Break Her Fall

by JoAnna Grace

  Her open hostility and bitterness set him aback. This was a part of her he’d never seen. Had that attack affected her that much or was there more going on here? Dear Lord, I do not know how to handle dominant women.

  “Calm down, Amilynn. This isn’t easy for me, okay? I only ask that you act responsibly. They’re teenage boys, for heaven’s sake. Their minds are on one thing and they’re rather impressionable.” He scrubbed a hand down his face.

  “Yeah, wouldn’t want a hooker to rub off on your boys. They might think they can buy a turn. Is that what you’re scared of? Or are you scared I’d let them? Is that what’s going on here? Since I’ll sleep with everyone else, you afraid I don’t draw the line at innocent teenagers?”

  “Oh, for shit’s sake.” He threw his hands up in the air. “Give me some credit. Hell, give yourself some credit. We both know you’re better than that.”

  Ami went on ranting, making outlandish accusations, and throwing a tantrum that would make a toddler proud.

  “That’s enough, Ami.” He closed his eyes and sighed, unbelieving of how this conversation had gone from bad to worse.

  “No. Fuck you, you pretentious old bastard. I don’t have to put up with your judgmental crap. Who the hell do you think you are?”

  Sampson pointed a finger at her. “I’m the man about to throw you over my knee and treat you like a child if you keep acting like one. You’d better watch it, young lady.” His wolf readied for the coming fight, acknowledging the dominance challenge.

  Amilynn saw that opening and pounced, getting right in his face. “Oh, is that how you like it? Maybe it’s not your sons you’re worried about. Bianca not doing it for ya anymore?”

  The wolf within him snarled and raged. No one attacked the sanctity of his marriage, especially not this little twit. It was time to teach her a lesson. Amilynn might be twenty-four and in peak physical condition, but Sampson was over forty with years of experience and training in dealing with young shits like her. Using his canine strength and speed, he whipped Ami’s body around, tugged her arms behind her back, kicked out her feet, and slammed her into the floor. Her face pressed against the tiles. His body mass pinned her to the stone like a professional wrestler. As much as she fought and kicked, she couldn’t move him. Minutes passed and Sampson could feel her slow down. That was too easy.

  He blew out a heavy breath when her bucking stopped. “Are you done, little girl?”

  “I will not submit to you, asshole.” She growled, kicking at his crotch. As he expected, she wasn’t near finished.

  “Yeah, you will. ‘Cause I can stay like this all night. That’s one advantage shifter wolves have over felines; our bodies are heavier where yours are built lighter.”

  “Does this turn you on? Forcing women against their will? Does your wife know what a perverted prick you are?”

  Samson growled in her ear just before his jaws elongated into a partial shift and he bit into the back of her neck, just like a father wolf would do to his pup.

  HOLY SHIT, DID Sampson’s jaws ever hurt.

  Amilynn had pushed him too far. It was one thing to curse him and fight against the discipline he was trying to dish out. It was something entirely different to attack the sacred marriage bed of mates. Sampson was beyond trying to teach her manners. This was true punishment, domination at its rawest form.

  The canine teeth sank into the fabric of her shirt. It was the only thing that kept Sampson from breaking her skin. Damn it all to hell, it hurt like a bitch. She hissed at him but received only a very aggressive growl in return. He bit down harder until Ami thought he was going to break bones. The fabric gave way along with her skin and Ami smelled her own blood.

  Knowing what she had to do and doing it were two different things. Submission was the only thing that would make him stop. The wolf demanded retribution for the insult of his mate. She needed Sampson to stop. He was going to break her neck if she didn’t submit.

  Everything in her rebelled against the idea of submission. But she had to look at the bigger picture. Sampson would continue to hurt her as long as she fought. If he did real damage, the fallout with their families would be hell.

  And what would Ezekiel think? What would he do if he knew his father hurt his mate, or that his mate had deserved it?

  Letting go of her pride, Amilynn relaxed into the floor and gave up the fight. Her cat was outraged that she’d given in to a bloody wolf, but the man had earned it. There was only one other man she’d ever given in to and he’d broken much more than her skin to get the best of her.

  She forced her body to go lax beneath him. Inside, her leopard pinned back her ears, waiting for what this male would do with her submission. Would he take advantage of her weakness like the last man who forced her to cower?

  Sampson’s weight left her back, but Ami stayed on the floor and covered her face with her arms. She was too embarrassed to move. Her bottom lip trembled and the last thing she wanted was to cry. That was simply not acceptable.

  Then Sampson sat down beside her with a heavy oomph and ran a gentle hand down her shoulder and back up to cup her cheek.

  Of all the things she expected—gloating, bragging, berating—his affection broke her.

  Her armor came crashing down and she curled up in his lap and cried.

  With the patience of a father, Sampson held her and let her get it all out. The animal under her skin ate up the release of the negative feelings she’d held in all these years.

  “Let’s get you cleaned up, honey. If the boys smell your blood, I might have to fight them both.”

  Amilynn silently stood and perched on a barstool, using a warm washcloth to clean her face. She couldn’t look at him, still worried he might betray her vulnerability.

  “I guess you’re going to hold this over my head, huh?” she asked with more bravado than she felt. She sniffed and wiped her eyes.

  Sampson tore the shirt away from her neck and cleaned up the bite mark. His brows dipped low on his face and his lips were a thin line. It took him a moment to answer while he cleaned her wound.

  “Nope. In fact, I’ll even give you the chance to get back at me. In a few hours, you’re going to meet me in the gym and we’re going to spar. I shouldn’t have bested you so easily just now. Your emotions got in the way.”

  “I know how to fight,” she said. Her cat surfaced to meet his eyes and punctuated the assurance behind the words.

  “I know you do—against cats and in your cat form. But an old wolf just pinned your butt, honey. We don’t need that happening again.”

  Amilynn nodded. They sat in silence until Sampson finished.

  “Ami, why do you enjoy hanging out with Nate and Tom so much?” he asked softly. “There are dozens if not a hundred single males in the Pack who would love to take you out and have fun on the town. But you choose to hang out with two teenagers and use Martin for sex.” Amilynn’s head popped up. She was about to argue until he held out a steadying hand. “Let’s call a spade a spade. If you had real feelings for him, you’d be in his bed right now.”

  Ami opened her mouth two or three times before she finally figured out what she wanted to say. Why did she like Nate and Tom so much? She’d never been great with kids. Her experience with teenagers was next to nothing. So what was it about the Mirrors that made her relax and enjoy their silliness?

  “The boys, they don’t want anything from me.” Sampson nodded and she continued. “And Martin.” She shrugged. “He knows the limits and he’s fine with that.”

  “You sure? I mean, he’s not one to settle for a surface-level relationship. It seems to me like you’ve found the emotional connection you desire with my boys and the physical connection you need with Martin. Why not find a man who can give you both? Don’t you wonder if your mate isn’t right here in the Pack?”

  He is; he’s your son. Ami looked up at Sampson with the words right on her tongue. They wouldn’t form in her mouth. If Sampson ever found out his oldest son and future alpha was r
esigned to a piece of trash like her for a mate, he would be devastated. She didn’t want to see that disappointment in Sampson’s eyes.

  Instead of letting him see more of her vulnerability, she fell back on her attitude. “Look, you show me a guy that sees more than an easy lay when he looks at me, and I’ll go on a date with him.”

  Sampson met her eyes and quirked a brow. “All right, I’ll take you out.”

  Ami’s mouth nearly hit the floor. “Uh, I, uh.” She cleared her throat. “I’m not the expert on mating, but I’m pretty sure that breaks some fundamental rules.”

  He chuckled, a deep and throaty sound. “That’s your problem, Amilynn. You think every male wants to sleep with you. Parental date nights happen to be a family tradition. Bianca takes the boys out for date nights all the time. And her father did the same with her before we were married. How else will you learn what to expect from a mate if you’ve never been taught?”

  Ami cringed. “It’s not like you enjoy clubbing, and I am not sitting around playing Bingo. What the heck are we going to do?”

  “There’s plenty, smartass. Dinner, movies, theatre, mini-golf; you name it.” Sampson stared at her while she tried to contemplate a platonic date. “Have you ever had an evening with a man that didn’t end in sex?”

  “Of course I have,” she said, giving him a haughty sneer.

  He tilted his head, waiting for a name. Just one name. Surely she could come up with one guy that she hadn’t screwed. Years of random faces, human and shifter, flew through her head.

  Nope. Not one. Each and every male had expected sex and she’d given it.

  That voice in her head, the one she’d run from since she was a teenager, sounded off. Sex is your best weapon, Ami. The closer you can get to someone, the more leverage you have over them. Never say no. She’d obeyed him, hadn’t she? No matter how many times he’d threatened her about being a whore, she still did as she was trained.

  “I’ve never said no. I don’t know if I could. I was taught to use it and I have.” Her jaw ached from clenching so hard.

  A kind hand tilted up her chin and Sampson’s deep brown eyes met hers. “I’m sorry my gender has been so unkind to you. However, you must stop thinking that your body is all you have to offer. Nate and Tom, Ty and Melissa . . . they all talk about how comical you are, what a talented dancer you are. My sons always have stories to share. You have much to offer, Ami, if only you would allow yourself the opportunity.”

  “I’m not like the others, Sampson.” She hugged herself. “I’m not mate material.”

  “No one has ever taught you, child. But I will; Bianca and I will.” He bent down and kissed the top of her head. “Tomorrow morning, we’ll duke it out; tomorrow evening, we’ll date.”

  “You do realize I have authority issues, right?” She scowled, even if she was warming up to him.

  Sampson huffed. “No kidding? You hide it so well.” He grinned as he walked away.

  The smartass old wolf was good to his word. The next morning, Amilynn met him in the gym for an eye-opening round of fighting. She was much faster than he was, but his patience and weight gave him an advantage.

  “I want you to start working with some of the younger soldiers,” Sampson said after she landed a kick to his stomach that sent him to the mats. “If there’s a chance of your Nevada Pride attacking, all the members of the Pack must be prepared.”

  “It’s not my Pride.” Ami snarled at him, her lip curling up on one side.

  Sampson dropped his head. “Poor choice of words on my part. I’m sorry. You’re correct; you’re one of the Pack now.”

  “Not really, which is why I don’t think anyone in your Pack will want to work with me.” Ami stretched her fingers, noting the roughness of her hands, the calluses on her knuckles. As much as she tried to be girly and enjoy frilly things, she was still a warrior at heart.

  “I think you’ll be surprised.” Sampson got back to his feet and wiped the sweat off his brow. She appreciated his good looks, the same good looks that Ezekiel had; black hair with wisps of gray at the temples, straight nose, wide smile, and bright expressive eyes. Sampson’s eyes were brown, not the soft slate blue of Ezekiel’s. That was a trait from Bianca’s side of the family. They were framed with crow’s feet and had the depth of his experiences behind them. No one would put a label on Sampson, but Ami knew he was the Pack’s tracker and executioner. There was a reason people both kissed up to and avoided him.

  “There is an open invitation to Pack members willing to train to show up in the meadow tomorrow morning. Vivian is going to help, but you’re taking point. I imagine more than a few submissives will show up.”

  “Submissives? Are you nuts? I can’t work with submissives.” Ami nearly laughed at his assumptions. Most submissives, male or female, hated dominant females.

  “You’re a good teacher, and they need you.”

  He had officially lost his freaking mind. Oh well, he’d see for himself when no one showed up. The Pack had labeled Ami and Vivian as whores. No one would come.

  “Don’t forget about tonight,” Sampson said as he left the gym. “Bianca wants to help you get ready.”

  “I’m perfectly capable of dressing myself,” Amilynn called out, but received no response.

  That night, she stood in front of the mirror and looked at the dress Bianca had selected. The simple navy blue V-neck went down to her knees. It covered her breasts and didn’t shape her curves the way she preferred, but it was acceptable.

  Bianca clasped a borrowed string of pearls around her neck as a smile stretched across her face. “You look very elegant, Amilynn. I love your hair pulled back like this.”

  “Thanks.” Ami smoothed a hand over her simple ponytail.

  “When I was a teenager, my father took me out on dates. I remember them with great fondness. He wasn’t always the nicest man. His years as alpha were filled with turmoil. But when he took me out, I knew his focus was on me and he always made me feel special.”

  Ami thought about her own alcoholic father, the man who willingly turned her over to a psychopath. He’d only ever made her feel like a tool of negotiation.

  Her stomach was boiling with nerves. She had no idea what to expect. Was this a trick? Were they going to pull the rug at any moment and leave her looking like a fool? When it came down to it, she didn’t know these people, not like she knew Melissa or Conall. Could she trust them?

  Sampson came in, wearing a navy pinstriped shirt and khakis. He nodded his head in approval. “Ready?”

  “I guess so, as long as Bianca signs off.” Ami tugged at the skirt of the dress. It felt weird, right at her knees.

  “You two have fun.” Bianca kissed her husband and then Ami’s cheek. The affection warmed Ami’s heart, but didn’t soothe her nerves.

  Sampson opened her car door and took her to a five-star restaurant, a first for Amilynn. He seated her properly and helped her select a delicious meal. What made her uncomfortable was the way he asked question after question about her interests, her preferences, hobbies she wished she could pursue, and her goals. He wanted to know things she liked about herself, things she disliked.

  The crazy thing was, he acted like he truly cared. Part of her wanted to believe he did. Part of her thought it was impossible. Why would he bother? She had nothing to offer him in return. Yet Sampson laughed at her jokes and listened to the couple of stories she told. The happiest memories she had were in the last couple of years. All the details of her life in Nevada were spared. He didn’t pry and simply accepted whatever she cared to share.

  “Tell me about how you and Bianca got together,” Amilynn said when a decadent dessert was placed before them.

  Sampson smiled, looked off, and shook his head. “Now there’s a story. We were both in college, both determined to get out into the world. I was pursuing my criminal justice degree and working for the Pack’s guard. She was the alpha’s daughter,” he wiggled his brows, “and highly out of my league. Even then, I kn
ew what my wolf was good at: search and destroy. Not to mention that, back then, Kasey fought off the men who even looked at his little sister.”

  “I could see that.” Amilynn smiled. She could absolutely believe Kasey to be the over-protective type.

  “Well, Bianca and I did things backwards from most of our kind. The moment I saw her, I knew she had to be mine, you know?” His smile widened, and the memory made his face light up from within. Here was a man in love with his mate.

  Guilt gnawed at her gut. She’d insulted him the night before. Insulted his mate and their love. God, I’m such a bitch.

  “Our wolves, on the other hand, eh.” He cringed. “Not so much.”

  “Really? I figured you two had a magical moment of angels singing and bells ringing.”

  He laughed, a rich sound that made him seem much younger . . . like his son’s laugh. It stung her heart like a bee, quick and sharp.

  “God, I wish. No, Bianca thought our relationship was doomed because our animals didn’t show any preference to each other. We had three or four dates before Kasey quit giving me the stink eye. We dated for over a year before I finally got the nerve to propose. Man,” he leaned over the table and took a scoop of the chocolate cheesecake, “I was sweating it. Between facing her father and our wolves not meshing even after a year . . .” He blew out a breath. “I just knew she would laugh in my face.”

  “But she didn’t.” Ami wondered what that would be like, to have a man who would pursue her even against all odds.

  But Ezekiel did try, her cat said. And you didn’t make it easy for him.

  Ami shook off the thought and focused on Sampson gushing over how Bianca cried and her father cussed when she said yes.

  “How did you know?” Ami sucked the spoon of cheesecake in her mouth, then used it to accentuate her words by waving it in the air. “If your animals didn’t bond, how did you know the marriage would last? How could you be sure? I’ve heard of people whose wolves mated and they wound up miserable and stuck because the human side of them didn’t bond. How can you be so certain you won’t end up old and shackled to a person you can’t stand?”