Cherished: True Mates Book 5 (BBW Wolf Shifter Romance) (A Craggstone Paranormal Romance)

by Olivia Arran

  Warm fingers squeezed around mine, and I realized with a start that I was still clinging to Oliver’s hand. What had made me reach out for him? What was it about this man that made me want to trust him, when I trusted no one?

  His large presence at my back should have felt intimidating, overwhelming, but instead I felt safe. Sheltered. I has so far managed to put my physical reaction to him at the back of my mind, but with him so close, it was getting harder to ignore.

  When he had risen from the floor earlier, I’d gotten my first chance to really look at him. I already knew he was tall and muscular, but what I hadn’t registered earlier was the definition of those ropes of muscle that wrapped around him, widening his shoulders and thickening his chest. I might have felt the ridges of his chest pressed against my breasts, the ripple of his abs against my soft stomach, but seeing it with my own eyes? It made everything I had felt deliciously real. His body was honed to perfection, his skin tanned and smooth, his forearms corded from obvious work. Men just didn’t look like him—ever. He had a quiet strength and confidence I found calming, as though he knew exactly what he was capable of and wasn’t afraid to do it. I was afraid if I blinked he would vanish, conjured from my own desperate imagination.

  Most of all I wanted to pull his hair loose from where it was tied at the base of his neck, and run my fingers through the thick strands. I wanted to explore the rough stubble on his jaw, to trace it down into the curve of his neck, then back up to his cheek, where it covered what suspiciously looked like a dimple. If only the man ever smiled. A proper smile, not the half-assed attempt from earlier.

  What was I thinking? I didn’t have time for this, for him. It didn’t matter what I wanted. Only Josh mattered. It had to be the white-knight thing that had me lusting after my savior. And I didn’t need lust; I’d had enough of that forced on me to last a lifetime.

  Shoving Oliver out of my mind, I opened each bedroom door one by one.

  Time to escape.

  ***

  Oliver

  I couldn’t believe my eyes. Women were stumbling out into the corridor in various states of sleep, all of them human, all of them bearing the same vicious bite mark that Ana did.

  Wide eyes met mine, most dulled to the point where they didn’t show shock, only acceptance of whatever was going to happen next.

  Did they think—? I ground my teeth together in an effort not to speak, to let Ana finish her low-whispered explanation. They would have gone willingly to men they didn’t know? Wouldn’t have put up a fight?

  Luis whistled under his breath, a low, thready sound. “Bert was keeping a harem,” he muttered, and a quick glance told me he was as disgusted as I was.

  “We’re not all Bert’s,” a woman piped up, a scowl twisting her lips.

  I counted the women before me. My earlier estimate had been off, way off. There were eight all together, and at least one was heavily pregnant, while another clutched a small squirming bundle. “Is this all of you?” I asked, bile rising in my throat as several of the women flinched at the sound of my voice.

  “No. There’s Gina left.” Ana pointed to the door at the far end of the hall.

  Taking a deep breath, already knowing I wasn’t going to like what was coming, I took a step forward. Most of the women shrank back against the wall, anything to avoid contact, as I passed by. Only Ana didn’t move, instead waiting for me to reach her, then leading me toward the door.

  My mouth went dry. The door had a fucking padlock on it! One of those heavy duty ones that you’d use on a tool shed, holding a thick, metal latch closed.

  I turned to Ana in question, unable to force the words from my mouth.

  “It’s her turn tonight,” she said, her eyes glazing over with pain. “Can you break it?”

  Words still escaping me, I called on my wolf, and letting my claws extend, sliced them through the offending lock.

  The lock fell to the floor, a useless broken lump of metal.

  “Huh. Guess you can then,” she muttered, pulling back the latch, then shoving the door open.

  I reeled back, unable to take another step. The room stank of sex and seed, musk and blood. Retching, I covered my nose with my arm, not that it made a bit of difference. In the center of the room was a huge bed dominating the room, with thick, wooden posts on each side. My stomach threatened to revolt again as what I was looking at clicked into place. Wrapped around the posts were chains and cords of leather.

  A small hand stroked across my arm. “Are you okay?”

  At the sound of Ana’s voice something in the bed moved. Somehow I had missed seeing the woman completely, understandable given that she was curled up into a little ball, hidden under the mountain of furs piled high on the bed.

  “Ana? What are you doing here? You can’t be here, you know—” The woman broke off, her mouth falling open in shock as she eyed me warily.

  Ana dashed over to the bed, and explained the situation is a low whisper.

  This was taking too long!

  “We have to hurry, I need to join the others.” And beat the fuck out of Bert, I finished silently. At my not-so-gentle prodding, the woman rose from the bed in a tumble of arms and legs.

  At the flash of skin, I quickly averted my eyes. It’s her turn tonight. Ana’s words echoed in my head, ricocheting around.

  “Oliver, she needs help. She can’t walk!”

  I kept my eyes firmly on the wall. “Why not?”

  “Drugs.” Ana’s voice was flat, lifeless.

  Motherfucker! I wanted to smash my fist into the wall, beating the living crap out of something, anything…

  “Luis!” I shouted.

  Second later he was beside me, recoiling in horror as he peered in the room. “Fuck—”

  “Grab the woman, she needs carrying.” And I couldn’t do it. Couldn’t fight the instinct that was riding me hard. If it was her turn tonight, that meant…

  He slipped past me, returning with a tall flame-haired woman curled in his arms, swaddled in furs.

  Ana made to move past me and I snapped, grabbing her and pinning her against the wall. Smashing my lips down on hers, I drove my tongue deep into her mouth, satisfaction roaring through me when she yielded, her body curving around mine, a soft moan passing from her mouth to mine.

  Mine! The thought thundered through my mind. My wolf’s? I couldn’t tell, didn’t care.

  Leaving her lips I dragged my mouth down her throat, nipping at the tender flesh, my hips holding her against the wall, my cock hard and ready. Reaching the mass of scars I bit down gently, laving the rough skin with my tongue.

  “Mine,” I growled in a low voice.

  ***

  Ana

  My head spun, my mind having shut down the second he pinned me to the wall and stole the breath from my lips.

  There was only him, hard and insistent, his large body blocking out the world, completing the illusion. Lust surged through me, burning like liquid fire through my veins, coiling low in my stomach.

  So this is what it feels like to want a man…

  The thought flashed across my mind, quickly chased away as he licked and nibbled his way down my neck, the thick length of him digging into me, rocking in an imitation of the act itself.

  Tilting my head back in encouragement, my eyelids slid shut, my hands floating then coming to rest on his broad back. Heat radiated from him, and I wanted to get closer. No, I needed to get closer. Tracing my hands down his spine, I tugged at his T-shirt, cursing as the fabric refused to budge.

  He pressed closer, his spine curving under my hands as he bent lower, his groan vibrating against my skin.

  Skirting my hands lower, I slid them across his ass, working my fingers across the pockets of his pants and then sliding lower, loving the feel of his muscles clenching with each rocking motion.

  Then he bit down on my neck, right where Bert had marked me.

  “Mine.” It was a low, throaty growl, muffled against my neck.

  I froze, the c
larity which had escaped me up until now thundering back with vengeance. No matter how safe I felt with Oliver, he was an animal too—just like Bert. Just like all the men who had hurt the women here.

  He was no different, I had to remember that!

  “Not yours,” I forced out, shoving him away with all my strength.

  Liquid silver flashed in his eyes, swirling and mesmerizing. And not human.

  I cleared my throat, hating my weakness, hating the fact that my humanity had prevented me from fighting back all these years. “Didn’t you say we needed to hurry?”

  He stared at me, no emotion on his face, his jaw clenched in a hard line. Then he nodded, the movement brisk.

  Grabbing my hand, he tugged me down the corridor, past the shocked group of women, down the stairs and out into the night.

  ***

  Oliver

  I had to keep reminding myself of what she had been through, what scars she must be hiding. But just for a second I had lost myself, drowning in her taste, her smell, her acceptance, and I had finally understood why the other men fawned over their mates. Why they couldn’t let them go, couldn’t resist touching, tasting at every opportunity. That was the reason why.

  When I kissed her, everything else ceased to matter. The sky could be falling and I wouldn’t care, so long as I had her.

  And that was dangerous.

  As expected there wasn’t anyone around to stop us leaving, because everyone was preoccupied by the fighting I could hear going on in the other buildings. Growls and snarls filled the air, the soft thwacking sound of fists meeting flesh, the crunch of bones breaking.

  My fingers curled into a fist, adrenaline flooding through me. That was what I had been trained to do, not being sidelined, babysitting women.

  Grunting, I jogged around the edge of the house, following the tree line back to the rendezvous point. Checking behind me, Luis gave me the okay signal, bringing up the rear. The women were straggling, their faces white with fear, their breathing ragged at the rapid pace I was setting, but we were running out of time. If Bert somehow managed to overpower the Colstone Pack…well, we needed to get the women to safety.

  One woman stumbled, clutching her swollen belly, pink dotting her cheeks. She stopped, sucking in deep breaths, waving her hand for us to keep going.

  “Oliver—”

  Before Ana even had the chance to finish her sentence I released her hand and ran back, scooping the struggling woman off her feet and cradling her as gently as I could manage. “We keep going. All of us,” I ordered, jogging back to Ana.

  I glanced down at the woman in my arms. She was too pale. “How far along are you?” I asked, dreading the answer.

  “Thirty-eight weeks,” she huffed out, her mouth twisting in pain.

  Shit! “Are you in labor?”

  Ana ground to a sudden halt. “What the—? Catherine! You’re in labor?”

  Catherine shook her head, and my heart started beating again. “I don’t think so. Just cramps.”

  “Why didn’t you say anything?”

  “Because I wanted to keep my baby.”

  Sweet Mother of All! I wanted to kill every single one of the bastards, rip them apart with my bare hands. I caught Luis’ eye, and from the look on his face he felt exactly the same.

  We were nearing the others when a high-pitched scream pierced the air. Ana skidded to a stop, then without a murmur darted off in the direction of the noise.

  I knew where she was going. The children.

  I looked down at the woman in my arms, then back at the sight of my mate tearing off across the clearing.

  Fuck!

  Without checking with Luis I tore off through the trees, my heart thundering in my chest.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Ana

  I knew it was Josh. A mother couldn’t mistake her own child’s cry, even if that child had been ripped from her and kept at arm’s length for most of his life. I had to get to him, and protect him somehow.

  I forced my legs to go faster, arms pumping at my side. The dormitory building where they housed the children was just ahead. I was nearly there.

  Glancing over my shoulder I couldn’t decide if I felt relief or disappointment that Oliver hadn’t followed me. If he’d followed you, you would have been tackled and taken down by now. It wasn’t like he could have just dropped the pregnant woman onto the ground and followed me. He wasn’t that type of guy.

  Bert would have, the thought crept into my mind.

  Bert wouldn’t have been carrying her in the first place! I corrected myself firmly.

  Out of the corner of my eye I saw a huge wolf darting out from around the corner of Bert’s shack. Stumbling, I fell to one knee. Dragging myself back up I locked eyes with the beast.

  Friend or foe?

  When he didn’t move and just stared at me, his head cocked as though trying to puzzle me out, I took a slow step back, not daring to take my eyes off of him.

  Glass splintered behind him, a large man crashing through the small opening and landing on the ground a few feet away from me. This man I recognized. He was one of Bert’s men.

  Shaking himself off, he staggered to his feet, noticing me for the first time.

  “What the fuck are you doing out of the house?” he growled, taking a menacing step toward me.

  The wolf snarled from behind him, his hackles raised, his ears pinned back.

  Bert’s guard whirled around, his head bobbing back and forth, trying to keep us both in view.

  Friend then.

  “You might come in handy, actually.” The words had no sooner left his mouth before he was lurching toward me, meaty hands grabbing for my arm.

  I hadn’t come this far to fall at the first hurdle. “Get the fuck away from me!” I screamed and kicked out my foot as hard as I could.

  It connected, smashing straight into his groin, something I didn’t think I could have done again even if I tried.

  As though in slow motion the man sucked in a great breath, his eyes rolling back until only the whites showed, his hands cradling the now tender flesh as he crumpled to the ground.

  “Ouch! Good aim,” Oliver said from behind me.

  I spun around. “You can’t stop me! I won’t go without him!” It came out a wild shriek as I backed away from him, grinding to a stop when I remembered the wolf behind me.

  “Sean.” Oliver looked over my shoulder, nodding at the wolf. “I’ll take care of her, if you’ve got him?” He tilted his head to the man I had downed with one kick.

  I waved him away when he took a cautious step forward. “Take care of me?”

  He sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets.

  I wasn’t fooled. He was trying to look harmless.

  “I need to go see how they’re doing and if they need any help. It looks like I can’t trust you to stay put anyway.”

  “So, you’re saying—”

  He took another step forward and this time I didn’t back away. “You must promise to stay close to me and do exactly what I tell you.”

  “I promise.”

  His lips twisted in a scowl. “I’m going to regret this, aren’t I?”

  Without waiting for an answer he grabbed my hand and jogged toward the dormitory.

  As we neared the building, the sounds grew louder, crashing and banging accompanied by snarls and growls.

  A wail cut through the noise, quickly silenced.

  Not Josh, not this time.

  Oliver grabbed me and pulled me to him, staring down at me with piercing blue eyes that flickered with silver at the edges. “You stay behind me, got it? I won’t let anyone touch you, but I have to know where you are.” He paused, his mouth still open, an internal struggle obvious in his eyes. Eventually he continued, “I don’t think I’ll be able to focus if I don’t know you’re safe, okay?”

  It seemed like a big admission, and by the look on his face, and the twist of his lips, I guessed it was. It hadn’t escaped my notice that he moved with the
smooth grace and precision that spoke of military training, or something similar. My brother was in the military, or at least had been before I had been taken, and I knew that focus and control was everything to him.

  “I gave you my promise,” I whispered, then unable to resist, stretched up onto my tiptoes and laid a gentle kiss on his cheek, his stubble prickly under my lips. “Thank you.”

  He reached up and touched his cheek, the unconscious gesture causing a strange tugging in my chest. “For what?”

  “Everything you’ve done and everything you’re going to do.” It was simple. I trusted him to get Josh out, I didn’t know why—I just did.

  “Then let’s go.”

  Striding up the steps, he shoved open the door, keeping me tucked behind him with his free arm.

  I peered around him, then squinted as my mind struggled to take in what my eyes were seeing. Four of Bert’s men were sprawled on the floor, a fifth fighting with a determination that reeked of desperation, a knife slashing out in front of him, slicing through the air in jagged paths.

  Before him stood a tall man, exceptionally well-built, with white-blond hair. I narrowed my eyes. The man looked like he belonged on the front of a magazine or gracing a catwalk, not in the middle of a fistfight. He also didn’t look bothered by the knife the man furiously jabbed at him, shifting out of the way in smooth measured movements, his expression bored. I sucked in a breath, recognition slamming into me. It was Jacob! Was this all a lie?

  Oliver grabbed me, his brow creased in concern. “What’s the matter?”

  “That’s Jacob.” It was all I could force out, my hand pointing at the man.

  He shook his head sharply. “No. That’s Jason, his twin brother. He’s one of the good guys.”

  Twin? I squinted, trying to get a better look. He looked like exactly Jacob. But did he hold himself a little different, and was his hair was a touch longer? I’d only seen him two or three days ago…