by Zena Wynn
The other men came and did the same, and soon were leading their mates away.
Figuring he might as well face the music, he strolled over to Shay and Laurie Bell, who were having an animated conversation about graphic art, of all things.
“Laurie Bell.” He nodded respectfully in greeting. Holding out a hand to Shay, he said, “It’s time to go.” She allowed him to help her up.
He reached to do the same for Laurie Bell, but she was already standing. “Rory, you have a lovely mate. I look forward to seeing more of the both of you.” She kissed both of their cheeks and then headed in the direction of most of the others.
Only Rory, Shay, and a few stragglers remained, standing in the weak moonlight of a half-moon.
“So”—Shay began—“color me confused. Have we been officially recognized or not?”
Rolling his eyes, he tugged Shay behind him, waving absently at the chorus of good-byes that rang out. The whole way he wondered how he was going to apologize for doing exactly what he’d promised he wouldn’t—claim Shay in front of the entire pack.
“Have we?” she persisted.
“The council doesn’t matter. The pack does. They’ll have to fall in line.”
He pushed through the woods, moving slowly, aware Shay’s night vision wasn’t as good as his.
“But Shannon said—”
He stopped abruptly and turned to her. “When did you speak to Shannon?”
“Today, while you were gone.”
Tensed, he asked, “Is she okay? Does she need anything?”
Shay gave him “the look.” The one that said he was a few cards short of a full deck. “I called her. She said if the council doesn’t recognize us, the pack won’t either and our child will be considered a bastard.”
He glanced around but, knowing his pack didn’t have to be visible to be able to hear, leaned close to her ear and murmured, “Let’s discuss this later when it’s just the two of us.”
Shay nodded and remained quiet the rest of the way to the truck. She hummed with the radio as they rode home and, as soon as they walked in the house, began stripping. She announced, “I need a shower. I reek.”
“I’m sorry,” he forced out. He detested apologizing but hated more that he’d broken his promise.
She paused with one foot on the stairs, shirt dangling from her fingers, and glanced over her shoulder. “For what?”
“Tonight.”
“You’re not responsible for the way the pack acted. You told me they were jacked up. I sort of expected their response.” She continued up the stairs.
“Not that,” he said, a hint of the annoyance he felt slipping out. Did he have to spell it out? Part of him said let it go. It didn’t seem to be bothering her, so why push the issue? But Rory wanted trust between them. That being the case, just “letting it go” wouldn’t work.
She stopped several steps above him and turned to face him fully. “Then what?” she asked impatiently.
“The sex,” he ground out. “I said I wouldn’t, then did anyway.”
The skin between her brows furrowed. “But I pushed you into it.”
The reminder brought him up short. Confused, he stated, “You did, didn’t you. Why?”
“Can we discuss this in the shower? I’ve been sitting on the ground in the dirt, leaves, and God knows what else. I’m really grungy.”
Knowing if he got anywhere near her wet, naked body, talking was the last thing he’d be interested in, Rory told her, “Go ahead. I have something I need to do down here first.”
Shay ran her fingers through her hair, muttering when a clump of dried, brown leaves fell to the floor. “Fine. What the hell is a city girl like me doing in the woods at night? There’d better not be any bugs in my hair.”
Chapter Eleven
Rory stood watching the sensuous sway of Shay’s hips until she disappeared from sight. Then, realizing he was hungry, he went into the kitchen to prepare a late-night snack. Shifting always burned a lot of calories, which was why shifters tended to be lean and muscular, and he needed to refuel.
Ten minutes later, he had a plate full of meaty sandwiches on the table along with a bag of cookies and a cup of milk. Shay joined him wearing another of his shirts. Though he loved seeing her in his stuff, to needle her he said, “You’ve seemed to acquire a fondness for wearing my clothes.”
“That’s because you have a fondness for ripping mine off,” she shot back.
He grunted rather than acknowledge the truth of her words.
“You didn’t want a shower?” she asked while pouring herself a glass of milk.
He shook his head. “Too hungry. I’ll clean up after I eat.” Rory motioned her to a chair. “Hungry?”
“I’ll take some cookies.” She grabbed a handful of the chocolate-cream-filled sandwich cookies, twisted one open, and licked the cream filling, just like on the commercials. He couldn’t help but smile.
“So did they recognize us or not?”
His smile faded. “Shay, as alpha, I have final say in all things. When I established the council, I gave them some of my minor duties to give them something to do and to free my time for more important matters. They’ve never had a say in my choice of mate.
“Recognizing you as my mate is to their benefit, not ours. The council needs me. They rule on my authority. I can and will disband them in a heartbeat if they cross me.”
“So basically they’re just figureheads?” she asked, grabbing another cookie.
He rose to pour Shay another glass of milk. “No. Shifters believe elders should be respected. These men are all that remain of the Sparrowhawks’ male elders. By giving them a title and duties, I hope to show them respect and at the same time teach the younger ones how the elders are to be treated.”
“What about the women?” She dipped a cookie in his milk and popped it in her mouth.
Amused at her actions, he answered, “From what I could see, you did a good job of winning them over.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about. Do none of the women have power? Oh, and thanks for leaving me alone with women who could tear out my throat in the blink of an eye,” she groused, frowning at him.
He smirked. “None of them are that fast, and as long as all the men were with me, you were safe.”
Shay stared, her mouth gaping the tiniest bit, before she snapped it shut and shook her head.
“What?”
She examined him. “You don’t get it, do you?”
He arched an eyebrow. “Get what?”
“Women. Don’t you realize in ninety percent of all species, females are the most deadly, the most treacherous?”
Rory frowned, mentally reviewing the women of the pack. “The strongest one of them is a beta, at the most. You’re an alpha like me, or will be once you learn how to tap into your wolf. Besides, you’re my mate. They wouldn’t dare touch you.”
Shay snorted, ending in an amused chuckle. “God, you are so clueless it’s funny.”
Offended because she was calling him stupid, he tried to puzzle out what she meant, but honestly in this he was clueless. Male shifters were much stronger than females. It was the men of the pack he needed to watch out for.
Shay twirled her tongue around the cookie, catching the cream on its tip before pulling it into her mouth with a look of carnal ecstasy on her face. The sight reminded him of the way she’d looked sucking his cock earlier. Immediately he lost his train of thought as the majority of his reasoning power pooled below his waist.
“Don’t worry. I handled myself. How’d your run go with your friends?”
The question snapped him back, and he shrugged, baffled and slightly uncomfortable. “It was a run. We shifted, ran until we got tired, then came back to the women.”
Shay made a small humming sound, eyed him for a moment like she was trying to see into him, then selected another cookie.
Rory decided he didn’t even want to know what that was about. His stomach growled, reminding him
he’d prepared food but had yet to eat. He took a sandwich and snagged a handful of cookies before his mate could consume them all and began eating.
He’d devoured two sandwiches, drank his first glass of milk and poured another, and was munching on cookies before Shay spoke again.
“I’ve been introduced to the pack. Now what?”
“Now we get back to normal.”
Shay tilted her head to the side. “Do we have a normal?”
“We will. I’ll show you the different business systems the pack uses so you can get started on a program that will integrate them all into one, or at least let them speak to each other, and I need to get back to work. Half days, at least. I can do paperwork here at the house so I can be available to answer any questions you might have. I’ve seen how involved you get when you’re working on a project, so don’t worry about the house. Ashley’s paid to keep it clean. When you’re ready, I’ll let Caleb know it’s okay for her to return.”
Through the bond, he felt her instant and vehement recoil. “It’s just the two of us. I don’t need anyone cleaning behind me.”
Rory tried not to frown. This mate business was tricky. He thought she’d be glad not to do housework. But if that’s how she felt… “It’s your house. Your choice, but…”
“But what?” she asked, eyes narrowed suspiciously.
With a sigh, he admitted, “Ashley’s father was one of the men I killed during the challenge. In the beginning I paid her to clean as a way of earning extra money for her family. Now she uses the money to help with college expenses.”
Shay bit her lower lip and stared hard at the table. Finally, after the silence had drawn out, she said, “Fine. She can clean, but I don’t want anyone in our room, for any reason. In fact, I prefer she not come up the stairs at all.”
“I’ll let her know upstairs is off-limits.”
“And she needs set working hours. No coming and going as she pleases. That goes for the rest of the pack as well.”
“Shay—” He was already shaking his head.
“No, on this I’m adamant. My house, remember? The howl aside, if I want to screw you on the kitchen table, I don’t want to worry about someone walking in on us—again,” she said pointedly.
He conceded her argument was valid. As alpha, Rory felt he should be accessible to the pack when he was home, but as a mated man, he did have a right to privacy. “What if we have a few hours a day where the pack can simply drop by without notice, but the rest of the time they have to call first?”
“Why can’t they call first all the time?”
He sighed and wearily rubbed his forehead. “Eventually we’ll work our way to that, but for now let’s ease them into it. By mating, I’ve already introduced a lot of changes to the pack.”
“I’m sure the women would understand. The men should too,” she argued. “You don’t go dropping in on them willy-nilly, do you?”
“If I need to.”
She stared at him until he admitted, “Okay, very rarely. Usually I call first.”
Shay jabbed a finger at him. “See, that’s what I’m talking about.”
“You’re right. I’ll talk things over with Caleb and MacDougal—”
“We’ll talk things over,” she pointedly interjected.
“We’ll,” he corrected. “Between the four of us we should be able to come up with a plan.”
Shay laid her hand on top of his. “Rory, I’m not trying to be a pain or come between you and the pack. I get how you feel about them. Felt it tonight through the bond. You’re a good alpha. However I can’t get Conor’s warning out of my mind. I’d rather err on the side of caution than relax my guard and discover the hard way I trusted the wrong person.”
The reminder was like a punch in the guts. Rory brought her fingers to his lips and kissed them. “You’re right. We’ll do whatever you think is best. No one is going to harm our child.”
* * * *
Ashley fluffed her tousled hair and tweaked her nipples good and hard before knocking on the door. While waiting, she bit at her full lips to give them the pouty look men seemed to find sexy. It was late, a little after midnight, and though there were no lights on inside, she could hear the low murmur of the television—wrestling.
When MacDougal opened the door, she gave him her most enticing smile and asked in a low, throaty voice, “May I come in?”
In answer, he widened the opening.
She stepped in and glanced around curiously, having never been inside. Unlike Wesley and the other leaders, MacDougal never paid her to keep house for him, preferring his privacy.
“Did I wake you?” As a lineman for the electric company, she knew he worked early hours. She’d made it her business to learn everything she could about him.
“No. Just catching some tube before calling it a night.”
Ashley turned to face him, playing with the drawstring holding the front of her low-cut blouse together over her breasts. “I can’t stop thinking about tonight,” she confessed.
Truth. Though she’d made several subtle plays for him in the past, tonight was the first time he’d shown any interest in her.
He crossed his arms and leaned against the door. “Yeah?” he asked, sounding only mildly interested.
Cautiously she licked her lips and added, “You made me feel things I’ve never felt before and…” She allowed her voice to trail off, and glanced away as though nervous.
“And…” he prompted, watching her closely.
Careful, she warned herself. MacDougal was strong, cunning, and wouldn’t be easily led by his cock like Wesley. As though she were shy, she bounced her gaze all around the room before meeting his through lowered lashes. “Can we do it again?” she asked hesitantly.
“I like to be in control,” he warned.
She licked her lips again, the act real this time as she remembered the way he’d held her down, her wrists bound by one large hand as he’d fucked her hard. “I know.” She gave a small, delicate shudder as cream slicked between her lower lips.
His gaze homed in on the crotch of her Daisy Dukes, and she knew he could smell her arousal. “Are you willing to submit to me?”
“Yes,” she answered, allowing a small bit of her need to sound in her voice.
“Take off your clothes.”
She whipped off her shirt, dropped it to the floor, and pushed down her denim shorts. She wore no underwear.
“Kneel.”
She was panting as she sank gracefully to her knees. Wesley was a mature, experienced lover, but he was old. Michael was young and virile. She wanted him with a desperation she was only beginning to realize.
“Suck my cock.”
When he didn’t move, she crawled forward on her hands and knees, climbed her hands up his legs, and freed his penis from his jeans. He was already erect, a small bead of precum on its tip. Not as indifferent to her as he was pretending to be. More confident at this sign that she was getting to him, she took her time, licking and savoring him. It surprised Ashley to find she was more interested in his pleasure than showing off her considerable skills in this area.
“That’s it,” he praised when she deep throated him. “Take it all.” He grabbed her hair and wrapped his hands in its length, trapping her head and holding her still for his gratification. Then he began thrusting in long, slow strokes.
Ashley closed her eyes, breathed though her nostrils, and let him fuck her mouth. He got a little rough toward the end, but his roughness excited her. She wanted to touch her clit and stroke her pussy but thought he would object. When he came, she swallowed, then sucked his softening penis for more cum.
“Greedy bitch, aren’t you? Get up.”
As she rose, she managed to rub her breasts along the length of his body. Then she stood, eyes lowered, awaiting his command.
“Go to my room, lie on the bed, and wait for me.”
Her cream coating her thighs, she did as he instructed, following his scent trail to where it was the stro
ngest. The mattress, unsurprisingly, was king-size, sitting on a four-poster frame. Ashley climbed on, crawled to the middle, and lay on her back. Above the bed on the ceiling was mirrored tile.
When he entered the room, she had the fingers of her left hand buried in her cunt while her right hand tweaked her nipple, watching herself get off in the mirror. He let her play for a bit, then commanded, “Hands outstretched.”
She indulged herself with one last, lingering stroke before obeying. He bound her hands and feet, then stood studying his handiwork. Ashley gave a little tug on the scarves, testing the restraints.
“They’ll hold until I release you. Still want to do this?”
“Oh yes.” She was so turned on her pussy was on fire. He had to fuck her soon.
He stroked a finger down her slit, and she arched into it with a gasp. “If I had more time, I’d drag this out. See how much you can take.” Her sex clenched as she moaned. “But I work tomorrow so…”
He mounted the mattress between her legs, pumping his thickly veined cock. “Since you took the edge off, prepare for a long, hard ride.” He propped a pillow under her ass to angle her body like he wanted.
After rubbing the tip through her cream-slicked slit a few times, he asked, “Ready?”
“Yes!”
Her first orgasm hit almost instantly. As promised, he took her on a good, long ride, full throttle. Ashley came twice more before Michael finally stiffened above her. His sweaty body collapsed on top of her, driving the air from her lungs. Her breath came in shallow pants until he recovered enough to move and release her bonds.
He returned to lie at her side, idly caressing the hair on her mound. She spread her legs wider and tilted her cradle, humming in appreciation of his touch.
“That was good. Good enough to repeat. What do you say? You wanna be my bitch?”
“Yes, alpha,” she answered softly.
There was a pause as he stiffened. Then he thrust two fingers into her sheath and gave her clit a twirl with his thumb. “That’s a good bitch,” he murmured.