First Beginnings

by Clare Atling

  Sarah looked up at Seth, who smiled down at her. He took her hand again and led her to the chair by the window. Sitting down, he pulled her on his lap and arranged her so she was sitting side-saddle over his strong thighs. She started to move to get up, but he wound his arms round her torso and pulled her more firmly against him.

  ‘Don’t keep wriggling or I won’t be able to look my momma in the face for the next few hours.’

  ‘Urgh! Gross,’ Hope snorted, who was sitting on the sofa next to Brandon and Callie. She winked over at Sarah, who was now bright red as she realised they had heard what he said. She felt his chuckle against her body and hoped to the gods above she could hide her arousal from everyone. She didn’t want to think about his father getting even a whiff of her getting hot for his son.

  Chapter Ten

  Callie relayed the story of the night they had gone dancing and the attack. She had managed to knock the man out and changed back to human form and carried Sarah to the car. She had to hot wire it and drive out of there, dumping the car in a wooded area before carrying Sarah to the hotel. Sarah stared at Callie, listening to the parts of the story she hadn’t known about, as she had been unconscious for most of that night and the best part of the next day. Seth’s father, Christopher, stood before Callie and took her hand.

  ‘You are a very brave girl, Callie. You saved my son’s mate and brought her into our lives. For that, we cannot thank you enough. Your safety is paramount to us and, until we hear back from Logan, I'm afraid we cannot let you return to the mainland.’ He held his hand to silence Callie’s response. ‘Please know you are not a prisoner here and have full pack privileges. If you are happy to, Hope has agreed you can stay with her until we find you more suitable accommodation.’

  Callie looked up at the man with tears in her eyes.

  ‘Thank you,’ she replied. ‘I have never, ever, been part of a pack before. I only know what I have heard and grown up around. My father was a wolf and my mother was a human. They were cast out from the pack and raised me until they were killed by another wolf. The man last night reminded me of that wolf, but it was so long I can’t be sure. His smell and touch was so familiar to me, but not in a good way. I can’t promise I will join the pack, but I would love to stay a while whilst we sort things out, if that’s ok with you.’ Christopher crouched down to be at her level.

  ‘I think I can speak for my son, the alpha, but you are welcome to stay for as long as you need. This will always be a place you can call home.’ Callie wiped the tears from her face.

  ’Thank you so much.’

  Sarah was weeping like a baby. The emotions were strung so high in the room that she was pretty sure she even saw Brandon wipe a stray tear away. Seth had remained stiff and unmoving throughout the whole story. She knew that he was trying to contain himself. She turned to look at him, but he wouldn’t meet her eyes.

  ‘Seth, it’s okay,’ she said quietly. ‘Callie and I are okay.’ She tried to get up so she could kneel before him, but he held on tight. Sarah gave up trying to get away and just let him hold her. She knew she shouldn’t be letting him get so close, having only known him a few days, but everything about this family made her long for something she hadn’t realised she was missing. She looked to Callie, who smiled so happily at her that she knew, in her heart, that this was now a place she should get used to calling home. Her brain, however, was still telling her not to get attached to these people and think about the bigger picture of getting home and opening her dream bakery.

  Finally, she felt Seth relax and, even though he spoke to the room, he never let her go.

  ‘Have we heard back from Logan yet?’ he asked. ‘Do we know what he found at the girls’ place?’ Suddenly, the thought struck him that Logan was getting some clothes for them and, with clothes, came underwear. Sarah's underwear. He would be pawing his grubbing mitts all over her knickers and bras. His growl was deep and feral and the whole room stopped talking to look at him. He stood so quickly that Sarah thought she was going to land on her butt. ‘Logan’s gone to their place alone?’

  ‘Now, son, he is strong and capable of assessing the situation,’ said his father. ‘If he thought it wasn’t safe, he would call for reinforcements.’

  Seth paced in front of the fireplace. ‘I bet he’s got his fat little fingers all through your knicker drawer,’ he said, almost to himself. ‘Damn it, I should be the first one to see your underwear, not him!’ Silence echoed round the room, followed by raging laughter. He suddenly realised what he had said out load and looked over to Sarah.

  ‘Really,’ said Sarah, ‘Callie pours her heart out to your family and all you can think of is your brother, who I’ve not even met, getting a few knick knacks from my house.’ She stood in front of him, staring him down in a challenge. ‘You do not own me or my underwear, got it?’ She jabbed his chest with her finger. ‘Your brother is risking his life to go back to the home you forbid me to go back to, and all you can concern yourself about is him packing my underwear?’ She could hear Brandon laughing in the background, but she ignored him, refusing to look away from Seth’s gaze.

  ‘Now sweetness...’

  She shoved him back. ‘Don’t call me sweetness!’ she shouted as she turned tail and left the room.

  ‘Oh, son, you’ve got your hands full there,’ said Mary. ‘But she will make you the perfect alpha mate.’ He looked round at his family as his mom spoke and could see them all laughing at him.

  ‘Whatever,’ he replied. ‘When you've all mated, then you can tell me not to overreact! Mom, Dad, thanks for today, but I'm going to find my mate and teach her how she needs to respect her alpha.’ As he left the room, he heard them all laugh harder than he’d heard them do in a long time. Great, he thought. Laugh it up. He was going to find his mate and spank that arse so red she wouldn’t be sitting for a week.

  He found her sitting on the front steps. Suddenly, a warm, satisfied feeling swept over him as he looked at her in front of his home. ‘Why are you waiting out here?’ he asked, making his way to her.

  ‘Well, boy wonder, I’ve been here less than twenty-four hours and, believe it or not, I didn’t think to ask for a key before I made my dramatic exit.’ She looked a bit guilty, but she also looked strong-willed, as though she was picking for a fight.

  ‘Umm. You know, sweetness, I think I am going to have to teach you how you should mind your tongue around your alpha.’ Seth knelt in front of her, placing his arms either side of her, caging her in. He moved forward, making her lean against the step.

  ‘You’re not my alpha,’ Sarah stated. ‘I can talk to you how I want to. And stop calling me sweetness!’ She licked her bottom lip and made the mistake of lowering her eyes to his lips. He pounced. His lips crashed against hers as he breathed in her scent. He knew his eyes had turned amber and he could feel the wolf close to the surface, but he continued to kiss her as if he would never get another chance to do so.

  Sarah sat, shocked, as his lips met hers. However, before she could stop him, she felt her arms reach around his neck, her fingers running greedily through his hair. He heard her moan and he deepened the kiss, his tongue reaching out, asking for entrance to her mouth. She gave it freely, not caring if this was a huge mistake. She just wanted to feel his warmth against her, his hands all over her. His grip on her body was hard and almost painful and, as if sensing her pain, he loosened his grip and ran his big, strong hands down her sides and over her back.

  ‘Please, Sarah,’ he asked, breaking the kiss. He looked into her eyes and she knew, at that moment, she wouldn’t deny him anything. ‘Please let me touch you, let me taste you here,’ he asked, running the tip of his finger over her now hard nipple. Her grip in his hair tightened as he kissed down her throat.

  ‘Yes, god, Seth please touch me.’ She was airborne as soon as she’d finished her sentence. His hands lifted her, gripping her arse tightly.

  ‘Wrap your legs around me.’ His voice was gravelly as he spoke his demand. Sarah didn’t he
sitate as her long legs wrapped around him, her wet core coming into contact with the erection in his trousers. She couldn’t help but grind against him as he walked into the house. He kicked the door shut and pushed her against the nearest wall. His mouth once again found hers, but this time she was the one thrusting her tongue inside his mouth. She was glad when he moved his mouth to kiss down her neck, as she gulped in a lungful of air she desperately needed. He bit her ear lobe as he thrust his hips into her centre, causing her to moan out loud.

  ‘Sarah, I can’t think,’ he breathed. ‘I want you so much that all I can think of is filling you with my cock and fucking you against this wall.’

  She shivered as his rough words made her core flood with a warm rush of pleasure. Her pussy clenched in anticipation as she felt his hands brush her chest. However, before she could say anything, he grabbed hold of her shirt and ripped it open, sending buttons flying through the air. He seemed to stop breathing as he looked straight at her breasts. She knew she should care about being so exposed to a stranger and a man who turns into a wolf at will, but all she could think about was the touch of his hands and mouth on her body.

  Seth moved his hand over the seam of the boxers she was wearing, letting his nails turn into claws so he could remove them, though being careful not to slice her skin.

  ‘Please, Seth… oh my god,’ Sarah moaned as her final barrier was gone. Her hand moved down to his trousers as she pulled open the snap, but Seth took pity on her shaking hands and pulled himself free and, in one quick movement, she felt him at her entrance. He looked deep into her eyes and she could tell he was watching her for approval before he took her. Moving her lips to his, she kissed him hard, moaning as he entered her, pushing her harder against the wall.

  Seth tried to think of something else as he pushed deep into her. Her warm, wet core was clenching round him and he knew, if he moved now, it would all be over. He kissed her back, thrusting his tongue in her mouth.

  ‘So tight and hot,’ he gasped. ‘I won’t last long, sweetness. But the next round I’ll take my time, making you mine.’

  ‘Just fuck me, Seth. Hard and fast. I need you.’ Those final words were all Seth needed as he pulled out and thrust back into her. He caught her moans in his mouth as he took her, over and over, pushing her closer to her climax.

  ‘Yes, yes, yes...’ Sarah cried out, digging her fingers in his scalp as she came hard. Seth didn’t care about the pain; all he could feel was her clenching around his cock so hard he could barely pull out. It took him over the edge as he pushed in one final time and spilled his seed, deep within her.

  Both were breathing hard and fast as he looked at her. Sarah had closed her eyes, but had a small smile on her lips.

  ‘I think every woman should be taken against a wall at least one time in her life,’ she said, finally opening her eyes and looking to the warm, amber eyes of Seth’s wolf.

  ‘I should have taken you to bed and made it more romantic for our first time,’ he replied. ‘I'm sorry, my sweetness.’ He didn’t want to pull out of her, as that would mean moving away from her warm, tight body; but he could feel her body going limp and he remembered he was most likely squashing her. Slowly, he pulled free and lowered her legs to the floor. Just as he was about to kiss her, there was a knock at his door. Sarah looked shocked when he growled, his head turning, as if he could see through the wood and tell whoever it was to disappear.

  ‘It’s ok, Seth,’ she said. ‘I’ll go grab a shower. See who it is.’ She practically ran up the stairs. He saw the tension in her body, knowing that it probably wasn’t the best idea to take his mate like he was some beast. Putting himself away and zipping his trousers back up, he went to answer the door.

  Pulling the door open, and surprising himself that he hadn’t ripped it from the hinges, he stood looking at his brother’s face. Logan was smiling, as if he was about to tell the world’s funniest joke.

  ‘Sorry to interrupt your “quickie” moment with your mate, brother,’ he said, ‘but I have her stuff. Thought she might need it.’

  ‘Go fuck yourself, Logan,’ replied Seth. ‘Just give me her god damn clothes. I don't want your sticky hands anywhere near my mate’s things.’

  Logan roared with laughter. ‘I see having a mate hasn’t calmed you, brother.’ He slapped Seth on the back and walked past him to the kitchen.

  Seth dropped the bag and closed the door, glancing at the top of the stairs, hoping to see his mate looking down. However, he could hear the shower and he knew he would have to fix what had happened in the hallway moments earlier. He walked to the kitchen and found Logan pouring a cup of coffee and taking a seat at the breakfast island.

  ‘So,’ Logan began, ‘I looked over their place and couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary inside. I did scent a male wolf outside but, without taking your mate’s friend back to confirm it, I can’t say it was the same threat.’

  ‘I’ll speak to Callie and see if she is willing to return for confirmation,’ replied Seth. ‘But I want both you and Brandon to go. From what Callie says, he was a big wolf and, before you think I'm knocking your ego, I just don't want him to get the upper hand. I also don’t want anything to happen to my mate’s best friend. She has been through enough – they both have.’

  ‘Wow,’ said Logan, grinning. ‘I don't think I’ve ever heard you say so much before. Okay, I’ll go over to Hope’s house and see if this Callie is good to go. I’ll give you time alone with your wolf. If only to work on your performance!’ He winked at Seth before ducking from the flying object Seth launched at him.

  ‘For your information, I think I’ve just made a huge mistake,’ he replied. Before he could explain further, Logan had looked over his shoulder behind him and her scent hit him. Turning slowly, he looked her once over. She was dressed in a pair of his jogging bottoms that had been rolled up at the bottoms and turned several times to sit on her hips, and one of his T-shirts that was tied to the side, just high enough to expose about an inch of her firm, toned stomach.

  He looked into her eyes. What he saw there turned his stomach, as he realised what his comment must have sounded like to her.

  Sarah couldn’t help but try and blink the tears away. Mistake? The hottest sex of her life and he thought he had made a mistake!

  ‘Sarah, that’s not what I meant,’ he said quickly. ‘Wait… where are you going?’ Seth watched her head to the back door.

  ‘Just going to see Callie,’ she replied. ‘You must be Logan,’ she added, looking at his brother. ‘Nice to meet you! I'm Sarah. The mistake.’ She knew she sounded childish, but she couldn’t help it. That one word had sliced straight through her and she didn’t want to hang about to hear the rest of the conversation. Yet, she couldn’t understand her disappointment. She knew she would be going home, back to her normal life, and that was what she wanted, right?

  ‘Sarah, wait!’

  ‘Let her go, man,’ said Logan. ‘She needs to cool off and speak to her BFF about what an arsehole you are.’

  ‘I hope,’ said Seth, ‘when you meet your mate, you’re just as much of an idiot as I am. I didn’t mean it like that. I wanted her to trust me, take things slow. But when she kissed me back… man oh man, I couldn’t hold back.’

  ‘Cant blame you, brother. That is one hot piece of ass.’

  ‘Do not refer to my mate like that. Go get your own mate!’

  Logan let out a whistle. ‘Can’t wait, man. I just know my mate is going to be one hot she-wolf. When I find her, I'm going to claim her, there and then, so there’ll be no doubt she’s mine.’ Logan pushed his huge frame out of the chair and headed towards the front door.

  ‘Yeah, well I hope your mate will be some hag that can’t stand to look at your ugly face.’

  ‘Never going to happen, Seth. See you later – and good luck with your mate.’

  Seth made his way to the back door, stepping outside to go find his mate. However, he stopped short when he saw her sitting on the swing by the tree in h
is garden.

  Chapter Eleven

  He walked slowly towards her, but made sure he made enough noise so as not to frighten her.

  ‘Sarah, I'm sorry about what you heard,’ he said gently. ‘I didn’t mean a mistake like you think. I only meant that I shouldn’t have taken you like an animal, up against the wall, for our first time.’ He crouched down on his haunches before her and took both her hands in his. He could tell she had been crying and felt like a total tosser for making his mate feel that way.

  ‘I know,’ replied Sarah. ‘I kind of figured that out. I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions. It’s just that I’ve always had a plan in my life. A clear goal of where I want to be. But then, in a blink, it’s all changed and now I don't know what I want.’

  ‘Sarah, I could make you happy here, but I would also follow you wherever you wanted to go. You are my mate. The one soul made just for me. I'm lucky to have found you, even though the circumstances at the time were bad.’ Seth cupped her cheek with his hand and she closed her eyes, tilting her head as if to get closer. ‘I’m 220 years old,’ he continued, ‘and felt like I have waited for you my entire existence, but somehow I couldn’t wait two more minutes to get you to a bed. I'm sorry. I really wanted you to trust me and feel safe with me.’

  ‘Is that what you think?’ she asked. ‘That I don't trust you?’ Opening her eyes, she looked straight at him and covered his hand with hers. ‘Seth, for some reason, I feel safe with you and, for the first time in my life, I finally feel at home. I can’t explain it, but I trust you to never hurt me. Your trust was never in question.’

  ‘Then what is it, sweetness?’ The use of her nickname brought a smile to her lips.

  ‘I’ve known you less than two days, and already my lifetime dreams seem not to matter anymore. It’s like I want to crawl inside you and never leave.’

  ‘Then don't,’ replied Seth. ‘Leave, I mean. How about we go out? You and me, on a real date. I want to get to know you, Sarah. I already know you’re mine, but I also need to explain some things to you that you may not understand. Things like pack ways and the mating.’ Her eyes began to well up again, but Seth continued. ‘I also want to hear about your dreams and your life before you came to Penn Lake Island. I want to get to know you and for you to get to know me. What do you say?’