Wild Hearts_A Wild Lake Wolves Prequel

by Kimber White

  The wind whipped through my hair as we cleared the wooded trail and entered the clearing. Summer on the lake was a magical time. The water glistened like amber in the sunlight. The full-throated thrum of a bullfrog beneath a patch of lily pads reached my ears as Barney galloped along the shoreline. I pulled him up near the apple trees so he could get a bellyful.

  Tucking a strand of hair behind my ears, I headed down to the cabin. My pulse quickened as Luke stepped around the side. He was shirtless, wearing a pair of tight-fitting jeans. Sweat glistened down his tanned back as he wielded an ax and split a pine log.

  He straightened, sensing me approach. Turning, his eyes flashed silver and his face broke into a smile that melted my heart. He stuck the ax into the log and came to me.

  “I brought you some lunch,” I said hoisting the picnic basket in front of me.

  “Mmmm,” Luke said, licking his lips in the most sinful gesture. My heart raced and a flash of desire tore through me, weakening my knees.

  “Come here,” he said, wrapping his arms around my waist. “I’m starving, but the food can wait.”

  I squealed as he lifted me off my feet. Kicking the cabin door open, he carried me inside. We kept a pallet of blankets by the hearth and Luke laid me on it. I leaned up on my elbows as he knelt in front of me. Without a word, Luke reached for me, unbuttoning my shirt with deft fingers. He laid it open, exposing my breasts. Heat coursed through me as Luke’s eyes glinted with lust.

  “God, I love those so much,” he said. Then he dove in, kissing one nipple, then the other. Laughing, I threw my head back.

  Luke finally rose and peeled off his jeans. As he stood over me, I slid my hands up his granite thighs and caressed the curve of his ass. I whispered. “I love this so,” I whispered.

  Then, it was my turn to make him gasp as I took him in my mouth. I thought the desire would ease when Luke marked me that first time. It didn’t. Instead, it grew. He’d marked me at least a dozen times since then. Each time, our connection strengthened. I felt what he felt. His pain. His pleasure. His love. And he felt mine. My Alpha. My mate. My love.

  “Come here,” Luke whispered, pulling me gently off of him. His eyes were hooded with lust. Reaching down, he took me by the hand and helped me to my feet. I peeled off my shorts and stood before him, naked and pulsing with longing.

  Luke reached between my legs, his fingers closing around the tiny little bud of desire. I threw my head back and parted my thighs. I would deny him nothing. I would give him everything.

  I still had my boots on as Luke lifted me, cupping his hands under my ass. I wrapped my legs around him and he slid his cock inside of me. From this angle, he could reach the deepest parts of me and coax my pleasure from me at his pace. He knew just how to work me, playing me just like an instrument.

  Luke took two steps forward until he had my back pressed against the wall. He lifted my ass even higher as he got the leverage he needed to thrust into me and spread my thighs wide. We made the walls of the cabin shake with the rhythm of our coupling.

  “You’re delicious,” he whispered, laughing softly against my ear. “Tonight, I plan to make a feast out of you.”

  “Mmm,” I moaned. “What other plans do you have?”

  “Lots,” he said. “I think I want to torture you with my tongue. But, you squirm so much I might have to tie you down.”

  I sucked in a hard breath as fresh, searing desire shot straight through my core. “Yes!” I gasped. “Please. Please do that!”

  Luke’s body erupted in a low, wicked laugh. “My sweet, sweet, Patricia. I can’t ever get enough of you.”

  “You never have to try,” I said.

  He said other things, but the building pleasure between my legs drove out my ability to think. Sensation overwhelmed me. The sweet ache in my most sensitive spot spread out, making my legs tremble. I arched my back and dug my fingers into Luke’s shoulder. He redoubled his pace, thrusting into me so deep, I curved my body around his. I wanted to savor every thrust and make it last. That was always my intention, but I never lasted. Luke could always draw me out and make my orgasm crescendo at his command. The more I tried to hold back, the harder I came. What I lacked in self-control, he rewarded with an encore. By the time Luke started to come, I was ready all over again.

  “Luke,” I gasped, unable to control myself yet again. It’s what he wanted. In submitting to Luke, I found my own pleasure. He took me, claimed me, mastered me as he fucked me against the cabin wall and spread me open for him. But, I claimed him too. As the last shudders of my powerful orgasm waned, Luke’s back arched and his movements became erratic. I reached down, cupping his balls. I kneaded them, coaxing his pleasure from him the way he had done to me.

  “What do you do to me?” Luke gasped. For, as much as I found myself in him, he found himself in me.

  “Yes,” I gasped, nipping his earlobe. Luke let go. He poured himself into me as I raked my nails across his back. I left my own mark on him that day. It would heal, of course, but the twinge of pain heightened his pleasure. He poured it into me.

  My Alpha. My body. My soul.

  Later, we walked down to the lake together naked. There was no fear of discovery as the pack patrolled the perimeter, keeping a discreet distance. These were my favorite types of mornings and I lamented summer’s passing. Soon, it would be too cold to swim.

  “Don’t worry, I know exactly how to keep you warm, my love.” Luke read my mind.

  I slipped beneath the waves and kicked out from shore. Luke followed, circling me with the agility and speed of a serpent. He slid his arms around me and smoothed my wet hair away from my face.

  “How’s everything up at the house?” he asked.

  I dunked my head under one more time and came up for air. “Good. Dad’s teaching the twins how to ride. Or rather, he’s teaching Barney how to tolerate the twins riding. It’s all fairly hilarious.”

  Luke rolled his eyes. “God help Barney and your father.”

  His face grew serious. “What about Harold?”

  I kicked back to a shallow ledge and sank down in the sand. Luke came behind me, pulling me back until he held me against him. I leaned the back of my head against his chest. Luke traced lazy circles around my nipples beneath the water.

  “Harold is as good as he can be. He’s ornery. I’ll take that as a positive. He’s going to be okay. It’ll just take some time.”

  “The pack will never forget what he did, Patricia. What your grandfather did, it’s pack law now. No one will ever violate that treaty. The Bonners are friends of the packs forever.”

  “What about Able?” I said, hating to raise the specter of evil that man represented.

  Luke let out a hard breath then settled deeper into the sand. “The Monroes chased him as far as the Kentucky border. If he ever crosses it, even into Ohio, we’ll consider it an act of aggression against all the packs.”

  “I wish he was just dead. I know that’s not the charitable thing to say, but I can’t help it.”

  I’d said it a thousand times since that day the packs finally joined Luke’s side. I felt the tension roiling through Luke.

  “I wish it too. For the sake of all those wolves he’s got under his control, if nothing else. But, a full on war with a pack his size would leave more casualties than the rest of the packs are willing to risk.”

  “I don’t want that either. There’s been too much bloodshed already. But, I worry. As long as Able’s out there I’m never going to stop worrying. Lucia…”

  Luke stopped me with a kiss. A line of worry creased his brow but he held me firm. “Lucia is safe. Now, she has more than just my pack to protect her. Any move against one member of the Wild Lake packs is a move against us all. Not even Able has the numbers to overcome that.”

  “Mmmm. The Wild Lake packs. I still can’t believe it. I like the sound of it.” I settled back against Luke and let him wrap those strong, protective arms around me.

  I hated that Able got away, but I ha
ted the idea of losing another wolf to him more. Victor’s dying moments still haunted my dreams. “So Able gets to try his luck in Kentucky. Ohio is no man’s land. Michigan is our land and Wild Lake is home?”

  “Something like that,” Luke said. “Actually, Wild Lake is neutral ground to our alliance. We’ve all agreed we can come here to hammer out any further disputes that might arise. We’ll defend the land together. And trust me, there will be disputes. As much as I hate to admit it, you can’t get a group of Alphas together and expect them to agree on everything all the time. But, it’s a start. As long as Able stays far away, we should have peace for a while. I wish I could promise you forever.”

  “And I told you no one can promise that.” I touched his jaw and brought his lips back down to mine.

  Luke kissed me. “They’ll be trouble soon enough. I’ve heard rumors about a pack bothering the Odawa tribe in Oodena over the years. It may not be our fight, but keeping this land is going to come with a price. But now, we have the numbers to make a real difference. It’s all because of you, my love. You and what your family did.”

  There was an undercurrent of tension in Luke’s words that I hated. But, I knew peace for now was as much as I could hope for. This was pack life, after all.

  “All you Alphas,” I said. “Too much damn testosterone if you ask me.”

  Luke laughed. He turned me to face him and kissed the column of my throat, sending goosebumps all over me. Noticing, he tweaked one of my nipples, earning a squeal from me. “I know one cure for that,” he whispered.

  I straddled his lap and pressed my sex against his thigh. “Oh you do, do you? Hmm. Well, I don’t know about a cure, but it’s certainly worth a try.”

  “I love you. Do you know that?” he said, growing serious.

  “As a matter of fact, yes.” I said, tapping his forehead. “Every time you mark me, I can see into your heart just a little bit more.”

  “See it? Baby, you own it. Lock, stock, and barrel. I just wish I could offer you more. I wish I could promise you that things will always stay like this and there won’t be any more pack wars or battles I have to fight.”

  “How many times do I have to say it? I don’t expect guarantees. I live in the real world, remember? It’s enough that you love me and we have this place together.”

  “Hmm. About that. I was thinking about the cabin. How would you feel about me leveling it and building a house for us?”

  I cupped his face and leaned down to kiss him. “I don’t know. That’s the truth. That cabin has a certain amount of sentimental value. My father promised to do the same thing for my mother there. Only right after he made that promise, she got sick. Seems like bad jou jou. The main house is big enough for all of us, I think. Plus, Dad is finally getting used to you.”

  “Ah. Well, far be it from me to flout superstition. The main house is fine. I think I’m actually starting to grow on your dad.”

  This got a belly laugh out of me. “Well, at least he seems to have found a way to suppress the urge to level that shotgun at you again. But, he knows he has you and your pack to thank for saving Harold’s life. That’ll go a long way toward thawing his heart toward you. Plus, he loves those little ones. Being around them seems to give him a purpose he didn’t have before. It’s almost like he’s trying to do what he couldn’t do for Harold and me when we were that age. Did you know he actually asked them to call him Grandpa?”

  Luke laughed and ran his fingers down my back. It tickled, so I gasped, thrusting my breasts closer to him. I realized that’s exactly why he did it and heat flared in my core anew. Once again, my Alpha knew just how to play me.

  “I love you,” I said, lowering my lips to his. “And this is all I’ll ever need.”

  Luke kissed me back. Circling his arms around my waist, he lifted me higher, then brought me back down, sliding deep inside me where he fit best. As the chorus of cicadas rose, I heard a howl in the distance. The pack was close and ever vigilant. Warmth flooded through me as I felt the love in Luke’s heart. My Alpha. My pack. He was all I’d ever need and whatever came next, I knew we would face it together.

  Up Next From Kimber White

  CLICK TO BUY

  It’s 1985 in Wild Lake. All grown up, Lucia McGraw is one of the only she-wolves born in a generation. Find out what happens when Lucia crosses path with a sexy outlaw shifter.

  kimberwhite.com

  A Note from Kimber White

  Whew! This one was a wild ride. I’ve been waiting to tell Pat Bonner’s story for so long. She’s been such a constant, nurturing presence in the main Wild Lake books, writing her character felt like a homecoming for me. BUT…I’m not done. Little Lucia McGraw just wouldn’t leave my thoughts after I typed “the end” on Wild Hearts. She’s stubborn that way. Lucia’s book is called Stolen Mate. As one of the only she-wolves in a generation, Lucia’s destined to mate with another Wild Lake Alpha. Except, we already know Lucia’s not great at doing what she’s told. When a sexy, outlaw shifter from another territory crosses her path, well, sparks and fur fly. I can’t say much without spoiling it, but let’s just say Lucia’s man is a shifter, but I never said he was a wolf. So, head on back to Wild Lake with me circa 1985 to catch Lucia’s story in Stolen Mate.

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  If you’re new to Wild Lake, you can follow Luke McGraw’s grandson’s story in the Claimed by the Pack books Those start off with The Alpha’s Mark. You can get that one for free by signing up for my newsletter. I’ve got sign up links below. The main Wild Lake Wolves series starts with Rogue Alpha.

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  Finally, I KNOW you’re probably wondering what happened with Able Valent. Yeah. Me too. For those of you who’ve read the Wild Lake Wolves series and Claimed by the Pack, I bet you’ve already guessed. Able’s legacy will be revealed in my brand new series, the Mammoth Forest Wolves.

  For a first look at my next new release, sign up for my newsletter today. You’ll be the first to know about my new releases and special discounts available only to subscribers. You’ll also get a FREE COPY OF THE ALPHA’S MARK right now, as a special welcome gift for joining. I promise not to spam you, share your email or engage in other general assholery. You can unsubscribe anytime you like (I’ll only cry a little). You can sign up here! http://www.kimberwhite.com/wild-lake-wolves/wild-lake-wolves-news

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  Psst . . . can I ask you a favor?

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  If you liked this story, can you do something for me? Please consider leaving a review. Reviews help authors like me stay visible and allow me to keep bringing you more stories. Reviews are the fuel that keeps us going. Please and thank you.

  And if you STILL want more, I’d love to hang out with you on Facebook. I like to share story ideas, casting pics, and general insanity on a regular basis.

  From the bottom of my heart though, THANK YOU for your support. You rock hard.

  See you on the wild side!

  * * *

  Kimber

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  KimberWhite.com

  kimberwhiteauthor@gmail.com

  Books by Kimber White

  Mammoth Forest Wolves Series Page

  Liam

  Mac

  Gunnar

  Payne

  Jagger

  * * *

  Wild Ridge Bears Series Page

  Lord of the Bears

  Outlaw of the Bears

  Rebel of the Bears

  Curse of the Bears

  Last of the Bears

  * * *

  Wild Lake Wolves Series Page

  Rogue Alpha

  Dark Wolf

  Primal Heat

  Savage Moon

  Hunter’s Heart

  Wild Hearts

  Stolen Mate

  * * *

  Dragonkeepers Series Page

  Kissed by Fire

  Tempted by Fire

  Marked by Fire

  Claimed by Fire

  Freed by Fire

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  Claimed by the Pack Series Page

  The Alpha’s Mark

  Sweet Submission

  Rising Heat

  Pack Wars

  Choosing an Alpha

  The Complete Series Box Set