by Ellis Leigh
“Did you shift?” Luc asked Dina as pieces of the puzzle became clearer. “When you ran out of the cave, were you in human or wolf form?”
“Wolf. I’m faster that way.”
So she could already shift. But when he had arrived at the house, she’d been wearing that same nightgown. “Did you carry your clothes with you?”
Dina shook her head, glancing toward Gavreel, who jumped in to answer the unspoken question.
“She can shift and her clothes end up with her. The bad men were fascinated by it and would make her shift a lot.”
Holy hell. That—shifting and bringing your clothes with you through forms—simply didn’t happen. Little Dina was a special Omega, indeed.
Or perhaps not an Omega at all.
“The shifting hurt,” Dina said, sounding sad but with a little edge to her voice. A little attitude. “The bad men were mean and didn’t listen when I said I wanted to stop.”
Tabriss grabbed Dina’s shoulder, frowning. “She would cry,” she said, the lilt in her words indicating she had likely grown up somewhere much farther south than where they were. “She shouldn’t have to shift so much.”
“And she won’t have to again,” Sariel said, bringing little redheaded Tabriss closer. “We would never force a child to endure something so stressful.”
“Sariel is right,” Luc said, glancing up at Sariel. “Now, what do you think about going home?”
Dina’s bottom lip trembled. “I don’t want to live in the caves anymore.”
“Oh no,” Sariel said, scooping the little girl up in her arms. “No caves, my love. Homes. Real homes with beds and toys and food. Would you like that?”
Dina looked down to her two partners in crime before nodding, all three girls moving closer to Sariel. The Omega brought her gaze to Luc, striking him with a ferocious sort of stare that said more than words ever could. No fucking way was she leaving without these girls.
“We have a homestead not too far away, which is where Dina found us. Right now, we all live together as a pack right here in Alaska, and we’re strong. We’ll keep you safe, and no one from our pack will harm you.” Luc rose to his feet and nodded at Sariel. “Load them up into the sled. We’ll take them back with us.”
Sariel seemed to relax. “Thank you.”
There was no need to thank him, but he nodded anyway, leaning into Cassiel to steal a little comfort from having her close. She wrapped her arms around his waist and held him tightly, likely doing the same. A thought that lit up his insides.
But there was still work to do.
“We run home,” Luc said, raising his voice so all of his pack knew his intentions. “Bez, take the lead. Sariel will ride with the girls, and Cassiel will handle the sled. We are their protectors. Their guards. And no one stops that sled until they are safely on Dire property. Period.”
His pack nodded, all of them looking fierce and ready to fight. Ready to defend their own. Because those three little girls didn’t know it yet, but they’d just been adopted by the Dire Wolf pack. And no one fucked with a Dire and lived to tell the tale.
“Luc,” Bez said quietly, tugging him away from his mate who walked off to ready her sled. “Sariel is already attached to the children.”
Luc knew where this was going and what Bez was likely about to ask of him. It was a question that didn’t need to be voiced, though. “I hope you have enough bedrooms down there in Texas.”
Bez glanced at his mate, love and fierce protectiveness flaring there. “I’ll build them a fucking princess tower if that’s what they want. Anything to make Sariel and those girls happy.”
Luc patted him on the shoulder. “Good man.”
“So, you’re staying in Alaska?” Bez asked, nodding toward Cassiel, who had the dogs turned around and was helping Sariel get the girls settled.
That was an easy answer. “I’m going wherever she does.”
Bez chuckled. “Never thought I’d see the day.”
“I believe I said that to you a while back.”
“You did, so we’ve come full circle.”
“All good stories must.” Luc left his friend and brother to shift and headed to his mate. To the one woman he would do anything for. To his perfect match. “You ready to go?”
She nodded but seemed edgy. Off.
Luc wasn’t about to let that go. “What’s wrong?”
Cassiel glanced at the girls in the sled then grabbed Luc’s arm and pulled him away. “What if they come back?”
“Who?”
“The pack. The ones who had the girls. What if there are more of them, and they come to collect these little ones?”
Luc’s growl broke the stillness of the night. “They’ll not survive if they try to take those girls from us.”
Cassiel looked over her dogs, still frowning. “So, I should just keep going? No matter what happens along the way?”
“Yes. No matter what, you keep driving the girls to the homestead. Thaus, Phego, and Levi will be there to jump into a fight if they need to.”
“And where will you be?”
“I’ll stay about twenty yards behind so nothing sneaks up on you.”
Cassiel snuggled into his chest. “I have to admit, I’m a little uncomfortable with the thought of you not running beside me.”
Luc’s heart pounded harder, his body warming. These were all good signs from his mate—hints that maybe, just maybe, she would someday accept him as her chosen mate. He certainly hoped she would, at least.
“No one will hurt you, my angel. I won’t let it happen.” Luc leaned down and kissed her nose, unable not to take an extra deep sniff of her scent before pulling back. “Besides, your wolf is awake now. She’ll help you if you need her to.”
“What if she’s too weak? What if I don’t know how to access her?”
“You won’t have to worry about that.”
“How do you know?”
Luc kissed her deeply, a rumble sounding from deep within him. Loving the way he felt her body respond to his, before pulling away. “Shall I call her forward, my angel? Do you want me to remind you of the beautiful beast within?”
Cassiel nodded, holding on to his arms. Luc kissed her one last time before growling low while staring into her eyes, letting his wolf come forward. Inviting hers to come out and play. He sensed the spirit within her, the weakness of that presence, but the wolf was there. She would grow stronger with every shift. Luc would make sure of it.
It was a single moment, a quick second where Luc’s wolf pushed forward enough for him to see Cassiel’s eyes begin to shift lupine, when it happened. The mating bond between them solidified, the attraction intense and immediate. Two souls wrapping around each other and becoming an unbreakable unit. That was the feeling he’d been waiting for, been worrying over. Her wolf had been so hidden that the bond hadn’t been strong enough to truly feel. It was now.
Holy fuck, was it.
“What is that?” Cassiel asked, breathless. Her eyes dilating right before his.
“The mating bond between us. Your wolf is finally strong enough to feel it.”
“We feel it all right.” Cassiel licked her lips, looking him up and down. Making his body want to respond to hers in ways that were far too inappropriate considering there were children nearby. “I think you being behind me will be a good thing.”
Ah, fuck. “I’ll take you from behind whenever you like, sweet angel. Just say the word.”
Cassiel huffed. “Not what I meant, but good to know.”
Luc laughed and pulled her in close, kissing the top of her head. “Enough of this sort of talk. Otherwise, we’ll never get to where we need to be. Let’s run back to the homestead. We can start your wolf education there.”
“So soon?”
“Only if you want to. We have time.” Lots of it. Years and years to learn everything about one another. Luc was looking forward to every second, too.
Cassiel didn’t seem convinced. “Promise? You’re not going to, l
ike, overpower me or be all controlling about this stuff?”
“Never.”
“And no more lying, right?”
“I never wanted to lie to you. I will never deceive you again. I promise.”
“Good, because if you do, I’ll cut your balls off.”
Luc grimaced. “That’s fair.”
And it was. She deserved to be loved and respected, which Luc planned to do every day for the rest of his very long and suddenly very interesting life.
“Come on, mate,” she said, turning and strutting toward her sled. Rolling her hips in a way that made his mouth water as his eyes locked on her ass. “You can chase me all the way home.”
And he would. Forever, if need be.
“Lead the way, mate. I am ready to be your follower.”
Epilogue
It took Cassiel six months to learn to shift to her wolf form on her own. Six long months of forced shifts and Alpha orders, of sore muscles and tired bones. Luc never wavered in his support, though. Never questioned whether she’d ever get it. He simply told her how well she was doing after every shift and rubbed her body to ease her aches.
Oh, and how he could make her ache.
“Are you just playing, or are we about to get serious?” her sleepy mate asked as she rocked slowly over his naked body. She loved waking him up like this, with soft touches and kisses, with her pussy gliding over his morning erection. He loved it too, no matter how much he grumbled about her being a tease.
“Just playing. Where are the dogs, by the way?”
“I took them outside a few hours ago. Moxie kept trying to crawl in between us.”
Cassiel chuckled, picturing exactly what he described. Her littlest sled dog loved both of them and always wanted to be with them, but that love could cause some awkward moments. Plus, Luc didn’t like to share her—not even with an overly affectionate sled dog.
“I should probably go feed them,” she said, not that she had any intentions of stopping what she was doing.
Luc groaned, moving his hips to meet hers. Teasing her just as much as she was him. “They’re fine out there. They can wait an hour.”
“You think you have the stamina for an hour?” She knew he did. He’d proven it many, many times. But she certainly liked to egg him on.
Luc grinned, then grabbed her by the hips, rolling them over into the furs on their bed. The big one they’d had brought out on the ice road once winter had hardened the path and Luc had carved a headboard for. The thing took up half of her cabin, but it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered but that she and Luc were together.
Which was why she sighed and grabbed him tighter when he pinned her down and slid inside her wet heat.
“Oh, my angel,” he said, growling his words. “You make me so happy.”
She nodded, biting his shoulder. Reminding him of the scar embedded there from the night they’d exchanged mating bites. Making sure he remembered he was hers. Her own bite mark stood out proudly on her neck, Luc wanting to make sure every male wolf in the world knew she was taken.
Silly man.
“More,” she cried, digging her fingers into his hips. “I need more.”
And he gave it.
Ninety minutes and three rounds of amazing sex later, the two of them were finally ready to face the day. Coffee in hand, they were about to head out to feed the dogs when the tablet Deus had gotten them—the one hooked up to some sort of fancy satellite internet he’d bitched and moaned about but that Cassiel though was pretty darn amazing—pinged.
“It’s early,” Luc said, looking concerned.
Cassiel tapped the screen, smiling as Sariel’s face filled it. “Well, hello there, momma.”
Sariel’s grin grew. “Hi. I know it’s early there, but Dina wanted to call Uncle Luc.”
Luc moved in beside Cassiel, grabbing her ass in the process. Dirty boy. “How is my brave little shewolf?”
Dina appeared on the screen, obviously climbing into Sariel’s lap to see the screen. “I lost a tooth!”
Luc’s grin lit up the cabin. “Oh, my girl…such good news. You must be so excited.”
“I am. On the television, I saw where, if I put the tooth under my pillow, a fairy will sneak inside my room at night and take it from me.”
“Well, yes. That’s a very human custom.”
Dina growled. “Daddy Bez said no one can penetrate his walls, so I’m keeping my tooth.”
Cassiel hid her face, fighting hard not to laugh.
“She’s a fierce little soldier,” Bez said, appearing behind his mate. The other two girls bounced into the picture as well, all three of them looking so much healthier and happier than they had been when they’d been found. Texas and being in the Dire Wolf pack had been good for them, and finding them had been good for Luc. As had living off the grid and far enough away from most people for him to be able to focus on his own emotions instead of other people’s. He still sensed his pack, sensed Cassiel as well, but most of the rest of the world had quieted for him. He liked to tell Cassiel that she was the best thing for him, but she had a feeling living so far from masses of people was right up there, too.
“Did you hear from Phego?” Bez asked, leaning closer to the screen. “Michaela’s pregnant.”
“We heard,” Luc said, clinging to Cassiel. “Our pack is growing.”
And they were. Besides Cassiel’s own appearance and the three girls, Amy had given birth to a bouncing baby boy with silver eyes and a wolf spirit stronger than any they’d ever seen, according to Luc. Zoe and Charmaine were pregnant as well, both due within just a few weeks of each other. The Dire Pack was definitely growing, and seeing how much joy that brought to Luc made Cassiel’s heart happy. She had a family for the first time in her life—a real one.
“So, with all the babies and other issues, we haven’t gotten to talk about Australia,” Bez said, suddenly looking a little stern. “I know you said we’d go once things calmed down but…”
There was no need to continue that but—everyone in the pack would understand it. But there were little girls to protect, babies and new moms, too. No one would want to leave their mate behind, and the potential danger could be intense. She and Luc had talked about it many times, laid out options for how they would be the ones to go. The ones to see if there truly was another Dire Wolf pack out there in the world.
The rest of the pack didn’t know anything about their plans yet, though.
“There’s no need to rush anything,” Luc said, squeezing her arm. “Everyone needs time to settle into their new lives, and the children need the structure of their family around them. Dires have lived on this earth for multiple millennia. They’ll be there when we’re ready.”
Which was in about a month, if Luc was still sticking to the last timeline they’d discussed.
“What if they come here first?” Bez asked.
“Then we’ll take care of them. Until then, we have lives to live and mates to take care of. I suggest you focus on that.” Luc reached toward the tablet. “Go spoil those angel girls, Beelzebub. I have dogs to feed.”
Bez laughed. “Yes, sir.”
Luc ended the connection then kissed her neck, taking a moment to breathe her in. “Still okay with heading Down Under for a bit?”
Cassiel tugged him closer. “Absolutely, so long as you’re with me.”
“I’ll never leave your side.”
“Then we’ll go, and we’ll explore. And we’ll look for your Dire brothers.”
“They might not want us to find them.”
“Then we’ll use the time to explore a new land. I’ve always wanted to see a kangaroo in person.”
“Then you shall. But for now, we need to feed the dogs.”
So they did. And Cassiel couldn’t have been happier than she was with her mate at her side doing something so basic as chores around her homestead.
Australia would be coming soon enough. For now, there was Alaska and sled dogs and planes to meet up with. And a mate
she couldn’t stop touching.
“Race you to the smoking shed,” she said, laughing as she took off running. Knowing there was no way she would beat Luc anywhere. He would never let her get too far away either. And that safety net, that security, might have been the best thing she’d ever experienced.
Her mate, her life, her world—perfection wasn’t a strong enough word. Australia would happen soon enough, but the where for her didn’t matter. For she would follow Luc to the ends of the earth if need be.
She’d also yank him back from the edge of the cliffs of insanity if the world became too much for him.
Protection went both ways after all, and she certainly wasn’t one to run away from a fight.
Thank you for reading Luc and Cassiel’s story. I hope you enjoyed my journey in the world of the Dire Wolves. Looking for more shifter adventure? Check out CLAIMING HIS FATE, the first book in the Feral Breed MC series.
* * *
Looking for some fun and flirty romances? Check out the Motor City Alien Mail Order Brides collection! These aliens have been looking for love in all the wrong places, but now that they’ve been matched to girls from Earth, their intergalactic dreams are coming true.
The story begins with Cutlass.
Also by Ellis Leigh
Feral Breed Motorcycle Club
Wolf shifters, motorcycles, witches, and a threat lurking in the shadows.
Novels
Claiming His Fate
Claiming His Need
Claiming His Witch
Claiming His Beauty
Claiming His Fire
Claiming His Desire
Claiming Her Heart
* * *
Collections
Claiming Their Forever: A Collection of Shorts
Feral Breed Followings
Stand-alone stories of characters first met in the Feral Breed Motorcycle Club series. Featuring cage fighters, dragon shifters, second chances, and young love.