Say My Name

by R K Knightly

  Members of the pack started to slowly filter into the room. At first, Elle tried to pull away and sit on the seat next to Liam, but he wasn't having any of it. He kept her seated on his lap until the room was buzzing with excited noise. Noise he was certain was probably all about the little female stuck to him like glue.

  Precisely on the hour, he reluctantly helped Elle off him and stood to his full height next to her. He only needed to clear his throat once for the room to become silent. Nodding once to all the shifters in the room, he opened his mouth.

  "As you can see, I have news for all of you," he told the room. "I have taken a mate, a chosen one, and wish to officially welcome her into the fold."

  All eyes were on Elle as she stood next to Liam.

  "Many of you have seen her around or spoken with her before," Liam continued. "Those who have not, I would like to formally introduce you to Giselle Stark, née Kincaid, formerly of Blackriver pack."

  A muttering went around the room as people spoke softly to each other. Liam allowed it for a moment before continuing.

  "I know you have a lot of questions as to how this may have happened, but I assure you that I have The Council's blessing and was given full waivers to attend The Claiming due to...special circumstances."

  He looked all around the room as if in challenge. Everyone was still, stricken silent, until one young man cleared his throat and stepped forward.

  "Sir, how is it you were able to pick your chosen without attending The Claiming ceremony? Such a pairing is unheard of." The young man in question seemed befuddled. He was not being insubordinate, just curious.

  "I'm afraid that's all the information I can tell you at this time," Liam told him with a stiff jerk of his head. "The details are not anyone's business, save the people involved, and will not be discussed. Just suffice it to say that I am happy with my new mate, and your new Luna, and I hope you will be as well."

  There was a bit of chatter, people wondering why there was so much secrecy behind the mating of their Alpha. Elle looked to Liam, who was frowning slightly at the pack as a whole. A lot of them seemed to mention Liam's father as being the go-ahead for the odd mating, and one female looked up at Liam and smiled a slow, secretive grin before stepping forward.

  "Don't you think it is the pack's right to know a little more about their Luna?" the female asked. "What about her mate? What of him? We all know about your previous mate, Alpha, but what about our new Luna's?"

  Elle watched as Liam's jaw ticked and became hard. His blue eyes turned cold as steel as his face took in the woman's countenance before he drew a slow, deep breath.

  "As your Alpha, Sheila, I would warn you of becoming impertinent with me," he told her. "Her past is as a member of Blackriver Pack in good standing. She was an Omega there, which she would gladly tell you. Anything aside from that she would share with you herself in time."

  Liam looked over at Elle, his gaze softening on her.

  Sheila, the one Liam had warned her about, looked like she wanted to say more. Immediately, it made Elle's proverbial hackles rise, and she opened her mouth to speak.

  "My mate had already rejected me, in a sense, before I came to Plumbrook," Elle announced loudly. She could see Liam watching her from her periphery, his fists tightly coiled as she spoke.

  Elle scrutinized Sheila. She was the typical Barbie doll. Long, wavy blond hair and sparkling blue eyes. Too much makeup and an air about her that Elle didn't like. This one would be catty, two-faced. She wore those characteristics like she wore her layers of expensive MAC foundation.

  "The man I knew as my mate for six months did nothing but try to wear me down and break me," Elle continued, her face feeling flushed and hot with her indignation. "He saw me only for my rank in the pack and nothing more, and though he did not outright reject me, his actions spoke volumes. He abused and attacked me, nearly killing me before I was able to get away. So, to answer your question, Sheila, my mate was no mate at all, but a sick, twisted fool who was completely undeserving of me."

  Elle stepped back a bit, not realizing she had come forward while speaking. The room was silent, all eyes fixed on her. Elle forced herself not to look down, but straight ahead, meeting the eyes of those in the crowd who looked back at her in awe.

  "Does that answer any questions we might have about our new Luna?" Liam asked after clearing his throat.

  Silence greeted him for a moment before he decided to speak again.

  "Now, if you-" Liam began.

  "Who was he?" Sheila asked, interrupting. "Who was your mate? Why did being mated to an Omega matter so much to him?"

  Liam's face darkened and he went to speak.

  "If my previous mate was anyone but who he was, I wouldn't tell you," Elle said, her voice muted yet strong. "It would be none of your business. But since he is...who he is, I feel obliged to share."

  Her eyes scanned the crowd and then Liam's face. His eyes softened as he watched the roll of her neck as she swallowed her nerves down.

  "My old mate was Jeremiah Bluth, Alpha to Blackriver."

  Chapter 25

  "Angel, you didn't have to do that," Liam told her as he helped strip her from her clothing after the meeting later that night.

  "It was only fair to let them know what could be coming," she advised him. She unhooked her bra and tossed it in the hamper. "It would be different if Jeremiah wasn't an Alpha, but he is, and that puts the whole pack at risk."

  After Elle's revelation, there was a lot of alarmed noise and it took Trace, Blake, and Caleb a while to calm the group. Sheila had somehow slithered away and was not to be found for the remainder of the evening. Like a cockroach, she had scurried off once the light had hit her full-on.

  People had much to say about the possibility of attack, and most seemed to be wary of their new Luna at first. Elle had sighed, thinking it couldn't be helped. It would have been worse if she hadn't said anything at all and the pack as a whole was unprepared. Many people spoke of the possibility that Jeremiah would try to come and take her and destroy the pack, though once Elle advised them – in detail – of his true persona, there was not one person that could hide their shock. It was unimaginable that a mate – an Alpha mate at that – could treat their female in such a fashion. For any who had doubts, Elle showed them her scar, the one that was etched into her back for the rest of her life. The one that simply said JB.

  That seemed to cause a chain reaction in the group. Instead of fear, it caused outrage. Outrage at a man many of them knew, but hadn't seen in many years. One of the head warriors, a middle-aged man that went by the name of Jerome, spoke to the group, and promised them that his warriors would do their best to keep their Luna safe. He knelt and bared his neck in submission and respect. Without fail, all the warriors followed suit. Patrol promised to be resolute and unflappable in their guarding of the borders, and showed their fealty as well.

  Liam was pleased, though most wouldn't have been able to tell from the look on his face. The only visible change was that his eyes became slightly brighter and he gave them a tight nod in thanks. After that, there wasn't much else to discuss and the group disbanded for the evening.

  Many of the parents of the young came up to Elle and expressed their loyalty to her. Elle hugged all the mothers, nodding and shaking hands with the fathers. She knew as a newly mated female – no matter who the man was – Liam would not want her to be intimately touched. A handshake was about all his possessiveness would be able to take.

  "You're right," Liam told her. "I just...I didn't want them to see you as a victim. A survivor, yes. You don't want – nor need – their pity. You are strong, Elle. Stronger than most."

  "People want something to fight for, not just the notion of something," she said. "If they knew, really knew, what Jeremiah was like, they would be more likely to fight willingly for the pack."

  She was right and Liam knew it. He didn't like the fact that they were now all aware of the pain and humiliation she had gone through, but knew what
she did was ultimately the proper thing to do. Still, it stung to see the looks of indignation and pity coming from the pack toward Elle, and he wished to remove it from his memory forever.

  "My father and mother want to meet you," he told her, changing the subject. "I spoke with them this morning and they want to come next week for about a month to visit."

  "Will Arden be joining them?" She was curious about what Liam's sister would be like.

  "No," he told her as he pulled the duvet back from the bed. "She is pregnant again and her mate is a very cautious and overprotective man. We can Skype with her though, if you'd like to speak with her."

  "I would," she said, and slid into the bed next to Liam.

  He opened his arms and she went into them willingly, his hand coming to rest on the small of her back before breathing in a sigh.

  "You were brave to speak so plainly today," he told her.

  "I wonder where Sheila slithered off to after trying to make me uncomfortable," Elle wondered aloud.

  "Wherever the vermin of the world seek shelter, no doubt," Liam said with a huff. "That female is vexing."

  "She's plastic," Elle said bitterly. "All looks and no substance."

  "You're...are you jealous?" he asked, tipping her head up to his with a finger.

  "No. Well, yes, but not really," she told him honestly. "I mean, I know you don't want her, but she damned sure as hell wants you."

  "She wants what she cannot have," Liam told her. "I have no want or need of anyone but my mate, and you, my angel, are it."

  She snuggled further into his chest and he placed his lips to her forehead before pulling her flat against his body. He was warm, and hard, and...well, hard. Her one thigh slid between his legs and rubbed up against him. He grunted briefly, his hips shifting forward slightly, adding more friction.

  "It really doesn't take much, does it?" she asked softly with a chuckle.

  "Have you seen you?" he asked, laughing with her. "You're perfect. Soft. Gentle. You know your worth and you show it. That's very fucking sexy."

  "You just want to get off," she told him, her lips twitching up.

  "I want to get you off first, though," he told her, and rubbed his erection against her clothed sex. "Can't help what you do to me. Your hands on my body, that gets me going every fucking time."

  He flipped her on her back and pulled up the old t-shirt she was wearing. It was one of his and he thought she looked better in his clothing than he did, honestly. He exposed the skin on her stomach and placed his lips just above her belly button in a long, sweet kiss. His mouth moved lower, and his fingers hooked into her panties before pulling them down slowly.

  Liam could already smell the thick musk of her arousal and he hardened further in his boxers. Her pussy was like velvet. Smooth and soft, and he wondered if she was just freshly shaven or had gotten a wax with Colleen the day before. He couldn’t help but ask.

  "Did you...did you get a wax yesterday?" he asked as his tongue dipped between her lips to lap up the moisture there.

  "Y-y-es," she said as she breathed out. "Much...easier than shaving."

  It had hurt like a bitch though.

  "I like it," he told her, and sucked her clit up into his mouth before letting it go. "So...soft."

  He lapped at her for a bit, his tongue fluttering against her. The rolling of her hips morphed into a rocking motion as she sought more purchase against his tongue. Liam started to use his teeth, nipping at her sensitive bud before sucking at it.

  "Liam!" Her hand pushed him away. It was too much, this delirium. His mouth, his teeth especially, had the knot in her belly forming rapidly. It was so tight it almost hurt.

  "No, angel," he told her between quick licks at her sweet cunt. "I want you to take it, feel it all." He added more friction, more suction. It had her thighs quivering around his head and he hummed as he sucked her into his mouth again.

  "This is what you do to me," he told her from between her legs. "Make me feel so good it fucking hurts."

  Her hips began to rock against him again in earnest and the moans she was giving were causing his cock to swell and drip with his pleasure. He pressed himself against the bed to relieve some of the ache.

  Sliding a finger into her, he stroked the front wall of her sex slowly. It made her pulse around him and he added another finger. Then a third. She was giving off delicious, cock-hardening sounds that had him wanting to fist his dick. Or shove it so deep into her they'd become permanently attached.

  Elle's fingers filtered through his hair and he noticed the slight pick-up of her hips' movement and change in breathing.

  "Liam," she choked out. "Oh, God! I'm...coming!"

  And when she did, she came hard. Harder than ever before. He felt it against his tongue, his mouth, in the quiver of her clit against his lips. Her orgasm was accompanied by a loud wail as she climaxed, and he sucked and lapped at her to the very end.

  Once her legs and body had relaxed, he kissed a slow line up her torso, taking special care of her breasts as he licked and sucked at them. His mouth eventually pressed to hers, and she could taste herself on him.

  "Angel," he choked out, his voice tight and deep. "I need you, need to be in you."

  She nodded her head. She needed that too. So badly she burned.

  The tip of his cock strained against her as her arms wrapped around his strong shoulders. He fused his lips to hers as he pressed gently inside her, welcoming the hot, wet embrace of her pussy.

  Fuck. The smooth sleekness of her sex against him was like a dream, and he felt himself unraveling all over again for her. The way she hugged him just right inside her, the taste of her lips as they moved against his – both were perfection. And the way she was squeezing him so tightly just now...it had him hard and tight, just ready to erupt.

  "Angel, you keep fisting around me like that and this is going to be over way too soon," he told her on a grunt.

  "C-can't help it," she murmured, her eyes fluttering open and shut. "Feels too good."

  "So good, baby," he reiterated with a roll of his hips into her. He grunted. "So fucking good."

  His large hands framed her face as he kissed her again and again, never getting enough of her mouth, of the steady stream of moans he kept swallowing down. Even when his hips started to move faster, harder, he was tasting her lips like he was devouring a seven-course meal after having fasted for a week.

  "Next time," he said as he pumped himself inside her. "I want you on top. First riding my face, then riding my cock."

  She nodded frantically at him, eyes shut, her body going tight and taut at his words.

  "Yes," she whispered out. "But...I'll want to suck on you first."

  Her eyes opened a bit, the lids still heavy, and Liam's gut clenched. Yes. He wanted that. Wanted that badly. His dick in her mouth. In her pussy. Both hot and wet and utterly perfect.

  Liam shifted his hips, looped his arms around her legs so her pelvis was tilted more for him. He went deeper this way, hitting all the spots inside her that had her coming. And he needed her coming. He was coming dangerously close to emptying his balls into her and he wanted to feel it as she squeezed him dry.

  His strokes became harder and longer, the head of his dick scraping against the front wall and hitting her g-spot dead on. He felt it went she gripped him tighter and he gasped. It was a short, startled breath that had his dick swelling, his balls drawing up tight.

  "Oh fuck, sweetheart," he groaned. "Tell me you're close because I'm about to bust deep inside you at any moment."

  She squeezed around him again and moaned.

  "So...so close, Liam," she moaned. "Please...just like that."

  Her hands clenched at his shoulders, dark crescents appearing as her nails sank into his skin, the bite only riling him up more as he felt the first steady pulse of her sex.

  "Come for me, angel." It sounded like he was commanding her, but it was really a plea. "Come on, baby. Get there for me."

  Her body tightened, her hi
ps thrusting upwards to meet him as she cried out her release. Her legs shook, the soft flesh quivering as she contracted around him. With the first steady pulse of her climax, Liam let go. Hips jerking, he groaned into her neck as he felt every nerve ending and synapse fire across his skin. It spread like a ripple along his flesh and joined the warm glow in his chest as it fanned out to his fingers and toes.

  He laid there atop her, balls deep still, and breathed in. Out. In.

  Everything. She was everything. And she needed to know that from him.

  And she would. Soon.

  Chapter 26

  Bright and early that following Monday, Liam got up to find Elle already up and just fresh from the shower. He propped himself onto his elbows and watched as she ran a cream-colored towel over her wet hair before using a brush to comb through her long mane.

  Immediately, Liam got up from the bed and slipped on his boxers. He walked up behind Elle and plucked the brush from her hand. Looking at him in the reflection with a questioning tilt to her head, she looked confused.

  "Let me do that," Liam said as he set about running the brush through her hair.

  He sectioned off quarters of her hair and brushed the long locks from root to tip, marveling at how soft her hair was.

  "Your hair – it seems softer than before," he remarked as he pulled all of it together and ran the brush through it a few more times.

  "It's the shampoo and conditioner I used," Elle told him. "I liked how it felt after the stylist did my hair so I bought some to take home with me. Or rather, Colleen did."

  Liam forced himself to stop brushing and wondered if she was going to blow it dry or let it dry naturally. He wanted to ask – hungry for every detail of Elle as he was – but he didn't think she would ever blow dry her hair. It was too damned silky soft to ruin it with the heat of a dryer.

  "What do you want for breakfast?" Elle asked as she got up and searched her drawers for something to wear.