by Lori King
She nodded and then swallowed back tears at the gentle way he touched her. His fingers caressed her skin as though she was a precious piece of sculpture created for his eyes only. Between the two men she felt naked and vulnerable even though she was still mostly clothed. It was unsettling.
When Cadence unsnapped her jeans and began tugging them off, she latched onto their shoulders to balance herself, and her wolf went wild at the skin-on-skin contact. A moan slipped from her throat, and then a whimper when he pressed his face to the lace covering her mound.
“Christ, you smell delicious, flower. I’ve got to taste you.” Cadence waited while Mateo nudged her back a step into the bed and helped her lie down. The moment she was on her back, her panties were stripped down her thighs and disappeared. While Cadence spread her thighs and slowly used his fingertips to tease her dripping slit, Mateo deftly slid a hand behind her and released her breasts from the constraints of her bra.
She was bare to them both in every way, and she was shocked to feel completely comfortable and safe with them. In all of her other sexual encounters, she had felt oddly bereft at the masculine touch that never seemed to really fulfill her need, but with the Diego cousins, every cell in her body accepted their touch as natural.
“Please, Cadence,” she moaned, tossing her head from side to side as he used his fingers to spread her labia open to his view and blow on her swollen pink parts. Her pussy clenched and her clit throbbed.
“I love hearing my name on your lips,” he murmured just before he swiped his thick tongue over her wet slit. His moan of approval reverberated through her body, and she arched up off of the bed with pleasure.
Mateo was there to push her back to the bed, spreading his large hands over the full mounds of her breasts and massaging them just hard enough to bring a sting of pain. A breath hissed between her teeth when his mouth dropped to one swollen nipple and nipped the tight flesh.
“Oh my God!” She could hear her voice, but it sounded far away. The blood was pounding through her ears, and her body was beyond sensitive. It wouldn’t take much more teasing from Cadence’s talented tongue to make her explode. Just when she thought he was going to pull away, she felt him suck her clit between his lips and push his finger deep into her body.
She knew how big their hands were, but feeling his finger inside of her was a whole different perspective. The sting of stretching muscles, combined with the twisting and biting of Mateo’s mouth on her nipples and the playful sucking on her clit, stopped her brain completely. She shattered, undulating against them so violently that Mateo dropped his body down over her midsection to hold her in place. When she finally drifted back to earth, Cadence had risen up between her thighs, and Mateo had shifted to lie beside her.
“You’re so responsive that I can’t wait. I promise you the next time will last longer.” Cadence growled against her throat as he began to press his cock into her body. With gentle pressure and a steady rocking motion, her pussy spread to accommodate the enormous girth of his erection.
Her disappointment over not getting to return the oral favor died down when Mateo sat up on his knees and released his own cock from his jeans. Her heart fluttered at the sight of his long rod. It was heavily veined and dark red with an angry purple tip. Licking her lips, she met his gaze and nodded at the question in his eyes.
Relaxing her jaw as she opened her mouth to take him in, she began to work him gently with her tongue and lips. It was awkward at first because he was so big, and because Cadence was slowly thrusting in and out of her tight pussy. The taste of his pre-cum on her tongue made her whole body ache, and before she knew it she was relaxing her jaw so that he could see-saw his dick in and out of her mouth roughly.
Cadence drew her attention back to him when he arched backward to sit on his haunches, tugging her hips up over his lap and never once disconnecting them. At this angle he was thrusting hard against a new spot in her body that she never remembered bringing her such pleasure.
She lost focus on Mateo, and he slipped from her mouth, moving to help lift her upper body. Now she was straddling Cadence, who braced himself under her on his knees while she began riding him for all she was worth. Her head was thrown back, her hair falling down from its tie. She felt wild and out of control as her body rolled in a sensuous dance atop its perfect match.
“Come for me, flower. Claim me, and make me yours.” Cadence snarled the words, and it forced her to meet his hot gaze. His eyes were glowing brightly, and she knew if she were to look into a mirror right now, hers would be, too. It was ridiculously sexy, and her mouth watered as her gaze drifted to land on the perfect ridge of muscle connecting his neck to his shoulder. That was where she wanted her mark.
Dipping her head, she groaned when Mateo reached out to cup her ass cheeks from behind and pinched the soft tissue of her backside hard. It was the tiny zip of pain she needed to crack through the ceiling again, and as stars burst behind her eyes, she latched onto her mate and bit through his skin. The tangy taste of blood spilled onto her tongue, and then her body was on fire. Tossing her head back, she screamed when his teeth penetrated her own skin, and their two souls collided. She felt the twisting and tangling in her body as their wolves mated and their destinies intertwined and a third orgasm crashed over her.
For just a moment she wondered if she would survive the rush of sensations, but the voice in her head that had been with her since she was a young child assured her that she would die happy if she didn’t.
* * * *
Epic. Life changing. Earth shattering.
Mateo struggled to find the right description for what he had just witnessed. His body and his wolf ached to claim their woman, too, but he held himself back. It was Cadence’s right as his Alpha to claim their mate first, but the tiny flicker of doubt in his brain wasn’t soothed by that knowledge. What if now that she had mated his cousin, she decided that he was enough for her? Could she brush him off now that she had a true claiming done?
His questions and self-doubts proved to be unfounded when she slid off of Cadence’s lap and turned to face him. Her body was that of a sensual vixen as she crawled across the bed to him. She reached out a hand to fondle his oversized cock and pressed her forehead to the center of his chest.
“My God, you’re huge.”
His throat tightened. “I understand. You don’t have to—”
She lifted her head and pressed her finger to his lips. “I want to. Just let me ease into it, okay?”
When he nodded, she threw one leg over him and rose up over his straining cock. Her nipples skimmed across his chest, and he growled. Her lip curled up into a tiny smile and she did it again, looking pleased when he tensed and panted harder.
So the little wolf wants to tease, does she?
He planted his feet on the bed and rocked his hips, aligning his cock with her dripping slit and grinding against her. A gasp and a shudder was all he got before she reached down to clasp his girth in her hand and line him up with her body.
Inch by torturous inch she eased down over him, accepting him into her, molding all around him. When she flinched in pain, he wrapped his fist around the base of his cock, blocking her from dropping lower.
The flash of irritation in her eyes made him laugh. “Easy, amor. We’ll work up to that. Just take what’s comfortable. It will be enough. You already feel like heaven to me.”
His words seemed to soothe her, and with his hands guiding her she began a steady rhythm of thrusts and twists on his cock. Her breasts bounced as she moved, but his eyes were focused on her face. Every muscle twitch, every gasp, seemed to bore right into his soul, etching a permanent mark on his being as he made love to his mate for the first time.
When he felt her body begin to shudder around him, he pulled her down until she was pressed against his chest. Tightening one arm around her midsection to hold her in place, he arched his neck to give her room. The bite barely stung before a wave of heat took over, washing through him from head to toe a
nd back to his groin. It was all he could do to twist his head and bite into her neck, matching her claim before he gave in and shot his release deep inside of her body.
When his vision cleared, the first thing he saw was his mark of claiming in the crook of her neck. That tiny ring was as important to their way of life as any wedding ring, and it sucker punched him that he was a mated wolf.
A whisper in his head, so quiet he barely heard it, echoed his shock and awe at the day’s events, but it was gone before it really registered.
“Holy smokes.” Her breath was hot against his cheek, and he could feel the sweat on their joined skin starting to cool. She shivered when he ran his hand up her spine, and he smiled at her words.
Cadence disappeared out the bedroom door, returning a moment later with a wet cloth. Whitney let out a yelp of surprise when he began to clean her body, and Mateo laughed at the blush that climbed her cheeks.
“Don’t be embarrassed, love. I just want to take care of you before you fall asleep,” Cadence told her, kissing her shoulder blade before moving his hand again.
She held still long enough for him to finish, but she refused to meet Mateo’s gaze until it was over and Cadence moved away. “I’m sorry. I’m just not used to anyone doing that.”
“Doing what, mi reina?” he asked as she shifted to lie at his side and curled her body against him. “Taking care of you?”
She shrugged and ducked her head down without answering. Her hand skimmed over his chest and her fingers played in the sprinkle of dark curls that lined the center of his body. Did she know how much that small touch of affection turned him on?
“We will always take care of you, little flower. You’re ours to protect now.” Cadence met Mateo’s eyes as he re-entered the room, and they shared a moment of silent understanding. This was their mate. Even if they never intended to share one, she was a precious gift that they would give their lives to protect.
A growl of irritation at his side drew his attention as Cadence climbed back into the bed and spooned up to Whitney’s back. “What is it, amor?”
“I don’t need protectors. I’ve already got three brothers who think they are my own personal bodyguards. Do you know how difficult it is to explore your sexuality when you have three werewolves built like Navy Seals following you around? High school wasn’t a walk in the park, let me tell ya.” Both guys just stared at her as she rambled. “Look, I know things happened fast, but maybe we should set some ground rules. I’m twenty-seven years old, so I don’t need protecting, m’kay?”
The bite of arrogance in her tone was enough to irritate Mateo, and it flipped the switch on Cadence’s temper completely. “You are our mate, Whitney, and when I take my place as the Alpha of the Diego Pack you will be my Alpha-bitch. You need to understand that whether you like it or not, you must act accordingly.”
Mateo knew in an instant that Cadence had chosen the wrong tactic. This was a woman who was used to being a leader in her pack and an independent woman. Telling her how to behave was not the best way to get in her good graces.
She sat up abruptly and leapt over Mateo’s big body with a grace that caught him by surprise. Standing next to the bed with her hands on her hips, she was a gloriously naked Goddess, and his mouth watered for her. If it weren’t for the flare of anger in her silver gaze, he might have been tempted to chase after her. Instead, he propped his head up on his arms and watched the fireworks.
“Act accordingly? Excuse me? Have you lost your ever-loving mind or did you never have one to begin with?” Whitney glared at Cadence, who growled back. “I don’t give a damn who you think you are, Cadence Diego, you will not take over my life. I am a grown woman with a life, a family, a job, and responsibilities. I’ve been representing the Gray family for almost three decades as a Beta and a daughter, and I have no intention of shaming them anytime in the near future. Especially since I don’t intend on being anything other than a Gray wolf anytime soon.”
With that, she spun on her heel and shifted into her wolf. The sight of her silver-and-black mottled fur stole Mateo’s breath, but Cadence was too caught up in his anger to pay attention to hers. She took off out of the bedroom, and from his angle on the bed, Mateo couldn’t see her pushing the door handle of the back door up with her nose and taking off, but he could hear it.
“Cadence, cousin. Stop and think for a moment,” Mateo snarled as his cousin leapt out of the bed in a move that was surely intended to follow her.
“What? She just admitted that she has no intention of being a Diego wolf, after claiming us both! What the fuck? Why wouldn’t I go after her? I’m going to force her to submit to her Alpha.”
“You are not her Alpha yet.”
His words brought Cadence up short, and the glare that he turned on him was icy. “Do you doubt my abilities now, too?”
Mateo glared back as he rose from the bed. “How can you even ask me that? For twenty-five years I have been beside you. You will be the Alpha, and I will be your Beta. Whitney will be our Queen, but that doesn’t give us the right to force her into such huge changes without the courtesy of time. Less than four hours ago we had nothing on our minds but winning the battle, and she probably had no intention of claiming one mate, much less two. Give her some space. I guarantee you she will come back.”
The doubt on his cousin’s face prickled at his pride, but Mateo forced it aside. He could see already that Cadence and Whitney were a lot alike. They were both strong in their Alpha nature and didn’t like to be bullied or pressured. It wouldn’t be easy to bring the two together for anything other than an erotic interlude.
“How can you be so sure? You just met her. It could be that she truly wants nothing to do with either of us.”
Mateo couldn’t stop the snarl of fury that burst from his chest as his wolf was quick to stand up for its mate. “You know better, cousin. The passion she exposed with us just minutes ago should have cleared your mind of those crazy thoughts. If her body is reacting like mine, she’s already half in love with us and questioning why she ran away. Her temper and pride are hurting because you spoke rashly. Give her space or I’ll tie you to the bed until she comes back.”
“Fuck you,” Cadence snapped, but thankfully he turned and went into the bathroom instead of out the back door. It was his only concession to what Mateo said, but he would take it. No matter what, the three of them were now mated for life. There was no reason to make it harder than it had to be.
Mateo understood that Whitney was probably dealing with a lot of inner turmoil as reality set in. She would have to leave her family and her pack to be the female leader of her new pack. It was a huge change that would affect anyone, but her close relationship to her family made it even harder.
Resigning himself to being the buffer between two nuclear warheads, Mateo found his clothes and redressed. It might not be easy, but he knew in his heart it would be worth it.
* * * *
The black-and-gray female wolf that barreled through the forest caught him off guard, but she was gone before she noticed him lurking in the shadows. He was standing on the back porch of the cabin he would temporarily call home, sipping at the flask of whiskey he kept tucked in his satchel and simmering over the events of the day.
First Devin and his carbon copy Damon arrogantly refused to allow them entrance onto their land until they were assured of the Diego pack’s intentions. If they only knew what his real intentions were, they would have slit his throat and tossed him into the lake before returning home to their family.
Instead they led them back to the ostentatious Alpha cabin that, in his mind, only confirmed the Gray pack’s wealth and prejudice against other packs. Then Cadence and Mateo suddenly went bat shit crazy after that sexy bitch, and he thought maybe the Gray pack would finally lose their legendary cool and do something spontaneous. Instead, he had to sit on his hands and watch as tweedledee and tweedledum carried their tweedle bitch off to fuck like rabbits.
Whore.
J
ust like a woman to spread her legs for the first man with a hard cock.
For the next several days he would have to avail himself of their questionable hospitality here at the Gray pack, but once the Alpha battle was over, everything would change. He would make damn sure that the Gray werewolves never forgot this visit from the Diego pack.
Chapter 5
Whitney ran until she couldn’t breathe. Her heart was pounding so hard that for a moment she wondered if she had run herself to a heart attack, but once she flopped down on the soft grassy bank of the pond, the tightness eased. Now if only she could get rid of the sick feeling in her stomach as easily.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to be with Cadence and Mateo. In fact, everything in her being was screaming at her to turn back around the way she came and let them ravish her body again. She just couldn’t let them take over her life. Didn’t they understand that she had a family and responsibilities here in Kansas City? She couldn’t just pack up and take off because her libido wanted satisfaction. It wasn’t that simple.
Shifting back into her skin, she slid into the pool of water that had been her quiet place for most of her life. Whenever she needed to think, she ended up here in the clearing soaking in the water or taking pictures of the florae and faunae around her. The forest that surrounded the Gray Pack den was thick and packed with vegetation and undergrowth as well as wildlife, but somehow nature had created a perfect clearing amidst the trees where the creek just happened to bend and form a wider pond of water. A large flat rock sat at the edge, and she had sunbathed there too many times to count. On the other bank, more rocks lined the edge, making the perfect diving ledge into the depths of the water. The small clearing held more memories than she could count. Her stomach twisted and her eyes stung with tears.
How can I possibly leave my home and my family?
She fought back her tears, refusing to give in to the urge to cry. Now was not the time to fall apart. It was too important that she remain in complete control of her faculties. There was no guarantee that Cadence would win the Alpha battle. Perhaps she was worrying for nothing. As quickly as the thought entered her brain, she remembered the archaic rules of the battle. One man left standing. The battle was supposed to be to the death. Four men would enter with their seconds at their back, but only one pair would walk away as the new leader of the Diego Pack and his Beta.