Cry of the Pride

by Lacey Thorn

  “This is Lyra’s mother.” Tony held up a second photo, placing them side-by-side midair.

  “They could be twins,” the younger Ephraim said. Zane, Lyra remembered his name was.

  “Exactly. Except they’re not related at all. The only thing they have in common is the man who impregnated them and the way they died,” Tony admitted.

  Reno’s eyes caught hers.

  “Hit and run,” she whispered.

  He nodded. “Same. My mom by a drunk driver.”

  “But…how did he mate two women?” Amia demanded.

  “Yeah, I’d like the answer to that one, too,” the other woman said, and her mate growled. Lyra remembered Nathan saying they were Vic and Gideon.

  “I don’t know,” Tony admitted. “I’ve never seen it with any other shifter. Shifter’s do mate for life, Ms. Blane.”

  “Esponetti,” Reno growled. “She’s Mrs. Esponetti.”

  “I apologize,” Tony said. “Mrs. Esponetti.”

  “The only way a shifter can move from one woman to another is if the first wasn’t his mate,” Orsai Ephraim stated, bringing the room to silence again. “I’m sorry, Reno. But believe me, when you are with the woman who’s the other half of your soul, there’s no moving on from her. Ever.”

  Lyra saw the look Zane gave her mate and heard the rumbled growl Aleksy tried to contain. She moved in to him, rubbing his chest with her palm.

  “Enough,” Orsai said. “I’ll speak with the two of you later. It’s past time. Right now, there are other concerns to discuss. Regardless of the hows, it’s easy to see that Lyra and Reno are related. It’s also easy to see that Lyra and Aleksy are mated. Congratulations, son.”

  Lyra saw Zane sigh and thought she glimpsed sorrow in his gaze before he glanced down and away.

  “Marcus Blane hunted her down and took her because of you,” Aleksy said, his words directed at Reno. “When I found her they’d beaten her, broken fingers and ribs. She was bruised, one side of her face so swollen her eye could no longer open. They’d stabbed her in the side and left her for dead. To hurt you. To seek vengeance against the woman you took as mate.”

  Amia gasped, one hand covering her mouth. “No one is safe as long as I’m here. He’ll kill everyone because of me.”

  Lyra heard the whispered words and had the impression the other woman had said them before.

  “None of this is your fault,” Reno stated with a hard growl. His gaze flashed rage at Aleksy. “Blane was here? How long ago?”

  “We’ve only been here a few days,” Tony answered.

  “You didn’t mention any of this to Tah while you were on the phone,” Reno accused, turning the full force of his ire onto Tony.

  Tony shrugged. “Your alpha and I had a separate conversation. He was more interested in Lyra, and I was focused on figuring out how she’d connected with him, not once but twice. With her mind.”

  “That is interesting,” Orsai agreed, giving Lyra an intense look.

  “Speaking of Tah,” Vic said. “We need to give him a call. He’ll find this all very interesting.

  “And be pissed as hell,” Reno snarled. “He isn’t keen on not knowing everything that’s going on. Believe me, Mr. Sandoval, he’s not a man you want to have for an enemy.”

  “I shared what I knew at the time. As I learn more, so will you. Feel free to share it with your alpha. In case I failed to mention it, I’m a watcher, Reno. I’ve been watching over and protecting shifters since I was a child.” Tony swept his glance toward Aleksy but didn’t linger. “Blane is not an issue right now.”

  “You have someone watching him?” the one Nathan had called Calloway asked.

  “I do,” Tony answered. “Blane and his men weren’t keen on running into Aleksy. They started fleeing as soon as they knew he was in the area.”

  “Can’t say as I blame them,” Vic said. “I thought Zane’s eyes were freaky, but yours win hands down.”

  “This is what happens when your beast is always primal,” Aleksy growled.

  Vic shared a look with her mate then cast a glance toward Zane. “How is that even possible? I thought you guys couldn’t survive in a primal state? Not without the animal taking over completely.”

  “The primal state is all I’ve ever known,” Aleksy told them.

  “He is an anomaly, even among shifters,” Orsai stated.

  Aleksy snorted, but Zane looked pissed.

  “You knew the state he was in?” Zane demanded of his uncle. “Knew and did nothing to help him?”

  “I did all I could. Enough!” Orsai thundered when it looked as if Zane would say something else. “I said we’d speak later. There are many things I’ve kept from both of you. It’s time to remedy that.”

  “What we need to focus on is the fact Blane is still around. He’s already tried to kill my mate to get to his daughter. He wanted the two of you here, Reno,” Aleksy informed them. “Here you are.”

  “Are you trying to accuse us of something?” Reno yelled. “I repeat, we had no idea Blane was here. Do you really think I’d place my mate anywhere near him?”

  “No, I don’t. I’m warning you, though. If this was some move on Blane’s part to draw you out, to draw both of you out, then you’ve played right into his hands by coming here. He wants you dead, Reno, and he wants your mate back at his side.”

  “I’ll never go back. Never. He’ll have to kill me,” Amia swore as her mate wrapped her in his arms.

  “Not if we kill him first,” Aleksy stated.

  “Then let’s kill the bastard, once and for all,” Reno agreed.

  Somehow, Lyra didn’t think it would be that easy.

  Chapter Thirteen

  An anomaly. That was how the man who’d saved his life had referred to him. As a fucking anomaly. Plus, it hurt to see Zane. The two men had once been fast friends until the night Aleksy had been whisked away. Zane hadn’t spoken to him civilly since. Aleksy had no idea what he’d said or done. He chalked it up to one more person wanting to stay as far away from the freak as possible.

  Then Orsai had admitted he’d kept things from both Aleksy and Zane. Part of him was curious what, and part of him didn’t care. The past was just that, past, and Aleksy needed to focus on the here and now, his mate and protecting her.

  Thinking of his mate had anger surging through him. He felt her anxiety and doubt as well as the hurt she tried not to let anyone see. He understood her emotions, knew all about the need for acceptance and the sting of rejection. So far, her brother was rejecting her.

  Aleksy had to leave before he lost all semblance of control and blood was shed. One wrong word from either Zane or Reno and Aleksy wasn’t sure he could hold back the beast surging inside him. Both men were pissing him off with their attitudes. His probably wasn’t much better, but that was their problem not his. He grabbed Lyra by the hand and tugged her after him as he left the room.

  “Where are you going?” Tony inquired.

  “I need a minute,” Aleksy growled. He needed…his mate. His beast was ready to explode from his skin. The emotions running through him needed an outlet. He had the feeling hers did, too. It was either beat the hell out of someone or something or find solace in his mate.

  Lyra took his hand and followed eagerly behind him, as if she knew and understood what he needed. The link they forming between them meant she probably did. She had to sense the violence building under the surface, and still she walked with him completely unafraid.

  I need you, too. Always.

  Her words filled his head, providing a soothing balm. He scooped her up against his chest and took the stairs two at a time. He didn’t care what anyone else thought of him. Only her. And her gaze told him she more than accepted him. He pushed into their room, shutting the door with his foot before crossing to the bed and standing her beside it.

  “You’re mine,” he whispered and swallowed her reply with his lips. His tongue invaded her mouth, eating at her as their hands made quick work of their clothes.
His hands stroked over her skin, his fingers skimming, loving the softness of her flesh.

  “You’re my salvation,” he vowed, moving to taste her neck, to lick along the mark he’d given her.

  He loved the way she moaned, the feel of her body reacting to his touch. He smelled the sweet heat of her pussy, his mouth salivating in anticipation of her cream filling his mouth.

  “Aleksy,” she moaned as he lifted her again, this time laying her back on the bed and moving between her thighs. He draped them over his shoulders, flattening one palm on her belly and using his other hand to spread her plump lips, opening her to his gaze. He dipped his head and slid his tongue along her folds, gathering her juices. It was his turn to groan as her flavor exploded along his taste buds. He dove in then, consuming her with gluttony. He wrapped his lips around her swollen clitoris and sucked before abandoning it to move down to her weeping opening, thrusting his tongue deep to suck in her juices.

  She thrashed beneath him, her fingers wild in his hair, as he flung her into orgasm again and again. Still, she insisted on more, meeting each of his demands with one of her own. That suited him fine since he couldn’t stop. He wanted to bathe in the scent of her lust, to drown in the sweet ambrosia of her release.

  Fuck me!

  Her command filled his head, and he surged over her with a growl. He let her knees slide outward to drape over his elbows, spreading her even wider for his hips. His cock lodged at the entrance to her pussy then with one hard thrust, he found home.

  Her nails scoured his shoulders. Her head was thrown back, throat arched as her mouth opened in what he knew was ecstasy. He felt her pleasure, and it pushed his even higher.

  “The only time I’ve ever been whole is when I’m inside you,” Aleksy confessed. “You make me feel like a man.” That said everything for him. All his life he’d felt more animal than man.

  She reached up and cupped his face. “I see you,” she whispered. All of you. The man. The beast. I want you both. I choose you both.

  He took her mouth again as he loved her. Heaven was the feel of her sweet pussy gripping his dick with every thrust and the way it tightened as he retreated, unwilling to let him go. It was the graze of her nipples against his chest, the taste of her lips and the way she couldn’t stop touching him. Her hands slid from his hair to his shoulders then down to cradle his ass, nails scratching. Then she went back to his hair and start all over again.

  He kept his hands planted on the mattress beside her, bracing his weight even as he kept his body pressed to hers. He moved his mouth to his favorite spot, licking over the place marked by his bite. She moaned with every flick of his tongue, and he felt the flutter of her pussy.

  “Does it feel good?” he crooned.

  “Yes!” Her agreement was a sharp cry, punctuated by the tightening of her legs over his elbows.

  He sucked the skin, his hips powering between her thighs with hard, dominant strokes that worked him closer to orgasm. He wanted the sensations to last forever but was helpless to hold himself back. He let his teeth scrape her then bit down as orgasm slammed through him.

  Her cries filled the air, blending with his growls as pleasure surrounded them. He could do nothing but hold on to her as they rode the waves of carnality together. When he could breathe again, he eased her legs from his arms, placing a kiss on her panting mouth before rolling to her side.

  His tension was gone. His body was lax with release.

  Do you think everyone knows why we left?

  Aleksy laughed. There was no doubt in his mind that every person who’d been in the room knew exactly why he’d hauled her out.

  Lyra groaned.

  “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about,” Aleksy assured her, turning to his side to face her. He brushed the backs of his fingers along her cheek. “Mating is natural. They understand our need for one another. Don’t be embarrassed.”

  I’m not embarrassed. That doesn’t mean I want others knowing what we have between us. This is private. Just between you and me. Sacred. Special.

  “Yes, it is, and it always will be.” He bent to her mouth once more, unable to refrain from kissing her. She cuddled into him, and they lay entwined for long moments before she kissed his chest and pushed away.

  We need to go back down. Orsai wanted to speak with you and Zane. Plus, you were going to ask him about the changes taking place in me. My hearing.

  “Shifters have superior senses. Tony believes your beast prevented total loss of your hearing, but with the animal locked inside you, it couldn’t repair it. Our mating has brought out your animal. It doesn’t matter whether it was my antibodies that initiated the healing or the release of your animal. What matters is that you can hear now.”

  I’m going to have to deal with all the noises.

  “Yes, you’ll have to learn how to dial them back.”

  I have. Or I believe I have. I asked for silence today when the sounds were overwhelming, when I went to search for you. I begged for the noise to go away, and it did, as if a dial was turned down.

  “So, your beast is already helping you deal with it. The sounds may be overwhelming for it, as well. It’s only known silence. It will help you deal with the changes happening in your body.” He dropped another kiss on her mouth then rose from the bed. “Let’s shower and dress.”

  I really need more clothes. Underclothes and shoes would be nice.

  “I like knowing you’re slick and ready for me under those pants. That your tits are only a thin layer of cotton away from my lips.”

  Lyra shook her head and gave a snort. It’s not like it takes you long to strip me either way. Underwear, Aleksy. And shoes.

  He watched the sway of her ass as she headed to the bathroom. His cock twitched to life against his thigh, and that worried him. After what they’d just shared, his sexual hunger should be appeased. His cock should be well-sated. Instead, he was rock-hard again as he followed his mate, intending to take her again beneath the spray of water. At the rate they were going, they’d be lucky to leave the bedroom, much less go on the hunt for Marcus Blane.

  He knew he was a primal animal, but surely, this overwhelming need for his mate would eventually ease. That was one of the things he needed to discuss with Orsai.

  Lyra hadn’t complained…yet. That didn’t mean she wouldn’t if he kept making continuous sexual demands. He’d seen the state of exhaustion she’d been in when he’d rescued her. Her body had demanded rest to heal, much more than he’d expected. The last thing he wanted was send her back into a similar state because of the physical demands he put on her.

  “Stop,” Lyra scolded when he stepped into the shower with her. She reached down and took his cock with a firm grip, milking him with the slide of her palm. She tightened at the base and swirled her hand, bringing a groan from his lips as she worked her fingers back toward the head, giving another squeeze before rubbing her thumb over the tip of his cock.

  You worry too much. I want you just as much.

  “No one can want sex as much as my beast demands.”

  Haven’t I met you with equal ferocity every time?

  “Lyra,” he whispered. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

  Then don’t shut me out. Let me know what you’re thinking. Especially, since I’m going to pick up on your concerns. Talk to me. Ask me. I’m in this with you, not because of you.

  “You don’t know—”

  Stop! I do know. I’m your mate. I may not know everything that entails yet, but I know enough to understand we’re in this together. Weren’t you the one who said it’s just the two of us. We’re an island. Together. So, stop worrying about hurting me. You won’t. I trust you. I never thought I’d trust another person. Then I met you, and I’m glad I did.

  “I know it’s too soon. That the words might be unbelievable for you. But I know my heart, and I’m not afraid to tell you how I feel.”

  Aleksy—

  “Shh,” he crooned. “I love you, Lyra. I never once dreamed of ha
ving a mate. What god would curse a woman by linking her life to mine? I accepted that I’d walk this earth alone, save for the animal who dwells just beneath the surface. Then I saw you, and my whole world changed. I will worry. I will fear for you being hurt, by me or another. And I will love you for the rest of my days.”

  She tilted her head back beneath the spray, but he caught the glint of tears in her eyes. He felt her yearning and her reserve. She wasn’t ready for words of love. She could handle words conveying need and want and desire, of the growing friendship between them, but love was something deeper. It was simply more, and it was that more she wasn’t quite ready for.

  Let me love you.

  The words whispered through his mind as she went to her knees. He groaned at the first flick of her tongue over the broad head of his cock. Her grip tightened along his shaft. She popped the crown of his dick into her mouth and sucked eagerly on it.

  Pleasure ripped through him, and he felt as if he were losing his mind. He reached down, wrapping her hair around his fist and tugging it back out of her face so he could watch her lips stretch around his girth.

  She was beautiful. Her cheeks flushed with carnality, her eyelids lowered so that she peeked up at him through her lashes. She pumped his shaft with one hand while the other arm curled around his body, that hand spreading across his ass and urging him into a rhythm that had him giving shallow thrusts into the heated grip of her mouth.

  “Lyra.” Her name was a moan of ecstasy. His balls already tingled, orgasm looming as he watched her enjoy him. She licked and sucked then gave him a gentle scrape with her teeth. She popped the head free and gave gentle, sucking bites along his shaft until she reached the base. She turned her head, nipping at his taut skin, nuzzling into him before flicking her tongue over his ball sac.

  He hissed out a breath as she laved the skin there, flattening her tongue against him. She tunneled it under the sac and drew one of his testicles softly into her mouth. She rolled her tongue over it then released it and moved to the other.