by Afton Locke
He watched Lara, waiting at the front door. Would he lose her, too? The house and land were mere things, he told himself. As long as he kept his mate, things didn’t matter.
Drew planned to give him an impossible test, one he knew Ogden would fail. In a way, finally getting the burden of his secret off his shoulders was a relief. No more living in fear of taking the wrong step.
Gazing at the Black Hills spruce at the edge of his yard, he wondered why people couldn’t be like trees, rooted to one spot their entire lives. He joined her at the front door and unlocked it. Touching the wood, he realized his home was made of trees, which had previous homes. Maybe nothing was meant to stay rooted forever.
“Guess we ought to enjoy the cabin while we can. Looks like we’re both homeless.”
She kissed his cheek after they went inside. “It’s almost laughable, isn’t it?”
The sensation of her gentle breath on his face short-circuited his ability to speak. He needed her under him, naked and vulnerable. Blood flowed to his cock, making it eager to mate. But the thought of her seeing him fail tonight, along with the entire town, wilted his passion.
To his surprise, Lara dropped to her knees in front of him and unzipped his jeans. The blood heading away from his privates did a U-turn.
“Mind telling me what you’re doing?” he asked.
“Training you for your test, my Dominant.”
“Are you sure?” Her past slipped between them, cooling his blood. “Oral sex isn’t exactly your favorite thing, is it?”
“It will be, with you.”
In seconds, her skillful hands enveloped his naked flesh. He groaned when her pink tongue traced the vein on the underside of his shaft. Then it swirled over the head, building a fire big enough to burn down the whole mill. The tight, red tank top she wore added even more kindling as he gazed at the rounded swells of her breasts.
“Take me into your mouth. All of me,” he ordered.
“Yes,” she whispered.
His breath caught as she pulled inch after inch of him through her slick lips. They felt even hotter and wetter than her cunt. He gazed down at her bent head. Dark, glossy hair cascaded over her shoulders. Light from the window reflected on her red streak—the hell-raising streak that drove off and left him in Yellowstone.
She looked so different now, eagerly sucking his cock. So…submissive. He hardly believed his eyes. His chest filled with pride and dominance. Unable to hold back, he thrust into her mouth, again and again. She answered with a strangled groan, but she also dug her nails into his jean-clad buttocks.
He was in charge. And it felt so…fucking…good.
He growled with pleasure, finding the harder he lunged, the deeper she sucked. They escalated their dance until he was roaring and she was taking him all the way into her throat. Never let this end.
The cloak of dominance he’d fought off most of his life wrapped around his shoulders. For the first time since today’s conference, he was glad he’d spoken up. To think he’d lived in fear so long for nothing. Regardless, he’d never go back to being Ogden Woods, the town wimp.
Daring to push her further, he wound his hands in her thick hair. She didn’t object, so he tightened his grip, forcing her mouth exactly where he wanted it.
“Okay?” he asked.
“Mmm,” she replied, scratching a nail over the base of his scrotum.
“I-I’m going to come. Swallow…everything.”
His grip on her hair tightened as she took his throbbing length to the hilt. Hot fireworks danced in his veins, waiting for the signal to go off. A feather swirled deep in his belly, tickling the fuse. She ran another fingernail over his balls. Deeper this time, scoring the tight flesh.
The fireworks lit. Exploded. He shouted his release so loud it echoed from the wooden beams overhead. His fingers pulled her hair. Released. With a primitive roar, he shot every drop of essence he had onto his woman’s tongue.
Spent, his cock slipped out of Lara’s mouth. Finally, his wobbling legs gave out, and he dropped to his knees. He clutched both sides of her face. Her lips were red and swollen. She even had a bit of his seed in her hair. What had he done to her?
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, stroking her face, cleaning it. “I lost control.”
“It’s okay.” Her lashes lowered. “Being submissive was very hard for me, but I know you needed it for tonight.”
“Thank you. I hope the process wasn’t too awful.”
Her luminous gray eyes lit up. “Are you kidding? I loved it. Can’t wait to be dominated again.”
“Don’t tempt me. I’ve got some rope in the mill.”
“Okay, don’t push your luck,” she said, grinning.
“Marry me.”
Her smile vanished. “What?”
“You heard me. Home or homeless, you’re my mate. I want to make it official.”
“Let’s get through tonight first.”
He traced a finger under her chin. “I think it will help. Make me look more established.”
“Is it the reason you’re doing it?”
“No! I’m doing it because I love you.”
“I love you, too. And, yes, if you think you can handle me, you’re more than welcome to marry me.”
His entire body jolted with sudden joy. He helped her to her feet and threw his arms around her. Was this sexy, red-streaked hell-wolf finally all his?
She grabbed his hand and tugged. “Come on.”
Being in charge of her hadn’t lasted long.
“Where are we going?”
“Outside. I’m going to make you shift until you get it right or sick to your stomach—whichever happens first.”
Ogden tucked himself into his jeans. Why bother cleaning up yet? Feeling primitive and messy might help him shift. He loved how Lara had taken every bit of his seed. Even more, she seemed in no hurry to wash off the evidence of his marking her as his.
He followed her into the woods. Good idea. Here, they’d have more privacy in case someone stopped by. Shifting in the middle of the day wasn’t exactly popular.
She rolled up her sleeves. “All right. Let your joints loosen up. You have to get into the Wolf mindset and imagine you’re already in wolf form.”
“You’re not telling me anything I don’t know,” he said with a sigh.
“And lose the attitude.”
She circled him as if she were a drill sergeant. A shaft of sunlight sparkled on her red streak. She’d definitely be a handful of a wife. He wouldn’t have it any other way.
“On my count,” she said clapping. “Do it better than you did in Wyoming when your life depended on it.”
Ogden’s nostrils flared with distaste. He’d rather saw off his toes than shift. Transforming into an animal was the most miserable thing he’d ever experienced. If she wouldn’t quit until he got sick to his stomach, she might not have too long to wait.
“You’re not even trying.” She glared at him. “Observe.”
She shifted before his eyes. The transformation happened so fast, it resembled a blur of fur and fangs. Facing him on four legs, she growled and raised her hackles. He didn’t like his mate growling at him. Not one damn bit.
Unbidden, a growl sprang from his own throat. A tickling sensation, similar to the pre-ejaculatory one he’d experienced earlier, flickered down his limbs. His body ached to shift, but to his surprise, it waited like a well-trained dog.
Clearly impatient, Lara grabbed a mouthful of his pants leg in her jaws and tugged. Anger raced down his spine. More sunlight spotlighted her red streak. The pretty Wolf was begging for a fight, and he wanted nothing more than to give it to her.
He jumped toward her, giving the shift in him full reign. The resulting explosion of flesh and bone snatched his breath away, but it didn’t hurt as much this time. In fact, he shifted midair as he leaped. By the time his feet contacted the ground, they were paws.
She yipped with encouragement and ran away from him before he could catch her. H
er bushy tail waved high in the air like a flag. The ground was uneven and littered with sticks and rocks, but he ate it up with long strides.
In minutes, his jaws nipped her haunch, letting her know who was boss now. She turned and snarled at him. They wrestled, rolling over and over each other in a blur of fur. This was fun! He could do it all day instead of working.
For the first time in his adult life, his wolfish hide finally fit him like a custom-made glove.
She shifted mid roll. He had to lift his head to avoid nicking her delicate skin with his fangs. The shift back to human rolled through him with even more ease than the lupine one had. Even better, all his clothes were back on and in the right place.
“Excellent job!” She rewarded him with a big kiss. “Keep it up and we might have time to make love before tonight.”
He couldn’t think of better motivation.
“The process was so much easier this time.” He shook his head. “I can’t believe it.”
She looked into his eyes. “I can. You’ve finally accepted your Dominant status.”
Sitting open legged on the bed of pine needles, he gazed at the evergreen boughs overhead. Maybe he could keep his home after all.
“Then Drew’s test is in the bag,” he declared. “Let’s go make love.”
She stood, resembling a drill sergeant again. “We’re not stopping until it’s perfect. You’ll be nervous tonight, so it’ll be harder.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Let the test be over soon. He was anxious to start the rest of his life and needed to know how things would be.
***
The field behind the conference hall was the perfect Wolf playground, Lara realized. Bordered by heavy forest, it provided hills, boulders, and trees of all sizes. Three-quarters of a waxing moon shone overhead, which should help matters.
“Here goes,” Ogden said as they got out of his truck.
Dressed in narrow black jeans and a western shirt of vibrant turquoise, he was barely recognizable. They’d bought the clothes at a western store on the way back from Yellowstone, and she felt equally strange in her new black dress with a flounced skirt.
She put her arm around him. “Stop looking so pale. After today’s practice, you’re golden.”
The round patio tables behind the building held beer bottles ranging from empty and knocked over to full and sweating with condensation. Beer and feisty wolves—not a great combination.
While a few shifters drank and chatted in human form, the majority of the crowd was four legged.
“Looks like a party,” she said.
“We have a full-moon celebration here every month. I guess they started early.”
“How did you handle those?”
“Most of the time, I used the excuse of having too much work to attend.” Ogden pointed to a large, dark Wolf. “That’s Drew.”
She squeezed his hand. “Shall we suit up?”
“I’d sure rather do it in the shadows than in front of everyone, but I bet he has a different plan.”
They wandered to the large cooler and pulled out two beers. Before long, Drew and the other Dominants shifted and joined them.
“Welcome to the party,” Drew told them both. “Glad you could make it.”
As if they’d miss it? How long would the fake politeness last before the claws emerged? The concentration of so many shifters in one place filled the air with electrified tension. It was as if a million high-voltage power lines stretched overhead. It raised the hairs on the back of Lara’s neck, making her want to shift. She took a big swallow of cold beer to blunt the sensation.
Would she be able to stand back and let Ogden do his thing? She supposed it depended on how hard they planned to push him.
To her surprise, a thin Wolf with spiky, dirty-blonde hair sidled over to her and put his arm around her.
Her stomach lurched. The unwelcome advance sent her straight back to Tyler’s couch. She wished she’d worn a shirt and pants. The dumb dress made her feel defenseless.
“You’re looking sexy tonight. Lara, is it?”
Ogden’s eyes flashed, and he rubbed his chin hard enough to scrape the skin off.
“That’s Mrs. Woods to you,” she said, removing the man’s arm as she stepped away.
“You heard her, Cliff,” Ogden said.
Cliff—whoever he was—still eyed her with wolfish lust. What was going on? Did the moon give the men in this pack raging erections?
“Mrs. Woods?” Drew frowned and cocked his head. “When did you marry?”
What? Did they need permission from him? Or did he perform the ceremonies? And she thought her pack was weird.
“We’re engaged,” Ogden clarified. “We haven’t set a date yet.”
Cliff took a swig of beer and approached her again, letting his gaze linger in places it shouldn’t. If she had to endure much more of this, she’d knee him in the nuts before the night ended.
Drew stood back a little, arms crossed, watching everything as if he were a spectator at a sporting event. Some leader. Shouldn’t he reprimand this unruly man instead?
“What do you think, boys? I say she’s fair game until they tie the knot.” Cliff patted Ogden on the head. “Maybe even afterward.”
Her red streak burned so hot it was as if her entire scalp had burst into flames. She dragged her nails through it to keep her emotions in check.
Next, the rogue pinched her on the butt. “Maybe I can help you celebrate the wedding night. Keep the little lady satisfied.”
The man’s unwanted touch shredded her very soul. The callous exterior she used when seducing men for her cause had shattered the night her mate was shot. She would rather die than feel Tyler Brooks’s disgusting lips on her again. Her eyes flooded with hot tears, but she refused to let them fall.
What if she’d never met Ogden and learned what love was? She’d surely be dead by now. The night with cold-blooded Brooks would have killed her—physically, like her mother, or in spirit.
“Bitch has the roundest ass I’ve ever seen,” Cliff said. “No wonder Woods has kept her all to himself.”
Please, let this be over soon. Ogden had been right when he’d once called her a whore, but she wanted to retire, once and for all. A tear escaped and slid down her cheek.
“Enough.” Ogden looked at Drew. “I don’t like this test. Take my house and the mill! They’re not worth putting her through any more of this.”
“But—” Drew interjected.
She raised her hand in the air. “No, it’s all right.”
“Hey, she’s not objecting,” Cliff added, leering at her. “You want some more, sugar?”
That does it! She drew her hand back, ready to slug the sleazy asshole, but Ogden’s steely grip caught her wrist and held it fast. A warning growl rumbled in his throat.
“You have no right to say those things to my mate.” Breathing hard, he glared at Cliff. “And you sure as hell don’t have permission to touch her. Apologize!”
“I’m not going to waste my breath apologizing to a pussy-whipped Omega,” Cliff sneered.
Lara shot a worried glance at Ogden. The jerk was deliberately trying to bait him into an excruciating, half-baked shift. When he lay, agonized, on the ground, the pack would probably kick him and say they’d known he wasn’t Dominant material all along. The battle would be lost.
“Cliff, you’re way out of line,” Drew finally said. “Need I remind you your acceptance back into this pack is provisional?”
The thin man jabbed a thumb toward Ogden. “What about him? Why should he get the red carpet treatment?”
“Because he’s been a hard worker in this community his whole life.”
“He also hid out like some scared rabbit,” Cliff shot back.
Drew took a deep breath. “It seems you’ve hid something as well—your true, vile nature.”
Lara’s brow knit with confusion. Hadn’t Drew planned Cliff’s confrontation as part of his test? Was there a test at all?
She watched Ogden, willing him with her mind to fight the shift. Too late. Gray fur shot down his arms, and gleaming white fangs, longer than ever, cascaded over his lips. As he had earlier today with her, he shifted mid leap. His front paws struck Cliff square in the chest, knocking him down. Drew had to limp out of the way to avoid falling, too. Somewhere, a woman screamed, and her own shift could be held off no longer.
The resulting melee was a blur of claws, fangs, and a flying beer bottle or two. All in Wolf form, they bounded into the field, yipping and snapping their jaws at each other. Clods of dirt flew up under their paws. The scent of pissed-off wolves bypassed her brain and shot straight to her muscles.
Drew, still observing, ran with them but stayed out of the line of fire. Without her human inhibitions to stop her, Lara lit into Cliff, doing her best to sink her teeth into his flanks. As she scrambled over stray rocks, a remnant of the bloodlust threatened to sweep through her again. Maybe she should retreat and shift before she ruined everything for Ogden.
But she didn’t have to decide. Before long, he pushed her aside with a warning growl. What the hell? Where did he get off telling her what to do? Then she remembered he was a Dominant and she wasn’t. At least not in this pack. She had no idea where she stood here. Obeying her mate would make him look good, so she whimpered and lowered her tail.
From the sidelines, she got to observe him. What a sexy, gray Wolf! With his shifting process now perfected, he was a magnificent animal. His body was sturdy and muscular, and his fur was so thick and healthy the moon glittered on each strand. She couldn’t believe he was her mate and soon to be her husband. If they made it through tonight, a promising future would be theirs.
Cliff toppled under Ogden’s snapping jaws, rolling onto his back with his pale belly exposed. But he sprang to his feet again. Ogden finally bowled the Wolf’s body over with a running leap. He had to lock his jaws around the other’s throat to get submission.
