Protecting His Mate

by M. L. Briers

  “Spit it out-“

  “On the trip to get the sleeping bags yesterday I was a little- a lot- upset over the whole Werewolves are going to attack thing-“ She dropped her head back against the wall and took a long needed breath as Cade became inpatient around her. “I mentioned the whole giving Devanaux my land thing to Whit-“ She admitted and heard him growl slightly- she snapped her eyes to his, holding him with a glare.

  “I already told you-“ The annoyance in his voice was more than evident, his whole body seemed to grow in stature around her as he pulled himself ramrod straight at the knowledge that she had gone behind his back and spoken to his Beta about a decision he had already made.

  Vicky had to tip her head back further against the wall to meet his gaze, “I know- Whit pointed that out- not so nicely either-“ She snapped back sarcastically and he growled again.

  “That’s his job as Beta- but he should have told me-“ He was in two minds whether to go off and have it out with his brother first or stay and get the rest out of his mate. She seemed to be gearing up to tell him something much worse and he wasn’t sure he wanted to hear it. Going and taking his anger out on Whit felt like a better proposition right now.

  “- We were kind of busy yesterday Cade-“ She snapped back and watched his eyes flare with anger, closing her eyes to his probing gaze for a long moment, she relinquished her annoyance. “I think he was more concerned about the argument that followed and what I said to him about leaving you-“ She admitted- Cade’s hand was palming her chin in an instant.

  “Look at me-“ There was a demand in his tone that she couldn’t ignore, her eyes taking in the concern in his face- she felt the pain roll from him and hated herself for causing it. “You’re leaving?” The growl was gone- his words were soft and gentle as he stared down at her- his eyes searching her face for answers.

  “Yes- no- I was angry- I was scared Cade-“ He felt her pain, her fear wash over him and mix with his own. A dark cursed left his lips as he took a step backwards from her, his hand reached out and his fingers closed around hers, tugging her behind him, he set off down the corridor, up the stairs and didn’t stop until they were behind the closed door of their bedroom and then she was back against the wall, his body leaning into hers, his arms back to caging her in.

  “Tell me.” It was two simple words that opened the floodgates to her emotions, she felt them well up within her like a tidal wave that rolled out of her and into him, every emotion she had felt within the last two days was there and it hit him like a barrage.

  “I felt as though I had brought all of this onto you, the pack-“

  “You didn’t, it was a long time in the making-“

  “I know- you told me- Whit told me- I just couldn’t get my head around any of it-“ She felt the gentle touch of his fingers trace a line down her cheek and she reached for his hand, snagging it within her own, she couldn’t think when he did that and she needed to think now. He wanted an honest answer and she needed to give him one.

  “It felt like you had just dismissed my idea and the way you were with Blue.” She took a breath and heard him sigh, his fingers tightening over hers and she shook the images from her mind.

  “I told you why I-“ He offered and she nodded in agreement.

  “I know Cade- and Whit explained it- but all I could see yesterday was a war that was looming and the thought that someone wouldn’t be here today- that giving my land away was a risk I was willing to take to keep you safe-even for a while- even until the next full moon-“ Her voice trailed off with the tears that welled in her eyes and the despair that flowed from her.

  “I’m safe sweetheart- we’re all here-“ His words were as gentle as his touch, his hand squeezing hers, his other hand cupping her cheek and he ran a thumb over the soft skin.

  “I thought if I had never come- if I left- it would save you any more pain-“ a tear spilled down her cheek and he captured it, he felt as though her heart was in that one tear and he didn’t want to let it go.

  “It would be the end of my world if you left me-“ He admitted and she bit back more tears, trying desperately to get a grip on her emotions as she nodded her understanding.

  “I know- Whit told me- he said he’d help me deal with things I didn’t understand- pack things-“ She saw his eyes lighten a little with her admission and it was his turn to nod his understanding- his brother- his Beta was doing his job and looking out for him- for her, he was glad he hadn’t gone to beat it out of him after all, he would certainly have felt like crap about that decision.

  “Did he now-“ Cade offered thoughtfully and Vicky took it as a sign of Cade’s displeasure, rushing to Whit’s defence.

  “He was just looking out for you Cade-“

  “I know sweetheart-“ He soothed her, letting her know he was ok with what Whit had done, in fact he was more than ok with it, he needed to buy his brother a decent bottle of scotch- when the road reopened.

  “But he’s been following me around all day like a stray I’d fed and couldn’t shake- it’s driving me mad-“ She blurted out, before she winced with the thought that she had just likened Whit to a dog, but the laughter in Cade’s eyes eased her discomfort.

  “Has he now-“ Cade mused- easing her tension and she dropped her head back against the wall and groaned with the frustration of the last couple of days- she was tired, she had experienced more drama and fear in the few days that she had know Cade- than in the sum total of her life to date. Her body felt as though she had been battered and bruised, her mind was in a constant state of flux and she just needed to still everything- pause- take a break from life to regroup.

  “I just want to be with you Cade- without everything else getting in the middle- I just want to-“ His lips came down on hers, his hand going to the small of her back and scooping her to him- just the feel of his body against hers, warm and hard, demanding her own body yield to his, mould with his- enough to sooth her mind from the turmoil, focus her thoughts on him and only him- she needed this- she needed him, nothing else would do, she could run a thousand miles away from Cade and try to tell herself it was best for them both- but that would be a lie that she could never escape from, no matter how fast she ran and how far she went.

  “I want to make love to you so badly sweetheart- but I don’t want this to be about sex-“ He breathed against her lips and she ran her palms down over his chest.

  “No- sex is good-“ She answered breathlessly and heard him chuckle against her lips.

  “It’s very good- but it’s not what you need-“

  “No- it’s exactly what I need-“

  “Vicky-“ He whispered trying to get his point through to her, he wanted to have her beneath him, bury himself within her and never leave the warmth of her arms, but she was still fragile and putting sex in the mix would only delay and confuse how she felt about him.

  “Cade- if you are ever going to trust one of my decisions- let it be this one- I need you- now.” She nipped at his lower lip and he growled his desire back at her- his body cast in stone- unmoving against her, so she did it again, her fingers finding where his jumper met his waistband and she snaked her hands beneath the fabric that was baring her way to touching her man, her fingers running the smooth skin over the hard muscles of his abdomen- upwards, as that growl grew within his chest. His lips were a breath against hers.

  “I want you Cade- I want to feel you inside me- I want you to bury yourself so deep within me that I don’t know where you end and I begin-“ The dark curse that left his lips as his self restraint snapped into a million pieces and had him cupping the soft globes of her backside and he lifted her against him, her legs wrapped around his hips as he stalked over to the bed with her, his mouth coming down hard on hers- he pushed his tongue past her lips and devoured her mercilessly as she squirmed against him.

  He made no move to lower them to the bed, he could scent her arousal, her desire for him and he wanted to take her, but he wanted to love his woman in ways that would h
ave her purring beneath him.

  “Faster-“ She breathed out against his lips as she pulled away and he growled low in his chest, his dark eyes holding hers within his gaze.

  “Slowly- I want to taste every inch of you- twice-“ And he did want just that, there wouldn’t be a part of her that he wouldn’t savour tonight. His lips came down on hers again, capturing her breath as his fingers sought her folds under the skirt that had ridden up to her hips and she squirmed harder as he found her, teased her flesh.

  Yanking her lips from his she swallowed hard, “Later-“ She begged and he growled harder, his eyes flashing his need for her.

  “Now-“ He brushed her lips with his own, unable to capture her again as she turned her head away and nuzzled against his shoulder, her fingers yanking the jumper away from the smooth skin of his neck, where his pulse hammered a rhythm that matched her own racing heart and she licked hard against his vein, chasing it all the way up to below his ear, her teeth nipped at his lobe and he growled out a groan.

  “Now-“ She breathed against his ear, before sinking her teeth into his shoulder in a possessive bite that had him growling loudly into the silence of the room. She was under him on the bed in an instant- her hands seeking to release him from his jeans- his wolf rising up to her challenge within him, his beast growling his own desire for Cade to take his mate.

  “Later.” He reached for her hands just at the moment that she wrapped her fingers tightly around him, managing to stroke down his shaft once before he pushed her down in the bed with his body, her hands trapped against the mattress either side of her head.

  “Maybe I should go find a mate that will-“ It was the wrong thing to say, or maybe the right one, his angry growl tore from his throat as he glared down at her, his wolf rising to the surface, barely contained.

  “You. Are. Mine.” He growled out against her lips as she caught her breath, the excitement washing through her faster than her own heart was pumping in her chest.

  “Prove it-“ She growled back at him, her hips grinding against his. He pushed her hands together above her head, one large hand holding her in place as his fingers found her thin panties and he tore them from her, making her catch her breath.

  When his hand reached under her knee, he pushed her leg up towards her chest, opening her wide for him- he managed to hold onto his beast long enough not to just impale her with his rock hard shaft, instead he stroked inside her with one long slow thrust of his hips that took her deeply, right to the hilt, but instead of causing her pain the way his wolf’s claim would have done- she moaned with the pleasure that finally having him within her sent through her body.

  A dark curse left her lips as he nuzzled her throat, pushing the fabric of her jumper out of the way, so he could bite down into her flesh with the fangs that had descended slightly as he fought his beast for control, she stilled beneath him, her body relaxing under his hold on her as he ground his hips against hers, his possession of her -demanding she submit to him and she did.

  “Cade-“ His name left her lips on a sigh of completion- of finally being one with him and the beast within him pulled back- satisfied with her behaviour, her submission. His fangs eased from her skin and he took a long moment to tend to her wound, his tongue sealing the small puncture wounds in her flesh- before he lifted his head and gazed down at her.

  “You know better than that sweetheart-“ He gently berated her and she closed her eyes for a long moment, her inner muscles massaging him within her until he gave a low growl as she savoured the feel of him inside her.

  “I needed to feel you like this- to know that I really am your mate- that I was made for you and that to leave you would kill me inside- I could never want anyone else the way I want you- the way I feel you- the way I love you- like a fire in my blood- only really whole when you touch me so deeply, with your body and your mind.”

  “The longer we stay together, the stronger the bond between us will grow, no matter if I’m standing across a field or I’m inside your body, you will be able to feel my arms around you- feel my heart beating as though it was against your breast, feel my love for you-“ He moved within her, unable not to and her body responded to the stroke of him as though he touched every inch of her all at once.

  “I’m not leaving Cade- I couldn’t be without you- I think I would just curl up and die.” He released her wrists and she slipped her hands down to his chest as he rested on his elbows and stroked over her cheeks with the pads of his thumbs.

  “I know I said you could leave me- but I can never let you go- I would follow you to the ends of the earth- leave the pack- do anything to keep you by my side- if you decide pack life isn’t what you want- we’ll leave together.” It was an honest admission and one he didn’t think he would ever consider before knowing her, she was his life- his mate and he would do whatever it took to make her happy, keep her contented- she was the most important thing in his life- hell, she was his life.

  “Leave Anna and Whit and Marcus-?” She frowned up at him, a wave of sadness washed from her and he soothed her with his touch against her cheek.

  “If it’ll make you happy-“ He agreed and watched as she shook her head, a sadness setting in her eyes at the very thought of leaving them behind.

  “They’re our family- that wouldn’t make me happy. We’re not going anywhere my Alpha-“ He moved within her again and she curled into him as his hips rocked against her, her legs locked around his hips. “Cade-“ She breathed out against his lips, her teeth nipping his bottom lip until he growled down at her.

  “What do you want sweetheart?”

  “Not to think anymore- you have my answer- I’m yours Cade- I just want to feel now.” He pulled back from her, only far enough to stripe her jumper from her, the bra that followed- leaving her breasts exposed to his touch, his lips burning a path down the smooth valley between her breasts, before he found one aching nipple with his mouth and devoured it at the same moment that he stroked deeply into her and she fisted his hair in her hands.

  “Faster- please, until I come apart with your name on my lips-“ she needed this, needed him, needed to burn the fear of the last few days from her mind with the purity of her love for him.

  Cade slipped his hand down her back, lifting her hips from the bed- he stared down at her, his gaze meeting hers as he moved within her, long deep thrusts that stretched her around him, filled her completely, the jolts of pleasure that flowed through her- cleansing her very soul, his arms banishing the memories that she wouldn’t allow to haunt her life with him.

  He moved his hips with a rhythm that swept her up, her fingers curled into the muscles of his chest and shoulder as she climbed with him, each sweet thrust into her taking her higher, over and over, his eyes never leaving hers, an unspoken conversation between them of the love they shared, the waves of need, of love, of desire flowing between them, his- hers- emotions mixing together as he kept her balancing on the edge of her release- her breath hitching with each deep thrust, but not letting her fall over the edge completely- the feeling of being one was just too sweet to let go and she rode with him- her hips moving to meet his, her body attuned to everything he was feeling- pure bliss.

  Happiness devoured them- pleasure ravishing their bodies- love encased them as one- until Cade released them together, increasing his speed until she couldn’t keep up, letting him dominate their pace, his hips thrusting against her with such tender power that she was swept up on the wings of forever- her life frozen in that split second before release- as her muscles tightened around him and she came undone- the cry of pleasure from her lips meeting with his roar as he exploded inside her.

  The waves of sensation sweeping them up together- taking them both hard with the convulsive tightening of their muscles, the hard throbbing bolts of pure electric that tore through them as he pulled back his hips and thrust back deeply inside her, her body massaging his seed from within him with her inner muscle clenching hard around him- her bliss was his and his was hers as the
y rode through the storm that ravaged their bodies until they were spent- gasping for breath, clinging to each other.

  Cade recovered himself first, his words soothed against her neck as he nuzzled her, his hands stroking her back to him and he turned them on the bed, brought her languid body down on his and cradled her in his arms while she fought to regain her senses, one by one.

  “I love you my Alpha.” Her voice was small, but full of the passion she had just experienced with him and the love she held for him.

  “I love you my mate.” He breathed into her hair- before his hands palmed her cheeks and he lifted her face, his lips finding hers and showing her without words just how much reverence he held within him for her.

  The End.