Marriage Claws

by Paige Cuccaro

  “Oh, god . . .” I hugged my arms across my chest and Marcus chuckled, the sound low and very male.

  “Don’t worry about it. Werewolves are very comfortable with the naked body.” He stepped closer. “Trust me. You have nothing to be embarrassed about, Kate. You look beautiful.”

  His dark eyes met mine, his hands resting on my hips. My breath shook through my chest, my heart ticking a half beat faster. I wanted to back away, to say something totally smartass, but all I could do was swallow hard, not a drop of moisture left in my throat.

  “Jack’s a lucky man. How does he keep finding such captivating women?” He pulled me close, his naked body pressing against me, the feel of his excitement growing between us. “I can walk you to your room if you’d like. Make sure you’re safe.”

  “No. Thanks. I can manage—”

  “Marcus.” Jack’s voice was like the crack of a whip and we both jumped.

  I stumbled a few steps back. “Jack.”

  He didn’t even look at me. “The pack’s waiting,” he said. “I’ve got this.”

  Marcus raised a brow, tossing a wicked smile my way. “You sure? I don’t mind helping out. You’ve got her little brother to keep in line.”

  “George is fine,” he said. “Go rejoin the run.”

  “Actually, I’ve had enough running tonight,” Marcus said, giving Jack his back to look at me. “I think I’ll turn in early. Stay back here at the house.”

  The suggestive sound of his voice oozed through me, but there was a wrongness about the feel—like bitter chocolate when you expected sweet.

  Jack’s hand clamped down on Marcus’ shoulder, and an instant later the big man sailed backward, crashing into the tall bushes that lined the entrance to the forest. He landed with a loud curse, broken branches and tiny leaves raining down on him. Jack pivoted, putting his body between me and the other man like a human wall.

  Marcus was on his feet in a heartbeat, shoulders set wide, fists clenched, teeth bared. “Who the hell do you think you are, dog? Touch me like that again and I’ll rip your throat out.”

  Jack didn’t flinch, his tall form seeming larger than ever before, his shoulders a mile wide, muscles tense and ready. He was at least two inches shorter than Marcus, and several pounds leaner, but there was something about Jack that commanded obedience—that dominated without effort.

  “I’m the son of your alpha and the future leader of this pack. Either get in line now, Marcus, or get out. Understood?”

  The bigger man didn’t answer, his gaze flicking past Jack to me then back again.

  Jack let out a soft warning growl. “I won’t say it again.”

  Marcus’s attention flicked back to him and he glared, his jaw flexing with the grind of his teeth. Tension sizzled in the air between them, raising the hairs on my arms. Finally, Marcus let out a huff. Without another word, he turned and stormed off into the woods, a low rumble shaking the air behind him.

  I exhaled, surprised that I’d been holding my breath. “Jack. I have to tell you some—”

  He spun on me, grabbed my arm above the elbow, nearly lifting me off my feet, and led me back toward the house. “You’re a guest here, Kate. But you were told to stay in the house. If you find yourself incapable of obeying my simple command, than I won’t be responsible for your safety.”

  I dug in my heels, stopping our progress, but I couldn’t wiggle my arm free of his grip. “Your command? I’m not one of your pack members, Jack. You don’t own me.”

  “I’m well aware,” He said exhaling a hot breath through his nose.

  “So you can’t just order me around.”

  His gaze dropped to mine and he leaned in close, his jaw tight. “Then you don’t belong here.”

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  “You nearly got yourself killed.” Jack left the bedroom door open, sure I’d follow.

  I did. “I needed to talk to you.”

  “There was a reason I told you to stay in the house,” he said, marching straight for his suitcase on top of the dresser. He pulled out a pair of black underwear, trunk style, that sat lower on his hips and a little past the start of his legs.

  Excellent choice.

  I shook the thought from my head. “Yeah? Well, I had a good reason to ignore your reasons. Jack, I have to tell you what happened—”

  He turned, exasperation creasing his brow. “You have no idea how ridiculous you sound. Don’t you understand how dangerous that was? Your brother would’ve torn you to pieces.”

  I lifted my chin, remembering the big black wolf colliding into my brother, stopping his charge. “George never would’ve hurt me.”

  He snorted, and turned to rummage in his suitcase again. “Maybe, if he’d been in his right mind. If he wasn’t a newly turned wolf . . . and if his reckless sister hadn’t gone stomping through the woods like an infant, leaving her scent everywhere. The scent of meat and blood. And then, after you tested his last shred of control, you take off running—tripping every gut instinct a wolf possesses. You’re lucky the entire pack didn’t chase after you.”

  “Oh. Right.” The image of a hundred sets of eyes, glowing in the shadows beyond the firelight, flashed through my brain. Yeah, I could see how that could’ve gone bad. “Sorry. I panicked. Thanks for jumping in, by the way.”

  “You’re welcome.” He glanced at me then back to his suitcase, pulling the zipper closed—a little more forcefully than was necessary. “But I’d appreciate it if you’d do as I say in the future. In wolf form, we rely a great deal on our instinct. I can’t promise next time I’ll have the strength to ignore mine.”

  “What do you mean?”

  He was already heading for the door, but stopped to answer. “My wolf didn’t want to stop your brother. I knew I could reach you before him. Keep him from getting close.”

  “Then what was your instinct?”

  He met my eyes, jaw tight. “To kill Marcus.”

  “What? Why?” I asked. “I mean, I know he was being a little defiant with you. But honestly, you were kind of bossy for no reason.”

  “I had reason,” Jack said. “He had no business shifting form when we were on a pack run.”

  I snorted. “C’mon, Jack. He was just being nice. If it weren’t for him, I’d still be standing there watching you pin my brother. He helped me, kept me safe until I was out of the woods.”

  “I kept you safe,” he said. “Marcus just took advantage of my divided attention.”

  “It wasn’t like that.” Was he . . . jealous?

  “No? While I mollified the danger, ensured your safety, Marcus shifted forms, putting himself in a position to claim you,” he said. “I couldn’t shift fast enough to meet his challenge. My wolf’s instinct was simply to remove the threat. I ignored it.”

  “Really, Jack? He wasn’t trying to claim me. Whatever that means.”

  “Don’t be naïve,” he said, tone sharp, angry.

  I flinched, but held my ground. “Don’t be an overbearing jerk. I’m not a child. I know when a man is making a move on me.”

  “Not a man. A wolf. I won’t allow another male to challenge me for you. You’re mine.”

  My brows went up. “Excuse me? No one owns me.”

  “That’s not what I . . .” He looked away, frustrated, scrubbing a hand down his face and chin. When he spoke again, his voice was lower, anger caged. “You’re my mate.”

  I gave him a questioning look again.

  He sighed. “I mean, as far as the pack knows. If I stand by and allow Marcus to position himself between us, allow him to distract your attention, it could undermine everything.”

  “You mean your chances of becoming alpha,” I said. So he wasn’t jealous. Jack just didn’t want Marcus making him look bad when he was trying to become the next pack leader.

  Jack propped his hands on his narrow hips, his naked chest swelling with a final sigh. “Yes. You understand?”

  I shrugged. “Yeah. I get it. I’ll keep my distance from Marcus.�
��

  “Good,” he said. “Thank you. I’ll be back before dawn. Please . . . stay in the house.”

  “Right.”

  He turned to leave but I grabbed his arm, stopping him. “Wait. I have to tell you what happened. Jack, I think I’m turning into a werewolf.”

  Jack’s smile flashed, and my heart jumped at the welcome sight. “No. You’re not.”

  “I am. What should I do?”

  “Kate, I have to get back.” Jack headed for the door. “Relax. You’re not turning. It’s not possible.”

  “But I felt it. I saw it,” I said. “I had long ears . . . with fur. And my fingers had claws. I watched them start to shrink. I felt my bones breaking.”

  He sighed and looked at me. “You must have imagined it. It’s okay. You’ve been through a lot. And you’ve been exposed to certain . . . people who’ve toyed with your mind—confused you. Seduced you. Combine that with your almost pathological need to belong to a stable family unit and it makes perfect sense. But I promise you, you didn’t shift forms.”

  Oh, no he didn’t. “I’m sorry, what was that? Pathological what?”

  Jack reached for the doorknob. “I think bringing you out here may have been a mistake. Clearly, discovering the truth of our existence was too much for you—”

  “Follow me.” I thundered into the bathroom, positive he’d follow. When he stepped in, I yanked open the shower door. “Wanna explain how my pathological imagination did that?”

  Jack stepped closer, crouching to touch the deep gouges my claws had made in the porcelain. He leaned in and sniffed, then stood staring at the shower floor. “It smells like wolf.”

  “Yeah? Go figure.”

  Jack’s gaze shifted to me, and he leaned in, sniffing my neck. That wonderful woodsy scent of his swirled around me, and something deep inside me stirred. My heart skipped faster and the sensation of my muscles pulling under my skin made my breath catch. Was it about to happen again?

  He flinched back. “You smell like wolf.”

  I closed my eyes, tried to calm my breathing, stop whatever changes were happening inside me. “I’m going to take that as a compliment.”

  “You let him bite you?”

  My eyes snapped open. “What? No one bit me.”

  Jack huffed and left me standing there in the bathroom. “Do I strike you as an imbecile, Kate?”

  “What’s your problem?” I asked chasing after him.

  He spun on me, his big body looming. “Show me.”

  I stumbled back to keep from crashing into him. “Show you what?”

  “His mark. There’s only one way to turn a human,” he said lifting a finger for emphasis. “The bite. I know I didn’t bite you and no one in this pack would dare interfere with another wolf’s claim on a mate unless . . .” His gaze tracked down my body and back, hurt hardening in his eyes. “Unless he hoped to steal what he couldn’t win on his own merit.”

  “I don’t understand—”

  “Marcus is unlikely to win a head to head fight with me. I was born with the abilities of an alpha—Marcus had to learn them. That gives me an edge,” he said. “His best hope would be if I somehow became unacceptable to the pack.”

  “How could that happen?”

  “Because of you,” he said, and my stomach pulled into a tight knot. “The alpha must be part of a mated pair. Steal away the woman I’ve presented as my fated mate, and the pack would reject me as their leader. If I can’t protect what’s mine, how can I be trusted to protect the pack?”

  “But I haven’t gone anywhere,” I said stepping closer. “You haven’t lost me. I’m still happy to marry you.”

  Jack moved back, putting space between us again. “It’s my fault. It was a mistake to choose a human woman. You’re too easily seduced. I should have stuck with my own kind.”

  I blinked against the jolt of pain his words stabbed through me. But I told myself that he was just in shock. Jack knew me. In his heart, he knew he could trust me. “I may be human, but I haven’t betrayed you. I wouldn’t. Jack, I—”

  “Stop it, Kate. We have a business relationship. I don’t pretend that it was ever anything more,” he said. “You’re an attractive woman, and Marcus would be difficult for any human female to turn away. You broke a contract. Not my heart. Let’s keep things in perspective.”

  My breath caught, mouth sagging open. Was that how he really felt? This was still just business between us? God, I’d been so stupid. I looked away, blinking against the sudden sting in my eyes. “You’re wrong, Jack.”

  “I’m not. This is exactly something that Marcus would do. He tried it before with Alexia. Thought I was about to claim her as my mate.” Jack laughed but it was a cruel pitiless sound. “What a joke. Heartless, power-hungry bitches are more his type than mine. She could never love anything more than she loves power. Convincing her that leaving me for him would put them both at the head of the pack must’ve been easy. Almost as easy as seducing you. At least Alexia was only desperate for power. Might have worked too, if I’d been fool enough to actually love her.”

  I closed my eyes, swallowing the ache in my heart. “I haven’t broken our contract. No one has seduced me. And I can promise you no one has bitten me.”

  Jack scoffed. “You smell like wolf, Kate. If you’re turning, there’s only one explanation.”

  “No.” I shook my head. “That can’t be true. Marcus told me—”

  Jack growled at the name and turned to leave. I hurried into his path. “He showed me the wall in the basement. Told me about the first of your kind. About the twin boys and the she-wolf.”

  “Origin stories? That’s what you want me to tell the pack?” He laughed and I could almost taste his bitterness. “Granted, many of them believe the old myth of our creation, but it would be like convincing Christians of another virginal pregnancy.”

  “And yet here I am. How else can you explain it?” I asked. “If you don’t believe me you can see for yourself.”

  I unbuttoned my blouse, the fabric still damp. I peeled it off my shoulders, exposing my nakedness.

  “Kate, stop,” he said. But I didn’t listen, I couldn’t. I wasn’t sure what made him doubt me, but I had to win back his trust. I had to prove that I would never hurt him. I would never betray him the way Alexia had. I unfastened my slacks and shoved them down to my ankles.

  Standing straight I raised my arms out to my sides. “Look at me. Examine my body for any bites. I’ve only been with one wolf, and that’s you. If you find any marks it wasn’t Marcus who put them there.”

  Desire warmed like a distant fire in his eyes, but I could see the battle warring inside him to snuff it out. I turned, offering him a long look. When I came back around the battle was over. Jack’s expression was flat, cold.

  He searched my face, his beautiful green eyes so empty. I’d never seen that look on him before. It was like something inside him had broken away, leaving a bloody jagged edge behind.

  “In the myth, the she-wolf loved the boys so much, so profoundly, that her love imbued them with her very essence,” he said. “Her love transformed them.”

  “Exactly.” My heart kicked a faster pace, hope like a small shimmer of light inside me. I’d bared my all to him, standing naked and vulnerable. There was nothing more I could do.

  “But don’t you see, Kate?” he asked stepping closer. “That can’t explain what’s happened to you.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because. I don’t love you.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  “So you just left?” George asked. “You didn’t even tell Jack?”

  I shrugged. “He’s a smart guy. He figured it out. Besides, it’s not like it mattered. I’d done my part. I played the proper mate and future alpha female.”

  George glanced around the kitchen at my mention of wolf terms. Marbella and Madam Opal were out in the dining room, and Diego didn’t speak enough English to be suspicious.

  “Okay, yeah,” George said. “But I t
hought you two . . . you know.”

  I blinked at him. Shook my head. “What?”

  “I thought something was starting to click between you,” my brother said.

  I laughed despite the ache in my chest. “No, George. It’s just business.”

  He must’ve read something on my face, or maybe it was just our brother-sister bond, but George stepped closer. “Kate, did something happen between the two of you? Did he hurt you somehow?”

  I leaned back, doubling my efforts at a carefree laugh. “No. Of course not. How could that man ever hurt me? Why would you even ask such a thing?”

  George rolled his shoulder, turning back to the burger sizzling on the grill. “I don’t know. I was kind of out of it all weekend, with the ceremony and my first . . . y’know . . . shift.”

  We both looked at Diego, who was tending the deep fryer. The dark-haired Cuban smiled, nodding, totally oblivious to our conversation. We smiled and nodded back.

  “So how was that?” I asked. “The whole ‘becoming a different species’ thing. I mean, I only saw the end result.”

  George glanced over at me, his face etched with regret. “Oh right. Jesus, Kate, I’m so sorry about the trying to kill you thing. I wasn’t exactly thinking straight. It’s still kind of a blur to me. I’m just glad Jack was there to—”

  “Yeah. I know. Lucky us, that Jack Pensione is in our lives.” I tried to exhale my frustration but it didn’t really work.

  “Seriously, Kate. He’s been awesome,” George said. “I mean more than just stopping me from shredding my sister to pieces. Which, y’know, is a bonus for both of us. He’s really made me feel welcome. Everyone looks up to him, follows his lead. I’m convinced it would’ve taken a lot longer for everyone to accept me if it weren’t for Jack treating me like . . . well, like a brother.”

  I held my smile even though my cheeks were starting to ache from the effort. “That’s great. I’m really happy for you.”

  “To tell you the truth though, the shift hurt like hell,” he said. “Lenny says it’ll get easier, the more I do it.”

  “So this weekend was the first time you shifted?” I asked. “I mean, you never, I don’t know, stood in the shower thinking about Lenny, and all of a sudden started shifting—not a lot, just—say your ears got bigger, or you grew a tail?”