Discovering Their Wolfen Heritage

by Discovering Her Wolfen Heritage (lit)

  Looking around, he groaned when he saw Nanita heading his way. He’d been trying to avoid her all morning. She was barely dressed, and she was making it clear to anyone who’d listen that she intended to be the mate of the present Alpha. Unfortunately, he was the present Alpha, and avoiding her was becoming more and more difficult.

  “What is it, Nanita?”

  He used his coldest, don’t-bother-me Alpha voice when he addressed her.

  “You looked lonely standing here all alone, Remus. I can’t stand seeing you so lonely when I know I can cheer you up.” As she spoke, she linked her arm through his and pressed her body close

  Growling low in his throat, Remus flashed his wolf eyes and claws in warning and removed her arm from his. Nanita took a quick step back, fear evident in her eyes for just a moment. It was clear she hadn’t expected him to show dominance or open hostility.

  “Keep your distance, Nanita, and keep your place. I’ve already chosen my mate, and I don’t want to have to keep telling you that.”

  Just then, he saw Ethan and Maddie coming from the woods. Before he could walk away, Nanita rubbed her body up against his.

  “Later, lover. The human will never be able to give you what I can,” she whispered.

  She reached up and raked her lips against his cheek, then turned, flashed a smile in Maddie’s direction, strolled off toward the picnic tables.

  Remus was furious and glanced quickly at Maddie to see if she’d seen the kiss. By the look on her face, she’d definitely seen it and was not happy about it. Maddie was scowling, and Ethan was laughing. Remus sighed heavily. It was going to be a very long day.

  * * * *

  Maddie was laughing at stories of Remus’s childhood as Ethan escorted her to the picnic. He turned out to be the perfect choice for an escort. He’d known just what to say to calm her fears about attending the festivities. As they rounded the corner that would take them out of the trees, Maddie searched the grounds for a glimpse of her man. Her gaze was immediately drawn to Remus. She was hoping he’d be glad to see her.

  He didn’t look like he was missing her quite as much as she was missing him. Especially taking into account the young, half-dressed woman draped over him. As Maddie watched, the woman reached up and kissed him. Maddie felt positively lethal. She just wasn’t sure who she wanted to kill first.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me.” She ground the words out between clenched teeth. Ethan gave her a puzzled look. She inclined her head toward Remus and watched as his gaze followed. Maddie wasn’t surprised to hear him groan but was surprised to hear the laughter that followed.

  “Maybe you could share what’s so damn funny, Ethan.”

  Ethan looked down at her and immediately stopped his laughter. “Oh, crap.”

  “Crap indeed, Ethan. Who is she?”

  She could hear the ice in her voice as she questioned Ethan. He cleared his throat before answering.

  “Just one of the unmated females I told you about. They’ll do anything to get his attention.”

  “What a load of bull.”

  Ethan sighed heavily. “It’s important to remember that she was kissing him, Maddie. He wasn’t kissing her.” He cleared his throat again. “You, um, you look a little upset, Maddie. You’re not going to let loose, or do anything that would scare anybody are you?”

  Maddie snorted, then watched as Remus approached with a resigned look on his face.

  * * * *

  Could this day get any worse? Maddie was glaring at him like she was going to strangle him at the very first opportunity, and Ethan looked like he’d be willing to hold him down for her to do it. “Hey, you two, I’ve been waiting for you. What kept you so long?”

  Remus was wary of the fire in Maddie’s eyes.

  “We just took our time walking through the words while Ethan was sharing some embarrassing childhood stories about you. From the look of things, you had plenty to keep you occupied while you waited for us.”

  Maddie shot him a look that would fell a lesser man.

  “On that note, I think I’ll mingle for a while. Maddie, it was a pleasure to walk with you and talk with you this morning. I hope you’ll remember everything I said and give my poor brother a break.”

  “Your poor brother doesn’t need a break, Ethan, so run along like a good little wolf.” Remus’s tone indicated that he’d have words with Ethan later. Smiling, Ethan headed off toward the food.

  “Little one, you have to believe me, I had nothing to do with her kissing…umph.”

  Maddie shocked him by standing on her tiptoes and covering his lips with hers, effectively cutting off what he was about to say. It took Remus all of three seconds before he reacted by taking charge of the kiss and plunging his tongue into her sweet tasting mouth. This was more than he’d hoped for. Maddie was establishing her claim in front of his entire pack. There could be no misunderstanding this kiss as she pressed her body close to his. Desire shot through Remus’s body with the press of her breasts against his chest. Even through his shirt, he could feel her swollen nipples. Quickly, his cock swelled for the occasion. Groaning, he broke the kiss and buried his face in her silky, fragrant hair.

  “Maddie, you don’t know what you’re doing to me. I’m so hard I could hammer nails with my cock. It’s not something I can hide, Maddie. Everyone’s gonna see that I’m aroused.”

  “Good, I want everyone to know you’re aroused and that I’m the one who inspired it. You’re mine, Remus, and I’m not stepping aside for just any wolf bimbo who comes along.”

  Maddie’s words sounded harsh, but he could see the love in her eyes. “After that greeting, I think everyone knows you consider me your property.”

  Smiling at her, he leaned down for another brief kiss. “I’m asking for a little understanding and a lot of patience today. I have to be present for a lot of Pack business, and it’s stuff you can’t sit in on. Plus, there’s a meeting with the Elders before the day is over. I’ll try not to leave you alone too much, but there’ll be times when I don’t have a choice. I’ve asked my brothers to help me watch over you today and to make any introductions I might have missed. I promise to make it all up to you tonight.”

  Remus looked at her longingly and hoped she wouldn’t get angry with him again.

  “You can have my understanding for as long as you need it. I’m glad that you wanted me here to meet your wolf family. I know it’s important to you for them to like me, and I’m gonna try my level best to make a good impression. You don’t have to ruin your brothers’ days, though. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”

  “I know you are, but I want to feel comfortable about leaving you alone. Remember, we’re still waiting for Constantine to make his move, so I’d feel better with someone watching over you when I can’t be here.”

  “All right, if it’ll make you happy then I’ll allow your brothers to babysit me today.” Maddie wrinkled her nose when she agreed, letting him know that she thought it was unnecessary.

  Grateful, Remus took her arm and headed over to enjoy the picnic.

  * * * *

  Maddie sat at a picnic table, sandwiched between Remus’s brothers. She was trying desperately to keep the smile on her face, but it was getting harder and harder as they chatted back and forth trying to keep her entertained. Remus had been absent for most of the day, only coming to talk with her for a few minutes at a time before he was called away again. She was really beginning to wish she hadn’t agreed to come. His brothers were doing their best to see that she had a nice time, and they’d introduced her to quite a few of the pack members. It didn’t escape her notice that they’d only introduced her to mated couples. They’d kept her away from any of the unmated males and females. Of course, she realized they were doing it on purpose.

  Glancing around, she was trying to find Remus when she spotted him near the dessert table. As usual, women surrounded him. This time, it was four beautiful young girls, and they were hanging all over him. As she watched, Re
mus smiled down at one of them and casually put his arm around another one, giving her a quick hug. Maddie couldn’t help it. She positively saw red.

  Ethan turned to say something to her, and she watched as he glanced to see what she’d been staring at. She wasn’t surprised to hear him groan. Slowly, he turned back to her.

  “It doesn’t mean anything, Maddie. As Alpha, he’s required to be friendly and available to all his wolves.”

  “Not that friendly!” Maddie was angry, and she was very much afraid she wasn’t going to be able to hide it any longer. She whirled around and glared at Latan when she heard him snicker. He immediately closed his mouth.

  She knew in her heart she should just get up and leave now before she got angry enough to cause any trouble, but something kept her from rising and kept her staring at her man as the other women fawned all over him.

  She lowered her gaze to her lap, trying to hold back her tears and had begun to push back from the table when she heard Latan gasp. Quickly, she looked up to see what was wrong with him.

  “Oh, shit!” he exclaimed loudly, still staring in Remus’s direction.

  Maddie turned to see what upset him. What met her eyes brought her blood to a boil. The same woman who had been kissing Remus when she arrived just sauntered over to him and was rubbing up against the front of his body, offering him the pie she carried in her hand. Before Remus’s brothers could try and calm her down, Maddie lost control of her temper.

  Unable to stop herself, Maddie stared daggers at Nanita, and suddenly the pie she was holding fairly jumped out of her hand and landed on the front of her barely-there dress. The young woman was covered in pie, not knowing what had happened.

  Maddie frowned as Ethan and Latan burst out laughing.

  “Oh, Maddie, Remus told us what kind of things you could do, but this is so much better. I wouldn’t have missed seeing this for anything,” Ethan teased.

  “I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it for myself,” Latan added, still laughing so hard he could barely get his words out.

  Maddie was horrified and tried her best to shush the brothers. They just kept laughing, nearly falling off their chairs in the process. Terribly embarrassed, Maddie started to go over to apologize to the woman and Remus when things suddenly got worse.

  As she watched, two of the women jumped back from Nanita to avoid getting pie on their clothes. Remus took Nanita by the hand and drew her over to the dessert table. He picked up a handful of napkins and then proceeded to help her wipe the sticky mess from her clothes. As Maddie watched in horror, he dropped to his knees and reached up to wipe up and down her dress in an apparent attempt to clean off the pie. One look at her face told her that the woman was loving the attention.

  Maddie’s anger suffered a full-scale eruption before she could even think about controlling it. Remus acted as if someone had just shoved him. He fell backward, automatically grabbing at Nanita, which caused her to fall on top of him. At the same time, the legs on one side of the dessert table buckled, dumping the contents of the table on the two unsuspecting shape shifters.

  * * * *

  Remus watched as Nanita pushed herself up, shooting him a disgusted look. She looked like a disaster, and everyone was laughing at her. There was even what looked like lemon pie on her head. She was furious and not bothering to try and hide it.

  “Nobody makes a fool out of me, Remus, nobody.” She turned and rushed off, looking like she wanted to kill somebody.

  Remus wasn’t stupid. He glanced around the crowd and spotted the very red face belonging to Maddie. She might have been embarrassed by what happened, but the glacial look in her eyes told him that she was really angry and having trouble controlling it. He watched as she turned away from his brothers and then began walking away from the picnic in the direction of her cabin. He knew he needed to hurry to catch up with her.

  She’s never going to understand that I was only being friendly.

  The Elders had given him an ultimatum. He had to give others a chance since the human half-breed hadn’t accepted him, or they’d enforce an old pack law and choose a mate for him. They hadn’t wanted to hear that she’d be agreeable to the mating within the week. The Elders want a mated Alpha now, one that would produce heirs. They couldn’t really force him. That law had been abolished formally by almost every pack in the U.S. He could go to the National Council and have them overturned, but it would cause tension between them, and he was hoping to avoid that.

  Sighing, he watched as his brothers came running up. He accepted Latan’s hand and allowed his brother to pull him to his feet. He was dismayed to see the two of them still laughing. Giving them an annoyed look, he set off down the hill toward the path that would take him to Maddie. He couldn’t help but chuckle. His mate was really quite feisty. As he hurried away, he heard Ethan’s voice in his head.

  Boy, the road to true love is sure sticky!

  Laughing, he used his hand to try and wipe away the excess pudding and pie filling. Giving up, he realized the only way he’d catch up with her was to change and follow her in his wolf form. He waited until he reached the beginning of the path, then removed his clothing and changed into the large black wolf that Maddie first fell in love with. Taking a moment to throw back his head and howl, Remus raced off through the woods to catch up with his irate mate.

  When he appeared on the path ahead of her, Maddie stopped walking and just stared at him.

  * * * *

  “Go home, Remus. Go back to your little harem and just leave me alone.”

  Maddie resumed her walking and kept up her pace as she walked right by the large wolf. She was still angry and realized for the first time that she couldn’t hope to compete with all the beautiful women in his pack. Plus, they all shared something with him that she might never have. There was no guarantee that she’d ever be able to shift once he claimed her. She rubbed her hand across her face and was somewhat surprised to feel tears on her cheeks. She wiped them away, unwilling to let him see how hurt she was.

  * * * *

  It hurt Remus to see Maddie wipe away her tears. He’d never wanted to be the one to make his mate unhappy. He was supposed to protect her and make her life happy. It saddened him to think he was already failing, and he hadn’t even fully mated her yet.

  Remus continued to follow along at her side, letting her rant and rave and get her anger out of her system. He’d waited long enough, and he wanted her to calm down before they reached the cabin. He planned to claim her tonight, and she would just have to be okay with it. He wanted the world to know that she belonged to him. There was no way he would let the Elders try and pick a mate for him. He’d leave the Pack first.

  When they arrived at the tree line on the outskirts of her property, Remus saw a strange car parked in front of the cabin and her front door standing open.

  “What the hell? I know I shut and locked that door before I left with Ethan,” Maddie exclaimed.

  Remus changed back into his human form and looked warily at the parked car. When Maddie started forward, he put his arm out to stop her. He was glad when she didn’t fight him when he brought her close against his body.

  “Let’s wait, little one, and see who it is before we make our presence known. We don’t know if it’s friend or foe, and I don’t want to risk your safety.” He was pleased when Maddie didn’t argue with him and instead sat down to wait for the visitors to reveal themselves. He sat down close to her, content that he could be there to protect her.

  They didn’t have to wait long before they saw someone coming out the door. Remus couldn’t believe his eyes. It was Dr. Constantine. “What the hell is he doing here?” He could feel Maddie’s body begin to shake, and he cuddled her closer to show that she was safe.

  As Remus watched, Constantine stood on the porch for a minute looking carefully all around the woods. Remus brought Maddie closer to him in a protective gesture. After a few minutes, Constantine went to his car, got behind the wheel, and drove down th
e path toward the highway.

  Since he didn’t have any answers, Remus grabbed Maddie’s arm and hurried up to the cabin. Quietly, the two of them went inside. Immediately, Remus changed back into his wolf form and began to sniff over everything in the cabin. A few minutes later, he uncovered a small hidden camera on the bookshelf that had Constantine’s scent all over it. Remus was furious. He changed back into his human body and grabbed the camera.

  He took Maddie into his arms. “This is what he was doing here. He’s trying to record you without you realizing it.”

  Remus wasn’t prepared for the rush of anger that passed through Maddie, evidenced by the sudden explosion of a glass vase on her table, which sent water and flowers shooting into the air. Wanting to avoid her complete loss of control, he grabbed her and hugged her close to his body. “It’s okay, Maddie. He’s gone now. He can’t hurt you.” He kept whispering in an effort to get her to calm down. “We’re together, and we can handle anything he tries to do. I’ll always be here for you. I love you.”

  He sighed when he felt her body begin to relax. Lowering his head, he kissed her deeply and was elated to feel her kissing him back with passion.

  Remus released her lips and looked deeply into her eyes. “I love you, Maddie. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. What you saw at the picnic didn’t mean anything. You fill my heart, and it’s been that way since the first time we met.”

  Placing his lips over hers, he gave her a gentle kiss to show her how much he cared for her. “You’ve got the power to stop all the women from hanging around me. All you have to do is let me claim you. Wolves consider it a dishonor for any female to approach a mated male. Once I claim you, no other woman can ever lay a hand on me again.”

  Remus saw the indecision in her eyes and decided to push her a little further. “Maddie you’ve been the center of my world since you were eight years old, and I’ve always known that I wanted to spend my life with you. Don’t turn me away again, please, baby. Let me claim you so we can start our lives together.”