by Claudia King
WILD INSTINCTS
Claudia King
Published by Claudia King at Smashwords
Copyright © 2012 Claudia King
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
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Wild Instincts
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It was dangerous to push Cyan too far. And I was starting to make a habit of it.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't be free to go back!" I snapped at my alpha, staring him down across the fire. The rest of the pack had fallen silent. They watched us from around the camp, still and apprehensive.
"I'll give you more than one reason Lyssa," Cyan growled. "You can't control yourself. You attract attention. You won't even tell your family what you are. If I let you come and go as you please you're going to hurt someone. Or yourself, not that you'd care about that."
"I'm not your pet! None of us are."
"But you are part of my pack," he narrowed his eyes at me. "And what I say goes."
I bit my lip, stifling the stream of insults I wanted to throw at him. I could see the threatening feral glint in his eyes. The curling of his lip that told me he was just barely holding himself back. If I wanted to get away without a severe punishment, I would shut up right now.
"Maybe I'll find another pack." I muttered. Cyan's eyes flashed. I'd gone too far. If I'd been one of the males he'd have leapt across the fire and had me pinned to the ground in a heartbeat. I was a special case though. I was Lyssa. With a growing sense of unease, I realised exactly how he was going to punish me. My alpha didn't lunge or bare his teeth or shift in front of me and tear me to pieces; he walked around the fire with a smug smile on his face, knowing he'd already won.
"And what do you think another pack would do with a wild bitch like you? Assuming they ever wanted you in the first place." He said. I grit my teeth, already feeling my resolve slipping away as he came nearer. The wolf inside me was waking up at the mere thought of what he was going to do to me. Her instincts were what ruled my mind. The fiery heat of anger still burned in my chest, but it was giving way to another unbidden desire now.
"Don't."
"Get in my tent Lyssa." Cyan barked. The wolf in me didn't have any choice but to obey, and I went without another word. The eyes of the pack followed me. I couldn't meet the gaze of a single one of them. They all knew why I'd given up so easily. Every wolf had an instinct; some of them were strong, some of them weak, some helpful, some hindering. Whatever your instinct turned out to be, it was a primal, inextricable part of you for the rest of your life. It was something wild and untamed from the dawn of our history, woken up again by the wolf inside us. One werewolf might have a powerful instinct for survival, another to hunt. I'd heard of den mothers who'd fight to the death to protect offspring that weren't even theirs. All of us had one instinct that was stronger than any other. Cyan was our alpha because his was to dominate. He couldn't accept authority from anyone but himself, and it had led, so I'd heard, to him forming our pack in the first place. He wasn't in charge because he was a good leader, he was in charge because he wouldn't take no for an answer. A wolf as aggressive as him could easily have been killed in any number of fights soon after he changed, but Cyan had been big and strong enough to survive. He'd survived long enough to get a pack of his own under his boot, and I hated him for it. I stepped into his tent and let the leather flap fall shut behind me. The strong musky smell of his wolf filled the air. I sat down on the bedroll and tried to ignore it, but it was no use. Once the idea was planted in my head I couldn't escape it. My instinct wouldn't let me.
Cyan made me wait for a long time, the night wearing on as the rest of our pack climbed into their tents or slunk off into the woods. He left me with only my thoughts and the scent of his body in the enclosed space. My breathing quickened, my skin beginning to glow with warmth. I clutched at the pendant around my neck, trying to think of other things, human things. Houses and streets and cars and cities. It was no good, it was never any good. The wolf inside me was awake, and she wouldn't sleep until she was sated. When Cyan finally stepped into the tent I was practically quivering. I smouldered with desire, running my eyes up his body from the bottom of his faded jeans to the collar of his hunting jacket. His clothes were rugged and worn, like him. A short scruff of black stubble always lined my alpha's chin, making him look older than he was. I'd only been twenty when I was bitten, and though Cyan was still young he looked at least a few years older. I caught my gaze lingering on his chest, a trail of dark hair just visible above the neck of his vest.
"Ready and waiting are you?" He said, not without a hint of contempt.
I growled at him, but whether the noise sounded angry or eager I couldn't tell. I was angry, furious that he'd shouted down my request to go home, furious that he'd humiliated me in front of the pack by using my greatest weakness against me. In the pack hierarchy I was somewhere near the bottom. Not because I wasn't strong or fast or smart. I could hunt as well as anyone, and I never did anything that might risk the safety of the group. But my instinct made me weak, and Cyan never missed an opportunity to remind me of my place by using it against me. If the human in me saw her worst enemy in Cyan, the wolf saw her most desirable mate. He put a hand around the back of my neck and my skin prickled instinctively, hungry for his touch.
"Hurry up and do it." I hissed. Still his fingertips teased as he knelt down beside me.
"Do you know why I won't let you away from the pack Lyssa?"
I bared my teeth, shaking my head impatiently to try and clear the haze of lust.
"Because you need us. You were so wild you'd have given yourself to the first wolf that crossed your path when we found you. And you'd have torn apart anyone who got in your way. How long do you think you'd manage out there, without us?"
"I don't care," the need in my voice was obvious now. "Just do it, please."
"See what I mean? Where's that girl who was standing up to me in front of the fire?"
I couldn't argue with him, but I couldn't tell whether it was because he was right or because my mind just couldn't focus on anything right now. Was he actually trying to look out for me as part of his pack? All I saw in his amber eyes was cruelty and dominance. But the wolf in me wanted that. She needed it. Most females only went into heat once ever few weeks. For me, it was almost constant. That was my instinct, and it was stronger than most. Whenever a male made a move on me, or whenever I went too long without a partner, the urge to submit grew and grew until it drove me wild with the need to be mated. Cyan's rough lips pressed against mine hungrily. No tenderness. Only passionate lust that mirrored my own. I moaned and gave in to him, letting his calloused fingertips scrape across my throat and pull open the buttons of my jacket. Everyone in the camp would hear my moans before long, and the last human part of me had time to feel one final moment of humiliation before being consumed by the wolf's desire. I kissed Cyan back, pushing my tongue into his mouth and wrapping my arms around his neck. He snarled, catching my bottom lip between his teeth as I withdrew. I wanted to feel those teeth on my skin, forcing me, taking me. His fingers curled around a handful of my chestnut hair and tugged my head back, exposing my delicate throat.
The scratch of his stubble ran down my neck followed by the warmth of my alpha's mouth. He kissed the hollow of my throat, hot breath panting against my skin. He was going to take his time enjoying me. He always did.
"Beg me for it bitch." He snarled.
"Mate me," I gasped without hesitation, "please have me, take me, use me." The human inside me would've been screaming if the wolf hadn't been so utterly in control by now.
"Who do you belong to?"
"I'm yours, I'm your good little bitch." I whimpered as he bit my neck.
"Remember that next time you feel like speaking up in front of the pack." Cyan said, letting go of me so that he could yank off my jacket. My hands flew to the hem of my tank top, but I only managed to pull it half way up before he moved behind me and his arms were around my body again, trapping my wrists against my sides. He slid a hand over my bare stomach, his stubble scratching my shoulder now as he pushed his fingers down the front of my jeans. They were rough, hard fingers, chapped from years of living in the wild. Every time they stroked across my sensitive skin it almost felt like the scrape of claws. A sharp gasp left my lips as he found my clit, torturing my sticky little bud with his rough fingers until I was squirming in his grasp. There was no need for him to get me warmed up though, I'd been ready for a long time. My warm juices coated the inside of my underwear, my puffy lips swollen with heat.
"I forgot how much of a slut you are." He growled, pushing a finger inside me. I clutched at his wrist, trying to force more of his fingers between my eager folds, but he continued to toy with me. "Imagine if I stopped right now Lyssa. Imagine if I walked out and left you all alone in the woods without anyone to satisfy you. How would that make you feel?"
I could only manage an anguished groan. The idea of him stopping filled me with panic. What would I do? Rush to the nearest tent and force myself on the first male I could find? Tear my way through the woods in a frenzy, looking for someone - anyone - who would satisfy me?
"You need me Lyssa. You're mine." He whispered, and I accepted it. I ignored the part of me deep down that knew I'd never have been in this position in the first place if it wasn't for him. He'd planted the seed in my mind that had grown into this uncontrollable desire. I felt a finger pressed to my mouth and parted my lips automatically to suck on it. He knew I was his now. I was putty melting in his hands. The perfect submissive mate who'd do anything and everything he desired of her. He pushed me down and I straddled the bedroll on all fours, inhaling the musky scent of his body again as he yanked down my jeans and underwear. I heard the sound of his zipper, and felt a hand running up the small of my back as the tip of his cock brushed against my dripping folds. When he pushed in I let out my first truly loud moan. I wondered how many of the others were still around to hear it. His shaft filled me up, hot and thick and deep. He spread open my tight cunny wide, like he always did, leaving me almost painfully full. Once my alpha was all the way inside he repositioned his hands on my waist, gripping hard, and began to fuck me. It only took a few strokes before I was comfortable enough to start pushing back against him, meeting each rough thrust with a buck of my hips. I was crazy for him, my tongue panting out of my mouth as he bred me, dominated me, made me his bitch. His thumbs dug into the small of my back, trapping me in his powerful grip as he thrust harder, unwilling to let me feel one inch of control. I could hear Cyan panting as his hips slapped against mine, the animal sounds of our coupling filling the tent. He pressed a hand against the back of my neck and forced my face down into the bedroll. My eyes rolled as I inhaled the scent of the crumpled covers. An animal's scent. My alpha's scent. I was losing my grip on coherent thought entirely. All I could focus on was the sensation of his cock filling my body and his scent filling my lungs. This was the most basic instinct inside all animals, without rhyme or reason, to mate and be mated. My mind was trapped in a fever of feral lust, wanting only to be taken by the powerful male. It didn't matter what I thought about Cyan, all that mattered was his strength and dominance. I howled and screeched into the bedroll, bunching up the covers in my fists as he pounded into me furiously. His thick cock opened me up over and over again until my juices were pouring over him in a waterfall of pleasure as I climaxed. I knew he must have been close too. I never came until my partners were about to finish. The wolf wouldn't let herself be satisfied until she knew for sure that a mate was going to give her his seed. As my orgasm blossomed in my belly I felt Cyan's body tense and his thrusts come more sharply. I bit down on the bedroll, screwing my eyes shut as the promise of his semen drove me wild with ecstasy. Giddy euphoria swam in my head as I ebbed and crested over and over again, until at long last I felt the weight of my alpha's body on my back and the slowing of his thrusts. His guttural growls filled my ear alongside the pant of hot breath. I was dimly aware of his teeth on my neck again as I clawed my way back to reality. The wolf was drifting away now that she'd been satisfied, and Lyssa was rising back to the surface.
The first clear thought I could manage was to thank god that werewolves had a hard time getting pregnant. The afterglow of pleasure still caressed my body, but I'd regained enough control to push Cyan off and roll out from under him. I sat up shakily, feeling empty without my alpha inside me any more. The sticky warmth of his semen dribbled from between my legs, and I quickly tugged my clothes back into place to cover my shame.
"Done already?" Cyan purred, propping himself up on an elbow. "Most females would be honoured to share their alpha's tent for a night. You don't always have to run away so soon."
"Yeah, thanks." I said, hoping the sarcasm came through. My throat felt dry and husky. I could barely remember anything from the past few minutes with any clarity, but I knew I must have been howling my lungs out by the end. I was sore too, and the bite marks on my neck suddenly ached, when before they'd driven me wild with lust. And could I blame Cyan, really? He'd given me everything I'd wanted. Everything I'd needed. If it hadn't been now it would've been in a couple of days time, when my wolf woke up of her own accord and started to hunger for a mate again. But I couldn't help feeling used. I hated Cyan for taking advantage of my instincts, and myself for not being able to control them. The smell of sex and my alpha's body was suddenly nauseating, and without another word I picked up my jacket and hurried out of the tent.
I made straight for the trees, hoping nobody was around to witness my shameful departure. The soreness between my legs made me wince as I walked, but I just wanted to get away. The second I was past the ring of tents I shifted into my wolf and bounded into the trees, intent on putting as much distance between myself and the camp as I could.
It felt good to run. The freedom of the cool night air running through my fur and the damp soil beneath my paws reinvigorated me. The pitch black forest came alive with movement the second I saw it through my animal eyes. A tapestry of scents laced the air, guiding me this way and that with the smell of a dozen different animals and a hundred different plants. It reminded me that, no matter how difficult the human in me had it, this was what made it all worthwhile. I'd never trade my wolf for anything in the world. It was only a temporary respite though. I knew before long my thoughts would return to Cyan, and I'd have to return to the camp before morning. What had happened between us tonight wasn't anything new, but that still didn't make it easy. At one time or another most of the males in the pack had mated with me. Either at their own insistence, mine, or Cyan's. I would always need a male to take care of my desires every time they flared up, and with precious few females in the pack I was hardly short of suitors. I'd almost grown accustomed to it, but whenever Cyan made an example of me like this, used my instinct against me to prove a point, it made me painfully aware of how the others must see me. Even though we were werewolves, living outside the boundaries of human society, none of us could forget our old sensibilities entirely. My family would have been appalled by my situation. I would have been appalled by it a year ago. But a lot had happened since I'd been bitten, and I was learning to adapt.
I
hoped I was learning.
After a half hour of running I picked up the scent of another werewolf leading away from camp. It was definitely one of my own pack, but I couldn't put a name to the scent. That was strange. I knew most of them well by now. Curious, I snuffled my way along the bank of a trickling stream and followed the scent deeper into the woods. I didn't know why I was following it, but it tickled my brain and piqued my interest in a strange way that all new things seemed to when I was a wolf. Before long I picked out a distant flicker of firelight between the trees up ahead. Even more strange. There was a perfectly good fire back at our camp. The woods were a place to run free in your wolf form, and wolves didn't build fires. As I approached the flames the scent became thicker and more distinct. It belonged to Hawthorne, a quiet male who'd barely spoken two words to me since I'd joined the pack. Even though he was low down in the hierarchy the others seemed to respect him, but I got a slightly hostile from this particular werewolf. I crouched in the shadows near the edge of the small camp, taking in every detail with my night eyes. He had his own lean-to set up with a blanket and a sleeping roll, and above the fire hung a steaming copper kettle. Hawthorne was sitting in his human form watching the blaze. I tried to creep closer, unable to escape my curiosity. A heavy twig snapped beneath my front paw. His shining green eyes glanced up, and I let out an internal sigh. I took my human form again and stepped into the firelight.
"Lyssa," he said with surprise, "I didn't expect you."
"I'll bet." I stepped over to the fire. Well, I was here now. I might as well satisfy my curiosity. "What's all this?" I gestured at his makeshift camp.
