Direwolf's Desire (Ice Age Alphas Book 3)

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Direwolf's Desire (Ice Age Alphas Book 3) Page 18

by Lily Thomas


  “Oh! Oh!” She panted as her body grew close to climax.

  Rokki was ready to throw them both over the edge of the cliff.

  “Andrea.” He uttered as they both shattered and shook around each other.

  They flew off the cliff, and when they finally got off their high, he rested his head on her shoulder, his semi-hard shaft inside her. He licked a tongue across her skin and tasted the salt from her sweat.

  “Rokki. I… that was amazing.”

  She still used weird words, but thankfully her words were communicated through her voice. She had enjoyed their moment together.

  “Are you going to let me down?” Andrea giggled as she turned her head and met his gaze.

  Rokki’s shaft twitched inside her, rising back to life. “A werewolf can go more than once with his mate.” He whispered seductively in her ear. “Let me shower you in pleasure.”

  “Yes, please.”

  It was all he needed to hear.

  Chapter 16

  Andrea sat before the village fire a few days later and wondered when the seer would send word about her bracelet. She enjoyed her time with Rokki, but people in her time had to be worrying about her. Then again, she wasn’t sure how time travel worked. Technically, none of the people she knew had been born yet, so was there anyone to notice her missing?

  Raising a hand, Andrea rubbed a couple of fingers against her temple. Time travel hurt her mind. She wasn’t quite sure how it worked. She wasn’t sure anyone knew how it worked… because it shouldn’t be real. She’d read several articles, and she thought it shouldn’t be possible. Then again, neither should magic.

  Andrea jerked forward as someone’s hand worked its way into her hair. Turning her head back, she found Ode sitting behind her on a log.

  “I didn’t mean to startle you.” Ode apologized as she held up her hands. “I was talking when I sat down, did you not hear me?”

  “No, sorry.” Andrea settled back against the log, Ode’s long legs on either side of her.

  “I was asking if you would like me to braid your hair. Braided hair is much easier to take care of when there are so many twigs and such.”

  “Yes, that’d be nice. Thank you.” Andrea nearly purred as Ode’s fingers sifted through her long auburn hair. Then she felt something like a comb. “What are you using?”

  Ode’s hand popped in front of Andrea’s face. She held a comb made of bone.

  “It’s pretty.”

  “Thank you.” Ode went back to combing out the knots in Andrea’s hair. “I was told it was my mother’s.”

  “Where is she?”

  “She and my father have gone to the Eternal Hunting Grounds.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.” Andrea murmured. She wasn’t entirely sure what the Eternal Hunting Grounds were, but she got the idea. It was an afterlife for these people.

  “What has you gazing into the fire?” Ode asked as she lightly pulled on the strands of hair in her hands, sending shivers of delight racing over Andrea’s skin.

  “Thinking of my family and friends.”

  “Are they far away? Maybe we could send someone to tell them you are now a part of our pack and well cared for here?”

  Andrea shook her head lightly, not wanting to pull any of her hair out. “That wouldn’t be possible. My… clan is too far away.” Like thousands of years in the future. The only way for her to get back was that bracelet, so she doubted anyone here would be able to get a message back to her friends and family.

  “Maybe you can find a place here with our pack.” Ode continued, ever the optimist.

  “Maybe,” Andrea said. She wasn’t willing to get into a discussion of why she couldn’t or shouldn’t. Ode wouldn’t understand. The only thing a werewolf seemed to think was that mates were meant to spend eternity together.

  “In a few days, the pack will run in their dire wolf forms.” Ode’s hands sectioned off Andrea’s hair as she prepared to braid the auburn locks.

  “Why?” Andrea asked. She knew nothing about werewolves or why they would do anything that they did, and Ode seemed like the best person in the pack to ask. She was honest and sweet.

  Ode began to fold the sections into a braid. “Every full moon, we shift into our dire wolf forms and howl at the moon. It’s also a time for wolves to frolic in the woods with their mates.”

  “You are forced to shift by the moonlight?”

  Ode laughed, her voice light and musical. “No, no. No such thing. The moonlight doesn’t cause us to shift. It’s just a…” Ode searched for the right word, “sacred night where we let our dire wolves free.”

  “Is there anything I should do to prepare?” Like hide under her covers and wait for it to be over.

  “Prepare for what?” A masculine voice asked, sending thrills racing over Andrea’s skin.

  Looking over to one side, Andrea glanced up and up. She craned her neck back as far as it would go until she met Rokki’s golden eyes. “Ode was telling me about what you werewolves do on the full moon.”

  “All done!” Ode announced before leaping to her feet and walking around Andrea. “Do you like it?”

  Andrea reached back behind her head with a hand and felt the length of the braided hair. Once she got to the end, she flung it over her shoulder and glanced down at the rawhide string Ode had used to tie off the braid. “It’s lovely.” She said truthfully.

  “I will have some time with my mate.” Rokki addressed Ode, but his golden eyes never left Andrea.

  “Yes, I will see you later, Andrea,” Ode promised as she walked off to find something else to do.

  Rokki walked behind Andrea and took Ode’s seat, his thighs on either side of her. “We should speak of the full moon hunt.”

  “Hunt?” Andrea asked. Ode hadn’t called it a hunt.

  One of Rokki’s hands came up to caress her jawline with the back of his fingers. “The pack will change into their dire wolf forms, and mated pairs will chase each other down, while others who have yet to find their mates frolic under the moon or hunt prey.”

  “Sounds interesting,” Andrea said.

  Rokki’s hand retreated, and he tugged lightly at the braid, sending chills of pleasure through her. She loved it when someone played with her hair. It was part of the reason why she loved going to the hairdresser. There was something nice about someone brushing or pulling lightly on the strands of hair.

  “As my mate, you would be expected to run into the woods with all of us.”

  “Me?” Andrea spun around, and Rokki’s hands flew open, so he didn’t yank on her braid accidentally. “I’m not a werewolf though. I can’t shift.” Her eyes widened. “Are you going to change me into a werewolf?” All those horror movies of the twenty-first century flew through her mind. All the blood and biting and horrible transforming.

  “Change you?” Rokki’s dark eyebrows drew together as he shook his head.

  “By biting me. Would your bite change me into a werewolf?”

  Rokki burst into laughter as he shook his head, the strands of his black hair brushing over the shoulders of his animal skin shirt. “You must be born a dire wolf. My bite will not change you into a werewolf. I know of nothing that will change someone from human to werewolf.” He kicked out his long legs and folded his ankles, trapping her in his embrace.

  “That’s good to know.”

  “My bite will claim you, however.” He leaned into her ear once she’d faced forward again. “Once I bite your neck, you will be mine, and I will be yours. There will be no others.”

  A shiver ran through her. His words sounded so primitive, and she loved every possessive one of them. “If I run though.” She challenged.

  “You’ll run. You will find it hard to resist when the howls fill the air.” Rokki leaned back, and his hands fell on her shoulders, and he lovingly rubbed them. “You will find my sisters hard to resist. They will make sure you are a part of the run.”

  Andrea nodded her head in agreement. Zuri and Ode would be difficult
to say no to that was for sure. Both of them were eager to introduce her to pack ways. “If I am to join the run through the woods, is there anything else to know?” She couldn’t believe she was agreeing to this. She’d be the only human out there… defenseless while werewolves romped in the trees around her.

  “There will be some painting on your skin, but other than that, no.”

  “On my skin?” Andrea’s eyes narrowed on the fire burning in front of them. “Wait, will I be naked?”

  “We all will be naked.”

  “No,” she waved a finger in the air, “you all will be covered with fur.”

  “Ashamed to walk around naked, mate?” Rokki rubbed her shoulders some more, deepening his thumb strokes across her shoulder blades. “Trust me, there is no reason to hide your body. The gods blessed you with a wonderful body.”

  Andrea’s cheeks flushed hot with color. “Rokki.”

  “They did.”

  Darc chose that moment to walk by. His golden eyes glared over at the pair of them, and Andrea knew he wished her gone. Even though everyone assured him she was a human, he still didn’t believe them fully. If she were a witch, she’d know.

  “Your brother still doesn’t like me.”

  “Darc doesn’t like anyone.” Without even looking at Rokki’s eyes, she knew he was rolling them.

  “I just wish he would believe me when I say I’m not a witch.”

  “I don’t know.”

  “What don’t you know?” Andrea asked as she spun around between his legs and met his eyes.

  “You kept disappearing and reappearing. Was that not magic?”

  It was Andrea’s turn to roll her eyes as she scoffed, “Have you forgotten about the bracelet? It was magic, not me.”

  Rokki pursed his lips as he thought about her words. “You haven’t disappeared since it was taken off your wrist.” He conceded.

  “Since you broke it, you mean.” Andrea scowled at him as her irritation finally reared its head.

  “You would have disappeared on me again.” Rokki accused. “I couldn’t let you go, not when my dire wolf demanded to know you.”

  “I’m still angry with you.” But there was no conviction behind her words. Darn it all. It was hard to stay mad at him. He was always doing something to make her fall in… love? Yeah, love.

  “And I hope you can forgive me someday.”

  Andrea was pissed he’d taken her choice away. Now she was stuck here in the ice age. Was it interesting? Yes, but that didn’t take away her fear. A simple cold or childbirth could kill her.

  When Rokki reached down and tried to turn her so he could massage her shoulders again, she darted to her feet and strode away. Her anger had been renewed, and she needed some space from Rokki to let herself cool down.

  Chapter 17

  A few days later, as the sun began to set and cast a wildfire of colors into the sky, Andrea found herself surrounded by all the women in the clan. It was time to prepare for the full moon romp in the woods, and her heart hammered inside her chest. She had no idea what to expect, and with the glares Darc kept throwing her way all day, she was a bit worried about her safety.

  “Are you excited?” Ode came up on one side.

  “She smells of fear and sweat.” Zuri came up on the other side and leaned in while she sniffed the air around Andrea.

  “Don’t smell me.” Andrea scowled as she raised her hands and pushed Zuri away from her.

  “I will smell you from here then.” Zuri shrugged. “Your fear is filling the air around you.”

  “This will be my first time running naked under the moon.” And Rokki had promised to hunt her down and claim her. Whatever that meant. Her stomach jumped with excitement at the idea of him hunting her down in his dire wolf form.

  “There’s nothing to fear.” Ode threaded one of her arms with Andrea’s. “I know we can look scary in our dire wolf forms, but we are still us. No one here will harm you, and nothing in the woods will come close to our village, not with a pack of werewolves hunting.”

  Great. She hadn’t even thought about other predators that could be lurking out there.

  “You must have said the wrong words, Ode because I can smell her fear even more clearly. It’s so pungent. I could probably smell it from a valley away.”

  Ugh. How did anyone put up with werewolves?

  Andrea might be able to keep her thoughts secret, but they would always be able to smell her emotions.

  “Once she takes a puff from the wood pipe, all her fears will disappear.” Ode said to Zuri like Andrea wasn’t even there.

  “A pipe?”

  Ode nodded her head, her blue eyes sparkling as she finally glanced at Andrea and acknowledged her presence. “I believe you already saw the shaman. The women’s hut has a pipe as well. We place dried leaves in one end, light it, and smoke it. It enhances our ceremonies and allows communication with the gods.”

  “Ah.” Andrea nodded her head.

  Hallucinatory drugs would definitely allow some communication with gods. Whether those gods were real or not… well, she wasn’t going to say that out loud and debate it with them. These people believed what they believed. It wasn’t like they were harming anyone by smoking a pipe and having some fun. If she ended up stuck here, she would have to just get used to the idea of smoking pipes every once in a while, and being a part of the ceremonies.

  They walked up to a large hut that Andrea had never entered before. The hut didn’t just have brown furs stretched over its frame, there were a few white pelts blended into the other furs. A dire wolf skull was tied above the entrance.

  Zuri stepped to the side and, with one hand, opened the skin flap entrance and ushered the both of them inside.

  Warm air smacked Andrea in the face as she entered the hut and found a roaring fire inside. Raising a finger to the collar of her fur shirt, she tugged at the material, trying to get some air to circulate around her breasts, which she could feel perspiring.

  “You should take off your clothes.” Ode said as she ripped her shirt up and over her head and discarded the shirt in a pile nearby. Then she bent over and did the same with her pants. “You will be asked to remove them when the ceremony starts anyway.” Ode straightened and sent Andrea a warm smile.

  “Okay.” Andrea cast a quick glance around her and found the entire hut filled with already naked women, but there were no men inside, so… why not strip down. Shrugging out of her shirt, she cast it aside and then wiggled her butt out of her leather pants. Immediately, her body thanked her as her sweat met the air and cooled her body.

  “Come,” Zuri instructed as she strode by already in the nude.

  When they joined the group of women near the firepit, an older woman walked over to them with a wooden bowl in her hand. She dipped a couple of her fingers into the bowl, and when she raised them, they were coated with some sort of red clay liquid. Then she reached out and drew over Andrea’s exposed skin.

  Watching in fascination, Andrea followed the lines as the woman drew them. She drew two red clay lines from Andrea’s collar bone to her belly button, then she placed a couple of dots above each breast, and then she drew a few lines down Andrea’s arms before finally decorating Andrea’s face. Once she finished with Andrea, the woman moved on to Zuri.

  “Do these mean anything?” Andrea asked as her archeologist side kicked into gear.

  “These” Ode said but was cut off as the women in the hut began to chant loudly.

  Another woman lifted a long wooden pipe to her mouth, and with a couple of quick puffs of her cheeks, she had grey smoke streaming out of her nostrils. Then the pipe was passed with a small bag.

  “What is in the pouch?” Andrea asked, leaning over to Ode’s ear so she could be heard over the chanting women.

  “More dried leaves for smoking.” Ode said with a smile before joining in on the chanting.

  Andrea felt compelled to move her mouth even though she didn’t know the words. It was like when she went over to some
one’s house, and they said grace, she would move her lips, but she didn’t know the words. This was the same kind of situation.

  Ode took the pipe when it was offered and took a few pulls off the end before handing it over to Andrea. There went her smoke free lungs now that she was living in the ice age. Taking the pipe, she raised it to her lips and managed a couple of pulls on the end without coughing like a maniac. Then she passed it to the woman closest to her.

  It only took moments for those dried leaves to take effect on her brain. The colors around her grew brighter, and any apprehension about tonight’s hunt lifted off her shoulders. It was like she was living in a hazy carefree life. No worry would bring her down now.

  After the pipe had been passed around the hut several more times, the women ceased their chanting, and Andrea’s ears rang with the sudden silence.

  “We shall now shift and run through the forests in our dire wolf forms.” An older woman addressed them all before shifting into a tan furred dire wolf who then bounded out of the hut with an excited yip.

  “Come.” Ode said before she shifted in front of Andrea. It only took a split second, and when she blinked, she found a pure white dire wolf with blue eyes standing in front of her. The dire wolf licked her hand and flicked its massive head towards the hut entrance.

  “You lead.” Andrea motioned towards the wolf with a hand.

  The white dire wolf who was Ode bounded to the entrance and disappeared on the other side of the animal skin flap.

  For one second, Andrea hesitated, but when a dire wolf bumped her with its massive head, she stumbled forward and left the overly warm hut. The night air wrapped around her, spreading goosebumps all over her skin as it cooled the sweat on her body. When she turned her head up to the black sky, she found it littered with shining dots. With barely any light pollution, the sky was striking.

  Another dire wolf brushed past her, and Andrea returned her attention to all the female dire wolves around her. They bounded into the forest, and Andrea didn’t hesitate to follow their lead. Kicking her feet into gear, she ran into the forest alongside some of them.

 

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