The affectionate acknowledgment of their new familial connection settled over Bel like a warm hug. Falling in love with Troy had brought her something she had never expected, had never realized she’d missed until she’d found it. Having a sister to share things with would be wonderful. If everything worked out okay.
“Has Troy spoken to you?” She tried to keep the gnawing fear out of her voice, knew she’d failed when she heard Quinn’s intake of breath.
“What’s he said to you?” There was something in the way she asked, some hesitation, and Bel knew her suspicions were correct.
“You know what he’s planning, don’t you?” There was more accusation than she’d meant in her words, but she couldn’t help it. Troy was supposed to be her mate. They shouldn’t be keeping secrets from one another.
A muffled thump echoed down the phone. “Shit, hold on,” Quinn muttered. She turned away from the phone. “I’ll be there in a minute, Nik. Hold your goddamn horses.” Another sigh. “Look, Bel. I have to go. We’ll be with you in a few hours. I can’t tell you anything, but please know Troy is doing everything he can to keep you and your pack safe.”
Cold fear squeezed her heart. “And what about his safety? What about your safety?”
A brittle laugh sent icy fingers down her spine. “Bel, darling. When you grow up Brighton, you learn something at a very young age. Safety is a pretty illusion. Nothing more.”
The phone went dead in Bel’s hand. She was still staring at the handset when a soft knock at the kitchen door stirred her.
Glancing up, she couldn’t help but smile at her mate leaning against the frame. “You don’t have to knock, Troy. This is your home now.” He’d moved out of the guest cottage next door, freeing it up for his family to use during their visit.
He shrugged one shoulder, the dimple in his chin deepening when he gave her a sheepish smile. “I wasn’t sure what you were up to. Didn’t want to disturb you if you needed some quiet time before the ceremony.”
Brackets of strain framed his bright-green eyes, a vein throbbed at his temple, and yet he looked at her like he could eat her up. She drew a deep breath into her lungs, took his essence deep within and made up her mind. If Troy thought she would let him make some kind of noble sacrifice in the hopes of saving her, then he would be sorely disappointed. They were mates, and she would fight for him. Fight for them with everything she had.
“Come here.” She crooked her finger at him, inhaled again, and let the scent of eucalyptus, sweat, and all the other things that made him unique settle over her. He wore a pair of cut-off jean shorts and nothing else. Dirt and sweat streaked his torso, matting the trail of dark-brown hair on his lower belly into little curls. Stubble darkened his jaw, and his hair twisted every which way from where he’d scrubbed his hands through it and mopped the sweat from his brow. Primal, earthy, so unlike the urbane image he projected. This was the real Troy, and she loved him so much. The weight of her love for him, her fear for them both, filled her until her skin felt too tight. Her wolf rose, surging forward, responding to the woman’s need. Hungry, so hungry for him. She needed to make him this hungry, too.
Licking her lower lip, she stripped her T-shirt over her head, the motion so fast it made her breasts bounce. Eyes locked on her chest, he prowled across the room, tipped her over his arm, and sucked her left breast into his mouth. Yes. Good. She raked her nails down his back, leaving a mark of wanton heat, giving him a sensation to replace any lingering memory of his father’s beating. Feel me, taste me, think only of me. She shoved her hands into his shorts, gripped his firm ass, and pulled him into her body, grinding her sex against the solid heat of his erection. He growled, gave her the edge of his teeth, and she moaned his name. Working her hands around to the front, she pressed her palms against the lower ridges of his abdomen, teasing her fingers through the dark curls framing his cock. His body jerked in response, and he shifted his mouth from her breast to her collarbone, then on up to her throat to settle on the place she wore his mark.
Arching her neck, she offered herself, shivered when his teeth pressed deep, not quite breaking the skin. He shifted his hands, cupped her breasts, and pinched her nipples hard enough to distract her from her efforts to unfasten the fly of his shorts. Molten heat filled her core, and the spicy scent of her arousal filled the air, turning her on even more. Hard hands gripped her waist, and he lifted her onto the kitchen counter, stripping her bare in one hard rip of cotton. She would need to go underwear shopping soon if he kept destroying her panties. She scooted until she could feel the cool plaster of the wall at her back, lifted her feet onto the counter, heels braced on the edge. Tugging up the long, loose skirt she wore, she let the material pool at her hips, leaving her naked sex on full display to him. He licked his lips, eyes intent on the seam of her pussy. Using the fingers of one hand, she spread her lower lips, revealing the glistening entrance of her core, the tight pink bud of her clit.
“Give me your hand,” she murmured, and his eyes flicked away from her sex with a hot questioning look. The eager glow she saw there proved she was on the right track. She’d let him take the lead, happy to give him her body whenever he reached for her, but she’d been passive, too acquiescent. He needed to know she craved him, too, craved this as much as he did.
Not waiting for him to respond, she grasped his hand, tugging it to her mouth. She licked the tip of his index finger then drew it between her lips. Sucking hard, she worked the length of his finger with her tongue, watched his cock twitch and jump in response. The heady sensation of witnessing his arousal spurred her on, and she stretched her mouth wider to take his middle finger in too, sliding up and down the digits, mimicking the hard pressure he loved when she sucked him off.
“Fuck, Bel,” he groaned. “That’s so hot, baby. You’re killing me.” He fisted the base of his cock, squeezed tight, but made no move toward her.
Pleased he continued to let her take the lead, she freed his fingers from her mouth, guided them down the center of her body, and pressed them into her core. Her head knocked back against the wall, but she didn’t notice the pain, too caught up in the sensation of his wide fingers stretching her open. She pulled him back, pressed forward again, fucking herself with his hand. Eyes glued to him, she watched him watch her. A muscle twitched in his jaw, and a frown of concentration furrowed his brow as he stared between her legs.
The pressure built within her, but she needed more. A quick tug freed his fingers from her core, and she pressed them against her clit instead, circling the throbbing nub. She tangled their hands together, using a firmer, touch, rocking in time with the swift strokes. Her pussy clenched, the muscles empty and needy, but the pulsing demand in her clit would not be denied.
“Troy,” she moaned his name, a sighing sob he had no trouble interpreting.
Dropping to his knees, he twisted his head to one side, ducking beneath their squirming hands to shove his tongue deep into her core. His free hand grabbed her leg, lifting it over his shoulder, giving himself enough room to press deeper until his lips formed a seal around the opening of her pussy. He worked her with his tongue, scissored his fingers on either side of her clit, and pinched hard, rocketing her lower body off the counter into his face.
A keening wail rose in her throat, building higher, louder with every thrust of his tongue. The hand on her leg slid lower, cupped her ass, and lifted her into his mouth, holding her tight so he could control her movements. The tip of his thumb brushed against the tight pucker of her anus, and it was one sensation too many. She tried to squirm away, and he growled fiercely, sending a rippling vibration through her whole core. Lights danced behind her closed eyelids, and she sobbed his name, the word choking off in a scream when he pressed the tip of his thumb into her ass, sending a spear of dark pleasure through her. Her orgasm battered through her like a storm, ripping her open, sending shards of awareness scattering so far she wasn’t sure she could piece herself together again.
She felt him lift her, and th
e kiss of cold tile against her skin drew her back to awareness. The hot weight of his body caged her in, and he thrust hard, driving balls deep in that first desperate roll of his hips. The breath flew from her lungs, another ragged cry that filled the room with the sound of his name.
“Bel. Bel, fuck, Bel.” He grunted her name at the apex of every thrust, punctuating the slap of his hips against her ass.
Bracing her head on her folded arms, she lifted up to meet him, too wired to come again, or so she thought. The hot flood of his seed bathing her core triggered another wave of pleasure, and she would have collapsed beneath it had the strong arms banded around her waist not held her up. Troy sank back on his thighs, tugging her with him until she splayed across his lap.
Her head lolled back on his shoulder, too heavy for her to hold up. He slid a hand up her body, encircled her throat in his wide grip, and supported her as they panted heavily against each other. Tears clogged her nose, burned behind her lids until she couldn’t hold them back. A rasping sob burst from her.
“Don’t leave me.” She choked on the tears, let him turn her head until her face rested against cheek. She hadn’t meant to do this, hadn’t meant to flay her soul open and show him how scared she was. Her oh-so-clever plan to show him what he had to live for had backfired spectacularly, revealing instead everything she stood to lose.
His cock softened, slipped from her body, and he twisted her around in his lap, catching her face between his hands. She couldn’t look at him, couldn’t bear to see his eyes, see the love he would soon deny her. His thumbs dug into her jaw, forcing her gaze to him. “Bel, ma belle. What is this?” he crooned, kissing the tears away from her cheeks.
“I’m going to lose you. You’ve shown me what it is to truly live, and now you’re going to give up on us.” She pulled free of his hold, scrubbing at her eyes until the hard press of her fingers stemmed the flow of tears.
“Bel.” His groan of agony turned her sorrow to frustration again. She balled her fist, thumping him in the chest. The blow did nothing except make her fingers sting, so she struck him again. He grasped her hand, pressed it against his heart. “Please, baby.”
“Tell me,” she growled, and this time he was the one to turn his face away. “Tell me, Troy.”
He shook his head, and something inside her snapped. Burrowing deep within him, she sifted the threads of his emotions, touching and tasting each one, tracing them to the very depths of his soul. He struggled to push her away, mentally and physically, but she clung on, wrapping the fingers of her free hand around the back of his neck, her legs around his waist, locking their bodies together. Pulling at the threads of her own soul, she sorted the strands, matching their emotions, weaving them together into a gossamer net. For every negative in one, she found the positive in the other. His clawing fear of his father, her faith in him to find a way to survive, her quiet doubt she could be a strong enough mate for him, his burning love for her. She stripped them bare, gave him all her weaknesses, took his without flinching, showing them both they could be so much more together. His struggles subsided, and his arms wrapped tight around her, clutching her hard enough to strain her ribs. A shudder rippled through him. Another.
He lifted his head. “I’m going to challenge him,” he whispered, and her heart thudded. Her mate, her true heart was no alpha. They both knew it. A beta to his core, his role should be to nurture and protect his pack mates. She was no alpha’s mate either. But she would be, if she had to. She couldn’t join the fight. An alpha challenge was single combat, winner take all. Those were the rules.
Fuck the rules.
His eyes widened in response to the fierce whisper she sent into his mind. He nodded once, and a clarity of purpose spread out through the web binding them together. They were one. They would survive or fall together.
Her blood was up, and her wolf had its prey fixed firmly in its sights. Clark would not be allowed to win. “How do we do this?”
Chapter Eleven
Troy couldn’t help but smile as Bel wove her way through the gathered members of her pack toward him. Each one held a single flower, which they handed to her in turn, together with a hug, a kiss, a smile, or a word of blessing. Her bare feet showed beneath the flowing hem of the simple lilac-colored gown she wore, and a garland of flowers held her hair back from her forehead. Crystals studded the dress, catching the light as she twisted and turned through the circle her pack mates had formed around the central pagoda. His darling girl loved to sparkle.
His family stood to the left of him. Troy glanced across, spotting the possessive look on Clark’s face as he, too, watched Bel make her way toward them. Look your fill, old man. I’ll never let you near her. The angry thought melted away as his mate brushed her mind against his. He would need every ounce of his fury soon enough, no point in wasting it now.
Dutton and Nikolas bracketed their father, both dressed in loose pants and collarless tunics, the same as Troy. Bel had wanted a casual feel, a relaxed atmosphere rather than anything too formal. The loose-fitting clothing worn by the pack would make it easier to fight, easy to shred the light material if they needed to shift. His father had insisted on a jacket and tie. Putting appearance over comfort summed up everything Clark stood for. He would be made to regret it soon enough.
She mounted the three low stairs to the dais and handed the huge bouquet of flowers to Riesa, who brushed a kiss to Bel’s cheek and surreptitiously left the raised area to stand between Alexa and Liana. The two wolves, mates to the human sheriffs who hid in the trees, would protect their alpha’s mate at all costs. The rest of the humans were not present, their lives too precious and too easily taken to risk them in the field of combat. His father had been unable to hide his disdain for Derek when he’d discovered the other alpha had mated a human. An unforgivable weakness in his eyes.
Derek stepped forward, cupped Bel’s cheek, and drew her close enough to press a kiss to her forehead. Troy watched his mate close her eyes, felt her draw strength and courage from her alpha through the magical web she’d woven between them. It was a mate bond unlike anything he’d ever heard about. Flexible, yet strong, it gave him all the reassurance he needed. They had not yet taken the final step in a full mating—had not come together in their wolf forms—but they were a unit. He could sense her wolf, feel the way it calmed and soothed the beast within him, holding it in check. The Moonlight alpha took Bel’s hand, led her to where Troy waited, and clasped his hand in turn. He stood between the two of them, connecting them, showing he accepted Bel’s choice of mate.
You need to shift to the right; you’re blocking Charlie’s line of sight. The smile of benediction on Derek’s face never wavered as he gave the instruction to Troy. The plan the pack had put together would see Derek take on Clark. Rand would target Dutton, and Kirk stood at the base of the steps, ready to pounce on Nikolas. Jesse and Charlie would shoot only if necessary. No one wanted to put the humans in a position where they would have to commit a crime, but they had been insistent. When it came to dealing with wolves, the normal rules didn’t apply—pack was all. They’d butted their way into the defense plans and would not be moved.
Raising their linked arms, Derek brought them together, pressing Bel and Troy palm to palm, clasping their now joined hands within his own. “Fates blessing on you both. May you always run free, hunt well, love fierce, stay true.” Simple words, said with great feeling, and Troy bowed his head to acknowledge them. The alpha released them, stepped back, and adopted an outwardly casual stance next to Rand, his second.
Tears glistened at the corner of Bel’s eyes, and her fingers squeezed his. They were so small and delicate compared to his, but her grip was sure. He focused on his love for her. The net between them pulsed in response, and she met his gaze. The bright-blue look she fixed on him floored him. What had he done to deserve her? He could spend every day of the next century showing her how grateful he was for her and it would never be enough.
“I love you.” He blurted the w
ords, sending a ripple of laughter around the ring of watching wolves.
She flung herself into his arms, almost knocking him over with the force of her jump. He captured her lips, and they parted for him, welcoming the thrust of his tongue. Sliding his hands lower, he cupped the round cheeks of her ass, drawing her against the aching heat of the front of his body. Instantly aflame for her, he forgot everything but his desire, the eager leap of her own as it rose to meet his, stoking and feeding the fire.
“Get a room, you two.” Rand’s drawled remark and the chuckles it drew from the others broke through the haze.
Troy lifted his head reluctantly. Bel blinked up at him, pink lips soft and glistening wet, and he dipped his head to claim her again. Their mouths hovered inches apart when another voice intruded, dashing his lust in a bucket of cold fear.
“Don’t you wish to seek my blessing, too, son?” Clark’s mock-scolding tone was an attempt at levity, but Troy could hear the anger in it. They’d ignored him for too long. Allowing Derek to conduct the joining of their hands had been his right. They stood upon his pack lands, but Clark wouldn’t see it that way. In his mind, he already owned the wolves around him.
Releasing his hold on Bel, he kept her hand planted firmly in his as they turned to face the Brighton alpha. Troy cast a glance toward Quinn, read the pain and pride on her face, and swallowed hard. She would be the first to suffer at Clark’s hand if things went south.
Clark beamed at them both, black eyes bright with madness. The acrid stink of his twisted scent rose, a sure sign he stood on the cusp of his control. Holding out his hand to Bel, Clark spoke, raising his voice to carry far beyond the dais. “Let me welcome you, daughter. The newest member of my pack and soon to be my greatest asset.”
“That’s not what we agreed.” Derek growled, and the wooden planks beneath Troy’s feet vibrated as he felt the Moonlight alpha move closer behind him.
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