by Casey Morgan
My brother nods, getting up from the floor and going deeper into the house. I need to know what just happened as well, but, right now, we have a bigger problem.
I turn to Mini and cup her face. “I have to go and defend my home. I’ll be back for you. I promise.” She smiles up at me, grabbing onto my wrists.
“I know. Be safe.” I kiss her forehead and leave her there.
I shift into a wolf, running outside to run these invaders off our land. Various members of our pack are running with me, approaching the Mathis clan. My adrenaline has spiked, already up from all the fighting from before.
We reach the other pack, and I’m about to run up on one of the werewolves in human form when I notice they have silver weapons. If Tamir is no longer immune, are the rest of us vulnerable? There’s no way to know without being touched by silver, and that would be disastrous in this situation.
I howl, drawing Anson’s attention to the problem. He looks me in the eyes and then turns and sees we cannot win this. Not if we’ve lost our advantage. I can see him fighting with the decision he has to make. In the end, he makes the call for a retreat. The pack is confused, but they retreat, hiding in the trees. We all run back to the house, taking different routes, so we can’t all be ambushed.
I get back to the house and shift before going inside. I find Mini sitting with Tamir. She is dressing his wound, wrapping it in a bandage. They’re talking about something, but I can’t make it out. The floorboard creaks when I walk into the room, and they both look up.
Mini gets off the couch and rushes to hug me. “What happened? Did you guys win?”
I look at my brother while answering, curious about what he was telling her. “We had to retreat. They had silver weapons, and we’re not sure if this sudden sensitivity to silver affects all of us.”
Tamir is back to his cool demeanor, but he nods ever so slightly like he’s trying to communicate something without saying it to me. But what is it?
I don’t get a chance to ask before other pack members wander in. A lot of them look at me oddly since Mini is clinging to me. She grips me tighter as more and more people surround us. I wrap my arm around her, letting everyone know that I have claimed her, and she is under my protection.
Anson is the last to enter, Flint not too far behind.
“So, you’re sticking with your decision.” Anson looks at Mini with disgust at the end of his sentence.
“I’ve told you she is innocent. I haven’t changed my mind.”
“You trust her too much. She has to go. Daric toss her out,” he orders.
Daric looks alarmed. “With the pack that’s already out there?”
“Well, if she’s working with them, then they won’t hurt her. She is in no danger.”
He doesn’t know that, not for sure. I know Anson has his doubts, but I have dragged him into a corner, and, now, he has to show his strength as the alpha.
Daric slowly starts to approach us, but I don’t move away. “If she goes, I go.” I’m not going to let him literally throw her to the wolves. The ones out there are looking for a fight, and they will attack anyone not on their side.
“Then you both can go,” Anson grumbles through clenched teeth. He turns away, having spoken his piece. I don’t know where he’s going, but I know he expects us both to be gone.
I look at my pack, and no one does anything. They’re all watching us, the faces showing a range of emotions. Even if some of them are sympathetic, they are not going to directly go against their alpha’s orders.
I take Mini’s hand and get her out of there. We pass Flint on the way out.
“Isn’t that too bad,” he whispers so only we can hear. His obviously fake sympathy turns my blood to ice. I will take care of him later.
I sneak Mini outside. We can’t just leave. The Mathises are still out there, waiting. I take her to the forest and hide in the trees. I bring Mini to the ground, so we are both kneeling.
“Are you scared?” I ask. She shakes her head. “Really?”
“Maybe a little,” she admits.
“That’s okay. I’m going to get us out of here. But I have to shift. Once I’m in my wolf form, I want you to get on my back and hold on tight. We’ll be able to move faster that way. Can you do that?”
She nods. “I can. I won’t scream this time.”
“Good girl.”
I kiss her forehead again and then back away to give myself room. I turn into my wolf, standing tall in front of Mini. She stares at me for a few seconds, her apprehension coming off in waves. She starts to scoot over to me, not making any quick movements.
She holds out her hand, softly touching my coat. I nuzzle into her palm, showing her that it’s still me. Looking into my eyes, I can sense her calming down.
“You really are Pax,” she whispers. Once she’s satisfied, she stands up and gets on to my back, griping my coat tightly with her hands. “Let’s get out of here,” she says.
And I oblige.
Epilogue
Mini
I’m not sure how long we run for, but Pax was right that it is a lot faster once I hop onto his back while he is in wolf form. The wind blows past my face and into my hair. It isn’t unlike being on a motorcycle, something I have done before, but it’s even more exhilarating. I can feel the blood rushing through Pax’s body under me.
This experience might be the closest I ever get to understanding what it’s like for him when he’s shifted. It must be even more exciting when he’s running with his wolf pack and surrounded by his own kind.
Thinking about all of this, I start to feel more and more guilty. I mean, it’s my fault that he’s been kicked out of his home. He’s given up so much for me, and all I’ve done is be a burden.
We make one stop along the way to pick up some money.
“What are you doing?” I ask as he has me get off his back, shifts, and then goes to dig up something from the ground. In the shallow hole he’s made, I see a small bag.
“I started this a while ago. Just in case I ever needed it, for whatever reason. Who knows why?” He shrugs, dusts the dirt off his clothing, stands up, and takes my hand. “I guess part of me must have known something like this would happen someday.” Without another word, we start running again.
Pax gets us a motel room on the outskirts of a nearby town. He thought Renton might be too risky since I’m from there, and my history might lead the pack that way if they decide to come after us. So, wherever we are, it is in the opposite direction.
I’m sitting on the twin bed that came with our motel room. It was the cheapest option. Pax had me sit down once we got in, and he immediately went to the bathroom. He’s been in there a while. I’m starting to get worried.
I get off the bed and approach the bathroom door. I’m not sure what to say or do. I know he’s probably having some kind of emotional crisis in there. He’s just been forced to leave his home and the only family he’s ever known. What do you say to someone who has gone through something like that?
“Pax?” I place my palm and ear against the door, hoping to hear something. There isn’t much going on, just the sound of running water. “Pax?” I say again.
Suddenly, the door starts to open, and I back away. Pax exits the bathroom. Somehow, he looks even more tired than when he went it. It seems like the reality of his situation is finally hitting him.
“Are you okay?” I ask him, placing my hands on his shoulders and looking up into his face.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” He walks past me, and I drop my arms. He goes to the bed and sits down on it, resting his back against a pillow leaning on the headboard. He’s trying not to be sad, but it’s impossible. Even after I left my own shitty family, I felt sad leaving. My Momma may have pushed me to the brink of my sanity, but I did love them. And I know how much Pax cared about his people.
I join him on the bed, placing a comforting arm on his bicep. “It’s okay if you’re not okay,” I tell him.
He sighs and looks at me. “I
don’t know, Mini,” he responds, shaking his head. “I don’t know.”
I get closer to him, scooting until I’m on his lap. It wasn’t my original intention, but I just want to hold him. I put my hands on either side of his face, lifting his chin, so he looks at me. I kiss him, inhaling his manly scent. He wraps his hands around my body, pushing his hands under my tank top, pushing it up, exposing my back to the cold air of the room.
I feel his dick hardening in his pants, so I get up on my knees and start to grind down on his pelvis. He growls into my mouth, his nails digging into my back. His hands start moving upwards again, pushing my top until I have to raise my arms so he can take it off.
Our kiss breaks when he takes my shirt off and then his. Pax looks down at my breasts. He seems so enamored with them. His mouth goes to one of my nipples, wrapping his lips around my hardened bud. His tongue circles my tit, stimulating it. Resting my hands on his shoulders, I use his body to stabilize myself.
His teeth scrape my skin, and my muscles tense. I wriggle in his lap, my pussy rubbing his bulge. There are so many sensations running through me, but it’s also not enough. Everything is just building up, and there’s no release.
Pax’s mouth leaves my nipples and moves to the top of my breast, going higher and higher until he gets to my mouth. While we kiss, I hear him unzip his jeans. I have to lift myself from his lap so I can remove my shorts. I immediately get back on top of him, placing my knees on both sides of his body. I start to bring myself down on to his hard shaft. I position his cock so I can capture him inside of me.
The head of his dick slides past my lower lips, and I sink down, embedding Pax in my pussy until he’s fully inserted. We both take deep breaths, holding onto one another. I wrap my arms around his shoulders, resting my forehead on his. Slowly, I start to rock my hips, bringing my body up and down. His dick slips in and out of me, massaging my walls.
“Fuck, Mini,” he grumbles.
Pax buries his face in my skin, going from my neck to my breast, tasting what he wants to taste. I move my hand up the back of his neck and thread my fingers into his hair. My nails dig into his scalp, pulling at some of his locks.
My body twists, wanting me to let it relax, needing its release, but I hold on, wanting to draw this out for as long as possible. I start to move faster and faster. Our bodies are slick with sweat. We slide against each other, the sounds of sex filling up our small room. My moans get louder and louder as I get closer and closer. My whole being is warming up. The beginning tingles of my orgasm start to fill my body.
“Pax!” I scream as I finally reach the highest point.
He is not too far behind me, his cum shooting into my pussy, filling me entirely. I tightly hold him as my body quivers, working through all this pleasure. It’s so intense, it takes me a couple of minutes to revive myself. I feel as Pax’s breath evens against my chest. I pick my body up and cup his cheek, lazily kissing him.
I move off of his body and go to the bathroom. Before entering, I look behind me and see Pax watching me with more affection than I’ve ever felt from anyone. He’s already proven time and time again how much he cares about me.
I feel a need to show him that I care back. But what I have to offer isn’t much.
I go into the bathroom, quickly peeing and washing my hands. I splash water on my face to add some color back to my skin. It also cools me down a little. I’m still a little hot from before, but the AC also helps.
I go back to the bedroom and pick up my underwear and tank top. I put them back on before joining Pax on the bed. He’s put on his boxers. He holds open the covers for me, and I get underneath. I snuggle against him, resting my head on his chest. Pax kisses the top of my head before running his fingers through my hair. I fully calm down, feeling the most peace I ever have.
“Would you be upset if I went back to the orchard?”
I don’t immediately answer, wanting to really think about it. When we left, it looked like some of his family didn’t want him to be kicked out, but no one said anything. Probably because of Anson. I’m not sure what it would mean for him to go back. What could happen?
“Why do you want to go back?” I ask, picking up my head to look at him.
Pax sighs, looking out the window for a couple of seconds before returning his gaze to me. “I can’t give up on my family. I’m not sure what’s going on, but I know that if Anson doesn’t see the truth, it’s going to destroy what the Staymans took centuries to build.”
“I won’t be upset if you go back. I understand that you have to help your family.” I’d never do anything to keep Pax from his family. Knowing how much he loves them; I would be cruel to want him to never see them again.
“Would you help me? I know we can save them together.” His question reminds me of something. I wiggle out of his hold and retrieve my shorts from the ground. “What is it?” Pax asks.
I take a necklace out of my pocket. It’s been passed down through the women in my family. My mother gave it to me on my sixteenth birthday. I hold it up to show Pax.
“Is that silver?”
“Yeah.” I get back into the bed with the necklace. Resting my butt on the balls of my feet, I take Pax’s arm. “Tamir told me to try something. It would confirm a theory he had.” Carefully, I rest the necklace on Pax’s arm. It starts to burn him, and he snatches his arm back, grabbing where the necklace was just touching him.
“What’s going on?” He looks just as panicked as his brother did before.
“I don’t know, but he says he thinks the mine is compromised if silver is affecting you too.” I didn’t understand most of what Tamir was telling me, but I’m sure this all means something to Pax. And I know he will figure out what’s happening to his home.
“I’m going to help you fix this,” I promise.
I put the necklace back in the pocket of my shorts and throw them on the ground. Pax grabs my hand, and I look back at him.
“What is it?
“Mini, I’m going to tell you something, and I hope it doesn’t freak you out.”
“I don’t know what else you could throw at me that would freak me out.” So much has happened. I don’t think anything else can really surprise me.
Pax smiles, looking down at our connected hands. “I think that you might be my mate. I don’t know if you know what that means, but people in our community find a mate, and it’s someone we plan on being with for life.”
“For life?” That’s intense.
“I’m not going to force you to do anything, but it would make me the happiest man alive if you never left me. Even with everything else crashing around me, you’ve made my life brighter. If you’ll have me, I would like to marry you.”
I feel my eyes widen. I was not expecting Pax to ask for my hand in marriage. This all feels so sudden. I mean, we’ve known each other for maybe twenty-four hours. Can he really love me after such a short amount of time? Can I love him? Do I love him? I know there is no one in my life I’ve ever felt this way about before, and, in my heart, I know that I will never feel the same way about anyone else. That has to be what love is. This certainty.
I start nodding. “I’ll marry you,” I say. A smile breaks across my face as it dawns on me that I’m agreeing to marry this man. “I want to marry you.”
Pax smiles and kisses me. It’s a short and sweet one.
We go back to lying down, me resting my head on his bare chest. I know there’s a lot of challenges ahead for us, but if we face them together, I’m sure we can get through anything.
THE END
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Here’s a preview of Sold to the Wolves
The
first book in my Love’s Hollow Auctions series is Sold to the Wolves, a paranormal ménage romance. Enjoy this sneak peek.
Chapter One
Tina
“Well, I finally did it!” I announce after just walking into the front door of the small apartment I share with my best friends, Olivia and Leslie.
The three of us roommates, we couldn’t be more different. I’m a witch. I’ve lived here in Love’s Hollow my whole life. Same with Leslie, though she is a werewolf. Olivia is the exception. She’s the “transplant” as we like to call her. She’s all human, that girl, but it’s the fascination she has with our kind — magical and mystical creatures — that drew her here.
Love’s Hollow in upstate New York is a small town which is safe haven for magical creatures. For centuries there was a spell cast on the town to keep regular humans away, but that went south a few years back and the solution was to mix magic and humans. So, the majority of the population is still folks like me, but humans are taking notice and moving in. It’s a bit of a change and a struggle for us all, but we also have a booming tourist trade now. Something I want to capitalize on.
Olivia, true to her bookish nature, is in the living room/office, working on her computer. She is probably writing on her latest fantasy story. One that I suspect is heavily based on her own experiences like: finding out that there was more than meets the eye after going to a super-secret club, called the Dimond Club, filled with creatures of legend and lore; falling in love with the magic aesthetic as much as the idea; and moving here.
“Finally did what?” she asks me, continuing to type away. I hear rap music pulsing lightly out of her headphones.
“I finally left my job with Gwendolyn,” I say, still barely able to believe it myself.
Gwendolyn was my boss at The Lucky Spell Pot, a bar where I was a waitress for years. She found love and I changed jobs to be her nanny. But after working with her sweet kids for over a year, I finally did it. I told her I needed to move on, to do something else with my life while I was young and full of energy.
