by Maren Smith
Now that the moment had come, now that he said ours, it didn’t seem like such a fairytale.
It felt really freaking scary.
I didn’t know these guys from Adam, and they were here to claim me and take me back to their pack. Maybe I’d been hanging around too many human females, but it suddenly seemed like a medieval arranged marriage.
Slowly, I shook my head. “I think you’re mistaken.” I tried to dismount from Gibson’s lap.
He let me get to my feet but caught my hand. “Like I said, don’t be scared, babygirl. What’s your name?”
“Shelby.”
“Shelby,” Ben murmured, as if savouring the sound.
“Come here, little she-wolf.” To my shock, Ben tugged me over both their laps, face down, and flipped up my skirt. “We all know you wanted that spanking.”
Not gonna lie. I definitely wanted the spanking. Their thighs were rock hard beneath me and, thankfully, I was sprawled across them enough, so I didn’t touch the dirty floor.
I felt Gibson’s fingers hook into my g-string.
“Bad girls get spankings bare,” he growled.
“My ass is bare,” I grated out.
“Bare… completely,” Ben added, when my panties settled just above my knees.
My pussy clenched at their words. And actions. Fuck.
“You called me Daddy when you brought me here. Time to make it official, babygirl.” Gibson’s hand cracked down on my bare ass, and I was grateful for the music pumping loud enough to muffle it. He squeezed a rough handful of my ass, showing me it belonged to him. I wasn’t sure if this was just a joke or if he really got off on domination, but my wolf didn’t give a flying F. I gushed arousal, squirming over their muscled thighs.
“And it’s your lucky day because you just got yourself two daddies to keep you in line,” Ben added, pulling my wrists behind my back, even though I wasn’t fighting them or trying to cover. The act of being loosely restrained made me even hotter.
I let out a shaky breath right before Gibson started spanking in earnest, smacking me to the beat of the music, which meant fast and hard.
“Naughty little she-wolf. Showing what belongs to us to all those humans down there.”
I bucked under his hand, lifting my ass to meet it. Every crack fell sharp and satisfying. I was a shifter, so pain was transient. It hurt, but in a good way. A wonderful, hot, smarting way.
I writhed over their laps in ecstasy as Ben reached for one of my nipples, so he could pinch and squeeze it.
I moaned. Two sets of hands on me at the same time. Not gentle, but telling me without words how things would be with them.
Gibson stopped spanking me long enough to slide his fingers into my heat. I hollowed my back, pushing my ass up to take him deeper. I was so wet those digits slid right in. My body wasn’t my own—I’d never felt my lady parts that way—so swollen and slick, dripping with juices. I’d never heard the wanton sounds come from my mouth. The two men continued to work me, Ben giving my breasts more attention than they’d ever received while Gibson alternately spanked and fingered me.
Maybe it was their technique. Maybe it was just their scent calling to my inner wolf. Either way, it didn’t take me long before I hurtled into my second orgasm, and this one was far more satisfying. My pussy clenched around Gibson’s fingers, squeezing and pulsing as his thumb found my back pucker and massaged it. I bucked on his lap, alternately rocking to take him deeper and pushing my ass up to experience the new anal stimulation. If there were two of them, that meant that one of them would—
Waves of pleasure rolled through me, each one stronger than the last. Sparks danced before my eyes. I’d never come like that before, and their dicks were still in their pants.
As it ebbed, reality came pouring in. These two strangers were my mates. They were here to claim me. I started clawing to get off them again, terrified at the pleasure they’d wrung from me. If they could make me lose myself like that from just a little play, then I was in big trouble. I was screwed.
Because I knew I was going to end up leaving with these guys, not just leaving Hoedown, but leaving Cooper Valley. And I couldn’t.
I absolutely couldn’t.
There was a reason I was showing my rack off at the strip club in the next town down the highway, and my leaving Montana wouldn’t make it go away.
It would make it worse.
Chapter Three
GIBSON
“That’s it, baby.” Ben praised our mate, massaging the back of her head to calm her.
She was skittish as hell, and that bothered me. We’d come on too strong.
The aggression produced by seeing our unclaimed mate half naked in front of a room full of men had made us too possessive. Too demanding.
I’d dreamed of finding my mate all my life. I’d given up in the past few years, but when Ben had said he thought he might have found her but never met her… fuck, had I been skeptical. Doubtful enough that I’d waited months to find out for sure. Ben had gone off on a job for the Shifter Council. I’d been kept busy as alpha. When Ben had returned, as sure as ever that our mate might be in Cooper Valley, Montana, we didn’t wait a second longer.
As soon as we found her scent there at the gas station, I knew just as strongly as Ben. It was hers. Our mate’s. We’d had to follow it… straight to a fucking titty bar. To a she-wolf who was sharing the sight of her body with anyone pulling off the highway and coming in for a look. The only males who should be getting off at the sight of her tight body were her mates. Me and Ben.
That’s why her ass was a pretty shade of pink. That’s why we made her come across our laps. We’d mete out punishment and pleasure in equal measure. If her choice of a performance outfit was any indication, she was looking for someone to take her in hand. Lucky for her, she’d have two someones to do just that.
While I was certain Shelby recognized us as her mates, she was pretty damn far from accepting that fact. We hadn’t expected to find our mate in a strip club. I figured she felt the exact same way.
In fact, I was certain she was still thinking about bolting. Oh, we’d get the hell out of here—but together. I glanced at Ben, who nodded his agreement. We helped her, so she stood between us, her little white panties taut around her thighs. My dick dripped pre-cum at the sight. The scent of her arousal was heady and potent, and it coated my fingers. My wolf wanted me to tug open my pants, spin her about and fuck her right down onto me. Here. Now.
That wasn’t happening. Not in the back room of a strip club. No fucking way. My dick and my wolf had no say on when.
Ben stroked her long hair back from her face as I took in her flushed cheeks. Her eyes were wild, and her tits practically bounced with her nervous pants of breath. She might have just come all over my hand, but it hadn’t calmed her.
“Shh,” I crooned, pulling the two halves of her miniscule blouse together as much as possible. While the lush inner swells were visible, at least her nipples were covered. “Everything’s okay, babygirl.”
“You’re leaving with us,” I said.
She shook her head. “I… just met you. Mates or not, you’re strangers. I’m not going to Wyoming with you.”
“Not to Wyoming. To your place.” I filled both my hands with her firm ass and squeezed. Damn, she felt good. “Did you think that was the only orgasm we’d give you? No, sweet thing. We’re going to need to pleasure you all night.”
Her warm brown eyes changed to amber, and she drank in our scent with a slow pull through her nostrils. She couldn't ignore biology—the undeniable sexual pull between us—any more than we could. Going to her place would make her more comfortable.
No matter how much I wanted her in my house on my pack’s land, we weren’t doing the drive tonight. Probably not even tomorrow. We’d give her time because she needed it. And we needed to find out why the fuck she stripped. She might be running hot for us, but I doubted she was strutting on stage because she was an exhibitionist. No, the way she just subm
itted to us, I had a feeling she really did want to call us Daddy. Our girl had a reason for being here, and whatever it was, we’d take care of it. It was our job now to take care of her.
“I have another set.” She glanced toward the door.
Ben stood, stroked her hair once more. “I’ll take care of it.”
“The only stripping you’ll be doing from now on is for us.”
I saw uneasiness in the shift of her jaw. It seemed she knew better than to argue with us, but it didn’t sit well with her.
“Time to go.”
Reaching down, she started to pull her panties back up.
I clucked my tongue and stopped her motion with my hand then took over the task, but instead of lifting them, I worked them down her legs. “No panties for you. I want you bare and ready for me. Lift your foot. Good girl. Now the other.”
She complied, and I stood. Tucking the damp scrap into my pocket, I took her hand and led her through the club for the last time.
Chapter Four
SHELBY
We’re going to need to pleasure you all night.
I couldn’t deny the surge of lust I’d experienced at hearing those words. I’d been incapable of refusing the offer.
Although... it had been less an offer than a demand, and perhaps, that was the reason right there I was nervous.
“Star, you okay?” Roscoe demanded, stalking away from Ben who’d probably just told him some macho bullshit about me quitting. A growl rumbled from Gibson at my stage name.
“I’m fine, but I do have to go.” I held up a hand to try to ward off his concern and his approach. The last thing I needed here was an altercation between two hormonally-challenged wolves defending their unclaimed mate and the strip club owner and his bouncers.
I put a hand on Gibson’s chest and went up on my tiptoes to whisper although he didn’t need me to do that to hear, even with the music blaring. “You two make a scene, and I’m not going anywhere with you,” I warned, even though we both knew they could toss me over a shoulder and carry me off.
That was the part that freaked me out.
Meeting them here—away from others like us—meant they had no one to vouch for them. Especially being from another pack. Clint had outed himself as an enforcer last fall, his job to protect shifters was a stark reminder that there were rogues around. When I walked out the doors, I had no one to protect me from them if required.
When Gibson looked troubled at my words, I relaxed slightly. He took my threat seriously. Or took me seriously, anyway.
He tucked an arm around my waist and made an attempt at dropping his scowl. “We’re sorry for the inconvenience, but Star won’t be returning.”
“Are you safe with these guys?” Roscoe demanded. All things considered, he was a decent guy.
I swallowed. I should be safe with them. As their mate, they would be hard-wired to protect and provide for me. That didn’t mean they wouldn't be high-handed assholes while doing so. After all, they’d just informed me and my boss I was out of a job. Not to mention spanked my butt pink over having it out in the first place. Of course, I'd enjoyed the heck out of that.
And that thought got my bare pussy wet. Wetter.
Gibson’s nostrils flared as if he scented my arousal.
“Yeah,” I managed to say, sounding slightly out of breath. “They’re safe.”
Roscoe didn’t look convinced, so I flashed an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry. I’ll just get my stuff.”
“You bail, I’m not fucking paying you for tonight’s shift,” Roscoe snapped.
“Don’t talk to her that—” Ben began, but Gibson cut in. “Not a problem.”
Not a problem for him. I doubted he had bills he couldn't pay. I needed the cash, but I also didn’t think they were going to let me get back up on the stage without a bar brawl.
“I’ll go clean out my locker,” I said quickly, escaping to the ladies’ room which also served as a very lame dressing area for the dancers at Hoedown.
I didn’t bother to change my clothes, not caring to examine if it was because I didn’t want to put on a new pair of panties after my oh-so-dominant new mate had stripped off the last ones and commanded I remain bare. I couldn’t help it if obedience was in my nature. I grabbed my purse and clothing bag from my locker and met Ben and Gibson at the door.
Gibson took my hand in his large one and tugged me outside. There, he turned me to face him, set his hands gently on my shoulders. “Don’t be scared, kitten. We’re going to take good care of you.”
I didn’t answer. I was sure he believed that, but good care could be interpreted in many different ways. What if we had different definitions? My father hadn’t taken good care of my mother. When I was little, she’d been a stay-at-home mom. Hadn’t thought she would need a career outside the home. Then boom! One day, when I was teenager, he just up and left. She’d been scrambling ever since.
She’d quickly gotten underwater on her mortgage and racked up credit card bills while trying to find a job that paid more than minimum wage. At sixteen, I’d gotten an after-school job and worked—helping her pay the bills—ever since. College had never been an option. At a certain point, I’d realized living with her wasn’t healthy, and I’d moved out, but she still relied on me with her mortgage and other surprise bills. My wages as a ski instructor and rafting guide and the money from my little juice bar stand barely paid my own rent, which was how I ended up at Hoedown. The cash was good, and the hours didn’t conflict with my other work.
“Listen.” He cupped my face and ran his thumb across my cheek.
I didn’t mean to, but my body automatically responded to his touch, and I leaned into his hand. My gaze met his in the pink glow of the neon sign.
“I feel you trembling, babydoll,” he murmured. His voice was deep but the tone soft. “I know you’re not sure about us. But you do believe you’re safe, right?”
That question again. I closed my eyes. My she-wolf certainly felt safe. Hell, my she-wolf also felt horny, so maybe she wasn’t the best judge. Did I?
When I opened my eyes again, I found him watching me so intently it made a shiver run through my body. “Yes.”
“Good girl.” He nodded.
The words made me wet. It was ridiculous how much I wanted to be their good girl.
“Ben will drive your car. You ride with him and give him directions, okay?” He waited for my response. He was alpha, I was sure of it, but he paid attention to my emotions.
I drew a long breath and exhaled. “I… Are you going to claim me?” I met his gaze and willed my legs to stop wobbling. I’d wanted to be claimed my entire life, but now that it was imminent, I was scared. I felt too much too fast.
Their claiming bite—bites?—would forever embed their scent in my skin. Mark me as theirs. Once bitten, there'd be no going back. I had no idea how it even worked with two males.
“Not without your consent.” He glanced at Ben, who moved to stand beside us. He nodded.
“Promise?” I don't know why I wanted to delay the inevitable. Why I fought against fate. Maybe it was just to believe I still held some control over my future. My wolf might trust them, but I didn’t. I didn’t even know them. The way my dad bolted, could I ever trust a man even after being claimed?
“You have my word as pack alpha,” Gibson vowed.
“You have my word as your mate and a council enforcer,” Ben swore.
Alpha. Council enforcer. Holy crap. When my she-wolf picked mates, she found mates.
I licked my lips and both of them tracked the movement, their eyes changing color. A blast of lust rocked through me. I glanced down. Judging by the tents in their pants, we all felt it.
“Let's go,” Ben said, taking my elbow. “Where’s your car?”
I still wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into, but there was no turning back now. Even if I wanted to send them away, they’d never budge. Not without taking me with them. Taking them to my place was the best case scenario. Especi
ally since I’d be back in pack territory.
If only I could convince them to stay in Cooper Valley.
But I already knew that was impossible. Gibson was an alpha. An alpha. He had a pack to lead… for his lifetime. He couldn’t run off to Montana to play house. No male gave up his pack for a female.
Not even when she was his one true mate.
Chapter Five
BEN
“I need to taste her,” I practically growled, licking my lips.
Gibson and I had shared women before, but this time I found it harder to defer to him as alpha. Riding back with the scent of our beautiful mate's arousal drenching the truck had me harder than stone and nearly out of my mind with the need to claim her. Especially with her wearing the plaid skirt that was so tiny it didn’t even cover her ass in her car. Which meant her bare pussy was pressed against the seat getting it all nice and wet. With the way her skimpy blouse was open from neck to navel so I could see the inside swell of her breast, it was any wonder I hadn’t driven us into a ditch before I pulled up in front of her little house on pack land.
Gibson rotated her to face me where she stood inside her living area. The space was so small—it was a living room, dining room and kitchen all in one. He reached around to slowly slide her blouse off her shoulders. “Is that okay, little wolf?” He cupped both her bare breasts and thumbed over her nipples.
“Yes, Daddy.” Her voice was throaty, choked with the same desire we felt, as she let her head fall back.
Daddy, oh fuck. I had no idea what that name would do to me. It fit, though. Gib and I were both dominant and protective. We wanted to care and provide for our little wolf-mate. If she wanted to call us her daddies, it suited me just fine.
More than fine. It had me busting out of my jeans.
Gibson slid down the zipper on her skirt, and the tiny garment fluttered to the floor to join the top.
