One Night with the Wolf

by Anna Hackett

  Then his hand was gone and she felt hair-roughened thighs against hers. He covered her, his fingers gripping her waist, then he paused.

  She thrust back, desperate for him. “What’s wrong?”

  His big body quivered. “I don’t…want to hurt you.” His tone was low, tortured.

  Her noble wolf, still protecting her, even when she wanted him rough and hard. “Do it, Christian.”

  He thrust forward, filling her in one plunge. Her cry echoed through the trees. He pulled out and thrust forward again. The rhythm he set was hard and fast, skin slapping against skin.

  Jade drowned in the sensations. Her wolf reveled in being taken by her mate. It was everything she’d wanted—hot, animal passion. A man who needed her.

  This time there was no finesse, no gentleness. He pushed her higher with ruthless precision. Her fingers curled into the ground. Her vision blurred, her senses condensed down to only him—his scent, his feel, his heat.

  A hand tangled in her hair, pulled her head to the side. His hot mouth touched her shoulder, then he sank his teeth into the sensitive cord in her neck.

  His claiming shoved her over the dark edge of pleasure, and she screamed. His pace increased and he followed her a second later, spilling his hot seed inside her.

  They collapsed on the ground. With his weight on her, Jade could barely draw a breath. But she didn’t want him to move. She wanted to stay like this—surrounded by him—forever.

  But once he caught his breath, Christian moved onto his side, pulling her with him. He curled his big body around her, pulling her back against his chest with an arm snug around her waist.

  They stayed there, listening to the gentle silence of the night.

  Wrapped in his arms, she wanted no more secrets between them. “Why were you exiled?”

  He stiffened, then slowly relaxed. “I disagreed with my alpha.”

  Not a crime with a good alpha who appreciated a trusted enforcer’s advice. But a brutal alpha, who ruled by fear, would never accept it. Knowing him, he’d believed what he was doing was right.

  “He wanted to punish some teenagers who were guilty of nothing more than being stupid kids.”

  Jade listened to Christian’s steady breathing, glad he trusted her enough to tell her. She closed her eyes. How was she going to survive being married to someone else and seeing her mate every day? “And you stopped him?”

  “No. I took their punishment instead.”

  She remembered the terrible wounds he’d carried when he arrived at Thorne. For the first night, their healer had been unsure if he’d survive. He was so protective of everyone weaker than himself, so she wasn’t surprised at what he’d done.

  “Then my alpha still punished the kids and exiled me.”

  His tone was blank, but under it she heard the pain and anger. Jade had always thought Christian cool and controlled, but so much seethed beneath his skin.

  “One of the teens died.”

  She bit her lip and smoothed a hand down his side. She only hoped their time together helped soothe some of those wounds.

  They held each other as the night slowly gave way to morning. Each ray of sun sneaking through the trees cut into Jade, leaving her soul in shreds.

  Their time was up.

  “Christian?”

  His lips pressed against her hair. “Yeah.”

  Tears slid silently down her cheeks. Inside, she felt like she was choking, like she would never take a deep breath of air again. She would marry another man today and forever yearn for the one who’d taken her heart.

  “I don’t want you to be there today.”

  His silence ate at her. He’d already suffered enough. He deserved his mate, a woman who’d make him happy.

  It just wasn’t going to be her.

  “You can’t be there—” because I’m already dying without you “—because if I see you, I won’t be strong enough to go through with the Courting.”

  Chapter Six

  Gravel crunched under Christian’s feet. He walked down the long drive from the Thorne Ranch, leaving with what he’d brought with him. Nothing.

  No. That wasn’t true. He was leaving with even less because he’d left his heart behind.

  The Courting was starting in a few minutes. Jade would be preparing herself, schooling herself to face the crowd of wolves gathered to watch her pledge herself to the most dominant alpha present.

  Christian’s hands curled, nails ripping into his palms. He hadn’t told her he was leaving. Had decided it would be easier for both of them.

  But it wasn’t easy.

  Inside, his gut churned, his chest was squeezing so hard he thought it would cave in. He wanted to howl out his sorrow to the sky and curse Luna for giving him a mate he couldn’t have.

  If only things had been different. If only. The words mocked him.

  He’d thought one night would hold him. That memories of her would sustain him. But now he knew the terrible truth. They’d haunt him, twist him and give him years of torment.

  He’d see her face in his dreams, hear her laughter on the breeze and know some other man was touching her, holding her.

  Memories would haunt her as well. He stumbled to a stop. The thought sparked his fierce need to protect. As her mate, he was duty-bound to safeguard her, even from emotional pain. Maybe he could find a way for them to be together and to protect the pack.

  Christian half turned, his gaze catching on the roof of the ranch house in the distance. Then he stopped.

  No. He wouldn’t make things more difficult for her.

  With purposeful strides, he headed for the highway. He planned to hitch a ride out of state.

  By the time Jade was the wife of another alpha, Christian would be long gone.

  She’d never felt so alone.

  Jade stood in front of the crowd, fighting hard to keep her features blank. She wanted to scream and cry. She wanted to tell them all to leave.

  She wanted her mate.

  But Christian had honored her request. He was nowhere nearby. She couldn’t scent the faintest trace of him.

  She held her memories of their night close to her heart. Hidden by her hair was his mark on her neck. And the soreness between her legs reminded her of his other possession.

  Those marks would eventually fade, and she knew the day they healed, she’d cry.

  She watched a few of the impatient alphas in the crowd. Men old enough to be her father or grandfather. She stiffened her spine and resisted the urge to run her hands down her tailored trousers. Nausea welled in her throat. She wanted to run.

  A small hand tugged at the bottom of her shirt. Jade glanced down into the face of one of the pack’s pups. She crouched down. “Hey, Ethan.”

  “You look sad.”

  Her breath hitched and she forced a smile. “Nope. I’d be better if I could have a hug, though.”

  With a crooked smile, the seven-year-old wrapped his arms around her neck, his little face burrowing against her. Jade breathed him in and savored the feel of him. She closed her eyes, her lips trembling. She was doing this for Ethan and the others depending on her.

  She would do it. Even as her soul cried for another man.

  A commotion in the crowd had her sending Ethan off with a tight smile. Jade stood, searching for the source of the grumbles and agitated chatter.

  The crowd parted and a man strode forward. He was big with a head of salt-and-pepper hair and a wicked scar down the left side of his hard face. Behind him stood a man and a woman, both tall and lean, bodies coiled, ready for a fight.

  His second and third. The older man was alpha.

  “I’m here to claim my bride.” The man came within feet of Jade, his amused gaze sliding over her. But his whiskey-colored eyes remained cold.

  Who was he? She scanned the crowd, waiting for one of the other alphas to come forward, to dispute his claim.

  But not one of them moved. In their eyes she saw fear. A chill slithered down her spine.

&
nbsp; Swallowing, she put on her alpha face. “Who are you?”

  His cruel lips twitched. “Harper. Alpha of the Bane pack.”

  Bane. Jade’s stomach dropped away. She’d known in the back of her mind that there’d been more to the senseless attack in the woods the night before. This alpha was known as a cold-blooded killer. The most ruthless of shifters.

  This couldn’t be happening. She couldn’t lose Christian and go to a man like this. She couldn’t deliver her pack into the claws of the very thing she was trying to save them from.

  But the Courting laws were ancient and revered. The only way she could avoid marriage to Harper was if a more dominant alpha stepped forward…or if she challenged him to death.

  She was going to be sick. Jade wanted to press her hand to her stomach, but he watched her with his cold gaze, waiting for a sign of weakness.

  She sensed her third at her shoulder. Cody was young for the job, but already showing signs of making a great leader.

  “Jade, where’s Christian?”

  She shook her head, unable to say a word.

  Cody moved closer. “He refused to let Bane join the Courting. He’d stop this.”

  Or die trying. A part of Jade was thankful he wasn’t here.

  “Let me challenge him,” Cody whispered furiously.

  “No.” The boy would be dead in seconds despite his courage. She pressed a hand to the young man’s shoulder. “Everything will be fine.” Luna, what a lie.

  Cody scowled, body vibrating with tension, but he stepped back.

  “As Courting law requires, our seconds will witness the union.” Harper gestured the dark man at his side forward. “Now where’s your man? I want him to watch this.”

  Jade clenched her hands together. “My third will act as witness.”

  Harper tilted his head. “I demand your second come forward.”

  “He’s not here.”

  A harsh laugh. “He always was a coward.”

  Jade tensed. This hard man knew Christian?

  Harper stalked closer, crowding her. She made to step away, but he clenched her arms, putting his face in close to hers. “My spies told me he was sniffing around you. I decided to teach him a little lesson.”

  She gasped. This was all about Christian and nothing to do with her. What was this man to Christian? “Who are you?”

  His voice dropped. “I’m the man who’s going to have what that worthless pup can never have.” He raised his voice to the crowd. “I invoke the ancient rite of droit de seigneur.”

  The crowd gasped, and Jade’s heart stuttered. No one had invoked the Alpha’s Right in hundreds of years. It was an arcane law that allowed an alpha to bed any female he chose—whether she was married, mated or willing.

  Jade wrenched away from him. “You can’t be serious.”

  “Oh, very, my stubborn wife-to-be.” He yanked her back to his side, pulling her close to his big body. “And if you fight me, I’ll do it right here, in full view of your pack.”

  Frantically, she searched the crowd in the vain hope someone would stand up to this man. She wouldn’t let Cody go to his death. She couldn’t beat Harper herself. Her hysterical gaze collided with Harper’s second.

  She thought she saw a flash of regret in their vivid blue depths before he hid it. She saw Bane enforcers ringing the crowd, keeping them in check. Big, tough wolves who looked like they killed every day.

  No one. The only person strong enough she’d sent away. As always, Jade was alone with no one to protect her but herself.

  She struggled. While she knew she couldn’t hope to match Harper’s strength, she wouldn’t go easily. She raked her nails down his face.

  He growled and shook her, then bent one of her arms behind her back. Red-hot pain flared in her shoulder. She kicked out at him.

  “Fight me, then. I like a little she-wolf in my bed.” He ground his hips against her and she felt his growing erection. She wanted to vomit. “And the stories these people will tell should get all the way back to your gutless second.”

  Christian. Jade kept struggling, but her mind fought to protect itself from what she knew was coming. What she knew she wasn’t strong enough to stop.

  When Harper tore her shirt, baring her satin-covered breasts, Jade thought of her mate. She remembered his touch, his kisses. She remembered everything from their wild night together.

  “Hey.” Harper shook her hard, her head flipping back and forward. “Stay right here. I want you to remember everything I do to you.”

  A hint of scent caught Jade’s senses. She tensed with hope and fear. Wildly, she looked over her shoulder, searching the crowd.

  Then the fleeting scent was gone. Imagination. Her shoulders sagged.

  “Now, pretty Jade, let’s see what my worthless exile tasted.”

  He would sully the memories of her night with her mate. He would show her the worst of what a wolf could be.

  “I suggest you let my mate go.”

  The dark voice skittered through Jade. Her head shot up. A familiar silhouette moved forward.

  Hope warred with fear. Christian would fight the Bane alpha. She stared at him. Her lover was gone and in his place was the battle-hardened enforcer. A murderous look settled on his face, his lips in a flat line.

  But she felt the strength and the animal power in Harper. He was older but more experienced. Her skin flashed from hot to deathly cold. It would be a bloody fight and Christian might not win.

  Chapter Seven

  Finally, Christian Bane joins the fray,” Harper drawled.

  Christian fought to keep his wolf in check. It lunged and growled, wanting to slash at his father and yank Jade away.

  He saw his true name register with Jade. Her confused eyes met his. He begged her to understand. Then he faced the ruthless man who’d sired him.

  “I go by Christian Tallant now.”

  Harper snorted. “Your worthless mother’s maiden name.”

  Christian’s jaw locked. His mother had been beautiful enough to snare the eye of the Bane alpha, but too sweet for him. Harper had ground away at her until she’d given up living just to escape the horror of life with him.

  There was no way he would watch Harper destroy Jade. Christian knew his father had sent his men the night before to search for yet another way to torment him. Somehow Harper had guessed Jade would be the one thing he could use to finally break his son.

  Christian wasn’t going to let his father touch her.

  “I challenge you.” His voice carried through the crowd. “I should’ve done this a long time ago.”

  Harper’s smile was edged in vicious pleasure. Jade’s eyes turned stricken.

  Christian felt the calm before battle settle over him. This cruel man had shaped his life for far too long. He’d suffered the beatings, watched his mother fade away, watched Harper destroy so many others and turn the Bane pack into a ruthless, fear-filled group.

  With the exile, he’d pulverized Christian into tiny little pieces until he had nothing to offer. Now, he was ready to fight. For himself and for the woman he loved. His mate.

  “Let’s fight then.” Harper shoved Jade away. “Once again you’ll feel my claws.”

  The crowd backed away, forming a large circle around them. Christian stripped off his shirt, leaving only his jeans. His gaze collided with his father’s second, Seth. The man had once been his best friend. They stared at each other for a heated moment, then Seth nodded. Consent or luck? Christian wasn’t sure.

  “Christian, you can’t do this.” Jade’s voice rang out.

  She struggled against the Bane enforcer clutching her arms. Luna, she was beautiful. Had he really thought she wasn’t? Now he decided he’d never seen a woman as gorgeous.

  “I won’t let him hurt you.” Even if I have to die.

  She made a choked noise. “No.”

  “This has been a long time coming.” He needed her to understand. He needed to do this, not only for her, but for himself.

 
She gave a short nod, her blue eyes blazing with something he didn’t dare name. He felt a rush of hope. He was fighting for something much more important than revenge.

  Christian focused on his father. The older man was a brilliant fighter, skilled and cunning. He’d also stripped his shirt off, and despite his years, he was as hard and muscled as a wolf a third his age. Christian couldn’t underestimate him for a second.

  They circled each other, feet kicking up the dust.

  Harper lunged with ferocious speed and Christian’s dodge was a little late. The force of the punch was like a steel bar to the shoulder. Christian staggered.

  His father had never gone easy on him. If anything, he’d treated Christian worse than the lowest members of their pack.

  No more. He was done being Harper’s punching bag. Christian struck out. His blow snapped his father’s head back with vicious power.

  Harper roared and charged. They traded more blows. Knuckles smashed into flesh. Christian shuddered under the impact of his father’s fists.

  He knew the damage they could do—had suffered them all his life. For a second, he was a boy again, wishing only to please the man who’d fathered him. Could he really escape this man’s hold over him?

  You already have. He pulled in a sharp breath and smelled his mate’s fresh scent. Chilling calm descended. He’d already escaped the day he’d left Bane and found Jade.

  Christian looked for her. Tears glittered in her eyes. Fear was etched deep on her pale cheeks.

  Harper, cunning as always, sensed his distraction. His brutal strike slammed into the side of Christian’s head.

  Christian’s vision wavered, blood pouring down his face. He fell to his knees.

  “You were always weak—” his father spewed the words “—no matter how hard I tried to make you stronger.”

  Christian spat the blood out of his mouth. “Is that what you were doing every time you beat me bloody?”

  “Yes.”

  Christian shoved down the pain pounding in his body and pushed to his feet. “Liar. You did it because you were afraid of me.”

  Harper’s harsh laugh was unconvincing.