Claimed by the Mate, Volume 3

by Kate Douglas

  “Are you okay?”

  She stared at him and he had no idea what she was thinking. “Actually, I’m furious.”

  “What?”

  This time she laughed. “Not at you. Not at all. I’m absolutely furious with Jorge and Rube, and even Henri, for that matter. They’re the only three men who have touched me in my entire long life, and not once did any of them stop to think of my pleasure. I had no idea I could even have an orgasm. None. And then you come along and change my entire life. Do you know what that means, when you save someone’s life?”

  He wasn’t really sure where this was going, so he shook his head.

  “It means you’re responsible for me now. You saved me, you got me.” She closed her eyes and leaned back against the headboard. “Thank you, Trak. I had no idea what it was all about.” She turned and smiled at him. “I have a feeling there’s so much more you can teach me.”

  * * *

  So caught up in her body’s response, it took her a few moments to realize that Trak hadn’t had an orgasm when she had. In fact, he hadn’t had one for as long as she had known him, unless he did them all by himself. She knew she hadn’t scented another female on him. He seemed to welcome questions, so . . . “What about you?” She gestured toward the tented covers. “Do you want to try with me?”

  He smiled and shook his head. “I’ll be okay. I’ve been making do with my right hand for a long time.”

  Frowning, she glanced at his hand and then at the tent. “How do you mean?”

  He actually blushed. The big, tough alpha’s face had turned a dark ruddy shade all the way to his hairline and down across his chest. He had a beautiful chest. She leaned close and stroked it and he practically purred. “Are you going to tell me?”

  “It’s a thing guys do when we don’t have a willing woman to make love to. We take care of it ourselves. Women do the same thing.”

  “We do? I never have.”

  “I know, and I’m sorry. You should have known about that, though I don’t think young women when you were young were taught things about their bodies. Now most girls learn all about how to pleasure themselves. It’s part of their sex education. Your pack must have been very primitive in their treatment of their women.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Ya think? I’m getting a whole new perspective here, but forget about me. I want to know about you.” She pulled the covers back, exposing him the way he’d exposed her. His cock stood high and proud, blatantly begging for attention. She was positive he wanted her to touch him. Wondered how he would react if she asked him.

  “You’re bigger than Jorge. Rube, too, for that matter, and Henri. Is that because you’re an alpha?”

  He shrugged. “I’m about average for the guys in my pack.”

  He looked embarrassed and she wondered if it felt weird for him to be sitting here, both of them staring at his cock, one of them the woman he’d just brought to climax. “Of course, I’m really erect right now because I haven’t come since yesterday.”

  She hadn’t even thought about him coming by himself. She was almost positive there couldn’t be another woman he had sex with. “How did you do it yesterday? Were you alone?”

  He nodded and smiled at her. She really wondered what he was thinking. “I was. I was out in the woods.”

  “How? What did you do?”

  He shrugged and then grinned at her. “Grabbed it and jerked off.”

  Jerked off? That didn’t make sense. “Show me.”

  He stared at her for a moment and she was afraid he’d turn her down, but he surprised her. “I could,” he said. “Or you could do it for me.”

  That worked. “Okay.” She rose to her knees. “What do I do?”

  He wrapped his fist around his cock and squeezed and then slid his fist up and down, slowly pulling the loose cowl of skin over the tip and then back down again. He did it a couple of times and suddenly quit. “If I’m not careful, I’ll come too fast.”

  She scooted around between his legs so that she was facing him. Her breasts felt fuller than usual, and they were already big. Her nipples had pebbled into hard little points, and that usually only happened when she was cold. She picked up a scent that was hers but not, and a different scent about Trak, too. One she really liked. It made her want to rub against him and she wondered if that was the same kind of scent she was putting off.

  It had to be arousal. She knew about that but didn’t know what it smelled like. The scent of her arousal seemed to somehow blend with his, and she started getting that anxious feeling she’d had when he was giving her an orgasm.

  She wrapped her hands around him—both hands because he was a large guy and she was a relatively small woman. He groaned, and she figured that was a good sign. She loved the feel of him—hard as a branch but soft to the touch, the skin covering him almost silky smooth. Except for the veins. There were thick veins running the length, but she loved stroking him.

  “You can do it harder,” he said. “Faster, too. And play with my balls if you want. It all feels really good.”

  She’d wanted to but was afraid she’d hurt him. She’d kicked Jorge there one time and he’d almost killed her when he caught her. Carefully she cupped Trak’s sac and rolled his testicles around, separating them, then rolling them between her fingers. There was a tiny drop of fluid at the tip of his penis. Without even thinking, she leaned over and licked it off.

  He groaned, so she did that again. She remembered one time when Jorge forced his thing into her mouth and she bit him. He never tried it again, though he used to threaten her, say she’d swallow his cock and like it.

  She hadn’t liked anything about him, but she loved everything about Trak. With both her hands around his shaft, she leaned close and wrapped her lips around the tip.

  His hips jerked. “God damn it, Chelo. Holy shit! That feels so fucking good.”

  She slipped him free of her mouth and laughed. “It must. You don’t usually cuss like that.” Then she sucked him back between her lips while Trak lay back against the pillows, moaning and laughing at the same time. She must be doing something right. She used her tongue and her lips, sucked him deep enough to hit her gag reflex, and decided that was a little too far for the first time.

  After a minute Trak stopped her. “I’m close to coming and you’re going to get a mouthful if you don’t stop.”

  She thought about that. She’d liked the taste of those first few drops. “It’s okay,” she said. “I want to learn to do this right. I’ve never done it before.”

  “Crap.” He groaned. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  She felt the first pulse in the base of his shaft and tightened her lips around him. He thrust forward, though she could tell he was trying not to, but she sucked and licked and her mouth was suddenly filled with his release. She swallowed as fast as she could, but there was a lot and she almost didn’t get it all. When he was done, she kept sucking gently, the way he had for her, and after a couple of minutes his thick erection was half its previous size and not at all hard.

  She got up and went into the bathroom to rinse her mouth and get a drink of water, and then she crawled into bed with Trak. She wasn’t at all nervous, now. She’d been practically frozen with fear when he’d first gotten into bed with her, but now? Now she had proof he would never hurt her. No man as patient and gentle as Trak would ever threaten her.

  They fell asleep as if they’d always shared a bed. She’d never slept with Jorge. He’d used her for sex at least once every night and then kicked her out of the bed. She didn’t even have a bed, just a pile of blankets on the floor where she’d slept like a dog. If he would have let her shift she’d have been perfectly comfortable, but he knew she could get away if she was a wolf. So she’d slept on the hard floor while Jorge had the bed to himself.

  Sometime during the night, she awoke to the feel of Trak’s shaft, engorged again and resting against her bottom. She shifted around a bit until it was between her legs, and then she moved a bit mor
e and felt him slip gently inside her channel. This wasn’t really having sex. It couldn’t be, because it felt much too good. Sex always hurt, though she hoped that when she and Trak had sex he’d be as gentle as he’d been earlier.

  Maybe then she’d get used to it and actually enjoy the penetration. If he was really careful. She drifted back into sleep, fully aware of the connection holding her to a man she was afraid she’d never be willing to leave.

  * * *

  He hadn’t had a wet dream this good since he was just a kid. The woman was warm and more voluptuous than any he could recall. The warm globes of her ass were pressed against his pubes and his cock was buried deep inside the tightest pussy he’d ever felt in his life. He carefully wrapped his right arm around her waist and found her breasts. Perfect. Full and warm, the nipples rising to his fingers, just waiting for him to tug and tease.

  He tugged and she moaned. He thrust his hips and she pressed back against him until they found the ideal rhythm of thrust and retreat, thrust and retreat. It was all the way he loved it most—her scent, her full hips and rounded ass, the soft swell of her belly and breasts beneath his palms. He spread his hand over her belly, tangled his fingers in the thick hair between her legs, and then slipped his fingertip over her swollen nub.

  It only took a couple of strokes and she was flying! Her inner muscles clamped down on his cock, squeezing him like a living vise. She grabbed his wrist in both her hands and held him against her as her whole body went stiff. Her climax brought his, a shock of sensation from the small of his back to his balls and cock, until he filled her with spurt after spurt of his seed.

  He buried his face in her long, dark hair, suddenly awakening as realization hit him. This wasn’t a wet dream. This was Chelo. After he’d promised he would never make love to her without her permission, he’d just done exactly that.

  “Chelo? I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do that. I thought I was dreaming, sweetheart. Will you forgive me?”

  Slowly, she rolled over. He slipped out of her warm sheath, and even as guilty as he felt, he wanted to be back inside her. Instead of showing anger, she kissed him. “S’okay. In fact, that was amazing. I think we can assume I’m not going to freak out when we have sex now, okay?”

  “You’re sure? Because I’m going to want to do that again. As soon as I can recover.”

  “Good. And I’m the one who needs to apologize. I set you up.”

  “What?”

  “Last night I woke up during the night and you were hard again and it was between my legs, so I just sort of moved my butt a little and spread my legs, and voila!”

  “Voila?” He rolled to his back and laughed. “Chelo? I hope you realize I am never letting you go. And for a werewolf that’s a long, long time.”

  “I know.” She rolled over and kissed him.

  And Trak didn’t take long to recover at all.

  * * *

  Much later, they were having breakfast when Trak set his fork down and stared at her. “Chelo? I know how he keeps finding you. Didn’t you say that both Rube and Jorge raped you before you were mated?”

  Frowning, she stared at him. Not your usual morning-after conversation, but, “Yes. It was horrible.”

  “He marked you. Rube didn’t actually mate you, because Jorge bit you—he’s the one who changed you—but during that night he marked you. There was probably saliva and there was definitely blood. In essence, it’s like a mating in that he’s linked to you through your blood. He always knows where you are.”

  No. She would never be free of him, never know a moment’s peace, never . . .

  Trak’s hand covered hers. “Don’t you see? If I mate you, in our case merely mark you because you’re already wolf, I think the newer marking will be stronger than what happened almost ninety years ago. I need to know, though, if you could bear to be my mate for oh, the next century or so. Are you okay with that?”

  “Are you asking me?”

  He took both of her hands. “Of course I am. It’s not the most romantic proposal, but I can’t imagine life without you. You’re the only woman I’ve met who can truly be my partner as alpha of this pack. You’re strong and you’re beautiful. You complete me, Consuela de los Lobos. And besides, I already told you that I’m never letting you go.”

  He had, hadn’t he? “Trak, when I was lying in bed with you this morning, when we had just made love for the second or maybe the third time, I realized that I was falling in love with you. I’m never letting you go, either.”

  “I need to shift. It’s the wolf’s bite that creates the mating link. Be sure and show me where you want it. I’ll try not to hurt you.” He leaned close and kissed her. “I’m sorry if I do.”

  He carried his plate to the sink and left it there before stripping out of his clothes. His body thrilled her—tall and lean with well-defined muscles partially disguised by the dark pelt across his muscular chest. He kept his hair fairly short and his beard was barely more than a shadow. She’d never actually seen him clean-shaven, but the dark hair on his cheeks and chin merely accentuated his good looks.

  Again, his shift was almost instantaneous, his wolf every bit as beautiful as the man. He trotted across the room and sat at her feet, waiting, she knew, for her to show him where she wanted her bite. There was no doubt in her mind. She untied the robe she’d put on after her shower and dropped it behind her. Then she leaned close and held her left breast. Touching the top curve, she said, “Here. Over my heart. I want a scar, just a small one. Something that will always remind me of today.”

  He looked at her for the longest time. He probably wondered if she was just flat-out crazy, but then he licked her breast, swirled his tongue around her nipple as if for emphasis, and nipped her quickly, his teeth sharp and the bite deep enough to draw blood. She held perfectly still while he licked the blood away, leaving his saliva in the small wound.

  She reached for a paper napkin to staunch the drips, and then Trak was human again, covering her hand with his, kissing her mouth, her breast, the place where he’d bitten her.

  “Does it hurt? I tried to make it fast. I really didn’t want to hurt you.”

  She leaned close and kissed him. “I think that tongue/nipple thing took my mind off the biting part. Can I say it now? I love you, Trak. You are more than I ever dreamed and I will love you forever.” She kissed him again. “But we’re going to be late. I have to open the shop.”

  Chapter 10

  Wednesday morning, Chelo’s flower shop

  Chelo wondered if she’d ever be able to wipe the silly smile off her face. She loved Trak. That was the only explanation, but the most wonderful thing was that he loved her back. He didn’t see her as damaged, didn’t even seem too concerned about Rube, though he was here with her, protecting her until, as he phrased it, the pack could “deal with the bastard.”

  And he was now, physically at least, her mate, though he said they’d still need to go through the official mating ceremony for the pack to recognize her as the alpha’s mate. She couldn’t wait to tell the others, though that would have to wait for a time when Darnell either knew what they were or was gone, though Chelo doubted that would happen. Darnell loved Evan and Evan loved Darnell. They’d figure it out.

  She stood at the worktable with the front door open for customers on this beautiful autumn day, putting together an arrangement for one of the B and Bs in town. She had almost finished—a colorful mix of chrysanthemums and dahlias with graceful columbine and sweet-smelling stock in a beautiful antique basket the owner had dropped off—when she felt the tiny hairs on the back of her neck start to rise. Glancing up, she didn’t see anything unusual, and with the door open her view of the front was unimpeded. But just in case, she left her work area and stepped into her office. Trak had brought his laptop and was checking over some paperwork that Cherry had sent to him this morning. He raised his head, smiling, but he quickly shut the laptop and was on his feet, reaching for her hand.

  “What’s wrong?” He ke
pt his voice low and soothing, but his grip on her hand was tight.

  “I don’t know, but something isn’t right.”

  He nodded and followed her back into the showroom. “Nothing in here. Wasn’t the door open?”

  It was closed now. She nodded. “Yes. Definitely open.”

  “Stay here.” He walked to the front door and pulled it open.

  Rube’s scent was thick in the air. Opening the door had pulled the stench inside. “Ya know,” she said, proud of herself for maintaining at least a semblance of calm. “If the idiot bathed once in a while it wouldn’t be nearly as easy to know where he was.”

  “Good point.” Trak propped the door open. Then he checked the floor and the walls, even inside the potted plants in the front window.

  “What are you looking for?”

  “I dunno. Listening devices, cameras, anything to spy on you or just to make you nervous.” He went outside and paused in front of the display.

  Chelo watched from her spot by the worktable, continuing to work on the arrangement while Trak checked the entire display out in front. A few minutes later he was back inside, where he went through the items in the front window again.

  When he walked back to Chelo, he held a finger to his lips, opened his left hand, and showed her three small listening devices. She knew her eyes had to be as big as saucers, but she was really curious when Trak walked back to the window and returned one of them to the potted plant where he’d found it.

  “Yeah,” he said, standing close to the one in the front window. “I think that’s it. Two of them in the display out in front. I don’t see anything in here.”

  So that’s how he wanted to play it. “Are you sure there aren’t any in the shop? Did you look everywhere?”

  “Yeah. Nothing inside. I don’t think he had time. You were only out of the room for a few seconds.”

  “What are you going to do with those? I can’t believe he’d try something like that. What’s the point?”