by Sam Crescent
He was groaning and half growling beneath her, his body tense in restraint.
When she opened her eyes again to look at him, he was watching her intensely. His gaze burned up and down her body. As she studied his expression, he swallowed heavily and his jaw tightened. He wanted her. He wanted to touch her, to take control. She could see it clearly.
He was right.
It hit her like light flooding a darkened room, dawning over her heart like the barely finished sunrise outside. She understood now. They were destined to be together.
The realization overwhelmed her and Willa released her nipples in favor of anchoring herself on his chest. She kicked up the pace, grinding harder into his hips, and finally, finally, her release burst inside her. She barely even heard herself scream out his name.
When her senses settled again several minutes later, Willa was on her back, covered head to toe with Ryker’s body. He was dropping kisses along her face. Just light, sweet, chaste kisses.
Her heart melted.
“Ryker,” she murmured, reaching up and curling her fingers into his sides. She teased one of his calves with her toes.
“That was so fucking beautiful,” he whispered, his voice rough and thick, as his lips grazed her ear.
Willa opened her mouth to ask the all-important question. But just before the first word could fall from her lips, she realized she didn’t need to. She already knew. Tears stung her eyes as a smile lifted her lips and she wound her arms around him as best she could. “I love you.”
Six Months Later
Willa paused as she stepped out of the cell phone store, intending to use her brand-new phone to let Ryker know that she was on her way home, when her brain finally processed the brightly colored sign of the store across the way. It was an art supply store. As she took in the different sized easels and blank, rectangular canvases in the left window, an old memory returned.
Once upon a time, when she was young, Willa had loved painting. She’d painted everything she could imagine. Block shapes, nature scenes, amateur profiles of all her friends. Landscapes had been her favorite. Then, early in her Freshman year of high school, she’d been sketching out an idea and an upper classman had come by, loudly declaring that her art was as ugly as she was.
Willa pursed her lips at the offensive memory. She’d cried so hard the school had sent her home early. She’d thrown out all her unused supplies and destroyed nearly every piece of “ugly” art she’d created. Come to think of it, that was how it started. She didn’t know the kind of woman she might have grown into if that rude boy hadn’t come by. And as recently as a year ago, she would have looked back on that memory with anger. He’d inadvertently set her down a hard, self-loathing path.
Now, though, she was glad for it. Because she loved the life she’d found with Ryker.
Still, a woman needs her hobbies.
Returning her purse to her shoulder and adjusting her grip of the bag in her other hand, Willa made her way to the art store. She didn’t know precisely what she was looking for, as it had been nearly two decades since she’d allowed herself to consider painting or even sketching, but she was ready to try again. An image of Ryker, shifted and lazing under the shade of the tree in their new backyard, danced across her mind’s eye. She was going to have to try her hand at animals, because all of a sudden they needed a painting of a majestic tiger on their living room wall.
www.evernightpublishing.com/rose-wulf
TAKEN MATE
Sam Crescent
Copyright © 2017
Chapter One
Hayley Ford paused near her apartment and glanced around the street. There were many people going about their business. No one seemed interested in her, and yet she couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching.
Putting her key in the lock, she gave it a turn, and entered the main floor of the apartment building. After going to her postal box, she opened it up, taking out the letters before heading upstairs.
It’s okay, Hayley. You’re just losing your mind.
She walked up the three floors until she got to her room. There was a lot of unlocking of doors, but she was all alone in the big city. No family to speak of, and she had learned long ago not to get too attached to anyone.
Just get inside.
Opening the door, she slammed it closed and rested her head against the door. She didn’t understand why her heart was pounding. Nothing made any sense.
Earlier in the day when she went to lunch she had felt like someone was watching her. She hated that feeling, and it never failed to make her sick.
“You can turn around now.”
She gasped and spun around. There was not a single figure she could make out in the darkness. Reaching out, she flicked the light on and stared at a man she hadn’t given much thought to in a long time. “Micah?”
He sat down in a chair, staring at her. The guy she had met three weeks ago when she went on vacation to an out-of-the-world resort near a large forest and lake, Forest Palm. She had just been leaving after a week’s stay when she bumped into the man who right now sat in a chair in her living room.
She didn’t get it. They had met for like five minutes as she was packing her car up. Other than admiring his action hero style of muscles, and learning his name, there was no way he should be at her home, let alone inside it.
“It took me a while to find you,” he said.
After glancing at her door, she turned toward him. “I really don’t understand. Did I get drunk or something?” She couldn’t recall sharing anything with him.
He stood up and stepped toward her. The shirt he wore was tight across his chest, and her mouth went dry.
Hayley had never had a man like him in her home. In fact, she had never brought any of the men she dated back here. This was her safe haven, and no one was allowed at her home.
With each step he took, he moved closer to her, and her heart began to race. Again, there was that feeling of being watched, which made no sense. The only person who was here was Micah.
“Have you been watching me?” she asked.
“You made it hard for me to find you. Do you know how difficult it was for me to scent you?” Micah asked. “Cars, pollution—it doesn’t help to filter the air—along with the millions of people here.” He pressed his hand against the door, which visibly shook underneath his grip.
“Wait? What?” Micah invaded her space, and she frowned as he inhaled the air around her. His dark-brown eyes flashed, and she gasped. “You’re a wolf!” It wasn’t a question. She had heard of the multiple clans of wolves around the world. Not many people knew about them, but she had searched for them when she was older.
No pack wanted a human near them, and so she had no choice but to back away. Their wolf status wasn’t well known. Only a select group of humans knew about them. All wolves that she had known tended to stick to small towns near open forest and lots of space to roam, kind of like Forest Palm.
Wolf packs were very secretive as well. Outsiders and outcasts were not allowed.
“So you know what I am,” he said, leaning in close and sniffing her neck. “Fuck me, you smell so good.”
This man could tear out her throat with ease. You need to get him away from your throat.
Reaching out, she gripped his shoulders and tried to give him a little push. It didn’t work. He stayed right where he was.
“I feel how nervous you are, baby. You don’t need to be nervous. I would never hurt you. I fucking need you.”
He growled each word against her neck, and it didn’t help, not one bit.
“Look, I don’t know who you are. I thought you were a gentleman, and clearly that was my mistake. You’ve broken into my apartment, and now you’re sniffing me.”
He chuckled.
How dare he!
“Micah, I mean it, back the fuck off!” She rarely cursed, but this man was starting to piss her off. Wolves never searched for a human, let alone a human female. They considered human
s weaker, feeble, and pathetic. She had been told it enough times. In fact, there had even been a wolf in a bar about three years ago who had told her that even with a body like hers, they wouldn’t find it attractive.
She wasn’t slim, far from it. At a size eighteen, she had been called out for being fat, a pig, a cow. Pretty much every single mean name one could think of, she had been called it. Over the years since she was a kid, the names had started to hurt less. The numbness was a lot easier to go with.
“You’re mine,” he said.
His eyes flashed amber and had her heart racing.
“Excuse me?”
“You’re mine, Hayley. My mate, my soul, my very life, and I’ve come for you.”
She still held onto his arms, and it took her a few moments to figure out what the hell he was talking about. This had to be a prank. She burst out laughing. “Yeah, nice one. I know you can’t take a human for a mate. Good joke, man, now leave so that I can get on with my night.”
The hands at her waist didn’t let her go.
Micah held her and invaded her space once again. “I’m not joking!”
Well, shit.
****
It took every ounce of control not to take her right then and there. For now, Micah was just happy to scent her. She smelled amazing. He’d been dreaming of this woman, desperate to finally be near her once again. Hayley Ford was one of a kind. She was one of the rare human women who had been mated to an alpha shifter, and he was alpha. The bitches in his pack would try to fight her, but he would kill everyone and anyone who tried to take her place, or who tried to take her away from him.
His wolf had calmed for the first time in weeks. Just by being near her he was able to focus, and to actually breathe normally.
Peace settled over him, and he was inches away from kissing her when she slapped her hand across his lips.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“You’re my mate, Hayley. I’m going to kiss you, and then I’m going to take you back to my place where we’re going to be mated and have lots of wolf pups.”
She burst out laughing and then stopped. “Oh, my God. You really think that is going to happen.” She laughed even harder. “You are crazy.”
He wasn’t impressed. This was the first time a female had ever laughed at him, and he wasn’t enjoying the experience. “I am not joking.” He annunciated each word so she wouldn’t mistake what he was saying.
“I don’t care if you’re joking or not. There is no way I’m going with you.”
“You’re my mate.”
“I met you as I was loading up my car. I don’t know you.”
“You know of wolves.”
“So? A lot of human people know about wolves. The difference is, none of us will ever admit it.”
It was a good job as well. Many humans who had claimed to have met a werewolf often ended up dead or in some kind of special facility. It helped that the wolf packs had a special agreement with the government. They kept quiet and didn’t hunt or experiment on them, and in return, they didn’t kill them. To a lot of wolves, it was a fair trade, and if the government ever asked them for help, they agreed.
A charming relationship that kept the wolves and the humans safe. If anything ever started happening to packs, there would be no telling what fellow wolves would do.
“How do you know about wolves?” he asked.
She paused and bit her lip. “I don’t want to tell you.”
“Just tell me. I am one. I’ve just spent the past couple of weeks hunting for you.”
“Fine. There was a friend I had in foster care. She was dumped there one day by her parents. We got close, and she confided to me what she was. Her parents discovered the truth and they put her in care, not wanting anything to do with her. During the full moon, I would cover for her, and it would help tame the wolf. Being in the city, it helped anyway, but at times it drove her crazy.”
“This girl is not living with you now?”
“No. She was at the care home a year before someone took her. I got a single letter telling me she had finally found her real family, and I didn’t see the point in forcing her friendship. I know wolves don’t really like humans. You deal with us, you don’t make friends.”
Micah stared at her. She was a beautiful woman. Long blonde hair that landed at her ass in curls. Blue eyes that sparkled fire at him. Her figure was mouthwatering and he couldn’t wait to get his hands on her and drive his cock deep inside her. The need to claim her was so strong, and he wanted all of his scent around her so no other male could have her. His cock was already hard, and he knew there was a bed just across from the living room. He’d been waiting for her for over an hour, so of course he explored her home. It was small, and his home in the forest with the rest of the pack was huge.
He already had clothes being sent for her, not that she would need them. The large forests would offer them privacy that meant they could run around naked. He had so many plans for the two of them and couldn’t wait to get started.
“I’m more than happy to be your friend.” He stroked her cheek, and she frowned, swatting at his hand.
“Please leave. I don’t want to be a wolf’s mate, and there’s no way I’m leaving.”
She ducked underneath his arm and removed her coat, revealing a crisp white shirt and a figure-hugging black skirt. She was a receptionist in a corporate building. He had seen her before heading toward her apartment.
He hated the city.
“Babe, you think I’m giving you a choice.”
“You will give me a choice. You’re no mate of me.”
She turned her back on him. Micah had hoped she would be willing, but he had prepared in case she wasn’t. He removed his shirt, covered it in the special sleeping liquid, and pressed the cloth against her mouth. She grabbed his arms, and he kissed her head. “I’m sorry, sweet, but I wasn’t asking.”
Seconds passed and the fight inside her died. When her whole body collapsed against him, Micah cradled her in his arms. Finally, after so many years of searching, he had found his mate, and there was no way he was ever going to let her go.
“I love you, Hayley. One day soon you will love me also.”
He left her apartment without a glance back. There was no way he was going to fail.
Chapter Two
Hayley groaned and began to stretch her arms above her head. The bed was so good, and she loved how soft it felt. She must have found a man last night on the way home, because her bed was not this comfortable.
During her stretch, she paused as last night’s events rushed over her.
“Oh, good, you’re awake.”
She sat up in bed and gasped. The room she was in wasn’t her apartment, nor was it any kind that would be in the city. She was back at the motel she had stayed at for her vacation.
Glancing around, she saw it wasn’t the motel. There were logs all around the cabin, and there was also a large window.
“Where the hell am I?” she asked.
“This is my home.” Micah took a seat on the bed, and she frowned. She wasn’t afraid of him, and yet he had kidnapped her.
“What is going on?”
“I brought you to my home.”
“But I didn’t want to be here. I want my own life at home!”
He snorted. “Your home? That place is so small and it was so scheduled. You deserve better, babe, and I’m the one to give it.”
Glancing down at the bedding, she saw she was also naked, and quickly lifted the covers over her body. “Why aren’t I afraid of you?” she asked.
“You don’t need to be. I would never hurt you.”
“You drugged me!”
“No, I didn’t.”
“I’m here and I don’t know how the hell I got here!” She was yelling and she was so angry. I love it here. It’s so pretty. “Ugh!” She shouted and slammed her hands on the blanket.
“I may have used some chloroform.”
Hayley stared at him, r
eally stared. He was a handsome man, sexy as well. She had noticed him even before he had seen her. Packing up her car, she had looked toward the café, smelling the coffee all the way across the street. She had wanted a cup, and right before she decided against it, Micah had walked out. His shirt had been stretched over his impressive muscular chest. He was tall, over six feet, and for the first time in her life, a guy made her feel small and delicate. Short brown hair, and brown eyes she had seen spark with amber.
Damn it.
Her pussy was already getting wet, and she didn’t like it. She didn’t want to desire him, or have anything to do with him.
“You know this is really creepy, and last time I checked, kidnapping is against the law.”
“The law doesn’t count here or with mates.”
“I am not your mate.”
“You are. You just keep fighting it.”
“You’re annoying!” She climbed out of the bed, pulling the blanket along with her, and wrapping it around her body.
“Will you stop?” he asked. “Just lie down. Let me get you some food.”
She shook her head.
“I can smell the fact you want to fuck me.”
Spinning around, she glared at him. “I don’t know you. I don’t want to know you. You’re not making me want to even like you. Where is the bathroom? Unlike some people, humans need to use the bathroom.”
He pointed toward a door on the left.
“Thank you.” She found it next to impossible to be rude. Politeness was part of who she was, even with a man who had kidnapped her and claimed they were mates.
“I will go and make some food.”
She slammed the door closed and finally released the blanket, stepping out of it. Moving toward the mirror, she checked that she hadn’t been bit or showed any mark that he may have bit her.
Some of the stuff she knew from friends, other information she learned from books and the Internet.