Ancient Ties (Pale Moonlight (Wolf Shifters Romance) Book 2)

by Marie Johnston

  Yesss, she was as desperate for him as he was for her. Rational thought threatened to invade and it had no place in this moment. Nothing was stopping him.

  He lapped at her. She writhed, her hands fisted in his hair. She demanded more, faster. He licked and nibbled. Wet, so wet. It was all his. The previous night he’d gotten an appetizer, but this was decadent dessert. After he finished consuming her, he’d go for the main meal.

  She was close to exploding, riding his face. He used one hand to crank her leg up and his other to insert a finger. Her sex clenched around him. She moaned his name, encouragement, then her words jumbled together because he withdrew and thrust in a second finger.

  He felt her climax whip through her. She released against his face and he lapped up every last drop, using his fingers to wring each second of pleasure. He would’ve stayed, coaxed her to another peak, but his body demanded more.

  A button popped off and clattered across the hardwood. He shoved and tugged at the material, the haze of need blinding him until cool air breezed across his shaft.

  Kissing his way up Kaitlyn’s body, he suspected he was the only thing holding her up. Her leg had fallen limp, her foot hitting the floor with a thud.

  She snatched his shirt over his head and he did the same to hers. Her breasts needed to be pressed against him. A growl surfaced at the sports bra she wore. Too impatient to remove it, he yanked it down until her nipples were free.

  Pausing only to suck one into his mouth and palm the other, his manhood jerked, warning him that it’d release on its own this close to the object of its obsession.

  Chayton rose to stand over her and gaze deep into her lovely emerald eyes. The color soothed his soul—the right shade on the right female. He gripped her thighs and wrapped her legs around his waist and impaled her in one thrust.

  Kaitlyn’s eyes flew wide open with her gasp. She settled onto him, adjusting to his size.

  “You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting for that.” Her hands were back in his hair, tugging his head down to her lips.

  He set the most natural rhythm in the world. She matched. His hips worked in and out. He would’ve exploded already, but he feared to never feel this good again. Their mouths connected, their sex connected. The strongest urge to kiss his way down her neck and mark her swept through him. He fought it. No. No claiming today. Just sex. Mind-blowing sex.

  Her legs hugged his waist so tight, he could barely thrust. Rocking into her wet heat was enough. Ripples traveled through her and along his shaft. The first wave of climax.

  Kaitlyn ripped her face away from his to throw her head to the side, unconsciously baring herself for him. Chayton’s fangs throbbed, his eyes locked onto her neck, centuries of species instinct rammed at his skull to mark her, to tell every male she crossed that she belonged to someone: him.

  Her walls fisted him. She panted and gasped, then the full impact of orgasm hit her and almost knocked Chayton back. The power of her pleasure pushed him past his own crest.

  “Chay!” she cried. Her fingernails tore into his shoulders as she bucked and writhed.

  He pumped his release into her, his fingers digging into her thighs, and when he glanced down, the sight of her round breasts fueled the strength of his climax.

  Her neck—it was right there. Throwing his head back, he growled out all the frustration eating at him until he roared her name.

  They both fell quiet as his hips gently rocked them down from their atmospheric heights. Rational thought finally knocked on his brain.

  What the fuck did he just do?

  “No,” Kaitlyn murmured. She sighed and turned up her face to meet his gaze. “Don’t just drop me and storm out.”

  The way his hands gripped the smooth skin of her thighs, he didn’t know if he could coax them into giving Kaitlyn up. At least not now, after she spoke. Because he had been ready to dump and run to figure this mess out away from the siren call of her body.

  He gently lifted her off him and steadied her until her feet were once more firmly on the ground.

  “This can’t happen.” It was all he could say, as if that explanation would make it better when he left her to mate with Tika. Kaitlyn had to feel the link between them, the deep attraction, near obsession that flagged a mate, even if her human upbringing didn’t allow her to understand what it meant.

  Hurt flashed across her face, but she covered it quickly. Not before it stabbed him in the heart. He was such a bastard.

  She pushed her fingertips against his chest. “We have a job to do. Let’s just worry about that first.”

  Her little touch and his shaft was full and ready to go. She had already turned away to gather clothing. Her lithe, nude body…blood pounded though him. His desire didn’t just fill the room, but the whole cabin. His father was going to choke on it when he got back.

  Chayton eyed the spread of weapons on the bed as he stuffed his throbbing manhood into his pants. “Pack everything in a bag. After our shift, we can carry it with us.”

  “Won’t that slow us down?”

  “Yes, but if we can use firepower to take out one or two before a physical confrontation, it’ll be best.”

  She shrugged into her black top, not looking at him. “You’re worried I’ll zone out again.”

  “It’s a possibility.” He half-turned and forced himself not to watch her, or he’d have her up against the wall again in seconds. “Look, I’m not saying you and I can’t take on four and win. I’d bet on us. But there’s more than our ego at risk and we need to ensure we take out the threat.”

  “Why don’t we shift now and head out?” She appeared as if nothing was wrong, but the forceful shoving of weapons into the duffel suggested otherwise.

  “In case we need to shift back within city limits.”

  She shook her head, her jaw rigid, tension radiating from her. He wondered if she was mad at him, or herself.

  Chapter Six

  Something was up with that big lunk. No way was he telling her.

  And who was the female that she heard talking? Was she what got Chayton all riled up? Should Kaitlyn thank her or hate her?

  Because that was the best sex she’d ever imagined. And it was with just one guy. No wonder all the mated couples in her pack hit it with each other whenever possible. Kaitlyn thought it was because shifters have strong sexual appetites and once mated, they didn’t have to go searching for a partner or two to try to satisfy it.

  No clue that mate sex was so much better than unbonded sex. Except he’d made it clear less than a minute after orgasm that it’d only be unbonded-mate-sex.

  Asshole.

  Yet she’d been an open door for him to enter.

  Anger with herself rose another notch. Like she didn’t have a bad enough track record with men, or no record worth noting. She was forgettable. Except to Waylon, a good friend and a male who didn’t insult her.

  When Chayton walked away for good, at least she had the bartender until he found his own mate.

  Yes, she’d let Chayton walk away. Mate or not, she respected the hell out of herself, despite what her easy acquiescence earlier showed. There’d be no begging, she wouldn’t cry for him to be with her. Destiny could go off itself if she had to settle for a mate who treated her badly and didn’t want her. Wouldn’t happen.

  She zipped her duffle shut, blanked her expression, and walked outside where Chayton waited. The heft of her bag shouldn’t be a problem as a wolf, but it’d be a nuisance. Still, cold metal in her hand was more natural than fangs and claws and she’d be glad to have her guns.

  Without a word, Chayton hiked into the trees. His own worn leather satchel was much smaller—her sniper skills meant she carried bigger guns. With acute wolf senses, her ability to hit long-range shots proved an advantage.

  For any other reason, a day in the forest would be nice. But they’d be running as much as the terrain allowed. The bite in the air would keep them from overheating. Evening approached, meaning they’d either travel
at night, or hunker down. It’d be Chayton’s choice. Kaitlyn had slept in worse places while on duty.

  They traversed a few miles in silence when Chayton pulled behind a tree. His eyes squinted into the landscape. She followed his lead and inhaled deep. The faint scent of two shifters tickled her nose, along with a smell of meat that’d make her stomach growl if she wasn’t still full of fish.

  The males trotted away from them, their dusky coats easily blending into the floor of the forest.

  She exchanged a look with Chayton and they both went to investigate, moving slowly even though the shifters were out of sight. Stealth prevented their smell from aerating through the trees and kept any noise down.

  “You smell that right?” Chayton mumbled.

  Kaitlyn rolled her eyes at him. They stopped and stared at a small heap at the base of a tree. The ground had been dug into and surrounding brush had been laid over it. If any more time had lapsed, the cover would’ve smothered the scent of what it hid.

  He shrugged. “Just checking. Find a stick to probe with. I don’t want us covered with meat juice while we’re hunting.”

  While he squatted and inspected the surrounding areas, she retrieved a two-foot long stick. On the opposite side of the pile, Kaitlyn knelt and pushed aside some of the concealment.

  “Steaks?” Chayton ducked his head to get a look at the entire hiding spot. “Is someone hoarding food or what?”

  “Or leaving it for someone—or something. Maybe they’re feeding a bear.” His sardonic expression irritated her. “As if you haven’t experienced weirder shit than that. Last year, Jace and I had to deal with a family who killed a mama bear to adopt her cubs.”

  “I don’t see anyone from my colony adopting a bear.”

  “Do you see them leaving enough steaks out here to feed several shifters?” Her question was meant to be sarcastic, but her eyes widened.

  Chayton’s gaze narrowed on the steaks. “Like four shifters?”

  “Why would they feed the rogues? I haven’t caught their scent yet.” But the idea certainly made sense. “Although…we don’t know what colony they came from. Usually, the Guardians are notified because the rogues may pose a threat to their original colony, or will eventually once they turn feral.”

  “Except Mato sees it as a sign of power and competency to deal with everything himself.” Chayton huffed and rolled his eyes skyward as if his frustration with the leader reached new heights. “Cover it back up. They might not smell us if they don’t get here right away. If it’s intended for the rogues.”

  “We limit our search to a radius around this food, then?”

  He nodded grimly. Maybe they were wrong. But neither of them thought so.

  ***

  They were well into nighttime. They’d covered a good swath of the area, but had detected nothing.

  Kaitlyn’s flanks heaved with the effort. The farther out they got, the rougher the terrain—steep inclines and at times, too rapid of a descent. Her side still ached, not yet mended from the tumble down the side of a nearly sheer drop.

  One more mile and we’re back to our campsite. Chayton sounded like he looked, which was no more troubled than if he’d been taking an easy jog on a flat bike path.

  He’d run this land for years and years, she reminded herself. The forest was different from the woods.

  At least earlier she’d caught that enormous rodent on the first try. Chayton had told her it was a sikpela, but she’d ripped into it and devoured her share without really taking a look. She seriously hated when her food stared back at her.

  Minutes later, she spotted, with relief, the incline that harbored an overhang on the other side. Under that minuscule amount of shelter was where they’d camp. Easing up the embankment and leaping to the ground on the other side, she dropped her bag and flexed her jaw.

  Chayton trotted around to face her. He flowed into his mouth-watering human form. Now you need to shift back.

  She would’ve wanted to lick her lips, but his words doused her with cold water. Why? Aren’t we going to sleep like this?

  Are you going to magically wait for a cure to your problem? You know why you pass out, now push through it.

  The image of her dad looming over her with his shotgun, the smell of her mom’s blood, increased the pressure behind her eyes. She shook her head like she was shaking off water droplets.

  Chayton had a good point. This hang-up haunted her wherever she went. They always planned around it. With Jace, it was second nature, and he never mentioned it. Commander Fitzsimmons avoided sending her anywhere that didn’t utilize her shooting abilities, her democratic nature, or her hand-to-hand skills. As long as the op didn’t require her to get furry.

  She had to deal with it.

  Okay. She closed her eyes and concentrated on her human form, imagined it, embraced the shift. Blackness encroached. She fought to stay present, fought to keep her wits with her.

  Darkness won.

  Kaitlyn blinked her eyes open. She was lying in the dirt under the outcropping where they’d set up camp. The outline of a long-haired male stood over her, moonlight casting shadows on his features.

  “Get up and try it again.” Chayton didn’t offer a hand up.

  She scowled at him and rose on her own, shrugging off any remaining wooziness. Night life was slowly coming alive, but the sound seemed muted. She shifted back to her wolf before she told Chayton she couldn’t.

  She gazed up at his dark, unreadable eyes and caught a slight scent of worry. Not what she expected from the way he scorned her deficiency.

  “Again.” His flat tone matched his stare.

  This time she kept her eyes open. She picked a tree and focused on her transition. A tremor wracked her body with her effort to remain conscious.

  Fuzziness began at the periphery of her vision.

  No, no, no. She wouldn’t pass out. Fur gave way…

  Darkness.

  Déjà vu. She groggily gazed up at Chayton.

  “Get up and try again.” His voice thudded between her ears.

  She groaned and rolled to her side to get up.

  “How long was I out?” She held her head as she rose. One killer headache started to build.

  “A couple minutes.”

  The hint of worry from him had grown. “Like two minutes or, I don’t know, it seemed like longer but was probably only two minutes?”

  “Does it matter?”

  Yeah, actually. The way her head felt, she wanted to know if she was going to knock herself out for an hour with this experiment.

  She huffed her exasperation and shifted back to her wolf. The headache stayed with the shift.

  This time, she waited longer before she attempted her human form.

  “Again.” Chayton pulled her up.

  She swayed when she hit her feet. Chayton’s strong grip steadied her.

  “Five times is enough,” she slurred. Holy fucking migraine. She pinched one eye shut and squinted with the other. It was full-on night, but even moonlight overpowered her oculars.

  She just wanted to collapse into him, but instead she shifted before she just plain collapsed.

  Even as a wolf, she laid on her belly. Burying her nose in the dirt seemed like a good idea. Her stomach rumbled, but the way her head pounded, she’d probably just throw up anything she ate.

  Chayton said that damn word again. “Again.” Only it was almost a whisper.

  His concern fogged the area. How long had she been out last time?

  She closed her eyes. Drew in several cleansing breaths. Fully embraced herself as a canine. Sharper smells, every draft of air teased individual fur fibers, sounds she swore were from miles away. Her senses rocked. The headache eased slightly.

  Time to shift.

  She couldn’t help the whimper that escaped. Open eyes worked better; she chose a tree to focus on and concentrated.

  Fur gave way to skin. Kaitlyn heard the whine and registered it came from her, but she was determined to stay with
it.

  The pressure in her head increased. An image of her father standing over her branded her vision. The tree her gaze bored into grew smaller and smaller, and the world grew even darker.

  Stay. Awake.

  She adjusted her legs because suddenly they were stacked. Skin-on-skin.

  No urge to rejoice could push past the agony behind her eyes. Her breath came in quick pants until blackness claimed her.

  “Kaitlyn.” A strong hand shook her shoulder, warm breath blew across her face.

  The masculine scent that was imprinted in her psyche wafted by, rousing her. Her mate. She tried to speak, but nothing made it past thought.

  “Sweet Mother.” He stroked her face, his fingers played over her jawline. His thumb caressed her lower lip. “Kaitlyn. Please wake up.”

  She registered his lap under her. He cradled her head in one arm as her body draped across his legs. The heat of him staved off most of the chill in the air.

  A moan finally escaped. “I hurt.”

  He blew out a relieved breath. “At least you’re finally healing. You were so still and pale for so long.”

  “How long?” It came out as a croak. She licked her lips, but a dry tongue from cotton mouth wasn’t too effective.

  “Hours.”

  Another groan and she curled into him, pulling her legs up to get warm. He changed position stretched out next to her, sandwiching her between him and the wall of stone. She shivered against the coolness of the rock. He clutched her tighter and the wall quickly lost its bite.

  “I got further that last time,” she mumbled into his chest.

  “It cost you.” His chin rested on top of her head.

  Damn, he felt good. Her body heated up in places she should ignore.

  Chayton didn’t. “Is this position too much? Are you too warm now?”

  “Mmm.” She rolled onto her back, using the movement to pull him on top of her. His muscles bunched under her hands to move away, but she held him in place.

  “Kaitlyn, I can’t…” His argument had to sound weak to even his own ears.

  “Make me feel good, Eagle.”