To Chase A Wolf
Page 22
Elizabeth pulled out her cell phone and sent off a text message to Moira, and steered Alex down the hallway on the first floor towards the guest bedrooms. “I wasn’t quite sure what you would like, so I gave Moira carte blanche and sent her off to San Francisco to purchase anything you might require.” Alex was confused about what Elizabeth was speaking of until an unused bedroom door was opened. Three clothing racks had been erected on one side of the room, and next to the bed was a large tri-fold mirror. The racks seemed to contain everything from dresses to jeans and sweaters; she even saw some silk blouses. Laid out on the bed in neat piles were bras and underwear, and at the foot of the bed were two rows of shoes. Heels and flats, sandals and even a pair of sturdy hiking boots.
Moira entered as Alex was taking it all in. “Oh good. I wanted you to try all this on, if there is something that’s the wrong size or that you don’t like, then we can return it. But I think I managed to grab everything you might need for the first month or so.”
Alex’s confusion deepened. “The first month?”
Elizabeth picked up Alex’s hand in hers and patted it softly. “Yes dear. The Conclave is in June. We’ll need some additional items of clothing, including several gowns for formal dinners, but right now these items will do for most things.”
“But I don’t need all this. I have clothing. And I can’t wear it anyway, I’ll destroy these nice, expensive things within minutes, it’s a waste.” Alex ignored the memory that she herself had thought she would need to buy newer and better clothing to fit into the house, and focused on the fact that it was a waste of money to outfit her in such finery. Especially when she would be happy whiling away her days teaching martial arts to the Pack. A beautiful pair of heels sitting on the end of the bed, bathed in sunlight, caught her eye however. Alex swallowed to prevent drool from running down her chin. I do love shoes. And I’m down a pair from throwing away the ones that got puked on…
Moira smiled at her and took Alex’s other hand. Standing between the two women, Alex was helpless to resist as they led her further into the room, stationing her near the mirror. “You have clothing for you, Alex. But you are Lincoln’s mate now. Don’t you want to look appropriate for your place in the Pack? Make him proud?”
Following Moira’s deceptively soft comment was Elizabeth, the two tag-teaming Alex’s sense of responsibility until her resistance evaporated. “Don’t you think your father would want you to look your best as well? You’ve done fine for yourself, dear, but as the mate of the heir to the Gold Pack, you need to put your best foot forward. Let us help with that.” Elizabeth softened the blow by pulling Alex into a warm hug. Over her shoulder, the older woman said, “I haven’t said it yet dear, but I am so glad you are part of the family. It has made me exceptionally happy.” She pulled back slightly to see Alex’s face. “And I had Moira pick out appropriate workout gear as well, so I hope you don’t feel like it’s all prim and proper stuff.”
Alex looked at Moira helplessly over Elizabeth’s shoulder. Moira shrugged at Alex with a smirk on her face, then went to the bed, grabbing a bra and underwear set. “Now that that’s taken care of, go put this on, and we’ll start the fashion show.”
Alex changed quickly in the bathroom and returned, wearing a robe. She quickly lost her tentativeness as both women had her change from outfit to outfit, trying everything on. At one point Moira went and got a bottle of champagne. And though the alcohol didn’t do much with their heightened wolf metabolisms, Alex felt herself get into the spirit of the event as she sipped the bubbly liquid from the fluted glass. The other two women made her feel welcomed and warm inside at the thought of having a family again, and she enjoyed herself much more than she initially thought she would. When they were done, Moira opened a dresser drawer and pulled out a large white box with a silver ribbon wrapped around its middle, and tied in a fancy bow. She brought it over to Alex.
“I got something for you to wear later tonight, or whenever you feel like it.” Alex opened the box slowly and smiled as the contents were revealed, plans already forming in her mind.
///
For the first time in a long time, Jayce was enjoying herself with a member of the opposite sex. She and Tyler had talked nearly non-stop on the walk from the kitchen to a secluded section of land, laying out their blanket between rows of grapes and sitting in the shade to eat and enjoy themselves.
She found it was easy for her to flirt, and Tyler appeared particularly interested, touching her lightly on her hand or arm, trailing his fingers down her skin. Eventually Jayce gave in to the demands of her wolf and kissed him. It didn’t take long from there for her to lose her shyness and climb into his lap, still kissing him, as her hands drifted over his body. She untucked his shirt and started to unbutton it.
Tyler returned the favor by divesting Jayce of her clothing, and within moments of their first kiss they were naked, exploring each other’s bodies. His rough hands slid along her smooth skin, teasing her nipples before sliding into her soft folds and circling her aching clit. His mouth suckled her breasts and nipped when his fingers sank into her, Jayce crying out at the feel of it.
When Tyler finally sank inside of her, she wrapped her legs around his waist as best she could and let him bring her to satisfaction twice with his movements and his fingers, which worked between their bodies, playing with her clitoris. Then, taking charge, Jayce pushed him over onto his back and rode him until he came.
She felt another burst of wetness inside her from his cock, his head tilting back as he lay on the blanket, an expression of bliss on his face. Laying on top of him, she felt when he began to stir, and leaned up on her arms above him.
“Tyler, do you know what Alex whispered to me before we went on the picnic?”
He chuckled underneath her. “No, but I have a pretty good guess.” He peered down at her. “Probably something about me being a man whore, and to have a good time but don’t get attached?”
Jayce nodded. “That’s about it.” She rubbed his skin with her fingers. “Is that okay with you? I don’t really want more. I haven’t…” she blushed, but pushed through, “I haven’t been attracted to anyone in a long time. And I just want to have fun.”
His hand slid over hers, stilling her fingers. “I am okay with that.”
Jayce tilted her head and smiled. She felt her timidity falling away, and her newfound boldness made her say naughtily, “Well, while you are here, I’d like to make the most of my time with you.” Her eyes were a mix of innocence, desire, uncertainty and brazenness as she asked, “Could we try some…kinky stuff? I read a book about some interesting things that I’d like to try.”
Tyler leaned closer to her, “Like what?” His deep voice tickled the skin of her neck as he nuzzled it.
Leaning into him, Jayce found the courage to whisper what she wanted into his ear.
He pulled back and looked at her, his face reflecting his shock and glee, and then he laughed, the sound echoing around them and filling the air with gaiety. “I would be happy to do whatever you wanted, but how about we start small and work our way up to that.” He shifted her beneath him and it was a while before they walked, hand in hand, back to the house.
///
Alex was now ‘moved in’ to Lincoln’s suite of rooms, her new clothing hung in the closet next to Lincoln’s suits, her shoes and other clothes filling drawers and shelves that had been hastily re-arranged for her by Moira and several other staff members. She had been hesitant to move his things without talking to him first, but Elizabeth had explained he was catching up on business interests, and that it would do him good to have Alex “leave her mark” in his private areas. Alex and Moira had both laughed at that.
Lincoln’s suite was identical to the pearl suite that she had been using before. However, the decorations were more subdued and masculine, reminding Alex of his cabin home. She liked the feel of it more than the pearl suite, feeling easier with the more comfortable and relaxed furnishings.
She had
heard Lincoln come into the suite, and heard him stripping in the bedroom, but she kept to her hiding spot in the bathroom, looking over her appearance in the mirror. The corset and garter belt combination that Moira had purchased fitted her well and revealed a tantalizing amount of flesh. The golden hue suited her curly hair, which hung in loose curls down past her shoulders at the moment. Having never pranced around in lingerie, she was nervous, but she bolstered herself, slipping on a pair of heels, before gripping the door handle and twisting the knob.
As she opened the door, Alex took a step, nearly running into Lincoln, who had been leaning forward, his arm braced on the upper frame of the doorway, his other hand on his hip. He was still in his button up shirt, though it was undone at the neck. He didn’t have shoes on, but was still wearing his slacks, his belt and pants still buttoned up. Alex stepped back quickly and tried to strike an attractive pose, her body heating at the focused and intent look on Lincoln’s face.
His eyes trailed up and down her body…lingering on her breasts, which were pushed up even higher, and between her legs, where she was panty free. Then they trailed down the straps of the garter belt to the stockings, down her legs to her heels before sliding back up to her face.
“You are ravishing.” He stepped forward and grabbed her, pulling her close for a kiss. Their mouths melded, tongues tangling as he walked her backwards into the bathroom, his hands gliding along her curves to her hips and then picking her up to rest on the counter. He leaned over her, kissing, as his fingers found her core and began sliding along the damp seam, teasing her.
Alex leaned back, gasping, and Lincoln took the opportunity to sink to his knees, pulling her bottom forward so she was just resting on the edge of the cool marble. His tongue started licking her and sliding upwards to her clitoris. Circling it, he hummed and sucked it into his mouth, sucking and nibbling on her. Alex’s head and shoulders tipped back to lean against the mirror, pants and moans of pleasure echoing around them.
Sucking firmly on her little bud, Lincoln then alternated between soothing it with flicks of his tongue, or biting it gently. She shuddered as his actions brought her closer to release, and when he speared two of his fingers into her core she broke apart. He pulled his mouth away as she was coming, and Alex whimpered a protest. She was crying out soon enough, however, when he bit her inner thigh and caused another crash of intense ecstasy through her body as he marked her.
Lincoln rose to stand in front of her, Alex still shivering before him, and he licked his fingers clean before unbuttoning his pants, freeing his erection and impaling her without further preamble. Alex gripped his shoulders as he slid home, his hips beginning to piston in and out of her core. They reached the apex quickly, Lincoln’s head thrown back and Alex’s legs wrapped around his waist, both of them tumbling into languid ecstasy. The sound of their breaths and moans intermingling in the air around them.
Lincoln kissed Alex again softly, his hands bracing her face and tangling in her hair. Their bodies cooled slightly, but his member was still inside of her. When Lincoln pulled back, Alex tightened her legs around his hips, keeping him inside of her. “You don’t think I’m going to let you go that easily, do you? After putting this getup on?”
He laughed. “Oh? And what did you have in mind?”
Alex slid her hands to his shoulders, wrapping her arms around him. “Why don’t you carry me to the bedroom and I’ll show you.”
He picked her up without a second’s hesitation, while Alex laughed in his arms.
///
For the first time in a while Elizabeth was eating breakfast in the dining room. She was early, and had been sipping her coffee slowly, waiting for the others to arrive. She had given her pack the night to relax, but the extra hours of quiet had only given her more time to think. And now she had things that she needed them to do.
Davin and Trent entered, turning somber when they saw her. They were eating quietly when Jax arrived, and shortly after Gareth. Several staff members came and went in the meantime, but Elizabeth made sure those four stayed with a look. Moira came as well, and helped herself to coffee before sitting down.
Eventually Lincoln and Alex strolled in, and Elizabeth felt a flash of intense happiness at the relaxed and happy look on Lincoln’s face, and a spurt of excitement at the sated look on Alex’s. If she didn’t miss her guess, it wouldn’t be too much longer until she had a baby to hold in her arms.
Elizabeth waited until the last two had sat down with food, curious looks on their faces, and opened her mouth to start talking when the door opened again and Tyler and Jayce entered, hand in hand. Alex’s gaze went sharp and the male wolves all growled slightly. Elizabeth herself felt a surge of protectiveness. Everyone here knew Jayce’s background to some extent, and they also knew what a human ‘player’ looked like. The males, while not Jayce’s mate, would be protective of her and not want her to get hurt.
Jayce, usually so timid, puffed up in front of them—an impressive sight for a wolf so small—and shushed the growling. “That’s enough. Don’t growl at my choices or I won’t cook for you anymore. I would think me taking last night off would be a good enough demonstration of why you don’t want that to happen.” She was referring to their meal of sandwiches and canned soup hastily thrown together by some of the other staff members that filled in for her whenever she took her days off. “I am my own person, and able to make my own decisions.”
Her statement was met with complete, and stunned, silence. Trent, now on his second plate of food, stopped his hand halfway to his mouth, his fork holding a jiggling bit of scrambled egg. Elizabeth recovered first. “Jayce, my dear, no one at this table is going to comment about your personal life. I leave that up to your capable hands.”
Jayce sniffed, her bravado failing, but she pushed through. “Good. I wouldn’t let you tell me what to do anyway.”
Elizabeth threw back her head and laughed. If you had told her ten years ago that Jayce Wilson, in all her diminutive glory, would be able to hold her gaze in defiance she wouldn’t have believed it. But low and behold, miracles do happen. When her laughter quieted, Elizabeth turned her gaze to the human. “If you make her unhappy or upset her, your life may be forfeit. You are no longer dealing with humans, remember that. Also, I may find amusement with Jayce, but should any word of this or of werewolves come from your mouth, know that you will be executed without trial. The world is harsh, and we are harsher because we have to be.”
Tyler nodded solemnly and glanced around at the still suspicious and murderous gazes that were being directed his way. “Yes ma’am.” He looked over to Jayce with a leer that brought a crimson blush to her cheeks.
There was a brief and slightly reluctant chuckle from some of the men, and eating resumed. Jayce and Tyler, presumably having already eaten in the kitchen while Jayce was cooking, helped themselves to coffee.
Clearing her throat delicately, Elizabeth opened her mouth once more to discuss the issue in the forefront of her mind. She’d let Jayce and Tyler play out as they would. She didn’t believe they were mates, although, if they were then theirs wouldn’t be the first human and wolf mating. And Elizabeth was sure it wouldn’t be the last. It wasn’t forbidden, like many thought, just very unusual and rare for the wolf to choose a human, as wolves often considered them inferior. But that hadn’t happened in any case, and so Elizabeth wouldn’t borrow trouble.
“Now that we are all gathered here, there are things we should discuss. The first being that the van that hit Alex and Moira has been searched—thoroughly—and nothing of import found. It appears to have been stolen from a nearby jobsite, and the real vehicle driven by the three attackers was the one they escaped in. My theory is, they watched you drive away, followed at a distance, found a bend in the road that was secluded, and came up with their plan to abduct you, Alex.” She shifted slightly in her seat. “And since it is all guesswork, my thought is that they decided to shoot Moira to keep her occupied while they spirited you away.”
&n
bsp; Tyler put his coffee on the table with a thud and glared at Alex. “What?” He was practically yelling. “You never told me someone tried to abduct you or shoot someone.”
Moira spoke up, “Not someone, me.”
Tyler waved that aside and glared at Alex. “You could have told me. You know what we do for a living, right? I have a whole company that could help protect you.”
Elizabeth cleared her throat again. “Mr. Rypien, as generous as your offer is, I sincerely doubt Alex would have endangered you or your human employees—this is a werewolf issue.”
Alex nodded and continued, her voice softer and more soothing than Elizabeth’s. “Elizabeth is right. I think it was time for a showdown with my brother anyway.
“I’ve known all along this was bound to happen sooner or later. And now, well it’s all worked out,” she glanced at Lincoln, “I am happy here.” Then Alex’s voice was sly. “Besides, you have things to be happy about too.”
After the smiles faded, Elizabeth continued. “So the van was not useful, and is being taken care of. The Pack will pay to get it fixed and then return it to the owner. But my concern right now is that there is a drug that can affect a werewolf for days like the one in the dart that hit you, Alex. No drug should have been able to do that, especially when a normal heat cycle is a day, day and a half at most. Lincoln says yours was closer to three.”
Moira nodded and spoke to Elizabeth. “We were talking about that last night in the library, after you and Lincoln went back to work, and Alex and Tyler went to talk. For a drug to have the ability to affect a werewolf, then we all thought it would have to have been tested on werewolves.”
Jax joined in then. “So it becomes a problem of who created it, who tested it, and who is distributing it.”