“You heard about the Dallas pack? Is it about that?”
“I heard, but you shouldn’t have. Not yet.”
The situation had been discussed at the meeting he’d spent the afternoon in, and everyone had been under strict orders not to talk about it until the major players could be heard and questioned by the council. He’d be speaking to a few of them at breakfast.
About a third of the Dallas pack wanted to ditch their alpha. Since they were the minority they had two options. Suck it up, or break away and form a new pack. The second option was better for everyone but the smaller group couldn’t officially petition for independence until they had chosen an alpha to lead them. They hadn’t, which was where things got interesting.
“Would your father accept?”
Several months ago Summer told them that Gage would not be Regis until there was once again a pack in Atlanta, but forming a pack was one thing. Finding a werewolf strong enough to be alpha was much harder. There weren’t a lot but Nolan was one of them.
“I don’t know,” she said. “If they asked and if Gage asked, probably. I don’t think he’s ever wanted to be alpha though.”
He’d heard Nolan say that himself and agreed, but in the end he thought Nolan would do whatever Gage asked of him. Jackson and Billy would have to find someone to fill Nolan’s position as historian. He frowned.
“Why doesn’t your father have an assistant or apprentice?”
She grew still. “I think he intended me to until…”
She didn’t finish the thought but he knew what she stopped herself from saying.
“Do you want to take over for him?”She relaxed when he didn’t mention Wyatt.
“I always thought I would. I love history, I majored in it and information technology, so I’m sure I could handle it fine. And it’s not like he wouldn’t be available if I had any questions.”
She sounded excited about the possibility and he wondered what she’d been doing the last few months. Every time he’d asked she’d avoided his questions. She wouldn’t be able to do that so easily now.
“Have you been working while you’ve been here?”
“I pick up a shift at the Half Moon a couple times a month,” she said, naming the bar and grill owned by one of the local pack family’s. She hesitated a moment before continuing. “And I’ve been working on a project for Gage.”
“Did he tell you not to talk about it?”
The idea of her keeping secrets fucking pissed him off. She was his mate and they weren’t supposed to keep things from each other. She turned her head and nipped his pec.
“Stop growling at me.”
He stopped abruptly, hadn’t even been aware he was doing it, but she hadn’t hesitated to call him on it. Did she notice? No fear, completely relaxed in his arms. Of course, he hadn’t used his teeth on her. He would sooner or later but now would be a bad time to remind her of that.
“When the Regis’s pack disbanded two generations ago, most of them came here, our pack, or went to the Charleston pack but a few took their families and disappeared. Eventually a lot of those sons rejoined one of the packs. Gage has me trying to find the daughters and granddaughters.”
He suspected he knew why but asked for clarification anyway. “Because of the rumors of female shifters?”
She nodded.
“Have you found any?”
“The women or the shifters? Several women actually, but if any are shifters they’ve been careful. Four vanished before we identified them,” she said softly.
That sounded ominous. “Voluntarily?”
“We don’t know. Gage has people looking into it. They didn’t have anyone looking out for them. Most of the others have families.”
There was a hint of sorrow in her voice, in her scent, and he knew why. Having family hadn’t protected her, so how much danger were those missing women in? He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her.
“I’m sure Gage has taken steps to make sure the others are safe.”
“He has.”
It was the longest conversation they’d had in months and probably the most significant ever. She wasn’t hiding, wasn’t trying to keep him at arm’s length. He’d never allow her to do that again, but he knew he had a ways to go to earn her unconditional trust. And while he worked on that he could claim her body, seduce her so thoroughly the rest came naturally.
She was pressed against his side, lying half on his chest, and he skimmed his fingers down her spine, enjoying the silky feel of her skin. She covered her mouth, obviously trying repress a yawn and he silently groaned.
“Tired?”
He didn’t have to ask, he could feel her fatigue, but it surprised him. It was still early, the sun just setting, and he was used to seeing her when she’d worked the night shift at the diner.
“I haven’t been sleeping well the last few days. Too nervous,” she mumbled.
Nervous because the last man she’d slept with hurt her, terrorized her. Because of that, if she asked he’d sleep on the couch but she didn’t ask and he wasn’t offering. Especially when she drifted off and rested easily in his arms. For the first time in a year, he relaxed. She was safe and where she belonged, and he’d do everything fucking necessary to make sure it stayed that way.
Seven
Chloe knew before she opened her eyes that she was alone. The house felt empty. There were no sounds of another person’s breathing or moving around. It seemed devoid of life where once it had been her refuge from the storm. Determined not to get maudlin, she climbed out of bed and headed for the shower. It was still dark, and a glance at the clock showed it was just before six. She had a couple hours before she had to meet her parents so she could take her time, but most mornings she watched the sun slip over the horizon with a cup of tea on the back deck. Usually Joanne, who was mated to Gage’s beta Hector, stopped by at the end of her jog and Chloe didn’t want to miss her.
The bath stall was wet and still steamy. Billy hadn’t been gone long. And wow, she’d managed to make it a whole two minutes without thinking about him. She groaned. How was she going to be able to walk away if she couldn’t take that final step into mating, if he was on her mind as soon as she woke up? It wouldn’t be easy. She knew that after last night, oddly enough, because it had been easy. So natural to lie next to him in bed, to talk about things that mattered, to sleep in his arms and not wake up afraid. She couldn’t quite believe that one herself.
Turning the shower knob to hot, she stepped in and dunked her head. Water streamed over her hair and she imagined it washing away all the bad stuff from the past year. If only it were that simple. She hurried to clean her hair and her body, marveled at the soreness between her legs. Thank god, she’d discovered sex hadn’t been ruined forever. In fact it was better than ever. She could get used to that aspect of her relationship with Billy pretty damned quick. Frowning, she stepped out, toweled moisture of the mirror, and looked herself over. No bites, as he’d promised, but why did she feel more connected to him than ever? Without that chemical bond she shouldn’t, should she?
She wrapped a towel around her hair, dried off quickly, and walked into the bedroom to check the clock again. Five till. She pulled on a tank top and hopped into a pair of cut offs as she headed toward the kitchen. The teakettle was already filled and sitting on a back burner on the stove, and a note was stuck to the fridge with a magnet. She turned the knob on the burner to high and picked up the piece of paper, studying his unfamiliar scrawl.
Have a good morning, baby. I’ll meet you at the Half Moon for lunch. –Billy
She was a little annoyed. She’d expected him to miss breakfast but he could have at least woke her up to say goodbye. Which was ridiculous. She’d be seeing him plenty over the next week. However if he was serious about convincing her to come home and accept his bond maybe they should have a chat about the little things. Like saying goodbye in the morning. Her annoyance rose in time with the whistling kettle, but this time it was at herself. She’d told hi
m she hadn’t been sleeping well. Was it any wonder he hadn’t disturbed her? She reached for two mugs just as a knock came from the back door. Looking over, she waved Joanne in while she poured and fished tea bags out of their canister. At least some things weren’t changing on her.
“Where’s Hector?” she asked.
Her friend waved a hand in the air. “At some conference with the other betas.”
That explained Billy’s meeting. She bet they’d be talking about the Dallas situation right about now. Joanne picked up a mug and turned to the door. “Outside?”
“Yeah.”
After stirring a lump of sugar into her tea, Chloe followed her and settled into a cushion-covered deck chair. She stretched her legs out in front of her and sighed, taking a long look around. She’d come to love the little house and the woods surrounding it. It would never compare to the Smokies of course, but it was nice. She would be leaving it soon, either to return home or possibly move on to some other place. That would mean leaving Billy, and she clenched her jaw against the sadness that threatened to engulf her. Just because she liked him, just because the sex was great, didn’t mean she could live with someone trying to completely take over her life. Again.
“We missed you at the party last night,” Joanne said, interrupting her thoughts.
She glanced over with a guilty start to see the other woman watching her over the rim of her cup. “I was there, but I didn’t stay long. I said hello to some old friends and came back here. I’ve got all week to mingle.”
She wasn’t being given much of a choice about that.
“Hmmm. You saw one old friend in particular, I’m betting.”
Chloe blushed. Was she that transparent? Joanne was a therapist and knew her well, having spent the last several months helping her work through the emotions that had debilitated her when she first arrived in Florida. Their morning sessions were sometimes casual, sometimes painful. Recently, Joanne had tried to convince Chloe that her next step was to face Billy, and their meetings became much less formal, with her mate Hector often joining them. Chloe would miss them, and the effortless camaraderie that had sprung up between the three of them. She sighed.
“I saw him, all right. He was waiting for me here when I got home.”
Joanne jerked straight in her seat, the casual lounge gone so fast Chloe almost laughed. Joanne’s eyes roved over Chloe’s exposed skin.
“You look unharmed.” She arched an eyebrow. “No bite marks. Visible ones, at least.”
Chloe smiled and shook her head. “He would never hurt me. And no. There was no biting.”
“And yet, you’ve spent months avoiding him.” She took a drink of her tea. “You don’t seem very afraid for a woman who went to such lengths to keep away from her mate.”
Chloe rolled her eyes.
“He’s known where I was from day one, and we talked on the phone all the time.” She paused. “I’m not afraid of him really. Not physically. But you and I both know, he’s on good behavior right now. He could completely change after we’re bonded and I couldn’t do a damned thing about it. So yeah, I’m a little afraid of that.”
Joanne nodded. “After what you went through, that’s understandable. The question is, are you ready to move on? I think you are.” She paused. “Hector met your Billy yesterday. He was impressed.”
Chloe slouched in the chair. She didn’t know if she was ready to hear this. “He’s very well liked,” she agreed.
They fell silent, watching the sun’s light penetrate the surrounding vegetation as the area came alive. It wasn’t long before Hector appeared on the path that ran between their houses and jogged up to the deck. Either that meeting had gone very short or he’d skipped out on it. Pausing to drop a kiss on his mate’s lips and say hello, he disappeared into the house. He was back in seconds with tea and grabbed a chair on the other side of the table.
“How are you this morning, ladies?” he asked.
Chloe smiled. She wasn’t sure what the story was behind Hector’s coming to Florida, but the fact that he’d been born an urbane New Yorker was still more than evident. Before she could answer him, the door opened behind her and with effort she resisted turning around to watch Billy’s approach. She knew it was him by the way her heart began to pound. He pulled out the chair next to her and took her hand, his thumb rubbing soft circles over her knuckles. A tendril of heat unfurled low in her abdomen.
“I don’t think I approve of you smiling at my mate that way, Hector,” he joked.
She tried to pull her hand away and couldn’t resist a snarky rejoinder. “I’m not your mate.”
“That’s just a formality,” Billy reminded her.
His tone was teasing, but when she turned to meet his gaze, she saw his determination to make it real. Soon. She shook her head, unable to frame a reply that wasn’t completely bitchy or wimpy. Why did it have to be one or the other? She couldn’t find any middle ground this morning. It was frustrating after last night. The conversation went on without her contribution, which was a good thing because the longer she sat next to him, the more aware of him she became.
He stroked his hand up and down the inside of her forearm. She never would have guessed the simple action could be such a turn on, but his touch sent streaks of electricity through her, lighting all her nerve endings on fire. Her breathing deepened and her pussy got wet. She knew both werewolves would be able to scent that, and she tried to come up with some excuse to leave the table. Her reaction to him embarrassed her—more because another man was aware of it than anything else—and she guessed by the bulge in Billy’s jeans that he was turned on as well. Just as she decided to say screw good manners, Hector and Joanne stood and said goodbye. She barely heard them and she hoped her response was coherent.
Once they stepped off the deck, Billy hauled her to her feet and growled in her ear, but it didn’t scare her. It was soft and rumbly and a little out of control and she knew he was going to make her feel oh so good.
“Inside, Chloe. Hurry or we’ll never make it inside.”
His tone offered her no room for argument, but that was just fine. She didn’t want to. Hell, she couldn’t have framed one if her life had depended on it. She was desperate to feel him inside her, and the sooner the better. So she strode to the door. She didn’t make it two steps into the kitchen before he stopped her, spinning her around and claiming her mouth in a rough marauding kiss.
She reached for his waist, fumbling to unsnap his jeans and push them out of the way while his hand found her breast. Her fingers closed around his cock and squeezed as he did the same to her nipple. They groaned together in the quiet room, the sounds loud and carnal and perfect to her ears. He thrust his cock into her hand, encouraging her while he shoved her shirt up. When his lips closed over her aching nipple, she exploded, actually screaming as the orgasm crashed through her.
And he hadn’t even bitten her yet.
Eight
A woman yelling her mate’s name as she came was all any werewolf should be expected to take and still act civilized. Billy was riding that edge. He released her nipple and yanked off her shorts and underwear. Then he shoved his jeans to his knees and that was as far as they were going. He was too desperate to bend down and remove his shoes, to kick the rest of his clothes free. It was so easy to lift her onto his throbbing cock, and he didn’t think of anything else. All he needed right now was to scent her hunger, to feel her need slick around his erection as he slowly eased into her.
Her ass rested against the edge of the countertop, which gave him the resistance he needed. He wanted to go slow, wanted to tease and indulge, to get them both drunk on sensation, but it wasn’t going to happen. He’d do that later, he promised himself. For now, he pounded into her and fought the instinct to bite. His incisors lengthened and he bit down on his tongue, tasting his own blood. His wolf side howled its outrage. It hated being denied and Billy agreed. It was the fear of losing her to his own stupidity that held him back.
T
hankfully, some shred of sanity forced him to keep to his promise and restored a bit of his control. Shuddering and gripping the counter, he stopped fucking her. It might be the hardest thing he’d ever done, but when she looked at him with glazed eyes, her body limp under his, he was afraid he had pushed her too far outside her comfort zone. Then she gave him a sweet, sexy smile.
“Why are you stopping?”
Hell if he knew. She was languorous and pliant under him. So fucking beautiful it hurt. And she was his. She was finally fucking his. She was a gift he would not take for granted, now or thirty years from now. By some fucking miracle she came again, her smaller body trembling in his arms. He ground his molars together as he withheld his own climax, wanting to feel that sensation again, needing to know he could drive her body to orgasm repeatedly. He slid a hand between their bodies and found her clit. The small nub was hard and pulsing under his fingertip. He pinched it, careful not to be too hard.
*
Chloe convulsed in a third orgasm and cried out. Billy released her clitoris to grab her hips with both hands and slowed his thrusts, while she rode on a high ledge of sensation in a state beyond simple lust or arousal. The slightest touch on her clit or nipples and she would come again. She wasn’t sure if she could take it, and she considered begging. For more or to stop, she had no idea.
After a few more tortuously unhurried strokes, he started hitting her G-spot. Once. Twice. She was catapulted into another orgasm, this time with a whimper rather than a yell. Either he realized she couldn’t take anymore or he couldn’t, because his speed increased. He pistoned into her faster and faster, incredibly driving her higher and higher once again. This time when she came, the world went black for a moment, with bright stars behind her eyes in sharp contrast. She wasn’t even aware he’d joined her until he shifted and his semen trickled down her leg.
They were both panting and leaning into each other. When she thought she might live, she opened her eyes and tilted her head back to meet his gaze, which was so much more intense than she’d expected. And there wasn’t even a bond to blame. She felt her neck just to be certain she hadn’t missed his bite.
Lunar Mates Volume Two: Books 4-6 Page 4
