by Gale Stanley
Un-fucking-believable! After all the years of proclaiming he would never entertain mixing of the species, he’d done a one-eighty.
“So you see, you have other options. I hope you’ll choose a Lycan mate, but I won’t object if you choose a human.”
“I don’t want a mate, Lycan or human. I want a life, a home, and a job in a place of my choosing.” Leaving might be a drastic solution, but she refused to trade her independence for comfort and safety.
“What can I say to convince you it’s not a good idea?”
“Nothing. You’re giving our people the freedom to mix with the humans, and that’s exactly what I want. My freedom to live among them.”
“Freedom is a mixed blessing. Not all humans are your friends, and they can be dangerously cunning. They have drugs and traps you know nothing about.” He shook his head, and then his features softened. “I understand. I really do. You’ve been insulated by the pack all your life, and you want a chance to try your wings, but it’s impossible.”
Sudden anger gave Ayala a bit of courage. “With all due respect, Alpha, I’m a grown woman, and you can’t stop me. I intend to go with or without your permission.”
The only sign of the Alpha’s anger was the slight flare of his nostrils. “Don’t do anything so rash, Ayala. Give me some time to think about this, and then we’ll talk again.”
* * * *
Dr. Roy Granger stood by the window watching the doctors, patients, and visitors running for cover from the sudden downpour. People were using whatever they had on hand to protect themselves from the deluge. He would never understand humans. Why did they immediately resort to using handbags, newspapers, and briefcases as umbrellas? Some even had their shirts or lab coats pulled up to cover their heads. None of it seemed to be helping. Despite the name of the popular TV show, it wasn’t always sunny in Philadelphia. Humans should be more adaptable—like wolves. They were probably too worried about their hairstyles.
“Your phone messages and the mail are on your desk…”
The forceful drumming on the glass made it difficult to hear his administrative assistant, not that he was paying much attention anyway. He turned away from the gray, washed-out scene and faced her. “Thanks, Lucy. You’ve done enough. It’s Saturday. Go home.”
“I don’t mind staying if you need me, Roy.” The tone of her voice implied she was offering more than her secretarial skills.
“No. I’ll be tied up all day. I have a lot of data to analyze. You go on and enjoy the rest of your weekend.” Lucy’s disappointment was obvious. The woman was becoming tiresome. He was beginning to wonder why he’d hooked up with the redheaded bitch in the first place, aside from the obvious—big boobs and a mouth made for sucking cock. It didn’t seem worth it anymore.
“I can bring you dinner later.”
Suddenly he felt the vibration of the cell phone in the pocket of his lab coat. Only one person had the number, his Alpha, and he wanted privacy when he spoke to Alex. “I won’t have time for dinner.” A few blow jobs and some sack-time and these human females thought they owned you. Roy made a mental note to put some distance between them. Much as he hated the thought of bringing a stranger into his office, if Lucy insisted on stalking him, he’d have to fire her. “I’ll see you on Monday.” He watched the sway of her ass as she sashayed out the door. Too bad, I’ll definitely miss that body.
Alex had already disconnected. Roy headed for his private research lab in the subbasement, intending to call him back from there. He owed everything he had to the Alpha. It had been Alex who found him when he was an undergraduate, putting himself through school however he could, a nice way of saying he was whoring himself.
The pack was constantly on the lookout for others like themselves, and Alex had seen a news report about wolf sightings in Boston. That was back in his youth when Roy wasn’t as careful about shifting. Alex himself had come to lure Roy to New Mexico with promises of funding his education. The Alpha didn’t need to make promises. Roy was smitten and would have followed him anywhere, but Alex had kept his word. Roy had several degrees including a PhD, his specialty being evolutionary genetics and gene regulation.
Now he had his own research facility, an addition to Philadelphia Hospital funded by Alex. Under the guise of helping humanity, Roy ran his own private research in the bowels of the building. He loved his work, but he loved Alex, too, and it frustrated him to be separated from him. But they each had their own responsibilities, and they saw each other on rare occasions. Maybe this call meant a visit from his lover. He hoped so.
Just hearing Alex’s voice made his cock fill and his blood heat. The man had a deep, baritone rumble that was sexy as hell. Roy leaned back in his chair and rubbed his crotch, bolting upright when he heard the purpose of the call. Alex was sending him a she-wolf, a woman with an independent streak. He expected Roy to give her a job and keep her out of trouble. No problem. This was the break Roy had been waiting for.
By the end of their conversation, all the arrangements were in place. He'd been less than forthcoming with Alex and he regretted it, but it couldn't be helped. He wasn't ready to divulge any information about his studies, not until he had positive results. Ayala’s desire to move to Philadelphia couldn’t have come at a better time. Roy’s research had reached a critical point, and he needed to move on to testing Lycan subjects.
Unlike Canis lupus, Lycans were born with the capability to reproduce during any season, but according to Roy’s findings, his species’ human genetics had changed over the last fifteen years. Although the Lycan sex drive had remained strong, their natural mating season had shrunk to once a year, like ordinary gray wolves. He could find no clear-cut reason. Perhaps the change in location and climate had affected testosterone and hormone levels. Or maybe the predominantly male wolf pack had reacted to the scarcity of bitches.
Finding real answers was a challenge, especially with his Alpha’s hard-ass attitude. Over the years, Roy had been running his tests long-distance because Alex wouldn’t let the pack members, especially the women, stay in the city for any length of time. Biological samples were shipped by plane, but a flight took approximately four hours, and transporting specimens had become more difficult with all the new security precautions. Despite the obstacles, Roy had still come up with a treatment for the symptoms.
In theory, his drugs would increase the number of eggs, while triggering and strengthening ovulation. Putting the females in heat would trigger the male mating instinct, but to insure success, he’d created a drug to stimulate testosterone and increase the sperm count.
Desperate to try out his cure, he had started his trials on a pair of ordinary gray wolves he kept locked up in the subbasement. Finding the wolves had been near impossible. There were no wild wolves to be found in Pennsylvania, so he had to raid a wildlife refuge to get his pair.
When the animals woke from an anesthetic-induced sleep, they weren’t happy to find themselves in cages. More sedatives rendered them docile enough for proper dosing. It would only be for a short time. If all went well, he would put them in the same cage and let them enjoy each other.
February was normal mating season for gray wolves. This was June. If his drugs worked, the season wouldn’t matter. Roy checked his watch, three a.m., optimum timing. He wouldn’t be missed. One more dose remained in the seven-day regimen, and then it would be time to introduce his alpha pair. Groggy and easily handled, both wolves received their injections without incident. He carried the female into the room next door and put her in the male’s cage. They should be fully awake within the hour.
Roy left the room to make some notes on their charts. Only gone fifteen minutes, he returned and stood at the door, ecstatic to see his test subjects eager to mate. The male wolf mounted the female from behind, and his thrusting pelvis indicated that ejaculation would soon take place. The pair became tied when the male's knot swelled inside the female's vagina and the animals were physically inseparable for thirty minutes.
Yes! Roy pumped his fist in excitement. The test couldn’t have worked out better. The new drug appeared to be successful beyond his wildest expectations. In three weeks he would do an ultrasound and hopefully confirm a pregnancy.
And best of all, he would soon have a Lycan bitch to try his drugs on. Ayala was a sexy little minx. Fucking her would be no hardship at all. In three weeks he’d have Ayala eating out of his hand, and he’d start her on the drugs. Hell, why wait three weeks? He didn’t need a confirmed gray wolf pregnancy before dosing Ayala and himself. As soon as she agreed to participate in his research, he would give her the first dose. Stepping up her heat would make it much easier to lure her into his bed. Hopefully, she’d be carrying his child in no time. His only interests were positive results, survival of his species, and Alex’s approval. He had no desire to play father, but the pup would be the bitch’s responsibility, not his.
Chapter Four
“Nice job.”
Ayala screamed, and the paintbrush flew out of her hand, splattering paint like a handmade Rorschach Test.
Cade stepped up on the porch to retrieve the brush, and she slapped his hand away. “Just leave it! And don’t sneak up on me like that. I don’t appreciate it.” Shit. The only person who could pussyfoot around a wolf was another wolf.
Cade gave her his best innocent look. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“I’m not scared.” She picked up the paintbrush and held it in her hand like a weapon. “You just startled me.” Damn him. He looked sexy as hell in a black muscle shirt and tight cutoff jeans that did nothing to hide the impressive bulge at his crotch. His hair wasn’t as dark as Brady’s, more like auburn with gold highlights, and his eyes looked more green than gold in the sunlight, but for sure he'd taken a dip in the deep end of the attractive gene pool. She looked him up and down. From tanned, chiseled features to muscular legs, the man was eye candy for sure. If she looked at him too long, she’d be licking him like an all-day sucker. “What can I do for you, Cade?”
He gave her a lopsided grin.
Damn, wrong question. “Why are you here, Cade?”
“I just want to talk.”
Ayala narrowed her eyes and gave him a look that said you’re full of it. “Can’t you see I’m busy?” It would help if she could say it like she meant it, but in truth, she was just killing time until she spoke to the Alpha again. If she didn’t keep busy, she’d go crazy waiting around to hear his verdict.
“I can do that for you.” He reached out for the brush, and she took a step back.
“I don’t need a man to do my work for me.” She stood there with a hand on her cocked hip. Damn him. He had that effect on her, the same one Brady did. The one that made her panties damp and her nipples go all hard. Shit! From the looks of things, he had no intention of leaving.
Cade sighed. “I didn’t mean it like that. Hell, you can probably do a better job of it than I can.”
Ayala blinked then gave in. “All right.” She handed him another brush and pointed to a window on the other side of the front door. “Just the frame, not the glass.”
He rolled his eyes. “I’m not stupid.”
No, you’re not. The man was smart and sly as a fox. He knew which buttons to push, the ones that would turn her into a quivering mass of Jell–O. And that’s why you’re not getting near me. She moved the can of paint so they could both reach it and went back to work.
They worked quietly for a while but it was impossible to forget that Cade was only a few feet away when his scent overrode the smell of paint, and lust overrode her common sense. Finally, Cade put his brush down and stepped back to admire his work. “What do you think?”
Resigned to the fact that little work would get done today, Ayala moved in for a closer look. She had to admit, he’d done a decent job. “Not bad.”
“That’s all you can say?” Before she knew what happened Cade was boxing her in. Her back was against the wall, and his palms were planted on either side of her.
“What do you want me to say?” She growled at him.
“Fuck me, Cade.” He nuzzled her and whispered in her ear. “That’s what I want you to say.”
“Damn—”
He lowered his head and kissed her, effectively halting any more talk. Ayala couldn’t help it. She put her arms around his neck and kissed him back. Cade lifted her, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He pressed her back against the wall, and she ground her pussy against his growing bulge. A little growl rumbled up from his chest. “Say it.”
Ayala wanted him but she couldn't force herself to say the words, so she shook her head back and forth. He kissed her cheek, her jaw, her neck, slipped a hand under her T-shirt and tugged a nipple ring.
Fuck! The damn ring was an easy on-off switch, and he could work it like a pro. She might as well be an interactive doll. “Ohh, Cade.”
“Say it.” He pinched her nipple. “Say it, baby.”
“Fuck me, damn you.”
Cade laughed. “Not quite the emotional response I was looking for, but I’ll take it.” He carried her inside and set her on the only piece of furniture in the living room, a worktable cluttered with brushes, cans of paint, and tools. He looked around the unfinished room. “You could use a man’s touch around here.”
He was probably right, but Ayala wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. She and the three women who shared the house were doing the renovations themselves. “We’re doing okay, thank you.”
“Sure you don’t need me for anything?” Grinning wickedly, he grabbed the hem of her T-shirt and pulled it over her head. Her ample breasts spilled into his hands, swollen and aching for his touch. Ignoring the silver rings for the moment, he rubbed circles around her cinnamon-colored nipples with his thumbs until the tips puckered with her desire.
Even though she expected it, she couldn’t help gasping when he sucked one tender bud into the wet warmth of his mouth, tongued the ring, and drew her nipple taut. Rational thought fled when he started sucking. Each pull at her breast went straight to her core. Wanting more, she pushed her tingling flesh against his mouth while he caressed her other breast, rubbing and rolling the nipple between his fingers. She moaned with frustration when he stopped.
“Lift up,” he muttered hoarsely.
Suddenly she realized they were in the living room where anyone could walk in and catch them, and she looked around anxiously.
“It’s okay, baby,” he assured her. “We have time. I saw your housemates at the community room talking to the Alpha about the ceremony tomorrow.”
Ayala put her hands behind her, palms flat on the table, and lifted her hips so Cade could pull her shorts off. He buried his face in her lap, nuzzling her neatly trimmed bush, inhaling her. His breath warmed her thighs, exciting her as he brushed his lips over her slit. A warm, wet tongue lapped at her cream, making her moan.
Cade lifted his head and planted a blistering kiss on her mouth. She tasted herself on his lips and another rush of moisture coated her thighs as she kissed him back. Her nails scored his flesh as she ran her hands down his back to the waistband of his jeans. Breathless, she fumbled with the zipper of his cutoffs, loving the shudder that ran through him when she unzipped them and slipped her hand inside to release his cock.
“Touch me, baby,” he groaned.
She stroked his shaft, using her thumb to spread pre-cum over the engorged head. Groaning with pleasure, he shoved his jeans over his hips as she scooted to the edge of the table.
“Please…”
“Please, what,” he said firmly.
If he needed to hear her beg, so be it. She was too far gone to care. “Please fuck me, Cade.” Ayala brought her heels up on the table, spreading her legs wide.
Cade moved between her thighs until the head of his cock nudged her swollen folds. He leaned his forehead against hers, and she spread her labia so his swollen, purple head disappeared inside her. She sucked in a harsh breath. “More.”
Cade pushed a little dee
per. Their groans mingled, and his breathing got heavier. He slid inside slowly until he filled her completely and then gathered her close.
“Oh, God,” she moaned, squirming and grinding against him.
Cade captured her lips and kissed her deeply as he started moving. In and out, his long length invaded her body, slowly picking up speed as she urged him on. Guttural sounds and the heady scent of their sex filled the room. Cade’s thrusts became harder, each one sending her over the edge a little farther.
* * * *
Cade wanted to make this last for her. He wanted to make her feel so good she would never want anyone else. It might be stupid. Ayala never gave any indication she wanted him as anything more than a bedmate, but he couldn’t help the way he felt.
When they were together like this, he couldn’t think clearly. He could only feel, and his control slipped away as his wolf took over. His muscles bunched as his thrusts became more animalistic. His frenzied reflection in the glass behind them mirrored the passion he was feeling. The image disappeared, replaced by sparks of light as his climax approached.
Suddenly Ayala threw back her head and howled as strong, grasping spasms milked the release from his cock. Feeling her powerful orgasm filled him with satisfaction, and his own harsh growl melded with hers as he filled her with his seed. Your body belongs to me now, even if it’s just for a little while.
They stayed locked together for long minutes until their breathing calmed. Finally, his depleted cock slipped from her body. Ayala struggled to get out of his embrace, but loath to let her go, he tightened his hold on her.
She licked her swollen lips, and he saw where his stubble had reddened the skin on her neck and face. It pleased him to see his marks on her, and he decided he wanted something more permanent on her flesh, his bite mark, a sign of claiming.
Ayala looked at him from narrowed eyes. “Cade, let me go. We can’t stay like this.” He released her reluctantly, and she stood. “You have to leave.”
