by Bonnie Vanak
“Wolves don’t like being caged. You, more than anyone else, know this.”
Ryder’s mouth flattened. Fishing a key from his jeans pocket, he unlocked the handcuffs.
Then the teasing look returned as he set down the restraints on the nightstand. “Maybe you should tie me up. Have me helpless before you, letting you do whatever you wanted.”
Mouth dry she stared at him as he added, “Naked, of course.”
Evocative images teased her; a nude Ryder, stretched out like an offering for her exploring fingers.
His gaze grew heavy-lidded. “Do you remember our kiss? Not what happened after, hell, I’d rather erase that from both our memories, but how it felt to kiss me?”
She licked her lips, tasting the memory of his mouth upon hers. He’d been gentle, so tender at first, and then she’d and kissed him back with all the passion she’d hidden. The kiss had turned into a raging inferno, leaving her breathless, shaky and her loins full and aching.
“I want you to kiss me. Show me how much you want me, Kara.”
Kiss him again? Temptation flared. She inhaled his scent, and heat curled through her body.
Ryder stretched out on the narrow bed. “Do you wish for that, sweeting?”
Mesmerized by the gleam in his blue eyes, she stared at him, remembering the smoothness of his lips moving over hers.
“Imagine me lying here helpless before you. You lean in close to kiss my mouth. Would you like to know what I taste like? The pack leader now at your mercy?”
Kara nodded. As she leaned forward, he gently tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.
“I taste like dark, sinful chocolate and the bite of whiskey sliding down a parched throat. I taste like the wild rush of freedom as you change into wolfskin and race beneath the moon’s silvery light. I taste like a man’s tongue between your legs, slowly stroking and licking your succulent flesh. I am the caress of a hand against your bare bottom, a slow slap of your soft, pink core just before I mount you and push deep inside your most intimate place…stroking you deep and slow.”
Her nipples hardened to pearls at his evocative words. Ryder sat up and nuzzled the soft, unmarked skin of her throat. Moisture gushed from between her legs. She felt aroused with each hot breath against her skin, the brush of his whiskered jaw against the curve of her shoulder.
“I taste like the heat from the bite that claims a female and makes her wet and ready for penetration by her mate,” he murmured, drawing in a deep breath. “I taste like sex…”
Very gently, he bit her tender flesh. She cried out in shocked pleasure. Lost in sensation, she clung to his shoulders, her fingers curling around his hard muscles. Ryder drew his tongue across her skin.
“This is a preview of the mating claim, when I put my mark on you,” he told her.
He cupped her breast, gently teasing the nipple as he flicked his thumb across it. It pebbled beneath his expert touch. Kara’s entire body clenched with longing.
It’s the mating heat, she thought dimly. I’m nearly in heat. It’s not Ryder, no, I’d feel like this for any male who showed interest…
Breathing hard, he drew back and dropped his hands. Desire turned his gaze dark as night, his expression fierce and demanding. He wanted her. A small thrill raced through her. He wanted her badly.
Kara’s heart thudded harder.
Seeming to wrestle with his desire, he squeezed his fists. Amber light glowed in his eyes. His wolf emerged, urging him to indulge his base, primitive instincts to mark and claim and mate. He looked dangerous, as if he wanted to tear off her clothing, throw her on the bed and ravish her.
Wondering about his intent, secretly wishing he would ravish her, she braced herself.
But Ryder rose from the bed, and gestured to a closed door.
“There’s towels, soap, everything you need in the bathroom. And I found some of your old clothing, put it in the dresser. Go take a shower, freshen up. I’ll be back in about an hour.”
“And then what?”
He cocked his head. “Dinner. Disappointed?”
“Not unless you’re cooking. You can burn water.”
He cupped her chin, gave it a gentle squeeze. “I’m not so great in the kitchen, but sweeting, I am expert in other rooms. Such as the bedroom.”
“You can have me for one night, Ryder, in return for the money you promised Aiden. I’ll surrender my virginity to you. And then I’ll be gone in the morning.”
How she hated uttering those humiliating words, feeling as if she were nothing more than a passing fancy.
Ryder shook his head. “I don’t want you for one night of sex, but a lifetime. When we’re mated, I plan on keeping you so busy in bed you won’t have time to think of anything else.”
Tongue-tied, she had no response for that.
She heard his faint chuckle as he closed the door behind him.
Ryder raced down the staircase and headed for the kitchen. The rusted and old appliances had been replaced with new, but the linoleum remained cracked and yellowed. Damn lodge needed major repairs. He hunted through the industrial-sized fridge, found a bottle of water and unscrewed the lid. Drinking deeply, he jogged to the front door and went outside.
The fresh air felt good on his face as he wrestled with his dark lust. Awaiting further orders, the pack males who’d accompanied him to the forest gathered on the porch. Ryder finished the water and regarded them.
“You okay, sir…ah Ryder?” David asked.
Pressing the bottle to his forehead, relishing the cool drops of condensation, he nodded. “Is the rest of the pack still at the barn?”
“Yes. They’re rebuilding the stalls.”
“Good. Go join them. When I need you, I’ll call you on the radio.”
Giving him a dubious look, David nodded and directed the males to the waiting trucks. He must appear calm and in control. Ryder set down the bottle. As they drove off, he struggled to think coolly and rationally.
Hard to do when his cock was hard as iron and he wanted to race up the stairs, tear off Kara’s clothing and fuck her senseless.
He’d never lost his head over a woman. Except Kara. She’d haunted his thoughts in the dark cell where Alastair had tossed him to rot each time Ryder dared to question the alpha’s actions. Kara, whose dreamy smile and sweet nature had kept him alive in the days when, starving and nearly mad, he’d wanted only to surrender and die.
Kara had been his anchor ever since his parents died. Although her family had been understanding and compassionate, it was seven-year-old Kara who brought him food and made him eat when he’d refused to leave his room. For two weeks, she’d slept on the floor of his bedroom, being there to hug him when he awoke each night screaming for his parents, the grief a cloying thickness in his throat. It was Kara who begged her parents to allow Ryder into their family, giving him privileges allowed only to the alpha’s children.
Softened by his beloved daughter’s pleas, Alastair had agreed. He’d treated Ryder like a son, a rare show of generosity from the alpha who ruled with an iron fist.
Three years later, Alastair’s mate died and the alpha had never been generous again. Any affection vanished, and when Ryder showed the usual teenage rebellion, Alastair overreacted. The alpha’s ill treatment made Ryder into the pack omega, the lowest wolf in Lupine hierarchy.
But Kara continued to stick by his side, maintaining their friendship and ignoring other males who started showing interest as she matured.
He wasn’t certain when he became aware of her as a sexually ripe female. Maybe it was four years ago, the day she’d turned 19 and he’d watched her lick frosting off her birthday cake with her delicate tongue. Or the day they’d been working outside and he saw a flash of smooth, creamy skin as she’d lifted her shirt to wipe her face. Or the time when he’d seen her in tight jeans, her hips swaying with natural grace as she walked into the barn. He’d stopped forking hay and stared. And then Kara had bent over to scoop grain from a barrel, those jeans stretching smo
othly over her plumb ass. He’d fought the urge to yank down her pants, pull out his cock and take her from behind, the traditional way a male Lupine mated with a female.
Kara tore away his cool composure, replacing it with red-hazed lust. Her mouth was lush and red and tasted like ripe berries. Her breasts were plump and soft, her body made to be joined to a male Lupine. Each time he drew near, only one thought remained.
Getting her naked.
Spreading her thighs wide, mounting her and driving hard into her body, claiming her as his mate. The thought of her wet, pink core squeezing tight around his shaft drove him insane with need.
He couldn’t think straight, couldn’t see straight, hell, he was conscious of only one thing and it was hard and thick between his legs.
Ryder collapsed into a wicker rocker and thought of everything except Kara to calm his raging erection. The dark nights in the prison cell.
His dick did not relish that memory.
Finally he went to the porch railing, studying the quiet sweep of forest and meadow. He ruled this turf now, but a leader must be responsible and care for the pack.
And the pack needed an alpha female to temper the unruly males, bring a calming influence among them.
Kara. Her lush, curvy body invaded his thoughts again. No one would claim her but himself.
“No one,” he said aloud.
If Aiden dared to bring any of his ragtag pack here to rescue his sister…a low growl rumbled in Ryder’s throat. He vaulted over the porch railing, landing on his feet. Ryder unzipped his jeans and took his dick in hand.
He marked his territory around the house. Perhaps an unnecessary gesture of male posturing, but best not to take chances. Aiden Mitchell would know exactly who reigned here now, and think twice about setting foot in the lodge.
Zipping up his jeans, he remembered another, distant time. It was shortly before he’d kissed Kara in the hallway, pushing her up against the wall and feeling her soft breasts beneath his exploring hands. They’d shared popcorn and laughs while watching a movie in the den. Other pack members had gone to a dance in town, and they’d had a rare moment alone.
He’d be damned if he could remember the stupid movie, because he’d spent the whole time watching her. Loving the way her green eyes sparkled with life, the little dimple piercing her cheek as she laughed, how she ate popcorn and licked salt and butter off her fingertips.
Wrestling with his lust as he watched her wet, red mouth and her dainty tongue, he’d struggled not to touch her.
When they’d parted, he stood beneath her window until the light clicked out. Then he’d unzipped his jeans and marked the bushes below her room.
Of course Alastair had discovered the scent and covered it with his own. But every once in a while, Ryder repeated the action, just to thumb his nose at the old man.
Now he finally stood ready to claim what he’d yearned for all these years. He could barely wait to experience the pleasure of lying between her silky thighs. But he had to be patient. She remained untouched. He could scent no other male upon her and it made him fiercely glad he’d be her first.
No other male would ever touch her again.
Not in heated anger, nor passion.
She’s mine, Aiden, you bastard. Your sister is never returning back to your motley ranch. I don’t care if I have to beg, borrow, steal, he silently vowed.
Or kill every last member of your pack in an all-out war.
Chapter 4
Kara showered and found clean clothing, pleased to discover her old jeans still fit. So did her favorite checked shirt with the pretty pearl buttons. When Aiden had rescued her from the basement, they’d fled with only the clothes on her back.
Ryder had thoughtfully placed a few of her belongings on the white writing desk. Kara picked up a gilded frame wreathing a woman’s face. The woman smiled softly, as if sharing a deep secret. A single tear trickled down Kara’s cheek. She closely resembled the woman in the picture, which hurt even more as she stared at it.
“Mom. I miss you so much,” she whispered. “When you died, part of us all died, too.”
She set the frame down and wiped her face. Kara wandered over to the mirror and dared to examine her appearance.
Her face had been lovely. Breathtaking, a pack elder once declared.
Emerald eyes still sparkled with life, and her lashes were long and ebony. Her nose was small, with a cute, arrogant perk, her mouth reddened and lush. Her chin was small and slightly pointed, and when she smiled the dimple still pierced her left cheek.
The left cheek remained smooth and creamy.
Alastair had ruined only the right cheek. She touched her hair, a cascade of black silk tumbling down past her shoulders. Ryder had called her hair “sinful” as he’d tunneled his fingers through it as he’d kissed her. Alastair had sheared it off in great hunks until it lay against her scalp, but in the time since she’d left, it had grown back.
Fingers shaking, she touched her right cheek, feeling the rough texture of scar tissue, remembering the hot burn of the iron as Alastair called her a whore as she’d screamed and screamed…
Panic surged. She squeezed her eyes shut. Opened them.
Her face still mirrored back in ugly, stark relief. Lupines healed fast, but Alastair had thrown salt water on the burn to ensure it remained. He’d wanted her to be ugly so Ryder would never kiss her again.
The dream of finding a worthy male to love her had vanished long ago. No one in Aiden’s newfound pack ever gave her a second glance. Hiding in her room offered the only solace, where she could curl up in an armchair and read to her heart’s content.
Her brother’s pack and her small room with its window overlooking the Montana mountains, that was where she belonged. And where she needed to return before a war started.
First, she needed a phone. Kara raced for the door, opened it and peered out.
No one in the hallway.
Hoping Ryder had not redecorated, she stole down the hallway to the third room on the left. Relief filled her as she opened the door. Her older sister’s room was still the same, with its pink ruffled canopy bed and white bedroom set. Too girly for Kara, but right now her focus remained on the pink princess telephone sitting on the desk.
An antique for sure, one she hoped still worked.
Holding her breath, she gently picked up the receiver and heard a dial tone. Her trembling fingers punched the numbers. Clutching the receiver in a white-knuckled grip, she waited for someone to pick up.
A cheerful, deep male voice answered. “Mitchell Ranch.”
Darius. “Darius, its Kara. I need to talk to Aiden,” she whispered.
“Damn, we were worried about you, kiddo. Aiden called your sister and she said you never made it to Alaska. You didn’t run off to elope with a lover and leave my poor little heart broken, did you?”
“Darius, get me Aiden now!”
His teasing tone became all business. “Hang on.”
Heart banging hard against her chest, she gripped the phone, the minutes seeming to drag by, each stroke of the second hand on the china clock on the desk mocking her efforts…hurry, hurry, hurry…
Finally her older brother came on the line. “Kara! Where the hell are you?”
Wincing at his brusque, loud tone, she whispered, “Calm down. I’m at our old place. Ryder…he caught me.”
Quickly she explained about the gold. Aiden swore.
“I’ll kill that son of a bitch.”
Panic filled her. Aiden was never violent, but Ryder’s letter had pushed all his buttons. “No! Don’t come here. I can take care of myself. But the gold, I still plan to find it.”
“Screw the gold.”
“The bank loan.”
“I’ll worry about that.” He paused, his voice gentler. “You okay?”
“Fine.”
“Did he hurt you?” Aiden’s voice rose again. “Because if he laid a hand on you, if he touched you in any manner…”
A furious f
lush ignited her cheeks as she remembered the sensual strokes of Ryder’s hands. “I’m fine, Aiden.”
A deep sigh from her brother. “We’re going to come for you, Kara. You hang in there. I’m not letting this go. I promised when I started this damn pack that no female would ever get hurt under my watch, especially you! After what our bastard of a father did to you, I swore to protect every damn person in my pack, male or female. I don’t care if I have to beg, borrow or steal or fuck…”
She winced. “Aiden, please, tone it down. I’ll find a way out, find a way to get you the gold. I need to pull my weight. I’ve been hiding away too long.”
“You need to do nothing. Stay there, stay safe. Soon as I get there…” he took a deep breath, “Heads will roll. This is war, and I’m not fucking around.”
“Don’t do this. Have to go. Love you.”
Kara hung up and tip-toed to the door. Hearing nothing, she snuck back to the guest bedroom.
Inside, she paced for several minutes, trying not to panic. Her big brother was loving, but strong-willed and stubborn. She’d only wanted him not to worry about her disappearing.
“Great,” she muttered. “Now he’s all set to storm the castle.”
The only hope lay in placating Ryder, and trying to thwart a war between their two packs that would result in nothing but bloodshed and misery. Ryder was equally stubborn and strong-willed.
A swift, hard knock came at her door.
She opened it, and Ryder strolled inside, his expression tinged with anger.
“Your brother called. Someone tipped him off about your arrival,” he said curtly.
Kara’s heart sank. “I gather it wasn’t a congratulatory call on your new alpha status.”
“Not exactly.” Ryder’s expression turned dark and dangerous. “He did congratulate me on having the balls for killing the old man. And then he warned he’s gathering all his forces. He threatened to tear off my head unless you’re returned to him in the same state as I found you. Untouched and unhurt.”
“An empty threat,” she suggested, keeping her tone light, praying she could diffuse Ryder’s anger. “Aiden’s blustering.”
