Gage’s response to me killing Kin would be unpleasant, but the pack would understand Kin needed to be dealt with. That I’d done what I had to do to protect Reese. But I worried there’d come a time where I’d have to choose him over my pack.
Every day with my mate made that choice more and more murky.
Reese
* * *
My arm hurt, but I didn’t care, because Dare’s Were scent was strong since he’d partially shifted. I was drugged on it, so I was grateful I heard him murmur that he was taking us to our room to shift.
Yes, my brain screamed. Shift. Scent. Fuck. Mate.
The rush of air surrounded us as Dare leapt up the side of the Hive. He carried me to our room and ordered me to shift before he’d even shut the door behind us. I did, bounding around him and shaking out my fur.
When I shifted back, my arm was healed.
And I was hard.
Dare had undressed while I’d shifted, so he stood in front of me, gloriously naked, his erect cock jutting out from between his thighs, large balls enticing me.
Dare said he loved when I acted on instinct, so I dropped to my knees and immediately rooted around his groin, breathing in his scent, lapping at his balls and nuzzling his cock.
He ran his fingers through my hair, and when he’d had enough of my playing, he wrenched my head back. “Good wolf,” he said softly, and I whined. I wanted his dick in my mouth or my ass. One or the other. Soon.
He held the base of his cock and smeared my lips with the sticky pre-come leaking from the tip. I stuck my tongue out, catching a drop, and he took that opportunity to plunge himself into my mouth.
I planted my hands on his thighs and stared up at him as he fucked my face.
His eyes were swirling, which used to scare me, but now only turned me on, because it meant he was losing control a little bit.
And Dare on the edge meant he fucked me the best.
Even now, his mouth was twisted into a grimace, like he was in pain from keeping his Were at bay.
I did this to him. Me.
Before he came, he pulled out of my mouth and hurled me onto the bed. I bounced on my back, and then he was between my legs, thrusting his dick into me.
My back arched as I screamed, the sensation too much when he hit me at just the right angle, sending fireworks of heat up my spine.
His canines were out, mouth open, as he muttered, “Mine. My mate,” in a garbled chant.
“Yes. Yours,” I said back, along with some other gibberish as he continued to fuck me to within an inch of consciousness. I stared at his teeth, remembering the sharp pain and then immeasurable pleasure when he’d bitten me the first time we’d mated. “Bite me,” I whispered. I’d be leaving tomorrow night, and I needed him, needed this reminder of where I belonged. “Make me bleed. Remind me I’m yours.”
He growled, long and low, a rumble in his chest as his hips stuttered. I was coming, my eyes rolling back into my head, as his teeth sliced into my skin. I wasn’t sure how long the orgasm lasted, but it was a fuck of a long time. When my body went limp, and Dare had collapsed beside me, my voice was hoarse. He gathered me into his arms, his fingers at my hole as he began to massage his come into my skin.
My brain wasn’t online yet, so my only instinct was to remain attached to my alpha. I snuffled under his arm, rubbing my face on his skin, wanting to bathe in his scent. He ran his hands down my back and over my ass until the room smelled like concentrated sex.
His hands cupped my head and pulled my face back. “Can you speak?”
“Barely,” I murmured. My body felt heavy, my eyelids like five-pound weights. “So tired.”
“Sleep.” His fingers sifted through my hair. I was almost asleep when I heard him say, “Fate is not always right. A lot of times she’s a wrong bitch. But she was right with you, my mate. She was so right when she gave me you.”
A warmth washed over me, a smile curling my lips, until I remembered that fate was an evil bitch. She gave me Dare, and she seemed determined to take him away.
* * *
That night, I lay on my back staring at the stars, hands behind my head. The night air was cool, but the massive bonfire the Weres had erected on the training field, plus the heat of hundreds of Were bodies, warmed my skin.
Dare sat beside me, gazing into the flames while Mav sat on his lap.
Kin’s body was somewhere in there. Dare had made an announcement to the pack at dinnertime that Kin had challenged his mate and was killed for it.
Kin had a been a loner, a transplant from another Were pack out west, so he had no family. Gage was nowhere to be seen after the announcement and during the mandatory-attendance cremation.
Dare was distracted, rubbing his hands idly over his son’s back as Mav played with a set of small wooden wolves. I knew Dare was thinking about his pack.
“I’m sorry,” I said.
Dare jerked his head to me, brows drawn in. “For what?”
“This is my fault, isn’t it? Gage sees me as a weakness for you and is trying to exploit it.”
Dare’s lips twisted. “No, this isn’t your fault. Gage has been like this for years. He’s stepping it up now, but I think even if it weren’t for you, he’d make his move sometime soon.”
I leaned up, bracing myself on my hands. “So he’d turn this into a raider pack?”
Mav made a growling sound as he smashed two of his wolves together. Dare smiled at him before his brow furrowed. “Yeah. He thinks we should be growing in numbers, conquering packs until we have an army that can defeat the Noweres.”
A land without Noweres sounded great, but I shuddered to think of the amount of casualties it would take to get there. The Silver Tip pack was self-sustaining and peaceful—for the most part. In one corner, by the light of the bonfire, several novuses kicked a ball back and forth.
A group of female Weres were laughing uproariously as Rua stood in front of them, telling some sort of story that required a lot of hip swaying. Beads at the end of her braids caught the light of the fire, so she looked like she had dozens of fireflies around her head.
And everywhere I looked, families were happy, smiling, and most of all—safe.
“He’s fucking crazy,” I said softly. “I’ve been behind walls that were a prison. I’ve been part of raider groups, because Xan couldn’t provide enough food for his pack. It’s a horrible way to live. Yes, you have threats—” I gestured around the bonfire. “But this is a pack where we can live and hope and not live in constant terror. This is a pack where futures are created.”
I crossed my legs in front of me and tore a blade of grass into pieces. When I peered up at Dare, his irises were swirling, and I couldn’t tell if it was from the flicking flames of the fire, or his Were.
He reached out and squeezed my knee silently, then returned his gaze to the fire.
A scout would be leaving tomorrow at dusk. I planned to make an excuse during dinner time in the Forum, tell Dare I was going to my room, when in fact I’d hide out in the storage facility near the gates waiting for them to open.
There was no other option anymore, and there wasn’t time left.
Mav leaped into my lap, shoving his toy wolves in my face. I smiled and pretended to eat one. He squealed, then curled up in my lap, his wolves tucked under his little arm, green eyes watching the flames.
I fingered his hair, his little ear. I’d miss him so much when I left, and I hoped like hell he’d be okay. What would happen to Dare’s son if Dare fell to a challenger?
What would happen to Bay?
Fuck, what would happen to this whole pack?
Anger swirled in me along with despair. I hadn’t asked for this, and now I was faced with an impossible choice. Was my sister’s life worth the stability of the Silver Tip pack?
Off to the side of the fire, Jude sat with G, his head on the big Were’s lap. Our eyes met, and I forced a smile on my face. I’d told him earlier that I planned to leave tomorrow at dusk, and he knew wh
at he had to do to help keep this pack safe.
Jude waved and blew me a kiss.
I cocked my head. He’d never done that before. But then he closed his eyes, and Mav began snoring in my lap.
The flames climbed higher, and my heart was heavy.
Chapter Thirteen
Dare
* * *
Reese twitched in his sleep as a small whimper escaped his lips, and I squeezed him tighter against my chest. The last couple of nights, he’d had nightmares. They didn’t wake him up, but they woke me. His all-body shudders, his cries of pain, all of it tightened a vise around my chest.
Something was bothering him. I’d asked him several times about it, and he’d waved me off, then distracted me with sex.
I let myself be distracted.
He jerked against me, his arms clinging to my biceps. I shushed in his ear, and he took a couple of halting breaths before settling.
Kin’s burial had been hours before, and Reese had passed out almost immediately. I was still awake, staring at the moon through the windows in the ceiling. I was already eager for morning, to see my mate’s blue eyes, the radiant smile he always turned on me first thing.
I’d always been indifferent about mates, but that was because I hadn’t known about late-night talks and lazy morning fucking. I hadn’t known what it was like to hold my mate in my arms and run my hands over his warm skin.
I hadn’t known how much it healed my soul to drop my guard and let someone else in.
Footsteps thundering up my steps shook me from my thoughts and had me bolting upright in bed, while Reese snuffled under the sheets as he came awake.
A pounding started, followed by G’s alarmed voice. “Alpha!”
G never, ever spoke like that. I leapt out of bed while Reese muttered, “Who is that?”
When I flung the door open, G’s fist was raised to knock again. His jaw was clenched, veins in his neck bulging. He swallowed and said with a barely restrained voice. “Jude’s gone.”
A thump came from the bed, and I turned to see Reese fully awake now, scrambling from where he’d fallen off the mattress. He surged forward. “What did he say about Jude?” He smacked into me as he rounded on G. “What’s wrong?”
G’s gaze darted between the two of us. “He’s gone. Disappeared.” He held out a piece of paper with handwriting on it. “He left this.”
Reese stared at it like it would bite him. “What does it say?”
G’s expression flickered. “I don’t read.”
Reese snatched it and squinted at the letters. I tried to read over his shoulder, but before I could catch any of the words, Reese’s knees buckled.
He collapsed to the floor on his hands and knees, the paper fluttering to rest on the wood beside his hand. His body shook, his breathing raspy. I dropped to a knee, concerned what could make Reese react so drastically. I picked up the paper and read in precise handwriting:
* * *
I’m going back to Xan’s, or I’ll die trying. This time, my brother, it’s not all on your shoulders.
Love, J
* * *
The words blurred in front of my eyes.
Jude heading back to Xan’s alone was a recipe for a disaster. He was barely a week past his muto. The Nowere packs were close, our scouts had said, and Jude alone…
I stared at the paper again. I’m going to back to Xan’s.
Bay’s caution when I’d first mated Reese came back to me in a rush. By now, Reese and Jude knew how the pack worked, what kind of resources we had, and where exactly in the compound those were located.
That knowledge getting out would leave my pack vulnerable. The alpha in me shut off the emotions concerning Jude and Reese, and focused on the safety of my pack. I lifted the hand that had been soothing Reese’s back and clenched it in his hair. I jerked so he was forced to sit up on his knees. He gasped, eyes glazed with fear and anxiousness. “Hey—”
“Why is your brother going to Xan’s? What’s this about your shoulders?” My tone was harsh, because the thought that my mate could be deceiving me left me cold as ice.
Reese swallowed and winced in pain at my grip on his hair. “Dare.”
My name fell from his lips on a lone cracked syllable. My inner Were raged. I tightened my hand, and he cried out. All my instincts screamed at me that I was hurting my mate, but my anger was drowning them out. “Bay told me I needed to be cautious with you. That you could be a scout or a mole sent by Xan to infiltrate our pack.”
His entire body trembled, as his face paled and lips thinned. “Dare, I’m not a mole.” He held onto my forearm with both hands, digging his nails into my skin. “Please listen to me. I’m speaking as Reese. As your mate.” He spoke over the growl rumbling in my chest. “There is something I haven’t told you, but I’m not a mole.”
I roared and shoved him away from me. As he sprawled onto his back by the bed, I whirled to G, knowing my Were was too close to the surface to deal with Reese right now. “We need to talk.”
“Dare!” Reese yelled, lurching forward and grabbing for my leg. “Wait, we have to follow Jude! He can’t be out there on his own!”
I turned on him. “You must have forgotten that you don’t make the pack decisions.”
Reese reached for me again, but I was already out the door.
“Dare!” he screamed, and the last thing I saw before I slammed the door was his tear-stained face lunging for me.
I locked the door behind me as the banging started, along with muffled yells. I motioned to G to descend the stairs and he did. On the fifth balcony, he began to pace, twisting his hands in agitation.
“Stop,” I barked, and he froze.
I was on edge and needed G’s default calm demeanor to help me from reaching the boiling point. “Tell me what happened. How did Jude get out?”
“I think he’d been planning it, Alpha. I admit I’d been lax with him. He seemed happy and always obeyed me. He asked me to make him a wooden wolf, and he knew I didn’t have any more wood in our room, that I would have to get more from storage. When I returned with a couple of blocks, he was gone. He’d picked the lock on the door.” He ducked his head. “I’m sorry.”
Goddamn it. “You’re a good guard, G. And I know it was asking a lot of you to stay on him full time.” I propped my hand on my hips. “What do you think? Are they deceiving us?”
G was quiet for a long time. “No, I don’t think so. Sometimes Jude would get real quiet. And one time I asked what he was sad about. And he said he missed his family.”
“Reese said his parents were killed.”
“Yeah, and when I mentioned that, he shook his head, like that wasn’t what he meant.”
I frowned at that.
The banging from my door had stopped, and I hoped Reese hadn’t taken to wrecking my room. “I need to get Bay. He can help me question Reese, because I can’t be impartial with him.” I thought G would nod, and return to his room, but instead he gazed at me steadily, waiting. “Is there something you want to tell me?”
G took a step forward. “If you decide to go after Jude, I’d like to be on the team.”
“You don’t think he’s a spy, do you?”
G shook his head. “No, I don’t, Alpha. I think there’s a reason they both need to go back to Xan’s, and neither of them are happy it has to be done.”
I wanted so badly to believe my mate wasn’t deceptive that I was willing to take any scraps I could. “Thanks for your observation, G. I’ll let you know what we decide.”
When G turned to walk away, I took a leap over the balcony. Time to get Bay and interrogate my mate.
Reese
* * *
By the time I heard footsteps returning to the sixth floor, I was out of my mind. I’d shifted and thrown my body against the door. I’d clawed at the wooden window panels which were closed with a padlock. The only result was severely scratched-up window frames and bloody paws.
Jude had no idea how to defend himself f
rom Xan and his men, let alone Noweres he encountered on the trek to the Bluefoot compound.
Why had he thought he could do this himself? As much as I’d hated having this on my shoulders, I never wanted to pass off the responsibility to Jude.
If my wolf could have cried, I would have shed a river of tears by now, because I was convinced I’d never see my brother again. Or my sister. I couldn’t even blame Dare. I’d kept this a secret from him on purpose.
When the door opened, I was on the floor in my wolf form, panting, bleeding, and battered.
Dare cursed when he saw me, while another voice said, “Wow. You’re lucky he didn’t get out, brother.”
Great, he’d brought Bay. I closed my eyes, knowing the gentle life I’d known as Dare’s mate was gone. He couldn’t kill me, but he sure as hell didn’t have to treat me well.
“Shift,” Dare said on a growl.
I didn’t want to, but he was my mate, and my body still obeyed his command. I didn’t move other than to whimper as my damaged body morphed into human form.
Rolling onto my back, I blinked at the ceiling, testing out my limbs. They all worked. Well, I had that going for me.
Footsteps drew closer, then Dare’s face filled my vision as he leaned over me. “As Alpha of this pack, I’d like to believe I could be impartial, even with my mate. But this is all too new for me to trust myself. So Bay is here.”
I stayed silent, even though my instinct was to shout in his face to let me follow my brother.
Dare glanced over his shoulder, then back to me. “I’m going to ask you some questions, and you have to tell me the truth. If I get even a whiff of a hunch that you’re lying, I’ll chain you back up in the basement.” Something flickered over his eyes, before he pursed his lips. “I don’t want to do that. Don’t make me.” His voice cracked, and he cleared it. “So tell me the truth, Reese.”
Daring Fate: Silver Tip Pack series Page 14
