The Mating Rite (Big, Beautiful Werewolf) (Werewolves of Montana)

by Vanak, Bonnie

  Although Darius’ father treated her mother with nothing but respect and courtesy, Sam didn’t trust him. She worked hard to earn their keep to thwart any reason Maxim might have to oust them.

  Sam set down her brush and rubbed her forehead with the heel of one hand. Two years ago, while hiking in the woods, she’d stumbled upon Maxim having sex with a pack female. She’d hidden behind some trees, unable to look away. Kneeling behind the female, the alpha had been rough and brutish, fisting his hand in his partner’s hair and slamming hard into her as she moaned and squealed. And then they had shifted into their wolf forms, the grunts and squeals turning to snarls and howls…

  It terrified her, that kind of savage sex.

  Darius would never be like that. He’d be gentle and tender and sweet, whispering endearments into her ear as they made love. Her mate would never wish to shift into his wolf form during sex and violate her that way.

  Her mother warned her to avoid Darius because “the son is as lusty as the father.” But Darius was noble and civilized.

  She stood, giving a long stretch. The pink silk robe rose and fell with the movement of her breasts. A heavy knock came at the front door. Darius, probably wondering why she’d skipped dinner. As she reached the living room, the door swung open.

  Maxim! Rattled, she took three steps backward.

  Her alpha staggered inside.

  “There you are. I did not see you at the evening repast,” he slurred.

  Such formal tones. Eloquent speech mocking the cruel set of his wide mouth, the darkness in his blue gaze.

  Her body trembled under it.

  “I-I was not quite hungry, sir.”

  “Ah.” His eyes darkened as he gazed at her nipples poking through the sheer silk. “Be in my bedroom at nine o’clock.”

  She couldn’t, wouldn’t, mate with Darius’ father! Sam clutched the lapels of her robe. “No.”

  “Defiant.” His gaze darkened. “You will be in my bedroom in two hours or I shall throw you and your family out on the streets by tomorrow. The choice is yours.”

  The door slammed behind him as he left.

  A tiny sob escaped her. She’d longed to save her virginity for Darius. But Maxim had the power to evict them.

  Sinking back into a chair, she buried her face in her hands. Her alpha’s bed, the hellish place of her worst nightmares…

  Darius did not see Sam at supper. He hoped her mother or sister hadn’t fallen ill again. Widowed, with two young females, Sam’s mother had run from a pack in upstate Washington whose alpha thought sickly Lupines should be left to die. Ellen Evers had sought a place in Maxim’s pack when Sam was only twelve. His father had granted them refuge and medical treatment for Ellen and Marcia.

  Maxim treated the frail and elderly with great respect. It was the younger females his sire had a reputation for seducing. When Maxim began eyeing a virginal female, Darius seduced her with a gentle, tender introduction to sex. It gave him great pleasure to thwart his father, and his natural sensuality made the experience enjoyable for the grateful females.

  Now that Sam had agreed to mate him, Darius would never again seduce another female.

  Darius finished washing the last plate and stacked it. He dried his hands on a clean dishtowel. Where was she?

  Movement sounded downstairs. His father and his friends were playing poker in the basement. He could smell the liquor. And then he overheard Maxim’s gruff laugh.

  “I shall leave you to your game soon. I have a treat waiting for me in my bed. The runt thinks to best me by stealing away females from me. Aye, I shall show him. I’ll fuck Samantha and spill her virginal blood upon my bed before my son can take her.”

  Darius’ heart leapt into his throat. “Sam,” he whispered.

  He tore out of the kitchen, racing upstairs to his father’s room, and kicked the door open. Clad only in a thin silk robe, Sam sat on the bed. Her terrified gaze met with his.

  “No,” he said thickly.

  “I have no choice,” she whispered. “If I don’t give myself to him, he’ll throw us out.”

  His heart constricted as he watched her quiver. So brave, trying hard not to cry.

  Only one deed would dampen his father’s lust. But Darius couldn’t do it. Not like this, quick, rough sex that would leave her bitter and fearful. He’d promised to wait until she grew older.

  He jammed a hand through his curls. Nor could he leave her to his father’s brutalities.

  Maxim has targeted Samantha because he knows how I feel about her. All the times I’ve tried to hide it, but he knew. And this is my fault.

  He inhaled sharply, the sharp smell of her terror stinging his nostrils. He knew what he must do to save her.

  Darius brushed a lock of hair back from her pale face. “You truly want to mate with me?”

  She nodded.

  “Take off your robe,” he ordered.

  Fear shimmered in her wide eyes, but she did as he asked.

  He looked at her soft, high breasts, the gentle slope of her belly and her long legs. Desire bit, hard and sharp. Inside his jeans, his cock throbbed. Aroused by the sight of a naked female, his wolf clawed and snarled to the surface, wanting to mate.

  “Get on the bed,” he told her.

  He was ready. Darius removed his shirt and joined her on the bed, a growl rumbling deep in his throat.

  “Darius? What, what are you doing?” Panic edged her voice, and she backed up against the headboard. “Your eyes…they’re yellow, feral. I’m scared.”

  His fangs lengthened and sharpened. Darius grabbed his friend and flipped her onto her stomach. Bigger and stronger, he easily held her down. Sam whimpered, the sound shredding his heart. He managed to speak through the red haze of lust. “Trust me,” he told her.

  Darius closed his eyes. Forgive me, Sam. I’m so sorry. But this is the only way.

  With one knee pinning down her back, he brushed back the long fall of her hair. Darius nuzzled her neck and licked her soft skin.

  He tasted a sweet, honeyed droplet on the tip of one fang. Now.

  Snarling, he bit down hard. She cried out.

  Warm blood flooded his mouth. Male instinct prodded him to close the wound with his tongue. Instead, he drew back, letting the blood trickle down her neck to the white sheets. Her scent suddenly flooded his nostrils, along with the unmistakable fragrance of female arousal. His cock hardened to stone.

  “What did you do? It feels so good, so warm and throbbing between my legs. Please, Darius, please, tell me what is this? What are you doing to me?”

  Something I can’t finish right now, darling, he thought with keen regret. But she was safe from his father’s lust.

  After a minute, he reached down and tenderly closed the marks with a flick of his tongue. She rolled over, confusion on her face, the flush of passion tinting her supple body. Her nipples hardened from the bite’s erotic sting.

  Darius swallowed hard. Lust raged through him as she glanced at the erection tenting his trousers. He fought to keep from touching her plump breasts. His wolf growled, urging him to complete the act by mating with her.

  Crossing her arms over her chest, Sam stared. “Your eyes are yellow,” she whispered. “Like your wolf has taken over, savage and feral. I’m scared, Darius. What are you?”

  Drawing in a deep breath, he climbed off the bed. Darius turned away. After a minute, he fought the beast and managed to control himself.

  Sam’s welfare, and her safety, came first.

  Facing her, he opened his eyes. “Better now?”

  She nodded but still shrank away from him. “Why did you do that?”

  Confused, he stared at her. “To protect you.”

  “You didn’t ask me if it was okay. You didn’t give me a choice.”

  For the first time, he felt angry at his friend. “You agreed to mate with me. That is the traditional way a male Lupine claims a female when they mate.”

  Her mouth wobbled as pink suffused her cheeks. “I don’
t understand. It was so…animalistic.”

  Animalistic? Of course it was. They were deeply sensual people with the hearts of wolves. Suspicion filled him. Perhaps Sam was far more innocent than he’d believed. “Didn’t your mother tell you anything about what happens between a male and female Lupine when they mate for life?”

  “She explained all about sex.” Sam’s blush deepened. “What happens when a couple mates. She didn’t say anything about biting…or…” The wounded look in her eyes crushed him. “Anything about how savage it is.”

  Whoa, this was not good. What the hell was wrong with her mother?

  Reining in impatience, he cupped her cheek, needing to touch her and connect. Sam trembled beneath his touch. “I love you Darius. I’m just not sure I’m going to love that part of being with you.”

  “Sam, it can seem savage. It’s part of who we are. When you’re older, you’ll understand that it is part of your nature, too.”

  Damn it, he’d never wanted this. She simply wasn’t mature enough to handle a Lupine’s intense sexuality. But he had no time to explain the mechanics of wolf sex, for footsteps pounded in the hallway. He hunted for his shirt, snatched it off the floor and handed it to her.

  “Put this on. Stand by the bed. And don’t speak, just follow my lead.”

  Sam shrugged into his shirt. It seemed to swallow her as she pulled the flaps together and buttoned it. He liked her covered by his clothing, liked his scent all over her.

  For a long minute he stared at her, sealing the memory in his heart.

  The door burst open. His father’s grin widened upon seeing Samantha, and then it fell as he spied Darius.

  “What the fuck are you doing here?” the alpha roared. Maxim advanced, and the floorboards shook. “She’s mine. Do you dare to interfere with my business, you arrogant pup?”

  Darius stepped aside and swept a hand over the bed, indicating the blood splatters. “Someone spilled her virgin’s blood. Me.”

  His father’s nose twitched. “I smell no sex.”

  Darius gave a cold, thin smile. “Because there was none. I gave her my mating mark. She’s mine now.”

  “You cannot!”

  “I can and did.” Darius rested a possessive hand on Sam’s trembling shoulder. “She’s my intended now, and you can’t touch her. Or her family. Or you violate the blood oath every alpha takes to protect mated females and you’ll bring down the wrath of the Silver Wizard upon your head.”

  For the first time, Maxim looked uneasy. Good.

  A challenge in his eyes, Darius locked gazes with his father.

  With a snarl, Darius shifted into his wolf, sprang at his father and bit his leg, but then the alpha kicked him. The blow caught Darius in the side and he howled as his ribs broke. For a terrible moment, he could not breathe.

  “Darius!” Sam screamed. She rushed his father, beating on his chest with her fists. “You bastard, you hurt him!”

  Maxim pushed her aside. Gathering his strength, Darius rushed Maxim again, aiming for his groin. The powerful alpha tossed him across the room as a child might throw a doll. He hit the wall hard. Dazed, he shifted back, blood streaming down his face.

  Crying out, Sam ran to Darius. Her trembling fingers touched his wound and then she palmed his side. He winced.

  “It’ll heal,” he told her.

  He couldn’t fight Maxim. The alpha was too powerful, and he could hurt Sam.

  Fisting his hands, Darius chanted the ancient words he’d learned long ago from his eldest brother, calling upon the Silver Wizard. Darius shielded his gaze as a white light exploded in the room and a dark-eyed man materialized. Clad in black leather pants, black shirt and doeskin boots, he looked infuriated. Each strand of his shoulder-length black hair was tipped with silver, glinting like polished chrome.

  Tristan, the Silver Wizard, one of the four judges of OtherWorlders.

  “He wants Sam, but she’s mine,” Darius told him, holding his side and wheezing from the pain. “I marked her.”

  The sorcerer glanced at the intricate web of runes upon Sam’s neck that appeared after the bite. Tristan looked at Maxim. “You will not touch Samantha. Darius has claimed her through the sacred Lupine mating mark, a bond you shall not break.”

  A growl rippled from Maxim’s throat. “He has not consummated the bond.”

  “Touch her and suffer the consequences.” The powerful sorcerer squeezed his fist and then opened it to reveal a glowing silver ball of energy. It bounced gently in his palm.

  Maxim stared at the sparking globe. “Fine, I’ll leave her alone,” he muttered.

  The Silver Wizard hurled the ball into the fireplace. Logs exploded with shattering force. Samantha cringed.

  “You’re a bastard when it comes to women, Maxim, but otherwise a fair and good ruler. You sacrifice much for your pack,” Tristan told him.

  The wizard went to Darius and touched his aching side. Warmth spread through his body, his ribs mending beneath the healing touch. Tristan raised a brow. “Put some clothes on Darius, before you ruin my eyesight.”

  As Darius waved a hand and clothed himself by magick, Tristan looked at Maxim. “Why are you such an asshole? You were never this way when Lisa ruled at your side.”

  The alpha scowled. Then his expression clouded and he simply looked grief-stricken. “I lost my mate… She is the only one I shall ever love. I miss her.”

  Fleeting pity filled him. Darius’ throat tightened as he stared at his father’s lost expression.

  Tristan shook his head. “You do not honor your love for Lisa through this act. Straighten up and be the male she mated, the male she loved. Choose another female to champion and stand by her side.”

  The Silver Wizard’s mouth flattened. “But if you ever touch Samantha again, or threaten to hurt her family, I will burn your balls and turn you from an alpha into a eunuch with one flick of my finger.”

  Tristan pointed his forefinger and thumb at the wall and said softly, “Bang.”

  The wall exploded.

  Darius raised a brow. “Overkill much?”

  The Silver Wizard shrugged. “I’ve been watching too many Western movies.” He waved a hand and the wall reassembled, but Sam still shivered.

  “So violent,” she whispered.

  Darius put a comforting arm around her. He looked directly at Tristan. “One more favor.”

  “I am not a genie, Darius, here to grant you three wishes.”

  “It’s not me.” He rubbed his nose against Sam’s temple, feeling her tremble. “Can you help her? She’s already traumatized enough.”

  Sighing, the wizard approached Sam. “Close your eyes.”

  When she did, he gently touched her forehead. “This will erase all your memories of me, little one. I have no desire to leave you distressed more than you already are.”

  He waved a hand and vanished. Sam opened her eyes and looked around. Seeing Maxim, she swallowed hard and stood, her stance rigid and proud.

  “I’m not sleeping with you,” she told his father in a faltering voice. “I don’t care what you do. My family and I will survive.”

  Maxim glanced at her and shrugged. “Very well. I will not force you, nor hurt your family.”

  She looked pleased with herself.

  Then he faced Darius, who struggled to his feet. “Good move, boy. You bested me. For the last time, you’ve won.”

  Panic clogged his throat as the elder Lupine smiled. No one ever bested Maxim.

  “No loss. Samantha is too sweet for my taste. I will keep my blood oath and not touch her nor her family. Your intended and her whole family have nothing to fear from me and will remain in the pack, safe and protected.”

  Samantha’s shoulders sagged with relief, but Darius waited, his heart pounding hard.

  “Your intended, aye. But it’s a union that will remain unconsummated. You have five minutes to pack and leave. Say your goodbyes now.”

  Stunned, he stared at his sire. “You’re throwing me out?”
>
  Maxim smiled. “You attacked me.”

  “You tried to rape Sam!”

  “It matters not. You know the rules, pup. You dared to lay a hand on your alpha and now you will pay the price.”

  Pain sliced through him like a hot razor. He couldn’t breathe. A boulder sat on his chest.

  Sam bristled at Maxim. “You can’t throw him out!”

  The alpha glanced at her with no more interest than he’d show a flea. “I can.”

  Gods, Darius loved her, loved her fire, her spunk, and her anger on his behalf. She stood up for him. No one else ever had.

  “I’ll go with you. Mom and Marcia will be safe here,” she told him.

  Joy filled him. He curled his fingers around hers, feeling the connection, feeling hope for the first time. “I’ll work hard for us, Sam. You’ll see. I don’t care what it takes, I’ll do anything to make you happy.”

  “No.”

  They turned to see Maxim glaring at them. “If Samantha goes with you, I’ll throw both her mother and her sister out of the pack.”

  Darius’ heart sank to his stomach.

  “No! You can’t do that! They’d die.” Sam stared at his father, her eyes wide.

  Maxim shrugged. “Your choice.”

  Turning on his heel, Darius headed to his small attic room as his father slammed the door behind them. Sam followed, helping him stuff clothing and belongings into a knapsack. Then she sagged against the wall.

  “Darius, he can’t mean it. You’re his son!”

  “One of many. He has others. It’s all right.” His pain meant nothing. Sam mattered more. Only Sam.

  He clasped Sam’s slender shoulders, staring into the depths of her violet eyes, as lovely and enchanting as a moonlit night.

  “Come with me, Sam. Please. I’ll find a way to care for your mother and your sister.”

  “I wish I could go with you,” she whispered. “But they’ll never survive outside this pack. They’re too weak.”

  “I can find a way…”

  “No.” Sam looked at him, her gaze glittering with unshed tears. “I can’t risk it. Not until they’re stronger. Will I ever see you again?”