by Anna Lowe
He pulled back, then hammered back in, clenching his teeth.
“Don’t stop. Please don’t stop,” she begged, clutching his shoulders, digging in with her heels.
He pulled out, and his eyes flashed with a look that said, I never want to stop.
“More,” she gulped, clamping her legs around him. “More.”
“More,” he replied in a hoarse voice, giving it to her. His thrusts grew faster and harder. Jerkier, too, as he slowly lost control. She tucked her chin and watched him pound into her. Noises escaped her — desperate little mewing sounds like a greedy kitten.
Drew rocked faster and faster, and she would have jolted over the picnic table each time if he hadn’t held her so close. He reached around to pull her right leg higher, changing the angle, and she cried out as he bottomed out in a whole new spot.
He might have cried out, too. She couldn’t tell any more, because her ears were filled with that roaring sound again, her whole body about to melt down.
“More,” she begged, although she was sure she’d explode any second.
His eyes flickered with a deep-seated hunger, and sweat broke out on his brow.
“Drew,” she murmured, thrusting forward as he powered in, making it more of a slam than a slide.
Her head fell back as every muscle in her body coiled for the release building inside her. Did he feel the pressure, too? Did he see the blinding light that shone into every corner of her body, making her feel incredibly alive?
“Summer,” he groaned, thrusting one more time.
She moaned as her whole body shuddered with unbearable pleasure. Drew shuddered, too, emptying inside her. His heat spread through her as her body sang and danced and raved.
“Yes,” she moaned, drawing out the high, memorizing the moment. The heat of his body inside hers. The tight grip of his hands on her waist. The stiffness of his body as he gloried in his own release.
Yes, her wolf cried, and her fangs pressed on the inside of her gums, begging to be unleashed. She found herself eyeing his neck, planning where to bite. A mating bite. A bond that would make him hers forever.
Drew was eyeing her neck, too, and she saw his bear wrestling for control.
Yes, she swore she could hear the beast murmur. A mating bite. Let me make you mine.
His nostrils flared, and she almost tipped her head back in invitation. Make me yours, Drew. Forever.
But an owl hooted, and a tiny dusting of snow sprinkled down from one of the boughs overhead. A reminder of the stark reality around them.
“We can’t,” he croaked, coming to his senses, too. “Not yet.”
The yet was the only part of the sentence she liked. But he was right. They were already risking too much by meeting like this.
She cupped his cheeks and kissed him long and hard.
“Not yet,” she conceded. “But someday…”
He nodded and cuddled her closer. “Someday soon.”
She looked up at the sky and sighed. The stars seemed brighter, the air crisper, the night darker than before. Was it her, feeling more alive than before, or had the universe changed, too?
“Come on,” Drew said, untangling his limbs from hers.
“Wait,” she protested. She loved the weight of his body over hers. She loved the closeness, the way his chest rose and fell beside hers.
“I promise you this will be worth it,” he said, pulling her to her feet.
She shivered, feeling the cold for the first time since she’d shifted from her wolf form. “Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.” He kept his hand tight around hers as he led her down the path.
The night was crystal clear, but the woods ahead of them were swirling with mist, and she hesitated. What was hiding back there, out of sight?
“Trust me,” he murmured.
She hung back for a split second, then gave in. Of course, she could trust her mate.
“You don’t think I brought you here for the picnic tables, did you?” He grinned.
Well, that piqued her curiosity. “I liked the picnic table. Loved it, in fact.”
He squeezed her hand. “Me, too. But this is even better. I promise.”
A few steps more, and she could barely see through the witch’s broth of condensation. She held his hand tighter than ever.
“Um, Drew…”
“Here.” He motioned to a wooden frame that lay flat, squaring off a patch of earth.
She looked closer. Wait, that wasn’t earth. It was water, and it was steaming.
“Hot springs,” Drew whispered. His voice carried on the mist.
The tension in her shoulders disappeared, and she laughed out loud. “Hot springs?” Maybe her bear was more adventurous than she thought.
“Come on,” he said.
She slid into the steamy water, oohing and ahhing at the warmth.
“Not bad, huh?” he asked.
“Not bad,” she agreed, sliding closer.
Drew sat on the submerged bench built into the pool, and she straddled his lap.
“Not bad,” she murmured. His cock twitched against her core, and she ground against him, suddenly craving more.
“Not bad,” he whispered, holding her hips.
A second later, they were connected again, both of them rocking and sweating and murmuring in pleasure. Drew lapped at her nipples, flipping every switch in her on. She pumped over him, ever faster and harder, and when he tipped his head all the way back, she did the same.
“Yes,” she murmured as his thickness filled her. Filled her like no man ever had before.
“Yes,” he murmured, letting her take the lead for another glorious minute. Then he stood up with a mighty splash and drew her out of the water.
“I get the top,” he growled, laying her out along the wooden frame.
She wrapped her arms and legs around him, rising to meet his body.
“Summer,” he murmured as he slid in.
He said her name again and again, even as he pounded her into another incredible high.
“Summer,” he breathed afterward, holding her close.
“Mate,” she whispered, feeling the full meaning of the word for the very first time.
Yes, he was a bear. Yes, they were playing with fire, allowing things to go this far.
And no, she’d never regret it. No matter what lay ahead.
Chapter Eight
“See you soon,” she whispered an hour later when they dragged themselves out of bliss and back into reality.
If only she didn’t have to leave the hot springs where they’d been wrapped around each other like a couple of cubs in a cozy den.
We don’t have to, her wolf had whispered. We can stay and stay and stay.
No, she couldn’t. She had to get back to Hope Springs and see what had come of the fight. She had to find Mett and figure out what he was planning.
Drew’s eyes shimmered with a mix of pure sorrow and staunch duty. “I don’t want to go, either. But we have to.”
They drew apart slowly and formed a rough plan which started with scrubbing themselves fiercely in the water. There was no way they could carry the slightest whiff of each other’s scent back to the wolf pack.
He grimaced. “I can stop in a bar on the way back and make sure I smell like alcohol and smoke.”
She nodded. “I’ll roll in every skunkbush I can find.”
Don’t leave him! her wolf howled.
She had to. They were close to finishing their mission. Close to discovering what the future course of Hope Springs was. She couldn’t let herself quit now. Not even for her mate.
“See you soon,” he whispered.
They both stood there for a long time, looking at each other. Finally, Summer shifted into wolf form and forced herself to go with a firm shake of her coat.
She hadn’t slept a wink, but fear and curiosity gripped her, and once she was out of sight of Drew, she ran like a woman possessed. Had anyone at Hope Springs noticed her absence? W
hat had happened with the fight? What would happen next?
Drew had told her about the anonymous appeal for help they’d received at the saloon. Was there really someone committed to finishing off the Blue Blood movement once and for all? If so, who? Thomas? One of the elders? Someone else who’d been biding their time so far? Or was it a ruse?
But first things first. She didn’t even know which of the contenders won the fight for alpha position. And the longer she thought about it, the faster she moved, anxious to find out. She ran long and hard, not letting her pace flag until she crested the last rise and stopped at the view. The sun was just peeking over the horizon, lighting the lower sky with a pinkish-yellow glow. Open country stretched as far as the eye could see, and a single set of headlights marked the state highway at this lonely hour. The earth sloped upward from south to north, and ribbons of color stood out in the rocky bluffs, showing off eons of nature at work. It was beautiful. Breathtakingly beautiful.
But when she focused on the dusty settlement of Hope Springs, her face set into hard lines. The place looked so quiet, so serene, but she knew it was anything but. She sniffed and caught the scent of wolf musk, even from half a mile away. No surprise there, given the way fights pumped up every male’s testosterone — not just the men fighting but those spectating, too. The arena was mostly deserted, though two torches still flickered faintly, and the last embers of a bonfire glowed beside it, still crackling with news of the new alpha to the world.
Which alpha? she wanted to scream. Who won? Logic told her it would be Thomas, but veterans like Dryver were impossible to dismiss. She shook herself again, jogged down the slope, turned a corner—
And ran right into Mett.
She recoiled immediately, and he looked at her through narrow-lidded eyes.
“I was looking for you everywhere,” he barked.
Yeah, well, I was avoiding you like the plague, she wanted to say.
“I really needed a run,” she explained, sticking to a version of the truth. “But I got lost.”
As if I’d ever get lost, her wolf sniffed.
She shushed it before the lie showed and let her gaze drop away from Mett’s bloodshot, hungover eyes. Let him think she was sorry or embarrassed or meek. Let him think anything it took to pull off her mission.
“You missed the fight.” Gretchen strode up, wearing a deep frown of disapproval.
“I’ve seen enough fighting,” she replied, forcing herself not to glare at the older woman.
“And you nearly missed the meeting.” Mett grabbed her arm so hard, his fingernails bit into her skin.
She held back a yelp — and the punch she would have loved to plant on his chin.
“Meeting?” She looked around.
So that’s why the place seemed so quiet. Almost everyone was in the barn, and the last stragglers were hurrying in that direction.
“You can sit with us,” Gretchen said. An order, not an invitation.
Summer was still considering how to extract herself from those two when a deep voice sounded at her side.
“Kiss for the winner?”
She spun and found Thomas there. So he had won. He looked weary yet triumphant, and his eyes sparkled. And whoa – not just from the win. His eyes sparkled to see her.
Shit, shit, shit.
“Um…uh…” she sputtered. How was she going to get out of all this? Half the women in the pack would have wished themselves into her position at that moment, but Summer just felt sick. She didn’t want Thomas any more than she wanted Mett. She wanted Drew. Only Drew. Forever.
But Thomas had already nudged Mett to the side — seething, red-faced Mett — and leaned so close, she had no choice but to give him a peck on the cheek. He smelled of shaving cream and leather polish, like a cowboy who’d just spiffed himself up. Not too bad, really, but nothing like Drew.
For the first second, Thomas was a warm, gentle presence at her side, but a moment later, he went stiff. Shit – had he picked up on Drew’s scent? Had she blown her cover?
“Um, what’s going on?” She pulled away quickly and motioned to the people hurrying toward the barn.
“I’ve called a meeting,” Thomas said. His eyes narrowed on her, and his nostrils flared.
She trembled inside. She’d been sure to brush off every trace of Drew’s scent, but a girl couldn’t swim in ecstasy all night and completely hide what she’d been up to. Did she still have that telltale glow, that sleepy scent of bliss?
She tried changing the subject. “A meeting? With who?”
“I’ve put out a call to every pack in the Four Corners and Nevada,” Thomas said, looking every bit the powerful alpha.
“Don’t see why we need outsiders meddling in our business,” Gretchen grumbled.
Thomas ignored her completely, hooked his arm through Summer’s, and strode toward the barn. She followed, trying to stifle her panic. The last thing she needed was an unknown alpha making a claim on her. Thomas had already grabbed control of the pack — who knew what he’d claim next?
Out of the corner of her eye, Summer saw a stiff, heavily bruised Dryver being helped into his truck by his men.
“You should have killed him,” Gretchen grumbled. The woman was like a leech at her side, and judging by the expression on Thomas’ face, he felt the same.
“No need to kill a good man,” he said.
Summer wondered what his definition of a good man was. Good as long as he didn’t mix with different species of shifters? Emmett Whyte had seemed fairly normal as long as he was around wolf-only company. So who knew what Thomas meant?
She walked along, wearing a neutral expression and keeping her eyes on the ground. Thomas only released her when they reached the barn door, and the second they stepped through, she hustled to one side. It took her a minute to adjust to the dim interior after the bright light of daybreak, but her nose was immediately filled with the scents of dozens of shifters. Some familiar, others unknown.
“Wow, they’re all here,” someone nearby murmured.
She blinked, looking around. Who was they?
“Connor Davis of Las Alamitos pack,” a man murmured and pointed out the alpha. “Jack Hunter of Indian Ridge. Roric of Westend Pack,” the man went on, naming a handful of others.
“Wow. Did they drive through the night?” Summer couldn’t help whispering.
“Where have you been, girl?” another person scolded.
Been screwing my mate all night, her wolf purred inside.
“Word is that Thomas put the call out yesterday, before the fight. Cocky son of a bitch.”
She looked at Thomas, who was talking with one of the elders. Cocky wasn’t the word. Confident, yes, but cautious too. A careful planner who left little to chance. If only he didn’t hold his cards so close to his chest.
“Wouldn’t you know it,” the man continued. “There’s that bear, back here again.”
Her head snapped up, and she drew in a sharp breath when Drew entered through a door on the opposite side. The crowd murmured, and several wolf shifters skittered out of range of his claws, just in case.
Mate! her wolf cried. Mate!
Her eyes locked with his, and for the space of a heartbeat, she was transported back to the magic of the previous night. That feeling of safety, of undying love. His perfect lips quirked, and she smiled, remembering his whispers and his sweet caress.
Then – shit – she wiped the smile off her face and dragged her gaze away. Drew did, too. It had only been a split-second indiscretion, but if anyone noticed…
She looked around, but everyone’s eyes seemed to be on Thomas and the elders at the front. Whew. She exhaled—
Then froze when she spotted Thomas, staring at her. His eyes slid over to Drew, then back to her.
Her heart pounded. Her feet felt glued to the ground. Her mind calculated the distance to the door. Thomas knew. He’d figured out her connection to Drew. And damn, did he look angry.
She expected him to shout and sound
the alarm, but he just stared at her. And stared and stared with eyes that felt close to boring through her soul.
She kept waiting for her cover to be blown, but Thomas didn’t say anything.
Yet.
He could ruin everything. He could turn the crowd on her and Drew in an instant, and even her mighty bear wouldn’t stand a chance against dozens of outraged wolves. Drew would be torn apart, and she… Shit. She’d be lucky to be torn apart. If she was unlucky, she’d be spared and forced to mate with Thomas. She’d seen the interest in his eyes, and she’d heard the stories of powerful alphas who took whatever and whomever they wanted.
She was about to turn and flee when his expression went from thunderous to…sad?
Do you think so little of me? She couldn’t hear his thoughts in her mind, but she could read them all over his face.
She didn’t know what to think. All she wanted was Drew. And peace. Peace in her soul, peace for the shifter world.
“This meeting is called to order,” one of the elders cried out.
Thomas turned away from her and raised his hands, signaling for the crowd to listen. He waited until the room was so quiet, she could hear the breath of the man beside her.
She could feel the weight of Drew’s gaze upon her, too, and thank goodness for that. It was the only thing keeping her from racing out the door. Was Thomas really not going to challenge the love of two shifters of different species?
Thomas spoke in a voice that was all power, all determination. “As new alpha of Hope Springs pack, I have called in the major packs of the Southwest.”
No wonder there were so many newcomers in the room. Thomas had called them in as witnesses not just to the start of his reign, but for some big announcement. The room tingled with anticipation as a dozen grizzled alphas looked on.
“This pack has made a name for itself—”
Thomas paused when a man tiptoed up to him and whispered in his ear. A second later, the barn door burst open, and everyone’s heads snapped up.
“Holy shit,” someone whispered.
“Fuck.”
“Man, oh man.”
Even Summer stared.
“The wolves of Twin Moon pack,” someone cried.