by Cynthia Sax
Dire Wolves: Blind Spot
Cynthia Sax
All rights reserved.
Copyright ©2010 Cynthia Sax
ISBN: 978-1-60521-156-5
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Changeling Press LLC
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www.ChangelingPress.com
Editor: Maryam Salim
Cover Artist: Bryan Keller
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Dire Wolves: Blind Spot
Cynthia Sax
Years ago, Pavel lost his eye, three members of his pack and his position as alpha. Can Maggy help him find a reason to live again?
Once Pavel was an Alpha of a powerful wolf pack. Now he is a lone wolf; a scarred, one-eyed beast no one can rely on. When a small, sexy she-wolf calls for protection, he knows he’s not the wolf for the job. He does agree to train her to defend herself so she can earn her place in a pack. He doesn’t plan on falling in love, and he absolutely will not under any circumstances claim her for his own.
Chapter One
A tree limb snapped in two. The sound, crisp and sharp in the evening air, came from directly behind Maggy. They were gaining on her. Pine needles crunched under her paws, the fresh scent not covering up her fear. She’d gotten lucky with this head start. While hidden in the shadows of the bar, she’d overheard a local wolf boast that he and his cronies would have her. The bartender called him Drex, and he wasn’t a man who asked before he took so she fled immediately, shifting into wolf form to run on all fours. They couldn’t catch her. Her lungs ached. She wouldn’t allow that to happen, not again.
There were three of them and one of her. She streaked through the forest, the trees a blur around her. This was their territory. She was passing through Upper New York State on her way to nowhere. Leaves crunched inches away from her. Swallowing her pride, she howled for help. She didn’t expect an answer. She’d called before and help never came. She wouldn’t think of those times. Tonight would be different. Tonight she would evade her pursuers.
They were bigger, stronger wolves, and with every passing minute, the distance separating them decreased. She couldn’t outrun them. She wasn’t fast enough. She had to outwit the wolves. She would make them think twice about following her. She darted into a thicket of wild rose bushes, wincing as the thorns ripped at her fur.
It was a mistake. Avoiding the branches slowed her down. The male wolves simply crashed through the bushes. A head butted her hindquarters. She tripped, rolling until she landed on her feet again. Frantic, she took two more strides. Pain pierced her lower thigh. As she pulled away, razor sharp canines sliced through her hind leg. The scent of blood filled the air.
Jaws gripped her flank. A weight landed on her lower back, flattening her. She was caught. She whimpered when another set of teeth clasped onto her free hind leg, widening her stance, leaving her exposed.
Brown front legs straddled her withers. That was Drex. He was the leader. He would go first. She twisted her neck to bite him. That excited him even more, his hard cock pressing against her rump. She flung herself back against him, trying to dislodge him. Her feeble attempts did nothing. He leaned forward, grinding her face into the ground, the taste of dark earth and blood filling her mouth. She couldn’t fight him. He was too strong. Maggy squeezed her eyes shut, preparing herself for what would happen next.
A menacing growl rumbled to the right of them. Before the sound registered in Maggy’s brain, the weight on her back had lifted and her legs were released. She was free. She put weight on her injured hindquarters. They held for one hopeful moment before folding under her. She couldn’t run. She couldn’t walk. Desperate, she dragged herself less than a yard before collapsing. She could go no farther.
She curled up, licking her wounds, inventorying the damage. The cuts were deep. Although wolves healed quickly, she wouldn’t heal soon enough to save herself. She looked back. The largest wolf she had ever seen stood, his back to her, facing Drex and his henchmen. He would fight three wolves for the right to fuck her.
Mate. Emotion pulsed through Maggy. The silver gray wolf felt like he belonged to her. She shook her head in an attempt to clear it. It was wishful thinking, the result of her blood loss. He couldn’t be her mate. She had no mate. She had no pack. He would fuck her until he tired of her and then leave. That was what the others had done. This wolf would do the same.
The three wolves attacked as one. The lone wolf chomped down on the smallest wolf’s neck and swung, tossing the body into the path of the other two. He then charged at Drex. They rolled, biting and clawing at each other. There was a crunch of teeth through bone and a yelp of pain. When they broke, Drex lay on the ground, twitching with pain, his hide sliced into blood red ribbons.
The silver wolf stood triumphant, snarling at the other two. He swung his head and Maggy swallowed a gasp. He had only one eye, and the fur on his left side from his ear to his foreleg was crisscrossed with scars. Drex’s cronies backed away, their heads lowered in deference. A whining Drex inched along the ground to join them. The silver wolf waited and watched, not moving until they disappeared into the forest.
That one-eyed gaze then turned to Maggy. She smelled his arousal. It both scared and excited her. He would take her now. He was the victor. She was his prize. He stalked toward her. She was too weak and weary to fight him. He’d defeated three wolves without spilling an ounce of his own blood. Maggy struggled to her paws, shaking out her stiff legs, and turned her rump to him. He growled, the deep sound both arousing and terrifying. He was a large wolf. She flicked her tail to the side. Would he take her as fiercely as he fought? His warm breath puffed against her fur. She trembled. She didn’t want any more pain.
She gasped as a hot, wet tongue licked the cut on her left hind leg, the tender touch sending a surge of energy up her body. Maggy didn’t know how to interpret the kindness. None of the others had bothered with foreplay. They took what they wanted and then left. She wiggled her rump, impatient to get the humiliation over with. He would not be hurried. He continued licking, his tongue tracing her wounds. Confused, she took a deep breath. She smelled his attraction to her. Why was he not acting on his desire? The bleeding on her left leg had stopped and he switched to her right hind leg. Did he want her recovered before he took her?
Maggy twisted around to examine the leg he had finished licking. Her jaws fell open. The wounds were closed. That was impossible. She never healed so quickly.
Th
e licking stopped. He rubbed along her left side as though he felt for other injuries. She lowered her head, giving him the respect he deserved. He was alpha, even if he had no pack. He butted his head under her chin, raising it, and his one-eyed gaze held hers. They were equals was the unspoken communication. Maggy couldn’t believe him. She wasn’t worthy of being his equal. He examined her right side, his tail stroking her face.
Her heart fluttered. It was a sign of affection. Maggy had seen the exchange with other wolves. No wolf had ever touched her like that. Before she could reciprocate, he moved away.
He stood at the end of the clearing. He was leaving her. Maggy squelched her rising panic. She’d been alone before. She could be alone now. He looked back, the right side of his face perfect, the left side scarred and sightless. He growled.
She thought he said “Come,” but that must have been the wishful thinking again. She remained where she was. She would stay there until she was healthy enough to find shelter.
Rumbling his discontent, he returned to her side. She groaned. She was such an idiot. Of course, he wanted her to come with him. He wanted sex. Maybe he wanted privacy for the act. He circled to her rear. Maybe he didn’t. Would he take her now? He pushed his head against her rump, moving her forward. She looked back at him, trying to understand what he wanted. He gave her another gentle head butt. He wanted her to move.
She hobbled. Her legs were sore and stiff. He led her through the forest, his head swinging, scanning their surroundings with his one good eye. What he was looking for, she didn’t know. Maggy spotted a cave that would have allowed them privacy. He passed it without pausing.
Energy drained from Maggy’s healing body with every step. Still, the silver wolf walked, his pace slow yet painfully relentless. She concentrated on placing one paw ahead of the other, following his tail. Finally she could go no farther. She whimpered her defeat before collapsing, shifting as she fell.
* * *
She woke on a hard, lumpy surface. It couldn’t be the ground. It was warm. She opened her eyes. A muscular chest filled her view, scars forming ridges in the skin. It was the silver wolf. Apprehension scurried down Maggy’s spine. She lay naked on top of him. His arm circled her waist. His large hand rested on her hip.
She raised her head. A black patch covered where his left eye would have been. Scars traced down a face like granite. His silver hair was cut ruthlessly short. His chin was defined. Everything about him was hard, hard, hard.
Including, she felt as she shifted, his cock. That magnificent example of male flesh rubbed against her leg. She peeked under the sheets. He was a large man and this part of his anatomy was in proportion to the rest of him. Maggy licked her lips. She loved to suck cock. It was the one sexual act she most enjoyed. When she had a man’s cock in her mouth, she was in control, not him.
She would like to be in control of this man. He’d want sex. She slipped down his body, his rough palm sliding along her backbone. If she took the initiative, she’d be in control of that sex. She touched the tip of his cock with her finger. A dab of precum beaded on the slit. It looked delicious.
She swiped the creamy liquid and licked her finger. He tasted like… mate. A comforting warmth filled her body. If only for this morning, he would be her mate. She wrapped her fingers around his shaft. He was wide and long. She swirled her tongue around his bulbous head, teasing the sensitive slit. Could she take him all? She hovered above his cock.
“You don’t have to do that.” She started as a deep voice broke the silence. He was awake. His deep breathing hadn’t changed, nor had he moved. Her cheeks heated. How long had he been watching her?
“I want to do this.” Once she said it, she realized it was the truth. She wasn’t going to suck his cock out of obligation, or fear, or because he might do something nice for her in return. She was going to suck his cock because she wanted to.
He should stop her. Pavel studied the redhead with her luscious lips inches away from his cock. This was a form of payment for her. She stroked him, her grip soft yet firm, and he groaned. She didn’t want to touch him. Who would? He felt for the patch, ensuring that it covered that hideous empty socket. But his feet kicked out as she took him into her mouth; he was powerless to stop her.
Mate, his beast whispered. Her tongue laved his shaft. When she’d called for help, he knew who she’d be to him, who she could be to him if bonding permanently with her was an option. It wasn’t. She needed the protection of a pack. She needed a strong alpha to keep her safe.
He had no pack. He was no longer a strong alpha. He was damaged, a wolf who couldn’t determine the distance a foe was from his mate, a wolf whose mistake had killed three members of his pack. That knowledge hadn’t stopped him from answering her call.
He couldn’t resist going to her rescue, and he couldn’t resist this. His cockhead tapped against the back of her throat. Her lips were sealed around his base. She took him all. Fuck, his fingertips dug into the mattress, his mate was incredible. She sucked, applying a gentle pressure as she withdrew. He clenched his teeth, willing himself not to come. The control he prided himself on was frayed simply by her scent.
She cupped his balls with her soft hands. They tightened. His reaction caused her to laugh. The sound reminded him of a mountain spring, spilling over natural and unaffected into the silence of the room. She drew a testicle into her mouth, her tongue tumbling it. “Woman,” he growled. He didn’t know her name.
She released him, her lips quirking up into a saucy smile. “Maggy, my name is Maggy O’Leary.” She lavished her attention on his neglected testicle, her red hair falling forward around her face.
“Maggy.” Mate, his beast corrected. “I can’t… I’m going to…”
Green eyes lit with understanding. “Not yet.” She gripped his shaft hard, putting pressure on the base. His sensitive cockhead was licked as she took him into her mouth. His muscles contracted, his eye rolled back, his body tightened with strain.
All it took was one long suck and his control snapped. “Maggy!” he yelled into the room, hot cum shooting into her mouth. He felt her swallow again and again, her throat convulsing against his cock. With each mouthful, she drained the rigidity from his bones until his worries for the future were gone and all he thought of was his mate.
“Maggy, Maggy, Maggy,” he repeated her name, babbling like an idiot. She looked up at him, her lips glistening with moisture. “Come.” He reached out, needing to hold her. He wanted her heart close to his. She blinked, long eyelashes batting against freckled skin. “Come,” he repeated. She cautiously moved close enough for him to touch her. He pulled her to his uninjured right side. Hair the texture of silk rested on his chest. He wrapped his good arm around her naked body, stroking lazy circles on her shoulder. “That was amazing.”
He sucked in a breath as small fingers caressed the scars on his chest. No one voluntarily touched him there. “Was it worth fighting for?” she whispered.
“You are worth dying for.” When he thought of those other wolves and what they’d almost done to Maggy, his mate, the tension in his body returned. He felt along her thigh. The wound had closed, leaving a scar. It was one of many, telling him that this had happened to her before. He wanted to howl in fury. She was his mate. His. “You should not be on your own. Where is your pack?”
The caressing stopped. “Where is your pack, wolf?” she flung back at him.
“The name is Pavel Ivanov, not wolf, and I have no pack.” His pack was now led by his cousin, a more worthy wolf. Pavel hadn’t made Nikolay fight him for alpha status. He loved his pack enough to know a wolf as injured as he was couldn’t lead it. “I don’t need a pack. You do.”
“Because I can’t defend myself.” Bitterness tainted her words. “But what pack wants a wolf who can’t even defend herself?”
“You could learn to fight.” She was quick and clever. “And there are roles other than warrior.” The thought of Maggy as mate to another pained him.
“There i
s only one role.” She pushed off of him. Her cheeks were rosy. Her chest heaved. He forced his gaze away from her small, perky breasts, concentrating on her beautiful face. “I won’t be the pack whore. I have more pride than that.” Her backbone was stiff.
“You are no whore,” he growled. “You are a mate.” She was his mate.
“Mate?” There was no joy in her laughter. “Would you take a small, helpless wolf like me as your mate?”
If he was worthy of her, he would. “Come, Maggy.” He held out his hand. He didn’t like her so far from him. “You lack skills, but you are not helpless. I will teach you to defend yourself,” he found himself promising.
“You will?” Her hand trembled as she placed it in his. He drew her back.
“Da.” She fitted so perfectly against him. “If you wish. It will require hard work and time.” When that time was over, he would let her go.
He breathed in. He had smelled her distinctive scent miles away. Losing his eye had forced his other senses to heighten. He had heard her pounding heartbeat from across the clearing as he now heard the hopeful hitch in her breath.
“If I learn to fight, a pack will be forced to accept me, won’t they?” she murmured into his skin. His soul echoed her need to belong. He had been on his own for too long. Holding her like this felt right.
“I know of a pack who will welcome you.” It was rumored that the Dire Wolves looked past a wolf’s appearance or inclinations. “They are far from here. We will train as we travel.”
“You will stay with me?” She threaded her fingers through his.
Pavel stared down at their hands, his left hand scarred, her hand small and perfect. “I will stay with you until we reach the pack. Then you are on your own.” She deserved better.
Chapter Two
“Can I kick Drex in the nuts again?” Maggy circled the dummy nailed to the post. Pavel’s jeans and shirt were stuffed with straw. She’d drawn a smiley face on the pillowcase head. Pavel had laughed when she named him Drex.
