by Jaci Burton
There was something else he had to do, and he knew what it was. It went against everything he stood for, his very genetic makeup. But if that’s what he had to do to get her back, then he’d have to swallow his pride.
It was either that or lose her, and the concept was unfathomable.
He’d do it. It would kill him to make that sacrifice, but he’d do it for Shannon. He had to.
Tonight.
* * * * *
Shannon sat on the picnic table in the backyard of her parents’ home. She drew her knees to her chest and rested her chin on them. Closing her eyes, she breathed in the crisp fall air, the slight breeze tinged with the sharp scent of earth’s changing grounds.
Full-fledged change of season had finally come, cooling things off and leaving her with a melancholy feeling she hadn’t been able to shake for days. Although she knew, at least partly, what caused her mood.
Max. She missed him. Desperately. Craved the sight of him, his touch, the husky tone of his voice and the smell of him, so like the cool, crisp earth she inhaled right now.
She’d argued with herself for days now, refusing to lend credence to what her heart was telling her. She couldn’t go to him, couldn’t become one with him. Not if it meant giving up her independence. She’d never be able to tolerate being dominated, being told what to do and when.
If they couldn’t be equals, then they couldn’t be together. And knowing what she did now about alpha wolves, she knew that Max would require control one hundred percent of the time. He would dominate her, make all the decisions, and she would have to follow along blindly. That she could not do.
“You gonna sit here all day and mope, or are you going to help serve?”
She looked up at the sound of Kaitlyn’s voice, then slipped off the table and went inside.
Friday night dinner with the family. She hadn’t wanted to come, but her mother told her in no uncertain terms she was expected to be there. She slipped into the kitchen and grabbed the salad and plates, making a quick turn and hoping she’d be able to sneak into the dining room before she was spotted.
“Shannon, wait.”
No such luck. She halted and cringed at the sound of her mother’s voice, knowing what was coming. Turning, she offered a carefree smile. “Yeah? Is there something else you’d like me to take in there?”
“No. Put those down and come sit with me.”
With a forceful sigh, she handed off the bowl to Kaitlyn, who winked and headed into the dining room. Shannon followed her mother into the sitting room by the front window.
“Come sit beside me,” her mother commanded, patting the sofa cushion.
Shannon sat and turned to face her mother, resolving to sit through the lecture and inevitable questions without offering any detail.
“What happened between you and Max?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“That’s what Kaitlyn tells me. You have to talk to someone about this, ma belle.”
“No, I don’t. There’s nothing to say, Mom. It didn’t work out.”
“Did he hurt you?”
She had to smile at her mother’s narrowed eyes, and she suddenly felt very loved and protected. “No, he didn’t hurt me.”
But she’d hurt him. Badly. He’d easily accepted her powers, the fact that she wasn’t entirely human, without blinking an eye. Had she done the same for him?
No.
He’d risked his life to save hers, had taken on six wolves in a battle that could have easily killed him.
Had she thanked him for that?
No.
Then, he’d told her what he was, no doubt expecting the same acceptance of his unusual genetic makeup as he’d done for her. Had she accepted him?
“He’s different, Mom,” she said, pushing the guilt deep inside herself, praying that some day she might be able to forgive herself for hurting him.
“I know what he is, petite,” she said, smoothing her hand over Shannon’s hair.
She couldn’t hide her wide-eyed stare. “You do?” When her mother nodded, Shannon shook her head. “You can’t know. No one knows but me.”
Her mother laughed. “I’ve known for a long time. Almost since he first arrived here.”
“You know that he’s a—” She stopped mid-sentence and looked around to be sure no one was within earshot, then finished in a whisper. “A werewolf?”
“Yes. I know that.”
Shannon sat back on the sofa, unable to believe that her mother knew. “Does Dad know, too?”
“Everyone does, now. I told them the other day, after Kaitlyn said she had to come and get you. She sensed you were hurting. She also sensed your guilt.”
Shannon didn’t doubt that. It was difficult to mask remorse the size of the entire state. She turned her head to regard her mother. “So you all know.”
“Yes.”
“And you’re okay with it.”
Her mother shrugged. “It doesn’t matter whether we’re okay with it or not. None of us are in love with Max. You are.”
She blew out a sigh and stared up at the ceiling, feeling more confused than ever. Sure, her family was fine with Max being a werewolf. Clearly they didn’t understand what that entailed. For that matter, she didn’t understand all of it. Other than the fact she’d have to give up control.
“You don’t have to dominate every aspect of your life, Shannon,” her mother said as if in answer to her thoughts. “Sometimes it’s good to share, to give up a little control to the one you love. Not only does it take the burden off you, but it makes a relationship a true partnership.”
“We could never have a true partnership. He’d want to be in control all the time. He’d want to dominate me all the time.”
“Are you certain of this?”
“Yes.”
Her mother took Shannon’s hands and rubbed her fingers. “Don’t be so certain you know. I have felt Max’s heart. He has a deep love for you.”
“Funny, he never told me that.” She turned her head and looked at her mother. “Did he tell you?”
“No. He didn’t have to. I’m not sure he even realized it at the time.”
“He doesn’t love me.”
“Don’t be so quick to decide how he feels. It’s not your place to control his feelings. Maybe you need to step back a bit and give him another chance. You’ve always been quick to judge people, Shannon. Typically, your instincts are better than your outward logic. Let your heart decide on this.”
Could her mother be right? Had she jumped to conclusions and just assumed Max would want to dominate her? Oh, she didn’t know what to think anymore! Frankly, she was tired of thinking about it at all.
After dinner, she drove home alone. Kaitlyn was spending the night at the house so she and their mother could get an early start on shopping the next day.
Thankful to have the place to herself, Shannon took a shower and read for awhile, but couldn’t concentrate. She tried to do some paperwork, but her mind kept drifting to Max.
She didn’t want to think about Max. She didn’t want to feel the guilt, the uncertainty, the intense longing that threatened to double her over.
Giving up, she slipped between the sheets of her bed and tried to sleep, but found she could only drift in and out, her dreams filled with a gray wolf with eyes of golden green. A wolf that stayed by her side, protected her, revered her, and transformed into a man who took her very breath away with his beauty.
She dreamed of Max crawling over her, whispering that he loved her, that he’d always take care of her. She felt the soft caress of his fingers over her bare skin. Her breath hitched as he slid his palms over her nipples, following the trail with his fiery hot tongue until she was writhing, begging him to—
She heard the growl on the fringes of her consciousness and sat up in bed, blinking her eyes, trying to adjust them to the darkness. Surely it had been part of her dream.
Then she heard it again, coming from the corner of her room. She lo
oked over and saw the window was open, the sheer curtains billowing out in the cool breeze.
Shannon shivered and pulled the covers up to her chin, scooting away until her back hit the headboard. The growl grew closer. Yellow eyes glowed in the darkness as he approached the foot of her bed.
She shrieked in surprise when the wolf leaped onto the foot of her bed. He stared at her, not advancing, his watchful eyes waiting.
Waiting for what? For her to say something?
“Max?” she whispered, knowing full well it was him. Could he even answer her when he was in wolf form?
Obviously not. He didn’t speak, didn’t growl, just slowly crept up the bed toward her. When he reached her feet, he began to claw at the sheet, pulling it away from her until she was exposed. He sniffed at her feet, licking her toes. She fought back a giggle, still wary of his intentions.
She was more curious than afraid, knowing that he’d never hurt her.
“Your being here doesn’t solve anything,” she admonished, feeling stupid for talking to him. But surely he understood her.
He cocked his head to the side and looked at her as if he were intently listening.
She supposed he was giving her the opportunity to talk to him, without his being able to respond. She drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.
“Why are you here, Max? And why in wolf form? I’ve seen you like this before, so it’s not a shock to me. Besides, you showing up here like this doesn’t change anything between us.”
He stood on all fours watching her, not moving.
This was her chance to tell him what was in her heart.
“I’m sorry I hurt you the other day. You don’t disgust me at all. I fully accept what you are.”
He leaned forward and licked her legs, rubbing his snout against her calf.
Tears filled her eyes at what might have been between them. Tentatively, she reached out and touched his head, loving the feel of his fur under her hands. She stroked his ears and he leaned against her, his long tongue licking at her palm.
She shuddered, wanting him naked here with her. In human form, their bodies entwined and making love. But that could never be. Not after what she’d done to him.
She hitched a breath and continued. “I can’t be what you want me to be, Max. I can’t be docile and let you control my entire life. It’s not in my nature to give up control like that. Not all the time. Not the way you’d expect me to.”
Then he did something that stunned her. He moved next to her and laid down, then rolled over, exposing his belly to her. Even the novice she was knew that was a sign of submission.
The alpha wolf of a pack would never show his belly to anyone.
But Max had just given her a sign. He gave up some of his control to her. He wasn’t here to take, he was here to offer. And while she knew he’d never take a submissive role with her, she knew this to mean that he was willing to share equally with her.
Tears of joy streamed down her face. What it must have cost him to do this was incredible. She reached out and wrapped her arms around him, letting the tears fall freely onto his fur.
He stood and moved to the end of the bed. She watched in awe as his back legs elongated, his snout shrinking, his fur disappearing as he changed into a human again. The transformation took only a minute and yet was the most amazing thing she’d ever seen.
He smiled at her, a wary, tentative smile.
She opened her arms to him and he moved forward, dragging her against him and holding her tight to his chest. His lips met hers with the same fervor she felt. She poured out the pent-up anxiety and emotion she’d been holding in, wanting to show him how much he meant to her, needing to communicate her love for him. It was important that he knew, that he understood.
But before she could say the words, he dragged his mouth from hers and pulled back, his intense gaze searching her face. He caressed her cheek with the back of his hand and whispered, “I love you, Shannon. With my whole heart, my entire soul and every fiber of my being. I would be honored if you chose to spend your life with me. Become my wife, my partner, and stay by my side forever.”
Her eyes filled with new tears and she nodded. “I love you, too, Max. I will gladly share all that I am with you.”
Once again he took her mouth, slipping his tongue between her lips and coaxing a whimpered response as her body flamed to life. She felt the flow of her juices between her thighs as he caressed her neck, his fingers trailing lightly over her swollen breasts and belly until he palmed her sex.
“Open for me,” he commanded.
She reveled in his dominance over her. This is where she would gladly let him take over. In this she would submit to him, the very act of doing so exciting her like never before. Spreading her legs, she allowed him access to her center, the part of her that pulsed and wept with need for him.
“Hurry Max, please,” she begged, rewarded amply when he slipped two fingers inside her aching slit. His thumb drew lazy circles over her clit until she cried out with an orgasm held too long at bay.
But he didn’t stop there. She had no more recovered her breath than he sat up and pulled her astride him, impaling her on his swollen cock. She gasped as he plunged in, his shaft reaching deeper and deeper inside her, until she could take no more of him. Then he reared back and thrust harder, his long shaft brushing against her sensitized clit until sparks shot through all corners of the room.
“Yes,” he said, his tone triumphant. “Give me your magic, Shannon. All of it.”
She did, wrapping her legs around him and sliding her buttocks back and forth, riding his cock as she’d dreamed of doing.
“Will you fuck me as a wolf?” she asked, barely able to form the words and yet wanting it more than anything.
“Yes, when I change you to one,” he said through panting breaths. “If that’s what you decide. You have to want it to make it happen.”
A tiny spark of fear tightened her stomach, but she pushed it away. “I want whatever makes me yours, Max. In whatever way that is. I love you as a human, as a wolf, and I’ll be by your side always.”
After that they spoke no more. The night filled with harsh cries and howls of urgent passion as their bodies moved as one. She threaded her fingers through Max’s thick hair and tugged hard. He responded by pummeling her with quick, hard thrusts of his cock.
Tears swept down her cheeks at the emotion he evoked within her. Her heart swelled with love for this man who was hers and hers alone.
“Mine,” she whispered, sinking her teeth into the flesh of his shoulder as he had once done to her.
“Mine,” he responded, sharp claws piercing the skin of her buttocks as he partially changed. She watched his green eyes grow more yellow, knew what was about to happen and welcomed it, knowing that she was his no matter what, and she would gladly accept her new status as Max’s alpha female.
As her orgasm rushed through her and she felt the first driving spurts of his come shoot deep inside her, she felt herself begin to change, welcoming the burning pain along with the joy of her climax.
Tonight they’d run free together in the woods, the start of their new lives.
The Devlin dynasty of Louisiana had just begun.
About the author:
Jaci Burton has been a dreamer and lover of romance her entire life. Consumed with stories of passion, love and happily ever afters, she finally pulled her fantasy characters out of her head and put them on paper. Writing allows her to showcase the rainbow of emotions that result from falling in love.
Jaci lives in Oklahoma with her husband (her fiercest writing critic and sexy inspiration), stepdaughter and three wild and crazy dogs. Her sons are grown and live on opposite coasts and don’t bother her nearly as often as she’d like them to. When she isn’t writing stories of passion and romance, she can usually be found at the gym, reading a great book, or working on her computer, trying to figure out how she can pull more than twenty-four hours out of a single day.
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Jaci welcomes mail from readers. You can write to her c/o Ellora’s Cave Publishing at 1056 Home Avenue, Akron, Ohio 44310-3502.
Also by Jaci Burton:
A Storm For All Seasons 1: Summer Heat
Devlin Dynasty: Running Mate
Kismet 1: Winterland Destiny
Kismet 2: Fiery Fate
League of 7 Seas: Dolphin’s Playground
Lycan’s Surrender
Mesmerized
Passion In Paradise 1: Paradise Awakening
Passion In Paradise 2: Paradise Revival
Passion In Paradise 3: Paradise Discovery
Discover for yourself why readers can’t get enough of the multiple award-winning publisher Ellora’s Cave. Whether you prefer e-books or paperbacks, be sure to visit EC on the web at www.ellorascave.com for an erotic reading experience that will leave you breathless.
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