Escaping Monsters: A Reverse Harem Wolf Shifter Romance (Grayhaven Book 1)

by Rita Stradling

  Declan’s brow furrowed, but it smoothed out quickly. “Ah, because before you were injured in bed, there was the Oliver threat. That makes sense. Well, then this is even better.”

  The stairwell ended at an open door, and we walked out into the cool air of the evening. Raised beds with leafy plants filled most of the roof, and the aroma of rosemary and sage was thick in the air. The sky was a pale shade of purple, as the sun ducked behind the towering pines. A warm glow illuminated the rooftop garden from flickering candles set on the concrete floor. Chad and Ace sat to one side, Ace holding a hand at Chad’s back as the injured werewolf tuned a guitar. They both shot me a quick smile as we passed.

  I grinned and nodded to them, but my attention was immediately drawn away to where another werewolf stood, waiting for me.

  Lucas wore the sexiest tux I’d ever seen. His lapels were shiny black, and he had a tie that matched it. His dark pants pressed into a perfect crease. For a strange moment, I felt a sense of deja vu, like I was walking down the aisle in a wedding dress once again.

  Lucas and Michael Card were nothing alike. Lucas was everything I’d wanted the imposter I married to be and everything that man wasn’t. Declan and I stopped just before Lucas, and the sweet veterinarian offered me an arm. He smelled like soap and warm fabric, and I had a sudden urge to lean in and smell him, but I pushed the instinct down.

  As I transferred over to Lucas’ arm, I couldn’t help but chuckle. “This feels like we’re getting married, and Declan is giving me away, and…” I trailed off as my face flushed. “Wow, that probably goes on record as the worst thing anyone has ever said on a first date.”

  Lucas’ cheeks creased up in a smile, and his dimple indented his cheek. “Is this our first date? I’ve been counting all of your many surgeries as dates, so in my mind, we’re pretty far into this.”

  I pushed my face into Lucas’ shoulder, hiding what I was sure was very red cheeks. Peeking up at him, I said, “Lucas, we need to work on hiding our flirtatious banter in front of people, or they’re going to think we’re into some freaky shit.”

  “Oh, we already know about you two…” Declan winked down at me. “And, I think I’m supposed to leave anyway, so you can continue your kinky talk without me listening in. But, for the record, I have no plans to give you away, Teagan. At least not for longer than tonight.” The big guy leaned down and kissed me on the top of my head. “I will, however, get out of your hair for your date.”

  “Thanks, Declan,” I shot back at the massive werewolf as he turned around and headed for the other side of the roof.

  Lucas smiled after Declan and then turned to me, his gray eyes warm. “Want to sit?”

  I glanced down at the couch that the men must have carried up from the living room. They’d also carried up our thick wood coffee table, and several candles sat on it, flickering with flames.

  “The kitchen table wouldn’t fit into the stairwell…” Lucas began to say, but I squeezed his arm.

  “It’s all so perfect, Lucas. Thank you for doing this for me.”

  We sat side by side, and I immediately wiggled out of my boots and curled up into Lucas’ side. An unimpeded view of Grayhaven lay out before us. As the sun set over the pine forest, the city glowed with twinkling lights.

  Behind us, Chad strummed his guitar, starting up a low, soft melody that didn’t come from his grunge rock days.

  Someone crunched over the gravel toward us, and I glanced up to find Jasper’s bright blue eyes on mine as he set a tray of food before us.

  I reached out and touched his hand. “Hey, Jasper.”

  He squeezed my fingers. “You two have a good night. I’ll be patrolling around the building, so yell if you need anything.”

  “We will,” Lucas said.

  Ace stopped by our table next to pour the wine, giving us each a smile as he handed it over. The guy had claimed no responsibility for saving my life, even though it was his coded message about the memory eater that had given us all the opportunity to stop Oliver.

  No one had seen the creature, but Ace said that the night before the Oliver incident, a demon patron told him that the memory eater was from North America and looked like a union of a puma and a bear.

  This sent Ace on a full night research binge on North American legends, only to find a note about the fearsome critters, seemingly invented by lumberjacks in the eighteen-hundreds. There was one creature that fit the description that was said to take a person’s memories if you looked it straight in the eyes.

  As Ace handed me my wine glass, his fingers brushed mine, and a small smile lit on his lips. “You two have fun,” he said as he pulled his hand away. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

  “You’re a mystery, Ace. I have no idea what you wouldn’t do,” I called after him.

  “Neither do I,” Lucas said as he took a sip of his wine, “And I’ve known Ace for years.”

  The bartender shot a smile back before heading down into the stairwell.

  When we were mostly alone, Lucas and I leaned into each other. His arm wrapped around my shoulder, and I tucked my hand into his tux at the waist.

  I took a big sip of my burgundy wine and set it on the table. “Can I say another thing you’re not supposed to say on a first date?”

  Lucas’ fingers ran through my curly hair, brushing it over my shoulder. “Your honesty doesn’t scare me, Teagan. I love how authentic you are.”

  Everywhere his fingers touched me, tingles spread over my skin. The sweet feeling and the warmth of the wine in my belly bolstered my courage, and I said, “I wanted to get married to a man exactly like you, Lucas. I wanted someone smart, kind, considerate, caring, funny, and genuine. It was like I was trying to find you. I wanted you so much, I let someone trick me into believing that I had, but it was complete lies. And yet, even after everything, this month has proven that I’m still the same woman who wants to spend her life with you.”

  His gray eyes sparkled with humor, and his dimple peeked out. “Are you saying you want to marry me before we’ve even kissed, Teagan?”

  Heat licked up my cheeks again, but that was what I was saying, and I didn’t want to take it back. Lucas was the embodiment of every fantasy I had about a husband, and he was so much more, too.

  “Yeah, I guess that’s what I’m saying...” I paused to press my hands to my burning cheeks. “And now I’ve managed to scare you away, haven’t I?” I laughed while asking the question because, clearly, Lucas was staying exactly where he was.

  “Never.” He shook his head. “I feel the same way. Here…” He pulled his arm out from around me and slipped his mother’s ring off his pinky. Taking my hand, he slipped the intricate woven metal band onto my ring finger. The fit was almost perfect, and a rush of excitement flowed through me.

  Lucas inhaled deeply, and then he said, “There’s no one here that could legally marry us, but if you wanted to be my wife, Teagan, I would do everything in my power to deserve the honor of being your husband.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Tears gathered in my eyes as I stared at the wonderful, beautiful veterinarian that I adored with every fiber of my being. “Yes. Yes. I want to be your wife Lucas.” I laughed and reached for him, but then I noticed the band on my finger. “Lucas, I…”

  I knew what I had to say, but fuck, I didn’t want to say it.

  “Lucas, yes to everything else, but I can’t take your mother’s ring.”

  “It’s yours. It’s always been yours, Teagan.”

  When I met Lucas’ gray eyes, I found them as sincere and earnest as I’d ever seen them. The ring felt like it was mine. It felt warm and perfect as if it was made for my finger. But Lucas had been holding onto it for who knows how long, and it was his mother’s ring. It might be the only thing he had of hers.

  “But—we’ve barely known each other a month, and as you pointed out, we haven’t even kissed yet,” I said as sudden doubt crept in.

  “You say that as you clutch the ring to yo
ur chest.” Lucas chuckled, and I could see no doubt in his warm eyes.

  Glancing down, I had to agree that I was guarding the ring like a mama bear with her cub.

  Lucas reached up and cupped my cheeks. “Teagan, it doesn’t matter how long I’ve known you. It doesn’t matter if you leave here tomorrow or stay forever. I always knew that I was going to give this ring to my mate, and that’s you. It’s always going to be you, Teagan, so the ring has no other purpose.”

  “I’m not leaving Grayhaven, Lucas. I’m not ever planning on leaving. I want to make a home with you here—with all of you.” Contented happiness filled me with the words. I hadn’t dared to dream of something so beautiful as having a home for a decade. But now I had a home, a real one. Not only that, but I also had a pack. “Making a life with you five is my chance at happiness. You’re my pack. I know that now, and I want to take this chance, come what may.”

  Joy dawned over his features, and his eyes brightened. “You’re staying?”

  “Yes. I’m staying right here.” Leaning in, I pressed my mouth to Lucas’ soft lips. He was a contrast of petal soft and bristly, and immediately, a warm glow bubbled up in my belly. I cupped his cheeks, running my hands over his short beard. I kissed him until we were breathless, and then I broke away to say, “Does that make you my husband now, Dr. Wolf?”

  “Only if you want to be my wife.”

  “Oh… I’ve wanted that my whole adult life, I just hadn’t found you yet. I want to have and hold you and to love and adore you every single day.”

  “And that’s exactly what I want, too, Teagan,” Lucas said.

  I touched the ring, twisting the metal band around my finger. “Do you think it’ll cause us trouble with the others?”

  Lucas’ lips twisted, and his brow furrowed. “We’ve already decided to not set limits on each other’s mateships with you.”

  A laugh escaped me before I could help it. I wanted Lucas so much. I loved the idea of committing to him through thick and thin.

  “I don’t need a court to tell me that you’re my husband, but there is one thing…” pausing, I bit my lip as nervousness bubbled up in my belly, “There’s no way that we can call ourselves husband and wife without consummating the marriage. Don’t you think?”

  “Oh really? Is that how the rules go?” Lucas’ gaze dipped down to my lips, and he leaned in closer.

  “Yes.” I wrapped my hand around his tie and whispered over his lips. “Those are the rules.”

  “When exactly do you want to make us official?” Lucas asked.

  “Right now. Right here,” I whispered.

  Lucas sucked in a breath, and his fingers trailed up the side of my leg, sliding up the hem of my gauzy gown.

  Public sex was a naughty way to start a committed relationship, but the roof was dark, and there was no way that anyone could see us here from the street. Knowing that it would take forever to lift my dress off, I reached up and pulled the ribbon at the back of my neck.

  The fae dress came apart, sliding off my body to pool on the couch and revealing my nakedness beneath.

  Behind us, the music missed a beat, and I glanced back only to remember that there was one other person who could see us here. Chad grinned wide at me, and then he returned his gaze to the guitar and continued playing.

  “Teagan,” Lucas whispered, and when I turned to him, his gray eyes were filled with longing. My core slickened with heat. There was something so erotic about having a mature man dressed in a tuxedo looking at me that way while I sat before him, naked.

  I tightened my grip on Lucas’ tie and climbed onto his lap. “Can I tell you a secret?”

  His hands wrapped around my bare hips. “I want to know all of your secrets.”

  Still gripping his tie, I pressed my lips to his sweet mouth, delighting in his wine and chocolate taste. “You’re the first werewolf who I ever trusted to give me orders. I think… I think I was meant to enjoy being dominated. We’re connected in the most intimate way, but werewolves have always misused my omega powers. You’re the first person to use your authority on me with my consent. You’re the only werewolf in the world I completely trust to do it because I know you’ll never use it without my permission.”

  “I avoid dominating other wolves.”

  “I know… I’ve felt it inside me, and that’s what makes me trust you so much.” Everything about this man turned me on. I loved the soft yet firm way he always took care of me when he was treating me or working the tension out of my muscles. When his emotions flowed through me, I could feel how sincere he was.

  His hands squeezed on my hips, and his gray eyes landed on mine. There was a question there, and I knew what it was before he spoke. “Do you want me to give you an order?”

  My core clenched at the very idea. Usually, the idea would terrify me, but with Lucas, I’d only ever felt comforted and safe.

  “I’m not sure how long I could handle it,” I admitted. “Or even if I could. We’d have to start slow.”

  His hands ran up to my waist. “I’m willing to give it a try, but only if you want to.”

  “Okay.” I lifted up, giving Lucas the room to unzip his fly and push down his red silk boxers. His hard length sprang loose, and I gaped down at what he revealed. His cock was long and thick. “Wow.”

  Lucas’ dark brows rose, and he chuckled. “You know what they say about shy men.”

  “I don’t know what they say, but I can guess.”

  Lucas’ fingers combed through my hair.

  “Teagan, kiss me,” he said.

  His dominance pressed down on me, and a tide of emotion swelled through me. I felt Lucas’ heady lust and growing need, and under it was tenderness and affection and joy.

  I pressed my lips into his and reveled in his kiss as his order released. I’d never thought that there would be a day where I enjoyed following an order, but my whole body was shaking with lust for him.

  Breaking off our kiss, I tugged on Lucas’ tie once more. “Please order me again.”

  “You sure?” His gray eyes fell on mine, and when I nodded, he said, “Teagan, slide down on my cock.”

  A whimper escaped me as his anticipation crashed into mine. My whole body ached to obey Lucas, and everything in me rejoiced as I positioned him at my entrance and slid down.

  We both moaned as our emotions and sensations tangled together. His girth stretched me, and I almost felt too full as I took Lucas’ length deep inside.

  Our lips joined as Lucas’ hands gripped my hips. He set our pace, lifting me and thrusting up as I descended onto his cock. Sensation crashed into me, building fast, and I gasped onto his mouth as my core squeezed.

  “Not yet,” Lucas said with a gasp. “Climb off me, Teagan, and grab onto the back of the couch. I want to make this last.”

  The order rolled over me, and even though I didn’t want to climb off Lucas, I craved obeying him and seeing what would happen next. With a little whimper, I climbed off Lucas’ lap and grabbed onto the backboard beside him, squeezing my fingers into the soft material. My heart skipped a beat as Lucas slid in behind me.

  “Lift your ass, Teagan.”

  I sucked in a breath as his order pressed me to obey. The moment I lifted my butt in the air, Lucas’ thick cock slid into my pussy. His arms wrapped around me, one hand cupping my breast and the other my mound. He pulled me tight against his chest, and his mouth closed over my neck. The bristles of his beard tickled over my skin mingling with a much more intense sensation as Lucas’ fingers rolled over my clit.

  “My wife,” Lucas murmured tenderly onto my neck as he slid in and out of me slowly.

  My whole body felt like a live wire of sensation, and I leaned back into him, feeling his tuxedo jacket and shirt against my bare skin.

  “My husband,” I moaned.

  Lucas’ emotions shot into me, love and joy and pleasure at hearing me say those words. His deep emotion mingled with mine until I wasn’t sure who was feeling what. Lucas was deep inside me
in every sense of the word.

  “Come for me, Teagan,” Lucas said, and as if his order flipped a switch, my body exploded with pleasure. It crashed over me like a wave, and I cried out as Lucas’ cock pulsed deep inside of me.

  “Teagan,” he moaned onto my skin. “My mate.”

  I leaned back into him, catching my breath as stars twinkled at the edges of my vision. Aftershocks of pleasure thrummed through me, and I opened my eyes fully, only to see that the roof was now empty. Chad had laid his guitar by the chair and made his exit without me even noticing.

  I pivoted in Lucas’ arms and slipped my arms under his jacket. “I felt how much you care about me.”

  “Good.” He ran his lips over my shoulder, making me squirm as his bristles tickled over my skin again. “I wanted you to know how much I care about you.”

  The fae dress was impossible to put back on, so Lucas pulled off his shirt and handed it over. My gaze ran over his corded muscle, lingering on the dark hair that ran the length of his chest, disappearing into his pants.

  “You’re almost too sexy, Lucas,” I said as I curled up next to him on the couch, and he took me into his arms. “I don’t think I could be more attracted to you.”

  Lucas lifted the tray laden with several kinds of cheese and meat, and he held it before me.

  “What about now?” Lucas asked with his dimple peeking out.

  When the sky was deep indigo with a spattering of stars and passing clouds, Lucas and I blew out the candles and headed downstairs. We strolled down into the firehouse living room, only to find all four remaining Grayhaven werewolves waiting.

  I looked between the men and then back at Lucas. “Hey, guys?”

  Jasper held out two beers.

  “Thanks.” I took them and handed one back to Lucas.

  As soon as I turned back, Jasper said, “So, Lucas gave you his mother’s ring.”

  “Yep.” I leaned back into Lucas and held up my hand to show the band in question.

  Jasper lifted a dark brow. “Does that mean you plan to stay?”

  “I was already planning to stay,” I said, automatically.