“He believes the co-alpha deal will only last until he and Zion step down, and once that happens, he thinks the new leader will be a former Lycan and change the name to Clan Lycan without allowing for a vote. You’ve probably guessed by now that Grey thinks letting clan members vote is silly. He says the best way to rule a wolf shifter clan is with an iron hand.”
Nikki nodded. “Zion is usually all for letting the clan have a say, but he’s made some decisions over the years without allowing for a vote. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the new alpha, if he’s Raven, attempt to rename us the Raven Clan.”
“Well, like I said, I’ll miss the Lycan name. It’s a part of our heritage, but we all knew things would change once the clans were united. What’s the point in fighting over it now?”
Nikki squeezed his hand, glad he was so levelheaded. “Personally, I just want this over and everything settled, so I can get on with my day.” Each day, when Mason left for the meetings he attended with Zion and Grey, she worked on the details of her plan to create a more organized system for dealing with wounds and illnesses. Healing from some injuries and illnesses didn’t happen quickly enough to prevent suffering. And with the current size of the clan, a better system was in order.
Grey mounted the platform followed by Zion, and Nikki sighed with relief. “Finally. Any longer and we might end up cleaning some of these idiots off the ground rather than just patching their wounds.”
Grey called for silence and the vote began. “I know this will disappoint many of you, but in the interest of fairness, we have not added the Lycan or the Raven name to the ballot.”
Another uproar began, but Zion put an end to it with a raised hand and a deep growl. “Disappointed or not, this new clan needs a name and it will have one today. You will all settle down enough to proceed or your alphas will make the decision for you.”
Nikki had heard that statement before, in just that tone of voice. He meant it. The crowd seemed to understand that too, and a grudging quiet replaced the previous angry din. Then, one by one, the clan members took the stairs that led to the platform to vote by paper ballot.
It was a long and boring process, but it was the way Raven Clan had handled voting for years. She’d suggested installing Internet service in the territory and allowing computerized voting, but her father had shot her down. In fact, he’d reacted with horror, as if she’d suggested he replace his steak dinner with a bowl of blood. She’d argued to Zion that paper ballots were archaic and made it much easier to cheat. Not to mention preventing clan members who couldn’t make it home to River’s Bend from voting. Nothing she’d said made any difference.
The only good thing about the paper ballots was that, as a close family member of the alpha, she sat in the second row of the gatherings, right behind the elders. Since she was right up front, she didn’t have to wait long for her name to be called.
Feeling sorry for the poor suckers all the way in the back, she watched as Luke was called up to vote. Seeing him was always a jolt to her senses. He’d been sitting at the end of her row, and she’d had to fight herself not to keep looking his way. Luke, dressed in a pair of jeans, was bare chested in the hot summer sun, much like most of the male clans members. She tried, but she couldn’t help admiring the way his muscles rippled as he bent to cast his vote.
Mason was called next, and as the brothers passed each other on the stage, Nikki felt a pang. She missed the way the three of them had been together. She was happy with Mason, but something was always missing. It felt like they were in a holding pattern rather than starting a life, and she knew it was because Luke wasn’t there. He’d hurt her, but even after waiting all of this time with no indication from her that she’d ever change her mind, he hadn’t left or given up.
Nikki’s name was called next and she made her way up to the platform, anxious to vote and get out of there. She’d just taken her ballot from Grey and crossed to the table to grab a pen and vote, when shouts and growls from the crowd caused her to stop and look up. What now, she thought. Surely, they wouldn’t risk the vote by starting another fight. What she saw was four of her clansmen leading a group she didn’t recognize. They stopped just short of the platform.
“Alphas,” Damon shouted to be heard. “We found this group of shifters at our border, attempting to enter River’s Bend.”
The collective sound of growls filled the air and Nikki found her view of the group blocked by territorial male bodies as Luke and Mason came to guard her on the platform. She shook her head as she shuffled to the side to peer around them. How had they made it up on the platform so quickly?
“They say they are of the Long Fang Pack, and they are working their way south. They’re asking to break their journey in River’s Bend.”
Zion stepped back to the microphone. “It seems we have unexpected guests. We will postpone the vote until we’ve dealt with them.”
Hearing that, Nikki hurried to scribble her vote and drop it in the ballot box. If dealing with the group took a while, she didn’t want to come back to cast her vote later. Her father frowned at her as she walked off the platform. He’d probably seen her, but it was too late. She smiled sweetly at him as she walked past and then hurried to take her seat, both of her mates right behind her. Adam and Levi moved down the row to make room for Luke. She could smell the aggression pouring off them, as she could many of the men in the near vicinity. From the look of the newcomers, however, there wasn’t much need to get their fur up.
“Which one of you leads?” Zion asked, his voice louder than normal in the hush that had overtaken the gathering.
One of the men inclined his head toward Zion. “I do.”
“We will hear your story and why you are in River’s Bend.”
Clearly, they had a story. They were all rather tired and dirty looking, and though Nikki wasn’t a gambler, she’d bet the mismatched clothes they wore had been stolen from human clotheslines.
Luke and Mason pressed in against her from both sides, almost as if they expected one of the newcomers to lunge at her.
She glanced over at Luke, thinking she should say something. “Luke, I—”
“I know you’re still angry, but you’re still my mate and it’s my job to protect you.”
“It’s not that, I just—”
“My name is Quentin Michaels of the Long Fang Pack.” The male who’d identified himself as the leader had a deep voice, but Nikki still had to strain to hear him, even just two rows from the front. “We are fleeing the Crimson Moon Pack.”
Zion and Grey exchanged a look at that, and then motioned the stranger toward the microphone. They clearly thought the whole clan should hear the man’s story, not just those closest to the platform.
“Ulric has been moving through our part of the country for some time now, looking for supporters for his battle against the vampires who share some of the same lands. My pack had been moving around, hoping to stay just one step ahead of his without having to leave our land. We were also foolish enough to believe he wouldn’t bother trying to track such a small pack down. There were only twenty-four of us.”
Nikki glanced back at his group. There were only a little over a dozen of them, including the male on the platform. Two of them were just pups and every face wore an apprehensive expression.
“We were wrong.” The male looked down at the podium and seemed to struggle with something. Finally, he looked over at his group again. “Ulric’s pack set upon us, and we were given a choice. Join him or die. We were outnumbered, but our alpha chose to fight. He paid for it with his life. Seeing our leader down, our men fought. It was a losing battle, that was clear, but we couldn’t just give ourselves over. We lost several of our fiercest fighters and I was injured. As the next ranking male in the pack, I made the decision to run and save the lives of those we had left.” He motioned toward his group. In addition to the pups, there were five women and six men. To Nikki, it seemed he’d made a wise choice.
“Ulric and his pack gave chase,
but we knew the land better than they did. We got a lead on them and hid our women and pups. Then we ran hard for the nearest vampire land and made a commotion just outside one of the bloodsuckers’ homes. Ulric and his pack ran straight toward us just as a gang of bloodsuckers came pouring out of the house. We took off for the woods, leaving Ulric and his pack to deal with the vampires and hoping they’d fight long enough for us to escape.”
“And?” Grey asked.
“And it worked. We found the women and pups and got out of there. They didn’t follow. I don’t know what happened or why. We are just grateful they didn’t track us. Our travel has been slower than it might have been because of the pups.”
A female, probably the mother, pulled the pups closer to her. Nikki thought she saw fear in the woman’s eyes but also strength. It must have been terrifying waiting for the men to come back for them, wondering if they actually would.
“We are making our way south, first with the intention of putting as much land between us and Ulric’s pack as possible. And second, in the hopes of finding others like us who don’t want to fight for Ulric. There’s strength in numbers, and that’s something we don’t have.”
“Do you know how many Ulric’s pack numbered?”
“I don’t. Before the attack, we’d heard rumors that he’d recruited close to two hundred, but I have no way of knowing if that’s true. The group that took off after us was maybe thirty strong.”
Zion and Grey conferred, and Nikki wished she’d remained on the platform so she could hear their conversation. She hoped the alphas would do the right thing and let the weary group stay. There was a possibility they would view the group as too much of an unknown, an unnecessary risk, and turn them away.
The Long Fang’s leader stepped away from the podium and rejoined his little group. Nikki made eye contact with one of the females and smiled encouragingly. Though she’d witnessed battles, she’d never been forced away from her home, and she could only imagine the fear and sadness this group must have experienced. She was grateful to hear that Ulric’s Crimson Moon Pack didn’t have the numbers to take on the clan, at least not yet. And thanks to the unification of the clans, maybe it never would.
Zion took to the podium again. “We welcome the Long Fang Pack to River’s Bend as our guests. We will provide them with lodging, food, and clothing, but they will remain guarded until further notice.”
Nikki hoped they wouldn’t be considered a threat for long. She’d like to welcome the females personally and help put them at ease. As long as they were guarded, though, she wouldn’t be given the chance.
“Damon and his crew are needed at their border posts,” Zion said, scanning the crowd. “I’m in need of volunteers to guard our guests.”
Several males stood and volunteered, but Nikki was shocked to feel movement from the chair next to her. “I volunteer,” Luke said after getting to his feet.
Nikki looked up at him and then over at Mason, who shrugged. From what she’d been told, Luke wasn’t the type to volunteer. Had he changed? Or had the gossipers gotten it wrong?
“I’ll see you soon,” Luke told her and then walked off to join the other volunteers.
“Now,” Zion said, addressing the crowd again. “There’s the matter of the vote.”
Glad she’d already voted, Nikki slipped away. She had a plan to work on. That’s if she could manage to keep her mind off Luke and what to do about the ache she felt in her heart each time she saw him.
She didn’t learn the name of the new clan until she went to the lodge for dinner. They’d become Clan Liekos of River’s Bend.
* * * *
Mason rolled over and kissed his mate. “Good morning, beautiful.” It wasn’t flattery. She never looked lovelier than when she first woke up, all warm and tousled from sleep.
“Hey, you.” Somehow, she managed to look simultaneously half-asleep and sexy as hell, but her voice, husky from slumber, made his morning wood grow exponentially.
He rolled over on top of her, letting her feel his appreciation. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed his neck and then his lips, provoking a growl of pleasure. Damn, she excited him, even when only a few hours had passed since he’d last been inside her.
“I don’t have much time this morning,” Mason said, glancing over at the alarm clock and groaning, this time for a different reason. “But I hate to leave you like this.”
Nikki smiled up at him. “Like what?”
He adjusted his hips to press his cock more firmly against her. “Hot, wet, and ready…”
She took his breath away with an answering swivel of her hips. “I bet there’s time.”
“I’m supposed to be there in fifteen minutes. Must’ve forgotten to set the alarm again.”
“We only need five. That still leaves five minutes to shower and five minutes to get to the lodge—if you run.”
“If I still have the energy.”
“Don’t tell me a young, strapping lad like you will get all tired out from just five minutes.”
“Don’t tell me a lusty wench like you can be satisfied in just five minutes.”
“You’re wasting time. Any longer and you won’t have time for a shower.”
Mason felt her hand encircle his cock and draw it through the cream at her entrance. She squeezed and stroked his shaft, rubbing the tip up and down her slit.
“Okay, you convinced me,” he said, pushing his entire length inside her in a single thrust. She gasped under him and arched her back, thrusting her pelvis up and opening her legs wider for him. All thoughts of meetings and lateness flew from his mind as Mason began slow, deep thrusts. Everything else could wait. Nothing was more important than making love to his mate. But Nikki didn’t make it easy to take his time with her. For every slow thrust, she met him with a hard grind against him. For every time he pulled back, she surged forward. She grabbed his ass and wrapped her legs around him, clutching him to her and rubbing her breasts against his chest.
Reaching under her, he cupped her bottom, trying to get the leverage he needed to control their pace. That’s when she bit him, sharply, on the shoulder, and he gave up trying to slow things down, giving her the hard, fast, rough loving she seemed to crave just then.
She met him thrust for thrust, moaning and rotating her hips in that way that made it impossible for Mason to hold back. He lost himself in the softness of her skin, the firmness of her thighs, and the hot clutching of her pussy. Knowing he’d come at any minute, he reached between their bodies to stroke her clit, rubbing the swollen nub in cadence with his thrusts.
Nikki’s movements grew erratic, and he knew she was on the edge. One stroke, two, and he slammed into her, pinching her clit at the same time. She cried out as her pussy clamped down hard on his dick, signaling her release, and he immediately followed her, emptying what felt like rivers of cum into her body and watching her face the whole time. He loved watching the expressions of ecstasy play out on her face.
“You’d better go,” she said after catching her breath. “You’re late as it is. That was definitely longer than five minutes.” She pushed against his chest, but he couldn’t leave her yet.
Mason rolled to his back, keeping them connected as he took her with him. “Have I told you how much I love you?”
“Only about a hundred times,” she laughed.
“Hmmm…No way is that enough.”
“I love you, too, Mason. Now, go! I don’t want everyone pissed at you because of me.”
“Okay, but first, one more thing.”
She propped herself up on her elbows to look down at him. “What?”
“Just this.” Reaching for her, Mason kissed her until she lost her breath all over again. Then, with a sigh, he rolled her over on her back and withdrew from her pussy. “Anyone who’s ever really loved a woman will understand.”
After the world’s fastest shower, Mason dressed quickly in jeans and a T-shirt, thankful that clan meetings were casual. He’d have been done for if a su
it had been necessary.
Nikki was standing near the door with a travel cup of coffee for him. He gave her a quick peck and was preparing to leave when she said the words he’d been waiting to hear for weeks. “I’ve decided to talk to Luke today.”
That earned her another kiss, a better one this time. He couldn’t complain about having Nikki to himself over the past few weeks, but he couldn’t help feeling sorry for his brother. Besides, how could they start building a life together with one of them missing? All he could think to say was, “It’s about time.”
* * * *
Nikki didn’t know how she’d managed to maintain her resolve for this long. Luke was always just there. Whether she was attending a clan gathering, going for a run, or talking to a friend, she somehow managed to bump into him. And they were the times she saw him by accident. He also showed up every morning, knocking on the cabin door with some sort of gift.
He’d given her everything from wild flowers and gourmet cupcakes from the bakery in Silver Spring to lingerie and perfume. If she wouldn’t take them, he left them on the porch. Eventually, she’d go out to get whatever it was, despite herself. The only thing she wasn’t a fan of was the perfume. Her nose was just too sensitive for it. The smell nauseated her.
The T-shirt he’d given her a few days ago had been particularly hard on her senses. She’d recognized it. It was one of his, and his scent had clung to it. It had been a strange gift, but she’d later realized why he’d given it to her. The moment he’d left, she’d buried her nose in it and then put it on. She definitely had it bad for him, and her body still reacted strongly to his scent. He must have expected that.
Honestly, she hadn’t expected him to stick around. She’d thought he’d grow bored and run off to wherever the alphas had agreed to send him. But no, he was always there saying he didn’t want a life without her, that she was his life now.
Her pride still smarted at the idea that he’d been planning to leave while she was falling in love with him, and her heart was bruised over the whole ordeal, but she knew she couldn’t keep him away forever. She loved him. Whether the purely brainy part of her liked it or not, she would eventually give him another chance. She would be more cautious this time, though. While she couldn’t just stop loving him, she could hold herself back from believing in him too deeply.
Nikki's Fated [Wolves of River's Bend 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 16