Love of Wolves: A Reverse Harem Paranormal Romance (Ashwood Wolves Book 3)

by J. E. Cluney

  Scott picked up the abandoned soap that had been kicked to the corner during our heated session, and began cleaning me once more, making sure to dive down between my cheeks to clean his sticky explosion.

  Ray leaned against the wall for a few moments, catching his breath, before realizing what Scott was doing. Not to be outdone, he reached for the body wash and began scrubbing me down, lathering up my arms and breasts, and cleaning out my happy little slit himself this time.

  I just closed my eyes, my desire sated, and allowed them to scrub me down.

  By the time we exited the shower, I could tell Scott was already getting aroused again.

  But I had things to do, and I’d spent enough time being pleasured and sated.

  I dressed quickly, abandoning my two men to slip back into their clothing as I headed out to introduce myself to the Pryce Pack.

  The children had moved inside to the living room to play board games and such, and May sat with Charlotte on the beige couch, talking animatedly.

  I gave them a quick wave but didn’t stop as I strode outside.

  I’d talk to them afterwards.

  I spied Regina conversing with some of the other she-wolves on the porch, and gave her a swift nod in greeting before hurrying down the stairs.

  I made my way over to the camp, a few ‘wolves milling around as they laughed and drank coffee. Regina had done well getting them some breakfast organized.

  Dressed in their jeans and leather vests, they looked like formidable ‘wolves, and I was glad they were here.

  A group of men, aged in their forties, sat in a small circle, conversing and sipping their mugs to wash down their toast and eggs.

  I sensed the Alpha presence among them, something that intrigued me. Was this something I could now feel as an Alpha? It’d make sense.

  The man on the edge of the half circle turned his head my way as the group fell silent. He stood to greet me, giving me a barely visible bow, his long brown ponytail falling over his leather-clad shoulder. His face was strong and square shape, and the feather in his hair only added to the native look. Those dark eyes bore into me as he gave me a pleasant smile, his clean-shaven face making him look younger. He stood taller than me, with a solid build, bigger than Nathan and Jaye, but not as bulky and tall as Scott.

  “You must be Miss Ashwood, Alpha of this Pack,” he said, his gruff voice drawing the image of him smoking to mind.

  “That would be me,” I nodded, gliding my eyes over his companions who remained seated.

  “Name’s Pryce, Damien Pryce, this ‘ere is my two betas, Jack Johnson and Doug Wright,” he flicked his head at two of his companions who nodded in acknowledgement.

  “Nice to meet you all, and thank you for coming on short notice. As I’m sure Neema made you aware, we have some deserters of the Pack who aren’t too pleased with the change in leadership,” I informed them.

  The ‘wolf introduced to me as Jack, a lean, tall man with wiry arms, laughed and slapped his thigh.

  “Well, some men struggle with a powerful woman,” he sneered. “But not us, our women are all strong, and they help keep this Pack running and working well. Without them, well, we’d just be a band of unruly ‘wolves,” he grinned, revealing some smoke stained teeth. So they were smokers, although Damien didn’t seem to have the same stained teeth as his beta.

  “Jack’s right, strong she-wolves are a necessity. And seeing one like yourself as Alpha is always a welcome sight,” Damien smiled genuinely.

  “Thanks. How’d you get all this gear here?” I asked, wanting to take the spotlight off my newfound position here.

  “Jude drives the red truck, it’s just over behind those tents there. It carries everything we can’t fit in our saddlebags,” Jack said as he took a gulp of his black coffee.

  “You’re an interesting one, Miss Ashwood. You see, I was under the impression that she-wolves from these old bloodlines only had one mate. And yet I smell two ‘wolves on you,” Damien remarked as he gave me a curious once-over.

  “Our Packs have been traditional, but I hope to introduce a more modern way of life,” I said carefully, and Doug’s face broke out in a sly grin. He was a more robust man, his hair balding and his beer belly sticking out from under his navy shirt. And yet I didn’t dare doubt his fighting skills, considering the scars adorning his thickly muscled arms.

  “So the young ‘wolf wants to change the ways of the Pack,” Doug said, swirling his mug of coffee in thought.

  “Careful Doug, she’s an Alpha, don’t insult her,” Damien warned with a soft growl.

  “No harm intended, a young Alpha is an Alpha who can see the changes necessary with this world, and can slowly implement them as needed,” Doug covered himself with a grin.

  “Well, thank you, Miss Ashwood, for hiring us. We’ve been between work for a while now, so it couldn’t have come at a better time. I’ve sent ten of my Pack to aid your ‘wolves on Patrol, focusing on the weak points in your borders. We will rotate every few hours, and cut back late afternoon on numbers to allow my men and women to rest,” Damien said as he sat back down in the worn, navy camp chair. One arm of the chair looked like it had been stitched a number of times to reattach it to the frame, and I wondered why he didn’t just buy a new one.

  “Thank you, if you require any food or wish to shower, there are two bathrooms inside the lodge. Please use the one down the right hall, second last door. The other one is being used by the children until we fix the holes in our security,” I said.

  “Thank you, your kindness is much appreciated,” Damien bowed his head respectfully.

  I was beginning to like this Alpha.

  “Jude’s just over there if you’d like to speak to her. I’m sure you’ll be interested to know how she helped kick-start the multiple mate era of our Pack,” Doug said as he thumbed in the direction of the other small group tucked between the tents. I could see two women and a handful of men enjoying a late breakfast.

  “Thanks, I might just do that,” I said as I gave Doug a grateful nod.

  I left the group of men as they began talking about the rotations and who would go at what times. The smell of coffee and leather was strong here, and the fumes and oil scents from the motorbikes was rather overwhelming on my unaccustomed nose.

  I greeted the second group, and they all welcomed me and asked me to join them as they enjoyed some cut up fruit. Apples and oranges was the selection, and I took a piece of orange as I sat down in the vacant camp chair.

  “Sucks what you’ve got here, deserters and traitors. That Huntress woman, Neema, was it? She said that they went so far as to kidnap some women from your old Pack,” the eldest woman spat. She was easily in her late forties or early fifties, her wiry brown hair streaked with grey as it rolled down her shoulders. Her face bore the lines of many years of smoking and riding in the sun, and her face wrinkled as she scowled, her green eyes sharp and furious for me.

  “If those worthless sacks of shit show up ‘ere, we’ll teach ‘em,” the other woman growled. She was younger and bustier than the older woman, with blonde hair that was cut into a sweet pixie style. It suited her well, and gave her a sweet but deadly look with her leather jacket and tribal neck tattoo.

  “Name’s Jude, it’s nice to meet you, Miss Ashwood,” the older woman offered her hand.

  “Likewise,” I said as I shook her outstretched hand. She had a firm, strong grip.

  “You’ve met my mates, Damien, Doug, and Jack,” Jude said. “And these three, Jordie, Dave, and Pete, are Hannah’s mates,” she said as she waved at the blonde seated amongst the three men.

  “So, we hear you killed the Alpha, although, from what the whispers say, he deserved it, and it was long since overdue,” Hannah cocked her head, her three mates all focusing on me now rather than their food.

  “Yes, I landed the killing blow, but he’d broken the rules of an Alpha challenge, and the Area Enforcer assisted me with taking him down,” I said, choosing my words carefully. This Pack w
ere still strangers to me, even if Neema vouched for them. I didn’t want to divulge too much.

  “Good, serves the asshole right,” Hannah’s blue eyes glinted with satisfaction.

  “So, you believe these traitors may come back?” Jude focused the subject back on the immediate matter, giving Hannah a sharp look.

  “Possibly. We don’t know anything for sure, but we can’t take the risk with so many children and women lacking the skills and knowledge to defend themselves,” I said.

  “All women should be taught to fight,” Jude frowned.

  “That’s the plan, but for now, we need to take other measures to safeguard them,” I nodded.

  Jude just nodded as she relaxed back into her chair.

  “Well, we’re here and we’ll do our job, so you can rest easy knowing we’ll defend these lands as if they were our own,” she assured me.

  “Thank you.”

  “Is there anything else you needed?” she asked as she rolled her head, one thin eyebrow arched in question.

  “Well, actually,… I,” pursed my lips, wondering how best to ask. Hell, just be straight-up, it was easiest.

  “Damien informed me you were the one who introduced the numerous mates way of life to this Pack. It is something I too wish to introduce as an option to my Pack, for future generations,” I said, hating how the heat wanted to rush to my cheeks. I fought it off, not wanting to make a fool of myself.

  “Ah, yes, your Pack is of old lines, stuck in traditional ways. We were too, but many Packs now choose to mate their females to a handful of men. Some have done it for generations already. There just isn’t enough she-wolves out there, and unmated male ‘wolves can get lonely and desperate, agitated and dangerous. They say it’s for the benefit of the females, to have multiple partners to satisfy them and assist in many parental duties and in life, but it benefits the men too,” Jude’s voice was soft as she spoke about it, and I settled into my chair to listen to all she had to say.

  Jude went on to explain to me how she slowly introduced the concept. She was the Alpha’s mate, and Damien trusted his two betas with his life. So why not trust them with his mate?

  It was not an easy thing to introduce, but she made sure that everyone knew it was a choice, and that it was no longer to be frowned upon. She researched other Packs that they’d worked for over the years, how the multiple mates benefited them in a number of ways.

  Jude had two sons, one was sixteen, the other eighteen, and they were both on patrol. When asked how they managed to remain on the road when they were young, Jude just said that they’d chosen somewhere to set up a more permanent site for a while, where the two mothers, Lucinda and her, would stay with two of their mates at all time while raising their children. The Pack would continue their traveling and being muscle for hire, and she was able to raise her children with their fathers. Her sons referred to all three men as their fathers, although her eldest, Cameron, was surely Damien’s, as he’d been the one entitled to first chance to impregnate her. Doug was the second father, and Jack had tried to help her with a third child, but it didn’t take, and she was getting older and less certain about having more children.

  “We’ll be looking for a place to hunker down for a while again soon, as Hannah here is pregnant, only early days, and Vivianne is four months in on her second child. So we’ll soon have some boisterous babies in camp somewhere, and their mates will help them care for them,” Jude said.

  I just looked around at the group, at how content and happy they seemed with their way of life.

  I needed to find a way to introduce this concept, for all of the Pack. There were certainly not enough young she-wolves for the young men, and some of them shared blood.

  And I wanted to no longer confine my relations to the shadows, hiding my love for my four men from the Packs.

  Four.

  That sounded like a nice round number.

  I sat with the group for some time, listening to their ways and a few stories from their travels.

  They certainly loved sharing.

  3

  I found my way back inside where May, Charlotte, Regina, and a few other women all kept an eye on the children.

  I joined the three women I knew well as they sat with May’s son, Wade, while he played with some blocks.

  “So, they seem nice, don’t they, a bit rough around the edges, but not too bad,” May remarked, noting I’d been with the Pryce Pack.

  “Yeah, some of the children even visited them this morning, and those men just turn into big softies with children. They started up their motorbikes for them and showed off their tattoos for them,” Charlotte added as she tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

  “Yes, I think they’ll be a good addition to security for now,” I said as I tussled Wade’s hair. He just giggled and gave me a happy smile before focusing on his blocks again.

  Regina was watching me with a pleased smile, and my stomach dropped as I realized she could smell Ray on me. Probably Scott too.

  And yet, she didn’t look upset by this.

  I pressed my hand against my pocket, making sure the satellite phone was still there. No one had called, so there was no new news on the women from my old Pack. I’d been trying to keep my mind from straying to them, but as I sat watching the children play, my mind wandered to that morning of the Funday.

  I sat with Beth and her mother, preparing for the Funday by helping get some crafts set up.

  Beth was humming softly, and her mother was content with her daughter so close.

  I pushed the moment from my head, hating how my throat tightened at the sudden memory.

  We’d get them both back. Bianca too. I’d not spent a whole lot of time with Bianca, but she had always been kind and sweet to me, and when she’d walked in on me with Nathan and Jaye once, she didn’t say a word, even when I found her later on. She just smiled and shrugged, and said that she was a little envious.

  “Hey, Taylor!”

  I snapped out of my head as I spied Ray coming over to join us.

  “Neema told Scott to let you know that the camera people will be coming by tomorrow to install new cameras. We’ll have to show them the security systems and where we want them, and they’ll handle linking it all up,” Ray informed me as he sat down beside me.

  Regina’s smile just widened slightly, but she turned to focus her attention on the children playing a game of jenga.

  “Great, that’s great,” I said. “Where is Scott?”

  “He’s on the phone to the builders. They just had a few more questions while they draw up some plans. I think they’re keen for such a huge job, it’ll give work to many of their employees for a while,” Ray said.

  “The new lodge will be something we all look forward to. I know many of the children and even adults will love to have a library and art room, and having classes for the children, that’s just the icing on the cake,” May sighed as she tickled Wade’s back. He squirmed and squealed in delight, causing us all to smile.

  “It’ll take some time, but we’ll make sure it’s all set up right for the Pack. It will be accessible by all, whenever they choose,” I reminded them.

  “A commercial kitchen too, a proper one that’s stocked. Charles will love that, he loves making sweets for the gatherings, so we can expect many apple pies and more for future gatherings once it’s built,” Regina said.

  “Hey, did you want to come outside with me? I wanted to take a few photos of the Pryce Pack’s motorbikes, while they’ve got the morning sun on them,” Ray asked, his face lighting up.

  “You’ve got your camera here?” I checked.

  “I brought it up for him,” Regina said with a loving smile.

  “All right,” I shrugged. It wouldn’t hurt, and I got the feeling he wanted to be alone with me for a bit.

  I wondered what was on his mind.

  Ray rose and headed off down the hall as I climbed to my feet. He returned quickly with the old camera in hand, and I made a mental not
e to buy him a new one when I had the chance. He certainly had a talent for some amazing photos. He and Jaye would get along well.

  We headed outside, and I waited as Ray made sure Damien and the others were okay with him taking some photos.

  He went about taking a number of photos from different angles, catching the morning sun filtering down through the pines onto an old red Harley. I watched as he worked, with a look of focus and determination as he took many photos, not settling until he’d captured the perfect shot.

  It was interesting to watch as he crouched down or leaned at weird angles, but the results that he showed me were worth the effort. And to think what he could do with a newer, high-quality camera.

  Afterwards, we went for a walk, leaving the lodge behind and heading into the forest. We walked in silence until we came across a small clearing with a few bright yellow flowers sprouting up from the grass. We sat down on the grass in the sun, soaking up the warmth as it washed over our skin.

  “So, how would this work? If we all share you?” he suddenly asked as he looked around the clearing, his camera hanging from its strap around his neck.

  “I take turns spending time with you guys, hanging out, sometimes we do stuff together, all of us or just a few, like you and Scott this morning,” I said, playing with some fraying material in the knee of my jeans. Explaining how it worked was a little weird, it just happened normally, and I’d become so accustomed to this lifestyle over the years.

  Ray bit his lip and shifted, and I turned to see his face reddening.

  “This morning was… interesting,” he murmured.

  “Yes, yes it was,” I chuckled, taking guilty pleasure in how he squirmed.

  “I never thought I’d do it with another guy there, it certainly is different,” he said with a look of nervousness. So adorable.

  “What did you think of it?” I asked, genuinely interested in his answer.

  “I had fun, I ended up not minding Scott being there, although, it nearly ruined it for me when his balls almost ended up in my face.”