Mating Behavior

by Mandy M. Roth

  Something about Katie left Alan not only offering up the place across from his, but making damn sure she could afford it. He bought her a cup of coffee and they ended up talking until the shop closed. They’d been friends ever since. He shared almost every aspect of his life with Katie. The only part he kept to himself was what he truly was. More than a man, but not quite a complete beast. A werewolf.

  Her interest in wolves always left him smiling. On many occasions Alan had considered telling her the truth about himself, but the thought of losing her to fear and to the pack prevented the words from falling from his lips. Katie meant too much to him. She’d become his reason for living.

  Coming to his senses, Alan stared at the beauty before him, his cock hard and his breathing shallow. She was close enough to kiss, but he held back, knowing one small taste would never be enough. The power she wielded over him was unlike anything he’d ever encountered before and with as bizarre as his life was, Alan had seen a lot in his days.

  “I should get that wood now,” he said, his voice scarcely above a whisper. “We’ll want another fire going soon.”

  Katie nodded, her dark eyes scanning his face. “Mmm-hmm, wood.”

  His supernatural senses picked up the elevation in her heart rate and the change in her breathing. As the knowledge Katie was aroused struck him, Alan thought for sure his already aching cock would burst. Her thick lashes lowered as she bit the corner of her lips. Unable to help himself, Alan traced a line from under her eye to where she bit. Her smooth skin was flushed from what he’d assumed was the slight bite in the air. Now he wondered if it was something else.

  Does she want me too?

  “Katie.” Her name fell out in a hushed breath as Alan positioned his powerful body over hers. His intent had been to push up and off the ground, putting distance between them before he did something stupid like kiss her only to find out she didn’t want him in that way. That wasn’t what happened. Normally agile—and scarily so—Alan’s foot slipped out from under him. He fell onto Katie, knocking her on her back as he rode her body down.

  A harrumph whooshed out of her lungs as she wrapped her arms around him. Her ample breasts pressed against her zip-up sweater. Even with a long-sleeved, lightweight shirt on, Alan could feel her nipples hardening to pebble-like peaks while his cock dug painfully against the zipper of his jeans. A lesser man would have come in his pants by now.

  Get off her before you fuck her. Now.

  He made a move to roll off her but stopped as the length of his cock rubbed against her covered mound. Katie hissed as if in pain before rocking against him. About to become a lesser man and come before he ever really started, Alan rolled off her quickly, knowing he’d lose control if he dared to remain in place. He got to his feet with inhuman speed and froze as Katie drew in a sharp breath.

  Shit. Tell me I did not just let her see me move that fast. Alan replayed the events in his head. Fuck, I did.

  He looked away, unable to face her. The last thing he wanted to do was confess to being a supernatural while she was stuck in the middle of nowhere with him. “Katie, I, umm, I can explain. I have—”

  “Shh,” she whispered. “They’re your secrets to keep, Alan. When you’re ready to finally be honest with me you can tell me. No one ever really knows the person they’re with… erm… they’re friends with.” She sniffled and nearly brought him to his knees with guilt. “You should get that wood now. You’re right. We will want a fire going soon.”

  Dismissed, Alan tried to muster the courage to tell Katie the truth. For some reason, the words “I’m a werewolf” refused to come. He’d seen humans react to the news before and it wasn’t pretty. Instead, a long, drawn out breath was all that arrived. Deciding it best to avoid looking at Katie for fear of surrendering to her tears, Alan headed off into the thick wooded area of the mountain, determined to regain his composure.

  The smells and sounds of the forest helped to drown out the voice in his head telling him to rush back, tell Katie the truth and beg her to always remain by his side. Though he’d called the city his home for the last fifteen years, Alan had been born and bred country. On many occasions, his father had taken him to stay in their family cabin in these very mountains, letting him watch the wolves. He didn’t understand at first that his father was preparing him for puberty, when he’d undergo his first shift into wolf form. It had been both terrifying and exhilarating.

  The push to discard his clothing, shift and run free in the wild was vast. In the city, Alan rarely was able to shift in public. When he did, it was in the middle of the night, tucked away in one of the city’s many parks. Occasionally, he’d shift at home, in the privacy of his room. Every now and then, Alan would shift forms and then find Katie, resting on the couch or sleeping with her door open wide. Even the wolf within appreciated the beauty of not only her body, but her spirit as well.

  Alan’s palms itched, burning for the change. He closed his eyes and felt them swirling as they often did whenever the call of the wolf was thick. Taking a deep breath in, Alan cleared his head and focused on the task at hand—gathering wood for a fire. He’d given Katie the duty, but assured she couldn’t go far. She gathered what he’d need as far as small pieces went, and the guilt he now had over her doing so with a broken ankle stabbed at his gut. He hadn’t told her the complete truth. She’d fractured her ankle yet had pushed on the entire hike, never once complaining. For some reason, his natural gift of healing himself seemed to extend over to Katie as well. It didn’t work with anyone else, but he didn’t care. Katie was all that mattered.

  * * *

  Chapter Three

  Something covered Katie’s mouth and she jerked awake, barely holding back a scream and the power she carried within. Familiar blue eyes soothed her nerves as her brows drew together, forming a question. If Alan had any idea how close he’d come to being burned alive, he wouldn’t look so amused. She let the power coursing through her veins cool slightly, thankful she hadn’t filleted him on accident.

  Alan winked and tipped his head to the side, motioning to something in the distance. He leaned in close, pressing his mouth to her ear as he kept his hand on her mouth. “Wolves.”

  Her eyes widened with excitement and the threat of having almost laid into him slipped from her mind. A smile stretched over Alan’s face. The sight warmed her. The next thing she knew, he released his hold on her mouth and pressed his lips to hers. As quick as he kissed her, he ended it, leaving fire shooting through her lower regions and her breathing erratic. Never had a chaste kiss done so much to her.

  “Come on, hon, let’s go get a closer look at them,” he whispered. “I’ve got your notepad all ready so you can jot down anything that strikes your fancy.”

  Hon? He’d used the term on more than one occasion on their trip. Katie liked the sound of it. Especially coming from him and concerning her. It sure the hell beat “kid,” which he’d called her for the first several months they’d known each other.

  Katie didn’t question him. Instead, she pushed the sleeping bag she didn’t remember ever covering up with aside and rolled to her feet. Alan took her hand in his and pressed a finger to his lips, indicating the need for silence. She nodded and followed as he led her to the side of the tent. Katie couldn’t help but wonder how long she’d been asleep since the last thing she could recall was watching Alan walk off for firewood and now it was bordering on being dark.

  He bent down, pulling her with him and pointing off in the distance. She looked and her breath caught as she spotted a pack of wolves. She counted seven in all. It was easy to spot the alpha male. He was larger than the others and in the center of the pack, circling another male. Katie couldn’t be sure, but they looked to be challenging each other.

  Alan leaned over and pressed his mouth to her ear. “That’s the pack’s alpha there, in the middle. The one with the white chest.”

  She smiled and went to her knees.

  Alan did the same. “There, the one in front of him, w
ith the dark coat, is most likely the beta male. That female off behind the alpha is no doubt his mate. See the way he’s hovering near her?”

  “Did the beta try to hurt her?” Katie asked, keeping her voice low.

  A manly chuckle followed. “No, hon, I doubt it. My guess is that the beta tried to mate with her.”

  Katie tipped her head. “I thought wolves mated for life even if one of them dies … they don’t take another.”

  Alan chuckled. “That’s not entirely true. Yes. Wolves are one of nature’s most monogamous creatures, but they’ve been known to have many mates over the span of their life.” He pointed towards the wolves. “The betas are known for butting heads with the alpha as much as possible. They’re generally sexually repressed. That too depends on what kind of wolves we’re talking about.”

  Something was different about the way he ended his sentence. It was like he knew a secret, but wasn’t willing to share it with her just yet.

  “So, trying to bone his chick is another way of goading him?” she asked, suppressing a giggle.

  Alan wrapped his arm around her hand and pulled her into the warmth of his body. “Yeah, but don’t worry. The beta female, wherever she is, has most likely tried mating with the alpha male too. So, each lead couple gets to spend a lot of time making sure the other remains faithful.”

  Her laughter died immediately. “How horrible. I’d hate to think that the second I turned my back, my husband would accept some other woman’s offer for sex. I’d never let another man touch me, not if I was committed to someone. It’s not love if you do.”

  Drawing her in tighter, Alan positioned her so she was sitting in front of him. As he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her back against his chest, she gasped at the feel of his powerful body. He gave her a quick squeeze. “They’re animals, hon. Some alpha pairs never entertain the idea of mating with anyone other than their chosen one. Others play the game of nature, survival of the fittest.”

  “If you were a wolf,” she put her hands over his, “which would you do?”

  The swift intake of breath Alan took before stiffening alarmed Katie. “If I were, umm, a, umm, wolf, I’d be forever faithful to my chosen one—that’s assuming she’d even have me to start with.”

  “She’d be the stupidest wolf alive if she turned you down, Alan,” Katie said, glancing back at him to find a strange look upon his handsome face.

  He pointed towards the wolves and Katie looked to find the alpha bearing his fangs with his hackles raised. The snarl that tore free of him warned of just how serious he was. The beta backed down, going towards a different female wolf, pushing her off and away from the group. The female he selected seemed receptive to his advances and followed him without incident.

  The pair neared Alan and Katie and she leaned back into his arms. The beta wolf nuzzled with the female before moving to sniff her backside. Alan hugged Katie tight to him and she instantly felt his erection pressed to her butt. She would have been shocked if she wasn’t so damn horny already. Having his cock near her ass did nothing to chase away the desire she had for him.

  The female wolf assumed the lordosis position, raising her tail to entice the male. Alan suddenly sounded as if he were in pain. Katie turned in Alan’s arms and found his blue gaze locked firmly on the pair, preparing to mate. She touched his cheek lightly and he shot her a look so feral, so utterly manly, that her pussy dampened.

  “Shouldn’t she be whelping pups this time of year?” Katie asked, trying to catch her breath and ignore the feel of Alan’s hard body pressed to her.

  His jaw was tight as he nodded. “Yes.”

  “Then why… ?” Her words faded away as she looked to see the female being mounted by the beta wolf. Using his forepaws, he pulled her hips back and began thrusting madly. Katie knew they were tied together and would be locked in copulation for a bit. She also knew something was off with Alan. She started to turn around to face him, but he ran his hands up and held the sides of her head in place.

  “Alan?”

  “Don’t look at me right now, Katie. Please,” he said, his voice so deep that it rumbled through her, exciting her even more. He sniffed the air and his breathing sounded labored. “Dammit, no. Not now. I can’t control it if I can smell your arousal.”

  Smell my arousal?

  She yelped as she tried to get away from him, mortified he’d not only declare something like that, but know she was indeed horny for him. Alan held tight to her and Katie looked to find the mated pair staring in their direction, still locked together. Something was off. A threatening vibe seemed to course through the air. Deciding it was best to stay with Alan, rather than run off, she stopped trying to get away and sunk into his hold once more.

  Alan groaned, as he pressed his erection to her backside. “Dammit, Katie. I knew this was a bad idea. I told you I could have showed you how wolves mated at home. Bringing… you…” he thrust against her ass and she clutched onto his hand as the seam of her jeans rubbed against her clit, “uh, here was a bad idea.”

  “W-why?” she asked.

  Alan growled. “Because it’s taking all I have not to rip these clothes from your body and—” He jerked away quickly and was gone before she could so much as look behind her.

  “Alan?”

  No answer.

  “Alan, where are you?”

  Still no answer.

  She tried and failed to swallow back the lump in her throat. “Alan, baby, where are you?”

  Her breathing was rapid and her body in a state of need. There wasn’t anyone around to help ease her desire, not that she wanted anyone but Alan, but the idea of sharing such a moment with nothing more than wolves nearby, stung. Masturbation was an answer, but having Alan return to find her making herself come wasn’t what she wanted to happen.

  She glanced over her shoulder at where the pair had been, but found nothing. An eerie feeling settled over Katie and she let power trickle slowly through her body.

  * * * *

  Alan ripped his shirt from his body and worked his jeans off seconds before the shift overtook him. His bones cracked and his skin ripped as fur sprouted forth. His body contorted. The process at one point in his life had been painful. Now, it was liberating. The second he was fully shifted into wolf form he heard Katie’s calls for him.

  “Alan, baby, where are you?”

  Baby?

  She never used a term of endearment for him. As much as he hated his inability to control himself while on this trip, a part of Alan was thankful he’d agreed to bring her. Katie seemed to be opening up for him, getting closer to him. Whether it was intentional or not, she was giving him signs that indicated his advances would be welcomed.

  Yeah, right up until I shift in front of her out of excitement and she runs screaming to her death to get away from me.

  Sharing a tent with her for the night meant they no longer had separate apartments to retreat to for space. At least he had nature now. Alan ran full force into the forest, needing to wipe his mind of all that plagued him. He ran, the wind at his face and the smells of the forest all around. Unsure of how far he’d gone from Katie, he stopped and sniffed, trying to catch her scent. As he did, he caught the scent of others. At first he assumed it was the pack of wolves they’d seen and then Katie’s question hit him like a ton of bricks.

  Shouldn’t she be whelping pups this time of year?

  He sniffed again, this time his chest tightened as he realized what he smelled. The scent of werewolves.

  Katie!

  Alan changed directions, rushing back towards camp. The mating pair of wolves hadn’t been ordinary grey wolves, they’d been weres and they’d seen Katie watch them fuck. If there was one thing Alan was sure of, if the weres caught the notion to investigate the two strangers watching their mating, they’d know instantly he was a werewolf and Katie was human. They wouldn’t take kindly to him bringing a human among them, regardless of the fact he didn’t know weres still frequented the area.

&
nbsp; Why the hell do think your mother was so keen on you bringing Katie up for a week? She thinks Katie’s a were, and her grandmother wants grandkids.

  Fear spurred him onward. If anything happened to Katie, he would die. Over the course of his time knowing her, she’d become his everything. He broke through the clearing, remembering he was in wolf form and backed up slowly, not wanting to alarm Katie.

  “Hi there.” Katie’s soft voice rode the air. At first, Alan assumed she was talking to him until he realized her voice came from the other side of the tent. “You’re a pretty wolf and very brave.” Traces of her fear reached Alan and made his gut clench. He also sensed powerful magik. Thoughts of Katie being hurt left him thinking irrationally.

  He shifted quickly into human form, not caring that he was naked.

  “My, my,” a deep male voice said from his left. He turned to find a naked man who looked to be able to rival him in a fight, leaning against a tree, smiling. The man’s shoulder-length black hair hung partially in his face, but didn’t mask his green eyes, which were currently gazing at Alan’s exposed cock. “I can see why she’s with you. But,” he stroked his own, “you’re no match for me.”

  Alan stilled, straining to hear what was going on with Katie. He couldn’t be held responsible for his actions if she was harmed in any way. Alan knew the beast within would rise and fight to the death over her.

  The man laughed softly. “Noelle won’t hurt your bitch. Not until I give her the signal.”

  “And you are?” Alan asked, every muscle in his body ached to return to wolf form and tear the man’s throat out. Alan held the beast and his temper in check for the time being.

  “Bersh.” The man released his cock and took a step away from the tree. “The one you and your bitch got a rise out of watching fuck Noelle. I’m also the one who will enjoy watching you fuck your bitch.”

  “What?” Alan’s brow crinkled as he tried to understand what was going on. He didn’t remember a Bersh being with his father’s pack, then again, he never bothered to get to know any of them. Playing the card of being a council member's son could be a double-edged sword. He might be permitted to live, but they’d surely kill Katie because Alan should have known better than to bring a human into their midst.