by Juniper Hart
“What is wrong with you?” Molly cried at the pack of wolves. “Are you guys crazy?”
She knew that it wasn’t the smartest thing to say, but she was furious that Victor was being outnumbered and overshadowed by beings siding with the petulant drunk.
Molly whirled and saw that Victor had pinned Caden onto the ground, baring his teeth in anger.
“Forget about him!” she called, and Victor’s head lifted slightly, his gaze falling on her. “He’s not worth it. I’m leaving, I swear! You won’t see me again!”
She stared at him imploringly, instinctively knowing that if Victor did so much as scar Caden, there would be a terrible price to pay, although she could not say how she knew.
“Come on,” she urged, waving at him with her hand. “Let’s just get out of here.”
She eyed the encircling group, and Victor reluctantly released his clutch on Caden, backing away.
“We’re leaving now,” she told the others, her blue eyes darting over each one of them. “No need for any more drama. Everyone go back inside and forget we were here.”
Victor reached her side and Molly reached out to touch his soft, white fur, her heart racing. He gently nudged her with his snout and bowed before her, as if he wanted her to climb on his back.
Swallowing nervously, Molly kept her gaze trained on the others and quickly mounted him, biting on her lower lip. No one moved closer, but she could tell that the brawl would not be forgotten anytime soon.
Before Molly could make another sound, Victor raced away, with Molly clinging to his fur. She tried to crane her neck to see if they were being pursued, but the wolf moved far too quickly for her to discern anything happening behind her.
She saw the outline of Bill William’s Mountain ahead of them, so she could tell that they were leaving the small town behind. By then, her pulse had begun to steady, and when Victor finally slowed his gait, Molly felt slightly less terrified than she had been only moments ago.
In a secluded, dusty spot, she dismounted Victor and fell against a majestic pine, studying the beast in front of her. She watched as he transformed back into the man she had first seen at the roadhouse bar.
“Sorry about that,” Victor said once he was human again, as if he had accidentally stepped on her toes. “Caden is an idiot.”
Molly gaped at him uncomprehendingly. “Why do they let him get away with acting like that?” she demanded. “He’s the one at fault, and yet they were ready to kill you for defending me!”
Victor chuckled dryly. “He’s the son of the pack leader. He basically has free reign to do whatever he wants without facing any consequences for any of it.”
Molly did not claim to understand what that meant—the only thing she knew was that Victor had put himself in danger coming to her rescue.
“Why did you step in for me?” she questioned. “Why didn’t you just let him take me?”
Victor let his glance rest upon her, and Molly felt a bolt of excitement flow through her. His eyes seemed to gaze into her soul, and she could not tear her gaze from his.
“And let him hurt the most beautiful girl who has ever walked in that place?” he replied. “Not likely.”
“There is going to be a fallout for this,” Molly murmured, even though heat washed over her body. “What will you do?”
Victor stepped closer to her, slowly closing the distance between them. Although she was expecting his touch, she was not prepared for the electricity his hand seemed to possess as he stroked her cheek.
“Don’t worry about me,” he whispered gruffly.
His hand moved to the back of her neck, his fingers pressed to her flesh as he pulled her close, his lips inches from hers. He was studying her face with such intensity that Molly was breathless and slightly quivering.
“Kiss me,” she begged, and she thankfully did not have to do so again. Victor pressed his mouth to hers, with unparalleled intensity.
It was as if a lightning bolt had struck Molly, and her knees grew weak. She allowed herself to fall back against the tree, her arms crawling up Victor’s back to draw him nearer.
One of his hands slid up her thighs and cupped at her center roughly, causing Molly to moan softly.
Victor abruptly pulled back from her.
“We can’t stay here,” he murmured, his lips brushing hers. “They will find us here if they look. And trust me, they will be looking.”
Molly nodded, sighing in disappointment. She could not deny the warmth between her legs, and she wanted Victor to finish igniting the fire he had started.
“I have a campsite at the Santa Fe Campground,” she told him, and he nodded.
She watched in awe as he shifted back into his Lycan form, and Molly climbed up onto his back, burying her face into his fur and allowing herself to be carried the distance back toward the reservoir.
With each step Victor took, Molly grew more aroused, and in the cloak of near darkness, they found their way back into the sanctuary of her two-person tent.
Victor barely had a chance to become a man again before Molly knocked him down onto her sleeping bag, straddling his muscular body with hers.
He pulled off her jacket, almost ripping at her shirt as he sat up to embrace her, nuzzling his face into her full bosom.
Molly’s fingers pulled him close. She moaned lightly as his arms tightened around her and his mouth found her nipple, teasing at it wickedly with his tongue. Molly ground her hips against his bulging member, the wetness between her legs growing uncomfortable as she rubbed herself against him. She pushed him back onto the hard ground of the tent, and tingles of pleasure swept down her spine.
Molly lifted Victor’s shirt, her blonde hair trailing against his smooth, formed pecs as she found her destination.
She paused, glancing up at his handsome face. It was unlike her to bed a stranger, but the desire to have him was beyond her control. In that moment, she could not have stopped herself if she had wanted to.
Victor’s jeans were slid to his knees, and Molly stroked at his swollen erection lovingly, kissing his parted lips before dropping her mouth against his shaft.
Victor groaned loudly, and Molly wrapped her mouth around him, taking in his hardness. Her fingers caressed his sac, relishing the tightness as she realized she literally had him in the palm of her hand. With long, deliberate strokes, she guided his member into the depth of her throat, savoring the sound of his quickening breaths.
“Come here,” he whispered, his voice gruff, and Molly did not argue, raising her head to smile softly at him.
She laughed as he seized her by the armpits and pulled her atop him, and with her knees on either side of his broad waist, he easily slid inside her.
Molly gasped, Victor’s hands fully on her hips as he drove himself deeply into her center. His balls slapped against her throbbing cleft, and Molly fell forward to let his mouth wrap around her breast, his tongue once more teasing her nipple.
The combination of his hot breath against her tight skin as he plunged inside her was too much for her to bear, and in minutes, Molly’s hands closed into fists around the sleeping bag at his head.
“Harder,” she begged. “Harder, harder—”
Victor obliged, and Molly screamed in ecstasy, feeling herself release without inhibition against him.
He groaned, but he did not slow his furious pace, his own fingers digging into her flesh. Within seconds of her climax, Victor experienced his own and streams of hot juice spilled inside of her.
Goosebumps and sweat painted Molly’s skin, and the two caught their breaths before she gently rolled off to the side, staring at Victor in wonder.
“I hope that was worth the hassle I caused with your pack,” she murmured after a moment, but she was only half joking. How much trouble would Victor be in?
Victor examined her with interest. “I must say, you’re taking the fact that I am a Lycan quite well. Do you know others?”
Molly shook her head and ran a hand through her hair. “No
,” she answered. “But I have heard rumors of your existence.”
“They aren’t rumors,” Victor replied with a laugh. “There are thousands of us all over the world. We are as old as man himself.”
Molly nodded her head.
“What do you know about us?” he asked, and Molly shrugged sheepishly.
“Not very much,” she confessed. “Only what I’ve read in books and seen in bad movies.”
Victor laughed again. “We are very much like you,” he informed her. “Except we travel around in tightly knit groups. Our pack is everything.”
A stab of regret pierced Molly’s heart, but she did not answer, sensing that Victor had more to say on the subject. “We are like a family, sworn to protect one another. And of course, we abide by the guidance of the pack leader.”
Molly knew where the conversation was going, and she stared at him with concern.
“There must be a way to make it right,” she said. “You can just explain to the pack leader that his son was drunk and obnoxious! Everyone there saw him!”
Victor shook his dark head. “It doesn’t matter. He’s still the alpha’s son. And incidentally, he’s always drunk and obnoxious. He thinks he can get away with everything.”
“Because he’s always gotten away with everything!” Molly exploded. “He needs to be stopped! I was lucky because you were there. What about the next time he sees a girl he wants? You saw the others. They all stood around doing nothing!”
Victor sat up and put his arm on Molly’s arm.
“Your passion arouses me,” he told her softly. “But it will do you no good here. This is the way of our pack.”
Molly gaped at him. “So, what about you? You stood up to Caden. What does that mean for you?”
“I will be punished.”
“How?”
Victor snorted. “I’ll probably be made to apologize to Caden,” he said, “and who knows what else Levi will come up with. It isn’t the first time I’ve defied him, and it probably won’t be the last.”
“Apologize to Caden?” Molly choked out. “No way!”
Victor drew her close and affectionately kissed her forehead.
“You’re such a breath of fresh air,” he whispered, and Molly could hear the regret in his voice.
A spark of panic flowed through her as she realized that after that night, she would probably never see him again. He would go back to his pack, and Molly would be on her way.
Why does that matter? she wondered. You don’t know this guy at all.
But the idea filled her with an insurmountable dread, and Molly turned her head away to face the tent wall.
“Let’s not talk about it anymore,” she muttered. She knew it wasn’t her place to be mad at him, nor did she have the right to be. But she wanted him to stand up to Caden and Levi, even though Victor had just told her it was pretty much useless.
That will probably get him killed, she thought, and you are like a dog with a bone. Just forget about it and enjoy the little bit of time you have with him.
“What’s your name?” Victor asked, his voice barely audible.
Molly spun her head around and looked at him, an unexpected smile forming on her lips.
“Molly,” she answered with a small laugh.
“I’m Victor,” he introduced himself, and she nodded her head at him.
“I know.”
You’re the one who saved me, she held herself back from adding. But soon, you’ll be gone.
Molly didn’t remember falling asleep, but when she woke up, Victor was no longer in the tent.
A feeling of loss so great struck her, she felt breathless for a moment.
This is ridiculous, she chided herself, poking her head outside the tent into the grey light of dawn. There is no way you can have feelings for him already.
But she did, and she could not explain why.
Stifling a sigh, she climbed out of the canvas and looked around, stretching her arms above her head. Her body ached from the activities she and Victor had performed the previous evening.
She hoped that he was safe, and that Levi would not punish him too severely.
The thought of Victor grovelling to Caden was more infuriating than she had expected, and she quickly shook her head. It was one more reason to forget about him and get out of Williams.
As if on cue, the roar of a motorcycle filled her ears, and Molly whirled, her heart racing with excitement.
Victor! she nearly cried out happily, but her face froze in a smile as her eyes took in the friend she had been waiting for the past two days, instead of Victor.
“Oh, good, you’re awake!” Jessica announced, parking her Yamaha next to Molly’s low rider. “Let’s get on the road!”
Molly gazed at her, disappointment clouding her eyes.
“Why are you staring at me like that?” Jessica demanded, and Molly shook her head, letting out a soft sight.
“Never mind,” she replied, turning toward the tent to disassemble it.
The sooner we get out of here, the better, she thought.
She and Jessica loaded their bikes with the camping gear, and then Molly mounted her own vehicle. She gazed around the site as if she was looking for anything she might have forgotten, but the truth was that she was saying goodbye to Victor in her mind.
“Got everything?” Jessica asked, eyeing her speculatively. “You’re acting weird.”
“I got everything,” Molly answered flatly. “Let’s just get going.”
She revved up her bike and waited for Jessica to lead. Before her friend could do such a thing, though, another motorcycle sped toward them, and Molly’s heart leapt into her chest when she saw the Harley stop a few feet away from them.
Victor was the one dismounting his bike.
“What the hell—?” Jessica gasped.
“What are you doing here?” Molly asked at the same time.
Jessica turned to her. “Who is this? A new friend?”
“Wait for me on the road, Jess,” Molly said. “I’ll be there in a minute.”
“But—”
“Just do it!” she pleaded. “I’ve waited here two days for you. The least you can do is wait two minutes for me!”
Jessica seemed taken aback by Molly’s tone, but she did not argue, starting away as she gazed suspiciously at Victor. Once her friend was out of earshot, Molly turned to Victor again.
“What are you doing here?” she repeated.
“You’re leaving today?” he replied, looking around the site.
“We’re leaving now,” Molly answered curtly. “You left without saying goodbye.”
Victor offered her a warm smile. “I had some business to take care of,” he told her. “And now I’m back.”
Molly tried to maintain her indifferent expression. “Well, now I’m leaving.”
“There was something else I forgot to tell you about my kind,” Victor said, as if she hadn’t spoken.
Molly waited.
“Our packs are very important to us,” he continued, “but there is something even more important to us as individuals.”
“And what’s that?” she demanded, crossing her arms over her chest.
Victor stepped toward her, cupping her face in his large hands. “Our mates.”
Molly’s mouth went dry.
“You are my mate, Molly,” Victor said. “I knew it from the second I saw you. That’s why I didn’t let Caden take you away.”
He feels the same way! Molly thought in disbelief. Are we really mated for each other?
She admitted to herself that such a ridiculous notion, as romantic as it was, could only be fictional, and she would never have believed in it if her heart wasn’t about to erupt from her chest.
She lowered her eyes, a wave of dizziness overcoming her.
“But we can’t work,” Molly muttered. “You have your pack, and Caden will never forgive you for what you did if I’m a constant reminder of it!”
Victor’s smile broadened.
“I told Levi I was leaving today,” he told her smugly. “So I don’t think that will be a problem. If you’d let me, I would actually like to come with you.”
Molly’s jaw dropped. Without any hesitation, she began to nod enthusiastically.
“Yes!” she screeched. “Yes, please!”
She threw her arms around him and kissed his lips hotly, drawing back to study his face dubiously as a sudden thought occurred to her.
“Just like that, though?” she asked. “You can leave? No hassle?”
Victor cleared his throat and glanced down. “Well, at first I went to Levi to explain what had happened. But as usual, Caden could do no wrong in Levi’s eyes. As I suspected, Levi told me to apologize to Caden.” Then he paused for a moment. “I stood there, staring at his smug, hungover face, and I kept hearing your voice in my ear, what you said last night. I may or may not have told Caden to get his head out of his ass in front of his father, so they weren’t all that sad to see me go.”
Molly cried out gleefully and kissed him again. “You really are my hero,” she told him. “You’re amazing!”
Victor grinned at her and nuzzled his nose against hers. “We should probably go before an angry mob comes looking, though,” he joked. “But first, I have something for you.”
Molly watched as he turned back to his bike and pulled out a paper bag. Her blue eyes widened in happiness as he pulled out a breakfast sandwich.
“I figured you might still be hungry from last night,” he declared.
Molly nearly howled with content, and she ravenously snatched the sandwich from his hand.
“If you keep this up,” she said, “I might just fall in love with you, lobo.”
He smiled softly.
“Then I better keep this up.”
THE END
Click Here to Read the Entire Shifter Pursuit Series
6
Shifter Pursuit: Deep in the Woods
No.”
The word was singular and flat, with no room for argument, but that didn’t stop Tara from pressing the issue.
“What do you mean, ‘no’?” Tara demanded. “It’s Penelope’s birthday and she’s been planning this for months! Everyone is going to be there!”
