“Hi, guys,” she said in a high-pitched voice. Her eyes darted away then returned right back to Zackary.
He wanted to tell the two clowns to get lost. He and Elsie were having a moment. If they were mated, he could have her all to himself rather than being forced to step aside and allow Hudson to escort her back to the glade.
Zackary clamped his mouth shut before he had a chance to bark at the mongrel to scram.
Lifting her fingers in quick farewell, Elsie joined Hudson’s side. The pair headed into the neighboring woods, Zackary glowering at Hudson’s back the whole while. Chase bent over Elsie’s basket and frowned.
“These all look squished.”
“Yeah, you didn’t do a good job picking today,” Zackary returned.
Chase huffed and rolled his eyes. “Getting ripe, are they?”
Zackary grunted in reply. He much preferred Elsie’s company. She was right; the sooner he claimed her, the better. They couldn’t let Tabor stand in the way of their happiness. So . . . what to do? Getting the half-shifter’s blessings was out of the question. Nor could he kill him.
Zackary scratched his head before picking up his basket. His brain spun circles inside his thick head with each step to the glade.
How to go about making Elsie his mate?
Communication had never been one of his strengths. Words were just . . . frustrating.
“I know you’ve always hated me, but I want your sister,” he pictured himself telling Tabor. “I don’t like you either. It’s not like I went out of my way to fall for her. She’s the only female I want to mate with. That’s just the way it is.” In his mind, Tabor’s face contorted right before he spoke foreign words and Zackary exploded into a million pieces of flesh and gore.
Elsie would protect him.
He huffed at that thought.
He wanted to be the one protecting her. It still gnawed at him that he had been away from the hollow when her ex-lover came skulking after her from the mountain.
Could Zackary even protect her from wizards?
A memory of Tabor flinging him onto his back with mere words pounded in his head. Zackary growled. Chase looked over and sighed without comment. They kept their heads forward, making no conversation. Zackary was busy having his own snarl fest with himself.
Yeah, words weren’t going to help convince Tabor. Maybe Zackary should claim Elsie in secret then tell the wizard-shifter after the deed was done. He puffed out his chest and grinned. Tabor would never see him as anything other than a brute. In that case, why bother trying? Elsie wanted Zackary, and he wanted her back. It wasn’t for anyone else to decide or interfere.
An entirely different conversation began running through his head in which he informed Tabor that Elsie was his mate. They’d claimed one another and expected him to respect their decision. Tabor really had no say in the matter. The wizard-shifter had his own mate to protect. Sasha would always come first for Tabor, the way Elsie came first for Zackary. The witch-shifter was his to protect now. The sooner Tabor accepted that, the better for all of them. Zackary would not back down, not when it came to the female he intended to claim as his mate.
The glade filled with chatter and laughter once more, now that the rest of their packmates had returned and there were new guests in the hollow. Elsie sat on a log with Tabor and Sasha at dinner, nibbling her stew.
“How long do you think they’ll stick around?” Tabor asked Sasha.
“I don’t know, but I imagine they won’t linger,” Sasha answered.
Tabor stroked his jaw. “Do you think Hailey would really leave Glenn Meadows to join them?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never met her.”
Elsie only half-listened to the speculations involving the pureblooded brothers. She’d caught a glimpse of the males during the celebration, but hadn’t stuck around long enough to be introduced. Raphael stood in the center of the glade, flanked by Rosalie and Camilla, who appeared to be having a contest to see who could touch him the most. From nearby, Diego mingled with the single males in the pack.
Elsie had her mind on a different male . . . him and his mouth . . . on her . . . tomorrow. Warm, wet heat seeped beneath the stripes on her dress. She replayed all the times they’d coupled that morning and afternoon. Her body heated as she anticipated doing it again tomorrow. Sneaking a glance at Zackary, she figured it was a good thing Justin currently held his attention. They might give everything away in one look if he met her eyes.
She needed to figure out a way to tell Tabor without inciting bloodshed. Elsie continued chewing, not swallowing until the bit of meat became part of the mush. She’d have to tell Tabor the truth, but only after the claim had been made. Knowing the fate she’d avoided, she hoped he’d make peace with her choice of mate. Most of all, she longed for him to let go of past grievances and recognize that Zackary wasn’t a bad wolf. He was tender and sweet, and he made her happy. She wished Tabor could be happy for her.
After finishing the last bites of stew, Elsie got up and set her bowl in a basket with other dirtied plates. Lacy stood beside it and gave her a warm smile. There were so many nice shifters in Wolf Hollow, including the soft-spoken blonde who had lost one of her closest friends. Elsie smiled back.
“How are you doing, Lacy?”
The blonde blinked several times, her smile turning sad. “I’m okay. I still wake up forgetting she’s gone. Then I look over at the spot where she used to curl up beside me and remember.” She lifted her head and blinked again. “But I know she’s in a better place. She’s with her mom and dad. They were very close.”
Elsie nodded. “We all end up in the After eventually.”
What precisely that meant, she could only guess. There were wizards in her coven who believed in reincarnation, while others were convinced they went to heaven. Her father’s theory remained consistent. He believed that after death, they became energy without consciousness or end. Tabor had told Elsie that the shifters of Wolf Hollow believed in the spirit world, and that they would turn into wolf souls running forever free in an ethereal dimension beyond this world.
Elsie knew it brought comfort in times of sorrow and fear, but she didn’t give the question of life after death much thought. So many of life’s mysteries would never be answered, and this mystery certainly not until death itself.
She hoped she wouldn’t find out for a very long time.
Standing with a small group of friendly male shifters, Diego recounted a winter bison hunt through heavy snowfall. He’d already told the story multiple times, but he didn’t mind. Sharing the tale of a successful hunt never got old. With every detail he disclosed, he kept tabs on Lacy without openly looking.
When Lacy headed into the woods with a basket of bowls, Diego skipped over parts of his story, getting to the kill. Without appearing rushed, he lifted his chest and concluded the story before casually stepping away to wander across the glade before ducking into the woods.
Spotting a narrow trail, he followed it to the sound of flowing water. The basket had been set on the edge of the riverbank while Lacy waded in with a stack of bowls that she dipped into the current one by one.
Meandering closer, Diego lifted his chin. “Your patrol partner isn’t very helpful, is he?”
Lacy smile sweetly. “I don’t mind.”
Well, maybe I do, Diego thought, keeping the comment to himself. This supposed helper of hers was a cur to stick Lacy with all the work and let her go off alone.
Snatching two bowls from the basket, Diego joined Lacy in the river. Her eyes expanded, looking down as the water soaked the lower legs of his jeans.
“You’re getting your pants wet.”
“Should I take them off?” Diego didn’t mean for it to come out husky.
The blush that lit up Lacy’s cheeks was blinding. Her lips twisted and she leaned back. The last thing he wanted to do was make her feel uncomfortable.
“I’ll leave them on,” Diego said, making himself sound casual. “It’s still warm
out and they’ll dry.”
Lacy rinsed the rest of the bowls she’d carried into the river before wading back, setting them on the rocky shore and grabbing several more to clean. Diego did the same, and soon all the bowls were rinsed clean.
He carried the full basket back to the glade, fuming to himself when he felt how heavy they were. That boy shouldn’t be Lacy’s partner—Diego should. Looking around the gathering, he couldn’t imagine any of the single males doing a better job assisting her than him.
This wasn’t his pack and it wasn’t his place to step in as her partner, but that didn’t stop him from hauling the next batch of bowls to the river and rinsing them with her.
“Are you not accustomed to seeing males naked?” he asked curiously after they’d waded into the water together.
“Oh, yes. I see them all the time,” she answered cheerfully, as though he’d asked her if she’d ever clapped eyes on a full moon. Why then did she become bashful around him? Well, he was a stranger. Perhaps they didn’t entertain many visitors in Wolf Hollow.
“You know you can trust me, mi alma?”
He forgot about the soaked jeans as water flowed past their ankles and their eyes locked. Lacy had bright blue eyes that considered him now with keen interest.
“You seem nice enough.”
Nice enough? That was all?
He gaped at her. Before setting out to find a pureblooded mate, Diego had dallied with his fair share of she-wolves. Life on the go had made it easy to sow his wild oats without any kind of lingering obligations. The females before had fallen for his charms in swift succession.
Thoroughly intrigued, Diego vigorously rinsed the bowls he’d grabbed so he could set them out to dry while cleaning the rest until the next basket had been emptied of all its soiled vessels.
Lacy worked diligently. She might blush when he spoke, but his presence did nothing to deter her from her duties. Diego felt captivated by every little action the blonde performed.
When all the bowls were clean and stacked on the wood table in the glade, ready for the next morning’s meal, Diego put his hands on his hips and grinned. “What next?”
“The cauldron could use a rinse.” Lacy nodded at the large black bowl supported by three metal beams that were slanted like a tepee. It hung from a hooked chain.
Diego scratched the thick stubble covering his chin.
“Where did you find that thing?”
“Some of our elders came across it in a yard in the suburbs. They said it had logs in it, like it had been used as a fire pit, but we’ve always used it to cook up big batches of stew and porridge for all the unmated shifters.”
“Hmm.” Diego tapped the handle quickly, testing the heat. Although the fire beneath the pot had been smothered earlier, the solid steel structure looked like it could stay warm for hours afterward.
After testing that it was safe, he unhooked the cauldron and nearly dropped the damn thing as it plummeted to the ground. Diego’s grip strained as he held tight.
“Mierda. Do you have to clean this thing after every meal?” It was like trying to lift a particularly large boulder.
When he looked at Lacy, he saw her cheeks dimpling and lips trembling as she fought back a laugh.
“Not after every meal.”
Diego narrowed his eyes and grunted playfully. “Let me guess, you’re honoring me with this difficult task because you noticed how strong I am.”
Lacy shrugged and smiled. “You seem to be handling it okay. Shall we take it to the river, or would you like to hold on to it and talk a little longer?”
Oh, she was a cheeky one. A delighted smile entered Diego’s face. Perhaps taking mercy on him, Lacy led the way to the river.
The dang pot seemed to want to pull Diego’s arms from their sockets, but he didn’t mind. After hauling the steel bowl to the river and thoroughly rinsing all food remnants from the bottom and sides, Diego hefted it back to the glade and hoisted it over the fire pit, attaching the handle to the iron hook. He stretched his arms to the ground afterward and groaned. “That thing should never be moved again.”
Lacy laughed.
“Oh, you think that’s funny, do you?”
“Yes,” Lacy said, a shine in her eyes.
He took a step toward her then another. Lacy held her ground, laughing at him the whole while.
“I could still pick you up, you know?” Diego boasted.
“I’ll take your word for it.”
Diego hid his disappointment behind a chuckle when what he really wanted to do was lift her into his arms and hold her against his chest, then carry her off someplace private in the woods.
“Anything else I can help with?” he asked.
Lacy shook her head. “Some of the other shifters like to go for a run before sleep. Thanks for all your help.” She turned on her heel and walked over to a female with light brown hair who Diego had seen playing a drum during the celebration night. The women linked arms and leaned their heads together before looking over their shoulders at Diego, turning back around and giggling.
His heart surged and chest puffed out. She was talking about him to her friend.
“Mi hermano!” Raphael belted out as he swaggered in from the woods, his pants unfastened at the top, tight enough to remain in place as he all but pranced forward. Raphy ran a hand through his hair, smiling smugly as he bumped his shoulder into his.
Diego chuckled. “You’re in a good mood.”
“You would be, too, if you were getting laid.” Raphael tossed his head back and grinned.
Diego offered him a smug smile in return. “I’m not looking to get laid. I’m looking for love.”
“Don’t remind me.” Raphael winced dramatically.
“Maybe one day you’ll understand.”
“Yeah? And maybe one day people will be driving around in automobiles again and flying in jet planes overhead. Oh, and watching pictures move on electronic screens.”
“Dick,” Diego said, rolling his eyes. The smile didn’t leave his lips. Raphael wasn’t the only one feeling pleased.
As much as he enjoyed their travels, it felt good to be around other wolf shifters. Community was something Diego craved, almost as much as a mate.
Too bad Raphael would never agree to settle down in one place. The real question was, would Lacy be willing to leave her pack?
chapter fifteen
The swipe of Zackary’s tongue across her clit made Elsie’s toes curl and sent waves of pleasure crashing through her core. They lay naked beneath their tree—their clothes tossed aside beside the baskets of berries, which they’d had the foresight to fill first so they wouldn’t have to rush later.
Stretched on her back, Elsie alternated between closing her eyes and taking peeks of the cropped brown head between her legs.
When Zackary’s tongue entered her, she squeezed her eyes closed and moaned. She felt his tongue retract and his hot breath tickled her thighs. Prying one eye open, she caught him staring at her in wonder, his lips parted slightly and eyes bright.
He looked as though he couldn’t believe his mouth had the ability to give her so much gratification.
“More,” Elsie said breathlessly.
Grinning, Zackary ducked down and lapped at her until she went over the edge.
After taking a moment to bask in the aftershocks of pleasure, Elsie sat up and smiled. “I should let you win more often.”
“Haven’t I always won?” Zackary asked, chuckling huskily.
He drew her into his arms and kissed the back of her head as he wrapped his thick arms around her. Elsie leaned back against his toned chest and sighed happily.
“I never knew I could feel this way,” she said.
“Me either.” Zackary nuzzled his face against her bare shoulder.
They spent the remainder of the day naked. The burly shifter appeared to have gotten over his qualms about her nudity, especially when his body was pressed against hers.
For their part, Hudson and Chase r
emained oblivious to what happened each day after the trade. The following morning was the same as all the past ones. Hudson and Elsie walked straight over, Chase joined Hudson, Elsie flashed Zackary a smile, and the boys headed over to their territory without sparing them a second glance.
This morning, Zackary grinned so wide, Hudson did notice.
“What got you in such a good mood?” he asked, his eyebrows arched.
Zackary puffed out his chest. “I caught a nice juicy rabbit before breakfast. Got to eat meat rather than mush.” He rubbed his belly for emphasis.
Hudson rolled his eyes. “Way to go, Zack,” he said sarcastically. “The extra calories will come in handy for all the berry picking you have to do.” He and Chase started away. They hadn’t gone far enough for Hudson’s next words to go unheard. “Me big male. Need meat.”
Pressure detonated inside Elsie’s head.
“Lavita sulumpa,” she whispered harshly, without taking a second to consider the consequences.
Hudson’s laughter broke off when he tripped and fell on his face.
“Nice going, dog,” Chase said. “Looks like you’re the one who could use the extra meat.” He gave his friend a hand up, howling with laughter at his expense.
Hudson dusted himself off, growling something Elsie couldn’t make out. She grinned with satisfaction as the males disappeared into the woods.
Zackary gaped at her wide-eyed.
She shrugged. “He was asking for it.”
He stepped in front of her with a grave expression.
“Elsie, you can’t use magic on packmates. If the council found out, they could banish you from Wolf Hollow.”
“Okay,” Elsie said with a shrug. It was a good rule to live by, and similar to the one at Balmar Heights. They didn’t bandy around the threat of banishment, but casting spells on other coven members was against the rules. She lifted her chin. “I won’t do magic on any of my packmates, even when they deserve it.”
Moon Cursed (Wolf Hollow Shifters Book 4) Page 16