Love. She loved him.
Werewolves be damned. There wasn’t another man anywhere on the planet that’d gained entry to her heart the way Alex Sureda had. And a silent voice in her head whispered there would never be another.
“No bonding, Alex!” Maggie shouted from the front room.
“Bonding?”
“I’ll explain later,” Alex promised, spinning her around and capturing her mouth with his.
The taste of him overwhelmed her senses. Their hands tore at each other’s clothing and a moment later he was laying her naked on the bed beneath him.
His mouth didn’t attack; instead he tasted and licked until she parted her lips. Then he slipped his tongue inside.
A moan slipped from her throat and he pressed a little harder. Warmth seeped into her from his skin and a light sheen of sweat coated them both as they rolled and tangled their legs in the sheets.
His erection pressed against her stomach. She wanted it inside her, but he seemed focused only on tasting every inch of her neck.
Alex’s mouth trailed lower, nipping and kissing the rise of her breasts before moving on to tease each of her nipples into a diamond peak.
“Alex, I need you.”
He growled and rolled them so that his weight pinned her against the mattress. “I need you, too. And I’ll need you forever. You’re my mate.”
There was that word again. Mate. It didn’t matter right now. Right now being his…with him was all that mattered.
He lowered his head and kissed her squarely on the lips before speaking again. “As long as you let me love you, everything is going to be okay. I promise.”
“I love you, too.”
Epilogue
Two weeks later
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Alex lit two low candles in the middle of their makeshift table. The apartment Julianna had rented him was far enough from the Puerto Villa that they were fairly certain Adrian wouldn’t be able to sense him, and it had served as a much-needed base for the team to conduct operations. But at night, for him, it was just a refuge.
He felt safer here than he’d felt anywhere since they were sent to Mexico.
The stuffed poblanos on the table had a touch of smoke smell, still, and their warmth lingered through the small dining room. He uncovered the food when he heard Julianna’s footsteps coming out of the bathroom.
She sank down into a lotus position in front of the barely-raised table, just to his right, and took a deep breath. Her relaxed wardrobe around the house had changed over the last couple of weeks, mostly due to having to make a trip to the dock at any time of the day or night, but Alex loved it. She’d found, deep in her closet, black pants and jeans, and she wore his t-shirts and sweatshirts, which were way too big for her. It made her look so sexy.
He may have thought that Julianna looked sexy in a trash bag. Although, he still preferred her naked.
“You didn’t have to cook,” she said. “I’m sure you had better things to do.”
“Actually, it passes the time. I hate waiting.” He handed over the hot sauce before she even reached for it, and she gave him a secret smile.
“It’s a little scary how well you know me now.” Julianna dabbed the red sauce over her chiles, then sat with her hands in her lap, staring at the food.
“That’s what you do when you love someone.” Alex grabbed her leg and squeezed. “Plus, I have a lot to make up for.”
She covered his hand with hers and pursed her lips. “You don’t have to make up for anything.”
“I’ll never forget that moment.” He closed his eyes. “When you compared me to your father. I don’t want to be—”
Julianna turned her legs and pulled him toward her. She kept urging him forward until he was nearly on top of her, and she kissed him, deep and long. “You are nothing like my father.”
“But I made you feel used.” He traced a line down the side of her cheek. “That was the last thing I ever wanted.”
“I know.” She slanted her lips across his, hungry and insistent, and laid back on the floor, pulling him on top of her.
This was how most of their meals went in the evenings. They started out with good intentions—of eating food—and mostly ended in sex. It was the only time they had together, although she often worked fewer hours when she could. Still, it wasn’t enough, and he wanted to spend every minute he had with her, enjoying the magick.
She rolled onto her side and put a hand on his face. “I was so hurt, Alex, I didn’t know what I was saying. But I don’t need you to keep apologizing.”
“I’m going to keep apologizing anyway.” He kissed her nose. “I don’t want you to ever forget how much you mean to me.”
A faraway look glanced across her face, and her gaze settled over his shoulder. “I don’t understand everything yet about this magick, but I think just being near you helps me to understand how special this thing is, between us.”
“A bond.” He rubbed his thumb across the cuff of her long-sleeved gray t-shirt, where the tattoos would be. “It will be a bond.”
“I know, but I still feel something, even without it.” She broke the unfocused gaze and smiled at him. “When I’m at work, and I get a text from Maggie or one of the team comes by, just the memory of you is enough to calm me.” Her eyes glazed over with tears. “I know what we’re doing is right. And I know we will bring my father down.”
He drew her body into his and rested his forehead against hers. “And then we’ll bond, and you won’t be able to get rid of me for a hundred years.”
She giggled and rolled onto her back, one hand resting on her stomach. “I don’t want to get rid of you. The opposite.”
“Well, that’s good, because as soon as this mess with your father is over, I’m going to say that spell the very next second, and our life together will start.”
Julianna offered him a shy smile and took his hand, putting it on top of hers. “It’s already started.”
Alex glanced down at both their hands, resting on her stomach, and his mouth dropped to his chest. “Wait. Really?”
She nodded and pulled on his hands until he was on top of her. “I took an early test. You can tell at fourteen days.”
“For sure? I thought you were on birth control.”
“So did I.”
He shook his head, dumbfounded. Emotion rose in his throat until it nearly choked him.
She was pregnant.
Alex pressed his lips to hers and slid his hands onto either side of her face. They rolled over and over until they hit the old couch, their bodies tangling. He pulled her up and sat beside her, tangling their hands together.
He couldn’t hold back the excitement. “I can’t believe it. You’re sure? I mean, there’s no way it could be a false positive?”
Her smile was quiet, calm. “It’s true. You’re going to be a father. “
Alex embraced her and pulled her up on the couch, a million thoughts rumbling around in his head. “There is nothing you could’ve said that would bring me more joy.”
“I wasn’t sure if I should tell you, given everything that’s happened…that’s still happening. But I couldn’t hide it.”
He glanced around the small apartment, his mind racing. “I need to get you out of here. I have to take you back to Miami.”
Julianna pressed her lips together and shook her head. “This is why I didn’t want to tell you.” She sat forward. “I need to do this. I need to help you all bring justice to these people my father is hurting. When we know it’s time for us to move on him, I want to be there. I want to help.”
“I’m not going to put you in danger like that.” Alex cupped her face. “Sweetheart. I won’t risk you.”
“With the baby, now, I understand.” Her gaze fluttered down to her lap and her hand went to her stomach. “I don’t want to put her in danger, either. But I have to help.”
“It’s a girl?” Alex’s heart lifted. Suddenly, his baby had a face in his mind and a light in Julianna’s
stomach. He would die for this child. For Julianna. They had to kill Adrian. His family had to be safe.
“I don’t know, silly. I guess I just imagine her as a girl.”
Alex chuckled. “A little girl wolf.”
“Yes, I guess she will be.” Her nostrils flared. “Male wolves always have wolf children, right?”
He sighed and pulled her into his arms. They hadn’t spoken much about her father not-being-her-father. It was still a sore subject, although it didn’t dampen her resolve to see justice done.
Dammit, he loved this woman so much.
Alex kissed the top of her head. “Our child will be a wolf. And she will be the greatest, most resilient little wolf warrior that any family has ever seen. Just like her mommy.”
Julianna met his mouth in a deep kiss and held on to him with such strength. He still couldn’t believe Fate had chosen her for him. She was the most amazing woman he had ever known.
“And before she’s born, we will kill the monster.” Alex pinned her gaze, hard. “Together.”
“And then we will bond.” She smiled and melted into him.
“Yes.” He wrapped his arms around her, convinced he could never let her go. “And then you’ll be mine. Forever.”
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Turn the page to read the first chapter of the Moonbound Series, Book Six, SAVING A WOLF!
Chapter One
Choaca, Mexico
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The screen door in the kitchen slammed and Andrea VonBrant dropped into the chair across the table. Maggie finished chewing her slice of mango and glanced up from her tablet screen. Andrea’s pinched cheeks and frown of frustration made Maggie’s heart sink. If the Texas wolf’s movie-star blonde hair and nice rack hadn’t cinched the deal… What the hell was wrong with this guy? “That well, huh?”
“Dammit, Maggie. I tried everything short of stripping. I’m already wearing a bikini top.” She gestured to the skimpy white triangles barely covering her boobs. “It’s a tropical paradise outside and that man is colder than a witch’s titty. Every other man on that dock was willing to bend over backwards to take me out to see the sights on the bay, except jackhole Luther Frost.”
“Shit.”
“If you hadn’t found evidence of him with a girlfriend from when he was a cop, I’d say send in Donovan or Niko to see if he was gay.”
Maggie shook her head. She’d found enough social media proof to know the man wasn’t gay. And most of the women he’d hung out with in his past, before he vanished into Mexico were a variety of shapes and sizes. So there’d been no clue to what would actually peak his interest.
“It’s time for your miniature tattooed ass to take a turn. Maybe he likes mouthy sprites.” Andrea snagged a piece of mango from Maggie’s plate and smiled.
“This is ridiculous. I’m going to just go down there and talk to him. He can’t possibly be as intimidating as all of you describe. No man is made out of stone.”
“Go for it, honey. My brothers are all big men, but this guy takes the cake. He’s like WWF big.”
Maggie rolled her eyes and looked down at her clothes. She was wearing a bright yellow t-shirt that said I’d Rather Be BASE Jumping and khaki shorts. What the hell. She didn’t have a bikini to change into and her boobs wouldn’t fill it out anyway. Most of the time, including today, she went bra-less. She wasn’t going to try and lure him with her Tinkerbell shaped body, she was just going to tell him outright that they needed his help and that he had to stop helping a madman.
A little reason couldn’t hurt. At this point it wouldn’t be a loss. If they couldn’t convince him to help they were back at square one. They’d already chartered a boat under the guise of a deep sea fishing expedition and scoped out the island. Blunt high cliff faces all the way around except for the one guarded bay. There was only one way in and out of that hellhole and Luther was guarding it.
Maggie let the screen door slam on her way out of Julianna and Alex’s kitchen. The team had rented another apartment in the same building, but they’d all been together for so long now, they mostly hung out in Alex’s place. Not to mention Julianna kept it well stocked with food and alcohol. After over a month in Mexico they’d all learned to speak enough Spanish to get by just about anywhere, but most of them stayed pretty close to home. Especially she and Alex.
Adrian knew what they looked like and she hated the uncomfortable feeling that settled over her anytime she headed toward the hotel. She passed through the street market sellers and hustled through crowds of people on a mission to find food for lunch. The dock was about a quarter mile south of the hotel. After twenty minutes of weaving through smelly bodies, she spied the dock.
Her skin tingled and she glanced around. Why would her wolf magick be talking to her now. There weren’t any other wolves around. She was far enough from the hotel that Adrian wouldn’t be able to sense her. But it wasn’t that kind of tingle, anyway. This was different. This was something she’d never felt before.
Ever.
She took a few more steps forward. Made her way along the road leading to the dock and hurried down the stairs toward the boats. The second her feet touched the wooden planks she gasped for air and clung to a rail to keep herself upright. One man stopped to see if she was okay and she nodded. “Just out of breath. Thanks.” She waved him away and stood up, doing her best to seem normal.
Heat radiated through her body, starting with raising the hairs on her arms, then traveling through her breasts with a surge that had her panting. The air around her thickened with magick. Her panties were soaked and she scanned each boat as she passed, waiting for the magick to show her the source of her arousal. The friction of walking while her clit throbbed proved difficult and she breathed slowly to avoid the orgasm coiling inside her. The last thing she needed was to collapse in the middle of a crowded screaming in pleasure.
Her mate was here. On the dock. On one of the boats. She couldn’t tell where yet, but he was. She plodded forward, gritting her teeth. Feeling magick had always been easy for her. She could sense things long before others in her pack. She knew what it felt like to have Fate send a friend. To have Fate send a teacher. There were different signals she’d picked up on throughout her life, for herself and for others. But never in all her life had she felt such an overwhelming desire to be connected to another person.
Each step brought her closer. She’d inspected each boat she’d passed, feeling for crew members, but the magick pushed her forward, closer and closer to the last boat on the dock.
The White Pearl. Luther’s boat.
“You’ve got to be shitting me,” she hissed under her breath, leaning against a tall pylon. “It’s times like these when I’m convinced you’re a woman,” she spat out into the air. “You certainly have a woman’s sense of humor.” Not that Fate would hear her, but at least she’d gotten it off her chest.
The magickal cord pulling her down the dock tightened again and tugged her closer to the boat. Luther had been her destination all along. Apparently, according to Fate, he was also her mate.
“I’m going,” she whispered, creeping closer to the boat and to Luther. His bare broad shoulders glistened in the sun where he stacked crates in the middle of the deck.
She stepped onto the gangway and froze when he turned and looked at her. His brown eyes burned with heat and anger and a healthy dose of confusion.
“Get off my boat,” he growled.
“Are you Luther Frost?” She knew he was, but at the moment she couldn’t put a more coherent question together. Her eyes strayed to his corded arms and sculpted pecs. Gods have mercy.
Luther ground his teeth against whatever damn thing buzzed through his body. He just wanted to get his work done. Why wouldn’t they fucking leave him alone?
“Whatever you’ve got, just leave it on the dock. I’ve got work to do.”
The little sprite of a woman cocked her head. “What a gentleman you are.”
“Never claimed to be one. Now, get off my boat.” He took another crate from off the pile and moved it aside. The damn thing had to be here somewhere.
She took another step across the dark surface of the gangway. He could see her lime green mesh aggressive-tread trail shoes in the corner of his eye. What the hell was she doing on the beach in two-hundred-dollar hiking shoes?
His gaze continued to travel up the tightly-muscled legs, all the way up her fit little body. She was certainly easy on the eyes. Her tattooed arms were covered in dark blue and green ink, and she had short, spikey, dark hair and the darkest eyes he had ever seen. Or did they just look dark against her creamy, pinky skin?
What the fuck? Why was he waxing eloquent about a chick in hiking shoes? Especially a chick who just needed to get the hell off his boat.
“Something wrong?” she asked, smirking.
“Other than the mountain of fucking work I have to do?” He moved another crate, focusing his energy on the task at hand. “No.”
“You don’t have some jackhole comment about my outfit?” She grabbed the white ropes on his gangway and her athletic body swayed. There were some perky little tits under the fabric of that gray t-shirt, and her nipples were occasionally visible, when she moved just the right way.
“I don’t give a shit about what you wear.” He stretched his back and put both hands on the pile of crates. “I don’t have time to fuck around or be the nice local who gives you directions to whatever tourist shit you’re looking for. This isn’t one of those hire-out boats. I have a real job.”
She took another step and stood at the edge of his gangway. His skin itched and he found himself flexing his shoulders. Everything was suddenly on edge.
Seducing a Wolf: Moonbound Series, Book Five Page 10