When Lust Rules

by Virginia Cavanaugh

  Luken, I have no words.

  He followed her at the fast pace she set as they sped between two trees, kicking up red and golden leaves.

  Everything is different. Smells, sights, energy. Just everything.

  They both came to a halt and he took advantage, rubbing his wolf against hers. He couldn’t get enough of her. His wolf growled in agreement, yet no bond.

  Julie sucked in a breath as Luken rubbed his body against hers. She wanted to giggle at the reaction she had to his nearness even in this form. As he passed she nipped at his back legs as he’d done her, but he stepped away with ease, casting her a mischievous look. She wanted to pounce on him but had no clue why.

  She yelped and tripped some as he nipped back at her. Off balance, she couldn’t help but roll when he charged her. His laughter sounded in her head so she knew he wasn’t taking her down out of anger. It was a game. She bared her new canines and let loose a growl. Wanna play rough, do ya?

  Amused at this new level of play, Julie continued to roll and fought for the top position. Nips were exchanged, but no bite was hard enough to break skin. He didn’t fool her, she knew he was being easy with her, so she tried her best to up the stakes, for some reason she felt a little offended at his ease of play. She didn’t want to hurt him but she didn’t want him to let her win either. All these new feelings rolled in her gut and caused her to be confused.

  Aw. You’re not a submissive.

  What the hell do you mean, I’m not a submissive? Julie used all four legs to push his body from hers, irritation warring with attraction inside her body. Why in the hell was she getting turned-on by fighting with him?

  He pounced again and she went down under his weight. They rolled again. A snarl had her lips pulling back, revealing her sharp teeth. She fought back with all she had, not even understanding why she fought him in the first place. Then something unexpected happened. Luken pinned her to the ground and with a fierce growl gripped her neck with his teeth.

  She went still under him as a wave of erotic heat washed through her. He growled again and she shivered, sexual need coursing through her in abundance. What…I don’t understand. The heavy scent of spice increased, filling her nose and giving her the urge to bathe in the scent.

  He released his hold and licked across her face before meeting her gaze. It’s your new nature. You needed me to prove my dominance, and once I did, your wolf then let me know how pleased you are.

  Pleased hell. She was way more than pleased right now. So you make others feel like this too? The thought had her growling. She didn’t much like the idea of him turning someone else into this simmering pile of compliance. She snarled as his laugh filled her head.

  No. It’s different with you. We’re sexually involved and so your wolf wants to know who’s in charge. But for giggles what if the answer was the opposite?

  Julie snapped at the air in front of his face, narrowly missing him with her teeth. The action shocked her and she pulled back quickly, confused once again.

  Good answer. Luken nuzzled his face into her neck then retreated.

  With a quick roll, Julie came to her feet. What do you mean good answer? I tried to bite you.

  Yes. You did. It means you’re jealous. Possessive. I like it.

  Julie shook out her fur in a full-body spasm as she’d seen many dogs do. Wait a minute. Why in the hell would you find me being possessive a good thing? Most men hate that. Not to mention it was too close to the truth of her feelings and she wasn’t sure she liked him knowing just what he meant to her. But the thought had her wondering if it worked both ways. So what if we find one of the other males in the pack and let him see if he can make me feel all horny like you did? Maybe it isn’t just you.

  In a split second she found herself on her back and wondered at the stupidity of the taunt she’d just uttered. She didn’t need to hear the growl he released to know his displeasure, but oddly it made her tummy tingle in a warm, good way.

  Let’s get one thing straight. The only male who will have his teeth anywhere near your sexy little neck is me.

  Inwardly she smiled as that familiar feeling of lust returned. It was definitely him who caused it and she doubted any other ever could. Another breath filled with that sexy-smelling spice. She became elated, realizing it was his scent that had changed. Guess I’m not the only possessive one then.

  Damn right.

  She licked his face as he’d done her, wanting to soothe him even as she felt the need to aggravate him. He stepped away from her and she rolled to her feet. A new smell entered her nose, but it was there and gone before she could even process it. It would take time to identify what certain smells meant. The whole idea of being able to have that type of information and look into a person’s emotions was astonishing.

  Come. Let’s join the others.

  * * * * *

  Arik pitched his head back and howled. It had taken him a few minutes to break away from the chatter inside his head, but he had successfully broken his tie with the alpha who created him. He was now his own alpha. As soon as the transformations had been complete he and his men had begun to put space between them and the den of the other alpha. He’d ordered those who followed him to meet in a secluded area where they had left their vehicles. Now, one by one, voices he recognized filled his head. He stretched, standing tall as his men broke that tie and came under his rule once again. For a moment he was shocked when a couple voices he hadn’t recognized joined in as well. So he’d picked up a few new men from the other den in this change. Interesting. He’d have to ask questions about that. He needed to know how the whole recruiting process would go. Apparently these few stragglers did it on their own. Their decision to follow him would be to their gain, because he planned on getting rid of his debt to their old alpha. In a very permanent way. People were beholden to Arik, and it would never be the other way around.

  The night was coming to an end and he was surprised at how fast he was coming along in this new existence. The power that surged through his veins was sweeter than any drug. An army. He would create the biggest and best force of wolves. It used to be enough to control his corner of the world, but with this power, hell, he could rule the damn country.

  The moon sank below the horizon and Arik sighed as an invisible weight lifted from his shoulders. With only a thought, shimmering light covered his body and he was once again in his human form. He laughed as the others joined him. It didn’t take long to find Ivan as he perused the faces of those gathered around.

  “Just think of all we’ll have. The world is ours for the taking, cousin.”

  Ivan walked forward, closing the gap between them. “Yes, cousin. And the first thing I want to take back is my wife.”

  Arik couldn’t stop the eye roll. “What is it about her? We can get you a new woman. Two or three even.”

  “I want Julie. That bitch is going to pay for dishonoring me.”

  Arik laughed deep. “So it isn’t about a piece of ass then. You want revenge?”

  Ivan gave a stiff nod.

  Arik gripped Ivan’s shoulders and looked into his eyes. Even though they were distant in blood relation, they were thick as thieves. This man was his right hand. And if he wanted revenge against the bitch… “Then you shall have it.”

  * * * * *

  Luken gripped Julie’s firm ass and lifted her, striding through the house, headed for the shower. His lips locked with hers and he moaned into her hot little mouth as she kissed him back with a fierceness that had his cock throbbing.

  Her slick folds rubbed against his aching flesh as she wrapped her legs around his waist. Damn she made him burn with need. He wanted to fuck her fast and hard, slow and deep. Hell, he wanted it all. She used her legs to rub that warm, wet flesh up and down his length as he fumbled for the water controls.

  A cry of eagerness tore from her lips as he stepped into the warm spray. He couldn’t help but growl in return, which turned into a moan as her blunt teeth sank into the flesh of his should
er.

  With only a slight maneuver, he lifted her hips and buried himself balls deep into her tight pussy. She tried to buck her hips, whining against the abused skin of his shoulder. Her new-found traits had definitely made her more demanding, but his wolf wasn’t having that.

  Using his weight, he pinned her body between his and the cold tile. She released his skin with a snarl and he loved how her wolf caused her eyes to flash golden as she snapped her teeth at him.

  “Please. I need you now. Hard. Fast.”

  Luken laughed as he pistoned his hips quickly against her. “Only because you beg so pretty.”

  Damn, it didn’t take long for her cries of pleasure to fill his ears. He ground his teeth as her pussy fisted around his cock, her body now begging for his own climax. But not yet. He released a shout as he fought hard to pull back from that edge of release. For the first time being with her, he didn’t have to hold back, and damn if he wasn’t going to fuck the hell out of her before he gave in.

  His wolf roared in agreement, now if it would get with the fucking program so he could claim this sexy woman for good.

  “Yes, Luken. You feel so damn good.”

  The thrust of his hips became near punishing, and still his sexy lover took what he had to give, her moans driving him on. He pulled his chest back away from hers, wanting to watch those beautiful breasts bounce as he moved his dick in and out of her.

  “You’re so damn beautiful, Julie. I could look at you forever.”

  Her thighs tightened around him and she bowed her back with a shout. She tilted her head, baring the slim column of her neck. His teeth ached to mark her, yet the bond still remained absent. He wanted her. Fuck what his wolf wanted. He wanted her and damn if he wasn’t going to keep her.

  The way her cunt milked his cock was too much. He couldn’t hold back anymore. With a roar, he gave in to the ecstasy she made him feel and his cock spasmed as he came.

  Chapter Twelve

  Julie swayed forward, loving how Luken’s arms tightened around her as he deepened the kiss. All too quickly he pulled back and she sighed.

  “I have to go. Javin is waiting on me.”

  She smiled. “Go. I need to get to work too.” As Luken walked away, she turned and headed in the back door of Kele’s Boutique. It had been a month since her change and things were going great. She’d quit her job at Harry’s bar and Kele had offered her this one. The job proved to be a perfect fit for her. She had always enjoyed fashion and Lord knows she’d had to keep up on it in her former life.

  The new defense classes were proving difficult. With her wolf being more dominant than submissive, she had to learn to fight as well as any of the patrol wolves. Luken had said she could even start running patrols as early as a year. But he wanted her in top form first. She smiled to herself. Between the fighting workouts and the sex, she should be in top physical form in no time.

  The storeroom was empty, but Julie could hear voices drifting from the showroom. Kele must have a customer. Julie sat down at the small desk and pulled out the list of goods that should be arriving today. Her eyes flitted over it and she second-guessed herself on the amount of bras she’d listed.

  Wanting to double-check, she got up and headed for the showroom but her name coming from the other side of that curtain had her stopping short.

  “I feel sorry for Julie.”

  Kele responded. “Why?”

  “Well…I’m just saying there isn’t a mate mark yet. And I can’t see Luken putting it off if the bond formed.”

  “It’s none of your business, Hattie,” Kele growled.

  Julie swallowed the lump in her throat. It burned like acid and her tummy began to churn. How had she missed it? Her gaze dropped to the concrete floor. She thought maybe Luken was taking things slow. It wasn’t as if she expected a marriage proposal after only a little over a month. And wasn’t that the wolf form of marriage?

  “I better go,” Hattie replied.

  Julie heard the small bell chime as the front door opened and shut.

  “It doesn’t mean anything.”

  Julie’s gaze darted upward and she saw Kele standing in the doorframe. She gave a slight shake of her head as she plastered a smile on her face. “What doesn’t mean anything?” The look Kele gave her suggested she wasn’t buying the I didn’t hear a thing act.

  Kele walked forward and put her arms around her. “Super hearing and sense of smell. Remember?”

  Damn it. These new abilities were nice until they betrayed you. “Really. It’s okay. I don’t expect him to mate me just because.”

  Kele pulled back and met her gaze. “You don’t understand how it works, do you?”

  Frustration and hurt mixed and she snapped a reply without meaning to. “No. The dumbass newbie doesn’t know.”

  Kele raised a perfect arched brow. “No reason to be pissy with me.”

  Julie walked away and fell into the seat at the desk, covering her face with a hand. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap like that.” Her hand dropped and she looked over at Kele who had come farther into the room and now leaned with one hip against the long worktable.

  “You’re in love with him.”

  Julie nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

  “Sometimes fate is a bitch that has no feelings. It doesn’t mean it won’t happen. It’s just odd with the way you two are with each other that it hasn’t yet.”

  “I don’t get it. What else am I supposed to feel? I love him to distraction and I think he feels the same. I mean, neither of us has said it, but I think it’s there.”

  Kele pursed her lips in thought. “It’s hard to explain, but the best I can come up with is that it is deeper than love. I love my mate. But my soul is connected to his in a way that transcends that. It’s kind of like soul mates. You can feel them inside you nearly. Every emotion.”

  Julie looked hard at the floor. What would that be like? And what if… “What if it doesn’t happen?”

  Kele lifted one shoulder. “Every wolf has a destined mate out there. It is just a matter of time until they find each other.”

  “And what if I’m not his mate? Does he have any choice in the matter?”

  A frown furrowed Kele’s brow. “I can’t imagine fighting it. I can’t imagine wanting to fight it. I wouldn’t feel complete without Rodney.”

  “Do you think it will happen between me and Luken?”

  Kele turned her hands palm up and shook her head. “I don’t know. Wolves can be around each other for a long time and the bond snaps into place years later. But usually not if they’re intimate. Intimacy seems to speed things along, so yeah, I’m a little baffled as to why it hasn’t happened yet. But I don’t know that it won’t.”

  A lump filled Julie’s throat as her chest tightened. Her day had taken a one-eighty. She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. There was a lot to be done in the shop and staying busy would probably be best. She stood and made her way into the showroom to check on those bras, trying hard to push thoughts of her and Luken from her head.

  And so the day went. She stayed busy but Luken still filled her mind. Kele had thankfully let her stew in peace and had handled all the customers who walked in. How in the hell was she going to handle this? Her gaze flitted to the wall clock and she realized quitting time had been thirty minutes ago. She knew she couldn’t stay here in an attempt to avoid the conversation that had to be dealt with. Why hadn’t Luken said anything?

  “Are you about ready to go?” Kele asked.

  Julie turned to see her friend near the back curtain, keys and purse in hand. Was she ready? Hell no. But she couldn’t hide. She gave a nod and headed toward the back. When Kele enfolded her in a hug it took everything she had not to sob.

  Numbly she walked home—to Luken’s house. She had started to think of it as home, but how could she really keep up that pretense when it was a possibility she was only there temporarily? Until his real mate came along. Hurt and anger coiled inside her and her claws stretche
d. No she couldn’t handle that. She walked up the drive and took in a deep breath as she entered the house.

  Luken came out of the kitchen, his smile fading from his face and a growl tearing from his lips. “Who caused you to be this way?”

  Julie knew he was picking up on her warring emotions and her heart broke a little more, knowing that he wanted to deliver physical pain to whoever had caused it. But he couldn’t do damage to himself. “Why didn’t you tell me?” she whispered.

  A look of confusion crossed his face and then realization. “Who told you?”

  “It doesn’t matter who told me. What matters is that you didn’t. Why?”

  Luken crossed to her and gripped her upper arms gently, but she pulled away. “Julie, I wasn’t trying to hide anything from you. Hell, I’m frustrated because I don’t understand it either. I thought the bond would form, I’ve just been giving it time.”

  “And what if it doesn’t? What then, Luken?”

  He growled. “It doesn’t matter.”

  “How can you say that? From what I’ve heard it matters a lot.”

  His arm snaked out and wrapped around her lower waist. She tried to fight off his hold but couldn’t. Nor could she stop the tears as he brought her body against his. This body she knew so intimately. This body that she thought hers until everything came crashing down this morning.

  “It doesn’t matter to me, Julie. I love you and I’m not letting you go.”

  She met his gaze and she saw such fierceness in his eyes. “And what if your mate appears? Can you honestly say you could resist that?”

  “Yes. I want you.”

  “You might want to, but do you really think I could be selfish enough to deny you that? Kele said it’s like your soul is connected to that person. How could you still want me when you’re connected to someone else like that? She said it transcends love. So while you say you love me, how can you not want to leave if that happened? And how can you expect me to watch when it does?”