The Protector's Heart (Wilde Creek Three)

by R. E. Butler

  He lapped at her clit, wiggling his tongue over the fleshy bud until her breath hitched in her throat as he stroked the top of it. Lifting her closer to his mouth, he sealed his lips over her clit and ran his tongue over the top of it, rubbing and licking. She clawed the couch as her body trembled, and he sucked harder.

  She cried out his name as her back bowed and her body tensed. Releasing her clit, he tilted his head, pushing his tongue into her pussy to lap at the sweet taste of her climax. She moaned, shivering, as he fucked her with his tongue.

  “Mal, please, Mal,” she moaned, tugging on his hair.

  He lifted from her body and said with a snarl, “Mine.”

  “Yes, I’m yours. Make love to me.” Her voice was rough with use, and he flexed his fingers on her ass before lowering her to the couch.

  He couldn’t control the trembling in his hands as he stood up and undid his jeans, shoving them off with his shorts. He looked at Nila and she lifted her arms to him. A well of need opened up in him. He’d never wanted anyone more than he wanted her, and it had nothing to do with his attraction to her physically and everything to do with the emotional tie. She was his mate; his everything.

  He went to his knees on the couch and leaned over her, placing one hand on the cushion where her head rested, and with the other, he grasped his throbbing cock. He squeezed the base, trying to stop the orgasm that was pushing hard. He didn’t want to come like a teenager on the first stroke.

  When he felt like he was back in control, he watched her face as he pressed into the tight, hot heaven of her body. Her gaze locked with his as she hooked one hand around his bicep, the other resting on his chest over his heart. Her mouth fell open as he pushed into her, but she never stopped watching him, and he couldn’t look away either.

  As he sheathed himself completely inside her and his vision winked out a few times from the sheer pleasure, she wrapped her legs around his waist and hooked her ankles in the small of his back. The motion drew him even deeper into her, and he bit the inside of his cheek to control himself.

  Angling his hips back, he slipped his cock nearly entirely from her and thrust back in, slowly, until he was certain she was ready to take him. Her nails dug into his arm as she lifted her hips to meet him.

  He drew in and out of her a few times, slowly, making sure she was ready for more. Her head lifted and she kissed him, her thighs tightening on his waist as she urged him to move faster. He stroked into her body as his tongue played with hers, and he moved his free hand under her hips and lifted her up, moving faster and harder until their kiss broke and her breath gusted from her mouth.

  “Yes, fuck, yes,” she panted as her nails sank into his chest.

  He found the angle to make her come again, his body hitting hers just the right way so that her pussy clutched at him rhythmically and heat flooded his cock. She rubbed her body against his, using her legs as leverage to keep rubbing her clit against him. His balls drew up tight and the base of his spine tingled, but he gritted his teeth, determined to let her come before him.

  He lifted her a fraction higher and she screeched in pleasure, her heels digging into his back as her pussy locked down on his cock, and he couldn’t have stopped himself from coming if he’d had a gun to his head. The world dropped away until it was just the two of them, and the hot pleasure that poured over him as his cock spasmed inside her welcoming pussy.

  His fangs elongated and he snarled, fighting his wolf’s instinct to mark her neck and make her theirs. It was too soon, and he hadn’t asked her. The urge to bite rode him hard as his cock spasmed a second time and his vision blurred. Doing the only thing he could think of when he had zero blood left in his brain, he sank his fangs into his bicep and bit himself.

  Nila stopped squeezing his waist with her legs and her arms moved around him, tugging on his body until he lowered enough so they touched, chest to hip. He kept most of his weight off her with his arms, and extracted his fangs from his bicep. He’d heal quickly, even if his wolf was a little pissed that he’d bit himself instead of her.

  Nila pressed her face into his neck and hugged herself closer, and he held her tightly, never wanting to let her go.

  Chapter 10

  Nila had never felt such peace on the heels of pleasure. No one had ever rocked her world the way that Malachi did. He’d made her come twice, and he’d seemed determined to make her happy. Which she so totally was. She was certain now that she and Malachi were meant to be together. Something had clicked in her heart for him. She knew she was human, but maybe humans could have mates, too, and if so that meant that Malachi was meant to be hers and she was meant to be his.

  She inhaled and smelled something metallic.

  “Mal?”

  He lifted off her slightly, his hair mussed from where she’d gripped it so tightly, a sleepy, sexy look on his face.

  “Yeah, sweetheart?”

  She looked at him, wondering why she smelled blood, and then she saw bleeding teeth marks on his bicep.

  “What did you do?”

  He glanced down, looking guilty. “I bit myself.”

  She frowned. “Obviously. But why?”

  “I needed to bite something and I didn’t want to bite you.”

  Immediately, the afterglow faded and her happiness leaked away with it. “I see.” She felt like she’d been sideswiped by a truck. That he wouldn’t bite her when they made love meant that he didn’t want to mark her as his mate. It was Damien all over again. She’d opened her heart to Malachi and he’d treated her just the same.

  He pulled from her body and then sat up, hauling her into his lap. His finger curled under her chin, and he tilted her face until she was forced to look into his eyes.

  “Sweetheart, you misunderstand. I didn’t want to bite you because I haven’t asked you to be my mate officially, and I didn’t want to take that choice from you. Once I mark you, you’re mine forever, no matter what.”

  She blinked and tears leaked from her eyes. “I thought…”

  “Because I’m a jackass.” He kissed her lips and cupped her cheek, brushing the tears away with his thumb. “I know you believe you understand what being my mate means, but I’m not going to rush into things until you know everything there is to know. Then I’ll ask you properly, declare us mates to my pack, and bite your pretty neck and mark you.”

  She let out the breath she’d been holding. “I’m sorry, I ruined the snuggling.”

  He chuckled and cradled her in his arms. “It’s okay, love. We’ll snuggle after round two.”

  Looping her arms around his neck, she kissed his throat. “Thank you for taking your time with me.”

  “I would never betray your trust, Nila. You mean the world to me.”

  She closed her eyes and inhaled his spicy scent. “You mean the world to me, too.”

  When she woke in the morning, she found Malachi on his back on the bed, Jack sprawled on top of him. The footy pajamas were missing, and he was wearing only his diaper. Jack’s mouth was open as he breathed deeply in sleep, his thick lashes casting shadows on his chubby cheeks.

  She went up on one elbow and looked down at Malachi, whose eyes opened slowly. He grinned.

  “How do I keep sleeping through Jack waking up?”

  “I wore you out.” He kept his voice low to match her whisper.

  She gave his shoulder a light slap and he chuckled softly. “Where are his jammies?”

  “His diaper leaked, and by the time I figured out the diaper he was already asleep, so I just brought him in here. The bedding was a little damp, and I was worn out from you keeping me up half the night.” He winked.

  “Thanks, Mal.”

  His smile slipped and he looked serious. “You do know that I want him as part of our family, right? You’re a package deal as far as I’m concerned, and I want Jack to be part our new life together.”

  She felt tears sting her eyes. “I’m glad to hear that.”

  “Someday, when you’re ready, we can give him
a sister or brother to play with.”

  “I’d like that.”

  Her heart actually felt like it would burst. It had been one thing for her to care for Malachi and want to be his mate, and she’d known that he cared about Jack, but because they hadn’t talked much about their relationship yet, she wasn’t sure what his feelings were. In Damien’s pack, males ostracized the pups of other males if a female became pregnant before she was mated. Malachi accepted her and Jack without reservation.

  They talked quietly until Jack woke, and then Malachi took him into the kitchen while she changed the linens in the crib and then joined them.

  “Oh yeah, look at you, champ,” Malachi said as he sat in a chair in front of Jack’s high chair, cheering him on as he ate yogurt.

  “Carrot,” Jack said, grinning widely before shoving his spoon into his mouth.

  Malachi looked at her with a smile. “Is he calling me carrot?”

  “I think so. It’s his favorite word.”

  “That’s cool.”

  She busied herself with making breakfast for them, watching as Malachi talked to Jack and Jack babbled at him. Malachi leaned back in his chair and said, “What are your plans for the day?”

  “Are you talking to me or Jack?” she teased.

  “I’m pretty sure Jack’s plans for the day involve chewing on as many things as he can get into his mouth.”

  She laughed. “That sounds about right.”

  “I thought we could go buy a Christmas tree. I don’t usually decorate since we spend Christmas day with my folks, but I thought maybe this year they could come here? Christmas is in eleven days, in case you didn’t realize it from the thousands of commercials on TV.”

  “I’d love to do that. I haven’t celebrated the holidays in ages.”

  “After that, we can go to Mia’s. She sent me a text this morning and invited us to dinner tonight. She’s a pretty good cook.”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  Nila’s own family was gone, and she envied Malachi. She had been the product of a one-night-stand; her mother hadn’t even known what his name was. Her mother had gone to live with her sister, Betty, who helped to raise Nila, as her mother worked two jobs to keep their heads above water. One night her mom went to her second job and never came home. There’d been a fight at the bar she waitressed at and someone pulled a gun, and she was caught in the crossfire. Betty had done the best she could, and Diane had helped, too. When Betty died of cancer just before Jack was born, Diane had been the only person there for her.

  Malachi stood and hugged her. “What’s wrong?” she asked, her voice muffled by his shirt.

  “You look so sad.”

  She lifted her head and he kissed her. “I was just thinking that Diane is the only tie I have to my family now. You’re blessed.”

  “I know, sweetheart, but my family will be yours and Jack’s too. And the pack is like a big family, with Acksel and Brynn as the overbearing parents.”

  She laughed. She reached over and turned off the burner so the eggs didn’t scorch, and hugged him back.

  “Do you hear from Jack’s grandparents at all?” Malachi seemed to be choosing his words carefully.

  “No. Damian’s dad, Isaiah, is widowed; his wife died shortly after Jack was born. He had no siblings. One time, before I left him, Damien shoved me and I hit my head on a cabinet and was bleeding pretty badly. He left me there, bleeding. I didn’t have a car at the time, so I called Isaiah. It was two hours before he came over with one of the pack members who had some medical training. I told him that Damien hurt me, and he said that I chose him as my husband and I should’ve known what I was getting into. He doesn’t think much of me because I’m human, and he never claimed Jack as his grandson.”

  Malachi’s hold on her tightened just slightly. She peered at him, noticing that his eyes were flashing from blue to amber. “Malachi?”

  “I’m not angry at you, sweetheart, I’m furious that Damien put his hands on you. You never told me that. When you talked about how bad it was, I think you skipped some things.”

  “I was stupid.”

  “It’s not stupid to want to believe that someone is a good person. You got out, that’s the important thing, but I want you to tell me everything.”

  “Why?” Her mouth went dry and her throat tightened. She didn’t want him to think less of her for how long she stayed.

  “Because I don’t want there to be any secrets between us, and also because Acksel is going to speak on our behalf to Damien’s alpha and ask him to force Damien to sign the divorce papers.”

  Her breath seized in her chest and for a minute, she couldn’t hear anything over the buzzing in her ears. “Wh-what?”

  “I spoke to Acksel last week about the situation. We can’t get married until you’re divorced, and I may be patient, but I’m not patient enough to wait for him to die of old age. I want you to be free to make your own choices, Nila. You’re not free right now, because you’re still tied to him.”

  “Isaiah won’t care. The legal marriage is a joke to their pack.”

  “We’ll handle it. But I really need to know everything. Can you tell me?”

  She looked at Jack, who’d moved on from yogurt to Cheerios. “When he’s done eating.”

  When they were finished, she cleaned Jack up, put him on the floor in the family room with his favorite toys, and turned on the television. She found the kids’ channel he liked and then walked into the kitchen.

  Malachi was waiting for her at the table, and she joined him, taking the fresh cup of coffee he’d prepared for her. She looked at the steam that rose from the surface. Malachi placed his hand on her forearm, and the slight weight and warmth was enough to tell her that he wasn’t going anywhere, no matter what she told him.

  She’d done a lot of foolish things in her life. She’d snuck into a movie theater and gotten caught. She’d skipped school and missed an important test, almost screwing up her ability to pass the class and graduate. But the stupidest thing she’d ever done was fall for Damien’s lies. His clean-cut good looks had fooled her into ignoring the beast that truly lurked beneath the skin. She’d been impressed that he was a wolf shifter, led to believe that he thought she was special enough to date even though his pack didn’t care for humans. Then she got pregnant, and married, and then…the verbal barbs came. She was too fat, too lazy, too stupid. Nothing she ever did was right, but she kept trying hard to make him happy.

  “He cheated on you?” Malachi asked. His face was blank, his features carefully controlled.

  “On the full moons, but probably more frequently than that.”

  “And he never marked you?”

  “No. I didn’t know anything about that until Brynn told me.”

  “The marking means that the man and the wolf are claiming the woman. It’s a territorial thing, too. If another wolf sees the mark, he’ll know she’s taken.”

  “No one ever messed with me from his pack.”

  He leaned back in the chair and drummed his fingers on the table. “Tomorrow, Acksel is going to tell Isaiah that you are not truly mated to Damien, and that the legal marriage is a hindrance to everyone involved.”

  She wasn’t sure it would matter to Isaiah, but maybe hearing the words from another alpha would tip the situation in her favor.

  * * * * *

  Malachi left his home Monday morning with Nila and Jack in the SUV and drove to Brynn’s house. At the moment, nothing was changing about the guard situation with Brynn. Originally he’d thought he could stop sitting at the clinic all day, but since Damien had beaten up Nila’s friend, Malachi didn’t trust that he’d stay away completely.

  “Should I get in the back seat?” Nila asked as he stopped the SUV in front of the house.

  “Why would you do that?”

  “Because she’s your alpha.”

  “Mate trumps alpha.”

  Her brows rose. “Does she know that?”

  He chuckled. “Of course.”


  Brynn and Acksel walked down the sidewalk together and Brynn climbed in the back seat, greeting them all. Malachi rolled Nila’s window down and said, “I’ll be back after I get the girls settled.”

  Acksel nodded. “We’ll be ready.”

  He rolled the window up and pulled away from the curb. Nila asked, “I thought it was just you and Acksel going to see Isaiah? What did he mean by ‘we’?”

  “Acksel knows Isaiah by reputation only; they’ve never met. Alphas stick to their own territory, and Dorlan is far enough away from Wilde Creek that their paths have never crossed. If it was just me and Acksel that showed up to see Isaiah, he might think that we were a weak pack or that we saw him as weak. Either way, we might end up with him bringing his pack here and causing trouble. Acksel is bringing Sam and a few other protectors, along with his dad, Dade, and Hollis, one of the elders.”

  Nila was quiet, chewing her bottom lip, which was something he noticed she did when she was worried.

  “What, sweetheart?”

  “I’m putting a lot of people out.”

  He glanced in the rearview and found Brynn frowning. She said, “You’re important to Malachi, and that makes you important to the pack.”

  He reached for Nila’s hand and she took it, lacing her fingers with his immediately. He wasn’t sure what else to say, so he let the silence hang between them. He pulled into the parking lot of the daycare first. Nila took Jack inside and dropped him off, and then he drove to the clinic. Malachi escorted both women into the clinic and followed Nila to the breakroom.

  She leaned against the counter and he placed his hands on the counter on either side of her body and looked down at her. In a low voice, he said, “What’s bothering you?”

  “I’m worried.”

  “About your safety? Don’t. Two protectors are already in place here, and they’ll make sure you’re safe while I’m gone.”