by Kimber White
I ran into my father’s friend Willie Gaither at Kresge’s Market. Willie was the town lawyer and had once served as mayor. He was bald, fat, and had maybe three of his original teeth left in his head. Willie was nice enough, but he had a way of sticking his nose in everyone else’s business. Today was no exception.
“Well, Patricia, aren’t you just the prettiest little thing. You’re looking more and more like your mama every day.”
I bit back the urge to say something sarcastic. At five foot seven, my mother had been a full eight inches taller than me. She also had long, chocolate brown hair that hung straight down her back. Mine was a mess of blonde curls. But, I smiled at Willie and thanked him. Before he could corner me into an interrogation about the goings on down at the farm, I sidestepped and made a beeline for the baking section.
Three other patrons told me I’d just missed my father, including the checkout girl, Mindy Matthews. I was short with her as she rang me up, but something in the air made me antsy. I wanted to get out of town and back to the farm.
I climbed back onto Rascal and held my grocery bag in front of me, then kicked my heels to get him to turn around. Nate Lord caught my eye across the street coming out of the bait shop. I cupped my hand to my ear, pretending I couldn’t hear him. Nate was a nice enough fellow and we’d graduated from Wild Lake High together, but that growing sense of urgency pulled at my gut. I just wanted to get back to the house.
Rascal seemed agitated too. He whinnied and pulled up short when I tried to set him on Widner Road. Branch Road was faster, but there would be too many cars on it this time of day.
“Come on, cranky pants,” I said, digging my heel into Rascal’s side. He bobbed his head up and down and let out a snort. Then he finally settled into a begrudging trot. Widner Road took three sharp curves then it was uphill for a few hundred yards. After that, the pavement gave way to dirt, then the dirt gave way to grass. With the way Rascal was acting, I’d be lucky to get him that far.
I thought I’d won when we finally left the pavement behind and I let Rascal veer toward a group of birch trees. A shadow fell over the trail and the air around me grew thick. It got hard to breathe.
Something was wrong with Rascal. He dug his front hooves into the dirt and wouldn’t move no matter how hard I pressed. “Come on, boy,” I whispered. Something made me afraid to shout.
There was nothing there but the line of trees ahead of us and the road behind. I trained my ears, listening for an approaching engine, but there was nothing back there save for the sound of mourning doves.
Then the shadows along the trail took shape. They came from both sides, moving fast through the trees. Four pairs of yellow eyes flashed. Before I could muster a scream, I was surrounded by four massive, gray wolves. These weren’t Luke’s pack. They growled a low, menacing threat as they loped around me. I pulled back on the reins, but the wolves blocked my path.
Rascal reared up on his hind legs, nearly unseating me. My grocery bag tumbled to the ground, spilling one bag of flour. Rascal stomped his front hooves and I leaned far forward, trying to settle him. Something told me if I fell off of him, I’d be done for.
“What do you want?” I said. If anyone happened by, they’d think I’d lost my mind talking to wolves as if they could understand me. But, I knew they could. The largest wolf at the front of the group dropped his head and bared his teeth. Saliva dripped from his sharp front fangs. He snapped his powerful jaw once, as if I needed any more proof he meant me harm.
Then he whined and stepped back. He shook his head back and forth as if something hurt his ears. The trees rustled and a man stepped out from behind them. He was huge and nearly as tall as Luke. He had light brown hair and coal black eyes that he fixed on me.
Alpha.
I knew it on instinct. A cold chill crept up my spine. At the same time, my pulse hammered in my ears. He lifted his chin and eyed me, pausing as he took a step toward me.
Fight or flight. It felt as if my heart might explode from my chest as the Alpha approached. He reached up and grabbed Rascal’s bridle, settling him. His fingers brushed against mine and my heartbeat slowed. It seemed impossible, but I could hear this man’s pulse beating inside of my head, just like I could Luke’s.
“Let me pass,” I said. My voice scratched like sandpaper.
He didn’t. He clicked his tongue and whispered something to Rascal, to gentle him. Rascal stilled, but not because this man put him at ease. My horse seemed to recognize the power of the beast inside of him. So did I.
He smiled at me and something kindled inside of me. He was danger and sin and he set my nerves on edge. I wanted to run. I wanted to fight. But, it was as if a part of my nature called to his and he could command me if he wanted, just like he did the horse.
He reached down and picked up my grocery bag and the bag of flour that had spilled out of it. He stuffed that back in and handed it to me. When I reached for the bag, our fingers brushed and I recoiled.
“Who are you?”
“You’re just a little thing,” he said, his voice a rich timbre. “What’s your name?”
The answer ripped from my throat as if he somehow pulled it out of me. “Patricia Bonner.”
“Ah. Patricia. Well, let me introduce myself. My name is Able Valent. And I’m looking for a friend of mine. Maybe you know him.”
“I don’t know anything. Just let me pass.”
Able Valent’s eyes flashed gold as something stirred his inner wolf. No, not something. Me. He looked at me with predatory lust that sent an unbidden flutter through me.
“Come on down from there, Patricia,” Able said. “The sun’s bright and I don’t like to have to crane my neck to talk to you. I’m new in town and I think you do know a few things that could be useful for me.”
I didn’t want to move. But, I had no choice. Able put a hand on my thigh and it seemed like I was floating through the air. Before I knew what happened, he had me on my feet. He was tall. So tall. Just as big as Luke. Standing this close, I had to look up and up just to keep his gaze. Every instinct inside of me screamed danger. I should run. I should scream. But all I could do was stand there, flat-footed as Able Valent hooked a finger beneath my chin and leaned down as if he meant to kiss me.
“I think you do know my friend,” he said. Able’s nostrils flared and he drank in my scent.
“I need to go,” I said. “It’s getting late. I told you, I don’t know anything.”
“Oh, you know enough.” With my feet rooted to the ground as if held there by tar, Able bent at the waist and brought his lips within an inch of mine. He inhaled me again, then nuzzled my neck. His teeth scraped my skin. His fingers curved around my throat and he caressed me at the nape; his touch burned me.
A low, wicked laugh escaped his lips as he tapped his fingers against the base of my neck. A strange sensation grew there, as if I had a new pulse. It thundered through me, shooting straight to my core.
“Well,” he said. “Perhaps you and my friend aren’t as close as I thought. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t be of use to me.”
He moved so fast my head spun. Able turned me. I had my hands flat against Rascal’s back and Able nipped my neck. I let out a shriek as I felt his teeth scrape the sensitive flesh just below my hairline.
Then, my blood turned molten and everything went white for an instant. My heart exploded with a new, echoing pulse and my knees went weak. For an instant, I went beyond linear thought.
Want. Need. Submit.
I felt my legs opening as they trembled. My body betrayed me as my thoughts screamed a protest. He could compel me. I knew it as sure as I knew my own name. If Able Valent wanted to take me right there by the side of the road, he could make it so my body wouldn’t resist even if my mind recoiled. It was as if Able’s touch could coax something out of me I hadn’t known was there. But, oh, I didn’t want this!
“Take your hands off of her,” Luke’s voice came from everywhere. It was if he were inside my head. I
t stirred my nature; the betraying heat and desire I felt as Able touched me found a center. That center was Luke. Oh, God, I wanted Luke to touch me. I wanted his hands all over me, driving away the sensation of Able’s touch and replacing it with his own.
But, Luke wasn’t inside my head at all. Instead, he stood tall and ominous as a mountain as he stepped out of the woods. Able let go of me and I whirled around, pressing my back against Rascal. Luke stood at the edge of the tree line. Able’s wolves dropped their heads and bared their teeth, but they wouldn’t make a move without their Alpha’s command.
God, there were five of them with Able. Where was the rest of Luke’s pack? Luke stood with his fists curled and fury lighting his eyes. His upper lip twitched and his fingertips turned black as he struggled to keep his wolf at bay. Instinctively, I knew the perilous position he was in. If he shifted, Able would take it as a threat and his pack would attack. Five against one and Luke could die.
“Interesting,” Able said. He was pretending. God. I don’t know how I knew, but somehow I could feel his pulse beating just like I could Luke’s. Able’s beat furious and erratic. He was scared of Luke. Or, he was trying to protect something else himself.
“It’s time to go,” I said, surprising even myself. I squared my shoulders and grabbed Rascal’s reins. I don’t know how I found the presence of mind to hook my foot into the stirrup and hoist myself on that horse’s back. But, I did. I clicked my heels and made Rascal push past Able. His wolves stayed stock still, waiting for their Alpha’s command.
Luke’s eyes went wide. I kept my back straight and held out my hand. Luke’s jaw dropped. His eyes stayed silver. Just the hint of a smile lifted the corner of his mouth as he took my hand and jumped into the saddle behind me.
My blood churned as Luke pressed his chest against my back and hugged my hips with his thighs. Rascal didn’t need to be told twice. As soon as Luke settled, the horse let out a hard whinny, then broke into a full gallop back toward the farm.
Chapter Nine
Rascal galloped hard, driving the air from my lungs. Luke reached around me and took the reins. I’d been either brave or foolish by the side of the road, but now my whole body trembled with terror.
I could feel Luke’s chest pressing into my back, solid as granite. But beneath that, something churned and hummed. It was his wolf, fighting to get out. Heat shot through me, straight to my toes when Luke gave into it a little and let out a low, rumbling growl that vibrated through me. I heard it with my ears and my pulsing sex. In front of me, the hair on the back of Luke’s hands thickened. His breath against my neck seared me, adding to the heat pooling between my legs.
The wind blew my hair to the side, exposing the back of my neck to him exactly where Able Valent had threatened to bite me. That new pulse throbbed there, giving way to an aching craving. I groaned as I felt Luke’s teeth scrape the tender flesh there and I wanted to cry out. Yes! This! God. What was happening to me? It was as if I couldn’t control my body anymore.
Luke steered Rascal deeper into the woods. We came out on the western shore of the lake, far away from the cabin and the farm. He pulled up the reins and slid off Rascal’s back, nearly taking me with him. I dug my knees into Rascal’s sides and hung on.
Sweat poured down Luke’s back, making a dark patch on his checkered shirt between his shoulder blades. He took a staggering step sideways then went to his knees on the beach. My heart beat so loud I couldn’t think straight. Luke cupped his hands and brought them up, dousing himself with cool water. Shaking, I slid off Rascal and went to him.
I couldn’t make my voice work. But even if I could, I didn’t know what to say. I had a thousand questions but knew instinctively there was only one answer.
Who am I?
His. You belong to him.
Finally, Luke recovered enough to shift his weight and look up at me. His wolf eyes flashed then filled with lust. But beneath that, pain etched familiar lines across his brow. This time, I felt bold enough to smooth them away just as I’d had the urge to do the first day I met him. Luke reared back when my fingers touched his skin. He rose to his full height, towering over me.
“You could have gotten hurt,” he said, his voice choked with emotion. “He wanted you.”
Swallowing hard, I nodded. I couldn’t pretend I didn’t understand what happened back there.
“I...I did too.”
I expected Luke’s rage. Instead, he came to me, sliding his hand gently around my neck, he brought his head down until he pressed his forehead to mine. For a moment, he swayed on his feet as if the gravity of what might have happened could topple him like one of the tall oak trees behind us.
When he pulled away, he slid his hands down, gently gripping my forearms. His touch burned through me and set that new pulse in the back of my neck fluttering all over again. It meant something. It meant everything. Finally, I gave voice to the question raging inside of me.
“I know what you are. It feels like I’ve always known. Like it was some secret I was born with only I’ve just figured out the words to tell it. But now, I need to know what I am. Because a part of me...desired...it when Able touched me. I mean, not my head. God. No. But...my b-body.”
Luke kept those deep, dark brows of his furrowed. The silvery glint in his eyes softened, becoming clear blue and fully human.
“He’s like you,” I said. “He’s an Alpha.”
Luke slowly nodded. “That’s the only part of us that’s alike, Patricia. Able is very different from me though.”
“I know that. I mean, I sensed that too. And his pack, something was wrong with them. I don’t know. With Charlie and Marcus, Joe and the others. I know they’re wolves, yes, but somehow I could always sense they were men too. But those wolves back there, they seemed more...I don’t know, feral.”
“He controls them,” Luke said, his fingers tightening around my arms as if he were afraid someone might snatch me away.
“What do you mean?”
“Completely. I told you, Able is a different kind of Alpha. We call it Tyrannous. He exerts total control over the members of his pack...when they shift, when they sleep, when they feed. They can’t make a move without Able telling them to. I can’t say for sure, but the ones you saw on the road probably haven’t been allowed to shift into their human form for weeks, maybe months. They may be too far gone to ever be sane again. They’ll kill for him. They’ll die for him.”
My mind spun and my heart pounded. I tore myself away from Luke and took a halting step backward.
“I felt it. Oh, God. Luke. He did it to me too. I didn’t want it. I wanted to scream, but it was like he was inside my head somehow, keeping me still. But how? I’m not a wolf.”
Luke came to me. His touch was gentler as he caressed my upper arm. He hooked a finger beneath my chin and lifted my gaze back up to his. Luke’s eyes burned with a warm, silvery glow. It ignited an echoing glow inside of me. I craved more of his touch so deeply that I started to tremble. But, I stayed steady on my feet and kept his stare.
“No, you’re not a wolf yourself. You have a different kind of magic inside of you though.”
What am I?
You’re his.
“Yours,” I gasped, barely cognizant of what I was saying.
Luke blinked wide as if that single word took him by surprise.
“Patricia.”
I reached up, letting my fingers play along the contours of his strong, square jaw. “I want you.” I couldn’t believe I was bold enough to say it. But I was.
“We can’t…”
“That’s what this is, isn’t it? I mean, ever since you touched me that first time, I’ve been able to feel you, Luke. I know you’re coming before I see you. And it’s in here.” I put a flat hand against my chest and against his where my heartbeat thundered in time with Luke’s.
He squeezed his eyes shut and let out a hard breath. When he opened them, his wolf eyes flared hot. That new, strange pulse beat at the base of my neck, send
ing a fresh, strong craving through me. God, I wanted to feel Luke’s teeth grazing against the tender flesh there. When I blinked I saw an erotic scene flash in my mind. There was me on all fours, naked, offering myself to this man. My sex ached with the thought of how it would feel to have him ravish me, driving his cock inside of me. Claiming me. Marking me.
Gasping, I slapped my hand on the back of my hand. Yes. Marking me. I wanted exactly that.
“Patricia,” Luke whirled away from me. He wanted it too. He’d had the same vision; somehow I could sense that. It was as if he had the power to put that thought into my mind, or at least draw it from my dreams. Because I had dreamt that. Over and over again in the torrid heat of the night.
I grew bolder still. With a gentle hand on Luke’s arm, I stepped in front of him. His eyes locked with mine again. I stood on a small dune, putting me almost at eye level with him. I slid my hands up, lacing my fingers in his thick, dark hair. I pulled him to me, parting my lips.
Luke let out a primal groan before he crushed his lips to mine and the world shifted on its axis forever. The dream came alive behind my eyes and merged with Luke’s. In my vision, rain pelted our naked bodies as Luke took me from behind, driving so deep inside of me. I dug my fingers into the soft sand to brace myself as my body rocked with wave after wave of undeniable pleasure. I saw it all as if I hovered above myself. Luke’s wolf eyes flashed in and out as he fucked me in the vision and made me his. At the last second, when my pleasure reached its zenith, Luke bared his teeth. His canines glistening, he plunged them into the tender skin at the base of my neck and marked me. I saw the wound for an instant, a deep, crescent-shaped scar that pulsed with desire along with my sex.