Olivia snarled back, her own fangs bared, but Lysander tugged her away.
Joel raised his voice and let it carry over the crowd. “Olivia Deerstalker, there is nothing between us, and if you ever lay a paw on my Ellie again, I guarantee you’ll lose it. If I hear one more insult leave your lips, you will spend the tournament in the lockup, praying the victor will be merciful. And in case there’s any doubt, the victor will be me.”
An embarrassed titter ran through the crowd. Joel didn’t care. Ellie was his, and it was time everyone knew it. He wished he’d picked a better time to tell her—somewhere private and romantic—but he wouldn’t give up on her. He just needed to recover some ground, then get down on one knee and propose.
Once she said yes, he’d fuck her until she walked bowlegged. Hell, forget that, he’d fuck her so thoroughly she wouldn’t be able to walk at all. That way she’d have to stay in his bed.
His feelings had spilled out of him, and while he’d meant every word, his timing sucked. After the way he’d mistreated Ellie and the way Olivia claimed him, his true mate hadn’t believed a word he said. Even his womanizing reputation worked against him. He needed to get out here and find her.
One of his father’s lieutenants stepped into the ring. “King Caleb orders the contenders to wait in the Great Hall while he considers the result.”
Joel cursed under his breath, and while his instincts demanded he find Ellie, he had no choice but to obey his king. Torn between his pack, his duty, and his true mate, he followed the others inside. He just wished Caleb would announce the next challenge and let them leave.
Once inside, Joel stood in the doorway and watched. King Caleb still stood in the center of the ring, his arm protectively around his queen. He faced out across the green and waited until the pack shuffled in closer. Can they move any bloody slower? Lysander and Titus lounged against the far wall and glowered at him and Marcellus.
Marcellus moved to Joel’s side. “What’s going on out there?”
“You know full well that asshole, Titus, brained me from behind. Caleb’s working out who was in league with him, and what their punishment should be.” Even to his own ears, Joel sounded bitter.
Marcellus’s face turned an interesting shade of green. Joel had heard about Marcellus’s brother and his hasty temper. He’d probably have taken Marcellus’s throat for this, even though Joel felt certain Marcellus knew nothing of Lysander’s scheme. Not that Joel cared. All he wanted was find Ellie. He had to work out where his true mate had flashed off to. Damn it, can Caleb drag this out any longer?
Joel had won the match, but he prayed Olivia’s intervention and his ill-timed comments didn’t lose him his true mate. Elves’ blood, could I be a bigger prat? My Ellie needs careful wooing, and I’ve just embarrassed her again.
Once the crowd settled, Caleb conferred with Alexander and the pack’s lieutenants. Queen Sylvie sat on the edge of the ring, feet dangling. As Joel watched from the window, she rubbed her belly, and tilted her head to one side as though trying to puzzle something out.
Finally Caleb motioned the pack’s lieutenants to bring back the combatants. The four of them paraded to the ring like animals entering the abattoir. Titus and Lysander looked worried. Marcellus held his head high. Joel just wanted to get this fiasco over with so he could search for Ellie.
The crowd reacted as though watching a pantomime—booing the villains and cheering for Joel. Clearly, they still wondered if Marcellus had been complicit in the attack. They stayed silent and sullen as he entered. Titus snarled at the crowd while Lysander remonstrated with him. Just beyond the ropes, Olivia smiled and waved at Lysander.
Caleb didn’t raise his voice, but Joel suspected that Sylvie used her Fae powers to enhance its carrying properties.
“My decision is that Titus is disqualified from the tournament. Understand”—King Caleb pointed directly at Titus—“if you interfere again, I’ll personally tear out your throat. You’re lucky I don’t do it anyway.”
The crowd cheered. Titus curled his lip and whispered to Lysander, “You better damn well win. There’s too much at stake here for us to lose.”
Joel’s Lykae hearing picked up the soft-spoken words, but he worried about losing Ellie, and he hadn’t time to wonder what Titus meant.
King Caleb continued as though no one had spoken. “My decision is that the result stands. Joel takes first place. Marcellus is second, and Lysander third. Titus is disqualified from the tournament and has his previous points revoked.”
The painter put the scores on the board along with subtotals. Overall, Joel had eight points, Marcellus came second with six, and Lysander lagged behind with four.
The crowd went wild, chanting Joel’s name and cheering loudly.
King Caleb ignored them. “Tomorrow’s task will take place in primal form. You will release your inner beasts, race up river, and cross the bridge. Seventeen miles beyond it, you will find three Tundra Toughs standards. The first contender to complete the fifty-mile run and return with a flag wins. There is a time limit of two hours. Anyone who takes longer is disqualified.” Caleb stared at Titus to make his point. “If anyone interferes, he will answer to me. Gentlemen, while the usual rules will apply, tomorrow’s challenge is worth double points, and anything goes. There is one exception. You may not kill or permanently injure your opponents.”
The crowd murmured with excitement. Watching three primal Lykae in combat was a rare experience, even if they’d only race past them for an instant. The entire pack wanted Joel as their next alpha. Since his warrior skills were as legendary as his regiment of female conquests, they were sure he’d win. Tomorrow, the right alpha would rule over their pack.
“They’ll double-team me,” Lysander objected.
Caleb grinned. “Probably, but a good alpha knows how to form alliances. If you’d spent more time sizing up the competition and less flirting with the Lady Olivia, then it wouldn’t be a problem. You will assemble here at noon tomorrow. By three p.m., the Tundra Toughs pack will have the strong alpha they deserve. For now, gentlemen, you are dismissed. Joel, a private word if you please.”
Joel wanted to walk off and ignore him, but Caleb was his king as well as his friend. Joel needed to respect that, but his natural wolf howled for release. He barely controlled it since it wanted to lope over to Pamela's home, certain he’d find Ellie hiding there. His voice came out clipped, and his manner was distracted. “As you wish, sire.”
“Forget the formalities and listen. I’ll make things right with the Desert Marauder pack. There will be no recriminations about Olivia. Go find your pretty Elf and sort out whatever mess you’ve made of courting her. Remember, you can’t have behaved worse than I did with Sylvie.”
Joel doubted that. He’d insulted Ellie and rejected her twice over. How could I do that to my true mate? He nodded his thanks, shifted into natural wolf form, and raced off to find Ellie.
The crowd cheered, but he ignored them and kept running. Behind him, he thought he heard Queen Sylvie mutter, “Caleb, about Joel’s mate. I‘m practically certain she isn’t an Elf.”
Joel didn’t have time to think about that now. All that mattered was that he find Ellie.
* * * *
Ellie respected the Tundra Toughs’ laws too much to leave their territory. As a stranger to Rackutta Valley, she didn’t know many places to hide. She flashed to the stone limestone cascade Joel had shown her yesterday and prayed he didn’t follow. If he looked for her at all, he’d go to Pammy’s house or the kitchens of the Great Hall. If he could be bothered. What sort of wolf wants his true mate as his mistress and not his wife?
Staying there was hard, since her heart demanded she go back and agree to anything Joel wanted. If he kissed her again, she’d turn into the sort of clinging female she despised. After the Elves’ abuse and the way Broken Nose scarred her face, she’d stayed strong and stood on her own two feet. Hell, she’d been doing that since the day she was born, but Joel’s smile shattered her
defenses.
Ellie accepted her life would never be easy. Let’s face it, it hasn’t been so far. Her mother preferred the gin bottle to her daughter. If Ellie hadn’t learned to cook, she’d have starved. School hadn’t been much better. She’d been the kid in charity-shop clothes. Add in that she had Mr. Spock ears, and her schoolmates had called her a freak. She’d grown up with more imaginary friends than real ones, which why she was so good at daydreaming. Now, all her daydreams centered on Joel.
Okay, it was time she got real.
The shallow cave smelled of burned-out candles and smoke. Yesterday the light of a hundred candles had shimmered inside it. Tonight it was dark, cold, and lonely. The soft glow of the candlelight had warmed her heart, right along with her pussy.
Even though Joel didn’t want her, her clit smoldered for his touch. Her nipples tingled and her breasts ached. When she thought of the kiss she’d shared with him earlier, tears spilled down her cheeks. Her life would be perfect if he loved her the way she loved him, but good things like that never happened to her. Instead Joel used her for sex, and in Ellie’s book, that made him no better than the Elves. They’d scarred her cheek, but Joel had gouged deep furrows into her heart.
As if in slow motion, she walked outside and dangled her feet in the middle pool. Ellie tried to imagine a future that didn’t include Joel. She could feel her heart breaking. If I’m really his true mate, why does he put pack politics above me. Maybe it’s because I’m an Elf. Maybe it’s my scars. Or maybe he just plain doesn’t like me at all.
She’d never heard of anyone rejecting their true mate before, yet Joel brushed her off as easily as he’d brush crumbs from his lap. Determined to hold back her tears, she splashed warm water on her cheeks. She breathed deeply, trying to find her inner calm, but when she exhaled, her lungs emptied with a sob.
She’d been unwanted since the moment her mother conceived her. Her father walked away, and her mother wallowed in alcohol rather than care for her daughter. All Ellie remembered of her schooldays were the cruel taunts and the name-calling. No friends. No family. No future. And now no Joel.
Her tears started slowly, but they soon turned into a torrent. Her chest heaved, and sobs racked her slender body. She lay on the limestone and wept until she had no tears left. Just once, she wanted someone to love her. Maybe one day, she’d have a plastic surgeon fix her face and her ears. Nothing would fix her heart.
Surrounded by imaginary friends, Ellie had lived in a daydream. Things had improved when she started catering college. At least the other trainee chefs had accepted her, and the hair covering she wore for hygiene reasons kept her ears covered. No one there had called her a freak.
After all that, the Elves had kidnapped her and used her…badly. She’d always love Joel for the way he’d rescued her. Two years back, she’d been drugged up and desperate for sex. She’d pleaded for him to screw her. Instead he’d held her tight, and stopped her from fucking anyone.
He’d been the one who conscripted her into the Lykae forces. Cooking for Lykae soldiers had been challenging, but she’d enjoyed every moment of her military service—especially when she caught occasional glimpses of Joel. Sure, the unmated male soldiers had hung around her in droves, but that said more about her cooking than her charm. She’d been satisfied with the occasion glimpses of her hero, and she’d treasured every word Joel he’d spoken to her.
Running the Lykae mess hall was the highlight of her life. She’d found acceptance and friendship despite her scars. Then the new cook showed her that, as usual, she lived in a daydream. No one wanted a woman with a scarred face, especially one who was part Elf.
She lost track of time as she sat alongside the water. Her future was a blank page, and she hadn’t a clue what to do next. Eventually, the chill wind and the twilight brought her back to reality. She’d shelter in the cave and hide out until the tournament was over. Then she was free to leave Tundra Toughs’ territory for good. If she hadn’t wept until her eyes were red and her throat was raw, she’d have sobbed again.
She hadn’t eaten, but the thought of food nauseated her. She kept imagining Joel getting together with Olivia. Would he kiss Olivia as passionately as he kissed her? She whimpered when she imagined him ripping Olivia’s clothes from her body. Maybe their loving would be as cold as Olivia’s heart. Once the tournament finished, Ellie didn’t plan on sticking around to find out.
Finally she lay at the back of the cave, but sleep eluded her. An icy chill crept into her bones, but she couldn’t make herself care, let alone leave. Outside she heard a stone plop into a pond. A couple of minutes later she heard a second stone hit the water. Someone moved about outside.
When she crept to the edge of the cave, she stuffed her fist in her mouth to stifle her gasp. Joel Blackheart paced the limestone hillside, muttering curses under his breath. He’s still furious over what happened back at the wrestling ring. She wondered how the pack would punish Titus. Whatever pain they inflicted on him, it couldn’t be worse than the pain Joel inflicted on her heart.
Unwilling to face him again, she edged deeper into the cave, careful not to dislodge any loose stones. Once she reached the back wall, she’d picture Pamela’s home and flash away from Joel again. Even though she concentrated on every little detail from the tapestry hanging on the walls to the pots and pans of the kitchen, her flashing ability deserted her.
All that weeping had left Ellie exhausted, and flashing to the limestone cascade had extinguished that spark of power inside her. All she could do was cower at the back of the cave and pray Joel didn’t find her. Outside she heard him howl. Gods, he’s picked up my scent.
Chapter Sixteen
Even though he stayed in his human form, Joel howled and bounded up the hillside. His body thrummed with excitement, and his wrestling leggings outlined every inch of his erection. Damn Caleb for making us all wear Lycra. He scented his mate—all seaside freshness and hyacinths. The need to claim her drove his inner wolves wild.
A sense of anticipation coursed through him. He grinned so wide his cheeks ached, and there was a new spring in his step as he raced up the cliff toward the cave. He was born to track her and claim her. Tonight she was his. He’d never felt more alive.
He was beside her in an instant. “Ellie, please, stay put. We need to talk. Just hear me out.”
Elves’ blood, don’t let her flash away again.
Even with her red-rimmed eyes and stark white face, she was beautiful, but the blue tinge to her lips showed him how the cold had seeped into her blood. Foolish mate. I know just how to warm her, but she doesn’t trust me to touch her like that yet. He wrapped his arms around her, cradled her against his chest, and rubbed her back.
She didn’t resist, but she stayed stiff and distant. When his cock pressed against her stomach, she closed her eyes. “Don’t. Just don’t.
He kept one arm around her waist and swept her into his arms. “Shush, Ellie. Just let me get you warm and fed, then hear me out. Please.”
She shook her head, but he flashed her into his cabin. Usually when he was home, he stayed with his parents, but sometimes he needed a place to hole up and reconnect with the land. He’d built this solid, one-room cabin as a retreat.
He’d never brought anyone here, not even his parents, but he’d dreamed of sharing his favorite place with his true mate and raising their children there. The land above the cascades plateaued into verdant meadow. His cabin stood close to the cliff edge, with panoramic views down the valley. It was just one room with a cooking area, bed, sofa, and wood-burning stove. As an unmated wolf, he’d never needed more. For Ellie, he wished he’d built a mansion.
As a dominant alpha wolf and high-ranking soldier, he never had a goal he hadn’t reached. Ellie pulled the rug from under him. No. Strike that. She was an earthquake that shook his foundations, but he’d rebuild stronger—more loving—and never cause her a moment’s anguish again.
This cabin, his most private place, was his sanctuary, but if it d
idn’t please Ellie, they’d move on and find somewhere she loved. His woman was the other half of his soul, and he’d do anything just to make her smile. I’m as besotted with my mate as Caleb is his. And, damn, I like it this way. I’ll give her everything she ever wanted. He just prayed that after the way he’d behaved, he could make her want him.
He didn’t care about the tournament, and the pack could survive without him. He couldn’t survive without Ellie, and he’d follow her anywhere, even if it disqualified him from the tournament.
She shivered in his arms, too cold to speak, but the pained look in her eyes showed how much ground he had to make up. He laid her gently on the sofa, pulled the comforter off the bed, and tucked it around her.
Once he lit the wood burner, he lifted her onto his lap. “I can’t believe how badly I’ve treated you badly, but I never meant to hurt you. Well, I did back in Whitby, but I thought it was for your own good. I didn’t want to be bound to one woman or dote on my true mate, but honestly, Ellie, I can’t live without you.”
He talked to himself. Ellie had fallen asleep with her head on his shoulder and her slender body curled against his chest. Briefly he considered immersing her in the hot pools, but much as he wanted to see her cotton T-shirt cling to her breasts, he wanted her out of the chill winds more. Besides, it felt so right having her in his home.
He’d stay here on the sofa all night if that was what it took for her to rest and warm up. His ignored the pins and needles creeping up his arm and concentrated on Ellie. He felt her relax against him, and when he gazed at her sweet face, her lips had lost their blue tinge. He wanted her sleeping in his bed, her body shivering with desire. Instead, thanks to his stupidity, she shivered with cold.
He needed to taste her honey-sweet lips again. Damn, but my mate’s addictive. Her body was small and delicate, but her breasts were made for him to lick and caress. When he fucked her, his cock fit perfectly inside her tight pussy. More than that, she made his world bright, shining, and fresh. He couldn’t believe he’d almost lost her. Hell, he still might. It’s time I wised up and stopped acting so dumb around my mate.
Scattered Siblings 3: To Mate a Werewolf Page 12