Caress of the Wolf [The Gray Pack 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Lori King

  Mateo nodded. “Of course, but you should talk to her.”

  “Later. Just keep her safe, and make her get some rest. I’ll meet you guys back at her place later.” He didn’t wait for his cousin to respond. He just walked off into the night, already removing his clothes and looping them around his neck in preparation for his run.

  He was by the lake before he realized that someone was following him, and he slowed to pick up the other wolf’s scent. Slowing his speed, he stopped at the water’s edge and plopped down onto the rocky bank, panting hard from exertion. Chance dropped down next to him, his reddish-colored wolf trembling with emotion and exhaustion. Once his breathing had calmed, Cadence shifted and frowned down at his young friend.

  “Why did you follow me?” When Chance didn’t shift to respond, Cadence growled a warning. “Chance, as your Alpha I’m asking you again, why did you follow me?”

  It took a moment for Chance to fully shift. His body was physically drained, and he should be resting instead of running in the woods like a madman. When he did, Cadence was concerned that his color was too pale. He looked like he’d gone months without rest, and his hands still trembled with effort.

  “I didn’t mean to kill him,” the young man whispered.

  Cadence heard him, but he didn’t respond. Something told him that Chance just needed him to listen.

  “I like Tawny, a lot. When I saw him and what he was doing to her…I went crazy, man. I lost my damn mind. I wanted to tear him into pieces. She never stood a chance against him.” His voice was husky and cracked with the depth of his emotions.

  Cadence sighed. “Chance, you didn’t do anything wrong. If it was me I would have done the exact same thing. You saved her life. I shudder to think what would have happened if you hadn’t shown up when you did. Because of you she’s going to live.”

  “I want to fight tomorrow, but I’m not sure I could contain my wolf. I’ve tasted blood, Cadence. It’s like it opened a door inside of me that I can’t figure out how to shut. I want to fight everything and everyone just to taste it again.”

  “Blood lust. It happens to a lot of wolves. Not me personally, but I would guess that some of the older guys would have experience with it. Don’t hide from it, Chance, that will make it worse.”

  Chance nodded. “I never really wanted to be the Alpha, you know?”

  His eyebrows rose, but he waited silently for him to explain. Clearly, Chance thought he would hold it against him that he had entered the competition.

  “I just wanted to fit somewhere. To find my place. I feel like an outsider sometimes. If I was the Alpha of the pack, then there was no doubt about where I belonged, but now…” His words drifted off, and he stared out at the dark lake looking bleak and miserable.

  “Now, you are a respected Beta wolf of the Diego pack, and a necessary ally to your Alpha. I respect that you walked away from the challenge. You did what was right instead of what was easy. Don’t let anyone make you feel like less of a man for it. As far as the rest of the pack knows, we cancelled the Alpha battle because of Reyes’s actions, and Silas and you both chose to swear your allegiance to me in order to present a united pack.”

  Chance’s eyes were glassy, and he swallowed hard. “You would do that for me? You would give up the chance to tell everyone the truth?”

  “What is the truth, but one person’s interpretation of the events? I suspect that Rolando’s version of the truth would differ greatly from ours, but that doesn’t make it any less real for him.” Cadence rose to his feet, brushing grass off as he went. “We need to get back and get some rest for the morning. I will expect you at the battle, but I will leave it up to you whether or not you participate.”

  Chance stood and shook his hand. “Thank you, Cadence. You’re a good friend, and you’re going to be a great Alpha.”

  With that the younger man shifted back into his animal and took off at a much easier lope than before. Sighing relief that he had brought Chance some peace, Cadence couldn’t help but wonder how he was going to do the same for Mateo.

  Sure, he heard Mateo’s laughter and saw him smile, but there was no light in his eyes. He was broken by what he had found out, and for some reason he was holding himself responsible for his father’s actions. It didn’t take a genius to connect the dots. Not very long ago it was Cadence who was feeling guilt over his father’s actions, and Mateo argued with him at every turn about it until finally Cadence began to see the light. No matter how long it took, he was going to return the favor.

  * * * *

  Tawny was curled up in the center of the bed in her wolf form. It had taken a bit before she was strong enough to shift into her animal, but once there she was resting more comfortably. Something about the animal form made healing faster for their kind, and Whitney was relieved that her friend was sleeping peacefully

  She scented Mateo before he touched her, and she hadn’t realized she was crying again until his thumb brushed a tear from her cheek. “Don’t cry, mi reina. She’s going to be okay.”

  “How can you say that? She was violated by that monster. How can she ever be okay?” Whitney hissed, her sudden anger making her wolf fidgety again.

  Mateo crouched beside her and took her face in his big hands. “My mother survived, and she had a husband and child that she had to keep the secret from. Tawny is strong. She will be okay, but only if you allow it.”

  Whitney reared back and growled at him, “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

  “You can’t linger over what happened, mi amor. She has to accept it and let it go, but she won’t ever be able to do that if every time she looks at you she sees pity and sympathy in your eyes.”

  She knew that he wasn’t trying to hurt her, but his words felt like an attack anyway. It wasn’t like she wanted her friend to suffer any more than she already had, but every time she looked at Tawny, all she saw was the pile of pale skin and blonde hair, bleeding in the grass.

  “I know, Whitney. I know what you’re feeling. Guilt, anger, heartbreak, rage, it’s okay. All of it. I’ve felt it all, too.”

  Her armor cracked and suddenly she was sobbing at him, on his shoulder and in his arms. “I should have been there! I should have walked her home! We promised that we wouldn’t be alone, and I let her walk away!”

  “No, amor, you didn’t do this. He did. He was the one who hurt her. If you had been there he might have hurt you, too. Don’t do that to yourself.”

  Mateo soothed her for several minutes as she cried out her anger, guilt, and even relief over Tawny surviving. He was right, but it still burned in her gut that she didn’t protect her friend. How many times in her life had Tawny been there for her, and the one time she needed Whitney, she wasn’t there.

  Forcing her emotion back inside her heart, she wiped away the remnants of her breakdown from her cheeks and gave him a tight hug. “Thank you. I know you’re going through a lot right now, too, so it means that much more to me that you would try to comfort me.”

  “I will always be here for you, mi reina. I love you.”

  She stared up into his dark chocolate eyes, and her body melted against his with relief. Just hearing those words had the ability to turn her to jelly. “I love you, too, Mateo.”

  “All of this love is revolting. Take it somewhere else and let my sister rest, would ya?”

  Heath Truehope leaned against the doorway. His body might have been in a relaxed position, but every muscle in his body was tightly drawn. Whitney turned to face him and smiled. “She’s sleeping, Heath. I think it’s safe to leave her alone now and let her rest.”

  He nodded. “Yeah, Tina said as much. We’re going to bed down here, so that she doesn’t wake up alone. You two should go get some sleep, though. You look dead on your feet, Winnie.”

  Hearing Tawny’s special pet name for her made her smile even wider. “Thanks a lot. I’ll come check on her in the morning.”

  Heath nodded and then moved past them to take the seat that Whitney had b
een using before. She and Mateo left him watching over Tawny and made their way downstairs. They were saying their good-byes when Alastair met them on the front porch steps. “Mateo, would you run with me? I’d like to speak with you in private if you don’t mind.”

  He nodded to his elder. “Of course, Alastair, but I need to see Whitney home first.”

  “No worries, we’re on our way home, too,” Liam said from behind them. He held Tina tightly to his side and nodded at Mateo. “We can make sure she gets home safely.”

  Whitney nodded when Mateo looked to her for confirmation. “I’ll be safe at home. All of the local werewolf rapists and murderers are dead or locked up right now.”

  He frowned at her, and she laughed at him. “It’s not funny, mi reina. Just as you can’t help imagining all of the what-ifs that could have befallen your friend, I can’t help picturing you in her place. Let me worry and protect you as a mate should, okay?”

  Whitney’s wolf really liked that idea, so she smiled warmly up at him and nodded peacefully. “Hurry home.”

  With that, she joined Liam and Tina in Liam’s old red truck and headed for home while her mate went for a run. A spark of concern still flickered in her chest at Cadence’s unexplained absence. Maybe he was already home and waiting for her?

  By the time Liam had checked out her home and assured himself of her security, she was wiped out and ready to crawl into bed. Tugging her shirt over her head, she cringed at the odors coming off of it. With one final look of longing at her bed, she marched into the shower and washed away the day.

  * * * *

  The fragrance of almonds filled the air when Cadence reached Whitney’s cabin. He could hear the water running in the bathroom, and his cock thickened. He wanted his mate, but he wasn’t sure that she would welcome him after what had happened to Tawny.

  Walking through the bedroom, he paused just outside the bathroom doorway, watching her sleek curvy form through the ivory-colored shower curtain. His wolf pushed at him, growling and pacing in his head because it wanted to get closer to its mate.

  “Are you waiting for an invitation?”

  The shower curtain slid to the side, and she gave him a scorching look. His mouth went dry and his cock grew hard in an instant. Her beauty was breathtaking. She looked like a sea nymph with water coursing down her golden skin, and her black hair slicked back and reaching to her hips.

  “You’re tired. I figured I better give you a little space,” he said with a shrug.

  One of her dark eyebrows rose, and she stared pointedly at his swollen cock. “What if I don’t want space?”

  He barely breathed as he shot across the room to join her in the shower. She was laughing as she tugged his forgotten and now damp clothes from the loop around his neck and tossed them to the bathroom floor. It was as though both wolf and man were starving for the woman in front of them. Running his hands over her satiny skin, he caressed every inch he could reach and then proceeded to kiss her senseless. It was the only way he knew how to tell her what he was feeling.

  Grateful that she was safe, terrified that this wasn’t the last time her life might be in danger, anxiety over her earlier unwillingness to leave her pack and be the Alpha-Bitch of his, and grief over the loss of yet another pack mate. Sure, Reyes wasn’t his best friend, but he still felt a sense of obligation to the man as family.

  Whitney absorbed every emotion and responded in kind. Caressing him with her tiny hands and soothing the raging beast in his soul. She was oxygen to his fire, and he didn’t hold back. Lifting her off of her feet, he braced back against the wall and held her curvy ass in his hands. She writhed against him and he reciprocated by grinding his cock into her hot wet slit.

  “I need you,” she whispered.

  All brain power left his head and filled his balls. He couldn’t focus on anything more than sinking into her welcoming heat. She needed him, and he’d be damned if he’d leave her needy. When their bodies joined, fire raced through his blood, and peace filled his chest. This was his place. No matter what else happened to them, or where they went from here, when he was balls deep in her tight cunt he was at peace.

  The immediacy of the moment eased, and he brought one hand up to lift her chin. “Look at me, love.” Her silver-gray eyes were glowing with passion, and her pupils were so dilated that they almost overwhelmed the irises. “I love you, Whitney. With every fiber of my being. I don’t know when or how it happened. I just know that you are my true mate, and the only thing that I need to truly be whole.”

  Her lips parted, and her eyes widened as raw emotion shone in her pretty eyes. “I love you, too, Cadence Diego. More than I ever thought it was possible for one person to love another. I’m proud to call you my mate, and I will do my best to make you proud as your Alpha-Bitch.”

  This time when tears stung his eyes, he let them fall, choosing not to hide anything from his mate for the rest of his days. There were only two people in his life that he could be completely at ease with, and she was one of them. Capturing her mouth with his, he made love to her with his body and his soul, until they both found completion and absolution under the steamy hot water that rained down on them.

  Much later, Cadence lifted his head and acknowledged Mateo when he slipped between the sheets. Their eyes met, but they didn’t speak, out loud or in their heads. There was no need for words when their hearts seemed to be linked through the woman between them.

  Chapter 13

  The dawn brought with it no regret for Cadence, Whitney, or Mateo. All three of them rose and ate a quiet breakfast before they went to the clearing. Already a crowd had gathered, and the air was rife with emotion and tension.

  Standing with his brother and father, Devin stepped forward and offered his hand to Cadence. “Diego. Are you ready for this?”

  “Ready as I’ll ever be I suppose. Tell me, does this Alpha thing ever get easier?”

  The three other men all laughed loudly and Jim patted Cadence on the back. “It gets easier the day you turn the reins over to your oldest son.”

  Cadence glanced at Whitney, who was leaning against Mateo’s chest with his arms wrapped tightly around her. “We’re already working on that.”

  Jim nodded. “Yeah, I didn’t figure you for a slacker.”

  “Out of respect for my wife, who is particularly bothered by the archaic and barbaric nature of the display”—Devin paused, and Cadence could almost feel his wolf chuffing at the words—“I’m going to stay out of the fight today. Damon and I, along with my father, will stand with Alastair as the four witnesses to the battle. Will that work for you?”

  Nodding, Cadence thanked Jim and his sons before facing the growing crowd. “They smell blood. Will they be able to remain outside of the boundaries?”

  Devin’s eyes flashed with his wolf. “They will or they will face me. There are two men going in with you, three if Mateo plans to take part.”

  They both looked to the big man, whose face clearly showed the conflicted emotions he was fighting. “No. I can’t take part in killing him. It would only serve to show that I’m just like him, and I can’t have that on my conscience.”

  Cadence gave Mateo a nod of support and Whitney took over comforting him. Turning back to Devin he asked, “Who else?”

  “Liam Gray, and one of your wolves, Chance.” Devin held his breath and his eyes searched Cadence’s face. “You’re not surprised by this?”

  “I’m only surprised that Tawny’s brothers aren’t taking part.”

  “You can thank my wife for that. She got to them first, and convinced them that Tawny wouldn’t approve of them taking revenge on Rolando for Reyes’s actions,” Devin said, shaking his head. “I love the woman, but I don’t understand her.”

  Cadence snorted out a laugh. “Well if you start understanding women, let me know, because I’m fucking lost ninety-nine percent of the time with her.” He gestured to Whitney, who just winked back.

  Just then the crowd of people gathered grew louder, an
d they all turned to see Rolando being escorted to them by Javier and several Gray pack men. As always, the man’s dark eyes took everything in around him and showed nothing in return. He was as arrogantly proud as ever, and Cadence’s wolf ached to break free and rip that arrogance from him.

  Coming to a stop several feet from the two Alphas, Javier spoke first. “I want to go in as his second.”

  It didn’t surprise Cadence, but Devin flinched. Javier was asking them to let him go into a battle in which the only possible outcome was his death. It was infuriatingly stupid.

  “I don’t think—” Devin started, but Cadence stopped him.

  “You realize that you won’t come back out and neither will he?”

  Javier nodded and then grimaced when Rolando cursed at Cadence. “I know the risk, but he’s my father.”

  “He’s mine, also, apparently, and you’re my brother. Javier, think about this before you do it. What good could possibly come from it?” Mateo said, launching himself in between his pack and his newly discovered family.

  Javier looked at Mateo with what could only be seen as sympathy, and he shrugged. “Family first. He’s my father. Reyes was my brother. You and I might share blood, but I shared sins with them. I will go into that battle and accept whatever happens there as my fate and my penance.”

  Several heartbeats passed before Mateo said, “I understand.” And then he turned away from his brother. Cadence could see the emotional turmoil in his eyes, but he bit his tongue. There was no possibility that his cousin would appreciate his sympathy right now.

  As he turned to go, Rolando spit at his feet and hissed. “You’re nothing to me. I don’t care if my blood runs in your veins. You will never be half the man that my Reyes was.”

  Cadence watched in horror as rage filled Mateo’s face. The man who could remain calm in the face of almost everything, shifted into his wolf and leapt at Rolando. His body a rolling mass of anger and fury, he made it only as far as his half brother’s back. Javier intercepted the attack, stopping Mateo from reaching his father, only to bear the brunt of his claws and gnashing teeth himself. Lost in his uncontrollable hate, it took Mateo a moment to realize that it was his brother and not his father he had gripped in his teeth. The moment he did, his body relaxed and he released him to shift back instantly. Javier groaned as Mateo moved off of him. Reaching for his half brother, Mateo pressed his hand against the now bloody wounds in shoulder and neck, trying to stem the heavy bleeding. Even a wolf was weakened by blood loss, and in this case Javier was already white with shock.