One True Mate 5: Shifter's Rogue

by Lisa Ladew

  He stepped backwards, his face not angry, not upset, not even disappointed in her. For the first time she noticed how blue his eyes were, like the ocean on a sunny day.

  He pulled his shirt over his head in one motion and her gaze went to his chest. Greek-god worthy, certainly, but not going to convince her. The spiky tattoos that climbed up his left arm and chest, winding their way up his body? Shit, just don’t look at them. Damn sexy fucker. But she could resist.

  She smirked. If that’s what he was reduced to, she’d won, and if she wanted to fuck him later, she still could, because she’d won this battle. If she wanted to. Yeah, right.

  But then he kicked off his boots and undid his pants and pushed them down. Nothing sexy about it. A very utilitarian act. Practical. He wasn’t taking his clothes off to show her his body. Fear built in her midsection. Blood dripped down his neck onto his chest, and guilt hit her, too, along with the fear.

  His erection sprang free as he dropped his underwear, stepping out of everything, kicking the clothes behind him. He took his cock in his hand and moved it out of the way so he could bend down without it poking him in the belly, the movement, again, completely utilitarian, but Rogue couldn’t tear her eyes away. God, if only he would stroke it. She would pay money to watch that.

  But it wasn’t to be. He let go of it, then dropped to all fours, hiding all of his body but his back from her. She opened her mouth to say something smart, but his body was already rippling, his back so rigid that she could see the outline of every muscle.

  Then he… changed. His back slimmed and elongated and his hips and arms slanted in a different direction, as white fur erupted from his back, covering his skin and hair completely. Rogue gasped for breath and tried to back up, only succeeding in pushing her ass against the wall, her feet sliding against the carpet.

  A huge white wolf stood where Mac had been. It raised its head and made eye contact with her, yellow eyes burning. She could see Mac in its face, its attitude, its expression, even in the fiery black sword on its shoulder.

  Scrambling sounded in the hall. Bruin. “Hey, Mac, why are you shifted? Is everything ok in there?”

  The wolf flicked its eyes to the door and gave one deep baying bark, kind of.

  “Blast, I hope that’s a yes,” Bruin muttered and Rogue heard his feet move away from the door.

  The wolf dropped its head, and the process happened again, but in reverse. The fur sucked into the body until only flawless skin was left, his head rounded, his paws becoming arms and legs again. He stood, still naked, and stared at her and, holy fuck, the slice she’d made down his face and neck was gone. She swallowed hard, but realized she actually wasn’t surprised at all.

  Mac spoke. “That wasn’t a yes, pumpkin, but I won’t hold it against you. I did ask for it.”

  He shifted his weight and took just one step forward. “Let’s try this again. We can do this all night. I fucking love this. But I need to know that you love it, too. So if you won’t give me a yes, how about a no? All you have to do is say, no. One time. Say that word. I know your mouth works. Say no, and I walk away. I’ll never try to kiss you again. Never try to fuck you again. Never try to make you mine again. I’ll talk to my chief about letting you go about your way, see if it’s possible. It will kill me dead, make me a walking shell of a man, a ghost here on Earth, but I’m not going to force myself on you, ever. Say the word, Rogue, and I’m gone. I’ll leave tonight. Bruin can watch over you until I get to talk to my chief.”

  Rogue licked her lips. She didn’t want to say it. She had to say it. She couldn’t say it. She couldn’t not say it. Fuck, why did he have to do this to her? But shit, here was her one chance.

  She opened her mouth. Closed it. Opened it. Closed it. Don’t say it. You can do it. Tell him yes, instead. You don’t always have to be strong.

  Opened it. “No.” Her heart screamed in her chest and her body tried to rebel, tried to spill her to the floor. She kept herself upright by sheer force of will.

  Utter defeat entered his eyes but he kept his face strong. He nodded his head to her once. “Be well,” he whispered, then bent and gathered his clothes.

  He no longer had an erection.

  Chapter 34

  Mac pulled open the door, the whisper of it swinging on its hinges weighing a thousand pounds in his hand and his ears. What now? His life was over. His mate didn’t want him. He hadn’t lied when he’d said he would be a shell of a man. Because he loved her. Loved every stubborn, defiant inch of her. Loved how she smelled, how she looked, how she moved, what and who she was. But she didn’t want him.

  The hallway swam in front of his eyes as he plodded through it, trying to imagine what his life would be like from now on.

  “Mac!” One word, and then Rogue came barreling out of the room. She launched herself onto his back, wrapped her hands around his throat and her long legs around his waist. “I didn’t mean it. I take it back.”

  Mac backed her against the wall of the hallway, dropping his clothes, and twisting in her grip until he was facing her. “Fuck, yeah, you didn’t mean it, don’t you ever do that to me again,” he rasped, then covered her mouth with his, a burning, slaking thirst for her taste filling him, making him desperate. Tears spilled over his lower lids, mixing with the tears on her cheeks, as they pawed at each other. He ripped her sleeves up as his mouth covered hers and she bit and sucked at him. He tore away one knife holster, then the other, dropping them to the ground.

  Her legs wrapped harder around his waist and her hips bucked underneath him. His cock hardened and pulsed, its bare skin against her clothes.

  “Ah, guys, I can hear you.” Bruin said from the living room.

  Mac put his arms under Rogue’s ass and carried her back into the bedroom, then kicked the door shut behind him. He lurched across the room and slammed his mate into the wall, still holding her under her generous ass.

  “Fuck, woman, you’re gonna kill me,” he told her, as she clawed at his back and his head like she couldn’t get enough of him, couldn’t get him close enough to her.

  “Maybe,” she said, then slammed her mouth against his again, as they kissed like they were dying.

  He set her down. “Pants off,” he panted.

  “You take them off,” she told him, latching onto his neck with her teeth. “Mr. Big Bad Sexy-ass Wolf. You can manage that, can’t you?”

  “Fuuccckkk,” he groaned into her mouth. “I’m gonna paddle your ass, make you nicer.”

  She smiled against his mouth and opened her eyes, her nails scratching his back and shoulders until she held his cheeks in her palms. “This is as nice as I get. But you could still try.” Her lips met his and the kiss told him everything he needed to know.

  Mac popped a claw, feeling his fangs grow in his mouth, while he kept a tight lid on his shift. Just a bit was all he needed. He pulled back from her long enough to slit her pants from waist to ankle, then grabbed her black panties at the crotch and slit them on both sides, too. He ripped them away and flung them to the floor. Now he wanted to make her scream.

  “Those were expensive panties,” she panted into his mouth, grabbing him by the ears and grinding his face against hers.

  “From now on, you don’t wear any.”

  “Yeah, we’ll see about that.”

  He kissed her more, desperate to feel the slide of her tongue, the scrape of her teeth, before he could respond. “We will see about that. I know you won’t listen to me, but that’s good. I’ll tear those fuckers off you every minute of every day if I see them on you again.”

  “You’re buying them, then.”

  “Deal.”

  He picked her up under her ass again and leaned her into the wall, his fingers delving into her hottest spot. “Good god, Rogue, you’re as wet as I knew you would be. Fuck, that’s hot. I want to eat you.”

  She panted, her head swiveling against the wall. “No way, fuck me first. Like you did in Yosemite. Hold me up against the wall. That was the best orga
sm I’ve ever had.”

  Mac grinned, feeling like the cock of the fucking walk at her admission. See? He knew his mate. He was good for her. “I can do that all fucking day.” He lowered her down slightly, wishing her shirt was off, so he could get his mouth on her breasts, or even just see them, but he only had two hands. The head of his cock touched her and she squirmed, then reached between them and grabbed it, making him groan. She fed it inside her, and Mac uncurled his biceps, letting her fall fully onto it. Her head fell back against the wall. Her eyes were closed, her lips slightly parted, her hair a mess all over her face. Mac took a mental picture of his mate at her most beautiful. Now he wanted to see her screaming.

  Shit, she was tight. She squirmed on him, her hands on his shoulders, pushing at him.

  “Shirt,” he bit out.

  She whipped it over her head and dropped it, and then he had her as blessedly naked as he wanted her. If all their time could be like this, he would die a happy male.

  He slid himself inside her just a bit more and she let out a moan, so he dropped her farther, until he was seated fully inside that hot sheath. “Fuck, yeah, Rogue, I’ve been wanting you like this since you held that knife to my neck at the rut.”

  Her eyes shot open and fixed on him, her stare deadly. “Did you fuck someone there?”

  He grinned. “No, baby. It’s just you for me, from now on. From the moment I saw you that night.”

  She smiled a little. “Don’t call me baby. And you should have told me you were a werewolf.”

  He withdrew and thrust, making her moan, making himself moan, she felt so fucking good. “I’m not a werewolf. There’s no such thing.”

  She scoffed, holding his shoulders, her nails biting into his skin. “Yeah, like I’m gonna believe anything you say. I’ll talk to Bruin when we’re done.”

  Mac growled, low and deep in his throat. “Don’t play with me, beautiful. You know that’s dangerous, right?” He withdrew and thrust again, building up a rhythm.

  She frowned, or tried to, but every time his cock rammed all the way into her, she had to let it go and breathe out his name, instead. “Dangerous for me?”

  Faster. He used his arms, curling and lowering, to give the mind-scrambling slip, slide, and slam of each thrust more velocity. Rogue’s head banged against the wall. “No, Roe, dangerous for him. So far, it’s been ok, probably just because of who he is, but we’re not mated yet, and I won’t be safe with you around other males until we are.”

  She swore and her face tightened. “We so need to have this conversation. But I want you to make me come first. Fuck me harder.”

  “Shit, woman, you got a mouth on you.” But he did as she asked, slamming her down on him, meeting each slam with a thrust, until a low moan started in the back of her throat, and her breathing told him she was getting close. Her head fell back on the wall, the noise a dull smack, and her fingers gripped him hard enough he knew she was breaking the skin. He leaned into her, sucking on her neck, her collarbone, taking in her scent. “That’s it, Roe, come for me. Fuck yeah, come all over me. I want to watch you.”

  The spasms started deep inside her, clutching at him, and he gritted his teeth, giving her everything he had, staying himself. Her pleasure first. Her pleasure first. Her hips shot forward, and her elbows locked, pinning him in place, locking them together. He set his feet wider, so he could get up underneath her, continue to slam into her.

  Her mouth opened and she screamed, the same scream he imagined she would make if she were kicking someone’s ass. Her pussy clenched at him and he couldn’t resist its pull. He moaned and threw back his own head, holding on to her ass as her body jerked around him and his cock spilled inside her.

  Spent, she went limp in his arms.

  Gently, Mac walked his mate to the bed and placed her on it, then pulled out of her, and lay down next to her, trying to catch his breath, trying to believe it had actually happened.

  From utter heartbreak to complete ecstasy.

  He had a feeling that was only a tiny preview of what life with Rogue would be like.

  Chapter 35

  Rogue grimaced at the wetness seeping out of her. Good fucking thing she had an IUD. He hadn’t even asked her. Which reminded her, she was still pissed at him. She just wasn’t pretending she didn’t want to fuck him anymore. Damn sexy werewolf. “Ew,” she said, shifting her hips. Mac jumped up and disappeared into the bathroom, coming back with a washcloth.

  He cleaned her up, smiling gently as he did so and she felt something inside her melt just a little bit. He got rid of the washcloth, then came back to lie next to her, running his fingers over the curve of her hip, his eyes drinking in her body.

  She squirmed a little under his gaze. It was nice, but scary, too. She’d never had a man pay her the kind of attention he did. But then, she’d never been with a man who really knew her, either. Every man before him had known whatever persona she’d put on, not her real self.

  She was touched, but she didn’t know how much more she was ready for. She’d given him her body, but not her heart.

  His fingers brushed her breast, then palmed it, then he leaned in for a kiss. She grabbed him by the ear and twisted it. “Talk first. Fun later.”

  “Ow!” He rubbed his ear. “Damn Roe, those aren’t handles, you know.”

  “Hmph. Spill on that mated bullshit.”

  “It’s not bullshit.” He flopped over on his back. “Where to start?” he said, then was silent for a few minutes. Then he launched right into it. “Your father’s an angel.”

  Well, that was a kick in the head. “A what? I know he’s dead, but he’s no angel. In fact, he would have gone in the other direction.”

  Mac shook his head. “No, a real angel. Like never was on Earth. Wings and everything.” He lifted his hands to the ceiling, and Rogue couldn’t help tracing the veins on his forearms and the tattoos on his bicep with her eyes. Damn sexy fucker. “You know. God. Heaven. All that good stuff.”

  She glared at him. “I don’t believe in God.”

  He laughed. “That doesn’t matter. Your father was still an angel.”

  “My father was a drunk and an asshole who hit my mother when I was a baby. She took off and he got arrested, so we ended up living with my aunt and uncle while my father choked on his own vomit in jail.”

  Mac pushed himself up on one elbow and faced her. “That wasn’t your father. Either your mom thought he was or she told him he was, but your real father is a real angel who came down out of The Haven, ah, Heaven, and impregnated a ton of human women.”

  Rogue pursed her lips. She wanted to tell him he was a crack-block with no hope, a looney-tune, a 5150, a cuckoo, a wackadoodle, but then, she’d seen him turn into a wolf before her eyes. If he was insane, so was she. “Why would an angel do that?”

  He rubbed the back of his head, then pulled on his scruff. “Shit, I gotta shave this off,” he said absently, rubbing his hand over it.

  “Don’t,” she said, putting her hand on his elbow. “I like it.”

  His eyes lit up. “Beard it is, then. Tell me when it’s too long. Ok. Why would an angel do that? It’s a long story.”

  Fifteen minutes later, when she’d heard it all, she almost felt like she’d known it already. It hadn’t seemed that strange at all. Except for the demon part. And the killing of all their females, including Mac’s mother and baby sister. Damn, now she kinda understood the weird toys in the other room a little bit. He’d glossed over that part, spoken a bit like a robot, and she could tell it was a weight he still carried.

  Mac ran a hand down her hip again, his eyes roving over her body. “Look. Your sisters, supposedly there’s hundreds of them, or thousands, we don’t know how busy your father got, but I know four of them personally. They live over at Camp Fucksalot with my packmates.”

  She snorted. “Camp Fucksalot? We should name this room that.”

  He grinned and pulled her closer to her. “So far it’s only Camp Fucksonce, but we can change th
at real quick. But I’ll need a new name for the freak-farm.”

  She thought for a minute. “How about Village Fucktastic.”

  “Sheeeit, girl, that’s perfect.”

  She grinned at the compliment. “I know.”

  “So, anyway, your sisters, they all have powers that prove they are angels. You’ve got something, too, I’ll bet. Can you do anything… supernatural.”

  She twirled a bit of hair around her finger. “Well, I’ve been told I suck a mean dick.”

  “Shit, woman, don’t tell me that!” But his cock stiffened in front of her eyes.

  She clamped her teeth on her tongue and grinned. “Why? You don’t strike me as the type who wants his women to be blushing virgins?”

  He considered. “That’s true. Ok, then, just don’t tell me how many.”

  “You’re safe. As long as you don’t tell me how many vaginal fields you’ve plowed.”

  He shook his head no and scratched at his beard solemnly, his eyes lowered. “Not many. Not many.”

  She laughed and pinched his nipple. “Liar.”

  He nodded his head yes. “No, not me.”

  Rogue relaxed onto Mac’s bed and let him pull her into his arms, both dismayed and delighted by how comfortable she was with him. By how perfectly they fit together.

  Mac ticked out one finger. “So that’s the whole story. One-you’re half-angel. Two-I’m wolfen. Three-You were made for m-”

  Rogue launched herself out of bed and stared at him, all her good feelings gone. “Wait. Wait a minute. Are you telling me that I’m a-a babymaker? That I was ‘made’ to give you babies?”

  She wanted to pace, hit something, but she had to see his face when he answered her.

  He’d gone pale. “Yes. No. Shit, I don’t know.” He reached out for her but she ducked away from him. “Rogue, sure we need babies, but it’s about more than that. We need companionship. Love. Someone to hold.”