Claimed by the Mate, Volume 1

by Kate Douglas

  “So he sends a tip to the human rangers that Penn Radney killed his wife? But Radney wasn’t even there.” As Blaez spoke, more facts began to click into place. “Dallas was with her. Dallas is Penn’s second in command. So did Penn tell Dallas to kill his wife? Why would he do that?” Blaez wondered.

  “That’s a good question,” Phelan had said. “Another question I had for the lycan was why he wanted Penn Radney picked up by the human police. Didn’t he know that a Hunter in captivity—for whatever reason—wasn’t going to turn out well for the lycan breed? He said it was one less Hunter for them to be on the lookout for. No regrets there and not a lot of common sense when it comes to how lycans react to things like bars, handcuffs, and restrictions.”

  Blaez had agreed, but as he’d told Phelan before leaving the library, their priority was to figure out why Penn would have wanted Tora dead. An alpha could no more kill his mate than he could kill the members of his pack. It just wasn’t what they did. They were leaders through thick and thin and killers only when they needed to be. Had Penn found a reason to kill his mate? And if so, how would all of this affect Kira when she found out?

  For the next few days Blaez had thought a lot about alphas and their mates. About the selection process and the probability of whether it was true or not. And even though he’d told Kira about what had happened to his family in the hopes that she would understand why he’d made the decisions he had to live the way he does, he still couldn’t stop thinking about being with her. About how soft her lips had been on his and how tempted he’d been to fold her in his arms and take that kiss deeper, to take whatever was happening between the two of them further.

  Keeping his distance from her for the past days had been one of the hardest things Blaez had ever had to do, but he felt like he owed her that much. After all her father and his pack had put her through, Blaez had no business messing her life up even more with his desire for her, the desire that he could never act on. That distance had come to an end earlier tonight as they shared a meal alone because the others had gone into town for the evening.

  Do you like it?” she’d asked as she was taking her seat at the large table in the dining room.

  It was made to seat up to ten people, with Blaez always sitting at the head with his back facing the steps. The guys usually sat on both sides when they shared meals. Since Kira’s arrival, Channing and Malec had each moved down a seat, allowing her to sit on Blaez’s right side. Tonight, however, she’d set her place at the opposite head of the table, where the alpha female would sit, but Blaez suspected that was because of the distance he’d been putting between them.

  For endless seconds he’d watched her there, picking up her napkin and placing it in her lap. Moving her glass just a little farther away from her plate. Then picking up her knife and fork, holding them in hand as she waited for his response.

  “Well?” she prompted him. “The food, Blaez. Do you like it?”

  With a frown he snapped his own napkin in the air before letting it fall to his lap. He picked up his knife and fork and cut through the meat and noodles, putting a bite into his mouth and chewing.

  “Channing said you favored Italian, so I took a chance when I decided to make this. He also said you guys weren’t big food fanatics like he was, so even if I wasn’t a great cook you’d probably scarf it down without any complaint. But I’m hoping you actually taste it and that maybe you might really like it.”

  He’d heard her talking and seen her mouth moving as he chewed, but his mind had been elsewhere and so when he spoke he feared he might have confused her. “That’s a lovely color on you,” he’d said. “I like you in dresses.”

  She’d blinked. Confused, just as he’d thought. Then looked down at her clothes and back up at him again.

  “Channing again,” she said with a shrug. “I only packed three outfits, figuring I’d buy more things when I got settled with my mother’s family. He said that was ridiculous and we shopped online. I have credit accounts, but he suggested I not use them. A good idea, I guess.”

  “So he paid for your new clothes?” Blaez asked, already not liking how much interaction she’d been having with Channing.

  “Oh no,” she told Blaez, shaking her head as she cut into her own pasta. “He used your credit card, since I’m your guest and all that.”

  When she looked up at him again, food in her mouth as she chewed, eyes alight with humor, Blaez felt something deep inside. It was peculiar and yet a part of him felt like it should have been expected. The Moirai, he thought with a slight start. If Kira was a thread in his life’s fate, each time they created another stitch together he would know. Until eventually there would be absolutely no doubt.

  “That’s fine. You can buy whatever you need,” he told her.

  “Really? So if I need a car to get me across the country instead of moving about on foot, would you buy me that?”

  “I had wondered why you were running on foot instead of taking a flight or a bus to your destination,” he said.

  She shrugged. “I’ve always loved to run and after my mother’s death I felt even closer to her when I did. So I figured I’d do a combo of running through the mountain areas, then finding a bus or train to take me the longer stretches.”

  He nodded, admiring the way she thought. “To answer your question, if you needed a car to take you back and forth into town I would make sure you had one.” He took another bite of his food, sitting back in the chair and watching her as he chewed. He preferred her to be closer, he thought with a start.

  Her shoulders were bare but for the thin straps of the dress she wore. It was a beautiful blue color that stretched tight across her heavy breasts, clasping her waist even tighter before falling straight to her ankles with slits up both sides. He’d seen naked women and women posed in lingerie and thousand-dollar dresses. None of them had come even close to how sexy Kira looked tonight in a simple dress with her hair piled high atop her head.

  “So you really plan to keep me here,” she said quietly. “How long?”

  “Excuse me?”

  She gave him a direct look. “How long do you want me to stay here?”

  Blaez lifted his glass of wine, sipping it slowly, enjoying the warm bitter taste as it slipped down his throat. “Until it’s safe for you.”

  Blaez took another bite of his food, chewing as he contemplated all that he’d just found out about the pack she’d left. Penn Radney had ordered his wife killed and then attempted to give his daughter to the lycan who had murdered for him. But Kira had run. She had no idea how much danger she had put herself in by doing that and no idea the lengths Blaez would go to keep her safe. He hadn’t been able to save his family, but he’d be damned if he lost her too.

  “This is really good. Did you know that I love Italian food?” he asked, pushing the darker thoughts from his mind.

  She blinked. Then she smiled and the room grew warm and much lighter.

  “Uh-huh, I knew. I make a scrumptious lasagna too. I’ll have to write down the ingredients so Channing can get them for me. Tell me what else you like, Blaez?”

  He could tell her so many things. Most of them would probably frighten her, like the fact that he wanted to tie her up again. He wanted to watch her spread wide open for him and then take her to the brink of ecstasy, listen to her beg him for release, before he would finally let her come all over. No, not all over, into his mouth, he thought while taking the final gulp of his wine. He wanted every drop of her release in his mouth, slipping down his throat like the thickest, sweetest honey.

  His dick was painfully hard with that thought, his body strung tight with tension at having gone so long without slaking his basic needs. Sure, he’d fucked her in that shower, had felt her tight pussy strangling his cock until he had come harder than ever before. But it had not been enough. He’d known that it would never be enough and yet he’d done it and then attempted to forget.

  That was a futile attempt.

  Blaez had managed to reg
ain his composure. He’d continued to have banal conversation about food, drink, and more food, listening as she talked about preparing more things for him. About what Channing liked and what Channing said the others enjoyed. He was sure she didn’t know it, but she sounded like she was the alpha female of this pack. His alpha female.

  Only they both knew that would never happen.

  Ever.

  He’d frowned now, remembering the time spent with her and still looking for a reason why her father had done what he did. The sound of a door opening jolted Blaez from his thoughts and he remained still, listening as her feet moved softly over the wood-planked floors. She couldn’t get out, he knew; he’d checked the alarm system himself before coming upstairs. Malec, Channing, and Phelan all had the codes to get in and reengage the system. If Kira tried, none of the doors or windows would open. But she already knew that. So what was she doing up and why was she going down the steps?

  Closing his laptop, Blaez stood, heading for the door before he could convince himself it wasn’t necessary. She couldn’t run away from him the way she had from her family. It didn’t matter that he couldn’t keep her because he just wasn’t the keeping type. No, that didn’t matter at all.

  He was at the top of the stairs when he heard it.

  Moaning, heavy breathing … dammit.

  He took the steps two at a time, coming to a complete stop just two more from the bottom because that’s where Kira was standing. She had on one of those short nightshirts she liked to sleep in and fuzzy slippers he figured were a part of her new wardrobe courtesy of Channing’s generosity with Blaez’s credit card. After his parents’ deaths he’d inherited a great deal of money, property, and jewels. He’d banked it all under a corporate name and used one of those credit accounts for the household items. That’s why Channing had access and the good sense to do what Blaez should have done to ensure she had everything she needed.

  Her back was to him, one hand on the bannister, her gaze trained on the living room where a low light burned.

  Malec and Channing were home.

  And they’d brought company.

  Malec had leaned against the back of the sofa, holding the female lycan, as evidenced by her extended claws running through Channing’s hair, on his lap. Malec’s hands were at her hips, pressing her center into what was most likely his erection. While Channing stood behind her, his fingers grasping her chin as he tilted her head back, kissing her hungrily. Malec had just dipped his head to lick the bared skin between her breasts when she let out a low growl that Blaez knew would only egg the two betas on.

  He took the last two steps, reaching out to touch Kira’s arm lightly.

  “Come with me,” he told her.

  When she turned it was with a look of such lust and hunger Blaez wanted to growl himself. Her eyes were wide and glazed, her mouth partially open so that her breath could come in quick pants. Through her shirt her nipples were clearly puckered, her legs shaking slightly.

  “Blaez,” she whimpered.

  “I know, lýkaina. Just come with me,” he said, taking her hand.

  He led her up the steps and down the hallway to his bedroom. Her arousal was obvious; even if he hadn’t picked up the scent the moment he’d heard her footsteps, it was apparent in the way her body trembled, the glazed look in her eyes when she’d turned to him. From the looks of Malec and Channing the needing was taking its usual hold on the pack, and regardless of Blaez’s reservations or Kira’s past, this distance he’d tried to put between them simply wasn’t going to work.

  Chapter 10

  Kira blinked once and then again.

  She sucked in a breath, letting it out in shaky little spurts that hissed through her teeth. Blaez still held her hand, his palm warm against hers after he’d closed the door behind them. They walked past his desk area straight to his bed. With a rush she turned immediately, pressing her body against his.

  “I know that you don’t want any connections,” she whispered, her heart pounding in her chest as she spoke. “I heard everything you said and didn’t say in the library that day. Because you couldn’t save your family you don’t want to get your feelings involved with anyone else. You don’t want to risk the pain of not being able to save someone else you love.”

  She inhaled deeply, picked up the scent that seemed to filtrate through her every second of every day. Her body trembled; she couldn’t stop it. She felt as if every nerve ending were exposed, every sense she possessed heightened. Her nipples were hard and ached through the material of her nightshirt and the T-shirt Blaez wore, her thighs quaked, pussy pulsated, and she swallowed deeply to keep from ripping his clothes off in the next seconds.

  “I know where you stand and that I don’t belong here. What I can’t figure out is why, with all of that between us, do I still want you?” She sighed with the weight those words had produced along her shoulders, resting there for the past few days even though she tried valiantly to ignore them.

  She hadn’t been looking at him while she talked; her gaze was more focused on the rise and fall of his broad chest. Now she’d tilted her head slightly, her gaze reaching for his. He had turned away, standing there in front of her rigidly but not looking at her. Lifting a hand, Kira touched his chin, turning him until he did look at her.

  “I still … need you,” she said her voice surprisingly more steady than she imagined it would be in this moment.

  Kira could see the muscle twitching in his jaw, felt the tension rolling from him in waves, and she wanted to scream. Was he really going to deny this, deny her, again?

  “You don’t understand,” he told her, his face tight with something that appeared like torture to her.

  Desperately she cupped his face in her hands. “If you don’t want me, just say it. If you would rather not throw me down on this bed and sink deep inside of me, just say it!”

  He moved then, his strong hands clasping her arms as he lifted her clear off the floor, tossing her back onto the bed she’d just spoken of. He was over her in seconds ripping her nightshirt completely off. The coolness of the room touched the heated pores of her skin and she shivered.

  “You want to know if I want you,” he said through clenched teeth, his chest now heaving with the same quickening of breath as hers. “You want to know if I can think of anything other than my dick pounding inside of your wet, hot pussy.”

  He was touching her now, his palms grabbing her breasts, squeezing to a point that was almost painful. “The answer is no!” he roared, and Kira half-expected his teeth to elongate, his eyes to change to that brilliant blue she saw each night before she fell asleep.

  His hands moved from her breasts, tracing a heated path down her torso until he cupped her juncture, heat pooling instantly at the contact.

  “No, dammit,” he continued, dropping his head. “I’ve tried everything. Denial. Recrimination. Grief. Anger. None of it stops this; none of it makes this go away.”

  It was a struggle, Kira thought, to hear his words and most likely for him to say them. Blaez was a very powerful lycan. She’d seen it the moment she arrived in this house, from the way he’d dealt with his pack to the restraint she’d watched him wield each time he touched her. Even though that day in the shower she’d thought they were both giving in, Blaez had still held back. No other lycan could have mastered that.

  “None of that matters now,” she told him, lifting her legs until her feet were flat on the bed.

  She touched a hand to his wrist, holding him still the second he’d attempted to remove his hand from her cupping her. “There’s a reason,” she told him. “A reason I’m here with you at this moment. I didn’t want to see it at first, didn’t want to accept that something could be happening without my permission once again, but it just is, Blaez. We—this thing between us—just are.”

  His head shot up then, his gaze dark and aroused. “Tell that to the goddess,” he said, pulling his hand away from her.

  “What?” she asked quizzically.

>   He moved away from the bed then, going to his dresser and grabbing something out of it before returning to her. “Stand up,” he told her.

  Kira didn’t know what the hell was going on now, but she did as he said, standing and going with him a few feet away to a door that he opened. There was a body-length mirror there and Blaez grabbed her shoulder, turning her back toward it.

  “Look,” he said, holding the smaller mirror he’d retrieved from his dresser in front of her. “You see that?”

  She did look and she did see it, but she was still confused. “It’s a birthmark, Blaez. I’ve seen it before.”

  “Is that what your parents told you it was? A birthmark?” he asked, staring at her with furrowed brows and clenched teeth.

  “That’s what it is,” Kira said, stepping away from him and going back to the bed. Suddenly she felt extremely exposed.

  “It’s the mark of the Selected, Kira. When you were born—”

  Her temples throbbed and she wrapped her arms around her body, now chilly as she climbed back onto his bed. “I was born on the night of the full moon. My mother said that meant I’d be blessed with great luck.” She gave a nervous chuckle. “She’d be pretty pissed to see how things were working out for me now.”

  “Selene, the Luna goddess, Selected you on that night,” he said, coming to stand at the foot of the bed.

  Then he turned his back to her, sitting on the edge of the bed, leaning forward, his elbows on his knees. “My parents talked about Selene and her powers, the powers of the moon that feed the lycans each month. It is because of her that we are rejuvenated and strengthened through her phases.”

  Kira pulled the sheet up and around her, not sure where this was going but knowing she wasn’t going to like it. Not one bit.