He was fucking her hard. But there wasn’t any more pain. He’d been right. This was the ultimate pleasure, an act shared by two werewolves mated for life. It would only make their love stronger, which already seemed impossible to do.
“Katrin, I’m going to come.”
She held the side of his face, gripping his shoulder with her other hand. When he went rigid, it was barely enough warning before her insides were scalded with his release.
“I love you!” she howled as she came along with him.
Chapter Twenty
The instant Jarvis pulled out of her ass his body convulsed. She’d been so hot, so tight, and the pleasure he saw on her face when she came brought him to a new level of adoration for her. She’d just shared every part of herself sexually with him. As he glanced down at his mate and saw the glow on her face, he knew he would kill for her. Jarvis would do anything to see to her pleasure, to protect her, to ensure she always smelled happy.
“You are so beautiful,” he told her, and stretched out before the fire with her, pulling her body against his.
Katrin laughed. “I’m not sure I’ll ever get the tangles from my hair.”
She was sated, her body limp as he molded it against his.
“I’ll brush it for you.”
“And my new table. What did we do?” She lifted her head but then dropped it, relaxing against his arm.
“I’ll build you another one.”
Her laughter was melodic. It sounded as good as her happiness smelled when she curled into him. Then raising her head, she grinned down at him. The glow on her face, on her entire body, added to how beautiful she was.
“Now I know how to get what I want out of you.”
“No.” He stared into her pretty blue eyes. “You’ll never have to do something just for me to do something for you. Katrin, if we never do that again—” he began.
She pressed a finger to his lips. “I think we might be able to do that again.”
Jarvis sat up, every inch of him reeling from how lucky he was. He lifted her so she sat with him.
“Where is that brush?” he asked.
There was a crunch outside, then another. Someone was walking along the mountain—and they were close. At the same time he heard a second set of footsteps, Katrin stiffened. She puckered her cute nose and sniffed at the air. Her eyes were wide when she looked at him.
“Someone is out there,” she whispered.
She continued sniffing out the scent of werewolves who were approaching. Jarvis already sensed that much. The sound of them walking and the smell of them grew stronger with each moment.
“Put your clothes on.” He walked over to the table, which was definitely damaged, and reached for his clothes.
“Jarvis,” Katrin complained. “Someone is coming to our den.”
Already she had found another sweatshirt and the pants she’d been wearing after her bath.
“I’ll take care of it,” he assured her.
Although there were other werewolves nearby and some might track close to their den, it wasn’t usual for someone to approach a den without being invited or keeping their distance and making their presence known. Jarvis guessed whoever was out there didn’t know until they’d gotten close that their den was there. But they were still approaching, and that bothered him.
He zipped up his jeans and didn’t worry about his shirt. “Stay here,” he ordered, his senses already on alert when he reached for the door.
“I’m coming with you.”
Jarvis didn’t wait for her to follow but opened the door and stepped outside. The frigid cold was a contrast to the heat inside. He’d just known molten lava wrapped around his dick. Instantly he shivered as drying sweat soaked into his flesh.
Werewolves didn’t carry guns. The thought of protecting themselves with human weapons was preposterous. He would change and fly off this porch with intent to kill if whoever appeared out of those trees smelled even remotely hostile.
He hadn’t bothered with shoes, and wasn’t in the mood to freeze his feet by walking over the frozen ground. Patches of snow were mounds scattered across their yard. It would start snowing more, and hard, soon enough. Their den was secure, and would keep them warm while in their flesh. He wasn’t worried about the weather. Nor did he feel a need to hurry to the trees where the smell of their uninvited guests continued to grow. They would come to him and keep on going unless their scent told him they needed a lesson on how not to cross his land.
There was movement at the edge of the trees, right before a cliff of rocks that built a natural wall and helped secure their property. Jarvis moved to the edge of his porch. He rested his hands on the wooden railing he’d just built. Then narrowing his gaze, he spotted two werewolves walking in their human form. He smelled a male and a female.
Jarvis relaxed. There would be mates coming to the mountain always. Possibly they had tired of living with a pack. Or maybe they were like him and Katrin, searching for a part of the world to call theirs and not worry about the burden of laws imposed on them. Then he took another sniff of the air and scowled.
The two figures moved through the trees but were still too far away for him to focus on them. He did pick up on a mixture of determination and exhaustion in the male’s scent. But there was something else, something distinctly familiar.
He was at the edge of the porch, ready to come down the stairs, when the male and female appeared out of the trees.
“Jaeger!” he yelled, surprised.
The door flew open behind him just as Jarvis focused on his littermate’s face. Jaeger looked tired, almost battle weary. His jaw was set and his bright blue eyes cold and focused. Jaeger’s longer hair fell in loose curls almost to his shoulder. He looked as if he hadn’t bathed in a few days. The moment the breeze shifted, Jarvis’ guess was confirmed. His littermate was worn out and filthy.
“Leisa!” Katrin cried out and flew off the porch.
Jarvis spun around but his mate ran too fast for him to catch her. She wasn’t wearing her sweats but had changed into jeans and a heavy sweater. She smelled clean. But the strong aroma of their sex lingered after her. It also filled the front porch as Katrin had left the door to their den open. Jarvis wasn’t sure if she had done that on purpose or not. He didn’t bother closing it. Instead he moved to the steps and watched Katrin fly into the arms of the female walking alongside Jaeger.
Jaeger sniffed the air, studied Katrin’s unbrushed hair for a moment before taking in the rest of her. He barely stopped walking as he left the females embracing and walked up to the porch where Jarvis stood.
“Smells like you’ve had more fun than I have,” he grunted, and stepped on to the porch, forcing Jarvis to move to allow him space.
Jaeger ran his fingers through his unkempt hair. When he looked at Jarvis, there was more on his face than just anger.
“What happened?” Jarvis asked, glancing over his shoulder at Katrin, who was still hugging her littermate. “Weren’t there two of them?”
“That’s been the problem. Do you know how hard it is traveling with a female who despises you before she can even sniff you out?” Jaeger waved his hand in the direction of the two females. “She and the other littermate were separated. Leisa had been searching for Magda for over a day when I found her. It smelled like the right thing to do to bring this one to you, then I can run back to where I found them and start a more intensive hunt for Magda. It will be a lot easier not having a female who very clearly looks like a full-blooded Malta werewolf clawing at my rear as I’m trying to sniff out her littermate.”
Jaeger shook his head and glanced inside Jarvis and Katrin’s den. He took a deep breath and gave Jarvis a second look. This one looked more like the arrogant, sure-of-himself male that Jarvis knew Jaeger to be.
“Definitely having more fun than me,” he mumbled.
Jarvis didn’t care if he smelled happy, even if his littermate had been through hell. “Being mated is a damn good life,” he offered.
Jaeger nodded toward the open doorway to their den. “Honestly,” he said under his breath. “It crossed my mind to fuck the little bitch just to get her to quit fighting with me. Leisa would have walked down the streets of Seattle in broad daylight, and probably gotten herself killed howling for her littermate.”
“Do you know why they were separated?” Jarvis knew Katrin would have a fit. He sniffed the air, ready to smell her outrage and determination to take off herself and find Magda.
“They were being hunted,” he began under his breath but stopped talking when the females approached.
Katrin smelled as unhappy as Jarvis had guessed she would. The female behind Katrin looked a lot like her, except her hair was definitely too dark to be Cariboo. There was something about the long, silky, almost-black hair that gave her an alluring, mysterious look. She stood about the same height as Katrin. Even with the bulky coat that hung off one shoulder, it was easy to see she had a figure that, if it weren’t already impossible for her to do, would make it damn hard for her to run anywhere alone.
In spite of the scowl on her pretty face, she was Katrin’s littermate. Jarvis immediately felt a surge of protectiveness run through his veins. What was Katrin’s was his. This unmated female was Katrin’s litter. It was now his obligation to protect her with his life.
Jarvis stepped forward to introduce himself and welcome the female to their den. He didn’t have time to speak. Katrin pointed a finger at him, her expression tight with outrage.
“Your littermate allowed my oldest, unmated,” she snapped, stressing Magda’s single status, “littermate to run from the two of them without chasing after her.”
“I—” Jaeger began, his hands instantly out in surrender. He now smelled more miserable than he did dirty.
“There is no excuse!” Katrin barked. She turned shiny eyes on Jaeger and marched up the step toward him. “You agreed to run and bring my littermates here. Did you think I would settle with only one of them being safe?”
“Katrin,” Jarvis began and reached for her. “Jaeger just told me that your littermates had been separated over a day. He’s as upset about it as you and has already howled about returning to hunt for her.”
“I’ve already promised Leisa that I would find Magda,” Jaeger promised. “You have my word I’ll hunt her down.”
The sound of more werewolves approaching brought their conversation to a halt. Katrin and Leisa spun around at the same time. Jarvis looked past them into the trees.
“Inside the den, both of you, now!” he ordered.
Katrin grabbed her littermate. “We’ll be safe inside,” she whispered.
Leisa looked over her shoulder at Jarvis, but her scent wasn’t quite readable, especially with so many strong emotions passing between all of them. Leisa nodded once and Katrin put her arm around her, turned them both around and hurried into their den.
Jarvis waited until the females were inside then started around the side of his den. No one would ever bring Katrin harm. This time when he inhaled, he smelled very different scents than what he’d picked up on when Jaeger and Leisa had appeared through the trees.
Jarvis recognized David Mercy, his two cubs, and his petite mate as they stomped over dry leaves and came toward them. David grinned at how Jarvis was dressed, sniffed the air and obviously picked up on the sex he and Katrin had just had. The male frowned at Jaeger, his expression confused.
“We were out hunting,” David called out before the four of them reached Jarvis and Jaeger. “I knew your den was up this way and we hadn’t come to thank your mate, once again, for saving our cubs.”
The younger cub ran ahead of her litter, but stopped in her tracks when Jaeger prevented her from rounding the den and heading for the front porch. Jarvis understood that letting the litter see how much Katrin’s littermate looked like a pure-bred Malta werewolf might be a mistake. Nonetheless, for the benefit of Mercy’s litter, he growled at Jaeger.
“Excuse my littermate,” Jarvis said jovially. “He isn’t around cubs enough.”
“Nothing a good female won’t change,” David said, grinning and grabbing his mate. “We should have howled first that we were coming. But now that we know exactly where your den is, maybe we’ll pay a formal visit soon.”
“You’re right. My mate is indisposed. But I know she would love showing off our new den,” Jarvis said, and forced his expression, and emotions, to be calm. He didn’t want Mercy’s litter sensing something was wrong.
“The two of you are welcome at our den anytime,” Mercy’s mate announced. “My mate and I both believe it’s what’s inside a werewolf that matters.”
“Exactly,” David picked up, taking over the conversation. “We don’t care if she isn’t pure Cariboo. Your mate is a good female. We both smelled it on her. We wanted to make the effort to run up here to let the two of you know that she won’t be harassed by anyone. Not on this mountain.”
“My mate will be very happy to hear that,” he said. “I wish you and your litter good hunting.”
“Thank you. And the same to yours.”
David’s mate gestured for her two cubs to join her. Both of them did, leaping over small branches and leaving a wake of happiness as they started the trek back down the mountain to their den.
Katrin sat at the kitchen table when Jarvis and Jaeger entered the den. Her littermate Leisa turned in the chair where she sat facing Katrin and studied Jarvis. He did the same in return, seeing her more clearly from the lanterns and fireplace now burning in full flame.
“They picked a perfect time to come howling.” Katrin was all grins.
Her happiness wasn’t quite drowned out by Leisa’s sour mood. The spicy smell lingering around her wasn’t as strong as it had been outside. Her anger had subsided. Jarvis saw how pretty she was but this female had been through a lot and the negative smells on her stole from her natural beauty.
“I’m thrilled that you’ve been welcomed onto your mate’s mountain,” Leisa said, turning her back on the males to face Katrin across the table. “Really I am. And I understand that you couldn’t share their kill with them while I’m here.”
“Of course we couldn’t.” Katrin had set a couple plates of fish and cold venison on the table, each plate conveniently covering the scratches she’d etched into the wood during their foreplay. She reached around one of the plates and took her littermate’s hand. “I don’t want to entertain someone else. I want to spend the evening with you.”
“I’m glad you found happiness.” Leisa’s hair had been balled up under a hat, which sat on her lap now, and the long, thick strands looked like dark satin. “And I understand why you wanted to send for Magda and me. But you know I can’t stay here. You know that den would take one sniff of me and howl to every litter on the mountain to have me killed.”
Katrin was shaking her head before her littermate finished speaking. “Leisa, they know I’m Malta werewolf.”
“So now you understand our sire’s bloodline?”
Katrin glanced at Jarvis and gave him a warm smile. “I have so much to share with you,” she told Leisa instead of giving a direct answer. “And I want to hear every bit of the howlings since you left me in Prince George.”
There wasn’t any resentment in Katrin’s voice. She smelled as relaxed as she looked. Jarvis knew she worried about Magda and they would find her, soon. But for now, during this meal, the peace he sensed in Katrin meant the world to him. They’d come a long way in a short time. He was ready to run the distance with her.
“Since you sent this,” Leisa paused and looked pointedly at Jaeger, then added a bit too sweetly, “male to run after me, I guess I’m here for a while. But forgive me if I’m not as optimistic as you are about being accepted. A lifetime of being shunned takes a while to wear off. Maybe I’ll run to our old mountain.”
“Not without an escort,” Jaeger growled. “You’ll stay put until I return with your other littermate.”
“Trust me, male, I can take c
are of myself,” Leisa informed him.
Jarvis leaned against the countertop and studied his Jaeger. He wondered if something more happened on their trip here. Jaeger didn’t look at him but focused on Leisa. She might not know it, but Jarvis knew that look. Jaeger wasn’t going to let Katrin’s littermate run anywhere without him.
“We can all run there,” Katrin decided. “I’d like to see where our den used to be too. I agree with Jaeger, though. It wouldn’t be right to return to our mountain without Magda.”
“You two females will sleep in the loft tonight. Jaeger and I will rough it in our fur outside. It will be easier to sniff out if anyone else decides to pay a visit tonight. In the morning we will get you ready for you to hunt for Magda.”
* * * * *
An hour later he and Jaeger sat on the porch, swapping stories since they’d last run together. The door to the den opened and both turned as light flooded into the night and Katrin stepped out behind them. Jaeger mumbled something about visiting the woods and Katrin sat by Jarvis on the step and nuzzled into him.
“Leisa is sound asleep.” Katrin sounded sleepy too. Her body was warm and relaxed. “I’m worried about Magda though.”
“Jaeger was telling me a bit about what he knew.” Jarvis wrapped his arm around his mate. Her littermates were part of his litter now too. Jaeger had sniffed that truth out as well. He wouldn’t voice his worries about Magda being alone wherever she was.
“Apparently they were north of Seattle and had decided to run back up toward Banff,” Katrin offered, and rested her head on his shoulder as she continued to cuddle. She was in her big sweats again but her soft curves were immediately a distraction. “Some American mutts sniffed them out and Magda insisted they separate to make it harder to be caught. Leisa wasn’t able to find Magda again. When Jaeger found her, Leisa was backtracking toward Seattle, since that’s the direction Magda initially ran. She was frantic trying to find her. Apparently Jaeger ran with her for a day before insisting the two of them run up here.”
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