Tia turned her head at his voice and whispered his name. With a gasp, she opened her eyes and blinked.
Instinctively, her fist flew out. Her mouth rounded in a soundless scream as she flailed and kicked wildly.
“Tia!” Caine grabbed her wrists and stared into her wide, frightened eyes. “Tia! It’s me, Caine! Stop! No one’s going to hurt you. Tia! Look at me, just look at me. I’m Caine. Everything is okay, you’re safe. You’re safe now, Tia.”
He hugged her and said in a choked whisper, “You’re home.”
CHAPTER THIRTY
Tia’s hand flew to her neck as she stared at Caine in panic and confusion. There were no puncture wounds on her neck. Her skin was smooth and unbroken, and there was no blood on her.
“Caine,” she rasped. “Caine!”
Caine hugged her and kissed her through her tears. “Caine, it’s you. It really is you!” she sobbed, clinging to him. His body felt so solid and warm against her. She was in his arms, and she could feel her heart beating powerfully in time to his. She was alive! She was alive and in his arms, in his bed. She wasn’t lying in a dark, cold alley, being drained by a bloodthirsty vampire…
“Sarah!” Tia gasped. “Sarah! Where is she?” She tried to get out of bed, but Caine stopped her.
“Sarah is fine,” Caine assured her. “Right now, she is downstairs in the kitchen with my mom.” He smiled. “Her Nana is making sure she goes to bed with a full tummy.”
Tia stared at him, shaking her head slowly. “Quillan...” She gulped. “Quillan was going to drain her. He killed all those homeless people, and he was going to kill Sarah. He wanted to live for another five hundred years...”
Caine made a derisive sound. “If you’ve lived and loved well, you wouldn’t be afraid of death. Quillan was a monster and a coward. He killed all those defenseless people and drained them to try to prolong his pathetic life.”
“Too bad I missed his heart,” Tia snapped. “I only shot him in the leg.”
Caine narrowed his eyes at her. “Do you carry silver bullets in your gun all the time?”
“Yup. Standard issue,” she replied with a shrug. “My boss is a werewolf.”
She turned back to him and grabbed his t-shirt. “Tell me you killed Quillan. The bastard hurt Sarah.”
“Yes. He’s dead. So are his minions.”
Tia fell silent and leaned her cheek on his shoulder. “I thought I’d never see you and Sarah again,” she said at last. “I...I can’t believe I’m alive. I saw you,” she said softly. “I saw you just before I closed my eyes. I was waiting for you. I knew you’d come. I was so afraid I wouldn’t get to see you before...”
Caine captured her face in both his hands and silenced her with a kiss. Pressing his forehead to hers, he kissed her again and whispered, “I won’t lose you, Tia. I love you.”
“I love you too, Caine,” she said. “I want to be with you.”
She wanted him to know how she felt about him, about them. She didn’t want to hold back and play any games with him. She was so sure of her feelings for him, and she wanted to show him just how much she wanted him.
Impatiently, she reached out and grabbed Caine. As he wrapped his arms around her, Tia was suddenly aware that she was wearing nothing but a big t-shirt. Caine had cleaned all the blood and gore off her and dressed her in one of his t-shirts. She breathed in his clean, masculine scent and let out a growl.
Tia’s eyes rounded at the sound. Did that come from her?
She felt something stirring in her and gasped at the heat spiraling through her body. Another growl rumbled out of her, and Tia frowned.
That growl didn’t come from her stomach. Yes, she was feeling hungry, but she didn’t want food. She wanted...Caine.
Tia trembled as the ferocious hunger coursed through her body. Every cell, every nerve, every fiber of her being craved and hungered for Caine. She was almost mad with desire for him.
“What...” What was happening to her?
But she couldn’t think straight. Not when her newly awakened lust was driving her out of her mind.
Tia tore the t-shirt right off Caine’s body. She pushed him onto his back and straddled him.
“Tia,” Caine panted, staring at her as she pulled his sweatpants down his hips to free his throbbing erection. His huge, hard cock sprang free and Tia positioned her aching pussy just above his rigid cock.
Pressing her palms against his chest, she lowered herself onto his cock, her walls stretching and rippling as she took him into her body.
She impaled herself fully on him, shuddering in ecstasy as their bodies joined.
“Mate,” she whispered, staring deep into his eyes. “My mate.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Caine gripped Tia’s waist as she started moving against him. Her palms were against his bare chest, and he could feel the tips of her claws digging into his skin.
Claws.
Her wolf was rising.
Caine stared at his beautiful little she-wolf and growled. He yanked her t-shirt up over her head and tossed it away. He wanted to see his mate’s perfect, naked body, and feel all her soft, feminine curves.
Tia was staring down at him, and he could see her gray eyes turning silver as her wolf surfaced. Her claws dug deeper into his flesh as she moved faster against him.
Her wolf could scent her mate, and the mating heat was overwhelming her senses. Tia growled as she writhed and moaned, wanting and needing more from him.
Caine pushed himself up and took one pert breast into his mouth. Tia cried out as he suckled her furiously. He licked and sucked hard at her pebbled nipple, flicking the hard nub relentlessly with his tongue.
The scent of her arousal filled the air in the bedroom, and Caine growled with lust and hunger. Tia ran her hands down her hot body as she rode him, and Caine watched the pleasure ripple across her features as she brought herself to orgasm.
Tia was a confident woman who knew what she wanted. She wasn’t afraid to show him how much she enjoyed sex, and she wasn’t shy about taking and giving pleasure.
Caine grabbed her and flipped her on her back. Tia smirked and wrapped her arms and legs around him. Caine thrust deep into her and Tia raked her small, sharp claws down his back and gasped. “Yes, Caine, yes...”
Caine pushed his hands under her knees and spread her wider for him. He pounded into her, fucking her hard and deep. Tia fingered her aching nipples, pinching the puckered peaks between her fingers as he fucked her.
“More, Caine,” she growled.
He bent down and took one hard nipple between his teeth. When he bit her, Tia cried out and her pussy clenched around him.
Caine laved his tongue down her breast, nipping and licking his way down her body.
He groaned into her mouth as he rocked into her. She was so tight, so hot and wet. He wanted to make her come hard for him, and hear her screams of pleasure.
Caine grabbed Tia’s wrists as he pounded into her. Her body undulated beneath his, and incoherent pleas tumbled from her lips.
With a final thrust, he clamped his teeth at the base of her neck and bit her. Tia screamed as she climaxed, her body shuddering in his arms. She came repeatedly as he kept moving inside her. With a cry, she sank her teeth into his shoulder and marked him hard.
Caine’s body jerked as he shot his seed deep into his mate’s body. He could feel Tia’s sharp little fangs piercing his flesh, and he roared at the intense pain and pleasure.
Tia let out a small sob as her shudders subsided. Caine held her to him and kissed her lovingly.
“You are so amazing,” he whispered.
When she finally caught her breath, she looked up at him and said, “I...I don’t know how to explain it, but I feel different.”
“Do you feel any pain?” he asked anxiously.
Tia shook her head. “No. I feel...good. Really, really good. In fact, I’ve never felt better. I feel stronger, and...my sexual appetite seems to have grown. I seem to want sex all
the time!”
“All the time?” Caine teased.
She laughed and blushed. “Yeah. I’m hungry for you again.”
Caine kissed her and said, “I am your mate, Tia. And you are mine. Your wolf has risen and she recognized her mate.”
Tia blinked at him. “My what?”
“Your wolf.” He took a deep breath. “I gave you my wolf venom. I had to turn you, to save you.”
“Ah...” She stared at him for a moment. “So...I have a wolf in me now? I...I am like you?”
“Yes.”
A smile slowly spread across her face. “I’m a wolf shifter now!” She let out a whoop. “Wait till I tell Nathan, Kerry and Corinne!”
Caine tensed. “I, um, I haven’t told Nathan. I was so worried about you.” He winced. “I should have told him...”
Tia shook her head rapidly. “No, no, no. It’s a good thing you didn’t tell Nathan. He would have told Kerry and my sister would have freaked out! If she knew I was attacked by vampires...” Tia bit her lip. “No, I’m glad she didn’t see me in that bloody state.”
She rested her head on Caine’s chest and listened to their strong, steady heartbeats. “You turned me,” she said, lifting her head suddenly to frown at him. “Does that mean you are my Alpha?”
Caine chuckled. “I am your mate. If we weren’t mated, then yes, I will be your Alpha. But the mate bond overrides everything else. It’s the most important and most powerful bond.”
“Good,” Tia said with a smirk. “I won’t obey all your commands, you know. So if you’re my Alpha, it’s just not going to work.”
“I know.” Caine laughed.
Tia scrambled up and looked for her clothes. “Come on. I want to see Sarah, and Amanda. I want to make sure that they are both okay.”
Caine got dressed quickly. “You are not their bodyguard any more,” he told her. “Your contract has officially ended.”
“Yeah, I know.” Tia grinned at him as she pulled his large t-shirt over her head. Caine couldn’t resist grabbing her and giving her a long, passionate kiss. She was just so sweet, strong and sexy, and he loved seeing her in his clothes.
Tia touched his face and said softly, “I love you. All of you.” She smiled and said, “Sarah and Amanda are no longer my clients. They are my family.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Tia looked around the dinner table and fidgeted. Everyone was sitting around the table after dinner having coffee and dessert. Amanda had invited Kerry’s family over for dinner. It was Amanda’s birthday, and she wanted to cook something special for her family on her birthday and be surrounded by all the people she loved.
Caine and Nathan were chatting idly over coffee. Kerry was sharing some recipes with Amanda, and Corinne and Sarah were busy digging into a large ice-cream sundae. Corinne laughed and tried to wipe the ice-cream off her little cousin’s face but Sarah was having none of it. She continued smearing ice-cream all over her face and banged her spoon noisily on the table.
Tia glanced nervously at Caine. Her mate smiled encouragingly and mouthed, Ready?
Tia gulped and nodded.
Amanda insisted she didn’t want anyone to buy her anything for her birthday, and she didn’t want a birthday cake.
But she did ask Tia for one very special present.
She wanted Tia to show everyone her wolf tonight.
So—tonight was the night.
Tia had been turned, but her wolf had never fully emerged.
She and Caine were mated now, and Tia had moved in with Caine. Amanda still refused to move, but she insisted that they have dinner at her house at least twice a week. And she insisted on taking care of her little granddaughter while Caine and Tia were at work. So Tia would walk Sarah over to her grandmother’s house every morning before leaving for work, and pick her up every evening with Caine.
Sarah had turned one a few months back, and the rambunctious little girl was now running circles around her father and grandmother.
Tia had told her sister everything, and Kerry had taken the news of her turning surprisingly well. “But I haven’t been able to shift fully into my wolf,” Tia had confided to Kerry. “I can feel my animal, and I can even extend my fangs and claws. But I just don’t seem to be able to let my wolf out.”
Caine had tried to coax her wolf out. Even Nathan and Corinne had tried to show her how to shift. But still her wolf refused to show herself.
Everyone was patient, encouraging and understanding. Amanda had pulled Tia aside one evening and said, “Let me see your wolf, on my birthday. Make an old woman happy, Tia.”
Tia loved her mother-in-law, and she wanted to give Amanda a very special birthday present.
She would do it, tonight.
“Everyone,” Tia said, clearing her throat. “Would you all step outside for a while? I’d like to show you something.”
All eyes turned to her expectantly, and Kerry pressed her fingers to her lips and blinked hard. Corinne licked her ice-cream spoon and peered at Tia. “What are you going to show us, Aunt Tia?”
“Woof,” Sarah shouted.
“Woof?” Corinne frowned at her cousin. “Oh, you mean wolf!” The older girl grinned and asked excitedly, “Are you going to shift, Aunt Tia?”
Tia took a deep breath and nodded. “Yes.”
“Yay! Mummy!” Sarah squealed.
Caine stood and picked his daughter up. He ushered everyone out to the spacious, well-kept backyard and gave Tia a quick hug. Sarah gave Tia a loud kiss on the cheek and giggled. “Mummy is a woof!”
“Wolf,” Corinne corrected. “W-o-l-f!”
Tia stepped forward and faced her family. Kerry and Nathan gave her the thumbs up, and Corinne and Sarah were clapping and chanting together, “Wolf...woof...wolf...woof!”
Caine and Amanda came up to her and hugged her.
“You can do it,” Amanda whispered.
“Happy birthday,” Tia said, giving her mother-in-law a kiss on the cheek.
She held Caine’s gaze and saw his wolf staring at her. His wolf called to hers, tugging her animal up to the surface. Tia focused on her mate, and listened to her instincts. She let go of her inhibitions and residual fear and simply relinquished control to her animal.
Tia closed her eyes as a burning pain seared through her body. She gasped and dropped to the ground. She could feel her claws slicing out of her fingertips. Thick white fur pushed out of her pores. Tia let out a growl as her body contorted and changed shape.
She opened her eyes and blinked. Everything looked clearer, sharper and all her senses seemed heightened. She could distinguish all the different scents, and she could hear sounds from far away.
She shook her head and looked up. Kerry was staring at her with happy tears in her eyes. “You’re beautiful, Tia,” her sister exclaimed. “You are such a beautiful wolf.”
Corinne and Sarah were shrieking with delight and excitement. Nathan grinned at her and said, “Well done, Tia.”
Amanda stepped forward and threw her arms around her. “You did it, Tia,” she whispered. “Thank you for such a wonderful birthday present.”
Tia turned and saw Caine shift into wolf form. He padded over to her and nuzzled her neck lovingly. The two white wolves stood together and leaned against each other.
Tia looked around and saw her family take their cue from Caine. One by one, they shifted. Nathan and Corinne shifted into two black wolves, and Sarah shifted into a little phoenix in a sudden, red blaze.
Nathan came to stand with Caine and Tia, and Corinne pranced around the adult wolves and howled with glee. Sarah flapped her wings and ran to her parents. Caine and Tia nuzzled their daughter lovingly and Tia rubbed her head against the little phoenix.
Tia saw her sister and mother-in-law link their arms together and let out happy laughs. The two human women dabbed discreetly at their eyes as they stared at their wonderful family.
Tia bumped her head against her mate’s and chuffed softly. Caine nodded and they shifted back to
human form together. Nathan and Corinne followed. Only Sarah didn’t shift back. She had fallen asleep.
Tia carried the little phoenix back into the house. “It’s okay,” she told Corinne. “She’ll shift back to human form in her sleep.”
Tia glanced at her sister and brother-in-law over her shoulder. “So—now that I can shift into wolf form, you’ll give me the tougher assignments, right?” she asked Nathan.
Nathan huffed. “I always give you the toughest assignments. I’ve always had faith in you, Tia.”
“I know.” She grinned and nudged Kerry. “Thanks. You’re the best sister ever. I never told you that.”
“You tell me that every single day,” Kerry said, smiling. “I’m proud of you.”
As Tia cradled her sleeping daughter, Caine put his arm around her and kissed her hair. “You’re amazing,” he whispered. “I love you. You have no idea how much I love you.”
Tia grinned. “I do know. You love me so damn much.”
When Caine grinned back, Tia leaned in and whispered against his lips, “And I love you, and my beautiful family. So damn much!”
Thank you for reading THE WOLF’S MATE! If you enjoyed Caine and Tia’s story, I hope you'll leave a review to help other readers find it. Thank you so much for all your wonderful support!
Lots of love,
Natalie xoxo
Have you read my other books? I hope you’ll enjoy them!
HEARTS ON FIRE
The Werewolf's Baby
The Dragon Tycoon's Bride
The Dragon’s Match
The Wolf’s Mate
STORM DRAGONS (Scifi Alien Weredragon Romance)
VORIK
WOLVES HOLLOW
Alpha Next Door (Book 1)
Beta's Baby (Book 2)
BRIDES fur BEARS
Bad Bear (Book 1)
Brave Bear (Book 2)
Brash Bear (Book 3)
Big Bear (Book 4)
The Wolf's Mate: Billionaire Shifter Paranormal Romance (Hearts on Fire Book 4) Page 9