Windham Werewolves

by Shawntelle Madison

  “So be it.” Kaden moved first. Maybe if he smacked some sense into his brother, Bastian might come to his senses.

  He threw a hard right hook, followed by a left that knocked his brother into the wall. His younger brother shook off the blow with ease. “About time we settled this between us like men.”

  Bastian was quick to respond, bringing up his leg in a kick. Kaden blocked it.

  Every time they had fought as kids, Kaden had been the victor. Only once had Bastian won by playing dirty and throwing sand into Kaden’s eyes.

  With a snarl, Bastian came at him again with a combination: a right hook, a brutal uppercut, and then a right jab that dazed him for a moment. When his momentum propelled him left, Kaden twisted downward, sweeping his brother’s left leg and bringing him down.

  “Argh!” Bastian crashed hard onto the shelf next to the front door.

  “Are you done fighting me?”

  “Why don’t you come find out…” Bastian staggered forward, wiping off blood from a cut on his forehead.

  He slammed into Bastian, shoulder to chin, as hard as he could, and his brother tumbled onto the kitchen table, whacking his head on the hard surface.

  Bastian scrambled to stand, his red face contorted into a snarl. Among the debris on the floor, he reached for a kitchen knife

  “So it’s come to this?” Kaden whispered. At this point, he was willing to fight Bastian until he acquiesced, but his brother was willing to take things beyond the point of no return.

  Bastian nodded. “Damn right it is. Only one of us is leaving this cabin alive.”

  Kaden didn’t budge. Suddenly, he spotted a weapon in the corner, Cyn’s spear. He grabbed it.

  Slowly, his brother closed in on him. “The end’s coming for you soon, Kaden.” Bastian laughed as if he found the situation funny. “I’ll tell everyone you snapped and tried to kill me.”

  He’s lost his mind… Kaden’s legs tensed and he tightened his grip on the spear. Could he really kill his brother?

  Bastian’s jaw twitched as he clasped the blade with his trembling hand. With a roar, Kaden surged forward and sprang into the air. He aimed at Bastian’s mid-section, but Bastian glanced off the blow with a swipe of the steel blade. Unfettered, Kaden twisted hard to the right to swing the spear back around in one smooth motion. With a hard thrust forward, he stabbed Bastian in the belly.

  “Ahhh!” Bastian reached for him, grasping and clawing. Unable to get past the spear’s length, his brother slammed his fist down the middle to sever the staff. Kaden grabbed the jagged edge, ramming his brother into the closest wall. The scent of Bastian’s spilled blood filled the air.

  “Give up, Bastian!” Kaden kept one hand on the broken spear and the other was used to twist Bastian’s right arm behind his back.

  When he pushed the spear a bit to the left, his brother cried out in pain. “Kill me then, you coward!”

  With every jerk, Kaden felt like he was stabbing himself. Just seeing his brother’s face filled him with remorse, but he had to do this.

  “Go ahead and do it, Kaden,” he goaded. “Or are you too weak to lead and do what must be done?”

  “The easy route would be to watch you take your last breaths. To end this back and forth between you and me.” Bastian squirmed and tried to push them backward, his face reddening, but Kaden’s grip on him was too tight. “But after Dad died, I promised Mom I’d protect you. I’m willing to do what must be done to uphold that promise.” Damn it, Brother, stop fighting me!

  Instead of pushing the spear right or left, Kaden pushed upwards until his brother howled.

  Just when he thought he could do no more to bend his brother to his will, Bastian finally relaxed and his head tilted to the side. Bastian bared his vulnerable neck, the ultimate gesture of submission.

  Kaden immediately released his brother and staggered backward as if he was the one who’d been stabbed. Bastian fell to the floor in a heap.

  “Damn you for doing this, Bastian…” He pulled the spear out of his brother and threw the broken stick aside. The back of his throat burned. Pain coursed through him, but it wasn’t the pain from his injuries. It was the pain of betrayal. “Leave the body on my porch. I don’t want to see your face again for a very long time.”

  Kaden didn’t move after that, even after Bastian stumbled to stand and limped out the door.

  The sound of the front door shutting had a dead finality to it.

  Chapter 10

  Cyn stumbled out of the bedroom into what was left of the living room. The kitchen table couldn’t be called such, one of the walls had holes in it, and there was blood all over the floor.

  If she hadn’t seen Kaden slumped over on the sofa, she would’ve assumed the worse.

  “What happened here?” she asked, joining him on the couch. She examined his body, checking every limb for injuries. Not a single bruise marred his perfect face.

  Yet, only a wounded man would stare at the door with the blank expression Kaden had. “We fought and I won. He’s gone. It’s over.”

  He didn’t protest when she eased herself into his lap. Each movement was painful, especially her throat when she swallowed. She’d worry about her wounds later. Kaden needed her more than she needed him.

  “Close your eyes,” she whispered. “Rest now.” When he didn’t obey, she used her fingertips to lower his eyelids.

  “There now, my stubborn little wolf.” She snuggled against his chest, resting her head on his shoulder.

  Soon enough, his quickened heartbeat slowed down and he appeared to doze off. No matter the pain, it was easy to relax against him. She closed her eyes, too.

  Time passed from day to night. Cynthia was on the edge of slumber when a honeyed feeling enveloped her. Pleasure coursed from her stomach and spread into her limbs. When the sweet bliss snaked down to her core, she opened her mouth to moan.

  “Mmmm,” she murmured.

  The discomfort in her throat faded away. The scratches that burned her sides became a faint memory.

  “Cyn…”

  She opened her eyes to see Kaden looking at her. The heat in his gaze further inflamed her desire for him.

  “I need you, Cyn,” he whispered. “Only you.”

  She didn’t speak as he carried her toward the bedroom. None of the lights were on, so she trusted his eyes. With every footstep, anticipation filled her body. Usually, they had a game of dominance to see who would give in first. Would she be the one on top? Would he be the one to make the calls in the bedroom?

  But tonight was different. He was the wounded one.

  Once inside the bedroom, he immediately shut the door, leaving them in complete darkness. Instead of heading to the bed, he set her down in the middle of the room and directed her to the far wall. He enclosed her in his arms and bent his head until his forehead pressed against hers. His arousal brushed against her leg and she couldn’t wait for their clothes to come off.

  This was the moment she enjoyed the most, the anticipation, not knowing what he’d do next. But she had to admit one thing to him.

  “Thanks for leaving the light off,” she whispered.

  “Why is that?” His lips were on her neck now, slowly trailing to the most sensitive part near her pulse point. Each nibble ignited the need for release.

  “I probably look horrible right now with all these bruises. And, well, my body has changed since my first night here.” Now that she was on the path to recovery, she didn’t have a toned body anymore.

  Kaden ran his hands over her shoulders. From there, he lightly brushed his fingertips against her waist and hips. “You were unhealthy before, but your body is much better suited to your height. I love the way you are now: delicious and curvy.”

  Before she could protest, he lifted her shirt and his mouth was on her bare breasts. He rained soft kisses along every curve. “I want to stay right here. I can make every doubt and pain you have go away.” His mouth traced a circle around her bright pink areola. “So soft.”
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  “I’m not stopping you…” she managed.

  In the darkness, she felt him suck and nip at her most sensitive places. He paused for a moment to kneel before her to better position himself. While he drove her crazy with his mouth on her body, all she could do was reach for him. She ran her fingers through his hair, unable to hold back the moan stirring at the back of her throat.

  He sucked hard at her nipple, forcing her to release the breath she held. Suddenly, his hands were at her hips, tugging her pants down. She complied and stepped out of them for him.

  “Kaden…”

  “I’ve dreamt of the day when you became well, and I could see what you truly looked like.” He chuckled. “Minus the bruises.” His warm breath was on the soft curve of her stomach. Slowly, his tongue dipped into her belly button, eliciting a squeal from her. “Ticklish, are we?”

  She tried to push him back, but he continued to lick her until she laughed out loud. Naughty little wolf, she thought.

  Next came her panties and now she was naked.

  She expected him to stand so she could reciprocate and give him pleasure, but he remained where he was and tugged one of her legs over his shoulders.

  “Kaden, what are you—” The moment his mouth brushed against her core, her legs trembled.

  “I can’t tell you how much it turns me on to hear you scream,” he murmured. With one long lick, he fired every nerve ending between her legs.

  “Oh, God!” she gasped.

  Kaden was relentless with his tongue and sampled every part of her. She screamed his name again and again as a climax swept over her. By the time she slumped against the wall, he had backed up. The sounds of his discarded clothes meant one thing.

  “Should we go to the bed—” He pressed his fingertips against her lips. The time for words was apparently over. With one swift movement, he had her up against the wall, her legs wrapped around his hips, and then his hard length was inside her. Finally! She cried out from the first thrust and her core tightening around him.

  Then she had no place to go but to hang onto him as he thrust into her again and again.

  ***

  The moment Kaden was inside her, he couldn’t stop himself. He’d wanted to take things slow and show her how much he wanted her. How much he needed her to be with him.

  His hips pushed upward until she took all of him. She was so tight. So perfect. He savored the closeness they had now. There was hardly any space between. His mouth was on hers. Her arms were wrapped around his neck, locking him in place. Everything was perfect.

  “Yes…yes…yes!” Her cries drove him crazy, urging him to move faster, to go harder. As much as he wanted to go all out, he didn’t want to hurt her.

  She was so responsive, and he tensed as her next climax approached.

  “That’s it,” he urged. “Come for me, baby.”

  She obliged, crying out his name again. He wished Cyn could see how beautiful she was to him. In the dark, he could make out every feature on her face. When she climaxed, her lips would part and her light gray eyes formed slits. Every defense she put up collapsed as she exposed her true self to him.

  That was the woman he wanted by his side.

  As she relaxed, his own release came swiftly and his body stiffened against hers. Every worry that plagued him vanished for an exquisite moment and only the two of them existed. “Mine,” he whispered.

  Gently, he carried her to their bed and placed the covers over them. Time passed and he enjoyed having this moment of peace. As her body relaxed against his, he expected her to fall asleep, but she spoke instead.

  “There’s something I’ve been wondering for a while,” she began.

  “Hmmm?”

  “What did Zach do for you as a part of your agreement to save me?”

  He brushed her dark hair out of her face. “You’ve been thinking about the arrangement a lot, haven’t you?”

  “It’s been hard not to.”

  Kaden drew in a deep breath. He’d been avoiding this subject, but Cyn was relentless in her search for answers. “Zach promised to oversee this territory in exchange for your life. In order to save you, I must take you as my mate.”

  “So that means my clan would control all freelancer and hunter activity in the area.”

  “Precisely.”

  “That’s too much for him to handle. You’re both crazy.”

  “Crazy about you, Cyn.” He kissed her cold nose. One of the short strands of her hair curled around his finger.

  She paused and chuckled. “You weren’t crazy about me in the beginning.”

  “No, I wasn’t,” he admitted.

  She sighed. “You can’t keep healing me forever until I make my decision.”

  He let go of the strand he’d held. “What you’re truly saying is you don’t want to be my mate and become what I am.” Which meant she didn’t truly accept what he was. He had no idea how to convince her under their current circumstances. Cyn’s life among the pack would become more difficult before it became easier.

  “Don’t do this to me.” She stiffened against him. “If I could be with you and protect my family, I’d do both in a heartbeat.”

  “He’s a grown man, Cyn,” he growled. “You have to let him go and make his own decisions…and mistakes.”

  Her eyebrow rose. “Like the mistakes Bastian has made?”

  He winced. Bastian gave him far too many burdens to carry. Just thinking about their fight gave him physical pain.

  “Are you all right?” she asked softly.

  No, he wasn’t. “I’ll be fine.” He covered her body with his and sampled her lips. He would kiss her until she understood that she belonged here with him and nowhere else.

  After the kiss had ended, she tried to hide a smile and failed. “You’re so bad…I still can’t believe it’s only been a few weeks and our relationship has progressed this far.”

  “When a werewolf attaches to someone, letting go is next to impossible.”

  She sighed. “I never believed in that mated for life stuff. So, you’re telling me that’s all true?”

  He took her hand and kissed the back. The intensity of her gaze made him want to take her as his mate right then and there. “Yes, it is.”

  “But you said next to impossible.”

  His past relationship with Hayley briefly came to mind, but he pushed the thought away with ease. Hadn’t he attached to her, too? And yet, she’d left him behind as if their bond had meant nothing. Which meant his assertion could be a lie.

  His grip around Cyn tightened as a wave of possessiveness blanketed him. No, she belongs with me. Even with all these obstacles in the way, he’d see things through to the very end.

  Finally, he managed to speak. “Keeping you safe from the others will be hard, but not impossible. Get some sleep. We need to find Micah soon, but we need to recover first.” He closed his eyes and listened. Just hearing her steady heartbeat took some of his worries away. He could keep healing her and protecting her, no matter what danger may come for them. While he had strength in his body, he’d never fail her.

  Chapter 11

  Cyn woke the next morning to find a note from Kaden on the dresser next to their bed.

  I’m heading out to find Micah. Get some rest. I still need you.

  She read the note again and again. By the third time, she was laughing and smiling. He hadn’t outright told her he loved her yet, but the fact that he needed her almost felt the same.

  That tricky little wolf is making me fall in love with him.

  After everything that had gone down with Bastian, at least Kaden was safe. She sat quietly on the edge of bed, lost in her own thoughts until she heard a knock on the front door.

  She spotted a tense Sinister on the porch. He was leaning over an open bag containing the body.

  Why was the body on the porch of all places?

  Tentatively, she approached him.

  “Kaden told me to bury the body like I did the other one,” Sinister s
aid. “I was about to do it when I got curious and examined the body. I noticed something weird.”

  Cyn approached the corpse from the other side. The blond man, who wore a thick, black coat and tattered jeans, had been sliced open along his belly. The sight was gruesome, but she’d seen victims like this before.

  “This man was slaughtered,” she whispered.

  “He has bits of skin under his fingernails, though. Whoever killed him took a few hits,” Sinister observed.

  “If he attacked the pack, he was a drifter who tangled with the wrong people.”

  “Oh, no, Cynthia. Look closer,” Sinister advised.

  Along the opening on the side of his body, close to his chest, Cyn caught a glimmer of dull color, a light blue. Using the switchblade strapped to her leg, she tilted the dead man’s shirt open to reveal a tattoo. A light-blue tattoo.

  No way. No freaking way. She pulled the shirt open wider to reveal light-blue werewolf paw prints. She knew that tattoo well.

  The Windhams had killed a hunter.

  Did Kaden know this entire time?

  Not only was this man a hunter but he was also a member of the second most dangerous clan of hunters: the Cerulean clan. They had money, influence, and power.

  The intensity of Sinister’s gaze burned the side of her face. His eyes slowly closed to slits. His jaw twitched with building anger and his words the other day bounced around her head: The Cerulean clan always comes to collect what they’re owed. The debtors pay in blood.

  There was no way in hell the Windham pack wouldn’t pay for this.

  The End of Part 2

  This story is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2015 Shawntelle Madison

  Version 1.0