped a towel around her shoulders, lifted her into his arms and carried her back to the bedroom.
“Seann?” she wasn’t above begging for his attention now, but he shushed her and lay her on the bed in front of him and kneeled between her legs. She gasped as he pushed her legs apart and his tongue darted between her folds and she struggled between mortification and arousal, no man had ever seen her in such an intimate way. Her arousal won out and she threaded her hands into his hair as his fingers pushed inside her and found her perfect rhythm as his lips sucked and licked her sensitive bundle of nerves.
She called out his name as wave after wave of pleasure rolled over her and when she reached her peak she felt a deep rumble of satisfaction in her belly. This was her mate, her lover, her partner. She slowly glided down from her high and Seann got on the bed with her and held her as she urged some strength back to her boneless body.
She reached out to touch his naked body but he turned away and quickly got up from the bed. He smiled down at her to soften the rejection.
“Not until you are fully transitioned, it’s too dangerous Imogen,” he pulled her to her feet and smacked her naked butt. “Get dressed while I have a quick shower, we have things to attend to this morning.”
“This is not going to happen again either then,” she waved her hand over the bed, “If I can’t touch you then you don’t get to touch me again until after the transition,” she argued.
He pulled her against him and kissed her gently on the lips, “I’m not making any
sacrifices. You are my mate, giving you pleasure makes me very happy and I want to bury myself inside you more than you can imagine, but I won’t take the chance,” he kissed her again and padded into the bathroom.
Imogen pulled on a clean bra and panties and went into the closet to pick out some clothes. Everyone here dressed very casually, so she opted for her favorite jeans and a soft plaid button-down shirt. She rarely wore more than the tiniest bit of makeup, just a touch of mascara to lengthen her lashes and she braided her long hair into a French plait.
Sean came in with a towel around his waist and she smirked, “I have already seen it all now, no point in covering it up,” she said smartly waving her hand in his direction and he grinned and dropped the towel. Her heart raced like an adrenaline junkie at the sight of him, what was wrong with her!
“I forgot to mention,” he said coming closer and taking her hands in his, “Shifters have unusually high sex drives and two or three times a day isn’t unusual, especially for newly mated couples,” his hand smoothed down over her hips and he pulled her hard against him until she could feel him pressing between her legs. He ground his hips against her and a low growl started in her belly, she was ready to beg him for sex when he released her again. He was playing with her. “If you want to play hardball with the big dogs Imogen, you need to bring your A-game.”
He was still laughing as he went into the closet and it pissed her off, she hated being laughed at or made fun of.
“Well if you don’t give a girl what she wants, maybe some other wolf will take pity on her,” she said it as a joke but she realized her grave mistake when he was beside her in a flash, his hand fisted in her hair, forcing her to look up at him. His face was a mask of fury and his eyes were glowing orange.
“If that was meant as a joke, then it is in very poor taste. You are my mate, not for today or next week or for however long human fucking relationships last these days, you are my mate forever Imogen and I would kill any man with my bare hands who touched you, do you understand me?” his voice was low but he was seething and she knew pushing his buttons right now would be a terrible idea.
“Yes,” she said at last, “It was meant to be a joke Seann.”
He bared his teeth and she saw his fangs were extended but instead of scaring her it excited her. Seann said that biting was a part of their foreplay so she reached out and touched one with her finger, it was razor-sharp. That was going to sting!
“If you were a wolf right now, I would bite you to remind you that you belong to me,” he put his lips over her scar where he marked her and the gesture sent shivers down her spine and a candle of heat to her groin, “You would bite me back, which would almost certainly result in makeup sex until we were both sated and exhausted.”
His breathing was heavier and labored and she knew he was turned on, the candle burning in her was now an inferno and Seann took a step back and a huge smile split his face. He turned her around to the mirror and she gazed at her reflection in wonder. Her eyes were glowing like two beautiful blue sapphires, she was beginning to change.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Seann
He was still undecided about what he was going to do with Kandis and her father who were due to arrive here in a few minutes. Garrett and Liam were stuffing their faces in the kitchen with piles of pancakes, bacon and eggs that Roisin had made and left in the warmer for them. Imogen and India were making pots of coffee. He had ordered Roisin to take the day off, she rarely had any time to herself and she deserved it more than most, it wouldn’t kill them to fend for themselves for the rest of the day.
Imogen’s eyes this morning though, his mind kept taking him back there, he couldn’t get the picture out of his head! Regardless of their human coloring, most wolves’ eyes were shades of brown, yellow, amber and sometimes green but he had never seen a blue-eyed wolf. There was still time for them to change but he hoped they wouldn’t, the glowing blue was so special, just like Imogen. Her hair was so dark it was almost black which would determine her wolf color, she would be magnificent in her wolf form.
He pulled Imogen onto the sofa beside him and snaked an arm around her waist possessively as Liam went to answer the door to Lachlan.
“Let no one else come in here until we are finished, Liam and send someone to escort Kandis to the Den,” Seann told his head of security as he ushered the older man into the room.
Imogen felt pity for the man, Kandis was a grown woman and he wasn’t responsible for his daughter’s actions, she offered him coffee which he gratefully took and she put a plate of pastries and muffins on the coffee table in front of him. He looked somewhere between thirty-five and forty years old but with a daughter in her mid-twenties, she knew he was probably somewhere in his late fifties or sixties. She realized she didn’t even know how old Seann was.
Apart from Lachlan, Garrett and India were the only other people in the room. Seann insisted Imogen and India were present because they were the victims and under pack law, they had a right to a say in the fate of their attacker. After Imogen was fully transitioned and they consummated their mating, she would be a member of the pack’s council and play her part in any decisions that they made. If India and Garrett mated, she too as his Beta’s mate could join the council but that would be India’s choice, it was not mandatory.
“I know Garrett already told you what happened, Lachlan, your daughter physically attacked my mate and tried to bite my mark from her neck, she was trying to kill her. What is worse is that Imogen is not yet fully transitioned and had no way to defend herself, especially against a fighter like Kandis. She also threatened to kill India when she tried to leave to get help. If we hadn’t arrived when we did, she would have succeeded. I could have killed her on the spot which is also my right as alpha, but you have been a good and loyal pack member and Imogen has no thirst for blood. Kandis, however, still needs to be punished and that’s why we brought you here this morning,”
Lachlan’s relief that his daughter’s life was to be spared was palpable, “I am grateful that you show my daughter mercy when she showed you none,” he addressed his comment to Imogen and then turned back to his alpha, “I will do whatever you want me to Seann. An only child is unusual for our kind and I’m afraid that her mother and I have spoiled her rotten most of her life but she was always a great kid until she got into her teens and then she changed, I take full responsibility for her and we will adhere to whatever punishment you see fit.”
Seann stood up and looked out the window and saw two of his men approaching with Kandis between them. Strong and able as she was she could possibly beat one of the male wolves but would still be no match for two of his strongest male fighters, it wasn’t sexist, it was just a fact that male wolves were always stronger than their female counterparts.
They brought her into the room and she looked a little defiant, her jaw set tightly and her chin up but one barked word from Garrett and she kneeled on the floor in a submissive position. She didn’t look directly at anyone but Imogen could still feel her anger.
“The punishment for an attempt on my mate’s life is death, but thanks to her forgiving heart and the respect I have for your father, your life will be spared on this occasion, but only this one time. If you ever attempt to harm Imogen or India again in any way, I won’t hesitate to snap your neck Kandis.”
Imogen saw the relief on the woman’s face, but she quickly covered it up and raised her head defiantly.
“We wolves fight among ourselves and injure each other all the time Seann, you’re just pissed off because it’s her,” she gestured towards Imogen.
“Kandis!” her father called out.
Seann walked over and grabbed her by the chin, “She is still human Kandis and you could have slaughtered her in a second, the punishment for harming a human is also death, DO YOU WANT ME TO CHANGE MY FUCKING MIND!” he roared and pushed her back so hard she went skidding across the floor.
She got back onto her knees, all bravado gone and shook her head.
“We could banish you from the pack but I don’t know of any others that would take you in, your reputation for trouble is well known. He didn’t add that she was not the type of wolf that they wanted going rogue. As a mutt, Kandis would be a dangerously loose cannon.
“I could send her out west to my cousin’s pack,” her father said.
“No, Daddy, please don’t send me there again,” she said and Imogen saw the color drain from her face and the stark fear in her eyes, she was genuinely scared to death. It was interesting why a cocky, spoiled brat like Kandis would be scared of going to another pack, especially when it was family.
“Imogen, India, do you two have any ideas what we should do with her?”
“Send her packing and good riddance,” India said and again Imogen saw the flash of fear in her attacker’s eyes. She knew India was just pissed at her and had every right to be, but she had a better idea.
Imogen stood up and went to her, “How good a fighter are you?” she asked and Kandis looked at her with mistrust but she felt compelled to answer with her alpha and beta breathing down her neck.
“The best female in the pack, probably in all the surrounding packs too. I could beat most of the men too as I am lighter and quicker on my feet than they are, and they don’t expect to be bested by a woman. In my human form, I trained in Krav Maga for most of my teenage years, I could kill a man with my bare hands, but it makes my wolf much stronger too.”
Imogen sensed she was telling the truth, her body was hard and muscular but she was still beautiful and feminine and she didn’t believe that her parents spoiling her was the only reason she turned out to be so mean. On the surface, she seemed to have everything going for her and her lack of a mate wasn’t because of the way she looked. She could feel it in her bones, the pain and mistrust radiating from the other woman ran deep, something had happened to make Kandis turn out the way she was. Imogen was learning to trust her feelings as they had never let her down before, Kandis was damaged goods and she was determined to find out why.
The Children of the Moon Page 6
