Her pussy throbbed, her clit filling.
Dear. Lord.
His hand slid along her side, soothing. “Then you must have remembered where you were or how you’d come to be here because you’d stiffened, and fear seeped from your pores. I’m so sorry, Becca,” he rasped out. “They shouldn’t have come after you because of who I am. I’d say that I’d let you walk away from all of this, but I’d be lying.”
He pulled her underneath him so his forearms were on either side of her head, his long hair brushing her face as he hovered over her. He’d made sure that their bodies didn’t touch though, as if he knew that as soon as that happened, there’d be no going back.
“I’m not letting you go, Becca. We might be in the early stages of mating, but I refuse to let you go. Not until you know who I am. Not until I know who you are. I don’t want to let you go.”
She gulped. “Even if I begged for you to let me go?”
Pain flashed across his face before he schooled his features. “If you desired to go…I’d follow your wishes because I cannot bear to hurt you, but I’d do all in my power to convince you to stay.”
She reached up and cupped his face, the bristles on his cheeks rubbing along her palm. “I don’t want to go.”
A shudder racked his body, and he turned to kiss her palm.
“We need to talk first.”
He nodded then leaned to kiss her lips softly. Before she could savor the velvet of his lips, he pulled back. “I want you to heal first as well, my Becca.”
His words brought back her pain, but not as much as she’d thought she’d have. “Why aren’t I hurting more?”
Hunter brushed a lock of hair behind her ear then moved off of her, leaving her feeling oddly bereft at the loss. “I think it’s because you’re healing faster than a normal human,” he answered as he strode naked to his dresser, where he pulled out a pair of jeans.
She couldn’t keep her gaze off his fully erect cock—oh Lord—or his ass.
He looked edible.
Absolutely fucking edible.
And hers if she wanted.
Oh how she wanted. That wasn’t the issue, not anymore. She wanted him, but she wanted to make sure they talked first. She didn’t just want to jump into bed with him—more than she already had—without knowing what he was thinking.
His words pulled her away from his now covered cock and to his face. She sat up, wincing slightly, pulling the sheet up to cover her breasts. “I’m not human?”
She looked down at the fading bruises on her arms and gasped. She didn’t look like anything but herself, but she was definitely not healing like a human. “What does this mean?”
Hunter ran a hand through his hair then shrugged, the muscles in his arms and chest moving in such a way that had Becca closing her legs.
Damn, the man was hot.
He gave her a knowing smile, and she rolled her eyes. The dude had to know he was hot. “I think you’re healing faster because whatever happened to you in that bar the night the storm changed you. Yes, it takes completing the mating bond with your true half for that part of your DNA to become prominent so you can actually change, but things might be different now.”
“Then why didn’t Lily and Jamie heal quickly when they were attacked? Why didn’t I heal when the djinn attacked us?”
Hunter growled at the reminder of her being skewered to a wall, and she didn’t blame him. It wasn’t something she liked to remember either. “Those weren’t superficial things. I think that given enough time, the cuts and scrapes would have healed on their own. You don’t have any broken bones, and I think your rib is only bruised, not broken. The others, though, they had life-threatening injuries. As did you that night.”
She nodded, trying to absorb the information. So much had changed that night. They still didn’t know why they’d been chosen. Nor did they know if they’d all change into something once they found their mates, though it seemed likely. They also didn’t know if they’d be long-lived or, now, heal. It was all up in the air, but they were learning more every day.
“Plus, Becca, you all react to your true halves differently. It would make sense that you’d all have different changes as well. It could be due to the fact you all might be separate paranormals, or it could be that you’re all just different people in general.”
She blew the hair from her face. “I just hate not knowing.”
He walked toward her and sat at the edge of the bed then tucked that piece of hair behind her ear again. “I know. I hate not knowing too. We’ll take it one step at a time, okay?”
She nodded, knowing they didn’t have another choice.
“Wait. I need to call my friends to let them know I’m okay.”
Hunter nodded. “I’ve already had Liam and Alec, my friends, call Dante.” He growled the dragon’s name, and Becca barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes. It wasn’t as if Hunter had anything to be jealous about, but she’d let him have that growly voice since it was hot as hell.
“So they know I’m safe?”
“Yes, they wanted to come here and get you out considering who’d taken you in the first place, but Dante persuaded them to let you stay here.” His eyes glowed, and she blinked. That was new.
“Why are your eyes glowing, and why did Dante tell them to let me stay?”
Hunter pulled out a pair of sweats and a shirt from his dresser and placed them on the bed. “I don’t have anything else for you to wear right now. I’m sorry. These will have to do.”
“That’s fine, now answer my questions.” She got dressed under the covers, and Hunter smirked. He might have already seen—and touched—the goods, but she needed to retain her modesty every once in a while.
“Dante told them to let you stay because, if you were to leave right now, my wolf would go crazy. I need you here, Becca. I can protect you better if you’re by my side. Plus, I just want to be with you.”
Her heart melted at that thought, and she wanted to wrap her arms around him. She held back.
Barely.
“My eyes glow when I’m angry or feel another heightened emotion like arousal. So when I’m coming, my wolf will rise to the surface, and my eyes will glow. When I’m talking about the soon-to-be-dead men who took you, I get fucking pissed, and I can’t control my wolf as well, hence the glow.”
She let the coming part slide since she wanted to talk about other important things first, and if she talked about sex, she wasn’t sure if she could stop herself from rubbing all over him like a cat in heat.
Again with the cat references, she needed to think of better dog—or wolf—ones.
“You can’t kill people if you don’t know who did it.”
“I know who did it,” Hunter said, the certainty in his voice like a solid presence.
“You do? For sure?” That sickly sense of fear wrapped around her spine, and she hated herself for it. Though she’d felt something like it before, it had been for her friends, not her. She didn’t like feeling weak. She wasn’t weak. She didn’t want to have to wait and have the handsome hero sweep her up in his arms and save her.
That had been what happened though.
She’d been weak because she’d been human.
That would change soon though.
She wouldn’t be weak anymore.
She couldn’t be weak anymore.
“I know who took you, though, right now, we can’t prove it. They covered their scents, and though Leslie, the sister of one of the captors, would defend us, I don’t want to risk her safety.”
Something like jealousy swept through her, and she hated herself for it.
Hunter raised a brow. “I think of Leslie like a sister. Her brother, Dorian, is a sadistic bastard, and I don’t want her to be punished for speaking out.”
Becca nodded, relived and a little ashamed for even thinking that Hunter would want another, and even though he was old enough to have a past, it didn’t make it any better for her.
Great, now she was
a jealous girlfriend.
Or mate.
Whatever.
“Liam and Alec are working on finding evidence so we can retaliate. Because I’m the beta, I can’t take on the council members without proof. If I were to do so, it would be detrimental to the Pack right now.”
Becca shook her head, confused.
“Okay, you need to explain all of that. The only thing I know about how wolves work comes from TV and romance novels.”
Hunter quirked a smile, though she could still see the stress lines in the corners of his eyes. “Get out of bed while I make us something for breakfast. We can talk while we eat.”
Becca looked down at the baggy shirt and sweats. Yeah, she really wasn’t oozing sex appeal at the moment, and she really had to use the restroom. Plus, there was the whole morning-breath issue.
“Uh, do you have a spare toothbrush?” He’d already kissed her that morning, and with his heightened senses, she was a little surprised he hadn’t passed out already.
Hunter smiled full-out, his white teeth stark against his honey-dipped skin.
Oh, he was pretty.
“No, Liam and Alec are bringing things from your apartment a bit later though. You can use my toothbrush. It’s not like we haven’t been kissing.”
“That’s kind of gross. Wait, they’re going to my place? Without me there? I don’t want them touching my underwear.”
Hunter growled. “They won’t be touching your underwear. Faith is meeting them there to pack your belongings. I wasn’t sure you’d approve of two men you didn’t know in your place, plus I don’t want them touching anything of yours they don’t have to. If any man is going to touch your underwear, it’s going to be me.”
Becca relaxed at the thought of Faith being there; at least her friend would make sure she got everything she needed. She held back a laugh at the thought of tough-as-nails Faith with anyone though. “Uh, do the guys know Faith’s…uh, personality?”
Hunter grinned. “Since Liam and Alec are my best friends, yes, I warned them. And, no, Faith isn’t coming here. I don’t want to introduce her, or anyone else, to the Pack when we’re still in flux. I want to make sure you’re safe first. Why is sharing a toothbrush with me gross?”
Becca rolled her eyes. “Never mind. I’ll meet you in the kitchen.”
She scurried off to the bathroom and closed the door behind her. When she looked at her reflection in the mirror, she couldn’t hold back the groan.
Sexy, she was not.
Her red curls stood on end—that damned lock that Hunter kept playing with in her face again. The bruises from her attack were fading at least, but since she’d gone to bed with wet hair, she looked like a zombie freak.
Okay, maybe that wasn’t the best description, but it was the closest.
The dark circles under her eyes and paleness of her skin had more to do with the weakness from not mating with Hunter than her ordeal, she thought, but they didn’t really make her look her best.
Not that she was vain or anything, but at least not looking like crap would have been nice.
She quickly took care of the necessities, brushed her teeth with this toothbrush anyway, and tried to manage her curls. Hopefully Liam and Alec—whom she’d only met vaguely—would be back with her things soon.
Though she’d have preferred to wear her own things, she kind of liked wearing Hunter’s clothes. It made things that much more…intimate. Plus, she had a feeling he liked having his scent all over her. At least that’s what she thought considering how he’d reacted with Jason and the whole scent-marking thing.
She walked through Hunter’s place, taking in the warm tones and lived-in feeling of his home. It wasn’t a bachelor pad, but a place where she could tell Hunter felt comfortable. Plus, there was room to grow a family.
She froze.
Okay, she needed to backtrack that thought a bit.
Becca followed the scent of bacon into the kitchen and about passed out. Hunter stood in front of the stove cooking bacon and eggs, naked but for a pair of well-worn jeans that made his ass look like heaven.
“Aren’t you afraid of the splatter on your chest?” she blurted out then closed her eyes.
She’d have wished for a hole to open up and swallow her, but since Jamie had already been to hell, she didn’t want to risk the whole fire and brimstone thing.
Hunter turned his head, a grin on his face. “It’ll only burn a little while.”
She rolled her eyes. “So manly of you.”
“I try. As for the grease, I move away before it burns me. Fast reflexes and all.”
“Huh, I never thought of that. Good to know. Oh, and that smells heavenly.”
He reached out for her, and she moved into his arms without another thought. She fit perfectly against his side—something she’d known already, but loved to think about anyway. He gave a kiss to the top of her head, and she sighed.
She was a goner.
“Breakfast is almost ready. You want to get the milk or juice out of the fridge?”
She squeezed him then pulled away, knowing the act of domesticity was a little too perfect, but she liked it. “What are you in the mood for?”
He raised a brow at her words, and she blushed. “Not that. You know what I mean. Juice or milk?”
“Milk works for me. I have the coffee going too.”
“I love coffee. I’m an addict.” She got the milk out for the both of them to go with their coffee since she figured she needed the calcium to heal. Or she could just be making up things as she went along, but she’d go with it.
“Good to know,” Hunter said as he plated their meals, and then he walked to the table. Her gaze followed the way the long lines of his body moved, and she had to tear her eyes away.
Answers first.
Sex later.
Maybe.
They ate in silence for a minute or two. Hunter looked like the wolf he was—ravenous—while Becca herself just about died of bliss as she bit into a slice of bacon.
Yes, she was a bacon addict, but she didn’t care.
“You want me to tell you about the Packs now?” Hunter asked before taking a drink of his milk. Becca watched the way his throat worked as he swallowed, and she almost fanned herself.
She needed to get a grip on her lust.
Fast.
“Please, and not just because I’m here now. I had wanted to know before. I mean, when we were going on those dates, I saw a glimpse of the man, but I want to know the wolf too.”
Hunter smiled, and she held off swooning.
“Each Pack has an Alpha and a Beta. The Alpha, Josiah, leads the Pack but isn’t as vocal as the Beta. Josiah has to deal with the other Packs more than I do. He also holds the Pack together because of his strength. The Beta, me, deals with the day-to-day things in the Pack. It’s my job to make sure the members of the Pack are treating each other with respect and according to hierarchy and to make sure there isn’t an internal resistance.”
Becca nodded, absorbing everything he said.
“There’s also the council.” His voice dropped to a low growl at that, and she instinctively reached out to hold his hand. He squeezed back then continued. “The council is made up of the five leading families of the Pack. Not all Packs have councils. Our council’s job is supposed to ensure the Pack’s safety and adherence to the rules that govern us all. However, that isn’t happening. Liam and Alec are council members and are the only things holding back the council from utter ruin. The other three, Dorian, Gregory, and Alistair, want to take over the Pack. They want to make the Pack a democracy or at least change out the Alpha. Wolves don’t work like that, and it’s hurting our Pack because of it.”
Becca nodded, tightening her grip on Hunter’s hand. “Those three are the three you think took me, right?”
Hunter nodded, a low growl coming from this throat. “Yes. They’ll pay. For that and more.”
“More?”
“Liam, Alec, and I think they are the on
es who sent me to hell.”
Becca gasped. “You think the wolves betrayed you? I hadn’t thought about why you were there in the first place.” She lowered her gaze. Why hadn’t she thought that someone had sent him there?
“I wasn’t there of my own accord. I woke up there one morning, as if someone had come into my room and taken me away. I don’t remember it all. As the Beta of the Pack, I should have been stronger than that, but I don’t know what happened.”
Becca stood up and wrapped her arms around him, needing to comfort when she didn’t know how.
He pulled her onto his lap, inhaling her scent. She could feel the rapid pace of his heartbeat against her side, and she cuddled harder.
“When I was gone, my younger brother, Samuel, took over my job. They killed him because I wasn’t here.”
Becca swallowed hard, tears threatening to form. “I’m so, so sorry, Hunter.”
She kissed him softly, putting all the emotion, care, and what could be love, in the kiss. He held her close, kissing her back with utter care, and it almost broke her.
“I’ll find a way to prove all of this. I’m sorry for bringing you into a war you weren’t ready for.”
“Hunter, I wasn’t ready for anything, but I know I can handle it if you’re by my side.”
He kissed her again, and that heat from low in her belly rose again, consuming her.
Hunter growled softly. “You should get off my lap if you don’t want to finish this, my Becca.”
She looked into those yellow eyes of his and licked her lips. “I know that I can’t go back to who I was. I don’t know what I’ll be or who I’ll be when things change, but I’m ready to be by your side if it happens.”
Hunter growled softly. “There’s something you need to know. As Beta, I’m required to take a mate. I don’t want you to think I’m taking you because the council tells me I have to. I want you, Becca.”
It might have been the pull of the bond that hadn’t yet formed, or it might have been just fate itself, but she didn’t care. She wanted this man, this wolf.
“You’re mine, Hunter.”
An Unlucky Moon Page 9