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

by Vanak, Bonnie

  “Three is even better.” Darius nodded. “Call Aiden. He’s very powerful. Sam’s going to need all the magick she can muster. Whoever is after her knows exactly how to find her now.”

  Chapter 17

  The following afternoon, Sam sat on a bench overlooking the soccer field, sipping water and listening to birdsong. A red-headed woodpecker landed on a nearby pine. She gave a languid stretch, wincing at her sore muscles. All that morning, Kara and Ryder and Darius had pushed her hard in wolf form. Still, for all her training, she could not hope to equal them.

  Her wolf was much slower, more amicable and smaller. And she only wanted to play, snapping at the dragonflies and chasing the birds.

  As if she were still a pup, Ryder pointed out.

  Or an Elf, Darius pointed out.

  Hearing shouts of welcome, she glanced over her shoulder. Darius rounded the corner, accompanied by a taller male with jet black hair, a strong jaw covered with a dark beard, and dark eyes. He moved with fluid grace but the shape of his mouth and the set of his eyes reminded her of Kara.

  Darius clapped the big male on the shoulder. “Sam, this is Aiden. My former alpha, president of the Mitchell Ranch.”

  She stuck out a palm, but the big alpha engulfed her in a tight hug. “Sam. At last.”

  His niece and nephews rushed forward from playing on the soccer field. “Uncle Daden!” Wendy shouted.

  Laughing, the big male swept Wendy into one arm, then hugged his nephews with his other. The boys crowded around him.

  “Did you bring us presents?” Jon demanded.

  “Jon, that’s not polite.” His older brother Zach scowled. Then he looked beseechingly at Aiden. “Did you?”

  “They’re with your parents. Go see.”

  As the children scrambled off, Aiden sat on the bench. When Darius finished explaining what had happened with Sam, his expression grew thoughtful.

  “You have more experience with Fae than me. Does Sam have powers she can use as a defense? Her Lupine skills aren’t as developed,” Darius told him.

  “Perhaps. There are different types of Fae, like Elves and Sprites, just as there are different Shifters, such as Lupines and Panthers. Some Fae are dark and others possess less power, and tend toward the light. Such as Sprites and Fairies. Elves are usually lighter, but they can be dark.” Aiden gave her a penetrating look. “If you’re one of the lighter ones, and I suspect you are because of your singing, there are ways to strengthen your powers through bonding and connecting with those who are stronger.”

  His gaze flicked to Darius. “It’s a bit intimidating for a female.”

  “Does it include something to do with sex and multiple partners?” she blurted out, her heart racing.

  Aiden gave her another thoughtful look. “Why? You interested?”

  “Damn it, you do not touch her!” Darius swung at him, but the alpha ducked and laughed. “Gotcha.”

  Her mate continued to scowl, but Sam found herself cracking a reluctant smile. She liked this big, tough-looking alpha who had a sense of humor.

  Then Aiden sobered. “Ryder asked for my help. I don’t know how, but if you need me, I’m here for you. We’re pack. And you’re my friend. What affects you, affects me, Darius.”

  Darius sighed and shook his head. “Aiden…”

  “Not taking no for an answer. You’re in trouble, I’m here. Simple as that. And if you need Kyle or Dale or Jackson, or any of the others, say the word.” He glanced at Sam. “Can I borrow him for a few minutes? We need to talk with Ryder. Pack business.”

  Aiden and Darius headed into Ryder’s home. She watched the males swagger off, all alpha power and testosterone in one spot. Intimidating.

  She studied the sunlight glinting off the river, and the thick forest on the other side. And suddenly, something moved among the trees.

  Smoke?

  “Fire,” she breathed.

  Instinct surged to protect the forest. Unable to ignore it, she ran across the bridge to investigate. Curls of smoke wended lazily upward through the branches, making the leaves wither and die. But she scented nothing, and saw no flames.

  And then she heard an eerie, harsh cry, like a banshee on a cold winter night. Dread curled in her stomach. That was no fire.

  The smoke drifted out of the forest and licked the rocks on the river bank, blackening them. Then it began following the river, shifting into droplets of mist. A fogbank hovered just above the water.

  A swallow, hunting for flies on the river’s surface, dove into the mist and did not emerge.

  Moments later, she saw the dead bird floating on the river, following the current. And heard an evil chuckle.

  Sam raced to the bridge to escape. A vine snaked out and snagged her ankle. She refused to panic. No, she could free herself.

  Another vine whipped out of the ground and wound around her other ankle. Sam gave a mighty yank, but the vine held fast. It began dragging her deeper into the woods.

  And then she heard a terrible hissing, slithering sound. She stopped struggling and looked up.

  Out of the bushes wriggled dozens of shiny black shapes, hissing and writhing as they slid toward her.

  Snakes.

  Horror tightened her chest. Sam fought the vines, twisting and turning as the snakes moved toward her. One flicked out a forked tongue and tested the air, mere inches from her trapped ankle.

  She tried singing, but the vines held fast.

  Snarling, she forced her claws to elongate, calling upon her Lupine powers. Sam slashed at the vines, cutting them.

  She was free!

  Pushing away from the tree and the squirming snakes, she sprang to her feet and fled. As she was about to set foot on the bridge, a mighty groan sounded and thick tree roots pushed up from the soil, coiling toward her. Panicking, Sam shifted into wolf-skin and released a long, low howl, the pack distress call Kara had taught her.

  And then she heard the blessed response of several deep howls, and wolves raced down the path toward the bridge.

  The tree roots began pushing her toward the river. Whatever held them in enchantment wanted to drown her. Her paws frantically scrabbling at the earth, she whined and fought. And then she bit her own hind leg, desperate to free herself. Blood flowed down her leg, onto her paw and the tree root.

  Suddenly the tree released her. Whining, she splashed into the river, the shock of the icy water forcing her to shift back into Skin.

  “Sam!” Darius shouted and suddenly he was there, his strong arms wrapped around her, lifting her from the water, his voice murmuring soothingly in her ear. Shaking violently, she let him hold her, absorbing his warmth and strength.

  After a few minutes, she regained her composure. He smoothed the hair back from her face.

  Carrying her in his arms, he walked up the riverbank. The others joined him on the shore, now also in Skin. Darius set her down, shrugged out of his shirt and wrapped it around her.

  “What happened?”

  Sam gulped down a breath. “Whatever Aiden plans, let’s do it. Because I’m running out of time. And the longer I stay here, the more I put the pack in danger.”

  At twilight, they gathered in the field; all the members of Ryder’s pack who’d accompanied him to Oregon, along with Aiden, Darius, Sam, Ryder and Kara.

  The powerful Mitchell alpha held the same dagger used to cut Darius’ hand for him to swear fidelity to Ryder.

  Dressed in a white, flowing ceremonial dress with long bell sleeves, her hair unbound and flowing in the breeze, Sam felt a surge of unreality. She, who had only wanted to live the Skin life, now straddled an OtherWorld between two species.

  For too long, she’d never felt at home anywhere, not even in her own skin. She never knew what she was. Now she knew why she’d always felt alone. Healing Kara had given her a sense of purpose and peace Sam had never felt before. But she still wasn’t certain where she fit in.

  Sam only hoped this bonding ceremony would solidify her powers as Lupine, because her El
ven powers were sorely sapped. She needed to be as strong as possible.

  The males dressed in black tunics, black leather vests, black leather pants and soft leather boots. The females were attired in the same manner as Sam. It was very formal and Other, and she couldn’t help be a bit nervous.

  Ryder glanced at Darius, who nodded brusquely. “Do it.”

  “Samantha Evers, future mate of Darius, do you give permission to bond with me through blood?” Ryder asked.

  She sucked in a breath. “I do.”

  Ryder held up the blade. “As alpha, I give you my strength to make you powerful, my courage to give you heart, and my blood to keep you safe. Hold out your hand.”

  As she did, the alpha took the ceremonial blade and slashed her palm. Sam winced at the cold burn. Blood welled from the laceration.

  He slashed his own hand and pressed their open wounds together. “Blood of the alpha, flow into this Lupine female, give her my strength when she needs to call on powers greater than her own,” he murmured.

  Aiden stepped forward and did the same. Then Darius faced her. Sam held up her bleeding hands. “I have no more hands left to give you,” she joked weakly, wanting to reduce the intensity of the moment.

  “Our bonding doesn’t take place with blood, sweetheart.” Darius rubbed his thumbs over her wounds. Stunned, she watched the cuts heal beneath his touch. He gripped her hand. “Come with me.”

  As the others headed back to their townhomes, Darius led her across the bridge into the forest. He did not stop until reaching the small glade where she’d witnessed Trey and Lauren copulating as wolves. Two soft blankets were piled by a tree. Sam gave him a worried look. “We’re not going to have sex as wolves, are we?”

  “That’s for later and the mating rite.” Darius cupped her cheek, his gaze tender. “But here in the forest, beneath the open sky, will amplify our experience, and strengthen our bond together as Lupines.”

  She looked around. “After what happened earlier today, how do we know it’s safe here and something else won’t come after me?”

  “Aiden, Ryder and I warded the circle with our blood. No one can break through the circle to cause us harm, sweetheart. As long as we remain here, you’ll be safe.”

  He snapped out the blanket on the ground. Pulling her down with him, he kissed her. Then they undressed.

  Darius stroked a finger down her cheek, and desire raced through her. His moist, full mouth was close to hers, his sweet breath fanning over her lips as he leaned close. “Did you ever dream of making love beneath the stars? Have you ever had the desire to be wild, free and close to nature?”

  A strangled gasp of pleasure escaped her as Darius cupped her breast, teasing her nipple. She could not speak as he leaned closer, whispering seductively into her ear.

  “Has your wolf ever dreamed of me fulfilling every single erotic fantasy you could imagine?”

  He lightly pinched her nipple, and she moaned. Moisture wept between her legs.

  “I’m Lupine, wild, free and essentially sexual. And tonight, so are you, Sam.”

  His mouth descended on hers, roughly. His kiss inflamed. Sam made a sound against his mouth, bit his lower lip, and ground her hips against his. She wanted him and no other; and yet, deep inside, her Elven half resisted. She could love him with every breath in her body, but he was wolf, and the essence of savage wildness. She was Elf and wolf, and a savage battle raged within her to never love the wolf, to keep him at bay as one did with a beast.

  He kept kissing her—deep, almost punishing kisses, his tongue dueling hers as if they were in a battle and he wanted to dominate her, force her to surrender. But she was not at his mercy.

  Sam pulled away, panting. She needed reassurance, not only his passion.

  “Is that what you want, Darius—to seal me to your side, have me only for yourself? To make me deny my Elven heritage?”

  “I won’t share,” he said roughly. “Not you. Not ever.”

  “You have no choice. Part of me will always belong with the forest and the Fae, a part you can never have. You’ll only have half a life with me, a mate who won’t hunt at your side, who will balk at Lupine rules, because I’ll never stop being Elven.”

  “Then damn it, I’ll take whatever you can give me, Sam.” He drew his face close to hers and she saw the torment glinting his eyes. “Half a life with you is better than a thousand lives with another woman.”

  Fisting a hand in her long hair, he kissed her ruthlessly, his erection grinding against her. A low moan tore from her throat.

  Darius broke the kiss and stared at her, his eyes wild, a big vein throbbing at the base of his throat. The sounds of their ragged breathing echoed in the glen. “I can’t wait.”

  His erection was thick and impossibly engorged; a shining droplet of moisture glistened on the rounded head.

  Daring seized Sam. She took him into her hand, grasping the steely length, rubbing a thumb over his skin. Soft, yet hard as stone. He threw back his head and moaned as she circled the head of his cock, spreading the moisture over his shaft. Her heart thudding frantically, she dropped to her knees and took him in her mouth. He tasted of salt and musk, and pure male. As she swirled her tongue, Darius shuddered and gripped her shoulders. Her movements were hesitant, but she let her love for him guide her.

  Darius made a low growl of approval, but then gently broke the contact. Sam stood, looking at him with uncertainty until she felt his hand come between her thighs, stroking, coaxing moisture from her. She whimpered and gripped his arms as he slid a finger between her slick folds.

  “You’re so wet for me,” he whispered. “Brace yourself. I’m going to have you, and I can’t be gentle as I want to.”

  She cupped his face in her hands. “Then take me, as a wolf does. I’m ready.”

  He led her to a nearby stone, its surface smooth. “Bend over,” he commanded. She did just that, shaking with anticipation and excitement, her hands pressed against the rock. It was a shameless, wild, and wanton position, and she felt vulnerable and exposed.

  This was the traditional mating position for Lupines.

  Pleasure surged through her as he parted her moist folds. “Yes, open to me, Sam,” he said in a velvet whisper. “Feel me inside you. I’m going to take you hard and fast, and when I’m done making you scream and making you sweat and pleasuring you until you collapse in sheer exhaustion, I’ll be branded on your soul, damn it, be you Fae or Lupine.”

  Sam shivered as she felt his hands grasp her hips. In this position, she could not move, his hands checking her escape.

  She felt the impatient nudge of his arousal pressing. Then Darius surged forward, thrusting deep inside as he uttered a low groan of satisfaction. He began to deliver on his dark, erotic promise.

  Darius hammered into her. She recognized his primitive need to mark her as his own. This was not the action of a Lupine besting an Elf, but a wolf claiming his rightful mate. Darius sought to win her; he would make her remember this wild rapture, the bond forged between them in flesh, and imprint upon her very soul the scent, the feel, the utterly dark torment of the erotic pleasure he gave her.

  He forced her to cry out, the sounds of her desire echoing through the starry night. He made her forget everything but him and the savage pleasure.

  Sweat glistened on her body. As her heart hammered wildly in her chest, she gulped down air and frustration. Then he gave one more hard thrust and she climaxed, screaming.

  Darius slid free, leaving her empty and trembling.

  Then he laid down upon the blanket. “Here, this way,” he instructed, breath still rasping in his lungs. He pulled her atop him.

  Sam straddled him, her hands pressed against the silken, moist hairs on his muscled chest. Slowly she sank down as he guided her, impaling herself on his still rigid length. Shock rippled through her, and she let out a startled cry as he filled her.

  “Ride me, my lovely Sam,” he demanded.

  He taught her the rhythm, clasping her hips t
o lift her as she squeezed his rigid length, sinking down and rising up. Sensations flooded her, scorching pleasure filling every cell, and an incredible feeling of being in control of this dangerous, unpredictable man who loved her with such wild passion.

  Darius removed his hands and palmed her breasts as she increased the pace. He stroked and kneaded, flicked his thumbs over her cresting peaks as she began to pant with renewed urgency, tension building in her loins.

  “Let go. Surrender to it. Come for me, Sam,” he told her.

  She screamed as another orgasm shot through her, her hands digging into the thick muscles of his arms. Darius growled with satisfaction, then just as quickly, sat up and rolled her onto her back, his big body covering hers. Gulping, she looked up at him in dazed wonder.

  They began anew. This time it was a fierce and wild mating. She bit his shoulder, sinking her teeth into the hard muscles, marking him as he’d once marked her. He snarled and pinned her with his weight. Sam dug her heels into the blanket and raked her nails over his back as he thrust harder. A desperate intensity flared in his gaze as he took her, over and over, his member swelled to impossible size.

  At last, Darius crouched back and parted her legs wide, angling his thrusts deeper for more intense strokes. Sam clutched his forearms, digging her fingers into those muscles as she felt once more a gathering tension in her loins. Then he brought his face close to hers, forcing her to meet his gaze.

  “Look at me, my beautiful Sam. Look at me. No one else but me. Say my name,” he demanded.

  “Darius,” she choked out in a desperate sob.

  “Yes, Darius—the only one for you.”

  “You’re mine,” he growled. “Mine. No one else will ever make you feel this way but me.”

  Then he pushed forward in a last, violent thrust, and he shook with his climax, shouting her name. She shattered, clutching him to her: her Darius, her savage, wild wolf. He was branded on her soul as she was branded on his.

  After a few moments, he pulled out. Exhausted, they lay on the blanket, entangling their bodies together as the full moon shone down upon them. Darius covered them with the second blanket. Entwined in his arms, she fell asleep on the ground.