by Roxanne Lee
Ty would be driving back, I'd managed a small impression that thrummed across our weak bond to let him know I was returning, a thick and heavy push of thought like throwing a ball through tumultuous water. Lights from the house burned softly against the stone face of the outer facade, the craftsmanship of the brick work showing the architectural interest that gave it it's listed status. The house had been standing for nigh on six hundred years in one state or another and still contained enough of the original stone to be considered historical. It was a rather astounding mix of old and new - the aged outside that was protected against construction and the newer design to the inside. I could imagine living here - if it wasn't for the pack that also called this place home.
I caught sight of Conall through the living room window, large glass of something dark amber in colour raised in an obvious toast of celebration. His loud and booming accent reached clearly through the solid stone and heavy pane windows. He began an old Irish song, his voice surprisingly melodious for the big, ancient wolf. Tessa's blonde hair fell over her shoulder as she laughed lightly at the lyrics, words I failed to catch. Her seat near the slow burning fire sending small glints of burnt orange and tan over her usual pale, golden mane. The back of Arya's head and shoulders were visible, seated on the sofa that backed against the window, her posture slightly more stiff than usual with a frozen quality that made me want to poke her to judge her movements. Charlie stood smiling down at the floor, an especially beautiful sight I tried very hard not to react to. I smiled at the tranquil scene, wanting nothing more than to integrate into this group - people that seemed comfortable with each other, even happy. It was a feeling that grew in insistence. I guess a reminder that perhaps one day, I'd like to be on the inside looking out.
"We should...go in."
His voice pulled me out of my musings, stood still on the graveled driveway watching a scene I wasn't a part of. His face was curious as I turned to look at him, studying every movement my own expression made. I sighed and took a sudden step forward. "Yes, we should." I left him staring after me, letting him come to his own conclusions.
The warmth hit me as soon as I entered, a blanket that wrapped tightly around my body and refused to let go. Laughter fell brightly through the house, echoing in the large arched hallway and resounding from high ceilings that threw the cadence from wall to thick wooden beam. The door to the living room was shut tight and I halted my step for a moment, allowing Lane to catch up until his breath raised the hair on my neck. I pushed the heavy oak door and the jovial sounds from the living room swallowed my body whole until I drowned in the weighty atmosphere. Conall's laugh was a burst of freshness, loud and clear that outshone the various small conversations between each wolf. A beast had buried its head in Arya's lap, a giant of a man that must have outweighed the pixie-like woman by over a few hundred pounds, yet he was bent on his knees before her, head seemingly permanently attached to her stomach as she awkwardly patted his thick black hair. His muscled back, covered in a tight, black t-shirt, heaved in breaths that increased his mass to phenomenal levels with each inhale. Her eyes snapped to mine at our entrance and the fear that pounded from within the green was a worrying sight from the woman that housed such a terrifying animal.
Lane started straight for Conall, a question on his lips that remained unspoken. The Irishman quickly shook his head and took a large sip of his drink. "Didn't find him, took him on a wild goose chase around the forest. He's a good tracker dat red wolf." He turned to me as Lane cracked the knuckles of his fists and lent over the bar to take a glass of his own. "Ach, join the party, little pirate." Conall exclaimed rather boisterously and I figured it was not his first glass of the evening.
"What are we...celebrating?" Lane stood at the bar, leaning against the solid wood and studying the room as if he was attempting to work out an especially confusing puzzle.
A rumble covered all other voices, a deep wolf's growl that stilled all movement like prey beneath a predator's gaze. The beast with his head stuck firmly in Arya's lap rumbled once more before taking an even deeper breath than previously and speaking with a voice husky in rising wolf. "Baby. Can smell him."
Arya huffed and murmured quietly enough to make it hard to catch, "or her."
It seemed a automatic response, one that she'd already made several times. She was more interested in something far away, her gaze fixed on a point that held nothing but blank wall. Her body was quickly picked up from the sofa and she was rearranged until she sat snugly on the beast's lap, his arms wound around her stomach in a grip that was surprisingly gentle. I assumed this was her Captain, he was certainly large enough to hold the black wolf that had overwhelmed the creatures Duncan had brought to the gate.
"Baby?" Lane's gruff voice startled when I heard it right behind my ear.
The Captain nodded, his eyes closed and nose running the length of the redhead's small shoulders. He seemed rather attached to the tiny woman at the moment and I doubt much short of an invasion would prompt him to move. As quickly as the thought entered my head, the phone interrupted the quiet peace that fell as each wolf contemplated new beginnings, emerging life that eclipsed each battle and brought such wondrous possibilities. Even I could appreciate the tiny glow of some shooting star at night, a new life to a species with exceptionally low reproduction for their immortal couples.
I flicked a quick glance to the blond at my back, a rather twisted smile flashed and was an unnerving, entirely too wolfish grin that would make most of the people in the room a little uncomfortable - I hoped he refrained from smiling at the baby in such a way.
“Congratulations, you have excellent...sperm.”
I froze in position. Silence hung heavy over the room.
“Er, Lane?” Conall coughed out a laugh.
The Alpha sighed, a shrug lifted his large shoulders. “What? They’ve been through...one season, she caught early.”
A smile twitched my lips, he was actually perfectly correct and I found it rather endearing.
Conall left to answer the shrilling phone and returned only minutes later, it was the first time since I'd been in this house that I'd heard the piercing ring. "Dat was Kendrick. Had a call from a man proclaimin' himself a King. Heard similar from other packs in the area, looks tae be tryin' tae drum up a little support."
Lane grunted, "no Kings left."
Conall sighed and shook his head, "depends on who yer ask."
The Captain grumbled from behind his mate, a frustrated sound that showed he was less than impressed at being interrupted. "Call him back, I'll talk to him."
Arya snapped out of her stupor to frown at the beast that held her, "another one of yours, Carver? why am I not surprised."
He grinned sheepishly and placed a reverent kiss to her forehead before placing her gently on the sofa and standing to his full height. I was momentarily awed at the man that seemed to block out even the moon's full face. Lane moved quietly to stare at me, a few blinks of his eyes and he swept forward to press a similar kiss to my cheek before rushing out of the room followed by Conall's loud chuckles. I stood a little confused for quite some time, wondering at the man that seemed to emulate those around him, a copy of what he deemed correct behaviour. It was slightly worrying to wonder what else he would replicate.
Arya was a silent figure on the large, overly stuffed sofa. Lost in thoughts I couldn't help but be curious about.
"So, baby huh?"
She nodded and blew out a heavy breath, "yeah, I guess so."
I edged my way to sit beside her. "You seem...happy?"
She laughed and finally turned to look at me. "I don't know what to do with a baby."
I shrugged and internally, absolutely agreed with that statement. "You figured out what to do with that giant you mated right? A baby can't be much harder."
She grinned a little, "no. I suppose not."
"You have a while to get used to the idea, spend a little time thinking of names - you might find it easier to think of this baby as
real if you name her."
She shook her head and huffed, "it's probably a boy, the way my luck runs I'll no doubt be outnumbered by overgrown males."
I smiled in response and took the glass that Tessa quietly offered, a wince towards Arya as she realised she wasn't getting one.
"Oh God, I can't have whiskey." She actually looked rather put out by the fact.
"I'll just have two in silent protest."
She frowned at me and narrowed her eyes, "you're not that funny you know." She looked down at the still flat stomach her hand rested on, running her palm lightly over the surface with a dawning look of wonder finally descending. "Sam."
"What?"
A full grin, the largest I'd ever seen from her spread across her face. "His name is Sam."
Two large canines bounded into the room, drooling slightly from jowls hanging low on their muzzles. I kept my fingers away from the sharp teeth that glinted in the fire's light and shifted a little to allow them room to brush heavily against Arya's legs. "That was quick."
She shrugged a little and smiled widely once more while patting strong heads that nudged their way ever closer. "Don't think it was ever really a question."
I sipped at the glass in my hand, rum that Conall had probably remembered to pour. It was a thrilling moment when I discovered how much I had already unknowingly fallen into this new life. I'd found a piece of warmth in this place, oddly the same place I'd never before wished to end up in. The man that was supposed to be mine and all his troubling ways, the Irishman that plied me with alcohol and was somewhat insane, the new friends I'd suddenly found myself surrounded by. It seems without my consent I'd already found my place on the inside.
Conall rushed back into the room, his hands reaching for the glass he'd left on the bar. "It's surely a puzzle we've found ourselves in."
I raised my brows to him and he took a large swig of harsh smelling alcohol.
"Seems a King has risen, callin' on wolves tae support the title. Funny, the Alpha dat called said his accent was a touch Scottish."
I balked at Conall's words, "he's a King?"
His face turned a little bit devilish. "Dat he is, little pirate. At least in name anyway."
Chapter 23
"You're staying with...me." I held her eyes with mine watching for a denial. Not because I intended to allow her a choice, simply because I liked watching the little ticks in her cheekbones when she became annoyed. Her hair swept over her shoulder as her head fell to the side. She'd stood at the doorway to the room she'd been staying in, confused as to why her borrowed, small pile of clothing was missing. I suppose I should have told her about her impending move but I found surprising her, usually worked out better for me.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Her eyes flashed that golden glow of wolf and I knew I at least had the animal's support.
"You're staying in my room...with me." I liked the way the artificial light hit those eyes, made them even brighter than usual, so much like melted gold that I coveted that shine as if it were priceless. She stared straight at me for some time, perhaps wondering on my mental health - it was a common occurrence.
"Why?"
I frowned at her, perhaps she didn't understand what I meant. "I want you in...my bed, with me." She looked especially surprised at that.
"We're not mated, you don't have to share a room with me."
Her eyes dropped to the floor for a moment and at the loss of contact, I had a uncomfortable feeling about why she kept herself always at a distance. That even though I saw the wolf pushing her forward, tiny tremors beneath the skin that prodded her muscles to reach toward me, the human's control was absolute. It was quite remarkable how strong a hold she had on the animal, perhaps her fight to suppress the feeder kept the wolf on the same tight leash.
Was this my fault?
Somewhere between my own anger towards that feeding side and the memories I could not let go of, I'd made her feel this way. Let those doubts build in her head until she truly believed I wouldn't want this gift I'd been given. I wasn't the best at expressing myself but I felt the need to make her understand what she was to me. "You're mine, little witch. We may not be...mated yet, but I'd like to be."
She raised her eyebrows as if she hadn't expected that response."You do?"
I cocked my head to the side, watching the mesmerizing movement of each tiny muscle in her face. How every singular sinew twitched together to change her frown to a smile. "Very much so." Her scent breached the fractured man, peaches ripened in the sun until I could almost taste the sweetest juice on my tongue. Wolf was a constant hungry animal, snapping within for the chance to have a taste of his own. Every bare inch of skin she flaunted held my eyes a prisoner of their own addiction. I was especially drawn to the vest she currently wore, low enough to flash a glimpse of two perfect mounds that very nearly over spilled. Wolf rumbled in my chest, low and greedy -we liked breasts very much.
She heaved a breath that had my eyes falling lower than her face. "This isn't just because of Carver?"
My frown deepened, I had the premonition that she'd always confuse me. "What does Carver...have to do with it?" She shrugged, a move that lifted those breasts again and I fought hard to keep my eyes on hers.
"You copy him, follow how he acts towards Arya."
I shook my head and took her hand in mine, gave into the touch Wolf had been snarling for."Only so I don't...do the wrong thing." For once, it seemed I'd managed to give the correct answer. She smiled, so wide I felt I couldn't breathe, it changed her face from beautiful to otherworldly. I made a promise to Wolf that I'd try to make her smile that way again.
"I don't have any clothes to sleep in."
I growled. My teeth lengthened to beast, sharp points that urged to pierce her soft skin. My words failed, I found I couldn't speak over the canines that took over my mouth, at the thought of her skin against mine. I gripped her side with one arm, hauled her against me and picked up her legs with the other.
She was now trapped.
However much she wiggled, she'd not be getting away from me again. Wolf rumbled in my chest, a continuous vibration that probably made me seem more animal than man. I had issues to resolve, a red wolf that thinks himself a King, even a pack to work at re-establishing and yet, everything fell to the wayside the moment her skin came in contact with my own. No tar rubbed across my forearm, no oil that seeped beneath my skin, the worry that I'd not be able to touch her was lost under this precious gift that was all my own. A mischievous flash of shining gold was all it took to render Wolf a slave to the woman imprisoned in my arms.
A niggle worked it's way through the fogged desire that clouded my mind, the thought of slavery that punched a hole through that overwhelming draw. I found the thread of that distracting, debilitating feeling and attempted to crush it to dust. I pressed her tighter against my chest, the grip pushing her breasts up until they became a full and bouncing beguilement, an engrossing sight that had Wolf salivating within and my thoughts re-centering to the woman I'd caught, the tiny witch that had so captured me in her gilded spell.
I carried her to my room, behind a locked door that she'd not escape from. The window allowed a luminescent light to penetrate, a moon that smiled her approval to my actions. I set her down on her feet and stared at the female fate had made for me. At first I'd cursed destiny for the feeder she offered, not understanding why she'd deemed it necessary to force such remembrance on me. Now I saw the other side, the part of my witch that had attached itself to my thigh allowed me to feel the polished softness of silk that slipped so delicately around my flesh, saw some of the best parts of what an empath could feel like. There were moments that my hate overran my sanity but they were dissipating with each smile from this female. I wanted her and I was going to take what I wanted.
She coughed a little to clear her throat - perhaps I'd been staring too long. I lifted my shirt and tore it slightly in the haste to remove it, bared my chest for her perusal. I liked her eyes on me, it w
as like the softest caress that shivered over my skin and swept a heated palm on the most sensitive nerves. Wolf panted within, paced a small circle awaiting his first glimpse, the skin we craved to touch slowly unveiling as she lifted her top.
She's a tease.
She held the material at her chest, leaving just her stomach bare. We ached for that first look so much that we growled at her to continue. Those mounds of satin flesh that held our focused attention, skin we wanted beneath our palms so badly they itched with the need to touch.
"Are you okay, Lane?"
Wolf flicked eyes to hers at the sound of her voice, then back to her chest as quickly as possible so not to miss a single moment. We growled at her again - she was moving much too slowly.
Her arms lifted, dragging that small piece of material with them, the room disappeared as all conscience thought became focused on lustrous sheer cups surrounding the breasts we were fascinated by. The bra was too small, another borrowed item I'd given her, imagining just this moment when putting those clothes in her room. Her hand released the top to the floor, a whisper of sound that failed to break my concentration. I was utterly absorbed by her half naked form. Like a strip tease, she'd managed to reduce my thoughts to nothing more than how to win more of that coveted skin. She had a woman's figure, strong and curved, her stomach tight and delicately dented with slight muscle from the wolf's burning metabolism, but hips that would fill my hands to the brim. Tiny scars picked up the moon's glow, claws that another wolf had scoured her with before she'd found her own animal. We were matched in consummate symmetry. She was utterly flawless.