A Wolf's Pride

by Jennifer T. Alli

  Harry, Daniel, Christian and Jonathan exchanged meaningful glances, silently debating their options before Harry turned to look at his daughter. “Are you sure this is what you want?”

  “I’ve never wanted anything more in my life dad. Never.”

  He groaned, pulling away from her. Her heart began to fall. He’d chosen unreasonable hatred over reason and was about to pay the price. Already wolves were beginning to close in. She burrowed closer to the warmth of Ryan’s body for silent support.

  “Drop your weapons men!”

  The words surprised her and her began to beat frantically within her chest, hope rising from within her. “Dad?”

  He winked at her before proceeding to walk away shouting his command as he went. Her brother’s quickly followed suit demanding that guns be abandoned, ancient animosity buried. Her attention was quickly diverted to an alternative point as Ryan spun her around to face him.

  “Angel,” he growled.

  “Yes mate.”

  The destruction and violence that filled the world around them disappeared as they became enveloped in each other. The noise of her family’s frantically delivered orders faded into nothing. All those around them vanished from sight until there was only the two of them.

  “You disobeyed me. I told you to wait inside and stay safe.”

  She smiled, a secretive smile, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Actually I think you’ll find that I didn’t. I never actually said that I would stay inside. I only indirectly agreed to wait for you. I did wait, a few minutes passed before I left. And as for staying safe, I had Alex with me. She promised that I’d be fine.”

  “You know what I meant, I’m still counting this as disobedience and when we get home, I’m going to punish you for this.”

  Her body shivered, trembling in anticipation. His punishments were so deliciously, wickedly enjoyable. Maybe I should disobey him more often, or push him just that little bit further. “I know you will,” she purred, her body arching against his, pushing her curves against him.

  “You don’t have to look as though you’re going to enjoy it.”

  “But I will, we both know that.”

  “You know, I was thinking about being nice to you but you’ve made me change my mind. I know the exact punishment for you.”

  “Oh and what would that be?”

  “I’m going to stay exactly as I am now for eternity. I’m going to infuriate you, I’m going to make mistakes, I’m going to make you want to tear your hair out in frustration some days.”

  She leaned up on her toes as she pulled his head down lower until their mouths were level. Her breaths feathered over his lips as she spoke, teasing him. “You’ll also love me like no one else ever could. There are times when you can be somewhat idiotic but I can live with that because you’re mine.”

  He couldn’t take her teasing any more. He closed the distance between them swiftly, ferociously, pressing his lips against hers and demanding entrance to the warm cavern of her mouth.

  God, I love this woman.

  The same thought ran through Chloe’s mind before thought fled leaving emotion and sensation to rein supreme. But how could it be any different? They were mates after all and the instinct was never wrong.

  Epilogue

  Two years later

  Chloe walked down the halls of the estate, making her way to the exit, a smile on her face and heat in her veins. Tonight was a full moon and she was very much looking forward to all that it entailed.

  “Chloe?”

  The sound of her voice being called made her stop and turn around. She frowned when she saw her brother, Daniel, walking towards her. What on earth is he doing here? He’s got other, more important, places to be tonight.

  “Dan, what’s going on?”

  “Nothing, I just wanted to talk to you. About what?”

  He scowled at his sister. “About the claiming.”

  “Oh, okay.” She started walking again, Daniel quickly falling into step with her. “Are you nervous?” she began. “Is that why you’re here instead of where you’re meant to be?”

  “Of course I’m nervous Chloe.”

  “Why? Amanda loves you and you love her. You’ve already married her, I don’t really see what the problem is.”

  He twisted the golden band on his ring finger, smiling faintly as thoughts of his wife floated into his mind. He couldn’t imagine life without her and every time he looked into her bright blue eyes he was eternally grateful to his sister. “I know I’ve married her Chloe, but marriage is so temporary compared to mating. Once we do this there’s no going back.”

  “I still don’t see what the problem is.” Her responses were becoming increasingly terse; her mind was on Ryan, her body thrumming with need for him already. She shouldn’t have had to worry about her brother on the night of the full moon. There was only one male who should be preoccupying her thoughts and he was waiting for her, waiting to take her body to heights of pleasure she could barely even process. “When you love someone, permanency is a good thing.”

  “I know that Chloe but I’m not good enough for her. All my relationships before her ended horribly and quickly, what if I do the same thing to her? She deserves better than to be tied to me forever especially after the horrors of her first mate.”

  “Elijah?”

  He snarled angrily. “If the bastard were still alive, I’d skin him, then pull out his organs one by one until he died.”

  She rolled her eyes at his colourful description. “It’s no wonder you and Ryan get along so well now that you’re not trying to kill each other.”

  “That’s another point against me Chloe. I was trying to hunt her people. Who knows…if you hadn’t met Ryan when you did and made us see sense, I might have hunted her. I could have killed her Chloe. How can she still want to bind us together knowing that?”

  She sighed, sympathising with his plight. “Love, as I like to say, is blind, deaf, dumb and stupid. It doesn’t work on reason or logic. It just is. Just as I know the sun will rise tomorrow, I know I’ll love Ryan despite all the mistakes he’ll inevitably make. And the same applies to you and Amanda. Would you ever deliberately hurt her?”

  “Never!” His tone was adamant, his expression showing just how shocked he was at the very suggestion.

  “Then I guarantee your marriage won’t end the way your relationships did before you met her. Maybe it was fate that those relationships ended badly. If they hadn’t you might already be taken and then where would Amanda be? She really loves you and I’ve seen how you are with her. You treat her like she’s made of glass. If I didn’t know better, I’d suspect that you were a werewolf with the way you act around her; especially towards others you even just suspect might harm her. That’s what it means to be in love.”

  “And what about the other thing Chloe? No matter how much time passes, nothing will change the fact that I used to hunt her people. I could have killed her.”

  “But you didn’t. If Amanda can look past that fact then so can you. Dan, the simple fact is that if you don’t go through with this you’ll lose her. You’ll die and then she’ll be all alone, is that what you want?”

  “I don’t want to live without her and I never want her to be alone.”

  “Then I think you know what to do Lord Daniel,” she teased.

  He groaned in response. “I love Amanda, but I’m not sure I want the title that comes with her. It’s a lot of responsibility.”

  “But she’s worth it,” Chloe responded simply.

  “But she’s worth it,” he agreed.

  The doors were now in sight and Chloe’s heart sped up, her pace quickening as eagerness washed over her. She wanted to be outside with Ryan, she wanted to try again. Ryan was desperate to be a parent, he loved children and there was nothing more he wanted than for her to have his children but over the two years they’d been together they hadn’t achieved his dream. Erica's pregnancy had only made him more determined to have children with her.
His eagerness was infectious. Tonight was another, fresh opportunity. She was a hand’s breadth away from the door when Daniel stopped her. A low growl slipped past her lips, she had clearly been spending far too much time around her much more aggressive mate.

  “Chloe, I want to say thank you again. I know I say it practically every time I see you but I want to say it again. If it weren’t for you I wouldn’t even be here, I’d still be wrapped up in a life of unjustifiable hatred and I wouldn’t have Amanda.”

  She smiled faintly though she was almost desperate to open the doors. “I’m not entirely selfless Dan, once Amanda and you have gone through the claiming then I’ll have at least one family member to grow with into eternity.”

  “Now all we’ve got to do is find someone for Christian and Jonathan,” he laughed.

  “I’m not a miracle worker,” she gasped, clutching her chest dramatically. “You were the best of a bad bunch. Now enough about this, your mate is waiting for you.” And mine is waiting for me. “Good luck Daniel.”

  She turned from him and slipped out into the night. Over the years she had become used to the dark, her fears of the creatures that lurked within it dimming until it was barely there. She was confident enough now to simply take off running without the assistance of a car and she did so with gusto, speeding off into the night. Her feet pounded hard against the earth as she ran with no direction in mind. It didn’t matter where she went, Ryan was out there and he would find her. Minutes passed before she heard a dark growl beside her ear, a warm body behind her, scorching hands reaching for her.

  “Found you angel.”

  “That you did,” she purred, twisting her body round to face him and pressing the curves of her body against him. He growled at the increased contact and a small feminine smile crept onto her lips.

  He lifted her easily into his arms and ran quickly towards their small hideaway. The cabin was vastly different from the one room shack it had been when he’d first claimed her, rooms having been added over time until it was more like a home than a temporary getaway. His body was thrumming with need, the wolf’s voice becoming louder with each step closer to their shelter for the night. Once they were within the safety of its walls, he pounced like any true predator, ravaging her body until she could barely speak. He played her body like an instrument designed solely for pleasure, taking her again and again until the moon faded from sight and the sun began its ascent into the sky. Her limbs were tangled within his, her breathing beginning to stabilise as he finally let her rest. Though his body was sated, he wasn’t satisfied. He had waited and waited for his wolf to speak up, to recognise they had achieved their secondary objective, the first being their mate’s pleasure, but it had said nothing. With a heavy heart, he pulled his sleeping mate close, pressing gentle kisses to her scalp.

  “I love you angel. We’ve got forever to try for kids. I’ll let you rest for a while, maybe I’ve been pushing you too hard.” She was his equal in so many ways, never backing down from her position if she believed him to be wrong that it was so easy to forget her body was still human with much too human needs. She’s been so tired lately. I need to let her get some rest. I’ve got to take care of my precious angel. He sighed, brushing a hand lightly over her bare arm when he felt his wolf begin to stir.

  Pups, it said proudly.

  Are you serious? I didn’t think we’d managed it.

  Pups, the wolf repeated, it’s voice just as certain as it had always been.

  Ryan laughed, the joyous sound infectious before his hand lowered, creeping over Chloe’s soft skin and coming to rest on the gentle curve of her stomach. He was going to be a father. Girls or boys? Or maybe one of each? he asked the wolf.

  The wolf paused, inhaling deeply. No idea, it’s too early to tell.

  I hope we have girls, angels just like their mother.

  They’ll be beautiful. The wolf reminded him.

  All the more reason to help Tobias with his tower idea. I might need one for myself.

  “Ryan.”

  The drowsy sound of his name on Chloe’s lips brought an even wider smile to his face. He’d sacrificed, bled, changed even thrown away some of his god forsaken pride to be with this woman, this angel in his bed and he didn’t regret a thing.

  ----------The End----------

  About the Author

  Jennifer T. Alli lives in London and spends her days praying for sun. She adores hearing from her readers and can always be reached at jennyt82@ymail.com. For information on upcoming releases and contests visit her at: www.jennifertalli.wordpress.com. To take a look into her daily writing process then she can be found on twitter @jennyt82_