by Sabrina Rue
“Agreed. I don’t want to embarrass myself or you.”
He shoved their dishes away and lifted her to the table. “I’ve witnessed the effects all my life with the females of our Pack. There’s nothing about you or Heat that will embarrass me.”
Quirking his lips, he added, “I once walked into the kitchen for a snack and caught my parents going at it on the counter while her Secondary Mate waited to ease her. She couldn’t look me in the eye for a month.”
She chuckled as his hands moved to the waist of her leggings and worked them over her hips and down her legs with her panties.
“Is there something you want, Mate?” she asked softly.
“To taste you again. To be inside you again.”
“Right here then?” Her voice was breathless.
“Anywhere…”
Then he lowered his mouth to her folds and she supported her weight on her hands. Her head dropped back on her shoulders as he took her apart one lick, one suck at a time.
A long time later, her body vibrating from the attention he poured on her, he stood and slid the chair away. Bending over her, he pushed his cock deep in a single thrust as she held the edge of the table to brace herself for the force.
“Take me deep and let me fill you up, Mate.”
Fisting his hair, she growled, “Give me twin girls, Ryker.”
The low rumble from his chest made her nipples tighten. “I’ll do my best, Harmony.”
Kissing her way across his shoulder, she whispered, “We’ll have to keep trying until I get what I want.”
“I like the way you think.”
“I like the way you fuck.” She moaned deep in her throat. “Don’t stop. Don’t you dare stop.”
“I’d never court your wrath in such a way.”
To herself, she smiled. They were on the same page about who held the biggest portion of power in their power couple.
One less thing she’d have to teach her delicious new Mate.
The fucking, however…Ryker had that shit down.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
It was two days before Ryker’s Pack felt safe returning to the main house.
Redbird was the first one brave enough to enter. She took one look at her son and his Mate sprawled on the disaster of a sofa in his den and laughingly shook her head as she continued to the kitchen.
A few hours later, Desiree poked her head around the door while Harmony and Ryker were cleaning up the mess they’d made.
“So…I have questions,” the young woman said carefully.
Harmony laughed. “You can ask me anything you want but let me assure you that most Matings aren’t quite as violent.”
The expression of relief on her face was priceless. “Thank the gods because I do not have those skills.”
Walking across the room, she threw the remains of a broken lamp in the large bin they were using for everything they’d ruined trying to one-up each other.
Putting down the broom and dustpan, Harmony put her hands on her hips. “How would you feel about learning them?”
Desiree blinked, twisting her hands together. She glanced past Harmony to her brother and back. “I-I don’t want to bother you. You have so many important things to do.”
“True. One of those important things is making sure my fellow females in Texas Pack have the ability to protect themselves should the need arise.”
“Really?” Harmony nodded. “Would you…I mean, if there were other people, you know, women, who wanted to learn, would you be okay with them watching?”
Bending until they were nose to nose, Harmony released a low, serious growl. The poor girl jumped.
“No one watches training, Desiree. Anyone who shows up is going to sweat. They’re going to get hit and they’re going to hit others. Make that clear before you extend the invitation.”
“I’ll work hard.”
“Yes, you will. If you’re going to train to be my Second, you need to learn a lot of new information quickly. The basics of protecting yourself and how to respond during emergencies.”
Gripping her hands so tightly her knuckles were white, the girl whispered, “I don’t understand. Everyone thought you’d make your sister your Second when she was found or, I mean, there’s lots of females who are trained…”
“How many of them are empaths?” Harmony asked.
“Well…only me.”
“Exactly. As the female Alpha of Texas Pack, our women and children are my responsibility. I don’t need a Second to defend me, Desiree. I can defend myself. What I need is someone who can bridge the gap between the way I am and what a hurting woman or child might need.”
She swallowed hard. “I won’t let you down. I swear it, Harmony.”
“I know. Go change into workout clothes and meet me in the side yard in ten minutes.”
Without another word, Ryker’s little sister turned on her heel and ran through the house to her quarters. She yelled for her mother and it made Harmony smile.
Her Mate gripped her shoulders in his hands. “The way your mind works is going to keep me on my toes. I had no idea you were considering my sister for your Second.”
Turning, she stared up at him. “I’m a formidable fighter and there are few as capable of evading trouble as I am. I have very little experience in emotions, in gentleness. I’m very different than my own mother or even Hope. I need someone who fills those gaps.”
“Brilliant.”
“Now, I’m done cleaning. I picked up everything I broke and the rest is on you, Mate. Going to train!” Jumping up, she kissed him and then jogged outside to wait for Desiree.
The girl appeared in half the time she’d been given in an outfit almost identical to Harmony’s shorts, t-shirt, and sneakers.
Redbird walked a step behind her. “Harmony, have you spoken to Ryker about this? I worry for you…an Alpha’s Second is usually chosen from our best fighters.”
Smiling, she answered, “I’m certain she’s the best fit. Allow me to put your mind at ease about her safety with me.”
To Ryker who’d appeared in the doorway behind his family, she said, “I need four males who are combat trained to assist me in a demonstration. It can’t be you.”
Removing his phone, he placed a call. Then he walked to the low retaining wall that surrounded the side yard and sat.
Harmony stretched her body out and chatted with Desiree while she waited. Males appeared one or two at a time. Jax was among them.
She was also glad to see several of the females who lived and worked at the compound.
Gesturing to the girl who would become her Second, she approached curiously. Harmony wrapped Desiree’s long black hair snugly to the base of her neck.
“Always secure it when we train so it isn’t used against you.” Moving in front of her, she held the younger woman’s shoulders. “Do you trust me?”
Desiree nodded without hesitation.
“Thank you.” To the men gathered, Harmony announced, “Traditionally, an Alpha chooses their Second from fighters but that’s not a skill set I require. To assure my Mate’s mother that I’ll guard myself as well as her only daughter, I’d like your help.”
Gathering her own hair tightly, she smiled. “Ryker will pay one thousand dollars to the male who manages to throw Desiree over his shoulder and make it to that fence.”
From the corner of her eye, she watched her Mate and his mother jump to their feet. She met Ryker’s gaze for a long moment. Though he was unsure, he remained still and silent, waiting to see what she planned to do.
A younger male who was the spitting image of Ryker said, “You want us to attack our Alpha’s only sister one by one?”
Harmony’s smile was slow. “No. I want all of you to try to get to her at the same time.” There were gasps around the yard and she held up her hands to settle them.
“Only my Mate could have captured me. He was primed to find me. I was primed to be found. Had Ryker not joined the hunt, I’d still be in the wind.”
Looking at their faces individually, she said, “As your female Alpha, you need to know, to truly understand, what you’re getting in me.”
Over her shoulder, she told Desiree, “You can move around me but don’t worry about defending yourself.”
She answered, “I’m so excited, I can barely stand it.”
Laughing, Harmony turned back to the males and said, “I put you on your back, you’re done. I suggest you not hold back because I don’t intend to. You big, bad Wolves can take it.” To Ryker, she added, “Do not interfere.”
She assumed a fighting stance and growled at them.
All of them looked at Ryker and he stared at his Mate for a long moment. Then he nodded to his men.
As one, they attacked.
Harmony’s body had always reacted effortlessly to her needs. She found it exciting to spar with males because she didn’t have to hold back, she didn’t need to stifle her power.
The males attempted to move around her to the prize but she didn’t let them off so easily. They were initially cautious, pulling their punches, reining in their power, and trying not to hurt the woman Mated to their Alpha.
She didn’t show an ounce of mercy.
Her punches were intentionally painful, her kicks purposefully incapacitating. She didn’t hesitate to use her teeth, claws, or speed against them.
Around and around the motionless Desiree, Harmony battled four males trained to fight, sworn to defend Texas Pack.
One-on-one, she could have disabled three of them within seconds. Four-on-one, it took some coordination.
So, she coordinated.
For several minutes, she assessed their strengths and weaknesses. She determined which male dropped their guard on one side, which one was slowest, who depended too much on their weight and strength, and which was the true threat.
The moment she had them figured out, she eliminated them one at a time.
When the first male hit the ground on his back, the growing crowd in the side yard collectively gasped in true shock. The second inspired a genuine laugh from Desiree behind her. The third released a stream of surprised curses as Harmony stilled.
Turning, she faced the last man standing.
Naturally, it was Jax. Her Mate’s Second. The fastest of the Were males and the one who was assessing her every move as she assessed his. The man who had their Alpha’s back in every confrontation since they were children.
Stripping her shirt over her head, she wiped away her sweat. Pulling down her hair, she put it back up tightly again. Tossing her shirt away, she toed off her sneakers, stripped away her socks, and faced him in form-fitting shorts and a sport bra.
He murmured, “You’ve healed beautifully.”
“Thank you, Jax.” Shaking out her hands and wiggling her bare toes in the grass, she smiled. “Stop taking it easy on me.”
He winked. “I’d never dream of such a thing, Alpha.”
“Tsk, tsk.” Over her shoulder, she told Desiree, “You can sit with your mom. If Jax puts me on the ground, I’ll yield.”
Breathlessly, Ryker’s sister announced, “This is the most exciting day of my whole life, Harmony.”
“We have got to get you out more, honey.” The girl laughed warmly as she went to stand beside her mom. Harmony stretched as she turned back to her Secondary Mate. “Ready?”
He stripped his shirt over his head and tossed it away. When he had removed his combat boots and socks, he straightened to face her. She let her eyes roam over his lean form in nothing but black tactical pants.
“Very pretty, Jax.”
“Thank you, Alpha. The feeling is mutual.”
She stepped closer to him and stared up into his face. His brown eyes glowed and his canines were prominent. “Jax?”
“Yes, Alpha?”
“If you hold back, I’ll make you pay in ways you can’t possibly imagine but I’ll greatly enjoy delivering. Alright?”
He didn’t speak for almost a minute. His canines extended further. “Are you certain, Harmony?”
“Oh, yes.” She glanced to the side and met Ryker’s eyes. He stood watching them, his arms crossed over his chest. “Alpha, do we have your blessing to beat the shit out of each other?”
Her Mate’s smile was brilliant. “It’s nice knowing I’m not the only male you’ll hit, Harmony. Jax is a better fighter than me. I’m filled with raging curiosity about how this will end.”
Staring up at Jax, Harmony blew him a kiss and stepped back.
When the man attacked, he didn’t bank his speed. He didn’t pull the force of his hits or hold back the power of his kicks.
Ten minutes, thirty minutes, an hour…and they continued to fight. All over the yard, along the wall, up on the roof, and back to the grass. Using every surface for additional height.
They would have been blurs of motion to humans as they spun and flipped around one another.
Any Pack member close enough to make it showed up to watch the Alpha’s Mate and the Alpha’s Second battle each other for supremacy.
By the time they’d been fighting for two hours, there were close to a hundred of their Pack screaming and betting on the outcome.
Ryker never moved. He simply watched the two people closest to him as they released destruction on one another.
As a Were called out the three-hour mark, Jax flipped backwards and landed in a crouch a dozen feet from Harmony.
She stilled in a crouch of her own, waiting for his next move.
He released a long howl that stimulated every male member of their Pack to join him. As it trailed away, he stood.
When he raised his face, eyes glowing and teeth extended, he growled, “Alpha. I have never seen a female fighter as skilled and have rarely seen a male who could compare. You are an honor to your family, to your Mate, and to your Pack.”
Placing his fist over his heart, he growled, “I yield.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The Weres surrounding the yard erupted in roaring applause. Harmony straightened but didn’t take her eyes off her opponent.
Glancing past Harmony to Redbird, Jax said, “You can trust our female Alpha to guard your daughter as her Second. I think they’ll complement one another in their duties.”
“Thank you, Jax.” Redbird walked to Harmony and kissed her cheek. “She’s going to talk your ear off, darling.”
Grinning, she replied, “I don’t mind.”
“I’m going to make you a massive amount of food.” Her Mate’s mother glanced quickly between the two fighters before returning her eyes to Harmony’s face. “Um, let me know if you think a tray would be best.”
To the assembled Pack, Harmony said, “The chaos that encroaches on the Were population will reach us. Every member, including the females, of our Pack must be trained. Whether I teach you to fight or show you how to escape, I won’t be gentle or sweet. For that, you’ll need to speak with my Second, Desiree Blackwell. You’ll come to me for training and she will dry your tears.”
To her Second, she commanded, “Set up a training schedule. We begin in three days.”
“Yes, Alpha,” Desiree replied with a giddy smile.
The males gradually dispersed, some clearly confused about what they’d just witnessed, but many of the females gathered around Desiree to ask questions.
Jax and Harmony remained a dozen feet apart. She held his gaze as Ryker stepped between them.
Glancing back and forth between his Mate and best friend, Ryker said, “I’m shocked you yielded, Jax. I was certain we’d be here until tomorrow.”
Shaking his head, Jax said, “We could have continued for two days and nothing would have changed. In combat, we’re equals and your Mate will never yield in a fight for something she believes in. Her motives were met. Desiree is her Second, your mother’s mind is eased, and female Pack have seen what they can train toward. Yielding was an honor, Ryker.”
Closing the distance between them, Harmony took Ryker’s hand as she passed him. When
she stopped in front of Jax, her Mate’s hands settled on her hips from behind.
For a long moment, she said nothing as she stared into his eyes. “Thank you, Jax.”
“For what, Alpha?”
“Not holding back.”
“You are incredible, Harmony.”
“So are you.” Her hands settled on Ryker’s as her eyes rolled down Jax’s body. “You’re my Secondary Mate.”
“I have that honor, yes.”
“Is it? An honor?”
He stepped closer, boxing her between the males. “It is an honor. It’s also something I desired on a deeply personal level from the moment Ryker seized you at that campground. Wounded, starved, and alone, you would have fought him and you would have left him a reminder of you.”
“If you become my Secondary, you can never Mate another.”
“When I was a boy, there was a girl I knew to be my Mate. Purists killed her when I was five. There’s no one else, Harmony.”
She nodded. “I’m sorry for your loss but not for my gain. I wear my Alpha’s Mark on my right shoulder. I will wear yours on my left.”
Instantly his Wolf was dominant and he growled inches from her face. Ryker braced her hips from behind as Jax rubbed his face across her breasts and up her neck.
He licked the sweat and blood that covered her skin, unable to stop the continuous rumble from his chest.
Harmony knew he was hard for her and she wanted him to be.
Jax lowered to his knees and rubbed his cheeks over her belly. His strong hands slipped up the back of her thighs to cup her ass, kneading the muscles firmly.
At her ear, Ryker murmured, “He yielded to you in battle. Will you yield to him in your bed, Harmony?”
“Gladly.”
Over her shoulder, her Mate looked at his Second. “Jax.” Wild eyes glanced up the length of her. “You can’t fuck her in the yard.”
Huffing, Jax stood and threw Harmony over his shoulder in one fluid movement. He walked into the house and through it to Ryker’s bedroom. She braced her hands on his low back and grinned at her Mate behind her.