Shattered Emotions (Redwood Pack)

by Ryan, Carrie Ann

  “We found one other thing at the Centrals’,” Maddox said, and Ellie growled. He had put it off because he knew they’d ignore everything else for the little girl—as they should. Also, he had a feeling it wouldn’t be as easy as he’d like to go get her.

  Good, he’d rather have her experiencing anger at the situation than see the broken look she’d had when they’d left the Centrals’ den.

  “There was a girl…” Ellie began and shook her head.

  “Apparently, Hector had a daughter with his second mate that no one knew about,” Maddox put in when it looked like Ellie wouldn’t be speaking.

  “Oh, goddess,” Hannah said and reached out to take Ellie’s hand. His mate gripped Hannah’s hand, and Maddox kissed her neck again.

  “I won’t go into it all, but we need to get her out of there now,” Maddox said.

  “I take it your sister is clear of the taint,” Edward said. A statement, not a question.

  “Yes, she’s clear. Neither of us scented or felt it on her. She also wasn’t raised in the den so isn’t in the same realm as the others. We need to save her. She’s only five.” A shudder rippled through Ellie, and Maddox squeezed her tighter.

  “Then let’s go get her,” Cailin said as she rolled her shoulders. “We can’t let your little sister stay with that bastard. No offense to you.”

  “None taken,” Ellie said. “I would have killed him right then and there if it hadn’t been for that damn wolf coming out of nowhere. Then the bomb…”

  “He’ll be waiting for us,” Edward said, his voice oddly calm.

  “So?” Maddox said. “We can’t leave that little girl there. She’s family.”

  “Yes, I know this, but as Alpha, I can’t order you to go. Nor would it be good to order you to stay.”

  Ah, Maddox understood. As Alpha, his dad couldn’t tell them to risk their lives for someone who technically wasn’t Pack. If, however, Maddox left on his own accord, that would be a different matter.

  “Cailin, you cannot go,” Edward put in, and Cailin growled, her anger filling the room in a violent fury that set Maddox’s teeth on edge. Ellie too shuddered again.

  “What?” Cailin asked, her body shaking.

  “You heard me,” Edward said. “I won’t hear another word about it.”

  He knew his father was protecting his only daughter, but one day he’d go too far trying to hold her in, and she’d break. He only hoped that someone would be there to pick up the pieces…like maybe this Logan of hers.

  “I’m taking Ellie home,” he said. “We need to rest.”

  Edward nodded. “Be careful, son.”

  They said goodbye to the others, and he tangled his fingers with Ellie’s as they walked toward his home. They hadn’t talked about it, but since she didn’t have more than a small area to live in, it only made sense that she’d stay with him.

  They also hadn’t had a chance to talk to the ex-Talons at length. There would be time to talk about everything and what their plans were soon.

  Right now, he needed Ellie.

  “I just realized you said home back there,” Ellie said as she leaned into him, her body stiff with tension.

  “Yes, was that not okay?” He rubbed his thumb along her forefinger, needing to keep touching her.

  “Yes, oh, yes. We just hadn’t talked about it, you know?”

  He opened his front door and led her into his home. It wasn’t decorated very well and needed a woman’s touch, though he’d left it thinking he’d never have that. Now, he had Ellie here, in a place that could be called her own, as well.

  “I’m sorry. I should have realized it before I said it.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed her softly. Her lips were smooth and oh so soft. Goddess, he loved this woman…he just had to say it.

  “I know,” Ellie said. “We were scared before, but now… Now I don’t want to go back. I don’t want to forget what happened in the cabin. I only want to move forward. I want to find Charlotte and bring her here, Maddox. She doesn’t have much time. Even if Corbin lets her live, he might not let the evil stay away for long.”

  He nodded, understanding. “We will, and we’ll raise her, Ellie. She’ll know what it means to have family. She’ll be safe.”

  Tears filled her eyes, and she kissed him hard. His cock pressed against her belly, and he groaned into her mouth.

  “I love you, Ellie mine, and I’m never letting you go. I was such a fucking idiot before, but I’m never going back. Just like you said, it’s up to us to look forward, and that’s what I’m going to do.” He framed her face with his hands and kissed her again. “I love you. I love you. I love you.”

  She gave a wobbly smile and kissed him back. “I love you, Maddox. I love you so freaking much, and I don’t want to wait to mate any longer. I know you’re scared of the bond and what it will do to me, but I can feel the Pack, Maddox. I can feel what they’re feeling, and it’s not too much. I know it’ll be more when our wolves are mated, but I don’t care. Our wolves need this. We need this. With the two of us, we can do it together and make it even better. I know it.”

  Maddox smiled, the tug on his lip from his scar reminding him that life was too short to hide as he had for so long.

  “All right.”

  Her eyes widened. “That’s it? After all that brooding of yours, you’re ready?”

  “I don’t brood.”

  She blinked. “Maddox, baby, you’re the epitome of a brooding mate, but I love you anyway.”

  He laughed and tugged her closer. “We’re going to find your sister soon, baby, but first I want to make sure we’re fully mated. We don’t have much time and if we go into the enemy’s den again without being fully mated, we might lose something. With the bond we can be stronger and be able to fight harder. We need this. I know it’s not the time, but we need this.”

  His wolf growled, sending vibrations along his skin, and Ellie gasped, her eyes darkening. “Yes, please.”

  Maddox nipped at her lips. “You never have to beg for me to want you, Ellie mine.” He tugged at her hair, forcing her head back, and he took her lips in a hard, possessive kiss. He would never tire of her taste, her touch, her everything.

  Their tongues tangled, and he licked at her mouth, kissing up her neck until he began to nibble. “I’m going to sink my fangs into this pretty skin of yours, baby. All other males will know you’re mine. And when you do the same to me, I’m going show off your mark, letting everyone know I’m just as much yours.”

  “Okay, but first, I want to try something.” She gave him a little coy smile that caused his dick to throb.

  She slowly knelt before him, letting her nails scratch lightly over his clothes as she did so. She looked up at him, her dark eyes wide and that pretty little tongue licking her lips.

  “I want to taste you. You didn’t let me last time.”

  He groaned and shook his head, running his hand through her hair. “You don’t need to, baby.”

  “I know, but I want to.”

  “Hell, I’m the luckiest man in the world right now.”

  She smiled and undid his pants, pulling them and his boxers down below his knees. His cock sprang out, and she moved back.

  He swallowed hard as she studied his dick, running her fingers tentatively along the length then down to cup his balls. He sucked in a breath and tightened his grip in her hair.

  “I don’t know what to do,” she whispered, that pretty blush filling her cheeks.

  He cupped her chin and forced her to look at him, running his thumb along that smooth blush of hers. “Do anything you want, baby. I’m all yours.”

  “Yay for me,” she said.

  Maddox’s eyes about crossed as she licked the head and seam, stroking as she tightly gripped the base.

  “Hell,” he muttered.

  She stopped and looked up. “Not good?”

  He ran his hand through her hair again. “So fucking good, baby.”

  She smiled then swallowed the head of hi
s cock, letting her tongue trace around it as she did so.

  Oh, holy goddess.

  Ellie’s cheeks hollowed as she swallowed as much of him as she could, rolling his balls in her palm as she stroked him with her other hand.

  He held back as best he could, sweat rolling down his back as he forced himself not to thrust into her pretty mouth. She bobbed her head as she took him in and out of her mouth, letting her tongue dance along his cock.

  His Ellie looked up at him, and he about blew. Goddess, she was so fucking pretty with her dark eyes and those pretty lips wrapped around his cock. How the hell had he gotten so lucky?

  He pulled out, and she frowned.

  “I wasn’t finished.”

  He pulled her up to a standing position and crushed his mouth to hers. “I know, baby, but I want to come inside that sweet pussy of yours. We have lifetimes for me to come down your throat.”

  She ducked her head and blushed even harder. “Who knew you’d talk so dirty.”

  He smiled and bit her chin. “I didn’t know I would either. You just bring it out of me. Don’t worry, baby, I’ll teach you to talk dirty too.”

  She smiled back. “I’m not afraid of what you and I do together, not anymore. I want to do everything, Maddox.”

  Images of every position they could do and feeling they could have flooded his mind, and he had to grip his cock hard so he wouldn’t come.

  “Hell, Ellie mine. Tell me what you want first.”

  She bit her lip and looked to be deep in thought. “Hmm, can you take me from behind? I really, really want to try that.”

  He threw his head back and laughed, even as he almost came once again. “Hell yeah, we can do that. I have an idea, baby.”

  He kicked off his shoes and pants and led her to the living room. There, he shucked off his shirt and tore off her clothes, the sound of ripping fabric echoing in the room.

  “Hey! I don’t have many clothes, you know,” she said with a laugh.

  He kissed her hard again. “I’ll buy you as many as you want. Later.”

  He ran his hands up and down those smooth curves of hers and over her scars. She didn’t even wince this time, and he wanted to howl in triumph.

  “Do you trust me?” he asked, knowing that if she hesitated at all he’d take the hurt because he knew they still had time. He also wouldn’t be as rough as he wanted at the moment and take it slow.

  Anything for his Ellie.

  “Of course.”

  No hesitation, just a promise.

  He ran his hands down her sides again then turned her around so she faced the couch.

  “Bend over for me, baby. You said you wanted it from behind.”

  She looked over her shoulder then bent over, baring that sweetness for him. He nudged her legs apart, and then he ran kisses over her ass then to her pussy.

  Fuck, she tasted like heaven.

  He licked up her juices, and she squirmed against his face.

  “Maddox…” she whispered.

  He didn’t stop, just kept licking around her clit then using his fingers to spread her wide, letting his tongue dip in and out until they were both panting with need.

  Maddox’s fingers traced her pussy, and then he thrust them in, reaching that bundle of nerves that made Ellie’s legs shake so hard he had to push her harder against the couch. He rubbed and circled until her pussy clenched around his fingers and she screamed his name. Before her body stopped shaking, he stood up, gripped her hips, and slammed into her.

  He froze as she threw her head back, her ass against his body, his cock balls deep in her pussy.

  “Shit,” he whispered, willing his cock not to explode after that first stroke. Her inner walls were still vibrating from her last release, and fuck, she was tight.

  And his.

  “Please, please, Maddox,” she begged as she wiggled her ass, and he couldn’t hold back anymore.

  He slid out of her slowly then rammed back into her hard, repeating the thrust over and over until all he could do was feel her around him and listen to the sounds of their bodies slamming into each other, their breathing heavy and laden with lust.

  He reached around and pulled her flush against his chest, his hands sliding up to cup her breasts. He licked and sucked her neck, her head lolling to the side to give him more access. His hips worked maniacally as he fucked his mate with everything he had.

  His fangs popped out of his gums, his wolf ready to mark and be with his mate in every way possible.

  “Mark me. Please, for the love of God, stick those fangs in me as…as I ride your cock.”

  He sucked in a breath at the way she talked dirty and smiled.

  “As you wish, Ellie mine.”

  With that, he thrust hard, his body flush against hers, and he sank his fangs into her shoulder, marking her as his in all ways possible. He came as she did, her pussy clenching around him, fluttering and draining his cock as he spilled his seed. He gave a few shallow thrusts, letting her ride out her orgasm, and he could feel his cum, wet and heady around his flesh.

  He lifted his fangs and licked up the wound.

  Fuck, that mark looked delectable.

  He sucked on the mark and groaned as her pussy clenched again.

  His wolf howled in pleasure as the bond slowly started to take root, though it wasn’t over yet, not by far.

  He pulled out, and Ellie whimpered. He leaned down and kissed her mark then turned her around to take her lips.

  “We’re not through yet, baby.”

  “But, you already came,” she said, her voice drunk with pleasure.

  “I’m a wolf, darling. We can go again. And we will because I need those fangs of yours in my neck. Now.”

  She smiled, and he picked her up, practically running to his—no, their—bedroom.

  He set her on the bed—carefully—then pulled her hair away from her neck to admire his work.

  She raised a brow at him. “Really? You look like a rooster in a hen house right now.”

  He just grinned, that scar tugging on his lip, but he didn’t care. “Sounds about right. You look so fucking good with my mark on you. Now, let’s see how you mark me.”

  Her eyes glowed gold, and she smiled.

  He threw himself on the bed and gripped her so she had to straddle him. “Do anything you want to me, baby. I’m yours.”

  She smiled again and nodded. “That is the best thing ever. I can’t believe I get to have you.”

  He pulled her palms to him then kissed the center of each softly. “I’m sorry it took so long to happen, but we’re not looking back. This is it. This is us.”

  She nodded then lifted her hips, reaching down to position his cock at her entrance. Then she looked into his eyes and slowly slid down him.

  Hell.

  Sweet hell.

  She rode him like a goddess, her hips rotating as she figured out exactly what she wanted. He just held onto her hips to keep her steady and fell in love all over again with that lush skin of hers.

  Finally, she leaned down, taking his lips in a sweet kiss, then trailed her tongue down his neck.

  “Mark me as yours,” he whispered, needing her now more than ever.

  “Forever,” she said against his neck, her teeth grazing him.

  “Forever,” he agreed.

  She bit down, and he was lost.

  He came as she did, an explosion of need, sex, heat, and everything in between. Their bond flared and grew before cementing into this new idea of who they were—who they could be together.

  His wolf howled again as it found its own mate, and Maddox smiled against Ellie’s hair. Her body lay spent along his as his cock still filled her.

  Goddess, this was what he’d needed his whole life, and he’d be damned if anyone tried to take it away. The world would still be out there tomorrow, and he and Ellie would find a way to mend the hurts and pains, but right now, it was all about the two of them.

  He’d found his mate, and nothing would break thi
s new fragile bond.

  Nothing.

  Chapter 18

  “I almost wish I could still feel the Pack bonds so I could find her,” Ellie whispered then suppressed a shudder at the thought of still being connected to the Centrals.

  Maddox and Ellie had passed through the wards already, the memory of the pain in doing so a distant memory. She wasn’t sure if people not connected to the Centrals by old bonds and being mated to those old bonds would have made it through. The inky black wards were as strong as ever, but she didn’t care. They’d made it through, and now they were waiting behind a grouping of rocks so they could figure out where the best place to find Charlotte was.

  Goddess, she hoped the little girl was okay.

  Considering whom they’d been forced to leave her with, Ellie wasn’t so sure.

  Another shudder racked her body, and Maddox pulled her closer to him, his lips or chin brushing the top of her head. She took a deep breath and tried not to let her memories and imagination get the better of her.

  They’d save her little sister before it was too late.

  There really wasn’t another option.

  Not only did Ellie want to make sure Corbin couldn’t touch a hair on her pretty little head, but she also wanted to ensure Caym couldn’t get his claws into Charlotte. The little girl’s soul only had so much time until the evil would take root and all would be lost. Even then, she didn’t know how long the little girl had been there. Goddess, there wasn’t much time.

  There was no way she’d let that happen.

  Ellie had already lost one sister and a cousin that had been as good as a sister to her.

  She wouldn’t lose another.

  She couldn’t lose another.

  Maddox’s lips brushed her ear, and she took a deep breath.

  “We’ll find her, Ellie mine. As for the bonds you want back, I know you’re just frustrated. You don’t need those to find her. We already know where she’s likely to be.”

  She nodded, leaning into him more and inhaling that musky scent that reminded her she wasn’t alone anymore.

  No, she didn’t want those bonds anymore. Now, she not only had the bonds to her Pack, but the one to Maddox that was thriving—alive and pulsating with each breath and thought.