by Jessie Lane
She started to take a step back, but that made the wolf growl at her. She froze in place, staring down at an animal who could rip her apart from limb to limb.
The wolf didn’t move a muscle, just stood there staring at her, as if he wanted her to see something. It took her a while, probably because she was ready to pee her pants, but Dia finally did see something. Steel blue-gray eyes, the exact same shade as Stone’s.
It was as if the wolf knew the moment she had picked up that bit of knowledge, because his mouth spread into a big, wolf grin that flashed all of his sharp teeth.
Dia didn’t have time to think or say anything about those eyes or teeth, though, because then something unbelievable happened. The wolf started moving, and not as in moving toward her or away from her. No, the body started changing. Fur receded into skin, the body elongated, and the next thing she knew, there was a very naked Stone standing in front of her, watching for her reaction.
The thing was, Dia was feeling so many different emotions she wasn’t sure what reaction to give the man. Or wolf. Or whatever the fuck he was.
They stood there, silently staring at each other for a few minutes, until Stone asked, “Well? You going to say anything?”
Dia opened her mouth … then shut it again. In fact, she did that a few times, making herself look like a gaping fish, until she realized she was in genuine shock.
No matter how hard she tried, no words would come out.
Stone seemed to realize her predicament and stepped closer to her. Holding a hand out, he used one finger to slide it down the side of her face in a gentle caress. “Go ahead and say it, princess. Say the words: ‘You’re a shifter’.”
Finally, words came out when she opened her mouth, but they weren’t the words he wanted her to say.
“You’re not a werewolf?”
Stone shook his head. “We go by the name shifter, not werewolf.”
“Not a werewolf,” Dia said, instead of asking this time.
“Not a werewolf,” Stone repeated.
After that, Dia could only think of one thing she wanted to ask him. “Do you get fleas?”
Stone wasn’t thrilled with her question and let her know it with a look. “Not funny, mate.”
“Mate?” Dia squeaked.
Nodding, he repeated, “Mate.”
That was about the time Dia passed out.
Chapter Three
Two months later…
“I don’t want you to go.”
The growly man watching her from the bed made her smile.
Dia stood there, watching him through the mirror as she ran the brush through her strawberry blonde tresses to get the tangles out that her growly man had helped put in only moments before. She was in nothing but his T-shirt after they had just finished making love a few minutes ago.
While she knew it would be smarter not to play with a brooding alpha wolf shifter, Dia just couldn’t help herself. Her man was cranky, and she was half-naked and content. That was certainly a recipe for mischief, right?
To do this, Dia made sure she moved her weight from foot to foot every now and then between brushings so that her mate, Stone, would watch what he knew was her bare ass moving underneath the clothing as she spoke with him.
“I know you don’t want me to go, love, but you know I have to.” She looked over her shoulder at her frowning mate and smiled. “Besides, Stone, I haven’t seen my family since we met and mated two months ago. My parents are ready to send the cops out to make sure I really am okay and not being held hostage by some man they’ve never met. If I make an appearance so they can see I really am okay, they’ll feel better. Plus, Mom needs me to help her after the knee surgery she’s about to have. Not to mention all the trouble I’ve gone to, working double-time to cover my clients so I could close the salon and take this time off. I’ll be back in a couple of weeks.”
“I’ll have someone checking on the salon while you’re gone.”
“Thank you, handsome,” Dia told him with a big grin. She knew that admission meant he was slowly giving in to her leaving.
She looked back toward the mirror, started brushing her hair again, and gave her butt another surreptitious wiggle. She could barely hold in her laugh when she saw the movement had immediately gained Stone’s attention. Then she heard him growl.
“You’re trying to distract me on purpose, woman.”
At that comment, a giggle escaped her, and she watched through the mirror as his head snapped up and he glared at her.
“You should know better than to play with a wolf.”
Oh, she had learned that, and many other things about shifters in her time with her mate. Just saying the word mate in her head still made her heart flutter in her chest a little. She couldn’t believe how far they had come in such a short period of time. From strangers to soul mates in just a matter of months. But that was how shifters were.
According to Stone, they knew their true mate immediately. It was hard to believe, but with every minute she had spent with him after that day by the castle, Stone had shown her the truth of his claim. There was no doubt in her mind that she was his mate, and that he loved her more than anything else in the world.
Dia had fallen hard and fast, and she wasn’t looking back. Not that she would want to. This whole “mate” thing was pretty cool. What woman didn’t want a smokin’ hot man who wanted to love, protect, and basically worship the ground she walked on? Plus, the sex! She wasn’t sure if all shifters were as voracious as Stone, but if they were, all of woman-kind would be searching for a shifter mate. That reminded Dia … She still had a little time to fool around with her mate before she left. What girl wouldn’t take that opportunity?
She gave her ass another little wiggle, knowing he was staring at it. Then she had to bite the inside of her cheek not to laugh at the growl she heard from behind her.
Looking back at Stone through the mirror again, she saw the grumpy man she had quickly grown to love more than life itself throw the sheet off his naked body, and then got out of the bed. What a glorious naked body it was. To her, it was the epitome of perfection.
Stone was tall, well over six feet, and built with lots of lean muscles. That shaggy hair she loved to run her fingers through and would never cut short, complimented his beautiful eyes. He also had a strong, square jaw that helped to accentuate his plump bottom lip. It might seem silly, but she really loved that lip. Or biting it, at least.
And her favorite body part on Stone? It was hanging limp between his legs, its long length starting to harden with every step he took in her direction.
Her mate walked up behind where she stood in front of their long dresser and mirror, wrapped his hands around her waist, and hugged her tight. “I don’t want you to travel without me. What if something happens to you? I won’t be there to help.”
Dia couldn’t help smiling. Her mate worried over her constantly because she was human … and he was not.
Lifting a hand to her shoulder, he brushed his thumb over the scar there where he had bitten her and marked her as his forever.
Turning so that she faced him, Dia cradled his face in her hands. “Don’t worry so much, Stone. You seem to forget that I managed to survive just fine before I met you. Trust me; I’ll be fine, and it’s only for a little while. If you didn’t have the neighboring pack delegates arriving tomorrow, then you could come with me, but we both know you need to stay. I promise to call you every night.”
“No, not good enough. I want you to call me three times a day.”
Dia didn’t bother to hide her laughing smile. Life had certainly become interesting with a man who was always used to getting his way. The word negotiation didn’t seem to be in his vocabulary sometimes, but this time, she needed him to give in a little.
“I’ll call you twice a day, Mr. Bossy, and not one call more. I’m there to spend time with my family, and I can’t spend all the time on the phone with you.”
If it were possible for a grown man to pout lik
e a two-year-old, that was what Stone did. He definitely didn’t like her answer.
“I think I need to convince you that three phone calls a day are absolutely necessary.” Leaning forward, he nipped her bottom lip, and then kissed away the sting. Pulling back so that only their foreheads were touching, he grumbled, “Why do I have to stay here again?”
Dia giggled at the look on his face. He looked like he was a kid whose favorite toy had been taken away from him. “Because you’re the alpha.”
Stone leaned his head to the side and used that wicked tongue of his to lick from her shoulder up her neck. She moaned when the lick turned into a small, playful bite.
“Stop trying to keep me from going.”
Her mate started walking backward toward their bed as he pulled her along with him. “How about I just remind you what you’re going to be missing, mate?” Stone wrapped his hands around her waist and picked her up off the floor as he turned around to face the bed.
Dia wrapped her legs around his waist in return, rubbing herself on what was now his very hard length trapped between them.
Leaning his head down, he took her mouth in a hungry kiss that stole her breath. Playful nips to her lips, skillful movements of his tongue in and out of her mouth, all of it overwhelming her bit by bit. Slowly, he then lowered her to the bed until her back was touching the soft pillowtop mattress, her legs still wrapped around his waist.
Pulling back from their kiss, with a husky voice, he asked, “Slow or fast, mate?”
“Slow, handsome. You gave me wild wolfman last round.”
He dropped his face so that his nose could skim her neck and murmured, “Slow it is, then.” Pushing her shirt up to bare her abdomen, Stone looked down her body and growled again. “Have I told you lately how much I love your body?”
Dia nodded. “About ten minutes ago, love.”
“Ten minutes too long, then.” He pulled out of her embrace so that he could skim his nose over her vulnerable belly. Then he licked it with his tongue, circling her belly button. “I love your body. It’s perfect, and I want to kiss every inch of it.”
“Every inch?” she gasped.
He nodded. “Every inch, sweetheart.”
Feeling a bit devious again, Dia whispered, “How about you kiss a certain spot a little lower?” She bit her bottom lip as a big smile spread across his face.
“As you wish, mate.”
With that, Stone dropped to his knees at the end of the bed and grabbed her by her hips to drag her body closer to him until her core was right there for him. She could already feel the warm breath from his mouth as he started inching closer to her throbbing center, making the anticipation of his touch seem torturous. When he finally did kiss her there, Dia gasped at the sensation. Stone knew just how to touch her to drive her wild. It was as if he was in tune with her every need.
He kissed her clit, then circled it with his tongue. Going straight for the sensitive spot was a shock, but a pleasant one. It wasn’t long before he was licking her in firm strokes, driving her mad with want for him to be inside of her.
“I need you, Stone.”
At her words, he stopped. “You have me, Dia, always.”
She reached down and grabbed the sides of his face, gently pulling up so he would follow her unspoken directions. Stone settled himself between her thighs, brushing his hard, long length against her core, causing her to gasp and arch into him for more.
“Please, love,” she begged him.
Stone lowered his face until their foreheads touched. He wanted to surround himself in the intimacy of this moment between himself and the one he loved; soak it up until it was embedded into his being. She fulfilled both him and his wolf like nobody else ever could.
“Please what, sweetheart?” he asked her.
Dia reached up so she could kiss him, delving her tongue in his mouth to swirl with his. Then she pulled back. “Please fill me up with you. When I leave here, I want to feel you for days. Every time I sit, walk, or move, I want to feel the memory of you inside of me.”
A growl of pure need escaped him, and he used his hips to position himself at her opening. With one long, slow thrust, he filled her completely as she gasped out his name in pleasure. Then, when he was seated to the hilt, he asked, “Do you feel me now, sweetheart?”
“Yes,” she gasped.
“Do you want to feel more?” he asked.
“I want to feel everything, Stone.”
“As you wish, mate.”
Stone started moving in and out of Dia. Long, slow, but firm thrusts with his eyes locked on her own. Setting a steady rhythm that drove her higher and higher until tears of happiness were slipping from her eyes, and even Stone’s eyes were darkening with emotion. It didn’t take long before he was pushing her over the crest of ecstasy. Plummeting her physically into an orgasm so strong, her entire body was trembling with the effects of it.
Dia grabbed Stone’s shoulders with both hands, digging her nails into his skin as she became overwhelmed with both pleasure and the love she had for the man inside of her.
It was then, as she dug her nails into him, that she saw his eyes flash his wolf’s amber glow, letting her know the animal was here as much as the man was, right before Stone ripped the shoulder of her shirt open with his right hand to bare the skin there. Before she knew it, he was biting her again on her mate mark, and her pleasure became more than she could handle.
Dia cried out blissfully, loving the feel of Stone surrounding her, inside of her, in every way that mattered, from his cock to his teeth. Making her his in all ways. She couldn’t imagine life without him in moments like these.
Stone’s tempo sped up a little. His thrusts became stronger until she could feel his long length tapping against the opening of her womb. She was too full, but damn it felt good. He thrusted just like that, giving her that overwhelmingly full feeling once, twice, and then on the third, he pulled his teeth from her shoulder and roared his release.
Dia could feel his spurts inside of her, the warmth of his seed spreading and filling her as he stopped moving above her and held his position, twitching with his own pleasure.
When her mate was done, he collapsed on top of her, making sure to keep his weight from crushing her. Then Stone gave her another long, leisurely kiss full of all the emotion she knew he felt for her. When they were breathless, he fell to his back and rolled her so that she lay on his chest.
As quiet fell around them, Stone whispered, “I’m going to miss you too fucking much, Dia. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to stand it.”
Picking up her head, she set her chin on his chest and looked him square in the eye. “I’ll be back as soon as I can, love, promise. Until then, though, I want you to make me a promise, too.”
His hazy eyes were warm with adoration and love as he smiled back at her. “Anything, mate.”
“Stop watching The Princess Bride with the pack’s cubs. Only Wesley can get away with ‘as you wish’.”
She could tell she had absolutely shocked the alpha of the Battletown Pack for a few rare seconds. However, it didn’t last long, and Dia ended up scrambling and squealing as she tried to make a break for the bathroom before her mate could retaliate for picking on him. Too bad she only had just put both feet on the floor when Stone scooped her back onto the bed and started tickling her.
His fingers ran up and down her supersensitive ribs until she was begging, “Mercy. Have mercy!” through her squeals of laughter.
The tickling stopped, and she found herself pinned to the bed by Stone, with him lying between her legs again as he smiled down at her.
Damn, she was really going to miss this man while she was gone. Internally, she consoled herself that it was only for a little while. She would be back with the man she loved soon enough.
Chapter Four
Four hours later…
Dia stood next to her car, glaring at Stone. “Get out of my way.”
Her mate was leaning against her driver’s
side car door, blocking her from opening it and getting in.
“No.”
She had been arguing with the stubborn man for twenty minutes, and she was quickly losing her patience.
“Stone, I love you with all my heart, but if you don’t move out of my way and let me go see my family, then I’m going in that house”—she pointed to their home—“and I’m going to get the griddle so I can knock you upside the head with it!”
Stone curled his lip and playfully growled at her.
Dia turned her pointed finger at him. “Don’t give me that lip and growl crap, either, mister. You’re acting like a big baby right now, and I don’t have time for this shit.”
A mischievous twinkle lit Stone’s eyes as he stepped forward and grabbed the hand with the finger pointing at him. “If I’m a baby, then I get to suck your tits. Let’s go; I like this idea.”
Dia dug her heels into the ground as Stone started to drag her back toward the house. “Nope, nope, nope!” she yelled as she tugged to try to get her hand back. It was futile because her mate was ten times stronger than her, but he was also paranoid of hurting her since he considered her a fragile human, so he stopped on her third tug.
Turning to face her with an unhappy scowl, Dia didn’t give him the chance to speak as she pointed a finger in his direction.
“Just because you’re all big and mighty here with the pack doesn’t mean you can boss me around and tell me where I can and cannot go.”
Slowly, one eyebrow raised to his hairline, silently mocking her. “The fact that I’m alpha means that’s exactly what I can do.”
She shook her head and folded her arms across her chest. “No, Stone, that’s how you treat the pack. That’s not how you treat your mate. If you love and respect me at all, you’ll try and understand that.”
Stone crossed his arms, mimicking her stance. “And if I tell you that I love you so much I just want to protect you?”
