by J. L. Wilder
His pace increased until he pounded her with a frenzy, splitting her in two over and over. Every now and then, he pulled back his hand and brought it down on the soft, ripe flesh of her ass. The sensation of pain and pleasure pushed April further and further, closer to orgasm.
“You want to feel me come inside of you?” he asked. “You want to feel me unload my seed?”
The words brought April to the brink of explosion.
“Yes, so fucking much.”
With that, Stone came. April felt his cock unleash inside of her, blasting rope after rope of warm cum deep within. It was enough to push her over the edge, sending an orgasm ripping through her body and forcing her to cry out in total pleasure.
She buried her face into the sheets, letting the orgasm flow through her. When they were both finished, Stone scooped her body up and brought her over to the bed, bringing her close against his solid form.
But they didn’t have a moment to relax and savor the afterglow. A howl cut through the night air, then another, then another. The two of them regarded one another for a moment, their expressions of surprise, before rushing over to the window.
“Oh my God,” said April.
“What the fuck?” Stone’s voice was hard.
April couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Through the tree line emerged several wolves, a half-dozen as far as she could tell.
But that wasn’t the most shocking thing.
At their head was a large wolf, his fur gray and spotted black. One eye was red, the other yellow. April recognized the wolf immediately.
It was Sam. Her husband had come to find her.
CHAPTER 13
STONE
“Holy shit.”
Stone knew he was making a hell of an understatement.
“That’s him,” said April, her voice tinged with fear.
“That’s him? That’s who?”
“That’s Sam. That’s my husband.”
The wolves continued approaching the house.
“There’s too many of them,” said April. “How the hell are we going to fight them off?”
“It doesn’t matter. I have to try.”
He put his hand on April’s shoulder and turned her toward him.
“I swear, I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
April said nothing, nodding. Tears were in her eyes, and Stone could see that she was scared out of her mind.
“Are you ready?” he asked. “Because this isn’t going to be easy.”
“Sean...” she said, her voice weak.
“We’ll find him,” said Stone. “But you’re not going to be able to do him any good if something happens to you. We have to fight. Understand?”
Another nod. Without saying a word, Stone pulled her close and kissed her hard on the lips. Stone felt her body slacken under the kiss, comforting her.
Then he turned to the wolves, seeing that one had been watching them the whole time. The wolf, spotted with mismatched eyes, stared with an expression Stone could easily make out as anger.
Something was up. That had to be her husband.
As if ready to answer the question, the spotted wolf shifted into his human form. The man was tall and lean, with wide shoulders. His face was thin, and he was dressed in boots, jeans, and a denim jacket with the sleeves torn off. His hair was long and blond, and he wore a cocky expression.
“Yo, April!” he called out. “Come on out! Just want to talk to you.”
April turned to Stone as if looking for direction.
“We’re not going out there,” said Stone. “We’re outnumbered, and he doesn’t look like he has good intentions in mind.” He was understating, and he knew it. He also knew that without Ryder and Jack, the odds of them being able to take a half-dozen wolves in a fight were slim to none.
“OK,” said Sam, putting his hands on his hips. “I guess a friendly invitation doesn’t work. How about this —you’d better come out if you want to see Sean again!”
April didn’t hesitate for a second. She burst from where she stood and ran out of the room.
“Shit,” said Stone. “Hold up!”
He ran after her, and soon the two of them were out in the night air. April stopped a few dozen paces from Sam, the two of them regarding one another intently. Stone formed up at her side, ready to fight every single one of the wolves if he had to.
Sam grinned as he laid eyes on April. “There’s my gorgeous wife. Been too long, baby.”
“Fuck you,” she said.
“Whoa!” Sam grinned, turning back to the rest of the wolves. “There’s the fire I remember! Guess I didn’t manage to get it out of you after all!”
The rest of the wolves turned back to their human forms and began to laugh. Stone didn’t need to ask to know who they were—members of April’s former pack.
“Where’s Sean?” demanded April. “Tell me what you’ve done with him!”
“Sean’s safe and sound for now. I know he’s with the other pack in town, but don’t worry—I’ll have my hands on him before too long.”
Stone breathed a sigh of relief—Sam’s words were a bluff, a way to get April to come out to speak to him.
“What do you want?” growled Stone. “Give me a good reason why I shouldn’t boot you the hell off my property.”
“Because,” he said, “I’m here to give you a warning. And to give my wife a choice.”
“What kind of choice?” asked Stone.
“Let me talk to my wife, asshole,” he said.
“Fuck off, prick,” shot back Stone.
Sam laughed. “Anyway, sweetheart, you want to hear my proposal?”
April narrowed her eyes at Sam, clearly wanting nothing more than to tear him apart.
“What is it?” she asked.
Sam crossed his arms over his chest. “I miss you, baby. And the rest of the pack misses you. I know why you ran off, and I get it. I could be a little rough with you, and believe it or not, I feel bad about it.”
He stepped forward, narrowing his eyes.
“But what you did, running off and taking my boy with you...that was so fucking far out of line, I still can’t believe it.”
“I did the right thing,” said April. “You’re out of your mind if you think you deserve to be a father.”
“Bitch,” he snarled, letting the mask of civility drop for a moment before forcing a smile. “Uh, sorry about that.”
Stone could see right away that Sam was manipulative to the core, the type who’d say whatever it would take to get on someone’s good side only to turn his mood at the drop of a hat. And though April was putting up a tough front, he saw that she was scared.
“Say your fucking piece and get the fuck out of here,” said Stone. “Got no time for this bullshit.”
“You’d better be careful,” said Sam, pointing his finger at Stone. “Because in case you haven’t noticed, you’re pretty fucking outnumbered. You’re lucky I don’t shut your ass up now so I can talk to my wife in peace.”
Stone growled, using all his strength to resist letting his animal run loose on the fucker.
“What is it?” asked April. “What did you come here to say?”
“I came here to say this—you have one chance, and one chance only, to come back to me and the rest of the pack. You do, and we can put all of this behind us. I’ll meet you in town tomorrow at noon, and if you and Sean come back with me, that’s the end of it. Your boys here are safe, and we can be husband and wife once again.”
“And why the hell would I want that?” asked April.
“Because it’s how it should be. You ran off, and that was some stone-cold bitch shit.”
“Watch your fucking mouth,” said Stone.
“Nobody asked you a goddamn thing,” said Sam. “You stay out of this.”
“If it involves her and the boy, I’m sure as shit not.”
“Last chance,” said Sam. “One more word and I sic all these boys here on you.”
Sto
ne wanted to fight, but he knew he needed to play it smart. It wouldn’t do him a damn bit of good to get killed.
“And what if I say no?” asked April.
Sam grinned. “We got some plans in the works,” he said. “And they’re big ones. I’m not gonna say what they are, but trust me, babe, you want to be on the right side of them.”
April said nothing.
“So,” said Sam. “I’ll ask you now—you want to do the smart thing, the right thing, and come back with me? We can get Sean tonight. Bet the kid would be happy as hell to see his daddy again.”
“Not a chance.” April’s response was instant.
Sam laughed. “Hard-headed as ever. And I’d figured you’d say that. That’s why I’m giving you one more chance. Come to the diner tomorrow at noon. Bring Sean. And leave these assholes at home. You come there, and you’ll be safe, I promise.”
“That all?” asked Stone.
“That’s all,” said Sam. “And as for you, dude, you’d better get your affairs in order. Because what’s gonna happen to you next is something you’re not gonna like one bit.”
Sam turned to the rest of the men.
“Alright, let’s get the fuck out of here. Got a busy few days ahead, and I want to get started.”
Then back to April.
“See you soon, gorgeous—one way or another.”
With that, the men shifted into their wolf forms. Sam took one last look at April, then Stone, before the group ran back into the woods and disappeared from sight.
“Come on,” said Stone. “Back into the house.”
April nodded, and moments later, they were in the kitchen. She shook with fear, and Stone was quick to wrap his arm around her and pull her close.
“Sean...” she said. “He said he was going to get Sean.”
“That asshole is at least smart enough to know he can’t take on an entire pack with just him and his buddies. He’d start an open war if he did. For now, Sean’s safe.”
April nodded, then took out her phone and fired off a quick text message. The response came moments later.
“OK,” she said. “Just heard back from him. He’s good for now.”
“And we’ll figure out how to keep you and him safe. Don’t you worry.”
She shook her head. “I can’t go back to Sam. I can’t. He’s an abuser, a drunk, and a million other bad things.”
“Don’t you worry about that,” said Stone. “You’re not going back. I’ll see to it personally.”
Stone glanced up and saw movement in the trees. He stood, thinking Sam and his buddies had returned. But relief washed over him when he made out the familiar sight of Ryder and Jack. They were in their bear forms, shifting into their human shapes as they stepped onto the property.
“They’re back,” said Stone. “Jack and Ryder.”
Relief took hold of April. The men hurried toward the ranch, stepping into the kitchen.
“What the hell’s that smell?” asked Ryder. “Smells like wolf.”
“We got a situation,” said Stone. “Sit down, and I’ll tell you about it.”
Jack and Ryder sat, and Stone went into it, letting them know about Sam and what he’d said and done.
“Fucking hell,” said Jack. “That prick came onto our land?”
Stone nodded. “He did. And I get the sense he’s not screwing around.” Then a thought occurred to him. “Wait, weren’t you two going to stay at the pack camp?”
“We were gonna,” said Ryder. “But the longer we stayed, the more fucked up we saw shit was there.”
“How was Jonas?” asked Stone.
“Same motherfucker,” said Jack. “Prick’s running that pack into the ground.”
“We need to do something,” said Ryder. “Only a matter of time before he does.”
“But we’ve got more pressing shit to attend to,” said Stone. “Sam wants April and Sean tomorrow. And he made it clear he’s not going to stop until he gets her.”
“Well, that’s not gonna happen,” said Ryder. “And if he came onto our turf, that means he knows where we are. And where April is.”
“What are we going to do?” asked April. “I need Sean, need to keep him safe.”
“We get him in the morning,” said Ryder. “I’ll pick him up from the pack and bring him back first thing.”
His words seemed to calm April.
“And then what?” she asked.
“We can’t stay here,” said Ryder.
Jack thought the matter over. “Then...what about the cabin?”
“The cabin?” asked April.
“Yeah,” said Ryder, nodding his head. “We’ve got this cabin closer to town. It’s on the other side of Pembroke, might be a good place to hide out.”
“But that’s only a temporary solution,” said Jack. “We hide out, and it’s only a matter of time before Sam finds out where you are.”
“We can use that time to figure out a solution,” said Ryder. “Decide what to do next. We’ve still got some loyalists in the pack; maybe they can help us stand up against Sam. I’ll take you there, watch out for you and Sean. It’s not a perfect option, but it’s the best we’re going to do for now.”
April sighed and nodded. “Promise me you’ll all keep me safe. Me and Sean. Please.”
“We will,” said Stone. “Don’t you worry about that.”
And he meant it. But deep down, he knew their troubles were only just beginning.
CHAPTER 14
RYDER
April wasn’t happy.
It was the next day, and the two of them were at the cabin. The place was surrounded by thick woods, and Ryder knew, for the time, at least, they were safe. Noon had come and gone, and by that point, Sam had likely realized that April and Sean weren’t coming to meet him. Whatever was going to happen, whatever Sam’s plans were, Ryder and his brothers would have to deal with them.
“It’s not time,” said April. “He’s too young.”
“He might be a little on the young side,” said Ryder. “But it needs to be done. The boy needs to learn how to hunt.”
The two of them glanced out of the window. Sean was out front in his wolf form, practicing moves and attacks that the brothers had taught him. Stone had told him how much power the boy seemed to have, how he was already more capable than other wolves his age.
He might be an alpha someday. But Ryder knew that was something to think about much later.
“What if something happens?” asked April. “What if...”
Ryder put his hand on hers. “I’ll be there for him—don’t you worry about that. But the boy’s strong. If I can teach him the ropes of hunting, he’ll stand a chance of defending himself if shit hits the fan.”
And he knew there was a very, very strong chance of that. Sam had made it clear as day that he’d do anything to get his family back.
Then there was the matter of Jonas. The pack was on the ropes, and Jonas was leading them right over the edge. Ryder knew that if he didn’t do something, his wolves would likely lose everything they had.
He’d tried to run, he and his brothers. But with each passing moment, he began to realize that the time for running was over, whether he was ready or not.
“When do you want to do it?” asked April.
“Soon. Now. If I can teach the boy to hunt, at least lead him to his first kill, then he’ll be more ready than he was before.”
She nodded, and he could sense that he was getting through to her.
“Promise me you’ll keep him safe.”
He squeezed her hand hard. “You have my word. I will, and my brothers will. As long as you two are with us, we’ll stop at nothing to make sure you and your boy are taken care of.”
The words coming out of his mouth surprised him. There was something about April, something about her and her son that made Ryder feel a protective urge that he hadn’t felt in a long time, if ever.
She was the one. He had no doubt about it. He’d known there was somethin
g different about April from the moment he’d laid eyes on her, and after what they’d been through, he was only more certain.
“Then do it,” said April. “Teach my boy how to be a man.”
There wasn’t anything left to be said. Ryder rose from the table. Without thinking, he leaned in and kissed April on the forehead. She didn’t resist, a hint of a smile forming on her lips as he did.
Ryder went out to the front of the cabin. Sean stopped when he saw him, turning his dark eyes onto Ryder.
“Shift back,” he said.
Sean obeyed, and seconds later, he was in his human form.
“You know what’s going on?”
“Dad’s back,” he said.
“Your daddy’s back. That’s right. And how do you feel about that?”
Sean shook his head. “I know what he did. I know how he treated Mom. I don’t ever want to go back to him. I want to be here with you and Stone and Jack.”
A warmth spread through Ryder that he could hardly understand. It was the protective urge, that need to make sure nothing happened to Sean or April. It gave him a sense of purpose that he hadn’t known in a long, long time.
“Me and my brothers wanted to take things slow, make sure that you were ready to learn how to be a shifter man. But part of being a man is taking life as it comes and doing what needs to be done, even when you don’t feel ready. Even when you feel scared. Are you scared?”
“I...am. A little.”
“That’s normal. And being brave is all about doing what needs to be done, even if you’re scared. So today, I’m gonna teach you how to hunt, how to kill. Are you ready?”
“I’m ready.”
“Then shift. And follow me.”
Sean did as he asked, changing into his wolf form. And Ryder shifted to his bear form. He nodded to Sean to come along, and soon, the two were off into the woods, tearing through the trees and making their way deeper into the forest.
Damn, thought Ryder as he watched Sean. The kid can move. He’s getting stronger by the day.
Ryder was impressed. And he was eager to see what Sean could do when it came time to hunt.
After making their way into the woods, Ryder stopped. Sean did the same.