by Zoe Chant
Natalie held her breath as Casey spoke. The little pup seemed to shiver in fear for a moment – but then, all at once, he transformed, his gray fur becoming skin once more, his paws becoming hands and feet.
For a moment, Micah lay sprawled on the ground between them, blinking up at them in shock.
Then he grinned.
“Mommy, I shifted! I’m a shifter, like Casey!” He hurled himself forward into her arms, clinging to her and giggling with joy. “I turned into a wolf!”
Silently, Natalie clasped her son to her. Then, she looked up at Casey. He was smiling gently at the two of them, his golden-flecked eyes warm.
Thank you, Natalie mouthed at him, feeling tears coming to her eyes.
She wouldn’t have had the first idea of what to do if Micah’s abilities had shown themselves when she’d been alone – but then, without other shifters to show him it was possible, perhaps Micah himself would never have figured out what he was.
But it was yet another way in which Casey was wonderful: he was always patient, gentle and kind with Micah – and Micah, in return, adored him.
It had been amazing watching them grow their relationship over the past few months. Micah had always been shy, but with Casey, he blossomed. Casey had borrowed a small pony from one of their neighbors, and was teaching Micah to ride – though Natalie had been wary after hearing about how many times Casey had fallen off as a child, but Micah had so obviously loved the lessons that she hadn’t been able to say no.
Anyway, Casey had told her. Micah’s a lot smarter than me. I’m sure he’ll pick it up a lot faster than I did.
Squeezing her son to her chest, Natalie smiled at her mate, feeling tears welling in her eyes. Never in her life had she imagined she would be so happy.
And yet, she was.
***
Family dinners at the Whittaker table were always loud, raucous affairs, and Natalie had never known anything like them.
It had always just been her and Micah – well, and sometimes Ken, when he had deigned to grace them with his presence before eleven o’clock at night, when he’d usually staggered in reeking of booze and cigarettes.
But here, the whole family sat together around the enormous, rough-hewn dinner table, talking and laughing, sharing news and eating their fill of the amazing food that seemed to flow out of the kitchen without end.
Looking around, Natalie could scarcely believe it.
Mason was sitting across from her, still in his sheriff’s uniform, little Faith sitting in his lap and stuffing her face full of baked potatoes topped with bacon and cheese. Mason was chatting animatedly with his cousin, Heath, who was down from the city with his mate, Daphne.
Heath seemed just as gregarious and outgoing as Mason was – a real charmer, by Natalie’s estimates, but it was clear that he utterly adored Daphne and their daughter Poppy. She and Daphne had spent some time chatting when they had first arrived, and Natalie had discovered that she and Heath had met when he was acting as her bodyguard, which hadn’t surprised her. Heath was just as tall and broad as his cousins, and he’d make the perfect man to protect a woman in need.
Daphne herself was just as welcoming of Natalie as Charity, Sasha and Faye had been. Natalie gathered from a couple of things she had said that her parents were somebodies – but Daphne herself showed no sign of snobbishness due to her privileged upbringing. There was no fleet of nannies trailing after them, and she and Heath looked after Poppy themselves, just like the rest of them.
Joe, with his quiet, gentle eyes and soft-spoken manner was engaged in some close discussion with his father about ranch business – which was clearly both his job and his passion. He shared the work of looking after the cattle and the land with his mate, Sasha, who was a true outdoorswoman if ever Natalie had seen one. She could match Joe in the saddle and do hours of physical labor. Whenever she and Joe wanted some alone time, they’d often take to the forests for hunting trips, and leave Lincoln and Casey to look after things in their absence.
And then there was Faye and Lincoln. Natalie found their story touching – they’d been childhood sweethearts, until bad luck and misfortunes had separated them. It had taken decades, but they’d eventually found their way back to one another, life giving them a second chance at happiness. To see them together now, with Lincoln gently touching Faye’s hand, and Faye looking at Lincoln with so much love in her eyes, Natalie never would have guessed they had ever been apart.
They were a family.
No – more than that.
They were a pride.
And she was a part of it.
Some days, she woke up so happy she honestly thought she was still in a dream.
“Who wants more pork chops?”
Charity’s voice rang out from the kitchen, where she’d been cooking all day, with Sasha and Daphne’s help.
Micah’s hand shot up at once. “Me! Me! Me!”
He’d been eating up a storm since his unexpected shift earlier that day, and Casey had explained that it was all just part of being a shifter. It took a lot of energy to change forms like that, and as a result shifters tended to have enormous appetites.
“Honey, you should finish what’s on your plate, first,” Natalie said to him, leaning over to push together some of his buttered green beans and cheesy baked potatoes. “You still have a lot here.”
Micah pouted for a moment, but then he dutifully picked up his fork. “Okay, Mom.”
He shoveled the food into his mouth, but his eyes never left the pork chops, golden brown and cooked with butter and thyme, that Charity had placed in the middle of the table.
Natalie had to admit that even though she was stuffed full, they were still tempting. Charity’s food was always amazing – from spicy chili to fried chicken, from red velvet cake to huckleberry pie, there didn’t seem to be a single thing she couldn’t do. She’d run a diner for years, but even that didn’t account for her wizardry in the kitchen.
Natalie had never tasted such delicious food – and luckily for her, Charity loved to feed them all. She was always experimenting and asking them to try something new. Many had been the times she’d come back from a day of work at the B&B to find six bowls of chili lined up on the kitchen counter, with Charity asking her to try them and rate which one she liked best.
Natalie was always only too happy to oblige.
Life was good.
Eventually, the conversation at the table drifted into quiet. It had been a long day for all of them. Part of living with the pride meant working hard to ensure its prosperity, and they were all tired. Faith was dropping off on Mason’s lap, her head drooping, while Poppy had already gone to sleep in Daphne’s arms. Link had been put down hours ago, and was sleeping peacefully in the next room.
Micah was fighting a valiant battle against his eyelids, but Natalie could see it was too much for him. He’d had an exciting day, after all.
“Come on, little man,” she murmured, stroking his soft brown hair. “Let’s get you into bed.”
“But I wanna – I’m not –” he began to say, before he was interrupted by a massive yawn.
“Come on,” Casey said with a grin, reaching over to help Micah off his chair. “Too much excitement for one day. And just think – the sooner you go to sleep, the sooner you can wake up and try shifting again.” He paused, glancing up at Natalie. “If you like, we can go out for a run in the front paddock. Get you used to it. But you’ll have the hang of it in no time.”
“Yeah!” Micah said, eyes shining as he turned to look at her. “I wanna go out with Casey! Can I, Mom? Pleeeeeeeeease?”
Natalie laughed. “Of course you can – but tomorrow. Right now, it’s way past someone’s bed time, and they better get to bed before they drop off at the table.”
Micah looked at her like he might be about to dispute that, but was interrupted by yet another huge yawn.
“Come on,” she laughed. “Let’s get you into your pajamas.”
Micah went off to bed wit
hout any further argument. Clearly, Casey’s suggestion that the quicker he went to sleep the quicker he could wake up and try shifting again had left an impression.
He was in his pajamas and fast asleep not ten minutes later. Natalie looked down at his peaceful face, and felt her heart swelling with love and pride. My son. My little shifter son.
Casey, standing by her side, put his arm around her. “He’ll be fine, Natalie. I’ll teach him what he needs to know. I might not be a wolf, but…”
Natalie laughed softly, standing on tip-toes to kiss him. “I know you will. I trust you. More than anyone else.”
It was true.
Natalie could not imagine a more caring man to help her raise her son.
As they left Micah’s bedroom, closing the door softly behind them, they kissed again – and this time, there was heat behind it.
Natalie responded to him just as powerfully as she did every other time they touched. Warmth immediately began building in her core, flowing all throughout her body. The spark of desire between them was strong and irresistible.
“Casey,” she whispered, breaking off with a gasp. “Shouldn’t we say goodnight to –”
“Hell no,” Casey said, pressing his lips to hers again. “I’ve been talking to them all night. Now, I only want you.”
They stumbled down the hall together, lips and hands everywhere, until finally they found their way to their bedroom. No sooner had the door closed behind them than Natalie found herself swept onto the bed, with Casey’s arms around her.
Leaning over, he captured her lips in a kiss. His mouth was open and hungry on hers, his desire for her almost palpable, his tongue seeking hers.
Natalie groaned, raising her arms to pull him even closer to her, pressing her breasts against the hard muscle of his chest. His arms around her felt perfect – like they had been made to hold her.
But they were, she told herself as she opened her mouth, her tongue sliding against his. We’re mates. We were made for each other.
She knew he could already sense the desperate thrum of her desire for him spreading through her body. It was always like this – she could never resist him. Pleasure jolted through her core as he lay her back on the bed, his hands on her waist, his knees either side of her hips.
“God, Natalie…” he whispered, and sent a shiver of desire all the way along her spine.
His mouth dipped down, kissing her jaw, her neck, her collarbone where it peeked out of the top of her shirt. His tongue rasped softly over the sensitive skin of her throat and she whimpered, arching up beneath him, her heart pounding in her chest.
She closed her eyes as he began to undress her, pulling her shirt up over her head and tossing it into a corner of the room, forgotten. His head immediately fell to her breasts, swift fingers unclipping her bra as he rolled his tongue over the sensitive buds of her nipples. Natalie cried out as he teased her with lips and tongue, sending sparks of pleasure all along her veins.
“Casey…!”
His head dipped lower, mouthing down over her soft, rounded belly, over her ticklish sides, making her giggle.
“Stop that!” she laughed, batting at him playfully. “No tickling!”
Casey laughed, low and husky, looking at her with eyes that were hooded with lust.
God, if he keeps looking at me like that, he can do anything he wants… Natalie thought as her eyes slid shut, and Casey’s fingers went to the waistband of her jeans.
“You’re so beautiful,” he murmured as he slowly pulled them off, taking her soaked panties with them, and kissing his way down her thighs as he went. She squirmed as his lips brushed over the sensitive skin between her legs, gasping and writhing under his touch.
“Oh God, Casey, I swear, if you make me wait…”
Casey laughed again, and the sound made her heart beat even faster in her chest. “Impatient, are we?”
Natalie was about to ask him if he was going to tease her all night, when she shuddered, arching up off the bed as his lips found her soaking wet pussy.
“Casey…!”
Natalie gasped, losing all power of speech as Casey pressed two fingers against her entrance, slipping them inside her easily. She spread her legs, moaning, as his lips and tongue moved against her clit, his fingers sliding in and out of her body in a relentless rhythm.
She writhed up, sparks bursting behind her eyelids, her fingers curling against the fabric of the sheets. Everything he did only served to send her higher and higher into pure bliss.
“You taste so good,” he said, pulling back for a moment. “God, Natalie, you’re perfect.”
Natalie could only moan in response as his lips returned to her, teasing her, his tongue finding her effortlessly. Pleasure spiraled through her, her body spinning beyond her control, racing towards climax – until, gasping and squirming, she came, her back arching, her toes curled, and a hoarse cry on her lips.
Natalie lay on the bed, trembling from the force of her climax as Casey slowly kissed his way back up her body.
“Mmm,” Natalie murmured as he kissed her lips. She could taste herself in his mouth, but she didn’t care. In fact, it was kind of a turn-on – knowing that he had done this, and he had loved every second of it. “Casey, that was… my God, Casey… every time you do that it only gets better.”
Casey grinned down at her, in a way that was almost boyish. “I plan on getting a lot more practice yet,” he said.
Natalie could only laugh at that. “Something which I thoroughly endorse. Though I’d say you’re already pretty much perfect.”
“We’ll see,” Casey said, his voice low and rich, sending a thrill of desire straight to her belly.
“You’re wearing way too many clothes, by the way,” she murmured as she leaned in to kiss him again, tugging at the bottom of his shirt.
He obligingly pulled it off, before yanking off his jeans with the same speed. As he lay down beside her she could feel the hot steel of his erection against her thigh, and shuddered.
“I want you so badly,” she murmured, pulling him to her, running her hands over the hard, flat plains of his muscles.
He was… magnificent.
There was no other word for it. And every perfect inch of him was hers.
Reaching down, she caressed the huge length of his erection where it jutted up between his thighs. Casey groaned, throwing his head back, the sinew of his neck standing out starkly against his skin. He filled her palm completely, too big for her to fully wrap her fingers around. She teased him lightly, her thumb sliding over the head, glorying in the way he gasped and shuddered at her touch.
“Natalie… my God…” His voice was strained, every muscle tightly clenched.
But Natalie knew she wouldn’t be able to tease him for long. She wanted him too badly for that – and her patience was already at its limits.
It seemed that Casey had had the same thought, thankfully. His eyes snapped open, and Natalie shuddered at the look of pure desire in them.
He swept her up in his arms, his mouth on hers, and lust raced through her like wildfire.
“Please, Casey,” she whimpered, arching beneath him, pressing herself against him. “I want you so much… I need you…”
Casey didn’t answer her with words. Instead, he simply shifted his hips a little, pressing the thick head of his shaft against her wet entrance, before sliding inside.
Natalie cried out as he sheathed himself within her in one stroke. She was so wet, so ready for him that even with all his length and girth he buried himself in her easily. He filled her perfectly, stretching her just right, white-hot pleasure surging through her veins.
Natalie groaned as he pulled back slightly before plunging forward again, drawing a throaty cry from her lips. She raised her legs, resting her calves on the slight jut of his hips, wanting him to go harder, go faster, to give her more, more, more…
She could already feel the uncontrollable surge of her climax building within her. Natalie knew she was crying out
, but it was as if she was hearing herself from a very long way away, senseless as she was to everything but the movement of his body as he drove into her again and again, driving her higher and higher into the arms of utter bliss.
Natalie threw her head back, his name on her lips as she felt every muscle in her body clench with pure, white-hot ecstasy. She heard him cry out himself, repeating her name like a prayer, his fingers curled in her hair, his lips finding hers, his tongue plundering her mouth.
At last, with one final stroke, he carried her over the edge, sending pleasure cascading over her, shaking her down to her very core. They came together, their bodies tangled together, crying out each other’s names.
Natalie wasn’t sure how long it took her to become aware of the world outside her body again. She had been lying in a haze of post-orgasmic pleasure, every limb limp and relaxed with utter satisfaction. Casey still lay on top of her – apparently, he had been too utterly blissed-out to remember to move.
“Hey. Hey, you,” Natalie whispered in his ear, tapping his back with her fingers. “As much as I want you to stay there all night, I need to breathe.”
Casey groaned as he rolled away from her, his cock slipping from her body. She regretted the loss of contact immediately, but she contented herself with snuggling into his chest, burying her face in the side of his throat.
“Wow, Natalie, that was…”
Natalie laughed. “You don’t have to tell me.”
Drenched in sweat, they lay together, breathing peacefully. Exhaustion tugged at her – it had been a long day, and she knew she needed to sleep.
Just as she began to drift off, she heard his voice close to her ear.
“I love you, Natalie,” Casey murmured, his lips pressing against the side of her head. “Forever. Always. I love you.”
“I love you, too,” she said sleepily, tightening her embrace around his chest.
As if there had ever been any doubt of that.
The only thought in her mind before she drifted into peaceful, untroubled sleep was that he was hers, and she was his.
Forever.