by Milly Taiden
“You?” Jay’s eyes burned with foreboding.
Becca nodded. “Charlie wounded Alastair badly, and we thought taking revenge on my family by killing my brother had satisfied his lust for leopard blood, but I was wrong. Someone in your pack found a way to contact Alastair and now it’s started all over again, only this time he’s brought a legal army instead of a physical one.”
He blinked. “Legal army? What do you mean?”
“Alastair is claiming a rule of Levirate be brought against us.”
“Levirate?” Skepticism laced Jay’s tone.
Becca nodded. “The right to marry his dead brother’s mate. The right to first refusal or a demand by blood challenge.”
“I know what it means, Bec. What I can’t believe is that someone thought to use that archaic ruling.” He stood from the bed and paced. “That practice was abolished. No one heeds that rule anymore.”
Becca shook her head. “It might not be practiced any more, especially not in the city, but not everyone is as enlightened.”
He turned and looked at her. “Have you refused?”
23
Becca balked. “Of course! I told him he could take his right of first refusal and shove it up his bony ass.” She smirked. “Remember what I said I’d do back at the restaurant if you didn’t let go of my arm?”
He eyed her, nodding.
She smirked. “Let’s just say my brother’s claw marks now have a matching set courtesy of his little sister.” She swooshed her hand in the air. “Right across the smug little bastard’s face.”
Jaylon laughed out loud. “So this is nothing but bullshit. A moot point. I don’t see why you went and got yourself tied up in knots. You were right in the first place. This doesn’t matter. Not to me and not to anyone who counts.”
Becca got up and slipped a hand onto Jaylon’s chest. “It’s not quite that simple, Jay. I refused Alastair because of another potential mate. YOU. He’s demanding a blood challenge.”
Jaylon lifted her fingers from his chest and kissed their tips. “That’s ridiculous. What if I refuse?”
“I don’t want you to fight Alastair, not because I’m afraid you can’t win, but because he’s devious and he’ll use whatever means to win. I’m too big a prize. If you refuse his challenge, our mating will never be considered legitimate.”
“By whom?” he asked, incredulous.
“By some in my Leap and a few of the outlying clans, but I don’t care. I have every intention of relinquishing my role as Prowl Leader. It’s brought me nothing but aggravation since Charlie died.”
“No, Becca.” He shook his head. “You will do no such thing. Your land, your title. They’re your birthright and the birthright of our future children. I forbid it. Besides, if it comes to a fight, I will rip the tail from that little whelp, but it won’t come to that.”
She smirked, putting one hand on her hip. “Forbid? Wow. Pretty tough talk for a city mutt.”
Jay looked at her and a smirk tugged at his lips as he pulled her closer. “If your Leap acknowledged you as mated to that bullshit Cheshire cat because of a nip to your neck, I bet we can do better than that.” He walked her backwards toward the bed.
She licked her lips. “You look like the cat that ate the canary. What are you up to?”
His gorgeous mouth slid into a seductive grin. “More like the wolf that ate the pretty pink pussy until she screamed for release.”
She met his grin with a knowing smile of her own. “You mean beat him to the bite, right?”
“Yup. Only we’ll do it the right way. Right here. Right now.”
The back of Becca’s legs hit the mattress and she lost her footing, her butt bouncing as she fell onto the bed. “You dirty dog.”
“Here kitty, kitty. Daddy’s got something you’re going to love.”
Jay lifted her legs and held her feet by her ankles, slipping her flip-flops from her toes. “Did you bring an overnight bag?”
She smiled. “Yes, why?”
He reached between her legs and ripped the seam at her crotch, the stitches popping and tearing with each tug. Her leggings split and ran, the black Lycra curling until her pussy was exposed.
“That’s why.”
“I could have taken them off, you know,” she shot back, trying to wiggle what was left from her hips.
Jay growled. “Takes too long.” He dipped his face between her thighs and licked her from her ass to her clit, stopping to tongue her hard bud, drawing the nub between his lips.
Becca sucked in a breath and lifted her hips for more, but he pulled back, slipping his fingers into her wet cleft instead.
“I brought a surprise for you,” he said, curling his fingers, circling until her head dropped between her shoulders.
“It’s in my bag,” he added, nearly fisting her. “Want to see?”
Becca nodded, barely able to croak, let alone give a coherent answer.
Jaylon pulled his hand from her, licking her juice from her fingers. “I want you so hot and wet, you beg for my cock, beg for my cum deep inside you and then you’ll be ready.”
He moved to his bag and unzipped the top flap. Taking a small black plastic bag from the inside compartment, he pulled a dangling silver chain with what looked like hot pink rings on either end.
“These will keep you moaning up top, while I work your slick pussy until you scream for me.”
He shed his clothes and then slipped between her knees again. Yanking her top from her shoulders, he fastened each of the rings over her stiff nipples. He tested the chain, engaging the clasps.
Becca hissed, dragging a breath through her teeth at the rough, tingly feel.
“Take the chain, Bec. The harder you pull, the tighter they get. Work your nips, babe, while I work the rest.”
He licked her engorged peaks, sucking and laving as she pulled the chain taut, finally dragging his lips over her belly to her waiting sex.
“You like it hard and thick, don’tcha baby. The way I fill you deep.”
Becca moaned and Jay looked up from her mound to watch her thumb her hard nipples, the delicate chain wrapped in her fists. “You are so fucking sexy, Becca.”
His mouth slipped to her hard nub and his tongue rasped her slick pussy, wide.
“You love the feel of my tongue on your clit. Hot, hungry, and ready to lick your juices clean.”
“Jaylon, please!”
“You know you want it bad, Becca. Beg for it, love. Tell me how much you want my cock.”
She groaned and unwound the chain from one hand to fist his hair, grinding her pussy closer.
“No, baby.” He blew his warm breath across her folds, tickling her, teasing her. “I want to hear you.”
“Fuck me, Jay!” Her nails scraped the back of his shoulders and he hissed. “Rough and dirty. That’s what I want.”
“Your pussy is so wet and swollen and ready to fuck. C’mon, kitty, purr for me.”
Becca’s head dropped between her shoulders and her skin vibrated with need as her inner cat purred as if on demand.
With a low chuckle he tongued her nub, flicking and sucking as he slid two fingers into her slick entrance and worked her while he bit and licked.
“Mmmm. Sweet and salty. Your pussy is like silk, Becca.” When her juices dripped down his chin, he caught her nub between his teeth and pulled.
He lifted his face from her sex and stroked the soft skin between her folds with a sweep of his fingers and then stood, pushing her knees wide.
“I’m going to slide my dick into your wet slit inch by inch, watching your pussy lips swallow my full length and your jaw tighten, wanting more.”
Jaylon dug his fingers into her full thighs as his engorged head spread her folds. Corded and thick, he moved slowly as he watched Becca grit her teeth, gasping for more of him.
“For fuck’s sake, Jaylon! Get a move on.”
With a smirk, he pulled out again and she cried out, but with one quick motion he lifted her, flipping on
to her knees on the bed. Standing behind her, he drove his cock into her swollen sex.
She ground her ass back as he thrust harder and faster until she screamed, her climax shuddering through her body. With a guttural yell, Jaylon’s cock pulsed his release deeply into her body, her walls milking every last drop from him.
This was it. He turned his head to allow his canines to descend and bit into her shoulder, wolf-style. She cried out, but he bit down again, this time at the nape of her neck, his large incisors obliterating Nick’s puny marks with his own. Becca was his. Now and for always.
Holding her close, he rode the aftershocks with her, letting every last spasm hit. He sealed the wounds with a swipe of his tongue, making them permanent.
“You okay?” he asked behind her ear as they stretched out together on the bed.
“I’m better than okay. I’m yours.”
Now it was his turn to suck in a breath. He buried his head in her hair, holding her like he’d never let her go.
24
“Country mouse,” he whispered against Becca’s hair as they got out of the truck. He looked around with a lopsided grin on his face. “Cabin life. Who’da thunk.”
She gave him a playful shove. “Hey, it beats sucking tailpipe fumes on the way to your beach.”
He squeezed her shoulder. “Maybe now we’ll have the best of both.”
The thought gave her the warm fuzzes and her cat purred. She closed her eyes for just a moment. This man was making her fall head over tail for him with every passing second.
They barely walked half a dozen paces when Lyssa waved from the council cabin’s porch as others came out to gawk as well.
Jaylon leaned in to Becca’s ear. “Why the stares? You’d think they never saw a wolf shifter before.”
“Not for a very long time, babe,” she replied. “Leopards have vivid imaginations. I’m sure they imagined everything from a sophisticated priss to a caveman dragging me by the hair.”
He laughed. “More like towing you by the nipple clips you’ve got hidden in your bag.”
“Ssh! It’s bad enough they can smell your scent on me. I don’t need nosy ears picking out the dirty details, too.”
The smirk on Lyssa’s face said it all as they walked to the base of the cabin’s steps.
“Wow, you two give new meaning to the term whirlwind romance. Yowza! Talk about an afterglow,” her friend said with a wink.
“No comments from the peanut gallery, missy,” Becca said, giving Lys a quick hug.
“Makes no difference to me,” Lyssa shot back with a smirk, “but if Jaylon were my fella, I wouldn’t want him ambushed because I was too chicken shit to tell him what he’s walking into.”
“Lyssa!”
Jay watched the interchange with an amused look. “What is she talking about, Bec?”
Lyssa crossed her arms over her chest. “Yes, Becca. Why don’t you tell the man?”
“I already did, Miss Snoop Face. Jay knows the whole story.” She stuck her tongue out and then plastered a sugary smile on her lips. “Jaylon, this is Lyssa Foster. My so-called best friend and all around pain in the ass.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lyssa.” Jay grinned at the playful standoff and extended his hand.
“I’d say the pleasure was all Becca’s,” Lys laughed, wiggling her nose, “but, it’s nice to finally meet you, too.”
Becca shot Lyssa a look. “You are evil, you know that, right?”
“No, I’m not. I’m your conscience and you love me.”
Grinning, Jaylon winked at Becca’s honey-blonde friend. “Conscience? Wow. Now I’m curious.”
Becca sighed, exchanging glances between the two. “It means Lyssa’s got plans to tell you every embarrassing moment of my life since we were kids.”
Lyssa winked at Jay. “Well, not every moment. Just the juicier ones.”
Becca lifted one hand with a laugh. “If that’s going to make you happy, Lys, go ahead. You can’t scare Jay off. We’re a done deal.”
Lyssa batted her eyes. “Who said anything about scaring him off? Besides, he’s too deep in the Barrens to get back to civilization without help, so that makes him a captive audience.”
Becca groaned.
Jay laughed, adjusting the strap to his overnight bag “On that note, I think I’m going to need a cup of coffee.”
Lyssa chuckled. “Boy, you’re going to need something stronger than that if you’re going to face Lucilla and the rest of the council. At least my stories are entertaining.”
“Are we having fun yet?” Becca tugged on Jaylon’s arm. “Ugh! C’mon. Let’s get you settled before you face the finicky four.”
He laughed again, letting her tow him to the biggest cabin across the center commons. “Finicky four?”
She rolled her eyes. “You have no idea.”
“I’d like to wait to meet them, if that’s all right with you. At least until my father arrives with Matheus.”
Becca stopped short and blinked. “Your father is coming here?”
He nodded. “I called him last night and filled him in on what’s been happening and he insisted on being here when I meet your council. Matheus is coming as well. He’s the most senior member of our council and the shifter equivalent of a constitutional lawyer. Dad said the moment the old man heard the term Levirate, he packed his bag to accompany him. No one could talk him out of it.”
Becca was dumbfounded. “We could have waited in Burlington for them to arrive. Why didn’t you tell me?”
He shrugged. “Surprise!”
She pressed her lips together. “Jaylon, if we are going to make this work, you can’t keep secrets from me. This is important. Lucilla and the rest of the council will take this unannounced visit as a bad sign.”
Jay frowned. “Sign? There are no signs. Like you told Lyssa, we’re a done deal, Becca. Having my father and my own council with me as I face yours, especially with what’s hanging over my head, is a good thing. I don’t like feeling outnumbered and neither should you.”
She lifted one hand and let it drop. “I don’t like feeling outnumbered, but it seems that’s my lot in life. I just wish you would have told me.”
Jay raised her fingers to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “You’re right, and I’m sorry. I keep forgetting you’re the Prowl Leader here. It won’t happen again.”
It was on the tip of her tongue to ask why that little tidbit was so easy to forget, but she didn’t. They had bigger fish to fry.
“When are your father and Matheus arriving? And how, for that matter? The Leap isn’t the easiest place to find in the Barrens. That’s by design,” she asked.
“The two are taking a helicopter and then I arranged for a 4x4 rental. I think it’s a Range Rover. I sent them the GPS coordinates from your satellite navigation, so they should be fine. They’re set to arrive sometime this afternoon.”
Jaylon pulled her in for a kiss. “Maybe you could show me around the Pinelands until they get here. That way once they’ve arrived, we can get them settled and then meet with your council, prepared for whatever they throw at us.”
Becca exhaled. “They’re not planning to throw anything at us, Jay. We made that a moot point last night.” Her hand instinctively traveled to the marks on her neck and shoulder.
“And again this morning,” he murmured low and a slow, sexy grin spread across his lips as he kissed her again. “Care to make it a triple?” He slid his hand up her arm and laced his fingers with hers over his mark.
A tingle started at the nape of Becca’s neck and worked its way to her stomach, setting her butterflies winging. She licked her lips. “Three is definitely a charm.”
25
“How was the trip?” Jaylon asked, walking up to the Range Rover as his father got out from the driver's side.
“Fine, son. Not as bad as I expected.”
Matheus climbed slowly from the passenger side. “Speak for yourself, Wyatt. I don’t think my joints will ever recover.”
Jaylon held the side door open and helped the old elder down from the vehicle’s running board.
“I’m sure a hot bath with some fresh herbs and homemade salts will help. Becca has everything ready for you at her house.”
Matheus looked from the commons to the cabins surrounding the main camp. “House? These look like trapping lodges.”
Jay nodded. “Outside, yes, but inside they’re pretty spacious. Becca’s place has four nice sized bedrooms. She’s got you both set up nicely in two of the guestrooms.”
Wyatt pointed to their bags and Jaylon pulled them from the backseat. “Sounds good, son. I can’t wait to meet this girl of yours. If memory serves, Gerri always had the eye for lookers.”
Matheus’s head jerked toward the former Alpha. “Hookers?”
Jay burst out laughing. “No, Matheus. Lookers. As in easy on the eyes, and Becca is certainly that.”
They followed Jay toward the house, and as they passed the commons, Matheus raised one hand.
“What’s the matter?” Jay asked.
Lifting his face a bit, the elder’s eyes narrowed. “We’re being watched.”
Jaylon exchanged a look with his father before clamping a hand on Matheus’s shoulder. “What did you expect, old man? Not everyone here is happy about Becca and me. Same as with our pack.”
Matheus frowned at the young Alpha. “What are you talking about? No one has a problem with Becca or the fact she’s a cat. They got over that fast enough once they learned she was a Prowl Leader with prime territory.”
Jay shook his head with a smirk. “Opportunists to the core. It’s lucky I want this girl more than my own life.”
The old man turned his gaze to Jaylon, his wrinkly eyes grave. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that, boy.”
“It won’t, Matheus. Becca and I are mated. She wears my mark in spades.”
His father grinned, clapping him on the back. “T.M.I., son. T.M.I.”
The council cabin was packed as the finicky four took their seats. Becca leaned over to Jaylon and pointed toward Jasper. “That’s Jasper Crowe. He’s the oldest member of our Leap. He’s our tiebreaker.”