by Rae Foxx
“I know. That scared the shit out of me is all. Emma texted me as soon as you punched Michelle. I think I ran over some people on the way here.” He lifted his head to look at me, the bright wolf mixing with his natural eye color with an intensity that made me gasp. “I didn’t expect the mating instinct to be this strong. To care for you so much. I can’t lose you. I just found you.”
Talk about taking my breath away. I sat on the counter, trying to control my breathing as everything inside of me turned into melting Jell-O. God Damn! I think my panties had melted off.
Shit.
“You won’t lose me. Don’t worry. I don’t scare easily, just keep your ex away from me again.” I smiled at him and kissed the scruff on his chin, he was frozen beneath me.
“My ex?” Ticking his head to the side, he reminded me of a dog, or I guess a wolf...
“Yeah, Michelle. I know the type… scorned ex that doesn’t want anyone to get in the way of her second chance.” I chuckled; this wasn’t the first time I had come in contact with someone like her.
“More like she doesn’t want anyone to come between her and her first chance.” He made a frustrated clicking noise and went back to the cotton pad and tape that he was going to turn into a makeshift bandage.
Damn. This thing must be intense. I was going to look awesome.
“Besides, it’s not me she wants. She wants the power, the prestige, the position. It’s not about you or me, but rather her craving for a place in this pack other than the one she has.”
I snorted, “Damn. If that’s her problem, then I give it a year before she kills someone. At least, I got one good punch in.” I lifted my hand to show the already swelling and red knuckles. “No one calls me trash.” I kissed my knuckles like some kind of MMA fighter feeling all proud of myself.
Luke looked like he was going to explode.
“She called you that?” His voice went all Alpha again, the power in it pulsing through me like a warm vibration. “She won’t end up killing someone. She’s going to get killed. If I had known she said that today might have been her day.”
I was going to choose to ignore that.
“Yeah, she wondered where you found me and why I didn’t have clothes. I tried to make it clear that I dropped everything to be with you, but it fueled the fire.”
A smirk rose on his face, and his eyes did the gold thing. I flinched, thinking he was going to turn wolf on me, but it didn’t happen. “You said that in front of everyone?”
Oh, gods, the ego on this one. “Yes.”
“Good. They need to know that you own your place with me. I’m proud of you, by the way. Standing up for yourself like that.” Damn him and his panty-melting stare. I had to shift my weight.
“I’m sure as hell not going to lie down and take it. But I have to say, her turning into a wolf like that--scared the ever-loving shit out of me. It was…well, it was kind of gross. Do all of you do that?”
He chuckled, but he was no longer meeting my eyes. He was wholly focused on the tape he was gingerly placing on my cheek.
“We do. You didn’t still think I was lying about the wolf thing?” He laughed at me, but pushed a piece of hair from my face and tucked it behind my ear.
“No. Yes. Maybe.” He lifted an eyebrow. “Look bud, you’re lucky you got me here considering you turn into a wolf…” I shivered, reliving that moment that Michelle had ripped herself apart. “Looks like it’s painful.”
His eyebrows drew down. “What? Shifting?”
“Yeah. I think I freaking heard her bones break. It was like that goddamn dog creature from Ghostbusters, but worse.”
He laughed loud and hard. “It’s not like that, always, I swear. Her wolf has always fought against the change like it doesn’t approve of being inside her or something.”
“I don’t blame it…” I grumbled; she didn’t seem like a peach… “So you don’t look like you’re undergoing an exorcism while you’re changing?”
“Shifting.” He corrected me, kissing my bandage before he packed up the med kit. “And no, I hope not.” He looked to the bedroom and back at me. “Would you like to see it? See that mine is not so scary?”
My eyes darted to where he had been staring. Yes, there was enough room there to shift given what I had seen, and I still had a non-bruised hand for punching if necessary.
“Promise not to eat me?” I teased, poking him in the ribs as I jumped down from the counter.
One side of his mouth lifted in a sinister grin. “Not in wolf form. Come on, tough girl.”
I felt a shiver go up my spine. There was some truth to that, and for some weird reason, it didn’t scare me.
In seconds of getting to the bedroom, he had kicked off his shoes and unbuttoned his shirt. His eyes met mine as he shucked his pants and waited for me to sit in a chair in the corner. I did, and then… he did nothing.
He stood there, staring at me.
“Everything okay? I’m not going to punch you. And I’m not going to run.” It was weird how true those words were.
“I know… I’ve dreamed of this moment for so long.” His words faded away, and he shook his head before he closed his eyes.
A wave of something like heat and power pushed against me as his body began to shake. His hair and skin shimmering as though it was vibrating. In seconds, not nearly the time it took for Michelle to shift, he was a wolf, standing in front of me.
There were those yellow eyes. The ones I had seen pop in and out of his irises since the very first day, they were staring at me, the powerful wolf looking at me as he padded his way toward me.
Towering over me.
I had never seen an animal this large, let alone been close enough to pet it while knowing, absolutely knowing, that it wouldn’t bite me.
“You’re a beautiful wolf,” I whispered, and he chuffed.
He came nearer, his nose moving as he sniffed the air. I should’ve probably been more scared that a wolf was sniffing me, but somehow, I was calm, knowing that within the beast was the man I was growing to love. He licked my neck and laid in front of me for a few seconds before getting up and in seconds was back to Luke, the man.
“Still think it’s gross?” He asked and put on his pants, sans the boxers.
“Not yours,” I shook my head, “But Michelle’s? Yep. Still gross.”
“You didn’t shift when she did, so she thought you were weak,” he said and I gave him a ‘what the hell’ look as he slipped into the chair beside me, pulling me into his lap.
“That’s because I’m not like the rest of you.” A gave him a grin and a kiss, but he was all business again.
“Yeah, I’m not sure they all know that,” he shook his head, long hair swinging. “I mean, I know you are, but they will all think you are weak.”
I turned to him. “They haven’t been around many humans?”
He patted my thigh and let out a low exhale. “That’s the problem, Cami. They haven’t. It’s extremely rare for a human and a shifter to be mated. I’m talking once in a lifetime kind of thing. It makes you even more of a treasure to me.”
I puffed out my chest and made a ‘hmm’ noise. “I already knew I was a treasure. Glad you caught up.”
Luke wrapped his arms around me and pulled me tighter against his chest, peppering me with kisses. “You’re right. It took me long enough. But there are those in our pack that will never see it that way, especially a human in a place of power.” He was dead serious, and I felt a twist of ice move up my spine.
I knew I shouldn’t be surprised given how Michelle and that Matt guy had acted, but there was more warning there than was strictly necessary.
“Great.” I flexed my bruised fist. “Guess I am in for more punching.”
He rolled his eyes at me. “I swear I won’t let anything happen to you. No one will take you from me.”
“No, they won’t. But that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t figure out how to take care of myself, Luke. Just look at this morning. You had to go to w
ork, and I wasn’t even safe eating breakfast. If what you said is true, there is always a chance that some animal is going to take a chunk out of my ass.”
“Well, unless they respect you.”
“Huh?”
“If we make our mating official then the alpha bond will change a lot of that.” Shivers spindled through me as his deep voice took that tone, the one he used in the storage room back at the bar. I had a feeling he would be using that voice plenty of times in the future to get me to do all kinds of things.
And there went my heart, beating like some kid banging on pots and pans.
“Official.” Yep, I totally squeaked that out. “That sounds like marriage, Luke.”
“No,” he chuckled, though this time the sound was forced. “We’re talking about something more wolfish.”
I inhaled a sharp breath. “Spell it out, Luke.”
He pushed a piece of hair behind my ear. “We need to mark each other, with a bite.”
I searched his eyes for some evidence of joking, but found nothing. His warm brown eyes were sincere and steady.
“You want me to bite you? Like with my teeth?” I stuck my bottom jaw out and showed my teeth hoping he got the fucking point. Steak, sure. Human flesh, not so much.
“Biting is generally done with teeth, yes.”
Fuck, he was serious. My entire body had frozen at the prospect. “Yeah, that’s going to hurt.” And also be pretty damn weird.
“I would welcome the pain of your bite, female. It would mean I belong to you always, and you to me.”
I bit down on my lower lip, loving how that sounded.
I had always been on my own. Been my own person. But now… I wanted this. I felt like I needed it. Like it was meant to be.
“Damn. This mate thing is fucking real, isn't it?” The question was more to myself, but he grinned anyway, pulling me so that I was straddling him, the same move he’d used on that hill. “Yes, I suppose it is more barbaric to humans. But also more binding. Once bonded, always bonded. I will always be yours. Bonded males don’t cheat, hell, they hardly even look at another female. It’s like the chase instinct gets deleted with the marking. I swear to the gods I will do my damndest to give you a good life, Cami. I will keep you safe.”
The sincerity in his voice almost brought me to tears. He was real and he was true and everything in the marrow of me knew that this was destiny, no matter how much my brain ticked off the reasons to the contrary.
“Then bite me, Luke. Let’s seal the deal.”
In one swift move, my shirt and his were removed and though I’d been bared to him before, there was something more intimate about this time. His eyes roamed my form and took me in, inch by inch, his fingers roamed over my body, caressing me, touching me, before coming to rest on the curve of my shoulder.
He didn’t have to ask, I could see what he was thinking in the intensity of his stare, in the growl of his wolf that was bleeding from his throat.
I nodded as he took my lips once again, kissing me before he moved and bit down, breaking open my skin. I barely winced, so caught up in the storm that was Luke.
“Bite me, Cami,” he whispered into my ear. I grazed my lips against his neck, down the curve until I reached his shoulder. With a growl in my throat, I bit down. A flash of blood touched my tongue, the coppery taste was all right… all wrong… all perfect.
Luke was mine.
And I was his.
11
Cami
“It’s actually kind of beautiful.” I cocked my head this way and that, looking at my new mark in the mirror. It had been bloody and gross last night, but this morning it even looked to be partially healed. “It’s even healing. Maybe I have some super wolf powers after all.”
A low, velvety chuckle resounded behind me as warm arms wrapped around my torso. Luke’s chin rested on my shoulder after he placed a kiss on my new mating mark. His kiss sent a shiver coursing through my body, jostling us both.
“It’s my saliva. So, maybe I loaned you some.” He teased me, our stares locking in the reflection. Gods, he was beautiful in the morning. His wavy brown hair was messy in the way that made him look like he’d done it on purpose and his sleepy eyes almost demanded that I return to bed along with him.
“Maybe you’ll have to loan me some other stuff…” I teased, arching my hips toward him.
He kneaded my hips while placing a blazing trail of kisses along the side of my neck. “You are going to be the death to me. You know I will gladly fold you over this counter and fuck you… Make you watch as I press myself into you…”
He ground his hips against my ass, and I moaned. Fuck, he could turn me on from across a football field.
“But we have a pack meeting to get to. I want to introduce my pack to their new Alpha female.” He smacked my ass and walked away, leaving me all hot and bothered.
Damn him.
“Fine. Fine.” I answered, knowing there was no way to fight him. “I don’t want to give anyone the idea that I’m hiding in here with you, scared of Michelle and her little girl gang.”
“Oh, my fierce female. They are going to love you. Clothes and food. Come on.” He slapped my ass, harder that time, making me yelp before leaving me with my reflection.
I had always been a tank top and jeans kind of girl, and now my style was going to work for me. Call me weird, but I wanted people to see my mark. Although, I was totally going to wear those Chucks that Emma had brought. I’d never wear fucking high heels again if I could help it.
“Come on baby,” Luke said, grabbing my hand and leading me down the stairs. He stiffened before we had even made it halfway.
Everyone, and I mean everyone, was gathered in the large living area of his cabin. Judging by the way Luke’s spine had stiffened, I was sure this wasn’t normal. Add that half the people looked nervous, while the other half looked pissed as hell and you would think we were walking into a war zone.
I lifted my chin. If we were going to war, I was going to meet it head-on. No way these bitches were going to get the best of me. If I was going to be here for the long run, they needed to keep their distance and show some fucking respect. I was pretty damned sure that being mated to Luke made me a big deal even if that part hadn’t completely sunk in yet.
The second we emerged, the entire crowd went silent, the angry buzz dropping to nothing. Luke didn’t have to clear his throat or wave his hands for the attention of the people in the room. His presence simply commanded it. With my fingers tangled with his, we stood in front of the pack while every gaze raised to greet us in one way or the other.
Emma, Beatrice, and the others were right up front, grinning ear to ear. Well, all except Emmet who looked ready to attack the next person that took a step toward him.
“Pack brothers and sisters! What a surprise to find you all here,” He began, his voice not even surprised. “I know that some of you have met Cami since her arrival here yesterday, but this morning, I wanted to make a formal introduction, given the circumstances of yesterday’s mishap.”
Luke’s voice dropped and I didn’t need to look at Luke to know he was glaring daggers into her. Michelle’s shoulders sagged. As soon as Luke looked away, she smirked in my direction.
Bitch.
“As of this morning, we are fully mated according to shifter laws. She is not only my mate, but the Alpha Female of this pack. You will regard her as such and I trust that there will be no repeats of the blatant disrespect shown yesterday,” Luke's voice boomed in proclamation.
While most people ticked their heads to the side, in an obvious show of respect, some in the back, along with Michelle and her friend, shared looks as their bodies stiffened in direct conflict with Luke’s demand.
His wolf growled in his throat, his hand tightening around mine as he tried to pull me behind him protectively. Okay, that didn’t seem to be a normal reaction for a mating ceremony that was supposed to make it all better. I stood my ground, keeping my place beside Luke as I glared
at the bastards in the back who were now mumbling.
“This female is my wolf’s choice,” Luke continued, anger seeping into his previously cool tone. “I knew it from the moment I saw her. See her mark. Know that she is mine and has a place in this pack.”
Luke reached up to move my strap aside and those mumbles in the back turned into gasps. Not all of them were happy sounds of congratulations, however. The ones who had stared at the ground or bared their necks before stood and clapped, their happiness written all over their faces as they congratulated us. Everyone else was growling, gasping in shock and anger as the emotions penetrated the air like a noxious gas.
Too late, bitches. The deal is sealed.
Emma led the swarm of happy pack members who crowded around us, all offering their joy and gratitude that their Alpha had found a mate.
“Congratulations.”
“It took him long enough.”
“I’m so glad he found you!”
I nodded and smiled and accepted the thanks, but my mind was torn. Somewhere in the chaos of me accepting the congrats and shaking hands, Luke was torn away. I felt the immediate absence of his warm fingers locked with mine as he vanished.
“What the hell?” I turned from Emma and her friends who were gushing compliments as I scanned the room for Luke, but already knowing where he was.
One the other side of the room, surrounded by the naysayers.
“Come on,” I grabbed Emma, the only person I actually knew and dragged her after.
“What’s going… oh…” she fell to silence as I weaved through the crowd, my attention was on Luke. Some kind of baser instinct kicked in and I wanted nothing more than to get to him and make sure he was okay.
I basically launched myself into the middle of the group like some kind of human missile, sidling up to Luke who wrapped his arm around my waist, tighter than before, fisting the side of my shirt.
“Everything okay here?” I asked, purposefully putting a smile on my face.
The conversation stopped as that guy I had met the other day, Matt, turned to glare at me, his eyes some kind of twisted red. I jerked at the glare, moving into Luke who was already pulling me into him.