The Winter Collection

by Alexa Riley

  “Okay, maybe I do know where they are.” She bites her lip, and I can tell she’s debating something. Maybe Dom told her not to tell me or something and she doesn’t want to betray him. Ruby’s a sweetheart, and as much as it sucks to have to do this, I’ll go straight for her weak spot. Compassion.

  “Ruby, if you wanted to know where your mate was and I knew and didn’t tell you, what would you think of me?”

  Her mouth falls open, and I can see the battle going on inside her. As sweet as Ruby is, she’d rip my head off if I kept her from Dom. Even as a human, she’s protective of him and with his mate mark on her, she now has a little bit of wolf in her, too.

  “They took him to the alpha’s house,” Winnie chimes in, and Ruby lets go of a deep breath she must have been holding. I’m sure she’s probably happy she didn’t have to break her word to Dom, but I don’t care. I’m happy I got the answer I needed.

  “How do you know that?” I ask, wondering how she got that tidbit of information. Winnie’s been by my side this whole time, even when Stone tried to send her home. If I wasn’t so worried about my mate, I’d be cheering for Winnie standing up for herself for once. She got right into Stone’s face and told him he could shove it. A nicer phrase than I would have used, but she was probably still raw from his comment about her being different.

  “I don’t know.” She shifts from foot to foot, and it takes everything in me not to growl at her. It’s the last thing Winnie needs. I’m probably her only friend, and so I try to control my frustration. Getting these girls to talk right now is like pulling freaking teeth. “Sometimes Stone just texts me and tells me not to go somewhere, and I normally don’t.”

  That doesn’t even make sense, but I don’t care enough right now to try to figure it out. My brother’s house was going to be the next place I checked anyway, knowing he has a few cages on our family’s land. Sometimes things get a little sticky when unmated, out-of-control shifters show up in town. You can’t just throw them into a holding cell down at the police station. I’m going to have to find out which one he’s put him in. Shouldn’t be hard now that I have a scent to track. A scent that for some reason seems familiar, but I can’t place it. It’s at the corner of my mind, but I can’t grab it.

  The biggest problem is going to be getting him out of whatever cage he’s in. There’s no way I could break it and I’ve seen some of the shifters Stone has thrown in them before. If they couldn’t break out themselves, no way can I. I might have to sneak in and get a key, but it’s not something I’m sure I have the time to do.

  The reminder of my mate’s scent sends desire shooting through my body, and the potency seems to be growing by the second. I think my adrenaline and fear held it at bay, but now Mother Nature is making herself known, and my body has come alive.

  “Maybe we should just wait. Just let Dom get X under control first and calm him down a little.” Ruby’s making her best effort to get me to stay. I can see the unease in her eyes. It pisses me off that she seems to know my mate along with everyone else. How is that possible? I have no freaking clue, and it doesn’t sit well. In fact, it’s really starting to get under my skin.

  Ruby gasps and takes a step back from me. It takes me a moment to realize that my eyes have shifted. I take a deep breath to pull myself back under control, trying to calm down. Letting my wolf out isn’t going to get me anywhere right now.

  “How do you know my mate and I don’t? I’ve lived here my whole life. You’ve been here months.” I try and keep the anger out of my voice, but it’s hard. I’m frustrated and, well, I’m guessing this other feeling is horny.

  “He kinda lives in the woods behind the bakery. I’m a little shocked you haven’t seen him by now. I give him cookies and treats all the time.”

  My heart clenches. He lives in the woods? That has to be lonely. I can’t go ten minutes without wanting to talk to someone. I’d go crazy in the wild. I’m starting to think the differences between my mate and me are going to be ginormous. We haven’t even gotten a chance to talk to each other and it’s like the world is already against us. It doesn’t matter, though. We’ll run if we have to. I won’t let my mate and Stone come to blows. All I can do is get my mate and leave. Maybe some time away will calm Stone down and we can return. He won’t be able to do anything once were mated and I’m carrying our pups.

  The thought of our pups has me in motion again. I can get details about my mate later. Right now I just need to find him. I throw my bag over my shoulder. “Please move.”

  They both step out of my way, and I go down the stairs and out the back bakery door with them hot on my heels. I throw my bag in the back seat of my car and slam the door before pulling my car keys out of my purse.

  “If you’re my friends, you won’t tell them I’m going to get him.” I give them both a pleading look, and I know Winnie won’t tell a soul, but Ruby might tell her mate.

  “But Gwen. X can be a little…” Ruby’s words trail off, but I just stand there waiting. I want to know what she was going to say. “Much,” she finally finishes, not really giving me anything at all.

  “Same thing could have been said about Dom, Ruby. We had to chain him.” I remind her of her own mating. “Did he hurt you when you got into that cabin?”

  “I won’t tell them,” she says instantly at the truth of my reminder.

  I nod at both of them, hop into my car, and take off towards our family land. It doesn’t take long to get there. With most of the town still at the fair, the roads are clear.

  I park on the south side of the property, making sure I’m downwind. I’m hoping Stone doesn’t catch my scent as I track through the woods. When I don’t find him in the first cage, I start heading towards the one closer to the main house.

  It doesn’t take long before I start to smell him. A loud howl rings out and I pick up speed, running as fast as I can while staying in human form. I don’t want to shift and lose my clothes. If I have to drive us out of here, I don’t want to have to do that naked.

  Breaking through the trees, I see the back of the house. I quietly sneak onto the back porch and open the back door silently. I’ve had enough experience sneaking in and out of this house to know exactly where I’m going. I didn’t think Stone would bring him here to his home. He must really have a problem with my mate if he wanted to bring him here instead of some of the other cages on the property.

  Inside, my mate’s scent is stronger, and I make my way to the basement door. It’s locked, but it only takes me a second to get it open. I roll my eyes. This dinky lock isn’t going to keep any shifter in or out.

  I take the steps quietly. As I travel down farther, I pick up only the scent of my mate. When I’m at the bottom of the stairs, I round the corner and see a cage. Inside it is the biggest black wolf I’ve ever seen. I know it’s him because just like his human form, his wolf form is massive.

  My mate.

  I run to the bars but stop short when he charges the cage, shifting to human faster than I knew was possible. He must be more in tune with his wolf than most, or has spent a lot of time in that form to shift so easily back and forth and with such fluid movements.

  His big arms reach through the bars, grabbing my face and pulling me towards him. I moan at the contact as he presses against my body as much as he can. His hard cock digs into me, and my body feels like it’s buzzing with awareness.

  “Mine,” he whispers, his voice so low I almost don’t hear him. He repeats it over and over. If I wasn’t pressed so close to him, I wouldn’t be able to hear him chanting the word. He rubs his face against me as best as he can, and I can see he’s still part-wolf. He looks so familiar, but I can’t seem to place him.

  As he keeps rubbing me, I can’t help the moans that pour from my mouth at his touches. Wolves run in packs by nature. We are touchers and huggers but I’ve never felt anything like this. His gentleness surprises me. Then I realize what he’s doing. He’s trying to get my scent on him and his on me. I push into him, wantin
g the same thing, until he suddenly pulls back from me. This time it’s me who grabs through the bars, trying to get him back.

  “Someone’s coming,” he growls. I hear the distant sound of tires on gravel. He’s right. We don’t have much time. A whine slips past my lips, and his eyes shoot back to mine. “They won’t keep you from me.” He reaches for the bars and pulls. They grind and screech as he starts to rip them from the concrete floor, sending shards of cement flying.

  “Holy shit.” I step back, giving him room, completely shocked at what he’s doing.

  I watch with wide eyes, and then suddenly he’s on me. Flipping me over his shoulder, he runs up the stairs with me.

  “That way.” I point over his shoulder and he sprints in that direction. In half a second, I feel cool air on my cheeks as he runs us through the woods.

  “I can run on my own.”

  He slides me down his chest, and I think he’s going to put me down, but he just cradles me in his arms.

  “No,” he grunts, like his word is final.

  “We can move faster if I run myself,” I try to protest, but he just pulls me closer to him, his intent clear. A spark of anger flares inside me, but his words wash it away instantly.

  “I know how to care for my mate. I can make everything perfect for you. You’ll never want to leave me. I’ll never be alone again.”

  I let my body mold into his, resting my head on his shoulder as he continues to run. I breathe in his scent, and it finally soothes the ache inside me.

  After about twenty minutes and no sign of him slowing down and the last of daylight fading away, I try again. “Where are we going?”

  “Home.”

  Ruby said he lived in the woods. I’m all about being with my mate, but I don’t think I can live in the woods. A few days maybe, but living there full time? Not so much.

  “Where is home?”

  “I built you a new home. If you don’t like it, I’ll rip it down and start over and make it however you like.” His voice is filled with so much pride that I can’t bring myself to ask if it’s a cave or something.

  “I’m sure it’s perfect.”

  “Almost. I just need to get you inside it.”

  Chapter 7

  Xavier

  Once we near the clearing, I feel my mate tense. She must scent we’re close. “Just through these trees,” I confirm, answering her silent question.

  I carry her so carefully, holding her close and wanting to protect her, but not too tightly as I’m afraid my strength could harm her and her soft skin. When I step through the thick leaves and branches, she lets out a gasp. I look down at her, wondering if a stray branch has caught her long hair, but I know I was careful and took the brunt of the tree limbs on my back.

  “What’s wrong, mate? Are you harmed?” The worry that I let something happen to her is thick in my voice. I’ve lost one family before, one I failed to protect. I won't lose her. Not a hair on her head will ever be harmed while I breathe.

  “It’s…” I watch her expression and see her face light up, her bright blue eyes shining brighter as she sees the cabin I’ve built for her. “It’s beyond anything I dreamed of. It’s like something from a fairy tale.”

  My chest swells with pride as I walk her to the house and up the stairs of the porch. I’m happy my mate likes the home I have made for her. It’s where we will raise our family. I will keep her happy here, and she’ll never want to leave. I’ll be the perfect mate for her.

  “I thought maybe you lived in a cave or something.” Gwen says the words as if in wonder, looking around the place. I remember the conversation I had with Dom about how I needed to make a good home for my mate and pups. He was right, and I’m glad I worked so hard for her.

  “I’m a good mate.”

  She locks eyes with me, and I see the blush creep across her cheeks as she smiles at me. I smell her desire for me. Her heat is rising, and my need is becoming impossibly stronger. A growl sounds from my chest.

  I’ve heard that when a shifter finds their mate, the pull is instant. I wasn’t sure if I ever believed that, but I wanted it to be true. Even more so after I spent so much time in the wild. I didn’t look like a lot of the shifters anymore. My features had changed after spending too much time in wolf form, I knew I was unattractive. If my mate was attracted to me instantly, she wouldn't care what I looked like. She wouldn't have a choice. It might not be fair to my beautiful mate that she’s stuck with me, but I would take any advantage I could to keep her. Even if it was just Mother Nature making her stay.

  If the stories are true, we need to bond now or the need will just become more painful. Once my semen is released inside my Gwen, the full heat should hit us hard and the mating frenzy will begin and stay until the full moon.

  Carrying her over the threshold of our home, I kick the front door shut behind us and take her straight back to our bedroom. I don’t break eye contact with her as I take her over to the bed. “You can see the rest of the house later,” I tell her, needing to have her now. Between the mating pull and them trying to take her from me, I need to bond to her. Mark her now so I know she’s really mine. That they can’t try and take her from me again.

  “Yes. Later,” she confirms, her wolf rising a little closer to the surface, making her blue eyes shift to a darker blue. A deep growl sounds low in her chest, and it’s clear her heat is gripping her tightly, too. I’m glad she’s feeling it as much as I am. It’s eating me from the inside out.

  I set her down softly on the bed and feel my own eyes shift as she takes a step back from me. I don’t like that she’s putting any kind of space between us. I’m still completely naked from when I shifted in the cell and ripped all my clothes. My cock is long and hard and I’m sure it’s pointing right at my mate.

  I’ve been so caught up in everything that happened, I missed that fact that my cock had become hard for the first time in my life. Until you find the one, your cock will remain soft and unaffected, desiring no one. Once you find your other half, it finally comes to life, and I have a feeling it’s going to stay that way having a mate like Gwen. She’s utter perfection. Her beauty is unmatched and it’s all mine.

  Reaching down, I stroke the hardness, testing it and feeling the warmth flow through my body as I watch Gwen. I had no idea it would feel like this. My eyes narrow as I watch her hands quickly go to her dress, ripping it off her body along with the rest of her clothes. In seconds she’s before me, completely naked, and my mouth waters. All I can do is stare at her. I’ve never seen a naked woman before, and she has to be the most beautiful in the world. How she got stuck with a beast more animal than man, I’ll never understand. She deserves someone who can give her both sides. I growl at the thought of someone else giving her that. I will earn her affection another way. I am strong and fast and will show her how my animal being so close to the surface will work in her favor.

  “Goddamn, you’re huge all over.” Her eyes are glowing as they run down my body before she focuses on my cock. She doesn't seem intimidated by my size. I’ve grown a lot in the years since she’s seen me. I’m not a young man, nor is she a little girl. That is clear because where I once saw her as something like a cute little kitten that needed protecting, now I see her as an alpha wolf female I want to take to the ground and make mine in the most primitive way.

  Another low growl sounds through the room, and I can’t tell if it’s hers or mine. I can feel my own eyes glowing as the pull between us gets stronger. The smell of lust fills the room, so thick I can taste it, but I’d rather get it from the source.

  “You’re mouthwatering. I need to taste you.” My teeth ache with the need to bite. “I need to mark you.”

  I clench my fists at my side and try to control my wolf. I have a primal need to mount her, but I want to be delicate with her. She probably already thinks I’m too wild of a beast. I must show her I can be soft, too. I’m so much bigger than her, and I could hurt her. I feel out of my depth with her. It’s been so long si
nce I really even talked to another female beyond a few sentences with Dom’s mate, Ruby.

  Gwen puts her nose in the air and takes a deep breath, then looks back at me, giving me a wicked grin, and I wonder if she is inhaling the lust, too. “I’m the first to be in here besides you. It makes my wolf happy that it’s only your scent.” Of course you are, I want to growl, but I bite it back and go with something gentler, more human.

  “You’re the first and last, my love.” I absently rub my cock, the feel of it so foreign. She looks down and watches my movements. I start to take a step towards her, but I don’t make it an inch.

  Suddenly, Gwen leaps at me, and I land on the bed with her on top of me. At first, I’m in shock, but then I growl and roll us over so I’m on top of her, and my instincts kick in. Her warm, naked body is under mine, and I begin to rub my skin against hers, just enjoying the feel of her, wanting her scent all over me. I want it branded into my skin.

  She rolls us over, and once again she’s on top of me. Her strength might be heightened because of the heat if the need is driving her like it is me, but her ability to take me down and roll me over is surprising, and fills me with pride. My mate is strong. I’m a lot bigger than her, and I’m in an aggressive state so it takes everything I have in me to stay in control. It must be because she has alpha blood in her veins.

  My wolf growls at the challenge, and I roll us back over so I’m on top again. Leaning down, I run my sharp teeth across her neck and pin her arms above her head. She writhes underneath me, but I nudge my hard cock at her opening, and she relaxes, letting her long legs fall open a little more, an invitation I will be accepting.

  “You will submit to me, Gwen.” I take her lips in a punishing kiss. I meant to be soft to show her I wasn't all beast, but maybe that’s all I really am. It’s the only kiss I’ve ever had. Her lips are full and soft and welcoming like nothing I’ve ever felt before. She opens her mouth, granting me a taste of her sweetness. She sweeps her tongue inside, and I taste her warmth and desire. I deepen the kiss, wanting more, and she starts to squirm beneath me.