Provoked Wolf

by Erin R Flynn

  He left, and Carter stuck the pills in my bag in the corner as he gave me a dangerous look. “Get naked.”

  “No,” I grumbled, getting to my feet. “I didn’t agree to this. I’m going to lose.”

  “Yes, but that will be fun too,” he promised as he slowly pulled off his shirt, showing all his ripped muscles and sexy body. Asshole.

  “Yes, but you should work for it more,” I challenged, knowing there was something else going on here too.

  “Fine, after I win I’ll get something nice for dinner and we can soak with Hagan and a bottle of wine. I’ll even throw in a rub down for your sore muscles, as I plan on bending you in every which way.”

  “Will you also tell me what’s gotten into you?” I pushed.

  “Yes.”

  “Deal.” I blinked, and he was in front of me, ripping the strap of my sports bra. “Fuck.”

  “Yes, and a lot,” he hissed as he grabbed me around the waist and took me down. I flipped us and made him work for it. Every pin I got out of, and he was careful not to hurt me. He was the snake who just wrapped around me again and wore me out.

  We went on for twenty minutes that way according to the clock on the wall, and I was completely out of steam… And missing my clothes. Him too.

  I spun around and used my legs to lock him up, but all he did was bury his face between my legs and feast. Well fuuuuuuck.

  Still, I made him work for it, and he rolled us so he was lying on me while eating me like he was dying for me. I moaned as I finished, and then he tried to take the next step as he kissed me. He’d just push in me and I’d get out of the hold or flip us.

  “I’m fucking you,” he growled, shoving back in when he used my right leg to pin my left arm and his hand held down my right arm. “I need to make you scream.”

  “Why?” I gasped, smelling an array of emotions on him. “Talk to me, Carter.”

  He didn’t, kissing me instead as he pumped his hips faster and faster. After I came and he swallowed my screams, he seemed to calm a bit. He moved my arms, pinning down my wrists as he moved slower but deeper, almost hitting my cervix he went so deep. “I don’t know what I’m feeling.” He sank his fangs in my neck but didn’t drink, knowing how much I liked that.

  “It’s about me?” I checked. I wanted to slide off my ring, but that seemed like cheating when it was clearly something he needed to work out.

  He stopped moving, raising his head and staring into my eyes. “Jonik made his intentions clear. Axel and Eugene were in the picture before I met you or Axel was.” He gave me a soft kiss and thrust hard, making me gasp. “I don’t want another vampire here for real. Noah is yours and fine.”

  “Goran too.”

  He snorted. “We both know he has so many issues with commitment and needing to be free that he might never be real with someone or at least for a few centuries.”

  “I thought you were the same.”

  “I am. I like being free.” He kissed me as we moved together again. He bit me again and had a sip, making me orgasm. He gave me a sexy smile as he took in my probably sated expression. “I don’t want another vampire in my spot. I know I did it to protect you, but someone mentioned I could stop now that you’re back to you and…”

  “You didn’t want to.”

  “No,” he breathed, frowning as his hands moved to my breasts. He pushed them up and lavished them with attention. “I love knowing you play. I love watching you play. I love having the freedom to play, but I feel like I need to keep this spot even if I don’t ask to make it official for a few decades or a century.” He shook his head when I opened my mouth. “I think you’ll have enough on your plate until then.”

  I blew out a harsh breath. That wasn’t unfair. “I don’t know what to say to that, Carter. It’s kind of weird to say you want to call ‘consort’ instead of shotgun but won’t collect for a century maybe.”

  “Yeah, it is, but I just wanted to be honest.” He lifted me and sat back on his feet. “Most vampires have issues of being controlled and longing for freedom that we don’t have with masters. I don’t want to be free of you though.” He started moving me with all his strength and speed. All I could do was hold on and enjoy the ride.

  And fucking climax so hard I thought my head might pop off. I bit him with my wolf teeth, smirking when he finished too. Yeah, both of us had some interesting tricks.

  “I don’t want another vampire to have your bite,” he growled. He pulled me off of him and folded me under him much like Hagan had, pinning my arms back as he laid over me and took me hard and harder. “Play with all the ancients, play with Noah’s whole coven, but I will fight to keep the spot is what I’m saying. I want to keep that spot. Neither of us are ready for more.”

  That was for damn sure. I had an overflowing fucking plate.

  We finished again, and then I was done, slumping to the mats and completely boneless.

  “I swear to fuck I’m always hard around you or walking into a fantasy I’ve had,” Brian muttered from the doorway. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to do that when we sparred.”

  “She didn’t even know it was a porn genre.”

  “Yeah, one I really, really like,” I panted.

  Axel and Eugene came in as well, Axel studying us and clearing his throat. “That’s pretty close to how bears have sex, making them fight and work for it. Tigers’ is one good pinning and then a bite to keep them in place and submitted. But it’s animalistic like that.”

  I snorted. “You missed the wolf Beta doing his Alpha like this just a bit ago, so yeah, I would think it went like that.” I swallowed a whimper when Carter pulled out of me, tender in the best ways. I rolled onto my back and pulled him onto me, cupping his face. “Thank you for talking to me about it when neither of us are good at mushy shit.”

  “You make it easy to try,” he breathed, brushing his lips over mine. “I don’t know if I could ever have a real relationship or be able to love, but if I could, it would be with you.”

  I nodded, knowing the feeling and not feeling scared or rushed when it came to Carter. “Keep the spot. I’m not looking for vampire consorts, I promise. It’s dangerous for Noah and even Goran. If that changes, I promise we’ll talk.”

  “Thank you. That’s more than I deserve when I’m not sure how I’m even feeling.” He smiled when I nodded. “I want you again.”

  “Nope, I’m done, and I needed to get that energy and workout, so thanks. You now have to carry me upstairs though, and I believe you promised me dinner, wine, a soak, and a rub down.”

  “Yes, Mistress,” he purred.

  “I’m not having sex again after that.”

  “Fine, maybe I just want something sweet for dessert.”

  “I know that’s your guys’ new code for oral sex,” I drawled. “A lot of people use that.”

  “Yeah, we weren’t going for subtle,” he chuckled.

  “Be careful which buttons you push,” I murmured, grabbing his still hard dick and stroking him until he moaned. “You’ve asked me for something, and I could make demands as well and it would be fair.”

  “You could.” He was clearly better at seducing—as if having thousands of years’ experience—moving so he rubbed against me as well while wrapping his strong arms around me. He ran his fangs along my neck. “What do you want from me, Sera? Ask me. Let me earn that spot.”

  Fuck, my siren about did a dance. Bastard. “What would you offer?”

  “No wolves. None of your friends,” he promised, moving his hips faster while scratching me. “No one that works for you. I’ll play with humans and visitors like Noah even if we’re not committed. I’ll show I deserve that spot.”

  I turned my head and met his gaze, licking my lips. “Show I’m boss, Carter. Finish now.”

  His eyes went wide, and he kissed me as he grunted, his body actually listening to me in a way that got me super hot. Or at least my siren. She about preened in my mental image of her that we’d pushed the right b
utton on a ridiculously hot and strong vampire.

  “I accept,” I chuckled when he was done.

  “Fuck, do that again,” he growled, nipping at my neck. “Seriously, do that again to me. That was amazing. No woman’s been able to push me like that. I knew this was the right call.”

  I was pretty sure I did too. He wasn’t calling shotgun but maybe an IOU that one day we wanted to be something more serious, but until then, there was no rush, no pressure, and all the time in the world.

  It was a nice feeling, if I was honest.

  21

  “Did you talk to Hagan?” I asked Brian as he carried me up to my apartment while Carter got food. My legs and body were just mush from the hard workout and hot sex.

  “I did. You okay?”

  “In shock. Not sure what the fuck I feel. You?”

  “In shock. Not sure what the fuck I feel,” he agreed. He set me on my feet when we were at my door and unlocked it.

  Eugene went to hug me, and I accepted, saying, “I’m sorry. I didn’t know, I swear. I’m sorry to you too, Axel.”

  “Sera, we’ve not had sex,” he murmured gently.

  I felt like smacking myself in the forehead. Wow, I really was all over the place. I tried to not completely look insane. “I know, but you’ve left your scent on me, on the right spot.”

  “Yeah, I have, and if you are pregnant, then it was meant to be. I like Topher.” He seemed at about his limit with discussing it. “I would never be mad or think you would pull shit other women have tried on me.”

  I sighed as I let him carry me into the bathroom, getting cleaned up better when he did. “One of my fears was ever being one of those kinds of women. I’d thought that was an old thing, but I knew someone in my dorm in college that did just that and I—there is a special level of hell for people who intentionally get knocked up on their partner or even aren’t as careful as they promise.”

  “I agree.” He brought me back out to the kitchen, and I realized I wanted to see Topher.

  Brian had the same idea because he walked into the apartment with the little cutie. “I told Maya we had him for now. She said that’s perfect because she needs to run some errands, and Luca’s watching him tonight so she can get a full night’s sleep.”

  “It’s weird that we both want to hold him after hearing the news,” I muttered, holding out my finger to Topher who immediately smiled after grabbing it.

  “I think we’re reminding ourselves that the outcome is still good even if scary. We weren’t ready for Topher, but we’re doing good. We will again.” He cleared his throat. “Are you late?”

  “No, but I’m still two weeks out.”

  “Can I ask what the baby would be if we had one?” he asked quietly, his tone careful.

  “I don’t know,” I admitted, glancing between Axel and Eugene. “We can have babies with humans, right?”

  “It’s exceedingly rare,” Eugene muttered, grabbing water out of the fridge. “I’ve only heard of a few. Normally only if the man is a shifter and his seed turns the human woman.”

  “Spunk does it?” I asked, my eyes going wide. “I feel like I should know that.”

  “It’s rare too, but it can,” Axel answered. He held his hand out at about his thighs. “It’s like seed here.” He raised his hand to his belly button. “Scratches here.” Then he waved his hand overhead. “And bites here. The infection doesn’t always happen or it can kill, so sometimes it’s just a crap shoot. Or like you who had serious claw marks isn’t anywhere near a scratch.”

  “Or people trying to get pregnant has a lot of chances to get infected too, got it,” I muttered. “But what was the baby?”

  “Shifter,” they said together, but Axel continued. “But weaker than if you had a baby with a shifter. Tigers don’t allow it. Most will kill the baby.” He swallowed loudly, and I knew there was an issue there for sure. “Not quite Harris weak where an infected kid on his first shift infected him, but nowhere near a normal born shifter.”

  “Got it.” I wanted off the topic and was ready to get good news that I wasn’t pregnant. Fuck, if I went from not wanting kids to two, I was going to lose what was left of my mind.

  For real.

  Hagan showed up with someone I didn’t expect to see.

  Tristan greeted everyone but then smiled his full, delighted smile when he saw Topher. “You are just the cutest little ball of love, young sir.” He winked at Topher and then looked at me. “Sorry if I’m interrupting. I wanted to see if we could talk, but I can come back.”

  “No, it’s fine, we’re just waiting for dinner.” I waved for him to come with and headed down the hall to the entertainment room with the crazy big TV.

  “Wow, the previous owner really did plan this place to be an epic man cave and party place,” Tristan said with a nervous chuckle.

  “Are you okay?” I whispered, those gorgeous cobalt eyes locking on me.

  “Sit,” he murmured, moving when I did. He knelt in front of me and moved his hands to my knees. “I think it’s time I find a new coven. I’m glad Noah’s taken over when Vlad wasn’t who we thought, and I don’t mind being under Goran, but it’s just… I think I need to move on.”

  I swallowed loudly. “Why?”

  “I still love you, and I don’t think I can get over you being here.” He took my hands in his and kissed them. “I know I abandoned you more than once, and a part of you might always love me, but you don’t want to try again as I do.”

  “No, I don’t,” I rasped, finally saying what Phobie had helped me to figure out. I’d thought about it after Tristan wasn’t Vlad’s again, but he’d walked away from me. Valid or not, he’d made the choice and done it. And he’d done it before with taking a break and taking a work trip without even telling me.

  But what had happened in New York had helped me realize some of my priorities. I had wanted nothing more than to come home and fix what was broken and needed work with Hagan, Reagan, Noah, Brian, and even Dain… But not Tristan.

  And I’d never once wanted to turn to him after I’d been kidnapped. In my heart I knew that door was closed for me.

  “I understand, but leaving the coven means risking that you’ll join a coven you can’t get back out of.” I shook my head when he went to argue. “Travel, go check places out. You don’t have to leave. Goran won’t care. Go scope places out for him.”

  “I was thinking maybe visiting Greece—”

  “No, you cannot go to Greece!” I screamed, shocking myself for a moment at having such a strong reaction, but instantly I was shaking at the idea.

  Tears filled his eyes. “I would never do that to you, Sera. I’m not thinking like Riley. I didn’t mean there with Alena. I’m so sorry.” He kissed my hands again. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean there. I mean northern Greece where there are several covens who are friendly with Alena and Zeno and they trust. I thought maybe go check out what President Nuri’s doing and see what else is out there.”

  I bobbed my head as we both shed a few tears thinking of Riley. I wiped my eyes and let out a shaky breath. “Sorry. I wasn’t thinking. I just…”

  “I know. I feel the same. I should have thought on that. I’ll be careful when I tell Jesse.”

  “Yeah, he really loves you like a brother,” I agreed. I slid to the floor and hugged him. “Take care of you. I get it, but don’t leave the coven. Maybe you’ll meet some perfect woman for you and then want to come home to Chicago again. I get it, but only leave if you find a new home.”

  “Thank you,” he rasped, burying his face against my neck. “I found the perfect woman, but I ruined any chance I had to ever be truly hers and more than once.” He gave me a soft kiss on the lips that I returned.

  And then he was gone. I was kneeling there alone as my heart broke all over again. I loved Tristan, and maybe some part of me always would, but I couldn’t be in love with him ever again. I didn’t have it in me. No matter the bond we’d had or shit Vlad had pulled, he’d abandoned me and not jus
t a misunderstanding like Dain or even Brian needing time to come to grips, but Tristan and I had been real.

  And I’d thought forever, so that hurt.

  “I did not think it would go like that,” Carter muttered as he picked me up and sat on the couch with me on his lap. He held me tightly, and it wasn’t until then I realized I was crying. He kissed my eyes and cradled me. “Don’t love him. Love someone who deserves it. People like him wouldn’t understand.”

  “Understand what?” I whispered, my voice sounding rough.

  He let out a slow breath and kissed my neck, playing with my hair that had fallen out of the tie during sex and I hadn’t retrieved. “Being abandoned.”

  “You?”

  “Yeah, me too,” he murmured. “I was the same age you were too, and my parents didn’t drop me off to the government, as there wasn’t that option. They knew they were leaving me to die.”

  I snorted. “They left me in a shit neighborhood hours before DCFS opened and tried to get me lost in the system. I honestly believe that if they could have left me to die and I wouldn’t have figured out a way to get back to the city and report them, they would have.”

  “Yeah, Emilio said your father was about that loving.” He nuzzled my face, wrapped around me in a way that I knew was for me but I thought might be for him too. “My parents had a chance at a better life. An offshoot family or something wanted a son, my older brother, and would take my parents. They didn’t want two sons, as that could make a mess.

  “So they did it. They left me and moved on, not even giving me a backwards glance or trying to find a place for me.” He pressed his lips to my ear. “No one knows this but you or Apollo, but it was him who found me. There’s a reason you get along with him in a way you do Dain or some others close to you.”

  “His family betrayed him,” I guessed. “It leaves a mark on you like nothing else could.”

  “We know our own, except it was the one who made him. He thought Apollo pretty and perfect to lure in people to feed from but assumed Apollo was as refined as his looks. When he wasn’t and couldn’t melt into the upper crowds, instead of teaching him, the guy ditched him to figure out being a new fucking vampire. He was months into that when we met.