by Kate Douglas
Damn, he wasn’t going to cry, was he?
No, not when he’d never felt this happy in his life. Not when he hadn’t had this powerful sense of belonging before, a love that surpassed anything he’d ever known. This woman was his. So was the man. Three of them, all Chanku. Together they wielded the strength of the pack.
Together, as soon as Bay completed the change. They’d been inside each other’s heads this time, both of them loving Shannon, both of them experiencing her heat and warmth, her giving spirit. Jake had thought of opening to Shannon’s thoughts, but he couldn’t. Not yet.
Not until they mated. Until Bay changed. Until all the parts came together to complete the whole.
When, he wondered, would Shannon finally be ready for their true joining? What held her back?
He lifted his hips, sliding deeper into her wet heat, sliding the thick length of his cock along Bay’s, and he felt Shannon sigh. She raised her head just enough to kiss him, then lay her face back against his chest.
Her body was his…theirs. She’d given him this much. Soon, Jake thought, she would give him her heart.
Early Friday evening, Shannon soaked in the big tub, feeling replete and more sated than she could recall. Soft voices filtered into her consciousness. Jake and Bay, sitting out on the front deck, sipping at cold beers and talking about whatever it was men talked about on a cool fall evening.
Dipping her head back to thoroughly wet her hair, Shannon had to bite back a grin. She kept picturing herself as a virgin sacrifice, preparing her body for the altar. Absolutely an hysterical image, considering the last three days she’d spent with Jake and Baylor.
She swept the washcloth along her legs, then brought it slowly up between her thighs. There wasn’t a place on her body that didn’t ache, but she wouldn’t have it any other way.
Grabbing a disposable razor, Shannon began shaving her legs, but her mind was far from simple chores. Since that first time Wednesday morning, she and Jake and Bay had tried just about every sexual position physically possible…and they’d laughed uproariously at the ones that proved impossible.
She still wasn’t sure which was her favorite, though lying back while Bay licked and sucked between her legs as Jake took Bay from behind had to be one of the most erotic things she’d ever experienced. Watching Bay’s face as Jake slowly lubricated his cock then penetrated Bay had left Shannon dripping her own lubricant down her inner thighs. Even now, her pussy clenched when she recalled the deep thrusts of Baylor’s tongue each time Jake drove deeper into Bay’s ass…dear God but she’d gotten hot. What really took her over the edge was the look of pure ecstasy on Jake’s face when he’d come.
She’d turned the tables on Bay, then, slipping around after Jake was through to take Bay’s hard cock in her mouth. She’d reveled in the power she felt, the strength, the control over two strong men who loved it when she touched them, who loved each other.
Shannon licked her lips, remembering the taste, the differences in both men, the similarities. Every time they had sex, it felt totally fresh, completely new. That alone made relations with both men extra special. Tonight, though Jake didn’t know it yet, Shannon intended to experience something even more unique.
It was time. After talking to Tia this morning, Shannon realized she couldn’t put Jake off any longer. There really was no reason. She loved him. He loved her. They both loved Bay, and that was part of the problem, part of the reason it was time to mate with Jake.
She knew Bay’s feelings grew stronger each time they made love. His needs more powerful, his drive more all consuming. The nutrients were doing exactly what they were meant to do, but the drive to mate was growing stronger as his Chanku genetics gained strength.
When Tia told her what Jake had done, how he’d tried to rape her as Chanku, to force Tia to mate with him instead of the one she’d chosen, Shannon knew it was time to remove any chance of that happening between her and Bay.
Nor did Shannon want to be the cause of putting Jake in an untenable position with his friends. Tomorrow Mik and AJ would arrive. Two more Chanku males. Bay couldn’t shift yet, but there was no doubt it would happen soon. She’d noticed him rubbing at his arms, the intense look in his eyes whenever she and Jake shifted.
Mik, AJ, maybe Bay as well, all of them alpha wolves, who managed to co-exist only because of the human restraints they put on themselves, each one capable of taking a Chanku bitch, of mating her before she could shift.
Shannon’s thoughts wandered and she tried to picture the physical act of sex as a wolf. Tia had explained a lot of what happened, including the fact Chanku definitely mated for life. She said the bonding with Luc, when it happened, was the closest thing to a true religious experience she’d had. Shannon had laughed at Tia’s description, but she’d been deeply touched, as well. Hearing about mating from Jake was one thing—having a woman who was as close as a sister explain the facts was something else altogether.
For life. Was she ready? Shannon stood up and reached for a towel. As ready as I’ll ever be.
She dried herself and grabbed a heavy terry cloth robe hanging from a hook on the door. In just a few short minutes, she planned to ask Jake to join her for a run. As a wolf…a beautiful she-wolf with furry legs.
Why she’d worried so much about shaving her legs, she wasn’t quite sure.
Laughing, Shannon tucked the belt around her waist and went out to join the men.
Jake watched Shannon with a growing sense of expectation. She’d been unusually quiet today and then disappeared into the bathroom for almost two hours. Definitely a long time spent bathing or whatever women did when they locked themselves away like that. Whatever, it had worked with Shannon.
She was always beautiful. More beautiful than any woman Jake had ever seen, much less made love with, but right now she took his breath. Her damp hair glistened, her wide smile hinted at pleasures he’d experienced, others he’d only dreamed of. Jake tried to imagine how it would feel to lose her, to have another male take her away from him.
The enormity of what he’d tried to do to Tia and Luc struck home like an bolt of lightning. What a fool he’d been! What a total idiot. Jake suddenly realized he was rubbing at the healing scar on his throat. He dropped his hand as if he’d been scalded.
Shannon glanced at the movement and smiled. Run with me? Now?
Baylor glanced up. Did he hear the unspoken request? Bay couldn’t shift yet, but Jake was sure he was getting close. Their sex had certainly grown more intense over the past few days, as if the Chanku part of him was breaking free.
Jake stood and shrugged out of his jacket. He nodded in Baylor’s direction. “Shannon and I are going to run. Will you hold down the fort?”
“Sure. How long will you be gone?”
Jake chanced a quick glance toward Shannon. Her eyes were shining and she licked her lips in blatant invitation. He barely caught her quick nod, but Jake knew exactly what she intended. He turned back to Baylor and bit back a grin. “As long as it takes.”
Bay sighed and looked away. If he wasn’t so anxious to finally be alone with Shannon, Jake might have felt guilty at leaving their friend and lover behind.
He stripped out of his clothes and shifted as Shannon dropped the robe and joined him. She looked back at Baylor just once, yipped loudly and followed Jake with a long leap off the deck.
The air seemed colder tonight. Jake sniffed the gentle breeze and wondered if the weather was about to change. Winter came early to the Maine woods. Thin clouds scudded across the sky. He wouldn’t be surprised to find a dusting of snow by morning.
Now, though, the brisk air suited his need to run, to race with Shannon by his side. Her reddish coat gleamed in the glow coming from the house and her green eyes sparkled with hidden fire.
Neither one had said anything, but Jake knew tonight was one they would never forget. He nipped at Shannon’s shoulder, then sped ahead of her. She bit his flank, hard enough to bruise, and Jake knew he was right.
/> He twisted to the left, taking a small, narrow path that led to a secluded meadow not far from the house. They’d run this way before, but he’d never approached it with such a powerful sense of destiny, never experienced the certainty of his actions.
Shannon raced on ahead, passing him on the narrow trail as if she were as anxious as Jake to reach their goal. Not just the meadow, not even the act of sex between two beasts.
No, this was, in essence, a marriage. Two adults choosing to become one. She would know everything in his head, know all his doubts, all his needs. As he would know hers. Did Shannon understand the ramifications of their act?
Jake was almost afraid to ask.
Which was, of course, the very reason he had to.
They reached the meadow, a small, grassy glade with a tiny creek running along one side. Shannon stopped at the edge, sniffed the air carefully before stepping out from the protection of the thick underbrush. Jake followed, coming into the meadow from another angle. He followed Shannon to the creek and dipped his muzzle close to hers to drink.
They both raised their heads at the same time. Drops of water glistened in the stiff whiskers beside Shannon’s nose. Her eyes were a clear green, even in the darkness. Somehow they seemed to capture whatever light existed, shining it back on Jake.
He leaned close to her and licked the drops from her muzzle. I love you. You know I’ve wanted you since the beginning, but I’ve discovered, in the past few days, how very much I love you.
Shannon’s eyes closed briefly. She sat back on her haunches. I wanted to be sure. I am. More certain than I’ve ever been of anything else. I love you. My life wouldn’t be complete without you in it. I want you to know I talked to Tia this morning. I know what this means.
Jake took a step closer. No secrets. You’ll know everything about me, my weaknesses, my failings, hopefully, my strengths. I’ll learn everything about you. I promise to accept your secrets, to love the woman no matter what she carries in her memories.
And I promise to accept the man. Forever.
Jake shivered, more deeply affected than he would have imagined. As if they’d each written their own vows, he felt he had just experienced a formal wedding ceremony. He leaned his body against Shannon.
She turned and nipped him on the shoulder, stood and turned away. Stared at him over her shoulder, her full tail waving gracefully in front of his nose.
An invitation Jake couldn’t refuse. Rising stiffly, he pawed at her back and his long claws left deep marks in her dark pelt. Shannon’s scent rose to meet him, rich and inviting, calling him to mate.
She yipped once, twice. Twirled away playfully, as if to escape, her jaws wide, sharp canines glistening in the pale light of the waning moon.
Jake positioned himself behind her, raised his paw and planted it firmly on Shannon’s back. Felt his cock begin to stretch, knew it slipped free of the loose foreskin.
Shannon turned her head and stared at him, watching over her shoulder. Jake searched her thoughts and found them open, inviting him to enter.
Rising up on his hind legs, Jake reached for balance, resting his paws on Shannon’s strong shoulders. Need thrummed within him. His heart pounded and the urge to mate, to drive deep inside his bitch, to cover her with his body and make her his own, overwhelmed him. Snarling, he thrust forward, anticipating her heat, her tight sheath surrounding his lengthening cock.
Instead of acquiescence, Shannon snarled a sharp warning, twisted her body and rolled to one side.
Entirely black, mouth open, haunches bunching for the strike, a huge wolf launched itself at Jake. Jake whirled away, scrabbled for purchase in the short grass and narrowly avoided the gaping jaws and sharp teeth aiming for his throat.
Jake feinted, twisted out of the range of the snapping jaws and bit down on the beast’s neck. Thick fur kept him from getting a killing grip. The wolf jerked to one side and pulled free.
Shannon was suddenly standing beside Jake, her eyes narrowed, her stance aggressive. With the changing odds, two powerful wolves standing shoulder to shoulder against him, the unknown wolf backed down, snarling, saliva dripping from its jaws.
Shannon lowered her head. Her chest heaved with each deep breath. Then she moved away from Jake and shifted, standing tall and glorious in the dark meadow, hands on her hips and fire in her eyes. Before Jake could shift as well, she turned on the interloper. “Baylor Quinn, you ass-hole…what the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
Chapter 13
The wolf snarled, its every move radiating aggression and anger. Shannon stood her ground with Jake beside her. He hadn’t shifted. She was certain he waited to see what the wolf would do next.
Are you sure this is Bay? I can’t read his thoughts. He feels wild to me.
“Oh, that’s Baylor, all right. I can tell by the size of his prick…can’t you see? It’s a lot bigger than his brain right now.”
Once more the wolf snarled. Stiff hackles rose along his spine and his muscles bunched, as if he intended to leap. Jake moved closer, partially blocking Shannon’s legs.
Don’t make it worse. I think he’s really close to losing it.
Why would he do this? Why would he ruin what we were doing? Shannon didn’t know whether she wanted to kick the damned wolf or cry. He snarled once more, showing ivory canines, but there was a sense of indecision in his stance, the possibility he realized how stupid his actions were.
He really doesn’t know what he’s doing. He shifted before his body was ready…he’s more wolf now than human. I hope he remembers how to shift back.
Shannon wrapped her arms around her body, shivering. Now that the first rush of adrenaline was wearing off, she felt the chill night air, the fear, the sad sense of tragedy should they lose their friend and lover.
“Bay? Are you in there?” Shannon lowered herself to the grass and, ignoring his aggressive stance, wrapped her arms around the wolf’s wide neck. He snarled once, his teeth a hairbreadth from Shannon’s face, then his body went limp and he leaned his full weight against her.
“Oh, Bay. Damn it.” Shannon sniffed back the tears that suddenly clogged her throat. “Bay, I wanted to mate with Jake tonight to avoid this very thing. Why’d you have to go and screw it up?”
She swept her hand over his head, between the dark ears lying flat against his skull. “Did Jake ever tell you what happened to him? Did you know he was almost kicked out of his pack for trying to take the leader’s mate? It doesn’t work. Don’t do this, Bay. I love you, but I’m not in love with you. Not the way I am with Jake.”
She felt the tremor in the wolven body, sensed the sudden shift from wolf to human moments before it occurred. Suddenly, Shannon’s arms were holding a grown man, holding Baylor around the neck as he sobbed against her breast.
She glanced at Jake, feeling helpless and uncertain. He shifted and sat close to Shannon, wrapped his arms around both Shannon and Baylor, and held them tight.
Shannon looked at Jake and he shook his head. “I don’t know. That wasn’t Bay. That much I know. He wasn’t acting in character at all.”
Shannon nodded. “Let’s get him home. We’re not far.”
Jake nodded and stood up. He grabbed Shannon’s hand and she stood as well, bringing Bay with her. Awkward as it was, they stood there in the darkness for a moment, holding on to one another.
Bay shuddered, then stood straight. He looked from Jake to Shannon and hung his head. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened. I watched you leave, then suddenly I was here, in the dark, hell bent on attacking Jake, on taking the wolf, not you, Shannon. I felt an overwhelming need to fuck the she-wolf, but there was nothing familiar about it, no sense of who you were…of who I am. I don’t remember shifting, I don’t remember coming here. I’m sorry. Something’s gone terribly wrong.”
Jake stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Bay. “No. Something went terribly right. I’ve been so afraid you weren’t Chanku, afraid…”
“You might have to kill me
?”
Jake nodded. “Yeah. I don’t know if I could have done it. Bay, I love you. In fact, partially because of you, I’ve made a decision I haven’t even talked over with Shannon, but it’s something I have to do.”
Jake stepped back and looked from Baylor to Shannon. She saw determination in his eyes and a strength she’d always suspected he held close to his heart.
“I don’t want to return to San Francisco, to Pack Dynamics. As much as I admire and respect him, I don’t think I could serve under Lucien anymore. I want to start my own pack here, in Maine. Maybe an eastern division of the company? I dunno, but I know it’s something I have to do, something I want.” He grabbed Shannon’s hand, then Bay’s. “With you. Both of you. Shannon as my mate, you, Bay, as my second. What do you think?”
Bay stepped back, his eyes shifting from Jake to Shannon and back again. “I tried to kill you. Tried to take your mate. How could you want me beside you? How can you trust me?”
“Should I not trust you?”
Bay shook his head. “I don’t know. I’m not sure what happened. I’m not sure it won’t happen again.”
Shannon touched his arm, felt the tension in him. “Can you shift? Do you know how you turned into a wolf?”
Baylor frowned, stepped back and stared off into the darkness. After a moment, he shook his head. “No. I can’t remember how I did it before. It just happened. I saw you leave together and it’s like something inside me snapped. I don’t remember.”
“That’s because you weren’t ready.” Jake squeezed Bay’s shoulder. “You need the supplement for a few more days. The shift was probably a result of hormones and adrenaline when Shannon and I left. Sometimes the beast takes over if we’re not strong enough to grab control and hold it tight. Give it time.”
Bay nodded. “I’ll go back now. I’m sorry. I…”
Shannon reached up and kissed him. “Don’t apologize. The beast took over before you had the controls you need. You’ll be fine.” She pressed her palm to his cheek, letting him know all was forgiven. “Can you find your way back?”