Claiming His Mate (A Werewolf Romance)

by Stuart, Savannah

  “I won’t. My wolf has already accepted you and the past couple days have already proved correct what my inner animal already sensed; that you’re perfect for me.”

  “You don’t care that I’m a jaguar? You realize that if—and this is a big hypothetical—we have cubs one day, we could have jaguars.”

  Instinctively he reached between their bodies and placed a hand over her abdomen, his fingers slightly clenching against her bare skin. “As long as they’re healthy, I don’t care.”

  Her smile grew then, transforming her entire face as she kissed him. It was a raw, primal dancing of tongues that told him they were in for a long night. The first of many. It didn’t matter that they had a lot to learn about each other, they had a hell of a long time to figure everything out and Max planned to start memorizing each and every nuance of her body starting right now.

  Epilogue

  Two months later

  Lauren could feel Max’s gaze on her butt as she pulled another covered dish out of the oven. “You better be arranging those vegetables and not watching me,” she said without turning around.

  He snorted and a second later as she was placing the dish on the counter, Max was right behind her, moving with the stealth of a wolf. He nipped her ear as he slid his hands down her sides and settled on her hips, pulling her backside tight against his hardness. “I bet we have time for a—”

  “You better not say quickie.” Turning in his arms, she smacked him with one of her oven mitts. “This is important!”

  Grinning in that wicked way she loved, he brushed his lips over hers sensually and she almost melted in his arms.

  Almost.

  But her parents, sisters—including her oldest sister’s new mate—and Lauren’s new alpha and his mate were coming for dinner. It was the holiday season, but Thanksgiving had passed a week ago. This was just about getting two alphas together—her father and her new one—and showing her new pack, which still felt weird to say since she was a jaguar, that there was no ill will between the Hayes pride and the Kincaid pack.

  Ever since all that insanity with Naomi, Lauren had integrated well into the Kincaid pack. Of course Max had been the reason everything went smoothly. If anyone even thought about looking at her wrong, he growled at them in that deadly way of his. As of a week ago she’d finally got her newest day spa up and running in Gulf Shores. Most of her employees were pack members, though she had a few human hires too. Hiring packmates had been a big sign of how serious she was about staying here. Of course now that she and Max had officially mated—which was stronger than human marriages in so many ways—and his scent was embedded under her skin until one of them died, it was pretty damn clear she was staying anyway. If she even thought about the night they’d mated, with him taking her hard from behind, biting her as she came, her body turned into a quivering mess of desire.

  “I know it’s important,” Max murmured, pulling her flush against his body as he leaned down and began nibbling on her ear. “I’ve just missed you all day and I can scent how much you want me.”

  The feel of his erection against her abdomen and the potent scent of his hunger left no doubt of that. Her nipples tightened against her bra cups and she glanced over on the wall clock. Maybe they could fit a quickie in.

  “I love you so much,” Max whispered against her neck and Lauren’s resolve flew out the window.

  Just as he knew it would. “You fight dirty.” A month ago they’d both admitted they loved each other and she couldn’t get enough of hearing it. Max had actually bought her flowers and a diamond ring when he told her, something out of character for the big wolf, but he was trying out what he considered human customs and Lauren found she liked them a lot. Considering his scent marked her she didn’t need a ring, but she liked the extra, outward symbol of their bond. She wanted the entire world to know this male was hers. “But you’re right, I think we have—”

  “Lauren, we’re here.” Her mother’s voice carried down the long hallway that led to their kitchen.

  Crap, they must have opened the door without either of them realizing, which said a lot for how distracted they both were. Lauren placed a hand on Max’s chest and grinned as she had to tamp down her own hunger. “Behave.”

  He shifted uncomfortably and let out an annoyed growl. “Fine, but after this dinner—”

  “Maximus, why don’t you help me with these pies and leave your mate alone for two seconds?” Laurens’s mother asked as she strode into the kitchen wearing a sparkly red dress, showcasing her love of the holidays.

  To Lauren’s amusement, Max’s ears tinged red at the use of his full name. No one ever called him that. Well, his mother had. And Lauren’s mother said she was going to refer to him by his given name and that was that. He’d never argued with her.

  “Hey, mom, you look pretty,” Lauren said.

  “Thanks sweetie, so do you. The place looks amazing.” She smiled at Lauren before continuing to order Max around his own kitchen.

  Lauren hid a smile at Max’s embarrassment and turned back to the oven so she could pull out the remaining dish. She and Max had been working like crazy to get their house together and Lauren knew she was being a little insane about everything, but she wanted tonight to go perfectly.

  Grant hadn’t given her any grief about trying to steal the jewels back. If anything, he’d seemed relieved that Max had found a mate and was happy. She could see how much the alpha cared for Max and she was glad because he meant the world to her.

  Max had burrowed his way into her heart and now she felt whole in a way she’d never imagined possible. She loved her mate more than anything. They’d already started bridging the gap between wolves and jaguars, with her new pack and her family’s pride making an effort to get to know one another. They were small steps, but it was a start. She was looking forward to a future with Max at her side. Some days it was hard to believe she’d fallen for a wolf, but she wouldn’t have it any other way.

  Thank you for reading Claiming His Mate! I really hope you enjoyed it. If you did, please consider leaving a review at one of the major retailers. It’s a great way to help other readers discover new books!

  Keep reading for a sneak peek of Taming the Alpha, a sexy paranormal novella set in the same world as Claiming His Mate. Available now for 99 cents!

  Taming the Alpha

  Copyright © 2011 Savannah Stuart

  Grant steered into Talia’s driveway and tried to slow his racing heart. It was no use. Knowing he’d be seeing and touching her soon, his body simply reacted. Every Friday night for the past month he’d been going through the same ritual. Get off work at the bar, drive straight to her place and lose himself in her all night. He didn’t even bother showering until he got to her house because she always joined him.

  After he took her hard and fast against the slick tiled wall, they usually made it to her bed in time for round two. Sometimes they’d only get so far as the floor. Then they’d eat. The rest of the night he spent buried deep inside her. He wasn’t sure what he’d done to deserve her, but after a year of working with her on a sporadic basis, a month ago he’d finally thrown his no-employee—and no-involvement-with-humans rule—out the window and made a move. Technically he wasn’t her direct manager. She just worked at one of the bars he owned and ever since she’d started working there, he’d found himself making more and more unnecessary appearances to see her.

  Once they’d finally crossed that line, there was no going back for him. He could never be just her friend again. Hell, he’d never wanted to be her friend. From the moment she’d walked into the Crescent Moon Bar looking for work, his entire body had flared to life with a raw, primal awareness that scared the shit out of him. He was two hundred years old and had always been in control of himself.

  Until Talia.

  The second her subtle lavender scent, combined with something else that was all her had wrapped around him, his canines had lengthened and his cock had stood at attention.

  As al
pha of the local pack in Gulf Shores, Alabama he always had to be in control. He owned six bars and one hotel and provided work and lodging for his entire pack. Getting involved with a human—no matter how enticing she was—had never been part of the plan. But he couldn’t seem to help himself. Unfortunately she had no idea he was a shifter or that almost everyone she worked with, were shifters too. He needed to figure out a way to tell her, but that wasn’t going to be tonight. When he was around her, talking always seemed to take a backseat.

  After parking, he hurried up the walkway to her three-bedroom bungalow house. As he raised his hand to knock, the door flew open.

  Talia stood there with a surprised expression on her face. Her shiny pink lips formed an ‘O’ and then she frowned. “Hey, Grant.”

  As he took in her appearance, a frown fixed on his own face. She wore a halter-style red dress that hugged her slim body in all the right places. And she was showing far too much skin for his taste. Not that he didn’t enjoy looking at her. He just didn’t want anyone else seeing so much of her body. At the bar she usually wore black pants and a black tank top and even that drove him crazy. Seeing her long, tanned legs bared caused a low growl to start somewhere deep inside him. Her long black hair, which she usually pulled back, fell around her shoulders and face seductively.

  She was tall, maybe five foot eight or nine and in her heels she was even taller tonight. He still had to look down at her, but damn, his throat tightened as he raked an approving gaze over her. “You look…” Stunning, beautiful, like sex-in-heels… Too many words assaulted him.

  She cleared her throat and raised one dark eyebrow as she stared at him pointedly. “What are you doing here, Grant?”

  “It’s Friday,” he said, figuring it was explanatory. He’d instructed the manager at Crescent Moon Bar to give her Fridays off because it was one of his few nights off. He didn’t give a shit if he was playing favorites with his employees. Spending these nights with her was something he craved.

  Her frown transformed into a scowl. “I know. I also know you haven’t called the past two days and I also know you just expect me to be waiting here every Friday night for you.” She placed a perfectly manicured hand on her hip.

  He pushed out a long breath and racked his brain for the right thing to say. What she’d said was true. He hadn’t called because he hadn’t thought he needed to. He’d been dealing with issues at his hotel and two of his other bars. He’d barely had time to sleep the past couple days. Right now he felt raw and hungry. For her. And she was going out? “You have plans?”

  “Yep.”

  “Dressed like that?” he practically growled.

  Her head cocked to the side and a waterfall of her midnight black hair slid over one of her bare shoulders. “Like what, exactly?”

  “Like sex.” The two words slipped out before he could stop himself.

  She seemed pleased by his description which only infuriated him. Her full lips pulled up into a smile but just as quickly she glared at him, her green eyes narrowing. “Until you learn to pick up the damn phone and actually make plans with me, don’t expect me to be waiting around anymore. I’m not some whore for you to—”

  “Talia!” He didn’t like to even hear that word on her lips. “I don’t treat you like that.”

  “Well you don’t treat me like someone you’re proud of. When’s the last time we went on a date? When’s the last time you called just to talk to me? Don’t get me wrong, the sex between us is good—”

  “Good?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Figures you’d focus on that. Fine, it’s fantastic and we both know it. But that doesn’t change anything. I need more and I’m tired of waiting for you to pull your head out of your ass and realize that. Until you figure some things out, I’m no longer available for you.” Turning her back to him, she stepped completely outside, pulled the door shut then locked it.

  He started to say more when the short burst of a horn made him glance over his shoulder. One of Talia’s girlfriends—one of his pack members—sat in a black two-door sports car. Before he could turn back to talk to Talia, she was brushing past him and striding down her walkway toward the curb. She didn’t even give him a backward glance over her shoulder.

  Just slid into the passenger seat and slammed the door.

  “Well, shit.” Grant scrubbed a hand over his face. Everything she’d said was true. And when she put into words exactly what kind of relationship they had, guilt bubbled up inside him like a volcano. It tasted bitter and foreign and he knew if he wanted to keep her in his life, he needed to make some changes. Fast.

  Complete Booklist

  Paranormal and Futuristic Romance

  Unleashed Temptation (Miami Scorcher series, 1)

  Worth the Risk (Miami Scorcher series, 2)

  Power Unleashed (Miami Scorcher series, 3)

  Dangerous Craving (Miami Scorcher series, 4)

  Desire Unleashed (Miami Scorcher series, 5)

  Taming the Alpha (Crescent Moon series, 1)

  Claiming His Mate (Crescent Moon series, 2)

  Heated Mating

  Contemporary Erotic Romance

  Adrianna’s Cowboy

  Tempting Alibi

  Tempting Target

  Tempting Trouble

  About the Author

  Savannah Stuart writes contemporary erotic romance often with a touch of intrigue, suspense, or the paranormal and the one thing she always includes is a happy ending. She lives in the South within walking distance of the beach with her very own real life hero and a couple of turtles who have adopted them. For more information on Savannah, please visit her website.