by Marilu Mann
The three men entered the huge living room and Micah went straight to the bar in the corner. Kaj led Rion toward one of the big leather couches and they sat down, Rion with a heavy sigh. Kaj looked up as Micah joined them, handing each of them a short glass with a lovely amber liquid inside. Kaj smiled as he realized Micah had remembered his fondness for Irish whiskey.
Saluting both his brother and the dejected Rion next to him, Kaj drank, enjoying the burn. Setting his nearly empty glass aside, Kaj waited for Micah to sit then turned to Rion.
Every shifter in their family had a special gift because they were all shamans in some way. Kaj rarely used his gift, but now might be a good time for it. He lowered his voice slightly and put all the persuasion at his command into it. The voice was one reason he acted as messenger between the shifter communities. He could diffuse some situations or start others with just the timbre of his voice. “Okay, spill it, brother wolf. Tell me a story. Tell me your story.”
Rion took a deep breath and started talking. He told Kaj and Micah how he and Gareth had left home as teens, how they’d roamed all over and ended up in New Orleans. He told them how Gareth had been the one to suggest they stay in New Orleans, joining that Pack for a while.
“I had my doubts. There was something wrong with Curtis Melançon, something smelled off about him. But,” Rion paused to take another sip of the excellent whiskey. “Gareth was ready to stop traveling, so we stayed.”
Rion took them through the short six-month stay before their twenty-fifth birthday, including the fight shortly after that. Rion even removed his shirt at Micah’s request to show them the scars he bore from that fight. At Micah’s sigh Kaj poured the rest of his alcohol into Rion’s glass then urged him to drink. Micah did the same as Rion told them how he’d gone home and how neither he nor his mom had even known that Gareth had been blinded.
“He never came home. He never even tried. Curtis said he didn’t want to come home. We respected that. We never went after him. We didn’t know, how could we have known that he was so badly hurt?”
Kaj had no answer and apparently neither did Micah. Knowing his brother, Kaj understood that had Curtis still been alive, neither of the two younger wolves would have to take revenge on him. Kaj also knew that Micah would have gone to New Orleans, challenged him and killed him. Only then would he have tried to figure out how in the hell he could be Alpha for two Packs so far apart geographically.
Rising silently, he moved to the bar and grabbed the bottle of whiskey. Only as he turned to rejoin the others did he see Olivia standing just outside the door. Apparently she’d heard the majority of Rion’s story because the tears poured down her face. The look in her eyes told him that she would help his brother when Micah came to her later.
And he had no doubt that Micah would remember all that was good in Olivia’s embrace. He only hoped that Rion and Gareth could come to some understanding, that maybe they could forgive each other and put the blame where it really lay. On a crazy, sick, uncaring bastard wolf who did not deserve to even be thought of as an Alpha.
Kaj nodded to Olivia and rejoined the others, pouring Rion another healthy shot and getting him to talk again. Catching his brother’s eye, he communicated silently with him. Micah, go to your wife and babes. I will stay with Rion and keep him talking. Tomorrow we may need to arrange for the twins to be together again. But for tonight I think Rion needs to get drunk enough to forget for a while and sleep on the couch.
Micah responded. You are right, Brother. Thank you for taking care of him. I think there will be ample opportunity over the next week to get them together. Perhaps it might be a good thing for Rion to assist in teaching the youngsters. That will provide them an opportunity to bond, perhaps to remember their family ties and the way things were before they even went to New Orleans.
Good plan. Now go to your mate. You need her. Kaj winked at his brother.
Yes, Kaj. I do. And I hope that one day you will need someone as much as I do my Olivia. Put Rion in the first room on the second floor or Olivia will have my hide for letting a guest sleep on the couch. You can take your pick of any of the other rooms, we have no guests right now.
Kaj gave a nod as he reminded his brother, I would have to give up my mission as messenger in order to settle down as you have, Micah, and I have no plans to do that any time soon.
With a nod Micah left the room and Kaj turned his attention back to Rion. Though shifters rarely got drunk enough to pass out they could get inebriated enough to forget some of their troubles. Tonight he planned to see just how far he’d have to go to get Rion to that stage. Sighing, he filled their glasses and saluted the ceiling knowing his brother would be joining Olivia in their private apartment on the third floor where, no doubt, Micah would soon be losing himself in his lovely mate. Kaj tossed back his drink. As soon as Rion took a sip Kaj filled that shifter’s glass again.
Gareth stood gasping on the side of the road, still processing everything he’d just learned. Rion had been badly injured in their fight. Rion had been told that he had lost the fight and that the other Pack members would keep Gareth from killing him. Gareth had lost his eyesight having had been told pretty much the same thing. But they’d told him he’d need to leave to be safe from Rion. They’d been violently separated from each other and then kept apart. Now he knew why his mother had taken Rion’s side.
When Gareth called her after their fight, she hadn’t given him much opportunity to say anything, simply berating him for nearly killing his brother. Now her words took on a whole new meaning. She hadn’t known, Rion hadn’t known how badly he himself had been hurt. They hadn’t known he was permanently blinded, permanently scarred. Just as he hadn’t known how bad Rion’s injuries were. He growled at the memory of those vicious marks on his twin’s chest.
He’d cut himself off from his remaining family for no reason other than pride. And, he had to admit, being stupid enough to be so easily manipulated by Curtis. Walking now, he stopped at the turnoff to his own place. He weighed his options. Go home, sit in the cold, nearly bare living room and feel sorry for himself. Turn around and go back to the lodge to face his brother again. The third choice open to him caused his breath to hitch again.
He could go to Harmony.
He could forget himself in her. At least for now he could put it all aside while she let him make love to her. Feel her body move against his. Remember pleasure and not pain, not fear, not anger.
With a heavy heart and slow steps he took the shortcut through the woods to her place. He wanted, no, he needed her softness, her warmth.
Tom lowered the rifle and sneered at the back of the man walking away from him. He could have ended the bastard’s miserable existence right then, especially since he knew that goddamned shifter had fucked his wife. Hadn’t he watched the two of them going at it just the other night? He’d had to wait until the wind shifted but he’d gotten close enough to see that asshole ramming his hard cock into her. Her!
That bitch is mine. The thought sang through Tom’s head. His own dick stiffened at the memory of watching the pair screw like the animals they were. He could put a bullet in the white wolf shifter’s back right this minute. But the timing wasn’t right. If he gave in to that desire, he knew the mangy Alpha would go on high alert. He’d sic his mutt wolves on any stranger then. No, Tom couldn’t act against that damn shifter who was fucking his wife. First he had to take Rain and Harmony away from all these fucking furries.
Tom lost his hard-on. God, he wanted to just lay that motherfucker out in the path then piss on him. He laughed softly, thinking about letting loose a stream on the man. Maybe he’d shoot him in the knee first then wipe his wet dick off on him. Let him know he’d been killed by a better person. Then he’d kill the shifter in front of both Harmony and Rain. Teach them a lesson. Show them who was in charge of their household. Who they owed their loyalty to. That got his dick stiff again.
He thought about his wife moaning under that asshole. How she made sounds
she’d never made in their marriage bed. He let his anger burn through him as he rubbed his cock. Need rose in him but he shoved it down. It was crazy to jack off out here where anyone could see him. He kept his hand over the bulge in his pants though. Soon, he promised himself. Soon he’d have her where she belonged. Under him with his dick ramming into her while she screamed his name over and over.
Moving quietly, Tom headed back to the turnout where he’d left his SUV. He might not be a fucking furry but he knew how to move through the woods. They wouldn’t find him. The pack wouldn’t even know he’d been there until he had his family. Then all they would find would be that useless shit of a white wolf. And Tom would make sure the carcass stank of his piss. “Yeah, I’ll scent mark that son of a bitch.”
He got to his vehicle with that one thought. As he put the car into drive he unzipped himself. Easing his cock out, he smiled. He could enjoy the ride back to his safe house. As he stroked himself, he crooned, “Soon, my dear wife and daughter. Soon we’ll all be together again the way a family should be. I can hardly wait.”
Catching sight of flashing lights in the rearview mirror, he slapped a ball cap on his head with the brim pulled down then shoved his dick back in. He watched as the sheriff’s car zipped past him.
“Assholes will never catch me.” Smoothly he pulled onto the road while images of dead wolves danced through his thoughts.
Gareth stopped on the porch. He raised his hand to knock then lowered it again. Did he really want to bring this load of shit to her door? It wasn’t as if she didn’t already have enough to deal with.
Still…
He desperately wanted to be with someone who wanted him. She fit that bill. She saw past the patch—past the scars on his face. Yet she still wanted him. They’d talked for hours late into the night after they’d made love. And that was what it was, making love. Not just sex. He’d had plenty of opportunities to feel the difference.
With that foremost on his mind he knocked softly on the door. He heard movement inside, then her voice. “Who is it?”
“Gareth.”
The door opened and there Harmony was, a smile on her face and a cast-iron skillet in her hand. “Come on in.”
“You cooking this late?”
“Nope, haven’t you heard? This is the newest weapon in any single woman’s arsenal. If she doesn’t have a gun, anyway. Nothing like a good cast-iron skillet to the head.” She put her “weapon” on the small table just inside the door and drew him inside. “It’s cold out there.”
“Truer words, babe, have never been spoken.” Wrapping his arms around her, he put his forehead against hers. Her sweet honeysuckle scent enveloped him, making his heart shudder even as his cock stirred. “Where’s Rain?”
“At Willow’s. They had a movie night at the res council house and some of the other girls were planning a sleepover there. Willow talked them all into coming to her place instead.” She sighed deeply. “I’m glad you’re here but are you okay? You look upset.”
“First, why are you here alone? Didn’t we agree that you’d have someone with you until we find that crazy ex of yours?” Gareth frowned down at her even though it meant he had to break their connection. And he wanted to feel her head against his—no, needed to feel that skin-to-skin contact.
Harmony tilted her head to scowl right back at him. “No, we did not. We agreed that Pete’s deputies would patrol and they are. They were just by here about forty-five minutes ago.”
She must have seen the worry in his eyes because she sighed. When she leaned her face back toward him he gave up. He let the warmth of her skin against his soothe him. They stood that way for several long minutes before he dropped his arms to shed his jacket. Then he tossed it on the coatrack by the door before he took Harmony’s hand.
He led the way to the living room, glad to see a fire crackling in the stone fireplace. Gareth dropped to the couch. As she smiled, he reached up to pull her down to the couch beside him. “I told you about Rion? My…brother.”
Even now he stumbled over the word. Her soft hand rubbed across his shoulder then under his hair to touch his neck. “Yes. You said he was the man in the car at your place. Is everything okay?”
Shaking his head, he told her the whole story. From the time they’d left their birth Pack to Rion’s unexpected appearance at his cabin to the conversation with Micah and Kaj tonight. By the end of his tale she had moved into his lap, holding tightly to him. She tugged his head down so their eyes met. Then she leaned forward, kissing him softly.
“Oh, Gareth, your poor family. You’ve all suffered so much. You are going with him, right? You’re going to see your mom?”
He nodded. “After the next Gathering. Micah wants me to be here for the young until then.”
“Good, that’s good.” She kissed him and smiled. “I know better than anyone, sweetie, how much you need family even when you don’t want to and just how much they can mean to you. So, are you hungry? Do you want a drink?”
“No.” He stood up, holding her tight to his body. “I want you.”
“I think that can be arranged.” She smiled as she snuggled into him.
He started to turn toward the bedroom then stopped. Setting her on her feet, he tossed the cushions from the couch onto the thick rug in front of the fireplace. Facing her again, he toed off his boots before starting to strip.
“Gareth?”
“Right here. Right now.” He felt the warmth from the fire but the heat from the woman facing him was so much better. She shook her head but let the terrycloth robe fall to her feet then slipped out of the flannel pants and long-sleeved t-shirt she’d been wearing underneath. She was standing in front of him in just her panties, the firelight turned her skin a gorgeous golden-brown, she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.
“I’m the luckiest fucking male on the planet. For someone like you to want someone like me? You’re a miracle, Harmony.”
“No, honey, I’m just a woman. Just a woman standing here wanting you with every breath and every bone in her body. I want you so much.”
“You have me. You have all of me.” He took the two steps separating them and scooped her into his arms again before settling her gently on the floor. With her hair spread out on one of the pillows and her hands reaching for his, she was truly the most amazing woman he’d ever seen.
Trailing a hand down the side of her face, he cupped her jaw and leaned forward to kiss her. Her hands were on either side of his face as she returned his kiss with a small growl. He lifted his head in surprise but didn’t have time to wonder at that before she’d pushed him onto his back and straddled him.
“My turn. You’re mine tonight.”
“Whatever you want, babe. Anything you want.”
“I want,” she trailed her nails over his chest, raking through the hair there, causing him to toss his head back as his nipples pebbled and his skin prickled with awareness. He could feel her heat, feel the moisture soaking through her thin cotton panties and he fought his wolf. The wolf wanted to push her down and fuck her hard. The man wanted to see what came next.
“I want to taste you.” With that she leaned forward to lick a slow, warm path from his neck to one of his nipples, biting gently then harder. Sharply enough for him to press a hand on the back of her head. She was biting him right where she’d leave a mating mark if she wasn’t Moon-Denied. His mouth opened on a hoarse cry when she released his skin to move her mouth over his abdomen, biting, licking and sucking. He didn’t know what she would do next but he didn’t care. He never wanted her to stop and this was just what he had needed. To lose himself in the woman he…loved.
Feeling him flinch, Harmony wondered if she’d bitten too hard. She could see the impression of her teeth in his flesh, could hear his heartbeat pounding in his chest, could feel the rapid beat under her mouth. She had wanted nothing more than to break his flesh, to mark him as hers even though that wasn’t typical Denied behavior.
Still, this was he
r male. They had chosen each other. She wouldn’t have it any other way. With a smile she opened her mouth over that most sensitive part of his anatomy. Wrapping her lips around the crown of his throbbing dick, she sucked…hard. He groaned again. Watching, she saw his fists clench in the rug as she stroked one hand over his length.
She cupped his heavy sac in the other, tugging slightly. He was hot satin over hard steel and she wanted to drive him insane. His taste filled her mouth, her senses. His warmth and the heat of the fire had her skin glistening. She alternated sucking then stroking his thick cock, driving him closer and closer to an explosion. He was so warm, almost hot. The pre-cum leaking from the end of his cock caused her to move faster, hold tighter, suck him in deeper. She wanted him to come in her mouth. She wanted to taste the very essence of Gareth Volpe. She wanted…and she took.
But more than anything else she wanted that gorgeous blue eye focused on her face. So, releasing him from the warmth of her mouth, she lifted her head. “Gareth? Look at me.”
He opened his eye, managing to focus on her face. She saw the silvery glow that showed his wolf was close to the surface. Shivering just a little, she still managed to smile at him. Despite her past, she knew that this man would never hurt her. This man would gnaw off his own arm before he’d injure her or Rain.
“Watch me, watch me, Gareth.” Keeping her eyes on his face, she sucked his cock back into her mouth. The angle was weird but it didn’t seem to matter. He reached down to push on his cock so that she could keep her eyes on his. His breathing picked up speed as she stroked and tugged and sucked. She licked down his shaft every now and then before taking the sensitive head back into her mouth, swirling her tongue over and around him.
She could feel his hips moving, could see his abdomen tightening. So she let go of his balls to trail her fingers over his thighs, scraping gently with her nails. When she brought her hand back around to scratch lightly at his sac he growled deep in his throat. He let go of the rug to gently grab her hair.
