Hidden Destiny (Redwood Pack)

by Ryan, Carrie Ann

  “Oh gods,” Pat whispered, tears running down her face even as the fury raged in her eyes. “That poor girl.”

  “Ellie…” his father whispered.

  “What?” North asked. Did his father know the connection?

  “Ellie had said Parker looked familiar but couldn’t place it. Parker is Corbin’s son, isn’t he?” The rage beneath the words didn’t scare North. They comforted him that he wasn’t alone in his feelings.

  “I’ll kill the bastard,” his mother spat and stood up, her body shaking. “That bastard! He’s taking too much from us, Edward. I’m going to kill him.”

  Jesus, he loved his mom.

  Hard.

  “You’ll have to stand behind me, love. That little fucker has stood behind that demon and, before that, his father, for too long.”

  North blinked. “I take it you’re not going to hurt Lexi and her family because of this?”

  Edward turned his rage toward North. “I’m going to forget you just said that. She’s fucking family, North. I don’t care that we’ll have to kill the little dick before you can fully mate her, but she’s family. That little boy too.” Edward closed his eyes. “And, if my little girl ever decides to mate him, Logan as well.”

  North closed his eyes, relief filling him.

  “Have you told Lexi that you still want her?” his mother asked.

  “Not yet.”

  Pat threw up her hands. “Then what the hell are you doing here, boy? Go to her. She’s in pain, and you’re here? I love you, son, but go to your mate.”

  North got up, hugged both his parents hard then ran toward Lexi’s.

  He had a mate to see.

  He just had to make sure she wanted to see him.

  Chapter Five

  Four hours.

  Four freaking hours.

  That’s how long North had been gone.

  Lexi was pretty sure she was going to lose her mind…or kill someone. Considering she didn’t really want to kill anyone in her presence, calming her mind seemed like a lost cause.

  She still couldn’t believe she’d just blurted out Corbin’s name like that. She held back a wince at even thinking that man’s name. She hated the Alpha of the Centrals more than anyone and anything.

  Corbin’s DNA might have given her the best thing in her life, her Parker, but that didn’t stop her from wanting to see the man gutted, quartered, and burned.

  She’d never forget the look on North’s face when she’d said Corbin’s name. When she’d said she was already mated, the look of stark pain on his face had almost taken her to her knees. The look of pure anger at the mention of their most hated enemy had made her want to curl into a ball and pray for forgiveness.

  Forgiveness from what, she didn’t know.

  She’d told herself over and over again, just as Logan had told her, that it wasn’t her fault what had happened.

  Fault, though, didn’t matter when it came to shame.

  It didn’t matter it wasn’t her fault he’d touched her when she took long showers, scrubbing at her skin until she was raw, bleeding, aching, trying to get the feel of his hands banished from her memory.

  It didn’t matter.

  It might have been years, but some days, it felt as though it had been mere minutes since it happened.

  Telling North had made it all come back in a clear reality.

  When Logan came back bruised, bloody, and bleeding, Lexi had frozen, her chest seizing. He hadn’t told her what happened other than North was alive and would be there soon.

  That had been over an hour ago.

  ‘Soon’ in man-terms meant whenever the hell they wanted it to mean.

  Logan had gone back to shower then came out again with Parker in tow. The boys were going on a “camping” trip within the den wards to have some man time.

  Lexi knew it was because Logan wanted her and North to have alone time—for whatever was about to happen—but Parker was smarter than that. Her son probably knew something was going on but let it slide.

  She was thankful every single day her son was so insightful.

  She scented him before she heard him.

  “North.” His name was a whisper on her lips as she turned.

  He stood in the doorway, his hair a tossed mess around his head. The fading bruises on his face and on his arms only made him look more dangerous.

  He might share the lightest hair of the Jamenson brothers with his twin, but right now, the darkness that emanated from his whole body made her shiver.

  Whether it was a good shiver or not, she couldn’t tell. At least not right then. It was probably a mix of the two.

  “Lexi.” The gruffness of his voice slid over her.

  She couldn’t feel her wolf, but she knew if she’d been able to, she’d be howling with need…with anguish.

  This man was to be her mate.

  Fate had proclaimed it so.

  Fate had taken it away.

  She opened her mouth to say something…anything, but he held up his hand.

  The pain hurt more than she thought it would. Damn it. She’d had a bit of hope, something buried so deep, so far down that she hadn’t even known she’d really had it. Now she knew the truth. He was going to leave her.

  No, that wasn’t right. He couldn’t leave behind what he’d never had. He was just going to do what he should do in all reality and find another potential mate.

  She’d had her shot at predestined mates—as wrong and filthy as it was.

  The look in his eyes though…

  She swallowed hard. She couldn’t back down. She would not let the Redwoods kick them out or hurt her baby.

  Not that she had a choice.

  She never had a choice…

  He was near her before she could blink, that spicy scent overwhelming her, the heat of his body scalding her.

  “I left.” His hand skimmed her cheek, and she forced herself not to lean into it.

  “I know.” God, she knew.

  “I shouldn’t have left.”

  His barely restrained anger powered over her, licking along her skin, and she sucked in a breath.

  “What?”

  “I shouldn’t have left. Hell, Lex, baby. What happened to you wasn’t your fault, and what did I do? I left you here alone. I shouldn’t have done that. No matter what happens from this moment on between us, between the Pack, between anything, know this… I shouldn’t have left.”

  “Why did you?”

  “I’m…I’m not like my family, Lexi. I’m different.”

  She blinked. That hadn’t been what she’d thought he’d say. “What do you mean?”

  “I’m darker than the others. I hide it, and I do it well.” He gave a self-deprecating grin. “I’m pretty sure your brother figured it out right away. That’s something I’ll worry about later though.”

  “I don’t understand what you’re saying.” What had he decided? Lexi still didn’t know if she should stay there and listen to his words or run from him, grab Parker and Logan, and find a way to live on the land again with nothing but a prayer for survival.

  “When I get angry or feel any real emotion, I can’t control it sometimes. It’s not that I want to go out and kill someone, I’m not that off-kilter, but it’s that I need to so…something. Something that is all wolf and not man. Something like letting myself go and not care about human rules and feelings. My wolf needs an outlet, and ripping someone’s head off isn’t the best course of action.”

  “I wouldn’t think so,” she whispered.

  He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. “No, honey. I needed to leave and run out the adrenaline in my system.”

  “So you ran it off, rather than hurting me?” She swallowed, her throat dry.

  He set his jaw. “No. I would never hurt you, Lexi. And there’s another way I can let out the…extra energy.” He grinned then, and she swallowed hard.

  She blushed, knowing exactly what he meant.

  “Oh.”

 
“Yeah, oh. So I had to leave, but I shouldn’t have left. Pretty fucked up.”

  “Fucked up doesn’t begin to cover this situation, North. What are we going to do?” Being frank had always helped her keep the craziness at bay. It had to help here.

  “My wolf feels you, Lexi. You know I do too. Fate fucked up before, but it isn’t fucking up now. You’re my mate.”

  Her heart shuddered at those words, and a tear slid down her cheek. She shook her head.

  “No, North. You know that can’t happen.”

  He cupped her face and forced his gaze to hers. She melted into the jade green of his eyes, needing the pull of him, the feel of him. “Yes. It can, and it will. I’ll kill him, Lexi. He deserves to die for countless crimes, but I’d kill him just to have you. I’m selfish. I want you in my life. I know we have so much to learn about each other, but I’m not going to wait to have you by my side. We’ll learn each other and find a way to have our own mating…even without the bond for now.”

  “North…” What he was saying? God, it would kill him….would kill them both.

  North closed his eyes then opened them slowly, an odd pain running through them that made her want to reach out and soothe, protect. He licked his lips and took a breath. “My wolf? He wants more. He…”

  “He's darker than you let others know,” she finished for him.

  She watched him swallow hard, his eyes glowing gold. “He won’t hurt you. In fact, he’s never hurt another person that didn’t deserve it…but he’s stronger than the others in some ways. He’s not Alpha, but I can shift faster than my father if I try and I can fight better than most. Whatever happens from here on, we’ll figure it out. I want you with or without the bond. Do you want me?”

  She nodded before she even thought it through fully.

  He crushed his mouth to hers, and she was lost.

  His tongue tangled with hers, the sweet taste dancing on her tongue. He slid his hands down her sides, cupped her ass, and pulled her closer. His rock-hard erection pressed against her belly, and she gasped into his mouth.

  Holy crap, this was really happening.

  He backed her against the wall, his mouth never leaving hers. She could feel the wolf within him reaching out to her, and she shuddered. It was odd, considering she couldn’t even feel her own wolf, but that rough, darker energy that came from his wolf, beneath the man she cared for enveloped her like a quick lick of temptation. Yes, this man would be her mate—bond or no bond.

  Her back against the wall, she arched against him, her nipples two hard points against his chest. He pulled back, letting his hands run down her sides, along her breasts, and down to her hips.

  If she could have heard her wolf, she had a feeling it would be growling, nudging along her skin, wanting to touch, to taste, to know her mate like Lexi was doing.

  “I’m going to taste you, all of you, then I’m going to fuck you hard against the wall, my Lexi.”

  She swallowed hard then nodded. That sounded like a great plan to her.

  “Then I’m going to bring you to bed and make love to you there,” he growled, his eyes glowing gold with need despite the sweetness of his words.

  She nodded, needing, wanting.

  He kissed her then, his tongue tracing her lips. She opened for him, wanting it harder, knowing he needed it harder too. He kept at the leisurely pace though, as if he didn’t have a care in the world, as if he was going slowly for her rather than fast and hard like they both needed. Maybe he couldn’t tell that she wanted it hard, wanted it hot and fast.

  She would just have to make sure he got the picture.

  She pressed herself against him, trying to make him go faster, but he moved quickly then, trapping her arms above her head. The action made her breasts press against his chest, and she moaned.

  Yes, just like that.

  “North, I need you, now.”

  “I’m going slow, my Lexi. You need to be cherished. Loved.”

  She blinked back the moisture in her eyes. “I’m not fragile, North. I know…” She swallowed hard. “I know why you’re doing this, but he doesn’t matter. He isn’t here. You are. I am. Please don’t let him come between us. It’s you and me, North. Take me like you want to. You know I want it, too.” She arched against him. “Please.”

  She knew she was begging, but she didn’t care. She wanted this man, her North, and she knew he wanted her too. Holding himself back wasn’t helping anyone. It was only putting a barrier between them they hadn’t known existed.

  “Please,” she whispered.

  North swallowed hard, and her gaze followed the long line of his neck before moving to his eyes. They grew darker, and he nodded.

  “Done,” he growled.

  He kept one hand on her wrists, keeping her pinned, then ripped—ripped—her shirt off. She was wearing only a tank to begin with, so it fell easily, but still…

  Dear. Lord.

  She shivered, aching for this man, this wolf.

  She hadn’t been wearing a bra, so her breasts fell heavy, wanting. North licked his lips, and she panted, her chest heaving. He lowered his head and latched onto a nipple, sucking it between his lips and lapping it with his tongue. The sensation shot straight to her pussy, and she rubbed her legs together, needing release.

  North growled, the sensation gliding over her skin, causing her inner walls to clench.

  “No moving,” he grunted and used his free hand to grip her hip, keeping her in place. He kissed around her breast then the valley between them before moving to her other nipple where he licked, sucked, and laved her. She felt her panties getting damp just from his attention to her breasts, and she squirmed.

  “I love your tits, Lex. I’m going to fuck them and your mouth at the same time soon. Oh yes, my cock sliding between these pretty things? A-fucking-mazing.” He moved his hand from her hip and cupped her breast. “You’re beautiful, Lexi. I’m not just saying that. And, yeah, I know beautiful is such a contrived word nowadays, but I don’t care. I love the way you look, the way you move, the way you breathe. Got me?”

  She nodded, wanting him inside her.

  Now.

  “Soon I’m going to put you in something that makes these plump tits of yours even sexier, maybe a corset. Then, I will bend you over while you’re wearing it and fuck you hard. What do you say about that?”

  She nodded.

  Okay, he was really good with the dirty talk.

  Really. Freaking. Good.

  Since his hand wasn’t on her hip anymore, she moved so she could press against his cock. He growled and spun her around so her chest was flat along the wall, his cock on her ass.

  “What did I say about moving, my Lexi?”

  She swallowed hard, needing him like this, hard, demanding. Lexi craved his control, knowing when he took over, she’d feel safe, protected, and cared for. She wanted, no—needed—to surrender to him.

  “I’m sorry?”

  North chuckled, the rough sound washing over her. His hand smacked against her ass, and she let out a squeal.

  “You’re not sorry, but it’s okay. I know you want me inside you, and I will be. Soon.” He spanked her again then rubbed the sting. She was wearing jeans, so it didn’t hurt as much as it would have if she’d been completely naked.

  Maybe next time…

  He spun her around again and let go of her hands to kneel before her. He looked up at her, his eyes filled with need and a grin on his face. She reached down and tangled her fingers in his hair, unable to help herself. He smiled big then undid her jeans. She sucked in a breath as he stripped her pants and panties off slowly, the anticipation heady.

  “Spread your legs,” he ordered, and she did so quickly.

  He let his hands run along her thighs, and then he was there, his thumb on her clit, his face between her legs. He licked, nibbled, and sucked along her lower lips and clit, her inner walls slick, ready for him.

  “North,” she panted. “Please!”

  He growled a
gainst her clit, the low rumbling shooting straight through her. She came hard, her inner walls tightening on the tip of his tongue. He licked and sucked her as she came down from her high. Finally he stood, and she watched him undress for her in a hungry haze. She wanted more, but she wasn’t sure she could voice it. Her body was too full and yet empty without him.

  She licked her lips as her gaze raked over the long, lean lines of his body. He wasn’t as bulky as most of his brothers, but he was muscled and damn sexy. He had a scattering of blond chest hair and that little happy trail below his belly button that went right to his cock.

  Oh, sweetness.

  He was long, not too thick, and curved slightly so he bobbed against his belly as he bent over her. His hands slid up her sides then one went around her neck, softly but still in control. Her eyes widened, and then she relaxed, knowing what was coming.

  “Ready, my Lexi?”

  “Always.”

  He moved quickly, cupping her ass with his large hands, and she immediately wrapped her legs around his waist. Slowly, oh so slowly, he entered her, their eyes never leaving each other.

  He pulled out then let out a breath, slamming back into her. He gripped her tighter and pumped into her, their breath coming in pants. She arched her back, taking him deeper. One hand moved from her ass to flick her clit, and she came again, but this time around his cock. She screamed his name then kissed him before leaning back against the wall as he continued to fuck her.

  She swallowed hard, knowing that no matter how precious this was, no matter how hard he gave it, there wouldn’t be a bond. The tears she’d tried to hold back fell down her cheeks, and North leaned over to kiss them away. As he moved back, the tears on his own cheeks just about broke her.

  Gods, they wanted their bond.

  The deserved it.

  But it wasn’t for them.

  At least not yet.

  He flexed his hips again, this time shouting her name as he came within her. She sucked in a breath, loving the way he felt. Without leaving her, he pulled her closer then walked them to the bedroom.