by Jaci Burton
"Then what is it?"
Her biting tone made him smile. God he loved his sister. He flinched as he blurted out the words. "I need woman advice."
He rolled his eyes at the sound of Chantal's hysterical laughter. Okay, he only loved her sometimes. Other times she was a real ball-busting pain in the ass.
*
By nightfall, Conner had at least made some inroads on the construction aspect of the mission.
That had been the easy part. After Chantal had chewed him a new asshole and pointed out all the ways he'd screwed up with Katya, he figured the hard part was about to begin.
Admittedly, both Noah and Chantal had been right. In his zeal to prove to Katya that he really was the big dick in charge, he'd handled the situation less than responsibly. Chantal had reminded him that the alpha female of the pack was his biggest ally. She could also be his worst enemy. The last thing he needed was a mate who couldn't stand the sight of him.
Now he had to work to rebuild the trust he'd broken. As strong-willed as Katya was, that wasn't going to be an easy task. He'd tried to see her today, but she'd been busy, unavailable, or simply unwilling to take a minute to exchange two words with him.
Her glare had been lethal, the "drop dead" signals quite clear. Her anger was palpable, and now that he'd had the chance to replay this morning's events, he couldn't blame her.
Sometimes he was a prick. Especially as it related to business and what he wanted to get done. In his work, nothing and no one got in his way. Only Katya wasn't in his way. She was an important part of the pack and he was going to have to do one hell of a job of backpedaling to undo the damage he'd done this morning.
First thing he'd done was enlist Noah and Elena's aid in once again emptying the castle of all inhabitants for the night. Noah was more than happy to shift and shack up with Elena in the woods for the night. The rest of the castle population disappeared, and he had no idea where. But Elena assured him they'd be alone for the evening.
He finished up in the kitchen, then popped the cork on a bottle of wine he'd found in the cellars. Fires had been lit in all the fireplaces, rendering the castle warm and toasty.
The table was set, the wine breathing. Now he had to find Katya and convince her to join him. Elena had told him that Katya was holed up in her room, unwilling to come downstairs.
Taking a deep breath, Conner stepped through the door to the bedroom.
Katya was sitting up in bed reading. She didn't even bother to look up at him.
"I made dinner."
She ignored him.
"I'd like you to join me."
Still ignoring him.
"I opened a bottle of wine."
Clearly she'd gone deaf.
Or she was ignoring him.
Deciding to try a different tactic, he said, "Princess Katya, would you do me the honor of dining with me this evening? There are important matters related to the land and the wolves that I'd like to discuss with you."
Finally she looked up, her eyes as cold as a mountain winter. "Why are you dressed up?"
"I thought it would be nice if we had a special dinner tonight. Everyone in the castle is gone and we're alone. We can...talk."
She frowned. "Why do you want to talk to me about anything? I thought you had it all under control."
Touche. And he'd deserved that one, too. "It's important. Please."
Damn, it was hard to beg. But Chantal told him he'd have to kiss ass, and most likely all night long, whether he liked it or not. Then, if he was really, really lucky, she might start talking to him again.
"You have to eat anyway. Might as well have dinner with me."
"I can eat up here."
"Katya, I need your advice."
The book dropped to the bed and her shoulders hunched in a big sigh.
"Very well."
She slipped off the bed and started to follow him from the room, but he stopped her.
"Would you mind wearing a dress?"
Arching a brow, she said, "Don't press your luck, Conner. I said I'd eat with you, not parade around in a dress for your benefit."
"You have beautiful legs. I'd love to see them."
"Is that an order from the alpha?" she said, sarcasm dripping from her voice.
"Will it work if I say yes?"
Judging from the "fuck off" look he'd just received, it didn't work at all.
"Get out, Conner."
Shit. Chantal said not to push her. It would only piss her off more.
"I understand. I guess I'll just have to figure this out on my own. Goodnight."
He turned and left the room, heading back into the kitchen and pouring himself a large glass of wine. He downed it in one gulp, then poured another, determined to enjoy the dinner he'd prepared.
It wasn't like he cooked a meal every goddamned day.
As soon as he'd finished loading his plate with steak, potatoes and vegetables, Katya walked in.
No dress, but at least she was here. That was progress.
"Well, are we going to talk?"
He nodded. "If you'd like to go sit in the dining room, I'll bring our plates and drinks in."
She nodded and whirled around, teasing him with a glimpse of her ass in tight black pants.
Lord, she had a sexy walk.
After he'd carried their dinner and drinks into the dining room, he pulled a chair next to her. He'd lit candles earlier, and their glow reflected off the soft dark waves of her hair, illuminating her face. Why couldn't he concentrate on her beauty, on the way her pulse beat against her neck, instead of how to extract himself from this mess his big mouth had gotten him in?
He lifted his glass and said, "To a successful union between the Braslieu and Devlin packs."
She didn't toast, instead looked down at her plate and began to eat.
At least she didn't complain about the food. She ate well, too, and didn't pick like some women did. He hated when a woman left her food on the plate, like it was some great sin to eat a meal. Wolves ate for strength, knowing they'd need it to survive. A picky woman wouldn't last an hour in the woods with a pack of wolves.
They ate in silence. Conner struggled for an opening, wondering how he was going to broach the subject of his behavior earlier.
When they'd finished the meal, she drained her glass and he refilled it. She swirled the red liquid around the glass and stared at him expectantly.
Christ, he'd never been nervous before. How goddamned hard was it to utter an apology?
"I behaved like a prick this morning, Katya. I'm sorry. This is all very new to me and I handled it badly."
She arched a brow, but said nothing.
"I'm used to people staying out of my way and following my lead in business. I went ahead and made decisions that I thought were best for the pack. I have to do that as alpha and you know it."
Still no reaction.
"I'm still more than a bit pissed off about not having a choice in who I mated. But that's done now, and I could use your help. You're the native here, and I'm the outsider. I should have asked you to consult instead of charging ahead and making decisions."
It galled him to apologize for being himself, but he swallowed the bitter taste and forged on. "I didn't consider your feelings in this. I won't make the same mistake again."
He waited while she looked at him for a minute. Then she said, "I accept your apology."
"Thank you." One hill climbed, about a thousand more to go.
He stood and reached out for her. She looked down at his hand and then back up to his face.
"I accepted your apology, Conner. Let's leave it at that."
She stood without taking his hand and took her plate to the kitchen. He followed her, watching the soft sway of her hips, his cock coming to life.
Now was not a good time for an erection. He had a feeling more apologizing was in order.
"Come with me," he said, not reaching out to touch her this time. Grabbing the wine and their glasses, he moved them to
the living room and turned on the old stereo. Soft music played, a tune unfamiliar to him but obviously not to Katya as she turned and stared at the speakers.
"This is a love song." She looked at him accusingly, as if he purposely chose this particular song in order to torture her.
"Is it? I found some CDs. I don't read your language, so I just put one on."
"It's my favorite music. My parents loved it. They'd dance in here, sometimes late into the night. I would watch from the stairs as my father held my mother close and moved her slowly around the room."
She seemed lost in her memories as she continued to stare at the stereo. He came up behind her, stopping just short of reaching for her.
"Dance with me, Katya."
She shook her head. "No."
Now he did touch, sliding his hands up and down her arms. She shivered, but didn't turn around.
"I want you," he whispered against her ear, breathing in her scent that no perfume could mimic. She smelled of wildflowers, sunlight and heavenly woman.
"You'll have to get off with another female."
His hands stilled and he turned her to face him. "What?"
"You heard me. You're never going to touch me again."
Obviously he'd been wrong about the headway he thought he'd made with her. "Katya, I said I was sorry."
"I know. And I'm sure you meant it. But I was foolish enough to let my guard down once. I won't make the same mistake twice."
"We're mated."
"Indeed we are. And when it is necessary to procreate, I will allow it. But for fun and fucking? No. You'll have to go to someone else for that."
All this had been for nothing. She really hadn't forgiven him.
"I won't be going to anyone else for sex, Katya. I only want you."
"You can't have me."
He advanced on her, taking her into his arms and pulling her against him. The time for listening to advice was over. He might consult her on matters related to the castle and wolves, but in this he wouldn't be defied. "I chose you as my mate, Katya. Make no mistake. We will make love, and often. You can argue with me about anything else, but not this."
She stiffened and pushed against his chest, but he held her firm. "So you plan to rape me?"
His lips curled into a smile. "No, honey. I'm not Peter. I won't be taking what you don't willingly give me."
"Then we're at an impasse, because I don't intend to give you anything."
"Katya, I know your body. I can smell when you're aroused, I know your needs."
She was tense in his arms, but her body told him what she refused to admit.
She wanted him. Her scent gave her away. Sweet, tangy, desire filled the air around them, that musky perfume of aroused female. She might be ticked off at him right now, but she was also hot, aroused and primed for sex.
He'd just have to show her that she couldn't deny herself the pleasure she so desperately craved.
"You want me," he said, leaning in to inhale her scent. When he licked the pulse point at her neck, she shuddered.
"I don't."
"You lie." He kissed his way from her neck to her shoulder, slipping the sweater down her arms, then drawing the strap of her flimsy lace chemise down.
"No, Conner. I don't want this," she whispered, but her heart wasn't in the protest.
The key was to take it slow, to build up to the passion he knew was locked away inside her.
If he took her now, she'd respond eventually, but she'd hate him for showing her as weak. It was time to start paying attention to her signals instead of rushing head first like a bull in heat.
No matter how painful it would to be to hold back.
He pulled the strap up over her shoulder and stepped away. "Come sit down with me and have a drink."
Her eyes widened, then narrowed, as if she'd been surprised he'd stopped. He sat next to her, sipping his wine, memorizing the lines of her body and the way her hair fell over her breasts.
But he didn't touch her.
And she didn't speak, nor did she move toward him.
She did drink her wine, leaned her head against the sofa and closed her eyes.
He wondered where her mind wandered as the soft sounds of violins played on the stereo. Was she transported back to her childhood, watching her parents dance in this room, or was she wishing a more grown-up fantasy to come true?
What did Katya want? What would it take to make her happy? To trust him? To live in contentment with him?
Too bad he didn't know the answer to any of those questions. It certainly would make this easier.
Then he realized that Katya didn't really know him at all. And how could she trust someone she knew nothing about?
Which gave him idea. He never talked about his family with anyone. But if he and Katya were mated, she'd need to know everything about him.
And maybe, just maybe, he could make some inroads with her this way.
"Both my parents' families came from Europe," he said, figuring the best place to start was from the beginning. "The Devlin wolves are from Ireland. My great-great-grandfather immigrated to the United States in the hopes that the land of opportunity would afford his pack the chance to expand and grow. My mother's family came from England in the early eighteen hundreds. Their pack was already established by the time my father's family arrived in America. When my parents met, the merger between the Wainrights and the Devlins was thought to be good business. Good for the lupine society as a whole."
Katya didn't speak, but she hadn't gotten up and left the room, either. He took a long swallow of wine and continued.
"My parents have continued the tradition of their families. I have three brothers and a sister. Jason, the oldest, is a senator in Washington, D.C. His primary goal is to ensure legislation to protect the wolves. He just recently became engaged to his mate, a full human who has agreed to become lupine."
"They allow that?" she asked.
"Yes. Unusual, of course, but my parents aren't going to stand in the way of love. Jason fell in love with Kelsey and chose her as his mate. It didn't matter that she was fully human, only that she accept him as a wolf."
She nodded, refilling his glass and hers.
"My other brother, Max, has also met his mate. He lives in New Orleans now, and the woman he is going to marry has powers of her own, though they aren't lupine."
"What kind of powers?"
"Power over the weather. Her family has had this gift for centuries. Max tells me the combination of power between he and Shannon is rather...explosive."
She grinned. "Ah, so he has a woman well matched for him."
"You could say that." He watched her take a sip of wine. Didn't she realize she was torturing him with the way she licked her lips after she swallowed? His dick was twitching enough already just looking at her.
"Go on," she urged.
"My younger sister, Chantal, has just moved to San Francisco. She's been assigned to a pack there."
"Your family will not stay together?"
"No."
"That's not the pack way."
"I know. But my parents felt it important to spread the Devlin genes around the world. They have big goals, their primary one being continuation of the lupine species worldwide."
"And what about you? Were you...assigned somewhere?"
He smiled. "No, I hadn't been."
She frowned. "What's happened between us has upset your family's plans."
"Not necessarily. When my parents heard what transpired between the two of us, they made an immediate decision. I was assigned the Carpathian mountain region, the birthplace of all lupines. Now that we have an idea of what's going on here, it's imperative that the wolves are protected and nourished. When their numbers grow, we can be assured of continuity of the original bloodlines."
"This is important to you? To your family?"
"Very important. Without your ancestry, Katya, the bloodlines weaken. You are the catalyst. The beginning of it all."
"
So if you and I merge..."
He smiled. "Right. We create the most powerful dynasty of lupines on Earth."
She sat back and finished her glass of wine, staring out the window at the half moon shining overhead.
Had what he said made any impact on her at all?
*
Katya felt the pull of the moon, wishing she could strip down and run wild into the night. A desperate urge to shed more than her clothing came over her.
She wanted to rid herself of the conflicting emotions swirling through her, the need to dominate warring with the need to merge with Conner and give up some of the burden she'd carried alone for so long.
The Devlins were a powerful pack. More powerful and much more dedicated than any she'd ever come across, including her own. Her parents, the Braslieu pack, every Carpathian lupine pack she'd ever known had always been content with the status quo. To simply be allowed to exist had always been good enough.
But the Devlins thought far beyond mere existence. Their goal was to flourish, to expand, to propagate their species so their numbers could never dwindle.
She was almost embarrassed that the old ancestry had failed in realizing that they could never survive unless they fought to expand.
The Carpathian wolves hid, hoping their kind wouldn't be obliterated. They had never thought to fight against the governments, the hunters, and anyone who stood in their way.
Merely hiding and surviving wouldn't ensure their continuation.
Conner was right. They were wrong. It was time to stand up and become more powerful, not hide in the shadows and pray they weren't hunted to extinction.
Maybe she and Conner could work together on this. But only for the protection of the wolves. She was bound and determined to close off her emotions where Conner was concerned. She'd tried and failed with him, and would never open her heart. Though he intended to stay and help the pack, he wasn't the least bit interested in her except as a mate to propagate their species.
Keeping her distance from him would be the wisest thing to do. She'd never let him hurt her that way again. But how could she let her personal feelings interfere with what he hoped to accomplish here? The Devlins could be their salvation.
Besides, this was her homeland. He was a foreigner here, away from his family. Even his brother wouldn't be staying on permanently. Soon he'd be all alone, with no one to depend on. Nothing familiar, including the love of his family.
Could Katya become his family? The pack would follow their alpha, but they'd never give him their complete trust until she did.
