by Sam Crescent
He took hold of her hands, placing them above her head. “You’re going to have to do as I say,” he said.
“I’ll do whatever it is you want.”
“I don’t know if you’ll remember this but … you’re mine, Bethany. You’re my mate. My woman. Mine to protect. I didn’t mean to hurt you last night.” The hand that wasn’t on her hands slid down her body, touching her side where she had the cut. “I know for females that a cut or a bite from her wolf can start the mating process. I’ve never known it to be this intense.”
“You don’t make any sense.” She stared into his eyes. Last night, she’d dreamed of a wolf and as she looked at him now, they were the same gray eyes. No, this was crazy. “No, you don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I know what I’m talking about and so do you.” He kissed her neck, licking over her pulse, calming her need.
The hand on her chest moved down and she tried to get him to touch between her thighs.
Licking her lips, she tried to moisten them. When he cupped her between her thighs, she truly thought she had died and gone to heaven. She couldn’t recall a time she’d felt so alive, so open. His palm rubbed between her legs and even though she wasn’t touching herself, she knew how wet she was.
“I’m going to take care of you. First, I need you to come for me,” he said.
“Then you’ll fuck me?” The need for his cock was so intense. Even as a virgin, she couldn’t help the hunger.
Caleb kept her hands locked above her head.
“Let me touch you,” she said. Bethany would do anything to get her hands on those hard muscles.
“Tomorrow, you’ll thank me for what I’m doing.”
“No, I won’t. You get to touch me but I don’t get to touch you. That hardly seems fair. Please, Caleb.”
He groaned but didn’t let go of her hands. Instead, he took her lips and focused on her clit, rubbing her hard.
She was so close to orgasm that as he made her come, she didn’t feel it was enough. The need only grew, and she became insatiable.
Breaking from the kiss, she cried out.
“I know. I know. I’ve got you. It’s going to be better this way.”
She wanted to overpower him, but she took what he gave, feeling the heat and aches slowly start to ease. After her second orgasm, she felt the pleasure building again, and this time, she came down easily. The sudden drop tired her.
Her body was sated.
“What’s happening to me?” she asked.
“I accidentally cut you and I’m part wolf. You’re my mate, Bethany. By cutting you, I started the mating process and now, there’s no going back. You’re going to crave me, just as I do you. Nothing is going to be the same again. You feel me. You want me and you can’t control it.”
He cupped her face, turning her head toward him. “I’m so sorry. I wanted you to fall for me of your own free will. I wanted to do this the right way, the human way. I fucked up.”
She saw the tears in his eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. It makes no sense to me.” She couldn’t take it anymore.
The room swam and suddenly went black.
Chapter Six
“There’s a bear outside,” said Brian. There was no fear in his voice, only annoyance. This was really happening. He’d never had issues with wolves or coyotes, but bears were out of their damn minds. He should be focused on his woman, not worrying about bear drama and politics.
Caleb left Bethany on his bed. She’d passed out from sheer exhaustion. If only she knew he felt the same intense desire to fuck. He’d shown the restraint of the century.
She’d begged him to claim her, and all he’d wanted to do was end her suffering. But he’d programmed himself to court like a human male, complete with jewels and dating. Her heat had thrown all his best-laid plans off-kilter.
He pushed open the front door and faced off with the bear. “Don’t be fucking rude. If you want to seek refuge here, do it in your skin.”
Joe shifted forms, morphing into the human who’d quickly become a real pain in the ass. Caleb reached into the barrel near the door and tossed him a pair of sweatpants.
“I don’t know what you’ve got going on over here, but the scent is attracting half the forest. This house is going to be a beacon to that rogue bear,” said Joe.
It had to be Bethany. The scent of her heat was irresistible. He had to claim her for their own safety. And his own sanity. The last thing he needed was some coyote creeping in when he wasn’t there. Bethany was his virgin prize to claim, no one else’s.
“It’s my mate.”
“Bethany?”
“Yes, Bethany. She’s in heat.” Caleb ran both hands through his hair. He’d wanted to do things right, and now everything was happening in a whirlwind. As much as he wanted to wait things out, he needed to claim Bethany now. If he left her in her current state for long, it could drive her mad.
“And you left her like that? What’s the problem? I thought you wanted her as your mate,” said Joe. “Need me to help out?” The cocky bear winked, and Caleb wanted to crush him into the earth.
Caleb exhaled in a huff. “I was trying to be a gentleman. She doesn’t know shifters exist. Now I have to fuck her to keep your crazy bear friend away from my pack.”
“He’s no friend of mine.”
“Just … stay out here for now. My pack isn’t too keen on having a bear on our property.” He second-guessed himself about allowing an enemy refuge.
“I can do that,” said Joe. “And thanks again for letting me come here. Until that rogue is dead, I’ll have to keep the diner closed. That’s not good for the bottom line.”
Caleb headed back inside.
Joe was more worried about his diner than losing his life. He knew a lot of shifters blended seamlessly with the human world, some even choosing to stay exclusively in their skin. Others only shifted during the full moon. Caleb preferred his feral existence.
Of course, now everything had changed—he had a human mate.
“Everyone out,” he said. “I need to take care of Bethany. Keep patrols, don’t wander too far. Joe said that rogue bear is heading in this direction. It nearly wiped out their entire sleuth, so don’t do anything stupid.”
His pack could shift during the full moon and usually days before and after. Once they had mates, they’d have control of when they could shift regardless of the moon’s strength.
“How does he know where we live?” asked Reese.
“It’s Bethany’s heat. The scent is spreading.” Caleb opened the door to the bedroom, turning around to face his men before entering. “If I don’t end this now, it could get bad. I’m going to claim my mate, and you know what that means for all of you.”
After tonight, all his men would be free to find their mates. There would be no more weight on his shoulders to find a woman and free his pack of the curse. He hated being responsible for their happiness, but that would end before the night was over.
Caleb worried about his own relationship with Bethany. When the heat passed, how would she take this? Would she accept that her boyfriend was a werewolf? He felt a headache coming on just thinking about it.
He crawled onto the bed after closing the door tight.
She was passed out cold, and he didn’t have the heart to wake her. Caleb tugged off his t-shirt and lay by her side, watching the gentle rise and fall of her chest. He studied her face, the spattering of freckles, the soft curves of her lips. She was perfect.
He took a deep breath, letting the scent of her heat fill him. It was exquisite. But she was just for him, not the entire forest. Once he claimed her, fucked her, gave her his love bite—this spectacle would be over. They’d be bonded and every male would know she belonged to him. He couldn’t wait to sink his fangs into her neck. He salivated just thinking about it.
“I’ve been looking for you for decades,” he whispered, brushing stray hairs from her face. “I never realized how much I needed you
until we met. Now you’re all I can think about. All that matters.”
Her eyes fluttered open, surprising him.
“I had another dream,” she said.
“Tell me.”
“There were wolves. So many wolves. It was dark and I was scared. But then you were there, and everything was okay.”
“What did I look like?”
This time, she made direct eye contact with him. “You were a wolf, too.”
He swallowed hard, unable to decipher how she felt about that. Was it just a dream for her, or was she beginning to believe?
“Am I going to turn into a wolf, Caleb?”
He couldn’t help but smile. She was so fucking adorable. And surprisingly calm.
“No, baby. You’ll always be human.”
Unlike movies made by humankind, a wolf bite didn’t turn humans into animals. If you weren’t born a shifter, you never would be.
“And you?”
“I’m the same as you, but I can also change my body. Like when I need to keep you safe. Remember I promised I’d protect you from anything? I meant that.”
She nodded. “And the scratch. Why is it making me feel like this?”
“It started the bonding process. It’s supposed to happen when I bite you during … mating.”
“Mating? Like you taking my virginity?”
He licked his lips. His cock was a fucking rock just talking about mating with his woman. “And being together forever. I’m not just after your body, Bethany. I want it all.”
“I think I understand.”
Caleb hadn’t been raised by a proper pack. He wasn’t sure how the mating call worked with wolves, never mind an interspecies mating. But he’d been increasingly suspicious, wondering if she could feel the same connection growing within him. If she was in heat, anything else was possible.
“So you feel it? Tell me what you feel, Bethany.”
She wriggled on the bed, touching his arm. “I don’t know. I just … believe you. I know you’re not lying to me. There’s something about you, a pull, a connection.”
Caleb exhaled with relief. She did feel it. The scratch gave her more than desire, it had started a genuine mating bond. “I wanted to do things right. To show you how important you are to me. If I’d known—”
“Don’t apologize, Caleb.” Her hand slid lower until her hand wrapped around his leather belt. “Just fix me. We both know there’s only one way to do that now.”
He shook his head. “I don’t want you to hate me tomorrow. I’m not a bastard.”
She smiled. “I’m asking you, Caleb.”
“Do you understand what you’re asking? I’m not sure if it’s you or the heat talking.”
Was she lust drunk or did she crave him the same way he craved her?
“Don’t make me beg. I’m twenty-five. I’ve waited a long time to give my body to the right man,” she said. “That man is you.”
He was going to fuck her so deep and hard she’d forget he was a wolf. All she’d think about was the next time she’d get cock. He’d been prepared to take the long road and court Bethany on her terms. This quick mating was thrust on him, but he’d make the best of it. He wasn’t skilled in human etiquette, but he’d show her exactly how a man should claim a woman. No human male had the skill, size, or sexual prowess of a shifter. He’d enjoy claiming his prize, every minute of it.
****
Caleb thought she was losing her mind because she was begging for sex after only two dates. No, she wasn’t drunk. Or high. Bethany knew exactly what she wanted. In fact, her mind had never been clearer. Her path was unfolding before her eyes, a beautiful future she’d never expected for herself. Whatever Caleb had done to her last night had turned her world upside down. It was like they were in sync—she could sense his mood, his intentions.
What she’d never anticipated was her Prince Charming turning out to be a werewolf. It was too crazy to comprehend. How could she have gone through life without knowing they existed? How could anyone? They were only old wives’ tales and folklore. Little did she know they were probably based on reality. But right now, her body felt like a volcano of heat and molten energy.
She’d worry about the details tomorrow.
Caleb was the hottest guy she’d ever met. The couple of dates they’d been on had been better than she imagined possible. He liked her, and she believed him when he said he wanted to be with her forever. With her insecurities of being abandoned calmed, all she could focus on was sex. No more games, no more dates.
“I’ve never been with a werewolf,” she said, teasing him. All those hard muscles looked edible. She wondered if he’d take her hard and feral like a wolf or gentle like a man. With her current state of need, she hoped he didn’t hold back.
He smirked. “You haven’t been with any man, little one.” Caleb crawled down her body, rubbing his face into her curves as he descended. His rough hands slid under her shirt, along her bare skin. Her body felt hot, like a fever to end all fevers. Every cell was alive and hypersensitive.
“What are you going to do to me?” She closed her eyes, savoring his touch.
“Claim you and your virginity as mine.” Caleb spread her thighs and kissed her pussy through her pants.
She gasped as her entire body jolted in response.
“This is mine.”
She twisted and turned on the bed. “It’s starting again,” she said.
He took a deep breath and exhaled with a deep growl. The sound traveled to her clit. “You’re ripe for the taking. I’ll try to be gentle.”
Bethany shook her head. “No, I need more than gentle tonight.”
He grabbed the edge of her pants and pulled them off her body, then spread her legs wide. Her little pink lace panties barely hid her pussy. If she wasn’t hornier than hell, she would have felt uncomfortable and shy being on display.
“You’re wet.” He pulled the material to one side, running the tip of his finger up and down her slit. She arched up, needing so much more than his touch. He removed her panties, tossing them across the room.
The next thing she felt was his hot, wet mouth clamping down on her pussy. She screamed out loud, her own voice startling her. He used his tongue to tease and toy with her most sensitive folds. When he began to suckle on her clit, she grabbed the sheets in both fists and braced as another orgasm burst free. Waves of release kept pulsing on and on.
But she was still unsated. She needed his cock.
“More.”
Caleb kicked off his pants, his massive erection bobbing free. He was definitely an animal. Heat flooded her pussy again.
“I want those tits. Take off your shirt.”
She struggled out of her top and removed her bra as well. Bethany wasn’t small-chested by any means and her breasts fell heavily to both sides. He groaned as he lowered over her chest, holding her tits to the center where he began licking her nipples. The added stimulation made her moan and drift in and out of reality. He knew exactly how to touch, lick, and kiss to drive her crazy. He suckled her breasts, making the most feral sounds.
“Caleb…”
“You’re delicious. I can’t get enough of you.”
He positioned his entire body between her legs, bracing his weight on his forearms. As he stared at her, there was a luminescent quality to his gray eyes. Something otherworldly. His broad shoulders were corded with muscle. His biceps rock hard. She reached her arms around his neck, and he leaned down to kiss her lips. She sighed as their lips met. He tasted and explored before claiming her mouth. The kiss was hard and passionate, reaching an intensity that left her breathless. He devoured her, leaving her completely spineless on the bed.
One of his hands moved lower and he positioned his huge cock at her entrance. She braced for pain, but he pushed the wide mushroom head inside her slowly, tentatively. Her body was wet and desperate.
She panted in anticipation, a mix of nerves and excitement.
“Hush, baby. Take it all for me.”
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She accepted every inch until he was fully seated.
Her virginity belonged to Caleb. Belonged to a wolf.
“So fucking tight and perfect. You’re all mine now, Bethany. My mate.” He pulled out and pushed back in, over and over, creating a steady rhythm. The slow start quickly morphed to a vigorous speed. She wasn’t sure if the fullness sated her or made her more wanton. New sensations came alive and she wanted more.
“You’re so big.”
“It’s all for you. The only woman I’ll ever satisfy after today is you.” He kissed her neck, licking her erogenous zones. Her eyes lolled back in her head.
He pistoned in and out of her pussy, rocking the entire bed. She couldn’t help but squeal and moan as he brought her to peaks she never knew existed. He was powerful and tireless, giving her exactly what she needed.
She didn’t care if he was a werewolf. Not when he could fuck her this good. He’d always been kind, possessive, and attentive. What more could she ask for?
“Sorry, baby.”
She wasn’t sure what he was apologizing for, but then she felt it. He bit the thick area between her neck and shoulder. At first, she felt a sharp prick of discomfort, but the flood of erotic heat that followed made up for any pain. She dug her nails into his arms, her entire body tense until he finally pulled away.
He began to fuck her harder, a sheen of sweat covering his back. The combination of the love bite and sex was too much, her orgasm taking her by surprise. She milked Caleb’s cock in deep, rhythmic contractions. She swore she saw stars.
It took a while for her breathing to settle down and her heart rate to ease. When she opened her eyes, he was there beside her.
“How do you feel?”
She did a mental inventory of her body. She was still alive, and definitely no longer a virgin. Then she realized it was gone. Bethany was no longer in heat. Her body had been sated. Maybe it was the sex or the bite, but she felt like herself once again.
“Better. Normal, I guess.”
He ran the tip of his finger over the bite mark on her neck. “My mark looks good on you.”
She placed her hand over his.
“You don’t hate me, do you?” he asked.