Dante split firewood and tried to lose the thoughts of storming the Silverback pack and taking Anya back. It would not only be foolhardy but lives would be lost, and he couldn’t justify that. Not for a woman who may or may not feel the same way toward him as he did for her. Not even if both his own will and that of the Wolf Lord wanted it.
“Dante,” Chris said as Dante brought the ax down onto the defenceless piece of wood and cleaved it in half.
“Yeah,” Dante grumbled.
“You got a letter.” Chris passed the thick envelope to him. “It was left for you at the general store.”
“Who the hell sent this?” he asked as he eyed it. There was only his name across the front, no sender’s.
“Don’t know. Mr. Miller said she comes in every Friday, and last Friday she left that for you.”
He headed toward his own cabin. As he walked inside, Dante sniffed the letter. It smelled of Mr. Miller and Chris, no other scent was on it. Now he was curious, and as he sat at the table, he opened it. He pulled the contents out and saw they were sealed in a zip lock bag. It prevented the sender’s scent from being detected. He opened it and caught the smell and knew immediately whose it was. Anya.
With shaky hands, he unfolded the letter. A long, thin braid fell out, and he picked it up and smelled her intoxicating scent. It caused an ache in his heart he could not fathom. Dante tightly held on to the braid as he read.
Dearest Dante.
I do hope this letter finds you. I was unsure if Mr. Miller would give it to you or not. But it’s the only way in which I know how to reach you. I will answer your question if you still want to know. Meet me by the fountain in Bishop’s Park on Friday at midnight and I’ll tell you my answer.
Anya
Dante’s heart leapt in his chest. Come hell or high water, he would ensure he was at that fountain this Friday. The need to get things ready surged in him, and before he knew it, he was cleaning his home. If she wanted him, which was how he read between the lines, he would bring her back there. They would be mated and a family. That word had visions of her pregnant with his child dancing through his head.
He looked over his small home and knew his place was too small. He would need to build an extension onto it to accommodate a family. He wanted Anya to have lots of babies with him. But then his happiness faltered. Maybe it was a trap. What if Mitch was looking for payback? He needed to plan it out carefully. He wouldn’t be going alone, that would be foolish on his part. Nevertheless, that also might scare Anya away too.
Dante headed for his little sister’s tiny home. It was a spare cabin, one for the newly mated to get settled in until their own was built. So far, Alex and Cora’s house was coming along nicely, he thought as he approached the nearly completed structure on his way to talk to Alex. The entire pack was helping to build it in their spare time. It would have been done sooner, but given the time of year, other things had to be done first. Dante could make out the sounds of hammering coming from within the house and knew his sister’s mate was there. Now he didn’t need to go to all the way to the spare cabin just to talk with Alex.
“Hey, mind if I come in?” he asked as he stepped through the door-less entry.
“We’re up here!” he heard Alex say from the roof.
After making his way up, he saw Alex and Memphis working. The two had become fast friends, and Memphis now spent a great deal of time with both Cora and Alex. It was odd how much Alex reminded Dante of Anya. It was just small things, like the way he smiled or cocked his head. It was the same as his sister.
“Hey, it’s coming together nicely,” Dante said as he eyed their handiwork.
“Yeah, it’s not too bad. We think the roof will be done by tomorrow night,” Alex said as he wiped the sweat from his brow.
“I need to talk to you about your sister.”
“Oh? What about her?” Alex raised eyebrow.
“I want your permission to have her as my mate.”
He only needed one of the brothers’ consent. That way he wasn’t bending or breaking any laws.
“What makes you think she wants you?”
“Here, I got this today,” Dante said and passed the letter over.
Alex read the short note, looking bemused as he did. He then turned his attention back to Dante.
“Yeah, you have my permission,” he said with a smile.
* * * *
After her bags were placed in the spare room, Craig showed Anya around the isolated farmhouse. Craig explained the rules he expected her to follow as they walked. She’d tuned him out when he’d told her he expected his meals ready when he got home, and for them to be in bed at a decent hour. The only good thing about it was she had access to his car. He’d said she could use it whenever she needed. That would make getting to the fountain on Friday a lot easier.
For the rest of that evening she stayed in the bedroom he’d assigned her. She really had no desire to get better acquainted with the man. Anya needed to get out of this arranged mating, and the sooner the better. She was just entering another heat cycle, and thoughts of being there alone with Craig made her uneasy. When he looked at her, she became nervous, almost afraid, and her instincts told her she might be in trouble.
Her attempts to fall sleep proved hard. She could hear Craig snoring in the next room, and it had her wanting to stuff earplugs into her ears. The bed was not hers, and none of her things looked right in the room either. She wanted Dante, his rustic home and the tranquility of his village. It took until the wee hours of the morning before she eventually drifted to sleep.
Her mind twisted her worries into unwanted dreams. Anya’s sleepy mind tricked her into feeling a presence, and it felt as if someone had gotten into her bed. She tried to move away from the warm body that suddenly pressed her down into the mattress. Fear paralyzed her in her dream, making it impossible to wake herself as she heard Craig’s voice rumble next to her ear, “You smell good.”
The room was still light enough she could barely make him out. She saw Dante standing nearby. He looked down at them, his eyes full of rage. He slowly faded into the dark recess of her dream. Anya had a sense of losing him forever, and it felt as if she died at that moment. Craig scowled, and she wanted to cry.
“You’re mine, Anya. No one else’s.” He growled.
“Get off me!” She snarled as she pushed against his chest, not willing to give in.
“Anya, you need to relax.” He tried to push her night dress up.
She jerked it back down with one hand as she slapped him in the face with the other. He chuckled darkly. It echoed in her mind and all through the room. The dream twisted into dark horror, one in which Craig laid claim to her. She’d struggled and fought, but he’d dominated her into being submissive. Her wolf had laid still for him to have her, creating a union between them that she did not want.
Anya bolted awake, covered in sweat and trembling all over. She gasped for air as her nightmare had left her mortified. The sun shone through the window, and she looked around the room in a near panic. She was in the one at Craig’s. She tossed the covers off herself to make sure it had only been a nightmare. Her legs were still clad in her pajama bottoms and she was still wearing her nightshirt.
It really had been just a bad dream, but it was one that would come true. Craig would expect her to let him have her, after all it was what mates did. She didn’t want that, didn’t want Craig, and now she really wished it was Friday. Thoughts of running away drifted into her mind as she dressed. But where would she go? Back to Temple Island? That could start a war. She had no friends outside her own pack mates, no money either.
Anya felt trapped, knowing all too well if Dante didn’t show up next Friday she would be fated to mate Craig. It could happen before then too. He had the right as Mitch told her that he saw them as already mated. With shaky hands, she rose from the bed, her mind a storm of thoughts and worries. The hopelessness set in and it gnawed at her all day.
Chapter Eleven
Mitch sat at the kitchen table, looking over an old photo album. The images of his siblings and him had brought back such fond memories of their youth. He yearned for those days again. Becoming the alpha when he’d turned eighteen had taken away much of his carefree life. The responsibility to care for his pack was immense, but it was his to bear, and he accepted that. He also accepted his role as Anya and Alex’s guardian.
Anya would be okay now, he thought. A mate would tame the wild, adventurous side she had, and hopefully they would soon start having children. She would learn to love Craig, learn her role as his mate, and come to realize it was the way it should be. Right now she was pissed at him, but she would get over it once she allowed Craig to lay claim to her. That might take many months. He knew how stubborn his sister was, but in the long run, he hoped it was for the best.
Mitch placed the old albums back into the trunk and prayed to god he’d made the right decision in Craig. He’d known him for many years, but the man had never had a mate. He was decent, dependable and hardworking, and the mating would bring both their packs closer. Anya was much younger than Craig, and Mitch figured it was a good thing, a more mature responsible male to help guide his sister. On the other hand, what if he were wrong? Self-doubt was not something he had often, but this was his baby sister.
Mitch forced his mind to think more as the alpha and less as the worried big brother. He again realized it had to be done. She needed to settle down, and so far no other male had met her requirements. It’d been a battle between them for years. Now he’d taken control and put his foot down. Again he told himself this was the best thing for her. But what if he were wrong?
* * * *
Anya sat on the edge of the fountain and was nervous. All she could do was think of Dante, and how she’d snuck off without anyone knowing. The sneaking part had been very easy. She simply had waited until Craig was asleep and crept out her window. The enormous maple tree afforded her an escape route. One of its large branches was within easy reach, and after she’d made it into the tree, it was only a simple matter of climbing down.
Now as she sat there in the middle of the night all alone, she wondered if he’d even gotten the letter. What if he didn’t want her or feel the same way? Her inner doubts crept into her mind. Maybe she was jumping to conclusions that he’d felt the same. A soft cracking of a branch off in the woods caused her to snap her attention to the there and now.
She scanned the area, but saw nothing. Another sound to her right had her twisting her head quickly in that direction. A large form made its way toward her, and the person was not alone. The crunching of dried leaves from behind her made her skin goose bump, and she wheeled around in time to see several men walking closer to her. They were coming from the darker shadowed areas.
It didn’t take her long to realize she was surrounded. All of their eyes glinted in the night. Werewolves, and she was not sure if she should run or not.
“Anya?” the largest shadowy figure asked.
“Dante, I thought…” Her words caught in her throat. What had she done? He’d brought a hunting pack with him.
“It’s okay. They’re here for my protection,” Dante said as he stepped out of the darkness and into the dimly lit area a few yards from the fountain.
He moved toward her, and she suddenly felt her cheeks warm as she blushed. Anya was glad that in the dim lighting he wouldn’t see that.
“This is yours.” He stepped directly in front of her. He held her braid.
“I gave it back to you,” she whispered. The thought that he didn’t want her as his mate felt crushing.
“I will only accept it if you answer my question.”
After standing, she moved to him. Anya reached out and closed his hand around her braid.
“I gave it back to you, it’s yours.” His fingers caressed her cheek and then he tilted her face up to his at the same time as he bent down and kissed her. Again, her heart felt as if it may explode within her chest.
He drew his lips away and smiled. “Give us some privacy. I’ll meet you at the dock,” Dante ordered his hunting party. She heard their soft retreat and felt a bit more at ease.
“Do you want to go for a little walk? Somewhere not so open?” he asked.
“All right. There’s a gazebo not far from here. We could go sit there and talk.”
The warmth of his hand slipping into hers was so nice. As they strolled toward the covered sitting area, she wondered why he thought he needed protection. Had he heard about Craig? Had he and Mitch crossed paths again? She hoped not. The feud was bad enough as it was, it didn’t need to get any worse.
“Dante, why did you bring a hunting party?” she asked just before they got to the gazebo.
“In case it wasn’t you who sent the letter.”
“Who did you think sent it?”
“I honestly hoped it was you, but I also couldn’t take the chance your brother had. He might be looking to get revenge on me for keeping you.”
“I need to tell you something. Mitch has made arrangements for me to be mated.” A snarl formed on his lips.
“To who?” he demanded with a gravely tone.
“Craig, the alpha to the Misty Creek pack.”
Dante reached out and brushed a few stray hairs from her face. She shivered at the softness in his touch. He leaned closer and sniffed her.
“I don’t smell him,” he said. “You haven’t mated with him.”
“No, and I don’t want to be. But in a week I’ll have to.”
“Who do you want?” he asked as his hand traced over her cheek and down her neck until it skirted the edge of her blouse.
The words froze upon her lips. She suddenly was too shy to say anything.
“I want you, Anya. Tell me you want me as well.”
“Yes, Dante, I want you,” she murmured. “Only you.”
She was nervous now, and as he kissed her, she hoped he wouldn’t know she’d never done this before. Dante pulled his lips from hers and sighed as he undid the buttons on her shirt.
*
Anya stared at him, her bright eyes looking a little timid as he slipped her shirt from her shoulders and let it fall onto the ground at her feet. She was going into heat. Her rich aroma was even more tantalizing now. Maybe because he knew this time it really was him she wanted.
“I want to make love to you.” He unclasped her bra. After removing it, he dropped it by her shirt. Then he traced the outline of her breasts with his fingertips.
Anya’s nipples hardened at his touch. So responsive, he thought. He explored her body with one hand as his other encircled her waist. He trembled. Her skin felt like satin against his rough hands. Too many years had gone by since he’d done this. His need had his erection pressing tightly against his jeans. She moaned deeply when he slipped a hand into the front of her pants. His found her already wet with need, and it made the bulge in his pants twitch in anticipation of feeling her warm, wet body.
Dante wanted her, needed her, and as he slid his fingers harder over her clit, she gasped at his touch. He drew her closer and kissed her again, their tongues seeking each other. Playing and rolling around, exploring each other’s mouths, he loved the taste of her. He pulled free from the kiss, both of them were panting, and his heart raced.
“Take your pants off.”
Anya wriggled out of her jeans while still in his arms, and the only thing keeping her from being completely naked was her panties. He moved his hand back down to her pelvis and stroked over the thin material. She groaned and flexed her hips into his palm. Dante pushed her panties to the side to feel her naked flesh and manoeuvred a finger into her. He watched her face as it reflected her body’s desires as she squirmed on his finger, impaling her. He wanted to taste her, and slid to his knees before her.
With a hurried tug, he pulled her panties down far enough for her to step out of them, and she stood there completely naked before him. As his tongue snaked out to tease the small hard bud of her clit she squealed
and jumped back.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Nothing…it…well, it tickled,” she whispered, and he nearly growled as he pulled her closer.
“Oh, it won’t tickle for long, my sweet,” he said as he decided to be rough and his tongue drove into her without hesitation.
Her cry resounded through the field as her hips pushed toward his mouth. “Oh, my god!” she said, and he fucked her harder with his tongue.
Her body slightly trembled as he used his tongue to assault her clit and his finger to thrust up inside her. Her mews became raspy as her body shuddered, the tightness of her made him want to feel her wrapped around him as he took her. As a flood of wetness washed over his finger, he tasted her again.
She was delectable, creamy and so ready for him, causing his own need to nearly overwhelm him. He easily pulled her down to the ground. He wanted her now. He freed his erection from its prison. Dante was not patient enough to take the time to remove his pants or shirt as he manoeuvred her legs apart and descended on top of her. Their lips met as he pressed against her, and as she opened to him, she tensed.
“Wait.” Anya gasped against his mouth as she pushed against him with her hands.
Dante couldn’t wait, his own desire all consuming. He needed her now. With brute force, he slammed himself forward and nearly came as her body enveloped him in a constrictive wet glove. Never had anyone felt so damn tight and wet. As she began to cry, he knew why. He froze, unable to move at the realization of what he’d just done.
*
The kiss had been all consuming, pulling on her very soul, binding her to him. They were one, a mated pair. But as they joined, it burned. The heated pain that flooded her was not unwelcome, but she’d had no idea it would hurt that much. She cried out with the feeling of him invading her, and Dante froze on top of her. He pulled his mouth from hers. He stared at her wide-eyed.
An Undying Love Page 9