Charley's Christmas Wolf

by Gorri, C. D.

  Charley snuggled into Rafe’s warm chest as he carried her through the empty hallway as if she weighed nothing. Wrapped in his soft sweater with her clothes piled on top of her he managed to make her feel like a princess. Albeit a princess who had just engaged in some deliciously naughty desk sex.

  She smiled and sighed, a satisfied sound. He nuzzled her head as he walked. His steps strong and steady, his voice deep and husky.

  “I’m sorry I couldn’t wait until we were upstairs. I should have had more control,” he seemed shaken, maybe embarrassed.

  Charley reached up and stroked his cheek. There was more hair than there was just an hour ago. He looked scruffy and handsome. His lips were slightly swollen and she felt her cheeks heat as she recalled how they had gotten that way.

  “S’okay, I couldn’t wait either,” she bit her bottom lip as he opened the door to his room and placed her on the duvet. He smoothed a stray curl away from her flushed face and kissed her lips.

  CHAPTER 11

  “How do you feel, my Carlotta?,” Rafe’s hand grazed her neck, his fingers stroked her softly. He couldn’t stop touching her. He had no desire to.

  “Mmm, good. What time is it?,” Charley felt a little sleepy, but good. So very good. How could this be real? She wondered if it was possible for a person, for her, to truly be this happy.

  “Eight-thirty, baby, no, no don’t move,” he held her down gently when she tried to sit up.

  “It’s later than I thought, I should make dinner.”

  “Don’t worry about it. The guys ordered a bunch of pizzas. Are you hungry?,” Rafe asked. She shook her head as he bent and kissed her softly.

  “Carlotta, tonight is the full moon.”

  Charley stiffened. Time for the truth. He had to come clean about this whole Werewolf nonsense.

  “Rafe, I-”

  “Please, just listen. You are my female, my mate, you’re protected. Do not be afraid. Our matebond will be complete after tonight,” he spoke matter-of-factly. His ice blue eyes held a faraway look and for the first time charley felt uncomfortable. She didn’t know how to respond. Poor delusional man. Tears sprang to her eyes.

  “Oh Rafe, you are not a Werewolf. Maybe we can get you some help?”

  “Trust in me. I beg you. I am a Werewolf. Even if you want to leave after, I need you to understand this is not a delusion. I’m so sorry I didn’t have the strength to send you away in the beginning, I just couldn’t, one look and I knew you were my destiny,” he ran his hand through his hair. Charley thought she saw him tremble.

  “My Guard is sworn to protect you now. Just remember, I would die before I let anything hurt you. Don’t be afraid.”

  He drew open the floor length curtains revealing the French doors that led to the terrace. He opened them too, letting the frigid night air creep into the bedroom. He didn’t seem bothered by it even in his nudity. A few more minutes and the moon would be completely full.

  “Whatever you’re thinking, please, please know this, I love you, Carlotta.”

  Big, soggy tears ran down her face as she tried to hold in her sobs. She had waited her whole life to hear those words. What was she going to do when nothing happened? How would she console him?

  “Don’t worry, sweet, you’ll be safe. I swear it. After the Change I’ll stay with you awhile, then I’ll have to go,” he bent and touched her forehead with his own.

  “Don’t worry, my love. The Pack has to see their Alpha, but Cat will stay behind to keep an eye out,” his head still touching hers he leaned down and licked the tears off of her face and neck. She wanted to hold him, to keep him there. But he backed away from her embrace.

  He turned his head toward the terrace, a look of anticipation and bliss on his face. That’s when Charley noticed the moon. Beautiful, bright and completely full. Its rays seemed to land right on Rafe, encompassing his entire body in an unearthly glow.

  Suddenly the air around him shimmered. His breathing increased. He started to sweat and his entire body vibrated. He so large and powerfully built. More muscular than any man she had ever seen. Beautiful.

  He mouthed something to her. She thought it was, I love you. Three words. That’s all they were. She thought she had imagined them moments ago, but here he was confirming what she thought was delusion.

  Charley sat up on the bed, wrapped in a sheet and watched as the man she had married mere hours ago seemed to shimmer in and out of the moonlight. I love you, fitting words for this moment of magic and myth. She wished she could return them, but she was struck dumb by the sight before her.

  Rafe’s brown hair darkened to a deep blue black. Then suddenly, it wasn’t hair, but more like fur and it ran down his arms, his hard belly, and legs. His large human body doubled over. Rafe grunted and groaned. He seemed to be in pain.

  Oh my God, Charley ran to help, but Rafe seemed to melt right before her eyes. Where he had been crouched down on the ground only moments before stood a black Wolf the size of a small pony. Charley stopped so suddenly she fell flat on her butt.

  The Wolf looked at her. His chest was heavily muscled. His paws massive with long, sharp claws. His eyes were a darker blue, but they were full of knowledge and recognition. Charley crouched down in front of him and stretched out her hand as tears rolled down her face. A Werewolf! It was all true!

  The Wolf held still as she approached. Unsure of herself, she wiped her face and bent her head down, beneath his. It seemed right somehow.

  He walked to her and wrapped his great Wolf body around hers. Heat emanated from him, as well as, strength and power. Charley reached out with shaky hands and stroked his fur. It was smooth and silky, but underneath his body was hard and muscular.

  His huge Wolf tongue hung out to the side as she scratched behind his ear. Charley’s laughter rang throughout the room when Rafe went belly up like a great big puppy. She couldn’t believe her eyes. Fear took a backseat, replaced by wonder and amazement. A real, live Werewolf! And he was her husband. For however long he wanted her.

  He stood up suddenly, jarring her from her thoughts. He walked over to the terrace and barked. Then he looked over at her then back down to the yard. Charley stood up and went to him wrapped in nothing but a sheet from the bed. It trailed behind her like the train of a wedding dress and she felt like something out of a dream.

  She peered over the railing at the eight magnificent Wolves that were gathered below them. They were all huge, bigger than the average Wolf, but none quite as large as her Rafe. They sat on their haunches and howled into the night air when they saw them both together.

  Charley made out a dark brown one with long shaggy fur, Randall; a light buff one with short smooth fur, Seff; a golden one with shorter fur that spiked into a ridge on his back, Conall; a smaller, paler blonde one that could only be Cat; a black one with a scar that zigzagged across his shoulders, Tate; two large bright red wolves, the twins Dib and Kurt; and a snow white wolf, Lyall. They were a stunning group. As Wolves or humans.

  Charley felt a force, a power almost like the hum of a generator, soar through her body. Suddenly she felt as if she were connected to them all. She could feel their presence touching her heart and mind. Rafe stood out among all of them. His heart the most clear. His love for her strong and pure.

  Her chest heaved as the force of that power filled her. All of her life she had felt alone, especially after her grandfather passed, but not now. All she felt now was love for this man, this Wolf, who had filled her empty life as no one else ever could.

  More Werewolves approached from the dense woods behind the manor. They seemed to be acknowledging her, their new Alpha female. Charley felt her heart swell with pride and wonder.

  She turned as Rafe’s claws made a clicking sound on the beautiful wrought iron fence that surrounded the terrace. He watched the display with a regal air about him. He acknowledged his Pack with a short howl then turned to her.

  “Thank you,” Charley said to him, her left hand over her heart, “thank you so m
uch.”

  His great Wolf head was cocked to the side as he dropped down to his paws and approached her. He licked her hand gently, a soft whine escaping his jaws.

  “No, I’m happy. I really am. You’re beautiful. All of you,” surprised and delighted she wrapped her arms around his furry neck and he nuzzled hers back.

  Rafe gently stepped back from her and she released him. Then he leapt in front of her, blocking her view. She heard the clacking of claws on the stone tiles. A Wolf had apparently jumped up, though they were at least two stories high.

  Rafe growled once and Charley noticed it was Cat. The female Wolf lowered herself into a submissive position. She approached Charley and sat down at her feet. Charley steeled her nerves and reached out to rub the female between her pointed ears.

  She could not afford to be afraid. In truth, she was more curious anyway. Her musings stopped when Cat’s sandpaper-like tongue snaked out and licked Charley’s hand. She grinned at the She-Wolf. They would be just fine.

  Cat will stay with you, Rafe’s voice whispered in her mind. Charley nodded and wiped her eye as her husband barked once then vaulted over the terrace. He landed soundlessly on the frozen grass below.

  She walked over to the French doors and closed them, though she wanted nothing more than to watch. She tried listening for them, but only managed to hear a few distant howls. Cat, on the other hand, seemed to hear things Charley’s human ears couldn’t pick up.

  “So, what do I do now?,” Charley mused.

  Cat walked to the closet and nudged the door. Charley opened it and watched the Wolf pull a nightgown from a hangar gently with her mouth.

  “Maybe you’re right, a shower first, then bed.”

  Charley indulged in a long hot shower. She brushed her damp hair and donned the nightgown Cat had chosen for her. It was soft and practical. She shrugged and went to snuggle in bed. Cat was lying down on the rug. She couldn’t tell if the Wolf was asleep or not, but she suspected she was trying to make it easier for Charley by not moving around so much.

  Sometime later Rafe came back. She knew him instantly. It was as if her soul recognized his. She opened the terrace doors in her soft cotton nightgown and Cat flew out of them just as Rafe stepped inside.

  It was ridiculous to wish she was in silk and lace instead of worn cotton, but she couldn’t help it. It was her wedding night, after all. She wanted to be beautiful for him.

  As if sensing her mood he licked her hands gently and nuzzled her belly. Then he leapt up on the huge bed. Charley joined him. She wondered at the idea that she was in bed with a Werewolf. Silk or not, she was with him now and that was all that mattered. It was everything.

  She must have dozed off while staring at Rafe. Her husband. Her Wolf. She was awake now and the male wrapped around her was all warm skin and hard muscle. And he was happy to see her, judging from the hardness she felt rubbing up against her bottom. She pushed back into him and smiled at his groan.

  Next thing she knew, her nightgown was off and she was up on her knees with him behind her. He gently eased her head down and spread her thighs. She sucked in a breath, more than ready.

  Rafe parted her slick flesh with his hands. She expected him to take her hard and heavy. Moisture flooded between her legs as she anticipated how he would fill her. She gasped aloud when his rough tongue found her instead. Charley moaned and rocked back against him as two fingers joined his tongue and entered her from behind.

  His thumb circled her most sensitive flesh then his mouth was back, lapping at her. She felt deliciously exposed. Like she had never been before anyone. For him, only him.

  His chest rumbled against her and she could almost see his smile. A now familiar heat coiled low in her belly. It was a delicious secret the way her body opened for him and only him. She wanted more than his mouth. She tossed her head from side to side gripping the pillow in front of her as she almost lost control.

  “Rafe, I want to feel you inside me when it happens.”

  Then his mouth and hands were gone and he pushed his long erection into her with a deep groan escaping his lips. He kissed her neck as he went in and out, in a rhythm as familiar as breathing. They spiraled together, he plunging, she pushing back into him. Charley groaned his name as pleasure skyrocketed throughout her body.

  Rafe could hardly breathe as her contractions milked him for everything he was worth. My God, she was something else. His mate. He should never have told her he was going to let her go. There was just no way.

  She was part of him now. Part of his heart. He had to make her see that. Being with her like this eased a fear inside of him he didn’t even realize he had. Happiness was not something an Alpha Wolf counted on. Duty and tradition were more the norm. But now, with her, it was a definite possibility.

  His world was different from hers. Packs had rules. His parents were no love match. Mated by contract at birth, destined to control the Macconwood Pack. Theirs was a cold union.

  His mother bore him out of duty. His father was slightly better. He took the time to teach Rafe how to be pack Alpha, but little else. After his mother’s infidelity yielded his little sister, she fled the manor and left both pups to his father’s bitterness.

  Rafe had never dared dream his life could be different. He rejected the idea of a betrothal contract, but he knew he’d have to mate one day for his heir. He never thought he’d find a soulmate. Certainly not in a spunky human woman. One whom his Guard happened to kidnap.

  He wished he’d seen her first. Met her in a normal setting, courted her, made her fall in love with him. Well, he’d just have to make her see she was his. His mate, in every sense of the word.

  He knew it in her scent, he felt it in the vibrations that came from her luscious body when they were together, and he tasted it on the salty sweetness of her skin. Rafe kissed her shoulder as he withdrew from her. He tucked her against him as they regained their breath together. She was his everything. Mine.

  CHAPTER 12

  “Mmm, morning,” Charley said as she opened her chocolate brown eyes to meet the icy blue ones of her husband. He laughed and kissed her curly head.

  “Good morning, my sweet mate.”

  “Rafe?”

  “Yes,” he stopped breathing. Would she ask to leave now that she had seen the truth? Charley sat up, her eyes grew dark and contemplative.

  “Rafe, I want to apologize,” he exhaled as she spoke. Relief coursed through his veins. She wasn’t leaving. Not yet.

  “You were telling the truth. I didn’t believe you and you were telling the truth. I am sorry for that and I have so many questions for you, I don’t know where to start.”

  “Anything. You can ask me anything,” he clasped her hands in his. He brought them to his mouth and kissed her palms. God, he loved her scent. Like honey and something else that was all her.

  “Is it painful? When you change?”

  “Not anymore. The first few times are rough, Werewolves can only change after puberty and are weak in the beginning, but with time our strength grows, and the pain goes away.”

  “When you’re a Wolf how can you understand me?”

  “It doesn’t happen with everyone. Abilities differ from Wolf to Wolf. As we are mated, I expected to be able to understand your feelings, I admit I was surprised to understand your words perfectly.”

  “Mm. I heard you too, when you said Cat would stay with me, but it was only after that hum that I felt. The one that like, connected me to all of you. How did you do that, anyway?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, when I saw you, all of you, it was like when you turn on a generator or go past power lines and electricity is in the air. Well, I felt that, but it went through me and then you were all here. In my mind and my heart. I could feel you.”

  “Carlotta, I’ve heard whispers of this, legends really, but never in my wildest dreams-” Rafe’s heart stopped for a minute then swelled. She was amazing.

  He reached for her beautiful face with
his hands, then he kissed her. Tugging on her bottom lip as she wrapped her arms around him. He shuddered with pleasure as she embraced him.

  “You’re a wonder, my Carlotta. If my recollection of our legends is accurate you’re what we call a whisperer. Randall would know more. He is sort of our keeper of legends. That’s why he invented that game of his, WolfMoon.”

  “WolfMoon, really? I had friends from school who played that!”

  “Lots of humans do. He’s made the Pack a fortune with it. Most of the money is his of course, but I did front him the funds to start so I own a percentage of his company.”

  “Wow!”

  “I know, right?”

  “So, from every movie or book I’ve ever heard about Werewolves are cursed men. Is that true?”

  “Yes and no. Our curse is not that we turn into Wolves. Our curse is that we are kept from our Wolves. We can only merge with them at the Full moon, but that may change now.”

  “How?”

  “There is a group within the European Packs, the Hounds of God. Within their circles is an American Werewolf, a teenage girl, she lives here, in New Jersey. Her name is Grazi Kelly. It’s possible she can break this curse. It’s vital to our survival as a species.”

  “That’s a lot of responsibility for a teenager, but if she lives here isn’t she part of your Pack?”

  “Well, that’s tricky. She’s the Greyback Pack heir, but I have afforded her the protection of Macconwood.”

  “Okay, sounds reasonable. What about this other Werewolf, this Skoll who wants to hurt you?”

  “Don’t worry about Skoll, I’ll handle him.”

  He felt her stiffen and rubbed her back. The idea of her even saying the name Skoll sent rage coursing through his veins. He would shred that bastard Wolf if he even looked at his mate.

  “When is the meeting with the council?”