Wolf Boss (She-Shifters of Hell's Corner Book 1)

by Candace Ayers

  Her eyes glowed, golden yellow, as she watched me from her crouched position. I circled around her, wanting to gain her submission, while at the same time wanting her to run from me and play more.

  She rolled onto her back and exposed her neck to me. I howled again before approaching, determined to rub against her and mark her with my scent. When I got close enough, though, she swiped me to the side with her paw and then rushed away from me. A fake-out.

  I gave a playful yip as I happily followed, rushing forward to nip at her back end again.

  She splashed into a pool of water, stomping and growling as she went. Once in the middle, the water came up to her shoulders. She turned to face me and chuffed like she was laughing.

  The water didn’t give me pause. I swam in to where she was and stopped only when I was face to face with her. I wasn’t a normal sized wolf, by any means, and the two of us were eye to eye. Standing there, we both remained perfectly still, waiting to see which one was going to give in first.

  My body shook from suppressing the energy of the desire coursing through me, but still I waited. I took in her beauty as I did, marveling at the sight of my mate’s bear. She was mine.

  Right when I thought I would crack, she did first. She splashed me by stomping a massive paw down into the water at me. I rushed into her, twisting and throwing my body into hers with a nip to her shoulder. She charged away from me.

  I chased after her, eager to earn her submission. When she slid over a flat rock lightly covered in a sheet of moss and water, I followed, trusting that she wouldn’t get us hurt.

  On the other side, I found myself in a cave, large enough for us to spread out, but small enough that I knew I had her. A low growl came from my chest as I approached her.

  Instead of running, the majestic beauty lumbered towards me, matching my steps. When we were eye to eye, she took one step closer and rubbed her face against mine. Her smell of fur had an underlying hint of vanilla and buttercream that teased my nose. My tongue lolled out.

  I stepped back and shifted, I needed to see her and touch her, skin against skin. My wolf whined, but he knew.

  Looking down at my mate, still in her bear form, I stroked my hand over her head. “Come on, cupcake. Shift for me.”

  8

  Carter

  My mate’s voice had a light New York accent. It beckoned me. My bear willingly receded, leaving me kneeling in front of him naked with my arms wrapped around my chest.

  Back in full control of my actions, I should’ve run. I knew that, but I was held by some unseen magnetic force. I didn’t think I could leave him. And to blame the whole playing stuff on my bear was a copout. I’d been excited and more than eager when he chased me down. His nip to my ass had turned me on like nothing else.

  I scanned his body and sighed. He was beautiful. Tall, well-built and heavily muscled, as most shifters were. He was everything that I never knew I needed.

  I was mesmerized by the sheer size of his body. He was huge, just like his wolf. All of him was huge. Slightly intimidating, he was so huge.

  I dragged my eyes up to his face and a breath of air escaped my lungs. Sharp angles of his face paired with intense gray eyes that made the man slightly resemble the animal. He was hella sexy.

  My body responded to him in a way I’d never experienced, or thought possible. I was instantly so hot and bothered that the idea of rubbing against him again, as human, was all I could think about. I couldn’t blame my bear for that one.

  “Stand up and let me look at you.” His deep voice sent chills over my burning skin like a lover’s tongue. His eyes were just as tantalizing as he scanned my body and then focused on my face.

  I tried to be annoyed by his command, but instead, all I felt was desire. My pulse skyrocketed and my hands trembled, but I made myself stand up straight and drop my arms to my sides. Thoughts rattled around my brain reminding me of all the things that weren’t perfect about my body. My muscles tensed as I almost waited for rejection.

  He licked his lips and balled his hands into fists. “I need to touch you.”

  It was all the warning I got before he was directly in front of me with his arms wrapping around my body, pulling me closer, squeezing me against his firm musculature.

  I gasped as I felt his erection dig into my stomach. His warm hands ran down my back and his fingers dipped into the dimples at my lower back before gripping my ass and pulling me even tighter against him.

  “Perfect. You’re absolutely perfect.”

  I tipped my head back and bit my lip. It was insane. It didn’t make any sense that we were touching that way, but it felt so right. I’d never felt anything more ideal. Our bodies fit against each other as naturally as if we’d been doing it our whole lives.

  Instead of being complete strangers.

  Tentatively, as if he’d float away, I lifted my hands to his sides and touched him with my fingertips for the first time. My fingers tingled and then my palms, until everything in me buzzed.

  “Mate.” He lowered his face and nuzzled into my neck, the stubble on his chin and jaws irritating and titillating at the same time.

  I trailed my hands up his sides and then up his back, feeling his muscles flex under my fingers. “Mate,” I breathed.

  His fingers tightened on my ass and he jerked me up until my legs straddled his waist. Our bodies pressed together at our cores and I dropped my head back as feelings of pleasure flowed through me. He growled and buried his face against my exposed neck again.

  I felt his teeth scrape across my throat and moaned. My brain clicked off and I was just a large nerve ending, being stroked and stimulated to new highs.

  I dug my hands in his hair and raked my nails across his scalp as he gently nipped my neck and then ran his tongue across my sensitive skin. His voice was thick with desire. “Name…”

  He dipped his hand lower until his fingers slid across my dripping folds. When I gasped and squeezed him with my legs, he did it again and caught my ear in his mouth.

  “What’s your name?” My words were broken as his fingers parted my folds and buried themselves deep into me. I cried out and tightened around him. “Oh, god!”

  “Alec.” His growl was almost lost as he chased my mouth with his to capture it in a sizzling kiss. Only when I was dazed from the passion in his kisses did he pull away and flash a quick grin at me. “Tell me yours, mate.”

  He slid another finger into me and I forgot what we were talking about. I touched him everywhere I could, feeling delirious with the need to connect with him even more. The urge to take every part of him in me was overwhelming and it was all I could do to keep myself together.

  “Name, mate.”

  I met his eyes and felt my world shift. It wasn’t just the burning growing in my core as his fingers pistoned in and out of me, it was something deeper, something as old as time. “Carter.”

  His pale gray eyes glowed. “I have to be in you, Carter.”

  I nodded and untwined my legs from around his waist as his fingers left me and he hastily turned me around. Facing the wall of the cave, I looked back over my shoulder at him and bit my lip. He stood back, running his eyes over me wickedly, his inhale and exhale more growl than breath. Every feeling of insecurity faded with the knowledge that the drop dead gorgeous man behind me was practically drooling over me.

  I wiggled my hips, enticing him closer. I ached for him. I was completely lost in the moment.

  Alec was suddenly there, pressing his thick shaft into my entrance. He wrapped his arm around my waist and touched his fingers to my clit. With his mouth against my neck, his voice was rough. “Hold on, cupcake.”

  The pressure in my body built as he slowly filled me fuller and fuller. Just when I thought I couldn’t take anymore, his fingers stroked over my clit and his teeth nipped my neck. I dropped my head back on his shoulder and shrieked as my orgasm tore through my body. The pressure was molten. It washed over me in pulsing waves that squeezed his erection as he slid the last
few inches into me.

  “Fuck.” He wrapped both arms around me and held me as he slowly pulled out and pushed back in.

  My body stayed on a cloud, teasing another orgasm as his thrusts gained speed and force. I braced myself against the wall and rolled my hips to take him in even deeper.

  Time seemed to fade away as we moved together, experiencing one another in the most intimate way. His mouth never moved too far from my neck, his teeth and tongue very gently nipping and teasing. When his arm braced across my chest, I turned my head and grazed his neck with my teeth using the slightest pressure. It spurred him. Each nip to my neck lasted a little longer and was a little harder. It was a dangerous dance.

  Sweat dripped from our bodies as we moved frantically against each other. My moans and pants filled the cave, as did his grunts and growls. Nothing else existed.

  When his fingers traced over my clit again, I came apart with a wild, feral scream. Alec growled with his mouth clenched over my shoulder as he came in pulses inside me.

  He was still throbbing as he removed his teeth and covered the spot with his lips. “I want to mark you.”

  I inhaled deeply, one last splurge of indulgence that I probably couldn’t afford, but I never wanted to forget the smell of him after our encounter.

  Then I pulled away and ran.

  9

  Carter

  I flew through the back door of my house and slammed it shut like the devil himself was chasing me. I leaned against it for a couple breaths, and then pushed off. I had to get away from it so I wouldn’t be tempted to fling myself back out there and run after him. Alec. His name was Alec. I hurried through the living room, closing windows and the blinds.

  I was an absolute fool. I flopped into my favorite chair, wrapped the fur throw around my shoulders and covered my face in my hands. I couldn’t sit still, though. I jumped right back up and hurried into the kitchen. I pulled down my flour canister and a mixing bowl and I dumped them on the counter before going to the fridge and grabbing butter.

  Before I knew what I was doing, I had a cake batter base prepared and was stirring it with one hand while I held my phone in my other hand. It was ringing. I waited for it to connect to Muddy. I thought about hanging up, but I desperately needed to talk to someone about the mess I’d just stepped into.

  “What’s wrong?”

  I choked out a laugh and dropped my mixing spoon on the floor. “I did something so stupid.”

  “You called me at three in the morning?” She yawned. “Don’t worry, we can both forget it.”

  I bumped my head on the counter while bending down to grab the spoon. “Oof! I slept with the man from today. Not slept. Had sex with. Really great sex. Awesome sex. Shit. Help me?”

  She screeched in my ear and then the line went dead. A few seconds later, it rang and she was there again. “Whaaa….Holy shit. You didn’t.”

  “I did.”

  “I’ll be over in five.”

  It was only then that I realized I was still naked. My clothes were back at Helen’s rock where I’d left them after the St. Anon meeting. I ran to throw on a T-shirt and some old boxers.

  As I waited for Muddy, I selected spices and started adding things to the batter. Cinnamon, ground cloves, grated orange peel, a dash of cardamom. When I tasted it, I was momentarily stupefied. I’d made a cake batter that tasted almost identical to the way that Alec smelled. I wanted to hurl it against the wall. Instead, I shoved a spoonful into my mouth and moaned at the delicious flavor. I was lost.

  Fewer than five minutes had passed when Muddy rapped on the back door. Her house was just a street over and it was easy to cross through a few backyards to get to mine.

  As soon as she spotted me, her eyes widened and she burst out laughing. Loud enough to raise the dead in the cemetery across town. I dragged her inside and slapped her arm.

  “Shut up!” I led her into the kitchen and was drawn to the batter. I thought about pouring it into a pan and baking it, but I found myself scooping my spoon back in for another mouthful.

  “You look like you went for the ride of your life, girl. You okay?”

  I frowned. I was better than okay. Which meant I wasn’t okay. I couldn’t afford to be feeling all floaty and giddy. I didn’t even know the man. “I had sex with a stranger.”

  She just grinned at me and dug her own spoon out of my silverware drawer. Dunking it into the batter, she tested a big bite and gave a hearty moan of her own. “What is that?”

  “Mate cake.” I rolled my eyes and sank to the floor, just beside the fridge and across from the oven. I took the batter with me.

  Muddy followed the batter. “What is mate cake? You always make these fancy cakes and pastries that I’ve never heard of. Where’s this one from?”

  I frowned and waved my spoon at her. “The errant universe. It tastes like my mate. Mate cake.”

  She nodded and I could tell she hadn’t processed what I’d said. “Your mate tastes like heaven with a side of deliciousness.”

  I remained silent and let my head thump the cabinet behind me. She’d catch up eventually.

  “Wait. Whoa, hold up a minute there.” She dropped her spoon in the bowl and grabbed my knee. “You’re serious? Mr. Patterson? He’s your mate?”

  I nodded. “He’s my mate.”

  “He’s your mate.”

  “He’s my mate.” I thumped my head again. “Take this away from me.”

  She pried the bowl of batter from my clinging arms and shoved one more spoonful into her mouth before making a face. I could tell she was fighting a laugh.

  “It’s not funny. I don’t want a mate!”

  She set the bowl onto the counter above her head and wagged her finger at me. “That’s it. You protested too much. The universe always sends mates to the ones who protest first. At least, that’s how I’ve seen it happen. I knew it would happen to you.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You rejected the idea of snuggling up to a man too hard. We all suspected this would be the outcome. We were just waiting on it. I didn’t expect it to be that sexy hunk of tasty cake batter, though. That took me by surprise.”

  “Why not? Do you think something’s wrong with him?” I rushed out a breath and then kept talking. “I mean, besides the fact that he had some woman sticking her tongue down his throat this morning.”

  “That’s his fiancée. He’s engaged.”

  I felt my stomach lurch. Eating raw cake batter suddenly seemed like a very bad idea. “Like, to be married?”

  She laughed, her eyes watering. “Yes, to be married!”

  I fell over and laid on my back, staring up at the ceiling. “Son of a bitch.”

  “Yeah. It won’t matter, though. You’re his mate. You’re who he’s going to want. No way he’ll be interested in any other woman. Not after finding you. Where did you have sex at, by the way? You smell all kinds of interesting.”

  “I don’t want a mate. Seriously. I can’t have a mate. I’m not ready for one and I’m not at a place in my life where I can deal with one. He’s…he’s engaged? Really? I slept with someone’s fiancé.”

  “You slept with your mate.”

  I shook my head and groaned. “I need a few days off. How soon until he leaves? I need to take some sick days until after he’s gone.”

  She grabbed the batter and then laid out beside me. “Sorry, honey. We’re looking at a full house this week. I need you there.”

  “Call in someone else. I can’t face him and his…ugh… fiancée.” Just the idea had my insides twisting in knots.

  “If he’s your mate, I’m sure she won’t be around for much longer.” She waved a spoonful of batter at me and sighed. “Besides, I need you. Everyone is busy. You’ll be fine. Just think of those hot your orgasms he gave you and maybe that’ll knock some sense into your head when you’re dealing with him, because I don’t think you can’t just choose to ignore your mate.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “Oh, no? You don’t kno
w who you’re talking to.”

  She sighed. “Point taken. Either way, this ought to be entertaining.”

  10

  Alec

  Sleep was a joke that night. I ended up catching no more than a few minutes of shut eye on and off in a chair in the corner of our room. I couldn’t bring myself to even lay on top of the covers next to Chelsie after being with Carter. Carter. My mate. The mere thought of her made my dick harden again painfully. She was hot. Hotter than hot. She made me crazy.

  I’d been more animal than man when I took her against the cave wall. I’d been rough and hard and she’d loved every second of it. Her body spoke to mine. I could still smell her sweet arousal on me.

  Every time I was almost asleep, visions of her would play through my mind and I’d be wide awake. It would start with the mental picture of me fucking her and bleed into the mental picture of her running away from me. It was inevitable that every time I closed my eyes, I ended up seeing her naked backside as she fled from the cave.

  She’d been too fast for me to catch. By the time I got out of the cave, she was gone. I could’ve followed her scent. Wolves had one of the best senses of smell of any shifter, but I got the impression that she didn’t want me to follow her, so I let her go.

  I wanted to talk to her, get to know her better. Discuss the situation. For whatever reason, she was freaked out and needed space. I wanted to know why, but first I would allow her to have her space without bothering her. Until morning. I couldn’t promise to give her any more time than that. My wolf longed for her. I longed for her.

  In the meantime, I’d work at finding a diplomatic solution to ending the engagement with Chelsie. I couldn’t even force myself to glance over at her sleeping form. I didn’t want to see her in bed. I wanted my mate.