“What are you going to do now? Things didn’t quite end the way you thought.” Joanna challenged, revealing what she’d figured out.
Archer stilled. She waited for him to tell her he was going back to Illinois. In her heart, she knew what he was. They were mates, forever bound. But, that didn’t mean he had to stay. The knowledge of that broke her heart. If she could, she would have wrapped her arms around his neck and never let go. She would make it so he could never be far from her. If she had to watch him leave, his back to her, her heart might break, and she didn’t know if that was a pain she could heal twice.
“I think I have a pledge to make to my new Alpha.”
Joanna spun around in his arms, confused. Archer watched her with dancing eyes. He tried to hide his smile, but failed. It burst free and spread across his lips. What was he so happy about? If his father had passed, she could see having a new Alpha, but she didn’t think that was something to be happy about. People mourned the passing of their family, horrible as they might have been in life.
Before she knew what was happening, Archer dropped to one knee before her. Her eyes widened and her hands clamped over her mouth before gibberish fell out of it. He lifted a small box in his hands and pulled back the lid. Inside, a diamond glittered.
“Will you be my Alpha,” he asked. “And my wife?”
Joanna let her trembling knees drop her in the mud. Archer moved to catch her, and she landed with only a soft thud. Her arms wrapped around his neck, words lost to the tears streaming down her face.
“Is that a yes? To which question?”
She laughed. His hands moved up her back, holding her gently. “I already said yes once, you fool.”
His grip on her tightened. He leapt from the ground and spun her in his arms. The bond between them sang with joy. She sighed and leaned into it. No longer would she have to stand alone. The power of the Pack flowed through her, the position of Alpha belonging to her like it always had. But, now she had Archer standing beside her. She even had Jax’s support.
For the first time in years, it felt like she could breathe. Her chest opened and she dragged in a lungful of spring air.
The realtor approached, but when he saw them he slowly backed away. Beneath her, Archer growled possessively. He lifted her from the ground and turned toward the forest. While he carried her, she grabbed the ring box from his hand and slipped the ring onto her finger. It fit surprisingly well, as if it was meant for her.
The ring was old, a marquise diamond that dominated her finger. Filigree danced around the small sapphires flanking it. The light from above hit the ring, and her heart fluttered with joy. While she wanted to think of it as a new start, she knew it for what it was. Fate had righted itself and put the two of them back on the path they’d been meant to follow from the beginning.
Archer laid her on the forest floor. It was cool and damp, but as she watched him rise above her, she lost the ability to care. She reached for the button of his jeans and yanked. It popped free, and she reached for his cock. It was already hard and waiting.
He growled at her touch, his head falling back. She smiled, knowing he belonged to her, heart and soul. With her other hand, she reached up to grip the beard growing on his chin. She used it to pull him down to her and claimed his mouth.
She grew damp with need as her hand worked on his cock. Her hand tightened in his beard, holding him where she wanted him. She was his Alpha. She was in control. Her lips left his and found the sensitive skin of his neck. She raked her teeth down it, leaving red marks. Archer groaned, and small animals skittered away from them.
Joanna let out a small laugh, the sound husky with her need. Archer pulled her over his lap so that she was atop him. She held his cock between them. He was hard and ready. If she’d stroked much longer, he might not last. She could tell from the way his fingers tightened on her and his hips rocked.
Her lips closed around the skin of his neck. She sucked and pulled, tasting him. Marking him.
Mates. It wasn’t something she expected when she’d first been told of their arranged engagement. Sure, she’d expected a happy arrangement. Back then, she’d already loved him and that had been enough. But, now she could feel the bond that tied them tight. It pulled taut between them, beckoning their bodies to meld into one. She released herself to it as Archer pushed the fabric of her skirt over her hips.
He let out a satisfied growl when he found she was not wearing panties. His hands touched bare skin and she smiled before her head fell back and her back arched into him. She felt his fingers part her folds and greet the wetness of her desire. The smell of their need filled the air between them, only making her wetter.
His fingers fell away and he moved to lift her. She brought herself up and lowered over his cock. A small sound of pleasure escaped her as the tip pushed past the entrance.
Archer promised to stay. The thought sent a thrill from her chest to her core. It wrapped around the place where they connected and turned to molten gold when her eyes drifted closed. She began rocking her hips. Her fingers tightened on his shoulders. Nails dug in like claws, but he didn’t seem to mind.
When she opened her eyes, her hips rocking in a steady rhythm, she caught the sparkle of the ring in the sunlight. It flashed and danced. It was a promise he would not break. It’d come from his own heart.
Archer pulled her tight and brought them to the ground, his back landing with a solid thump. Beneath her, unable to control himself, he pumped into her. The pleasure built and built until she could barely handle it. The molten gold spread through her, pulsing with each thrust.
Joanna cried out and the pleasure burst. It washed through her in heavy waves. The pleasure touched every available space inside of her, from fingertips to toes. Archer thrust one more time, landing as deep as he could go, and let out his own release.
It caused another wave of orgasmic pleasure to slam into her. Joanna screamed into his shoulder as her limbs twitched. Her body melted into his as the pleasure threatened to carry her away. Archer laughed, short and quick because he was out of breath. His hands moved to run through her hair, so he could look her in the eye.
There was a satisfied smile and a dreamy look in his eyes.
“You know,” he began, still buried hilt deep inside her with his arms wrapped around her middle. Her fingers and toes still tingled with the lingering orgasm. “I never thought much about children, but I can’t help but think about them right now.”
Her face warmed. While she hadn’t slept with Killian since he’d revealed his darker side, he hadn’t allowed her to go on birth control. Up until that point, it hadn’t really been a problem.
“My father didn’t do the best job, but I want to try.” She heard Archer’s throat tighten, his voice cut off. When she looked up, she saw tears rimming his eyes as he looked into the sky above. He glanced to her and gave her a reassuring smile. “I want to try to be a better father than he was. Do you think we could…?”
His voice trailed off, but she could tell what he was asking for. Joanna hadn’t thought about children in… well, possibly ever. The past years had been too frightening to even consider bringing something so small and fragile into this world, but that’d changed.
“We might not have a decision yet,” Joanna said, gesturing to what they’d just done. “But, I’m not against it.”
In fact, the idea of having little cubs, be they bears or lynxes, filled her with joy. Archer might not think so, but he would be a great father. She wanted to see him shield their small bodies from the world, see him guide them on their first shifts, and anything else the world might have to offer.
The future was blown open for her and it set her heart ablaze.
“Does this mean you’re moving into the cottage with me? Because I don’t exactly think you’re going to fit.”
He laughed beneath her and made her body bounce. The cottage she’d rented was small, just large enough for a woman to live cozily. The idea of Archer standing in the s
mall kitchen, the ceiling closing in on him from either side, was laughable at best. It was uncomfortable at worst.
“We’ll call it a stepping pad,” Archer suggested. “While we save money, while the Pack rebuilds, we can stay there. The first chance we have to get a bigger place, I’m going to take it.”
Joanna laughed and agreed. She was amazed at how easily laughter came to her. She sank into her mate’s body and let her eyes drift closed. His arms would protect her from whatever lay beyond them. He would always stand beside her.
She drifted off into an easy sleep, the sun warming her skin.
Chapter Nineteen
“Are you sure about this?” Gage asked.
His stomach ached from the blade that pierced it days ago, even if the wound was gone. It was only a memory of what Archer had gone through. He knew he’d fought for the right thing that time. He was no longer rebelling against tradition for the sake of rebellion, but to rebuild what had become broken.
“Dude,” Gage sighed. “I can’t go back by myself. I’ll get so bored I’ll start crawling the walls. The landlady won’t like that.”
“You could stay, too. I’m not asking you to do what I’m doing—”
“I would sure hope not. I’m not marrying Joanna, too.”
Archer gave his brother a deadpan glare. Gage winked, with mischief glinting in his eyes, before shrugging.
“I guess I can stick around. Do you think you and Jo are going for the shotgun wedding? Make it quick and dirty? I could stick around for that. Maybe I’ll find my own adventure after.”
Cohen appeared in the doorway. Seeing Archer and Gage teasing one another, he took an immediate step back and moved to leave.
“Hey, asshole. You get back here right now.” Gage slammed his foot down and the china in the nearby cabinet rattled.
Cohen turned to face them. He held back, shadows falling over his face. Archer wanted to pull his brother into the room, to try to bridge the gap that’d grown between them, but he’d seen why Cohen left. The beast inside of him had been nearly unstoppable. It ached for destruction, a screaming contrast to the quiet man before them.
“What are you doing with your sad excuse for a life?” Gage never bothered to mince words.
Cohen laughed. It was a sound the brothers had forgotten. “I’m not quite sure yet. I think there’s another mystery here for me. Maybe I’ll stick around for the wedding that should have been, too.”
Archer would not be Vancourt Pack. Those days were long gone for him and he couldn’t say that he would miss them. The Vancourt Pack had backed him up when he needed it, but they were still a mess of ankle biters. Not long after the war had ended, and Killian had been cast out, Grover tried to kill Sampson again. Gage had caught him and tossed his ass down the stairs. There was a broken floor board where Grover landed.
Archer was part of a new Pack, now. With his proposal, he’d also pledged himself to Joanna. He would be her enforcer, the protector of the Pack. Whatever she needed, Archer would be that. He couldn’t believe, now that he knew what was in his heart for love, that he’d been as selfishly bitter before.
Now, he knew Joanna for the gift that she was. Not only was she his new Alpha, but she was his mate. She was the tether that kept him grounded in Stonefall, the person that gave the word home meaning.
Why he’d been gifted with the gift of a mate, Archer would never know. He didn’t think of himself as a particularly great person. He’d been bitter and selfish most of his life, but he wasn’t going to turn her away. If anything, he was going to hold tight to her. He only wished his brothers could understand the sensation he experienced.
He wished his bitter brother would find someone that might put a smile on his face without the use of reckless vandalism. Gage still stocked the fridge with bottles of beer, ones that only stayed in there long enough to find a chill before he downed them.
Cohen’s tall shape appeared and sank into a seat beside them. Archer studied his older brother’s weary face. While Archer might have found happiness in Stonefall, would his brothers find the same? He wanted them to know what he felt, the happiness it could bring him, but he worried they would forever be caught in the gloom that held them.
He opened his mouth to ask them something when the door swung open, and Joanna entered the room. Her hair was pulled up into a bouncy ponytail and there was a small smile on her lips as she bent to lay a kiss on Archer’s head. Her hands trailed down his shoulders and into the space between his skin and his shirt. He leaned into her touch.
“What are you assholes up to today?” Joanna looked at Gage and Cohen expectantly. “Because the last cookout I went to was an atrocious mess and I want to drown the memory with you guys, if you’re willing to come.”
Gage’s face lit up and Archer could see the challenge in it. He knew he’d have to spend half the night watching his brother to make sure he stayed out of trouble. Then again, Joanna seemed to find his antics humorous. He couldn’t wait to see what he might do.
Cohen seemed to waver, leaning towards a solid no, until a shape filled the doorway behind them. A full figure leaned against the doorframe. She knotted her hands in front of her and looked at the floor with a sweet smile.
“You!” Cohen said, surging from his chair so fast it fell to the floor.
The woman shrank and backed up a step. Joanna stepped between them, fury on her face.
“You leave Ashe alone, bully,” Joanna growled.
Cohen paid Archer’s mate no mind. His eyes were fully trained on the meek figure behind her. “You’re the one who called me.”
Archer’s eyes snapped to the woman. There was something familiar about her, but he couldn’t place it. Not at first. Slowly, his mind brought back to him images of a thinner girl. She belonged to the Pack, but wasn’t a shifter. Not completely.
“What was I supposed to do?” she asked, finally. “Should I have let you ignore your fates? If I waited any longer, there would have been nothing to save.”
A bout of coughing flowed down the stairs and Ashe’s eyes filled with fear. She swore under her breath and darted for the stairs. Cohen’s eyes followed her the entire way. Archer saw the twitch in his brother’s body as he fought the urge to follow, confusion furrowing the shifter’s brows. They heard the sounds of Ashe caring for Sampson and Sampson’s grumpy growls.
Cohen rolled his eyes and shoved himself away from the table to follow.
“Should I be concerned? Ashe has been dealing with Sampson for months now, but not Cohen.” Joanna watched the older bear disappear.
Archer shook his head. “I think he went up to help her.”
“So, what are you cooking at this cookout? It better be steaks, or I can’t promise I’ll show up.” Gage kicked back his chair.
“If you have money to bring your own steak, I’ll gladly cook it. If not, you can live with a burger.” Joanna laughed and took the seat Cohen vacated.
Gage shrugged, but there was a smile on his lips behind the neck of his beer bottle.
Archer leaned back, his hand moving to Joanna’s leg. Stonefall was not a place that ever called to him, but the warmth of Joanna’s smile as her eyes slid to meet his was beacon enough. That was the place, one built on love, that he would call home for the rest of his years. Pulling her close, his heart rested, happy and sated.
GAGE
Emilia Hartley
The vacation hadn’t been Kaylee’s idea. She’d wanted nothing more than to rip her business partner’s face off, but that might have been why her parents sent her to a bed and breakfast in Upstate New York to begin with. Kaylee thought losing her business to a snake was as low as her life could get.
Turns out, she was wrong.
Minding her own business, trying to find a moisturizer for her dry skin, the store turned into a battleground. The back-room door swung open and, just as the employees appeared, someone jumped them. Kaylee saw a flash of sharp teeth and gleaming eyes. Her feet slipped on the floor as she struggled to spi
n around.
Before she could run, a face appeared in her vision. The man’s mouth split into a frightening grin, his eyes blazing with the terrifying power of some sort of drug. She hadn’t been wrong. His teeth had been filed down into sharp points. Her whole body froze. It ignored every instinct to run or scream. Her heart thundered in her chest.
A hand darted out and grabbed her sweater. She fell forward and the man’s arm wrapped around her shoulders, holding her to his body. He smelled like rotting meat, and it made her stomach lurch. His hand closed around her wrist and she fought against his grip as he pulled her arm upward.
“You’re a pretty little snack.” He whispered the words in her ear before turning to his friends. “Do you think the colors in her skin will taste like the rainbow?”
Her heart jumped into double time. She could hear nothing over the furious thump in her ears. All she could do was watch, frozen in place, as the man’s sharp teeth bit into her skin. A scream filled the air, one that sent a shiver down her spine. It took a long moment for Kaylee to realize it’d been her own.
A tall and imposing figure stepped into the aisle. He faced the man holding her before tossing a body toward them. As the body landed, the man’s grip on her loosened. She took the moment to break away. She ran past them all, not bothering to look back.
Her arm burned. It pulsed with pain, unlike anything she’d ever felt before. Just as she burst into the open air, her vision wavered. She wobbled on her feet and tumbled forward.
What’s going on?
Chapter One
Outcast Box Set Page 14
