by Jaci Burton
An old woman sat at the ancient organ and began to play. A haunting strain of beautiful but unfamiliar music echoed through the tiny chapel. Soon thereafter Elena came forward, dressed in a black full skirt and a long, flowing white blouse.
But Conner wasn’t looking at Elena. His gaze was trained on the archway, and he was holding his breath.
He let it out when he saw Katya at the entryway, resisting the urge to whistle appreciatively.
God, she was a gorgeous woman. He didn’t know where the wedding dress came from, but it was a body-hugging white velvet that billowed out into a long train behind her. She looked the part of the princess today, carrying herself regally. As she walked down the aisle, her gaze focused only on him.
His heart pounded like crazy, all the blood rushing from his head. He sure as hell hoped he wouldn’t faint. Noah would never let him live it down.
If he didn’t know better, he could swear Katya was scared to death. The flowers she held trembled and she looked so damn pale.
Marrying him couldn’t be that scary, could it?
Maybe she was overwhelmed with everything happening so fast, like he was. That had to be it.
But when she arrived at the altar, Conner felt the icy chill of her fingers. And it wasn’t cold in the chapel. She managed a tremulous smile, but her body was shaking.
Great. Now he had to worry about her fainting.
The mayor as well as a priest were present to provide both the civil and religious ceremony. All of it passed in a blur as words were spoken in Romanian and translated by Elena. When it came time to exchange rings, he pulled the ruby and diamond-encrusted ring from his pocket and slipped it onto Katya’s finger.
“This was my grandmother’s and was passed down to me to be given to the woman I chose to marry.” Thank God for overnight express delivery. As soon as his mother heard he was getting married, she’d sent the ring.
Katya looked up at him and smiled. Really smiled this time, her face finally showing some color. Moisture pooled in her eyes and she said, “Thank you, Conner. It is truly beautiful and I am honored.”
The rest of the ceremony moved quickly. He gathered Katya in his arms and told her without words how he felt, kissing her passionately. Her skin warmed and he scented her body’s desire. His prime goal was to be alone with her as quickly as possible.
But that wasn’t meant to be. At least not for a while. Apparently, Romanian wedding celebrations were steeped in tradition and that meant that they spent the better part of the day and into the night celebrating with everyone in Braslieu. At least Katya had spent some time over the past week teaching him some rudimentary phrases in Romanian, and more people spoke English than he originally thought.
Throughout it all, Chantal took pictures. So many that he wanted to take the fucking camera and toss it out the nearest window. Unfortunately, she guarded the damn thing like a momma wolf guarding her pup, claiming she was doing it for Mom.
Whatever. He was likely to suffer permanent eye damage from the flash going off so many times. He was certain that Chantal derived some kind of perverse pleasure in torturing him.
Finally, he had a chance to dance with his bride. His bride. His wife. God, he still couldn’t believe all that had happened. Gathering her in his arms, he pulled her close, letting out a contented sigh.
“I’ve waited way too long to get you in my arms.”
Katya smiled up at him. “It’s almost over. Did you know it is customary for the Carpathian lupines to consummate their marriage outside under a full moon?”
Hell, yeah. The moon was full tonight. “I’m always happy to bow to custom.”
“Only one more event and then we can be alone.”
He rolled his eyes. “Now what? Grape stomping? Tree chopping? Rope climbing?”
She laughed and shook her head. “No. It’s symbolic among my people, as I’m sure it is with yours.”
“By people, are you meaning Romanian or lupine?”
“Carpathian and lupine.”
Lord, if he had to perform another stupid task that required him to show his suitability as a husband, he’d need a stiff drink. “What is it this time?”
“It is customary for the alpha male to prove that the he is willing to share all that he has with the pack, that his mate will belong to all of the pack, symbolically speaking, of course.”
It damn well better be symbolically speaking. “Which means what, exactly?”
“It means that I must have sex with you and another man tonight. Another lupine male.”
Whatever happiness he felt dissipated in an instant. “What?”
“You don’t do this in your marriage rituals?”
“Uhh, no.” And if he had any say about this marriage, it wouldn’t happen here, either.
“It is done with every marriage, Conner. And it is only a one-time occurrence. Every alpha male who has been mated must follow our customs.”
His wedding night and he had to share his woman with some stranger? “I don’t think so, Katya. I don’t share what’s mine.”
She frowned. “I don’t understand. You know I do not seek another mate. But I will follow lupine custom.”
Fuck. “Well, it sure as hell would have been nice if you told me about this beforehand.”
“I tried to yesterday. You kept brushing me off.”
He remembered that now. She’d tried to tell him about the rituals and customs. “You could have forced me to listen. Didn’t you realize how important this is?”
She shrugged. “I assumed you already knew, that your pack did the same thing. How was I to know it was unique to the Carpathians?”
“It’s a big damn deal, Katya.”
“Not to me. I suppose because it’s simply another ritual, and not important to me as it obviously is to you.”
“Fucking another guy is no big deal to you.”
She studied him and pursed her lips, then smiled. “You’re jealous.”
A growl rumbled through his chest. “You’re goddamn right I’m jealous. No man touches my woman. Ever.”
She grinned. “I like that. Your woman.” When she traced his cheek and jaw with the palm of her hand, his breathing quickened. He’d had enough of ceremony. He wanted his wife to himself now. He wanted to take her upstairs, peel off that sexy dress that hugged her curves, and lick every inch of her until he drove them both crazy.
When he imagined his wedding night, that’s what he thought of. Not watching as his wife fucked another guy.
The music had stopped and they stood together in the center of the room.
“Conner, people are staring.”
“I don’t care. We need to talk about this, Katya.”
“Very well.” She took his hand and excused them as they walked through the crowd toward the kitchen. Dismissing the people cleaning up in there, she leaned against the counter. “Now, tell me what’s wrong.”
“What’s wrong? What the hell do you think is wrong? Do you think I’m happy about having to share you with another man? Do I even get to be there to watch, or am I supposed to wait outside while you’re happily fucked by some guy?”
She blushed and tugged her bottom lip between her teeth. “Actually, Conner, there are several witnesses.”
This was getting better and better. “How many?”
“Everyone who wishes to attend as witness.”
Christ! What the hell kind of civilization were they running up here? “I don’t believe this.”
She reached for his hand and pulled him toward her, wrapping her arms around his waist and laying her head against his chest. “I’m sorry. I thought you knew, that it was the same marriage rite practiced in your land. Here it is an ancient ritual, but one that has been passed down to every mated alpha since the beginning.”
“I should have kidnapped you and taken you to Boston to get married.”
She tilted her head back and smiled. “It would not have mattered. The ritual would still have taken place upon our retur
n.”
Dragging his hand through his hair, he pulled away and paced the kitchen. “I don’t like this, Katya.”
“I know. And it makes me happy that you don’t want to share me.”
He stopped and looked at her. “Be very clear on this. I will never share you. What’s mine is mine. And you are most definitely mine.”
The warmth in her eyes and the sexy way her lips curled when she smiled tore him apart. “And you are mine. If the situation were reversed and I was required to share you, I would not be happy about it, either. But I respect the customs of my people. As alpha, you will have to do the same.”
He already knew that. But goddamn he hated this! “How does this work? Is some guy chosen at random, or has this been preordained?”
Hell, he didn’t even have a beta yet. A beta would assist with these customs. He had a hell of a lot to learn here. There was so much pack business to take care of, and not nearly enough time to do it.
“Normally it would be the pack beta, but there isn’t one.”
“So who will it be, then?”
“Your beta. Your choice. It can be a substitute, any man of your choosing.”
“I have to pick the guy?”
“Yes.”
“It can be anyone I choose?”
“Of course.”
He thought about it, but really, what choice did he have? There was only one person here that he trusted enough to take this impersonally. One person who could do it and walk away, and Conner would know he’d never infringe on his relationship with Katya.
“Noah. I choose Noah.”
Katya’s eyes widened, then she nodded. “I will go upstairs and prepare myself and will meet you in the clearing just inside the woods in an hour.”
As she walked away, her hips swiveling in that soft, easy way that made him insane, his groin tightened and he hardened, wondering what it was going to be like to share her with his brother.
Other packs shared their females. It wasn’t anything new. Hell, he’d participated in quite a few three-ways before. Never gave it a second thought.
The difference was he hadn’t been in love with the women he’d fucked before. And that made his nerve endings feel raw and exposed, like someone poured acid on his skin. The thought of sharing Katya with anyone was like a punch to his gut.
But she was right. If he was going to be the alpha of the pack, then he had to adapt to their customs, not force his on them. And that meant he had to follow through with this, like it or not.
He spied Noah as he walked out of the kitchen and motioned to his brother, bringing him into the office and shutting the door.
“What’s up?” Noah asked, leaning against the desk.
“We have a slight…problem.”
Noah arched a brow. “What kind of problem?”
“There’s a Carpathian lupine marriage ritual that I hadn’t counted on. And it has to happen tonight.”
“What is it? You don’t have to sacrifice a chicken or anything, do you?”
“I wish it was that easy.”
“Oh shit. Tell me.”
“Katya has to fuck another man tonight.”
Noah’s eyes nearly fell out of his head.
Conner nodded. “Yeah, you heard right.”
“Holy Christ, Con. Why?”
“It’s their custom. The alpha male shares his female on the night of their marriage.”
“Just tell her no. Refuse to do it.”
He leaned against the table across from Noah and crossed his arms. “I wish it were that easy. But as Katya pointed out, and she’s right, if I’m taking over as alpha, then I need to follow their customs and rituals.”
“Okay. So who’s the guy? And will he survive the night without you killing him?”
Conner laughed. “I hope so. Because I chose you.”
Noah’s eyes widened. “Me? No way. No thanks. I don’t want any part of it.”
“You’d rather have me watch her get fucked by a stranger, some guy that I’ll have to worry about and maybe even have to kill if he ever looks at Katya again? Hell, Noah. You’re the only one I trust to do this.”
“Shit.” Noah stood and walked to the window, staring out at the full moon. “You know I’d do anything for you, Con. But I don’t want your woman.”
“I know that. Which makes you perfect for this. I know you have no attachment to Katya. You’ll be fulfilling an obligation.”
Noah blew out a breath and dragged his hand through his hair. “It’s one hell of an obligation.”
“If you say no, I’ll have to choose someone else. I hate this, Noah. And I know you do, too.”
“How does Katya feel about it?”
“She’s fine with it. Says it’s a one-time thing, means nothing. I guess she’s used to it since she’s familiar with the customs here. It’s not like a bomb was dropped on her tonight.”
Noah turned around and faced him, a smirk lifting the corners of his mouth. “You’re just worried she’ll enjoy it too much.”
“With you as my choice, I doubt it.”
Noah laughed and shook his head. “I can’t believe the shit I do for you, Con. So what’s the game plan?”
Chapter Thirteen
Noah stood in the clearing with Conner, Elena and about a dozen other witnesses. Much fewer people than he expected. Then again, he supposed this wasn’t a big deal to those who’d seen it before.
For that matter, it wasn’t a big deal for him either. He wasn’t a newcomer to the arena of ménages, and had shared women with other men before. He’d even had several women at once, and they’d shared each other.
Hell, he liked sex. Liked it a lot. And Katya had a fiery passion that he couldn’t wait to taste.
But he didn’t love her, and Conner did. And this ritual was a big damn deal to his brother. This wasn’t just a woman to fuck and discard as if she meant nothing. Katya was his sister-in-law now. She was a Devlin. And he’d have to tread carefully in this event.
Shit. He really needed to finish up this task with Conner and get the hell off this mountain. Some solitude was definitely in order. Maybe one of the islands, or even the jungle. The sooner he got a new assignment from the agency, the better.
There was too much emotion here. This love crap was fine for other people, but not for him. God help him when it came his time to take on a pack and a mate. He sure as hell wasn’t ready for it right now. He might never be.
As a wolf, he was wild, untamed and as free as the night air swirling above them. The human part of him craved the same freedom.
No, he’d be unlikely to settle down anytime soon, much to his mother’s disappointment. Then again, she knew him better than anyone, knew he hated to be tied down. That’s why he chose the career path he had. It allowed him freedom of movement and never required him to settle in one place too long.
He’d already been here too long and felt the burning itch to run.
But not yet. First, he had a task to fulfill. A last duty to his brother.
Making love to a beautiful woman wasn’t exactly an arduous task. He’d never tell Conner, but he actually looked forward to it.
He glanced over at Elena, enjoying the way she devoured him with her hot eyes. If he read Elena’s signals right, Katya wouldn’t be the only woman he had tonight.
His cock rose and pressed against his pants, a fact that wasn’t lost on the icy blonde. She was perfect for him. Wild and free, loving sex for the pure satisfaction and thrill of it. No strings required. Elena was no more ready for love and relationships than he was, which made her the ideal sex partner for him while he was here.
Soon enough, he’d leave her, too. Only she wouldn’t care. And neither would he.
If only life could always be that simple.
* * * * *
Katya headed into the woods, trying to summon up the courage to get through what came next. She wanted to be locked in her bedroom with her husband and spend the remainder of the night making hot, fiery love wi
th him. But she had an obligation to fulfill first. Once that was done, she could start on her new life with Conner.
What was going to happen tonight made her nervous. First, because she never wanted anyone other than Conner to touch her. And two, because she worried he would think she desired another man.
Granted, if she had to choose another to partake in the ritual, she couldn’t ask for one better than Noah. Not only was he ruggedly handsome, but he walked and talked with an inherent eroticism that intrigued her. The man had to be good, and despite the fact she was wholly and completely in love with Conner, the idea of having Noah just once wasn’t at all unpleasant.
The bond Noah and Conner shared was evident. That made what was going to happen easier than if Conner was forced to share her with a stranger. Besides, she didn’t think she could tolerate another man’s touch. Noah, on the other hand, was family now. And that she could deal with. He and Conner were so close in looks and temperament that it would be like making love to a mirror image of her husband.
Her nipples hardened against the thin gown, her pussy clenching in anticipation of what would occur.
People had already assembled in the clearing. Not everyone who lived in and around the castle would attend, but they only required an audience for the first portion of the event. She saw Conner and Noah talking to Elena, who was no doubt explaining the steps of the ritual to them. Conner turned before she’d even cleared the last copse of trees. His eyes met hers and they connected on a level reserved only for the two of them.
He smiled, and she knew everything would be all right. Noah turned next and grinned, arching a brow. His gaze roamed appreciatively over her body and she felt her cunt moisten.
Conner met her halfway and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her neck. She shivered at the heated touch of his mouth to her skin. When he pulled back, he looked her directly in the eyes.
“Since you’ve never had another man but me, this is an opportunity for you to experience what it’s like. After this, I won’t have to worry that you’ll spend the rest of your life wondering what it would have been like to fuck another man.”