Destiny Disgraced

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  His jaw tensed just a brief second, but he relaxed so quickly, she wasn’t sure she’d seen it at all.

  Then he knelt on the floor at the edge of the bed, gripped her hips, and slid her right in front of his face. Before she could gasp, he had his mouth on her, and his fingers inside her pussy. He had one arm over her waist, keeping her down, and the other playing with her.

  She arched, her body thrumming at his attention, then she gasped as he took both hands, pressed the backs of her thighs, and pushed her legs up so they were practically by her head. Then he licked, sucked, and nibbled on her until she was pretty sure she saw stars.

  “Your cunt is so fucking sweet,” he growled before going to town again. Seriously, if going down on a woman were an Olympic sport, this man would win the gold. Every. Single. Time.

  She came in the next breath, her body shaking, and she tried to steady her rapidly beating heart as she heard the crinkle of a condom wrapper. She was so happy that he was thinking clearly since she wasn’t. Neither one of them wanted to risk a bond—no matter what the quieter part of her whispered.

  But before she could dwell on that, Mitchell had her ankles pressed together in one hand and his other hand on his cock.

  “Ready?” he asked, his voice a growl.

  She gripped the edge of the bed and nodded, needing him in her, now.

  Then he thrust into her with one move of his hips, and she came again from that alone. He kept her legs pressed together so he made her squeeze him even tighter. She arched into him, their breathing syncing as he ramped up his thrusts.

  And when he spread her legs again so he could lean over her, she sat up, wrapping her arms around his neck, and rocked her hips into him, meeting him move for move. Their gazes met as her nipples tightened and her body grew heavy. Instead of the glimpse of pain she’d seen before when she knew he was thinking of his past at the wrong instant, she saw only his feelings for her, however confused they may be.

  And because of that, she kept her gaze locked with his, coming with him as their chests heaved and their bodies grew slick with sweat. He kissed her then, keeping her close even as her body slowly came down from its high.

  “That was…” he trailed off, his voice hoarse. “You continually surprise me, Dawn, and I’m not surprised often.”

  She couldn’t help but smile. “Well, old man, it’s my job.”

  He grinned down at her, his chest still rising and falling quickly. “I could get used to this friend thing.” He kissed her again. “But we’d better try it one more time. Just to be sure.”

  She wrapped her arms around him, totally on board with his plan. And if she kept telling herself that everything was okay, that they weren’t making a huge mistake by ignoring the obvious, then one day, she might believe it.

  One day.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Dawn’s wolf itched beneath her skin, the coming moonlight almost burning across the paleness of her flesh. She stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Cole, staring up through the tall trees as she frowned. Sam stood on the other side of the porch, a frown on his face, as well. He wasn’t as dominant as they were, so he had more trouble than most picking up scents and changes in the air. The fact that he felt anything then only told her that something was off tonight.

  “There’s something different in the air tonight.”

  Cole nudged her slightly. “You sound like a foreseer.” Sam chuckled, his thin shoulders moving slightly and Dawn narrowed her eyes at her friend.

  She tilted her head toward her brother and snorted. “Yes, Oh Wise One. I’m a foreseer. In fact, I’ve been hiding the secrets of the untold future from you all this time.”

  Her brother wrapped his arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. “If that’s the case, then I should beat you up for daring to keep things from your Alpha.”

  She pinched his side hard, and he yelped like he had when he was just a pup. “Future Alpha, Oh Wise One.”

  Sam laughed outright this time. “Can you tell me if you foresee me finding a mate who’s stronger than I am? I think a nice dominant female would work quite nicely. What do you think?” He wiggled his brows, and Dawn smiled.

  “That would be nice, right?” Of course, she wasn’t just thinking of a strong female for Sam, but of someone she shouldn’t want for herself.

  Cole leaned over so his head rested on top of hers. She wasn’t a small woman by any means, but her brother was a tall man with wide shoulders that she knew would one day allow him to stand proudly next to a man like Gideon and not look lacking.

  Sam seemed to know that Cole needed to talk to her privately and said his goodbyes. She held him close for a moment, knowing that he was feeling just as out of place as she was at times. He didn’t have many friends except for a wolf named Douglas and her. They were both a bit awkward in such an oddly fragmented Pack that was no Pack, and she knew that he was looking for something more like she was.

  And though sometimes they both felt like outsiders, she knew he was as grateful for her as she was for him. Thankfully, though, she had her friends outside the den, but she wished Sam had more, as well.

  Cole squeezed her shoulder, bringing her back to the present instead of twisted in her mind once more.

  “It’s coming, isn’t it?” he asked softly, his voice that of her brother, not the man who would be her Alpha.

  He didn’t need to explain what he meant since the entire den had been feeling a sense of awareness all day. She wasn’t sure exactly what would happen tonight—if it was going to happen at all—but her people hadn’t gone too far from her home. Her parents were out with some of the elders, but they were still within hearing distance. Others mingled in the forest around the house, talking and drinking, needing to be close to one another with the sense of impending urgency in the air.

  Right when she was about to ask her brother what the plan was, her wolf went on alert, and she almost dropped to her knees from the sheer force of awe and power slamming into her chest. Warmth spread through her limbs, and her blood pumped faster within her veins. Her wolf pushed at her, nudging at her, clawing until she knew that soon she would need to shift, but she held it back. She couldn’t become her wolf until she knew the end of it and could make sure her Pack was safe. Others less dominant than she tore off their clothing as they began to shift.

  Her brother gripped her shoulder tightly before letting go and throwing his head back. A howl ripped from his throat. Her voice joined his in perfect harmony, along with the voices of her people, her Pack, as they did the same and sang the music of their wolves, the song of their shifters long lost to the betrayal of others.

  Something snapped hard inside of her, a long cord that connected her with those around her, tiny threads of varying sizes and strengths attached to every single person within her den. Another cord locked into place with her brother, a second to a man named Douglas, who had been born right before she and Cole.

  As quickly as the magic had pumped into her, it faded away, and Dawn was left breathless, shaking, sweat-soaked…and Pack.

  The Centrals had become a true Pack once again.

  Her Brother was Alpha.

  Douglas, it seemed, at least from what she could taste on the bond, was the Beta.

  And she was…nothing.

  Just Dawn.

  She swallowed hard at that thought and looked at her brother, her eyes wide. “Cole,” she breathed out. “Alpha.”

  She swore he glowed, though she knew that wasn’t the case. But the sense of power wafting from him was new and yet controlled. Instinctively, she lowered her head, and out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the others doing the same. He wasn’t their king, their tyrant; he was their Alpha, their ruler, their protector.

  Warmth slid into her system and ran along the bond, a pulsating sense of power that told her that he would always be there for her, for their people.

  Cole’s arms slid around her and hugged her close. She wrapped herself around him and tightened
her grip. “Thank you,” he whispered, though she didn’t know what for.

  “You’re going to be amazing,” she whispered back. “And if you stray, I’ll just kick your butt.”

  “Hence why I’m thanking you.” He pulled back, and she met his gaze—though not for long since his wolf seemed extra dominant at the moment.

  She winked and pulled away, trying to hide her disappointment. It wasn’t like she’d thought she would ever be something more within the Pack, but she had thought maybe the moon goddess would have touched her, as well.

  Soon, Cole was surrounded by the rest of the Pack, forty others or so in human and wolf form needing to touch their Alpha. Dawn stayed back slightly to allow them the chance to find their peace and settle down. If she was having a hard time understanding what these Pack bonds meant and how they would work, she could only imagine what the others felt. Most of them had been part of a Pack once, had felt the bonds sliding through their bodies and souls before being agonizingly ripped from them. Now, they were once again Pack, and she knew they would need time to come to terms with that and celebrate it, as well.

  Sam stood by Douglas, his eyes wide as he met hers. He put his hand on the back of Douglas’s arm and the bigger man relaxed marginally. She knew Sam wasn’t their Omega…at least not yet. But from the way he comforted without thinking, the way he always had, she thought perhaps he would be one day. He was just dominant enough not to be a submissive with similar powers.

  Douglas looked shell-shocked, but Dawn couldn’t help but smile. He was a big man, who had been born within the Centrals but hidden away as an infant. He didn’t remember the original den or what had occurred all those years ago when their former Alpha brought a demon to Earth to rain fire and hell down upon them. He would be a good Beta, would care for the others around him and learn how to help them even when they didn’t know they needed help.

  From what she could tell, they didn’t have an Heir, Healer, Enforcer, or Omega, but that would come. Either the moon goddess would bless others within the Pack when they were ready, or babies and matings would occur to bring them forth. They were shifters, long-lived enough that not everything happened at once or even quickly.

  Yet Dawn knew, no matter what happened next, she knew she would remain only Dawn: an unmated, maternal female with no title or children to help protect. And with that oddly depressing thought, she met her brother’s gaze, and he frowned. She gestured toward her vehicle, and he gave her a nod, letting her know it was okay that she needed space at the moment. Others would be there to care for those who needed them, and they may even all shift to wolves and hunt. But for now, Dawn needed to get a grip on her emotions and figure out what was going on with her.

  It wouldn’t be fair to anyone for her to stay. She didn’t want them to catch wind of her disappointment. She shouldn’t be feeling this way at all, but she couldn’t control her emotions, no matter how hard she tried.

  Once she was sure the others weren’t paying attention to her, she went into her house, slipped on her shoes, and grabbed her keys. She’d go for a drive and clear her head before she came back to celebrate. Her wolf needed time alone, and while she understood that, she also knew that if she weren’t careful, she could hurt herself and others.

  She wasn’t even aware she was heading to the Talons until an hour later when she pulled up to the gate. The sentries nodded her inside even though she didn’t have an invitation, and she was grateful that she didn’t have to talk to anyone she didn’t know and explain why she was there. Especially since she didn’t know that either.

  She parked in the visitor area and shut off the engine before resting her head on the steering wheel. Why was she there? It wasn’t as if Mitchell was her mate and it would make sense for her to show up unannounced. Of course, they were friends, but they’d been very adamant about telling each other that they would be nothing more.

  She ignored the niggling sense of doubt at her desire for that now that she knew what a Pack bond felt like. Because if the ties that connected her to those she loved were like this, she could only imagine what a mating bond felt like.

  Dawn shouldn’t be here. She should be with her Pack, celebrating and getting to know her people in a new light, learning the bonds and how they would work. Yet…she couldn’t. There was something off, something that told her the others needed to celebrate but that she needed time apart.

  And she hated herself for it.

  A tap on the window startled her and told her she needed to get her head in the game because she should have damn well heard whoever it was come up, or at least scented them.

  Mitchell frowned at her from the other side of the window, and she swallowed hard, trying not to let her wolf get too excited about seeing him. Darn it. She wasn’t even sure what to do with these new Pack bonds inside her, there was no way she wanted a mating bond on top of that, and Mitchell wasn’t the one to give her that anyway.

  Yes, she knew they were potential mates. There was no hiding from that any longer, and they both understood that, but she’d just have to wait until she found another potential mate in the future.

  Mitchell wasn’t hers, and one day, she’d have to fully be okay with that.

  He opened the door when she took too long to do it herself, and she undid her seatbelt. “What’s wrong?” he asked, his voice holding the barest hint of a growl. “Cole called almost an hour ago and told us you were heading over here after the moon goddess made you a full Pack. Why are you here, Dawn? Is something wrong? Are you hurt?” He reached inside and tugged her close so he could slide his hands down her arms as if checking for injuries.

  “I’m fine,” she whispered. At least physically. “Can I come to your place? I know I’ve never been there, but I don’t want others to see me like this.” A single tear slid down her cheek, and she knew she was just tired and overwhelmed. She was also in another Pack’s den while she should be with her people. There was just so much emotion and confusion swirling inside her, she couldn’t take it at the moment.

  Mitchell nodded. “Of course. Come on, I’m not that far from here. Do you need to see Walker?”

  She shook her head. “I’m not hurt. I…I shouldn’t be here, but I couldn’t stay there. Not right now.” Plus, since Walker wasn’t her Healer—and the Centrals still didn’t have one it seemed—she wasn’t sure what the other man could do for her other than witness her shame.

  He took her hand, surprising them both, and led her past a few buildings and wolves on duty, who nodded at them as they passed. “Let’s go, then.” They walked in silence for a few more minutes, his hand over hers, the two of them catching the attention of others though Mitchell seemed to ignore it. Before long, she found herself in front a small cabin surrounded by trees. When he gestured for her to go inside after he used the security panel, she stepped into the entryway, and he closed the door behind them.

  He cleared his throat, and she shifted from foot to foot. “I built this place with my brother when I became Beta and wanted a new start. Max lives just on the other side of the trees since we wanted to be close to one another.” There was a sadness in his voice that pulled at her, but she wasn’t sure what it was from. For Max, who had been injured in the last battle of the Unveiling, or for why they had wanted a new start to begin with.

  “It’s wonderful,” she said after a moment, truly meaning it. The place had been decorated in masculine tones, but it wasn’t too overt. Just enough so it looked as though a single man had lived there for a few years and made it his home. The entryway led into the living room with a dining room attached. Off to the side, she saw the opening to where his kitchen lay. Between the living room and the large table in his dining room was another archway where she assumed his bedrooms and bathrooms were. The placed seemed almost too large for one man—especially since she lived in a house only slightly bigger than this with her parents and Cole.

  Mitchell cleared his throat, and she knew he was probably feeling as awkward as she was. Not so much b
ecause she was alone with him, but because she hadn’t been with him in his place before. This was the second time in as many days that one of them had shown up at the other’s in a time of need. If they weren’t careful, they would indeed end up broken once this ended.

  Of course, it would be her that lay in pieces.

  She wasn’t sure if Mitchell had ever been whole.

  “Why don’t we sit down, and you talk to me about what’s going on in that head of yours.”

  She let out a breath and nodded before going to the large, L-shaped couch in the living room and sinking down into the cushions. “We’re a Pack.”

  Mitchell nodded. “I know. Are you okay? I’ve never known anyone who was part of a Pack just forming, so I don’t know what goes into it or how it feels.”

  She looked at him as he sat down next to her, not so close that they were touching, but close enough that she could feel the heat of his skin along hers. “It was odd. I had this feeling all day that something was…different, but it wasn’t until the moon touched my skin that I knew that tonight would change everything. One minute, I was thinking about something—I don’t remember what—and the next…” She shook her head, her voice trailing off. “The next… I can’t explain it. But our Pack bonds snapped into place, as did Cole’s Alpha and Douglas’s Beta connections. I don’t have words.”

  Mitchell tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear. “I know what you mean. I might have been born with my Pack bonds, but I wasn’t born a Beta.”

  Dawn gave him a wobbly smile. “You get it then.”

  “What I don’t get, though, is why you can’t be with your Pack tonight. Was it just too much?”