I nearly missed the turn off.
I yanked the wheel hard and we bounced over some rocks. She gasped, because the movement made her push her fingers deep inside.
The truck skidded to a halt, and I barely had it in park and the brake on before I was yanking my pants down around my ass, freeing my straining cock. I nearly leapt off the seat as Delia turned, sliding down, and throwing her leg over me, hooking it on the back of the driver’s headrest.
I was inside her in a heartbeat and we both let out a yelp and that slid into a throaty groan of delight.
“Fuck me, Jason. Hard. Don’t be careful.”
My wolf was boiling under my skin, and her permission to just take her pleased him—and me—and all thought of anything but rutting, anything but a hard fast fuck left me.
My dick dragged over her clit as I pumped my hips into hers, and she let out gasps of pleasure and pain each time I pushed my way to the end of her. I buried my dick deep on each thrust, trying to hold myself above her just enough to let her breathe.
“Go, hard. Jason, holy shit, yes.”
Her words were almost jumbled and the heat of our bodies were fogging the windows in the cool day. The smell of our joining filled the cabin and made me nothing but harder.
Her hips rose up to greet mine and the slap of bodies added to the primitive sensation of our sex. A moment later she was thrusting up as hard as I was thrusting down.
With a little twist of her hips, her clit was directly inline with my entry and withdrawl and her hand dug into my shoulder, her nails pressing into my flesh.
Delia gasped, “Yes, yes, yes,” as she rose to meet my erection. Each word rose in a crescendo, and finally she was at the edge. “Don’t stop, don’t stop! Fuck me, don’t stop!”
I twisted my hips this time, and the damn broke for both of us at almost the same time. Her pussy clenched, a tight fist around my cock, and the ripple of her orgasm punched though my body and landed in my balls, forcing the orgasm out, forcing my cum deep into her channel as we both screamed from the sheer pleasure we wrung from each other.
Four, five, six thrusts into that wet, tight heat, and I managed to roll so that I was tucked in the corner and she was on my lap.
My cock twitched a few times, the remainders of my cum beading at the top. We were panting hard, and covered in a sheen of sweat. I just held her in my lap, as we both quieted enjoying the recovery from such an intense joining.
“Jason?”
“Mmm?”
“What the hell just happened.”
I peered at her with a wicked grin. “I should think that was obvious.”
She nipped my earlobe. “You know what I mean.”
I drew a deep breath, trying to still myself. “It’s called the alpha affect. When an alpha asserts himself—or herself—the remaining energy turns sexual. It’s known to affect the Alpha, the beta and a select group of shifters known as enforcers.” I looked at the fogged window and hit the button to lower the one behind me.
“I’m not any of those, Delia. I’m just a rank and file wolf. I shouldn’t have been affected by that.”
“Okay, so there’s a whole bunch of stuff I want to ask, but first thing’s first… You’re freaked out by this, aren’t you?”
“Very. Very much. Not that I don’t like what just happened, because, holy shit that was awesome, but. I’m just a pack member.”
Her fingers brushed lazily over my thigh. “It’s not just that?”
“I gave Heath a command and he obeyed. Again. Not something that should happen. Usually common wolves can’t command other common wolves.”
“So before I go plowing forward…is everyone in St. Terese a wolf?” Her eyebrows were high, and she was trying to stay calm for me.
“Not…everyone. We have a few humans who are mated to wolves, a few moonborn, and a few other kinds of shifters.”
“Moonborn?”
“Shifter children who weren’t born with the ability to shift. Usually, they find they are mates to another shifter, though.”
“Okay, so the whole compound is shifter related, except for those of who came in late?”
“Yes.”
She put a hand on her forehead. “Garrett? Patrick? Martin?”
“Martin is our Alpha. Garrett is our Beta and he’s assumed to be the next Alpha, and Patrick would be his beta when that happened.”
“Holy shit, do Jess and Addi know?”
“That’s up to Garrett and Patrick, but I’d guess that yes, Jess knows if she just got screwed in the truck on the access road.”
“So who are the enforcers?”
“Voss, Thomas, Yeager, and Niles. And they all answer to Martin.”
“Wouldn’t it make sense then that Garrett needs his own? And maybe that was your audition?”
I cocked my head and considered her a moment. It actually made perfect sense that at some point, once Garrett found his mate—I assumed Jess was at this point—he would need to put his cadre together. But me? With a sister, no money, and no standing? That was…almost crazy.
Jason calmed instantly when I made the suggestion, but something else was bothering him.
It leapt in to his eyes and I could see that it would be something that would make him turn the position down. I put my hand on his cheek.
“What is it?”
His lip twisted. Whatever this was really bothered him.
“Being an enforcer takes quite a bit of money and prestige. I don’t have either.”
“If Garrett wants you there…”
“No, it’s not the prestige I’m worried about. Though, most people still judge me by my parents’ stupidity.”
I got it. “You’re afraid of the money.”
“I’m not afraid of it. I have none.”
“Well, that’s not such a big deal—”
“No, Delia. I’m broke. I’m beyond broke. I only just finally got to the point where I could pay back Voss for his generosity with my house. I had to ask for loans for Cora’s education. That’s…not the mark of an enforcer.”
“Enforcers give out loans?”
He laughed and slipped me off his lap, dragging my panties up my legs. “They’re extensions of the Alpha. The alpha keeps everyone not only in line, but happy. When my house was about to be taken by the debtors, Voss stepped up and bought it from me for a thousand dollars. I finally bought it back last year, for the same thousand. It took me twenty years to get the money back. Just a simple thousand and I couldn’t do it.”
He pulled his pants back on and fastened them. Like he was trying to put a barrier between us.
“One of the things that is incredibly important to the shifters of St. Terese-Mendenhall is that we are able to provide anything for our families. Our mates should always have what they want, what they need.”
I pulled my pants off the floor and slipped them on. “And you can’t?”
“I can’t.” He was staring straight ahead out of the windshield. He put his head down on the steering wheel and I could feel the pain and sadness cascading off him.
“I couldn’t pay for my sister’s college. I couldn’t pay for my house. The debtors stripped every cent we had when my parents were killed.
“I have spent twenty years desperately trying to get some savings back. Trying to get my truck paid off. Trying to buy back my house. They gambled every last penny we had and more and then went and got themselves fucking killed. They left me and Cora beyond destitute.”
He sat up and looked at me. “I can’t afford to be an enforcer. I can’t afford a mate. And the fact that it looks like I’ve been gifted with both screws me hard.”
I wrinkled my forehead. “You don’t have to afford me, Jason. If this relationship is going to work out, I don’t care if you’re poor or a billionaire.”
He looked straight ahead. “I care.”
I let out a short breath. There was going to be no talking to him now. He’d shared what he considered his deepest, darkest secret and now
there was no reason for us to discuss this.
It was also the wrong damn time for me to mention the millions I had in the bank.
Just when I thought we were on a good path. Just when I thought that I might really want to give this relationship a go after the summer.
“Let’s get back to the cabin,” I offered. “I think there’s still some stuff Brandy needs help with.”
He nodded, tersely. All the desperate passion that had filled the truck just a few minutes before was gone.
I shivered.
10
The scratching on the door had all five of us sitting up straight.
“What was that?” Zanna whispered.
“No…” Brandy’s voice was beyond stressed.
I watched as Zanna ran for the closet near the kitchen. One of the features I had Garrett put in was a gun safe, and she yanked out one of the rifles in there, while Jess and Addi grabbed the other two we’d bought.
They lined up in front of the new breakfast bar as Brandy and I ducked around it. “This is insane,” I whispered.
Addi glanced at Jess. “Who was on patrol tonight?”
Addi knew! Addi knew that Jess knew too! They were dating brothers, so it made sense and I let out a breath.
“I don’t know,” Jess whispered.
Clearing my throat, I answered, “Pretty sure it was Bart tonight.”
The two of them snapped their heads to stare at me, and Jess blinked a few times. “What?”
I shrugged. “What? You asked.”
And they knew that I knew they knew.
Brandy’s eyes darted from face to face. “What patrols? What’s going on?”
I started, “The pa...” Halting I cleared my throat. Zanna and Brandy did not know about the pack. “The guys at the compound set up patrols around here. Someone watches the woods every night. They don’t like the ex—coyotes.”
“If it’s Bart, he’s not out there.” Jess cringed. “Bart is pissed at Martin and Garrett, so he probably decided not to play along. I can totally see him doing that for spite.”
Zanna was about to ask a question, but it didn’t get past her lips. The scratching turned to a bang on the door.
“They’re trying to break in.” Brandy was really distressed now. “I just got this place together today!”
“Call Garrett,” Addi said. “We need their help.”
Jess yanked the phone off the wall, and stared at it. “Dead. They cut the line.”
The other four of us held out our cell phones. Jess laughed and was already dialing her own. “I got it.”
Something banged against the door, and we all jerked around to see if the door was still standing. In that next moment, Jess started talking to Garrett.
“Bart was supposed to be on patrol, wasn’t he.” She paused. “We think the coyotes are trying to bust in the front door.” A moment later she pulled the phone away from her ear and looked at it. “Well. I guess he’s on the way.”
Another bang, and Zanna’s face distorted. “How are they going to get here in any less than ten minutes.
What she and Brandy didn’t know was there was a straight path up the hill from the compound to the back door of the cabin, and the wolves would be able to run it in less than five.
“Upstairs,” Brandy directed. “You can stand at the top of the staircase and pick off the mutts if you have to.”
Disgust washed over all of us. We didn’t want to ‘pick off’ anyone. Just the thought turned my stomach, but Zanna and I headed for the stairs anyway and we started up.
Halfway up, there was knock on the door.
A knock.
At least one of them had shifted.
“Brandy. Brandy Yéil. Come out here and face us. We challenge for this land. You have to answer to a challenge.”
“What the hell does that mean?” Zanna asked.
It meant that they wanted to fight her for it. Physical, knock down drag out fight. It was a shifter thing, and Brandy was not a shifter.
“They need to serve a subpoena. Why would they think I’d answer a knock on my door in the middle of the night?”
“Go, go, upstairs,” Jess said. “Come on.”
We scrambled up the stairs as the banging got louder and louder. By the time we got to the top, it was a steady beat on the door.
Then, I heard the howls.
Garrett and Patrick, followed by three more—including Jason’s. Jess and Addi recognized their wolves’ howls as well.
Surreal.
Zanna looked to the one bedroom, and tried to see out the window. “Oh, God. Wolves, too?”
The next instant, the yips and barks of the coyotes were surrounding the house. They were angry sounds, and they drowned out the banging and yelling at the front door. The sounds were overwhelming—but then stopped suddenly, and a single howl came from the front door.
The knob rattled.
Shifters were insanely strong, even in human form, and I knew we were in trouble. Jess opened her mouth to say something and was cut off.
The doorknob made a grinding sound. Then a crunch. Then, thunk.
The inner knob smashed to the floor.
“They ripped the fucking knob off?” Zanna whispered.
Jess grabbed my shoulders and pushed. “Go. Out the window. We can’t stay here. They aren’t going to be alone, there are going to be humans and we can’t hide here. I’m not shooting anyone.”
I grabbed Brandy and made for the back bedroom. There was a roof outside the window and I yanked the sash up. Zanna was right behind us and I pulled her to the window.
“You have a gun, you go first. Addi and Jess have us covered.”
Zanna nodded. Handing me her gun to hold, she stepped out on the roof and motioned for the gun back.
I heard the door downstairs snap open and fly back against the wall. They weren’t kidding around. I shoved Brandy out. She was the one they wanted, and we had to keep her away from them.
I looked back at the stairs to Addi and Jess. “Come on!”
Zanna had Brandy down on the roof crouching behind her. If they wanted her, they were going to have kill Zanna. Sliding the gun into the window, Zanna took aim at the door. I really hoped she didn’t have to fire that. I scrambled out and headed to the edge of the roof.
Jess was there next to me a moment later. I nodded to the back deck. “About ten to the deck. If we hang drop, it shouldn’t be that bad. We can head for the woods.
“The woods? Zanna asked. “Is that a good idea?”
I heard a wolf howl, very close.
Jess nodded. “Woods are a good idea. The wolves won’t attack us.”
It was getting annoying that Zanna and Brandy didn’t know. It would have been easier if they were in on the secret. I made a mental note to ask Garrett or Jason about that.
“Can we outrun coyotes?” Brandy whispered.
“Do we have a choice?” Jess cocked her head.
“No. Let’s just get down. We only have to stay out of their way until Garrett gets here.”
“Garrett alone isn’t going to be able to do much.” Zanna looked out over the back of the house nervously.
“Patrick will be with him,” Jess said.
“Jason and Martin too, I’d guess,” I added.
Jess snorted. “And Tati, because she’ll just invite herself along.” She tossed her chin at the edge. “Hang, then drop. Run for the forest.” She pointed to the right. “That’s the closest, and the furthest from the front door.”
Since I had the most experience with climbing, I helped Brandy over the edge and coaxed her through the hang-drop that we had to do. Dropping and rolling, she made almost no noise.
I was right behind her, and I grabbed her arm, running for the trees. There was a lot of cover right at the edge, and while the coyote might be able to sniff us out, they wouldn’t look for us if they didn’t know we were there.
As we skidded to the ground, I saw Zanna running after us with two guns in her hands.
She slid into the underbrush and shoved one of the rifles at me. I was shit for a shot, but I could hold it.
Watching the porch, we saw Addi motioned down Jess’s gun.
Jess followed the gun down—but not the way she should have.
I saw the explosion of blood, bone, and sinew as she was jerked forward. Addi screamed at the top of her lungs and dropped the gun.
As she fell, the massive body of a wolf flew over the railing and Addi used it to cushion the fall. But I could see, even from here, Jess’s shoulder was a mess, and there was blood everywhere.
The massive wolf shifted under Jess, and Garrett appeared there, holding Jess in his lap.
Brandy and Zanna both gasped.
I grimaced and swore, “Shit, fuck, damn, fuckfuckfuck!”
Garrett’s voice floated over. “Who shot her?!”
“I don’t know!” Addi was hysterical.
“Did Garrett just turn back from a wolf?” Brandy hissed.
Before I could answer, there were three more wolves on the deck and one at the stairs. I recognized Jason and Martin instantly.
The gorgeous white wolf, with one black paw, yipped and ran off the porch, heading straight for us under the foliage, and Jason was right behind her.
They skidded to a halt, and the white wolf yipped, walking over slowly, head down. She wrapped her jaws around Zanna’s arm and tugged lightly.
“Zanna! You’re a field medic!” I gasped, my brain finally starting to kick in. “Go, go! She’s here to take you over to Jess.”
“Oh, shit!” Zanna launched herself out from the underbrush and ran with white wolf back to the deck. I grabbed Brandy by the arm, and we ran back as well, Jason running alongside of me.
Zanna shoved Addi and the wolves out of the way, skidding in next to Jess. Brandy and I moved closer, and I could feel Jason pressed against my leg in his wolf.
Jess’s shoulder was…unsalvageable. Even I could see that from where I was. Zanna’s hands were fluttering over the wound and she was lost as to where to start. “There’s no medic kit in the world…”
“Closest major hospital is Anchorage,” Garrett hissed.
Jess’s hand fluttered over Garrett’s shirt and she whispered something to him. I knew, just knew, she was whispering ‘I love you’ to him.
Frozen Alaska (The Juneau Packs Book 2) Page 9