Direwolf's Desire (Ice Age Alphas Book 3)

by Lily Thomas

  Cracking open an eye, Andrea glanced up at Ode. Her head felt like it was split in two, or she’d been binge drinking the night before. “Ode?” Her voice cracked a bit, and her throat felt like sandpaper.

  “It is me.” Ode patted one of Andrea’s hands with her own. “How do you feel? Do you need water?”

  Andrea nodded her head slowly, not wanting to exacerbate the ache inside her skull.

  Ode shifted on her knees, and when she turned back, she held a wooden bowl up for Andrea. “Can you rise?”

  Andrea nodded again as she slowly eased herself onto her bottom. Her head screamed at her in annoyance, and her vision swam before her, but she held herself steady and waited for it to pass.

  Once Andrea’s vision returned, she took the small wooden bowl from Ode in both of hers and raised it to her lips. Tilting the bowl back, her eyes sank closed in pleasure as the cool water soothed her throat, and there was something else. The water had been flavored with something.

  “What’s… in here?” Andrea croaked.

  “Some leaves and twigs that the shaman thought might ease your throat when you woke.”

  “Have I been… out long?” Andrea took another swing of the water, her throat already feeling much better.

  “A couple of days.” Ode smiled. “We thought you may have died in grief, but it seems you just needed time to heal from what you saw and did.”

  “Is Rokki…” She trailed off. She couldn’t finish the sentence.

  “Dead?” Ode smiled kindly. “No, he is alive and better than before he was injured.”

  “He’s alive?” Andrea’s eyes widened as the wooden bowl slipped from her fingers, spilling the rest of its contents all over her legs.

  “He will be here soon. He can barely stay away, but there were some issues with Neanderthals in our territory that drew him away.”

  Andrea’s eyelids closed as she sighed. “He’s alive and off trying to get killed again?”

  Ode chuckled as she rose. “He is pack leader now, and he must keep us safe. It is what an alpha does.” Ode walked over to the fire and stoked it with a stick.

  Andrea welcomed the extra punch of heat inside the hut. “I thought he couldn’t be pack leader. How is this possible?”

  “You will have to ask Rokki. I am sure he will want to be the one to tell you.” Ode sent her another smile. “I am glad you are well, Andrea. I must go, though, I will be back later to see how you are.”

  “Is she awake?” Rokki burst into the hut right as Ode was about to leave, and he caught his sister around the shoulders and spun her around, so they didn’t collide.

  “See for yourself, brother.” Ode said before slipping out of the hut.

  Andrea watched Rokki’s shoulders rise and fall as he sucked in breathes, but he hadn’t yet turned around. It was like he dreaded what he might see when he turned.

  “Rokki?” She asked cautiously. “Are you well?” She had Ode’s word that Rokki was fine after the wound he’d been dealt, but she wanted to see for herself.

  Slowly, Rokki spun around, and when his eyes landed on her sitting up on her bed of furs, relief washed over his features. His golden eyes soften, and a smile twitched the corner of his lips.

  “You are awake.”

  “I am.” Andrea sent him a reassuring smile. “And I have many questions.”

  “First, let me enjoy this moment.” Rokki strode over to her, his long legs eating up the distance between them. He knelt beside her and took her into his arms. “We were worried you might not wake. I fear you might not wake.” His voice choked in his throat as emotions overwhelmed him, and her heart went out to him.

  “Nothing is keeping us apart.” And Andrea meant it. It only took a near death experience for her to realize her life would never have been the same had he died. Reaching up, she placed a palm against his cheek, which had some stubble growing. He usually kept it cut down in the summer with a bone knife, but it appeared he hadn’t cared much for himself while she’d been out.

  “Thank you for saving me.” Rokki placed a tender kiss against her lips before pulling away.

  “Save your life? What did I do?” Andrea shook her head as she tried to draw back her memories, but all she could remember was Rokki bleeding in front of her and then darkness.

  “You healed my wounds.” Rokki slid under the fur that covered her lap and drew her down on the furs so he could wrap his arms around her.

  Andrea purred in happiness as his warmth surrounded her. With a couple of fingers, she plucked at the bead work on his leather shirt. “Didn’t the shaman heal you?”

  Rokki chuckled as he tucked her closer to his body, and she melted against him. “You are a very powerful witch, my mate. You drew me back from the Eternal Hunting Grounds and back into my body.”

  Andrea rolled her eyes. Not this witch thing again. “Rokki, as much as I would like to say I healed you, I’m afraid you’re wrong.”

  “Darc, Ode, the shaman, and Zuri saw you heal me with magic. There is no other way to explain the bright light that seared through the hut.” Then his lips drew into a flat line. “You shouldn’t have done it though. You came close to killing yourself.”

  Andrea rolled her eyes again. “I fainted with fear.”

  “How do you explain this?” Rokki raised a hand and drew a lock of hair into her frame of vision.

  Andrea’s mouth gaped as she stared at the lock of hair. “But… but… it’s white!” Her hair was pure white! Raising her hands, she grabbed more of her hair, only to find the rest was still auburn. It was just this one lock that was white.

  “You used some of your life to save me.” Rokki shook his head as his golden eyes took on a hard glint. “Never do it again.”

  “It could have been fear that caused my lock of hair to go white.”

  “Explain this then, mate.” Rokki pulled back and lifted his shirt to expose a scar… the same place where he’d been speared.

  “But…” Andrea placed her hands on his abdomen in wonderment, “I thought I was only out for a couple of days?”

  “You were, Andrea.” Rokki pulled his shirt down. “You healed me, Andrea.”

  Andrea pursed her lips. “Then don’t injure yourself again.” She smacked an open palm against his chest. “I couldn’t handle seeing you die.”

  “I am sorry.” Rokki placed his forehead against hers. “I never want to worry you, but our land is dangerous. I never could have known the Neanderthals would attack during one of our hunts.”

  She realized that the ice age was unpredictable. She’d been targeted a lot since landing here in the past, and she was lucky this white lock of hair was the worst that had happened to her.

  “The hunt went like planned until I was speared. I didn’t notice the Neanderthals. I didn’t scent them.” Rokki closed his eyes as he recalled the memory. His face scrunched up as he recalled the pain.

  “At least, you’re alive.” Andrea smiled as she wrapped an arm around him. “I do have another question.”

  “Yes?” Rokki murmured as he began to kiss her neck and leaned over her, rising up on an arm.

  “Ode said you were pack leader, but I…” Andrea giggled, as Rokki’s lips tickled the sensitive flesh of her neck. “I don’t understand how that is. I thought Darc would end up being leader.”

  “You must listen to me better, mate.” Rokki murmured against her flesh. “Whether you believe it or not, you are a witch, an untrained witch, but you are, and Darc has already been forced out of the village. I am leader of the pack now, and you are my mate.”

  “Forced out?” Andrea couldn’t help but feel a tad sorry for Darc. He wasn’t an evil man, just a man who was unwilling to lose the only family he had known, and now he was living on his own. “What will happen to him?”

  Rokki shrugged as he slipped under the fur and sucked a nipple into his mouth. He played with the taunt nipple until her mouth popped open on a sigh. Then he pulled away and said from under the fur, “He is an alpha. Darc will be
able to take care of himself. There’s no need to worry about him. Now… let me give us both pleasure.”

  Andrea gasped as his hand found her heated center.

  “Let me make us feel alive.” He murmured from under the fur.

  “Oh, yes.” She murmured back.

  Chapter 21

  Caw! Caw! Caw!

  Andrea glanced about wildly as she caught the sound of a raven. Turning her eyes to the cloudy sky above her, she spotted a black bird circling above her.

  Caw! Caw! Caw!

  And then the bird stopped circling and flew back in the direction of the seer’s cave. The seer must be done with her bracelet then. Her heart flipped inside her chest at the knowledge, and she wasn’t sure whether it was in excitement or dread.

  “What are you looking at?” Rokki walked up beside her and draped a muscled arm over her shoulders.

  “The seer’s raven flew overhead and back to the cave.” Andrea turned to face him, searching for what, she wasn’t sure.

  “Do you want to see the seer?” Rokki asked, his golden eyes giving away nothing.

  Andrea still wasn’t sure what she wanted. To stay or leave. It was a hard choice, and one she wished she didn’t have to make. Maybe the seer would have some answers for her. “It would be rude to not go.” She said cautiously.

  Rokki nodded his head as he drew his arm back. “We should return to our hut then to gather supplies for the journey. It will take us a couple of days to get there from here.”

  “Lead the way.” Andrea waved a hand in front of her, and when Rokki started back to the village, she followed hot on his heels.

  As they walked back, Andrea stayed a few steps behind him so she could study him unnoticed. She was living in an animal skin hut with a real-life werewolf. It just blew her mind every time she thought about it. She’d gone from being a normal human archeologist to being a witch mated to a werewolf. Life couldn’t get any more bizarre.

  Surging forward, Andrea reached out a hand and clasped his in her own, entwining their fingers. “I love you, Rokki.”

  Rokki jerked to a stop, yanking on her arm slightly, pulling her into his embrace as both of his arms snaked around her waist. “What did you say?”

  “I love you.” Andrea tilted her head up to meet his golden-eyed gaze. “I love you.” The words felt good on her tongue.

  A slow smile crept across his lips as his head dipped. He placed a gentle kiss on her lips before pulling away and saying, “I love you too, mate. My chest could burst with the emotions I feel for you.”

  Andrea’s heart skipped a beat at his declaration, and a blush decoration her cheeks as she suddenly ducked her head.

  “What is it?” Rokki asked as he slipped a hand from her waist and used a couple of fingers to tilt her chin back up.

  “I’ve never felt this way with anyone else.” She’d come close a few times, but every time she thought she could grow close with a guy, something would mess it up. Whether it was her, her job, or the guy she’d fallen for, something always interfered with her relationships.

  Rokki cupped her face with one of his large hands, and she reveled in the warmth that spread through her face. “Stay with me, and I will make sure you never regret it.”

  Andrea swallowed. She couldn’t say anything to those words. There was no way she could promise anything when she still wasn’t sure where she stood on leaving or staying. So, instead, she said, “We should pack and get to the seer before she thinks we forgot about her.”

  Rokki’s dire wolf howled in pain as he watched his mate slip from his grasp and walk towards their hut. Their hut. But he wasn’t sure it would be their hut for much longer. Everything had seemed so perfect since she’d saved his life. They’d fallen into a rhythm in the village, and he’d even forgotten about her wanting to go back to her clan.

  She was so close, yet she was so far away from him, and he struggled with how to bring her back.

  With a heavy sigh of defeat, Rokki walked over to their hut. There were still a few days between them and the seer. He still had plenty of time to convince Andrea that her life was here with him and his pack.

  Pushing through the fur entrance of the hut, he found Andrea stuffing a couple of things into a fur pack. She stood and sent him a smile, “I’m done!”

  Rokki grunted as he strode over to one side of the hut and grabbed a pack that he always had at the ready. It had a pack of dried meat and a couple of fur blankets inside. “We should head out before night falls and impedes our journey.”

  Andrea nodded, “Good idea. I don’t like the idea of walking around at night.” Then she ducked out of the hut and left Rokki to stand there staring at the waving flap.

  Closing his eyes, Rokki sucked in a deep breath as he calmed his dire wolf. The beast wanted to show its face and demand Andrea stay here with them, but Rokki knew his dire wolf would only hinder his attempts at convincing Andrea to stay. Baring his teeth wouldn’t get him anywhere.

  Opening his eyes, he followed Andrea out of the hut. She was already well ahead of him and about to enter the forest. It pleased him that she felt so comfortable around their village. It had taken her a little time to believe him when he said predators stayed far away from their village. Predators and prey sensed that the village of werewolves was a bad place to stray.

  “Where are you going?”

  Rokki turned his head to spot his sister, Zuri, standing behind him with her arms crossed over her chest. “The seer has sent us a sign to come to her cave.”

  “Ode told me about the bracelet.” Zuri cocked her head to the side. “Why are you making it easy for your mate to leave you?”

  Rokki had been asking himself that very question, and he’d come up with an answer. “The choice to leave is hers. All I can do is hope that I have done enough to change her decision.”

  Zuri shook her head as she heaved a sigh. “I will look after the pack while you are gone then, and I hope you both return.”

  “As do I,” Rokki said before turning and catching back up to Andrea. “As do I.”

  Andrea stretched her legs out in front of the fire Rokki had been kind enough to build when they made camp for the night. They’d already spent one night out in the forest, and this would be their last night before arriving at the seer’s cave.

  “Would you like some?” Rokki held a fur bag up.

  “Dried meat?”

  He nodded.

  “Thank you.” Andrea took the bag from him, her fingers brushing his allowing a sear of desire spark through her, and when she glanced up, she saw the same look reflected back at her in his sparkling golden eyes. “I’m actually hungry for something else.”

  “What is it?” Rokki asked, their hands still touching as neither released their hold on the bag of dried meat. “I will give you what you want, all you need do is ask.”

  “I want you.”

  Rokki’s hand clenched around her a second before he yanked her into his lap, the bag of dried meat falling to the ground forgotten. “And I will always want you.”

  Then his lips slanted over hers.

  Andrea melted in his lap. Her arms came up to wrap around his neck, pulling him closer.

  “Let’s take off these clothes.” He murmured against her lips.

  “Yes.” She moaned in excitement.

  Standing, Rokki placed her on her feet and backed away. “Shall I go first?” A fire burned in his golden eyes.

  “I will go first.”

  Andrea smiled as she trailed her fingers down the front of her shirt, and cock her head to the side so she could look up at him under her lashes. She wasn’t used to being sexy, but she figured anything she did would turn her werewolf on. When she got to the waistband of her tanned leather pants, she slipped her thumbs under the waistband and drew them down her legs. When she reached her toes, she stood back up and flicked the pants away with a jerk of one foot.

  Then she trailed her hands up her thighs, across her mound of auburn curls, and then to the hem of
her shirt. Ever so slowly, she wiggled her hips as she took the shirt off inch by slow inch.

  Once she got it above her head, she twirled it away.

  Andrea now stood naked, and she smoothed her hands down her sides until her hands landed on her hips. “It’s your turn.”

  Rokki’s golden eyes raked over her body from her toes to her head. He was more eager though, and within a few seconds, he stood naked in front of her. Her eyes fell to his proudly erect cock.

  Andrea licked her lips as she watched a bead of cum moisten the tip.

  “Excited?”

  “Mate, you make me hard with just a whiff of your scent,” Rokki growled, and a fire lit in those golden depths as his canines and claws grew.

  His body and cock were perfect. Each was strong, and her body quivered at the idea of having him inside her, over her as he claimed her again.

  Kneeling on the ground, she presented him her ass while on all fours. Then she reached behind her neck and drew her hair back from her neck. “Claim me.”

  Her lethal and beautifully built werewolf was on her in a second. His chest covered her back in a blanket of warmth, his hard length pressed up against one of her butt cheeks. She could feel the ridges of his abdomen pressed against her back as she arched below him, enticing him.

  Rokki growled in her ear as the tip of his tongue slid against the spot he’d bitten last time. “You are mine.”

  “I am yours.”

  She felt him freeze behind her.

  “Say it again, mate.”

  “I am yours.”

  “What are you to me?”

  “I am yours.”

  Rokki shifted behind her, and then his cock and his teeth sank into her hot flesh. He growled against her as he thrust his hips in and out of her wet center.

  Andrea felt like her eyes might have rolled back in her head as her body heated with the delicious feel of his cock stretching and filling her. Could she really give up a love and a lover like this?

  Her body took over. She moved with his every thrust, which was slow and deep like he wanted to draw it out… like he was afraid of losing her.