by Renee Rose
I frowned and turned my head to look at him. Our sides touched, we were that close. “What?”
“I was the product of a mixed-mating. A human with a shifter. I told you my grandparents hated my dad for marrying my mom. It’s because he was a shifter. My mom was human, and they thought she was tainted. The match is still generally frowned upon in the shifter world. It even goes against shifter law in most packs, and that was the case in my dad’s pack although the law hadn’t been enforced in several generations. My parents mated, and I was born, and we were a happy little family until I hit adolescence.”
I tensed, sensing the part of the story I wasn’t going to like. I remembered he’d told me his parents had been murdered.
“I hadn’t shifted for the first time yet. First shift usually comes on around puberty, but fourteen wasn’t particularly late. Still, it got people in the pack talking. The gossip was that I might not be able to because my mom’s blood had tainted me.” He paused for a second. “See, the prejudice goes both ways. The more the talk got going, the more some radicals got riled up. There's a lot of anti-human sentiment in the shifter world, especially in the less educated populations, and to be honest, most of the shifter population falls into that category. We like to stay up in the hills or mountains where we can run free. That means there’s a lot of isolation. And with isolation sometimes follows close-mindedness.”
My skin prickled. They sounded like the kind of racist fucks I’d been afraid of my whole life.
Levi picked up my hand and squeezed it. “You’ve already guessed the outcome.”
I nodded, a tight band closing around my throat.
“My parents were killed for their love. I’d been at school at the time, so I’d been spared. I was sent to live with my human grandparents in Seattle after that. Of course, they couldn’t forgive the shifters responsible, or shifters in general for what happened. If my parents hadn’t married… I lived with them for four years. They forbade me from ever shifting or showing any wolf tendencies. And it stuck. I never did in all that time. Or after. Not once.”
My heart beat faster. “Until now?” I guessed.
He nodded. “This morning. The moment I found out you left. My wolf went nuts, and I spontaneously shifted for the first time in my life. And then again when you were in danger. Do you know why?”
My brain tried to connect dots, but I was missing too much information. “No?”
“You’re my mate.”
That word again. I’d heard him use it back at Mr. Claymore’s.
“What does that mean?”
“Wolves mate for life, doll. One partner until death. And the human part of them doesn’t pick that partner—their wolf does. A normal shifter would instantly recognize his mate by scent, but, see, I’d never shifted. I didn’t have the ability. I didn’t know you were my mate. All I knew was that we have mad chemistry. That I was happier when I was near you. That making you feel good became my calling.”
My breath caught. His words were a balm on my frayed nerves. They were everything I needed to hear. They were what he hadn’t said on that huge boulder. The secret he couldn’t reveal that gave away his true feelings.
“You see, my human side picked you and fell in love without even knowing you were mine. It was truly fate.”
A tear slipped out of the corner of my eye, and I let out a laugh as I brushed it away. He loved me. His wolf killed for me. “This is nuts.”
Levi squeezed my hand again. “I know it’s a lot to take in. But what you need to know is that I’m yours. I’m your man. Come thick or thin. I’ll never leave you, never stray, never cheat, never stop protecting and providing for you. And that’s not just a promise, it’s biology. It’s hard-wired into me as you saw with Dax. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t honor your wishes if you told me to stay away, but—”
I shook my head, fresh tears of gratitude pricking my eyes. “No. I don’t want you to stay away.”
“I’m sorry about what happened with Dax. I swear to you, I’m not dangerous. It was only because your life was in danger. A kill or be killed response to protect my mate.”
My head wobbled as I nodded. “I understand. I… honestly, I don’t think I’m sorry.”
“I don’t think I am, either,” he said, and yet, I felt the weight of his words. He didn’t take ending a life lightly. Just as he wouldn’t if he’d killed someone in the line of duty.
“Come to Montana,” he pleaded. “Bring your grandfather. There are enough people on the ranch to make sure he won’t wander off or hurt himself as his mental health deteriorates. He’d be totally safe. And if he needs more, Audrey’s a doctor and will help with whatever he needs.”
“But… we’re human,” I said. “I’m not a shifter. I don’t have a wolf inside me. Pops doesn’t either.” I frowned. “That I know of. God, now I’m going to wonder if everyone’s got a surprise wolf inside them.”
“Doll, you’d know about your grandfather,” he said, most likely trying to keep me going off on a mental tangent.
“Well, isn’t that a problem? That I’m human. You just said some hate outsiders, hate humans.”
“No,” Levi said. “Not in our pack. Marina and Audrey are human. Willow’s a half-breed like me. Clint’s mate, Becky, is human, as well. That means the babies, Lizzie and Lily are, too. We all take care of each other. It’s a good place.”
I gave a watery laugh because he was right. Wolf Ranch was a good place. “You make it sound idyllic.”
“Well, to me it was. That was where I landed after living with my grandparents and suppressing my wolf side. They took me in, gave me a job and a place in the pack. Made me part of the family. I love Wolf Ranch.” He brushed the backs of my thumb with his. “But if you needed to stay here, then I’d move. You’re more important than my pack. You’re my life.”
I covered my mouth with my free hand, shocked. “You’d give up your pack to live amongst humans? After what you went through with your grandparents?”
His throat bobbed as he swallowed, and I could tell the idea pained him. “To be with you? Yes. I can’t be away from you. It’s… impossible.”
“Oh, Levi.” I threw my arms around his neck and straddled his lap, dropping kisses across his broad face. “I would never ask that of you. I’ll… we’ll move to Montana.”
It was crazy and impulsive. To think I could quit my job, pack up my grandfather and move to another state after knowing a man for one week.
But I would.
Nothing had ever felt so right in my life. I didn’t need to talk myself into it. I didn’t need a wolf inside me to tell me Levi was my mate. I knew it was my fate. He was.
“You will?” Levi’s choked response made my heart sing. His eyes were watery, his smile soft, his touch gentle, his voice full of awe.
I nodded. “I will. If you meant it about Pops coming, too. He’s non-negotiable.”
“Of course, he’ll come,” Levi said instantly, without a moment’s consideration. “You can set up a practice out there. Or stay at home and raise our pups. Whatever you want to do.”
“Pups. You mean Shadow’s puppies?”
He laughed. “No, our kids. We call babies pups.”
“Pups.” I repeated in awe. We would have shifter children. Or at least, mixed-species, like him. I was going to join a wolf pack.
This was definitely crazy.
And definitely the best thing that had ever happened to me.
Levi gripped my hips and pulled me over his bulging erection. “You keep wiggling on my lap like this, and I’m gonna put you in that stupid rental card and drive you straight back to Montana to start on those pups right now.”
I smiled, instantly eager to start, or at least to practice. “I have a bedroom here.”
I shrieked as I found myself being hoisted into the air. Levi somehow managed to stand up and keep me wrapped around his waist, and he refused to put me down, carrying me down the block back to my house.
I unlocked the doo
r from my perch, and he carried me inside, following my directions to my bedroom. I toed off my shoes the moment we stepped inside.
“Don’t think I’m not going to spank that ass of yours for leaving Montana without a word to me,” he said when he dropped me on the bed and rolled me to my belly. He gave my butt a firm smack that still stung even through my jeans.
I sat up to face him. “I’m sorry about that. I really am. Dax called from my house to tell me I’d better get him the drugs or he’d hurt Pops. I just loaded up Seraphina and left.”
His expression grew sober. “Fuck, Charlie. I wish I’d known. I wish I could kill him all over again.”
“You can get past it? What I did?” My eyes burned. We’d talked about the elephant in the room. No, the wolf in the room, but not my illegal activities. “I mean with the ketamine? I broke the law.”
“I’m past it,” he promised. “I understand what he was doing to you. How you had no choice. I understand how you got blackmailed into it. It’s over now.”
“Promise?” I gripped his shirt and pulled him down on top of me.
“I promise,” he said. His eyes took on an amber glow.
31
LEVI
* * *
I’d found Charlie magnetic before but nothing compared to being with her now that my wolf had come out. That it seemed that every secret we’d kept was now revealed. That there was nothing between us but the clothes on our bodies. I could barely hold back. I claimed her mouth like my life depended on it, grinding the bulge of my erection in the notch between her legs.
She moaned and clung to me, her short nails piercing my skin as she yanked me closer, undulated against me. Yeah, she was right there with me. I ripped open her blouse, sending the buttons scattering across the room.
“Levi!” she cried, but I didn’t hear fear. Only surprise. Eagerness.
With one hand, I reached behind her to unhook her bra, humming softly when her pert brown nipples came into my sightline. “Fucking perfect,” I announced, already moving to the button on her pants. I needed her naked. Stat.
I pulled off her jeans and panties all in one go, Charlie shifting and lifting her hips to help. My nostrils flared as I took in her cinnamon and sugar scent. My beautiful mate.
Mine. Fuck, the full scent of her, recognizing it and her as fully mine.
I stripped out of my clothes and climbed over her, trailing the tip of my tongue from her belly button to her breastbone.
I flicked my tongue over one taut nipple then the other.
“Levi.” She pulled me down on top of her again, and we both gasped when my cock pushed against her sopping entrance. This was going to be a quickie. We were both frantic. Both needing to be as close to the other as possible.
“Is it okay if I go bareback?” I rasped, barely able to put words together. “Shifters are free of STDs, and I really want to take my chances on knocking you up.” Besides, I hadn’t packed any condoms. Unless she had a stash somewhere, that was the only option to get in her.
She only hesitated a moment, which didn’t offend me. My mate was a thinker. Then she nodded. “I’m on the pill, so it probably won’t happen.”
If she wasn’t ready for pups now, I’d respect that. Hell, we’d have tons of fun just practicing. But if she did want them soon, I’d help her flush those suckers down the toilet.
I rocked my hips, and the head of my cock slid in without any guidance. A homing missile finding its hot, wet target.
“Oh fates, you feel good,” I groaned. My wolf was in heaven knowing our mate was beneath us, that she was wet and willing and receptive. I rocked into her slowly, trying to dial back the sexual aggression surging through me. The need to take her hard and rough consumed me.
A scent flooded my senses. Not hers.
Mine.
Oh fuck.
I reared back, stopping all motion. Touching the tip of my tongue to my canines, I found them extended like a fucking vampire’s.
I’d told her what I was, but hadn’t even thought about claiming her officially.
“Charlie,” I gasped. “I forgot to tell you something.”
She panted, looking up at me with hooded eyes. “What? You want to talk… now?” She rolled her hips sliding that tight pussy along my dick and making my teeth drip their serum.
“Hang on, beautiful. It’s big.”
“I know it’s big. Just fuck me with it.”
“Shit, stop talking like that. I’m only holding onto my control by a thread.”
She blinked, and her eyes came into focus. She pushed up on her forearms. “What is it?”
“Male wolves… they mark their mates. We call it the mating bite. It embeds my scent into your skin to tell other wolves to stay away.”
“Oh God.” Her voice held amusement. “Well, wolves are a territorial species, I guess that makes sense.”
“In a shifter female, it would heal instantly. But in a human… well, I’m scared I’m going to hurt you.”
She frowned. “So you want to do it now? Mark me as yours?”
“It’s less want and more need. And because my wolf is new to me, I don’t want to lose control. I’m afraid the more I try to hold back, the more things could go wrong, you know what I mean?”
I had no doubt what I’d done to Dax had popped into her head too.
She sat up more, chewing her lip thoughtfully. “So how big of a bite are we talking about? Like all your teeth? Just the canines?”
“God, fuck, it’s not like Dax. Just the canines. Here.” I brushed a finger over the spot I wanted to make permanently mine. “It could leave a mark—a scar.” My body shook from the effort of holding back, especially since my dick was buried deep. I doubted she even knew her pussy was clamping and releasing me in little pulses.
My vision had that sharpened quality. I could taste the serum in my mouth. I didn’t dare bite her during orgasm, as was tradition. Better to mark her superficially now. Hopefully satisfy my wolf, so he didn’t go nuts when we were having sex.
“On my neck, but...?”
“Are you scared? Please don’t be afraid of me. I’m not going to rip your throat out. Fuck, doll, I’d never harm you.” I pulled out, so she wouldn’t be pinned by me, but the moment I did, she wrapped her legs around my back and pulled me back down.
“I’m not afraid,” she whispered. “I just like the full agenda. You know, for my spreadsheets.”
Despite my strain, I smiled. She was fucking adorable.
“Okay, the full agenda.” I forced myself to take a slow breath to get my head on straight. “Not your neck. Bad idea. I’m going to nip you right here.” I traced the pad of my index finger over the side of her left breast. “No one will see the scar but me.” I lowered my head and licked the place I planned to bite.
A surge of need raced through me, and I thrust deep and forcefully.
Fuck.
I needed to do it now. Before I lost my head completely.
“You okay with this, Spreadsheets? You’re not scared?”
She rocked her hips and took me deeper. Pulled my head down to her breast. “Do it, Levi.”
I groaned and flicked my tongue over her nipple while my dick slowly stroked inside her channel. Then I shifted my mouth to the side and sank my teeth in.
The urge was to bite hard and deep. Thrust hard and deep. Yet to keep from puncturing too deeply, I channeled the urge into the fucking, nailing her again and again with brutal thrusts as I held my mouth still.
She came, calling out my name.
Unprepared for her orgasm, I lost control when her channel squeezed my dick. Somehow—thank fuck—I managed to disengage my teeth from her flesh as I pushed up onto my arms and fucked the living daylights out of her. The bed slammed against the wall, and I was glad her grandfather was at a church thing.
The room spun. I lost touch with reality. Who I was. Whether I was wolf or man.
All I knew was that when I came, the world was changed.
At least my world.
It would never, ever be the same.
“Fuck, Charlie. Fuck. You’re mine now. Forever mine.” I was still pushing into her, but with slower post-climax thrusts. A show of appreciation for being inside her. For coming inside her. For leaving my scent forever in her skin.
Her skin!
“Charlie, doll. Are you okay?” I lowered my head to lick her wounds to promote a speedy healing. There was some blood—not a ton, thank fate.
She thrust her hips up and took me deeper. “I’m so good,” she murmured, like she was totally blissed out. Hell, she looked blissed out. Hair in a messy dark halo around her head, dark skin flushed, eyes barely open.
My beautiful mate.
“You sure? You need a painkiller or anything?”
“Mm mm.” She shook her head lazily. “Just a nap.”
Sweet woman. Of course she needed a nap. She’d driven straight through the night.
I eased out of her and settled by her side, spooning around her protectively while she slept.
I could hardly believe this was my reality now. I had a mate to protect and provide for. This sweet female to warm my bed at night and light up my days. And she wanted to do it with me in Montana. At Wolf Ranch.
And I was going to savor every fucking second of it.
Epilogue
Two months later
CHARLIE
* * *
Hands wrapped around my waist from behind, making me gasp.
I spun about, then set my forehead on Levi’s chest. “Shit, you scared me.”
“Hi, doll.” He kissed the top of my head, the gesture sweet. “Missed you.”
Usually, Levi texted when he left town after a shift. It wasn’t necessary, but I loved anticipating his return. Since that fateful day in Colorado, we’d been inseparable.
Mr. Claymore hadn’t been surprised when I gave notice. Beneath his straitlaced exterior, he was a romantic and wanted me together with Levi. While I’d given two weeks, he’d let me leave after one, paying me in full and with a bonus. After the fact that I’d found Dax dead—his interpretation of what had happened—he’d thought I deserved a little something extra.
