Seducing the Schoolmarm

by Mahalia Levey

  Raze’s eyebrows shot up. “Retiring is your call. You live to prepare for those fights, the call to battle, to score a victory. It’s your passion.” He tilted his head. “I guess my question is, what would you do?”

  “Find another victory. Have a family of my own. Christ. I don’t know.” He ran a hand over his head.

  “Your pretty school teacher has done a major mojo on you.” Raze polished off his pickles, dipping them in mustard. “What’s your Wolf say?”

  “My Wolf doesn’t want me to leave her unprotected. Hell, I don’t want to, and we haven’t even had one date yet, or gotten to know each other.” He met his brother’s gaze, a strange sense of knowing settling over him. “Weird. Now I know what Pops meant when he told us how he knew Ma was the one at first glance.”

  “So for now, if your Wolf is provoked to protect, you’ll have to convince her to go with you until you can retire or cancel your contract and get out. If you choose that option. Or you’ll have to go alone and trust she’s safe here with the pack as she has been before you showed up.” He grimaced and finished off his beer. “Not sure how well you’ll compete if you’re already bonding so quickly. You have to have your head in the right space to fight. Did you mark her?”

  Yeah, with my cum. “No, but damn, I want to.” Ravage tapped the bar counter for a refill.

  “The schoolmarm seduced you.” Raze broke out in full guffaws. “Never thought I’d see you pussy whipped so damn fast. It only took one day, folks, to bring this bachelor down to his knees. Poor bastard.”

  Ravage growled. “I’m not pussy whipped, brotha.”

  “If you say so. I say when we leave here, you’ll find some excuse to call her and invite her over.”

  Ravage snorted. “She’s got work to do as do we, in getting settled. I can wait at least twenty-four hours to see her again.” He so lied to his twin. His Wolf wanted Adrie in his bed tonight, craved the scent of her body, the way she laughed, her luscious curves, and gorgeous smile.

  “Down boy. I can feel your vibe.” Raze shook his head. “How the fuck did you meet your mate on day one?” He elbowed him. “Lucky bastard. I need a date. Scratch that, I need to get laid.”

  Ravage chuckled.

  “I need you to know that even though I prefer dick, I’m not going to shirk my duty when it comes to procreation. I will provide heirs for the pack. I want to have whelps of my own one day.”

  “Too much information, but yeah, I always knew you’d do what was needed to ensure our future survival. I’m not saying you have to abide by conventional laws.”

  “So long as I find a female who doesn’t give a fuck, I’m good.”

  “Bro, you’ll have to take this convo up with your life mate when you find him.” He drained his beer and tapped his finger on the bar top. “You’re right. I am itching to see Adrie.”

  Raze chuckled and slapped him on the back. “I told you you’re whipped. If you chase her too hard, she might run.”

  “My balls are fine.” The memory of her running the night before filled his mind followed by what he’d done to her.

  Chapter Five

  “Good morning, students. Please take your seats. Primary class, please begin filling out your weekly packet. Middle and high school, turn on your laptops and start with your first subjects.” Adrie spoke into her intercom system, alerting the older kids out of sight to begin to work on their own. The first few months of teaching the pack youngsters took a lot of patience. The historic schoolhouse had been updated—as much as the pack could afford—but she’d needed to put a gate around the wood stove to keep the youngest safe.

  They sat at antique wood desks with metal chairs and worked diligently. She wanted her love for teaching to spill over to those who wanted to learn. The older ones wanted to get jobs with their parents, help the land. The Alpha wanted each child to have an education comparable to humans in case they chose to leave for a trade school or further their education, in the hope that once they did, they’d return to their home and support their town with their skill.

  The door opened, and a very late Caress hurried in to join them.

  “Good morning, Ms. Galveston. You’ve had a week to get settled in. Punctuality is important. Please remember that in the future.”

  “I’m sorry, Ms. Scarlett. It won’t happen again. Is this the only school here? I kept looking for a bigger place.”

  “We are a small pack, Caress. We don’t need multiple educational buildings. This is it.” Adrie clicked her teeth. “No doubt you were looking for a school such as the humans have. This is an old town.”

  “There’s not even a playground for the younger kids or a gym.”

  “Who are all wolves and get to run and exercise in their natural forms. I know this is a change for you. It was for me, too, but I’ve made the best and work with what I’ve got. Behind the partition, Luck, Carter, Seth, twins Jamison and Jericho are working on their laptops to complete assignments. Luck is twenty as are Carter and Seth. The twins are nineteen. Markus is sixteen. They have physical training every morning and defense strategy once a week. Until they choose a profession to help the pack, we keep a tight schedule. They shadow dominants and shop owners once a week, take classes online, and work on deciding what they want to do here. This morning you’ll help me with the young, impressionable minds, and, later, you can work on the classes your brothers have requested for you.”

  “Okay. Hey, Myanna.” She waved at the only other female her age in the room.

  Adrie rose from her desk with a smile on her face. She passed by each student and gave them an affectionate pat. “Everyone, meet Caress. She is here to help out. Say good morning to her.”

  “Mornin’, Miss Caress.” A volley of young voices welcomed her.

  “You must keep Ms. Adrie busy.” Caress smiled at the pretty little ones in front of her. Two blonde twin girls with blue eyes shared a box of crayons. One little boy picked his nose but stopped when Ms. Adrie frowned at him then took out a hanky to wipe.

  “Abigail sitting by Addison, they are my six-year-old twins. Right now, they’re working on shapes and colors. Jasper and Leaf are eight. They like to fight each other and maintain discipline, but barely. Nathan in the back row is by Tommy. The boys are both ten, hate English and Math, but love Science. Chrystelle is nineteen, and not here today. She only comes in twice a week, since she teaches at school for the blind a few days of the week and works on her college assignments here on other days. E’Mariana is eighteen. She is a bit boy crazy. Meribella is also seventeen going on twenty-one, also boy crazy. Jemmalue just turned sixteen. She thinks education is worthless and making a good mate match is better than learning a skill. She gets her thought process from her mother,” Adrie whispered the last to Caress.

  “Why are the girls not in the other room with the high school students?”

  “I found out real quick not to keep them together.” Adrie pursed her lips.

  “They was kissing each other.” Addison giggled.

  “Shut up, squirt. That’s what big kids do. We kiss and forn—”

  “Enough, Meribella,” Adrie snapped at the teen. Myanna rolled her eyes. “Have some respect and boundaries, or do you need to write me another ten-page single-spaced paper on the history of our species?”

  “No, ma’am.”

  Adrie winked at Caress. “Now then, let’s see how we can set you up to mentor these youngins.”

  Caress groaned, making Adrie grin.

  “Tomorrow, wear a shirt covering your midriff and longer shorts with a hem that reaches past your fingernails with your hands down your sides.”

  “You have to be kidding me.” Caress frowned. “I don’t own any long shorts, and there is nothing wrong with what I have on. It’s fashionable.”

  “In human towns. Not here. We want our young males to concentrate on learning, not wanting to cover you in their bestial form whenever you’re around. We don’t wear human perfume here. Most of the males detest the stench and want thei
r female’s natural scent.”

  “I….” Caress blinked. “Fine. Whatever. I’ve moved to hell and there is no going back.”

  Adrie sighed and walked to her seat. “You’ll adapt to pack rules. If you have an issue, feel free to take grievances up with the Alpha, who I report directly to.”

  Her new student-aide froze. Good. I’ll make a proper lady out of the youngest Galveston yet.

  “I’m good.”

  “Sit where you’re at, and if anyone raises their hand, you will see what they need.” Adrie picked up her lesson plans and began outlining for the upcoming week. Her cell phone vibrated on her desk, creating an unholy racket. She ducked down to read the incoming message.

  Ravage: Hope you’re having a good morning, beautiful.

  A picture of Ravage accompanied the text. She sucked in a breath and squeezed her legs together. His imprinted scent clouded her mind, leaving her in a puddle of want. Damn, he looked sexy in a tight shirt with Security spread across his massive chest in bright yellow letters. The fatigue pants hugged his strong legs and conformed to his tight ass. Lord she wanted to swoon over the sight of him. Another text brought her out of her instant fantasy of him fucking her on her desk.

  Ravage: I love how you couldn’t formulate a fast response. Sorry we didn’t catch up this past week. I was busy with my brother, dealing with my sister, and meetings with the Dominants. Let’s get together soon.

  Adrie shut her phone off. Better to let him sit and think she never saw the first text than to respond and give him an even bigger ego. Feeling overheated, she walked to the windows and wound them open. Fresh air cooled her libido, but not enough. Opening her top two buttons gave her instant relief.

  “You okay, Ms. Scarlett?” Caress moved from the fourteen year old girls, heading toward her.

  “I’m fine. Just a bit flushed.”

  “Do you need some water?”

  “I’m okay, Miss Galveston. Right as rain. Why don’t you show the girls how to use the abacus? We’ve been working on steering away from calculators, instead doing some old-school counting to ensure they can do the basics by exercising their brains.

  “Okay.”

  “Great.” Adrie ignored the groans from all the students and went to grab the counting aide, placing one on each desk. “Math for thirty minutes. Goof off and I’ll make it an hour and take away thirty minutes of your morning walk outside.”

  “Yes, Ms. Scarlett,” the students replied in unison.

  Adrie shuffled to her desk and blew out a breath. She needed to get Ravage out of her mind, so she could do her job. Caress smiled at her from Abigail and Addison’s desks. Like she knew her thoughts were on her brother. Gah, she hated being read by anyone. If it was obvious to one student, her lack of attention would be obvious to everyone.

  “What are you doing, Jemmalou?” Caress grabbed the teen’s cell phone. “Markus, sneak off with me during the morning walk. We can continue what we were doing when my parents weren’t home,” Caress read the text out loud. “I don’t know, Jemma. What if your dad catches us? He’d kill me. We can swim at the water hole later on with the others.”

  “I can’t believe you read my message out loud,” the teen screeched and face-planted on her desk in mortification.

  “Anyone caught texting, typing, or sending notes to the guys will be in for an embarrassment. So, if you don’t mind public knowledge of your conversations, test me.” Caress met the young girls glare. “I dare you.”

  “Whatevs. You didn’t have to do that you know. Total breach of my privacy. I have a right to privacy.”

  “Not here you don’t. As a matter of fact, everyone hand over your cell phones. You can pick them up after you’re released from your lessons,” Caress ordered.

  Adrie sat back and enjoyed Caress commanding the room. Six cell phones landed on her desk. Caress went to the other side and grabbed the guys’ cell phones. She returned to Adrie. “I take it you have a drawer or something?”

  Adrie opened her desk drawer so she could drop them inside. “Thanks.”

  “No problem.” She eyed Jemma. “Got tired of hearing the clickity-click of her rapid texting and selfies of her boobs.”

  “That girl is going to end up in a world of trouble if she keeps acting out. See why I need to have you showing less skin, teaching these young girls they don’t have to show their bodies to get the guy.”

  “But we’re Wolves. I’m as happy walking around naked as in clothing. Nudity is innate.” She glanced at the girls again. “But I concede. I can tone down the way I dress a bit for the younger ones.” She moved toward the window. “So, behind the school is where I can plant the community garden? There’s a lot of room. Having them help me might give them some idea of what it takes to nurture something of their own. I can give everyone his or her own vegetable, fruit, or herb to plant. We can make an economics project for the older kids, and for the younger ones we can make it science.”

  “How will you get the supplies for the garden? As a pack, we don’t have much extra money.” Adrie needed to know. Her budget for the students was low, considering they were still waiting on building repairs.

  “I have most of the stuff at home already. I’ve set up my greenhouse and all the produce I want. If I need extra supplies, Raze knows what to get. I can send him to gather everything and have the guys carry the heavy pieces. I saw a lumber mill. We can get four-by-fours cut and slim wooden stakes from there.”

  “Okay. You already know the deal, what your brother wants you to do. I’m sure I don’t need to outline everything a second time.”

  “Don’t know why they want me to have a college education when it’s clear what I’m good at doing.”

  “Caress. You could be a horticulturist or a botanist. I bet you could make new species of food for our kind, and find new herbal medical treatments based on your knowledge of roots, flowers, and much more. So don’t knock furthering your education if it will make you better prepared to help the pack.”

  “My mother was good at plants and their values, as was her mother. She passed the books down to me, and her craft. She may not have been around, but I know my purpose.” She shrugged. “What I know feels natural. I can scent a plant and know its derivative nature, medicinal value, and more. I can spot a berry and know if it’s food, poison, or hallucinogen. Everyone knows Oleander is a beautiful flower yet deadly, and wolfs bane is as toxic.”

  It was clear the girl had a gift. But she needed to see how to use it, extend it. “With an education, you can expand your mind, broaden your horizons, and learn more. Eventually, you can decide what to do with your skills. Who knows, you might find you’d like to teach here.” Adrie glanced at her watch. “Time for the morning walk.”

  No sooner had she spoken the words than her kids jumped from their seats, lining up at the door. She waited for the boys to join them and led everyone outside.

  “We walk the perimeter of the land. It’s about an hour-long walk, a chance for everyone to stretch their legs. Get some fresh morning air.”

  “Ohh, maybe we’ll run into Ravage.”

  Adrie snorted. “If we do, we’ll keep walking. He has a job to do, and I have students to keep track of. Jemmalou, you and Markus need to put some space between you.”

  Blushing, the girl reluctantly dropped her boyfriend’s hand. A dramatic sigh left her as she moved a few paces in front of him and his friends to walk next to her female pack mates.

  Caress grinned. “You’re the mama Wolf here.”

  “Gotta keep them in line or they will run all over me. You should’ve been here when we had sex education and reproduction for the older kids.”

  She laughed. “Fun times, I bet. Humans are weird about sexual expression. Why deny yourself? They have a lot of hang-ups and self-confidence issues.”

  Adrie arched a brow. “You’re saying we don’t?”

  “Maybe you did. You believed you were human forever, right? I grew up with two whoremonger brothers. One who is all
about the same sex and the other who thinks because he never did it in my face I didn’t figure out his intense appetite for sexual gratification.”

  Irrational jealousy ramped through Adrie. She wanted to obliterate all those preceding her. “You either seem well adjusted for someone who lost her parents at a young age, or you have a good poker face.”

  Caress shrugged. “I’m all right I suppose. I can’t remember their smiles or their scents, laughter, the little things, but I have tons of pictures. I guess I’m A-OK.” She snorted. “As good as can be having been raised by two males.”

  Adrie pointed. “Look, there’s your neighbor, Ford.”

  Caress sighed. “He’s mine and has no clue I exist.”

  “Oh?” She glanced at her. “What makes you say he’s yours?”

  “My Wolf told me. He, however, stated he isn’t into impertinent girls. Even though I’m an adult. I’ll make him see one day.”

  “Ford is pretty private. He’s also nine years older than you are. If he’s your mate though, I suppose eventually he’ll have to claim you.” Adrie sighed.

  Caress placed her hand on her shoulder. “My brother is really into you. I know you’re fighting being claimed, but really, ignore my comments about him being a whoremonger. He’s never acted so weird in his life, at least not over any other female. His reaction to you shows you matter, a lot.”

  They came around the bend of the water hole, kept going, and waved at the pack mates wielding hammers and other construction supplies. All the naked skin stole her breath, her pulse skyrocketed. She clenched her legs together and hoped no one scented the hormonal shift in her body. In the distance she noticed the security team roving in the woods, twelve in total for the day. “What is your brother’s job on the team?”

  “Uh, he’s a tracker. Makes sense, he’s damn good at trailing. He used to make Raze and me play track him, but neither of us has his nose or his hearing.”

  “Mother fucker.”