“All who swear their loyalty to me can take the blood oath now.”
As the pack shuffled into an orderly line, Dylan pulled Gia away from any eavesdropping ears. Running his hands over the unmarred side of her face, he studied the cut that Leroy had inflicted with growing anger clouding his eyes.
“I should kill him,” he growled.
“Leroy?” At his nod, she said, “He was doing what his alpha ordered. Before he took the knife to my flesh, he said he’d make it shallow, that it wouldn’t scar. He was just as terrified of Mitchell as I was.” Her words didn’t placate him. Instead, unholy fire blazed in his wolf’s eyes. “It’s already healed. See?” Picking up his hand, she guided it over the skin that was still tender to touch but was no longer an open wound.
“He touched you. He needs to die.”
Biting her lip, she placed her hand on his cheek, feeling the rasp of a beard on her skin. He was so warm, and although she’d be scared if it was any other male standing so close to her, she was not. With Dylan, she knew deep in her bones that he would rather kill himself than harm her in any way.
He placed his hand over hers, and they stood there for a long minute, just staring at one another. He pulled back suddenly, breaking the contact and his throat working down a swallow. “Will you be swearing loyalty to Ben?” The words sounded as if they’d been torn from his throat like he hadn’t wanted to ask but had felt compelled to.
Gia’s gaze darted to the line of her pack, to Ben, who stood with his shoulders back, his chin tipped up. She loved Ben. He was her only friend and ally, but staying in this pack was not what she wanted. There were too many memories branded into her brain that living them every day would slowly drive her to madness.
“No,” she whispered. “No, I’m not.”
He inched closer until their bodies were touching. She sucked in a sharp breath, Dylan’s eyes widening in response.
“Fuck, I’m sorry.” He stepped back a little, but she mourned the loss of him. Reclaiming that step, she pressed herself against him once more, resting her hands flat against his pecs. He snaked an arm around her waist, his fingers firm.
“Do you think I could come and see Layla?”
Dylan shook his head, a small relieved laugh escaping him. “God, I was hoping you were going to ask that.”
He looked at her mouth, the muscle in his jaw feathering as he held himself back. She understood his reluctance. She’d been abused and used by Mitchell. She was unclean…
“Bullshit,” he snarled suddenly.
She jerked her head up. “What?”
“You are not unclean.”
Shaking her head, she realized she must’ve said that out loud. “I am, though. I’ve been tainted by the evil that lurked inside Mitchell. How can you look at me like you still want me?”
“I will always want you, Gia.” He stroked his fingers down her cheek, lingering near her mouth. He ran his thumb over her bottom lip, the sensation shooting straight to her core. “I just want to take things slowly… I mean, if you want me to.”
She tightened her hands on his chest, bunching his shirt in her fingers. “I don’t know,” she hedged. He stiffened under her hands, so she rushed on, “I want to, but I don’t know how long it will take for me to be okay with anything… physical.”
“I fucking don’t care about being physical with you…” He frowned. “No, that’s not right. I do want to be physical with you, but I’m more than willing to wait… however long it takes. A month, a year, a decade? I’ll wait.”
She searched his face for any deception, for any hesitation. What he was saying was what she needed, but she also understood how unfair it was on him. But he fought for her. He killed for her. He was willing to die for her if that’s what it came to. He made his own decisions, and if he was signing up for her, then she had to trust he knew what he was doing.
“Can you kiss me now?” she asked softly.
“Fuck, yeah,” he growled, placing a gentle kiss on her lips. She pulled him closer, wanting his scent in her nose, on her skin, on her soul. Initiating the second fusing of their mouths, she opened her mouth and swept out her tongue, meeting his. Dylan groaned and tightened his hold of her.
“Fuck, I’m never letting you go again,” he said in a low growl.
Someone cleared their throat, and together they turned to find Ben standing there. “Sorry to interrupt,” he told them with a smile. There was blood smearing his chin from where he took each member of the pack’s blood into his body. “I just wanted to see what your decision was, Gia. You’re free now.”
Stepping away from Dylan’s embrace, she wrapped her arms around the new alpha and hugged him fiercely. For a moment, he just stood there, until, eventually, his hands came to rest gently on her back.
“Thank you,” she whispered into his ear. “Thank you for getting Layla out of there. Thank you for trying to protect me and for being kind to me.”
“I just wish I could’ve gotten you out sooner,” was his soft reply. “Being unable to help you killed me, Gia. And I swear to God, that will never happen here again.”
“I know.” She gave him one last squeeze, then stepped away from him. Dylan was there immediately, his arm around her waist in a possessive gesture she was sure he was unaware of.
Ben shifted his gaze to him. “And, thank you for taking care of Gia when I couldn’t.” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a set of keys and held them out to Dylan. “Your truck is parked at the start of the fire trail.”
Dylan grunted as he accepted the keys. “Think you’re up to the job here?”
Looking around at the pack that was still milling around, he nodded. “Yeah, I think so. Becoming alpha wasn’t ever on my agenda, though.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t know how good a job I’m going to be able to do.”
“You’re not a sadist, so already you’re a better male than Mitchell,” Gia said, softening her words with a smile. “You’ve always been dominant enough, Ben. And you’ve always been good and just. You’ll do just fine.”
He gave them both a firm nod. “Are you leaving with Dylan, Gia?”
“Yes.”
He smiled. “Good.” Someone called him, and he glanced over his shoulder briefly before returning his attention to them. “Well, I have to start rebuilding this pack. I’ll see you around, Gia.”
Wrapping her arms around herself, she studied his face. “Goodbye, Ben.”
Placing his mouth to her ear, Dylan asked, “I just need to make a couple of phone calls quickly, but then are you ready to leave?”
She turned around, putting her arms around his neck. Playing with the hair on his nape, she nodded. “Who are you calling?”
“My brother and another alpha. They’re on their way to do damage control, but I think Ben has everything in hand here.”
She glanced over at Ben and smiled. “Yes, I think he does.” Returning her attention to Dylan, she asked, “Is it okay that I’m scared?”
“What are you scared of, huh?”
“The unknown? The future? I don’t think I remember how to be free.” She frowned and shook her head. That word sounded so strange.
“We’ll take it slow,” Dylan promised, dropping a kiss to her forehead. “It’ll take as long as it takes, and I promise I’ll be by your side every step of the way.”
Epilogue
Twelve Months Later…
Dylan ran his hands over his mate’s face, the curve of her jaw, her plump bottom lip designed to be kissed. Leaning down, he captured her mouth with his, showing her just how much he loved her. It had been twelve months since her rescue, and her recovery had come along in leaps and bounds.
Running his hand down her body, he gripped her hip and wondered how in the hell he’d gotten so damn lucky. Gia let her legs fall open, inviting him to come a little closer. Sweeping lower, he found her sex. She was already wet for him, but that was nothing new. Every time they’d made love, she was ready and eager.
Fo
r months after she arrived in Alfheim territory, he’d followed the pace she had dictated. The only physical interactions they’d shared were kisses, but as the days dripped into months, she’d slowly gained her confidence until the point where she initiated sex between them now. Wordlessly, she urged him to slide between her thighs, and he was more than happy to oblige her.
Shifting across, he settled in between her thighs, kissing her slowly and sweetly. It only took a few minutes before he was panting. Dropping his head, he kissed his way down her chest, paying attention to her perfect breasts before continuing further to her stomach, her hip bones, then her perfect pussy.
He settled in his favorite place, jamming his shoulders between her thighs. Gia placed her hand on his head, urging him to put his mouth where his eyes were. He grinned, fucking amazed that she was such an open lover. She wasn’t afraid to tell him how she liked things done, and it was fucking fantastic not having to guess. Relinquishing control over to her was nothing to him, though. She needed to have that power, and he was happy to give it up for her.
Gia whimpered a little when he ran his tongue through her pussy, parting her slick flesh and sucking her clit into his mouth. With a gasp, she arched into his mouth, filling in with her delicious heat. Her scent intensified, and he dragged it into his nose.
His mate. She was his, and she was fucking amazing.
He lapped at her, alternating between soft and slow and hard and fast. He was so attuned to her that he knew the moment before she was about to come. As soon as her fingers tightened in his hair, he concentrated his efforts on her clit, flicking the tip of his tongue over the bundle of nerve endings and pushing her over the edge.
She groaned low and long as she thrust her pussy into his face, grinding against his mouth as she followed her orgasm. He lapped at her, swallowing down her citrus nectar. Her fingers flexed in his hair, pulling him up. He shook his head and kissed the inside of her thigh.
With a gasp, she rasped, “Please. I need to have you inside me.”
Well, how could he say no to his mate?
With one final lick, he moved up her body, cradled into the shallow of her hips. His cock hovered just outside her entrance, the blunt head brushing against her slick flesh. She tilted her hips to accept him, their bodies connecting in a way that made him think he would wake up from this dream. She kissed him, her tongue sliding over his lips and tasting herself.
He moved slowly, savoring every damn second. Gia’s internal walls held him securely, stroking him as he stroked her. They kissed slowly as he made love to her, made love to the female who had forced him to realize he didn’t have to be so angry all the time. She had him in the palm of her hand, and there wasn’t a damn thing he wouldn’t do for her.
“I’ve been thinking,” she said, holding him captive with her words.
“Yes?” He thrust into her, biting down on her earlobe when she threw her head back into the pillow.
Her hands came to rest in his hair, her nails scraping against his scalp. When she’d seen the real color of his hair after the dye had washed out, she’d almost seemed relieved. “I was thinking that maybe we should start trying for a baby.” Lifting her head, she blinked at him. “What do you think?”
He paused, wondering not for the first time how lucky could a male get? His hips flexed involuntarily into her heat, and they shared a groan. “What do I think? I think we should start right now.”
Her lips pulled up into a smile. “Good,” she murmured, fusing her mouth with his. “Hurry up and put a baby in me then.”
Dylan didn’t increase his pace. He took his time with Gia, with his mate, making sure she would feel him in her for the rest of the day. He would put a baby in her, and he knew down deep in his marrow that she would make an amazing mother.
Oliver
Book 4
For six and a half long years, Oliver has felt responsible for his sister’s abduction at the hands of a crazed rogue wolf. All he saw was his failure to rescue her in time, and he vowed to never let her get hurt again.
Dedicating his life to her, he protects her whenever they leave the pack house, but on one fateful night, he sees a woman and his wolf knows he’s found his true mate. But how will Darcey—a human—react when he tells her the truth about what he is?
“Oliver” is a short story based on the characters in the Helheim Wolf Pack world. These novellas are best read in order.
Oliver: A Helheim Wolf Pack Novella (#4)
Copyright © 2020 by Lauren Dawes
First Edition, 2021
www.authorlaurendawes.com
The right of Lauren Dawes to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her under the Copyright Amendment (Moral Rights) Act 2000
E-book: 978-1-922353-23-8
Print:978-1-922353-24-5
All rights reserved. This publication (or any part of it) may not be reproduced or transmitted, copied, stored, distributed or otherwise made available by any person or entity (including Google, Amazon or similar organisations), in any form (electronic, digital, optical or mechanical) or by any means (photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise) without prior written permission from the author.
All characters in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Cover design by Sly Fox Cover Designs
Edited by Kaylene Osborn (Swish Design & Editing)
Proofread by Nicki Kuzn (Swish Design & Editing)
Oliver is set twelve months after Dylan.
It’s best that you read these novellas in order.
Chapter One
Oliver swept his eyes over the occupants of the busy college campus cafeteria while simultaneously drawing in the sickly pungent aroma of a dozen different styles of food, drink, perfume, cologne, and general college-aged guys. He didn’t know why Casey insisted on eating here when they could easily afford to go to any number of the cafés or restaurants around the college campus.
“I like it here,” Casey told him with a roll of her eyes, shuffling down the line like they were cattle in a chute. “Plus, eating here keeps our story in check.”
He could’ve pointed out that they both could have matriculated a dozen times between them, given that Casey was turning sixty-five soon, and he was pushing a century.
Being werewolves, though, they looked like they were twenty-five and would remain like that until around their 295th birthdays.
Picking up a plastic tray, Oliver loaded it with five foot-long subs and half a dozen apples. He grinned when his sister gave him ‘the look’—the look that said he wasn’t playing human enough. No human man would attempt to eat what he did in one sitting, but that was the beauty of a werewolf’s metabolism.
“I missed breakfast this morning,” he replied, taking a bite from his apple. “Sue me for being hungry. Plus, all that ass-in-chair work I have to do while you’re in class makes me hungry.”
“You know you don’t have to sit outside the lecture hall every time I have a class, right?” she asked, picking up her own foot-long sub and piece of fruit. “It’s not like anything is going to happen to me in there.”
Of course, he knew this, but the connection between his logical brain and the protective side of him that would always look out for his sister was at an impasse. He doubted they would ever reconnect when it came to Casey. It was like he had a faulty wire up there, firing whenever the hell it wanted. His gaze drifted down to her nail-less fingertips. They had been torn from her nailbeds six years ago when she was being held by a psychotic female hell-bent on revenge against the Helheim wolf pack. It was a case of wrong time, wrong place for Case.
Her recovery had been slow, to begin with, and he had been on high alert for the possibility of suicide. Casey had walked the edge of taking her own life for a while, but he refused to allow that. As the days had drifted by, things got better. Now, he didn’t feel the need to watch her like a hawk twenty-four hours a day, but that didn’t
mean he was ever going to leave her unprotected again, even if she was stronger than all these humans around them.
When Casey curled her fingers around the edge of the tray, hiding them from his view, he knew he’d been stuck in his thoughts for a lot longer than he’d wanted to be.
“You aren’t responsible, you know.”
He jerked his eyes back to her face and frowned.
“For what happened to me. It wasn’t your fault. It wasn’t my fault or Saxon’s. It was just bad luck.” Casey shrugged and walked toward the cash register at the ass end of the chute. She paid for both their meals, then wandered off to find a table. Wordlessly, he followed Casey, turning over her words in his mind. It wasn’t the first time she’d said them, and he knew for damn sure it wouldn’t be the last either.
Here’s the thing with guilt, though—it didn’t stop him from replaying what happened. It didn’t stop the nightmares, the cold sweats, the hours spent watching his sister sleep when her depression had been at its strongest. Somehow, he’d convinced himself that she would commit suicide while he was sleeping.
Casey sat at the only empty table left in the place, settling her tray in front of her. He took the seat opposite, facing toward the door so he could see who or what was coming in.
“Do you ever relax?” she asked, taking a bite of her sub.
He frowned. “I relax. I relax all the time.”
“Oh, really?” Casey placed her sandwich down, wiping her hands on a napkin. “Is that why you did a sweep of the cafeteria when we came in? Why you sat with your back to the wall and are facing the door?”
The Helheim Wolf Pack Novellas: The Complete Collection Page 21