Scattered Siblings 3: To Mate a Werewolf

by Kryssie Fortune

  When he sauntered into the Great Hall, he spoke loud and clear. His words carried, and Joel’s natural wolf howled inside him when the contender announced, “I am Marcellus. I declare my entry before the gathered witnesses.”

  Joel’s primal wolf wanted Marcellus’s blood, but his human side respected him for not causing dissent in his brother’s pack. When Marcellus left the Great Hall, he nodded toward at Joel. Reluctantly Joel nodded back.

  The next wolf had an angry glower and a stomp in his walk. His torn ear and thickset muscles marked him as a natural-born fighter. Joel grimaced when the other wolf growled at Alexander and his lieutenants. “I am Titus, and I declare my entry before the gathered witnesses.”

  Titus’s tone showed no respect for anyone. Lust for power shone in his eyes, and he curled his lip at Alexander and his lieutenants as if he didn’t understand why they’d want to step down. Sometimes new alphas demanded the throats of their predecessors. Not that Joel would let him hurt either his father or his friends. The Tundra Toughs were his pack, and he intended to win this damn tournament.

  Joel prowled back and forth, taking time to calm down. When he finally regained control of his wolves, he had five minutes to register his intent. As he entered the Great Hall, his father’s look of relief was apparent to all.

  Like the current alpha, the lieutenants possessed gray hairs and deadly grace. Alexander hadn’t added to their number since he considered retiring. These men had been ready to step aside for almost a century, happy to let younger shoulders carry the pack’s burdens. While they had never said it, they all thought Joel had taken too long to come home.

  The Great Hall smelled of modeling clay and fresh flowers. The pups had painted bright-colored murals across a sidewall, and a huge clock hung over the door. The room looked too cheerful for such a mournful gathering.

  Joel strode down the room, his features schooled into death stare, arrogance, and menace. He kept his head high. When he stood before the table, he held his father’s gaze. Alexander looked away first.

  Slow and steady, Joel stared at each lieutenant, nodded, and moved on to the next. The silence stretched until it became uncomfortable. The clock hand inched forward. Alexander shuffled in his seat. He blanched when his son’s gaze settled back on him. Joel’s voice echoed about the room. “I care for every member of the Tundra Toughs pack. I’m here to claim my birthright. I’ll fight anyone or anything to retain my pack. I am Joel Blackheart, and I keep what is mine. I declare my entry before the gathered witnesses.”

  * * * *

  Ellie basked like a cat as she enjoyed the late-afternoon sun, but her brain whirred. Joel left her no choice but to move on and make a new life, but she needed to find a way back to him first. She’d never forgive herself if she didn’t warn him about the redhead and the People’s Defense League. Eyes closed, she pictured his hair. She could almost reach out and run her fingers through it. She wanted to sort the colors, or maybe kiss her way down his chest toward his cock. Just to stroke his face or touch his muscular torso would be…a mistake.

  Her nipples pearled, and her pussy creamed as she concentrated on the Lykae she loved. She even imagined his arctic meadow essence. Then nausea hit.

  Her mushrooms had been fine, hadn’t they? Then she remembered that the one and only time she ate magic mushrooms, they’d taken a full day to have any effect. Almost twenty-four hours had passed since she’d poisoned her captors, but she’d eaten those innocent-looking mushrooms in that brown paper bag. Maybe Laurel and Hardy back at the farmhouse were into hallucinogenics, but they’d seemed too uptight for that.

  Just like last time when she’d dreamed of a loving family and clean home, her world spun. She’d no time to dream, not when killers stalked Joel, but all she could do was hang on to her sanity for all she was worth.

  Once the mushroom-induced illusion wore off, she’d find a way to contact Joel. The world went black, and she felt herself spinning, falling. She clutched her bag of belongings and hoped she wasn’t seriously ill. Strange how her fantasy felt as though she flashed to the otherworld.

  Maybe it’s because I was thinking about Joel.

  That transition always made her feel sick, and she wanted to throw up. When her vision cleared, she stood inside a bedroom far more luxurious than the cheap hotel room where she’d spent the night.

  Elves didn’t have enough magic to flash from place to place, which meant this was a hallucination. Definitely the mushrooms, but as dreams go, this is a doozy.

  “What the fuck are you doing here?” a male voice demanded. Joel emerged from the bathroom wearing nothing but a towel slung low around his hips. A trail of dark blond hairs ran from his stomach, then vanished beneath it. The towel tented at the front where his erection stood proud.

  Joel? In a room with a silk-sheet covered bed? The only other time she’d eaten hallucinogenic mushrooms, every sound, every sight, and smell had been amplified a million times over.

  This time Joel’s freshly applied aftershave seemed sweeter, stronger, more enticing, and she almost groaned. She stared so hard she could count every hair in that dark blond trail running down his chest. Okay, she’d have to remove the towel, but that wouldn’t be a problem…really. Last time she’d dreamed of her ideal childhood home. Surely this time, she should dream of perfect sex with her perfect man. Joel should seem pleased to see her. My dream, my rules, remember?

  He grabbed her shoulders, and for a moment she thought he was going to shake her. Fury radiated off him in waves. “I told you, you’re not welcome here.”

  Ellie had held back her tears for so long, but now they flowed in torrents. Her control shattered. She wept hard and ugly.

  “Gods, Ellie, don’t cry. You know you can’t stay here.” Joel shoved her away. He stood tall, lips narrowed and turned down. The laugh lines around his eyes vanished, and his eyebrows drew together.

  Her gaze drifted lower. In her hallucination, he’d just stepped out the shower. Water glistened on his broad chest and dripped down his biceps. He’d wrapped a towel around his waist, and his cock… Well, the way it tented the towel wasn’t big brotherly at all.

  She stared at the bulge beneath the towel. It jerked higher as if it felt her gaze. Knowing this wasn’t real, she did something she’d never dare in real life. She stepped toward him and rested both hands on his chest. She could feel his heart beat beneath her hands. With a mischievous grin, she shoved hard, and he fell back onto the bed.

  Her smile turned predatory, and she threw herself on top of him. Her tongue followed tracks of water down his chest, then followed those dark blond curls that led to his dick.

  “Get off me,” he commanded through gritted teeth.

  If he didn’t quit complaining and let her suck him off, she’d wake grumpy and frustrated. She put one hand over his mouth. “Shut up, Joel. I’m the one making the rules here. My dream, remember.”

  She felt his smirk beneath her hand, and it was all the encouragement she needed. She grabbed the top of the towel and unwrapped him as though he was her best ever birthday present. His cock was huge and pulsing, and in this head-trip it was all hers. Precum smeared its head, and when she ran her tongue over it, he tasted good.

  At least she knew this was a fantasy, but his dick reared up in welcome. Ignoring his growl, she laved circles around his cock. As her tongue flicked over the slit, he moaned, so she did it again. And again. Gods, she’d never tasted anything so delicious.

  His cock twitched as she closed her lips around it, and she needed to give it her full attention. The heady feeling of power thrilled her, and her heart wished her dream were for real.

  “Ellie, stop this,” Joel demanded, but the way he’d stroked her hair was at odds with his words.

  She might have released him, but his hips arched forward, and he thrust his cock against the roof of her mouth.

  Joel groaned again, and his hands fisted in her hair. “We’re not doing this. Not when Olivia arrived this morn… Damn it, Ellie,
get off…”

  His words died away as she deep throated his cock. She’d make him come, and for now she’d pretend she actually was in his room. That way when she woke in a hospital bed, she’d have something wicked and sensual to remember him by. She chuckled and sucked harder.

  The way he caught his breath was empowering. Fully clothed, she draped herself over his bare legs, pulled back slightly, and then sucked the full length of his erection between her lips. She felt brave, powerful, and sexy as she sucked him so deep she imagined his dick touching her toenails from the inside out. He shuddered beneath her and grunted in satisfaction. Had his eyes brightened? She was certain hers had.

  Again, she slid her lips up Joel’s cock, letting her teeth gently scrape over him. She ran her finger through the dark blond curls at the base of his erection, then gently squeezed his balls. Her mouth watered with every touch, every taste. She flicked her tongue over the head of his cock. He groaned, so she did it again.

  “Ellie, don’t. We shouldn’t… Elves’ blood, that’s good.” Joel’s cock stretched and grew still larger as though begging her to deep throat him again. This is my best daydream ever. If only Joel would quit complaining. She was the one in control here. My dream, Mister. Shut up and let me enjoy it.

  She dropped a quick kiss on each of his balls, then nibbled her way back to the top of his dick. Eager and excited, she closed her lips around him and sucked him back into her mouth.

  She loved how Joel’s thighs trembled, and how he buried his fingers in her hair. His cock stretched and grew thicker. Another suck, and she felt him press against the roof of her mouth, so she swallowed and drew him deeper.

  His dick jerked and twitched. He gripped her shoulder with one hand and stroked her cheek with the other. His tender touch fired her up and made her want him more.

  He threw back his head and howled. “Pull back, Ellie. I’m about to come.”

  No way was she spoiling this wicked hallucination, not when it was all she had left. And why was he still complaining? She planned to make him howl again—repeatedly if possible. Why was it, that even in her dream, her lover seemed reluctant? She wasn’t having that.

  She practically purred as he groaned, “Don’t stop.”

  Sperm shot from his cock and hit the back of her throat. Delicious. Moreish. A taste of feminine power. Her dream lover’s cum made her think of mountain springs and freshly fallen snow.

  She kept sucking, drinking in everything he offered. Finally, he was spent but smiling. His legs shook slightly, but he sat up and shoved her away.

  “What the hell do you think you’re playing at?” Joel snarled. He shook his head, as though he’d been the one dreaming. The frost in his voice chilled her soul.

  She almost apologized. What sort of daydream was this? “You talk too much. Shut up and lie back down and let me enjoy my best fantasy. Next, I think I’ll ride you like a cowgirl. Just give me a minute.”

  She withdrew her lips and lay at his feet, her head resting on his thighs. Usually her daydreams centered around the heroes in the romance novels she read, but today she dreamed of giving her man the best blowjob ever. She’d loved every minute of it, and after she’d straddled him and sunk down on his cock, she’d make herself wake up. She needed to return to the otherworld for real, and warn him about that redheaded bitch’s schemes.

  He stood up and grabbed the towel like an outraged virgin. “No, you’re damn well not. Elves’ blood, Ellie, why do you keep saying this is a hallucination? That blowjob was all too real.”

  Joel used her for his temporary pleasure, then brushed her off again. Any minute now, he’d give the dreaded I can’t introduce you to my mate speech. The sooner she woke up the better.

  She smirked up at him. “Elves can’t flash. This can’t be real.”

  He growled at that, then breathed deeply as if trying to gain some self-control. She felt cheapened by his cold eyes and unyielding stance. When he spoke, he was all military commander to errant recruit. “Then maybe you’re a super Elf or something because you popped up in my bedroom and pounced on me, whether I wanted you to or not.”

  Ellie blinked and really looked at her surroundings. A thick tapestry covered one wall, and when she stroked it, it was warm and soft. Battered by Joel’s reaction, she gritted her teeth and waited for the spinning to start. Waking in a hospital bed would be better than this.

  When he spoke, he was all military commander to errant raw recruit. “Well, I’m waiting. I want an explanation, and I want it now.”

  Gods, this wasn’t a daydream. Instead it was horribly real.

  Chapter Eight

  Ellie felt sick. She’d shoved Joel onto the bed and given him what she hoped was the best blowjob of his life. Worse, she’d ignored him every time he told her to stop. Then, damn it, he’d rejected her again. The pack’s she-wolves, her friends, giggled with her about their boyfriends and teased that they had a way with tongues. Those women she’d heard everyone say he bedded probably sucked him off nightly. He’s more hound dog than wolf.

  She pulled herself up and perched on the edge of the bed. Nausea still churned at her stomach, and she pinched the back of her right hand until it hurt. This was real. Shameful, but real. She’d practically taken advantage of him, shoving him down like that. Her cheeks heated, but she refused to cry in front of Joel. “I don’t suppose saying I’m sorry will hack it? I never meant to… Gods, Joel, I’m so sorry, but at least I can—”

  “You can get out of here,” he snapped.

  She stood up and shouldered her kitbag. “I’m leaving. Just show me the way out, and I’ll go after I’ve told you about…”

  He grabbed her and flashed her outside. She’d have felt better if he yelled or snarled; instead his words were cold, calculated to carve a hole in her heart. “Stay away from me and stay away from the Great Hall. Tonight’s party is to celebrate my engagement to Olivia Deerstalker, and you’re the last person I want there. Just flash off back where you came from. I don’t want you anywhere near my fiancée.”

  He flashed back inside and left her standing alone on the road. Lively jazz music flowed through the night, and it stemmed from what must be the Great Hall. Wonderful. She’d practically forced herself on Joel. Okay, his body responded, but his brain resented her every lick or suck at his cock. On top of all that, she’d probably made him late for his own engagement party.

  She felt bewildered and lost like a kitten tossed out of a car on the freeway. She glanced toward what must be the wolves’ Great Hall, then turned her back on her chance of a happy future. Her heart dropped into her thick-soled military boots, making her feet drag as she walked away.

  He’d told her to stop and tried to keep his distance. Instead she’d shoved him down on the bed and refused to listen—not when he tasted so good. The last time she’d felt this alone was when the Elves grabbed her, but back then she’d not known what it was like to have friends. When the Lykae rescued her, she’d learned about loyalty, trust, and friendship. Then Joel, the man she’d hero-worshipped for the last two years, just ripped away everything she wanted as easily as he’d rip a bandage off a wound.

  Part dejected, part furious, she realized that even as he’d screwed her on Whitby’s cliff top, he’d been engaged to another woman. However badly she’d treated him, he’d behaved a million times worse.

  She took one last look at the first-floor window. Joel was inside somewhere, and she still had to warn him about the People’s Defense League and their plots. When she thought about Joel attending a party with his future wife—a woman who wasn’t her—Ellie felt sick.

  He was nicely primed, ready for full-on sex. She hoped his fiancée appreciated that. After the way he’d treated her, she should hate him. Then moving on would be easier, but she’d always love him for the way he’d saved her from the Elves.

  Giving him her heart was one thing, but no way would she lie down like a doormat and let him use her again. There’d be no repeat performance, not now that she
knew he had a fiancée. Why hadn’t she known about her? And why did he say fiancée not mate?

  He’s a liar and a cheater. And he belongs to someone else.

  Suddenly she realized she’d done the impossible, and she didn’t mean sucking off Joel. She’d flashed to the otherworld. Lykae could only flash to places they’d been, but she’d flashed to a person not a place. Person? Man-whore, more like. In Whitby, he’d hurt her, but tonight he’d poured acid over her heart. A couple of minutes later, she saw him flash farther down the road.

  She stared after him as he loped toward the Great Hall. No way would she sit here like a ninny and wait for that scumbag to come back. Her stupid heart wanted to stay, but her brain already looked for an escape route. She could leave a note, then find a way out of here, but there was no guarantee he’d read it. No, she had to pass her warning on in person.

  If she told another wolf, just as in the game Chinese Whispers, they might garble it. Jazz music still blared out of the Great Hall. Fabulous. I’ve arrived in time for Joel’s engagement party. Once she’d warned Joel, she’d be out of here, always assuming she could do that flashy thing again.

  Groups of partygoers passed her, all heading toward a building that resembled a Viking longhouse. As Ellie listened to the celebration music, her mood plummeted. She’d be so alone when she returned to the mundane world. It wasn’t fair that Joel got to stay here with his family and friends. As usual, she got nothing. Where’s the justice in that?

  Life had just kicked her in the teeth again, but she’d stay strong and…lonely. After her miserable childhood, she was used to that. She’d miss the companionship she’d found in the Lykae army, and most of all she’d miss Joel—but she refused to be his bit on the side.