Wolf Claimed

by Sadie Moss

  Wolf Claimed

  The Last Shifter #3

  Sadie Moss

  Copyright © 2018 by Sadie Moss

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or had, or actual events is purely coincidental.

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  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Also by Sadie Moss

  Chapter One

  My heavy paws thudded against the hard-packed earth as I ran. Little clumps of grass and dirt were dislodged by my thick claws, and the scents of the pine forest tickled my nostrils.

  In the trees overhead, birds called and twittered amongst themselves, and my sharp ears picked up the sounds of other small woodland creatures darting for cover as I raced by.

  Don’t worry; you’re safe, for now. I’m not hunting today.

  I wasn’t after food or a fight at the moment. Right now, I just needed space.

  Peace.

  Since we’d arrived at the Lost Pack’s new location a few weeks ago, I felt like I’d been living in a constant state of high alert, waiting for disaster to strike but unsure exactly where it would come from.

  Would the Strand hunters somehow track us down again and invade the camp?

  Would the steadily growing tensions between the Lost Pack and the Salt Lake City shifters finally boil over?

  Would Alpha Elijah kick me and my mates out?

  All of those seemed like viable possibilities for the crisis I could feel looming on the horizon, and no matter how much I tried to convince myself it would all be okay, I couldn’t shake the feeling of impending doom that hung over me.

  My mates and I had brought over thirty shifters to the abandoned military base where the Lost Pack now resided, joining the forty or so wolves who already lived here.

  We’d had some vague notion of striking out on our own after that, but now that we were here, it was hard to consider leaving. It would feel too much like abandoning the shifters we’d rescued when we broke into the Strand complex to find Sariah. I wouldn’t go anywhere until I was absolutely sure they’d be safe.

  And I don’t think I’ll ever be sure of that.

  With a low whine, I slowed my pace, shaking out my fur like a wet dog. Damn it. I wasn’t supposed to be wallowing in my thoughts and worries. The whole reason I’d come out here had been to blow off some steam and get my mind off things. And to practice shifting, which still gave me trouble from time to time.

  My wolf and I had come a long way—she no longer felt like some alien parasite living inside me—but our relationship was definitely still a work in progress. She could be as stubborn as I was sometimes, and if the two halves of me weren’t perfectly aligned, she would wrestle control away from me and do whatever she wanted.

  I lifted my nose to the air, tasting the breeze, then altered my course slightly. I didn’t want to venture too far from the Lost Pack’s home base, so I veered right to circle around it in a wide perimeter. Trying to quiet the thoughts churning in my head, I put on a burst of speed, letting my four legs move together in easy harmony.

  Wind rushed through my fur, and my heart beat faster as I sprinted flat out, the muscles of my back and legs contracting powerfully.

  Then, with no warning at all, my wolf slipped away.

  I shifted mid-stride, unprepared for the snapping of bones and flash of pain that always accompanied the change. My momentum kept moving forward, but suddenly I had only two legs and no front paws to land on. My easy stride faltered, and I tumbled ass over elbows across the forest floor, finally coming to a stop on my back.

  Pine needles and little rocks dug into my skin as I let out a groan that was twenty percent pain and eighty percent frustration. I’d banged my elbow hard as I went down, and I could feel scrapes and bruises from where my bare flesh had met the unforgiving ground.

  “Goddamn it. Why do you do that?” I muttered to my wolf. But the bitch had no reply for me.

  It was the second time this had happened in a week. I’d spent so much time worrying about what I’d do if my wolf came out and refused to leave that I’d never really considered the possibility of her slipping away when I needed her.

  To be honest, both scenarios were terrifying.

  Ever since the fight at the Salt Lake City Strand complex, my wolf had seemed a little reticent. I wasn’t sure if it was because of what’d happened inside the complex—I still had nightmares about it and probably would for a long time—or something about being back among the Lost Pack. But whatever it was, I needed to fix it soon. My wolf was big, larger than any others in the pack, and I could use that size to my advantage to help keep the peace. But only if she’d actually do what I asked.

  Lifting one side of my lip in a snarl, I sat up and brushed the streaks of dirt and blood off me as best I could.

  “Stupid wolf.”

  I swore I heard her huff inside me, and if it’d been actual words, I was sure it would’ve been something like stupid human.

  As I stood, movement in the woods behind me caught my eye, and I turned around to peer through the trees. A large white wolf loped through the forest toward me, his amber eyes shining as his tongue lolled out of his mouth.

  Jackson.

  I should’ve known my mates wouldn’t let me sneak off into the forest all on my own. He’d probably been following me ever since I left the base, although I had to appreciate that he’d at least let me have enough space to think I was alone. I rarely liked to leave my mates’ sides, but I’d needed the time to clear my head. I just hoped…

  “Umm… did you see that?” I asked, a flush rising up my neck.

  The wolf before me shivered, his muscles and bones morphing under his skin until a moment later, a naked man with wavy brown hair and a slightly crooked nose stood before me. His body was tall and lean, filled out with sculpted muscle, and a dusting of dark hair covered his chest.

  I was finally starting to get used to the fact that shifters transformed back to their human forms naked, but it was harder to act casual about it when it was one of my mates.

  No matter how many times I’d seen it, my gaze still wanted to devour every detail of his form. Hell, I’d like to get my hands and mouth involved too. Looking at the chiseled V that ran down from his hips was all well and good, but what I really wanted to do was trace those lines with my tongue.

  My blush deepened, making my cheeks burn, as I shook away those thoughts and dragged my gaze up to meet his laughing amber eyes. Heat flared in them alongside amusement as he cocked his head at me.

  “See you shift mid-stride then whiff it hard? Uh, yeah. I saw.” He chuckled. “I’ve never seen a mov
e like that. What do you call it?”

  I scowled. “It’s called ‘Alexis’s wolf is a dick.’”

  He laughed harder at that, the sound warming my insides even as annoyance at my wolf flared again.

  “Nah, she’s not a dick. She’s just powerful. And you’re still learning the ropes. You gotta cut yourself some slack sometimes.”

  “I don’t feel like I have time.” I sighed, not missing the way Jackson’s eyes darted down to my breasts at the movement, his attention making my nipples peak. “It feels like there’s a storm on the horizon, you know? Like something is coming, and I need to be ready for it.”

  He pulled a face. “Yeah, I do know. Fuck, the guys and I spent so many years searching for Sariah that I guess I started to think once we found her, it would be over. We’d all live happily ever after and that kinda shit. But it’s not like that. It sure as shit doesn’t feel over.”

  “Do you think it was a mistake to come here?”

  “Nah.” He shrugged. “We had to bring all those people somewhere, and I still can’t think of a better place we could’ve gone. We just need to stay on our toes and—” He broke off suddenly, his lips splitting into a wide grin as he chuckled. “Oh man. I’m sorry. I can’t have this conversation with a straight face. You’ve got the world’s biggest twig sticking out of your hair like a fucking unicorn horn right now, and it’s the best thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life.”

  “What? Where?” My hands flew up to my hair, shaking out the brown locks vigorously. A smattering of pine needles flew out, and I felt a sharp pull where the twig had become tangled up in the strands. “Ow! Fuck.”

  “Oh geez. All right, don’t hurt yourself. Let me help.” Still laughing, Jackson stepped forward, slipping his large hands into my hair to take over the twig extraction process.

  His brows drew together in concentration, and he bit the corner of his bottom lip as he worked, gently unwinding the delicate strands from the miniature branch. I gazed up at his face, entranced by the color of his irises—a rich amber dotted with flecks of gold and brown. He had the most expressive eyes I’d ever seen, like open windows to his soul, revealing every thought, emotion, and mood he had. Unlike some of his pack mates, Jackson was an open book, and I could spend hours poring over every single page.

  When he finally tugged the twig free of my hair, he shifted his gaze to my face, catching me staring at him. His eyes darkened, the pupils dilating as his lids drooped. A spark of desire jumped between us like static electricity.

  With deliberate movements, he ran his fingers through my hair, massaging my scalp and dislodging any other small pieces of nature that had gotten caught there. “There you go, Alexis. All better.”

  I’d never forgotten that the two of us were naked, but as he stepped a little closer to me, I became hyper-aware of that fact. My body, mind, and soul had been crying out for these men ever since my wolf had claimed them as her mates. But they’d all been too afraid to touch me when I was recovering from my injuries at Molly’s house in Vegas, and then our lives had been consumed by Sariah’s rescue and the aftermath of that.

  Noah and I had shared an amazing night together just before we left Vegas, and he’d shown me several times since then that the incredible chemistry between us hadn’t been a fluke. But that line still hadn’t been crossed with the rest of my mates, and I could feel the need tugging at me almost like a physical force.

  I took a step forward, erasing the small space between our bodies. His tall frame towered over my petite 5’3” stature, but when I reached up to twine my arms around his neck and rose up on my tiptoes, he dipped his head to meet me.

  “My hero,” I whispered, a teasing smile ghosting over my face as I brushed my lips against his.

  He made a sound in his throat and pulled me tighter against him, his warm lips moving over mine. When he took the kiss deeper, every thought but him—his tongue, his breath, his hard body—fled my mind. I hooked my legs around him, allowing him to hold me up as I wrapped myself around his body. I could feel his rapidly hardening cock brush the bottom of my ass, and I moved against him shamelessly.

  What had started off as a slightly innocent kiss escalated quickly since we were both already naked. There were no barriers between us, no impediments to the thing I wanted—needed. Jackson’s large, rough palms skated down my back and over the swell of my ass, hooking under my legs to hoist me higher.

  “Fuck, Alexis!” he gasped, wrenching his mouth from mine only to bite and kiss the skin of my neck and shoulder, making little zaps of electricity shoot through my body. “Jesus, I want you so fucking much.”

  His words had the same effect on me as his lips and teeth against my skin did, and I responded by mirroring his action, dropping my head to the side and biting down not-very-gently on the curve of his shoulder. He groaned, and his cock pulsed against me.

  Enjoying that reaction, I did it again, only this time, I didn’t let go. I kept my teeth and lips clamped around his flesh and sucked, as though I were trying to draw his entire essence into myself. His skin was warm and smooth, and his familiar scent infused my nostrils with sandalwood and musk.

  His fingers dug into my ass so hard I was sure they’d leave a bruise as he pressed me to him. When I finally released his skin from my lips with a satisfying pop, I realized I’d left behind a large red spot.

  I’d marked him.

  Claimed him.

  That thought touched something primal inside me, and I wasn’t sure whether it originated from my wolf or myself. A fierce pride welled in my chest, and I suddenly hoped the bites he’d made on my neck had marked me too.

  Let the whole fucking world know. This man was mine, and I was never letting him go.

  He must’ve read the emotions on my face, because he growled softly, swooping in to claim another kiss that I felt all the way down to my core. As his mouth and tongue devoured me, his hands squeezed and kneaded my ass, hiking me higher against him.

  I whimpered into his mouth, my eyelids falling shut as I wrapped my arms around his neck.

  Jesus. A few minutes ago, I’d been running through the woods as a wolf, trying to sort through a mishmash of thoughts, and now I was about to dissolve into a puddle of liquid need. I wasn’t sure if it was normal to go from zero to a hundred like that, but this was the effect all my mates had on me.

  Like I was tinder and they were the flame.

  “Jackson,” I murmured, grinding my body against him, needing more. “Please!”

  “Holy shit, Alexis. How do you do this to me?”

  He sounded just as tortured as I was, and if I’d been more coherent, I would’ve argued that I wasn’t doing anything. This was all him. He brought it out in me. But instead of speaking, I just tipped my head back, letting him run a hot trail with his tongue down the front of my neck as he groaned low in his throat.

  Suddenly, a howl in the distance pierced the quiet air.

  Several others joined it, and Jackson and I stilled, cocking our heads to listen intently. I couldn’t tell who the voices belonged to, but I could hear an edge of panic in them. Of warning.

  My heated blood froze in my veins.

  “That’s coming from the base,” I whispered. “Something’s wrong.”

  Chapter Two

  From zero to a hundred—and back to zero again.

  The flames of desire licking through my body died instantly as my heart lurched in my chest, and I scrambled down from Jackson’s arms. He looked just as worried as I felt, his amber eyes gleaming as he turned his head back toward the Lost Pack camp.

  “Fuck. You’re right. Goddamn it, what now?”

  He shot me a quick look, regret and lingering heat sparking in his eyes for a brief moment, but before I could react, he was shifting again. Thankfully, my wolf had perked up at the sound of the howls, and she sprang to the surface quickly when I called her. Now I just had to hope she wouldn’t abandon me halfway back to the base.

  I yipped, and Jackson wheeled around
, setting off through the trees at a fast run. As a human, I was nearly a foot shorter than him, but my wolf was larger than his, allowing me to keep pace easily as he weaved through clusters of trees and darted around bushes.

  The howls had stopped, and I kept my ears pricked for any other noises, searching for signs of an attack. As we neared the camp, new sounds reached us. Barks and growls punctuated by whines. Finally, we reached the outlying buildings of the abandoned base, cutting between the large, single-story wood and concrete structures. We followed the sounds toward an open pavilion in the center of the compound.

  My heart sank as we neared it. Not again.

  I supposed I should be glad. It wasn’t a Strand attack like I’d initially feared. But that hardly made this better. Two wolves squared off in the large open space, surrounded by a loose circle of shifters—some in human form, some wolf. The crowd was tense, on edge, as they watched the challenge play out.

  The wolves in the center were roughly the same size, or at least, they would’ve been if one of them wasn’t severely underweight. The larger one had dusky fur, almost black, while the other had gray and white markings. The black-haired wolf was a member of the Lost Pack. Daniel, I thought his name was. The other wolf, Tara, had come with us from Salt Lake. She was an anxious woman, distrustful of almost everyone, including her pack mates from the Strand complex. I’d only spoken to her a few times because she almost never shifted to human form, preferring to spend her days as a wolf.

  Jackson and I skidded to a stop amid the onlookers and shifted back quickly. I grabbed the shoulder of the woman in front of me and hissed, “What’s going on? What set them off?”