by Paige Taylor
“I’d love that. I’d love to meet anyone who’d like to come to dinner tonight, actually,” I say honestly, looking around the room and seeing a few faces smiling at me genuinely. I reach for Wade’s hand, seeking out the comfort of my mate.
I catch three women over by the treadmills giggling under their breaths. I don’t like putting labels on people, but these women all look like wannabe Barbies. I can smell the fake from here. When they realise I’m looking at them, their eyes turn vicious, their lips curling upwards in silent growls. Whelp, looks like I’ve just seen the first few challengers.
I look over at Wade with a questioning eye, motioning my head towards the Barbie trio. Wade’s shoulders twitch slightly, in what I’m assuming is regret. His hands come up to my face, holding me still once again. His lips slam to mine, his kiss dominating. I grab hold of his neck and pull him closer, our kiss turning fevered. Unfortunately, this is neither the time nor the place.
“So, are you ready for me to kick your ass?” I ask, smirking as I see the fire in his eyes change from sexual to competitive. Challenging alphas can be so much more fun when they are your Mate.
“I’d like to see you try,” he says to me before turning towards the Pack.
“Alright guys, I will give you five minutes to observe Ava and I sparring. After that, everyone clears the room because I want some alone time with her. Got it?”
A chorus of ‘yes’, ‘sure thing’ and other affirmations were shared around in lots of different voices.
The mats clear out as I take a calming breath before stepping onto the mat, emptying my mind. I walk into the centre, and turn, waiting to see Wade face off against me. The world goes quiet as I close down my senses and focus on the opponent circling me. Wade has no hesitation, he moves so fast into my space that I narrowly avoid getting a punch to the head. He fires hit after hit, making me move further back with every dodge. I drop down and throw three quick jabs to the stomach, before spinning around his legs and attempting to kick out the backs of his legs, while he is straightening from his position. Unfortunately, his legs move forward right before contact is made and my foot moves too far forward, throwing my base of support out. He sweeps the leg out, forcing me to the floor, but I quickly spin my legs underneath me and jump upwards before his huge weight can move on top of me. Wade is too heavy for me to be able to best on the floor, I need to keep myself upright if I’m going to have a chance at winning this fight. He obviously has had technical training, his movements too refined and perfected to be someone who is self-taught. I advance on him, trying to get the upper hand. My fist collides against his jaw and stomach in quick succession, my guard drops for a moment as I continue to drive my fist into his ribs. Wade’s arm swings forward too quickly for me to dodge, the closed fist smashing into my diaphragm, the force winding me. I struggle to catch my breath refusing to let myself hunch over because I know he’s going to move to take me down. Our fight continues, trading punches and kicks, each trying to tire the other into submission. Eventually, the fight moves over the mat and somehow, I’ve let myself get backed into a corner. Wade’s thick forearm locks against my throat, and my back is pushed into the wall, our chests heaving with the exertion. His scent permeates into every part of my body, that gorgeous smell of soap and vanilla. I can’t stop my nose from trailing up his neck or when my lips lock with his, the sexual tension electrifying the air around us as our kiss deepens.
I grab the bottom of Wade’s shirt and tug at it. He steps back to pull it over his head, and then relieves me of my shirt. My fingertips trail down his chest, down each delectable ab, and then hook into the band of his shorts and push down gently. Once again, he steps back to take off his pants, and bends down to rid me of my shorts. Both of us baring ourselves totally for each other, our breathing heavy despite barely having touched yet. Not even a second passes before his mouth is on mine, demanding that his passion be returned. I grab his shoulder and jump up, wrapping my legs around his hips, one of his hands coming to hold my ass up and the other tangling in my hair. Our tongues tangle, and I feel the sting of pain from his teeth biting into my lips and tongue. I reach a hand down, unable to hold out any longer, and move his long cock against my clit and back down to slide inside me. Instead of the fast thrust I anticipated, Wade pulls back and slowly pushes inside me, one inch at a time.
“Oh god, that feels so good, Baby,” I cry out into the room.
“I wanted this to be slow, I wanted it perfect,” he says, grunting and moaning with the effort to go slow.
“Already perfect. I need you. I need you to fuck me now, Wade,” I moan out, my hips moving of their own volition, trying to find the pleasure my body is craving. His cock, now firmly inside me, bottoms out, making me squirm with pleasure.
Wade’s hips start to slowly move in and out of me, his length pulling out from me inch by inch before he slams back into me hard enough to make my head rock back into the wall. Wade continues the pattern over and over until the sensations consume me. The pleasure rocking through me, so intense I can’t keep my eyes open. His hips begin to thrust faster, my body weight pressing into the wall as my fingers find my clit and begin to circle, my body sinking into the rapture. One of Wade’s hands squeeze my arse tighter, pulling me further into him, the other holding my head against his lips as they continue to devour my mouth.
“Fuck, you feel so tight. God, baby, do you like that? Do you like my cock in you?” he pants as his lips leave mine. My head rocks back into the wall as his hips pump frantically into me, pushing in deeper than I ever thought possible.
“Fuck, yes, I love your cock! I need more!”
I slam my lips back to his, our hips moving faster and faster, the sounds of our skin slapping and my wetness joining with the sound of our groans taking over the room. His hips driving into me faster, his dick hitting the spot that makes me scream. My back arches into his chest, my nipples rub against the hair on his chest causing utter bliss, the rough texture grating over my skin in divine pain.
“Do you accept me as your Mate, Ava Pearce?” Wade bites out between thrusts, his head nuzzling the front of my neck.
“Hell, yes! Do you accept me as your mate, Wade Chamberlain?” I ask, snaking my hands behind his head, holding him in place.
“Fuck, yeah, I do,” His breath fans across my skin before the bite of his canines pierce the skin on the front of my neck. As soon as the bite punctures my skin, Wade’s hand takes over for my hand on my slit rubbing fact circles, a world- ending orgasm spreads through my body. My eyes roll back into my head as the pleasure rocks through me. Wade’s hands come up to support my weight as my legs give out around him, his strength the only thing keeping us connected.
He raises his head enough for me to lean forward and bite the same spot on him. Our connection grows stronger with every second that passes, the feeling of him binding to my soul making me shiver. His body tenses against me, his orgasm breaking free as our connection solidifies. The sensation of his essence filling me, sets me off again. Both our bodies still shake in the aftermath. Wade, unable to hold us up anymore, sinks to the floor with me on his lap.
“Well, that was unexpected,” I say chuckling into his sweaty neck.
“Not exactly what I had planned. I’m sorry it wasn’t all romantic and shit. I did have that planned, but my instincts just kind of took over,” he tries to explain, shifting me until I’m completely cuddled into a little ball on top of his lap. He really is a giant-size human.
“Conan, I do believe I started all this.” I laugh lightly.
“On top of that, it was beyond perfect. I don’t need fancy or romantic. I just need real. I just need you,” I say staring into his eyes.
“Okay, question seventeen: Where are you from, Wade?” I ask. Trying to extract information from Wade is like pulling teeth, so I decided to play twenty questions with him. He got information out of me as soon as I got it out of him.
“I’m originally from Mississippi. You?” he replies simply.
“North Carolina. How did you end up here?” I ask, needing to know how he got here in Montana.
“When I was eighteen I left home because I realised that I was going to challenge my father for Alpha position. I didn’t want to live with that guilt or ruin the relationship I had with either of my parents. So, I set off across the country, trying to find a place to live without having to worry about challenging anyone. I got into a lot of fights, which is how I learnt early on to read people, to find their weakness and their motives. I was twenty-one when I moved to Montana, and I quickly caught on that the Alpha of this Pack was abusing his power. Wolves were showing up starved to work, or not showing up at all, they weren’t allowed to interact with humans, and when I went to Pack Lands they were working as slaves. I couldn’t live with that knowledge, so I challenged the Alpha. What I didn’t check was whether or not he had any weapons on him. He had silver, knuckle busters that had spikes on them, hence why I have these scars all over my torso,” Wade explains in what is the most extended answer I’d heard from him yet. But, holy fuck. I can understand now why Wade is the quiet one. He isn’t quiet because he has nothing to say, he’s quiet because he is always watching, always observing.
“My god, Wade.” I’m literally stunned for words. My fingers trace over the little scars he has all over his torso, trying to imagine what Wade at twenty-one had already seen by the time he faced off against a tyrannical Alpha.
“It is what it is. You can’t go around regretting the past, it’s not going to change. What were your parents like?” His comments about the past hit so close to home.
“My parents were the most supportive people on earth. They were true mates, and they treated me like I was the most precious thing in the world. We had a family night twice a week, they would have their date night every week, and they were there for every single one of my events. They just exuded love. They would have loved you all. Dad was the typical, alpha male; big, tall, and rough. Mum looked like me, but was so sweet and funny, she was perfect. I miss them every, single day. What about yours?” I ask, letting the love I have for my departed parents fill me, accepting the sadness but focusing on their love.
“My mother is a mother hen, very much like Marco’s, only from a distance. My dad talks even less than I do. I wish I could see them more, but it seems like my Dad’s wolf took offense after I refused to challenge him, so tensions run high when we get together. I love my parents so much, but it is just easier when we keep our communication to technology. They are going to love you, though. I don’t think either of them ever wanted me to have someone that couldn’t stick up to me or hold their own in a fight,” he says on a laugh.
“When you’re ready, I’d love to meet them,” My trepidation causes me to blush slightly.
“I’d love that,” his voice drops to a happy whisper as a small smile stretches over his face.
We spend the rest of the day playing twenty questions, lying in bed, just enjoying the feel of each other. Twenty questions turned into more like one hundred questions, I wanted to learn everything about this man. The more questions I asked, the longer his responses got until I could feel him loosening the bonds around his thoughts and emotions, starting to let me in.
My fingers brush over a ridge of scarred skin on his chest. Lifting my head, I notice things I didn’t pay attention to earlier. His pack tattoo was on his right deltoid; a beautiful piece of artwork of a wolf within some Timber trees, which I suppose is the connection to his pack’s name, The Grey Timber Pack. His chest has scars littered across it, little raised bits of jagged skin that never quite healed properly from his fight against his the previous Alpha. Wade tells me about how he has been best friends with Dylan for almost 8 years now, that he sneaks away to his room to play Xbox when the pack doesn’t need him, that he loves Italian food, and owns two bars, two tattoo parlours, and a hardware store.
After spending a few hours in bed, we thought we’d better make an appearance at the dinner I accidentally orchestrated. We get dressed, and walk hand in hand down the stairs. I can hear all the people running around the pack house, pans and plates clanging, laughter rising from lower levels, and the TV tuned into football. Family, it was the only word that comes to my mind to describe what this smelt like, felt like, and looked like.
As my foot hits the final step, wolves start howling, calling their Alpha. The noise in the house stops immediately, not even a breath can be heard. Wade’s hand almost crushes mine with the pressure he is squeezing it with. The look in his eyes morphs from carefree to ice-cold in seconds. The downside to not having completed the mating ceremony is that I can’t communicate telepathically with any of the wolves in any of the packs yet. I get that knot in my stomach, that knot of anxiety can be so crippling, the fear that something bad is going to happen, overriding all sense of logic.
“Wade? What is going on?” I whisper to him gently, pulling on his hand. His head turns to me, very slowly, with fear and rage battling in his eyes.
“Vampires.”
Chapter Ten
That singular word sends a bone-deep fear rippling through my body, everything in me is telling me to run. The air is trapped in my lungs, my blood thrumming through me so loudly all I can hear is my heartbeat accelerating with every pump. Vampires, like wolves, have their own society and hierarchy. For the most part they left us alone, and us them. One of the common misconceptions about vampires is that their bite is a death sentence for us, when really all it does is leave nasty teeth marks for a few hours, our blood is like a drug to them. Fortunately for wolves, though, if we bite a vampire, in wolf form, it poisons every single, blood cell in their cold, dead veins. We needed some form of weapon against their speed and the razor-sharp claws that have replaced their human fingernails.
“I need you to be okay. Shift and stay close to me, don’t get separated. Do you understand, Baby?” Wade asks as his warm hands frame my face, pushing back my hair.
“Understood. Let’s go kill some Vampires,” I say, trying to keep the fear from my voice. Standing on my tippy toes and pressing my lips to his briefly, I step back and quickly strip out of my clothes and shift. The shift is always fast; with a single thought, I bring my wolf forward, and she bursts free from her constraints. As quickly as I can, I’m on all fours, shaking out my blonde fur. My wolf is a part of me, we are one and the same. The decisions made while I am a wolf are dictated by her, and yet, I am fully aware that I could take the reins back at any point, I just choose not to. She needs control, and I trust her to make the right decisions, just as she trusts me to do the same when I’m in human form.
Wade is already in wolf form waiting for me by the door, I run towards him, and in perfect sync we are out the door, sprinting towards the wolves in danger. I follow Wade towards the woods at the back of the Pack house, away from the brick houses, where the more submissive members of the pack, along with any children and non-fighters are hiding. We run with full speed to the far-west border of pack lands, Wade’s gaze surveying the area as we run. There are about twenty other wolves running with Wade and me, allowing us as the Alpha pair to take lead. The mating bond has only just started to grow between us, and already I can see that little, purple haze of pack bonds reaching out from within me. I can feel the anxiety and the anger of the wolves around me, radiating through me, spurring me on to run fast, to push harder. These vampires have invaded my mate’s pack, endangering his life and the lives of those he is responsible for, a pack that I have every intention of joining. I will not let vampires take another family from me.
What I see when we get there has my killing calm narrowing my mind immediately. Fifteen Vampires surround three wolves, their circle getting tighter and tighter. The impact of paws hitting the ground vibrates underneath us. The vampires snap their heads in our direction, and with a hiss, they all begin to turn towards the larger threat. Wade and I run straight towards the vampires and launch ourselves onto the chests of the closest blood suckers.
My
body connects with a blond, male vampire, my teeth going straight to his neck, forcing the poison from my teeth into his skin. I tear at the skin at the base of his neck, ripping away as much tissue as I can to do as much damage as possible. You cut off blood to the brain of any person, supernatural or not, and they will die. I hear his scream echo through the trees as he falls to the ground with me still on his torso. The vampires start to scuttle backwards, tightening their circle in preparation for the twenty other wolves currently sprinting towards them.
Without pause I bound off the soon to be corpse, metallic blood dripping from my chin. I see Wade out of the corner of my eye tearing into an opponent of his own. I catch sight of another male vamp sneaking up behind a young wolf currently battling a female vampire, his total focus on her and not his surroundings. I run and jump onto the back of the vampire, pushing him off balance, which causes me to roll over the top of his shoulder and skid a few meters in front of him. I spin around and face him, the dirt flying up around us tickling my nose, both of us sprinting at full force towards each other. Our bodies collide, and it’s like hitting a fucking Mack truck at full force, my whole body jarring at the contact, I snap my teeth at him like a feral wolf, his arms trying to band around me to crush me. His claws dig deep into my side, piercing my skin, the blood running down his arms. The pain causes me to twist away and throw myself towards the ground. On the descent, I manage to snap my teeth around his calf, snapping the bone in the process. His broken limb brings him to the ground, his head lower than mine as he screams in pain, his head in such a vulnerable position that I could not pass up the opportunity. I jump around his body so that I’m facing the back of his head, my teeth bite into the base of his spinal cord, and I rip my head back, pulling the bone from his body before spitting it back out.
I look around, searching for my Mate, but realise I’ve become separated from the other wolves, with three vampires inching closer and closer to me, herding me further away.