The Alpha's Forbidden Mate (Blood Moon Lynx Book 2)

by Ravenna Tate

  It had not gone well. The Elders in the leopard village refused to see Gavin, Laredo, and Hidalgo. They’d waited all day and were finally told by several Council members that if they didn’t leave, they might never be allowed to return to their own village. Gavin, Laredo, and Hidalgo had retorted with a warning that if anyone in their village was attacked or harassed, there would be severe consequences.

  Every day, Canyon and Arizona worked with Stone, Luke, Cletus, and others on a new home for Stone and Makenna. They discussed whether Arizona and Gillian should also build another house close to the Benedict one, but Gillian protested this idea. She loved this house. She didn’t want to live in fear, and she didn’t want to move.

  This was the home where she’d set up a household with Arizona, and it was the home where she’d become pregnant with his child. She’d never had a stable home life, and she wanted one now for them as a couple, as well as for their children.

  Finally, she told Arizona she’d give it some thought. He assured her they could duplicate the home easily, and it would be just like the one they lived in now. But in Gillian’s mind, it still wouldn’t be the same house, and it would prove they were giving into fear.

  ****

  Late October brought heavy rains and colder weather to the area, which Gillian and Arizona agreed had likely kept the leopards from Makenna’s village from making good on their threats. It was difficult enough to track through the woods unnoticed because of the patrols, but adding the element of large areas soaked with water and dead leaves made their mission almost impossible to pull off without raising an alarm.

  “I’m amazed by how many people in this village volunteered to patrol,” she said, while they sat talking one cool morning. Gillian was off that day, as it was a Friday, and Arizona was going into work in nearby Port Angeles for only half a day.

  “I had a feeling they would. People like the renewed energy that Laredo, Gavin, and Hidalgo have brought to the Elders. They’re out there, talking to people, finding out their concerns. From what I’ve heard, they’ve breathed new life into both the Elders and the Council.”

  “You and Canyon did a good thing when you pushed for that petition.”

  Arizona pulled her close and kissed her, making Gillian wish he could stay home from work that day as well. “When I get home this afternoon,” he said, licking her neck wound, “I want you waiting for me in bed, naked.”

  “I will be.” She kissed him again, her pussy soaked now. This man had so much power over her it was unreal, but she loved every second of it.

  Two hours after he left, she had just finished speaking with Fiera on the phone. Fiera wanted to come over and keep Gillian company, but she had talked her friend out of it. There was a book Gillian wanted to finish reading. Reading relaxed her, and she wanted to be rested when Arizona arrived home. Her morning sickness had abated, but she found she was exhausted throughout the day unless she took advantage of down time.

  After she finished the book, she took a long shower and dressed. Because of the patrols and their proximity to the edge of the village, she now felt uneasy walking around her own house naked unless Arizona was home. Gillian hated living like this. She also hated feeling as though she’d had a hand in things spiraling out of control this way.

  Although she knew she’d done the right thing in exposing what the Medinas had been up to all those years, if she hadn’t, none of this would have happened. The fact that if she hadn’t, Fiera and Canyon might still have to contend with Hawke filled her mind. At least the Medinas could never directly hurt them or the rest of the village again, but in a way they were still indirectly harming it.

  Sleepiness had become a normal part of Gillian’s days now, especially when she was home, so she set her alarm and lay down on the bed. She wanted time to get ready for Arizona before he came home from work.

  When a loud noise woke Gillian, she sat up, thinking at first the alarm hadn’t gone off and Arizona was already home. But a quick glance at the clock told her she hadn’t been sleeping for more than ten minutes. Confused, she got out of bed and walked toward the door of their bedroom, stopping when she heard unfamiliar male voices.

  With her heart hammering in her ears, she listened for Arizona’s voice, but his was not among them. Who was in their house? Was it someone from their village? But why? Surely it wasn’t anyone from Makenna’s village. They would never have gotten past the patrols.

  Just keep breathing. Gillian tried not to panic as she reached for her phone and punched the button that would connect her to Arizona’s cell phone.

  Just as he answered, the bedroom door burst open, and she watched in horror and disbelief as Ricky Floyd and Josh advanced toward her.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  The fear that engulfed Arizona’s entire being was so overwhelming that he nearly dropped his cell phone as he heard Gillian scream. Calling her name did nothing. She either couldn’t answer, or no longer held the phone, but the call was still active.

  He was ten miles away from home and the roads were dry. Curvy and narrow, but dry. He was a blood moon lynx. He could drive this with his eyes closed and not lose the road. Arizona briefly considered shifting to run instead, but even at his enhanced speed he couldn’t run faster than this car could go.

  There were male voices on the other end of the call that he couldn’t identify, but he didn’t listen for very long. He knew his mate was in trouble, and she was likely alone in their house. How the hell had someone gotten to her? Where were the fucking patrols?

  After disconnecting the incoming call, he reached Fiera. Canyon was working today in Seattle with Luke, so he knew she’d be close to her phone. When she answered, he kept it together long enough to tell her to gather everyone she could find, and get over to his and Gillian’s home as fast as possible.

  As he drove, every second of his life with Gillian during the past few months flashed through his mind, from the moment he’d met her at the Benedict house, to this morning when he’d kissed her and told her to be waiting for him, naked, when he got home. If anyone hurt her … if anyone dared to touch her … that person would die the most horrible death Arizona could give them.

  Time crawled along. He was driving with his lynx eyes now, at an impossibly high speed, but he knew he’d be fine. He had to be. His mate needed him. How much time had passed? He didn’t know. There was the turn-off, finally. He had to slow down to make it or the car would flip.

  ****

  Gillian ran toward the bathroom, intending to lock herself in, but she didn’t make it. Josh reached for her phone while Ricky grabbed her arm. She managed to toss the phone away before Josh got his hands on it.

  “Forget the fucking phone! He’s not here. She’s alone.”

  Ricky twisted her arm and pain shot into her shoulder, but she gritted her teeth. She would not pass out. These two would not have the satisfaction of having her unconscious. “He’s on his way home right now,” she said, forcing the words out.

  “Nice try.” Ricky brushed his hand over her breasts, and Gillian’s stomach heaved. She hoped she did puke right now. All over them. “But we know he’s at work.”

  They didn’t know he was only working half a day. But had he been driving when he’d answered his phone? She had no idea. His office was fifteen miles away. Even if he left now, would he stop these two in time?

  “All alone.” Josh brushed his hand up her other arm, and Gillian’s skin crawled.

  This could not be happening. She had to do something. Anything. Tears threatened to spill over her lashes as Josh’s hand worked its way down her right side. Why had she told Fiera to stay home? But then Fiera would be in danger, too. She was alone, and they had known that. But how? Where were the patrols?

  “What the hell do you two want?” Well that’s a stupid question!

  When they laughed, she got pissed off. This was her home, dammit! How fucking dare they come in here like this and touch her? “I’m his mate. You’ll die for this.”


  The tiniest glimmer of uncertainty flitted through Ricky’s eyes, but Josh snorted. “Sweetheart, no one will ever know who did it.”

  Which meant they intended to kill her afterward. The nausea was back in full force now, but she didn’t try to tamp it down. She wanted to puke. She willed it to happen. “Don’t be ridiculous. You’re both leopards. Are you telling me you couldn’t detect the scent of another alpha male on a dead human if you had to?”

  Either these two were the most ignorant shifters she’d met to date, or they hadn’t thought this through at all. Both men didn’t look quite as cocky as they had a second ago. They exchanged a glance that took their focus off her long enough for her to bend her left knee and thrust it upward, connecting squarely with Ricky’s crotch. Shifter or not, if an alpha male got kneed in the balls, it still fucking hurt like crazy.

  Ricky let out a horrible yell and fell to the floor, clutching his groin. One down, one to go. Gillian took aim at Josh’s balls, but he was quicker. He slapped her so hard across the face that she had to fight to stay conscious.

  “You fucking bitch! I’ve heard human females are nothing but bitches.”

  Buddy, you have no idea. Gillian didn’t think. She merely reacted, bringing her right arm forward for a punch. He saw it coming and moved slightly. Not enough to avoid being hit, but instead of the preferred target of his gut, her fist connected with his forearm. Consequently, all she managed to do was piss him off even further, and judging by his reaction, it hadn’t even hurt him.

  “Oh, you’ll pay for that, you human cunt.”

  Too late, she realized her mistake in turning her back on him. She thought she could reach the bathroom while he was distracted both by his howling friend on the floor, and by the pain, even if it was slight, in his arm. She was wrong.

  Despite her best efforts to stay awake, when Josh wrapped his leopard arms around her from behind and squeezed, he cut off too much of her air supply and Gillian knew she was going to pass out. She concentrated on Arizona’s face, begging him in her mind to reach her before Josh and Ricky could fulfill their intentions.

  ****

  Arizona nearly crashed the car into the front porch because he was driving so fast. He left the driver’s side door open as he shifted and burst into his house through the front door, which someone had torn from its frame. Only shifters could have done that, and he had a pretty good idea who was inside his house even before he detected the scent of male leopards.

  He heard noises from their bedroom. The rage inside him was so deep that he couldn’t stop the images of ripping the men apart and devouring their raw flesh. When he ran into the room, he nearly heaved up everything he’d eaten that day.

  Gillian was on her back, trying pointlessly to get Ricky off her. Her shirt and jeans were in tatters, and her bra was gone. Josh knelt next to her, a stupid grin on his face, while he twisted her panties in his fingers. Ricky was actually sitting on her lower abdomen. Arizona vowed if his child was harmed, their entire village would pay for that with their blood.

  A horrible bruise was coming up on the left side of Gillian’s beautiful face. Her hair, the color of sunshine, was damp and matted. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She saw him and gasped, though whether that was from fear or relief, Arizona couldn’t tell.

  He took all this in instantly, and his hesitation before lunging forward was no more than two seconds. Just long enough for Ricky and Josh to realize they were about to be killed by the alpha whose mate they had dared to touch.

  Ricky didn’t even have time to shift. Arizona pushed him off Gillian and went right for the jugular. The vein tasted sweet and ripe in his mouth. Blood gushed out of Ricky like a waterfall, and Arizona heard Gillian retch. He pushed Ricky to the side and turned to face a shifted Josh, who was much smaller than he’d been picturing. Such a puny little leopard, for all his bravado in the village, and his big mouth that day.

  Josh got in a few good swipes, but Arizona could smell the fear on him. Gillian was on her stomach now, and the smell of vomit mixed with the scent of Ricky’s dead body and his drying blood. But Arizona had a job to finish first. She was alive and breathing, and he thanked God for that. When this was over, he’d take care of her. She’d be all right. He would make sure of it.

  As the sound of voices outside and running footsteps reached his ears and momentarily distracted Josh, Arizona closed in for the kill. Josh had cut Arizona’s left front paw fairly deeply, but he was still much stronger than the leopard. Once he was certain Josh was dead, he shifted back to human form and pulled a blanket off the bed.

  “It’s okay. They’re dead now.” He wrapped his mate in the blanket and held her close, rocking her while she cried and screamed his name, over and over. “I’m here, sweetheart. It’s all right. It’s over now. They’ll never hurt you again.”

  Nasty shivers ran down his spine. Was she in shock? Why didn’t she know he was there? Arizona didn’t know what to do, and was beyond grateful to see Leah in the room. It was then he also noticed Fiera, Stone, Makenna, and five Elders including Laredo, Gavin, and Hidalgo.

  They didn’t ask questions. There was no need to. They could see what had happened, and Arizona was hoping at least one of them had witnessed him killing both leopards. Once Gillian could tell them, she’d fill in the blanks.

  “Where were the patrols?” That was Fiera’s voice. She had her hands on her hips, glaring at Gavin. “How did these two get past them?”

  Two members of the Council came into the room. Arizona couldn’t conjure up their names no matter how hard he tried. Maybe we’re both in shock?

  “We found two patrols dead, less than half a mile from here. Their throats were cut.”

  “Here you go.” Canyon held up a knife, caked with dried blood. “This was in Ricky’s pocket.” He handed it to Laredo, who glanced around the room, as if uncertain what to do with it.

  “She has plastic bags in the kitchen,” said Leah. “Lissie, go and find the Elder a bag to put that in. Lena, you help Arizona get Gillian out of this room. My bag with herbs is in the living room. Do you think you can tend to Gillian’s wounds?”

  “Yes, Mother. I’ll take care of it.”

  Arizona was already lifting Gillian off the floor when Lena came over to help him.

  “Do you want pictures of this?” asked Fiera. “I found Gillian’s phone.”

  “They won’t be needed,” said Gavin. “No one in this village will contradict her story, or question why Arizona killed these two leopards. We need to get word to Makenna’s village. Ricky was the son of one of their Council members, and Josh Bowman was an Elder’s nephew.”

  “I’ll take care of that,” said Sage.

  Sage Austin. That’s who he is. And the other Council member is Tobias Vallis.

  Once he and Lena got Gillian into a kitchen chair, she stopped screaming and crying. “I’m so cold.”

  “It’s all right. We’re here. Lena is going to take care of your wounds. I’m making you tea.”

  “Here.” Lena thrust a small tin at Arizona. “Make it with this. It’ll help calm her, and help with any pain she’s having.” A fearful, pained expression spread across Lena’s face. “Did they … was she…”

  A gut-wrenching pain filled Arizona’s body. “I’m not sure.”

  “No,” whispered Gillian. She cleared her throat. “No.” Now her voice sounded better. Thank the stars! “They didn’t rape me. You came in time.” She reached up to touch his face, and that’s when Arizona noticed the bruises on her knuckles. “You saved me. Thank you.”

  Had she punched one of them? Arizona kissed each knuckle gently, and then he kissed her mouth, also taking care. That seemed to help because the light was back in her eyes, and she was no longer trembling. “Do you think you’ll be all right here with Lena for a moment? I have things to take care of with the house.”

  “Yes.” He started to rise from the chair, but her sweet voice stopped him. “Arizona?”

  “What is it, my love?”<
br />
  “Let’s build that new home after all.”

  If the gravity of this situation hadn’t been so severe, her comment would have made him laugh. Instead he pulled her close again and held her. His mate was back, and she was going to be just fine.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  During the next three days, Gillian lay in the bed she and Arizona were using for their own, while all around her, everyone else tied up loose ends and fussed over her. It wasn’t like her to lie around and let people take care of her, but this time she welcomed it. She was so tired, and even with Arizona next to her, she’d had some horrible nightmares the first couple of nights.

  Canyon and Fiera had insisted she and Arizona use one of the bedrooms in their home until they could build a new house. They had taken only what they needed from their other home, and put the rest of the things into storage for now. Gillian hadn’t even been able to walk back into their bedroom. Arizona had packed up her clothes and personal items.

  Lena had done an amazing job on Gillian’s multiple wounds. She had her mother’s gifts. But when Leah had insisted on calling in a human doctor to make sure Gillian’s pregnancy was still viable, Gillian had been convinced she’d lost the baby.

  “But you never have doctors here. Or police. Or anyone.”

  “Yes, but I know you won’t rest easy until you hear it from an outsider that your baby is just fine.”

  Luke had called one of the other attorneys who worked in their office in Seattle, and he’d come out to the house to help Gillian begin the legal process of changing her last name, and obtaining a marriage license from the state of Washington. That, also, she hadn’t had to ask for. Arizona had mentioned her concerns to Luke, and he’d taken it on himself to see to them.