by Dawn Forrest
“I said don’t come any fucking closer.” She sounded almost hysterical, even to her own ears. “You didn’t know that I was your mate until you were here.”
How much worse was it to think that you’d found something that you’d always wanted, to have hope in your heart and to finally relax and let down your guard, only to find yourself deceived. Soiled and spoiled, that was what this mating now was, even though she knew that she was bound to him and would forgive him.
“I had no intention of coming here, but only a few hours before the moonrise I received a call from one of Ashok Khan’s men saying that he was on his way here to get you.”
“H–how did he know where I was?” She fought to keep her voice from quavering.
“Khan tagged your coat with a tracking device.”
She blinked in amazement at the lengths the Indian Prime had gone to.
“Khan was insane, a psychopath. I had a difficult choice to make. I could either stay away and let him have you, or try to stop him but run the very real risk that I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from taking you when in beast form. I knew that both you and I would have hated me in the morning, but I couldn’t let that maniac take you away. He planned to kidnap you, smuggle you into India, and breed with you. I promised your daughter that I’d protect you, and this was the only way.”
It seemed a plausible explanation.
“I will speak to my daughter to confirm your story.”
“She doesn’t know, but her mates do.”
“Yeah right, the male mafia, how convenient.”
He moved so fast that before she could blink he had her caged within his frame, hands against the wall on either side of her head, body close but not quite touching. Anyone else she would have head-butted his nose and kneed his groin, but she couldn’t, not to him. Damn!
“I need not lie to you, Katherine. You are already mine forever, and your body will always crave my touch, but I really am a man of my word. I realize that you do not yet know me, and our bond is new, so I will let it pass this time. In the future, never doubt me. For all of my Packs, all the Weres in America and Canada, and especially for you, my word is the truth, is the law.”
Bloody hell. In that moment she felt his raw power, a majestic and tangible thing, and knew that he was not suffering from delusions of grandeur. He was stating a steadfast fact.
“I wish for honesty between us always. Loyalty and honor mean a great deal to me, too. We are compatible, and we are now a part of each other. You’re my mate, so you must know I’m sincere.”
She relaxed. He was telling the truth, and she felt like an ass for jumping to the wrong conclusion so quickly.
“I guess I’ve a few trust issues. I’m sorry, and thank you for coming to save me.”
He expelled a breath. “I think we’ve saved each other. I’ve waited a long time for you. You are mine, as I am yours. Nothing in this world is more important to me than you.”
She suddenly realized that for the rest of her life, every pleasure shared with him would be multiplied, all sorrow and pain would be halved. He cupped her face in his hands. This simple touch warmed her heart and stirred her desire.
“We will enjoy getting to know one another. Now, kiss me good morning, mate.”
Breakfast was forgotten as their lips sought each other. What began as a tender exploratory kiss quickly became passionate and urgent. The blanket she had been clutching fell to the floor as she undid his hair tie and dug her fingers through his soft mane to his scalp. He moaned and shoved his pants down past his burgeoning cock as her naked body cleaved to his. His big hands then grabbed her ass and hoisted her off the ground. She wrapped her legs around his waist and rubbed herself along his hard length, coating it with her slick cream.
“Take me, Katherine,” he commanded. Then he shifted her up and lowered her onto his waiting shaft.
Bliss. They flexed their hips in synchrony.
“How does it feel? From my end it’s like fucking butter in a tight pocket.”
His description was crude yet amusing. He was a talker, and she liked it.
“That explains why I spread easily for you.” She chuckled and groaned, which did strange things to her pelvic muscles stretched tight around his cock, strange but wonderful things.
“For me and only me. Great Spirit, but you feel like heaven and home, woman.” He kissed her neck and found sweet spots to nibble.
“Take me to bed. We should do it at least once on a comfortable surface, don’t you think?”
“No, I don’t think at all, not when I’m inside you. You erase all other thoughts. For the first time in my life I am thinking only with my dick.”
“Well then, you must be a genius.”
He laughed and carried her into the bedroom.
“Let me look at you, my mate,” he said as he laid her down gently on the bed and slipped out of her as he stood back. His gaze sauntered over her body, making a slow, thorough perusal. When his eyes locked on hers, she swallowed a gulp but didn’t look away. There was intense, overwhelming primal power in that stare, but it wasn’t a foreign force to be feared, not by her anyway. She could feel the protective possessiveness of the werewolf before her, and she loved it.
“We rutted all night, and now I’m going to make love to you, Katherine.”
An hour later she lay sprawled across his body, feeling languid, as if her blood had turned to wine. Until now she had never experienced true intimacy, as there had been no sweet, slow loving in her past. It was new and wonderful, and she was in awe of her mate, who was such a dominant creature yet could be a tender and gentle lover.
Will’s breathing hitched, and a rich, deep well of pure and beautiful emotion suddenly overflowed and swamped her. Tears stung her eyes. She quickly glanced at Will and saw that his eyes were squeezed tightly shut, and his teeth bit his bottom lip.
She rested her head back on his chest and whispered, “I love you.”
“Show me,” he croaked.
She kissed her way down his firm torso to his still-firm cock. Oh, I’ll show you all right.
* * * *
It was noon, and Kil Hunt left the large dining room where many Weres sat eating the traditional communal after-run brunch. Both Angela and Jo and their respective mates looked relaxed and happy, if a little tired. He paced back and forth in the study, each step taken in worry for his Chief and friend. Had Will killed Khan, had he taken Katherine, or was he dead? Khan would not live to see another full moon if he had somehow beaten Will. He would personally see to it, using whatever methods were necessary, and honor be damned. Fuck it, he couldn’t wait, he called Will’s satellite phone. On the tenth ring, someone picked up.
“Hawke.” Will’s deep gravelly voice was distinctive.
“You’re alive, then.” Relief flooded his system, but he kept his voice even.
“Evidently.”
“And Khan?”
“Dead.”
“Good.”
He waited, not wanting to ask but needing to know what kind of problem would be returning to The Den with Will.
“Er, I’m in the middle of something right now.”
He heard a light giggle and a feminine, saucy voice murmur, “You sure are, big boy, and it feels great.”
Kil cocked a surprised eyebrow.
“Hold on a moment.” Will sighed.
He heard a click as the phone was put down, the rustling of what he assumed were sheets, a groan, a lip-smacking noise, a moan, more rustling, and then the phone being moved again.
“Okay I’m free to talk.”
Free from what or whom, Kil could only guess. He wasn’t about to confess that he had been worried sick for his friend, so he spoke as if he was simply checking in and keeping Will informed.
“The full-moon run went well at this end, although we’ve lost Sean Bruce. He probably got carried away chasing a deer or something and is at this moment heading back the hard way. It’s happened before.” He didn’t want to dwel
l too much on the thought of the big, naked Scot lumbering through the cold forest. “If he’s not back in half an hour, I’ll send out a search party. I wouldn’t wish a frost-bitten cock on anyone.”
He heard the mystery woman whisper, “Ask him about Joanna, is she okay?”
Mystery solved, no big surprise there, but she didn’t seem upset.
“How did the bondings go?”
“Very well. They all got back safe and sound, had a sleep, and are now chowing down brunch. Heck, female werewolves can sure pack away the grub. The newly bonded mates all appear happy, sickeningly so.”
He heard Will’s muffled voice say, “She’s okay and enjoying the after-run brunch.”
He spoke clearly into the phone again. “Kil, I won’t be back until the day after tomorrow. I’m spending some quiet time alone with my mate.”
“Your mate? You asked to claim her, and she agreed?”
That was quick work, and the other Alphas might be a bit pissed off that they hadn’t been given an opportunity to meet her. He thought that Katherine Akara must be both very attractive and forgiving.
“No. She’s my true-mate.”
His jaw dropped open, and it was a few moments before he could speak again. “That’s great news. Hell, it’s fucking the best. Congratulations, Will.” In keeping with his normal tactlessness, he chuckled. “I bet you feel a right dunce for not finding her sooner.”
“Yeah, thanks for that.”
“Sure thing. Can I let people here know what has happened?”
“Yeah, a brief explanation might be in order, but don’t mention that the other male werewolf was Khan. I called Kumar this morning, and he took off immediately for India to try to rescue his daughter from Khan’s Pack. Let’s give him some time and a fair chance by keeping a lid on his Prime’s demise. I’ll explain everything in full when I return with Katherine. Can you get Jo, Katherine wants to give her the news.”
“Okay. I must say, Chief, I am looking forward to meeting the woman who kicked Khan’s ass and now owns yours.”
He snickered, and Will growled, but he ignored him, put the phone down, and went to get Jo.
“You mother is on the phone and she is well. She wants to talk to you.”
“Is everything okay? Did Hawke stop Khan?” one of the twins asked in a low whisper as they all stood up.
“It all worked out.”
“What do you mean, Yuri? What’s going on?” Jo demanded.
The Russian, presumably Yuri—he couldn’t tell the difference— rushed a quick explanation. Jo didn’t look happy at being left in the dark, but she seemed too excited about the prospect of talking to her mom to get into an argument at that moment.
He stayed in the dining hall while Jo ran to the study. When he made the announcement, even his lips twitched like something resembling a brief grin, or maybe a snarl, he was out of practice. He wasn’t good with soft, fluffy emotion, but he was pleased for his Prime. Will had suffered greatly with the loss of his first mate, even though it was before they had fully bonded, and he deserved this happiness. It appeared that most of the other Weres believed this, too. Even the unmated Alphas accepted with good grace that they would have to continue the search for their own true-mates.
Thinking of how long Will had lived with very little hope of finding another true-mate made him entertain the notion that maybe someday he would find the one for him. He hoped that the woman didn’t frighten easily. Poor bitch, to be stuck with such a stone-cold killer like me for a mate.
Slowly over the years he had become a werewolf feared by many, and the ultimate hard badass. He’d happily cultivated that reputation because it made his job so much easier. He could only imagine how a female Were would react when she found out that the Chief Enforcer of the North American Packs was her mate. With little enthusiasm, he suspected.
The women would want to do some sort of party for Will because he was liked and well respected by the Pack members. The ladies weren’t leery with fear of their approachable Prime, probably because Kil and the other Enforcers did most of the hands-on, necessary-but-unpleasant work. It was how it should be and was good for Pack dynamics. He maintained a cold, hard exterior to others so that his Chief didn’t have to.
* * * *
Jo bounced back into the dining room with a grin as wide as the waning moon on her face. She could scarcely believe that what had seemed like an impossible, illusive dream not more than three days ago was now a reality. Both she and her mom had found their true-mates. She would have to have a chat with her Yuri and Vlad about keeping important information from her, though, but she just couldn’t be mad at anything right now.
“We should throw a party, the Montana Pack will expect it,” Angela said excitedly.
“Why not get a minister to marry them while you’re at it?” Carol, Angela’s mom, suggested.
“Weres get married?” Jo said, surprised.
“Yeah, it just makes things easier, and anyway why should we be denied a wedding?”
“Mike and I will be getting hitched in Australia, it’ll be a good opportunity for all of his Packs to have a party, and some of my friends will also visit, which is a great opportunity to find a mate.”
Jo looked at Vlad and Yuri with her eyebrows raised.
“We will be getting married in Russia,” Yuri stated.
“Really? I missed the part where you asked me,” she responded tartily.
Vlad gave a weary sigh. “Will you marry me, Joanna?”
“Yes, Vlad I will,” she said, nodding her head and holding her chin high, waiting for Yuri to ask.
“Will you marry me?” Yuri repeated, looking miffed that he even had to ask.
“Sorry, you’re too late, I can only officially marry one man, and Vlad here pipped you to the post.”
“Pipped to post? What means this?” Vlad asked as he laughed at Yuri’s shocked expression. He clearly hadn’t thought about the legalities.
“He got there first,” Jo explained.
“It matters not. We are identical twins with same name and same DNA. I will of course be best man, and I will enjoy sleeping with your wife,” Yuri said with a smug look at Vlad.
For a moment everyone else looked uncomfortable, but when Jo and Vlad laughed, they all relaxed and grinned.
“We’ll have to think about it. Maybe we can quickly do the official registering bit and have a Were ceremony of our own that will mean more to us,” Jo suggested.
“Nothing is meaning more to Weres than true-mating,” Yuri pointed out.
“Yeah, but I didn’t get to wear a dress, did I?”
“You wore the finest fur coat,” Vlad the charmer pointed out.
“Do you think your mom will mind a surprise wedding?” Angela asked.
Jo smiled brightly thinking of everything her mom had been through.
“She’ll be over the moon.”
Epilogue
Katherine Hawke spun around as she danced with her new husband at their wedding reception. She was wearing a dress that Jo and Karen Kaiteke had put together for her. It was modern but heavily influenced by her Maori culture. Will was wearing a more traditional Native American chief’s outfit, and he looked stunning.
Her daughter and the Montana Mountain Pack had pulled out all the stops to make this wonderful wedding happen only four days after she’d bonded with Will. In that short time she’d met many members of the North American Packs, all of the Montana Mountain Pack, and a lot of Alphas and mates from other countries.
At first she had been a little freaked out and overwhelmed by being near so many werewolves, but they had been nothing but polite, and she was soon put at ease. It helped that Will kept her by his side at all times, probably because he’d sensed her initial distress.
Her family had been flown from New Zealand, and they’d had a tearful reunion. When she’d found out about the Scots Pack massacre she’d felt terrible for not contacting them and at least letting them know that she was alive. There were n
o recriminations, though, and they were all delighted to see each other again.
Joanna waltzed past with one of her mates. Katherine couldn’t tell them apart except that she knew Vlad was wearing a silver earring of a wolf dangling from his left ear. Apparently the Russian name Volkov actually meant “wolf.” Unfortunately, they were leaving soon for Moscow to see the Russian Prime, their father, and then on to Siberia where Vlad and Yuri’s Pack was located. She would miss her daughter but thought that Jo had never looked happier.
“Can I cut in? I believe it’s expected of the best man?”
Katherine heard Kil Hunt’s deep, growly voice and looked up at him standing behind Will. He appeared serious and stern but also a little awkward. He was a brusque, seemingly unemotional guy, but she had warmed to him. Perhaps she could easily identify with a lonely soul, having been one herself. Will cocked his eyebrows at her in question as he stepped back. She gave Kil her best smile.
“Sure, I’d love to dance with you.”
They took off around the floor, and she was surprised at how nimble on his feet he was. She’d spoken to him a few times, but most of what she knew about him had come from Will. Will trusted him more than any other person alive, and that was good enough for her.
After a turn of the floor he spoke. “I heard how you caught Khan out on the boat, beat him, and tipped him overboard. I think—”
“Look, I didn’t have a choice,” she cut in, not wanting to hear the Enforcer preach about how she hadn’t played fair.
He stared down at her, looking a little puzzled.
“I think,” he said, ignoring her interruption, “that you’re perfect for our Prime. I admire a woman who is strong enough to take care of herself and others around her.”
“Oh, er, thanks.”
“But I want you to know that all of us in the Pack will be looking out for you now. I understand that for many years you probably considered us as the enemy, but Will would have protected you if you’d asked. He isn’t perfect, no one is, but he does his best, and it’s more than good enough. You can now relax when you want to. We’ve got broad shoulders to lean on if you need them.”
