Releasing my lips, he pulled back. “Now, has Tony ever done that?”
Mute, I shook my head.
“I would say that’s better than a lecture, wouldn’t you?”
Still speechless, I nodded.
“Good. Do me a favor, wash the dishes and pack some clothes. I’m going to run to the store and get some supplies to last us a few days.” He stepped away from me and my body shivered, missing his warmth. He sniffed the air with a knowing expression. “You smell good enough to eat, Randa.”
My core tightened reflexively at the idea of him between my legs, tongue flicking over the sensitive bud there. My breathing hitched and I had to clasp my hands behind my back to keep myself from ripping off my clothes. Heat was like a second beast. My wolf wanted to run, to sniff the air, howl at the moon, while my heat clouded my mind and threatened to steal my sanity. I had thought I was above it all, that I could control it. After last night, I knew better. Even if Tony kicked me out of the pack, I would keep to myself in the future. It was too dangerous to do otherwise.
***
The cabin was tucked under a shady pine grove and abutted the shallow waters of Moon Lake--so named for its round shape and the way it reflected the moon like a mirror. We were on pack land, part of the reserve every member of the pack donated money to for up-keep. Fifteen years ago, Tony had made the initial purchase of fifty acres and it was now up to one hundred. Funds that didn’t go toward buying more land went to the construction of rustic cabins. The pack had built twenty so far, spaced widely apart for privacy. Pack members could use them whenever they wanted to ‘go native’ and let their inner wolf run free.
By the time we arrived, dusk had settled in and the chirps of crickets sang a greeting. I stepped out of the truck and inhaled the air, enjoying the fresh scent of slightly damp earth and the faint perfume of wildflowers. Before we’d left the trailer, I’d swapped my sweats for a flirty summer dress, wanting something that would be easy to get out of if I changed. A light wind now made the skirt flare around my legs.
The moon glowed full in the night sky and the wolf within stirred, perking her ears. She wanted to hunt and roll in the fragrant grass. I took a deep breath and pushed her back into the dark recesses of my brain.
I started to retrieve my bag from the back of the truck, but Hunter stopped me. “Why don’t we eat first?” He held up a picnic basket.
“Where did you get that?” I thought he’d just made a grocery store run.
“I called in a favor.” He grinned. “I knew we’d be hungry and I didn’t want to take the time to hunt tonight. Come on.” Leading the way with his long stride, he headed for the edge of the lake. I scurried after him, my short legs moving twice as fast to keep up with him.
Hunter spread out a blanket and pulled an assortment of goodies out of the wicker basket. The scent of fruit salad, sandwiches and a dessert platter with different bite-sized cakes made my nose twitch. I hadn’t eaten in three hours, which is the equivalent of a year in wolf time.
“Come, sit down.” He spread his arms in invitation.
“This looks delicious.” I sat next to him and fished a strawberry out of the salad, sinking my teeth into its sweetness. The food and the nature around us set a romantic mood. The realization jarred me. “This is like a date isn’t it?”
He shrugged. “Yeah, what else would you call it?”
I rolled my eyes. “Following more of Tony’s rules.”
“I’m not following any rules.” His gaze held mine.
I broke eye contact first. “Aren’t you?”
“You think Tony is making me do this?”
I bit my lip and nodded.
“No, I offered.” He set down the grape he’d been about to eat. “Just so we’re clear. I asked to be with you.”
“But why?”
He gave an exasperated sigh. “Why does a wolf howl at the moon? Because.” Hunter reached for me and pulled me into his lap. Before I could protest, his lips were locked on mine, his warm hands kneading their way up my spine. In between kisses he said, “Because I’ve wanted to do this since the first day I saw you. Because I’ve been waiting for the right time, but you might get kicked out of the pack before that happens.”
I started to speak, but he sucked my bottom lip between his. Desire sparked inside me and my wolf rushed my skin, wanting to jump through. She was eager to feed the flames, craving satisfaction. I moaned and resisted her advance, refusing to let her through. Hunter released my lip and kissed his way down my neck to nibble on my collarbone. Goosebumps ran across my skin, tightening my nipples.
Then he stopped and set me down on the blanket. “Now, eat.”
Dazed, I just looked at him, confused by the change in direction. He chuckled at me, amused, and pushed a grape between my lips until I accepted it.
I reciprocated with a piece of pineapple. To my surprise, he sucked my finger into his mouth too, whipping it with his tongue. The nerves in my hands sent tingles of desire through my breasts and made my stomach clench. My core spasmed as a wet heat blossomed inside me.
When he fed me a strawberry, I did the same to him, swallowing his finger almost to the base. He shifted his hips as his pants bulged and I smiled, pleased with his response. The musk of his wolf rose in the air, filling my nose with his arousal.
Hunter gently tugged his finger free and peeled the plastic wrap off a sandwich. Handing it to me, he said, “We’d better eat before we get distracted by other...appetites.”
I took the sandwich without comment and gulped down the turkey and cheese croissant.
He ate his even faster than me, in two quick bites. Licking his fingers, said, “Tell me about your first change.”
I stopped chewing, surprised by the question. “Why?”
“Because I asked.” He narrowed his eyes at me, expectant.
Swallowing, I said. “It was in an alley. Behind a bar.”
When I didn’t say anything more, he raised an eyebrow at me. “That’s it? That’s all you have to say?”
“What about your first change?” I countered.
“My mom and dad took me to the pack clearing. I kneeled before my alpha and changed with the moon.” He looked up at the sky, his gaze as distant as the stars. “I ran wild all night. It was amazing. Then my mom made pancakes for breakfast the next morning.”
I bit my lip and focused on eating more fruit to fight the emotion rising up in me. There had been no pancakes at my first change. The stench of blood, guts, and fear suddenly crowded my nose as fresh and terrifying as the day it had happened. My appetite gone, I set my food aside. “You’re not from this pack, right?”
He nodded. “I left when I turned eighteen and wandered a bit. Ended up here and decided I liked it.”
“Did you get kicked out of your pack?”
He looked at me, puzzled.“No, what makes you think that?”
“Isn’t that the only way wolves leave?”
Understanding dawned on his face. “I forget, how little you know about being a wolf sometimes. No, we come and go as we please.”
“But Tony’s pack only has you and me. Everyone else was born here and stayed.”
“And?”
“Well, most wolves stay, don’t they?”
He shrugged. “Maybe. I don’t know that anyone’s really bothered to count. Do you know what it means when no one leaves?”
I shook my head.
“It means the alpha is good at his job.”
I rolled my eyes. “Good at chewing ass, you mean.”
He grabbed my hand, gently caressing me with his thumb. At his touch, desire unfurled within me. Just like that, I lost the keen intelligence of my wolf to the hormones of heat.
“You didn’t really tell me about your first change.”
In response, I lunged for him with a mewling growl and pushed him back as I straddled his thighs. Leaning down, I captured his lips with mine. He matched me, kiss for kiss, gradually taking over the pace and rhythm. With a
swift movement, he flipped me onto my back, commandeering the top position from me.
Pinning my arms over my head with one hand, he used the other to skim the curves of my body.“You okay, Miranda?”
“This heat is messing with my head.” My body arched up toward him, yearning.
“You want this?” He gestured down his body and then cupped my breast with one hand, squeezing gently.
I nodded again and thrust my hips up to grind into his pelvis. He smiled and swiveled his hips over mine, his hard bulge pushing against my softness.
“You know what they say about wolves in heat?”
I shook my head. “No.”
“They’ll do anything to scratch their itch.” Still keeping my hands pinned, he leaned over and pulled some rope out of the picnic basket. With swift movements, he wound the rope around my wrists and secured the other end to a tree. “How far will you go?”
He moved away and a chill swept my body. Putting some fruit on a plate, he straddled my thighs once again.
“See, your mistake is trying to be a bull when you’re really a wolf.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” I glared at him through narrowed eyes and yanked against the rope, testing its strength.
“How about you try and persuade me to do what you want instead of trying to force me?” He pushed a piece of pineapple between my teeth.
Confused, I took it and bit into the acidic sweetness. “What is this some kind of bad dog training?”
Hunter laughed. “No. Just trying to show you a different way. You’ve had to be a charging bull to survive, but now it’s time to learn the wolf way.”
“What’s the wolf way?”
He leaned down and licked the pulse jumping at my throat and swept his tongue up to my neck. Marking me. “Submission.”
“Oh,” I said, my voice flat. You mean I do what you want.” He was just like Tony. Wanting to be the boss of me. Disappointment flooded me, threatening to snuff my desire.
“Being a wolf isn’t about being bossed around, Randa. It’s about giving what you get.”
“And if I don’t?” I pulled on the ropes binding my hands again, wanting to be free, but they held firm.
“You’ll be alone. At least I’m giving you a fighting chance.” He offered me a strawberry, allowing me to pluck it from his fingers with my lips this time. I ate the fruit and considered what he had said. I could refuse him and lose everything. Or I could play the game and see where it took me.
He offered me another strawberry. “Give this a chance, Randa. That’s all I ask.”
Taking his advice, I sucked his finger in with the fruit, tongue flickering against his knuckle.
His voice hoarse, he said, “Let’s take off your dress.”
I held still, almost afraid to breathe as he lifted the dress over my head and behind my neck. The rope prevented him from removing it altogether and the bunched fabric ended up acting almost as a second restraint, pinning my shoulders back.
I arched up as my breasts came into view. I’d skipped underwear because it just got tangled in my legs when I changed. I didn’t see the expression on his face when he caught sight of me naked, but I heard the hitch in his breathing.
“Is this what you had in mind, Hunter?”
“Definitely.” He set a piece of papaya on my lips and I did the same thing as before, sucking him in along with the fruit.
“Why don’t you take off your clothes?” I asked. My thinking was cloudy. I knew I shouldn’t be so eager, but I couldn’t stop myself. The beast within me had burst out of its cage and prowled through my blood, hungry for the satisfaction only Hunter could provide. Just the mental image of him plunging my depths made me tremble. I was over the edge, swallowed by need and there was no way out anymore.
Hunter slipped his t-shirt over his head, his six pack rippling as he undressed. My body clenched tight at the sight of him. He was a powerfully built man; smooth skin stretched over taut muscle. Every movement contained power held in check. In wolf form, he was larger than the other males of the pack, yet still gracefully agile.
When his pants came off, his cock sprang free, bobbing hello to me. His shaft matched his overall physique of big, hard muscles, but then, I’d heard wolves were always well-endowed. Another rush of desire flamed through me and my mouth went dry while other places, deep inside, became wet.
“Untie me,” I said, my voice a hoarse rasp.
“Why?”
“So I can touch you.”
“You have to earn that.” He kissed me, slipping his tongue through my lips, showing me exactly what he could do between my legs. A pulse of desire tightened my nipples and made my core bear down, wanting something to hold onto, but only encountering emptiness. Blood thundered in my ears, frustrated.
He cupped my breasts in his hands, moving up to thrust his cock between them. The head of his shaft bumped my chin. “Suck me.”
The command in his voice shivered over my skin and the fiery scent of testosterone filled my nose. He was in full alpha mode now and to disobey would mean punishment. Through the haze of hormones, I remembered this was why I avoided male wolves, heat or no heat. I didn’t want to be controlled, told what to do or suffer the consequences.
My thinking cleared for a brief moment and I thought about fighting back. Of trying to kick him with my legs. He seemed to intuit my train of thought and leaned back, pinning my thighs down with his hands as he thrust his pelvis up to my mouth.
We locked eyes for a long moment. The hair on the back of my neck bristled, ready for a fight while his eyes gleamed yellow, his wolf running very close to the surface. I was seconds away from him shaking me by the throat. At that realization, my survival instinct kicked in. I was tied up and half his size, I couldn’t win.
Resigned, I opened my mouth and let him in. His shaft slid over my tongue to hit the back of my throat, making me gag.
He pumped slowly in and out, deciding when I would breathe. “Take all of me Randa. Accept what I give.”
I glared at him as both hate and desire warred within me. To my shock, as much as I disliked being forced to submit, I also wanted it. When he filled my mouth to capacity, I felt claimed and my wolf very much liked being owned, in fact, she had dreamed of this very moment. The traitorous bitch.
He picked up the pace. I struggled to gasp in air between strokes. The faster rhythm made it difficult for me to close my mouth over his hardness long enough to suck him. It didn’t matter though because Hunter gripped my head in his hands and took control of the whole thing. When he came, he shoved his length into my mouth and warm liquid sprayed the back of my throat. I swallowed convulsively and stared up at him. His eyes were closed, his brow furrowed at the intensity of his orgasm. Would he remember to let me breathe?
Panicked, I arched my back, jostling him as a reminder that I was there. In response he pulled back a bit and let me take one long drag of air before moving back into place.
When he was soft, he pulled out of my mouth and settled back over my hips. “That wasn’t so bad, right?”
“Fuck you, Hunter,” I said, my voice a furious hiss.
He ran a hand over my breasts, tweaking my nipples into prominence. “Maybe I will...if you’re a good girl.”
“Is this what submission is?” I yanked on the ropes. “Tying me up and doing whatever you want? Is that what this pack is about?”
His eyes narrowed. “A pack is about complete trust, something you’ve never known. But it is something you can learn, and, like it or not, I’m your teacher.”
“I couldn’t breathe.” My tone was accusatory.
“And you loved it. Or at least your wolf did.” At my sullen look, he said, “Don’t think I can’t see her in your eyes, loving every second of being taken by an alpha.”
“I’m in heat.”
“Is that an excuse or an explanation?” He watched me for a second and shook his head. “You don’t even know, do you?” Leaning down he took my head in his hands, eyes
boring in to mine. “I see you Randa. I see what you want.”
“And what is that,” I whispered.
“You’re tired of being alone. Tired of fighting. So you push everyone’s buttons harder and harder, waiting for someone to stop you.”
I gave him a skeptical look.
“You think you’re a badass, when you’re really just begging for help.” He ran a gentle thumb across my cheek. “I’m here for you, baby. But you have to give to get. This is a two-way street.”
He pressed his lips against mine in a soft kiss that demanded nothing and promised everything. Then he kissed his way down my body, parting my legs. I resisted at first, but he was stronger than me and easily swept my knees apart, exposing me to his view.
“I’m going to make you come, but I need something from you first.”
“What?” I looked at him, wary.
“The story of your first change.”
I froze and closed my eyes tight, trying to shut out the past.
Hunter caressed my inner thigh.“Why are you so afraid? It’s done and over. I just want to know about it.”
“Not everyone had a mom or pancakes.” I sniffed back tears.
“So your first change wasn’t rainbows and unicorns. It happens.” He nuzzled my mound, pushing through my lips to stroke the sensitive nub there with his tongue. My heat sparked back to life, full of craving. I couldn’t think again, sexual frustration obliterating coherent thought.
Hunter pulled back and I whined at the loss of sensation. “Why was your first change so bad?”
My hips bounced up and down, but I remained silent. I wasn’t really capable of speech at that moment. My entire being focused on my core, the lack of his touch almost painful.
Hunter yanked my knees wide with a rough movement. “You will tell me, one way or another.” With a swift movement, he smacked his palm against my core. The contact stung and I gasped in surprise. He lifted his hand up and brought it back down, pushing into my mound.
I tried to pull my knees together, but he anticipated my resistance and wedged an elbow between them, keeping me exposed. Several more smacks rained down on me, blending sharp pain with a small burst of pleasure at the pressure of his hand against my tingling core.
Werewolf Rebel Tamed (Werewolf Romance) Page 2
