“Elias.” She tangled her fingers in his hair and pulled him close. Her lips touched his and he lost all control. He had her on her back with her gown shoved around her waist in a heartbeat. In the next, he slid into her welcoming heat.
“Have to have you.” He closed his eyes and struggled for control. She lifted her legs and wrapped them around his waist, driving him deeper. They both sucked in a breath. His body shook and muscles strained. He didn’t want to mindlessly fuck her. She deserved better.
He almost had himself under control when she tightened her inner muscles around his dick. He growled and began to thrust hard and fast. Her fingernails grazed his back. He captured her mouth, claiming her, loving her.
Faster and faster. Their breathing grew ragged. She moaned and bucked beneath him. He shoved himself as deep as he could go, wanting to somehow become a part of her, if only for a brief moment in time.
Her pussy clenched and she cried out his name. He withdrew and slammed home one final time. His release shook him from head to toe. His cock swelled at the base, locking him inside her.
Elias managed to turn onto his side and take Sue with him. “Did I hurt you?” He wouldn’t be able to forgive himself if he had.
Sue snuggled closer and nipped at his shoulder. “You hear me complaining?” The sexy purr in her voice settled his fears, allowing him to relax and enjoy the aftermath of their hard and fast lovemaking.
“I couldn’t wait.”
“Mmm, I know.” She sounded so pleased with herself he had to smile.
“Don’t worry about anything.” He tucked her closer to his body, wanting to cherish and protect her forever. “We’ll see the lawyer.” The man had been out of the office this afternoon when they’d called him. “And you’ll do whatever you have to in order to settle your old life. Dealing with your landlord won’t be a problem since Anny still owns the house.”
“There is that.” Sue yawned and shifted slightly. His dick grew larger rather than smaller. She laughed and wiggled again.
Elias rolled onto his back and she settled on top of him. Her breathing evened out not long after. He was still aroused, but he was more content than he’d ever been in his life. Sue was his and they were about to start their new life together as a family.
* * * * *
Jean Paul Dupointe crouched down to greet the two hounds who ran toward him, tails wagging. Both remembered him from his last visit. It was closer to dawn than midnight, the time of night when men were most vulnerable.
He gave both hounds one more scratch behind the ears. They whined when he stopped but he simply stared at them and they went silent. He’d already scoped out the house earlier and knew the window in the spare room was open. It didn’t take him long to remove the screen and climb in.
He waited in the shadows and listened. All he heard was the light snores coming from the next room. It was the smells he detested—chemicals in the furniture polish, floor cleaner and in the detergent used to launder the sheets. Above all that, he could scent the inhabitants of the house. The male he remembered well.
Jean Paul thought about killing Fergus McLennan on principal alone for making him have to come all the way up here to North Carolina. Still, he was a man of his word and couldn’t harm Fergus unless he knew for sure the man had broken his word.
He walked silently through the home, confident that no one else was around. He slipped into the master bedroom and watched Fergus sleeping next to his wife. Jean Paul drew his hunting knife and crouched next to Fergus. Like the last time he’d visited, Jean Paul placed the sharp blade just below his prey’s neck. Then he blew gently on the man’s skin.
Fergus woke and sucked in a breath. “I didn’t do nothing,” he whispered.
“That’s not what I hear.” Jean Paul gently ran the flat of the blade over the man’s neck, careful not to slice it open.
“It’s my fool cousin, Connor. I told him to stay away from them folks out on the old Mitchell land, but he won’t listen.”
Jean Paul cocked his head to one side and studied Fergus. The man was telling the truth. Since he’d stayed away from the Salvation Pack, Jean Paul didn’t have to kill him. He could go back to Louisiana and get back to the work of running his pack.
Except if one of Salvation pack got themselves shot by hunters in Fergus’s family, someone could easily suggest Jean Paul hadn’t kept his word. He should have just killed them all the last time he was here and then he wouldn’t have this problem.
But missing hunters, especially those with families, tended to raise a lot of ruckus with the local police. That was the last thing Jean Paul wanted.
“Where does your cousin live?” When Fergus hesitated, Jean Paul leaned closer. “You lie to me and I’ll be back. You warn your cousin and I’ll be back.”
Fergus was sweating and he stank of fear, but he gave Jean Paul the directions he needed. Jean Paul eased the knife away and tucked it back in its sheath. “Thank you kindly.”
He left as quickly and quietly as he’d arrived. It didn’t take him long to jog back to his truck. Jean Paul climbed in and set a course to Connor McLennan’s house.
* * * * *
Connor McLennan sat brooding on his porch with his hunting rifle cradled in his arms. It was almost dawn, but he couldn’t sleep. He was still pissed at the way he’d been treated by those foreigners earlier tonight. That’s how he thought of them. They weren’t from here. The lot of them were from down south in Louisiana. They’d come up here years ago and bought up a lot of prime land. Then they’d posted it with no trespassing signs to warn away the locals.
It wasn’t right.
To make matters worse, his own brother wasn’t talking to him. Angus was mad with him for how he’d treated that Walsh gal who worked at the diner. And Fergus… Well, Fergus had turned into a pussy with his talk of leaving those LaForge brothers and their friends alone. Sean would do whatever Fergus wanted, and that left Connor on his own.
He heard a faint noise next to him. He turned to see what it was and was shocked to find a man sitting on the steps next to him. Where the hell had he come from?
“Who the hell are you?” Connor demanded. He swung his gun down but the stranger caught the barrel and yanked. As quick as that, Connor found himself stripped of his own weapon for the second time that night.
The stranger just stared at him. It was unnerving. What was worse was the way the man’s eyes glowed in the pre-dawn darkness, like an animal’s.
“Heard you’ve been making trouble.” The tone was conversational, but Connor wasn’t fooled one bit. Whoever this man was, he was dangerous. He also had a Louisiana accent.
“I wasn’t doing a damn thing wrong.” He was sick and tired of being told where he could go and what he could do, especially by men who weren’t locals. “I was hunting wolves. Some folks might not believe there are wolves around, but I know better.”
The man sighed and set the rifle aside. “I’m going to give you the same friendly warning I gave your cousin more than a year ago. You leave them folks alone, and if you think you see a wolf in the woods, you keep on walking.”
“Why in hell would I do that?” Connor demanded. No stranger was going to tell him what to do. He hated the fear that welled up inside him and that made him more belligerent. “You can go back out there and tell LaForge he can’t scare me.”
The man chuckled. “You’re ready to piss your pants, mon ami.” Before Connor could blink, there was a knife at his throat. “And Jacque LaForge does not know I’m here. I don’t like this land so I don’t live here. Me, I’m content to stay in Louisiana, but I gave my word, and a man’s word must be kept.”
Connor was afraid to move. There was something about the stranger that said he’d be all too happy to use that knife. “Sure, a man needs to keep his word,” Connor agreed.
“Oui. So you will promise me you will stay away fr
om LaForge and his dogs.”
“It ain’t right to be raising wolves as pets,” Connor insisted.
“That is not your problem. You must stay away from them.”
“And if I don’t?” Connor hated the icy hand of fear gripping his heart. He was as close to death as he’d ever been.
“Well, then I will have to come back. And next time, you won’t see me coming. All you’ll feel is the slice of my knife and your blood draining from your body.”
Connor knew when a man was bullshitting and when he was telling the truth. And this man wasn’t lying. “Sure. I’ll stay off their land. I find wolves off that land and they’re fair game.”
The stranger blew out a breath. “So stubborn.” He ran the blade across Connor’s neck. Connor felt a trickle of blood run down his skin. “You walk away from any wolves you see. That is the deal. I hear otherwise, and I’ll be back. You don’t want to wake up some night and find me standing over your bed.” He leaned in so close Connor could feel his breath on his face. “Just ask your cousin.”
He shoved and Connor fell to the side. By the time he righted himself, the stranger had vanished without a sound. Jesus, he was one scary son of a bitch.
Connor touched his throat and pulled back bloodstained fingers. He yanked his T-shirt over his head and used it to stem the trickle of blood. Whoever he was, the man was crazy. Seems LaForge and his group had a guardian angel.
Or guardian demon. Whoever he was, that man was no angel. He was a killer. Connor had seen the type before and knew if he didn’t stay out of LaForge’s business the stranger would be back.
It galled him to allow any man to dictate to him what he could do. But the instinct for self-preservation was stronger. Besides, there was plenty of game in the woods—the occasional cougar or bear and plenty of deer to hunt.
He stood and headed inside, feeling suddenly exposed outside. The night was alive with more than animals. Connor grabbed his rifle, which was propped up by the door, a silent reminder of how easily it had been taken from him.
He shut the door and, for the first time in memory, turned the lock. No, he didn’t want to ever see that stranger again. LaForge and his friends might threaten him, but the stranger would definitely kill him.
Epilogue
“You may kiss the bride.” The local minister closed his Bible and solemnly nodded at the couple standing in front of him.
Sage smiled as his uncle leaned down to kiss his new bride. Elias pulled her into his arms, dipped her backward and kissed her like she was the very air he needed to breath. The entire group laughed and clapped.
Louis immediately thanked the minister and began escorting him back to his car. All that remained was pack, and they were ready to party. Sage felt a tug on his hand and looked down to find Billy staring up at him.
“Are you okay?” the boy asked.
Sage thought the little guy looked cute in his new jeans and dress shirt. The wedding was more casual than most, with the men wearing jeans and shirts. All the women had dressed up some, and Sue looked pretty in the white sundress she wore. “I’m good. How about you?”
Billy nodded and watched as the rest of the pack congratulated the happy couple. Sue frowned and began looking around. Sage caught her eye and pointed down. As soon as she caught sight of her son, she relaxed.
“You think you’re going to like living here?” Sage asked. There’d been a lot of changes in the young boy’s life. Instead of starting school a week ago, he was being homeschooled here on the pack land. Both Sue and Anny were supervising his education.
They were still living in Sue’s old home but work had begun on the new house. He figured they’d have it done and be moved in before Thanksgiving. Probably sooner with everyone working on it.
“Uh-huh.” He shifted from one foot to the other. “Are we brothers now?”
Billy’s question took him aback. He hadn’t really thought about it. He crouched down so he was more on the boy’s level. “We’re cousins. My father and Uncle Elias were brothers.” He tweaked Billy’s nose. “That makes us cousins now that your mom is married to him. She’s my Aunt Sue.”
“And Reece?” Billy asked.
The boy was fascinated by the fact he and Sage looked alike and still thought it quite funny Reece had the same name as a wolf, or doggie, as Billy continued to call him. They hadn’t quite figured out how to explain the whole werewolf thing to him yet. They’d try to wait until he was a little older if they could.
Sage expected it wouldn’t be long before Billy discovered on his own. He was smart and saw more than folks thought he did. “How about some cake? Anny’s been busy in the kitchen for the last two days.”
There was enough food to make even this crowd happy. Gator had cooked roasts of beef and pork, as well as several turkeys. There were also plenty of side dishes, and Elise LaForge had made pies because she knew how much he and Reece liked them.
They’d be eating leftovers for days.
Billy nodded. “She’s got chocolate and vanilla cake.”
“We’ll have to have some of both.”
Billy gave a whoop of happiness and ran off to join his mother and new stepfather. If Sage knew his uncle, it wouldn’t be long before Elias official adopted Billy and made him his son in name as well as heart.
He’d never seen his uncle so happy.
Sage liked it here. He hadn’t been sure about pack life at first, but everyone here was welcoming. They seemed to understand he needed some space and didn’t crowd him. But he always knew he was welcome to hang out whenever he wanted. It was nice to be out of the city where he could breathe the fresh air.
But Sage was restless.
As much as he wanted to belong here, he didn’t. The other men could all shift into wolves. He was left behind when they went running. Oh, they’d invited him to go with them, but it wasn’t the same.
Even here he felt like an outsider.
“When are we leaving?” His twin stepped up beside him. Sage wasn’t surprised by Reece’s question. They always knew what the other was thinking.
“Soon.” He smiled as his uncle lifted Sue into his arms and swung her in circles. Her laughter washed over him. Jacque plucked Sue from Uncle Elias’s arms and hugged her before passing her on to Gator. So it went until the women surrounded Sue. Uncle Elias frowned until Jacque slapped him on the back and whispered something in his ear. Then he gave the alpha a wolfish grin.
Sage figured he was better off not knowing what was said.
Billy ran up to Elias, and his new stepfather lifted him and sat the boy on his shoulders.
Sage took a deep breath. “I’m going alone.” Those three words were like a knife to his gut, but they were necessary. He didn’t need to look at his brother to know he’d hurt him. Deeply.
“No, you’re not,” Reece told him.
Sage faced his twin. “I’m not going yet, but soon. Maybe after the house is finished. Maybe in the spring.” He raked his fingers though his hair and tried to find the words to make his brother understand. “I need to find myself. I’m a wolf, but I’m not one. I don’t fit.”
“You fit with me.” The fierceness of his brother’s words relieved some of Sage’s pain, but not all of it.
“I know.” He cupped the back of his brother’s neck and eased him forward until their foreheads touched. “You’re holding yourself back because of me.”
“That’s not true.” Reece pulled back and glared at him.
His brother’s ferocious reaction made Sage smile. “It is. You don’t want me to feel left out or left behind. It’s not you, it’s me.”
“I don’t like it.” Reece shook his head. “It’s not happening, so put it out of your head.”
Uncle Elias came toward them with Billy still on his shoulders and Sue tucked under his arm. Sage put aside his future plans to concentrate on the mo
ment. “Congratulations, Aunt Sue.”
Sue laughed and a pretty blush spread across her cheeks. She hugged both him and Reece. “What do you think about the plan for the new house?” she asked.
She’d already asked them that a dozen times since yesterday. Sage knew she was concerned about both him and Reece feeling at home. She’d been mothering them since the first moment she’d met him and his twin. And it was obvious how she felt about Uncle Elias. She was a full human, but she’d given up the life she’d known for him. She also accepted him for what he was and had allowed his uncle to mark her.
Sage wondered if he’d ever find a woman like her for himself.
“I like it just fine,” he assured her. “It’s going to be a great house. Let’s go get some cake.” He held out his arms to Billy, who practically leapt from Uncle Elias’s shoulders. Sage snagged him and headed toward the main house for the celebration.
Reece stalked alongside them. “We’re both staying right here,” his twin muttered.
Sage didn’t bother to respond. His brother might not want to admit it, but Sage knew he was right. He didn’t want to leave his twin, his new family or the pack, but there would come a time when he knew he’d have to.
But that time wasn’t now. Now was a time of celebration.
About the Author
Once upon a time, N.J. had the idea that she would like to quit her job at the bookstore, sell everything she owned, leave her hometown and write romance novels in a place where no one knew her. And she did. Two years later, she went back to the bookstore and her hometown and settled in for another seven years.
She gave notice at her job on a Friday morning. On Sunday afternoon, she received a tentative acceptance for her first erotic romance novel and life would never be the same.
N.J. has always been a voracious reader, and now she spends her days writing novels of her own. Vampires, werewolves, dragons, time-travelers, seductive handymen and next-door neighbors with smoldering good looks—all vie for her attention. It’s a tough life, but someone’s got to live it.
Wolf on a Mission: Salvation Pack, Book 6 Page 31
