Wolf Roulette: Supernatural Battle

by Kelly St Clare

  On the desk, I pressed my thighs together. “I can’t think when you do that.”

  He released me, saying, “I know,” before moving to the other breast.

  Was he purposefully distracting me?

  “I didn’t mean to hurt you.” I gasped as he circled with his tongue.

  “I’m aware, little bird.” His words curled around my painful heart.

  “Then tell me why you’re avoiding me.”

  Coldness stung when he released me.

  Sascha met my gaze. “It occurred to me that you may have returned to the tribe to swing the game in the pack’s favour. I fully expected to win Iron, and I didn’t want you to have any hand in that.”

  He’d guessed why I left? “So you blocked me and made me feel that you hated me?”

  “I didn’t block your number.” He gritted his teeth. “That was someone who believed they were acting in my best interest.”

  It took me a second. “Mandy.”

  His scent gave away the answer.

  She would have had time to when I left pack lands and before Sascha returned. Dammit.

  He continued. “I thought keeping you at a distance until Victratum ended would be easiest for you to handle in the future. You became so distant when the pack won Timber and Sandstone. You blamed yourself. I’d rather that you hated me.”

  I pushed him back and locked my trembling legs to stand. “Of all the crazy explanations!”

  He watched me.

  Fat tears leaked over my cheeks, dripping off my chin. “I want you.”

  “And I want you.”

  I brushed my straight hair back. “We can work together. That’s how we get through this.”

  Sascha’s eyes darkened. “You once asked if I’d be open to a different ending for the game. You were already thinking about negotiating some kind of truce.”

  “You guessed?”

  He turned away. “Yes. And that will never happen.”

  My stomach plummeted.

  A heavy silence sank its claws in.

  “Have you really considered it?” My question rang in the office.

  “I have over two centuries of data proving that a ceasefire between the Ni Tiaki and my pack will result in further bloodshed.” He faced me again. “I can’t do that to my pack. I won’t do that to them. Most of us have lived through decades—and mostly centuries—of this foolish battle. We don’t want to do it anymore. Why would I bargain for a peace that probably won’t hold when we’re in the strongest position we’ve ever had in the game? Just for my own happiness? You would never act that way yourself.”

  Heat crept over my jaw. “If the pack wins, over one thousand stewards are left without homes. If the tribe win, seven hundred and fifty Luthers face the same fate, if not death. There may be more risk in a truce, but if it works, everyone wins, including us.”

  “And if it fails, we’re back to the start.”

  “Better to take a chance than to do nothing out of fear.”

  Sascha was in front of me in the next second. “Aren’t you afraid? Are you terrified of tomorrow? Any damn second you could be stolen away.” His ragged breath washed over me for a second before he spun and upended the desk and monitors.

  I winced at the ear-splitting crash as everything smashed to the floor.

  Sascha rested his hands against the wall, panting hard. With every harsh exhale, my chest tightened more.

  “Sorry,” he grunted.

  Walking to him, I rested a hand on his back.

  He slammed me against the wall so fast, I nearly lost my footing. I stared up into black eyes.

  “Tell me what you feel,” Greyson demanded.

  This wasn’t how things worked.

  He was right. I was scared of tomorrow too. My grip on him was so fucking fragile and getting weaker every day.

  My breath hitched. “I don’t want to say these words while things are like this.”

  Black receded to show honey again.

  “Please tell me, beautiful wolf,” Sascha said low, his neck muscles taut. “I need something to hold to right now.”

  He didn’t understand. “If I tell you and we end up not having a future, I—"

  Sascha rested his forehead on mine. “Forget you’re as afraid as I am. Pretend for a little while.”

  He caressed my neck with his free hand, and the power play undid the last of my restraint.

  Fresh tears slipped from the corner of my eyes as our gazes locked. “I love you, Sascha. Is that what you want to hear?”

  Joy filled him, but I shoved Sascha away to escape the cage of his arms. I paced in the office. Restless energy filled me. I pivoted sharply with each turn, trying to shake off the trapped feeling to no avail.

  That was it.

  There was no coming back.

  “Little bird, come here.”

  “No,” I spat.

  Sascha hooked me around the waist and yanked me to him.

  “Let go,” I hissed.

  He leaned forward and kissed my trembling bottom lip. “Mate. I’m honoured.”

  “It just means we’re both fucked.”

  This man had no survival instincts. Of all the moments to grin, now wasn’t the time.

  “You love me, and I love you,” he said. “What could be more powerful than that?”

  So many things. “Unless you come to the table to negotiate a different outcome for the game, what happens will be more powerful. Whether I win outright, or you win outright, there’s no victory for us. Don’t you see?”

  He shook his head. “I can understand your fear, but I don’t agree.”

  And maybe he was right. But I couldn’t take that risk. And Sascha wasn’t willing to take a risk for peace.

  I sighed. “I’m aware. So we’ll both continue in the way we see fit, I suppose.”

  Sascha tilted my chin up and his lips met mine in a harsh kiss.

  Why won’t you fight for us? I silently asked as we pressed closer.

  Sascha lifted me, and I hooked my legs around his hips.

  His voice echoed in my mind. I am, mate. Never forget it.

  I’d never heard his mind speak in this form. I clasped his face to mine, kissing him frantically. Warmth pooled between my thighs. This feels so good.

  Good isn’t a strong enough word for this feeling.

  A lump rose in my throat. He was right. The word unbearable was more accurate. One day, these kisses may be bitter memories.

  So I’d make the most of them.

  Unhooking my legs, I didn’t break from our kiss until my heeled feet touched the carpet again.

  Walking to the middle of the room, I hooked a finger under one strap of my dress and slipped it over my shoulder. The material was tight around my ass, but half of my chest was now exposed. Without structural help, the second side pooled around my hips too.

  Sascha’s attention fixed on my breasts.

  I moistened my lips. “There’s a clock over our heads.”

  Our shared pain filled the air.

  “One day, it stops ticking,” I whispered. “I need you to touch me now.”

  My heartbreakingly handsome werewolf approached. “Do you know what I was thinking about when I carted you in here over my shoulder?”

  I squealed as he threw me over his shoulder again. This time, he spun me so my face was against his chest.

  Gripping my calves, he arranged my knees either side of his head. Murmuring wordless approval, Sascha held me in place with a large hand against my lower back as he peeled the tight skirt of my dress up to reveal bare skin.

  This could not mean what I wanted it to mean.

  Like he was devouring his favourite meal.

  And with a hand on my ass, Sascha pressed his mouth against my core. I blasted a scream through our connection, clinging to his belt. My thighs clamped around his ears.

  He stopped the ministrations of his tongue.

  “More,” I begged. Please don’t make me wait.

  His lips crook
ed against my sensitive flesh. That alone was enough to make me cry out.

  “Not my style, little bird,” he hummed.

  Is that so?

  I tore through his belt with my fangs and yanked the leather from the loops. Was extending my fangs near his erection a threat about what might happen if he didn’t get on with the job?

  Absolutely.

  “Andie—” He choked against my core as I freed him and ran my hand up and down his smoothness.

  I wanted him to experience what I felt when he touched me. Can I put you in my mouth, Sascha?

  This mind connection was incredible. The dirty talking possibilities were endless.

  His shallow breathes tickled me. I wiggled, but he pushed me onto his face once more, sucking hard.

  The scream caught in my throat.

  Wrap your lips around me. He growled.

  With pleasure.

  16

  I sat in an antler throne opposite the Luther who’d given me the most earth-shattering orgasm of my life last night.

  I liked to think Sascha received as good as he gave.

  Was he thinking about it too?

  Most of his team were smirking.

  Yeah… Judging by the scent in the air, we both wanted a repeat.

  “Your decision, Head Steward?” Sascha’s voice held a dream-like quality.

  Hairy snickered.

  I caught an inquisitive glance from Wade. Okay, I stormed to The Dens to force a werewolf to compromise in a centuries-old supernatural battle and ended up doing something I could only describe as a vertical sixty-nine.

  These things happened.

  I cleared my throat. “We’ll meet the pack in Timber on Wednesday.”

  As I expected, he said in my mind.

  Did you expect to come apart in my mouth last night?

  I grinned as he jerked on his throne.

  Mind-speak was my new favourite thing.

  Mandy wrinkled her nose, but Grim grinned widely.

  “We’ll see you then.” I led my head team out of the pack house.

  “You did something naughty,” Wade sang under his breath.

  Accurate.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I murmured.

  The head team filed into the van while Wade slid into the passenger seat of Ella F after casting me a suspicious look.

  One guess what the subject would be on the drive back to the manor.

  “Young wolf. A word.”

  I faced the fisherwolf as he rounded the pack house. “Alexei. I’m unsure what we have to say to each other.”

  Sascha appeared on the porch as I listened to the sounds of the van leaving.

  “Father,” he said. “No more.”

  “Your potential mate and I must come to an understanding,” Alexei replied.

  Consider me surprised that the guy’s face could display love, but it was there for his son. If I squinted, he almost looked caring.

  Sascha folded his arms. “If Andie consents.”

  A refusal lingered on my lips, but the fisherwolf’s last comment spun in my mind. Your potential mate and I must come to an understanding.

  There could be merit in that.

  “You can have your word, old wolf.” I held up five fingers to Wade inside the car.

  I followed Alexei to our bench and sat. I missed this spot by the stream. It had a way of carrying my worries away.

  He took the seat next to me. “My son is happier.”

  Would he like a play-by-play of why? Or…

  Alexei sighed. “You told him how you feel.”

  “Is that a problem for you?”

  “It’s a problem for both of you.”

  I agreed. “It’s bound to end in ruin, isn’t it?”

  Wrath rolled off the wolf beside me. “Is that funny to you?”

  “It’s the least funny thing in the world. Would you prefer I cry?”

  Sascha’s dad was strange. In some ways, he saw more than his son. In others, he was so blind.

  The fisherwolf gazed at the stream. “I’d have preferred you left Deception Valley long ago, but that time has passed.”

  I glanced at the ancient Luther. “Your son has one chance to find his mate to become immortal and have children. Why would you get in the way of that? You appear to love Sascha, but you work against him. Do you hate the Ni Tiaki so much?”

  The old wolf’s blue eyes were so different to Sascha’s. “I will always hate the races that cause this pack harm. Vampires. Demons. Witches. Humans most of all. Live through centuries of failed negotiations with a tribe who cover their greed with a supposed love of the land and then make your judgements. My son deserved better, and there is no way for him to find happiness now. Not without one of you making a compromise so severe that bitterness will poison your future. I choose a happier and shorter life for my son over a long and miserable one. Immortality isn’t everything, young wolf.”

  At least someone saw just how dire things were for me and Sascha. His words were oddly comforting. And I’d give him one thing—hardly anyone in my life had ever spoken so honestly to me. What if Ragna had sat down like this?

  Or Herc.

  Or me with Rhona?

  I could respect the effort he was making—if not the fact he’d rather Sascha die than be with me. “I haven’t lived through two centuries of Victratum. I haven’t even lived through one year of it. The benefit of that is I don’t carry two centuries’ worth of prejudice. I see your concerns and share some of them. I’m going to find a way to solve this for Sascha and me.”

  Alexei scoffed. “Like what?”

  Wouldn’t he like to know? I was done taking his bait. “Here’s my proposal. When I fix everything, you agree to pack away the last few centuries and start afresh, no matter what it takes.”

  His eyes narrowed.

  “Or is your hate for the Ni Tiaki stronger than your love for Sascha?”

  He tensed.

  I waited.

  “And when you fail?” the old wolf asked. “What if you achieve nothing?”

  Negative Nancy. “If I fail, you’re welcome to continue interfering in our lives. You can see how much it bothers me.”

  This amused him. A really tiny bit.

  Alexei hummed. “No, young wolf. Fail, and you must find a way to leave this valley for good. My son will be hurt by your absence, but anger and pain won’t twist him.”

  Did he speak from personal experience?

  He held out a hand, and after a beat, I shook it.

  There were loopholes in what he asked. More to the point, I more than half agreed with him.

  “In the near future, people may surprise you,” I said to him.

  Standing, I walked back to Ella F.

  Sascha sat on the steps of the pack house, strung tight. “I’ll never let you leave.”

  Direct. “It won’t come to that.”

  “I know.” He aimed the comment toward the stream.

  Do I need to convince you about my feelings somehow? I thought at him, dragging my gaze over his muscular frame.

  His focus returned to me. Now that you mention it…

  The passenger door opened.

  “Hi.” Wade poked his head out. “Remember me? I’m right here, and this car doesn’t have air conditioning, so keep the heat down.”

  I brushed my hair back. “Guess I better go.”

  Sascha walked down the steps.

  I bunched my hands in his black tee as he cupped my jaw.

  His grin widened as Wade slammed the door closed. We listened to his cursing through the window.

  Sascha’s lips touched mine and we melted into each other.

  Kiss me harder, I silently ordered him.

  He listened, and I moaned into his mouth.

  Your claws are coming out, mate.

  I broke away and sheathed the daggers peeking out from my knuckles. I lifted Sascha’s shirt and stared guiltily at the eight trickles of blood. “Oops.”

  In
reply, he tugged me in for another kiss.

  The passenger door opened again. “Seriously! You’re rocking the car. I’m too close for this shit, and not taking a contraceptive, I might add.”

  Wade slammed the door.

  Sascha kissed my cheek. “Greyson is growing impatient for the next meet. He wants you to know.”

  The bite meet. “Should we arrange a time?”

  Sascha arched a brow. “That’s not really his style.”

  Dang it. Please not at the manor—though I’d be an idiot to put that challenge in his head. The wolf had an authority problem.

  He can try his best to sneak up on me, Booker snarled.

  Is this one for you? I asked her.

  The capture meet and bite meet are done in four-legged form, yes.

  I opened the car door. “Hey, Sascha? Heads-up that something is happening tomorrow that will interest the pack.”

  Sascha searched my face. “What is it?”

  “Agree to work with me, and I may let you in on the details.” I winked and slid into the car.

  Wade glared at me. “We need to go to the health clinic.”

  “Why? What’s wrong?”

  “I think I’m pregnant.”

  This was the first time I’d visited Deception Valley Public Hall. Wooden trusses held up the roof of the large rectangular space. Double doors led to an industrial-size kitchen. Chairs faced the small stage where I currently sat with the other nine council members.

  Margaret Frey used the table to stand up. “Good evening to you all. Before we distribute the meeting agenda, I’d like to welcome our tenth member to the table. Andie Thana recently inherited leadership of the Ni Tiaki, and she is bringing a new proposal to our attention today. Andie, may I introduce our public representatives—Gabriel, Wilson, Rose, and Terrie.”

  Terrie was the woman who’d brought up airport proposals in the past. Chantel had used a lot of the information from that, along with her help, when forming our own proposal.

  I greeted each of the public members with a smile and caught their slightly awed greetings. The Thanas held a weird prestigious celebrity status in the valley.

  Chantel confirmed the minutes of the previous meeting and the order of proceedings tonight before gesturing to me. “We have two proposals. The council will discuss these privately before opening the doors to the public. Andie. Over to you.”