Chosen

by Melanie Purser

  Ari bites my ear, capturing my attention and I realize again how much more comfortable she is in her wolf form. Most females don’t like being in wolf form, but this girl is extraordinary. I nip her nose playfully before running full tilt through the woods. She keeps up easily, but lets me stay ahead. She’s smart and is aware that I know the area better than she does.

  I slow when I pick up the scent of a deer. I warn her with a low growl and leave her here near the water as I hunt for my prey. It doesn’t take long to find her. She is small and young, which I try to avoid, but she is for my hungry mate. I can’t be picky right now. At least she doesn’t have any babies I would be taking her from.

  She is on the run a mere second after I charge, but I am fast for a male wolf. The doe never had a chance. I dive for her, taking her down with my claws before I sink my teeth into her. My jaws grip her by the throat and I break her neck with a hard shake to end her suffering.

  It takes a few minutes for me to drag the doe back to where I left Ari. When I get close, I smell blood, and it’s not coming from the deer. I sprint after her trail the moment the scent hits me, completely abandoning and forgetting my kill.

  In a full-blown panic, I follow Ari’s scent. It leads me closer to the river. Awful visions fill my mind of someone or something hurting her and throwing her body in the river. Shit. If anything happens to her it will be my fault.

  One of my wolves could have scented her, realizing she’s unmated, and forced her into mating. They would pay with their life. I run faster and almost stumble over Ari’s body on the ground.

  Blood and feathers surround her. Wait, feathers?

  I find her staring up at me. With a feather sticking out the side of her mouth she tilts her head sideways at me like a German shepherd would, and it’s ridiculously adorable. I stare back at her, asking how she could just take off like that.

  Uh, sorry, I was really hungry and well, there were these ducks sleeping here, and I couldn’t resist, her panicked rambling makes me want to roll with laughter, but I am too stunned at the fact that I actually heard words in my head. Her words.

  Ari? I say wondering if I just imagined the whole thing.

  What? Oh my God, I can hear you! Why can I hear you? Can you hear me too?

  I nod, still in shock.

  I have heard of this before. It is rare, but every now and then, an Alpha can reach their pack through their mind. It’s easier when blood related, but even that can be hard. There have been stories about mates who can talk to each other in wolf form as easily as being in human form. Of course, the stories don’t say why this occurs, or at least not that I have found. It must be a ‘true mate’ thing.

  I focus back on Ari who has blood and feathers in her sharp teeth, and this time I do laugh. She growls at me, making me laugh more. Even looking like that, I am still mesmerized by her. She is so different from what I imagined and from what my mother was.

  What’s wrong? Ari asks, picking up on my sudden mood change as she polishes off her kill. Damn, I was really hoping to avoid this subject for the rest of my life.

  I was just thinking about my mom. Ari gets up and walks over to sit beside me. She was nothing like you.

  I know, she hangs her head, I’m weird.

  I growl before nipping her ear.

  You are mine, and you are nothing short of amazing, Ari. You are strong, where my mother was weak. She let so many be tortured before I found out what was happening. Ari whines in sympathy. I’m glad you are different, Ari. You are better. I lick her nose affectionately, tasting blood from her kill.

  So, where’s that deer I smell on you? She asks, making me rumble with laughter again, and completely lifting my mood.

  Ari

  I don’t know what has come over me. A couple hours ago, I despised Alpha Shield, though he turns out to not be what I thought, and now I am flirting with him like a wolf in heat, which I guess I technically am. The really strange part is that I feel like I have known him all my life. Hell, I wish I had known him all my life.

  I’m amazed at how comfortable I feel with him, while at the same time, excited about the newness of it all. Darien is so much more than I expected. Sure, he can be a little intense at times, but also charming and strong. He also seems very protective, which I never thought I would like before today. On top of all that, he is the hottest man I have ever laid eyes on.

  We are now both still in wolf form, cleaning our muzzles in the slow flowing river after feasting on the deer Darien provided. Darien’s wolf form practically blends in with the night. He is a large male, even larger than my dad’s wolf. I am tall and more built than most female wolves that I know, but my head barely reaches his shoulders. I feel tiny next to him.

  Even being in an unfamiliar territory, I definitely feel safe with him around. However, I also feel weak in comparison. Not just physically, but when he spoke about his mother betraying her pack, I felt as low as her. I mean, if I had known something was going on like that in my father’s pack, I would’ve done everything in my power to put a stop to something as horrendous as that.

  It doesn’t make me any better though when I never even tried to be a part of the pack. Not since I was old enough to learn my fate anyways.

  Whether out of selfishness or hate, or anger, I was weak for casting myself out. Aside from whispering about me being a loner, my pack had done nothing to me to deserve what I had done. I don’t know if anything would have changed if I had tried, but now I regret the fact that I basically ran away.

  Absentmindedly, I follow Darien back to the house and I watch him jump through another hidden doggie door. I quickly follow suit and he catches me on the other side with his body before I can slide into a wall. When I look up at him, he licks the side of my face.

  Your stuff is still upstairs if you want to get ready for bed. I’ll be up there soon, Darien says. I take him up on his offer and am in heaven when I step into the large spa bathroom. There is a his and her sink with plenty of counter space, a walk-in glass and stone shower with water that spays out of the sides and from above with a rainfall setting. In the corner is a wood paneled Jacuzzi tub.

  On a night when I am not so tired, I will be taking full advantage of that tub. I opt for the rainfall setting for a quick shower instead. Suddenly the past 24 hours has caught up with me, making my eyelids heavy. I grab my soaps out of my bag and hop into perfection.

  After showering and throwing on shorts and a tank top, I head back out into the bedroom. I feel nervous walking back into the foreign room that I said I would not be staying in just hours ago. To be honest though, I thought I would be more on edge than I am in a new place. The comfort I feel is astounding. I want to look at my surroundings more, but my tired eyes don’t want to focus.

  Thankfully Darien isn’t in here yet as I crawl under the covers that smell like his sweet and spicy, woodsy scent. I know he will come to sleep with me again tonight, and all the other nights that I will be here from now on.

  Am I really going to stick this out? So far everything has been more than anything I could have imagined. Though I want to trust in him, it’s still very new. I have to stay prepared. Things could still change.

  I wake up to a hard body pressed to mine for the second morning in a row. Sunlight creeps through the large window. I shift to look around the room, but Darien pulls me in tighter, and his hard length presses against my hip. I blush crimson. It doesn’t help when I realize that he is stark naked. I try to relax, but my body aches for him to be inside me. What am I saying? I’m not ready for that!

  He stirs awake, probably because my hormones are spiking the air around us, and tempting him without my approval. I want to know why the hell he is naked, but I already know the answer. Wolves are used to being naked around each other and he most likely shifted out of wolf form and came straight to bed. I on the other hand, did not grow up walking around in my birthday suit so no one has seen me naked before.

  We are still strangers to each other. You’d thin
k he would at least keep boxers on. Is he just trying to tempt me?

  “I’m all yours today, and the pack is coming over today,” Darien’s sexy voice in my ear makes me shiver, “so what would you like to do until then?” Of course, my stomach is the one to answer with an obnoxious growl. My cheeks heat up in embarrassment.

  “Food it is,” he laughs as he gets up to head to the kitchen. Thankfully he throws on boxers and a shirt. I get dressed quickly before I meet him downstairs and find him searching through the contents in the fridge. “Sorry about the lack of groceries. I haven’t had much time to shop, but I should have made time when I knew you would be here once we returned from Alaska. I guess I wasn’t thinking.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” I wave off his apology.

  The fridge is practically empty aside from half a gallon of milk, a stick of butter, a carton of eggs, and a few other random items. He grabs for the milk and eggs before reaching for something in the cabinet.

  “Why don’t you go find something on TV or make a grocery list or something? I’ll take care of the cooking,” he smiles before handing me a pen and paper that had been magnetized to the fridge.

  “Can you cook?” I challenge.

  “I have been cooking for myself almost all my life. I can handle it,” he winks.

  Not 20 minutes later, Darien brings us each a cup of hot cocoa, a bowl of scrambled eggs, and one big plate of blueberry muffins. The smell from the kitchen has been making my stomach roar in anticipation.

  After devouring my food like a pig, I am stuffed, but everything was so good that I can’t help but want more. I don’t feel as bad when I see that he has scarfed down his food too when he had an even larger serving. He really does know how to cook. This man is just full of surprises.

  I hand him the grocery list when we are both finished eating. He takes his time to look it over and I realize that I must have gone overboard.

  “Sorry, I have never really made a grocery list before,” I panic.

  “Actually, I was going to say that we are going to get along great. There’s not one thing on here I don’t like, and I can be picky,” he says in amazement.

  “So, what you are saying is that we are going to fight to the death over the last bowl of Lucky Charms,” I laugh.

  “I wouldn’t dare touch the last bowl,” his laughter joins mine, and my jitters start to appear. I’ve never done this before! I don’t know how to flirt! Jumping up, I take the dishes to the kitchen. “Hey, I can do that,” he follows after me.

  “You cooked. I can handle the cleanup.” He doesn’t stop me, but instead leans against the counter to watch me. I focus on keeping my nerves in check so that I don’t drop the dishes or crush a plate in my hands.

  “Why are you so tense?” he asks with amusement.

  “Because you are watching me.”

  “Well you are going to have to get used to that. You are hard not to look at,” I blush at his words. “Come on, we will do this later,” he grabs my wet hands and steers me back into the living room. I’m too caught off guard to stop him.

  “I want to get to know you, Ari.” He sits us down on the couch and looks at me expectantly.

  “Well there’s not much to know. I’m really boring,” I reply sadly, crushing any hopes he had before things get serious.

  “Now I already know that that’s not even remotely true,” he laughs.

  “It is true though. I’m nothing, but I want to be something,” he moves towards me, and I flinch when he takes my face in his hands. He scowls at me in confusion.

  “I have only known you two days, Ari, but you are most definitely not nothing. You have intrigued me from the moment I laid eyes on you. You are strong, funny, and refreshingly different from anyone I have met. I wonder why that is,” he muses. Well, I guess I better tell him now so he can stop thinking I am someone I’m not. I can’t handle him saying all those sweet things anymore when they aren’t true.

  “It’s because I am weak, Darien,” I say, catching him off guard. “I’m no better than your mother. From the day I was told that I would have to mate to whoever was chosen for me, I chose to run away and learn how to take care of myself. I trained every single day in the hopes that if ever given the chance, I could try to escape,” I say, watching his expression carefully.

  He doesn’t respond for a while, and his expression is unreadable.

  Oh my God! What am I thinking? I am an idiot! He is going to kill me or tie me up and lock me away so that I can never escape or have the life I have always dreamed of.

  “I don’t think you are like my mother, Ari. I don’t think anyone should be forced to mate with someone they don’t want. I told you last night that I would help you. You are no prisoner here. You are free to go back home or be a lone wolf if that is what you choose,” he says emotionlessly before he rises and turns to leave me here to sulk and hate myself for my big stupid mouth. I’m not having any of that though.

  “Darien!” I say suddenly angry now. I grab his arm to stop him and he looks at me with surprise. I continue to glare at him, but I am just as confused as he is.

  “Why are you mad?” he asks and I feel stupid for my craziness, but my mouth doesn’t know how to stop. “You are the one who wants to get away right? Is it to be with someone else? Are you already involved with someone and you just used me as your escape?” The questions keep coming and hit me like daggers. He is really mad at the thought of me having another man in my life apparently. He really has no idea how I have lived the majority of my life.

  “What? No! I’ve never been with anyone! I’m telling you this because I want to stay. Would you really just let me leave when we have this connection?” And the hidden truth comes out. Yesterday he said he didn’t want me to go.

  All along I have been unconsciously waiting for someone to want me, to fight for me, and to love me for who I am. I want Darien Shield. A man I thought would be the death of me, but his very being calls to me and comforts me, making me feel like everything is finally right in the world.

  I watch as clarity lightens his features, and with complete seriousness he growls, “No. I wouldn’t.”

  The next thing I know, I’m in his arms and his lips crush mine.

  “You. Are. Mine” he growls between kisses and carries me up to his bedroom. I should be putting on the brakes, but I don’t care anymore. I’ve only known him for basically minutes, but it feels like so much longer. I need him now before I shatter into a million tiny pieces.

  He lays me on the bed and I pull him down to me. With a deep, sexy groan, he kisses me with a passion that melts my bones. All of the tension of the last 48 hours has built for this moment. Before the day is over, I will be the true mate of Alpha Darien Shield.

  I feel small, but powerful in his arms as his hands and mouth explore my body. He kisses my lips until they are numb and swollen before making his way down to press hot kisses into my neck. His arousal fuels mine, making every inch of me hot with need.

  Darien’s heated eyes meet mine. They are literally glowing with hunger. I know that mine must be glowing right back. Since I had never expected this day to come, I forgot that our wolves would be present for our first bonding in becoming mates.

  He practically tears my clothes off. His need sends a blazing fire straight to my core.

  “You are so beautiful, Ari,” he moans as his eyes rake over my nearly naked body. I’m glad that I decided on my favorite undies, but they don’t stay on long as Darien sets to covering every inch of me with his lips and greedy tongue. All the while, his hands work to remove the remainder of my clothing away.

  I take a sharp breath as his teeth graze my hardened nipple, then moan when he takes the whole thing into his mouth.

  “I need to taste you,” he groans before moving down my body to the heated area between my legs. He looks up at me and smiles wickedly. It’s sexy as sin, but…Oh God. Is he going to do what I think he is? I have never had sex before. I can’t start by doing something as int
imate as that!

  “Shh,” he soothes, and I realize that I am making a soft whining sound, “I’ll take care of you.” And then his hot mouth covers my opening. He has to restrain my hips, to keep me from rising off the bed. My entire body tingles with bliss. I can feel myself burning with embarrassment, but it feels too good to stop.

  He moans as he licks and sucks all of the right places until I scream and shudder from the most intense orgasm I have ever had. He continues to swirl his tongue around my clit as shock waves course through my body.

  Darien finally releases me from my torment when I can’t take it anymore. He stands and begins removing his few articles of clothing. I watch him carefully, hungry for more of him, but I begin to panic when his hard cock is free. That’s not going to fit, I back away, but he is on top of me the instant I try to move.

  “Ari. You are a virgin, right?” he asks, and even though I already said earlier that I have never been with anyone, I nod to confirm. I want to die of embarrassment, but then he whispers in my ear, “You are my first too, Ari.” Those words send a wave of tremors through me and I stare at him in disbelief. I see in his eyes though that he’s telling the truth. “I have an idea about what I am doing. It may still hurt, but you can handle me, baby. Just trust me,” he reassures me.

  I don’t have much time to dwell on the fact that this is his first time, as his tip pushes against my wet opening.

  “Holy fuck, baby,” Darien practically growls as he slowly, yet firmly, pushes his hard length into me. Tears sting my eyes, but don’t spill over as he breaks through the barrier. He stops when he buries himself to the hilt, and lets me adjust as we both breathe heavily. My body throbbing around his, I pant, taking in as much air as I can so that I don’t pass out from pleasure.

  He presses his lips to my forehead, then to my own swollen lips, and down to my neck where he breathes in my scent. I jolt slightly as his teeth sink into my skin, and it sends a tingle all through my body. I tighten around him as he drinks me in.