Claimed (The Circulate Series)

by K. R. Smith

  Immediately, Flint fell into a hard and fast rhythm, which made my bed frame squeal in protest. I repositioned my hips to allow him further access. I liked his hard, strong movements, whilst I still had the taste of his blood inside my mouth. From the crotch upwards, I felt my body open itself up to him. As if he felt this too, the next couple of heaves were pushing himself deeper, before recommencing his fast pace.

  My body seemed to be waiting for something, it seemed to be waiting for him to come. I wanted him to fill me, I wanted to feel myself become so wet, just like in that hotel room. I already had his blood inside me, but now I wanted something else of his. It really was like I was turning into a raging, hungry, beast, myself!

  I think he sensed this, as he grabbed hold of my hips with the both of his clawed hands, to push harder. When he did, I noticed there was now a small, pink line in his skin, where the gash used to be. Wow, he had healed that fast? This turned me on even more, as I looked up at this supernatural creature who for some unknown reason, had chosen me as his mate.

  Flint raised himself to his knees, lifting my hips up along with him. He held me taught as he pounded hard. From the amount of the squeaking with the force of the bed rocking, I was partially worried the neighbours might hear. In the past, I used to worry about this, but now I challenged someone to interrupt us! I almost giggled at the idea, of anyone seeing Flint in his huge form between my legs, and how they would be calling 911 instead.

  As he came, the hypnotizing, warm wetness engulfed my crotch. When he stopped, I almost lifted my head to beg for more, but I found I didn’t have to. He was changing positions to roll me over. I didn’t care if my face was being pushed into the pillow, I didn’t complain as my business suit was being sullied. All my stockings and underwear were good for now, was the trash. All I cared about was making this hot, hungry desire, be quenched. I noticed that my breathing was coming out like a panting, just like his was.

  Here I am, actually having really hot, animalistic sex… I am the mate of a Werewolf… Boy, is Chris going to be jealous if she finds out! I wondered if this was what she was picturing, when she spoke about Klingon sex?

  For nearly an hour of the male moving me into different positions, of me coming, him coming and then changing over; we were well and truly spent.

  I lay on my stomach, enjoying the last of my feelings of ecstasy dissolve into physical satisfaction. It felt like my heart was pounding in my crotch, instead of my chest. I could feel the blood rush through my veins, as my skin felt like it was glowing, just as Flint’s eyes did. He was lying on top of me, like a living electric blanket, especially with his body heat.

  Lastly, I felt him nestle his face into my sweaty hair and growl in a satiated manner. He didn’t feel so heavy now, which meant he must have changed back. The nails on his hands which held me close to him, also looked normal again.

  “Flint?”

  “Yes?”

  “Do you have any other mates that I should know about?”

  “No.”

  “So I’m the only one?”

  “Yes.”

  “You said before that in the hotel room you couldn’t hold back…”

  “Yes.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “My kind can hold back from coming, so the female isn’t impregnated.”

  “And you said that usually you could do this?”

  “Yes.”

  “So in the past you’ve had sex, but you were able to hold yourself back?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then was it still pleasurable for you?”

  “In its own way.”

  “And when you don’t hold back?”

  “It’s EXTREMELY pleasurable.” He growled softly in my ear, before kissing it.

  “How many women have you been with in the past?”

  “A few.”

  “How many is a few?”

  “There have been a few over the many years.”

  “How few is a few, and how many is the many years?” I pressed.

  “Jessica, I’m 75 years old.”

  Pause… my eyes widened as my mouth fell open. “Are you kidding me?”

  “No,” he chuckled as he kissed the side of my face.

  “And you’re only taking a mate NOW?”

  “Yes.”

  “Because you never fell in love until now?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then why now? Why me?” I turned my head so I could see his face. “I’m a career woman. I have my own apartment and a cat and I’m on the fast track in the company I work for.”

  “Because you stumbled into Charlie’s Bar and you were pretty and you smelled good.” He smiled softly.

  “So what happens now, I just pack up and move to Alaska with you?”

  “Yes.”

  “And then what?”

  “In nine months our son will be born.”

  “What if it’s a girl?”

  “It won’t be a girl.”

  “But how do you know that?”

  “The first born is always a male, so he may turn into a Lokoti Werewolf. He will protect his younger siblings, as he will the tribe. He will be the head of his family.”

  I frowned at the sound of this, “oh yeah and what about the woman?”

  “She becomes the mate of either the Lokoti Werewolf or the Warrior.”

  “Warrior?”

  “A Warrior is a human male. Only fifteen males in the tribe become a Lokoti Werewolf. When a member of the pack dies, a human male is activated to take his place. Usually it’s a son or a grandson or sometimes a brother, of the late Werewolf.”

  “But what if a girl becomes a Lokoti Werewolf?”

  “Women are carriers of the Lokoti Werewolf gene to pass onto her sons, but never change themselves.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because males are physically stronger and they’re the protectors of their women and children.”

  “Flint, it sounds a bit archaic and sexist to me.”

  “Perhaps, but it has been this way for a thousand years and more.” He sighed, as he snuggled deeper into my curves.

  “You should meet my best friend, Chris.” I muttered. “She does self defence as well as classes on feminism. She would have a lot to say about your tribe.”

  He chuckled whilst holding me contentedly, “if it sounds like I’m overlooking the importance of a woman’s role, I’m not. Women are on our Council of Tribal Elders and help our Medicine Men with herbal remedies. Women are not only our homemakers, but they help oversee the tribe, as they oversee their own families. But the woman is not expected to assist the Warrior or Werewolf, in protecting or providing for the family.”

  “Flint?”

  “Yes, Jessica?”

  “If I do quit my job and move to Alaska with you, no offence but from what I remember of that tiny town called Alma? I don’t see much work for a PR person.” I frowned, pensively.

  “Perhaps not.”

  “So then what will I do?”

  “Settle down and have our baby.”

  “And then what?”

  “Have another baby, I guess.” I felt him shrug.

  “But what will I do about a job?”

  “Don’t worry Jessica, I can provide for you. If you would like to work, it won’t be from financial necessity.”

  “Flint, I know you’re saying that to try to make me feel safe? But it’s actually frightening me even more. I feel like I’m expected to live with a caveman while he’s still learning how to make fire.”

  I thought that taunt would annoy him, but his voice sounded calm, like he was being patient with me.

  “You will have a comfortable house, with comfortable furnishings. You will have an indoor bathroom with hot showers and will you not have to use a tree for a bathroom.” He recited my previous rant, in good humour. “You will have a kitchen with a stocked pantry and a refrigerator. If I see you have difficulty with anything, I will certainly step in to help.”

  “
I’m a bad cook,” I warned.

  “I’m a good cook,” he replied.

  “I’m anal retentive about cleanliness.” I went on. “I used to fight over how the towels on the towel rack should be left, with the last guy I lived with.”

  “I’m sure you did, you don’t seem to have a problem with speaking up.” He chuckled once more.

  “What if you get tired of my temper tantrums? If we get divorced, I could be stuck in Alaska.”

  He moved off my back to roll me onto my side, so I was facing him. With his human hand, he caressed my sweaty face. His tender mannerisms surprised me, as they showed he was a gentle giant.

  “Jessica, taking a mate is held with great reverence by my people. When we are joined, we do not take the wants and needs of our partner lightly. Once a Werewolf claims a mate, the mating is for life. When you invited me into your hotel room in Anchorage three days ago, I accepted because I was already in love with you. I wouldn’t have mated with you, if I thought you would be harmed by the process.”

  Flint’s words, coupled with his deep voice and his serious expression, made me believe him. What the hell was it about this guy, which made him so trustworthy? Maybe it was his supernatural difference which lured me in? A whole new future opened up to me, in ways I couldn’t have possibly imagined.

  A giggle even escaped; “so, when do we do this?”

  “It all depends on you, when can you pack up and drive back with me?”

  “Well, my work will need four weeks notice -” I began.

  “Four weeks?” He sat up startled. “FOUR weeks?”

  I sat up too, “yeah, why?”

  “Jessica, the next full moon will be in eighteen days.”

  “So?” I started, but I stopped myself. “Oh yeah, you’re a Werewolf. Do full moons really affect you…?” I stopped again, when I saw his worried expression.

  “The full moon pulls on our psyche, just as it does to Earth’s oceans. It makes our bloodlust boil and if we don’t hunt animal, we could turn on a human…”

  This time he paused, when he saw the frightened look on my face.

  “… no Jessica, I would never turn on you. Lokoti Werewolves don’t crave the flesh of their mate, family or members of the tribe. But being here in Seattle, away from my hunting grounds, it would be too risky. Any human that is not Lokoti, is a temptation.”

  “But what would happen?” I asked, worriedly.

  “A century ago, we were able to curb our bloodlust from hunting human to animal. In the National Park, we hunt bear, caribou, moose or other large animals. But I cannot hunt here, in a city. I could revert and turn on a human, and become a murderer. It’s the reason why my kind prohibits alcohol, as we must retain constant control of our dangerous hunger.”

  “Then maybe you should drive back to Alaska tomorrow and as soon as I’ve got my affairs in order, I’ll fly to Anchorage?”

  His eyebrows rose, warily; “we were apart for three days when it affected your pulse, your blood pressure and even your diabetes. We would not be able to part for four weeks.”

  “Wait, all of what I’d been feeling the last three days was because we were APART?”

  “Of course,” he said evenly. “When a Lokoti Werewolf claims a mate, the process is for life and it’s only severed by death. If they are parted whilst alive, the physical symptoms can be debilitating.”

  I looked on in annoyance, “but you didn’t look like you were shaking, or anything.”

  “Being away from you makes my bloodlust boil.” He confessed. “Not even hunting, can purge the hunger for my mate.”

  Then he nodded towards my messed up bed spread, referring to our prior activities.

  “So let me get this straight…” I processed this information, “…your bloodlust will boil if you’re stuck in Seattle during a full moon, where you might eat a human? But if you go back to your hunting grounds without me, your bloodlust will still have a hissy-fit, because we’re parted.”

  “Yes.”

  I stood up in a huff. “Man, this mating business SUCKS!”

  He remained seated with his undone jeans, as he watched me take off my rumpled clothes.

  I completely undressed, before I stood before him, naked. My soiled suit was dropped into the laundry basket, whilst the ruined underwear, was chucked into the bin. Lastly, I pulled on my bathrobe which hung on a hook on the bedroom door, before I turned on him.

  “Wait, what if I didn’t want to be your mate?”

  He looked on, unsure; “what do you mean?”

  “I mean, what if I still wanted to kick you out of my apartment? What if I refused to come back to Alaska, with you? What then?” I looked on, demandingly.

  Just then Flint Riverclaw stood up, so he could tower over me with his greater height. I could even see the muscles across his shoulders and down his arms flex, as if he were restraining himself. It was as if to add emphasis, to his next words.

  He spoke gravely, “you wouldn’t have thrown me out of your apartment, just as you wouldn’t throw me out of your life. If it came to the worst, I could use my will on you, to make you submit. But I would rather not, as I love the woman not the puppet, she may turn into.”

  “A puppet? Your ‘will’? What is this crap?” I took a step backwards.

  “Do not fear me, Jessica Riverclaw,” he growled out, as his dark eyes flashed their bright, turquoise colour. “I swore you would not come to harm when we met, and I intend to keep that promise.”

  “Answer the question, Flint! What would have happened, if I refused to move to Alaska as your mate? What would happen, with the symptoms then? Would they be worse, for the rest of my life?”

  He said simply, “I do not know if they’d be a life long illness, because there has never been an instance, where the Lokoti Werewolf lost a living mate.”

  “Why, because your kind can use their ‘will’ on them, to bring them to heel?” My eyes narrowed, suspiciously.

  “Jessica,” he rested the both of his hands on my shoulders, as he looked me in the eye; “I will tell you this now, however, you will later come to realize this yourself. When a Lokoti Werewolf takes a mate, it is a biological and an empathic, joining. I have your scent, which means I will always run to you, if I sensed you were in danger. It was how I found you today. Once I was in your city, I tracked you down by smell. I could feel your shakiness, so I drove all day to reach you as fast as I could. I felt your shock when you found me standing on your doorstep, as I felt your terror when you saw me, in my other form. I feel it when you’re cold, or when you’re hungry or ill. With this in mind, the Lokoti Werewolf becomes overprotective of his mate. Once our lives are settled in Alaska, you will come to know a peace, you have never felt before.”

  I blinked and then I blinked again, as I stared at Mr. Tall-Dark-And-Handsome, standing before me, in my bedroom. Perhaps, I should call myself, Mrs. Tall-Dark-And-Handsome, since biologically speaking, we were ‘married’ now. I felt like all the fight in me, had packed up and moved somewhere else. Funnily enough, that would be me too, in the next couple of days.

  *****

  That evening, I showered before we went to bed. When I curled up between the sheets, at first it felt unusual that someone spooned me, from behind. With the extra persons’ body heat, I ended up kicking off the quilt lest overheat. However it didn’t take me long to slip into sleep, with the feel of Flint’s strong heart beat, reverberating through his skin and into mine.

  BEEP BEEP! BEEP BEEP! BEEP BEEP!

  It can’t be 6 AM, already? Sleepily, my head rose to look on the source of the noise, when a muscled arm reached over to turn it off. Then I rolled over, to come face to face with the second person, in the bed. His long, black hair looked good against my yellow rose, patterned sheets.

  “Good morning,” he gave a sleepy smile.

  “Morning.”

  “Did you sleep well?”

  “How could I not?” I teased. “Maybe you ‘willed’ me to sleep?”

 
; Flint chuckled, as he tried to snuggle down with me, however I squirmed out of his hold.

  “I have to get ready for work.” I informed him.

  “That’s a shame,” he said unhappily, “I could lie in bed with you, all day.”

  Strangely, I felt the same way when usually, I was a person who didn’t like to be idle. I was one of those ‘get up and go’, kind of people. I used to be one of those ‘yuppies’, who prided herself with a well-paid job and a future paved in success. I was meant for fast-paced city living, instead of slow country lifestyle.

  To my surprise, when I climbed out of bed to get ready for work; Flint acted in similar fashion. Whereas I put on a red business suit with stockings and high heels, he pulled on his pair of jeans and a flannel shirt. When I went into the bathroom to fix my hair and make-up, he went into the kitchen to switch on the kettle.

  “Would you like some scrambled eggs on toast?” He called out.

  I paused in doing my mascara to call back, “I don’t have time to eat.”

  At 6.45 AM, I departed the apartment on the dot, however a second person followed me out the door. Instead of catching the bus, Flint insisted on driving me. He obediently followed my directions, to drop me off in front of the building where my office was.

  “I’ll pick you up, after work.” He offered.

  “No, don’t do that.” My face flushed at his attention. “I’ll just get the bus.”

  I climbed out of his truck, when he passed me my briefcase which had been sitting on the seat, between us.

  “I’ll pick you up, after work.” He repeated, before he drove off to disappear into the traffic.

  Before I walked through the automatic, sliding doors; my head rose to look up at the glass façade of the high rise, like I was never going to see it again.

  “Here goes nothing,” I muttered to myself, as I carried my briefcase into the building.

  The elevator let me out on the ninth floor then I passed through another set of sliding doors and into the office of ‘Wildenstein Dreams’. The familiar faces gave their familiar smiles, as I nodded back. I passed through the administration area, to come to my corner office.