The Mating Challenge

by Bonnie Vanak

  A growl of approval rippled through the crowd.

  Nia tried again and bucked upward. She heard Aiden give a groan as his penis slipped through her cleft. He put one palm against her back and murmured softly. “Easy, now, Niki.”

  Even in this most intimate moment, she would not have the satisfaction of him calling her real name. This troubling thought, more than his physical strength, subdued her.

  He pressed his penis against her entrance once more. The thick hardness of him felt like a steel bar. Her wet flesh shuddered as it tried to accommodate his huge length as the tip of his cock probed inside her. Aiden’s big body hovered above hers. Discomfort increased as he began to enter her tight passage.

  Aiden bit his lip. Tight. So tight. He didn’t want to hurt her, but ahh, she felt so damn good. Had to make this good for her, make her feel pleasure as well, but this first time required a necessary pain of breaking her innocence.

  It will get better, sweetheart, he silently promised, sweat streaming down his temples as he tried to hold back.

  Tension thickened the air. The rules of the challenge were clear. The male must take the female in the traditional mating position. Prove to their packs that he was virile, prove he was a powerful alpha capable of impregnating their female alpha and siring an heir.

  Aiden gritted his teeth at the raw pleasure, and knew the time had come to brand her in the flesh.

  Nia tensed as she felt the head of his thick penis push harder against her soaked folds. He slid partly inside, then retreated. Again. Then he slid deeper. The pressure became real pain. She closed her eyes, culling all her feminine Lupine senses, drinking in his scent, feeling his hands grip her hips, holding her steady for his possession.

  Then he bent over her, licking the curve of her spine and he whispered into her ear.

  “Hold onto me, sweetheart. Everything’s going to be all right. It’s you and me here. Only us. No one else.”

  With a powerful flex of his buttocks, he thrust deep inside her, breaking the barrier of her virginity. Nia stifled a startled cry, squeezing her eyes against the burning pain. Blood trickled down the inside of her thigh.

  Nia went still, her swollen vagina tight around his thick cock. The pain eased, leaving only a delicious pressure.

  Tenderly, he brushed back her hair, and kissed her neck. “You okay?” he whispered.

  She rotated her hips. “Fuck me like the wolf I am.”

  A low, triumphant chuckle rumbled in her ear. Aiden drew back, then pushed his hips forward. His enormous shaft throbbed inside her tight channel, binding them together in the flesh.

  Then he began plunging deep inside, stretching her wet, swollen cunt. Eyes closed, her long hair curtaining her face, she pushed back against every delicious surge. Aiden dug his fingers into her hips as he thrust and their flesh slapped together. He bent over her ass, reaching around to cup and knead her breasts. Thick, silky hair on his chest rubbed against her back. With each relentless thrust, she arched her ass upward, eager for more. The position did not bind her to submissiveness, rather it gave her a heady sense of feminine power as her mate took her.

  A deep growl rumbled from Aiden’s throat. She felt his engorged penis swell as an odd roundness pressed against her wet, sensitive tissues.

  His wolf’s knot.

  As the protrusion thickened, it rubbed enticingly against nerve endings enriched with blood. Nia moaned at the exquisite pleasure.

  Aiden gave a final, deep thrust, his knot swelling and tripling her erotic bliss. Orgasm seized her loins, shooting up through her body as Nia screamed. Rearing back, he seized her hips and released a long, low howl as his cock thickened, streams of semen spraying hotly against her womb.

  For a few minutes, his big body shuddered behind her. Finally his climax slowed.

  They collapsed to the ground, his heavy weight pinning her down. Murmurs of approval rippled through the air.

  His breath bellowing in her ear, Aiden ran a hand over the curve of her hip. “I’ve dreamt of doing that to you for a long time, sweetheart. Both of us bonded together in flesh.”

  His knot securing them together loosened.

  Tears stung her eyes behind their closed lids. Not at the ghost of pain where they were intimately joined, but at the surrender of her innocence and power. She wasn’t losing only her virginity, but her very self. From this moment on, her life was Aiden’s to command. She’d ruled her people and carried the weight of heavy responsibility on her shoulders.

  No longer. Fear rushed through her body. They were one, according to Lupine law. But he had mated a liar. And if he discovered her deception, what would he do?

  Aiden pressed a kiss to the curve of her spine. And then he pulled out of her body and lay down next to her, smoothing back her hair. The rich tenderness of the gesture shattered her more than her deflowering.

  “You okay?” he whispered. “I’m sorry it had to be like that.”

  She nodded. “And now, you’ll give me your mating mark.”

  The bite all male Lupines gave their mates to claim them, and let other males know they were taken.

  “No mark. That’s for later, when we have privacy.” He kissed the side of her throat. “Are you up for round two? I promise I will make it very, very good for you, sweetheart.”

  Relief filled her. The mating mark was equally as intimate as the sex. He rolled over, and she noticed he was still quite erect. Was this the power of an alpha? Maybe, but she scarcely had time to think because he patted his groin.

  “Climb on, sweetheart,” he said in a husky voice. “Ride me and let them see what a female alpha can do. You’re as strong as I am.”

  Nia stared down at him, trembling, her throat tight. The laws didn’t require this kind of submissiveness on his part. Only the male was to be dominant. But fierce determination shone in Aiden’s dark eyes.

  “You can do this,” he said encouragingly.

  She straddled him as he held his cock upright. Very slowly, Nia sank down on it, wincing a little. Gods, he was big. But the pain had faded, replaced with a delicious sense of being utterly filled.

  He caressed her breasts and then toyed with her clit, his thumb creating an exquisite friction as she rose up, fell down. Each rhythmic stroke sent ripples of pleasure through her, a tension that began building higher and higher. He let her set the pace, let her ride him to the stunned gasps of the assembled Lupines.

  This wasn’t about sex. It was about regaining her dignity and pride, and asserting her leadership before the women. Nia felt an alarming tenderness for this powerful, big alpha.

  She rode him harder, faster and then the tension gathering low in her loins exploded as another orgasm slammed into her. Nia tilted her head back and howled into the night as Aiden joined her, his hot seed once again flooding her womb. Each spurt of semen sent new little waves of pleasure shooting through her. Finally he stopped ejaculating.

  Hanging her head, she braced her hands on his powerful chest, feeling his cock pulse inside her, knotting and tying them together. She collapsed atop him as he stroked her hair.

  Everyone began to howl with victory.

  Gradually he pulled free, his eyes glowing amber in the darkness.

  The Lupines surrounding them on the circle’s edge watched them silently. Waiting. It was time to complete the ritual and run together as the new alpha pair with their people. The others would not shift until she and Aiden did.

  Aiden signaled her with his gaze. You okay?

  Nia drew in a calming breath. She had survived all this so far. Nodding, she took his hand as he helped her to her feet. He tilted his head upward at the moon’s caress and howled.

  She joined his cry, and willed herself to shift into wolf. Nia lifted her hands to the sky and called upon all her senses as wolf. I am Lupine. I am strong. Power flowed through her, strong and sure. She felt a tingle rush down her spine, a tickle in her belly, and the power increased. Suddenly she found herself transformed, standing on four legs.
/>   Wolf.

  Beside her, Aiden stood in wolf form, the black and white markings on his muzzle marking him as a pureblood alpha. She had no such markings, but her father had taught her to have the bearing of one.

  Aiden trotted over and rubbed his muzzle against hers in great affection. Then he licked her nose and nodded at the woods. The pack shifted into wolf form, howling in great abandon.

  They ran as wolves, Aiden racing at her side as she bounded over dead logs, feeling freer and more energized than she had in months. This Lupine had branded her in the flesh and given her new life.

  If she wasn’t careful, she could fall in love with him.

  Chapter 8

  She’d had the most delicious dream; someone cared about her. Her, the twin who held the pack together, who lived for her people.

  A man who would see to her every need, and keep her safe and warm when the shadow of cold, dark winter crept onto the land.

  Nia snuggled down further into the covers. Someone stroked her back in long, soothing caresses. A deep murmur; words she didn’t understand, but spoken with such tenderness. Nia drowsed in bed. She should get up. But the hand stroking her felt so good. It had been years since a masculine hand touched her with such loving care. Her father had hugged her, caressing her hair, whispering how she would always be his little girl, but she had to stay strong for her sister.

  “I hate putting this burden on you, Nia,” Edward Blakemore whispered as he hugged her so tight she knew she was loved. “But you’re our only hope. Stay strong for your sister.”

  She didn’t want to think of his death, or the sickness. She wanted to cling to the memory of those wonderful, rough hands holding her with such care, such love.

  “It’s okay,” a deep voice murmured into her ear. “Sleep. I’ll take care of everything.”

  Someone to take care of everything. No responsibilities for her, no worries. She sighed and burrowed deeper into the covers. She wanted this, needed rest and a worry free morning. But who could lift this burden?

  Nia rolled over into the muscled arms enveloping her and opened her eyes to see a rugged face, framed by jet black stubble and two piercing dark eyes.

  Aiden.

  They were mated now.

  She closed her eyes. She heard Aiden’s deep voice, tinged with amusement, rumble in her ear.

  “Okay darling. I’ll get breakfast ready. You sleep.”

  He dropped a warm, soft kiss on her cheek as she snuggled deep into the covers. Such luxury.

  Nia opened one eye. Sluggish gray light peeked through the gauze curtains at the window. She’d always loved dawn, loved watching the sun rise over the mountains. It was her favorite time, to steal a few precious moments for herself.

  She had no time for luxury. Time to face the world. She heard Aiden in the kitchen, a low curse and “Where the hell does she hide the coffee?” Nia smiled, remembering last night and the thrill of racing through the woods as wolf.

  Her smile faded.

  She stripped and headed into the bathroom, twisting the brass knobs for the hot water. In the shower stall, Nia sagged against the wall, sighing. Every morning she allowed herself fifteen precious minutes to shower. In those minutes beneath the spray, no one bothered her, no worries were permitted, no phone calls or thoughts about feed running low, the horses growing skinnier…

  Her sister growing more delicate and frail as Nikita spent more time locked in her lab, trying to find a cure for the disease.

  Nia started to reach for the soap. Her arm fell to her side. Her muscles felt sore and the space between her legs pulsed with an unfamiliar ache.

  She had been well loved. No, not loved. Aiden didn’t love her. Needed her, yes. Desired her, definitely. But he didn’t love her.

  The shower curtain jerked back. Opening her eyes, she shrank against the tile, covering her breasts.

  “What the hell are you doing here, Mitchell? Can’t you wait your turn?”

  “No.” Hands on lean hips, he grinned. “I came to ask where you stashed the sugar, but the view looks much sweeter right here.”

  We don’t have sugar. It’s one thing I cut out to save money.

  His bold gaze swept over her body. “You don’t have to hide yourself from me, sweetheart. We’re mated now.”

  Her eyes widened as he tugged the tight gray T-shirt over his wide shoulders, and then reached for the buckle of his jeans. “What are you doing? Can’t I have fifteen minutes alone?”

  “Not this morning. Maybe sometime in the future.” Aiden tugged the jeans past his narrow hips and kicked them aside. Nude, he was as magnificent as she remembered, his penis standing erect.

  As he stepped into the shower, he studied her face and frowned. Aiden touched her left cheek. “Was I too rough on you last night?”

  “No.” A flush ignited her entire body as she remembered. “It was…great.”

  His thumb stroked over her cheek. “Did I do this? No, I couldn’t have. It’s old. I never noticed this before.”

  Panic flared as he thumbed her scar. She’d forgotten.

  “I usually cover it up.”

  Aiden pulled the curtain aside. He reached for the soap and stepped beneath the shower spray. “Just relax,” he murmured.

  He began washing her. Aiden ran the soap down her back, soaping her bottom. His touch was gentle for such a big guy. Nia didn’t want this, but she felt the tension ease as he massaged her shoulders. Then he ran the soap between her legs and she flinched.

  “Easy,” he murmured. “I’ll make it good for you.”

  Foam popped and bubbled as he washed her groin, then his fingers lightly teased her, sliding between her cleft. Nia threw back her head and moaned as he slid a finger inside her.

  The sex last night had been so good, so mind blowing. All those fantasies she’d harbored about Aiden during those long, lonely nights when she sought relief, tossing and turning in her bed, rubbing herself against a battery operated boyfriend, had been nothing compared to the reality. He’d taken her body, wrung her inside out and for a little while, she’d forgotten the world and all its sorrows.

  When he pressed a hand against her back, gently urging her downward, she braced her hands on the shower seat.

  “Are you too sore for this?” he asked, sliding another finger deep inside her.

  “No.” The word came out as a bare whisper.

  His thick cock nudged her slick folds. He slid his penis between her cleft, light and teasing. Oh, he was very, very bad. Nia gripped the seat, her nipples hard, her body tense with sweet anticipation.

  “Just do it, Mitchell.”

  “Patience, Blakemore. You must learn patience.” Aiden rubbed his cock back and forth, creating an exquisite friction.

  “You’re so fucking beautiful,” he breathed.

  “Very eloquent. A man of few words.” Nia smiled and then gasped as he pushed against her opening, then grunting, he slid deep inside her.

  That first moment her inner muscles always resisted him, the same as she had resisted him all these years. And then as he nestled deep inside her, her body surrendered, as if it knew resistance was futile.

  Nia moaned as he grasped her hips and began rocking inside her. Not fast and hard like last night, but slow, oh, so slow.

  “You like that, sweetheart?” he murmured.

  Her only answer was a whimper of pleasure.

  Aiden pressed a soft kiss against her back, his tongue tracing a trail up her spine. “I’ll make it good for you. I’ll always make it good for you. But I’m afraid I’m going to have to do this now. It will only hurt for a moment.”

  Twisting her neck, she saw him open his mouth, and watched his incisors sharpen and lengthen. Excitement and dread pooled in her belly. The mating mark.

  Aiden gently turned her head aside, nuzzled the side of her throat.

  “Now,” he breathed against her skin.

  Sharp teeth sank into her neck. Pain surged, along with an erotic throbbing in her loins. Aiden lic
ked the wound, his tongue dragging slowly over the bite. Stinging pain faded, replaced by growing arousal. Nia moaned as the arousal sharpened, wetness gushing between her legs.

  He began moving once more. Deep inside, then slowly out. The exquisite pressure left her panting. During these moments, he went into her so deep she couldn’t tell where she ended and he began. The thought should have scared her. She’d been independent and strong for so many years. But it didn’t. It felt comforting, like having a soft bed to collapse into at the end of a long, tough day.

  Soft? Nia whimpered as he began thrusting harder. There was nothing soft about Aiden Mitchell. Every muscled inch of him was hard as granite.

  Now he was panting, his breathing ragged as the water beat upon them both, matching his deep thrusts. “Come on, Niki, come for me. Come for me.”

  His hand reached around, touched her clit and with that one bit of pressure, she felt the tension explode. Crying out, she shattered as he shouted her name, his penis pumping hot semen deep inside her. The tremors lasted as she kept climaxing, sweet little orgasms with each spurt. The bonus of being Lupine, she thought, dazed as he finally stopped ejaculating. Nia drew in tremendous lungfuls of air.

  As his wolf’s knot diminished, Aiden very slowly slid out of her and helped her to stand. He turned her around and pulled her into his arms. She felt his heart hammer beneath her ear, felt the silky, wet hairs of his firm chest against her cheek.

  For some odd reason, the feel of him holding her wanted to make her cry. He did this, this big, strong male. Made all her defenses drop, made her into a vulnerable little girl all over again.

  She couldn’t afford tears. Nia willed them away and stared up at him. She squeezed his penis.

  “Thanks, Mitchell. Now if you don’t mind, I’ll take breakfast. Eggs sunny side up, whole wheat toast and a big, thick,” she squeezed his penis again, “sausage.”

  A small smile touched his face. It made him look younger, less growly. “You are one demanding female, Blakemore.”

  She stroked a finger down his penis, feeling hardness beneath velvet soft flesh. He groaned and it made her feel less vulnerable. “I plan to be much more demanding if you don’t hustle your pretty ass and make me breakfast.”