Mating was just a bonus.
He remembered that now. And, prepared to be the big wolf, he lowered his hand to Evangeline’s shoulder and gave it a gentle shake.
“Angie?”
She came to slowly. He knew she was a deep sleeper so he waited, his hand pressed to the thin fabric of her t-shirt, loving the warmth of her skin as it seeped through. Evangeline stretched, moving from her side to her back, before she finally opened her eyes.
As soon as she recognized him crouched next to her, she smiled. Her eyes lit up.
“Hey.” Her voice was scratchy, thick from sleep, but there was no denying how happy—and relieved—she was to see him.
Maddox felt his heart skip a beat. He smiled. “Hey. What are you doing out on the couch?”
“Oh.” The light dimmed enough to make Maddox lose his smile. “I was waiting for you to come back home. I guess I fell asleep. Sorry about that.”
She never needed to apologize to him. “You could’ve slept in the bed.”
“I wasn’t planning on sleeping.” Stifling a yawn—or maybe that was just an excuse for Evangeline to turn away, shielding her face with her hand—she slowly pulled herself up to her elbows while still looking anywhere but at him. “I tried calling you. You left your phone behind.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“I would’ve gone after you, Maddox, but I didn’t know where you went. So I waited here. I hope that’s okay.”
She still wouldn’t meet his gaze. The sorrow in her tone hit him like a bat upside his thick skull. He didn’t need to see her face to know that his running off had hurt her deeply.
Even worse was how helpless his taking off had made her. Without his phone, she couldn’t get in touch with him, and apart from his house and hers, she really didn’t know how to track him down. She was a human and didn’t have any way to find him: no shifter senses, no magic. She was stuck.
That was his fault. So worried that being a paranormal would have her refusing him, Maddox spent months hiding what he was. Even when she assured him that it didn’t bother her, Maddox made a point to keep his pack life separate from the life he hoped to build with Evangeline. He introduced her to his brother, to Dodge, to his parents, but that was it.
He never brought her to Colt’s Bumptown. Everything was kept around humans so that Evangeline was comfortable. At least, that’s what Maddox told himself. Part of his big epiphany that morning? He finally understood that keeping her separate from his life kept her from becoming involved in his life.
And if he couldn’t share his life with her—and vice versa—how could he expect them to build a solid one together?
Another mistake. Another colossal, what the hell was he thinking? mistake.
He only hoped he could make up for it now.
Maddox had faith. Fate had brought her to him. Evangeline Lewis was the one woman who was perfect for him in all ways. Of course she wouldn’t care that he was a shifter. So her parents didn’t like it. That was fine because, hell, it wasn’t like Colt was the biggest fan of non-shifters, either.
He spent so many months trying to be something he wasn’t because he was the one who was worried that she wouldn’t want him. Looking down at Evangeline, her head turned, her hair shielding her expression like a dark curtain, Maddox realized something.
She could have left. She could have given up when things got rough, she could have run right out the door. She never had. Unlike Maddox, the big, bad wolf who went running when things didn’t go his way, Evangeline stayed. She was a human, without a drop of paranormal blood inside of her, and she was braver—stronger—than he was.
She was his mate, and he would never abandon her again.
“This is your home, Angie. That’s your bed. If you never let me touch you again, I totally understand, but I don’t want you to ever think that you have to ask for permission to stay here. Shit, if I had it my way, you’d stay here all the time. No reason for us to have two houses. And, hell, if you want to live in your place instead, I’ll move in a heartbeat. I just want to be with you.”
She turned slightly, hope peeking through her guarded expression. “You mean that?”
That same hope that he didn’t completely fuck things up with Evangeline filled his chest. Maddox felt like there was a balloon behind his ribs, the sudden pressure making him lunge forward so that he could take Evangeline’s hand in his. “I wasn’t kidding when I said we should go get married.”
She sighed. “Maddox, I—”
He gently squeezed her hand, always aware of his shifter strength. “I’m sorry, Ang. Hear me out. I know I was an ass. I guess, in the excitement of finally finding you, I forgot that being mates goes both ways. You’re mine, but I’m yours, and that means we’re in this together. It’s not just about my needs—”
Evangeline didn’t break his hold on her as she shifted her body, climbing out of the couch and tucking her legs next to Maddox’s. They were long, lean, and bare; despite not wanting to fall asleep, Evangeline was wearing one of his shirts as a sleep shirt.
And nothing else except for her panties.
“It never has been,” she said firmly, drawing his attention away from the vision of her sexy legs. “Are you nuts? Ever since our first coffee date, you’ve done everything to make me happy. And, yeah, some of it might have been creepy at first, but you’re a shifter, babe, and I just had to learn what that means. This is all new to me. I’m gonna mess it up, but we’ll figure it out as we go.”
“It’s new to me, too,” growled Maddox. His cock was all but pulsing as he caught a whiff of Evangeline’s arousal perfuming the air. The tiny scrap of fabric that covered her pussy did nothing to hide the mouthwatering scent. His whole body tensed, aching for even the smallest of tastes. He locked himself down, holding onto his control. This was important. Super important. “I’m gonna fuck it up sometimes, like not knowing the best time to propose. It wasn’t just a ploy to get you to agree to sleep with me, I swear.”
“Really?” A small curve to her lips, a single quirk of her eyebrow. “Because, well, it almost worked.”
“Wait—what?”
She shrugged, her green eyes shining brightly in open invitation. And love. Holy hell, there was so much love in her gaze.
“Mating is forever,” she said simply. “I’m a human and I know that. It’s why I really want to get married first… that way it’s forever in the eyes of a shifter and a human. ‘Til death do you part, right? That’s… that’s important to me, Maddox, but if you don’t mind me fumbling like the virgin I am…”
Evangeline slipped her hands out of his hold, boldly reaching out and laying her fingers against the bulge in his jeans as her words trailed to a close.
He jerked as if she had branded him. And, in a way, she had. She held his heart in her hands as easily as her fingers traced the length of his rock-hard cock.
“I don’t have to bite you,” he breathed out. “Not until we’re married.”
“That’s all I asked for,” Evangeline murmured, her voice gone even huskier.
She let go of the bulge in his jeans, reaching for the hem of her borrowed sleep shirt. His wolf nearly let out a howl of loss the instant she pulled away from him, but Maddox choked it back as she lifted the shirt over her head.
Instead, he let out a long groan when Evangeline bared her tits to him.
It was the first time she let him see her topless. With reflexes that nearly rivaled a shifter’s, she grabbed his hand, placing the callused palm against the mound of her breast. She leaned into him, tilting her chin back, inviting his kiss.
She was a tall girl, topping nearly six feet in heels, and her height had never been more sexy to him. He barely had to dip his head to meet her lips and he didn’t waste any time in doing so.
“I’m your mate,” she whispered. “So mate me, Maddox.”
Swallowing another growl, Maddox closed his mouth over hers, kissing her for a few heated seconds before she reached down again and bold
ly unbuttoned his jeans. Her fingers reached for the zipper, the teeth grinding against the tread as she slowly pulled it down.
Once she could, she slipped her hand beneath the band of his boxers, placing her fingers on his already weeping cock. She squeezed as he grunted, bucking in her hand as the soft side of her fingers sent a jolt of pleasure throughout his entire body.
He was just about to explode when she darted to pull her hand back, darting forward again to close her blunt human teeth on his bottom lip.
The air blossomed with the smell of her musk.
He knew what his virginal temptress was doing, too. She was giving him permission to get off his leash.
Alpha, was he ready to let go.
Almost mindless with lust, he lunged for her, scooping her up in his arms. He was still careful—he would always be careful with his delicate mate—but nothing was going to stop him from taking her now that she’d consented.
He ran right for the room, trying not to bust a nut then and there as Evangeline tucked her face into his neck, sucking gently on his throat.
No bite. Not today.
Not from him.
That was fine. She could nibble all she wanted. He had something more important to focus on. His erection was throbbing, pre-cum leaking through his bunched boxers as he tried to control himself. Coming before he even got his first taste wasn’t acceptable. Shit, he needed to make this good for her so that she wanted to do it again and again and again.
When he claimed her—and he would claim her—he would make it special. He would make it last.
No bareback, either, he remembered suddenly. He felt the loss of her touch against his raging hot cock all the way to his tight sac, but he knew that the next time she caressed him, he’d be wrapped up.
He had to. No way in hell was he going to claim her with his seed or his bite until she was ready. If she trusted him enough to welcome him into her body, he would respect that gift with everything he had.
And he’d do it while wearing a condom.
His father had warned him about what to expect during a claiming in what was probably the most awkward conversation they’d ever had. If he came inside his mate, it would be almost impossible to keep from biting her. The claiming needed his seed and his bite at the same time to be finalized. Condoms were absolutely necessary unless he wanted to steal that choice from Evangeline.
Which he most definitely did not.
So, he would listen to his Alpha. He would do what his mate wanted. When they were married, he could fully claim her, and then it would be his turn to take what he desired from the only woman he would ever truly love.
For now, as he laid his mate out on their bed, already wondering how he’d pull the condom on when his claws had unsheathed on their own in his obvious excitement, he had only one goal in mind: he just didn’t want to embarrass himself too much.
Luckily for Maddox, he didn’t.
Epilogue
They say practice makes perfect.
Maddox and Evangeline’s first time was, for both of them, pure perfection. There was a ton of fumbling, and it was obvious that neither had any real clue what they were doing, but their initial experience had a sense of charm and wonder to it that stayed with both of them in the months that followed.
For once, they both were able to rely on their individual instincts, listening to their bodies, doing what felt right. What felt good. And, okay, maybe Maddox might’ve embarrassed himself a little by being too excited, and he did go off as soon as he got a glimpse of Evangeline in all her naked glory, but his generosity as a lover—and his enthusiasm—made it one of the best nights of Evangeline’s life which was all he could have ever asked for.
It was perfect, it was messy, it was real. And, now that the two of them had gotten the hang of mating, nothing stopped them from practicing.
A lot.
Every chance they got, actually.
A week after they consummated their relationship, Evangeline officially moved in. She put her house up for sale, earning enough in the quick turnaround to completely refurnish Maddox’s former bachelor pad. It was theirs now; Maddox loved the idea of Evangeline putting her touch on it. It was a family home, the place they would eventually raise their pups together… as soon as she allowed him to claim her for real.
Until then, they went through enough condoms that Maddox mentioned he was thinking about buying stock in Trojans. Teasingly, Evangeline suggested they switch to Durex since they were designed to help increase stamina.
Maddox responded by nipping her lip and, as she laughed, carrying his mate off to their bedroom in order to prove that a switch wouldn’t be necessary.
On the eve of their one year anniversary, Maddox finally got the nerve to propose again—with a lot of forethought and planning this time around.
Evangeline, of course, said yes.
It didn’t matter that her parents tried to interfere when they realized how serious it was, that they didn’t want her settling down with a shifter forever. She loved him, she wanted to be his mate and his wife, and if that made her happy, Maddox was willing to go along with the whole marriage thing.
They got married at the courthouse in Wolf’s Creek early one Monday morning. The simple ceremony was her idea. Most shifters didn’t bother with a true wedding ceremony since a claiming was a bond that was virtually unbreakable; shifters didn’t do divorce. Evangeline pretended as if she wasn’t hurt when her parents refused to bless their union, and she invited Colton to be the only witness to the wedding as a way of accepting that, while she wasn’t quite a paranormal, she now belonged to a pack.
Maddox tried to get her to change her mind. Just because he proposed, it didn’t mean that they had to get married right away—even if he was super fucking eager to—and he wanted to give her the big, white wedding that many little girls dreamed of.
Not his Evangeline, though. She agreed to a celebratory dinner the following weekend with his pack and her parents—if they showed up—plus a few of her co-workers. That was it.
That first weekend? It was theirs.
As soon as they were pronounced legally wed, with a marriage license to prove it, Evangeline wanted to be alone with her new husband. He translated that to: it’s about damn time to claim his mate.
There was an isolated cabin that belonged to the pack, perched along a hidden track along the mountains. His father gave it to Maddox and Evangeline as a mating day present. They planned on spending five days there together, making their union final in all ways.
Well, not all ways. While the marriage license was all they needed to prove their union was official in the eyes of the humans, their bond wouldn’t be recognized in the paranormal division until they stopped by a local Bumptown and arranged for a bonding license.
That was okay. As soon as they finished their honeymoon, that was the first thing on Maddox’s to-do list.
After Evangeline, of course.
* * *
Maddox was driving his truck. The back was loaded with enough food and clothes to keep them comfortable for their entire honeymoon.
That was crucial. As soon as he got Evangeline inside of that bedroom, he didn’t plan on leaving it until she proudly wore his bite and they were both too spent to even want to move.
Evangeline sat next to him, absolutely beaming. She wore a simple golden band on her left hand. He reached out, running his pointer finger along the ring. He had planned on buying her something big and noticeable, another way to say that “this woman is mine”. Evangeline vetoed it, choosing a more simple one instead—plus a matching one that he wore on his hand.
She wanted him to be claimed, too. And he loved it. In her own way, his precious mate could be as possessive as he was.
He couldn’t help himself. He lifted her hand, pressing a kiss to the top of it, before intertwining his fingers with hers. “You’re absolutely gorgeous, Mrs. Wolfe. Have I told you that today?”
“Yes, but I thank you again, Mr. Wolfe. And you
’re one sexy beast. How ever did I get so damn lucky?”
Maddox’s heart swelled. She was lucky? Yeah, right. He was the luckiest bastard on the entire planet and he knew it.
“I love you, my mate.”
“I love you more.”
It wasn’t possible. But because she was Evangeline, because she was his mate, because she was his, Maddox didn’t fight her. He let her have that win.
He’d do anything, give her anything, sacrifice everything for this woman.
And, in no time at all, he’d be forced to prove it.
Start the series today!
Did you enjoy this glimpse of Maddox and Evangeline’s romance? Curious to know what that ominous final sentence refers to? Mates is only the beginning of their story, and there’s a lot more to come in Hungry like a Wolf, the first full-length novel in the Claws Clause series!
Click to the next page for a sneak peek at the first book.
Hungry Like a Wolf
Sneak peek at the first book
Colt only submitted before two males—his older brother and their father—and his own wolf was whining inside of his head in confusion. Rather than meet his gaze and assert his authority as Alpha, Maddox kept his head down which meant that Colt’s wolf was torn between either lying on its belly in submission or snapping its teeth in challenge.
After all of these years, it was getting harder and harder to heed the hierarchy in their pack. Colt might only visit Maddox monthly because his brother asked that of him. He had to admit that he agreed for purely selfish reasons.
The rational part of Colt’s brain—the man part—knew that Maddox was still suffering from the pain of losing his mate. But it wasn’t just that. As Colt stayed back, waiting for Maddox to acknowledge him, his eyes narrowed on the thick collar locked around his brother’s throat.
The silver collar.
He hated that damn thing. And he knew there was no way he could get it off of Maddox, even if he somehow got past the glass. He’d burn his hands raw anyway because it was right.
Mates: Prequel (Claws Clause Book 0) Page 7
