by Lia Davis
She released a breath. “I have to track him down.”
“No.”
A low growl escaped her right before she removed her hand from his and sat up to lean over him, face-to-face. “I’m a tracker. It’s who I was born to be.”
Unsure if he liked the sound of that, but needing to know anyway, he asked, “What does that mean, really?”
One corner of her lips lifted slightly. “My senses are stronger than most Wolves. I’m able to pick up on scents others can’t. I track down rogues and deal with them.”
He studied her for a long moment, remembering her brother saying the same thing, but not really understanding the words at the time. The events of the past couple of days replayed in his mind. The way she stormed into the hospital the night Cody came in and demanded her son’s release. “It’s a lot to take in, but I’m not running. I can’t explain it, but I’m falling for you.”
Her smile widened. “My Wolf knew you were ours at the hospital. It took the woman a little longer to accept it.”
“I don’t like you going after Lester. What if he manages to kill you next time?”
“Not happening.” She placed a finger of his lips when he went about to argue. “That’s not ego talking. I’ll be more prepared and will not be alone.”
He still didn’t like it, but he was in her world. A world he knew nothing about, but he could learn. For her, he would learn. “The thing I don’t understand is why Lester is so violent. He wasn’t like that when we worked together in Naples.”
She snuggled down beside him, wrapping her arm around his stomach. “Lester is ill. He’s not right in the head.”
“What caused it?”
She fell silent for a brief moment. “You said Ava was cheating on you with Lester.”
Anger left behind from the pain of losing his wife surfaced, but he pushed it away. “I was in denial for a long time, but I found some letters between the two of them that pushed me to confront her.”
She tapped her finger on his chest. “During the time she saw Lester, did she still sleep with you?”
“Do you really want to know the answer?” He picked up her hand when she began to press her nails into his skin.
“No, but I’m thinking. Humor me.” She squeezed her lids shut and inhaled as if trying to rein in her jealousy.
He chuckled and kissed her knuckles. “Yes.”
She growled before speaking. “Then she wasn’t his true mate.”
“What?”
“Sorry. Lester must have believed Ava was his mate, but it wasn’t a true mating. If it were, then she would have left you the moment she met him. Have you even thought about bedding another female since you met me?” She tilted her head and glanced at him, a wide smile on her face.
“No. All I can think about is you.”
“See? Ava would have been the same way if she’d felt the mating urge. My guess is Lester forced the bond on her.” Alanna paused, her brows dipping. “The bond allows the couple to sense each other’s moods and desires. A mate could also track the other through the bond.”
Of course. “She couldn’t run away. You said divorce wasn’t an option. Is that what you meant?” When she nodded, he continued. “The only way out was to kill herself.”
A wave of sadness passed over him. He’d been angry at Ava for so long, but he never wished her a life in a forced mating to a psychotic Wolf shifter. “I never meant for her to….”
Alanna cupped his cheek, breaking off his statement. “I’m sorry. It’s not your fault. It’s Lester’s. He has to be stopped.”
Bastian couldn’t agree more. “Why do you think he shot Cody?”
“Not sure. Rogues like Lester are so random in their actions. He could have done it because Cody was another Wolf and Lester didn’t want the pack knowing he’d returned to the area.” She yawned and laid her head on his shoulder. “We have so much to do tomorrow. You get to meet my mother.”
***
Alanna wasn’t sure what woke her, but the hairs on her nape stood on end and her spine felt like someone had run ice up it. Beside her, Bastian lay on his back, snoring lightly. Cute.
The leaves outside her bedroom window rustled as if someone crept along the exterior of her cabin. Lester. Bastard rogue. She jumped out of bed and grabbed her cell. It rang before she could punch in her brother’s number. “Where are you?”
She could feel Brock close by, but wasn’t sure why he’d come all the way out to her cabin so early in the morning. “I was going into town for supplies and thought I’d check on you two. Why?”
“The bastard rogue is sniffing around my cabin,” she growled. “I need you to keep an eye on Bastian while I finish this once and for all.”
“Alanna, wait for backup.”
“That’s an hour away. I don’t have time for it.” She hung up, flinging the phone on the bed as she stood and pulled on her clothes. When she reached the bedroom door, Bastian sat up.
“What’s going on?”
“Lester’s outside. I’m going to be his welcome party.”
Bastian flung the covers off, and she groaned at the sight of nude, sexy body. Advancing to her, he met her stare. “I don’t like this.”
“Me neither, but you have to let me do my job.” She placed a hand over his heart, a sign of trust and love. “You must trust me. Please.”
He kissed her quick and nodded. “I still don’t like it.”
Smiling, she walked down the hall to the living room, where she stopped at the fireplace to open a panel next to it. Inside sat a .22 and bullets. She glanced up and caught Bastian’s wide-eyed stare. “Silver bullets. I told you I’d be prepared the next time.”
Pivoting on her heels, she exited the cabin, giving Bastian one last warning glance to stay put before shutting the door, jumping the porch railing, and darting off in the direction of Lester’s scent.
It didn’t take her long to find the asshat. He’d perched himself against an old oak like he knew she was coming after him. Maybe he did. She really didn’t give a shit. “You going to make it easy for me, Lester?”
“Never, bitch. Where is Bastian? He’s never been the type to hide behind a female.”
Alanna gritted her teeth and raised the gun level with Lester’s chest. “This is Wolf business. Leave Bastian out of it.”
Lester clicked his tongue and shook his head. “You see, that is where you’re wrong. He took my mate from me. Because of him, she killed herself.”
“I don’t think so. The way I heard it, she wasn’t your true mate. What did you do, force the mating bond on her, trapping her in a loveless mating?” She spread her feet to balance her weight. She felt her brother move in behind her.
He pushed off the tree, the muscles in his jaw working as he cast a hard glare at her. “She was my mate. That bastard of a human filled her head with lies. He will pay.”
She tightened her grip on the gun. “Stay right there, or I’ll bury a bullet in your heart.”
With an evil laugh, he moved closer, but something to his left caught his attention. She sniffed the air, not taking her focus off the rogue. Nothing out of the ordinary reached her senses. “Lester, give yourself up. You’re not touching Bastian, or my son. Ever again.”
He looked her dead in the eye, tilted his head, confused for a moment. “Ah, yes. The boy outside the theater.”
“Why did you shoot him?” His answer wouldn’t change her mind about killing him, but she needed to understand why the psycho did it.
Lester lifted one shoulder as if bored, pissing her the fuck off even more. “You see, I didn’t need the kid running to his Alpha about my presence in the Black Hills.”
“Surly you knew there was a high chance that he’d live.”
“A poor calculation on my part.” He took another step, brows raised in challenge.
Before she could react, Bastian barreled by her, tackling Lester to the ground. The males rolled, their fist flying.
Alanna screamed, not knowing wha
t else to do. If she took a shot, she would risk hitting her mate. “Bastian!”
Lester caught him in the side, knocking him to the ground. Bastian gasped and rose to his knees. When the rogue shifter stood, Bastian kicked out, catching the Wolf in the kneecap. Lester roared and crumbled to the ground. Holding his stomach, Bastian pushed to a stand. Alanna ran to her mate and knocked him out of the way as the rogue shifted into a large brown Wolf. Without a conscious thought, she fired at the Wolf, hitting him in the chest. His eyes widened in shock as he dropped to the forest floor and convulsed, the silver racing through his veins.
She dropped to her knees beside Bastian, lowering her gun. Brock rushed by them to make sure Lester had no weapons within reach. Once the rogue stopped moving and her brother confirmed the rogue’s death, she turned toward the cabin. Fatigue settled in as the rush of adrenaline left her. Besides, she needed to be close to her mate.
“Are you okay?”
Bastian sat up and glanced to Lester, who had returned to his human form. “Yes, thanks.”
“He’s dead,” Alanna said absently before turning back to him and narrowed her gaze. “I told you to stay in the cabin.”
“I’ve never been one to stand by when my mate needs me.”
She stood and growled at him. “It’s my job—”
“To take down rogues, yes I know.” He rose to his feet, meeting her gaze. “I’m a man. Protecting those I love is hardwired in my genes.”
“You will have to let go of that part of your ego.” Though he had a point. No male—human or shifter—could sit by and let the female do the protecting. She would have to adjust to his nature as well when they completed the mating bond. She stepped closer and whispered, “I might be a little more forgiving if you took me to the cabin and made love to me.”
A sensual smile lifted his lips as he scooped her up in her arms, drawing a squeal out of her, and carried her toward the cabin. “Yes, my mate. Hey, is there some kind of ceremony or something you wolves do?”
She shrugged. “Not if you don’t want one.”
“I think I want one. I want everyone to know you belong to me.” He climbed the stairs and opened the door. Once inside, he kicked the door shut and carried her to bed.
“Everyone being the pack.”
“Of course.”
“They’ll sense it as soon as the bond is in place. In fact, I’ve already marked you with my scent.” She rubbed her cheek on his chest playfully.
Laughing, he laid her down and studied her. “I want to complete the bond. Because that out there, not knowing…. Yeah, I want to know you are okay. Maybe then I can allow you to risk your life for your duty to the pack.”
“Allow me?” she growled.
He laughed and pressed his hard cock into her. She groaned and raked her nails down his spine about to remind him she was stronger than him, but he shook his head. “I’m a man. Human or otherwise, it’s my nature to worry about my mate.”
Spoken like a true mate. All annoyance faded as she held his green gaze. There were going to be many disagreements in their lifetime. And she would enjoy every one of them. He was her mate, and she’d take him anyway she could.
Her heart hammered with excitement, and her Wolf howled inside her mind. She opened her heart to allow the threads of the mating bond weave together. She kissed him. “I will love you always, Bastian Storm.”
The bond snapped into place, and he smiled. “Love you, too.”
Epilogue
The pale blue sky with small white puffs of clouds scattered about made for a perfect day to have a mating ceremony. The birds chirped happily in the trees as a breeze stirred the fragrances of the roses and lilies used to decorate the old remodeled barn on the eastern outskirts of Los Lobos. One of the many positive changes in town since Drew became Alpha.
She smiled and inhaled, allowing the calm and happiness from each of her pack mates who came out to celebrate her mating wash over her. Change was good; life was good. So why did Alanna feel like she would be sick?
Oh, yeah. It was her mating ceremony.
She reached up and fingered one of the corkscrew curls in her hair and groaned. God, the females of the pack had made it their mission to turn Alanna into a girlie girl. Betty was their ringleader. No doubt her mother had a hand in it some way.
“Stop fidgeting,” Alanna’s mother said as she came up beside her and drew her into a hug.
“Why am I doing this again?”
“Because it’s important to your mate.” Corrine stepped out of the hug and cupped her face. “You are so beautiful.”
Alanna’s stomach knotted, and she couldn’t remember the last time she’d been as nervous and happy as she was at that moment. “Thanks, Mom.”
The Wolf within, however, wasn’t so thrilled. She had snarled and clawed at Alanna since they parted from their mate late the night before. Another human tradition. Bastian enjoyed himself too much in torturing her and the Wolf. When she got the male alone after the ceremony, he would learn what happened when the Wolf was separated from her mate for too long.
A nervous, yet loving sensation along the mating bond she now shared with Bastian made her turn her head to gaze into the green eyes of her mate. Her body instantly warmed, and she relaxed, a little. He was the reason for her uncomfortable state, but she’d have it no other way. She would do anything for him to ensure he had a smooth transition into her world.
Without another word to her mother, Alanna stalked toward the man. His own relief flowed out to her as if he, too, had suffered from the short time away from her. Good. When she reached him, he looped an arm around her waist and jerked her to him. Their bodies pressing together, he dipped his head and buried his nose into her neck, drawing a low growl from her.
“God, I missed you,” he whispered.
“We missed you, too.” She pulled away to stare into his pale green gaze. “I never want to be parted from you for that long again.”
He smiled, and his eyes twinkled in the sunny afternoon. “Me neither. Is it too late to cancel the party?”
Frowning, she searched his features. A teasing gleam lit up his face, relaxing her even more. “I told you the ceremony wasn’t necessary.”
“I know. You’re so nervous…. Anyway, from the history you told me about the pack, they deserve to have a reason to celebrate.”
Her heart swelled. She loved him. His compassion for her pack grew each day.
Framing his face in her hands, she kissed him. “I love you.”
A clearing of a throat brought her attention to Drew’s arrival. His mate, Betty, stood by his side, her arm looped with his. “Are you two ready?”
Alanna glanced at Bastian and nodded. “Let’s get this over with.”
Following Drew to the center of the barn, she squeezed Bastian’s hand as the rest of the pack circled around them. The butterflies fluttered inside her belly and some moved to her chest. She hated being the center of attention, especially when it was for one of the few times the pack got to relax and forget the ugliness of their past. Bastian was right, they all deserved to party and let down their guard even for a few hours.
Drew let out a whistle, quieting the rumbling of voices among the crowd. “We gather today to celebrate a mating and welcome a new member to the Tao Pack.” Draw paused to let everyone cheer. When the Alpha held his hand up, they fell silent again. “Bastian Storm, your mate has explained the laws to you and, by taking you as her mate, Alanna is held responsible for your actions.”
Bastian nodded. “I have no living family outside the pack and will do whatever it takes to keep the pack’s secrets.” He turned to Alanna, and her heart rate kicked up a couple of beats per second. “I accept my responsibilities as a member of the pack and as your mate. I will not fail you.”
Chest tightening, she rose onto her toes and kissed him softly on the lips. She pulled back, picked up his hand, and placed it over her heart. “I promise to love you for the rest of our lives as well as allow you to
believe you are right.”
Laughter rumbled from the crowd, and Bastian lifted a brow. “I look forward to all the make-up sex.”
Alanna snorted at the unexpected public admission. She cupped his head and pulled him down for a heated kiss. Her Wolf danced happily at having her mate by her side. “Let’s get out of here.”
“And what, miss a great party?” he teased, drawing a growl from her.
Drew chuckled. “You two get out of here. We’ll celebrate for the both of you.”
Alanna didn’t need to be told a third time. She grabbed Bastian’s hand, tugged him out the barn door, and led him into the woods toward her cabin. Somehow she doubted they would make it to their destination. The need to mark him, again, rode her hard.
Once out of sight from the others, Bastian jerked her to stop and tugged her closer. His mouth claimed hers in a fiery rush, sending hot liquid desire racing through her. His pleasure flowed alone the mating bond, combing with her and intensifying her own.
She broke the kiss and spoke breathlessly. “I love you.”
He lifted her shirt over her head and placed a kiss above her right breast. “Love you always. You so know we’re not going to make it to the cabin.”
Yes, she knew. “Shut up and take me.”
~A LETTER FROM THE AUTHOR~
I’m so thrilled to be part of a wonderful world of shapeshifters and other paranormal beings in the Black Hills. It’s an honor to be able to work with so many talented authors, editors, and cover artists and still bring my readers what they love: sexy shapeshifters. I hope you enjoy the Black Hills Wolves as much as I do.
Thank you so much for your love and support.
http://www.authorliadavis.com
Want more Black Hills Wolves?
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Your Wild Heart by Dena Garson
Chapter One
