by Mina Carter
Moon save him from irritated females; she’d missed his point. He resisted the urge to sigh in frustration. Thankfully, that awful stink had begun to fade, or it would have tipped him into another sneezing fit.
“No, you’re not Vanessa. And she’s not my mate. She’s Jace’s mate. Has been for weeks.”
Cyan curled her fingers back, away from his throat, but didn’t retract her claws. His wolf grumbled at the loss of contact.
“Jace?”
He nodded. “Jace Trenton. New Alpha of the McCauley pack. He replaced Jacob.”
She blinked, not bothering to hide her surprise. “Jace is McCauley Alpha, and Vanessa is his mate? Why? Did she change her mind about you or something?”
“Change her mind…?” he asked, but his mind was only half on her question.
His sense of smell had filtered back after the assault from the pine-scented cleaner, and his wolf rumbled with contentment at his mate so near. It was like crack for his nose. Instantly, his body was all attention. All hers, for anything she might need, be that protection or something…else. Anything else, especially if it involved his arms wrapped tight around her, because if he was lucky enough to hold her again, he sure as hell wasn’t letting go.
There was something new in her scent though, and his eyes narrowed a little as he tried to work it out. Her wolf was far more dominant now. No surprise there. The creature was threatened enough to show itself to protect her, so it would overshadow her scent somewhat, but there was something else. Something elusive and almost hidden at the back, under the scent of Lycan, woman, and his mate.
His eyes widened as he realized what it was.
She was carrying his child.
Triumph and love surged hard and fast. He searched her eyes for a hint of the secret she was hiding, but her expression was guileless, giving nothing away. He bit back his smile. She didn’t know that she was pregnant yet.
“Yes, changed her mind,” Cyan snapped, obviously in no mood for word games. “Perhaps she saw you for the l-low-down rat you…you…” Her voice broke and she launched to her feet, the chair clattering behind her as she fled into the kitchen. Ran from him.
Within a heartbeat, Veyr was on his feet. It was never wise to run from a predator, especially when you were that predator’s mate, and there was no way he was letting her out of his sight. Ever again.
Chapter Three
Cyan barreled through the kitchen door and screeched to a halt in the middle of the tiled floor. Her heart pounded, and her new claws throbbed as she looked around in panic. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She had no idea how Veyr had found her, but now that he had, she couldn’t stay here.
The door banged behind her, and she whirled around to find him in the doorway. Baring her teeth, she hissed at him, and he stopped dead.
“Please, Cyan, just listen.” Hands out to the side, he took a careful step forward. “Just let me explain and then I’ll go away. I promise.”
She didn’t want to talk. She wanted to rail at him…bellow and howl her pain and misery at what he’d done, then throw him out on his ear. How dare he stand there, looking so damn sexy with that penitent, unsure expression on his handsome face.
Begrudgingly, she nodded and the relief that washed over his face hit her right in the chest. In the heart she thought was shattered into a million pieces and broken beyond repair. Folding her arms, she backed up the nod with a glare.
“Talk. And make it quick. If I don’t like what you say, you leave. If not, I call the police, clear?”
“Thank you.” He stood in front of her with none of the usual swagger she associated with him, and now that she looked—really looked—his suit hung a little loose on his broad shoulders. Oh, he was still packed with muscle, no suit and shirt could disguise that, but he was leaner. Much leaner.
“I’m not mated to Vanessa, and I never touched her. I swear.” His eyes entreated her to believe him, and despite her vow to herself to stay unmoved by anything he had to say, a tiny tendril of hope uncurled in the center of her chest.
“Jacob set the whole thing up, got her into our room while you were away, and then had the whole council on hand when he burst in to ‘find’ her. He’d been beating the poor girl for a week, knocked her clean out…she didn’t remember a thing.”
Cyan’s breath left her in a rush, and she stepped backward to grasp the counter behind her. She’d known Jacob was a no-good piece of shit, but this? This she hadn’t expected…How could any wolf stoop so low?
She lifted her head and speared him with a hard look. “Okay, but you let him. At the first sign of trouble you forgot all about us, about the promise you made to me, and caved in.”
Her hand lifted of its own accord to brush against the scar on her shoulder, and he winced.
Score one for Cyan.
“I did…I was too concerned with pack honor and my position to consider how it would affect us. Please Cyan…” He took a step forward, and she was shocked to see tears in his eyes. “Tell me how I can make this right.”
Taking a shuddering breath, she stood upright. “You can’t. I’m forsaken, remember? As in, not a wolf, not part of a pack anymore. I’m nothing to do with your life.”
“I love you.”
The words dropped into the silence between them and her breath caught. Hope wanted to expand, crawl into every cell in her body, but the heartache of the past few weeks wouldn’t let go. When she didn’t move his eyes filled with utter defeat and a bleakness so complete that her heart ached in her chest.
Her wolf roared at her, furious that she wasn’t running into the arms of their mate, but then Veyr lifted his head. He smiled tightly. “No, but that means a fresh start. One kiss, little wolf, that’s all I ask. If you can kiss me and remain unmoved, I’ll go.”
She froze. Not in fear, but something else. As lethal a reputation as Veyr had, as much as he could pick her up and carry her off, she knew he wouldn’t. He wouldn’t lift a hand to hurt her. But a kiss… She could handle a little kiss, after everything that had been between them, surely?
Lifting her chin, she challenged him with a glare. “A kiss won’t prove anything. We kissed plenty of times.”
But her words fell on deaf ears. He took a step forward, then another, until she was pinned in the corner where the counters met. Hands on either side of her, his body was a cage holding her in place, but not once did his eyes leave hers.
“A kiss. One. That’s all.”
The deep temptation of his voice wound around her, and her body relaxed. It remembered him. Remembered how safe and loved she’d felt in his arms. She gave the smallest nod, almost imperceptible, but he saw it. Triumph surged in his eyes for a split second before he closed the last little gap between them.
“Believe me when I say I love you,” he whispered, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “I’ve loved you since the first moment I saw you and I am so, so sorry.”
Her body hummed with awareness as his lips covered hers. Then all bets were off. His kiss wasn’t soft, nor was it rough. Instead, it was the most intense kiss she’d ever been treated to. She tried to steel herself to stay still as his mouth slanted over hers, kissing and caressing, but within seconds she felt her body weakening. His tongue slid over the seam of her lips to request access. With a sigh, she opened for him and he pushed inside and took over.
His tongue slid against hers, stroking and caressing, seeking all her secrets and demanding her response. The soft whimper in the back of her throat was unbidden, instinctive, but she didn’t care. She needed this. Needed to be in his embrace again. Lifting on her tiptoes, she wrapped her arms around his neck to kiss him back.
Then, gently, he pulled away and looked down at her with warmth in his eyes. “That doesn’t seem unmoved to me, little wolf.”
“Hmmm, maybe a little,” she admitted, watching him warily. “But how does this change anything?”
He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, and then opened them to spear her with a dir
ect gaze. His hand spread out at the back of her waist, stroking gently. “I was an idiot. A total idiot. Jacob played me and the first thing I should have done was talk to you. I should have walked…given up being Master because nothing, nothing, will ever be as important as you are.”
His voice rang with truth, honesty in his eyes and she nibbled at her lower lip. “So…why? Why did you agree to—you put me aside, Veyr. For what?”
“My stupid pride that I could do everything by myself. Sort it all out. I was never going to mate Vanessa,” he admitted in a low voice. “Jace and I, we had it all worked out. But, I should have told you. If I could go back and do it over…”
She sighed, straightening her back. This was it. Make or break time. She’d been born from an alpha-line, and there was no use crying over spilled milk. “Well, you can’t. What’s done is done, we just have to deal with it now.”
His lips curled into a hopeful little smile that took her breath away. “Really? You believe me?”
He whooped and snatched her up into his arms, kissing her soundly. Wrapping her arms around his shoulders, she held tight as he spun her. Then he stopped, sliding her down his body and deepened the kiss.
Heat surged, taking her by surprise, and she pulled at his shirt. He gasped, then smiled against her lips. Buttons popped, and she sighed in relief as she slid her hands under his shirt and over the warm, hard planes of his chest.
“You just had to say the word, little wolf,” he rumbled, his lips a hairsbreadth from hers.
But she didn’t want to talk. She wanted to touch him and have him touch her. Her body had been too long away from his, and now it wanted, burned with need. Her wolf yipped in delight as she nibbled along his jaw, her fingertips seeking his nipples. She rubbed them. Pinched them.
Veyr dropped his head back, eyes pressed closed. When he looked back down at her, his eyes were maxed out with amber, and the hard lines of his wolf showed in his cheekbones.
“You’re mine,” he promised, voice rough. “No rubbish about forsaken. You’re mine. Forever.”
She shivered at the possessive tone. There was no other way. She’d always belonged to him, right from that first moment they’d met in the palace ballroom. Only a fool would think otherwise.
Her nod seemed to be all he needed. Eyes dark with desire, he crowded her more, hands on her waist to boost her up onto the counter. His lips blazed a trail of fire down her throat to the gypsy neckline of her top, and he yanked it aside to continue across her shoulder. Another shiver hit her when his lips found her scar, the one he’d given her. When he licked across it, a bolt of heat arrowed through her body right down to her core.
“Mine, all mine,” he mumbled again splaying his hand over the back of her hips. A quick yank pulled her up hard against him, and she moaned at the feel of his cock pressing against her pussy. An answering quiver made her clench hard around nothing, and she moaned, rocking against him.
“Soon,” he whispered, as though reading her mind. So in tune with her, as though he could predict what she needed before she even knew it. Sliding a hand down her leg, he slid it under the long skirt she wore. Her ballerina pumps were long gone, lost on the floor when he’d lifted her, so she wrapped her foot around his calf. He teased her with his hand, stroking it over her thigh and up onto her hip as he claimed her lips again.
This time the kiss was no-holds-barred. Tongue dueling with hers, his fingertips found the edge of her panties. He broke away from her lips with a gasp. “Fuck…we have to stop. Or I won’t be able to.”
“Then don’t.”
He swore, a mixture of need and relief, and yanked her panties down with sharp, jagged pulls that betrayed the cracks in his control. Clutching his shoulders, she lifted her ass to help. A second later her underwear dropped to the floor. Reaching between them, he tore open the fly of his pants and pressed against the entrance to her body.
He paused, looking into her eyes, and she was lost. A wealth of emotion swirled in those amber depths; need, desire…love. Then he pushed forward, filling her in one hard thrust, and she cried out. He filled her completely, the rigid length of his cock stretching her and pressing against nerves she’d forgotten she had, but that desperately needed his touch. At that moment, she knew no other would ever match him.
Pleasure enveloped her as he pulled back and thrust again. He filled her with a need she’d never sensed in him before. The delicious friction of his cock sliding in and back out had her eyes fluttering closed as her higher thought processes were shorted out by the pressure tightening her body. That he wanted her so much, almost to the point of madness, blew her mind.
His arms wrapped around her, the fingers of one hand curling around the back of her neck to hold her in place, holding her safely.
“Moon’s tits, Cyan, I thought I’d lost you,” he muttered, kissing her feverishly. Each kiss was followed by a hard thrust of his cock. Branding her, claiming her…all over again. If she hadn’t known it before, in the weeks she’d been away from him, desperately missing him, she knew it now. She was his and always had been.
“I’m here. I’ll always be here,” she whispered, her words cut off as he claimed her lips again.
Then there was no more talking. The counters groaned as they were slammed time and time again with wolf-enhanced strength. It was all she could do to cling to him and enjoy the ride as he surged within her. Their lips clung to each other’s, hands smoothing over skin in a race to reacquaint, but no amount of time would be enough. A lifetime would not be enough.
Pleasure swirled, shimmering and sparkling as it tumbled through every part of her. It filled her from the tips of her toes to the top of her head. She felt full, like her skin was too tight, her pussy clenching around the invading thick shaft of his cock.
“Please,” she moaned, shifting against him. She needed more, needed everything…
He moved, sliding a hand between them, and his talented fingers found her clit. Her moan was soft, rushed and liquid as he stroked. Not teasing this time, but intent. He used the combination of his thrusts and the pressure of his fingers to drive her higher and higher until, with a gasp, time stopped.
One moment of pure anticipation. She opened her eyes to gaze into his and saw her future. Her life. Everything she ever needed wrapped up in a bundle of hot, sexy werewolf who would do anything for her.
“That’s it, little wolf,” he urged. “Let go. Come for me. Belong to me. Love me.”
“I’ve loved you since we first met,” she whispered, and let go.
Pleasure crashed over her, dragging her under in sensation-filled chaos. It slammed into her, lighting up every nerve center she had, and tightened her pussy around his cock all in one go. She gasped, surfacing to ride the waves.
Veyr growled and let loose his control. As her release washed through her, he upped his pace, slamming into her, taking her with a power and precision that was breathtakingly beautiful. She clung to him. Each thrust elongated the sensations coursing through her until, with a barked cry, he thrust into her one last time and stiffened.
His cock jerked and pulsed, filling her pussy with his seed, and she remembered they were near a mating moon. Her wolf snickered inside, but she ignored the beast in favor of stroking the back of Veyr’s neck and shoulders. He shuddered, his release holding him in thrall, then gathered her close.
“That…” He pressed a gentle kiss to her temple. “I have no words.”
Her sigh was one of contentment as she leaned against his chest. He was still buried deep inside her, and she wouldn’t have him any other way.
“No more secrets,” she whispered. “Ever. Promise.”
“Promise.” He pulled back to look at her, a gentle smile on his lips. “But in that case, I think you need to come clean with me, don’t you?”
She looked at him, confusion rolling through her until he reached down and spread his hand over her stomach. Instantly, the secret her wolf had been hiding from her surged to the fore, and she gasped.
>
“I…I’m—”
“Carrying my pup,” Veyr whispered, his face hard with triumph. His eyes though, as amber as they were, softened. “You’re both mine, and I’ll protect you, care for you, and love you…as long as I live.”
She smiled, covering his hand over her stomach with her own, and reached up for his kiss.
“Why don’t you take me home then…mate of mine.”
Epilogue
The hall was packed. Cyan stood just outside the doorway; hand on her brother’s arm as she listened to the murmur of the crowd within. They were all waiting for the ceremony to start.
“There are so many of them,” she whispered, looking up at Nick. Her expression softened into a smile. He looked so handsome, all decked out in a sharp suit. She never thought she’d see the day when her baby brother was anything other than his usual, bohemian self.
“What do you expect?” he asked, covering her hand on his arm with his own. “Not only is the Master of the City lucky enough to be marrying my sister, but no one’s ever seen a revocation ceremony. Ever. The last one was almost a thousand years ago.”
He turned her to face him, hand on her shoulder. “Cyan. Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked, his face grave. “After everything that’s happened, no one would blame you for walking away. I spoke to the rest of the pack. We’ll leave the city if you want, strike out on our own.”
Cyan blinked in surprise, her heart swelling with emotion. She’d walked away from her pack to protect them from shame, yet here they were, prepared to leave the safety of the city for her. She smiled, shook her head, and gave his arm a quick squeeze for reassurance. His or her’s, she didn’t know.
“Thank you, and thank them all, but I want to do this. I need to do this…” She let her happiness show in her eyes and her smile. “I’ve always loved him. Since that first night when I slapped him. It’s fine, honestly. But thank you for caring.”
“Hmmm, as long as you’re sure,” Nick said, turning her to face the door as the music announced their arrival.
