“No, not in this case. She’d made her bed, there’s no question she deserved to die.”
“She was like a sister to you.”
He snorted. “Apparently one I never really knew.”
“I’m sorry.” I threaded my fingers through his and gave a little squeeze.
“How’s your wolf?”
I closed my eyes and we stared at each other. She seemed to be moving more freely now, but I couldn’t feel her fur prickling under my skin or the rush of her trying to jump through. “I don’t know.” I gave a sharp almost panicked laugh. All my earlier ‘I am woman, I am strong’ resolve had begun to crumble in the face of my wolf’s continued impairment. “In the end, Vicki may be right, I might end up an Omega. A wolf too weak to shift.”
Jackson rocked me in his arms. “Sh. Don’t say that. It’ll be okay. You just need some time to rest and recover. You might be in shock.”
“You think so?” I looked up at him and he kissed me.
“Yeah, I do.” His hand gripped my hair tight against my scalp and he buried his nose in my neck. “Chloe. Oh God. Chloe.” He almost sounded like he was crying. “I thought you were gone. I failed you. I didn’t protect you. I ignored your instincts about Kelsey. Can you ever forgive me?” He let me go and slid off the couch to kneel in front of me, head bowed.
I pulled on his hands trying to get him to come back up next to me, but he was a dead weight. “Jacks, it’s not your fault. You couldn’t have known.”
“You’re my mate. If I can’t keep you safe, I wouldn’t blame you for walking away.”
My jaw dropped. Yes, I had my doubts at our moving-at-the-speed-of-light mating, but the last thing I wanted was to be alone again. “You’re my mate. No matter what. Nothing that’s happened has changed that. I love you.” I paused in shock then. I’d never said those words before.
“I love you, too.” He returned to the couch and we resumed cuddling.
I rubbed his nose with mine. “Our first I love yous.”
“Yeah.”
We both smiled stupidly at each other and then Jackson leaned in for a kiss so deep, I thought he would swallow me whole.
Breaking our kiss, he stood and said, “Wait here. I have something I want to show you.”
He disappeared into our bedroom and returned a second later, hands hidden behind his back.
I raised my eyebrows. “What is it?”
Jackson didn’t answer, but came to kneel in front of me.
“Jackson? What’s going on?”
“This.” He showed me a fist and then opened it to reveal a black velvet box.
I touched the box, finger skimming the soft velvet. “Is that what I think it is?”
“Open it and see.”
Taking the box, I opened it and gasped at the beautiful ring inside. A square cut diamond flanked by sapphires twinkled at me. “It’s gorgeous.”
He grinned. “You like it.”
I nodded. “Very much.”
“I ordered it weeks ago and it just arrived. It killed me not to tell you.” He took the box from me, and clearing his throat said, “So, Chloe Weiss, will you marry me?”
All the doubts and worries from the last few weeks tumbled through my mind and I dismissed them one by one. Even if I never shifted again, I was wolf enough to be the alpha’s mate. Our bond could not be broken and I wanted Jackson more than ever. I belonged at his side and no place else. Sniffing back tears, I said, “Yes.”
He slipped the ring on my finger and we both looked at it for a moment.
“Wow,” I said, turning my hand this way and that and watching the diamond catch the light. “I love it.”
“It was always you, Chloe. You’re my wolf, my love, my life.” He moved to sit beside me on the couch again and gave me scorching kiss that seemed to sear my soul. His hands traced my curves through the t-shirt I wore.
He paused, lips lifting off mine to say, “Hey, is this my shirt?”
I nodded. Wanting to keep his scent close, I’d picked one of his shirts to wear. It made me feel safe, like I wasn’t alone.
“I like it on you, but I like you even better without it.” He lifted it off me and covered me himself, the heat of his chest burning into mine.
I stopped him then, thinking of the girls. “We should go to bed.” I’d noticed the girls slept like their batteries had been removed, but, on the off chance anyone woke up, I didn’t want them to find us going at it like wererabbits. The last thing I needed after everything else, was to explain the birds-and-bees to kids who still believed in Santa.
Jackson didn’t say anything, just scooped me up and carried me there. He set me gently on the bed.
“I won’t break,” I said.
“I know. You’re not fragile, you’re precious.” He sank into bed beside me. “You’re my heart, Clo. I can’t live without you.”
I swallowed hard as tears pricked my eyes. That was probably the sweetest thing anyone had ever said to me. “Jacks.”
He put a finger to my lips. “Shh. Just let me love you.”
“Forever.” I sighed into his hand. I was home. I had a mate. It finally felt real.
To start, Jackson gave me a nice massage, using a scented oil that smelled of lavender and oranges. He rubbed the kinks out of my legs and the soreness out of my arms. Then he rolled me over and straddled my hips as he turned my back into putty. His hands touched me everywhere, imparting warmth, relaxation and, most of all, love. His feelings for me poured out through his fingers, a palpable thing that I soaked up with the massage oil.
“Oh, that feels so good,” I moaned.
“That’s what I’m aiming for.” He flipped me back over and then sank to his knees at the end of the bed. His hands wrapped around each of my feet in turn.
I was a puddle by the time he started kissing his way up my legs. He parted my legs with a gentle hand. His fingers spread my inner lips wide, exposing the sensitive nub underneath. I didn’t really pay much attention to his finger, being too lost in a massage induced coma, but when his tongue flicked over my core, my eyes flew open.
“Oh,” I said.
He paused. “Oh, give me more or oh, stop?”
I gave a throaty laugh. “Give me more, naturally. When have I ever said stop?”
“There’s always a first time.” His tongue resumed its merciless circling around my core.
My breath came out in a gasp and my hips bounced up and down. “Well it won’t be tonight.”
I felt rather than saw the slow grin that split his lips. “Does that mean I can have my way with you?”
I spread my legs wider. “Please.”
His head dipped down and his tongue worked me with the precision of a machine. My hips circled and danced under him. When he latched on and sucked as he worked the tip of his tongue back and forth across the very tip of my most sensitive spot, I lost it. With a soft cry, I came.
Jackson kept his tongue firmly in place no matter how wildly I bucked. Slipping a few fingers into my wet passage, he pressed against other, more sensitive places hidden in my body. Before I knew it, a second orgasm chased the first, shuddering through me in a crashing tide.
After that, he gave me minute to recover. Climbing up my body, he kissed me, his tongue a mix of flavors, both his and mine. His scent filled my mind and I opened my mouth wider, wanting more of him than he’d already given.
He moved to kiss and nibble my neck with both hard and soft bites. Some would probably leave marks, but I didn’t care. My breasts, he scooped up and slowly teased the nipples into stiff points with his tongue. Once they stood at attention, he bite them too, not hard enough to mark, but hard enough to make me gasp and for my stomach to tighten.
“Jacks,” I moaned, my hands tracing his shoulders en route to bury themselves in his hair. “Oh, please.”
“Please what, baby?”
“I need you.”
“I’m going to give you everything you need and more.” He clamped his teeth around a nip
ple and used his tongue to thrash the tip.
I writhed underneath him, feeling empty inside. “I want you, Jacks. Don’t make me wait.”
Being a gentleman, he obliged, slipping into me with one smooth thrust. My body quivered around him, and, for the first time, my wolf showed signs of real life. She howled and pranced. Jacks wolf sauntered into my mind’s eye, acknowledging her with a nod. She sank to the ground, rolling over in submission. He laid down next to her, pressing himself against her, giving comfort and reassurance. The whole thing gave me hope. One, that Jackson would stick with me no matter what, and two, my wolf might be okay.
I didn’t have long to dwell on it though, because Jackson hauled my legs up and over his shoulders. Gone was the gentle regard he’d treated me with earlier. He took me with a wild roughness that made my blood run hot. I reached around to dig my hands into his thighs, urging him on. I wanted him harder and faster until we both exploded.
He howled when he came. I did too and our voices twined together, a harmony once lost but now found again. I felt a prickling rush under my skin too, which brought a smile to my face.
“What is it?” Jackson asked not missing the change in my expression.
“I can feel my wolf. She’s coming back.”
He let my legs drop back onto the bed and then collapsed on top of me, still buried in my slick wetness. “I knew she would.”
I ran a hand through his hair. “I wasn’t so sure.”
“You doubt yourself too much, Clo. Your wolf may have come late but she’s powerful.” He kissed me. “Now go to sleep. It’s been a long day.”
We spooned and drew the covers in close to ward of the increasing winter chill. I didn’t sleep really. Instead I spent the night looking at my ring and keeping vigil over my wolf, waiting for her to regain full strength.
Epilogue
We had an old-fashioned wedding in August, full of wildflowers and happy sunshine in a bright blue sky. I’d been worried that Jackson’s pack would think it low class, but it turned out no one shared Kelsey’s tastes. They would’ve found chrome just as weird as I had.
His family welcomed me with open arms and apologized profusely for Kelsey. I had the sense they were worried I would blame them. Vicki stayed out of my way and was polite when she had to deal with me, which was more than I’d hoped for. Cal told me she was leaving, going out to visit some other packs in the hopes of finding a mate.
The rest of the Huntsville pack got over their reservations about me when I proved I could shift. It helped that Jackson and Cal both encouraged and supported me more fully taking on the alpha’s mate role.
I started with Grammy, who we found unable to care for herself let alone the kids. She hadn’t been eating either. I assigned some of the pack to care for her. They didn’t want to do it at first, but I was too alpha now for any wolf to say no to me. All I had to do was remind them about how I cut off a rogue alpha’s head and that usually did the trick.
In a lot of people’s memories, I was still that null who should’ve been run out of town, but things were changing for the better. Slowly. In a weird way, Kelsey may have done me a favor. Killing Ronnie had given me a lot of credibility.
Jackson and I kept Mara and Sara full-time, wanting them to have a stable home life. They were growing faster than I could keep up. It seemed every other week I had to run into town to buy more clothes. They’d been without proper nutrition for so long, no doubt their bodies had a lot of time to make up for. I also worked with them on reading and their grammar quickly showed signs of improvement. Given the right environment, they learned fast. I was proud of them.
We saw their parents here and there, still stuck in wolf form and showing no signs of shifting back. The girls accepted it as normal and didn’t expect any different, but it would always tug at my heart. This was a ‘death’ I found difficult to accept. Their parents were alive, yet just as absent as my dead-and-buried mom and dad.
Being pregnant made it all worse, because I knew exactly how precious the life stirring in me was. Yep, I was knocked up when I walked down the aisle. Jackson was still a little surprised. Honestly, though, what did he expect would happen? If you act like a wererabbit in heat, you multiply like one.
I couldn’t wait to be a mom. Jackson was great with the girls and he was great with me; massaging my feet, bringing me ice cream, and generally treating me like a queen. I didn’t know what the next chapter in our life held, but I knew this much; I had him, I had my wolf and I had a family to love.
-The End-
Thank you SO much for reading! I love to hear from readers! You can reach me on my Facebook page or via email at [email protected].
Want to read the story of Chloe and Jackson’s first meeting? Check out To Bring Her Wolf, the best selling story that started it all.
To Bring Her Wolf
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About the Author
A former preacher's kid (which is code for 'wild child') I enjoy exploring the erotic in my fiction. Fantasy also carries a special place in my heart and I like to blend the best of both genres in my work.
Most of my books have been Top 100 bestsellers in the erotica, romance and fantasy categories and I was once #1 in Germany (me and David Hasslehoff, right?). Amazon likes to remove my books from search rather regularly, which just goes to show how very naughty I am.
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The Alpha's Mate (Werewolf Romance) Page 13
