by Crissy Smith
“One more thing,” Cain said, his lips brushing hers.
“Enough talk,” she demanded, reaching to fist his hard cock.
“Just have to tell you this…” he panted as she started to stroke him.
“What?” she asked impatiently. Why did Cain want to talk at that exact moment? She was already wet and desperate to have him. She needed to show him that she was okay and had to have him inside her soon. She rubbed the tip of his cock with her thumb, trying to get him on the same page as her.
“I’m going to talk to my father and promote Antonio to Enforcer so he can take the out-of-town jobs,” Cain told her.
Emily stilled her hand. Had she heard that right? “You’re staying here with me permanently.” Joy filled her at the thought of not having to be separated from him again. This last trip had been hard and she’d already decided that she just couldn’t be away from him. Knowing he felt the same way and was making changes for her meant so much.
“Well, no.”
Emily’s heart jumped in her chest. “No? But you just said you wouldn’t give me up.” If Cain started his back and forth bullshit again, Emily was going to absolutely knock him flat on his ass.
He looked at her for a full minute before a smile broke out on his face. “I’m not.”
“But…I don’t understand,” she said, trying to slide off his lap so she could follow the conversation better.
Cain tightened his hold on her hips, which was almost as distracting as his cock against her.
“I’m going back to school with you. You’ll finish the semester and then we’ll return here together. To our home,” Cain said.
“Cain!” Emily didn’t know what to say. On the one hand, she was getting what she wanted but, on the other, he was giving up everything for her, and she couldn’t allow that. “I can’t let you do that. You love your job. To give up your position…”
“I’m not giving up anything,” he told her. “I’ll split my duties with others but I will still work with the Pack. There is a lot I can do over the computer and phone. Plus, I was hoping you’d be able to pick your classes to have Fridays off so we can come home on the weekends. Whatever we need to do to stay together. It’s only for a little while.”
She hadn’t expected Cain to want to do this for her. At that moment, she truly believed that he was ready to commit fully to her. She’d been so frustrated with how he’d changed his mind and seemed unsure, but he’d finally proven to her his willingness to make sacrifices. “Thank you.”
I would do anything for you, honey. And this is just a small thing. You want to finish school, so I want to support you. When you’re done, we’ll return here and continue our lives together. Have a couple pups when we’re ready to support the Pack.”
Once again, tears fell down her face. Her dreams were coming true. After the horrific events that had been happening, she had something to be grateful for in the end.
“No crying! This is a good thing,” he complained.
Emily scrubbed the tears from her face with the back of her hand. “Happy tears, Cain. You’ve made me so happy!”
“I’ll always try to make you happy. But, when we return, I will take my post back as the main Enforcer for the territory. When we come back on the weekends, I’ll have training schedules to oversee for the guards. Are you okay with that?”
“Yes! Yes! I know that’s who you are. I understand that!”
“Okay then, enough talk.”
She squealed as he flipped their positions so she was on her hands and knees on the bed with his body over her. His cock was still hard as he pushed against her. She wanted him to take her exactly like that. Emily dropped her shoulders to the mattress and wiggled her ass. “Take me, claim me as your mate.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to wait for a ceremony?” he asked. “I want to do right by you.”
Fuck! Why couldn’t he just take her at her word? She didn’t want to stop and have another heart to heart. For someone who hated to talk, Cain sure was killing her. “I don’t need that,” she told him. “All I wanted was you and I got that.”
“Yes, you did,” Cain said, sliding deep inside with one smooth thrust.
Emily clenched her inner muscles around his shaft while curling her fingers into the sheets. He withdrew slowly before he plunged in again. Sensations ran rampant through her body as each stroke took her higher and Cain began to pound her hard. The grip he had on her hips was going to leave marks, but that only turned her on even more. They might have technically already been mated but she wanted it to be a conscious decision they made together. “Bite me.”
“You’ll always belong to me. You will be under my control,” he told her, thrusting faster.
“Okay. Yeah.” She would agree to anything.
“Just like I’ll be yours and I’ll only give up my control to you.”
Emily slammed back into him. “Yessss…” she hissed. She felt his canines against her neck. He nipped her skin but didn’t bite. “Yes,” she said again.
He pierced her skin as she screamed out his name and her body exploded. He pumped his cock deeper and harder, until he was coming along with her.
Emily’s arms shook and she lowered herself down with Cain’s big body still on top. With her face buried in the pillow and her bones feeling like they’d been melted, she didn’t ever want to get up. This was the most perfect moment that she could ever imagine.
When Cain started to separate from her, she gave a little whimper, not wanting to lose his heat and weight.
“Let me get something to clean us up with, then we’ll take a nap,” Cain told her. “I’ll be right back.”
It was hard since she was so comfortable but she managed to turn her head and watch as he padded across the room to the bathroom. His fine ass flexed as he walked, and she loved the view. She heard the water in the sink being turned on briefly then off before he reappeared in the doorway.
He stopped when he saw she was looking at him. “See something you like?” he teased.
“No,” she told him. “Something I love.”
Cain laughed. “That’s sappy, but I love it and you too. But don’t expect me to start talking like that. I’m still the same asshole I’ve always been.”
Emily propped her chin up on his hand. “Oh, I absolutely believe that. But you’re sweet too.”
He snorted but strolled toward her. When he reached her, he used the warm washcloth to clean her before he tossed it over his shoulder. “If you tell anyone that I might have to gag you.”
She smiled up at him. “Don’t worry. I wouldn’t want your reputation to suffer. If anyone asks I’ll still tell them you’re a complete bastard.”
“Good.” Cain nodded. He climbed back onto the mattress before he pulled her up until her head rested on his chest. “Then I can keep being sweet to you.”
“Oh, I have no doubt,” she replied. Emily closed her eyes and sighed, feeling warm and content.
Chapter Eleven
Cain poured two cups of coffee and handed one to Emily. They strolled over to the kitchen table to enjoy their drinks before they joined the others outside. It seemed they’d missed breakfast, but there was a plate of fresh muffins and Danishes on the table, so at least they had something to snack on.
He wasn’t too upset about not getting food, since he’d spent the time mating and loving on Emily.
The back door slid open as Lamont and Tony sauntered in.
“Well, good morning, love birds,” Tony greeted.
“Morning,” Cain said. “Sorry we missed breakfast,” he lied, giving them a huge grin.
“Yeah right,” Tony replied with a snort.
“It’s okay,” Lamont told him as he joined them at table while Tony continued to the coffee pot. “We do have a few things to talk about, though.”
Cain reached over and gripped Emily’s hand. “Yes, we do.”
“So you two finally made up your minds?” Lamont questioned.
“Yes,” Cain answered
his dad. “I’m returning to school with Emily. I’ll do what I can from there, but I thought we might promote Antonio. We’ll come home on the weekends for training and to spend time with you and the Pack but we need to do this.”
“I agree,” Lamont said. “I’ve already spoken to Antonio. He’s excited for the opportunity.”
Of course his Alpha already knew what Cain wanted to do. He was extremely lucky, not only in finding Emily, but also in having the support of his family.
Tony returned to the table and handed Lamont a mug, then took the seat across from Cain. “I’m leaving for California this morning. I still want to go to the Council compound but I’ll be available if needed. I think Antonio is the right choice.”
“Good.” Cain nodded at his brother. It was a great chance for Tony.
“Being in the city, you’re going to be closer to Adam and his Pack, and he’s going to need you,” Lamont changed the subject.
“You know about what’s going on with Christian?” Cain questioned.
“Christian called me this morning. I asked him to wait but he decided to pass the Pack over to Adam,” Lamont confirmed. “I have complete faith in Adam, but it won’t be easy. Especially since they’re still trying to recover the feelings of safety and comfort inside the territory from Mindy’s attack.”
“I’ll do whatever I can,” Cain promised.
“I also want you to check in with Riker’s Enforcer, Larry,” Lamont said. “I don’t think he’s happy or even safe. This Pack owes him and I plan on doing whatever I can to help that young man. He didn’t have to step in to protect Emily but he did.”
“You don’t plan to ask him to join the Pack, do you?” Cain asked. His Alpha was right, they did owe him, but that didn’t mean Cain wanted a daily reminder of what had happened to Emily.
She squeezed his hand and he smiled at her.
“Not right now,” Lamont said. “I don’t think he’d be happy here, since he would come in without a job or any position. But there are opportunities he might like to take advantage of. There are Packs that are in dire need of a strong second or third.”
“But you’re still not sure about him,” Cain guessed.
Lamont nodded but didn’t verbally respond. Cain was actually reassured that he wasn’t the only one who still wasn’t sure about Larry. “I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thank you,” Lamont told him.
“So when are you going to leave?” Tony asked, after a few minutes of silence.
“In the morning, I think.” Cain glanced at Emily who nodded. “We need to get to the city so Emily will be ready to start classes next week and I can make sure I have everything I’ll need there. If anything comes up here I can be back in just a couple of hours.”
“Sounds good,” Lamont said. “It’ll seem empty having both of you gone.”
Cain frowned. Did his father not want him to go?
“Don’t look like that.” Lamont pointed a finger at him. “I still have Toby here with me, and the Pack. I won’t be alone.”
“I know,” Cain agreed. He started to run his thumb over Emily’s fingers and he knew that he had to keep his promise anyway. She wanted to return to campus and he had to support her.
“We’ll be back on the weekends,” she said. “I swore to Toby I’d come back more.”
Cain smiled. His little brother was determined not to lose Emily again.
“Maybe he can even come up for some visits when he isn’t in school,” he suggested.
Emily beamed, and Lamont nodded. “I think he’d like that,” Lamont said. “But what do you think about taking over the house that Emily usually stays in? When you’re here it’ll give the two of you more privacy.”
Cain hadn’t considered moving out of the main house. He could have had any of the cabins at any time, but he’d been comfortable with his family. Still, they would need privacy.
He turned to Emily but she was only looking back at him. “I think it’s a good idea,” he said. “What about you?”
“I love that house,” Emily agreed.
“Okay,” Cain said to his dad. “We’ll take it.”
“We might want to find a new apartment in the city, though. Mine’s only a one bedroom and if we got something bigger then you could have an office, and we need a spare room in case Toby or anyone from the Pack visits,” Emily suggested.
“Are you sure?” Cain questioned.
She nodded. “I’ve lived there since I moved to the city but I don’t have any attachment to it. At the time it was all I needed. Now we should get something bigger.”
“Sure,” Cain said. “We’ll look before the semester starts and even if I have to move us while you’re in class it shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Then it’s settled,” Lamont said, standing. “I have a few calls to make but I’ll see you at dinner.”
“I hate leaving him,” Tony said after Lamont had left the kitchen.
“I know, but he wants us to live our lives too,” Cain told him.
“I want to go to California,” Tony said. “There are talks about the Council considering shifters going public and announcing our existence.”
“No way!” Emily exclaimed.
“Wow,” Cain agreed. “I can’t even imagine. What would we do?”
Tony shook his head. “I don’t know. There was an entire Pack in Washington slaughtered by poachers when they were out for a run as a Pack. The hunting laws all over the country are different and we need to find a way to protect our species. All shifters, actually. It’s completely legal to kill many species in certain parts and since we stay in animal form if we die while shifted, no one knows how many people have been killed.”
“I can see why it needs to be done,” Cain said. “But why can’t we just have stiffer penalties and laws for hunting instead of exposing our secret?”
His brother shrugged. “It just isn’t working. And this is only an idea. If it does happen then I want to be involved. This isn’t something that can be decided quickly and it scares me that the Council is considering it.”
“Now I’m even happier you’re going,” Cain told him.
“Me too,” Emily agreed. “It’s hard to keep a secret like being a shifter but the alternative is terrifying. I’ve spent time in a cage and couldn’t ever do that again.”
She shivered and Cain shifted his chair closer to her so he could wrap his arm around her shoulder. “I would never let that happen again. If there is a threat against us because the Council does decide to go public we would disappear and no one will ever hurt you.”
“I know,” she said, cuddling into him. “Just the thought of anyone going through even a fraction of what I did is heartbreaking.”
“That’s why the Council is discussing the announcement. Protection of all shifters is the number one goal. They won’t allow anyone to be experimented on or put in danger,” Tony said.
“If you don’t mind keeping me informed, I would appreciate it,” Cain told him.
“Of course,” Tony agreed. He pushed back from the table and stood. “I do need to get on the road, though. I’m following behind the two Council representatives that arrived earlier. They’re taking Brent back to the Council to stand trial.”
“I hope they put him down like a rabid dog,” Cain spat.
“I’ll make sure of it,” Tony promised.
Cain rose and hugged his brother tight. It would be weird not to see Tony every day, but they did need to live their lives, and Tony had so much potential to truly become the best Alpha or a member of the Council. Cain believed that Tony would do great things.
Tony slapped his back several times before stepping away from Cain. “Come give me a hug, little sister,” he said to Emily.
She jumped to her feet before wrapping her arms around his back. Their embrace was a lot shorter than his had been, and Cain appreciated it. He didn’t even want his brother to touch his mate.
Cain turned to Emily as Tony made his way out of the room
. “What do you say we head over to the cabin and see what we need to make it more comfortable? It’s definitely going to need a better coffee pot, since that one only makes four cups at a time.”
She laughed, like he wanted, before nodding. “Sure.”
He took her hand in his then led her from the kitchen to the back door. He let her pass through first, but quickly followed after. There was a nice breeze and he considered taking the long way to the cabin, but they would have to go through the woods if they went that way, and Cain wasn’t ready to face that yet. Soon he would go back to the spot of the unsuccessful attack on Emily but not today.
Without him saying anything, Emily grabbed his arm and led him away from the woods to the path toward the cabins.
Two teenagers were running around passing a football. They stopped long enough to wave at Cain and Emily. Toby was playing on one of the swing sets with a couple of other kids. Cain could picture their own kids out there one day. Toby would be a good uncle and Emily was going to make an amazing mom. He hadn’t realized they’d stopped to watch the children until Emily leaned into his side.
“One day,” she whispered.
“I can’t wait,” he told her. “I want time, just me and you, but I can’t wait for us to have kids.”
“A little boy with your dark hair,” she said.
“A little girl with your heart of gold,” he corrected.
She laughed. “I guess we’ll have both.”
Since he didn’t want to scare her away, he decided not to mention that he really wanted at least four kids. There was plenty of time for him to broach the subject. “Come on,” Cain encouraged with a nudge.
As they walked down the street, he could see the porch of the cabin come into view. He knew how much Emily loved that area of the place, and one of the first things he was going to order was some nice furniture that she could sit on outside and enjoy the territory.
One of the older residents stepped out of her porch and smiled at them as they passed.
“Hi, Mrs. Johnson,” Emily called out.
“Hello, children,” she replied.
Cain waved.
The concrete steps were still in good shape and the paint was fairly new so there wasn’t anything he needed to do outside. Emily jogged in front of him to the front door and turned the knob to open it.
