Wolfish: Moonborne: A Fated Mates Paranormal Romance

by G. K. DeRosa

  His tongue tangled with mine, each stroke a sensual caress, pushing all coherent thoughts further and further away. His hands skated down my bare back and stopped at the curve of my lower back. Cupping my behind, he pressed me against his hardness. A sharp moan slid through my lips but his mouth took it in, swallowing my groans of pleasure.

  I’d never wanted a man like this. I’d still never been with a man. And in that moment, I wanted my first time to be with Hunter. Eighteen years was long enough to wait and despite everything, I knew it was right. “Let’s go to my room,” I whispered against his mouth.

  His eyes sparkled as he gazed down at me, then his lips curved into a scowl. “We don’t have much time left.” He canted his head toward the clock on the wall.

  Eleven thirty. In half an hour the masks would come off and our night would be over. Unless somehow, I convinced him to stay. “We better hurry then.” I latched onto his hand and dragged him down the hall.

  Excitement thrummed through my veins as we raced down the quiet corridors. Hunter’s energy was intoxicating, it filled the air, inciting the fire flaring in my lower half. I thanked the gods Cass had insisted I started taking the contraceptive potion the infirmary provided for students despite my boyfriendless state. You never know what could happen when you’re finally reunited with Hunter. Her words floated through my mind as we darted up the steps.

  When we finally reached the door, I was breathless. Half from exertion and half from the anticipation of what came next. We tumbled through the doorway, his lips ravaging mine once more. He backed me into the room until the back of my thighs hit the bed.

  My heart jackhammered against my ribs, desperate to meet the hard body I clung onto. Hunter lowered me onto the mattress, the outside of his thighs rubbing the insides of mine. His hardness pressed against me, and I arched upward.

  My trembling fingers fumbled with the buttons of his shirt, but his hand came over mine, halting my agitated movements. “Let’s slow down, Sierra.” My name on his honeyed lips was like a gentle caress. “If we are mates, there could be consequences to this.”

  “Like what, seeing each other more than once a year?”

  He smirked. “No, not that. It could heighten our connection and I don’t want that for you when everything is still so uncertain.”

  “Please, Hunter. I want this. There are so many things you say you can’t give me, but this, this you can.” I brushed my lips against his to muffle my breathlessness. There was nothing I wanted more than to be connected to him, to be one with him.

  His head dipped and he dropped soft kisses down my neck, across my collarbone, pausing at my birthmark. His brows furrowed before his tongue darted over the darkened patch. He continued his assault leisurely nipping at the swell of my breasts. “You are so beautiful, mate, absolutely divine.” He inhaled deeply as if committing my scent to memory. “You’re right, we were destined to be together. I don’t want to fight it anymore. I want to be with you before—”

  His words fell away, and in spite of my body screaming not to, I blurted, “Before what?”

  “Before I can’t make love to you as you deserve.”

  I shuddered. There it was, the L word again. I wanted to stop, to ask more questions, but the ticking clock loomed over us. Time relentlessly sped by.

  I drew his head back down to mine, careful to avoid the sharp teeth from his dragon’s gaping jaw. “Make love to me then. Show me.”

  He slowly nodded as if he’d finally made peace with his warring emotions. He shimmied out of his pants, leaving him in only a pair of tight boxer briefs. The sight of his overwhelming wolf made my mouth dry. I swallowed thickly as his mouth closed over mine once again, and he settled between my legs.

  His hardness brushed the apex of my thighs, and I arched toward it. He began to rock against me, and tiny explosions rocked my core. I moaned, grinding against him.

  Hunter’s hand cupped my cheek as he moved against me, his hips expertly guiding mine in an effortless rhythm. “Sierra, I wish it didn’t have to be like this. I wish I could be with you without reservations, without a time restraint, without this damned mask.” He brushed his lips against mine. “I want to be hopeful, to imagine a life with you without the anxiety of an uncertain future.”

  “Please, Hunter,” I panted. “Please tell me why we can’t be together.”

  “I can’t. I literally cannot. It’s part of the c—” His mouth slammed shut as if by an outside force.

  “A curse?”

  His head dipped.

  Seriously? He was cursed? My chest tightened, invisible bands squeezing the air from my lungs. Fate really was a bitch.

  “I wanted you to know. I’ve wanted to tell you from the first moment I saw you. But I couldn’t. This was the most I’ve ever been able to say.”

  I tried to make sense of his words, process what kind of curse could’ve been placed, but his presence was much too distracting. At least now I knew he wasn’t purposely keeping things from me.

  “Knowing this, do you still want to…”

  The crazy thing was that I did. I wanted my first time to be with my mate. A mate I knew nothing about, but if fate had thrown us together there had to have been a good reason, right? I loved Hunter. It was insane to love someone you barely knew, but I couldn’t help myself. My heart beat for him and him alone. I spent the entire year a ghost of myself, never feeling alive until he appeared. “Yes,” I finally said. “I want you to be my first.”

  His eyes widened, the rising sun nowhere near their wild beauty. “First.” He repeated the word not with derision, not even surprise. More like awe. A rueful smile split his lips, and he kissed me softly. “I’m sorry, I can’t. Not like this.” He shook his head once and then twice as if he were convincing himself. “I’m falling in love with you, Sierra, and I can’t put you through this. It would be selfish of me to allow the bond between us to strengthen. I have no idea what will happen or when. I won’t drag you through it with me.” He swept a lock of hair behind my ear, his eyes intent on mine.

  Panic rocketed across my insides, and the lust-filled haze from a moment ago vanished. “I want to. Please, Hunter, I want you. Whatever happens, we’ll figure it out.”

  “I barely know you, and I already love you. I won’t let you suffer because of me.”

  “It’s too late. I’m already suffering. I suffer every single day I’m not with you. Don’t you see? We’re already in too deep.” It was the truth. It had been love at first sight for me. Maybe it was the mate thing or maybe it was something else. I didn’t care.

  “I don’t want to hurt you.” The pain rolled off him in suffocating waves, drowning me in its wake. A sharp buzz sent him leaping off me, and a slew of curses erupted from his lips as he stared up at the clock. “I have to go.”

  “No, don’t please.” I jumped off the bed, following him to the door. I was so in love with him it was pathetic. I was in love with a ghost.

  He framed my face with his strong hands and swept a hurried kiss over my lips. “I promise I’ll come back before next year. I’ll do everything I can. Somehow I’ll see you again soon.”

  Tears welled in my eyes. I struggled to keep them at bay, but it was no use. A jagged crack raced along my heart. I wanted to believe him, but a terrible feeling bored its way into my gut.

  Hunter kissed me again and my lids drifted shut, heavy with unshed tears. When I opened them a heartbeat later, he was gone.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Present Day

  Hitching my backpack higher on my shoulder, I emerged from the dark auditorium onto the sunny quad. I’d survived the first day of classes at Moon Valley U. Yay, me! They hadn’t even been totally awful either, and after just one day of Shifter History I’d learned a ton about the creatures of Marlwoods. Plus, I’d used the past week to skip ahead in my textbooks, and now I didn’t feel quite as lost in this new shifter world.

  After five days of utter loneliness in my new wolfy abode, I was thrilled that cl
asses had started. Neither Vander nor Aristaeus had come to visit. Not that I cared about the latter, but they were the only two wolves I knew. On the bright side, Cass was moving up her start date with the Royal Pack and would be moving to Moon Valley in two weeks. I couldn’t wait for my bestie to arrive so we could navigate this new realm together.

  My she-wolf hadn’t attempted an appearance since the night of the attack, despite my best efforts to shift in private. I was hoping Werewolf 101 would help with that. I could feel her inside me, pushing against my human skeleton, but I couldn’t figure out how to let her loose. And a small part of me was scared to. Neither Aristaeus nor Vander had said a word about my freakish glowing wolf, and I dreaded there was a reason everyone was avoiding the big purple wolf in the room.

  “Well, hello there, Violet.” Ransom stalked toward me, a shock of jet-black hair tumbling over his forehead, a sharp contrast to his pale, porcelain skin. “I was beginning to think you’d run off before I’d had the chance to get to know you.” He pushed the errant locks back and peered down at me. Now that I knew what he was—part vampire, I was surprised I hadn’t seen it sooner. Every bit of him screamed predator, those darting eyes, feline moves, feral smile. He ticked his head at the cell phone jutting out of my jeans’ pocket. “You never did text me.”

  “Ah, sorry about that. It’s been a crazy week, trying to get settled and what not.”

  Ransom shot me a smile, highlighting his pointy canines. “I’ll forgive you just once, Violet.”

  I rewarded him with a half-smile. I wasn’t sure how I felt about this new nickname, but at least it was better than Moon Girl.

  He offered me his arm and stared expectantly. “Let me buy you a coffee, and we can get acquainted.”

  My first instinct was to say no—was that Aristaeus’s beta decree holding me back? The alpha heir didn’t have that power over me and still I stopped to consider. Why wouldn’t I? It was just a coffee. “Sure,” I finally said, weaving my arm through his.

  A handful of students watched us as we crossed the quad toward the little café on the corner. I’d been eating practically all my meals there since I’d arrived. Cooking was definitely not my thing. Their gazes bored into the side of my face, heavier with each step. It wasn’t as bad as when I’d been with Aristaeus, but the glares were no less uncomfortable.

  “Why is everyone staring at us?” I whispered when we reached a table outside the café. I dropped my backpack on the floor and folded into the chair.

  “I’m kind of a big deal.” His dark eyes sparkled with mischief.

  “I totally walked into that one, didn’t I?”

  Ransom grabbed the chair across the table and dragged it beside mine. “Not your fault. You’re new here. I’d be happy to fill you in on all the details as I see our beta failed in that task. Wolf society is highly hierarchical, rigid to a fault and densely patriarchal, of course. Over the past decades, the Dragos and Royal Packs have fought for control over the lesser packs. You just happen to arrive at a time when the Dragos are in charge, but mark my words, it won’t stay that way for long.”

  “Because of the Alpha Trials?”

  He nodded. “Once I win, it won’t be long for the tides to change in my family’s favor. Tyrien’s held the Supreme Alpha title for long enough, and it’s time for my father to rule the shifters. I’ll preside over the wolves of course when I win.” He scanned the smattering of students still watching us before turning back to me. “Hunter and I have always engaged in a friendly rivalry, and my guess is that they saw you with him and now with me. That’s what’s got everyone in a tizzy.”

  Ha! If only they knew the great beta couldn’t stand me.

  “You see, wolf mates are typically chosen by the age of twenty-five, and Hunter’s birthday is right around the corner. The stakes are particularly high for the females in the pack right now. Who wouldn’t want to be the alpha’s mate?”

  A flash of pain streaked across my heart at the word. My Hunter. For a brief time, he thought I was his mate. I shook off the heart-wrenching thought. Hunter was a ghost, a daydream that never became reality. I shoved the burgeoning sensations to the bottom of my gut and slammed the lid on the box.

  “Are you listening to me, Violet?”

  I lifted my gaze to meet Ransom’s. “Yes, of course. Who wouldn’t want to be the alpha’s mate?” The words tasted like sand, rubbing my tongue raw. “You’re not mated?”

  He shook his head. “I’m two years younger than Hunter. It was never important until now. Who needed to be tied down like that?” He shot me a smirk. “Wolves become stronger once mated, their full powers finally kick in. It’s essential for an alpha, which is why it’s preferable for the mating to take place before or in tandem with the appointment.”

  “So now you’re on the prowl?”

  “Who knows, maybe I’ve already found a strong contender.” A flash of crimson streaked across his dark irises and my she-wolf uncoiled, leisurely stretching out her claws. “This time, the new alpha might not be the great Aristaeus. And everyone knows it.” He stood and ticked his head at the door to the café. “What can I get you?”

  I swallowed down the dryness in my throat. Was Ransom serious? I didn’t know the guy, but he struck me as a flirt. Not to mention the fact that I had zero desire to become some alpha’s arm candy. “I’d kill for an iced coffee,” I finally answered.

  “Done.”

  While he was gone, I processed his words, coupled with what I’d learned from my textbooks. The first layer of werewolf society were the packs, and each pack had its alpha. Then one wolf presided over all the pack alphas—currently, Tyrien, Aristaeus’s dad. Beyond that, one shifter presided over all the shifter species packs in the entire realm of Marlwoods—also Tyrien. No wonder the Supreme Alpha had seemed so intimidating when I’d seen him all those years ago. To win against lions and tigers and bears, oh my!

  And the mate thing… I never realized it was so important. So both Hunter and Ransom and likely every eligible werewolf bachelor would be on the hunt for a mate before the new alpha was chosen. No wonder the females were eyeing me. I was just more competition.

  Ransom reappeared a moment later with a coffee in each hand and a donut clenched between his teeth. So werewolf vampires did eat… I wondered when Aristaeus had explained the seven special packs’ unique talents.

  “Tell me more about these trials,” I said.

  He settled in beside me, and a sly grin melted across his face. The guy was crazy good looking with the jet-black hair and perfect pale skin. I couldn’t deny that. Maybe it was that immortal glow. Was Ransom really only twenty-two or had he stopped ageing already? I’d have to save that question for when we got to know each other better.

  “Every ten years, the Alpha Trials are held to choose the new high alpha. That’s the wolf who will rule over all the packs in Moon Valley. The next competition begins in two weeks.”

  “Got it. And this will be your first time competing?”

  “That’s right. But it will be Hunter’s second.”

  My eyes widened. If he wasn’t even twenty-five yet, that meant he’d only been fourteen the first time around.

  “I see by your look of shock you’ve done the math. Yes, Hunter was barely more than a boy when he competed last. Against his father no less.”

  “What?”

  “Tyrien’s a bastard. Forced him to enter, despite his age, despite knowing exactly what would happen. He didn’t help him one bit. Let the kid fend for himself. He got knocked out of the trial with two broken legs, a fractured skull and displaced ribs. I’m not sure how he survived to be honest.”

  I winced, my mind whirling back to the minor ankle fracture I’d endured at the academy. A swell of sympathy for the cold, sullen beta flitted through my chest. I’d never known my dad, but maybe an absent father was better than a bastard one.

  “Why’d he make him do it?”

  He shrugged. “Who knows? To toughen him up? Prepare him for the real on
e, I guess.”

  “That’s terrible.”

  “Hm.” He made a noncommittal sound before continuing. “Anyway, only alphas or betas of the packs are allowed to enter, even the minor packs are welcome. It’s a long shot though. All the alphas for the past hundred years have come from one of the Lunar Packs. I’m assuming Hunter at least filled you in on that?”

  I nodded. The special sparkly unicorn packs with crazy powers. Of course, they’d have an advantage over the regular wolves. “And what are the trials exactly? Is their combat involved?”

  “Of course.” A wicked gleam brightened his smile. “It’s a four-week long event with a trial a day. Some breaks between. Several are basic combat, others require more strategic skills. It’s bloody and brutal and typically a few wolves die or are permanently maimed.”

  I gasped. “Seriously?” Now I understood why there’d been so many weapons being forged in the town square. “Couldn’t you choose an alpha in a more democratic way?”

  He chuckled. “Sure, but where would the fun be in that?” He wound his arm around my shoulders and winked. “You’re new to this world, Sierra, but soon you’ll learn that despite our warm, gooey, human outer shell, we’re beasts inside. All of us. Don’t let anyone tell you differently.” He flashed me his fangs, and a chill skirted up my spine.

  Could it be true? Did I have a blood-thirsty monster locked up inside?

  Chapter Twenty

  Our date, as Ransom had called it after, ended up continuing late into the night. Coffee turned into dinner and dinner into drinks. As I stumbled out of Howl at the Moon, I immediately regretted denying Ransom’s offer to walk me back to the dorm. The crowded dive bar was in the center of Moon Valley, and only a few minute stroll from campus, but now it seemed like a lifetime away.

  After a few too many beers, I’d told myself I needed the walk to clear my head. Note to self: werewolf beer was way stronger than the human kind. As I staggered across the quiet streets, a smile lit up my face. It was the first time in forever that I hadn’t thought about my Hunter. Not once. All night long. Maybe Cass had been right and my obsession with him was only due to a lack of options. Now, finally in Moon Valley, with my people, I’d finally find the right guy for me.