by Sky Corgan
He could think about that later though. One thing was for certain, he did want to fill her with his seed. The idea of gifting her with his pup was more appealing than it had ever been with any other female. And to do that, he needed to focus on the task at hand, not on how much he longed to keep her by his side.
He let go of her legs, allowing them to fall around his hips. They were trembling, which pleased him greatly. It meant he had done a good job. He wasn't done with her yet though.
“I'm going to fill you so full of my come that you'll never even think about another man again,” he told her as he thrust into her. While she said nothing, her body responded by clenching around him, her lower muscles trying to milk him of his seed.
“It's so good, Carter,” she half-moaned, half-gasped, which only spurred him on more.
Heat coursed between his legs, a mixture of friction from her tightness and the intoxicating allure of her scent. She clung to him just as desperately as he clung to her, as if they were weathering a storm together, afraid to let go and lose each other forever. He pressed deeply into her and felt his body give way, his balls drawing up as his cock twitched and spurted into her. The climax was so intense that it wrecked him, making him pant for breath as if he'd been on the hunt.
He pumped into her a few more times, emptying his balls completely, making sure not to miss a drop so that his seed had the best chance of taking. Then he stilled on top of her, lying there in the warm glow of the campfire as she held him and gently stroked his hair. Nothing had ever felt more perfect to Carter in all of his life.
Once his breathing had settled, he wrapped his arms around her and rolled until she was on top of him. She straddled him, keeping him inside as she sprawled out across his body with her head on his shoulder. The way she stared at him made Carter feel like an anomaly to her. She'd probably never been around a wolf as pure as him. Hell, she was probably still trying to process what had just happened. Surely, she hadn't expected to come here and mate with him.
It had happened though. Carter had fulfilled his duty as the regional Alpha. If they were lucky, she would be pregnant with his pup now. With all that said, he didn't want to let her go. Normally, he would send a girl back to her pack after they had mated. The wolf that he passed on to her would be enough to get her back on the straight and narrow path. Karen was different though. And even though Carter knew he should be more concerned with the possibility that his mating hadn't been enough to reform her, he was more displeased by the thought of her leaving.
“What happens now?” she asked timidly, and Carter could hear the fear in her voice that she thought he was about to send her away.
Instead, he took her hand in his and drew it up to his lips for a tender kiss. “Now, you stay with me forever.”
CHAPTER FOUR
“I'm here to pick up my sister.” Howard Needham sat across from Carter at a long, wooden table usually reserved for political meetings. It wasn't often Carter actually met with werewolves from the lesser packs. He had representatives for that kind of grunt work. This meeting was special though.
Howard Needham was the Alpha of a small, straggling pack in Lansing. Their bloodline was so weak that it would only be a matter of time before it was snuffed out completely. That's why Howard had come to Carter in the first place. He had brought his sister Karen in for werewolf reform. At least, that's what he had told Carter's secretary. The truth was he had dropped her off in the hopes that Carter would get her with pup. A seed from his tree was the only chance of putting enough werewolf blood back into their small pack to make a difference.
Typically, Carter would breed with a female and then send her on her way. Karen was different though. The way she defied Carter, the way her wolf struggled against him, made him feel a thrill he normally only got during the hunt. She was his prey, and beyond that, she absolutely fascinated him.
“I'm concerned about your sister's inability to shift properly.” Carter propped his elbows up on the table and steepled his hands. In truth, he was more concerned with the sheer lack of wolf in her blood, but saying that out loud would be a slight. Even the most human werewolves have pride.
“That is part of why I brought her here.” Howard's chocolate eyes fell to the table, and Carter could see the shame behind them. The same shame he had seen when Karen spoke about her wolf.
This is where they talked in riddles to each other. Howard wasn't dense enough to think that Carter was actually capable of making Karen more lycan. She would never be more lycan than she was right now, the tiny shred that still remained. Part of the reason she was able to resist him was because her wolf blood was so weak. In truth, she was far more human. Carter doubted there was anything more he could do for her. Still, he didn't want to let her go.
“With your permission, I'd like to keep her for another night. Tonight is the full moon.” He made it sound like an option. No Alpha could resist the will of the regional Alpha. Carter only need say the word, and his wish would be fulfilled.
“Do you really think that's safe?” Howard looked unsure. It was a well-known fact that shifting with anyone outside of your own pack had the potential to be dangerous. Most lycans lost their humanity completely when they shifted. Introducing a new wolf into an already established pack meant there would be hierarchy trials. And likely violence.
Carter's expression was sincere. “Don't worry. I'll take her away from the pack.”
“Who would be left in charge?” Howard furrowed his brow.
“My Beta will lead the others. He has good control over his wolf. The others will follow him.” Carter nodded assuredly. It wasn't very often that Carter shifted away from his pack, but when he did, he always left Kenny in charge. Kenny was an older wolf, and the pack respected him greatly. In all the years that Carter had been the regional Alpha, Kenny had never let him down.
Howard slumped in his chair, looking stressed. While he had made Karen think he would be dropping her off at Sky High Ranch for an entire month of reform, he never intended for that to be the truth. One night with Carter should have be enough to change her behavior. Connecting with his wolf would make her submit, and she would return to her pack a better lycan for it.
Whether Howard liked this idea or not though, at the end of the day, he really had no say in it. If Carter wanted to keep Karen, it had to be for a good reason. Besides, the longer Karen stayed at Sky High Ranch, the more likely she was to become pregnant. Even if the pup wasn't Carter's, it would have more wolf blood in it than if Karen continued on her regular path of mating with humans. The Needham pack could definitely use a pup with stronger wolf blood to help keep their lineage alive.
“Am I allowed to know your game plan?” Howard straightened himself, giving in to the regional Alpha's will, though not without a bit of curiosity.
“I just want to observe her.” Carter knew it wasn't the answer Howard had hoped for. “Being close to her during the full moon might help to force her shift. And when we're both wolves together, I'll be able to imprint on her better.” It was ever the slightest admission to the fact that their mating hadn't exactly achieved what Carter had initially intended—for Karen to lose some of her free will for the benefit of her pack. Carter wasn't about to confess that in less cryptic terms though.
“I hope you have better luck than I've had.” Howard snorted.
“I'm not too worried about it.” Carter smirked, tracing a pen mark that someone had left behind on the table with his fingernail. “Things are different when the Alpha is your brother. You feel more of a sense of equality than respect. It's because you were raised together. The same sense of hierarchy isn't there when the Alpha didn't start as your Alpha.”
“Ah yes, you would know.” Howard forced a smile and bowed his head in a gesture of condolence. It was a solemn subject. Everyone knew that Carter's brother had been the regional Alpha before him. He had died in battle against a rival pack. Up to that point, Carter had been the Beta.
“I promise I will do my b
est to return Karen to you every bit the wolf that you want her to be.” Carter stood, signaling that their meeting was over.
Howard still looked apprehensive. He had driven a long way to retrieve his sister, and the fact that Carter wanted to keep her longer was unheard of. He couldn't help but get the feeling that something was wrong. “Can I see my sister before I go?”
Carter's jaw tensed, lines of disapproval etched in his face. The thought of anyone taking Karen away from him made his stomach clench. It was a ridiculous reaction. He shouldn't be feeling this possessive, especially with her brother.
“Certainly,” he acquiesced, hoping that Karen was better at keeping quiet than she was about following lycan laws.
There was a delicious aching between Karen's legs. She rolled over in her bed, wrapped her arms around her pillow, and bit the corner of it as she grinned like a lune, thinking about how the regional Alpha had been inside of her. Not just last night, but this morning as well. He had woken her up by advancing on her, clamping his hand over her mouth, and forcing his way between her thighs.
That was hours ago. Long before the other lycans awoke. But she could still taste the minty sweetness of his mouth lingering on her lips.
What did it all mean? She wondered. Probably nothing.
It was hard keeping herself grounded in reality when everything seemed so surreal here. Karen had felt a real connection to Carter last night when they'd coupled. Her wolf was drawn to him like no other. Inside, she had fought a war between her hormones and her logic. He had just been so charming though. So charming, and so carnal, and so amazingly good. Even the words he had spoken afterward had been perfect, his promise that he'd keep her with him forever.
It was all a lie though, a spell he had cast to make her give in to him completely. That's how it worked with the regional Alpha. With any Alpha, really. When he wanted to mate, he would harness the power of his wolf to draw his potential fuck in. Being a subordinate to him meant that she would be unable to resist. He could have his way with her and then move on to someone else the very next day. That's exactly what the regional Alpha typically did. And that was why Karen was so surprised that he had returned to her this morning. Their sexual tryst should have ended at the bonfire.
As she laid in bed, she allowed her mind to wander to impossible possibilities. What if Carter was actually considering taking her as his Alpha mate? Never before in history had a non-solid shifter been an Alpha mate. Then again, bloodlines as muddy as hers weren't well looked upon by lycan society. Even after Karen's mating with Carter, she still felt shunned by the rest of his pack.
She had gone to breakfast that morning, and aside from some disdainful looks cast in her direction by the she-wolves of Carter's real pack, she had been completely ignored. That's why she had decided to retreat to her room immediately afterward. Karen had learned quickly that she preferred her solitude to the company of his pack. Besides, it smelled like Carter in here, and she rather enjoyed being wrapped up in his scent—as wrapped up in his scent as she could be without being wrapped up in his body.
The fantasy wouldn't last forever though. Eventually, she would have to return home and put this little adventure behind her. Despite the thought of losing Carter causing a cold emptiness in Karen's chest, she felt that it had been well worth her brother's time to send her here. Being with Carter and being surrounded by so many lycans with strong bloodlines had given her a new respect for her wolf. When she returned home, she'd try to be a better lycan, though she couldn't guarantee she wouldn't slip up from time to time. Following rules had never been Karen's strong suit.
Aside from actually wanting to change though, she might have a new reason. Karen stared up at the ceiling and splayed her fingers across her stomach, thinking about when Carter held his body firmly against hers while his balls emptied into her pussy. She could still feel the thickness of his seed between her thighs. If she was pregnant with his pup, she wanted to be a good example for their child. Knowing she might whelp the regional Alpha's son or daughter put all the more pressure on her to be a better wolf.
The thought of potentially being a mother was endearing, but also frightening. Raising a child on her own had never been part of Karen's lifelong plan. Not that she would really be raising him or her on her own. It takes a village to raise a child, as they say, and that's especially true in lycan society.
Still, she would much rather rear her kid with Carter at her side, a scenario that would be impossible due to her crappy bloodline. For as much as she would like to pretend there was a snowball's chance in hell that she could one day be his Alpha mate, it wasn't very likely. Lycans typically chose a life mate within their own pack. The regional Alpha taking an outsider as his Alpha mate was practically unheard of, and when it did happen, the union was usually between lycans of regional packs to form stronger political bonds. Carter had nothing to gain by choosing Karen as his Alpha mate. Nothing to gain but scorn and possibly his undoing. Being with her would be scandalous to the point that the other packs might try to kill him to preserve the dignity of the stronger bloodlines. Karen certainly didn't want that.
The grim reality was that, more than likely, at the end of the month, she'd be returning to Lansing with a pup in her belly and no chance of ever seeing Carter again. If that was how things must be, she would bear it, but not without the sorrow of a broken heart. At least, she'd always have this; her hand made a sweeping motion over her stomach.
A knock on the door caused Karen to shoot straight up in bed. She covered herself with the sheets—even though she wasn't naked—only moments before a familiar man walked through the door.
“Couldn't even stay away from me for one day, huh Bozo?” she teased, tossing the covers off of herself and kicking her legs over the side of the bed to greet her brother.
“This is nice.” Howard's eyes drifted over the room, to each of the plain white walls, the chest of drawers, her bedside table, and the folding chair in the corner, which he promptly grabbed and pulled up to sit in front of her.
“I've seen nicer prison cells.” She rolled her eyes, now just trying to be a brat. If she didn't give him a hard time, then she wouldn't be doing her job as his sister.
“You don't like it here?” His expression filled with concern.
The truth was that she didn't. The only good thing about Sky High Ranch was Carter, and he was more like a consolation prize—one she couldn't keep. “I haven't been here long enough to decide. I'm still pissed at you for sending me away though.”
“It was for your own good.” He stared into her eyes, and she watched as his nostrils flared, taking in the different scents in the room—the embarrassing scent of sex.
“It's crazy how strong the wolf smell is in this place, isn't it?” She gestured towards the door, trying to distract him from what he was really smelling, though she doubted it would work. Hopefully, he'd have the decency not to bring it up. It was horrifying enough that he had called her out once when she had slept with a human.
“It does take some getting used to.” He averted his eyes, perhaps wanting to make the situation a little less uncomfortable.
“So, why are you here?” She scooted back onto the bed and crossed her legs.
“I came to bring you home.”
“Oh.” Her heart fell to the bottom of her stomach like a rock, though she couldn't really understand why. She knew she didn't belong here. It was her draw to Carter that made her want to stay. Damn his mating. Damn his wolf. “What happened to werewolf reform?”
Howard hesitated, “I regret taking such a rash action against you. We could have handled things at home. It was my mistake.” He took a deep breath. “Having said that, I did speak to the regional Alpha a little while ago.”
“You spoke to Carter?” Karen could feel her wolf perk up at the mention of his name.
Howard nodded. “He said he wants to keep you for tonight. He wants to see if you can shift.”
Karen's excitement quickly melted into dread.
She had anticipated that she would have to stay at Sky High Ranch for at least one full moon. Back before her encounter with Carter, that thought hadn't really bothered her. Now, knowing he wanted to observe her shift gave Karen performance anxiety. She already worried that she was a disappointment to him. Having him watch her stand there in human form while the rest of the lycans shifted around her—it was humiliating.
“I don't think I can handle that, Howard.” She shook her head.
“You don't have a choice, Karen.” His voice was firm. “What the regional Alpha demands, he gets. And he demands that you stay here another night. There's nothing I can do.”
“What if I can't shift?” She looked at him with pleading, desperate eyes. It would disgrace their entire pack if everyone saw she wasn't a solid shifter. They might even be written out of werewolf society completely.
Howard leaned forward and placed his hands on Karen's shoulders. She could tell by his expression that the same thoughts were running through his mind. This was a big deal, and she couldn't screw it up. “You will shift, Karen. Have faith in yourself. Have faith in your wolf.”
For as much as she wanted to heed his words, she couldn't. Her wolf was unpredictable, and even though she felt more lycan than she ever had before, she was a realist. The odds of her not shifting were far greater than the odds of it happening. All she could do was pray that everything would turn out alright, and have faith that Carter had her best interests at heart.
CHAPTER FIVE
The procession to the forest reminded Karen a lot of the bonfire. There were no lycans carrying ice chests though. This time, the procession was oddly silent, more ritual than playful, with everyone moving in a single file line. As regional Alpha, it was Carter's duty to lead the way. Karen's place was second to last, right in front of the pack omega, which told her exactly where she stood in the hierarchy. To be honest, she was surprised that she wasn't last, but Brian, the omega, was being polite. He knew she was a temporary guest, and because of that, he saved her the embarrassment of pointing out that even he was far more lycan than she would ever be.
