ROMANCE: NAVY SEAL ROMANCE: Morning After (Military Bad Boy Pregnancy Romance Collection) (New Adult Alpha Male Paranormal Short Stories Collection)

by Silver Ocean Publishing

  Suddenly he heard a familiar squawk from up ahead. He never heard birds in the night. Crickets and mosquitos in the swamp, yes, but no birds. Especially not ravens. Tara.

  Was he losing his mind? Or was she really there with him?

  “Sire, what do we do besides defend our borders?” Lane asked, startling Gage from his thoughts.

  “You kill whatever crosses our lines. The pack to the south has broken our laws and they shall be punished. Be ruthless and show no mercy. If you fall the leader, bring me his head and then we shall dine on what’s left of his body. I shall mount his head in my living quarters.”

  “What do we do next?” Hayden asked.

  “We man our borders. After tonight, I’ll send a scout team. We’ll gather intelligence and then react accordingly. Not another of our brothers shall die in this battle. This land, our people, are rightfully ours. The Darkriders are kings! This alpha is a coward not to challenge me directly. No coward deserves title to anything!”

  The pack howled and then transformed into wolves. They each ran to a corner of the swamp to defend it.

  Gage scanned the property for the raven he heard. Seeing nothing, he turned to go back inside, when he heard the squawk again.

  “Tara?” he called.

  “I’m not Tara, but I can be whoever you want tonight,” a woman said, coming out from the tree line.

  “Oh, Jess, good night.”

  “Good night. Will you be needing company?” Jess asked, running a finger down Gage’s chest.

  Gage looked around once more for his raven, before deciding that he would allow Jess to be Tara for the night.

  “Come inside,” he said simply and the woman followed him to his cabin.

  Chapter 2

  Tara had either known when Gage had sex, or she’d witnessed it firsthand. She’d been watching him for a month now, ever since the Southpaws moved in on him. Gage was never far from her, she made sure of that now that she was free to do as she pleased.

  Years before, when her father realized that she was in love with Gage, he moved them away, forbidding them to comingle. He’d said he didn’t want grandchildren that were flying dogs, or worse. Tara had been sullen ever since. That was until her controlling father passed away a month ago. Immediately, she sought Gage out with her psychic abilities. Her abilities were limited, but still useful.

  She was also able to tap into Gage’s dreams, to warn him of her presence. She didn’t know how a pack of wolves would receive her. They were very protective of their own and didn’t transact with any other species. She was reminded of this every time Gage took a mate, like he was doing now.

  It hurt her heart to know he was enjoying himself that way with someone other than her. She was still chaste and hoped for the longest time that Gage would be her first.

  She wondered if he would send her away once she revealed herself, which she’d have to do in private. She would show him an image of their old home, near the river. It wasn’t far. He’d get there fast on four legs. Hopefully he would meet her there. She would implant the dream tonight. Time was not an asset with the new clan of weres camped outside Gage’s border.

  She wished she had been able to reveal herself sooner, but she had to make an impact, had to make him think about her frequently and intimately. If she just popped in, there’s no telling what he’d do, especially on the brink of war. So for a month, she’d implanted memories in his mind of them from long ago. Hopefully, the dreams were successful in reminding him of how they used to be. Hopefully he still cared for her.

  Still, she’d have to convince him of her usefulness if the pack were to accept her, even just a little bit. Providing him with the intel he needed to make his next move against the Southpaws should persuade him to allow her behind his walls of wolves.

  Until he fell asleep, she’d gather more evidence of what the infiltrating pack was up to. The more information she had for him, the better.

  “Would you like me to stay?” Jess asked, lying naked next to her alpha.

  “No. I need time to think,” Gage answered.

  “What’s going through that head of yours?” She ran a hand through his ebony hair.

  He took her hand and removed it from his person. “Too much to discuss. We’re done here, Jess. Please go.”

  Jess shrugged and slinked her way out of the cabin.

  Gage sighed hard and scrubbed his palms over his face. “What am I gonna do?”

  Not even the sex he just had was a release. His stress level was through the roof. It was late and he wasn’t sure he’d be able to sleep. He wanted to sleep, too. That was the only way he got to see Tara. He decided to lay there and try closing his eyes anyway. There was nothing else to do until he relieved Hayden from his post.

  Soon enough, he drifted off to sleep. Colors flooded his vision and then pixelated and swirled. Once the vortex faded, he was standing in a clearing. Weeping willows surrounded him except for where a small river flowed. He knew the place well. It was home. Almost on instinct, he began looking for Tara.

  “Tara!” he called, walking to the edge of the clearing. She wasn’t there, so he tried the other side. “Tara! I know you’re here. Are you messing with my mind?”

  She used to mess with him when they were kids. She’d send him dreams of them playing and doing things together that their parents forbade, like stealing fruit from the local grocer. Then, when she became a teen, the dreams came less. Things between them had changed. They were attracted to each other, almost on the brink of becoming lovers, then she was whisked away.

  She wasn’t on the other side of the clearing either. He decided to try the river. As he stepped into the water, he found that he was naked. Nudity never bothered him though, especially around Tara. They’d been toddlers together.

  He waded out a bit further and trudged along the bank until he saw a woman standing in front of him. She had flawless, smooth skin. Long chocolate hair flowed down her backside, trailing his eyes to her perfect, heart-shaped behind.

  He stopped dead in his tracks. If he took another step, would she flee?

  “Tara?” he asked somewhat timidly.

  Slowly, almost like she was in slow motion, she turned, hair swinging to the side, then around to the front of her. A lock laid across her chest and in between her breasts. Her wonderful breasts. They’d fit perfectly in his palms. And her nipples. He wanted to suck the light brown buds into his mouth and watch her squirm. A small manicured patch of curls covered the spot in between her long, slim legs. The things he would do to her.

  “Gage.”

  Her voice rippled through him and he tore his gaze away from her body to look into her eyes. The sapphires nearly melted him. He tried to speak, but couldn’t.

  “Come find me. Please,” she said.

  He wanted to run to her, to pick her up and hold her in his arms, but his legs wouldn’t move. He looked through the water at his feet, as if to move them telepathically. When he realized he was stuck, he looked to Tara, but she was gone.

  Gage woke with a gasp and sat up in his bed. He tore the sheet off his body and shifted into his were form as he fled his cabin.

  He ran as fast as he could to the edge of the property and found Hayden. He barked, letting Hayden know that he was leaving for a bit. Then he took off for his old home.

  The run took him half an hour and he couldn’t wait to get to the stream for a drink. He came to the clearing from his dream and scanned the area. Then he walked slowly toward the river. His stomach was in knots. He took a drink from the river’s edge and then transformed back into a human. Like in the dream, he was naked. Would he find her the same way he saw her just half an hour ago? He hoped so.

  He stepped into the cool water and walked along the bank. It seemed like an eternity before he found her. But she was there, just as he’d dreamed.

  “Tara,” he said, realizing that he was smiling as he moved toward her. It was no dream. This was real life. Tara was there in real life.

 
Tara smiled back, so happy that he’d come, so glad that he’d finally found her again.

  Before she knew it, she was in his arms.

  “I knew it had to be you in my head,” he whispered against her hair.

  “I’m sorry. It was the only way I knew to get through to you without disrupting your pack.”

  “The pack is disrupted already,” he said grimly, now holding Tara at arms-length.

  “I know about the impending war. There is so much you need to know, so much I want to tell you.”

  “You know about our problems with the southern pack?”

  She nodded quickly.

  “Come. Follow me. You’ll be safe at my cabin. None of my pack will try and harm you. I’m their alpha.

  Chapter 3

  Tara flew over Gage as he ran below her, until finally they came to the cabin. He rushed inside and after Tara flew through the door, he shifted and slammed it shut. She shifted as well, then he was upon her.

  Tara’s eyes went wide when she felt his lips against hers, but then his tongue brushed over her tongue and her eyes closed involuntarily. She’d rarely been kissed, and never like this. He kissed her deeply, with passion and want. She needed to tell him about the Southpaws, but at the moment, she refused to use her mouth for anything other than kissing him.

  He ran his hands down her back and pressed her breasts into his rocky chest. Once he reached her butt, he grabbed her there and picked her up.

  Instinctively, Tara wrapped her legs around him, feeling his erection press against her. She felt her core tighten and she pulled away from his mouth to bite into his shoulder, stifling a cry. He backed her against one of the rough cedar walls of his cabin and held her immobile as he took one of her nipples into his mouth.

  Tara flung her head back in ecstasy and moaned. Her nails bit into the muscles of his back. Gage’s cock was hard as granite and rubbing against her most sensitive spot. He knew it too. He was being cruel, moving up and down across her, taking her to someplace incredible.

  He switched his attentions to her other breast and lightly bit her bud. Then, he caressed it with his hot tongue, bringing it to full attention.

  Her skin was taut and her insides were on fire. After a gentle roll of his hips, she came against him, releasing a loud whimper.

  Then she found herself tossed onto his bed. The bed she knew he’d just made love to someone in. She sat up and stopped his advance with a hand against his rippling abs.

  “I’m not a wolf,” she panted.

  He looked at her quizzically, panting as well.

  Was she stupid? He was the sexiest man in Louisiana. His tan skin glistened with a thin veil of sweat. His dark hair was sexily disheveled, making him appear boyish, but his body was anything but boyish. The sheer size of him was intimidating, so were his dark eyes. The ones staring at her now. He was waiting for an explanation.

  “I’m not a wolf. I don’t have sex with multiple partners. I actually don’t have sex at all,” she admitted sheepishly. Then she looked down at her naked body and pulled her knees to her chest.

  Gage went to his closet and retrieved a shirt. He slipped it over her head and then sat next to her.

  “You’re a virgin?” he asked with a soothing voice.

  She nodded her head.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t know. I would’ve handled you differently. Also, I wouldn’t have assumed you wanted to sleep with me. I wasn’t thinking. I’m not used to being around anyone but wolves. Tara, I didn’t mean to seem brutish.”

  She turned and looked at him longingly. “Gage, I love the way you handled me. It’s just I know you just had sex with someone. I’ve been watching you since my father died.”

  “What? Why?”

  “My father was the reason we moved away from you and your parents. He knew I was in love with you and didn’t want our species producing offspring. He was great friends with your parents, but all that changed when I admitted that I had feelings for you. Now that my father is gone, I…”

  “Can be with me?” he asked, looking worried. There were so many things to consider about committing to her. There was no time for that right now.

  “Well, I didn’t think it through all the way, that’s why I started watching you. That’s when I learned about the Southpaws.”

  “The Southpaws?”

  “The faction of wolves that means you harm. That’s what they call themselves.”

  Gage shook his head and then stood from the bed. He paced, crossing his arms over his expansive chest. “This is so much to take in. What about your feelings for me? Do you still have them?”

  “Gage! Two wolves breached our territory. They’re fighting Jess and Lane,” Hayden said, standing naked in the doorway.

  Tara looked away. Not because of his nudity, but because she wasn’t sure how Gage would feel if she’d been seen and recognized as unknown. Had it really been up to her, she would’ve looked at the man more. He was sexy with piercing blue eyes and gorgeous long blond hair. His body was lean and cut. She thought perhaps she could get used to a place like this. A place where attractive people walked around naked because they had just transformed from being a beast. Now she understood why the wolves bedded each other so frequently. They all had amazing genes. She thought herself feeble as nothing but a raven-girl.

  Gage immediately morphed into a wolf, scattering Tara’s thoughts.

  Now she thought he was beautiful. He was about three times larger than a normal wolf, mirroring how large he was in real life. His silver fur darkened into a black streak running down the center of his back. He ruffled his hackles and looked at her briefly before taking off out the door. Hayden followed behind him as a were, also.

  Tara shed Gage’s shirt after inhaling his scent on it and then she shifted, herself and took to the sky. She’d watch the brawl from a tree.

  Gage came to the edge of his property where he saw two red weres stalking two of his pack. They were large wolves, but not as big as he was. He was certain neither was alpha of the Southpaws, as Tara had called them. He’d go ahead and settle this tiff right now.

  He ran forward and head butted one of the dogs in the ribs. It yelped and went to the ground and rolled. Hayden followed up by biting his throat, while Jess and Lane attacked the other were.

  Tara watched in horror as the fight broke out. Gage clawed at the downed dog, while Hayden smothered him by closing off his air supply with his large jaws. The other two weres took turns rushing the lone intruder and fur flew out each time they attacked.

  Finally, Gage’s opponent was left dead and then he and Hayden turned on the remaining foe. All at once, Gage and the three of his pack pounced on the dog. Barks and yelps shattered the silent darkness. It was violent as all hell and Tara had to look away.

  When the silence returned, she looked into the woods, seeing fur and bloody chunks of meat. Gage’s pack dragged the bodies of the dead outside the confines of the territory.

  Tara flitted into the air and flew to the south, this time to watch what the Southpaws would do in response. Gage would need to know their plans.

  Gage lifted his leg and peed on each of the dead weres. Then he nodded his head to his pack and barked. Jess and Lane took off back toward their border and sat obediently. Gage and Hayden fled back to the cabin.

  Once they got there, they shifted into men.

  “That went well. Quick. But we must prepare for more,” Gage said.

  “Yes, sir. I just wish we knew what was happening. All this patrolling is unnerving. We’re separated and vulnerable.”

  Gage decided he’d trust his second with his secret. “I have a source who can help.”

  “Who? That woman from earlier? I didn’t recognize her.”

  “She’s a childhood friend. A dear friend. She’s also a malphon. She’s been watching the situation for me. I wasn’t able to get much from her tonight, but she told me the weres call themselves The Southpaws. I’ve never heard of them. They can’t be from Louisiana.”
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br />   “We should call for reinforcements then. A friendly pack. No Louisiana wolf would want intruders.”

  “You’re right. I’ll make a call. We’ll talk to the east. Their numbers are good. I need more information from Tara before we do anything else. Man the line while I talk to her.”

  “Brother, is there anything else I need to know about the malphon? Is she yours? The pack may be against such a union.”

  Gage growled. “She will be mine if I make it so. Whoever has issue with that can come to me directly. I am alpha, and I don’t plan on giving up my position any time soon. Besides, I’ve produced six pups for this pack. I’ve done my civic duty as a male wolf.”

  “I understand. I don’t know of another who would come against you. If she is of help, I personally welcome her.”

  “I knew you would, Hayden.” Gage regarded him with a hand on the shoulder. Then Hayden left the cottage.

  Chapter 4

  Tara hovered above the misfit clan in a tree right inside their camp. She counted their heads. With her sharp eyesight, puzzle solving skills and perfect memory, the task was simple. She numbered them at forty-five. Gage’s clan was only twenty-three. This didn’t look good.

  Soon, there was a commotion and two more wolves entered the camp, shifting into humans. Forty-seven. Even worse. A group gathered and started howling. Tara listened closely.

  One man spoke, “They took out Lizzie and Carl while they were scouting. We can’t make this mistake again. We need to mobilize and enter the territory in groups on all sides. We’ll flank them and capture any who flee north with another station. They’ll be surrounded!”

  The clan shouted out and hoorayed.

  “We will attack tomorrow night!”

  Tara had seen enough. Besides, she heard Gage calling to her telepathically. He was worried she had left him for good. She wanted to call back to him, but it didn’t work that way. She flew faster, and in no time, was at the cabin. She landed on a stair post. After a few moments, she hopped to the ground and then pecked at the door, hoping Gage could hear her.