Claimed by the Alpha (Shifters of Ashwood Falls Book 13)

by Lia Davis

  She jerked her arm out of his hold and shoved him in the chest. “What’s your problem?”

  He closed the bedroom door and towered over her. There was no aggression in his scent like she expected. Then again, he wasn’t Royce.

  Rafe caressed her cheek with his knuckles, then cupped her nape. “I don’t like his scent on you. He purposely touched you knowing that.”

  She pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. Kasen’s words before he walked off made sense. Kasen was trying to make Rafe jealous. Lifting her chin, she said, “I don’t like her scent on you.”

  Rafe drew his head back and creased his forehead. “You’re jealous of Elise?”

  Maybe. “I can smell her desire for you.”

  “That’s ridiculous. Elise has never had an interest in me or any other male in the camp.”

  Luna rolled her eyes and went to stretch out on the bed. “She hasn’t taken an interest in other males because she’s obsessed with you.”

  Rafe shook his head and sat on the bed beside her. “She’s not obsessed.”

  “Oh, no?” Luna rolled to the side and watched him. His jawline wasn’t as defined as Royce’s was. Rafe’s hair was black while Royce’s was dark brown with a hint of red in it.

  Rafe had no clue that Elise was hot for him. Was he ignoring her on purpose, or did he just not see it?

  Crawling off the bed, Luna moved to stand in front of him, nudging his legs apart. His wolf flashed in his ice-blue eyes as he gripped her hips and pulled her closer.

  She fisted a hand in his hair and tugged his head to the side. He didn’t fight her. Then again, she hadn’t expected him to. His desire for her rolled off him, wrapping around her. “Looks like we’re starting the mating dance.”

  Threading his fingers through her curly red hair, he fisted a handful at the base of her neck and pulled her down to claim her mouth. Heated desires raced straight to his cock as their tongues tangled together.

  With his free hand, he wrapped it around her waist and leaned back onto the bed, making her fall on top of him. Not breaking the raw, passion-filled kiss, he rolled to pin her underneath him. A soft grown escaped her, and she twined her legs around him. His cock jerked at the sensation of having her core so close. His wolf growled and said there were too many clothes separating them. The man agreed.

  Breaking the kiss, he stood and removed his clothes, then went to work on undressing Luna. He lowered to his knees as he gripped her ankles and pulled her to the edge of the bed. He lifted her legs to drape over his shoulders. Pressing a kiss to her belly, he slid two fingers into her slick folds. A soft moan escaped her, and she fisted his hair. A dull pain registered as she pulled on his hair and moved her hips, rubbing her clit against his fingers.

  He leaned in and lapped at her bundle of nerves. Her grip on his hair tightened. Satisfaction ripped through him, knowing he was giving her pleasure. Too long. He’d wasted too much time. It was time to claim his mate. But would she let him?

  She did say they were starting the mating dance, so he would definitely mark her.

  He covered her pussy with his mouth and slid his fingers inside her. Her body tensed, then she began to move again, and met the tempo he set by fingering her. A couple of thrusts and a bite to her clit sent her over the edge. Her body jerked as the orgasm tore through her.

  When he withdrew from her and crawled up her body, he met her drunken, desire-filled gaze. A half-smile lifted her lips and her eyes glowed a beautiful green as she raked her claws across his chest, marking him.

  With a quick thrust, he entered her, intensifying the pleasure rolling through him. He wasn’t prepared for how damn good she felt around his cock.

  The sting of her nails scoring his back intensified his desire, and his cock throbbed as he rocked his hips and increased the tempo.

  Luna cried out, digging her nails into his shoulders and rode him. Pleasurable pain fueled his desire to possess her inside and out. Increasing the tempo, he bit her in the tender spot where her throat met her shoulder. Her rich, sweet blood coated his tongue as his fangs broke the skin.

  Luna’s pleasure crashed over him, intensifying his own. Her muscles tensed around his cock a moment before she screamed her release. He squeezed her hips and thrust twice more. His balls tightened as an orgasm pulled him over the edge.

  He sank onto the mattress beside her and pulled her to him, hugging her tight. “You’re mine, Luna Raines.”

  She didn’t reply, just snuggled into him. But he felt her smile against his chest. He knew then he was another step closer to having her forever.

  Chapter Six

  Luna stumbled into the kitchen in Rafe’s T-shirt that fell to her knees. The scent of coffee and the sound of voices had lured her from the bed. She walked past Elise to the coffee maker. A smirk formed on her face as she caught Elise’s open mouth stare.

  After pouring a cup of coffee, Luna leaned her back against the counter and cradled the cup. A moment later, Kasen walked in. He raked his gaze over her and chuckled as he got his own coffee. “He wanted to get his point across, didn’t he?”

  “You should see Rafe,” Luna said, meeting Elise’s gaze.

  Rafe appeared from the hallway without a shirt. He had bite marks on his neck, shoulders, and chest. His back was littered with claw marks.

  Luna had her fair share of bites but nothing like what she left on Rafe.

  Elise turned toward Rafe and froze. Kasen leaned against the counter about a foot from Luna. He was close enough to show he was still her friend but not close enough to infringe on the mating dance.

  Walking past Elise, Rafe wedged himself between Luna and Kasen, making the Wilde wolf Alpha scoot over.

  One by one, the rest of the group filed out of the rooms. Colt looked concerned when he saw Luna, but Kirk pulled him aside and explained the mating dance to him.

  After breakfast, they formed their groups and headed out. Rafe, Luna, Tate, and Elise were the group that went to the mine. Kasen had suggested Tate be in her group, saying the Enforcer was good at hiding bodies if she needed that service. She wasn’t even going to ask if he was joking.

  Rafe said there would be no use for hiding bodies but agreed Tate was the right choice for their group. Luna defaulted to Rafe’s direction on the mission because he was familiar with the area and had worked with the Wilde wolves before.

  Standing at the entrance of the mine, Luna studied it, wondering just how safe the old abandoned place was. “We have to be careful not to create a cave-in.”

  Rafe nodded and pulled out a flashlight from his backpack. “I agree. Watch your step.”

  Luna, Tate, and Elise nodded and followed Rafe inside. They reached the center of the mine and start poking around at the rock, looking for signs of Moonstone.

  Setting her backpack on the ground beside the back wall, Luna scanned the small open space. “The files Easton sent never said what the stone looked like.”

  “It could be anything from the raw form of moonstone to polished. But it will have a low hum or vibration of power.” Rafe walked along the wall with his hand skimming the surface. “Also, look for a manmade hole or other disturbance in the rock.”

  They paired off to search around. Luna and Rafe went down a path that led a little farther into the mine while Elise and Tate searched the small room-like space they were in.

  After moving through the narrow tunnels that seemed to take about an hour—maybe it was only minutes—they came to another open space. “I take it this is no ordinary mine.”

  “What makes you say that?” Rafe stood in the middle of the cave room.

  “I don’t know. I thought mines had tracks for carts to roll down here to the surface.” She moved to a place in the wall that looked like it was blasted. The hole didn’t go all the way through, so either they didn’t use enough dynamite or something else broke the stone. “That place seems like a setup.”

  “A setup?” Rafe faced her, his brows drawn. “Are you getting paranoid on
me?”

  She laughed. “I’m always paranoid. I like to be prepared.”

  Just then, the ground under them began to shake. Tate’s voice echoed from the tunnel they just exited. “Get out. It’s unstable.”

  Rafe rushed toward the tunnel, taking Luna’s hand on the way. A few feet inside the tunnel and the ceiling collapsed, blocking their exit. The ground was still shaking, knocking Luna off balance. She stumbled a few feet before another chuck of the ceiling fell, hitting her back and knocking her to the ground. Smaller rocks tumbled down, landing on her ankle. She cried out as pain exploded up her leg.

  Rafe was at her side in a flash. “Fuck. Don’t move.”

  He carefully moved the rocks off her leg, and she was thankful that the earthquake or whatever had stopped. Once the weight of the rocks was off her ankle, it throbbed. Before she could push herself to a stand, Rafe scooped her up and carried her into the cave room.

  Luna's leg started to swell, but she didn’t think it was broken, just sprained. She rolled her pant leg up and pushed down her sock to get a look at it. That was when Rafe pushed her hands away and took off her shoe and sock. She hissed and gritted her teeth.

  After easing her foot on the ground, Rafe reached for his backpack and pulled it to him. He took out a cold pack and placed it on her ankle.

  “Thank you.” She relaxed her head against the stone wall, letting her eyes drift closed.

  The sensation of Rafe’s fingers tracing the paw prints on the top of her foot made her open her eyes again. He said, “I noticed them a few times. When did you get them done?”

  She shrugged. Royce hated tattoos. At least hated them on her and forbid her from getting any. “After I healed from power lust and the breaking of the bond. I needed to feel like my boys were always with me. Plus, I wanted tattoos since Royce hated them.”

  They sat in silence for a few moments before Rafe said, “I thought I was doing the right thing by leaving. Royce said he'd kill you and the boys, then pin the murders on me if I stayed.”

  He turned his gaze away from her. Sadness and regret flowed from him. She sighed and took his hand in hers. “He would have tortured both of us, mentally and physically.”

  He squeezed her hand, then threaded their fingers together. “I thought he was your true mate, and you were happy. I didn’t have a right to take your happiness away. When I realized the truth, it was too late.”

  “Royce had a lot of people fooled.” She stretched out her legs in front of her and leaned her against his shoulder. “My sons didn’t know half of what the bastard had done until the days leading to the attack on MoonRiver.”

  Where she killed her mate and ended the life of every rogue and mutant there.

  Rafe draped an arm around her and hugged her to him. “I intended to come back and expose the bastard. Royce knew I would, so he had Felix's Enforcers capture me. I endured years of torture until I escaped. By that time, MoonRiver had been destroyed, and you had aligned with Ashwood. It was too late to crawl back to ask for forgiveness.”

  “You should have tried even though I might have kicked your ass out of the den.” One of the reasons she aligned with Ashwood, besides her friendship with Keegan, was because she feared she’d turn rogue, and she wanted her Pack secure with a good Alpha when that happened.

  “It wasn't until I saw Jared at one of the rebel camps that I thought you might be looking for me.” Rafe shifted to make her a little more comfortable. “I guess I was wrong because you never came to give me shit about leaving.”

  “I might have if we weren’t dealing with Felix and his mutants.” She lifted her head and stared into his blue eyes. “But you weren’t wrong. I did send scouts out to find you. Once I realized you were alive and living in the rebel camps, I figured you didn’t want me to find you.”

  She had things to tell him and questions that she wanted answers to. Like why he left, which she knew now. She had also wanted to confirm that Rafe was her destined mate. Another question answered. The rest didn’t matter anymore. They were together. Currently stuck in a mine, but together. Felix, Royce, and Savannah were dead. “I’m not the same female I was when you left. I wasn’t sure if you’d like who I’d become. What I did to become her.”

  He turned and framed her face in his hands. “I love who you were and who you are. The only thing that has changed is you are stronger than ever. And still beautiful.”

  Then he claimed her mouth in a greedy, raw kiss. She groaned and leaned into him, deepening the kiss. Their tongues danced as their mouths moved against one another.

  Rafe broke the kiss. “We need to find the stone and get out of this mine.”

  She nodded. “And plan our attack on Faelin.”

  Chapter Seven

  “Do you really think the stone is here?” Rafe stood and lifted Luna in his arms.

  She wiggled out of his hold and limped toward the pile of rocks blocking their exit. “I’m being hopeful.” Studying the rocks, she titled her head and frowned. “Tanner’s telekinesis would be great right about now.”

  “Yeah.” Rafe came up next to her, watching for signs of distress. Not that he thought she was weak, but she was in pain whether she showed it or not. “We’ll have to do it the old fashion way.”

  They started moving rocks off the pile. All the while, Rafe watched Luna. The stubborn female insisted on helping. “You should rest.”

  “You should know that I will not.” She picked up a rock big enough for her to wrap both arms around. When she stepped back to toss it out of the way, she cursed. “Damn it.”

  He rushed to her side and took the large rock from her. Throwing it into the open space, he pointed to a pile behind her. “Sit.”

  She glared at him for a few moments before doing what he said. He was ready for an argument from her. When she didn’t give him one, he wondered if she was silently plotting against him.

  Shaking her head, she laughed. “I’m not plotting against you.”

  Studying her, he asked, “Did you read my thoughts?”

  “It happens. My link to Keegan and the Pack has its gifts.” She waved him off.

  “But it only works when you are close to the Pack, doesn’t it?” Rafe wondered why she so easily heard his thoughts.

  She frowned, making her forehead crease. “I could, but it would take a lot of focus. Unless…”

  “What?”

  Instead of answering him, she stood and closed her eyes. She was so still, and when he inched closer to her, she held up a hand, stopping him. After a few moments, she opened her eyes and smiled. “The stone is here. I feel its power.”

  “That’s why you can tap into Keegan’s telepathy so easily.”

  She nodded, then moved to the wall a few feet from the falling rocks. After running her hand along the wall, she tapped on a section of it until it crumbled away, revealing a moonstone. It was in its raw form and bigger than the wolf-shaped one Faelin had.

  Tentatively, Luna picked it up and held it in her palm. “It’s more powerful than the other one.”

  Rafe stepped closer and felt the hum of magic. “It is, which makes me wonder if Royce used some of the power in the first one.”

  “Possible.”

  The sound of rock falling sent a jolt of panic through Rafe. He grabbed Luna and twisted to shield her from another cave-in. When the ceiling didn’t come down on them, he lifted his head and met Tanner’s scowl.

  Luna squealed and broke out of his embrace to rush to her youngest son. She hugged him, tight. “You’re here.” She drew back and showed him the stone. “We found it.”

  Tanner nodded stiffly. “Good. Let’s get out of here before the whole place comes down.”

  After picking up his and Luna’s backpacks, Rafe took Luna’s hand and led her past her son and through the tunnels. When they reached the exit, Luna turned to Tanner, giving him a scowl of her own. “You do not have the right to tell me who I chose as a mate. So get over your issues and get to know who your uncle truly is befor
e you judge him for what his bastard of a brother did.”

  “Luna!”

  Rafe glanced up in time to see Sasha, rushing forward. The two females hugged, then Sasha frowned. “You’re hurt.”

  Rafe gave Tate and Elise a nod in acknowledgment. Elise watched him out of concern. He noticed the female didn’t even glance at Luna. It was considered disrespectful to ignore the presence of an Alpha, no matter what territory they were in.

  Turning his back on Elise, he watched his mate and the Ashwood Falls Healer. Sasha met his gaze and offered a smile. That gave him hope that the female would see to it that her mate—Rafe’s nephew, Tanner—would see reasoning soon.

  Luna waved her off as she limped toward the truck parked a few yards away, ignoring Sasha’s order to let her heal the ankle. When Rafe caught up to Luna, she said, “You’re not carrying me, so forget it.”

  He chuckled. “If I really wanted to, I’d throw you over my shoulder.”

  She snorted. “And get your ass kicked.” She glanced at Tanner, “Where is Jon?”

  “He, Hayden, Christa, the twins, and Alec and Rhea will be here later tonight.” Tanner stuffed his hands in his pockets while watching his mother limp to the truck. Turning to Sasha, Tanner asked, “How bad is it?”

  She shrugged. “Not too certain without examining it, but she’s in a lot of pain.”

  “I’ve been in pain before, stop talking about me like I’m not here.” Luna, who was still barefoot, misstepped and growled.

  Rafe was there in an instant and picked her up with one arm under her knees and the other around her waist. Luna scowled at him, and he said, “Asking for help and having someone to protect you doesn’t make you weak.”

  Tanner jogged ahead and opened the truck passenger door. Rafe put Luna in the seat and framed her face. “I’m your mate. It’s my job to protect you and support you. I don’t want to be Alpha, never have. But I will put my foot down when it comes to your safety and wellbeing. We clear?”