Hunted And Claimed (Wayward Mates Series Book 7)

by Delta James

  Cameron moved lower so that he was straddling her legs and his hands were working on her middle and lower back. Riley purred as the muscles relaxed. It seemed like it had been years since her body felt this languid.

  Cameron trailed his finger down her spine, between her butt cheeks and pressed lightly against her bottom hole. Before she could react or even really register he’d done it, he moved his hand back up to between her shoulder blades and traced her spine again. After he completed that maneuver several times, Riley found it impossible to keep her body tense against his invasion.

  “Good girl,” he said, leaning forward and whispering kisses down her spine.

  He rumbled low and seductively and her body shivered as the dance of arousal it had already come to know so well at his touch commenced.

  This time after he paused briefly to fondle the outside of her bottom, his hand continued its downward path and she felt him insert two of his fingers into her pussy. The noise she made in response was somewhere between a sensual growl and a moan of pure pleasure. He pumped his fingers gently within her, scissoring them to create a decidedly enjoyable sensation.

  Cameron continued his stroking only for a moment more before moving on down to her clit. By this point, Riley had given up any idea of doing anything other than allowing him to continue to evoke a stronger response to his caresses. He left her nub swelling and wanting more and brought his hand up to play inside her sheath and collect some of her own natural moisture.

  He returned his hand to her bottom, rubbing her nectar along the outside of her tight little rosette before pushing one finger in gently. When she offered him no resistance, he leaned down and deposited kisses along her spine as he gently probed her virgin hole.

  Riley didn’t want to like it. She thought it should feel wrong. But it didn’t. It felt right. It made her feel his dominance in a way she had yet to. And that too felt right, to yield to him. Slowly the slight sting of having his finger up her ass gave way to a far more pleasurable sensation. A feeling of fullness but definitely an increasing sexually gratifying one. Riley’s nipples began to become hard and her pussy began to pulse in the same rhythm as Cameron’s stroking of her back entrance.

  She reached her hand back for the one of his that wasn’t slowly pumping in and out of her.

  “Cameron.” She breathed his name in a sigh.

  He rumbled low, taking her hand and leaning forward to nuzzle the side of her neck.

  “Not so bad, is it?”

  She could hear the smile in his voice.

  “No. I keep thinking I should be protesting and not liking it at all...”

  “But you like it, don’t you?” he said. He let her hand go and reached under her to fondle her breasts and nipples.

  “Oh, God, Cam,” she said as her breathing become more erratic.

  He continued to stroke her bottom, but did so with increasing speed and depth. He brought his hand up from underneath her and slid two of his fingers into her pussy, causing her to catch her breath.

  “Come for me, Riley. Give yourself to me.”

  He increased the stroking in both of her holes, giving her little chance to do anything but respond to him on a purely sensual level.

  As he whispered, “Come, Riley,” she felt her body spasm in climax.

  Cameron parted her legs, lifted her hips, and thrust his hard cock into her pussy, making her gasp at his possession. He held her steady as he plunged in and out of her. Riley could do nothing but respond to him and his use of her warm, wet velvet glove.

  The sounds of his groaning and growling as he sought his own release were music to her ears. She knew she would never tire of hearing him achieve his own satisfaction as he took her to repeated heights of ecstasy. He drove his cock to the end of her channel before pulling back almost to the point where he uncoupled from her, only to drive forward again to plumb her depths. As the stroking became more frenzied, the thrusts were shorter but more powerful. Riley ascended a last time to the pinnacle of her completion as she felt him unleash a powerful flood of his cum into her.

  He stayed lodged deep inside her as he rolled them both to their sides. His arms came around her to hold her close.

  “You know, Cam,” she purred at him. “I might enjoy that more if you did it better. When I was learning to play fiddle, my father made me practice at least twice a day.”

  “What an excellent idea, sweetheart. How about every morning before we go for our ride and then after we retire for the evening?”

  “Hmm, that will probably suffice for the regular stuff but I think your knotting technique needs work as well,” she giggled.

  He laughed at her silliness. “You are a very naughty mate, but one whom I think needs equal parts pleasure and discipline.”

  “More pleasure, less discipline.”

  “Better behavior, less discipline.”

  “Killjoy.”

  The overhead speaker crackled.

  “Alpha, we are approaching Texas airspace. We should be at the airstrip within the hour. Should I let your pack know?”

  “Yes. Thank you.”

  “I suppose,” Riley said in her best Texas drawl, “that you’re going to want me to get up and get dressed.”

  “Your choice. I have no problem taking you back into our home wrapped in this sheet and slung over my shoulder. There are those that think it would be more fitting.”

  “Are you one of them?” she said, turning in his arms to search his face.

  “No, Riley. I have no desire to hold a grudge or not recognize that you have, for the most part, surrendered yourself to my keeping. I treasure that gift and always will. I will never have any desire to prolong any discord between us. Once you yield, while you may get punished for whatever you did, I will see things put back right between us.”

  “But your pack...”

  “I am alpha. Not just of you, but of all of them. And no one or their opinion comes before you. You are my fated mate. That mark you bear is not just a warning to others, but a promise to you. I will see that both are honored for all the rest of my days on this earth... and beyond.”

  “Jesus, Cameron. Are you sure you aren’t Irish? I believe there’s more than a bit of the poet in my Texas cowboy.”

  “That must be the part that makes you so happy when I shove it up your cunt.”

  Riley rolled her eyes. “And the badass cowboy returns.”

  “All right, Irish, up you get. I’m sure at least Gabe and Sam will be waiting for us. And you, my mate, will offer your apologies to Gabe for kicking him in the nuts. And if you ever do it again, I’ll tan your hide with my belt. Understood?”

  “Yes, my alpha lord and master.”

  They locked eyes before both started to laugh.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  As they descended the stairs into the Texas night, Cameron inhaled deeply. Other than his mate when she was fully aroused, he doubted he’d ever smelled anything as sweet. He was home; his mate was at his side, and she seemed happy to be there.

  “Welcome home, Cameron,” Gabe said as he stepped forward. “Mistress.”

  “Yeah, about the first time we met...” Riley started.

  Cameron smiled over her head at Gabe. He could tell the start of the apology caught his beta a bit off guard.

  Gabe interrupted her. “I think it’s best if we start over. Looking back, I wasn’t as diplomatic as I might have been.”

  “That would great,” Riley said, clearly relieved that his beta seemed disinclined to press the matter.

  She stepped forward and kissed Gabe on the cheek. “But I am sorry and if I need to apologize to Heather for any interruption in her pleasure that it might have caused, I’m glad to do it.”

  There was a complete silence until all four of them, as Sam had come to greet them as well, burst into laughter. Sam trotted up the stairs and brought their bags down to the SUV.

  “Well, obviously he hasn’t spanked all of the sass out of you. That’s a good thing. We like o
ur women a bit on the sassy side in the Wolf Meadow pack,” teased Gabe.

  Cameron could feel himself exhaling a breath he hadn’t known he was holding.

  Sam stepped forward. “Mistress,” he said, kissing her hand and rubbing it against his cheek.

  Cameron turned to the pilot, who stood in the doorway of the plane.

  “You are welcome to stay as long as you like and relax here with us,” said Cameron.

  “Thank you, Alpha. But I wish to get home to New Orleans. As much as you have missed your home here in Texas, I have missed the Crescent City and I did not have a beautiful mate to ease my loneliness.”

  Cameron led Riley, Gabe, and Sam away from the plane and they watched it take off and turn toward New Orleans.

  They all piled into the SUV and made short work of getting from the airstrip to the main house. Riley’s eyes lit up and began to glisten with unshed tears as she saw the house had obviously been prepared to celebrate their return and to welcome her into their pack.

  Cameron pulled her close. “I told you they would be happy to have you home. Not as happy as I, perhaps, but then they don’t get to share your bed.”

  She grinned at him. “That would be our bed.”

  “You call it whatever you want, sweetheart, as long as you always welcome me into it.”

  She blushed but kissed him deeply. Cameron grinned as he saw Gabe and Sam smiling broadly.

  * * *

  They exited the SUV to the whoops, hollers, and howls of the entire Wolf Meadow pack. Two women stepped forward. Riley recognized one of them as Heather, Gabe’s mate and the woman who had helped her escape. The other she was quite sure was Cameron’s younger sister, Amy.

  “So, we’re to be sisters, you and I,” she said, watching Amy carefully.

  Riley didn’t miss the fact that Amy glanced at Sam before responding.

  “Yes, Mistress.”

  “Mistress? Hmm... not sure I like that. And don’t think it really fits. My mother was mistress of our pack. Very refined lady. Me? I’m a bit more rough and tumble. You do know I dropped our beta the night we met, don’t you?”

  Amy giggled and Cameron growled, making Amy giggle even more.

  Amy rushed forward and hugged Riley.

  “I’ve always wanted a big sister.”

  “Oh, goodie. I’ve always wanted a little one. Glad we got that settled.”

  Riley put her arm around Amy’s waist and then drew Heather to her as well.

  “I think, ladies, it’s time we showed the ranking members of the Wolf Meadow pack just what kind of fated mates they got saddled with. Last one to the tequila has to clean the other ones’ saddles. With mine it’ll be easy as Cameron has agreed to get me a new one to go with my bonding present.”

  “What did he get you?” asked Heather.

  “His gelding.”

  Amy’s eyes grew big. “He’s going to let you have Echo?”

  “If that’s the big gray appy gelding with the white blanket and big peacock spots that I borrowed when I left for my vacation in Europe, then yep, he’s giving me Echo.”

  Riley stopped. Clearly, being gifted with Echo was a bigger deal than she had imagined.

  Cameron shrugged his shoulders. “What can I say. I want her mounted on the best... that means Echo.”

  Riley turned back and wrapped her arms around him, nuzzling his neck and whispering in his ear, “No. Echo’s former rider would be the better mount.”

  While they might not have heard what she said, the gist of it was conveyed by the way Cameron rumbled at her before kissing her deeply.

  Riley was swept out of his arms and into those of his pack. They greeted her at first with great deference but quickly put that aside for a warmer, more intimate greeting. They acknowledged Cameron was home, but clearly were more interested in her. She looked back at him and stuck out her tongue. Cameron laughed.

  She watched as Gabe held him back and the two of them conferenced with Sam. Riley nodded toward them and turned to Heather. “What’s that about?”

  “My guess is the goings-on in Europe. Darby says Jean-Michel has been quite anxious for the two of you to get home. Darby wanted me to let you know, if you want or need to, we can get you away again.”

  Riley grinned at her and at Amy, who nodded. “We, is it now? Well, it’s good to know I have trusted comrades. Amy, for the record, I do love your brother madly. I’m just not sure how good a mate I can be knowing those other women are still out there.”

  “I understand,” she said. “I know he plans to let you know more that the rest of the women of the Coalition’s member packs, but you’ve done more to help those girls than all of those packs put together. And it isn’t just Heather and I you can trust. Every one of the women in our pack has your back. Whatever you need, we will get for you. You just say the word.”

  “I guess the powers that be knew what they were doing when they fated this Irish she-wolf to the powerful alpha of Galveston. Now, sister dear, where do you keep the tequila?”

  Riley enjoyed their homecoming celebration. Her new pack had made her feel as if she had been born among them. It would take a while to get all of their names right, but they were obviously happy that their alpha had found his fated mate and brought her home.

  Their young chef was a revelation. Her cooking, while down home Texas comfort food, had a sophistication and nuance that Riley found much to be happy with. She complimented her repeatedly on different dishes and suggested they have her as a guest chef one night at the restaurant.

  When her fiddle case was brought in, it was spotted by the other musicians in the pack who immediately demanded she join them.

  Riley grinned as she removed the instrument from its case.

  “Our all-powerful, all-knowing alpha over there told me I’d have to learn to play ‘Cotton-Eyed Joe’ and ‘The Devil Went Down to Georgia,’” she said.

  “That’s all right, Mistress,” offered the young banjo player. “We’ll be happy to teach you.”

  “Teach me?” Riley challenged. “I’m an Irish fiddle player, son. Y’all are just going to have to try and keep up.”

  With that playful taunt she struck up the introduction to ‘The Devil Went Down to Georgia.’ She was delighted with the quality of the musicians in her pack. They were every bit as good, if not better, than those she’d grown up with. She forgot herself in the sheer joy of playing fiddle and entertaining those around her.

  She was taking a breather when Cameron joined her, stole her shot of tequila, downed it, and hoisted her over his shoulder, much to the dismay of his pack.

  “Oh, I like that,” he said to them as Riley squirmed for effect with no real desire to be put down. “I chase after your mistress all over Europe and some of the hell holes she dragged us through were pretty awful. And when we get home, you want to keep her to yourselves. Well, I’m not having it. I chased her silly ass, I caught her sassy ass,” he said, rubbing her bottom and making her laugh, “and now I’m going to take her sexy ass up to our bed and keep her all to myself for the next week or so. Gabe? Sam? Once again, I leave our pack in your most capable hands while I take my mate into seclusion.”

  “Not to worry,” called Gabe as Cameron started up the stairs with her, “we made sure there was a big vase filled with fresh switches.”

  “Not funny, Gabriel,” Riley called down to him.

  “Not meant to be, Mistress.”

  Cameron opened the door to their room and dumped her unceremoniously on their bed. He looked at the large Native American pottery vase next to their dresser and saw that it was in fact filled with switches. Only each switch had a note tied to it. Each note was from a member of their pack wishing them well.

  “Cam... I don’t have words. That may be the most wonderful thing I’ve ever seen.”

  “I told you they’d be glad to have you home. But not nearly as glad as I am. God, I missed you, Riley. I never thought it was possible to miss anyone that much.”

  She got up of
f the bed and wrapped herself in his embrace. “I know, my love, I’m so sorry. If it’s any consolation, I missed you just as much.”

  “Not as physically painful as it will be should you ever choose to run away again.”

  “Cameron, I will solemnly vow that I will never run away from you again. Even if it appears that I have, never doubt that I will count every minute we are apart and will miss you desperately until I am returned to you.”

  “Riley? What are you planning?”

  “Nothing,” she said honestly. “Just you never know what might happen. Amy and I might decide that you and Sam are being bigger jackasses than normal and that a girl’s trip to the Grand Caymans is in order.”

  “Speaking of which, mate. I want you to surrender every passport, legal or not, before we come out of seclusion.”

  “Hmm. Seclusion. Now there’s a concept. As I understand it, the original idea thousands of years ago was so that you alphas could convince your mates that they were caught, you could rip a huge chunk out of their neck to mark them, and then knot them in a frenzy of lust trying to ensure they will let you do it to them at least once a month and more often if you can.”

  He chuckled. “That’s about the size of it.”

  “Then we can end our seclusion tomorrow morning. There is nowhere and no one I’d rather be with. My mark is quite prominent and healing rapidly. And as I recall, my alpha, you’ve been putting that knot into me on a regular and frequent basis... much to my delight.”

  “And do you want to end our seclusion so soon?” he said in a voice deepened with lust.

  “Hell, no! I want you to knot and tie me and perhaps even explore those more forbidden pleasures.”

  “Do you now? And do you think I should give into your demands?”

  “Would it help if I said pretty please? Maybe got on my knees to say it?”

  “You get on your knees, sweetheart, after you offer me your ass and it isn’t your mouth I’m going to want to be breaching. Fact is, I’ve heard that knotting one’s mate from behind is the ultimate in carnal pleasure and I would choose to find out if that is so.”