I darted my tongue out to lick at her skin, nipping at her collarbone before I trailed kisses down her chest. She panted, her nails digging into my scalp, when I flicked my tongue over her nipple. Moving to the other side, I latched on and drew the pebbled tip into my mouth. She arched her back, pressing it deeper inside as I sucked. My balls drew up tight against my body, and come leaked from the tip of my dick. I needed to get inside her soon, but first I had to make sure she was ready to take me.
I abandoned her breasts to work my way farther down, and she cried out in protest. “Don’t worry, baby. I’m going to make you feel so good,” I murmured against her belly.
“I need—” she mewled, her head thrashing against the pillows.
The mating urge was riding us hard, amping up our passion. Each touch sent her closer to the edge, and I was determined to have my mouth on her pussy when she plunged over it. Wedging my shoulders between her bent knees, I forced them farther apart. My breath caught in my lungs at the sight of her puffy, pink pussy lips glistening with the proof of her need. I slid one of my hands under her ass, and my claws almost burst from my fingertips when I lifted her up and stroked my tongue through her wetness. “Fuck, I’ll never get enough of your taste.”
Her hips jerked up, and she moaned, “Feels so good.”
Flattening my tongue, I licked at her damp flesh. Up and down. Side to side. Circling over her clit. I devoured every inch of her pussy until she was writhing beneath me, her hands fisted in the sheets so hard her knuckles turned white. Reveling in her taste, I feasted on her cream that filled my mouth as her cries echoed in my ears. I ate her through her first orgasm but didn’t let up until she was close to the edge again.
I drew her clit between my lips and sucked as I worked one of my fingers into her tight hole. Her walls clenched around the digit, and more come leaked from my cock. Once she was slippery enough for me to thrust my finger in and out, I added another and scissored them to stretch her pussy so she would be ready for my cock. I twisted my wrist, pulling my hand back until only the tips of my fingers were inside. Then I bit down on her clit as I plunged my fingers back in again. Her pussy clamped down, and she screamed, “Oh, yes! Kace!”
I drank down her juices, waiting until her orgasm was done to give her a final, lingering lick before lifting my head. “Ready for more?”
Her eyes were hazy when her gaze met mine. “I’m ready to feel you moving inside me.”
“You better be, because I’m going to be inside you as often as possible for the rest of our lives.” I kneeled between her legs, wrapping my hand around my cock and stroking up and down as I stared down at my beautiful mate. Lining myself up with her entrance, I rubbed the tip through her wetness and groaned at how fucking amazing her heat felt against my sensitive skin. I kept my gaze on her face, watching her lips part on a gasp as I worked the first two inches inside. The grip of her pussy on the tip of my cock was unlike anything I’d ever imagined. “Holy fuck, baby. You feel incredible.”
“I need more,” she gasped, wiggling her hips.
I knew it was going to hurt no matter how I did this, but I hoped with how wet she was from the two orgasms I’d given her that I’d been able to lessen the pain. Not wanting her to brace herself and risk her feeling my intrusion more than she needed, I bucked my hips forward and tore through her innocence with one powerful thrust. With her eyes squeezed shut and her teeth biting her lip, I held perfectly still until her body relaxed again. “Give me your eyes, baby. I want to see everything you feel while I make you mine.”
Her lids lifted, and there wasn’t a hint of pain in her blue orbs. I slid out of her tight clench and then slowly pushed back in inch by inch. Her legs wrapped around my waist, and her ankles locked together at the base of my spine. She clung to me while I hammered in and out of her. I wanted to take my time with her, but it wasn’t going to be possible this first time. Not with my wolf riding me hard and my dick already close to blowing. “Come for me again, baby. Give me what I need so I can fill you with my come and give you my mark. Let me fully claim you.”
I sunk deep and ground my pelvis against her clit, and she flew apart beneath me. Her pussy spasmed, sending me over the edge right along with her. I pressed her into the mattress, jets of my come filling her pussy to overflowing. The scent of our combined fluids filled my nostrils, and my canines pushed against my gums. “Are you ready for my mark?”
“Yes,” she agreed, turning her cheek into the pillow and baring her neck for me.
I licked over the spot I was going to bite, circling my tongue over her soft skin. Fur brushed against my skin, my wolf close to the surface. “Mine,” I growled before sinking my teeth into her flesh. A surge of power roared through my system, leaving a sense of complete peace in its wake. With my mate’s shoulder baring my mark, my soul was finally complete. Dropping down on the mattress next to Larissa, I pulled her close and crashed my mouth over hers. Her hands gripped the back of my head, and my dick went hard again.
A message from my beta crashed into my head, and I ripped my mouth from hers and groaned “Fuck, baby. The last thing I want to do is leave this bed, but Zeke just let me know there’s trouble.”
She rubbed her cheek against my chest as she tilted her head to look into my eyes. “Huh?”
“Telepathy, remember?” I tapped my temple.
She grinned up at me. “I might’ve jumped right into being your fated mate, but the telepathic message thing is going to take some getting used to.”
That was understandable since it had taken me a bit to get used to hearing my pack members’ voices inside my head when I became alpha.
8
Kace
Zeke and Allegra were waiting for us on the front porch of the pack house. Larissa rushed over to her friend and threw her arms around her while I held my hand out to my beta. “How bad is it?”
“It could be worse.” Zeke shrugged his shoulders as he shook my hand. “But it could also be better since this grumbling shouldn’t have started in the first place.”
“How many of them listened to Heather’s bullshit?” I asked as Larrisa sidled up next to me.
She tilted her head back to look up at me. “Can’t you just use telepathy to find out?”
“Telepathy?” Allegra gasped, her eyes going wide with shock before she turned to glare at Zeke. “I think you skipped a part of my shifter education. Have you been able to read my mind this whole time?”
“Whole time?” Larissa giggled, leaning into my side. “You’ve only known him for like twenty-four hours.”
“Like you can talk,” Allegra snorted, jerking her thumb in my direction. “You’ve known him for way less than that.”
Larissa nodded. “Yeah, that’s fair.”
Acutely aware of the fact that my pack was waiting inside for us, I interjected, “To answer the original question before you two completely lose track of this conversation...I never use my telepathic skill against pack members unless someone’s life hangs in the balance. It would be a violation of their privacy, and I wouldn’t do that to people who trust me.”
“You’re such a good man.” Larissa went up on her toes to press a kiss to my cheek.
Zeke nodded. “That’s a big part of why he’s the alpha.”
“I’m not too good to crack some heads together when needed, something certain pack members apparently need a reminder of,” I growled, and my wolf raked his claws at the thought of anyone talking shit about our mate—let alone someone who should’ve had her back since she was mine. “Thanks for getting everyone here for the meeting. I won’t let this shit fester and destroy us from the inside out.”
“Whatever you need, I’ve got your back,” Zeke promised.
“No, we’ve got your back,” Allegra corrected with a grin. “My ride or die status with Larissa goes for you too now.”
“Although it goes without saying, I have your back, too,” Larissa added, lacing her fingers through mine. “So let’s get in there and face
whatever’s waiting for us like the team that we are.”
From the day I’d taken over the role as alpha—hell, even before then—I’d been confident in my ability to lead. But I’d never felt more invincible than I did while walking into the pack house with my mate at my side. Heads turned our way as we strode through the room. I led her to the big, stone fireplace and turned to face my pack. Holding our hands in the air, I announced, “This is Larissa, my fated mate. Every one of you should already be well aware of this, but I expect you to treat her with the same respect you would me.”
There were a lot of confused expressions and nods, with the exception of six people who looked less than thrilled to be here. Heather—the instigator of this drama—was sitting with Luke and their parents to my left, but I decided to focus on the two unhappy pack members on the other side of the room first since the reason behind their animosity was at least semi-understandable. “Damon, Cason...I get why you’d have concerns about Larissa after what happened with your brother’s mate. Fate dealt Aaron a shit hand.”
“From where I’m sitting, I’m not sure she did you any favors either,” Damon grumbled. “You’re the strongest shifter in the pack, but who knows what your kids will be like with a human for a mom. And that’s if she even sticks around that long.”
“I’m cutting you a very small amount of slack because I know you’re hurting over your brother going lone wolf after the woman who should’ve been his mate turned out to be more interested in money than happiness,” I growled, my hands fisting at my sides. “It fucking sucks that she decided she’d rather marry a rich guy she had zero feelings for instead of mating the only man she’d ever desire. But I won’t stand for you punishing Larissa for that bitch’s mistakes.”
“Dude, that’s all kinds of fucked up,” Allegra muttered, shaking her head. “Larissa would never do something like that. She’s ridiculously loyal to the people in her life. Like to the point I could call her in the middle of the night to ask for help after murdering someone, and she’d show up with plastic sheeting and a shovel to bury the body and a carton of ice cream and wine to help me feel better.”
“Nah, I’d bring nitric acid to dissolve the body,” Larissa corrected with a grin. “I wouldn’t want to run the risk of getting caught while we moved the body.”
Cason elbowed his younger brother in the side. “We may have overreacted. She seems very different from Karen.”
“Of course, she’s fucking different,” Zeke barked, moving to stand in front of Larissa and me. Going down to one knee, he added, “Without knowing anything about shifters, she accepted our alpha’s mark within an hour of meeting him. She’s honored our ways and deserves our respect.”
Luke crossed the room to kneel beside Zeke. “I know I’m not your third, but Tane isn’t here to speak for himself. If he were, I have no doubt he’d be pissed as fuck. Anyone who wants to judge our alpha’s mate for being human also condemns his mom.”
“Fuck, he’s right,” Damon sighed, scrubbing his hands down his face before sliding off his chair to kneel on the floor. “I’m sorry, alpha. I should’ve kept my mouth shut about your mate and waited to form an opinion about her after we’d met. What happened with Aaron fucked with my head more than I realized.”
The rest of the room followed suit, kneeling and welcoming Larissa to our pack. There was one glaring exception—the girl who’d started the trouble in the first place. Heather pouted and mumbled, “I can’t believe they’re just giving in like this.”
“Who the fuck are you to question fate? To question me?” I roared, waiting until all eyes were on me to continue. “Heather is young and spoiled. It could be argued she doesn’t know any better than to run her mouth off about my mating.” I met her father’s gaze, wanting him to see the depth of my fury so he didn’t do something stupid like try to save his daughter from a well-deserved punishment. “Except there would be a glaring fault in that claim—we learn as cubs that fated mates are sacred. Even the youngest among us should know better than to try to cause trouble between any fated mate pairing, let alone their alpha and his mate.”
“I-I…” Heather sputtered, her eyes going wide.
“On your knees!” I yelled, stalking across the room. As I drew close, her mom reached back and pulled her off the couch. My wolf was close to the surface, demanding I annihilate the girl who’d caused trouble for our mate. “The day you were born, I vowed to protect you as a member of our pack. When I became alpha, I promised to defend all of the shifters who accepted me as their leader, including you. But neither of those oaths supersede the one I made to my fated mate today. Anyone who cannot accept her has no place in my pack.”
“No, you can’t mean it,” Heather gasped, shaking her head as tears started to stream down her cheeks.
“It’s no excuse, but she always had a bit of a schoolgirl crush on Aaron,” her mom explained. “After he saved her from drowning in the river when she was ten, she thought he hung the moon. She was devastated when he left the pack to roam on his own.”
“That’s no excuse for causing trouble for my mate. Larissa has done nothing to deserve this bullshit,” I bit out.
“You’re right,” Heather’s dad agreed. “Regardless of the reason, my daughter fucked up. Her actions have cast a shadow on a day that should’ve been filled with nothing but happiness for you and your mate. I’m sorry.”
Larissa came up behind me, and the press of her hand against my back soothed my inner beast in a way nothing else could. “You’re not the one who owes the apology, and it’s not me who it should be directed at.”
When he turned to his daughter, the disappointment was clear in her daddy’s eyes as he said, “Our alpha is right again.”
“But Daddy, I was only—”
He held his hand up to stem the flow of words. “I don’t want to hear it. You’ll apologize to the alpha’s mate and accept whatever punishment he deems fair. No matter how bad it is.”
“Even if he kicks me out of the pack?” Heather whispered, dropping her head to stare at her hands as they twisted together.
Her mom sniffled and patted her back. “If that’s what the alpha wants, then yes. But your dad and I will go with you.”
“What about Luke?” she wailed. “Would I never see him again if he stays?”
“Your brother is a man now. He’s worked for his place in this pack. We can’t ask him to give that up because of your mistake,” her dad answered.
Larissa moved to my side and tugged on my sleeve. When my gaze met hers, she offered me a gentle smile. “I’m not familiar with how pack life works yet, but surely there’s a fair punishment that wouldn’t tear their family apart?”
I considered her question for a moment before nodding. Not pleased that I wasn’t going to allow him to rip someone’s throat out, my wolf slunked off to brood inside my head as I announced, “Since my mate is willing to be gracious even though Heather has done nothing to deserve it, her punishment is to take a short-term transfer to another pack where she’ll do community service directed by the alpha until he feels she’s matured enough to come back to us without causing any more trouble. If Heather behaves and gets serious about growing up, she won’t have to be gone long. But if she fucks around and wastes this opportunity, it’s going to be a hell of a long time before she can come back to Timber Ridge.”
Her father’s shoulders straightened as he lifted his head to look me in the eyes as he said, “Thank you so much, alpha.” His gaze slid to where Larissa stood at my side, and he added, “And for your mercy. I’ll never forget what you’ve done for my daughter.”
My beautiful mate’s cheeks blushed pink. “I didn’t really do anything.”
“You did more than you realize.” He jerked his chin at me. “No matter how much I love my daughter, I know how hard his wolf must’ve been riding him to avenge his mate.”
Larissa’s forehead wrinkled. “But she didn’t actually do anything except cause a little trouble by talking trash.”
“It doesn’t matter how small the infraction was, you don’t mess with an alpha’s mate without risking death,” he explained before dragging his daughter away with his mate following behind, Luke’s arm wrapped around her waist.
The rest of the pack came up to offer their congratulations before leaving. After everyone filed out of the building, Zeke clapped me on the back. “At least you won’t be so damn grouchy anymore.”
“I wasn’t grouchy,” I disagreed with a scowl. “I was fucking pissed, and rightfully so.”
“Not about that, man.” He wrapped his arm around Allegra and grinned. “The girls moved into the dorm in August, so it had to have been the faintest trace of Larissa that was making your wolf edgy these past couple of months.”
“Damn, I wish I’d realized what was going on with him sooner,” I muttered.
“Instead of waiting for her to show up across the street at my house after I found my mate all on my own?” Zeke teased.
“Only because I sent you to Stewart,” I reminded him.
“Okay, boys. That’s enough.” Larissa tugged on my arm. “We should get back to your place. Now that I’ve gained acceptance from your pack, it’s time for you to try to do the same with my dad.”
9
Larissa
My big, bad alpha wolf looked uncharacteristically nervous about meeting my dad. “You do realize my dad’s bite is way less scary than yours since he can’t shift into anything, right? All human teeth, nothing for you to worry about,” I teased, cuddling into his side as he opened the laptop on the coffee table in front of us. I pointed at the screen and added, “It’s not as though he can reach through the computer to get to you, anyway.”
“Let’s get this over with so I can get you back where you belong...in our bed,” Kace grumbled.
Getting turned on before talking to my dad sounded like a really bad idea, so I did my best to ignore the sexy beast sitting next to me and leaned over to start the video chat with my dad. He accepted on the first ring. “Hey, sweetie. I didn’t expect to hear from you so soon after dropping you off at school. Everything okay?”
Her Alpha Page 4
