by Briers, M L
Max’s guts twisted and clenched inside him. The thought of not having her at his side made his wolf whine within him. The beast was eager for her to wake up, as he was, but he didn’t believe that any of the injuries she had sustained was the reason for her being unconscious.
She had been weakened by using her magic before, when she had taken on Mike when he first went rogue and had saved Doug’s life, and he knew that some Fae spells, depending on how much of their magic they used, could drain them physically. He believed, hoped, that this was all it was.
When he was finished tending her he made the mistake of allowing Lisa to come and go as she pleased. Hovering around them like an insane woman, she had become the epitome of nuisance, offering food, drink, and everything she could think of in between, including fresh clothes to her alpha, as he waited for his mate to wake.
“Damn it Lisa, go home…” Max growled out as she tried to force more food on him. His glare met hers and she put her hands on her hips and wound up for a tirade that he didn’t need to listen to, let alone want.
“Now listen here, Alpha. While you were busy deciding if you were going to eat your mate or not…” She started and Max dragged himself to his feet. Still naked and covered in dirt and blood, he leaned down over her with black eyes, hoping the menacing growl and scowl that he was giving her would be enough to silence the woman, but it didn’t work. “I was her friend…”
Max’s eyes came up to Doug’s as his friend came to the doorway and leaned a shoulder against the frame. He gave him a look of annoyance followed by a silent plea and Doug took a long breath and sighed.
“Lisa, maybe we should wait until Darby is better to berate the alpha…” Doug offered and she immediately snapped her jaws closed. That was a first for his mate, and he was silently impressed with her for doing it. “Let’s go put the kettle on. I’m sure Max will be glad of a cup of coffee in a bit, if only to keep him alert.” Doug didn’t bother to drop his eyes to the array of coffee mugs that sat untouched on the side, and Lisa didn’t mention them either.
“When she…” Lisa asked in a small voice and Max nodded.
“The very moment.” He offered and she put her hand on his arm and gave him a quick, but firm squeeze, before turning towards her mate as Doug pulled her against his hip and walked her quickly away.
Max sunk down into the armchair with relief. Now that she was gone he had some sympathy for Lisa, and she wasn’t wrong, he had been busy wasting time rather than accepting Darby as his mate and wooing her. Damn fool that he was.
Darby’s hand twitched at her side and Max caught sight of it out of the corner of his eye. Snapping his head down and reaching for her hand he frowned hard.
“You look like crap…” Darby’s gravelly voice brought his eyes back to hers. She looked tired, but she was awake and he felt blessed. “And what are you covered in…? Is that blood…?” She pulled a face of disgust and he rolled his eyes.
“One second, I promised…” He held up his hand to stop her as he connected with the link between the pack.
‘She’s awake, Lisa.’
Darby frowned, “What did you promise? And you smell bad…” She informed him and he didn’t give a damn, he shrugged his naked broad shoulders and grinned down at her like an idiot.
“That I would inform Lisa when you woke up. And I don’t care how I look or smell…”
“He’s been sitting at your side and wouldn’t even entertain the idea of doing the decent thing and having a shower.” Lisa informed her from the doorway. She was also grinning like an idiot, and Darby wondered if she had woke in some kind of parallel universe where everyone had become the village idiot and she was the only sane one left.
“Inflicting his personal stench onto everyone around him…” Darby moaned as she tried and failed to push herself up in the bed. She had bits that ached that she didn’t know could ache. She felt as if a steamroller had pressed her into some fresh laid tarmac.
Max tightened his grip on her hand and frowned. “Are you in a lot of pain?” He sounded guilty, he looked guilty, and she wondered why that was. Probably some stupid alpha-Lycan sense of honour to do with protecting her, didn’t he get the message that she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself?
“No. I just ache, a bit like the flu, but faster to go. I used too much magic dealing with that…” Darby bit off the string of swear words that floated through her mind, although none of them quite matched the way she felt towards her attacker.
“I’ll get you some nice stew that I’ve been slow cooking. That’ll put hairs on your chest…” Lisa informed her just before she disappeared from the doorway, and Darby turned her eyes to Max and cocked a brow at him.
“Hairs on my chest…? Say it ain’t so.” Darby teased, knowing the saying well, but not having heard it since she was a child.
“I could see you covered in fur…”
“Yours only, after I skin you and wash your pelt, because you really do smell bad…” She teased, but turned her nose up at him anyway.
“Fine. I’ll have a shower if it pleases you.” Max pulled himself up to his feet and Darby’s eyes locked onto his rock hard arousal that bobbed a hello towards her.
“Seriously?” Darby balked. Max grinned at her like the village idiot again before he shrugged his shoulders.
“What can I say? It knows that it’s your mate too.”
Darby rolled her eyes and gave her head a little shake. Too much of a shake, her jaw let her know it didn’t like it, and the back of her head rubbed against the pillow beneath it and felt strange.
“I’m sure I could manage just a small spell to make it wave goodbye instead of hello.” She offered and watched the deep frown and look of horror on his face.
“That is one spell you will never cast woman.” He growled down at her gently and she couldn’t help but chuckle, even if it did hurt her.
“Don’t worry alpha, I have just as much to lose as you do…”She informed him, and it didn’t matter how damn tired she was, her whole body was still in a rush to arousal that coloured her cheeks.
Max grinned down at her knowingly. “There’s that colour back in your cheeks my love.” He teased and she let her eyes run over his naked body.
“You’re not climbing into bed beside me looking and smelling like that wolf boy.”
“You need to wait until you’re offered woman.”He tossed over his shoulder on route to the bathroom and she snorted to herself.
“Your little Mini-me already sent out the invitation.”
“Little?” He stopped in his tracks and looked down before half turning towards her a cocking an eyebrow.
“Well it’s not exactly king dong is it?”She shrugged her shoulders and gave him a slightly apologetic look, but the deep, hard frown he returned her nearly undone her into fits of laughter, she was barely holding on.
“You wouldn’t want it as a boil on your backside now would you?”He growled back at her, and she managed to keep a straight face while raising her brows and berating him.
“Now that’s just being childish. I’m just saying…” She expanded her hands and shrugged helplessly as he narrowed his eyes and turned back away from her, mumbling under his breath as he stalked into the bathroom and slammed the door behind him.
“What got up his behind?” Lisa asked as she breezed in carrying a tray of steaming hot stew and playing nursemaid.
“He feels inadequate in the man department…”Darby saw Lisa frown and tossed her a conspiratorial wink, motioning to her ears. She knew he was listening on the other side of the door.
Lisa grinned as she placed the tray down on the side and moved to held Darby to sit up in the bed.
“Oh, Lycan men do seem to think they are well endowed, but the truth is evident.” Lisa had to bite down on her lip so she didn’t splutter a chuckle.
The sound of mumbling from the other side of the door preceded the shower coming on and both women mouthed silent laughter to each other, and suddenl
y Darby seemed to feel better already.
Lisa and Max were finally saying their good nights when the thudding on the downstairs door drew everyone’s attention.
Lisa had refused to leave Darby until she could drag herself out of the bed to see to her own needs and now they were ready to leave, Max thought, there was another interruption to his quality time that he wanted with his mate.
Max stalked down the stairs and Doug followed him. He could see that Max was in no mood to receive any more bad news, and thought that as his Beta, whatever it was could either wait until Max had gotten some sleep, or he would deal with it himself.
Max pulled open the front door and looked out on his pack standing as one outside his house. The tension within him spiked to an all time level and Doug wondered if the alpha would blow his stack before he even found out what was going on.
“Alpha.” One of the pack Elders nodded in respect as he stood front and centre of the large group.
“Jackson, what’s going on?” Max didn’t need this now. If the pack had something to say, an objection to his mate, then he would gladly move on, but right now, he just wanted to be left in peace with his mate.
“The pack is mindful of what has happened concerning the Fae…”
“My mate.” There was a low lying growl of warning in the alpha’s tone that nobody present could have missed or mistaken, and a rumble went through the crowd.
“So you are going to claim your mate?” Jackson asked with a small amount of trepidation in his voice. He might have been an Elder and was accorded the due respect that title gave him, but he still didn’t want to lose his head to the damn Alpha.
Max took a long step outside the door and stared around at the upturned faces in the crowd, each one of them showed a mixture of interest and anxiety at how their alpha was going to react to such a question.
“I am.” Max growled. It was a growl that said, state your piece and see if you live to draw your next breath.
“Good.” Jackson’s tone became light and easy going and Max’s eyes narrowed solely on him.
“Good?” Max was looking for clarity.
“Yes.” Jackson offered back with absolutely no clarity offered.
“It is?” Max tried again, but Jackson just nodded enthusiastically, and Max growled out in his own mind. “Because?” He motioned for Jackson to spit it out, and a woman nudged the old man in the ribs, causing him to grunt in pain before he realised that the alpha was completely in the dark about their pack meeting.
“Oh…” He started, realising his mistake. “We had a meeting…”
“A meeting?” Max didn’t think he could hold his temper much longer. His pack was about to be the death of him, possibly in more ways than one, and he wanted Jackson to just cut to the chase and spit it out.
“About the Fae… Your mate.”Jackson informed him and another rumbled went through the crowd.
“Oh you did?” Max took another step forward.
“We think she should be here to hear this. Is she well?” Jackson asked cocking his head to one side and raising his brows expectantly at his alpha.
“Now look…” Max started, feeling his last nerve snap within him, before Doug stepped forward and placed his palm down on his friends shoulder.
“Max, it’s your pack asking, you should…”
Max spun in place and glared at Doug, but his Beta was unmoved by Max’s mood. Doug lifted just one brow and regarded his friend with a knowing look, for which he got a low deep growl in response.
“I’ll ask her…” Max stalked back inside the house and took the stairs in record time. He really didn’t need this, neither did his mate. If there was to be a challenge, if he was to be leaving with his mate then so be it. He might as well let her see how much he cared for her. He would choose to leave with her and follow her wherever she may lead him, and he was sure it would be a merry dance all the way.
Perhaps this was his Karma come back to bite him in the backside for the way in which he treated the witches. If so, it was probably just.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Lisa was already helping Darby out of bed by the time he got to their room.
“What are you doing?” He growled stalking the space between them until he scooped her up into his arms, making sure the large tee that she was wearing was tucked modestly beneath her backside.
“Facing your pack…”
“Our pack.” He corrected and then wondered to himself how long that statement would be true.
“Our pack.” She agreed as he nodded his head and swung her back around towards the open doorway. Making light work of the stairs on the way down, he reached Doug at the front door, and Darby motioned that she wanted to stand on her own two feet.
The crowd seemed to step forward as one to get a better look at her, straining their necks in curiosity to see the Alpha’s mate. The Fae.
“Hello.” Jackson spoke and drew Darby’s attention towards him. She beamed him a smile and saw the twinkle of mischievousness in his eyes, and she wondered if that Lycan didn’t have a little Fae in him.
“Hello.” She offered back and another murmur went up through the crowd.
“Oh for the love of….” Max growled and Darby elbowed him in the side, careful not to get his ribs, she didn’t need any more bruises, but she had managed to get him to shut up as he stared down at her.
“We had a meeting…”
“You said that already could we…?” She elbowed Max again and he bit off a growl. A slow quiet rumble of laughter went through the crowd and Darby looked up at him innocently.
“Let the man speak.” She hissed at him and he growled again.
“So we had a meeting…”Jackson said that just to spite the alpha and Darby had to bite down on her lip so that she didn’t chuckle. “And the pack understands that you’ve had a very hostile reception…” Jackson’s eyes slipped to Max’s accusingly before he continued. “But we wanted to come as one to welcome you into our pack, and tell you that not all of us are as bad tempered as the Alpha.” Jackson’s eyes twinkled again as he returned them to Darby who looked positively thrilled with her welcome.
Max found that since meeting Darby he seemed to be lost for words on occasion, and this was one of those times. He had expected his pack to reject Darby and therefore reject their alpha, but instead they had welcomed her with open arms.
The happy smiling faces he saw before him lifted his heart and when he turned to look down at his mate he noticed the tears that were welling in her eyes.
“He is a mean spirited man to be sure…” Darby offered on a small chuckle as she turned to look up at her mate. “But he’s also my mate so I guess I will have to forgive him when he throws his toys out of his pram.”
Max went to open his mouth, but the rumble of chuckles that circled around them made him think twice. There would be time later to make her pay for her sins, to show her the error of her ways, and to have her eating out of his hand, when he made love to her.
“And I thank you all for coming out and making me feel so welcome.” She flicked her eyes around the faces that she would be getting to know very well over the coming years, and finally rested back on Jackson.
“Maybe once the alpha pulls his finger out and bonds with you, we could have a party to celebrate.” Jackson offered with more than a twinkle in his eyes, they were positively gleaming. The old man sensed his alpha’s good mood now and he thought he could get in a jab or two while he had the chance.
Darby snorted a chuckle as Max growled long and hard at him, a second before he scooped his mate into his arms.
“Well if you all go home, I’ll get on with it.” Max announced to a cheer as Darby blushed three different shades of red, the last a deep crimson.
“Wait until you asked.” She muttered and heard another rumble of laughter in the crowd as he grinned down at her.
“Oh you’ll be begging me, sweetheart.” He informed her as he turned on his heels and stalked back into the house.
Darby woke up snuggled in his arms. Her back was against his chest and his arms were wrapped around her protectively, even his knees fitted into the backs of hers, and she felt truly cherished.
She knew he was already awake when she felt the twitch of his arousal against her backside, and the rush of her body knowing it wanted nothing more than him, now and forever, was almost overwhelming, and she squirmed against him causing a low growl of desire to roll through his chest and her back.
“That’s a sexy growl you’ve got there, Alpha.” She teased as he nuzzled against the mark he had placed in her neck.
“Glad you like it, you’ll be hearing it a lot more.”When he ran his tongue over the sensitive marks she was glad she was lying down. Her toes and fingers curled and she was sure her legs wouldn’t have held up against the molten lava that washed through her and made her weak.
“Promises, promises. Don’t commit yourself to anything you can’t live up to now…” Teasing him was becoming her favourite past time, and when he growled against her neck her inner muscles convulsed around nothing, but begged for him.
“So I have a little manhood, and now I’m no good as a lover?”He ran a hand down over the naked skin of her stomach, over her mound and down to her inner thighs as they were pressed together.
“I didn’t say that, but if the cap fits…”
“You insinuated it…”
“Nope, not true.”
“So I’m a liar to boot?”He ran his fingertips back up again and she paused with the sensation that ran though her and turned her brain to mush.
“You’re mistaken…” She breathed hard when he repeated the motion, back and forth, her legs sliding apart of their own volition. Damn, but she wanted him, consciously and subconsciously, and she wondered just how much this was going to wear off when they finally bonded.
“Am I mistaking the way your body is reacting to my touch?” He growled against her ear, a moment before he nipped against the lobe.
