by Bonnie Vanak
Kara stepped into the little pool of light.
Nine males gasped. Some turned away, refusing to look. Shame kicked her in the guts. Lifting her chin, she told herself not to care what they thought.
But she did. She always did. Men found her horrifying, men who once called her pretty.
Please, don’t do this to me, please, she thought, the lump in her throat turning to a baseball. Ryder would not want her in his bed now. He’d probably recoil in disgust.
Finally she summoned the courage to lift her gaze. He did not flinch or turn away. Instead, his look was slowly appraising and thoughtful. The warmth of his smile erased her fears.
“Take her backpack,” he instructed the males.
“What about the girl?” one Lupine asked.
“She’s so ugly, I’m surprised the trolls didn’t die of fright after seeing her,” another muttered.
Ryder backhanded the Lupine, sending him sailing through the air into a thick tree trunk.
“Don’t insult her,” Ryder snapped.
He strode forward and lifting her as easily as a sack of sugar, dumped her over his broad shoulder. The flat of his palm gently stroked the curve of her bottom as he faced his men.
“She’s mine,” he told them. “Meet your new queen. My mate.”
Chapter 3
His…mate?
Maybe her Lupine hearing had gone awry. Kara felt deeply confused as Ryder jogged through the forest, carrying her over his shoulder as if she weighed no more than a sack of cotton. After a few minutes, the woods opened to a wide clearing with a dirt road. Parked near a tall pine was a gleaming black pick-up truck. Ryder opened the passenger door and gently put her on her feet.
He reached into the truck and retrieved silver handcuffs. Alarm raced down her spine. Staring at the cuffs, she drew back. Silver did not kill Lupines, but made them weak and helpless.
Giving her an apologetic glance, Ryder snapped the cuffs on her wrists. Her knees sagged and she grabbed a fistful of his shirt to remain standing. His touch seared her with heat as he lifted her by the waist into the truck.
“Sorry for the restraints, but I can’t risk you running off. When we get home, I’ll remove them.”
“My home is back with Aiden. Who, by the way, will be furious when he finds out what you’ve done.”
He shut her door, then climbed into the driver’s seat and switched on the ignition. “By the time your brother discovers your abduction, you’ll be naked in my bed.”
Arousal bit at the possessive note in his deep voice. She imagined Ryder’s strong, gorgeous body heavy on top of her as he parted her thighs and slid deep inside. Pushing aside the tempting thought, Kara scowled. “What makes you think I’d agree to this insane plan?”
Ryder glanced at her. “The money I’m sending to your brother in exchange for you. Or does Aiden have the funds to pay off the loan on that rat trap he calls a ranch?”
“Money. Not gold,” she said slowly, thinking fast. He hadn’t found it. Yet.
“Just hard, solid cash.”
“I knew you were bluffing. You didn’t find my father’s treasure.”
“No. I said it to lure you here.”
“Why? So you could humiliate me by taking my virginity and then dumping me, like my father dumped you into a prison cell?”
His expression turned fierce. Ryder clasped her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze.
“Humiliate you, the only Lupine who ever saw me as a male of worth? I’d sooner cut off my balls, sweeting. I lured you here because I need a mate.”
More confusion. He didn’t want a night of intense sex, but a mate.
“I’m sure you have plenty of females to choose from, so why me? Do you want vengeance against my family for what Alastair did to you?”
“I had my revenge when I defeated your sire in a pack challenge for leadership. It’s done. Now I must have a mate as soon as possible.”
“Take out a personal ad.” She tugged at the handcuffs. “Why now and why me and why this? This is not a nice way to court me.”
A gleam lit his gaze. “I’m not a nice guy. I’m a wolf, and it’s time for me to mate. And ever since the day I kissed you in the hallway, I’ve wanted to strip you naked, push you up against a wall, spread you wide and fuck you senseless.”
A furious flush ignited her cheeks. Kara’s heartbeat increased at the evocative visual. “Guess that answers my question. You always did speak your mind.”
“That’s what got me into trouble with your father. He hated me for not being a meek omega. When I dared to kiss his daughter, he took action.”
Self-consciously, she put a hand over her right cheek, turning from him, feeling the pull of old scar tissue. “You weren’t the only one he punished.”
Damn had not meant to let that out. Kara stared out the window.
A strong, warm palm captured her chin. Ryder forced her to face him. Humiliation crawled through her, thick and dark and clogging. She faked a smile. “Like the view? I’ve changed since you last saw me.”
Gently, he thumbed her scarred cheek, though his gaze turned hard as flint. “I killed him too fast. Should have taken my sweet time with him for what he did to you instead of giving him an honorable death.”
He dropped his hand and put the truck into drive. They bumped and bounced as he guided the vehicle down the mountain. Kara bit her lip. She had to get out of this before they reached the ranch and the pack saw her.
“Release me, Ryder. You want revenge on Aiden and my family. Keeping me here won’t prove anything. The pack doesn’t give a damn who you choose for a mate.”
“Perhaps. The elders only advised me to find a mate, quickly, and fill her belly with my young.”
“You could have your choice among all the single females.”
“I want only you. You bring out the wolf in me.”
The husky note in his voice made her insides tremble. She held up her handcuffed wrists. “This is a bit extreme. Or are you into kinky stuff like bondage?”
He grinned. “Have not tried that. Yet. But I’m certain with you it could prove exhilarating. We could start with velvet ropes, work our way up to ball gags and harnesses before testing the really heavy stuff.”
“Ball gag my ass!”
“No sweeting, it goes into the other orifice. The one with your tongue.”
She growled.
He laughed. “You’re so cute when you snarl. I miss that, I miss you…”
When his voice trailed off, she stole a look at his face. His expression turned hard once more, as if regretting the slip.
The dirt road turned into a paved road, banked by a rushing river. They followed the river as it cut through a wide expanse of grassy meadow.
As they neared the ruins of the stone grist mill, she felt a familiar sadness. Ryder had been ten years old when his parents had shared a romantic dinner there by candlelight and the timbers caught fire. They were trapped inside and died.
Jaw clenched, Ryder stared straight ahead. She knew he avoided the mill except once a year, when he went there on the anniversary of their deaths.
Kara glanced around with interest as they approached the ranch’s gate. The broken fence rails had been replaced with new wood.
“You’ve kept up with repairs.”
Ryder guided the truck down the winding road. “Through a third party, I actually managed to convince Alastair to spend the money on regular maintenance. When the business got a small windfall from selling shares of stock that had skyrocketed, I even got him to renovate the basement and turn it into a rec room.”
“A third party… Marcus?” The Lupine had been the ranch’s business manager.
Nodding, he continued, “When Alastair found out I was behind it, he tossed me into my second home.”
“Huh?”
He gave a humorless smile. “Solitary confinement. When I became alpha, I ordered the repairs to continue.”
Glad he called him “Alastair” and not “your father
,” she made an approving sound. “Aiden tried to get him to improve the ranch, but it was a slow process. All he cared about after losing mom was staying in his office in the basement and writing his book about their time together.”
Maybe if her mother had lived, things would have been different. Kara sighed. Her parents had been running in wolfskin during a rare vacation in Alaska when her mother stepped into a bear trap. The shock and loss of blood killed her. Alastair had gone mad with grief.
And then, just simply…mad.
“No one could reason with him,” Ryder said. Anger roughened his husky voice. “Not the pack elders, not anyone.”
The truck climbed up a steep hill and then descended into the valley. The lodge sat in a meadow, surrounded by derelict buildings that once housed a bunkhouse for the cowboys, a bowling alley and a pizzeria for the enjoyment of all 350 pack members. A knot formed in her stomach as she studied the abandoned structures and the tall weeds clogging the grass. Would the pack think she’d abandoned them too?
The lodge looked much better. With its angled roof and archways, the log building seemed to soar upward into the clouds. The wraparound porch held several rocking chairs, giving the home an air of warmth. Little warmth had been found inside its walls in the days before Aiden had freed her from her room, shivering and afraid, and fled with her, never to return.
The garage doors boasted a new coat of green paint and the exterior looked varnished and nearly new.
Ryder parked in the driveway, glancing at her as he shut off the engine. “We’re renovating. Weatherproofed the outside. Interior’s next.”
It looked nice. “Where did you get the money?”
His jaw went taut. “I sold my land in Wyoming.”
Stunned, Kara faced him. “Oh Ryder…why? You told me that land had been in your family for generations.”
His broad shoulders lifted. “This is my family now. Colorado is my home and this pack means everything to me. Things have been bad, Kara. Alastair sold nearly all the ranch stock and let everything slide. At the end, even Marcus couldn’t reason with your sire. He grew too violent and moody. He didn’t care what happened to the pack anymore.”
“How did you manage?” All the while she’d been miserable in Montana, thinking things were fine back here. Obviously, she’d been very wrong.
“I worked with Marcus. He taught me how to forge Alastair’s signature. We funneled most of the remaining funds from the corporate account into a new bank account Alastair couldn’t touch. Any profits the ranch received from selling the stock went into that account and that’s what I used to pay bills. Saved us from having the electric cut off. Vendors don’t care who pays, long as they’re paid.”
Deeply troubled, she mulled over this new information. Her father had been careless at times, but never irresponsible.
“How could he let everything go? This was his pack and he led them.”
His gaze remained steady. “He started to get worse after you and Aiden left. He just didn’t give a shit about anything.”
Guilt filled her. She’d let the pack down by running off. “I should have stayed.”
“Don’t blame yourself.” He squeezed her hand. “Alastair had already started to decline long before you left. You’re the one who tried to convince him to see a shrink.”
“And he refused. He was too proud. I never dreamed he’d let everything fall apart, Ryder. Aiden and I never would have left, had we known.”
“You did what you had to do. Just as I…did what I had to do.” He removed his hand, his expression tightening. “That’s why I challenged Alastair. If someone didn’t take over, the pack would have starved this winter. I didn’t want to end his life. He was your father. But I had no choice.”
Tension knotted her stomach. “You saved the people, Ryder. Maybe in the end, he wanted to die, wanted someone to end it for him. He was so unhappy since my mother’s been gone. Sometimes I think he blamed himself for her death.”
Silence draped between them for a moment. Finally she spoke up.
“Is Marcus still with the pack? Did you convince him to become your new beta after you defeated Alastair?”
“He’s my lieutenant.” Ryder flexed his hands. “There are no more beta wolves. No more alpha or omega. No titles. Just pack and I lead them.”
She liked the idea. Kara turned her head to regard the wide, open meadows, noting the broken lines in the fences. Rusting with disuse, a tractor sat in the middle of an overgrown field where corn had once grown. “Did you get a lot of money for your property to finish the repairs?”
“Enough to fix the most important things. I plan on sending the remainder to your brother to pay off his debts.”
“I hope it’s a large amount, because I’m not cheap. For one night or several.” Aiden wouldn’t be burdened by her or the bills.
“No, you are not,” Ryder said softly. “You are priceless.”
His words soothed her pride. Not that she was fool enough to believe them. Thankfully, the lodge seemed deserted as he lifted her into his strong arms and carried her up the porch steps. Inside, an enormous stone fireplace dominated the living room with its wide windows and commanding view of the jagged mountains.
Home.
Not my home. No longer, she thought with a painful wrench of her heart.
Ryder carried her up the stairs, down the hallway to the last room on the left. The door opened to a guest bedroom with a white mirrored dresser, a narrow bed covered with a homemade quilt and a writing desk. White wallpaper covered with powder blue cabbage roses adorned the walls. The room felt cozy and welcoming.
Kara breathed a small sigh of relief he had not taken her to her old bedroom. Too many bad memories lived there.
Very gently, he laid her down on the narrow bed.
“I’ll get some fresh towels for the shower. Your clothes are in the dresser.”
He closed the door behind him as he left.
Suddenly exhaustion surfaced. The bus journey to Colorado and then walking through the woods to find the hidden cache of gold and the fight with the trolls took their toll. Kara closed her eyes for a minute.
She dreamed of home, before her father had gone mad and everything turned sour. He laughed and applauded as she and Ryder raced on horseback, running through the meadow into the dark forest and then into the secret tunnel leading to the lodge.
The tunnel, site of the hidden gold, the key to freedom…
Fragrant pine and delicious warmth surrounded her. For the first time since Aiden had spirited her away that awful night, she felt happy.
The scent of pine and fresh rain grew stronger. Kara struggled to keep the peaceful feeling intact, knowing it would evaporate like morning mist.
“Wake up sweeting.”
The deep voice rubbed across her skin like the brush of dark velvet. Forcing her eyes open, she struggled to remember her surroundings.
Ryder perched on the bed’s edge, regarding her intently. He looked sexy and dangerous. A shaft of sunlight touched his tousled brown hair, streaking it with chestnut. Amusement danced in his blue eyes.
“The sleeping Lupine awakens for her first kiss. But alas, the first kiss already took place and the handsome prince was punished for his daring,” he murmured.
She went to rub her eyes, and realized her wrists were still handcuffed. “How long was I out?”
“Thirty minutes. I wanted to remove the handcuffs, but you looked too peaceful. I didn’t want to wake you.” His mouth quirked. “You look so lovely when you’re tied up. Very delicious and helpless. I’d like to eat you up.”
Intensely sexual, his body was hard and tempting. Made a woman want to hold him close as he devoured her mouth. She fisted her hands, fighting the instinctual Lupine urge to surrender to sensual need.
“You’re too thin,” he observed, boldly placing a hand on her belly. “I need to fatten you up before I devour you.”
Kara gave a bitter laugh. “Too thin? That’s a first. I’m large
as an ocean liner.”
His gaze grew intent. “Lupine females were made to be lush and curvy. Your body is ripe for receiving mine, and for bearing young. There is nothing wrong with you that rest and a good hearty meal won’t cure.”
“Give me a steak and we’ll call it even. I’ll skip dessert. Maybe I can have it later, at my brother’s house when you return me.”
His voice dropped to a dark whisper. “I’m not returning you, sweeting. But you can be dessert. I have a tube of edible oil I plan to use later, when I massage you all over. And then lick it all off.”
Her lower belly tightened as she imagined Ryder smoothing hot oil over her body, lingering and slow, a sensual caress as he rubbed and stroked…
Blinking away the erotic image, she shook her head. “You underestimate me.”
“And you underestimate my determination. I want you, Kara. You will be my mate.”
Her mouth went dry. “Is that a proposal? Hardly romantic.”
Ryder’s smile widened. “I can be very romantic. But you know I’ve always been direct when it comes to speaking my mind.”
Kara held up her wrists. “Still planning to keep me prisoner? Maybe you’ll toss me into one of Alastair’s old cells.”
“I closed that section of the basement. First act I did upon taking over.”
He came closer, so close he threatened to drown her in his rich scent. His big body was aggressive and filled with purpose. But the hand he placed on her scarred cheek was gentle.
Ryder ran a thumb across the ruined flesh of her cheek. His touch felt sensual and drugging. She wondered what the smooth stroke of his tongue would feel like between her legs…
“We will be lovers,” he said softly. “You will become my mate, Kara. You cannot fight what is between us any more than I can. You know you were meant for me.”
Slow, seductive images, hands stroking over her shuddering, wet flesh, filled with erotic promise…
Stop it!
Kara spoke in a firm tone. “Take off the handcuffs.”
“We could leave them on. Just for fun.”
“Take them off.”
“Come now, Kara. Don’t you want to play with the wolf?”