“Watch me get good and pissed off when I realize my pussy is soaked just from standing next to a man who not only challenges my ideas on the male and female dynamic but challenges me period. Without fear, without hesitation and without giving a fuck about what rationality truly is.” He let her shirt and arm go just to grab her by the shoulders and press his forehead to her own, ignoring the fact that she was panting now. “Listen to me and realize that I can’t express how I really feel without being vulnerable so instead I’m going to project and lash out until you do something no one else has done before.” One huge hand came up and ran through her hair before pulling her head back with a firm hold. “Until you take control...”
Then his mouth was there, on hers, causing her breath to seize in her lungs as his lips roughly demanded that she yield to him. And there was nothing that she could do but that very thing. His tongue speared into her mouth and touched her own, rubbing up against it in such a way that her legs began to shake. It wasn’t soft, it wasn’t sweet, it demanded complete and total acquiescence and that’s what she gave.
Fallon melted against him as his coarse palms found their way beneath the back of her t-shirt, sliding up her spine until she growled. He growled back and her nipples hardened painfully, her pussy now clenching on air, begging to be filled as Ransom pulled her closer, his erection pressing into her belly. He locked his arms around her and stood fully, bringing Fallon off the ground by at least a foot then he began to walk them up the stairs of her cabin. Everything inside her pleaded for this man’s hands, his tongue, his dick. Every inch of her skin simply wanted the opportunity to find itself enveloped in his scent.
She wanted Ransom. She wanted him so bad that tears pricked the backs of her eyes and her wolf began to whimper. So when he placed her on her feet outside of her door and separated his body from her own, Fallon really did yip.
He backed away slowly, until his feet touched the grass and kept his now shifted gaze on hers. “I don’t want you desperate for a cock, Fallon.” Ransom panted. “I want you desperate for mine.” Without another word, the bastard shifted and took off, leaving her to stand and stare blankly at where he’d just been; wondering if she’d respect herself in the morning should she breakdown and cry right then and there.
***
Ransom ran. And he kept running until the urge to roar faded; until the need to run back to Fallon and fuck her through the floor slowly began to ease. He could still taste her, feel her lips on his. He could still hear those little whimpers that came from the back of her throat with every stroke of his tongue against hers.
He could still feel the way her hands had clenched his shoulders. He could still recall the way her eyes had locked on him the moment he let her go, as if he were prey. Ransom shook his head and let his paws dig into the soft dirt surrounding Hanging Lake before he took off in a full on haul towards the water, allowing his bulk to crash through the surface before coming up human.
Lazily, he floated on his back, staring at the stars hanging over his head and trying to ignore the pulsing in his cock. He had no doubt that he could’ve had Fallon right there on her porch but he knew that tomorrow would’ve started off with him waking up alone and he had no desire to be pushed away.
His simple intent had been to talk to her, get her to tell him why she was fighting something so natural. Ransom had given her another full day before he hunted her down; the need to see her, be near her too great to be ignored anymore. And now he knew. He knew why no other female would do it for him. He knew why he didn’t feel the restless need to be anywhere else in the world while she was around. He knew why the scent of wildflowers and Summer berries made lust surge through him without the slightest provocation. And he finally understood why one picture, one simple smile had led him here.
Fallon Wilder was his mate. And God help anyone who tried to stop him from claiming what was his.
Chapter 9
“I heard the bitch has been out and about lately.”
Brody cringed at the sound of his brother’s voice, tamping down on the urge to get up and leave the house, the pack, completely. He didn’t hate his sibling. But he didn’t exactly have warm and fuzzy feelings about him either. There was something about Mason that had always set his back teeth on edge. As a child he hadn’t trusted his brother and as an adult those instincts hadn’t changed. Why? Because he was well aware that if Mason got the slightest chance to use Brody to get what he wanted—even if it meant killing him in the process—he wouldn’t hesitate.
Only someone stupid would close their eyes to that. And despite popular belief Brody wasn’t stupid. Nor was he weak but if it kept his pack balanced and his silent rivalry with his brother from crossing a line that couldn’t be uncrossed, he’d continue to pretend he was. He had no desire to be Alpha and even less desire to spend his days trying to prove himself with bullshit shows of strength. For what? He was content with what he had. The problem was Mason would never be content. Like a parasite, he just had to keep moving from host to host, taking everything he could until there was nothing left. The biggest problem was that their youngest brother, Aaron, was following in those same footsteps and that meant dealing with two Masons...Brody didn’t like that possibility at all. At twenty, his sibling should’ve been worried about school and girls, not planning a takeover. Brody wondered if it would still be this way had their father been alive. He doubted it. The old man would have a better leash on his brothers than he did at the moment.
It wasn’t just that Aaron was being manipulated and couldn’t seem to see it; it was the fact that the kid would do nothing but get himself killed if he kept up with Mason. Brody was worried, and he didn’t worry about much.
He was well aware of why Aaron had a fucked up face and Mason had a limp. They weren’t giving up the fight for their neighboring pack’s land. In Brody’s mind, they’d gotten exactly what they deserved for their constant bullshit.
Wilder land was just that Wilder land. It no longer belonged to the Jericho bloodline and if Mason was smart, he’d let it go. Unfortunately, intelligence had never been the younger wolf’s strong suit. Fallon was a strong she-wolf and an even stronger alpha. Point. Blank. Days of contemplation on those simple facts had left him tired of his brother’s constant scheming. Surprisingly, he wasn’t alone in his opinion. Several of their pack members had expressed that Mason’s constant quest for more was beginning to get out of hand and they had begun to turn to Brody to stop it. But if Brody stopped it, he’d do something that he couldn’t take back, something that could possibly haunt him forever. So instead, he’d pull his head out of the lion’s mouth slowly.
“Really?” Brody finally answered, getting up from the kitchen table and walking towards a window, watching pups play in the backyard. Hearing playful yips and barks kept his anxiety to a minimum. An anxious Brody was a bad Brody.
“Strange behavior for her considering she doesn’t leave that lodge much.” Mason commented.
“Unh-hunh.”
“So I was thinking...”
At Mason’s silence, Brody turned back to face his sibling, stopping at the sight of Aaron and at least four other males in the room. He’d been so lost in his thoughts that he hadn’t even scented them. Mason slowly rose from his seat, a grin in place that sent a shudder of revulsion up Brody’s spine. The desperation to have it all was in his brother’s eyes and it disgusted him.
“I was thinking,” Mason continued. “That we could use that to our advantage.”
When they all began to step close to him, Brody’s eyes went from one to the other as he finally understood how desperate his brother was. And then he knew his time had run out. There would be no escaping the lion’s mouth unharmed.
***
“You look like shit.”
Fallon had never hissed at a person a day in her life, she usually left that to the felines but Cree deserved that goddamn hiss and she was sticking by it!
“Shut. Up.”
“Hey, hey, hey don�
��t get snappy with me because you didn’t get a chance to exercise your kegel muscles last night.” Cree said smirking from across the breakfast table. None of them really ever cooked so they gathered in the dining hall to catch breakfast, lunch and dinner when they were too lazy to hunt something down.
Eye twitching, she reached for a fork but it was snatched out of her hand.
“No, no, no! There will be no stabbing your pack mates at the breakfast table. You want to hurt her, then you take her out back and maim her per wolf protocol.” Anoki commented, taking a seat next to Cree.
Fallon growled and he reared back. Taking a bite of the apple in his hand, he leaned towards Cree and loudly whispered, “Guess we know how much of a medicine sex really is.”
“Yeah,” Cree whispered back. “And I’m hoping whatever it is Ransom did, he fixes it quickly before—”
“—Her vagina suddenly sprouts fangs and devours us all whole due to its barren loneliness?” Anoki completed. “Me too.”
“Is that what I heard howling last night?” Makya questioned strolling in and catching Fallon around the waist before she could launch herself over the table and start tearing faces off; Cade following closely behind.
He pushed her back into her chair. “Now, now, sweetness, let’s get some caffeine in your system so you’ll be less inclined to kill.”
“The only c word this one needs a dose of none of us can provide.” Anoki finished his apple and leered at her. “Well actually we can but then—”
“—Someone would be missing their dick?” Cade grabbed a mug from Makya and sat it down in front of Fallon before taking a seat. “Would anyone like to fill me in on why our reigning lord and master is cranky on such a beautiful day?”
Three pairs of eyes turned her way but only one of them held true understanding—Cree’s. When you know a person, you know a person. And if there was anyone who knew Fallon, it was Cree so simply widening her eyes got the message across loud and clear.
Cree smacked Cade in the back of the head.
He stared at her, genuinely confused. “What’d I say?”
“Don’t ask personal questions!”
“Oh you hit me but the person who said she has a were-vagina doesn’t get hit? How is that okay?”
“It’s okay because I say it’s okay.”
“Because that makes sense.” Cade muttered.
“What was that?”
“Nothing.”
Anoki loudly sighed. “I don’t understand why the two of you don’t just fuck and put us all out of our misery.”
Two barks had him sitting back, hands up defensively. “Not the face!”
“Wow,” Fallon said in awe. “You’re so brave.”
He frowned, pushing his hair back. “I can’t help it if my first concern is always my beauty. I don’t want it marred because certain people seem adverse to the idea of a little pokey.”
Cree burst out laughing. “Pokey? That’s what we’re calling it now?”
Anoki grinned. “‘Happy nakie fun time’ takes too long to get out.”
“And on that note...” Fallon stood. “I’m going to find something to do that doesn’t involve imagining any of you naked.” The more she sat around and thought about Ransom naked, the more she wanted to chew through something until her anxiety calmed. How long had she been up last night, her hands trying to imitate what his own had managed to do with no more than a simple touch? God, she really was pathetic. He was playing games with her and she’d fallen right into them. That pissed her off more than anything. And yet, no matter how many times she tried to block out the memory of his lips on her own, she failed.
Waggling his brows, Cade looked up from the paper. “Are we restricted by the same rules because—”
“Jesus man!” Anoki interrupted. “I know I’m gorgeous but do you have to announce to everyone that you want to imagine me naked?” His voice dropped to a whisper. “It might make the women feel inadequate.”
Fallon raised a brow his direction then dropped her gaze to his lap. “It can’t be anywhere near as inadequate as you are.”
He gasped in outrage as she left the kitchen, shouting after her, “Vicious lies! My cock is the third arm of justice! And don’t you ever forget it!”
The laughter that followed that statement didn’t seem to do anything but make him angrier.
***
“You!”
Ransom swung around at the shout. Tracking Fallon’s scent into the woods, he was caught off guard by Anoki—who looked good and outraged—coming towards him. “You’re fucking up our lives!”
Frowning, he stared at Anoki. “What?”
The other man got closer, breathing like he’d run all the way here. “Give me a minute.” He said bending over at the waist. “I had to take off as soon as Fallon left breakfast. I didn’t want her to know I was coming to find you.”
“Shouldn’t you be in better shape?”
Anoki gave him the finger. “I am in shape. I had to run around the back way...to avoid her.” He inhaled, hands on his hips then pointed at Ransom again. “You!”
“Why do you keep doing that?”
“You’re fucking up our lives!”
“Are we really going here again?”
“I want to like you Ransom, I really do. I don’t think you’re half as much of a dick as Fallon keeps saying—”
“Wow...thanks, I think.”
“—But,” Anoki continued. “Your girlfriend is ready to rip our faces off just for her own amusement. I blame you for that!”
And this was why Ransom spent his days avoiding people. Because his brother—who was probably off chasing Cree around—was way better at dealing with the crazies. Ransom had decided it was better to stay away from Anoki the moment they met and he distinctly heard the wolf murmur, “Jesus Christ...I really hope Fallon has vaginal reconstruction in mind because clearly...” He had no idea what that meant and he had no desire to find out.
Folding his arms across his chest, he faced Anoki completely. “She’s more than just my girlfriend.”
The other male quirked a brow. “Oh really?” His tone had taken on a lyrical quality. “And where is this magical distinction that illustrates such great love?”
Eyes narrowing, Ransom said, “Maybe if I drag your slightly dead but still twitching body back to her that’ll be enough of an illustration.”
Anoki waved a hand. “Her happiness would be only temporary after she realized she would miss me.”
“What do you want, Anoki?”
“For you to fuck her already.”
“And this conversation is over...” He started to walk away.
“If you don’t take what’s yours, someone else will.” The wolf softly stated, bringing Ransom’s steps to a halt. “It’s written all over your faces anytime you’re near one another. Fallon is trying to rationalize something that simply can’t be explained. You know your mate when you meet them. It’s just that simple.”
“And you think I’m not aware of this?”
“No, I think that instead of putting the fire out you’re fanning the flames. I know my Alpha. Until you show her that you want more than her territory, she’s going to keep running.”
Turning back slowly, Ransom questioned, “And how exactly am I supposed to do that when she won’t stop hiding from me?”
Anoki cupped a hand to his ear, leaning in. “I’m...I’m sorry. Was that the sound of you crying? Because I distinctly heard you crying.”
“You’re an asshole.”
“That’s my role among my kind! I accept it and own it!” Anoki slapped himself on the chest. “And you need to accept Fallon’s role! The one where she needs to have control. I’ve never seen her like this with a male before. She’s handing you the keys. Open the fucking door already and put us all out of our misery!”
He shook his head. “It’s not that easy with her.”
“Oh it’s easy enough. She wants you. You want her. I want you both to have sex so I ca
n possibly watch without your knowledge.”
Ransom’s brows winged. “Wait...what?”
Anoki blinked. “Huh?”
“What’d you just say?”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“Yes, you did. You just admitted to wanting to watch us have sex, which really disturbs me.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Anoki denied. “This is way off subject.”
“No, it’s on subject because your voyeuristic activities are kind of creeptastic.”
“Would you focus dammit?!”
Ransom resisted the urge to roar.
“Do you want Fallon to find someone else? Do you want to walk away and leave her vulnerable and in need; the very things predators—especially males—look for? Do you really think that no other chest beating alpha is going to come around sniffing? Offering her the very thing you keep dangling in front of her then snatching away?”
He felt the growl before it actually left his mouth.
“Yeah, big man,” Anoki taunted. “Think about having some other wolf determined to mark what’s yours then not only that but get her pregnant—which by the way, will involve sex. Just being honest here, I know very few male wolves who don’t know what to do with a female who looks and smells like Fallon.”
Ransom’s lip curled. “I’ll—”
“You’ll what?” Anoki backed away. “You’ll kill him? Maim him? String his insides up like holiday decorations? Do you honestly think that’s fair considering?”
“I don’t give a fuck about fair! She’s mine!” The grizzly in him wanted to start hurting things...now...right now.
“Then why not show her and everyone else that?” Anoki left then; no antics, no strange behavior—just his advice ringing in Ransom’s ears.
And without a second thought, he took off, intent on finding his mate.
Chapter 10
Fallon had been taught a few essential things as a pup—canines were ornery on bad days and goofy on good ones, felines were constantly disgusted with everything around them, and that if you ever, ever heard the roar of a grizzly you were to run. No questions asked, no looking back, you just run. So when the distinct sound of one incredibly pissed off bear came echoing through the woods, chasing the birds from the trees and smaller prey back into their hiding places, Fallon ran. She didn’t stop to question it, she didn’t look back, she ran.
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