by Dana Archer
Sean nodded and jogged down the narrow hallway. Nic punched in the entry code and slipped into the same corridor he’d walked through a couple of days ago. The beautiful paintings didn’t draw his eye, however. The lights above the doors did. Three were unlit, the doors open. The last, the one his dad had been assigned, was locked and secured.
Nic scanned each of the empty rooms, noting the neatly made beds. Where had they placed the Tanner wolf? A room monitored by video feed, maybe? Except he didn’t know what the procedure was for dangerous patients. He’d been out of the loop too long.
He headed to his dad’s door and punched in the code. A darkened room met him, his dad asleep on the bed. He didn’t wake with Nic’s entry. Nic’s heart rate kicked up.
His dad didn’t know what was going on, confirming what Nic had expected would happen to his dad without his wolf—he’d lose his edge. Even if he wasn’t still in the hospital, the other dominants would sense his weakness. The safest thing for all involved would be to keep him here until the night of the full moon. As it was, only Riley’s nurses were allowed inside his dad’s room. His secret was safe, for the moment.
Nic shut and relocked the door, leaving his dad sleeping peacefully, before jogging to the end of the hall. It split. One way led to Riley’s office, the other the operating room. Riley’s muttered curse reached his ears from the corridor leading to the latter. Nic followed it.
Three distinct scents hung in the closed space: Riley’s personal fragrance, shifter blood, and the distinctive musk of a Tanner wolf.
“You need to let me help you.”
Riley’s strained voice gave away her frustration. It should’ve comforted him to know she was alive, but the muttered male groan spiked Nic’s instincts, both protective and possessive. He skidded into the kitchen.
Riley knelt on the floor, her arms wrapped around the large Tanner male. Bandages covered his torso, arms, and legs. Blood had seeped through the white squares of gauze covering his nude body.
She pulled on him, trying to help him stand. The shifter bared his fangs. He shoved at her shoulder, knocking her backward into the spilled contents of the dining cart. Plastic trays, covers, and metal utensils skidded across the floor.
Nic took it all in and rushed forward, placing his body between Riley and the other male. A low growl rumbled Nic’s chest, his own fangs punching out. Sharpened nails extended, along with a dark sprouting of black hair over his knuckles. His wolf was about two seconds away from taking over, and it wanted to feel the hot gush of the other shifter’s blood on its tongue.
Sean ran in, his own baser side transforming him into a werewolf, a modified version of their persona. It was the point between forms, and offered the best of both—incredible strength and human cunning, but it wasn’t a welcome state for man or beast, even for a shifter strengthened by a true mate. Maintaining the form hurt. It wasn’t natural.
Riley laid a hand against Nic’s back. “Wait, please. He’s not a threat. I overreacted. He’s just confused.”
Nic reached back, drawing her against his body. The moment her curves pressed into him, he calmed some, not completely but enough to process her words.
“What is he doing up? Better yet”—Nic peered over his shoulder, knowing Sean would act if need be, and captured her gaze with his—“why wasn’t he secured in a room?”
“He was unconscious when I left him. I didn’t want to move him for fear of reopening his wounds. Besides, he should’ve been out for hours.”
He motioned toward where Sean and the Tanner wolf glared at each other, a mini dominance battle, and one Nic was sure Sean would win. “He’s clearly not unconscious.”
Riley groaned, a feminine sound that spoke of her irritation. “I double-checked his dosage.” She looked past him, focusing on the injured shifter. The male broke his stare with Sean and met her gaze. She glanced away. “I obviously misjudged how strong he was. His metabolism has got to be much higher than I’d guessed.”
Was that awe in her voice? Another growl rumbled Nic’s chest. He snatched her hand, standing and pulling her into his arms. The tension in his muscles eased. He glanced at Sean. “Get him secured and put a guard on his door. I don’t want Riley around him anymore tonight. She’s going home.”
“But I can’t.” She tugged on his arm. “Your dad—”
“Jenna will come in. Go. Get some rest.” Sean waved them off.
Nic pressed his lips to her ear. “You come willingly, or I’m carrying you.”
She went limp in his embrace, the smartest choice. The temptation to swing her into his arms and cradle her against his chest rose, but the sight of the other dominants filling the hallway stopped him. Still, he couldn’t just allow her to walk away. He led her, a hand on her upper arm, toward her office.
He ushered her inside, slammed the door behind him, and yanked her close, covering her mouth with his, desperation fueling the aggressive strokes of his tongue. She opened for him and accepted his wild kiss.
Never breaking the melding of their mouths, he walked her backward. Her legs hit the couch. She gasped and tumbled onto the wide sofa. He followed her down, shoving his knee between her thighs. Common sense told him he couldn’t take their kiss too far, not with his pack mates feet away. He couldn’t tear his mouth from hers, though. He needed to reassure himself she was safe, alive—his.
Nic ran his hands over Riley’s sides, pushing her cotton top out of his way. His fingertips brushed over the lace edgings of her bra.
Stop. I need to stop. He repeated the order, but his mind and body weren’t on the same page. The sight of Riley falling backward because of the other shifter’s shove had stirred too many instincts.
She skimmed her fingers down his back and slid them under the waistband of his sweats. A move that wouldn’t help him regain control. He should stop her. That would be the reasonable thing to do, but he didn’t.
Nic touched her, every part of Riley’s body that was hidden by clothes. The parts of Riley other males, including the dominants down the hall, weren’t allowed to see. Touching her wasn’t enough, though.
He wanted her.
Right here. Right now.
He wanted to lay his claim on Riley with his dominants within earshot so they knew to whom she belonged.
His wolf pushed at his psyche and snarled. Its warning reverberated through his soul—don’t do it.
Nic tore his mouth from Riley’s and buried his face against her neck. The thin turtleneck she wore under her scrubs hid her scar, but he felt the raised points under his lips. Need surged. This woman was his. He needed her.
Nic latched on to his mark, despite the increasing growling in his head.
Screw his wolf. Screw everyone. Had the situation been different, Nic could’ve lost Riley.
His wolf didn’t agree. The sensation of claws raking his insides tore a groan from him. Riley pushed at the waistband of his pants, her intent clear. His wolf rammed its head into Nic’s chest, demanding to be released. It wanted Riley to stop.
Groaning, he grasped her hand. “Stop, baby. You gotta stop.”
She nipped his ear. “You don’t want me to stop.”
Half of him didn’t. He eased back anyway, moving to get off the sofa. “Have to. This is wrong. Just going to hurt you again.”
“No, wait. It’s not wrong.” She grabbed his hair, using her hold to pull him back on top of her. “Let me show you how good we are together. Please, Nic. Let me pleasure you.”
She didn’t need to prove anything to him. His wolf, on the other hand, needed convincing. This wasn’t the time or the place for the lesson, but he couldn’t say no to her, not after she used the word, please. They didn’t need to have sex to pleasure each other. They could both do wicked things with their mouths.
Nic reached for the phone on the desk next to them and dialed Sean. “Is the shifter secured?”
“Yeah.”
“Send everyone else home. Now.”
“Nic, you shouldn’t
—”
Nic ended the call, grabbed the front of Riley’s shirt and yanked her against him. She opened for his kiss. He fed her his groan, swallowed her breathy sigh, and savored her taste.
She sifted her hands into his hair and fisted the strands, holding him close. Memories rushed over him of Riley doing the same in countless hurried encounters exactly like the one they were sharing in her office. He’d used her back then, over and over. Whenever he’d needed her, he’d taken her. She’d accepted him, loved him, and never asked for more.
Maybe she should’ve. Maybe they would’ve worked their problems out, and worn down his wolf’s resistance. Too late for regrets. They hadn’t.
Nic dominated Riley’s mouth, licking her teeth, her cheeks, her lips. And she caressed him, stroked him, and sent him up in flames.
No woman had ever come close to affecting him the way she could. He needed to show her what that meant to him. What she meant to him. Words were beyond him, however.
He reached for the waistband of her pants. She turned her head, breaking their kiss. Hands splayed over his chest, she pushed. He fell back—half-startled, half-eager. The look in her blue eyes was one he remembered. She wanted control. Wanted to take him to heaven.
“Look at me, Nic.”
He thought about denying her, making her beg, but he wanted to stare into her eyes. He lifted his gaze to hers. Desire turned them more black than blue. “You sleep with me, and I’ll smell of you until I can shower. There isn’t one in my bathroom. Let me pleasure you today. Okay? I want this.”
There it was again, the reason he loved her. Well, one of them. Riley sought to be what he needed, no matter what he did to her or how he treated her. His needs. She always put his needs first.
Nic cupped her face in his hands. “I don’t deserve you.”
She covered his fingers and locked her gaze with his. “You deserve love.”
“So do you. You should be with someone better than me.”
“I know what I need.” Riley eased out of his embrace and knelt between his spread legs, her small hands on his thighs. “And I know what I want.”
He ran his fingers through the silky strands of her hair, shoving her golden locks back. The hunger in her eyes was a look he didn’t want to miss. “And what is that?”
“Your passion.”
“Riley.” Her name held everything he couldn’t say.
She glanced at him from under her lashes, letting him see what she felt, what she had only ever told him twice. She loved him. He saw it there in her gaze. Unmistakable. Real. Beautiful.
He wanted to say more, tell her he loved her, but couldn’t. He’d ruin the moment she sought to give him. He gave himself over to the passion, letting his body say what he couldn’t, and groaned her name. He opened his soul and shared his pleasure—the pleasure Riley gifted—with his wolf.
The animal growled and turned away.
Nic’s hands fell from Riley’s head on a wave of frustration, but the soft press of her lips to his stopped it from taking hold. She pleasured him expertly, drawing out his passion and leaving him weakened, shattered…
Broken.
And so lost.
He loved this woman. Needed her. Yet his wolf shunned her.
Riley licked his lips once more, then sat back. Desire burned in her lust-hazed eyes, but it wasn’t the only thing. So did hope. The sight slashed him, ripping him wide open.
Nic was no closer to being able to keep her than he’d been four years ago. All he was doing was widening the gap between him and the obstinate wolf he housed.
He lifted Riley, dropped her bottom on the cushion next to him, and stood. “The Shifter Council has invited me to a special session before I become alpha. It’s not an invitation I can turn down and still remain in good graces with them.”
“How long will you be gone?”
Riley’s carefully neutral tone tempted him to look at her so he could see if her reaction to his announcement showed in her expression. He strode for the door instead. “A few days.” He opened the door. “And don’t take any more foolish chances while I’m gone, Riley. You’re only human, don’t forget. Your life will be over before you know it. You shouldn’t toss it away for a crazed wolf.”
With that, Nic walked out, leaving his love behind.
Again.
And each time he walked away from Riley, he swore she kept another piece of him with her. Soon, he’d be nothing more than a shell of a man.
Might be better that way. Then he wouldn’t feel.
Chapter 14
Days had passed since Nic had laid eyes on Riley. The desire to go to her was as strong as ever, but responsibilities—both his and hers—prevented him from seeking her out. His visit with the Shifter Council had been agonizingly painful as each elder grilled him on why he’d walked away from his pack four years ago, allowing another dominant to prepare for leadership in his place.
Lies had rolled off Nic’s tongue about how he’d wanted to explore the world and live before committing himself to his pack. Whether they believed him or not remained to be seen, but he couldn’t worry about their opinions of him. Only those of his pack mattered, which was why he was prepping for a fate he didn’t want.
He was out of options. His wolf didn’t want Riley. Hannah wasn’t old enough to take his place. Sean didn’t want to be alpha. And there were no other dominants in the pack who were strong enough to hold on to the position, especially if Derek Tanner made a play for the Kagan pack again.
Nic stepped onto the deck of his home and moved to the railing. He tipped his head back. Deep breaths filled his lungs with the scent of rain. The rich and heavy smell blurred the scents of his pack, including those of the fertile unmated members, so he couldn’t focus on any one in particular. Without that distraction, he was able to tighten his control over his wolf. He needed that more than ever. The females Hannah had selected for him to interview were arriving soon.
With the full moon three days away, the primal drives of his wolf beat at him. Its anticipation of the upcoming ceremony had been building since he’d walked out of Riley’s office, his body sated and the ache in his chest worse than before he’d entered.
He dipped his head and waited for the hatred to flare for his obstinate wolf. It didn’t choke him. A sense of acceptance settled over him.
He’d lost. His wolf had won.
The squeak of the kitchen door opening reached his ears. “Go back inside, Hannah. I have thirty minutes before the vultures start showing up.”
No snarky comment. No reprimand. Nothing. She didn’t even approach him.
He looked over his shoulder. Hannah stood, arms wrapped tight around her middle. He turned, concern rushing over him along with the need to protect her. “What’s wrong?”
A crack of thunder sounded. Neither of them jumped, but she did glance in the direction of the ceremonial circle, where flashes of lightning illuminated the barren hill, before facing him. “Dad’s fever spiked yesterday, and he started having convulsions last night.”
Nic balled his hands into fists to hide the tremor in them and took a step forward. “Dead? Is he dead?”
Hannah shook her head. A gust of air chose that moment to blow her wavy hair across her face. She shoved it back, an annoyed look on her face, and fisted the ends of her hair, holding it in a loose ponytail. “No. Dad’s not dead. Riley got the fever down and gave him something that stopped the seizures. He’s stable again, but unconscious.”
Relief swept through him, followed by anger. “Why weren’t we informed?”
Dark blue eyes narrowed on him. “Riley did call you. Several times. You didn’t get home until early this morning, and she didn’t know who else knew about”—she dropped her gaze—“Dad’s issue with his wolf.”
Curses fell from his lips. He rubbed the back of his neck. The moment he’d gotten home, he’d texted Hannah, telling her to schedule the interviews with his potential mates, then he’d locked himself in his room. He’d bee
n too depressed to talk to anyone. “Why didn’t she get in touch with you?”
Hannah strode forward. She propped her elbows on the railing and focused on some distant point, her hair once more dancing around her. “She did. I was out and didn’t take my cell with me.”
“Where did you go for a run?” Because that was the only reason his sister wouldn’t have had her phone with her.
“The Tanner pack lands.”
“What?” Nic grabbed her biceps, turning Hannah toward him and glaring at her. “Why did you go over there?”
She rolled her eyes. “Because I’m a female shifter about to mature, and I want a mate.”
Nic dropped his hands. He wanted her to take a mate and save him from his fate, but not at the expense of her happiness or her safety. There was no guarantee what would happen to her on Tanner pack lands. Besides, after the cold reaction from his wolf toward his encounter with Riley, Hannah’s offer no longer mattered. His wolf would never give up the spirit wolf willingly. “I never agreed to that, Hannah. There’s no reason for you to mate right away.”
“I know that.” She shrugged out of his hold and leaned a hip against the railing. “But I’ve waited long enough. This has nothing to do with you. I don’t want to lose my chance.”
“What chance?”
“At love.” She shook her head. “Haven’t you ever listened to our elders talk about love and matings?”
“No.” But maybe he should’ve.
“They say the reason so few shifters soul-bond isn’t because it’s a risk. It’s because we mate too often for breeding purposes, not love. Therefore, we rarely find our true mates.” She leveled her piercing blue eyes on him. “That we as a species would thrive if we followed our hearts, not the primal needs of our animals. They also say love is stronger than anything. It’ll turn even a beta into a wolf revered by the pack spirit and blessed eternally.”
Riley’s image flashed before him, love in her eyes. He cursed. “Talk like that is not helping me, Hannah. You know what I’ve been dealing with.”