Chosen

by Melanie Purser

  I gently lift her in my arms, carry her upstairs to my bed, and I resume my position next to her, all without waking her in the slightest. It helps that she is a deep sleeper for a werewolf.

  Ari

  The next morning, I had barely come out of my sleep when I find Darien exploring my body for another round of naked fun. He’s extra greedy today, tasting and caressing every inch of me. He grows harder inside me every time he makes me moan, but he refuses to move.

  Images of last night flutter through my head, and I can’t wait any longer. Gathering up the strength in my newly found muscles, I grip him with all I have, causing his form to shudder above me. If he was standing, I don’t doubt that I would have brought this beautiful man to his knees. It makes me feel powerful.

  So, of course, I do it again. And again, until, with a heated growl, he finally gives me what I want.

  I hold on tight, feeling nothing but solid muscle, and it makes me tighten even harder around him. We become frantic with need, and I’m full of pure bliss when we both come undone together.

  Apparently, he’s not done with me quite yet. I’m panting, trying to catch my breath, when suddenly he lifts me in his arms and carries me into the shower for a slower, gentler round two. Is it wrong to wish for every morning to be just like this?

  I thought it was a dream, but the way he looked into my eyes this morning reminds me that his words from last night were indeed real. He said it with such ease, and I couldn’t find the words to say it back. Did I want to say it back to him? Do I love Darien Shield?

  If I do, I don’t think I am ready to admit it. It’s too early to be sure of anything, but I can’t deny that my feelings are rapidly heading that way.

  There’s still a lot that I don’t know about him, and I haven’t even met his pack or seen how he runs things. Yes, he is definitely strong, and insanely attractive. So far, he has taken good care of me, and we are already mated, but there could still be sides of him that I haven’t seen.

  Wolves, especially Alpha’s, have tempers and are capable of losing control. Very bad things happen when an Alpha loses control. Only a strong wolf can take out as many leaders as he has, but the more wolves under him, the harder it is to keep control.

  For now, I just have to keep being who I am, watching and listening to detail to protect myself. He may already be my mate, and I may be ready to start the life I never dreamed of, but I won’t be blindsided either.

  If Darien can prove to me that he is the man and Alpha I hope he is, then I will gladly take his last name and give him the “L” word.

  “Come on,” Darien says, snapping me out of my thoughts. I look at him questioningly, but he just gets up and starts getting dressed.

  When I don’t move, he goes through my clothes, and throws me underwear, jeans, and a long sleeve shirt. I flush bright red and I’m not sure if I’m embarrassed or angry that he just went through my undies as if it were no big deal.

  “What the hell do you think—"

  “I thought we’d go take the horses for a ride. Unless you’re not up for it,” he backtracks, but I’m already up dressing. I throw on my combat boots, and he smiles before we hastily make our way to the barn.

  The scent of hay and earth fills me. Even the horses have a unique scent that is wild yet calming.

  Two giant, beautiful horses stand before me that look like Appaloosas, but I’m not positive. I’ve looked at many pictures of horses, but have done only minimal research on them, so I can’t be sure.

  Both of them are brown, but one is much darker than the other and they both have the white, leopard-spotted rear. The lighter brown also has more white showing in its coat than the other, but they are both stunning.

  “AraAppaloosa’s,” Darien says, answering my unspoken question. At least I was partly right. I remembered reading that there was an Arabian and Appaloosa cross breed. Araloosa was the term I had heard before, though. There must be multiple names.

  I can’t resist touching their soft muzzles and talking sweetly to them as Darien saddles them up. They are sweet, and there is obvious intelligence in their eyes. They know what we are, but they are not afraid like most animals tend to be of our kind.

  As Darien preps them, he tells me how they belong to the whole pack. Everyone pitches in to take care of them and gets to enjoy the benefits of riding them. It’s obvious that they get plenty of exercise based on their lean, muscled form.

  The lighter colored one is a female whose name I learn is Princess Lightning. I wrinkle my nose at the princess part, and opt to just call her Lightning. She is the one I want to ride.

  Darien shows me how to climb on, and excitement courses through my body as I diligently follow my mate’s directions. I succeed on my first try, and I am now at the mercy of this beautiful beast.

  Darien confidently, and probably more graceful than me, leaps up onto the male whose name is Royal Thunder. I laugh at the creative names. He explains that it’s partly because Princess is faster than Royal. Lightning always comes before the thunder. My insides are practically dancing in anticipation for our ride.

  We start off slow, but with Darien and Lightning’s help, I pick it up quickly, and soon we are galloping through the fields. The power of this magnificent creature is nothing short of amazing, and the feeling is almost as freeing as running on my own four legs. I make the mistake of looking over at Darien. My energized mood turns into something else as I take him in.

  Darien looks sexier than sin itself in his tight jeans, cowboy boots, black t-shirt, and messy wind-blown hair. He notices me staring with a heated gaze that I try to put out before he sees but he does, and winks before sprinting back to the barn. I watch the way he moves, fully in control as Royal moves fiercely over the terrain.

  I squeeze Lightning’s sides briefly but sharply to kick up the speed. I imitate Darien’s movements as we race after them.

  Thrilling sensations course through me as we move faster and faster back towards the barn. We are right on Royals heels as I gently pull back on the reigns.

  I am breathless right along with Lightning when we come to a stop even though I wasn’t the one running full tilt. Riding is even more exhilarating than I thought it would be.

  Darien awaits me with a sexy grin. Though I don’t need it, I let him help me dismount before we walk the horses back to their stalls. Together we remove the saddles, and Darien shows me how to clean their hooves along with how to correctly brush them. Lastly, we refill their water, make sure they have plenty of food, and give each of them some love before we part. I will definitely be riding her again very soon. The look Darien gives me tells me he wants to ride me now. He hoists me into his arms, takes me to his bed, and does just that.

  Chapter 12

  Darien

  I’m face first in the grass. Gentle arms pick me up off the ground.

  “Silly boy, you need to be more careful,” my mother’s sweet voice says before releasing me to continue playing with my soccer ball.

  “Lydia, quit coddling the boy,” my father growls, making mother stiffen. He used to frighten me too. Now it just makes me mad. My friend’s dads don’t talk to their mates that way. Their mamas aren’t afraid of their mates. Maybe it’s because my dad is an Alpha. Everyone seems to fear him.

  “He’s only six years old,” mama finally speaks up as I continue to kick the ball around the yard.

  “He’s not going to be dominant enough to lead this pack if you continue to baby him and smother him with kisses,” he huffs before going inside the house.

  “Mama, I don’t want to be an Alpha. They’re mean,” I say before she pulls me into a hug. I feel her tears run down onto my head.

  Suddenly time fast forwards to twelve-year-old me. I’m in the kitchen cooking dinner, while mom reads a book at the kitchen table. Dad walks in when I’m just about done. I smile at him. He likes to eat, so I thought it would make him happy if I made a meal for him.

  When he rips the book from my mother’s hands and
tears it in half, I realize that I made a terrible mistake.

  “Why the hell is my son doing your job, woman?” he rages.

  “It’s not her fault. I wanted to cook for you,” I try to intervene.

  “I’ll deal with you next,” his cold glare snaps to me, before returning to my mother. He yanks her out of her seat while his other arm reaches back to strike her, but I shove him. I knock her loose from his grasp.

  When his attention is turned back to me, my mother blocks his path to me. This time I’m not able to protect her from his fist. She falls to the floor with a cry and crawls away.

  “We’re gonna make an Alpha out of you, yet,” my father smiles menacingly before his fist connects with my face, and all I see is darkness.

  I jolt awake expecting to find blood pooled on the floor from the beating I received, but all I find is a soft, warm body.

  Ari is still sleeping like the dead beside me. The sight of her calms my racing heart. With everything that has happened, and with the few things I’ve already revealed to her, thoughts of my past have returned to haunt me.

  Now that I have my mate, I can’t help but think about my parents and the relationship they had, or didn’t have.

  Aside from being a quiet constant at my father’s side, my mother had spent every moment focusing on me. My father taught me how to fight, along with giving me lessons on how to be a leader; none of which I adopted from him of course.

  Everything else came from my mother. As a child, she fed me, clothed me, and gave me an education.

  My father didn’t want me going to a public school so he had my mother home-school me. She also taught me how to cook when I showed an interest in it.

  When I’d anger my father, she’d eventually step in to try and protect me. After a couple times of getting hurt, she stopped. I understood her not wanting to get hurt for my mistakes, but most of the time I didn’t even know what I did wrong.

  Once I turned twelve, I stopped spending so much time at home. In part because I didn’t want to be the cause of my mother’s pain, and partly because I was mad at her for letting my father beat me to a pulp for the stupidest shit. Staying away also got me out from under my father’s thumb.

  I spent my time hanging out with my pack mates and training with them. It was with them that I really learned how to fight, and what it meant to be a leader. Even way back then, I knew that Trent, Asher, and other pack mates would have my back. I envied the lives they had outside of my father’s house and I wanted to protect that.

  Without me being my mom’s focus, I noticed too late that she was slowly starting to losing her mind. Everyone could see that there was no love between my parents, but they tolerated each other, until one day it seemed like a dark cloud of evil appeared in my home and it continued to grow day after day.

  My mother wanted another baby, but my father said that he only needed one heir.

  When I stopped being dependent on my mother, my father started to take more of an interest in me. He gave me more responsibilities in the pack, and after a couple years, he made me his enforcer. Whenever someone in the pack did something wrong, he sent me to deal with it. As a hormonal, testosterone-filled, dominant wolf, I actually enjoyed the hell out of it.

  I was praised for the work I was doing. Even my father seemed to be in a better mood. He wasn’t his typical ornery, edgy self around me. I’d felt powerful and respected. In those years as my father’s enforcer, I had grown almost a foot, and my lean, teenager body puffed up to nearly three times the size.

  My appetite had tripled too. The day I came home to find almost no food in the house, I snapped at my mother. She flinched away from me as if I was about to hit her. It was then that I realized that I hadn’t gained any respect in my pack. I became feared. I had become my father.

  Knowing that removing myself from the enforcer position would just anger my father, and that he would just replace me with a new puppet, I continued in my duties. Only this time around, I did things my way. I took it upon myself to get more involved in the lives of my pack mates. In doing so, I actually did start gaining respect, but I also took notice that there were some very wrong things going on in the pack, and it all traced back to my father.

  My name on Ari’s lips snap me back to the present. She’s still asleep and apparently having much better dreams than I was having.

  Even in her sleep she looks fierce. This woman would never let a man control or hurt her, nor would she stand by and let an innocent woman or child be hurt.

  It’s amazing how different our relationship is in comparison to what I witnessed between my parents growing up. Even though most haven’t met her yet, I can sense that the pack is happier now somehow.

  What’s more is that when we became mates, my power over the pack seems to have amplified. I’m not sure if that’s just what happens when an Alpha finds a mate, or if it’s just because of her, but I’d be willing to bet that it’s all because of Ari.

  Pulling her tighter into my arms, I kiss the top of her head before closing my eyes. It’s been a long time since me and the big guy upstairs have spoken, but I can’t help thanking him for sending me my perfect woman.

  Ari

  The pack meeting is tonight. It is tradition to bring everyone, or at least those in the area, to meet any new pack member. The full moon comes in a couple days so there will be a more formal ritual then. Today’s purpose is to make sure no one tries to kill the unfamiliar wolf on their territory, or so it was supposed to be.

  Since Darien and I didn’t take long to consummate the relationship, everyone will already know where I belong. They will sense that I am pack. Maybe it’s just my nerves, but I feel like I’m being watched. Not many would dare to challenge the Alpha’s mate, but I say ‘bring it on’.

  Night has fallen already. After being willingly assaulted this morning, we actually used the shower for its intended purposes.

  For the remainder of the day, I just tried to keep myself busy while Darien focused on making arrangements for this evening.

  Keeping busy is difficult at the moment. I don’t really watch much TV other than select movies.

  As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t go off into the woods as I normally would, so I settled for loving on the horses and talking to them until it was time for me to get ready.

  Instead of being inside greeting guests with him, I slipped outside to hide on the back porch. I am not hiding out of fear, but I’m not the type of person who is liked by many. I didn’t fit into my old pack, so why would I fit here? Better to be scarce until Darien needs to introduce me so not to spoil the mood. It is a party after all.

  The gaze that I have been sensing behind me grows closer. I assume it’s one of Darien’s wolves, but whether they are friend or foe is unknown.

  For all I know it could be a jealous female or a traitor in the pack, though I don’t think anyone would be dumb enough to attack at a house full of werewolves. Not unless the whole pack is in on it.

  The possibilities have my blood boiling. Would I not be wanted here either?

  Whoever is daring to sneak up behind me chose a good location to come at me from since the wind is blowing their scent away from my direction. However, they chose the wrong person to sneak up on because I know this game. I own this game.

  I duck quickly and the whistle sound of a body sails over me. In the same second, I am up and moving. Before he makes it to the ground, I kick out, my foot succeeding in catching his. He tries to spin to face me, but I’ve effectively knocked him off balance. That’s when I pounce.

  My knee pins his chest as my left foot traps his wrist, and my hand grips his throat while the other is posed to strike. He smirks and raises his one free hand in surrender.

  “Darien’s going to have a blast with you,” he laughs as I stand back and let him pick himself up off the ground. I glare at him just to keep myself from blushing. Just my mate’s name said aloud seems to affect me. “I’m Jerek,” he offers his hand out to me.


  He is very tall and muscled but lankier than Darien. He has unusual strawberry blonde hair and sapphire blue eyes. He isn’t Darien sexy, but he is a unique and a beautiful man nonetheless.

  “Ari,” I accept his hand, returning equal strength in his grip, causing more chuckling from him.

  “So, what’s the beautiful Alpha’s mate doing sitting alone in the dark?” I’m thankful he doesn’t start by accusing me of hiding. I sit on the porch swing, and he takes the empty space beside me even though I didn’t offer it, but the company of just one person is much preferable to a whole roomful.

  “I’ve just never really liked these kinds of things,” I give the partial truth as I stare out into the darkness.

  “Sure,” he says skeptically, not buying it, “No one here will bite. At least not in their human forms, well, except maybe Darien, but you probably already know that.” As he erupts into more laughs, I shake my head at his constant jokes.

  “I’m not afraid,” I say bluntly.

  “Oh darling, I doubt much scares you, but I can’t imagine what would keep you out here when there is a party inside just for you. You women usually love these sorts of shindigs. Doesn’t look like you have any embarrassing defects to scare anyone away.”

  “I could ask why you are out here too, aside from trying to scare the shit out of the new girl,” I choose to ignore his snide comments. They will all know soon I’m not a typical female.

  “Touché,” he chuckles some more before his thoughts seem to take him somewhere else. I can tell he is fighting his own inner battles so I decide to confess to him. Anything to take the tormented look off his face. I much preferred his light laughter.

  “I don’t exactly fit in anywhere. I am not a proper female Were. I do things I’m not supposed to. I fight the things expected of me. Although Darien is not what I expected, I feel like I am meant for more than to just be a pawn for gaining allies,” his eyes meet mine on that last part, “but everyone continues to tell me to get over myself and stick to my duties.”