WEREWULF JOURNALS 5:

HUNTING CHASE

 

 

 

 

Camille Anthony

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

www.loose-id.com



 

 

 

Warning

 

This e-book contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language and may be considered offensive to some readers. Loose Id® e-books are for sale to adults ONLY, as defined by the laws of the country in which you made your purchase. Please store your files wisely, where they cannot be accessed by under-aged readers.



 

Werewulf Journals 5: Hunting Chase

Camille Anthony

 

This e-book is a work of fiction. While reference might be made to actual historical events or existing locations, the names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

 

 

Published by

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Copyright © April 2009 by Camille Anthony

All rights reserved. This copy is intended for the purchaser of this e-book ONLY. No part of this e-book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without prior written permission from Loose Id LLC. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author's rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

 

 

ISBN 978-1-59632-909-6

Available in Adobe PDF, HTML, MobiPocket, and MS Reader

 

 

Printed in the United States of America

 

 

Editor: Maryam Salim

Cover Artist: April Martinez



 

 

 

Dedication

 

To Kate Douglas because she loves my Wulves almost as much as I love her Chanku!



Prom Night
 

“What do you mean, she’s gone?”

Chase didn’t know which irked him more…that he’d bellied up to Andrea’s pleas, putting all his business on hold to fly out for her prom night, or that she wasn’t home waiting for him. She should have known he’d come once he realized how important his presence was, and how seriously she wanted to attend the function.

“What part of, ‘she’s gone’ do you need me to clarify for you?” Fortrayn McCallum stood in the doorway, hazel eyes gleaming with biting humor.

Chase swallowed back a growl, refusing to give his quasi nephew more fodder for his self-righteous fun machine. “Who did she go with? Rosa?”

Fortrayn shook his head, grin widening. “Nope, Rosa and Drew are in the family room watching the Disney channel. Wanna join us?”

Chase grimaced. “I’ll pass. You’re enjoying this too much, nephew. If she didn’t go with Rosa, then who escorted her? Hunter? Melody?”

Fort made no effort to hide his widening grin. “No and no. She went with her date for the evening.”

Every function stilled within him. Heart and lungs shut down only to bound back online, pulse ratcheting into hyper phase. He couldn’t think, couldn’t get past the massive wound opening in his spirit. Chase wanted to scream, to collapse in rage even while his eyesight narrowed to a pinpoint focus, colored in red.

From what seemed far away, Chase heard Fort’s gasping breaths, a gurgling cacophony of words that meant nothing. He thought Taylor was hollering, heard Rosa storming up the hall, screaming something about her mate. He ignored everything but the feel of his nephew’s neck compressed between the tightening claws of his morphed fingers.

Cursing, Taylor stepped up, tried to wedge a finger between Chase’s thumb and fingers. “Alpha, think…you’re not going to want to go through with this.”

“The hell I don’t!” Chase gritted from between clenched teeth. His fangs had emerged, rendering his voice hoarse and guttural.

Fortrayn did some shifting of his own, taking on the bulk of his fighting form. “Back the fuck off me, or let’s fight!” His voice emerged as guttural as Chase’s. “I’m not the cub I was three years ago.”

Reining back his anger, Chase eased his fingers around the younger wulf’s neck. Breathing hard, he confronted the man he’d left in charge of his mate’s safety, her fidelity. “Where is she? Who is with her? By the Moon, Fortrayn, I will kill you if you’ve allowed her to be…”

He couldn’t even finish the sentence, couldn’t bear thinking of her being with another male. Shit, he’d waited for her, denying himself. He’d be damned if he’d stand by while some snot-nosed punk sampled what he’d been starving for.

Fort swallowed, pushed his relative’s hands away, and snarled. Fingering his throat with one hand, shooing his agitated mate off with the other, he barked, “Rosa, go back to Drew. I’m fine. Chase and I are just having a little talk.” When it looked like the small plump woman would stay and argue with him, he ordered, “Go on. I’ll rejoin you in a moment.” He slanted a glare at the blond wulf. “He’s not going to do any more manhandling, are you, Uncle?”

Dragging in a calming breath, Chase wordlessly shook his head, cautiously eyeing Rosa. She got up in his face, shaking her finger under his nose. “I’m tired of you and your distemper, hijo de puta! Every time you come around, you pull some shit like this, getting my family all worked up. Just remember, one day soon I’m going to be your mother-in-law. Mess with me, and I will make your life hell on earth.”

Chase watched her stomp back down the hall. “Did she just call me a son of a bitch in Spanish?”

Fort’s raised hand did nothing to hide his fang-revealing laughter. “Nope. That would’ve been a compliment. She called you a whoreson. No offense to Aunt Louisa.”

Chase shuddered. “God, she’s fierce!”

Fortrayn stared at him awhile, eyes filling with sly humor. “I could warn you about falling apples and trees and shit, but that would take away from my well-earned enjoyment in the coming few years.” His eyes went flat, playtime over. “Come on in, Uncle. We really do need to talk.”

Still mired in anger, Chase followed Fort’s rangy, jeans-clad body into the kitchen, feeling like an overdressed fool in his tux and black tie. “I really don’t have the time for…”

Fort turned on him with a scowl. “Yeah, that’s what you told ’Drea when she asked you to escort her. Man, do you have any idea how long it took her to work up the courage to ask?”

Chase opened his mouth to speak, but Fort was there, busting his chops before he could get a word in edgewise. “Dude, you ignore her, always have. Yeah, she’s a teenager, so she loves all the presents and things, but they don’t really mean anything. I mean, you shower her with gifts, but she’s smart enough to know they cost you nothing. You don’t even pick them out yourself. There’s no emotional involvement in a freaking BMW, which, by the way, is moldering in the garage, still brand spanking new, having never been driven.”

He’d gathered up a head of steam. “And while we’re at it, once you and she have mated, you can spoil the hell out of her, since you’ll be the one living with the consequences. However, as long as Andrea resides under my roof, don’t fucking ever go over my head again. We’d told her there would be no car until she was eighteen.”

Chase stopped himself from offering excuses. He didn’t see the need to inform the younger wulf that Andrea hadn’t bothered telling him she’d already asked and been told no. “You’re right, Fort. I shouldn’t have given her the car without first checking with you and Rosa. I apologize.”

Take that, you pompous asshole! Chase would have wagged his tail if he’d been in fur. He could be reasonable when he wanted to, and he bit back a bark of laughter that his ready capitulation had stolen Fort’s righteous thunder.

“Well, that’s all right, then. But Chase”—hazel eyes clashed with hazel—“you can’t buy her. She’s not for sale. Smothering her with things is not the way to make her fall in love with you.”

Chase stiffened. “I don’t require her to love me. I’m in need of a mate, and she’s an available breed. Don’t try to make more of this than there is.”

Fort bit off a laugh. “You have got to be joking me. You don’t really expect me to believe that shit, do you? Fucked anyone lately?”

Fort’s disbelieving expression made him uncomfortable. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, averting his gaze from the unrelenting glare focused on him. To his own amazement, Chase felt his face heat. His hands fisted in his pockets as Fort continued to heckle him.

“Well? Why don’t you answer the question? Played bury the bone with anyone since before Andrea’s Quinceañera?” When no answer was forthcoming, Fort detonated the last bomb. “Or are you still getting hard and getting off staring at her picture?”

The snarls coming from Chase’s mouth would have scared a sane man. Unfortunately, Fortrayn was neither sane nor a man, but a damn brave wulf. During the event three years back, when he’d still been a wet-behind-the-ears new adult, Fortrayn had confronted him in defense of Hunter’s home and bitch. Knowing he faced failure, Fort had still held his ground, willing to be seriously injured—perhaps even killed—for what he believed was a just cause. Now he battled with words, but his outlook seemed exactly the same. He’d go down hard before he allowed harm to come to those under his care. Chase couldn’t help but find that admirable.

Where is she? Who is touching her, telling her how beautiful she looks? He wanted to maim the nameless, faceless lucky bastard. Who is standing beside her, usurping my place? He had to find out.

Chase ran his fingers through his hair, nerves so on edge he wanted to scream. It was more urgent than simple need, more like a poisoned burr under his skin. He simply couldn’t stand the thought of another male being where he belonged: at her side.

“I need to know where she is, Fort.”

“Yeah, I dig that, but can you dig, I need to know you won’t hurt her tonight? I mean, she bled, Chase—inside. We had to listen to her cry half the night after that phone call. You cut her deep, hurt her, and when Andrea hurts, my woman suffers. When Rosa suffers, I get pissed. So unless you convince me you plan to make sure my girl enjoys this important night, you can cool your ass right here until she gets home. She’s got a Cinderella curfew, and she knows better than to be late.”

Chase grimaced. Staying away from Andrea was an unacceptable option. Yeah, he could set Taylor and others tracking her, discovering where this prom was taking place, but it would take time. Much as he wanted to rant and rail, demand the location of his future mate, Chase knew Fort would not give him the information until he’d been satisfied with answers. He hated being a penitent to Fort’s goodwill, subject to being called on the carpet like this, but he understood what drove the other wulf.

“I never meant… My presents weren’t… I didn’t think in terms of buying her. I just wanted her mind, her thoughts, focused on me. What else could I do with Hunter and you ordering me to keep my distance?” He raked his fingers through his hair again, not caring that his stylist would have screamed at the disorder.

“What would a lousy phone call have hurt? Would it have disrupted your oh-so-busy schedule to call her once a month to say hi?”

Chase’s mouth fell open. “For the Moon’s sake, Fort, what the hell was I supposed to say to a fourteen-year-old kid? Hell, even a sixteen-year-old girl, for that matter?”

He took an agitated turn around the kitchen. “You arrogant cur, you have no idea what I’ve been going through, no idea how lucky you are. As a mated wulf, you can fondle your mate, eat pussy pie, and fuck to your heart’s content, anytime you feel the urge. I haven’t had a woman since the moment I looked past a cast-iron skillet into Andrea’s angry little face. So yes, I get rock hard every time I hear her voice. Every. Damn. Time.”

Fortrayn made a strained exclamation, expression relaying pity. Chase shook his head, rejecting it. He didn’t need or want pity, just understanding. “Keep your pity, pup. I know what you’re thinking. How the mighty have fallen, huh? As Alpha-in-waiting, I used to have all the pussy I wanted. More than I needed. Now, I could go to another female, but I won’t do that to her. You don’t want Andrea hurt and neither do I. Think how traumatized she would have been if I’d eased this ache the way I wanted to. She’d know it, be able to sense every lurid interaction.”

“I thought you could control the link to keep her out.”

“I’ve been celibate for years, Fort, with no outlet but my hand for this head of steam building and building until my cock feels like it’s going to explode.” Chase crassly cupped his cock, the rigid length evident through the tightly stretched cloth over his groin. “How much control do you think I have? I’m constantly hard and aching, but no amount of masturbation eases the pain.”

“I didn’t know, Uncle.” Fort sounded contrite.

“No, you didn’t. Nevertheless, you’ve been busy telling me I should have called the child who rules my passions. For the last three years all I’ve wanted is to fuck my mate, and I didn’t care that she was a child by human standards for some of those years. You and I both know the true-mate bond wouldn’t have called to me if she weren’t mature, so her youth meant nothing to me. Given ten minutes alone, I’d have banged her like a screen door in a high wind.” His gruff laugh mocked himself. “Looks like you were right to keep me away.”

Fort groaned, holding up his hand. “Man, Chase. TMI! We’re not talking ten minutes alone here…just a phone call.”

Sucking in a deep breath, angered that his young cousin just didn’t get it, Chase snarled, “To hell with you and your poster boy for goodwill philosophy. Let me put this in terms you can understand. You’re right, Fort, about me getting hard just staring at Andrea’s school picture. In fact, I’ve jacked off with it so often I’ve warped the damned thing with my jism, and can barely make out her features anymore.”

Fortrayn hollered, “Hey!” and Chase grimaced, but not in response to the wulf’s outraged sensibilities. No, he was thinking of all the time—five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes per year—he’d suffered blue balls, aching for a girl not yet physically grown into womanhood. “Let me clue you in on how our conversations would have gone.”

Holding an imaginary phone to his ear, Chase launched into his demonstration. Lowering his voice until it growled all sexy and warm, Chase crooned, “Hello, Andi baby, how was school? Math was hard today? So am I…hard and aching for you. You’re learning fractions? I’ll love teaching you how to take my cock in your mouth, sucking me in a fraction at a time.”

Fort choked, sputtered. “Stop, that’s enough.”

Ignoring him, Chase raised his voice and continued talking over his younger cousin’s protests. “You can’t wait for summer so you can play in the heat? I can’t wait to play in your heat, to have your sweet pussy spread under me, my body covering yours, my hips wild between your thighs. I want to hear your moans while you take me deep and…”

Fort covered his ears. “For God’s sake, Chase! That’s my daughter you’re talking about!”

Chase glared down at Fort from his two-inch advantage, eyes going hot with the harbinger of change. Lips folded in a tight line, all his patience gone, he spoke in an almost whisper. “That’s my mate I’m talking about, and I’ve waited over two years for her, Fortrayn. Three hard-dicked, nonfucking years, and now you’re wasting what little time I have to be with her, to share with her a small slice of romance in the hope she’ll see me in a better light.”

“I can understand,” Fort began.

Chase dragged in a calming breath and forced back the flow of fur and fangs. In a voice all-the-more-deadly due to its softness, he warned, “You better believe, fucking me over this is not a good idea. Tell me where my mate is or so help me, I’ll leave here and find her myself. And when the hunt is over, I won’t be concerned about control or human limits. I’ll claim my mate tonight to secure my claim, and any male I find sniffing around her is gonna get killed!”

“Man, I’m so sorry for your pain, Uncle. I swear I never thought, never knew…” Fort shook his head. “I only meant to rag you a bit, but this has gotten way too heavy.” Slowly reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out a folded slip of paper. Eyeing Chase as if he were a pet turned vicious, he passed the scrap to him with the tips of his fingers.

Young asshole, now you’re wary, when it’s too late. Not bothering to waste further conversation with the boy, more furious than he’d ever felt in his life, Chase snatched the paper from Fortrayn and turned to stride up the hall.

“Please, Unk…don’t fuck up Andrea’s big night,” Fort called after him. “It’s important to her.”

Chase paused at the front door. Hand closed hard on the knob, he glanced back. “You’re lucky I didn’t rip your throat out when I had it between my fingers.” Turning, he twisted the handle and yanked the door open, slammed through it so hard it rebounded against the frame.

In the yard, Taylor took one look at Chase’s face and sprinted past him for the limo. Slapping the cigarette out of the lounging driver’s mouth, he ordered the wulf to get the vehicle started while he radioed the other members of his security team to report in, alerting them they were on the move.

A corner of Chase’s mouth turned up when he noticed how Taylor made even hurrying look elegant. The partially formed smile faded when he heard Fortrayn behind him, mouthing a hurried jumble of words. “She’s with a friend. Josh has been her friend for years. There’s nothing between them but a brother/sister type of love. Hurting him would be a mistake.”

Fury locked his jaw tight. Turning his head, Chase nodded curtly. “If what you say is true, there’ll be nothing to worry about.” He met Fort’s eyes and felt anger welling up again, frustrated at how much time the boy had wasted, fucking with him.

“You’ve made a load of demands tonight, Fort. Now I’ll issue an ultimatum of my own. Don’t ever try pulling a stunt like this again. When I come for Andrea the next time, hiding her from me would be your last mistake.”

A mishmash of emotions, jealousy uppermost, rolled like thunder in his blood. Chase strode the rest of the way to the limo, impatient strides eating up the ground. Taylor held the back door for him, and as Chase slid in, he handed the guard the slip of paper. “Get me there an hour ago.”

* * * * *

Andrea Montalvo gripped her date’s sleeve, speechless at the grandeur of the old hotel. Above their heads, stretching the width of the grand double doors, a white silk banner rippled in the slight breeze of the mild San Franciscan night. Gold lettering read: THE SAN FRANCISCO CROWN MARRIOTT WELCOMES THE DALY CITY HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR PROM.

She craned her neck as they passed under the fluttering cloth, her gown sweeping the floor as they made their way across the wide atrium. Inside the spacious room, inlaid parquet wood floors gleamed with the patina of age and care. The walls, decorated with elegant, swirling gold fleur-de-lis, glistened with the reflected shine of faux candlelight. Crystal chandeliers dripped diamond sprinkles, adorning the room in a romantic glow that rivaled starlight.

“Oh Josh, isn’t this marvelous?” Excitement poured through her as she turned to share her pleasure with her longtime friend. “Aren’t you glad I talked you into this?”

Joshua Tate tugged at his collar and cleared his throat, his prominent Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed audibly. “I guess it looks okay, ’Drea, but I’m not interested in the decor. I only came so I could see Shelley, maybe dance with her.” He craned his long neck as he spoke, light blue eyes searching the crowded room. “Do you think she’s here yet? I can’t see her anywhere.”

Andrea frowned at the lanky boy towering over her, spirits falling. The buzz she’d had going dimmed a bit, and she eyed her erstwhile date with less than satisfaction.

Shelley Moore was her best friend in the world equal to Josh, but Andrea was damned if Shelley’s shadow was going to horn in on her enjoyment of this evening. Regardless of how it happened, Josh was her date for the night and he’d better start acting like it.

There was only one senior prom in a girl’s life and she’d almost missed it, thanks to the constant presence of pushy-assed bodyguards, compliments of her rabid fiancé. No high school boy wanted to take the chance of conflicting with the hulking bruisers. Those who might have braved the guards ran up against the snarls and growls of Papa Fort’s gruff demands. No matter how many times she reminded him, it was just a date, not an engagement, he would always interrogate them about their intentions toward her.

None of that had much mattered when she was fifteen and sixteen, since her parents had been adamant about her not dating at that early age, but it was making for lonely Friday and Saturday nights during this seventeenth year. While all her girlfriends were out catching a movie or cruising to Marin with a boy sporting his new ride, she was largely stuck at home, alone. Which was a shame since she’d hated the movie, and didn’t much appreciate having to live it in real life.

Andrea knew there’d be no way Chase would allow her to go out at night alone with some boy without a guard detail discreetly trailing behind, which would be death on a party mood. As she’d suspected, no one had stepped forth and asked her to go as their date. She hadn’t truly minded, because when it came time to consider a date, even planning to go to the prom with a friend like Josh somehow felt disloyal.

She was engaged to Chase, though sometimes it was hard to remember that. They were less than a year away from getting married, and she hadn’t seen him since her parents’ wedding, almost two years ago. It was like looking at a masterpiece of art through a slightly unfocused lens. Beautiful, but not really believable.

Chase was filthy rich, a power broker and international figure, handsome enough to be a movie star. None of her classmates believed he was her fiancé. Of course, she’d wanted to show him off, to know the other girls in her class were comparing their young dates to her shining prince.

Figuring he owed her for all the lonely Friday nights, she decided she had nothing to lose by asking him to take her to the prom. Literally shaking in her boots, Andrea screwed up her courage and dialed the private number embossed on the matte white business card—the one only five people in the world had access to. She wished she hadn’t.

After being routed through three snooty-sounding individuals, she’d finally been connected to Chase, who’d abruptly dismissed the meeting he was chairing to take her call. He’d come to the phone breathless, demanding to know where she was, if she was safe, and where Fortrayn was. When he found out she’d called him to talk about her prom, Chase McCallum, high-powered entrepreneur that he was, had scoffed at her timid invitation. The memory of his harsh belittlement of her request still made shame burn inside like acid.

“Let me get this straight. You want me to attend a high school prom? Andrea, do you know how old I am? I’ve been a grown wulf longer than you’ve been alive, and I don’t have time for such childish things. I just canceled an important meeting because I thought this was an emergency. There are a million business meetings and Pack courts I must attend. I simply don’t have the leisure to spend playing dress up so you can gain cool points by having an older man strutting you around on his arm.”

“But Chase—”

“No butts, Andrea…at least, not yet,” he’d murmured, chuckling at his supposed humor. She’d understood his allusion to anal play and hadn’t been amused.

“I hate you!”

“Of course you do, since you’re not getting your way.” Chase had sighed, sounding tired. “Hurry and grow up, little girl. Oh, and one more thing…don’t call me if all you have to talk about is some petty shit like a high school prom. It’s hard enough waiting for you to become a woman without dealing with juvenile stuff like this.”

Blinded by tears, she’d hung up in a huff. Two days later, she’d refused delivery of his apology bouquet and sent his guilt gift back, unopened.

Ordering her thoughts back in the present, Andrea balled her hands into fists, relegating her uncomfortable memories of Chase’s callous response to the back of her mind. For the umpteenth time, she wished she weren’t a wulf breed female, wanted only for her genetics. She wanted a normal teenage life, to be able to look forward to a boyfriend and dating…all the things most girls took for granted. It was bad enough she was a year younger than most of the other seniors, having skipped two grades early on. She so didn’t need Chase’s long-suffering-lord-of-the-manor bullshit on top of all that.

The girls at school—the ones who believed her—thought it was majorly cool, having a mature, powerful man, rich as the ace of spades on her string. All they thought about was how much they could get, how much the boyfriend would be willing to shower them with gifts. They had no idea she was the one on the string, unable to even smile at a boy for fear one of the bodyguards might jump him or, worse, report the incident to Chase.

All the teen boys, when they heard about her having a fiancé, were weirded out. They shied away from her like she was Typhoid Mary. Heck, finding a candidate to serve as prom date had been like fishing for salmon in the bathtub. Not happening. Josh was the only one brave enough to risk being seen with her, and that was because they’d become blood brother and sister years ago.

While she could appreciate Josh had his own agenda, there was no way she’d tolerate him making her feel like a poor substitute. Heck, she’d paid for his escort service with tutoring on how to impress their mutual friend, Shelley. He owed her.

“Damn you, Joshua Tate! That was frigging rude. What am I, chopped liver?”

The boy opened his mouth, a startled look on his face, but she hurried on before he could interrupt. “Look, I know you’d rather be here with Shelley as your date, but it’s not my fault you didn’t have the courage to ask her. If not for me, your scary butt’d be sitting at home right now, moping and fretting over who was kissing those juicy lips of hers. At least this way, you can keep an eye on her without looking like a stalker. As Shelley would say, ‘Brother, you better give me some dap.’”

“I’m s-s-sorry, ’Drea! Heck, I-I didn’t mean th-th-that th-the way it sounded.” He gulped, reddening in embarrassment. “I di-didn’t mean to h-hurt your f-f-f-feelings.”

She harrumphed, narrowing her eyes in the evil squint she usually gave him when he was being a trial, but couldn’t hold on to her anger in the face of his pain. They’d worked so hard to overcome his stuttering. That it was back told her how upset her scolding made him. “As if you could, but you can make this night bothersome, when all I want is to have some fun. So stop it, okay?”

Josh nodded his head jerkily, clearing his throat in the little nervous habit he had.

“And stop that too!” Andrea ordered, pointing her finger at his neck bobbing. “Stop that right now.” She took a step back and ran a cataloging gaze over Josh’s lanky bod.

His tanned face was too familiar for her to call it handsome, but he wasn’t ugly. Shelley and she had often laughed at how Josh—as Caucasian as they came with his dirty blond hair, light blue eyes, long nose, and wide mouth—fit the stereotype of geeky nerd. He might look the part, but he no longer acted it, not after hanging around with them for the last five years.

Thanks to their association, he’d taken on a lot of black and Latino expressions, speaking them like a native. They were the United Nations Three Musketeers: proof that there could be peace among the races—black, Latino, and white, all tight, close friends. Josh had the cool points going on as long as he was with both of them or hanging out with other gamers, but throw a girl in the mix—Shelley—and Josh went into meltdown.

She’d known him since the start of junior high, and over this past year—their senior year—she’d watched him gain more than six inches. His body had shot up, the width of his shoulders stretching to match his new height. Unfortunately, he hadn’t yet put on the bulk needed to make it work together smoothly, and he looked like a starving beanpole.

Also in the last year, she’d watched Josh fall deeply in love with their mutual best friend. Tough luck for him that Shelley hadn’t caught on to that. At least, she hadn’t acted as if she saw Josh as anything more than one-third of their intricate friendship.

Andrea felt sorry for him, knowing how much unrequited love hurt. From day one, Chase had stomped on her heart with his callous disregard. As a breed, she’d been bioengineered to survive mating with a wulf, capable of bearing the cubs so desperately needed to maintain the race. Her only attraction seemed to lie in her genetics. In Chase McCallum’s eyes, she was a status symbol, a womb attached to a stretchable vagina.

Not wishing her friend to suffer the destructive feelings she’d struggled with for years, Andrea had willingly spent the last five weeks helping Josh overcome his low self-esteem, coaching him on everything from manners to how to stop stuttering. Looking at him now, she decided Josh needed some strategic bolstering.

“You clean up good, dude. Look at you, all spiffed up…shiny!” She dragged out the last word, playing off their fave slang since watching Firefly. “That penguin you’re wearing is so iced, every girl in here is gonna swarm you.”

“You really think?” Hope was such a vulnerable expression on his dear face.

“I know, man!” God, let at least one girl give him the eye. “All right, you,” she ordered in drill sergeant tones. “Repeat what we’ve practiced.”

“Yeah, okay.” He blew out a long breath, swiped his fingers through his hair. “Don’t act nervous.”

“And?”

“Hold your shoulders straight.” He lifted his linebacker rack and let them fall.

“So far, so good. Go on.”

“Don’t talk fast so I don’t st-stu-stutter a-a-and…uh…”

Andrea sighed. “And don’t duck your head when a girl talks to you. Stare right in her eyes as if she’s Cold Stone ice cream on a hot summer day. God, Josh, I’ve told you these things over and over.”

“I know.” He sighed, gave another tug at his collar. “But every time I get close to Shelley all that goes out my head.”

“Well, you’d better get your head in the game, because I’ve sighted Shelley at fourteen hundred.”

“Oh my God!” Josh gulped. “Quick, help me!”

Andrea raised her eyebrows, confused. “What do you need help with?”

“Camouflage!” Josh grabbed her by the shoulders and hauled her in for a sloppily executed kiss.

Andrea pushed against Josh’s chest, shocked at what he’d done. Wiping her mouth, she stared at him in dismay. “Ugh! I know I suggested we come as dates, but this isn’t what I had in mind.”

Josh looked panicked. “Look, if Shelley sees us kissing, maybe it will wake her up, let her see there’s other possibilities besides friendship.”

Andrea looked at him askance. “That reasoning seems kinda weak to me, but…” She shrugged. “If you want to try making Shelley jealous, that’s up to you. I need to mention that these things usually backfire.”

“Okay, I hear you, but…I haveta try this, ’Drea. I’ve tried everything else I can think of, and nothing’s worked. Help me, please?”

“Have you tried telling her, ‘Shelley, I love you’?”

Her heart sank when Josh went ashen, a horrified expression widening his eyes. “I’m too scared to take that chance. If I do and she says she doesn’t love me back, that would be the end. I’d curl up and die. As long as I don’t ask, there’s the hope she’ll come to love me one day.”

“Your funeral,” ’Drea muttered, feeling more of a kindred spirit than she wanted to. God, the two of them were pathetic, both loving someone who probably couldn’t see them for dirt. She eased back into Josh’s arms, a moue of embarrassment twisting her mouth. This thing with Josh was weirding her out. “All right, we can do this, just…no tongue, okay?”

Josh gave her a lopsided grin. “Kool with that, ’cause this already feels like incest. It’s one thing to have your little sister school you in how to get girls, but a whole ’nother thing to swap spit with her.”

Face twisting in disgust, Andrea gagged. “Okay, we didn’t need to go there, ace.”

As his arms started to close about her, Andrea pulled back once more. She’d spent four hours in the hairdresser’s torture chamber to emerge looking like a sophisticated woman, hair swept up in intricate black curls that revealed her sharp cheekbones and the angular caste of her face. “And no mussing my hair.”

Josh made a face. “Sheesh, woman, Shelley’ll be a sitcom—“married with children”—before we get to this!”

Andrea laughed and relaxed at his whining comment. The tension bled out of her muscles while she hugged her friend, glad for the breaking stress. Trust him to come out with something like that. Josh was the clown among the three, always using humor to defuse a situation. She leaned forward and paused, a sense of unease growing within. Chills spilled across her shoulders and down her back. Lightning burned in the white scar at her neck.

Chase…near? She’d only felt the burn of his mating mark when he was in close proximity. Even as she stiffened and glanced around, the tingling faded and the letdown was so depressing that Andrea had to fight off tears. No, he wasn’t close or even thinking about her, she decided, heart aching. He’s too busy, his adult life too full to take time away from it for me.

Andrea shook off the lingering ache, hating that even far away, Chase could make her feel this way. She wasn’t going to allow any negativity to intrude on her special night. This time, as she moved forward into Josh’s embrace, she put her whole attention on making Shelley think their friend was the hottest thing since white bread. At least one of them might get lucky in love. She smiled, leaned up on tiptoe to reach the taller boy’s mouth. “Hey Josh, forget about the no tongue thing this once. Let’s make this look real!”

* * * * *

Growing more impatient by the moment, Chase rolled down the window of the limo, raised his nose to the air, and sniffed. The rich, sweet aroma of breed mingled with the faint musky smell of his mark, wafted to him, telling him they were drawing closer to Andrea.

His hands balled into fists, almost crushing the exotic flowers resting in his lap. The satiny smooth petals—not half as smooth as Andrea’s young skin—trembled as his cock rose beneath the bouquet, straining at the zipper of his formal slacks.

Gods, he hadn’t smelled her essence for so long. His balls ached and burned. Chase shifted his legs to relieve and readjust the steely erection jutting between his thighs.

“Eyes, Alpha,” Taylor warned, the blandness of his voice belying the worried expression in his flat ebony gaze.

Sighing, Chase reached into a small compartment and took out a pair of Ray-Bans, and slipped them on, concealing his glowing eyes from any unwary human gaze. His cock throbbed, twitched fully erect as his nostrils flared, dragging in more of his mate’s addictive scent. “She’s so close I can scent her, Taylor. Are the men—”

“Sexed up,” the bodyguard assured him. “Plus, I made sure only mated males accompanied us. You’re too unstable where that bitch is concerned. No need courting trouble.”

Chase stiffened, growled. “Watch your tone when you speak of her.”

Taylor bowed his head, averted his gaze. “I hear you, Alpha.”

Chase knew his friend and bodyguard held ambivalent feelings about Andrea. They had a history. The teenager had bested several of his men, Taylor included. His head guard—touted the best among all the American Packs’ strong-arms—hadn’t gotten over the humiliation.

Too fucking bad, Chase thought, lips going thin in rising agitation, because he’ll give her total respect or I’ll pound his ass.

The limousine slid to a gliding stop in front of the Crown Marriott, and Taylor opened his door to come around and let his boss out.

Chase couldn’t wait, driven by a rising urgency to get closer, to be within touching distance of his mate. Not just his cock responded to her allure. Everything, his blood, his muscles—his entire body, yearned and ached and died daily without her. He flung open the door, grabbed the flowers and the present he’d brought, and stepped out the vehicle.

She didn’t know…he didn’t want her ever to know the pain separation from her caused him. She felt hurt over his aloofness, complained he didn’t call her or consider her a person in her own right, rarely thought about her…

Fuck that! Chase took the broad, shallow steps two at a time. If I thought of her any more, I’d combust.

“Shall we circle? Or would you like us to park somewhere?”

Taylor’s question had him turning on the last step of the first tier. “Wait here for me.” Chase ground his teeth. The muscles in his clenched jaw jumped. “I’m going to give her one dance, pose for pictures, and then bring her back to the limo. It’ll probably kill me, but I’m going to sit and listen…hold a fucking conversation with my mate so she can see I’m interested in more than her pussy.”

“I feel your pain.”

Taylor’s grimace and low-growled commiseration sneaked a laugh out of him. “Hah! I truly doubt that, Taylor. I really do.” With another rueful chuckle, he turned and sprinted up the rest of the stairs.

At the entry of the hotel, the concierge, a tall black man dressed in a tan quasi-military uniform complete with white gloves, intercepted him at the wide double doors. “May I be of service, sir?”

“Daly High School prom—where is it happening?” His demeanor screamed privileged rich mogul. Chase wasn’t a bit surprised when the man bowed and scraped before him.

“The prom is taking place in the grand atrium ballroom on the mezzanine, sir. It’s on this main floor, but on the farthest side of the lobby. Would you like me to escort you?”

Just then, another whiff of the sweetest lust-enticing fragrance ever inhaled wafted across his nostrils. Like a damned pointer spaniel, Chase’s cock came back to attention, arrowing in the direction he needed to go. Straining at the bit, he slid a crisply folded hundred in the man’s discreetly proffered hand. “Thanks, but I’ll just follow my…uh…nose.”

An endless measure of time later, after wading through a flood of sequins, miles of lace and black tuxedos, he stood in shocked disbelief, watching his Andrea and some tall, thin boy mesh like connecting puzzle pieces.

She was all over him. He was all over her. Chase’s flinty gaze locked on the sight, his eyes going incandescent gold. His jaw dropped, making room for his fangs as every single muscle in his body clenched in rage. Fur rippled under his clothes, and his body grew until the cloth of his tuxedo strained against the bulking flesh.

“Mine!”

The roar caused instant panic, and in the ensuing pandemonium, Andrea and the boy wrapped around her turned toward the source of the commotion. Her eyes widened in astonishment and alarm, she quickly disengaged from the illicit embrace. Grim anger tightening his muscles, Chase watched her gaze drop, saw her take in the flowers and gift he’d thrown down when he’d sighted her. Saw her tremble. She was right to be afraid.

Not a shred of control remaining, Chase started toward Andrea with one thought in his mind. He wanted his mate away from the encroaching male and out of here. His fangs flashed, harbingers of death, as he approached the male who dared touch what was his.

“Step away from me, Josh!” Andrea hissed to her date, the frame of night black hair about her pixieish face highlighting her pale, wan complexion. Anger flared hot and bright. How dare she try to protect that male? How dare she?

“Yes, Josh,” he growled low and menacingly, “step away so your blood doesn’t spray on her dress.”

The boy made an abortive attempt at moving, but Chase picked him up by the neck and held him at arm’s length as he ripped off his sunglasses. He wanted the impudent cub to see his death telegraphed by the molten heat in his angry gaze.

“Great God, ’Drea, what is this guy? He’s not human!”

The shrill hysteria in the boy’s voice irritated Chase. Shaking the boy like a limp rag, he snarled, displaying his long fangs and snapping them within inches of the boy’s throat. “Mine!” He shouted his claim at the top of his gruff voice.

The teen’s eyes rolled up. His body went slack.

“Chase, stop scaring Josh! You’re overreacting. This is… I can explain—”

Chase turned his head, focused his eyes on her, and her voice dried up. Her chin wobbled. His voice, forced from a throat formed for growls and snarls, came out as a hoarse whisper. “Mother Moon, you fear now, when it’s too late.” His fingers tightened around Josh’s neck, and he shook him again. “You’ve gotten this boy killed.”

Andrea shrieked, throwing herself down at his feet. “Oh God, don’t hurt him. Please, Chase, I’m begging you! Please don’t hurt him!”

Chase opened his hand, releasing the unconscious boy. He couldn’t bear seeing her on her knees…not this way. Her hurt was an open wound, throbbing in their mental link—a link he kept shut down tight to keep from burdening her. That he was the cause of her pain struck him as somehow obscene. Her actions, his own reactions leaving a nasty taste in his mouth, he took three deep breaths, grabbed control with both hands, and held on tight. His heart throbbed like a shredded lump of meat in his chest, as if her blunt-nailed fingers had ripped it to tatters. “Damn it to hell, Andrea, get the fuck up. You dare to go down on your knees in defense of another male?”

Still on her knees, she looked up at him, small face flushed red in anger. She broke off her pleas to glare at him, cinnamon brown eyes narrowing with rage. “You’re spoiling my night! This juvenile event is important to me, and you’re ruining it!”

Andrea’s hands fumbled on the floor before her. She lifted his thrown shades and offered them to him. Voice low and quivering, she whispered furiously, “People can see your eyes.”

“I don’t give a rat’s ass.” Giving her a long, furious glare to be sure she knew how royally pissed he was, Chase snatched the glasses from her and slid them in place. Anger still roiling so strongly his hands trembled, he roughly toed the lump of shaking human flesh puddled at his feet. “You’re not out of it any longer, human. Get your ass up off the floor.”

The boy, jostled from his faked faint, stirred and got shakily to his feet. He huddled close to Andrea, as if shielding his body in the thin shadow of hers. Chase felt new anger rising. Head lowered, voice ragged, he suggested to her, “Your date might live longer if he left this vicinity.”

Andrea turned to her reviving friend, pushing him away. “Josh, go!”

“Don’t touch him!” He still wanted to kill that randy-assed teenager. If he had to endure seeing his mate place her small hands on the boy, he just might.

The boy proved he had a couple of brave bones in his body. “No. What if he tries to hurt you?”

Chase wished Josh had chosen another time to gain some balls. Incensed at the inference he would harm his chosen, he waited to see what his mate would say. How Andrea answered would influence how he dealt with her betrayal.

“Chase won’t hurt me, Josh.” She turned and met his gaze. Returning her attention to the boy nursing the bruises around his neck, she said, “We’re bound.”

Her automatic defense of him helped, but not enough. “Bound, yet I find you here, with this interloper, allowing intimacies belonging only to me!”

“It was nothing like that. I was only helping him get Shelley’s attention.”

Chase’s brows came together. How dare her eyes flame with anger when he was the one sinned against? He marveled that she had the guts to defy him. He snarled again, baring his fangs. “His hands were on your ass!”

“Andrea, come home with me,” the boy warbled.

Chase tensed, went after the boy again. Only Andrea’s hand, coming to rest on his arm to hold him back, kept Chase from throttling the persistent gnat again, this time with more permanent results.

“Josh, I told you to go. You’re just making the situation worse.” She glanced about, noticed the room had gone silent, and all eyes were locked on their little tableau.

“Look, Shelley’s over there eyeing us like she wants to get a piece of you, and not in a nice way.” She pushed him toward a tall, well-fleshed black beauty in a floor-length blue satin sheath, staring with opened mouth at the scene unfolding before her. Hands on her hips, her glare was evident from across the room.

Andrea shooed the cub off. “Go play macho man with her and leave us alone.”

Chase watched the boy stumble away after a last frightened look back. He growled to hurry him along.

“Stop that!” With a sigh, Andrea gazed up at her fiancé. “Why are you here, Chase? I thought you were too busy to come.” Her voice shook, but her sharp chin jutted pugnaciously, and the hands that smoothed her wide skirts were steady. “Don’t you have better things to do than squire me around at juvenile parties?”

“Don’t you dare question me, Andrea Montalvo-McCallum, and don’t throw my words back in my face. I’m struggling against surrendering to the temptation to put you across my knee, throw those petticoats over your head, and give these gawkers something real spectacular to look at by pounding your pert ass. Just take my arm and walk out of here, now. We’ll converse in the limo.”

He crooked his arm with old-world charm, arrogantly ignoring the chaos he’d created. When she ignored his outstretched elbow, he murmured out the side of his mouth, “Unless you want me to fuck you right here on the ballroom floor.”

She gasped, mouth rounding as she slanted another wide-eyed glance up at his face. He had to hand it to her. She recovered quickly from the shocking impact of his words.

“Are you threatening me?”

“No, making you a promise. I mean every word.”

“Yeah, I thought so.”

Head held high, Andrea stepped over to him, deliberately placing just the tip of one finger on the cloth at his elbow. “Like that’s really gonna make me wanna talk to you; you meaner than a junkyard dog.”

The low, murmured words were for his ears alone. Her calm expression belied her caustic comments, and Chase bit back a fierce grin. He stood still, refusing to move until, with another put-upon huff, she laid her dainty hand firmly in the bend of his elbow, curling her fingers over his bicep to press into the bunched muscle. He resisted the urge to flex, to show off his brawn for her approval, knowing she was too angry to appreciate what belonged to her.

He looked down on her proudly held head, his own anger lessening. Damn, he was proud of her. Facing an angry wulf that outweighed her by close to two hundred pounds took a lot of courage. He’d had grown wulves quailing before him and big, hulking human males pissing their pants at his frown, yet his future mate, young as she was, had never backed down. Bravery was bred in her bones, part of her character. His mouth firmed. She’d pushed him too far. Tonight she was going to need all that courage and more.

* * * * *

An hour later, still in her prom dress, minus the copious under layers of the crinoline slip, Andrea sat in the den curled tight beside Rosa. Snuggled against the compact source of safety and protection that was her mother, she’d slipped her stockings and shoes off, tucking her bare feet under the couch cushions for warmth. Together, they listened to the males of the family roaring and growling in the kitchen, which was at the back of the house, farthest away from the neighbors’ tiny front yards. Their angry voices rang through the small house.

Fearing the men’s loud voices would frighten them, Tía Melody had left, taking Andrew and Blair with her, declaring she didn’t want the little ones subjected to all that macho wulf testosterone. Andrea didn’t have the luxury of leaving.

Naked, the three wulves yelled at each other, so lost to control they kept flashing back and forth between their three forms. At one point, Papa Fort become so angry he challenged Chase to a dominance fight. Thank God, Tío Hunter vetoed that.

“Mom,” Andrea said in a small voice, hiding her face against her mother’s side, “this is all my fault.”

Rosa wrapped her arms around her. “Nonsense, mi hija, this is nobody’s fault. You are not to blame for Chase’s lack of restraint.”

Andrea squirmed uncomfortably. She couldn’t let Chase take the fall for her miscalculation. “Uh…it kinda is my fault, and I sorta am responsible. See, me and Josh were—”

“His tongue was buried in her mouth, and his hands were all over her ass!” Chase’s angry yell brought the other men’s bellowing to a halt. Ripples of silence spread out from the epicenter of that verbal pebble.

Rosa pulled back and eyed her askance, eyes wide with shock. “In public, mija?”

There was an ugly note of disgust in Chase’s usually beautiful voice as he continued. “She’s inundated with his scent, reeks of another male. I won’t tolerate it. I demand equal time, Hunter. It is my right.”

Burying her head in her mom’s lap, Andrea wondered if she was the only one who heard the hurt underlying the anger in Chase’s voice.

“What do you plan to do?” Tío Hunter’s calm voice questioned.

“I will obliterate the stink of another from my mate!”

“She is mature enough, but it is still too soon for what you ask.” Tío Hunter’s tones were calm, soothing, but Andrea knew nothing but her abject surrender, no matter how humiliating, would satisfy Chase tonight.

“She was old enough to have her tongue down his throat far enough to play tonsil hockey,” her angry mate retorted. “She’s old enough to receive my mark in person.”

“The argument is not her age, but your situation. You know what I refer to.” Tío Hunter’s voice held a note she couldn’t understand.

“This transcends my situation and you know it, Hunter! I demand my rights.”

Chase’s tones were easy to decipher: pure angry possessiveness. The muscles low in her belly tightened. Her heart pounded so hard she had to hold a hand against her chest to keep from hyperventilating. She knew it wasn’t fear that had her panting.

“No!” Papa Fort sounded angry. “I won’t allow it!”

More yells and shouting. Chase’s voice, louder than the others, rang with harsh truth. “Fort, she’s no longer a baby, and you know that. This is June. She celebrated her seventeenth birthday three months ago, and when I claim her a few months from now, you both know I’ll fuck her bowlegged with not one of you pleading her youth.”

Gasping, Rosa slapped both hands over Andrea’s ears. Andrea gave her mama a tart look. Rosa knew better than to treat her like a child, because Chase was right about one thing: Andrea had always been more mature than her physical age. Still…

Chase’s heavy sigh wafted down the hallway. “I’m not depraved enough to demand total sexual submission from her, but I will re-mark her. After tonight, she’ll damned well know who she belongs to.”

“I don’t want her traumatized, Chase.” Papa Fort sounded scared.

Chase’s mocking laughter drifted down the hallway. “Get real. My mate is way too headstrong and mature for her age for that to be an issue.” His voice soured. “She certainly navigated her way around that kiss like she had a road map. I dare say she’s probably less of an innocent than you think.”

You know I’m less of an innocent after that limo drive home. Andrea folded her lips tight. She could imagine the pandemonium that would break out should she even to hint at Chase having already touched her like that.

There was a short silence before Chase spoke again. “This much I’ll give you… I’ll do it here. I won’t take her from this house. That way, if I frighten her too much, you can fly to her rescue.” Sarcasm inundated his voice.

Rosa’s lips flattened in a disapproving line. She stood up. “I can’t believe Hunter and Fort are going to let him do this to you. I’m going in there and—”

Andrea jumped up and caught her mom’s arm before she could storm down the hallway. “No! Mom, please don’t interfere. It’ll only make things worse. Stay out of it for me,” she added, when it looked like Rosa would ignore her pleading.

Pitching her voice low, her mother asked, “Mija, are you scared?” She held her arms out for a hug, and Andrea walked into them. They wrapped their arms around each other.

Andrea shook her head. “Not of Chase, never of him. Not even of what he will do to me, but of how he’ll do it since he’s so angry.”

Rosa pulled back, a concerned frown contorting her freckled face. “You don’t need to worry, mija. I won’t let that wild man anywhere near you if you’re afraid of him!”

Andrea sighed. Mom insists on seeing Chase as the enemy. How can I tell her, he used the ride home to begin his claiming? No way can I tell her he wasn’t the one who lost control in the limo.

Andrea closed her eyes, shielding her memories from her mother’s worried stare, hiding the emotional turmoil still lingering after that long drive home.

* * * * *

Andrea caught and returned Taylor’s furtive look of dislike just before the privacy window closed, shutting him away with the driver, leaving her and Chase secluded in the darkened backseat.

As the limo pulled away from the curb, Chase leaned forward and clicked on the CD player, releasing a stream of soft, smoky jazz. He adjusted the sound until the music flowed sensual and low from the surround speakers, creating an intimate bubble in the shadowy cavern of the spacious interior.

The husky tones of Toni Braxton wailed about never breathing again, and Andrea bit back a moan, digging where the sister was coming from. Her own breath kept hitching in her chest, making her pant.

Chase eased back. The long length of one muscular thigh slid along the silky material of her dress, his wulfen heat searing her even through two layers of clothing. What would it be like to have all that heat, his hard body pressed all along hers?

She didn’t know what fueled her shortness of breath—fear or anticipation. All she knew was the heady excitement from Chase’s large body brushing against hers, sensitizing her skin, and setting her nerve endings screaming at the slightest touch.

“Goddess Moon, Andi, I’ve got to have a taste of you!” With no more warning than that, Chase dragged her over into his lap.

His hard mouth came down on hers and Andrea gasped, shuddering under the flood of scalding sensations. His mouth, his lips played hers softly, a contrast to his firm and masterful grip on her forearms. She moaned at the assault, her insides liquefying as his forceful tongue swiped over her clenched lips. This kiss promised to be every bit as potent as the one they’d shared in the church lobby before her mom’s wedding. Now, like then, he wasn’t satisfied with her closed lips.

With a growl of discontent, his tongue pressed hard at the seam of her mouth, wordlessly demanding entry. When she didn’t respond quickly enough, Chase lifted his head and gazed down into her eyes, hazel irises lit with the golden glow of prechange. “I want that pink little tongue. Open for me, my own.”

Any idiot could see he hadn’t meant it as a request. She almost swallowed said tongue at the gruff, sexy command. Gulping, Andrea complied, feeling the heat as Chase’s focused gaze burned her from the inside out. Skin prickling with nerves and the edgy tingle of arousal, she opened to him because she could do nothing less.

His tongue swept in, tangled with hers, claimed her mouth, and fire raced under her skin, small explosions of lust popping and fizzing in the wake of his lips. Oh God, she melted in his arms, melted between her legs. She knew he could smell her surrender, almost taste her growing need for him.

Chase tore his mouth away to drop quick, hard kisses along her neck. He ran his tongue over the white scar of his mark, igniting a blaze along her skin. “Mother Moon…your mouth is so sweet…so hot!”

Andi twisted, too antsy to hold still as his broad hands shaped and molded her slight curves. She shook, fisting her hands in his hair as his low-voiced groans vibrated along the tender flesh of her breasts.

Her nipples burned, beaded and pushed against the material of her bodice, the silky swatch suddenly feeling coarse and scratchy against the sensitive nubs. When his broad palm captured one small hill, fingers pinching the jutting point of her left breast, she screamed into his mouth, excitement and fear pooling and swirling in her belly.

“Yes! Scream for me, baby,” he crooned gently before taking her mouth again. Mouth moving on hers, Chase pulled down her bodice and flicked open the front closures of her strapless bra, smoothing the edges to either side so he could cup her meager flesh in the palms of his hands. “It’s okay. I’ve got you, baby. I swear I won’t hurt you, but I have to see… Let me look…” His words trickled away as his body went rigid. He stilled.

Andrea froze. Though she, herself, was blind in the limo’s dim interior, she knew Chase was looking at her exposed breasts, could see every inch of the insignificant curves. Was he disappointed? Was she too skinny, her breasts too small? Anxiety was a tornado swirling in the pit of her stomach. Trembling, she watched Chase’s thumbs brushing across her air-clad nipples. They stiffened harder under his firm flicks.

“Beautiful!”

Andrea melted against Chase, shuddering, glad beyond measure he was pleased with what he’d uncovered. A moment later, her mouth opened in a soundless cry as he caught a sensitive tip in his mouth, pulled it up against the heated pressure of tongue and teeth, suckling in greedy draws.

Keening, her back bowing, Andi arched her torso under his hands as her body exploded out of her control. She grasped at his arms and then at the hair at the nape of his neck, demanding more of the frighteningly delightful sensations his mouth was engendering.

In the darkness of the limousine, he lifted her voluminous skirts and sent one broad palm coasting up the valley between her shaking thighs, close, but never touching her aching, swollen flesh. She widened her legs, hoping he’d take the hint and touch her there, where she burned and wept.

Andrea moaned. “More…please, Chase!”

The sounds emerging dark and heavy with need shocked her to her core. Never would she have believed she could make such primal noises. It was Chase’s fault. He was the cause of her wanton behavior. How was she supposed to remain sane while he used his hands, his fingers, and that sexy mouth of his to drive her to heights of sensation she’d never imagined?

 

Now, seated beside her mother on the family room couch, Andrea burned with shame as she remembered how he’d made her beg. She’d been a wild woman at the end, gasping and clawing at his tuxedo, trying to force him to her will.

During that short ride home, he’d given her more and more, but never enough. He advanced, then retreated, always stopping, holding back, refusing to touch her where she needed him most, and refusing to allow her to touch him.

In the end, he’d calmly reordered their clothes, then set her aside with a harshly murmured comment about the futility and frustration of waiting for her to grow up. As if she were an infant. After almost savaging her mouth, after bringing every heretofore unexplored erogenous zone to screaming life, Chase had callously relegated her back to the bleak realm of immature childhood, leaving her trembling with need.

For that, she’d make him pay.

Two Weeks After Graduation
 

Busy addressing the last of her thank-you cards for the graduation presents she’d received, Andrea Montalvo scribbled her scrawling signature. A movement out the corner of her eye had her looking out the living room window in time to see a large brown delivery truck pull up curbside.

A gusty sigh accompanied the darn its, dangs, and hecks Andrea muttered under her breath; her version of veggie-cussing since she didn’t like using foul language. Unfolding her lanky limbs, she drifted over to the front door and watched a burly werewulf and his four-legged counterpart move out to intercept the UPS courier.

She must not have muttered too low because Shelley lifted her head from her own list to ask, “What’s up, ’Drea?”

Without turning her head away from the action taking place on the front lawn, Andrea snorted. “Nothing much, I guess. Probably just another guilt present from Chase.”

She watched as the bodyguard stopped the UPS courier before she could gain the porch, instructing her to halt and keep her distance. Beside him, the second wulf sniffed at the bundle before it relaxed its stiff-legged stance and wagged its tail, a clear signal it had caught no whiff of danger from the package. Only then did the upright partner accept the package. Once he’d signed for it, the guard saw the courier off the property, making polite noises in response to the admiring comments the woman made about how beautiful the guard’s dog was, and how well behaved it acted.

Standing watch until the truck pulled off, the two turned and made their way up the walk, sharing a quiet laugh at the female’s unwitting comments.

Andrea opened the door and stood behind the mesh screen as they approached her, careful to make sure she was downwind from the team. She was on her period, which always seemed to disrupt the single wulves. Bender she was comfortable with. He’d been assigned to her from day one, and the older, laid-back wulf had gained her confidence.

His new partner, Jedin, though…that wulf gave her the heebie-jeebies. For one thing, she’d never seen him in anything but fur form, and while that alone wouldn’t normally be enough to bother her, she’d caught him staring at her strangely several times. Frankly, if he hadn’t brought a letter from Chase, vouching for his loyalty when he’d shown up a month ago, she’d have asked Papa Fort to send him away.

“Miss Andrea, there’s a package for you. It’s from the Alpha.” The older guard held up a smallish yellow box imprinted with the stylized black feather logo Sprint had adopted a couple of years before.

Feeling the four-legged wulf’s intense gaze on her, she reached out and accepted the box. “How many does this make, Bender?”

The wulf shrugged, gave her a shy smile. “I lost count, ma’am.”

“Unfortunately, I haven’t.” With another long-suffering sigh, Andrea took the small box from him gingerly, never sure what Chase would be sending next. He was still trying to make up for prom night. She wished he’d stop. There was no way he would ever be able to make amends for how he’d treated her that night.

Back in the living room, she took the box over to the coffee table. “Give me some room, Josh.”

Her friend pushed back a lock of dirty blond hair and peered at the box out of curious slate blue eyes. Shoving aside some of his thank-you notes, he made space on the low tabletop. “Sprint, huh?”

“Yeah.” She eyed the package in her hands, turned it over and over. “Probably a cell phone—”

“Well, don’t just look at it, open it!” Shelley scrambled over to sit next to her, wedging her plush curves between Andrea and Josh. “You might not be interested, but I’m dying here!”

Josh leaned his head on Shelley’s ample shoulder, chin nestled in the crook of her neck. His blue eyes gleaming with mischief, he added his demands to hers. “Yes, open it, ’Drea. I wanna see.”

Not content to wait for her to get to it, Shelley reached over Andrea’s shoulder and made a grab for the box.

“Hey! Cut it out!” Andrea batted her hand away and held the box up out of Shelley’s reach, which only worked because they were sitting down—Shelley all the way on the floor and Andrea on her haunches, feet tucked under her hips. “It’s mine. I’ll open it when I feel like it.”

Both her friends pouted. Josh didn’t push it, but Shelley, being Shelley, did. “Fine, be that way, stingy ho! Never mind that we’re dying from curiosity. Don’t worry about us. After all, we’re just the two people supposed to be your best friends in the world.”

“Oh for goodness’ sake, that’s all you could come up with? I mean, that’s such a juvenile argument. Like that’s gonna work with me.” She grinned at the other two and began ripping open the box. “I happen to feel like opening it now, is all.”

“Bitch, you know you wrong!” Shelley’s playful buffet landed on her shoulder, and they all laughed as Andrea’s busy fingers dug through the packing.

“Oh! Oh! I’m hyperventilating! It’s the new Katana Eclipse X…and in pink!”

Shelley was practically salivating over the sleek pink metallic cell phone. Her eyes gleamed like a black diamond night studded with twinkling stars, full lips parted in an animated smile wide enough to reveal her two crooked center teeth. Andrea knew her friend was all up in the game, because she was so self-conscious over the supposed ugliness that she practiced smiling with her mouth closed in the mirror.

“I hate pink.”

“I love pink!” Shelley held her hand out, palm up. “Let me hold it?”

Lips twitching to suppress a grin, Andrea tossed the phone toward her blood sister. “You can have it.”

“Whoa! Back that up a minute, Andrea!” Josh’s smile dissolved. “Shelley, don’t even think about keeping that phone!”

“Do you mean it?” Shelley gasped, fumbling and almost missing the catch, her words—a mingling of shocked hope and reluctant disbelief—spoken a hairbreadth behind Josh’s ignored admonition.

“Yes.”

Josh came up on his knees, a worried frown on his earnest face. “Andrea, you can’t give Chase’s gift away!”

“I just did.” Andrea lifted a shoulder in an offhanded shrug, not taking her gaze off Shelley. The black girl was trembling, full-figured body quaking as she stared down at the small bit of technology with lust in her eyes.

“But why?” Shelley’s uncertainty was plain in her dark face, eyes wary. “I mean, why give it to me?” Her hands continually stroked the phone, flipping the clamshell open and shut, open and shut, as though mesmerized.

“It’s pink. I don’t like pink and you do. It’s that simple.”

“But you could send it back and have Chase replace it with another color.”

“Why would I do that?” Andrea snorted, dismissing that idea with the scorn it deserved. “I don’t like the Katana, anyway. It’s just a wannabe RAZR.” She cupped Shelley’s hand between hers and curled the black girl’s resisting fingers over the Katana. She smiled when her friend clutched it close to her ample chest.

“I read somewhere that if you receive something unrequested through the mail, you’re not legally bound to return it. Since I didn’t ask Chase for that phone, I don’t have to get his permission to dispose of it.”

“I guess Josh is right. I probably shouldn’t accept it, though I’ve been dying to have a cell phone.” Shelley breathed a dejected sigh as she slowly reached her hand out, palm up, fingers stiff, offering up the phone like a reluctant sacrifice to a demanding goddess.

Josh’s lips thinned. “You know you shouldn’t. Do you want Chase thinking we’re ’Drea’s friends just so we can leech off her?”

That had Shelley’s head coming up, her breasts heaving with agitation. “I’m no leech! I would never play ’Drea like that.”

“Oh, for God’s sake, Josh. Shut up.” Andrea glared at him, angry at the way he was trying to manipulate what was happening. “And stop trying to browbeat us. Nobody died and crowned you king. If I want to give my best friend a gift, that’s my prerogative. And stop trying to make Shell think there’s something wrong with her taking it.”

Josh glared back. “I don’t care what you say, Andrea. Chase already doesn’t like us hanging with you. Give him an excuse, and he’ll make sure we get the boot.”

Andrea sucked her teeth. “Oh please, give me a break! As if I’d let him dictate to my friends like that. Chase isn’t the boss of me.” She turned to Shelley. “You really have to take it now. If you don’t accept it, I swear I’ll take a hammer and pound it to bits.”

A snide smile tugged at Shelley’s lips as the gleam in her eyes brightened. “Come to think of it, Josh, Chase likes me just fine. He thinks I’m beautiful. You’re the one he doesn’t like, and it’s your own fault. You should have kept your tongue in your mouth.”

She turned her back on his sputtering and faced Andrea, the phone clenched tight in both hands. “You know what, ’Drea? I will take it and thanks. You don’t know what this means to me.”

A smile wreathed Shelley’s brown face. Two spots of hot cranberry color painted her round cheeks as she flipped open the cover and thumbed the Power button. They all listened as a lilting jingle danced in the air. Even Josh crowded close to watch the lights twirling and spinning into the leaf motif of the Sprint PCS service.

“It’s already activated, but it has Andrea’s name on the display,” he pointed out.

She frowned, catching her bottom lip between her teeth, easing the phone closed. Glancing down at Andrea with eyes filled with a look of growing uncertainty, she asked, “Do you think Chase would mind leaving it on until I can switch it over in two weeks? I get paid then, and I think I can figure out a way to keep up the monthly payments. It was the initial expense of buying a phone and making the credit down payment that was beyond me. I just need to work an overtime shift.”

“I don’t want you working more than you do now. I’d never get to see you! Besides, I don’t think you’ll have to worry about it.” Andrea waved away her concerns, almost certain the phone was probably paid in advance for some outrageously obscene amount of time. “If I know Chase, he’ll be calling soon to make sure I—”

Before she finished speaking, the phone rang. An I-told-you-so grin took over as she quirked an eyebrow at Shelley. “Speak of the devil!”

Josh fussed under his breath, going pale when he realized the call could only be from Chase. “What?” He shared his frown between both women. “If you’d been choked half to death by that dude, you’d be jumpy too!”

The two girls laughed at him, but Shelley sobered quickly enough when Andrea motioned for her to answer. The ringer was winding down when, eyes wide, Shelley flipped the clamshell cover and pushed the Talk button. “Hello? This is Shelley.”

Silence answered.

She tried again, voice more firm and sure this time. “This is Shelley Moore. Whom am I speaking with?”

“Shouldn’t I be asking that, Ms. Shelley Moore?” Chase’s deep voice rolled out of the phone’s speaker, loud enough for all three to hear. “I apologize for the moment of confused silence. I hadn’t expected to hear your voice. Is my fiancée anywhere near you?”

“Uh…yes.” Shell flicked a startled glance up at Andrea’s wildly waving arms. Her eyes lit up, a smile widened her full lips as she ignored the frantic head shaking and hand gesturing to add, “She’s right here. Would you like to speak with her?”

“Please.”

Andrea contorted her face into a threatening scowl while she whispered dire promises of retribution.

“Of course, I’ll pass the phone. Just a sec.” She held out the Katana, biting back a laugh.

Lips tight, Andrea snatched the phone from her hand and covered the mouthpiece with her palm. “Thanks…not! We’ll talk later.” Removing her makeshift muting, she grimaced as she spoke into the mike with fake enthusiasm. “Hello, Chase. What’s up?”

His opening salvo was abrupt and to the point. “Why is your friend answering the phone I sent to you?”

“Maybe because I gave it to her.”

A disgruntled murmur sounded in her ear. “Somehow, I thought that might be the reason. May I ask why?”

Andrea twirled a lock of her black hair around her finger, beginning to enjoy the conversation. “It’s pink.”

“What’s wrong with pink? I thought you’d like something feminine.”

“You were wrong, but it’s okay ’cause Shelley likes pink.”

Another sigh. “Give it to Bender so he can return it. I’ll have it exchanged.”

“No! You can’t do that! I mean…”

Andrea racked her brains, trying to think of a way to explain to Chase what she wanted without embarrassing the other girl, who was listening hard to the conversation, dying hope dulling the stars in her black eyes. “Look, Chase, you sent it to me and it’s mine. I’ve already given it away.”

For the first time since the prom fiasco, she concentrated on reaching out, tapping into the mental connection she shared with Chase, desperate to communicate why he couldn’t take the phone away from her friend. She wanted Shelley to have that phone.

Andrea flashed images across the distance, hoping against hope that Chase was picking up her vibes. She’d never really tried to access him this way, because the one time she’d done it years ago, she’d gotten the shock of her life. In the midst of orgasming, Chase had inadvertently connected with her, drawing her in, sharing with her the maelstrom of chaotic passion, the untamed, overwhelming swirls of primordial sensations battering him as fountains of his seed burst from the head of his tightly squeezed penis. His mind had been exploding with images of her under him, on top of him, clawing his back as she screamed, neck extended in the throes of a carnal vortex that swept them both away.

Andrea had slammed shut the door to her mind and kept it locked as tight as possible. But now, she chanced reopening their connection so Chase could see why she’d done what she did. She wanted him to know how hard it was for Shelley—always warring with her battered pride and a misplaced sense of unworthiness—to be the poorest of their group.

Josh, though he rarely alluded to it, came from an old, established Jewish family with money to rival the Rockefellers. The baby of the family and the only boy, he pretty much had whatever he wanted. Somehow, he’d avoided becoming a spoiled, stuck-up brat.

Tío Hunter had amassed millions and could draw on even more being the heir apparent to the most powerful Pack in the world. He and Tía Melody often took her with them on shopping trips to places that catered to the rich and famous. And while Papa Fort wasn’t quite as wealthy, he had access to family money, and her mother made a good profit off The Gallery.

The two of them—Andrea and Josh—often forgot how something as small as having a cell phone could seem like an out-of-reach luxury. A lot of times, they’d offhandedly mention catching dinner and a movie or prowling the mall, only to realize Shelley didn’t have the money or the time to share the activity with them.

Though Shelley never said anything, Andrea had learned to read between the lines, and knew how badly the other girl yearned for the small amenities. In this day and age, everyone had a cell phone. Everyone but Shelley, and affording one was out of the question. Thanks to the black girl’s mother, whose drug addiction stopped her from taking care of her children, most of Shelley’s small salary went toward helping to clothe and feed her younger brothers and sister.

God, let Chase read between my lines. “It’s not just the color. I-I don’t like the Katana, either. I really don’t.”

At her ear, Chase took a deep breath and held it. Andrea could hear his lack of breathing over the phone line. Then a phantom hand brushed against her cheek and what felt like the brush of a soft kiss pressed against her lips.

“Mine. My own! You reach for me on behalf of another, when I want you reaching for me because you cannot stand our separation.”

He’d heard her. Andrea firmed her lips against the urge to press back against the ghost mouth brushing hers. Shaking, she withdrew from the connection, unsettled by the feelings it aroused. She used anger to fuel her resistance, fell back on the rationale that he always had to spoil their interactions by trying to claim more than she was willing to give without equal surrender. I’m my own person!

“Andrea, please pass the phone to Shelley.”

Wordlessly, Andrea held out the phone, shaking it when Shelley didn’t take it immediately. “He wants to talk to you.”

“I know, but I don’t wanna talk to him.”

Andrea insisted, and Shelley finally took the phone and brought it up, already talking a mile a minute before it reached her ear.

“Look, Mr. McCallum, I-told-her-she-shouldn’t-give-it-to-me-but-she-threatened-to-smash-it-with-a-hammer-if-I-said-no-and-I-figured-I-might-as-well-take-it-because- I-do-love-it-but-if-you-want,-I’ll-put-it-in-the-mail-and-send-it-back-to-you-because-I- don’t-want-you-thinking-I’m-a-leech-’cause-I’m-not-and-I’ve-always-loved-’Drea-and-it’s-never-had-nothing-to-do-with-what-she-could-give-me!”

“Ms. Moore…breathe!” Chase’s raised voice interrupted the nervous chatter. His command shut her off as cleanly as a scalpel slices flesh. “That’s better. Take a few more breaths. You have to be winded after that marathon monologue. Also, please call me Chase. May I call you Shelley?”

She nodded.

Andrea prodded her, and Josh smiled at her, gently patting her back. “Say something, silly. He can’t see you nodding.”

“Oh!”

Andrea chuckled. Black girls do too blush. But she already knew that. Watching Tío Hunter tease Tía Melody had taught her the truth of that long ago.

Shelley’s cheeks were on fire. She took a deep breath and blurted out, “Yes, you can call me Shell, if you want to. It’s what Josh and ’Drea call me.”

“I’ll just use Shelley for now. I have not yet earned the right to such intimacy.”

Even when not directed toward her, Chase’s deep, resonating voice caused a heated flood of moisture to bubble up between Andrea’s thighs. She shifted in place, bringing pressure against her clit. It ached and throbbed in reaction, feeling so good she did it again, figuring it was her own guilty secret. She couldn’t help it that the sound of that wulf’s voice made her so hawt she melted.

“Shelley, I’d like to apologize to you. You are blood-bonded to my mate and, therefore, extended family to me. I meant to give you a graduation gift, but in the bustle of everything going on in these last months, it completely slipped my mind. Please accept the phone as a token of my sincere regret?”

Shelley shrieked. “Oh my God, yes! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”

She suddenly yanked the phone from her ear and stared down at it, as if the sounds coming from the tiny speaker were a jumble of gobbledygook. She swallowed, looking afraid. “You’re not kidding me, are you?”

“I am not. The phone is activated, loaded with all the features available and with unlimited monthly minutes. I’ll have it transferred into your name by this evening. Feel free to customize it as you wish. The contract will be renewed and paid for the life of the phone.”

The black girl went pale and swayed on her feet. Andrea barely managed to catch her as she stumbled over to plop down on the couch. Sudden tears fell over the rounded curves of her cheeks. “That’s too much money to spend on me. Josh is right. I can’t take it.”

Chase growled. “Ignore him. I knew I should have strangled that cub when I had his neck between my paws.”

Josh gulped. Andrea rolled her eyes. Shelley giggled. “You can’t kill him. I love him.”

They all heard the teasing note in Chase’s voice when he asked, “More than a pink Katana?”

Shelley sighed heavily. “Yeah. He’s better than ten phones and a laptop.”

“That is high praise, indeed! You’ve just saved his life, again. I think such a noble act deserves compensation. The way I see it, a cell phone is a small token in honor of your loyalty. And Shelley, you’ll find in matters like this, my way is the only way that counts.”

Chase’s rich laughter, his bold—incorrect—assertion that he could command them rolled out of the phone. Andrea’s vaginal muscles clenched down on emptiness, labia throbbed and swelled as need pulsed through her. Her eyes slid shut as her blood heated to boiling. She swallowed a groan, instinctively hiding her reaction from Josh and Shelley.

Thank God Chase isn’t anywhere near. He’d smell my arousal for sure, and I so don’t need to put up with his strutting and posturing, his boasting over how easily he controls my body’s responses.

While Shelley was still falling over her words trying to thank him, Chase interrupted a second time. “I’m sorry, Shelley, I really must go. I have a meeting starting in ten minutes. If you would be so kind and allow Andrea to use your phone one last time?”

“Sure,” she gushed. “’Drea can use it anytime. Thank you, again…Chase.” She barely stumbled using his name that time.

“See, it gets easier every time you say it. And you’re very welcome.”

Andrea accepted the phone from a widely grinning Shell and turned her back for a little fake privacy. “Yo.”

“Do you have anything against red?”

His terse question put her back up. “Not today, but I can’t make promises about tomorrow.”

“And that was a mature answer.”

His grim laughter grated, but this time she didn’t let his sarcasm floor her. “And there’s that adult attitude I so love and admire. What do you want from me, Chase?”

His retort was cold enough to chill her heart, let alone the flesh of her ear. “I don’t know anymore, Andrea.” He sighed deeply. “Maybe I’m looking for a bit of light at the end of a long, dark tunnel, a sign that I haven’t waited years for an empty promise. I don’t know.”

As if she hadn’t spent the last few minutes shoring up her mind against him, Andrea was buffeted with the cold, searing winds gusting across the barren plains of Chase’s soul. She gasped, clutching the phone tight as her fingers curled into fists.

“Oh, and one more thing, Andi…”

“What?” Her lips formed the word, but it was delivered soundlessly.

“You’re not the one who controls our link. And I would never strut and posture. Though I definitely feel like bragging that my mate, my woman, responds so sweetly to just the sound of my voice.”

Startled, Andrea snapped the phone shut, cutting off the call. Shutting off the phone didn’t shut off Chase’s laugh still ringing in her mind. “Well…poop!”

Post Valentine’s Day Blues
 

“Fire in the hole!”

On the heels of her warning shout, Shelley flung open the bathroom door and scooted her towel-draped body down the hall to Andrea’s bedroom. The distant sound of laughter followed on her heels as she leaped through the door and slammed it behind her. Leaning against the wooden panel, she panted. “Next time you let me forget to take my bag in the bathroom with me, we gonna box.”

Andrea laughed. “Ha! It’s not my fault you’re so obsessed with modesty. No one in this den cares if you sashay your naked black butt around here. Papa Fort has mama blinkers on, Drew is a puppy, and I’ve already seen too much of you.” She tilted her head and glanced up, eyes twinkling with mischief. “Though you might give the guards a thrill if you walked by the windows and dropped your towel.”

“Uh…I don’t think so!” Shelley gathered the oversize bath towel closer about her full curves and moved over to the dresser, away from the bank of windows. “I keep forgetting you guys are a bunch of freaky nudists. This old gal don’t strut her stuff like that, mamacita.”

Andrea twisted to keep her in sight. “Skin is as natural as fur.”

Shelley snorted and dug one-handed into her overnight bag, coming up with a half-eaten pack of gum. She held up a stick of unsweetened winterberry gum, silently offering it to Andrea, who declined with a head shake.

“No, thanks. I only chew Dentyne.”

“I hate sugarless gum, but I’m trying to lose some weight.” Shelley peeled away the foil wrapping and popped the gum in her mouth, chewing fast, activating what little flavor there was. “Chewing this gives my jaws something to do.”

Andrea hitched one shoulder in a negligent shrug. “Whatever floats your boat.”

“I’ll tell you what’ll float my boat…” Shelley unzipped her overnight bag and pulled out her robe, nightgown, and a jar of body butter. Turning around, she cat walked to the bed, moving her hips side to side in an exaggerated sway before reaching the bed and plopping down on the mattress. “Scootcha!”

Andrea scuttled sideways, making room and then, with a resigned sigh, drew her legs up to sit cross-legged on the narrow twin bed. “What do you want to know, Shell?”

The black woman unscrewed the jar of body butter, releasing the sweet aroma of grapefruit into the room. Scooping out a measure onto her palm, she warmed the cream between her hands before slathering it down one well-toned leg. “I wanna know why you stood me up for our date yesterday. I waited for you almost an hour.”

Andrea felt kinda bad about that. “Yeah, sorry about that, but I did text you.”

One dark brown eyebrow was raised above a jet-black eye. “You texted me, yeah, if you can call it that. ‘I’m not coming, carry on,’ isn’t very informative, now is it?”

She could feel herself flushing under the straight gaze of her clear-sighted friend as she recalled why she’d been too tired to meet Shelley for dinner and a movie Valentine’s Day evening. She’d been recovering from some of the most intense orgasms of her life, brought on by the sound of her fiancé’s sexy voice speaking the raunchiest, nastiest words she’d ever heard.

But she couldn’t share that with Shelley yet. She wanted to hug it close a little bit longer. In the end, she settled for an innocuous comment. “I wasn’t exactly in the mood for lighthearted romance and chocolate candy.”

Shelley paused in lotioning her long brown legs to look up, her face arrested as she caught the strange note in Andrea’s voice. “We are women. We are always ready for chocolate. Perhaps we can forgo the lighthearted romance, but there’s no way we’d dis the chocolate.”

Andrea shifted uneasily, fighting the urge to hide her face from the gimlet stare of the woman who was her sister in everything except birth. They’d clasped their cut palms together, mingling their blood, years ago, and ever since, they’d been connected. It was hard for her to keep secrets from Shelley, but when it came to her relationship with Chase, some things were just too private to expose to the harsh daylight of everyday life. “If you must know, Chase called me and we had a long conversation. We, uh, fought and then made up.” She sighed. “I was just too upset to go out on the town and pretend that everything was normal when it wasn’t.”

Shelley continued lotioning her right arm, all the while giving Andrea a hard glare. “Stop it. Since when do you need to make up stuff, or try and run circles around me with words? I know you well enough to know you’re hiding something. You should know me well enough to know I’d never pressure you just for the sake of casual curiosity. If you don’t want to tell me what happened between you and Chase, I don’t want to know.”

“It’s not that…”

“Yeah, right!”

Under Shelley’s disbelieving gaze, Andrea turned away and rolled to her belly, propped her chin on the heels of her palms. She crossed her legs at the knee and waved her toes in the air, trying to hide her beet red face. “It’s not that I don’t want to tell you; it’s that I don’t quite know what to say. I’m still a little…confused.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Well, if you must know, he called right after I’d been taking care of some personal business.” She turned her head, pressed her cheek against the cover to grin up at her friend. “He called to fuss me out. Then he found out what I was doing and ah…coached me while I”—she coughed—“and he kept me company while I…” She giggled nervously, unable to finish the sentence.

Shelley’s eyes widened. She gasped, “OMG! Are you telling me you actually engaged in phone sex with your hunka-hunka-burning-love wulf?”

Andrea fell over on her back and threw her arms out. “Boy did I!”

Shelley shook her head, her words wondering. “You are one nasty-assed freak, girlfriend!”

“What set it off was the Panty Express. Chase was a lot worked up over that package I sent.”

“Girlfriend, what the hell are you talking about?”

Andrea tried to wipe the smile off her face. “Shell, please don’t tell me you don’t remember we talked about how to get back at Chase. You’re the one who told me I should send Chase the evidence of what I was suffering through.”

The black woman’s mouth fell open. “I know you didn’t! ’Drea, I was kidding. I never thought you’d send a pair of cum-soaked undies to your wulf.”

“Well, I did!”

“But didn’t you tell me that man had been doing without for three years?” When Andrea nodded, Shelley shook her head. “You are one cold bitch. That was just wrong.”

Andrea firmed her lips and raised her head, staring at her erstwhile friend with a sense of hurt. “I thought you’d be on my side.”

“Don’t go lifting that little pugnacious chin at me, woman. It’s no use coming out all defensive.” Shelley deliberately bunched her fists on her hips, and tapped her left heel on the floor.

Her actions pissed Andrea off because she knew it meant Shelley was in bossy mode and wasn’t going to stop pestering her until she got all she wanted.

“Don’t you believe Chase needed to suffer as much as I did?”

Finished with the part of her after-bath pampering she could reach, Shelley twisted her torso and held out the body cream. “Here, get my back for me.”

Andrea jackknifed into an upright position and snatched the butter out of Shelley’s hand. Scooping out a dollop, she slapped it on Shelley’s back and began a vigorous massage, working the thick lotion in. “Well?”

“Andrea, to let you tell it, Chase didn’t do anything to you.”

“That’s exactly what I’m talking about! That darned wulf got me horny as heck and didn’t do a thing to help me come. He left me hanging, just got his rocks off, got up, and walked away.” She lowered her voice. “I felt him come against my thigh, but he wouldn’t even finish me!”

“All right, so he left you hanging in the breeze.” Shell smacked the back of her right hand with her left and barked, “Bad Chase!” She lowered her neck and rolled her shoulders, leaning into the massage Andrea was lying down on her back.

“I think you need to look at the big picture, ’Drea. Because of what happened”—she raised her hand to forestall Andrea’s indignant complaint—“you learned how to take care of your own needs. Your mom and dad now treat you like an adult, and yesterday, he sent you your Pack Insignia, Ms. Alphine. Not a bad exchange, if you ask me.”

“Well, I didn’t ask you, smarty!” But Shell made so much sense that Andrea didn’t have an argument to defend her recurring anger. “I think he deserved what I did to him…and more, however, he made up for it yesterday, so I guess I’ll forgive him.”

Shelley twisted her head around, a sly, knowing gleam dancing in her lively black eyes. “So, there was no beef in that veggie roll, but was it good for you? Did he bring it?”

Andrea ducked her head, hiding her shy smile. “Several times…with each time better than the last. I thought my ears would combust.”

“Hoot! Good for Chase.” Her friend slanted an envious glance her way. “Josh and I tickle the monkey long-distance too, and I can remember those first times. Welcome to the chat club.”

Totally embarrassed now, Andrea grabbed the discarded towel and wiped her hands of the residual body butter before screwing the lid back on the jar and passing it back to Shelley. “Here, you’re done.”

“Sister-girl, judging by the redness of your cheeks, you’ve been ‘done’ too…well-done!”

February 20—Special Delivery
Chase’s ultimatums: #1—I’ve sent lollipops and videos.
Learn how to suck. You’ll be doing it often.
 

“Package for you, Alphine,” the wulf hollered through the screen door.

“This is worse than when he was trying to placate my anger. Dang, give a wulf a little phone sex and he goes overboard!” Andrea dusted the crumbs off her lap and went to the front door, muttering all the way.

She opened the inner door wider and smiled at the grizzled old wulf. “Thanks, Bender.” Her smile froze when her gaze dropped to the wulf partnering the older male. Jedin gazed up at her, muzzle pointed toward her crotch, his nostrils flared wide. She could almost swear he was sporting a sly grin, but when she narrowed her eyes at him, he cocked his head and gave her an innocent wulfish bark.

“If you’ll push the door open, I’ll carry this in for you, Alphine.”

Something made Andrea refuse. She didn’t mind Bender, but for some reason, the thought of letting the four-legged Jedin in the house raised all kinds of alarms. “It looks light enough, Bender. Just pass it to me. I’m sure I can handle it.”

“What’d he send this time?” Shelley loved surprises, even when they weren’t for her. She enjoyed it whenever one of Chase’s gifts arrived.

“Seeing it has Hewlett-Packard stamped all over it, I assume it’s a computer, but who knows? With Chase, it could be anything.” She thumped the box down hard, almost wishing the jarring impact might break whatever lurked inside. She knew better. Because Chase McCallum had ordered it, whoever packed it had made sure it would arrive intact. She opened the outer box.

“At least he didn’t gift wrap it this time.”

“Huh!” Andrea grunted at Josh’s observation, digging down in the package. “Guess he finally figured out I’d just send it back unopened, like I did the last five.”

Shelley looked over Josh’s head and caught Andrea’s eyes. Hers twinkled with mischief. “He’s just showing his appreciation for all those late-night calls you’ve been taking.” She giggled.

Andrea shot a furtive glance toward an unaware Josh before directing a silencing glare toward her motor-mouthed friend. “Shut up, Shell!”

“You wish!”

Josh made choking noises.

Both women stopped arguing and turned their attention back to the box. Peering over his shoulder to read the shipping label, Shelley squealed with excitement. “Oh my God, Andrea, that’s the newest HP tablet laptop—the TX2000z!”

“It’s a touch screen, with fingerprint technology.” Josh turned covetous eyes toward Andrea. “You are one lucky dawg, ’Drea.”

Andrea hoped her grimace passed as a smile. “You’d think so, wouldn’t you? Oh, yuck. There’s a bag of cherry Blow Pops in here. I hate cherry.”

She tossed the candy aside and reached for a folded sheaf of papers. As she opened it, a small card fell from between the pages. Idly curious, she picked it up and turned it over. It was a reminder card for an appointment with a gynecologist. Confused, she unfolded the pages and began to read. A minute later, she was fuming. “I can’t believe this! That darned cur! Oh, I should have known he’d do something high-handed like this, but we’ve been getting on so much better since Valentine’s Day, I thought he’d changed.”

Shelley and Joshua crowded closer, peering over her shoulder.

“What did he do?”

“What does the letter say?”

Andrea started reading the note aloud, voice dripping ice. “Dearest Andi, less than one month to go! At last the time for me to claim you draws near, and I want to finalize our mating preparations. As you are still a virgin, I’ve made an appointment with a wulf doctor I know to handle that problem before our wedding night.” She stopped reading to growl, “Problem? My virginity is a problem? I thought it was supposed to be a gift!”

She turned her ire on the hapless male present. “Tell me, Josh, do you consider Shelley’s virginity a problem?”

His face beet red, Josh hemmed and hawed. “Uh, but ’Drea, Shell’s, uh, not a virgin.”

Shelley whacked him on the back of the head. “That’s not what she asked you, fool.”

“But if she was a virgin,” he hurried to add, grabbing Shell’s hands and tucking them against his chest, staring into her eyes with heartfelt ardor, “I’d treasure her gift to me above everything.”

“Good save, white boy.” Shelley leaned over and planted a smacking kiss on his cheek. “Okay, go on, Andrea. What else does he say?”

“There’s not much left.” Reluctantly, she picked up reading where she’d left off. “Baby, make sure you keep that appointment, because I can’t promise our first time will be as tender as an innocent deserves. You’ve got me panting after you like a newborn puppy smelling his mam’s teat. We’ve had the hottest phone encounters these last six days, but good as it’s been, virtual sex doesn’t qualify as taking your virginity. Speaking of virtual sex, I’ve sent you this laptop with integrated webcam so we can communicate more fully. I’m looking forward to seeing you soon.”

She gritted her teeth on rising anger. “There’s a whole lot more, but I’m not reading those parts out loud. It’s”—she swallow hard—“kind of personal. But he did add a postscript.” She skipped down to the end and read, “P.S. Your human education may be finished, but school is still in session for you. The laptop is set up with several subjects I want you to study. You’ll find a set of folders I put together to prepare you for our Mating. Read the documents. Watch the videos. Follow all instructions. Above all, don’t let your stepfather or mother see that folder. They’ll blow a gasket as it contains some explicit instructions to teach you what I’ll expect of you sexually. Yours, Chase.”

Shelley gave a wistful sigh and an exaggerated shudder. “’Drea, your fiancé is so damned sexy!”

Andrea wasn’t so easily moved. “Having someone treat you like a sexual possession is not sexy, Shelley. He can’t even be bothered to take my virginity himself. Instead, he’ll leave it to a doctor to handle that problem clinically. You call that sexy?”

Josh, who’d draped his arms around the young black woman, reared back and glared at her. “How can you call him sexy anyway, Shell? That maniac almost killed me.”

Shelley huffed. “Hell, boy, I was rooting for him to wipe the floor with you.” She twisted her head and gave Andrea the gimlet eye. “No offense, girlfriend, but catching sight of that double lip-lock action you and Josh had going on made me so angry, I was ready to line up behind Chase. I had the can opener poised to open up my own can of whupazz on both of you.” She patted Josh’s blushing face. “No one but me kisses my man like that. Not even my best friend.”

Andrea snorted, laughing a little. “That’s two dollars, and you can give up trying to make me feel guilty. It’s so not happening. First off, Josh wasn’t technically your man at the time. Secondly, we were only lip-locking to snag your attention, and personally, it creeped me out. Kissing Josh felt like French-kissing Drew.” She gave a mock shudder as she visualized doing that with her little brother. “Yuck.”

Shelley grinned. “Well, I guess I have to give you that one. Still, Chase McCallum will always have an honored place in my heart.” She placed her right hand over her heart and patted her boyfriend’s arm with the left. “If it wasn’t for his almost throttling this playa, it would have taken me longer to realize what I felt for Josh was more than close friendship.”

“Hey! You’re saying I had to almost die before you decided to love me?”

“You were in no danger, dude. If he wanted to, Chase could have dusted your ass in two seconds flat.” Shelley tossed the callous sentence over her shoulder, having gone back to digging in the recesses of the box, obviously more concerned with treasure hunting than guarding her man’s pride. Coming up with a small box, she shook it triumphantly in Andrea’s face. “I found something. Can I open it?”

Briefly looking up from the note she was rereading for the third time, Andrea nodded curtly. “Go ahead.” She tacked on an absentminded codicil, “I counted three curse words so far. You now owe three dollars.”

“Whatever! Josh, give her three dollars outta my stash.”

Josh frowned at his girlfriend. “Look, you have to stop doing the cussing thing with ’Drea, or stop cussing…one or the other. You’ll never save money like this.”

Shelley didn’t look up from digging through the packing material, hoping to uncover more treasure. “You’re the one who suggested we pay a dollar for each curse word. I don’t have a problem with my mouth.”

“I don’t have a problem with your mouth, honey, it’s what comes out of it that bothers me. I’ve told you my mom is a stickler about public behavior. I want to take you home to meet her and my dad, but one curse word and she’ll never accept you”—Josh’s shoulders sagged—“and now she’s ignoring me,” he announced to no one in particular, seeing Shelley wasn’t paying a bit of attention to him.

Another excited squeal rent the air, proving the truth of his accusation as Shelley ripped off the cardboard cover of a slim package and discovered the latest-model wireless broadband card. “This is so bodacious! Internet service no matter where you are!”

Andrea couldn’t help wanting a closer look and had to elbow Joshua in the stomach to get him to back off. He pushed against her back, trying to see. “Little room here, bud! Not like it’s my toy or anything.”

It was a sad thing to admit, but all three compadres were techno geeks. All three gave a breathy sigh in sync. Holding it reverently between her two palms, Andrea sighed again. “Darn him, it’s the newest one from Sprint.”

Shelley looked like she was going to swoon. “The one that’s faster than cable?”

Andrea nodded glumly. “Yeah.”

Josh chimed in. “Second-generation Ovation. The one that automatically surfs the towers of other services so you’re never without Internet?”

“I hate it when he caters to my techno greed.” Her shoulders slumped. Andrea trudged over to the sofa and flopped down in front of the laptop. Frowning, she pressed the Power button and brought the laptop online, inserting the broadband card when prompted.

Shelley smirked from the shelter of Josh’s arms. “Guess you’ll have to forgive him, after all. He’s made it almost mandatory with this.”

Andrea tightened her lips, logging on and pulling up the personal documents folder. Her fingers flew across the keyboard, opening programs. Muttering over the stuff Chase had loaded—what he called her educational files—she grew steadily grimmer until at last, she clicked on one of the videos and loud raucous music blared from the speakers.

The beat was heavy and throbbing. Moans and sighs poured out the computer until, fingers frantically pushing keys, Andrea managed to mute the sound.

“What was that? Sounded like somebody dying.” Shelley wandered over to investigate, trailing Josh by the tips of his fingers.

“I think they call it the little death.” Andrea had to fight to keep her voice level. She turned the computer around so they could see the video she’d discovered. “This is one of twelve in a folder named ‘wedding preparation.’” She wasn’t in the least surprised when the black girl’s eyes widened in shock.

It wasn’t very long and when it ended, all three let out the breaths they’d been unaware of holding.

“What’s number two like?” Shelley asked, licking her chapped lips.

Andrea grimaced but hit Pause and then Exit. Highlighting the second file, she gasped as the first scene of the video opened right up, showing a woman vigorously slurping up and down the thick, vein-corded barrel of a huge, uncut cock.

“Sweet baby Jesus, but your man’s insane!” Shelley’s voice grew fainter as her eyes grew wider. “Girl, is that Chase’s cock? If it is, run for the hills! That thing is a meat cleaver!” Tilting her head sideways, following the panning camera, she hissed, “No, she didn’t!”

Yes, she did. Andrea didn’t know how she’d done it, but the woman had swallowed the gigantic penis down to the root. ’Course, the porn star’s eyes were bugged out, and she looked like she was choking, but the thing was definitely down her throat. “That has to hurt!”

A flustered Josh slapped his hands over Shelley’s eyes. “That thing’s too big for you to look at, Miss Moore. I’m not ever gonna get that size, and I don’t want you getting ideas or feeling deprived.”

“As if you’re lacking anywhere, big boy. Now move, you’re blocking my view!” Shelley absently patted his hands before moving him out of her way so she could get back to ogling the video. Her mouth fell open, jaws went slack as the on-screen action grew more graphic scene after scene.

Josh’s pale skin flushed dark red as he watched the short segments progressing. After a seeming eternity of explicit porn, he gingerly pushed the computer around so that it faced only Andrea. Eyes wide, hands shaking, Josh wrapped his arms around his still-silent girlfriend and walked her toward the door. “Oh my God, Shelley, I know we’re abstaining, but when the day comes that we aren’t, I so want you to do video number three to me!”

Shelley blushed. Quickly recovering her usual aplomb, she gave his arm a sympathetic pat. “Pull your eyes back in, junior freak. You might get that on our fifth anniversary.” She went up on tiptoe, hoping to see another glimpse over her taller boyfriend’s shoulder, but Andrea had shut the video down and turned off the computer. “Then again, maybe not!”

March 14—D-Day Minus One
Chase’s ultimatums: #2—Obedience to your Alpha at all times.
“Bend over!” and “Spread ’em!” are legitimate orders.
 

Tía Melody was acting strange. She’d put the key in the ignition and turned it on, then froze. Her full lips folded in a tight seam, held between her straight white teeth; she sat staring off into the middle distance, dark chocolate face set in lines of brooding introspection. The Jag’s motor hummed quietly, purring smoothly.

In the backseat, Andrea smothered a smile. As if the car would dare do anything else while Tío Hunter stood waiting to shred it with his bare hands before tossing it on the scrap heap if it messed up when Tía Melody was driving. Ever since Tamera Joy was born, he’d become an even-worse bug about safety than he had been when she’d first met him…which was saying a mouthful.

“Hey, Auntie, you planning to get going anytime soon?”

Obviously ignoring her impatient question, Melody turned her head and gazed at Rosa. “I look at Andrew and wonder how I’ll handle Joy’s first shift. God, I dread that day!”

“She’ll be fine, hermosa. And so will you.” Rosa’s soft response made Aunt Melody’s shoulders twitch.

“I know. Isn’t it silly of me?” A breathy huff escaped her as she turned to share a mother glance with Rosa. Her chin wobbled.

With growing dread, Andrea held her breath, praying her aunt wasn’t going to burst into tears. Heck, that was all she needed, someone else’s angst on top of her own already frayed nerves.

“We’re not going to have a conversation about something as inevitable as wulf babies changing into puppies, are we?” she asked, hanging on to hope in the face of growing odds.

Again, Melody ignored her.

“Rosa, how can you bear it? Everyone goes on and on about how wonderful it is, while secretly I think it’s dreadful. Hunter, bless his heart, can’t wait for it to happen, but I…” A shaky sigh lifted her impressive breasts, a visible shudder going through her full frame. Her hands left the steering wheel to hug empty arms across her bosom. “I want to clench her close, hold her to my breasts, and keep her human for as much and as long as possible. Even leaving her here with Hunter while we go shopping is so hard.”

Rosa’s hand slipped over Melody’s left fist where it clenched near her shoulder. “I know exactly how you feel, but believe me, once it happens, you’ll find it’s not so bad. And really, it’s for the best. Since we’re not wulves, we can’t teach them what needs to be instinctual. Gracias el Señor, their papas are strong, honorable wulves. They will make sure our niños are well equipped for life.”

Andrea didn’t see what the big deal was. “Oh come on, Tía Mel. You need to lighten up. They’re cute as puppies. And just think, for at least two years you don’t have to diaper them, just housebreak them!” Andrea grinned. “Mom, remember how horrified you were when Papa Fort took Drew out back to the bushes and showed him how to pee?”

Neither woman cracked a smile. Her mother gave her a tight-lipped frown. “In case you had not noticed, niña, your opinion was not invited. This is…how you say…an A and B conversation that you should C your way out of.”

Andrea couldn’t see why the two women were so uptight. She slid down in her seat. “Hey, I was just trying to lighten things up. It was supposed to be funny…sheesh!”

Melody put the car in gear and eased away from the curb. “Well, it wasn’t funny to me, young lady. You really think I’d find the idea of my daughter squatting to piss in public funny?” Her voice was ragged with suppressed tears.

Rosa twisted around and leveled another stern gaze at her. “You, joven, always think life is a joke. Wait until it is your turn, and you lose your baby long before you are ready.”

Seeing her beloved aunt on the verge of tears ripped her heart out, but Andrea didn’t think her mom needed to come down on her like that. The two older women were making too much of this baby-morphing thing. Her tone was surly when she accused, “You act like Drew died or something.”

“In a way, he did, Andrea. My baby died. When he takes on his skin form again, he’ll be out of the toddler stage. I barely got to see his first steps. It hurts to think what else I’ll miss.”

Andrea still didn’t see the problem. “I don’t get it. I know we adopted Drew, but if you’d been able to have Papa Fort’s babies, wouldn’t they all have to go through this? It’s part of being a wulf. Are you sorry you married Papa Fort?”

Rosa’s antagonism melted, her face taking on that soft, dreamy look Andrea knew meant she was thinking about her husband and mate. “I’ll never regret marrying your stepfather. I loved him before he saved my life, but now I’d willingly die for him.”

Andrea nodded. She swallowed before phrasing her next question. “What about you, Tía Mel? Do you sometimes wish you hadn’t married Tío Hunter?”

Melody tilted her head and adjusted the interior mirror, sherry brown eyes meeting Andrea’s inquisitive gaze. Taking a deep breath, her aunt ran her tongue over her lips, dampening the full flesh. “Not on your life. Not even once, kiddo. Hunter did more than save my life. He saved my sanity. There isn’t a thing in the world I wouldn’t do for that wulf. I’d kill for him, if need be.”

She returned her attention to the road, but not before again locking gazes with Andrea for a split second in the rearview mirror. “Thanks, honey, for reminding me that putting up with my kids turning into dogs for a couple of years is a small price to pay for having the love of a man as wonderful as Hunter McCallum.” She smiled, revealing a deep-set dimple in her left cheek.

Andrea couldn’t help smiling in return. “You’re welcome, Tía.”

Her Tía Melody was a beautiful, full-figured, majestic black woman with warm honey-colored eyes, a soft halo of loose curls about her face, and dark skin the color of the rich alluvial soil found along the banks of the Nile River. Her smile transformed her face into a glowing work of Nubian art, making it easy for Andrea to see what had drawn Tío Hunter to the vibrant woman.

The teen knew her aunt also had a militant attitude that could rival that of a rabid dictator—compliments of a dead brother-in-law who had once victimized her—and didn’t take an ounce of guff off anyone, including her überalpha mate. Tío Hunter would be the first to declare he wore the pants in his den, but only after Tía Mel had picked out the color and the style.

“Now, enough drama and angsting has been done. Tomorrow is your wedding, and we have unlimited balances on three cards. We’re going shopping!”

Andrea scooted to the edge of her seat. “Wait a minute…three cards?”

Melody hooted, shooting a glance over at Rosa. “You didn’t tell her?”

“I wanted it to be a surprise.” Her mom’s wide gamine grin made her look far too young to have a daughter turning eighteen. She shrugged her shoulders before digging in her purse and pulling out a silvery gray credit card. She waggled it in the air just shy of Andrea’s nose. “I hoped it would help take your mind off…things, mija. I know you’ve been worried.”

Andrea snatched the card out her mom’s teasing fingers, practically salivating as she examined the two-and-a-half-by-three-and-a-half-inch card. “Oh man, oh my gosh, Mom, this is a platinum Roman soldier with…” She did a double take.

Rosa laughed. “That’s pretty much how I reacted when Fortrayn gave me my unlimited plastic. To think, this guy was working for peanuts with what I paid him, and all along he could have bought the Gallery a thousand times over with his pocket change.”

Andrea barely heard a word her mom had said. She couldn’t peel her eyes from the little rectangle clutched in her shaking hands. “Wow to the nth degree!”

She looked up, eyes wide with wonderment. “My name is on it. I-It says Andrea Montalvo McCallum. That’s my right-now name, not my tomorrow name.”

Melody nodded. “Uh-huh, that’s right. Because if you’ll look at the expiration date, you’ll see it is tomorrow, when Montalvo will no longer be part of your right-now name.” She met Andrea’s gaze in the rearview. “This is Hunter’s, Blair’s, and my real wedding gift to you. The gag gift is wrapped and waiting for the reception. Hunter and I discussed it and after much fighting, we agreed not to buy the Lamborghini fully equipped with five surround speakers and spinners he wanted to give you.”

Andrea felt as if a bomb had gone off right in front of her. She closed her eyes and shook her head to lessen the head-spinning dizziness and euphoria. Her ears were ringing and she shook that off too. “A-a Lamborghini. Wow!”

“Instead,” Melody continued speaking, ignoring Andrea’s euphoric shock, “I finally convinced him you’d probably enjoy a full wardrobe befitting your new status as a married woman and leader of fashion, with all the accessories. Much better than a silly old car.”

“Tía, a Lamborghini isn’t a car. It’s a wet dream!”

“Of course, if I was wrong”—Melody’s voice sounded pensive—“I can always just drive you by the car place so you can order one in the color you want.”

“I already have a car, Tía Mel.” She glanced up and flashed a smile at the grinning woman. Andrea looked back down at the card cradled in her hand. “I don’t know what to say. This represents a lot of money. It’s—”

“Nothing!” Melody sounded adamant about that. “Money between family members should always count as nothing. If wealth doesn’t bless, it becomes a curse. Hoarding it makes us selfish, stingy, and just plain mean. Don’t you ever forget, Andrea, that true bounty is meant to be shared, and you, my child, are about to become one of the most blessed or cursed women on earth.”

Her mom’s somber voice chimed in, “Welcome to the club.” Her gaze dropped to Andrea’s arm, and her facial expression froze. “Speaking of clubs, Andrea, when did Chase send you that Pack symbol?”

Andrea blew out a deep breath. The excitement that had faded with all the talk about wealth and responsibility came roaring back to light up her insides. She lifted her wrist and showed off her cuff. “Chase sent it to me on Valentine’s Day. Isn’t it the bomb?”

Chuckling, Melody shook back her sleeve and displayed her own cuff, identical to the one gracing Andrea’s arm except, where hers held an amber topaz in pride of place, Melody’s was centered with a sparkling emerald. Tipping her head, she saluted Andrea. “To our newest Alphine…may you strengthen the Pack.”

Andrea felt funny being considered by Tía Melody as an equal. “I don’t think I’m ready for all this.”

Rosa twisted in her seat and leaned over to pat her shaking hands. “Just remember, mija. There are a lot of people out there who will have expectations for you, but you don’t answer to them. All you have to do is be true to yourself.”

“Your mama’s right.” Melody nodded. “Above all, remember you’re getting married, not sold. Chase won’t own you. Stand up for what you want. A true Alpha will appreciate a woman who can match him and not cave in.”

All the joy bled from her day. “Yeah, well, both of you are forgetting one thing. Both of you have husbands who love you, while Chase just needs a breed. I’m a means to an end, nothing more.”

Melody laughed knowingly. “That’s not true, honey, but if it were, all the more reason to stand up for your rights. I honestly don’t think you’ll find you have a problem. We’ve all seen how Chase has been drooling behind you these last three years.”

Andrea harrumphed. “Come on, Tía Mel, drooling isn’t the same thing as loving. I know you remember him trying to take you away from Tío Hunter. If he could, he’d switch me for you in a heartbeat. You certainly look more like what wulves go for. You and Mama are nice and plump, but no matter how hard I’ve tried, I can’t gain an ounce more.”

“Oh, hell to the no!” Tía Mel’s shout startled Andrea, and by the way her mother’s body jumped, it caught Rosa by surprise too.

Melody wrenched the wheel and took the car off the road, causing Andrea to jounce wildly on the backseat. Rosa fared better, since she had the passenger bar to hold on to. Andrea planted her feet on the back of the front seat and braced, not having the convenience of a steering wheel to grip. Meanwhile, barely slowing down to take the corner into a shopping center, Melody skidded into a sharp turn. “That statement of yours requires a pit stop, niece, ’cause I can’t drive and bust your chops at the same time!”

“Huh?”

Melody snorted. “Oh, I got your ‘huh,’ young lady. Just let me get this car stopped and I’ll deal with you, Miss Thing!”

“What did I say?”

“Hush up, young lady. I’m too mad to mess with you right now.”

Andrea flung herself back against the buttery leather covering the rear seat, crossing her arms over her chest and muttering, “I’m a grown-butt woman. I shouldn’t have to put up with this. Now I see why Tío Hunter calls it Melodydrama!”

“Andrea Montalvo!”

“You may think you’re grown, but you’re not very big. I’m betting I could take you!”

Rosa’s angry exclamation irked Andrea, but Melody’s had her thinking twice. Deciding to err on the side of caution, Andrea slunk back, yielding the field to the two Amazons in the front seat. “Whatever!”

* * * * *

Ten silent, harrowing minutes later, Melody maneuvered her Jag into the narrow parking outside a Chipotle restaurant. “Is Mexican okay with everyone?”

Rosa laughed, deliberately overplaying her Hispanic accent. “Of course, ju idiot.”

Shakily undoing her seat belt, still in the dark over what she could have said to make her usually laid-back aunt bust a gasket, Andrea just nodded.

Melody cut the engine. “Okay, everybody out.”

Andrea scrambled from the backseat while Rosa and Melody vacated the front. Locking the car with the remote, her aunt waited until the horn beeped twice and the lights flashed. A grim nod set her curls to bouncing as she led the march into the restaurant.

The Generals Plot Insurrection
Chase’s ultimatums: #3—No haircuts allowed. 
If you persist on looking like a boy, I will fuck you like a boy toy.
 

The smell of spicy chili and burned oil blended with the rich aroma of melted cheese and refried beans wafted over Andrea. She stood in the doorway and drew in a deep breath, loving the homey scents and the Southwestern scenery.

Red, green, and white piñatas hung from the dark brown rafters, the deep, warm color of the beams a stark contrast against the flat white ceilings and walls.

Mariachi music swirled in festive clouds of noise. Floating on the air-conditioning-generated warm breeze, the lively tunes courted tapping feet and snapping fingers.

Belly grumbling and spirits lifting, Andrea trailed her mom and aunt into the foyer where they toed the line on the floor beneath the sign asking patrons to stand here and wait to be seated.

The pretty girl who eventually bounced up to them wore white decorated with a confetti trim sporting every cheerful color imaginable. Her off-the-shoulder peasant blouse, tucked into the wide belt cinching her waist, flattered her dark skin. Her short white skirt ended high above her knees and owed its flounce to a multitude of frothy petticoats. Chunky dangles of cheap gold hung from her ears, emerged from the tangled wealth of black curls to fall over her forehead, and circled her slender neck. Flat ballet slippers adorned dainty feet, the pine green satin offering the finishing touch to a bright but culturally incorrect costume.

Andrea hid a grimace. Someone should have told homegirl she was dressed more like a gypsy troubadour than a peasant Spaniard, though come to think on it, the Basque had originated in Spain.

“Welcome to Chipotle. Which seating would you like? Central, inside, or along the sides?”

“Side!”

“Side!”

“Side!”

A nervous giggle escaped Andrea as she realized all three of them had answered in chorus. She felt better when Melody’s and Rosa’s quiet laughter joined hers.

“If you don’t mind,” Tía Mel said, looking into the dining area over the woman’s shoulder, “we’d like something a little private. Do you have a booth available?”

“I believe we do, ladies. Please come this way.” The waitress led them to a secluded booth near the back. “Will this be suitable?”

“Perfect. Thank you.” Rosa scooted in first, Melody easing in beside her, leaving Andrea to take the seat across from the two older women.

“You’re welcome. My name is Tara.” She leaned over and straightened the napkins, setting utensils at each place. Laminated menus were placed in front of each woman. “I’ll be your server today. I can take your orders now if you like, or give you a few minutes to look over the menu.”

Rosa smiled. “How about you bring us three sweet teas, one with no ice, plus a big bowl of tortilla chips with mild salsa? We’ll order in about ten minutes.”

Tara flashed a friendly smile around the table as she scribbled on her tab. “Yes, ma’am. I’ll be right back with your teas and appetizer.”

Andrea held a frantic internal debate. On a health kick, she and Shelley had given up caffeinated tea and coffee just last week. She felt funny speaking up, used to letting her mom order for her, but decided she’d better do so before the waitress left. Besides, since she was going to be eighteen and married tomorrow, what better time than now to start asserting her independence? “Tara, if you don’t mind?”

The waitress turned back. “Yes?”

“I’d like to change that tea order.” Andrea cleared her throat. “Do you have any herbal teas on the menu?”

The server looked startled for a moment, and then smiled. “I think we might have some lemon or apple-cinnamon from the breakfast menu. Does it matter which one?”

“No, it doesn’t. Either of those will be fine, thank you. Oh, and mine was the one with no ice.”

“I’ll see what the kitchen has.” Tara scribbled some more before nodding. “Don’t worry, miss. We’ll get you fixed up.”

Melody clapped her hands. “Good for you, Andrea. I’m delighted to see you speaking up for yourself.”

Rosa snorted. “When hasn’t she? Melody, you know Andrea has always been outspoken, even headstrong in most matters.” Her mama shot Andrea a teasing glance, frowning in pretended anger when she stuck her tongue out.

Grinning, Andrea quickly pulled it back in before anyone else saw her childish action. She was getting married tomorrow and married women didn’t stick their tongues out at their mothers in public restaurants.

“Not when it comes to a certain wulf, she isn’t,” Melody insisted. She turned a stern gaze on Andrea. “I want to get back to your statement about trying to gain weight for Chase. First of all, no woman should have to change just to satisfy anyone other than herself. Health wise, I’ll grant you we all could be in better shape, but aesthetically, you are perfect just as you are—the picture of Hispanic beauty. Your skin is a healthy, glowing latte.”

They broke off the conversation when their server came back, rolling a cart laden down with their drinks and appetizer.

“Lemon Lane okay with you?” she asked, setting a tall glass in front of each woman. A bowl of freshly fried tortilla chips came next, followed by a smaller bowl of mild salsa.

Andrea nodded. “Lemon Lane sounds fine, thanks.”

“You’re welcome, ma’am. Y’all ready to order, now?”

They were. Melody and Rosa ordered the same dish while Andrea opted for adventure, deciding to try something she’d never ordered before.

Tara jotted it all down. “These shouldn’t take too long,” she assured them before hustling away to deliver the order to kitchen.

Her tea was just right, but Tía Mel added more sugar to hers after a tentative taste. She stirred lazily as she picked the conversation up where she’d left off. “You’ve got a willowy build, masses of long black hair, and the prettiest dark cinnamon-colored eyes.”

“I’m short.”

“You are not short. You’re simply surrounded by overly tall people.”

“Oooh, I like the way you put that, Melody.” Rosa chortled. “I’m going to use that one myself. I need it more than Andrea.”

Melody leaned over and touched her hand. The tips of the older woman’s fingers against the backside of her hand were damp and cool from the condensation beading the chilled tea glass. “Trust me when I say Chase is lucky to find a woman like you.”

Andrea knew better. “He doesn’t see me as a woman. To Chase, I’m just a breed, a womb for him to store his sperm in. I’m his ticket to adulthood and challenge. I overheard him telling Papa Fort it wasn’t about love, but expediency.”

Rosa sucked her tongue, making a tsk-tsk noise. “Baby, he was lying, trying to save face. That wulf is so in love with you, he can’t see straight. Even I can see that.”

Andrea fought tears. “Of course you two would say so. You both have a husband so in love with you they can’t see straight. I’m not so blind. I know Chase’s ideal. He wants a woman like you, Tía Mel—full figured and round—and black! I’m not either of those things. I’d hoped to change the roundness, but I can’t ever change my race.”

“And you shouldn’t want to. Nor should you try to gain or lose weight unless it’s what you truly want, not what you think some male wants.” Melody grasped Andrea’s hands and held on tight. “If you don’t hear anything else, hear this. What makes a woman beautiful in a man’s—or wulf’s—sight isn’t always her outward beauty. Sometimes, it’s more about how she values herself. It’s her integrity and grit, her tenacity and wit. It’s the challenge and adventure she harbors in her soul and brings to their marriage.”

Tara returned with their orders, smoothly sliding the hot platters from the tray balanced on her slim shoulders. With another smile and a reminder to let her know if they needed anything else, she placed hot sauce and other condiments on the table and moved on to serve her other customers.

Melody sat back and eyed Andrea from across the table. “I’ll be blunt and speak in words Hunter would use.”

Andrea cracked a laugh. “Better cover your ears, Mom. Tía Mel is about to cuss.”

Rose lifted her hands to the sides of her head, snickering. “She claims she’s channeling Hunter, but really, it’s her excuse to let those foul words rip, mija.”

Melody playfully swatted at both of them trying not to sputter as she held back her own laughter. “Hush up! Y’all are maligning me while I’m just trying to learn you something.” She sobered. “Hunter may be a male of few words, but you’ll both admit, when he does chime in, he strikes right at the heart of the problem. Therefore, I’m taking a page outta his book and telling you that a man can only fuck so much. When he’s laid out, worn-out, and wrung dry, he’s got to share something more than the hornies with his woman, or it’s on to the next conquest.”

Andrea lifted a skeptical eyebrow. “How would you know that, Tía Mel? You’ve never managed to lay out, wear out, or wring Tío Hunter dry. He’s always raring to go when he’s around you.”

Melody primped and smirked, an erotically mysterious glint in her eyes. “Some things are kept private, but if he did ever not want me physically, I have ways of keeping Hunter by me. Trust me, I keep him on his toes.”

“So, you’re saying I need to keep Chase on his toes, make him interested in me?”

A sigh lifted the black woman’s impressive chest. “Honey, Chase’s nose is wide open where you’re concerned, but you won’t or can’t see that. He screwed up years ago, and you haven’t forgiven him for it.”

Andrea stopped listening at that point. She didn’t correct her aunt, but she could have told her it was the more recent violation she held against Chase. He’d made her feel like a woman and then treated her like a child, callously setting her aside when she’d been burning up for him. In fact, later that night—prom night—he’d gone beyond the pale. He’d tied her to her own bed so she couldn’t touch him and proceeded to kiss her into a shattering orgasm. He’d come too, while biting her, reestablishing his mark. She’d felt his pants grow wet against her thigh. After smearing some of his ejaculate over the new bite he’d inflicted, he’d released her and left the room, ignoring her confessions of need and her pleas for him to claim her completely.

He’d made up for it on Valentine’s Day, and she’d thought they could start fresh. Instead, the arrogant dog insulted her even more deeply by trying to pay her for the phone sex they’d indulged in. It had been beyond thrilling, and sharing those intimate interludes with Chase had been the highlight of her life. Until he’d sent those porn movies and made her feel like a slut.

Andrea cringed and dragged her thoughts away from those hurtful memories. Bringing her attention to bear on the present conversation, she managed to catch the tail end of her aunt’s diatribe.

“You haven’t truly been a child for some time now, Andrea. A woman doesn’t bemoan her fate. A woman takes action to secure the future she desires.”

That had Andrea sitting straighter. “I’m more than willing to do that, Tía, but as far as I can see, Chase has all the power in this relationship. Let me show you something.” She dug in her backpack and pulled out a battered, edge-worn sheaf of papers and a dog-eared appointment card. With a grimace, she pushed them across to Melody. “Chase sent me this last month, about six days after Valentine’s.”

Rosa tried and failed to look over Melody’s arm, but the black woman shifted away, making her wait. The black woman’s sherry brown eyes widened. “The doctor’s appointment I can understand.”

“Well, I wish you’d explain it to me, because I don’t understand it at all!”

“Andrea, you’re a virgin. Chase and Hunter share the same build, so I can imagine your wulf is hung like a horse on steroids. You, on the other hand, are quite petite compared to him. Chase is probably afraid he’ll rip you up and decided the easiest thing for you was to be opened ahead of time. He’s trying to save you a considerable amount of pain.”

Andrea crossed her arms over her stiffening nipples, not wanting her mother or aunt to see how quickly she responded to just the idea of how generously Chase was endowed. “Why couldn’t he ask me what I wanted? Why did he have to make the decision for me? What makes him think I’ll let him make any of them?”

“No one said you had to let him take you over. In fact, I’d suggest you begin the way you mean to go on by being proactive in your marriage. Don’t let Chase treat you like a child. Now hush so I can finish reading this.”

Andrea watched her aunt’s eyes narrow as she scanned the two sheets of notes. At one point, Melody’s jaw dropped, mouth and eyes opening in wide O’s of astonishment. She sputtered a laugh, biting down on her full lips to keep anything else from escaping. “Oh my good gracious!”

Grabbing her glass of water, she chugged down like it was beer before setting it back on the table. The thud rattled the silverware. “It get hot in here, or am I the only one feeling horny?”

Lips folded in, eyes twinkling, she passed the note to Rosa, who took it and read it quickly, lips moving soundlessly as she carefully examined the bold script. Her facial expression grew stiff, skin flushing until her freckles stood out in bold relief. She shook the papers in both hands, clenching them like they were Chase’s throat between her fingers. “Bold-faced pendejo, that’s my daughter you’re planning to do those things to!”

“Your comments about his parentage are undeniably true,” Melody agreed, fanning herself. “But if you’re honest, you’ll have to admit he penned one well-thought-out note, my dear. What better way to keep a young, inquisitive innocent on her p’s and q’s than to keep her titillated and turned on?”

“I can admit his cunning, but I don’t have to like it.” Rosa dabbed her forehead with a folded napkin. She chanced a surreptitious glance at her daughter and quickly looked away. “A mother shouldn’t be privy to her daughter’s future love life.”

“You mean future sex life,” Melody corrected, then chuckled. “And I fully understand your reluctance. I suspect when the day comes, I’ll go insane thinking about some overendowed male having a go at my Joy.”

No sooner had she said that than Melody turned to Andrea and asked, “So, how many lollipops did he send you, Andrea?”

“Fifty. They were all cherry Blow Pops. I hate cherry. He also sent a few disgusting rules he thinks I’ll follow.” She wrinkled her forehead as she concentrated on calling them off by memory.

After a moment of stunned silence, both Melody and Rosa burst into laughter.

Andrea grimaced, fidgeting with her silverware, too embarrassed to look either her mother or aunt in the eye, but her embarrassment faded, giving way to anger as the two women continued laughing. She didn’t appreciate being the butt of their joke. Was it too much to expect the females of her family to be on her side? She blew out an exasperated breath. “I don’t understand you two. I thought you’d be horrified, not laugh like wild hyenas!”

To give them their due, they tried to catch their breath. Andrea could see them gasping, snorting and snotting, grabbing napkins to swab their tearing faces as they went off in renewed peals of mirth.

“Oh honey, oh honey…” Rosa gasped between sobs of laughter. “You should see the look on your face!” She looked over at Melody—who was trying to twist her expression into one of sympathy and failing—and snickered, “Cherry Blow Pops!”

Melody howled, mopping her eyes and holding her belly. “Freudian, you think? I’m imagining the look on her face when she first read the note and then saw the suckers!” She bent over in a breathless rush of giggles, joined by Rosa as that mental image served to send her off once again.

Andrea slouched down on her seat, fuming at her relatives’ asinine behavior. Squinting her eyes, she growled, “Laugha while you can, monkey girls,” paraphrasing a line from one of her favorite movies.

“Okay, okay, I’m going to stop.” Rosa patted her chest, letting out a few last chortles. “Oh, mija, all joking aside, I can understand your concern, but what Chase describes is…is…well, it’s just…” She stopped and cleared her throat and then copped out of completing her sentence by taking a convenient sip of water. “Eh-hmmm.”

Melody’s quavering voice took up where her mom’s seemed to have fizzled out. “It’s not as freaky as it sounds. Well, maybe it is, but it’s no more than what most men want if they’re honest.” She waved the note she’d retrieved from Rosa. “Chase is just being honest, and really, what he suggests is no hardship if you love your man. When done right, both parties benefit, believe me.”

Rosa nodded. “Married couples can enjoy so much more than a boring missionary position during—”

“Stop, you two!” Swallowing sickly, Andrea held up her hand, cutting her mother’s and aunt’s words off. She so didn’t want to go there with the present company. “I don’t even want to think about you doing that with Papa Fort, Momma. I’d never be able to look at him again. And Tía Mel, not a word about you and Tío Hunter’s sexual practices, either!”

Melody chuckled. “Your innocence is showing, little girl. It’s cute, but it has no place in a marriage between a breed and a highly sexed, highly alpha wulf like Chase. Frankly, I think he did you a good service, letting you in on some of the things he’ll expect from you ahead of time. You certainly won’t be able to claim shock when the time comes.”

Andrea widened her eyes at her aunt’s words. “You were a preacher’s wife. How could you support some of the things he lists in that note?”

Melody sat up straight and gazed directly into Andrea’s eyes. “Young lady, Hebrews 13:4 says, ‘Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled…’ but my late husband was a prude who felt anything other than the missionary position was a sin. It took Hunter—an alien—to show me, teach me there is nothing sinful about sex. All activity between a loving husband and wife is sacred. Despite my late husband’s hang-ups, I kind of knew that all along, but Hunter helped me believe it”—she thumped her chest—“in my heart.”

Andrea fidgeted under her aunt’s gimlet stare. It wasn’t often she found herself on the preaching end of Melody’s displeasure, but the few times she’d experienced hadn’t been a picnic. And Tía Mel didn’t look like she’d be letting up anytime soon.

“A true marriage means becoming one flesh, so if my arm itches, I’ll scratch it. Does it matter if it’s the left one or the right one? Does it matter if it’s hairy? Nope. If I’m hungry, I don’t withhold food from myself. Believe me, hugging yourself in the dark leaves a lot to be desired when there’s another set of arms in the bed available to you.”

Andrea waved her hand in dismissal. “All these metaphors are so much noise. Why can’t you just talk plainly? Spit it out. You’re saying I should go along with anything Chase wants. Play the nasty dog with him and—how did you say it?—scratch his itch.”

Melody’s full lips twisted as if she’d bitten into something rotten. “If that’s the way you want it, then all right. I’ll be brutally clear. In my opinion, a true wife—or husband—gives their partner what they need, however and whenever they need it. Anal or oral, kinky or straight sex, it’s all about connecting with your other half. So I’m saying scratching his itch should be scratching your own.”

Rosa chimed in. “You cannot say Chase is nasty because he is honest about his wants and needs. Oral sex is a wondrous part of the sexual adventure. It is…” Her eyes went dreamy and vague. Andrea’s stomach churned. Listening to her mother wax poetic was not the appetizer she wanted served up before lunch.

“TMI, Mom!”

“I’m just saying, a male—and trust me, I mean any male, not just a wulf—is going to want his woman to give him head.”

“Andrea, you have the benefit over both your mother and me. You were raised in wulf society, even if your family lives on the fringes, so to speak. You’ve had the opportunity to learn all about a wulf’s sexual appetite. They require it more frequently and like it rougher than most humans can handle. Wulves enjoy all forms and types of sex, with partners of both sexes. They suffer no hang-ups about the morality of it like we do, and when they mate, they expect their partner to accommodate their needs as they make an effort to supply every one of our wishes.”

Rosa winked. “It is no bad thing, mija, having your wishes met.”

Melody took over again. “I doubt you’ll be troubled with the same social taboos and prejudices we had to deal with. For you, having sex with Chase in wulf form should prove no hardship. Thank God your mother helped straighten me out.” Melody shook her head, exchanging a fond glance with Rosa. “I’m forever in her debt for that one.”

Rosa’s dark brown eyes sparkled as she patted Melody’s hand. “You had already figured it out for yourself, hermana. You just needed a nudge.”

“So you say.” Tía Mel’s wry expression told Andrea a clearer story than those three muttered words.

Andrea shrugged a shoulder, dismissing any concern over the shape-shifting matter. “I don’t have any problem with accepting Chase in his wulf guise, Tía Melody. I know what he is, who he is, no matter which form he wears.”

Melody’s winsome smile flashed in approbation. “Good for you, but if you claim to know him so well, you should also know Chase is a highly dominant alpha, with a streak of mastery inbred in his genes. Wulves crave submission from their mates, and the most submissive act a woman can perform is to give her body to her mate, to accept him in every orifice he chooses to use.”

“You’re saying they’re all rump rangers.”

Melody’s melodic laugh created a small well of peace in Andrea’s heart. So many times, while growing up, she’d heard that gentle mirth and joined her aunt in laughter. Tía Mel didn’t laugh at people, she laughed with them. Andrea wanted to be like her when she grew up—a true lady.

Melody’s laughter wound down, her lips curved into a lingering smile. “Let me return to what I was getting around to before your pithy statement.

“The anus is tighter than most vaginas, affording a male extreme pleasure. On the flip side, the anus is rich in pleasure nerves, affording the female a level of sensation not found with vaginal penetration. When the male is careful and caring, the woman is able to receive immense pleasure anally while her mate stimulates her clitoris and breasts. Done right, it’s a win-win situation for both. I imagine you’ll learn that for yourself, soon enough.”

Rosa nodded her head, in agreement with Melody’s explanations. “She’s right again, mija. Fear of pain is what turns most women off. Mostly, they’re afraid to try something everyone says is not normal. I hope you’re more adventurous than that.”

Head reeling, Andrea sank against the high-backed squab and eyed her two relatives with a mix of trepidation and awe. “I never knew you two were such sex freaks. While I can see you servicing your mates…”

She broke off, throwing both hands up to shield her eyes. “What am I saying? I can’t see that. I don’t want to see anything like that. I especially don’t want to imagine my mom and my aunt getting naked and nasty with my dad and uncle.”

She sat back and rubbed her eyebrows with her two pointer fingers, a nervous habit she was trying to control—a sign of how stressed she felt. “What I meant to say is, I can understand you wanting to give everything to your husbands, because they love and cherish you.”

She narrowed her eyes and lips and tensed her shoulders. “I can’t see me sharing something as intimate as anal sex with Chase, who only values me as a broodmare. I won’t be his doormat or his sex slave. I’ll give him my body, but I’ll withhold my heart and spirit until I know for sure he loves me. He thinks I’m his possession and even had the nerve to try to tell me how long I could wear my hair.”

Her mother gave an exasperated sigh. “You are drawing close to whining. I raised you better than this. If you don’t like the status quo, mija, change the dynamics!”

“How? If you tell me how, I’ll gladly do it.”

The two wulf mates exchanged speaking glances.

Andrea glanced back and forth between her mom and Melody. “I know that look…whaaaat?” She scooted forward, a niggle of excitement shivering through her. “Come on, Mom, Tía Mel, you guys know something and I want to hear it.”

Melody smirked, definitely with tongue in cheek. “Being the sex slave of the right wulf can be…interesting!”

Andrea changed her mind about hearing what her freaky female relatives had to say. She slapped her hands against her ears and started la-la-la-ing. “I can’t hear you!”

Rosa reached over and grabbed her hands, tugged them down. “Okay, sweetheart, we’ll stop teasing. We might be able to help you if you truly want it, but you’ll have to promise to carry through.”

“And not wimp out,” Melody added sternly.

“Or rat us out,” Rosa warned. “Because Fort and Hunter would have our hides if they found out we were interfering to this extent.”

Melody looked pensive. “Actually, I don’t think I’ll have any problem with Hunter. All I have to do is remind him of how scared I was when Chase attacked me. He’d do anything for a little more payback.”

Rosa smirked. “You mean more than send Andrea’s worn panties to him in the mail?”

Tía Mel’s eyebrows flew up, and Andrea’s went up a second behind hers. “You knew about that?”

“Of course I did! Up until last year, I did all the laundry.”

“You both knew and never said anything to me about it?” Andrea’s head felt like a tennis ball, pinging back and forth between the two women’s enlightening volleys.

Tía Mel laughed. “Hunter thought he was being so clever, having Blair snitch a pair whenever he came to visit.”

Rosa’s eyes crinkled at the edges as her mouth widened in a big grin. “I felt it only just for Chase to have a souvenir of his fiancée close at hand. What better token could he have than a pair of scent-drenched panties?”

Andrea laughed along with the other two women. “I finally realized why my undies kept disappearing. Then I caught Tío Hunter and Blair red-handed one time.” The idea of her uncle handling her dirty panties still didn’t bear thinking about, but she’d long gotten over the shock. “Eww!” She gave a little shudder, remembering. “That was just nasty! I was so embarrassed, but he convinced me Chase deserved it.”

“Hunter howls with glee every time he thinks about it. That wulf does take pleasure in the simplest things.” Melody sobered as she finished that last sentence. “But let’s get back to serious things. Andrea we know Chase loves you, but you believe he only wants the position and power marrying you will give him.”

“That’s right.”

“Finding out for sure one way or the other may prove painful. Can’t you be content to let love grow? Do you really have to know this now?”

Her heart thudded so hard her belly clenched. When she answered, her voice shook. “What if it doesn’t grow? What if as the years go by and I grow to love him more and more, he simply tolerates me?” She straightened her back, set her shoulders square. “I need to know now. Yesterday.”

“All right, then. Going with the supposition that once you’re married Chase will have what he needs, you can test him by leaving after the wulf bonding ceremony. There’s only one way to hunt a wild wulf.”

Andrea sat forward, eager to hear more. “I’m listening…”

Melody smiled. “You have to run until he chases you. If Chase is content to let you go, you’ll be free of him. But if he comes after you, it will prove he wants you for more than just lending him status.”

Andrea mulled that over. “Maybe it would just prove his ego. I mean…” She squirmed on her seat. “He’s had three-plus years believing he owns me. If I had the nerve to up and leave, his alpha hormones would go into a tailspin. To save face, he’d have to come after me.”

“Not if an urgent situation arises. If he comes after you before dealing with the situation, wouldn’t that be quite telling?”

Andrea’s heart sank, thinking back to the times Chase had brushed her girlish overtures aside in favor of business. “I can assure you, he’ll choose to take care of business and deal with my rebellion later.”

Melody tilted her head, regarding Andrea through inscrutable eyes. Turning to gaze at Rosa, she asked, “Is she strong enough, do you think?”

Rosa bristled. “Of course she is. Mi hermosa niña is strong enough for anything, mi hermana.”

“Strong enough for what?” Andrea wanted to know.

“Strong enough to walk away.” Melody narrowed her eyes, staring into Andrea’s with a hard expression. “Don’t take offense, honey, but you do realize you’ll have to spend the night of the mating ceremony with Chase, right? We can’t put your escape into motion before then.”

“Yeah, so? I’m counting on it. I’ve waited for it, and I’m ready.”

“Better women than you have been captured by the lure of carnal pleasure. If Chase is anything close to Hunter in the lovemaking category, he’ll bring it like there’s no tomorrow. You’ll be sore as hell the morning after, but every single nerve in your body will be singing the hallelujah chorus in operatic soprano. You might not be able to walk, let alone want to walk away from that. I’ll be honest and admit after our claiming ceremony, I didn’t let Hunter out of bed for three days.”

Andrea swallowed. She could feel her eyes bugging out her head. It took her two times to try before she could get a word out. “I’m a virgin. I don’t expect the first time will be that good for me.”

Rosa snorted, bright brown eyes glinting a warning. “It better be!” Her mother met her wondering gaze and smiled. “You’re a woman, mija. Mentally, I’ve known you’ve been grown up since you were three—mature beyond your years—but today, I finally see you as a woman. So as a fellow woman, I urge you to trust us, trust me when I say you must demand your just rights. Chase comes from the same stock as Hunter and Fort. He will know how to make your first time worth remembering. You’ll see.”

“And therein lays the danger.”

Melody’s warning words brought Andrea’s around. A frown tugged her brows together. “What danger? Chase would never hurt me.”

Melody nodded. “Of course he wouldn’t. But great sex is a powerful weapon. It can soften the hardest heart. Girl, that man will have every muscle in your body jumping, every hair standing on end waving glory to gracious. After one night, you might be tempted to settle for what Chase can do for you in the sack.”

Andrea began shaking her head before Melody finished. “I’ll never be satisfied with anything less than what you two have with Papa Fort and Tío Hunter. Having Chase’s body without winning his affection would kill me. I want all of him—heart, body, and soul—or none of him. I couldn’t survive otherwise.” She sighed. “I’d be breathing, but I wouldn’t be living.”

Rosa reached across the table and touched her daughter’s hand. “We can’t have that. Don’t worry mija. Before we go home, we’ll have a plan in place for your big game safari.”

Andrea listened as Rosa and Melody plotted, learning a lot about the devious nature of their minds. No wonder the two females—thought without supernatural powers—were valued assets to the Non Human Protectors (NHP) team. She’d always thought Tío Hunter found them nominal positions to keep the peace, but now she found herself believing his claims of how they’d proven over time to be a surprising source of solid human information and insight.

Andrea grinned, wolfing down another heaping forkful of her spicy enchilada. She’d always known her mom was smart. She just hadn’t figured she was a criminal mastermind.

“Do you think you can talk Shelley into going with you? I don’t like to think of you all alone.”

Andrea rolled her eyes. “If I can’t take care of myself now, I never will. But of course she’ll come, Mom. I couldn’t keep her or Josh from this adventure to save their lives.”

Finishing her last bite, she wiped her mouth on her napkin. “So, tell me oh great ones, assuming I manage to resist becoming the sex god’s mindless slave, how am I supposed to go about hunting Chase? How do I give him the slip and make my getaway?”

Rosa smiled. Reaching down, she snagged her purse and rummaged through it. When her hand reemerged, she was dangling a set of keys in front of Andrea. “You forget, your husband-to-be has already furnished your getaway car!”

Andrea smiled. “Word!”

Looking satisfied with the way things were going, Melody nodded, exchanging a hooded glace with Rosa. “You’re enthusiastic, at least. Now hurry and finish your lunch. Part of my treat today is introducing you to the joys of waxing.”

Andrea gulped. She knew exactly what Tía Mel was talking about. “Uh…I don’t know if I—”

“Trust me, mija, you will love it.” Rosa patted her hand. “It will make you so sensitive down there. I think your Chase will enjoy it also. If not”—she shrugged, insinuating it was his loss—“you can always grow it back.”

Laughing, Melody swiped her bottom lip, obviously recalling some juicy detail. “That’s what I told Hunter. He hasn’t demanded that I rebush yet, and it’s going on two years since I first waxed.”

“But I hear it hurts!” Andrea resisted the urge to cup her palm over her sex, already feeling the phantom burn.

“Piffle!” Tía Mel disregarded her concerns. “You’re a breed, little one. Our bodies were engineered to crave a bite of pain with our pleasure. While undergoing the treatment, just think about how it will feel to have Chase’s mouth gliding over that smooth, silky area. You’re going to go out of your mind with the sensation that’ll give you.”

A nervous laugh dribbled from Andrea as she contemplated her aunt’s words. A hotter dribble wet the lips of her sex and dampened her panties. “I feel like the Karate Kid here…” She made sweeping circles with her hands. “Wax on, wax off.”

Eyes gleaming with humor, Tía Mel held out her right hand, bent sharply at the wrist, fingers held stiffly. She raised her arm until it was shoulder high and then flipped her hand up, palm facing out as she brought her arm back down. She repeated the gesture two more times. “Wait till Chase does paint the fence with his tongue.”

Andrea groaned. Feeling like she was melting down to a pat of embarrassed butter, she clenched her labia, trying to hold back the escaping moisture. “You know, I used to like that movie!”

Her married companions snickered.

D-Day Minus One: Later That Night
Chase’s ultimatums: #4—No panties allowed, except during menses. When I find panties, I will rip them off and spank what they covered. Front and back.
 

Shelley sashayed off the dance floor, leaving her panting partner alone and gasping. She snatched her watered-down CC and seven from Andrea and chugged it back, setting the empty glass down on the table with a decided thud. She loved dancing, but it was thirsty work.

Glaring at her erstwhile friend, her face screwed up in a frown. She picked up the argument where the invitation to dance had interrupted it. “Are you insane?”

“No. I’m pretty sure I’m not, since I often wonder if I am. They say uncertainty is proof that you’re not. On the premise that if you were insane, you wouldn’t worry that you were.”

Shelley wondered if her friend did that on purpose, responded to what she had to know was a rhetorical question. “You know what I meant, wench.” She watched in confusion as Andrea shook her head no to the third guy to get up enough courage to ask her for a dance. “Why did we come to the club if you aren’t going to dance?”

Andrea sighed heavily. “I can’t dance with anyone tonight. If Chase smells another guy on me tomorrow, he’ll go ballistic.”

As usual, her convoluted logic made Shelley’s head spin. “I forgot about all that wulf stuff. I’ve been thinking about it and decided you must be crazy. No sane woman would plan to leave her husband one night after the wedding.” Visualizing her friend’s fiancé, Shelley’s voice lowered, grew husky and low. “No one would leave a husband like that hunk of man meat, Chase.”

Andrea grimaced. “Shell, please refrain from describing my fiancé as a hunk of man meat. It’s degrading.”

Shelley waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. “Whatever. They do it to us all the time.”

Andrea smiled. “I meant it degraded you, numbskull.”

“Again…whatever! Stop trying to change the subject, and tell me why you’re so determined to screw up your life. This just doesn’t seem like you, ’Drea.” Shelley took a long hard look at the girl—no, woman—she’d known for years. Andrea was a grown woman and, earlier, had informed Shelley she didn’t want her input as her mind was already made up.

One minute, Shelley was agreeing it was none of her business. The next she was thinking—to hell with that. She’d spent the better part of the last six years in this woman’s pocket. Heck, ’Drea was the closest thing she had to a sister. Over time, they’d grown close until Shelley knew ’Drea like her tongue knew the shape of the bad tooth at the back of her mouth. Something was wrong with this picture. Shelley would swear on her own love for Josh that Andrea suffered from an epic-inspiring love for Chase. That girl’s heart didn’t beat lub-dub, it beat Chase-Chase. So, why was she insisting on running away?

“You’re never gonna convince me you don’t love him, but heck, if you’re this unhappy about the marriage, I got your back. Don’t go through with the wedding. Rip a page out the antidrug booklet and Just. Say. No.”

The corners of Andrea’s mouth twitched just before her lips widened into a teasing smile. “But I don’t want to say no. I’m just saying ‘not right now.’”

Shelley clenched her hands into fists to keep from slapping some sense into her friend. Instead, she speared a green olive from someone’s unattended drink and popped it in her mouth. “I don’t understand what you’re going on about, then.”

“Stop stealing other folks’ olives, and I don’t want to argue with you about it.” Andrea dangled a set of keys in Shelley’s face. “All I want you to do is drive the getaway car. If you agree, you get to drive this baby while I take your old clunker home.”

Shelley almost choked on the olive she’d been rolling around in her mouth. “Are those the keys to your brand-new BMW?”

“They are. But since it doesn’t look like you’re interested…” Andrea moved to drop the keys back in her purse. She laughed like a loon when Shelley recovered and quickly snatched them out of her hand.

“Stop laughing at me. I never said I wasn’t interested. I just wanted to know why you think you have to do this. Since you’re insisting, you know Josh and I are riding posse for you.”

Andrea squealed and threw her arms around Shelley, hugging her so tight her ribs dented. “Oh, Shelley, thank you. I knew I could count on you. I’ve got scads of money to blow on this trip.” Her eyes sparkled. “You and I are going on a mega shopping spree!”

Shelley pried her body from ’Drea’s overzealous embrace, shaking her head at her friend. “Okay, you’re just a little bit hyper, woman. I need you to stop acting…how does your mama say it?”

“Loco en la cabeza!”

Shelley laughed. “That’s it! Lucky for you I’m a newly licensed psychiatric technician, trained and ready to deal with all kinds of crazy.” She sobered, threw a mock punch at ’Drea’s shoulder. “You know you my girl. I love you, little sis.”

“I’m only younger by a year, so that doesn’t count. We’re practically twins. Sure, I’m shorter than you, but so what? I so hate that your size eighteen bod is so majestic it makes mine look like the court jester’s. You look like Queen Latifah before she lost all that weight.”

“I wish!” Shelley snorted, casting a disparaging glance down toward her double-D breasts. “There’s nothing queenly about this big body. I’m built like a damned rock. Good thing for me, Josh loves mountain climbing.” She cupped her tits. “He says my sweet bod is Mount Everest and these babies at the top make him want to plant his flag.”

Andrea’s snort of laughter fizzled out. She stared at her, cinnamon eyes filled with palpable admiration. “I wish I looked more like you, Shelley.”

“Girl, get outta here. You know you’re wrong.”

“No, I mean it.” Andrea grabbed her hand. “You’re beautiful. Your dark-skinned, full-figured shape is just what a wulf finds most desirable. Even Chase mentioned how lovely you are. He’s never said that about me. I bet the males would be all over you if you were a breed.”

“Good thing I’m not then, ’cause I don’t want anyone all over me but Josh. Not even your Chase, as hot as he is. Besides, Chase can’t see me for dirt, not with you anywhere in the vicinity.”

“You underestimate your attractiveness.”

“Yeah, well pot calling the kettle black, ’Drea.”

Andrea rolled her eyes and smirked. “I’ve seen Chase looking at you, and all the guards practically fall over themselves whenever you come around, trying to make an impact on you.”

Shelley snorted, not in the least impressed. “They can save their energy. Thanks to your mom’s history, we all know what wulves think about humans. We’re okay as a sexual snack, but when it comes to a full meal, to mating, they want the”—she made quote signs in the air—“real deal.”

“That may be so, but Mom’s story also proves there are always exceptions to the rules. She’s not a breed and Papa Fort married her. The Pack leader even let him mate her on pack grounds.”

Mention of the wulves’ hidden home, and even more hidden ceremonies had excitement sluicing up and down Shelley’s spine in anticipation. A whirlpool swirled in her gut, sloshing, and she shivered. “I can’t wait to see everything you’ve told me about the werewulves. I’m so jazzed—Josh too—at the opportunity to see what they’re like, how they live, and learn how they act when humans aren’t around.” She sighed, pressed a hand to her breast, where her heart pounded with excitement. “It’s so unbelievable that in this day and age, aliens are living right in among us, and most humans don’t have a clue.”

“Lower your voice!” ’Drea’s brows bunched up. “It has to stay that way, Shell. You don’t know the strings Uncle Hunter had to pull to get permission for you and Josh to come. If it weren’t for Chase coming in on his side, petitioning Prime Alpha Lachlann to allow my blood-sworn friends to attend, you’d be heck outta luck. Luckily, wulves consider our type of friend-bonding right up there with the true-bond thing. It’s considered bad mojo if someone tries to break it up. So you’d better not forget your promise not to breathe a word to anyone…and that includes your family.”

Shelley brushed off ’Drea’s concern. “You know my word is good. I haven’t breathed a word about your family to anyone, not from day one, and it’s been what…almost three years since you told me? Not gonna change now.” She couldn’t help smiling. “But thinking about seeing all those hunks peeled down to skin, each one sporting a raging hard-on is enough to get any female’s juices running, I tell you!”

Her friend cleared her throat and gnawed at her bottom lip. Shelley stopped drooling long enough to notice ’Drea’s suspicious dithering. Normally, the younger woman had much more panache than she was displaying now. Not sure what she expected, dreading ’Drea answering in the affirmative, she nevertheless asked, “You trying to hide something?”

Her heart dropped when Andrea’s pixieish face twisted in an uncertain expression before hardening in a determined cast. “I…uh…forgot to mention something about that.”

Shelley’s heart fell. “Don’t tell me they rescinded the invitation!”

“Um, no, I’m not telling you that, but uh…”

“They don’t want us to stay for the whole ceremony?”

“Shelley, it’s nothing like that. Be quiet so I can tell you.”

If it wasn’t either of the things she’d feared, nothing else could possibly be that wrong. Chalking ’Drea’s nervous dithering up as more prewedding unease, she relaxed. “Well then, if it’s nothing like that, I don’t see what we have to worry about. If it’s something about not having the freedom to explore, I can live with that, though I was looking forward to sneaking a few peeks into some of the dens.”

Andrea gasped. “Don’t you dare go sneaking into anyone’s den without their permission. Wulves are highly private and territorial.” She ran the fingers of her right hand through her hair, effectively demolishing the last of her haphazard bun. “That’s all I need, for Chase to have to kill someone on our wedding day because they attacked you!”

Shell chuckled. “It’d be more like Chase killing someone for trying to hurt you when you fly to my rescue.” She paused, eyes squinting in renewed suspicion. “And it occurs to me, you’ve managed to sidetrack the conversation again. Stop pussyfooting around and spit out what you’ve taken over five minutes to not say.”

She hemmed and hawed a few more times, enough to drive Shelley to distraction, before finally blurting, “I might have forgotten to mention that you have to be too.”

“Have to be what?”

“Uh…stripped down. Naked. Buff. In the raw. Bare.”

“The hell you say!” Eyebrows bunching, smile freezing, Shelley glared at ’Drea in disbelief. “Me run around naked in front of a thousand people? You have got to be kidding me.”

Andrea frowned up, mouth turning down in a mulish expression. “Yeah, well, I didn’t notice it bothering you when it was only me being naked. Besides, everyone in biped form enters the circle sky-clad. It’s a hangover from medieval tradition when visiting Alphas and their entourages had to strip to prove the only weapons they carried were claws and teeth.” Evasive eyes looking anywhere but at her friend, she dabbed at her top lip. “Besides, it makes sense because most of them will be shifting afterward.”

That nervous tongue-dabbing thing told Shelley ’Drea wasn’t finished. Her friend always wet her lips when she was about to say or do something outrageous. Crossing her arms, she gave the younger woman her sternest, don’t-fuck-with-me look, demanding, “What else haven’t you told me?”

She blurted it out all at once, as if she feared she’d never say it if she had the time to think about it. “Unless you want to find out up close and personal what werewolf loving is all about, you and Josh will have to leave real quick. During—not after—the final bonding, because if you’re still there after Chase claims me, it means you’re available and amenable to whoever fancies you.”

Shelley hadn’t gotten used to the thought of being naked in front of a bunch of strangers, and now ’Drea was throwing some more major shyte at her. She gulped. “Amenable to what, exactly?”

“The major sexcapades that will take place as soon as Great-Uncle Lachlann declares us mated. A mating always brings out the hornies in wulves, and most of them swing both ways.”

Shelley’s jaw dropped. “The hell you say! Haven’t these people heard no means no?”

Andrea Montalvo-soon-to-be-McCallum grinned evilly. “No. And that’ll be two dollars, you foulmouthed hussy. Pay up.”

Not happy with her friend’s past reticence and definitely miffed at her present cheerful taunting, Shelley dug in her purse and snatched out a ten. She slapped it in ’Drea’s palm and snarled, “Keep the change. I’m about to use it up. Why the fuck didn’t you tell me this before now?”

The grin slid off the younger woman’s face, leaving her expression wan. “I’m sorry. I have no excuse. You’re my blood sister, and I should’ve warned you. I was afraid you and Josh wouldn’t come if you knew about the being naked thing. I know how shy you are about your weight, but I figured I was willing to be naked in front of Josh if it meant having his support. I hoped maybe you would be willing to do the same for me if you didn’t have too much time to think about it and back out. You and Josh are my posse. I don’t think I can go through that part of the ceremony without your emotional backup.”

The tears leaking down her friend’s face made Shelley ashamed for stressing Andrea. She knew her girl was under a lot of pressure and she shouldn’t have added to it, even if hers was a legitimate beef. “Damn it girl, you should have told us, trusted us. When were you planning on getting around to it? When we got there?”

Andrea took a deep breath, her slight bosom—well, slighter than Shelley’s—heaved with the sigh. “I was going to tell you tomorrow, at the church, and ask you to tell Josh for me.”

Shelley crossed her arm over her chest, letting the expression on her face say it all. ’Drea hung her head and whispered, “Yeah, that was cowardly of me.” A second later, she raised her head and stared into Shelley’s eyes, expression firming. “But tell the truth. If I’d told you the deal was getting naked with a lot of wulves and watching Chase have sex with me in all three of his forms, would you have said yes…or run for the hills?”

Shelley sucked in a breath to blurt out her response and found—to her chagrin—that it wasn’t that easy. She couldn’t give Andrea the answer she wanted right off the cuff. Releasing her pent-up breath with an exasperated huff, she stopped and thought about it.

Thanks to her mother’s blatant, not-for-free sexual behaviors, Shelley had a thing about nakedness and everything pertaining to it. After years of battling the shame of having an unrepentant prostitute for a mother, of having to piece together a semblance of normalcy for her growing, beleaguered family, she had issues. Insert “major” before that last word. In fact, she’d worried so about her hang-ups, fearing they would rise up and cause a rift between her and Josh, she’d decided on dealing with what could be a problem before it arose.

At her insistence, they’d both, about two months ago, stripped bare in front of the other, exposing their bodies as well as their hearts. She had wound up in Josh’s arms, sobbing her heart out with relief. Love was all she’d seen in his bright blue eyes, felt in the hands that swept over her abundant flesh with reverence. Love bordering on worship. She’d felt beautiful and cherished, adored. She’d felt even more loved when Josh had sighed and pulled back, his lips clinging as if it hurt him to disengage from their kiss. He’d gently helped her re-dress, his voice cracking as he told her how he cared for her too much to dishonor her. They wouldn’t consummate their love until after they met under the wedding chuppah. She’d started Hebrew lessons the next week.

Shelley let her shoulders drop as her ire deflated. Getting naked with Josh, who loved her for sure, had been hard enough. Baring her oversize body to strangers made those hills Andrea talked about look mighty inviting. Her voice was a bit surly as she conceded, “Okay, I have to admit, you might be right. Honestly, it’s after the fact, so we’ll never know how it would have played. I’m weirded out right about now, but I’m thinking—hoping—it’s like you said. We’re a posse. We mount up and ride to the rescue when the enemy is sighted, and I sure as shyte wouldn’t want to be on that kind of display without knowing there was at least one set of friendly eyes on me. Parents don’t count. Damn, I can’t imagine what you’re going through knowing you will be the center of attention. I’m quivering just thinking about being one in the crowd.”

Andrea nodded. “It’s been nerve-racking.” She cast a disparaging glare down at her newly curved body. “I used to cringe thinking how, once they see this skinny bod, every wulf there will realize Chase, desperate for a breed, got stuck with what was available. Me.”

Shelley felt the anger roiling in her gut and didn’t even try to stop it exploding into words. “You know what? I’m damned sick and tired of that ‘poor me’ attitude you’re sporting lately. What’s wrong with you? You have a wonderful family, a kicking body, and the brains to get an invitation to join Mensa.”

“You think this is a kicking body?” Suddenly Andrea was up in her face. “I’m five feet five inches short. I only weigh a hundred ten pounds, and my bra size is 28C—”

“…And growing!”

The interruption startled a laugh out of ‘Drea, which was Shelley’s intent. When the other woman picked up the verbal volley, her words held an amused note. “…And growing, I’ll give you that.” She cast a wary glance down at her lurking bust. “Still, no wulf worth his dick would look at me if you were standing beside me.”

“So you want to be what…a fuck toy? Is that what this is all about? Using that lame argument, Josh should have run away from my fat ass at top speed because most human men don’t much care for fat. Yet he fell in love with me before I grew into this body, and now he doesn’t mind the extra pounds because it’s not about my body, it’s about the person inside. What makes you think Chase doesn’t love you like that? He’s hung around for years, waiting for you to grow up. You think there aren’t more breeds like you out there for him to find?”

Dual expressions of confusion and frustration chased each other across Andrea’s tense face as she struggled with her answer. “Chase isn’t interested in me, Shell. He never has been, contrary to what so many people think. My body is all I have to entice him with, and he wasn’t impressed with it. I’m ashamed to say I threw it at him the night of the prom and he had no problems tossing it aside. I’ve tried to gain weight, hoping to increase my appeal, and couldn’t even do that right. I can’t count Valentine’s Day or the times after that because phone sex doesn’t involve sight. Who knows what he’s pretending he sees while he jacks off to my voice?”

Andrea broke down in noisy sobs. Shelley snatched her into a sheltering embrace, shielding her from the nosy nightclub crowd. “Aw hell, baby girl.”

Knowing how ’Drea hated people being privy to her private issues, Shelley looked around, scouting an escape route. She needed to get her friend to a more private area until she could get her head together. Realizing the only likely place was the ladies’ bathroom, she ruthlessly hustled Andrea into the vacant room, cavalierly locking the door behind her, ensuring no one would interrupt ’Drea’s meltdown.

“This is just pre-wedding jitters. Go ahead and get it all out, honey,” she advised, gently patting her girl on the back. “I should have ignored your whining about your new hatred of anything to do with spas. We’d have done better staying home doing the girlie spa night thing instead of going club hopping.”

“Remind me to introduce you to the fine art of torture by waxing. Staying home wouldn’t have helped, believe me,” her distraught friend managed between waning gulps and sobs. “Oh Shelley, I love him so much and he doesn’t…doesn’t care a lick about me!”

Shelley groaned. “Damn, baby, why is it everyone but you can see how that man dotes on you?”

“He’s not a man. He’s a wulf.” She hiccupped. “Unfortunately, I have proof he doesn’t dote on me. Given the choice, he’d take my Tía Melody in a heartbeat. In fact, he tried to steal her away from Uncle Hunter three years ago.”

“Get the hell out!” Shelley pulled back to stare down at Andrea, feeling her eyes bugging in shock and disbelief. “You lie! Even Chase isn’t crazy enough to go up against Mr. McCallum like that.”

Andrea giggled through her tears, a soggy smile widening her lips. “Mr. McCallum has told you to call him Uncle. I don’t lie, and you’ve run out of change. Oh, BTW, just so we’re straight, using the long I in the S word doesn’t make it not a curse word. You’re just speaking it with an accent.”

“Evil, picky wench.” Shelley cradled Andrea’s face in her palms, drew her thumbs across her eyelids, wiping away the lingering pool of tears. “I wish I could convince you of what everyone else knows. You’re a beautiful woman, inside and out. If Chase can’t see that, fuck him.”

Andrea snickered. “I plan to. Before I leave, I’m going to savor every moment I have with him. I may be a virgin, but I’ve been reading up on werewulf sex.”

That shocked Shelley. “Where the hell did you find books on werewulf sex?”

“Maybe not our werewulves, but shifters,” ’Drea corrected herself. “And not like how-to books or documentaries. You’d be surprised what the library calls YA nowadays. Have you ever read a book called Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause? Her descriptions of the shifting is so dead-on, it makes me wonder if the author isn’t a breed female writing under an alias.”

Shelley grinned. “How long have you been reading up?”

Andrea shrugged, looking embarrassed. “Well, I tried getting onto one of the sites Chase told me about, but I kept being redirected to the Disney channel. I guess I have to wait till my birthday. He’s promised to give me a five-hundred dollar credit as a postwedding present.” She glanced up through lowered lashes. “I’m going to share with you, honest. I’ll put them on my handheld so we can read them while we’re on the go.”

Shelley laughed aloud, unable to hold her fake angry expression. She couldn’t let ’Drea go on thinking she had anything to be guilty about…not when she’d done the same thing. “Girlfriend, I got news for you. Josh and I are of age, and we found those sites months ago. We’ve been spending a large chunk of the money we designated for savings on buying and reading. He’s compiling a whole list of things he wants us to try once we become sexually active.”

’Drea’s red face was full of question marks, but she only asked one. “Does reading them make it harder to wait?”

“Girl, breathing makes it harder, as far as I’m concerned. The stories keep me from boiling over with lust. Me and my vibrator are good friends with those one-handed reads.” She winked. “I’ve got more than three hundred stories on my PDA.”

“No wonder you’ve been head’s down over that thing every time I’ve seen you lately.” ’Drea huffed. “Here I thought we were tight, and I find out you’ve been holding out on me. I’m not going to echo you and ask why I didn’t get brought in on your discovery. I see how it is, so tell me something.”

“What?”

“Are you and Josh? I mean, I sort of thought you two were tiptoeing through the tulips, but…you know…not rolling in the hay, going all the way. But you’re talking about becoming sexually active like you haven’t gone beyond kissing. You two aren’t”—she made a vague jacking gesture with her hand—“practicing?”

Shelley shook her head in the negative. “Naw, we’re sticking to the double lip-locking and holding hands. The one time we tried tiptoeing, we almost blew it. Girl, that shit got so good to me, I couldn’t think of anything but giving up the nooky. Thankfully, Josh had enough control to pull back. I love that man too much to refuse him anything, but he knows it and doesn’t pressure me.”

’Drea’s face softened. “That’s a given. He’s loved you since the seventh grade. I can’t see that ever changing.”

“It better not! We’re determined to do it right. We both start at Napa State Hospital full-time next month so we’ll be able to save all of his salary and part of mine. Once we have a down payment on a house, and I get through Hebrew school and can convert, we’ll have the traditional Jewish wedding and our happily ever after will begin.”

Andrea’s eyes and lips narrowed. “I’m going to be there, or you’ll have to have a second ceremony, because you promised I could be your matron of honor.”

Shelley nodded. “I’m still finding out what all it entails. When I do, we’ll know how much leeway I can finagle in terms of having non-Jewish participants. I want you there for all the ceremonies, and not only so you can be my matron. You’re more my sister than my blood family.”

“And you’re the sister I never thought I’d have,” ’Drea admitted, smiling. “Josh is like a big brother too. I’m so glad my two best friends are going to be together for life. Even as a snotty teen, Josh was a good friend. Now he’s becoming a good man. Do you know how phenomenally blessed you are?”

Shelley swallowed hard. “You better believe I do. I wake up every day knowing it. My life is brighter, fuller, because of Josh. All through the day, his love surrounds me, and the wonder of it follows me into my dreams. Look at me, waxing poetic with my dumb self!” She bit her lips, tears threatening. Shaking her head at how silly she was being, she blinked rapidly, drying them before they fell. “I’ll never understand how a socialite, white-bread Jewish boy came to love a black, overweight ghetto chick, but I’m so thankful he did. I’m not stupid enough to chance questioning why, either. If I do, God might realize He made a mistake and take it back.”

“I don’t think so, hermana. I think El Señor planned this wonderful love for you and Josh. That guy is into you for the long haul, and I know what he’d say if he heard you calling yourself ghetto anything, so if I hear it again, so will he. Comprende?”

’Drea’s conversational Hispanic roots only showed when she was emotionally overwhelmed. Reminded it was time to get her friend home so she could rest, Shelley made light of ’Drea’s thinly veiled threat. “I’m so scared. I’m shaking in my boots.”

Checking the hand towel dispenser and finding it empty, she went into the first stall and snatched off a roll of toilet paper, then came back to hand it to Andrea. “Here, wipe your face. It’s getting maudlin in here, so it’s definitely time to blow this joint. You need your rest. Tomorrow is going to be a long, hectic, and nerve-racking day.”

’Drea snorted, mopping her face with a thick wad of the pilfered paper. “You got that right. After three years of looking forward to being my own woman and not having to answer to Mom and Papa Fort’s rules, I’m suddenly realizing there’s a whole lot more to being grown-up and mature than just not having a curfew. My nerves are shot. I can’t stop thinking about having sex with Chase, and that makes my stomach cramp so hard I feel like I’m on my period. In the last week I’ve eaten almost two bottles of Tums.”

Shelley widened her eyes. “Talking about your period, where are you in your cycle?”

“Just finished last week.”

“Thank goodness. That’s all you need, to start on your honeymoon.”

“I’m not going to have a honeymoon, remember? We’re running away.”

“Look, ’Drea…” Shelley took a deep breath. “Marrying is supposed to make anyone nervous, but I wouldn’t have thought walking down the aisle to Chase would do that to you. You love this man. You’ve been waiting on him for three years. What’s really making you nervous?”

Andrea tossed the wet tissue into the trash. Turning and resting her hip on the rim of the sink counter, she crossed her arms and hunched her shoulders in a protective move. “I don’t know, maybe the memory of Chase pushing me away and telling me to grow up, as he’s tired of playing childish games with me. What will I do if he doesn’t like my lovemaking? What if I can’t please him? Phone sex is one thing, but when it comes to the real thing, I have yet to measure up.”

Forgetting about unlocking the door, Shelley leaned against a stall, tipped her head back, and gazed up at the ceiling, stifling the urge to shake her friend. “What if you blow his socks off? What if you bring it so hard, you ruin him for any other female?”

Andrea smiled. “Is that what you plan to do to Josh?”

“You better believe it. When I finally get my hands on him, I will wear that man out. When I do cut Josh loose, he’ll be so tired, he’ll have to crawl to work, but I gar-un-tee he’ll find the energy to run home.”

Andrea laughed. “I’m no femme fatale like you. You got it going on, chica.”

“Not yet, but one day soon…”

“Josh is a lucky man to have you.”

Shelley watched as Andrea checked the mirror one last time, making sure she’d mopped up all traces of tears, and was glad to note the bride-to-be looked good as new. Rosa and Fort hadn’t liked the idea of the two of them having a night on the town before the wedding. They would have a fit if Andrea came in wan and teary. Shelley didn’t want them blaming her.

“I keep telling you the same thing about Chase, you stubborn woman. Again, I don’t know where this inferiority complex is coming from. Hell, I should be the one bemoaning fate. Look at me: a whore for a mother, dirt-poor, overweight, and stupid.”

Andrea bristled. “You have nothing to do with your mother’s choices, poverty is not a test of character, and you are not stupid!”

“Says the girl with straight As, slim good looks, and money out the yin yang.”

The smaller girl took Shelley’s arm in a gentle grasp. “I don’t like it when you talk down about yourself like that. You’re a wonderful woman. You’re bright, savvy, regal-looking, and all the guys think you’re hot. Not only that, but Cs aren’t bad, considering everything you’ve had to put up with. You would have had As too, if you didn’t have to help your mom with your younger brothers and sister all the time. Don’t think we didn’t notice how tired you’d get sometimes. You never had time to study ’cause by the time you got some quiet to open a book, you were falling asleep on your feet. As for looks, I’ve wanted to be you from the first day I met you.”

“Get the spit out!” Shelley knew ’Drea was trying to make her feel good about herself. Her friend was like that—always concerned about the people around her.

“Cross my heart and hope to die.” She accompanied the words with hand actions.

Shelley closed her eyes. When she opened them, they felt hot and itchy. “Believe me, you don’t want to be me. You wouldn’t like always having to scrabble for space, giving up your share of food so the younger ones can have enough. Watching your mom bring every Tom and his dick up in the place you live, knowing she’s fucking him in the back room, because she’s screaming louder than the television. Seeing your sister headed for the same damned rotten future, no matter how hard you try to steer her in another direction.” Shame had her flushing. “Why do you think I hang around your house so much, always showing up around dinnertime?”

Andrea chuckled. “Why do you think there’s always a place set for you? You endeared yourself to my mom scarfing down her food. The fastest way to Mamacita’s heart is pigging out on her cooking.”

’Drea sobered. “Shell, what you described, the craziness going on at your house, that stuff doesn’t make you, you. But it has made you strong, so much stronger than me. That’s why I love having you around. I’m hoping some of you will rub off on me.”

“Woman, you are one crazy wench, always thinking less of yourself.” Shelley smiled, leaning forward to bump foreheads. “But I love you, and I’m gonna miss you like hell when you’re clean across the country.”

“I’m gonna miss you too.” Her chin wobbled before she firmed it. “Hey, I refuse to start crying again. By the way, technically, I’m not a crazy wench. In fact, you can’t really call me a woman, because I’m a breed—part human and part alien wulf. And to let Taylor tell it, all bitch.”

“Yeah, what’s with the seriously ‘I hate you’ vibe coming from that dark chocolate confection every time he’s in your vicinity?”

“I made him look bad, and he’s never forgiven me.”

A loud banging on the doors interrupted their conversation, making them jump.

Shelley hollered, “Hold your damn panties.” Turning her head, she snickered, “Sounds like someone has to go pee.”

Andrea giggled, nodding. “You think? How long have we kept the door locked?”

“Since we came in here, of course.” Shelley flipped the lock on the door just as a distraught woman pushed from the other side and almost fell through the suddenly giving door. After righting herself, the harried woman rushed toward the stalls, muttering loudly about damned sorry bitches hogging the bathroom.

Shelley was holding her laughter in until her eyes met ’Drea’s and found them filling with unholy glee. She shook her head no, wordlessly demanding her friend to behave.

’Drea smiled wider, showing all her teeth before lifting her head and emitting a series of bone-chilling howls that had the woman stumbling out of her stall, pants tangled around her ankles, eyes wild. “What the hell was that?”

Andrea threw her shoulders back and stood straight, staring the woman in the eye. “That was me. The damned sorry bitch you were talking about, howling a challenge. Let’s rumble!”

The woman’s jaw dropped, and she hurriedly backed into the stall, slamming the panel shut and shooting home the bolt. They could hear her dialing her cell phone, calling 911.

Shelley lost it, laughing so hard she started wheezing. Grabbing ’Drea by the arm, she hurried her from the bathroom, the woman’s disjointed sentences ringing in the echoing stall.

Andrea was laughing so hard she’d stopped and leaned against the wall. Shelley yanked her by the hand and tugged her behind her, rushing ’Drea out as they ran up the corridor. “I can’t take your skank ass anywhere. That woman’s siccing the cops on us. She thinks you’re insane, and I’m not so sure I don’t agree with her.”

“Yeah, well, I may be crazy, but I’ve been keeping track. You owe the piggy bank another six dollars, potty mouth. Pay up.”

Shelley stopped and looked at her in exasperation. “I ought to take my share of the money and buy a club to beat you to death.”

Andrea’s smile was wide, her eyes glittering with manic energy. “Tonight is my night to howl, Shell. These are my last free moments. Tomorrow I won’t be me any longer. I’ll be Mrs. Chase McCallum.”

“Correction. Tomorrow you’ll be Mrs. Andrea McCallum.” Shelley used the remote to unlock Andrea’s car. “Now get in the car and let’s go home.”

“Hey, I’m supposed to drive your car home.”

“Get in and shut up. I’ll have Josh come get mine when he gets back from the airport. For now, I don’t trust you to go straight home.” Looking at her friend over the top of the low-slung sporty vehicle, she threatened, meaning every word, “I’m keeping you safe until the wedding tomorrow. Then, if you still plan to go through with this wedding, I’ll be with you every step. But I’m telling you now, if you ever change on me, if you let Chase swallow you whole and destroy your love of laughter and life, I will fucking kill you!”

“You owe—”

“Fuck it!” Shelley snarled and turned the key. The car growled to life. “Put it on my tab.”

Same Night, San Francisco Airport
 

Chase stood in the hatch of his sleek private jet, impatient to disembark. Through the open hatch, he could sense the San Francisco night was clear and warm for this early in spring, the air crisp and cool after the day’s heat. He sucked in an appreciative lungful, reveling in the milder climate. Northern California, though a desert area, was always so moderate compared to Atlanta’s sultry heat.

Taylor gave him the okay signal, and Chase ducked his head and exited the private jet, having cooled his heels for over fifteen minutes while the overly cautious bodyguard made sure there was no danger. Standing on the small platform, Chase took a deep breath in, reading the area for himself. No matter how many years Taylor had been in his employ, Chase was too much a leader and fighter to rely solely on another wulf’s assessment.

This part of the airport was practically deserted, reserved for the use of private planes utilizing the public facility. There were a few humans about, but far enough out on the perimeter that they posed no threat of discovery. Scenting only their company and another group of wulves waiting on the tarmac, Chase started down the gangplank to meet and greet his counterpart.

Hunter McCallum, local Alpha and his estranged cousin, stood waiting for him at the end of the ramp, his left arm crooked around a bundle of pink blankets, right hand entwined with the hand of a small, dark-complexioned boy barely past the toddler stage. That had to be Blair frowning fiercely up at him, a growl rumbling low in his throat.

Except for the new laugh lines etched more deeply around his eyes and mouth, Hunter hadn’t changed a bit. Happy contentment seemed to waft off him in almost palpable waves. Chase figured his cousin’s present happiness had a lot to do with the two little persons he was holding so tenderly, and everything to do with the mate he’d left at home.

Behind Hunter, three more individuals stood at attention, obviously a security detail, and beyond them, a lone figure clung to the shadows. Chase sniffed and smelled familiar human.

A measured few paces ahead of him, Taylor came to the end of the exit stairway and halted, waiting for permission to proceed. At Hunter’s barely there nod, he stepped off the ramp and went to one knee, head bowed, the back of his neck naked and vulnerable.

“Alpha, the Alpha Prime-in-waiting of the East American Pack requests permission for him and his entourage to enter your territory.” His guard’s smoldering resentment was evident in the stiff tones used by that deep rumbling voice to deliver the traditional greeting. Chase’s hopes that the disrespect would go unremarked by Hunter and his personnel died with the disgruntled whines and low barks of Hunter’s companions. They obviously took exception, though the Alpha himself gave no outward indication of his displeasure.

He’d tried to warn Taylor, but the headstrong wulf—still smoldering over what he considered Hunter’s harsh treatment of his Alpha—insisted on being rude, deliberately challenging Hunter’s authority every chance he got. The original insult had occurred over three years ago, but his head of security continued to chaff at the thorough trouncing Hunter had dealt him without working up a sweat.

“I see you haven’t learned a thing, wulf.” Hunter’s low voice carried through the still night. “I’ll have proper respect from you. If your stupidity makes me jostle my daughter, I’ll mete out a harsher punishment than that small taste I gave you last time we skirmished.”

Chase internalized a groan, carefully keeping his face impassive. So much for Hunter not noticing Taylor’s studied disrespect. He sure as shit wasn’t getting between his cousin and his borrowed man the night before his wedding. His sire, Rann, was the insane one, not him.

Hunter was within his rights to demand willing service of Taylor. Having lost the dominance challenge, his security agent owed his allegiance and his continued life to Hunter. By his cousin’s good grace, Taylor continued to serve him, but that could change on a whim. Taylor would do well to recall that salient point.

Watching as the bulky male humbled himself and hunkered down at Hunter’s feet, Chase found himself feeling sorry for the troubled wulf. Taylor had taken several beatings that fateful day three years ago; the worst being the one dealt his pride by the tyke currently clutching Hunter’s hand, and Chase’s fiancée, Andrea, who’d been a barely pubescent girl. Bested by pups—even now, Chase could hardly believe it. Poor Taylor would never live that down. Deciding he’d better shift the focus from his hapless man, Chase made a point of acknowledging the angry little cub before him.

“Greetings, little cousin. I see you remember me.”

“Go home!” Blair glared up at him, baring his teeth. He wasn’t smiling.

Chase’s eyebrows rose, and he lifted his chin to stare into Hunter’s amused eyes. “What in the world are you teaching him? Not manners, I can see.”

“My Blair is a quick study, but I didn’t have to teach him how to defend his territory.” A rich chuckle and a proud pat on the pup’s shoulder accompanied Hunter’s praise. “When he learned I was meeting you, he insisted on coming along. Apparently, he wants to issue challenge.”

That surprised Chase, who took a longer, closer look at his would-be opponent. “I’ll be damned.”

“That you will, if an iota of his self-esteem is harmed.”

A nod was enough between them to convey Chase understood the situation. They’d had the same mentor growing up, who’d used the same technique to impart learning. Hunter wanted to teach Blair a lesson, and Chase was his designated tool.

“Before I fight, I must know what you challenge for.” Chase kept his voice stern, playing along with Hunter’s scenario. “What is it you want? My wealth, the fealty of my men, or my position as Alpha? Which one will we fight for?”

Blair stared at him, small truculent face earnest and fierce. “I want ’Drea. Drew’s too little to fight you, but not me.”

All the play drained from Chase’s manner as he straightened abruptly, hands curling into fists at his side. When he spoke again, his voice had dropped an octave. “Boy, not even a puppy may attempt to claim another’s mate and walk away unscathed. The bitch is mine, and I will not give her up. Not to you, not to anyone.”

“She’s not yours!” Blair hollered the taunt, little hands fisted tight in front of him. “You’re mean, and she don’t like you. She hit you with a pan ’cause you was hurting my mama! Go away back to your house, or I’ma bite you!”

“You insult me, leaving me no choice but to challenge you in return.” Chase caught the approving nod Hunter sneaked his way. By being the one doing the challenging, tradition allowed the other to set the rules of combat. “What are your terms?”

Blair turned to Hunter, confusion evident in his wide topaz gaze. “What’s terms mean, Daddy?”

“He’s asking how you want to fight. You can choose to do so in battle form, skin, or fur.”

“I don’t got battle form or fur, just skin.” His jaw firmed before adding, “But I can bite him.” The boy chomped his teeth together in demonstration.

Chase bit back a grin, not wanting to insult the cub’s fragile sensibilities more than necessary while Hunter, clearly fighting the urge to laugh, informed his son of his options. “Then you can insist that Chase fight you in skin, or you can make other rules.”

Blair thought about that for a moment. “Like what?”

“Well, let’s see…” Hunter pretended to deliberate. “You could limit him to no claws and no biting. That way, he’d have to tumble you, but not break your skin.”

The boy pondered that. “Is that fair?”

Hunter placed a hand on his son’s shoulder. “You have the heart of a wulf. I’m mighty proud you asked that, Blair. Yes, it’s fair because Cousin Chase is taller and bigger than you. His teeth are sharper.”

A frown black as a thundercloud darkened the cub’s features. “He’s not my cousin. My cousin is Drew.”

Hunter cupped his son’s chin, forced him to meet his eyes. “He’s my cousin. We grew up together. Even if you’re angry at him, he’s still your kin.”

“Do you like him, Daddy? Do you like him like me and Drew like each other?”

Hunter sighed, cradled his sleeping daughter closer to his chest, and gazed over at Chase. Brows beetling over his deep-set hazel eyes, he finally answered, eyes glued to Chase’s own. “Yeah, cub, I like him just like that. I get angry with him sometimes, but he’s my family. I love him.”

Something in his chest let go, that old ache he’d carried for three long years. Chase grit his teeth, determined not to display his emotions before Hunter’s men and his. But his mouth watered, filling with the redirected tears he refused to allow to fall from his eyes. He had to swallow before he could talk. “Glad to hear that, hoss.”

“Shut up, Little Joe, it’s just a fact, not an offer of reconciliation.”

“Well, I don’t like him. I don’t want him to have our ’Drea.”

Chase huffed. “That boy just killed my good mood.”

Hunter did laugh at that, though quietly, before turning his attention back to his cub. “Think carefully, Blair. This is no game. Are you determined to go through with this?”

Blair fidgeted from foot to foot, chewing on his bottom lip. Finally, he nodded emphatically. “He might try’n hurt ’Drea like he did Mama.”

“So be it.”

Chase couldn’t believe Hunter was actually going to allow this to come to a real fight. Out of the corner of his mouth, he subvocalized, “You’ve got to be joking.”

“Do I look like I’m amused?”

“We don’t have time for this, Hunter.”

His cousin shot him a sharp glare. “Be still. Now is not your time to speak.” His voice softened as he turned back to his son. “As the challenged, you have the right to demand the terms. What are your demands?”

In a gesture reminiscent of Hunter, the boy clasped his hands behind his back and began to pace. Chase noted all the wulves in attendance hid their smiles when the young tyke passed them. He straightened when the boy paused in front of him, neck craning as he gazed up and up.

“He’s too tall in skin. He hasta fight in fur…and Daddy?”

“Yeah, cub?”

“He can’t bite me or scratch me ona face.”

“Scared of what my teeth and claws can do to you, little boy?” Chase taunted, morphing enough to flex his claws and show fangs.

Small brows flew together. “I’m not scared of you; I’m scared of Mama. She don’t like vi-lens, and she gets mad if she sees bites or scratches when I fight.”

He wasn’t, either, Chase realized, truly impressed. He’d sniffed and hadn’t caught a whiff of fear wafting off the boy’s skin. Blair, a four-year-old child, not the least frightened of him, was gearing up to fight a fully grown wulf with nothing but his teeth and blunt human claws. Lifting his wondering gaze to Hunter, Chase whistled between his teeth. “I’m jealous, cuz. With a few of these, I could conquer the world.”

Hefting his daughter in his arms, Hunter grinned. “You think he’s fierce, wait till you get to know this Sleeping Beauty. I should have named her Determination.”

“Get to know her?” Chase chuckled. “By the Moon, I’ll be producing some just like her in the near future.”

Hunter’s laughter joined his. “Good luck with that.”

“Is you laughing at me, Daddy? With him?”

The affront in Blair’s gruff voice brought them back to the issue at hand.

“Never, little wulf. I’m just praising your courage.” Hunter adjusted his daughter in his arms before hunkering down to his son’s level and ruffling his coarse curls. “When do you want this fight to take place?”

Chase watched as big brown eyes swept the area with a considering gaze. He found himself in awe of the tyke, impressed against his will by the boy’s self-possession. If he’d succeeded in taking his mother, this little breed would have been his. Seeing his bravery and boldness, Chase knew just gaining the cub might have made the challenge to Hunter worthwhile. Trying for Melody had been a necessity. Being this boy’s father would have been an honor.

“We haveta do it tonight, Daddy. In the morning’s the church thing. If we don’t fight now, he’ll get ’Drea.” Blair stared at Chase, dubiously eyeing his business suit and shiny shoes. “But he don’t look ready to fight.”

“Chase, are you willing to fight in this location?” Hunter’s bland question didn’t fool him for a moment.

“No. This is too public an arena,” Chase said, dutifully supplying the lesson and reminder about keeping wulf activity below human radar. “I’m not getting naked at this busy airport. The humans have security cameras planted all over. Even if we can’t see or smell them, they might see us.”

A huge sigh, almost too big for his little body, lifted the boy’s chest as he nodded reluctant agreement. “I forgot we got to hide. We can’t do it at home, Daddy, ’cause Mom spanks us when we fight in the house.”

Chase raised an eyebrow. “Both of you? Really, Hunter, how titillating! Tell me more.” His laughing glance promised Hunter they’d explore the subject at a later date.

Blair’s expression turned incredulous. “I’m not telling you nuthin’ ’bout my mama’s titties!”

Both hands raised, Chase took a step back. “Hey, that’s not what I meant.” He spared a nervous glance over at Hunter, realizing he was maneuvering through a verbal land mine. He relaxed when he saw the burly wulf fighting laughter. Brushing back the hank of hair flopping on his brow, he pleaded, “Help me out, here, cuz.”

Barely stifling chortles at his expense, Hunter patiently explained to Blair. “The word cousin Chase used sounds almost like titties, but it means exciting, cub. He wasn’t disrespecting your mother.”

The boy glared from under beetled brows. “Well…okay, but he was mean to her before. I gotta keep watching him so he don’t try’n hurt her again.”

“You are a good protector, son.”

The small boy preened under the praise.

“I hope you’ll have the same care with your little sister.”

“I will, Daddy.” The wulfling pledged earnestly. “Me’n Drew gonna help each other watch our sisters”—he turned hard eyes to Chase—“so bad guys don’t hurt them.”

Chase had always felt remorse over what he’d tried to do three years ago, but now a new spike of shame pierced his heart. Damaging the relationship he’d shared with Hunter had almost killed him…literally and figuratively. But nothing in the past hurt as bad as seeing the distrusting look on this boy’s face, knowing that in Blair’s eyes, he would forever be cast as a villain. Too late to discover he wanted to be one of Blair’s heroes.

Throat tight, Chase went to one knee before the small child. “Little cousin, we fight tonight for other reasons, but I need to apologize to you, tell you how sorry I am for what I tried to do to your dam. I thought I was doing right, doing what needed to be done. I was wrong in so many painful ways.”

“You made my mama cry. She kept askin’ an askin’ you to stop lotsa times, but you didn’t.”

Blair’s stark condemnation struck Chase hard. Guilt welled, engulfing him, a leaden weight hunkering in the pit of his belly, souring his stomach. How had Hunter avoided gutting him? He’d deserved nothing less.

Chase gulped thickly, fighting the tears that swelled his throat and burned his eyes, yet he made no move to wipe away the overflow that spilled down his cheeks. He’d forfeited any right to pride three years ago. “She did, and I was wrong to try to make your dam do something she didn’t want to. I swear on my life, I’ve learned my lesson and will never do something like that again.”

Chase drew in a deep shuddering breath, met Hunter’s steady gaze before shifting his eyes back to gaze earnestly into the boy’s stormy face, addressing both of them when he continued. “I humbly ask your forgiveness, because I know now, if someone tried to do that to Andrea, I’d want to kill them without mercy. I’ll totally understand if you can’t forgive me, and will promise to present myself to you once you’re mature enough to dish out the punishment I so richly deserve.”

Blair looked taken aback. He tilted his head, staring up with a bewildered expression in his leonine eyes. “You want me to get big and then fight you?”

“I don’t want to fight you at all, but if you still feel the need when you are older, I won’t deny your right.”

Wearing a confused expression, the cub shrugged, obviously doubting the sanity of adults. “When we fight t’night I’ma bite you for Mama when I’m biting you for ’Drea.”

The boy’s words broke the tension like nothing else could have. A sharp guffaw exploded from Hunter, and Chase had to bring up a hand to hide his grin. “So be it.”

“May I make a suggestion?” Having corralled his runaway laughter, Hunter brought the conversation back on track. “We need to find a spot private enough to conduct a challenge fight. There are numerous heavily wooded parks between here and home. A cordon of wulves along the perimeter can serve to keep out any humans that chance to stray upon our activities. If it is okay with the two of you, we can stop on the way home to deal with this problem.”

Chase had figured Hunter probably already had a spot picked out. It wasn’t like his cousin to leave anything to happenstance. “Sounds good to me.”

Blair seemed to have to think about it. After what felt like a long time deliberating, the kid nodded. “Okay.”

“Shall we shake on it, then?” Chase held out his hand.

Blair stuck out his hand, prepared to shake, but was pulled back by Hunter. “Wait, son. You never shake and finalize until you’ve discussed the terms of victory and/or surrender.”

“Huh?”

“If Chase wins, what happens? If you win, what happens?”

Play was one thing, but Chase had no intentions of letting this cub believe he would ever give up Andrea. “If I win, and I will, the cub will renounce all claims to the breed, Andrea Montalvo. He will show me the respect due an elder Alpha, and he will foster with me when the time comes to train him in earnest.”

Blair turned worried eyes toward his father. “What’s that mean, Daddy?”

Hunter cleared his throat. “It means he’ll marry Andrea, and you’ll have to be nice to Cousin Chase and call him Uncle from now on. It also means when you get older, he’ll be the one teaching you how to fight and hide and hunt.”

The boy’s dark chocolate face twisted into a fierce frown. A small hand clutched the material of Hunter’s pants, bunching it between frantic fingers. Expressive eyes peered up anxiously while the boy protested, “I don’t want him. I want you! You teach me.”

“No father can teach his son beyond a certain point. Because I love you, I’d be too soft on you. Your cousin will care for you and keep you safe, but he’ll make sure you learn what you need to survive.” Hunter met his son’s eyes. “It’s a great honor he’s offering you.” When Blair continued to scowl, Hunter straightened, wiping the smile off his lips. “Don’t worry about it now, cub. You haven’t lost yet. And even if you do, you won’t foster for years to come.”

“Good!” Blair shot a heated glare over at Chase, who returned the boy’s angry look with a small smile.

“The first thing you need to learn, young Blair, is never to let your opponent see your true feelings.” Chase slanted a stern glance toward Taylor. “A lesson many have yet to learn…or should I say, relearn.”

The chastised older wulf lowered his gaze, but his rumbling protest was as defiant as ever.

“When I win…and I will,” young Blair mimicked, unrelenting topaz gaze meeting Chase’s before looking up at his stepfather, “he hasta go back home. Tonight. And he hasta leave ’Drea alone.”

Chase snarled, lips curling back and hackles rising. His words coming out more growls than voice, he warned, “The bitch is mine. She bears my mark. Woe to anyone who dares attempt to keep her from me.”

Damned if the cub didn’t have the nerve to snarl right back at him. Little hands bunched into fists and propped on his hips, he sneered. “She likes me better’n you. She don’t hit me with no pot!”

That reminder deflated his ire as nothing else could have. With a rumbling half growl, half laugh, he gave in. “Rub it in, why don’t you?”

“Keep your voices down!” Hunter commanded in a sibilant whisper. “I just got this baby to sleep and your bellowing is about to wake her up.”

Knowing his anger at the youngling’s boast to be unreasonable, Chase deflected it by sniping at Hunter. “We wouldn’t want that, now would we?”

“No, you sure as he…er…” A quick glance downward revealed his cub listening avidly. Hunter stumbled for a more appropriate word. “Heck wouldn’t, so I suggest you kill the sarcasm. ’Cause if she wakes up now, she won’t go back to sleep for a good three or so hours. I got plans for those hours, and you better believe I’ll take extreme offense if those plans get screwed and I don’t! Get my drift?”

Separated by only one more night from the first sex he’d had in years, himself, Chase understood Hunter’s concern. Amusement made it easy to back down. “I am so sympathizing right now,” he whispered. Keeping his voice lowered, he added, “As a hungry wulf who fully intends to take advantage of every available hour in the foreseeable future, I’ll do nothing to jeopardize your chances. Your little beauty can sleep on.”

Hunter’s left eyebrow rose, the lofty slant intimidating. “I cannot begin to convey how heartily I applaud your wise decision, cousin.” He indicated the cars. “Meanwhile, do I have to remind you, we’ve spent an inordinate amount of time here? I suggest we move this to a more appropriate venue. We still have important things to talk about after you and Blair settle your differences.”

Chase checked his watch. How had it gotten to be that late? Less than twelve hours remained before the monkey ceremony he’d let his fiancée talk him into. A human wedding held no significance for a wulf, but according to Andi, this ritual would legitimize their union in the eyes of her human friends and family. He’d lose nothing by conceding. Indeed, he stood to gain his mate’s goodwill by bowing to her wishes. Their last encounter hadn’t done much to endear him to her.

It was the Pack Bonding ceremony Chase looked forward to the most. Traditionally taking place on the secluded grounds of Lachlann’s privately owned resort. It was scheduled the same night as the wedding. During that ritual, he would physically and mentally bond with his young mate under the eyes of a thousand witnesses, staking his claim with actions unmistakable and irrefutable. Thoughts of how he would take her made Chase’s cock harden and strain against the pleated closing of his dress slacks. His gut clenched on three years worth of needing. The time when he could claim what was his loomed so much closer now, but still seemed so far away.

Damn, he wished it were tomorrow already. Chase ached to be finished with all the necessary tasks, wanted only to plow through all the minutiae required to meld his life with his mate’s. He looked forward to falling exhausted into bed, because that would mean the next time he awakened it would be to the day in which Andrea belonged to him. Finally, she would be where she belonged—in his life and his bed, just as she’d been in his heart these last three years. Moon’s light, the wait was finally over! Tomorrow, he’d quench his thirst at the well of Andi’s femininity—make her his in reality, not just dreams. “Lead the way, cuz.”

Hunter set off and Chase contentedly brought up the rear, lagging behind to oversee the removal of the gifts he’d brought for Andrea from the plane to the boot of the limo assigned for his use. Taylor took care of the disposition of his personal luggage and the luggage of the men in his entourage.

In the midst of supervising his scurrying attendants, Chase caught another sight of that lingering shadow and recalled the other item on his agenda for the evening. “Stop hiding in Hunter’s shadow and show yourself, Joshua Tate. There’s no disguising your particular stench. I can smell you from over here.”

The boy sidled out from where he’d been lurking, Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed convulsively. “Uh…he-hello, Mr. Mc-McCallum,” the teenager stuttered, tripping all over the words. “Mr. McCallum…uh…Hun-hunter said you wanted ta see me?”

In an instinctive reflex, Chase’s nostrils flared, drinking in the spike of prey fear bordering on panic the youth was producing. He bit back a grin at the ripe, heady aroma, taking petty glee at discomfiting the human. He couldn’t forget how the human had tainted his mate by smearing his scent all over her. He’d caught the damned boy daring to put his tongue in her mouth, his hands on her body.

Even now the thought of it, the memory of another male’s hands on his mate, had Chase choking back the need to issue a howling challenge. Being civilized, he contented himself with taunting. “We’re nowhere near a full moon, and you’re too scrawny to make a decent meal, but you really should learn to contain the aroma of your fear. While I don’t mind it, less-disciplined wulves might be tempted to sneak a taste.”

Josh blanched and edged closer to the bulk of Hunter’s body, a surge of adrenaline-saturated pheromones pouring from him to flood the area.

Aware of what was going on, all the wulves but Hunter reacted, some howling with laughter, others with anticipation.

A sharp bark of warning stopped their play. Gravelly voice tight with anger, he issued a warning. “Stop teasing the boy, Chase. He’s under my protection. Since you specifically asked me to bring him along, I’m betting it wasn’t so you could drool over his pretty face. It’s never smart to antagonize a possible ally.”

“Hunter, you take all the joy out of living.” Chase sighed in fake remorse. “Surely Jake knows we were only playing with him.”

“Josh,” the boy sputtered.

“Whatever.” Chase didn’t even turn to address him, more concerned with dealing with Hunter. “I shall act more circumspectly and not toy with the human. As you say, I did ask you to bring him.” He shook his head. “Why must you always be right?”

“Nature of the beast, son.”

Chase straightened. “I take offense to you calling me son. You are not that much older than I.”

A smile curved Hunter’s lips. “But I am Alpha to you. I’ll call you whatever the hell I want, and you’ll deal with it. Am I right?”

Biting back the hot retort he wanted to give, Chase showed throat by lowering his gaze. He was on Hunter’s turf at Hunter’s pleasure. Now was the last time to start something he really didn’t care to see through. “You are, Alpha. I live in hope of seeing the day you’re proven wrong.”

His cousin buckled Blair in one-handed and then climbed into the back of his obscenely plush vehicle, barely jostling the precious cargo in his arms. “Not gonna happen, cuz. But if it ever does, the world will come screeching to a halt that same day.” He grinned, one-handedly settling Joy in her car seat, pulling out and stretching the seat belt over the middle handle, careful not to jostle the baby. The connecting click sounded loud in juxtaposition with the night’s stillness. “In which event, having argued and won over me still wouldn’t do you a bit of good. Time’s wasting. Handle your business.”

Chase nodded, then glanced over at his fiancée’s little pet. His wulf’s night sight easily detected the vaguely furtive outline, and he had to smother another laugh at the boy’s expense. “Tate, ride with us. I have a proposition to put to you.”

Stepping out of the shadow the boy seemed to prefer, Joshua gave a nervous tug at his shirt collar. “Uh, th-that proposition wouldn’t involve anything to do with strangling me, would it? ’Cause we’ve already had that conversation, and I didn’t like it so much.”

The boy’s bold and humorous reply surprised him. “You’re brave enough, I’ll give you that.”

“I’m not brave. You wulves scare the crap out of me. Especially you.”

“We know,” Chase said, showing teeth. He beckoned the boy closer. “We can smell your fear. But the definition of bravery is doing what has to be done, even when you want to piss your pants and pass. Anyone who has the balls to stand up to an angry wulf—namely me—is no coward. We wulves respect that.” Chase extended his hand. “Can we start over?”

The spring rain scent of relief bathed Chase’s nostrils as the youngster grabbed his hand and pumped it up and down energetically. “Sure. And thanks for thinking I’m brave. I don’t see it, but thanks.”

Chase retrieved his hand with a gentle tug that almost pulled the human off his feet. He reminded himself to watch his strength with these weaker, more vulnerable species.

“I saw it when you thought I was threatening Andrea and tried to get her away from me. As far as I’m concerned, that action proved the lengths you were willing to go to protect her. Because of that, I’d like to run something by you. Would you mind giving me a few moments of your time?”

“I’ll listen to whatever you have to say, happy to.” He cleared his throat. “Man, I’m just glad you don’t still wanna kill me.”

Midnight Confessions
Andrea’s Responses: #1—“Bend over!” and “Spread them!” are comparable to “Heel!” and “Fetch!” Only after you’ve done the latter will I contemplate the former.
 

“Papa Fort, can I talk with you for a moment?”

Fortrayn glanced up at his stepdaughter with a warm smile. He started to tuck his finger in the pages of his book to hold his place, but one look had him surreptitiously hunting a piece of paper to take his finger’s place. She may have asked for only a moment, but if he knew his females, this wasn’t going to be a quick conversation. “You know you can. I’m always available to you, honey biscuit.”

“Ugh, don’t call me that!” Andrea’s protest was habitual. She made a face but couldn’t stop the smile widening her lips as she came and cuddled next to him on the couch, drawing her knees up and circling them with her arms. “Where’s Mom?”

Fort slung an arm around his daughter’s shoulders and gave her a quick hug, letting up before she could protest the playful intimacy. She’d never been one for touchy-feely sentiment, which was just too damned bad as far as Fort was concerned. Like most wulves, he favored the more physical expressions of love and affection.

Damn that mangy cur of a lousy father! Fort cursed Rosa’s ex-husband, wishing he could get his claws on that irresponsible breed. If he hadn’t exposed her to his seedy lowlife way of living, Andrea would be less withdrawn, more openly affectionate.

Though his stepdaughter had never spoken of the details of that last long summer on the run with her birth father, the clues were there, and any idiot could figure out life with dad hadn’t been nurturing. As it was, the teenager was leery about sharing her deepest feelings, intent on guarding herself against emotional betrayal. “She’s having some much needed one-on-one bonding time with Drew on the back porch. If you want this to be private, now is a good time. We have about fifteen, twenty minutes.”

“Great, ’cause…um…yeah, I have some…uh, concerns I wanted to run past you.”

Fort manfully bit back the teasing comment that came to mind, swallowed his chuckle. Her pepper and ambergris scent signaled his fledgling was too strung out to handle his usual teasing. “I take it you don’t feel comfortable discussing them with your mama, so they must be of the sexual kind.”

Andrea worried her bottom lip while her body did a little antsy twitching. “It’s bogus, I know, to feel more comfortable with you than Mom when it comes to something like this, and it’s not that she wouldn’t try to talk with me, it’s just that…” Her voice trailed off as the corners of her lips twitched up in a tolerant smile.

Fort finished her sentence. “She’d be more embarrassed and uncomfortable than the situation called for.”

“And that’s an understatement, I’m telling you.” Andrea shared a conspiring smile with him, shaking her head at her mother’s naïveté. “For a woman living such a freaky life, she manages to remain the total innocent.”

“And I wouldn’t change your mother for a million dollars,” Fort drawled, automatically defending his wife of almost three years. “I love her just the way she is.”

Andrea’s grin faded. She sat up on her knees and faced him, an earnest expression on her pixie face. “I know you do, Papa Fort. That’s sorta what I want to talk with you about.”

Fortrayn hoped his face didn’t reveal the level of discomfort her words caused him. Taking a deep, fortifying breath, he nodded. “You feeling some prewedding jitters, honeybee?”

“I feel overwhelmed.” Andrea brushed a lock of hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear in a nervous gesture. “I’ve always felt older than the other girls at school, even though they’re actually a year or two older than I. But in this situation”—she pressed her hands to her tummy in a nervous gesture—“I know I’m way out of my league. Chase is so much older than me.” She cast a disparaging glare down her slim length. “I can’t help but wonder how I could ever keep a sophisticated wulf like him interested in this underdeveloped body.”

Fort sighed. He didn’t like members of his den, his family, hurting, and he could see Andrea had worked herself into a tizzy. Her eyes—so much like her mother’s warm cinnamon brown—were flooded with tears on the brink of falling. Her full bottom lip, mangled between her sharp white teeth, was swollen and trembling. Fear, almost prey fear, rolled off her skin like an oily sludge coating every inch of her body. In fact, she was so afraid, Fort figured this was one time she wouldn’t mind a cuddle. He opened his arms. “Come here.”

She fell into his arms, shuddering and shaking. “I’ve waited for this for three years. Why am I so afraid now?”

Patting her back, Fort heaved a heavy sigh. “I think that might be our fault. Three years ago you were so angry at Chase, so young, everyone was so angry, so disgusted with his behavior. We adults decided it would best to limit contact between you two. Also, there was that, ‘I want to eviscerate him’ thing going on. Hunter was on the verge of killing him.” Fort shook his head, remembering dark days.

“I remember.” Andrea’s low voice quivered. “I asked Tío Hunter not to kill him. He said he’d try real hard.” A soggy, muffled chuckle vibrated his chest. “I told Tío he could hurt him, though.”

“Looking back, I think we made a mistake. We shouldn’t have kept Chase away from you. You deserved a chance to get used to him, learn him over time.”

Andrea looked thoughtful. “Maybe it wasn’t so much of a mistake, Papa Fort. I was pretty mad, myself.”

“Yes, you were.” He smiled, remembering that day. “Chase had kicked my tail, put me on the floor. I’ll tell you, I was never so glad to see anyone as I was when I looked up and found you standing over Chase with that skillet.”

“I was scared to death, afterward, but when I saw him braced over Tía Mel, I became so furious. I didn’t think, just swung as hard as I could. After that, I couldn’t stand to look at him. I think, in the long run, it was better this way, even though I’m going crazy tonight.” She finished with a nervous chuckle.

Fort nodded. “It’s like that most of the time. Sharp. Sudden. An overwhelming connection that happens so fast, so strongly it makes you want to run away from it.”

Andrea sat back, a slight frown creasing her even brows. “What are you talking about?”

“The instant linking of hearts when true-bond mates meet. We wulves don’t talk much about it. It’s not for outsiders, but the bond takes precedence over everything. No oath, no binding, not even a prior marriage or mating, can stand in the face of it. It wasn’t the skillet that stopped Chase. It was you, Andrea. He looked up at you and recognized his true-bond mate. No matter how urgent his need, how just his cause, he didn’t have a hope in hell of continuing to pursue Melody. Once you’d matured, he’d have come after you, regardless of being mated to her.”

“But it’s not love.”

How the hell do I explain this? Fort scratched his head, frantically trying to come up with the words she needed to hear. His daughter-in-love wanted hearts and flowers—romance and all its trimmings, Fort realized. Poor darling was smart enough to have figured out being bonded and being in love could be two different things. He was a show-me kind of guy, not a talker, but for her, he’d try.

Hating the idea of hurting her, but even more, not wanting her to look back and claim he’d lied to her, Fortrayn carefully considered before stepping off into the emotional minefield. “It’s more.”

She sat back and crossed her arms over her chest, her look skeptical. “More than love? This I gotta hear.”

Fort scratched his head. “Okay, I’m going to start by saying that most wulves are not romantic, not conditioned to buy into a set of beliefs that prioritizes marriage. When dealing with wulves, lust is always better than love.”

Andrea looked at him like he was crazy. “Papi, I think you’ve lost it.”

Fort growled. “Hold on and let me tell this my way, would you?”

“Whatever!” She had the nerve to giggle at him. He didn’t really mind. Anything to get her spirits up.

“Okay, so, the thing about true-bond mates is like religion. You either believe, or you don’t. Most of us do, but even the ones who don’t give the others the benefit of the doubt.”

“Why? And what does that have to do with lust being better?”

“I’m getting to that. Now hush up while I try to figure out how to put this.” Fort stood up and started pacing. “Okay, say the whole world follows one religion.”

“Which one?”

“What?”

“Which one is it? ’Cause if it’s something far-out, I wouldn’t believe it.”

He huffed. “Fine, Miss Picky, we’ll use the Catholic religion, because the word ‘Catholic’—from the Latin catholicus, universal—means just that, so it’s a good one to use as a broad generalization. Now, Rosa’s a Catholic and you’re not, but you go along with what she believes to keep the peace.”

“Yes, I am. Catholic, I mean. I am. I just don’t practice.”

He shot her an exasperated glare. Trust her to nitpick on that one issue. “Look, I’ve told you before: If you don’t eat meat, you can’t go around saying you’re a carnivore. You’re a vegetarian. You can’t be Catholic, because you don’t go to church, or do all those happy days your mama does and stuff, so at best, you’re a vegecatholic…or something. You don’t believe like she does, but you believe something, some kind of human theology.”

Andrea rolled over on her side, clutching her belly and laughing so hard she couldn’t catch her breath. “They’re called holidays, Pop, not happy days.”

Aggravation over not getting his meaning across had Fort sprouting hair along his shoulders. His ears flicked in irritation. This is what he got for trying to be sympathetic and fatherly. “I’m trying to say that we wulves are like Catholics when it comes believing in everyone having a true-bond mate—pretty much universal. We believe in a great Creator Being, the Goddess who oversees us, blesses, and you know…all that existential stuff.” He emphasized his words by flapping his hands about. “Though basically, I’m, ah, nonpracticing myself where that is concerned.”

Laughing so hard she wheezed, Andrea caught his hands as he circled past the couch and squeezed, throwing herself into his arms. “Stop, Papa, you’re killing me!”

Sloughing on with his explanation, he ignored her guffaws. “Most believe the Mother has crafted a perfect partner, a mirror match for each and every wulf. Unfortunately, not every wulf finds this perfect mate. Perhaps they are born too far away or they die before ever having a chance to meet. Maybe they give up looking and settle for what’s at hand. They marry another and never come together.

“But when they do meet, something clicks. Their bodies attune to one another. And while there’s no choice in that, never doubt there is great passion. In fact, no wulf can be truly happy with anyone else once they’ve encountered their true-bond mate. It’s stronger than the love the humans talk about, more enduring. And like the Catholics believe, once initiated, the bond is forever. A wulf is physically incapable of being unfaithful to a true-bond mate. They cleave for all time.”

Andrea slowly stopped laughing as the words sank in. “You’re saying that is how Chase sees me? How he feels about me?”

“Yes.”

“You’re also saying he might not ever ‘love’ me like I want.”

Her stoic expression didn’t match the pain in her eyes. He had to clear his throat before answering. “Yeah, that’s what I’m saying. But when you’re weighing the pros and cons, be sure to factor in the way Chase will always be drawn to you. Unlike many women, you’ll never complain your mate doesn’t want you. In his eyes, you’ll never have an equal.”

“Even though I’m too skinny and wulves like a woman with some meat on her?” The tentative question revealed another set of worries.

Fort rubbed the back of his head, silently wondering why females, all of them, were preoccupied with their bodies to such an extent. Maybe he’d praised Rosa’s round curves a bit much, but Andrea had no cause to feel lacking. She was a beautiful woman, and Chase was a lucky wulf to have her. He told her so.

“First of all, young lady, you are not too skinny. Where did you get the idea you were underdeveloped?” He waved at her chest. “You have…uh…fine curves. You’re coming along nicely.” He hurried on when she snickered at him. “Secondly, a wulf generally seeks a hefty human because the chance of damaging a more fragile woman is too high. We’ve done it so long it’s become a genetic preference. Those rules don’t apply to you, Andrea. You’re a breed, designed to take the rough and tumble of an aroused wulf. You might look frail, but your body is anything but. And third, judging a person by their outward appearance is what humans do. Past the initial attraction, we wulves judge more by scent and actions.” A huge grin parted his lips. “I can honestly tell you that Chase fell for you when you clobbered him with that skillet!”

Andrea said nothing, just continued to burrow into his chest. He knew better than to mention his shirt felt suspiciously wet round about her eye height. Fort hugged her tight, glad she didn’t pull away. A fierce wave of love rolled up and over, and he sucked in a deep breath. “Honey biscuit, you’ll be okay. Chase will honor you, and if he doesn’t, your uncle Hunter and I will rip a strip off his hide.”

“Thank you, Papa.” Her muffled words had him fighting a wave of nostalgia.

“Oh, my precious daughter, I haven’t had you in my den near long enough to be ready to give you away!”

A small hand patted his back. “I love you too. You’ve given me these last three years. Something my birth father never could—stability, safety.” She pulled back to gaze up at him. “I know sometimes I don’t act like it, but I do know how good you’ve been to Mom and me. Thank you.”

He had to clear his throat before he could answer. “You never need to thank me for caring for you. It has been my pleasure and my duty, little one. But I don’t know what you’re talking about. You’ve been the perfect daughter.”

The both laughed at that sentimental lie. “Look on the bright side, Papa. You’re not losing a daughter, you’re gaining a son-in-law.”

Rolling his eyes, Fort played along. “Maybe, but I’d be too scared to call him that. Chase’d whup my butt!”

“I wouldn’t let him. I’d hit him with another skillet.”

Andrea’s shoulders twitched, and he knew that was the sign she was through cuddling. He dropped his arms and she stepped back, leaned up on her tiptoes, and planted a smacking kiss on his cheek.

“Thanks for the talk, Papi. I feel loads better, and I think I’m going to try sleeping now. When Mom comes in, tell her I’m grabbing an early night.”

Fort grunted, glancing at his watch. “You call eleven o’clock early?”

Andrea headed down the hall. “Yes. By rights, I should still be out with Shelley, but I figure going to bed early beats a crying jag in the ladies’ bathroom.”

“What did you two do?” Fort glared after her. “Are the police going to come knocking at my door again, Andrea? Is that why Shelley skedaddled out of here like her tail was on fire after dropping you off?”

“I think you’d better take the military’s stand on that, Papa. Don’t ask, and I won’t tell,” his daughter warned, hand on her bedroom door. “But if the police call here about me threatening some woman, the Moon made me do it!”

Knowing the pranks his girl was capable of when in the company of her wild friend, Fort couldn’t help but worry. “That wouldn’t be a valid excuse even if you were a wulf. Andrea, what did you do?”

“Lighten up, will you? This was my last night of freedom. Shelley and I were just having a little howl.” She waggled her fingers at him and blew a kiss. “Look on the bright side. If the cops don’t make it here tonight, by tomorrow it’ll no longer be your problem. Sweet dreams,” she whispered, grabbing the last-word advantage by easing her door shut.

Fortrayn stood in the hall, staring at that closed door, torn between the fatherly role of opening it and forcing her to tell him all the gory details, and the more cowardly path of doing what she suggested and letting Chase deal with the fallout of whatever the girls had been up to. With a fierce grin, he decided on the latter. Chase was a big wulf. He ruled practically the entire East Coast of the American Pack. Surely he could deal with one spirited girl on the cusp of womanhood.

For some outlandish reason, that struck him as hilarious, and Fort leaned against the wall and howled with laughter. “By the Moon, Chase hasn’t the slightest idea what’s going to hit him tomorrow.”

“Hombre, why are you standing in the hallway talking to yourself and laughing like a loon?”

Fortrayn turned, hungry for the sight of his mate. Rosa stood at the open back door, their sleeping son tucked in her arms. He went to her, took them both in his arms, and held on long and hard. “I love you all so much.”

Rosa turned her head to gaze at Andrea’s closed door, a gentle smile curving her lips. As always, she dipped into their private channel and saw what he was thinking. “She’s grown up so fast. She may not think she’s ready for this, but she is. You’ve helped see to it that our daughter has become a responsible, mature adult, despite her youth. Now you have to believe that also.”

Fort dragged in a deep breath. “My head knows all this, but my father’s heart trembles, knowing what’s in store for her with Chase as a mate.”

His wife’s soft hand reached up to cradle his cheek. “The McCallum men are honorable Alphas. I think she can handle anything he dishes out. In fact, she might have a few surprises for your cousin. Andrea is not your average eighteen-year-old.”

The smile curving Rosa’s mouth set alarm bells jangling. Fort knew his wife too well. “Rosa McCallum, what mischief have you been up to?”

She widened her eyes. “Me? Why would you think I was up to anything?”

“Well, that innocent look, there, that tells me something is going on.” He narrowed his eyes. “Add to that, the fact you’ve tried to shut me out, closed down our link to a thread. I know you, woman. You’ve got some scheme going on. Spill it.”

“Well, I could never fool you, eh, esse?” Rosa chuckled. “Let me put this boy down for the night, and we’ll talk.”

“Give him to me. I’ll put him to bed.”

She seemed reluctant to hand him over. “Careful! He’s totally limp.”

“It’s okay. Wulf pups are notoriously indestructible.” Nevertheless, Fortrayn gently lifted their son from her arms, tucking him securely in his embrace. Carrying the puppy to his room, he kicked the pile of blankets into a more comfortable heap and laid the slumbering cub in the midst. One droopy ear twitched as the small body squirmed to get comfortable. Smiling, heart filled to overflowing, Fort made sure there was fresh water in his bowl and checked to see the doggy door was functional. Satisfied, he eased out of the room and pulled the hall door almost closed. Closing it would have woken his son immediately.

Returning to Rosa, he found his wife staring over his shoulder, her lips tight with strain. His own drew taut with a moment’s quick reflex of aggravation. She was hurting, struggling with the months-old reality of their son’s situation. She resented that Andrew was now in fur form, no longer the sweet, cuddly toddler whose diaper she’d changed. Subconsciously, she couldn’t accept the fact her child was not human, and it was that bigoted reaction that had Fort struggling with his own resentment. His gut roiled with pain contemplating this first major glitch in their relationship, causing his words to come out harsh and gruff. “Andrew’s fine. His present form isn’t permanent, but it is totally natural.”

She nodded tartly, carefully not glancing back toward the partially open door. “Can we talk about this back in our room? Farther away from Drew and Andrea’s rooms, please?” Her tones echoed his for stiffness.

Fort dragged his fingers through his hair, at a loss for what to say. “What is there to talk about that hasn’t already been covered, Rosa?”

With a sigh of her own, she took his hand, intertwined her fingers with his, and tugged him behind her up the hall to their bedroom. Still wordless, she closed the door behind them before walking with him over to their wrought iron canopy bed. Letting go his hands, she pushed at his shoulders until he sat down on the side of the mattress, wondering what she had in mind.

He couldn’t read her expression. She was keeping her thoughts locked tight behind her mental shields, and Fort wasted a moment cursing himself for teaching her how to do that. He very much feared she was gearing up for a fight, and that was the last thing he wanted. “Rosa…”

“No.” Fiercely adamant, the word exploded from her.

What the fuck does she mean no? Fort shifted uneasily. “Uh…care to elaborate on what you just said?”

Rosa hiked her skirt up and clambered up to straddle his lap. Settling her bottom squarely over his groin, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his head down to hers.

“No more separation, no to this wedge between us!” she said once more before she took his mouth in a fevered, driven kiss. She kept kissing him, tongue and teeth and lips working to raise the heat until they were both burning.

Fort groaned, gripped her tighter, and took over. As his cock swelled, his eyes went incandescent, claws and fangs emerging to add the spice of danger to their exchange. He wanted his wife, wanted to sink into her and lose himself. He wanted to forget all the issues trying to tear them apart.

Pulling away only enough to brush his lips as she spoke, Rosa expanded on her declaration. “No, I won’t let this be about me. I refuse to let this situation come between us anymore. I’m sorry, mi esposo. I’ve been a stupid pendeja about our baby, but no more. I love you too much to let my insecurities tear us apart. You’re the only hombre for me, and wulf or not, our son is a blessing granted our union, a magical gift. I’ll never forget that again.”

Dazed, Fort lifted his head, eyes burning, and gazed down into his mate’s warm brown eyes. He latched onto the pain easily heard in her explanation. “Insecurities, Rosa? You know how I feel about you. Know you have my entire heart. What the hell is there to be insecure about?”

“How about the fact our son doesn’t need me? That I’m not being a very good mother to him, can’t be while he’s in this stage of development.”

Fort tightened his arms about his mate. He’d never understand how a woman as accomplished as his wife could doubt herself, but he didn’t care about the whys or wherefores. He just wanted her to stop torturing herself about things she couldn’t change. “I won’t tell you that is hogwash or ridiculous, because your fears, no matter how unfounded, have relevance to you even if I can’t fathom them. What I will tell you is you are the best mother my son could have, the only woman I want.”

“I want to believe you, Fort.” Rosa rotated her hips, rubbing her panty-covered pussy over the growing bulge of his erection. “Make me forget about losing Andrea tomorrow, about failing Drew. Tonight, I want to be fucked out of my mind by my sexy mate.”

Fort’s hips rose of their own accord, humping his cock up into the cradle of her thighs. “Oh my hot little chili pepper, that request is so easy to fill.” He ran a hand down her flank, sank claw-tipped fingers in the flesh at her hip, and dragged her closer to him. The other hand fisted in her shoulder-length hair and tugged. “I’ve got news for you, hotness. You’re no failure and we’re not losing Andrea, but you are about to get the fucking of your life!”

Rosa moaned under the dual pricks of pain, eyes going vague as she surrendered to the passion rising between them. She opened when he leaned to take her mouth, battling for control of the kiss.

Their tongues dueled, met and twined, breaking apart only to come together with wet, carnal heat again and again. Heat burned in Fort’s eyes, the golden glow rendering his mate’s face a palette of shimmering browns and topazes. “You are so beautiful,” he rasped, rushing into another long, intimate kiss. “How could you doubt my love for you? Or think you could be less than perfect for this family?”

She pulled away to smooth his hair out of his face and met his wulfen gaze, hers glittering with captured tears. “I guess I just need to know you still want me.”

“Forever,” Fort groaned, palming a pert, full breast and thumbing the budding nipple. The tip stiffened beneath his fingers and she squirmed on his lap, grinding against his cock. She was killing him.

“Oh, I want you, my wild Spanish rose. I’ll always want you.”

“Then take me, mi amor! Take me any way you want, as much as you want.”

11:10 p.m.—After the Challenge Fight
 

“Chase?”

The pensive note in the other’s voice had Chase glancing up from the bloodied cloth he was holding. When Hunter’s hazel stare snagged his eyes, he quickly broke the connection by glancing back down at the gore soaking the makeshift bandage he was refolding. Rearranging it until he’d created a relatively clean area, Chase pressed the cloth back to the healing but still-bloody rips in his cheek. “Yeah?”

“Well done with my boy. It was big of you to let him draw blood, even magnanimous.”

Chase shrugged the praise off. “He deserved it. He fought well.”

Hunter nodded, rested the back of his head against the leather upholstery, and stared at the car’s ceiling. In his arms, Joy slumbered on, never rousing more than to smack her rosebud lips in dreams of suckling.

“Earlier, when you and Blair were talking, I didn’t say anything, but I do accept your apology. Actually, I was ready to do so long before tonight.”

That surprised him. Thinking about it, Chase grew offended. “You couldn’t have let me know that before now, hoss? I’ve been miserable these last three years.”

“I decided to wait for your admission of wrongdoing.”

The anger left as fast as it had come. Chase turned his head to face his cousin, uncomfortable in the face of Hunter’s soft-spoken revelations. “I never denied what I did was wrong, Hunter.”

“In a way you did. You’ve always offered reasons for what you did, never contriteness. You pled necessity, but in my eyes, expediency doesn’t excuse actions. Never has, never will. You know what bothered me most?”

Chase shook his head, lips firming at the somber note in Hunter’s voice. The big wulf hadn’t seen his head shake, too busy gazing down at his daughter. “No.” Even though he cleared his throat, the single word came out hoarse.

“We grew up side by side, faced everyone down to defy the tradition that separates potential heirs so we could stay together. We were as close as twins: like Romulus and Remus. You were the one person in the world I trusted, and you betrayed me. You knew going in that your actions would break our relationship, and you did it anyway. When you first made the threat, my initial inclination was to head you off, to mate Melody before you could make a move.”

“Why didn’t you? I practically begged you to do it.”

“You’ll never know just how close I came to doing so, but in the end, it wasn’t about you. I’d made a promise to Mel, given her my word she’d have all the time she needed to accept me. I wanted her to come to me on her own, without being coerced.” Hunter grunted. “You fucked that plan up, but more importantly, you fucked up when you tried to steal my true-bond mate. If you’d succeeded, I’d have had no choice but to challenge you. I couldn’t have given her up to you. I wouldn’t have. Not even if you’d mated her fully.”

Chase opened his mouth to say something and froze in the act, realizing he had been on the brink of doing just what Hunter had just accused him of: defending his actions. He wouldn’t do that again. The truth of the matter was he had not a shred of defense in the face of Hunter’s truths.

“You’re right, Hunter. You know why I did what I did, but the reasons behind the actions don’t justify them. Looking back, I’d do it differently or not at all. I hurt you, hurt us, and there’s nothing I can do to change that.”

Chase cringed at putting his naked feelings on display, glad for the vehicle’s dim interior. His emotions, bare and vulnerable, had him wishing he could avoid this, but he owed Hunter nothing less. Gritting his teeth, he struggled on.

“There’ve been times I wished you could have been there, could have seen how your bitch comported herself, because you’d have been so proud of her. You’d have loved the way she stood up to me. Even injured and hurting, she never stopped fighting, never showed anything less than the bravest, boldest courage. But mostly, I’ve been glad to the pit of my being that you weren’t there”—his voice wobbled, and he paused to take a deep breath—“because what I told Blair earlier this evening was the simple truth. If you’d seen the terror on Melody’s face, witnessed the despair in her soft sherry eyes put there by my actions, there’s no way in hell you could have allowed me to live.”

Chase lowered his head, kept his gaze down in a submissive stance, not willing to meet his cousin’s eyes. “I knew even then that her fear wasn’t a selfish one. She was only concerned about you, kept telling me how much you loved me, and how it would destroy you to have to kill me. Holy Moon, Hunter—” Chase broke off, jabbing stiff fingers through the hank of hair falling into his eyes, then scrubbing at his face in agitation. How the hell could he explain? How could he make Hunter see how much he longed to have things be different between them?

When his words tumbled out, they were low, in deference to the sleeping pups, but gruff and thick with the raw emotions he’d kept bottled for so long. “Hunter, I am so sorry. If I could go backward in time, undo what I did…” He clenched his jaw, grit his teeth. “You were right saying we weren’t just cousins. You had always been like my older brother. And then you…weren’t.”

Chase threw his head back and breathed deeply, trying to control the urge to hide his feelings, to bury them beneath the instinct to shift into his battle form. Closing his lids over his glowing eyes, swallowing to relieve his constricted voice box, he forced himself to voice the humbling admission. “I know I fucked up. In the end, it was all for nothing. You can’t imagine my shock when a young girl clobbered me in the head and I looked up and recognized my own true-bond mate. Man, that was just bizarre. But I’ll never forget the look of disgust in Andrea’s eyes. She’d recognized me as hers, and she’d just watched her mate try to force another woman.”

Hunter’s voice rumbled in the dark of the car. “Chase, it’s hard listening to this—”

“Not as hard as it’s been living with Andrea’s contempt and your censure, but above all, I’ve missed you, missed how close we used to be. There’s a vast difference between being loved and being tolerated, and I’ve felt that difference every day of the last three years. Worst of all, I’ve had to live with the knowledge that I have no one but myself to blame.”

“Thank you, Chase. I, of all people, know what it cost you to get all that out.” Hunter reached across the wide backseat to touch Chase’s shoulder, making a slight laughter sound that had nothing to do with humor. “We two aren’t very comfortable with sentiment, are we?” His face hardened, voice dropped an octave into the growling range when he continued. “But I needed to hear you say it. I needed to know that our estrangement didn’t sit lightly with you, that it hurt you as much as it did me. It helps that you’ve admitted our relationship meant something to you, that you want it restored.”

Hunter’s quiet words eased something tight within him, and Chase relaxed back against his seat, feeling positively euphoric. Yet no sooner had his old pain been alleviated, than a new problem—this one with the potential of worsening this new accord—took its place. Chase worried that this new situation involving Blair would blow up in his face. He really didn’t want to go through another three years like the last one.

“Cuz, having a relationship with you means everything to me, and I’ll do whatever necessary to restore it. That being the case, I hope you’ll understand my concern about what went down here, tonight. Are you really okay with the way the challenge fight went with your little man?”

“I am.” Hunter crossed his knee over his right leg and stretched his arm along the back of the plush upholstered seat, the picture of relaxed calm. Chase only then realized his cousin had been almost as tense as he.

“Blair’s four, and well past the age to begin training in fighting and social interaction. He needed—needs to learn how to lose as well as how to win. How to pick his battles to minimize his losses.”

“He already hates me. This fight might have been overkill.”

Hunter stretched his legs out and crossed his ankles. Keeping his voice low, he harrumphed before addressing Chase’s concern. “Suck it up, dude. It may take a while, but I have no doubt he’ll come around. Blair has the heart of a wulf. He’s a brave little wulf, trapped in the body of a breed child. He’ll never shift, couldn’t possibly hold his own against full-blooded wulves by himself, yet he may one day have to protect his little sister and the other women in his family. He needs to learn he can’t go up against wulves and win, not without using something more than his teeth and muscles. You’ll teach him to utilize everything he can bring to the game: his intellect, his will, and his courage.”

Chase spared a proud glance over at the boy sleeping quietly in the front-facing seat of the limo. “He’s got plenty of that.”

“He surely does,” Hunter agreed, eyes filling with pride and fatherly love. “I’d trust no one else with the nurturing of that courage. I know you’ll care for him as if he were your own.”

Chase grunted, grimacing at the same time. “He very nearly was.”

A fierce frown marred Hunter’s craggy face as his back went ramrod straight and he shot upright. “Let’s not go there. I’m barely over lusting after your blood. Remarks like that could set me off again.” His glowing eyes said he was only half kidding.

Chase sobered. “Will we ever get back to what we were?”

Hunter didn’t answer at once. “I hope so. It’ll be a long road and rough, but at least we’re both walking it now.” It was the old comfortable grin Hunter gave him now. “If you can refrain from making I-want-to-rip-your-throat-out-inducing comments, we might both still be in one piece when we reach that common destination.”

Chase eased back and propped his hands behind his head, grinning in the dark. Moon’s light, he’d missed playing with Hunter. “So, no throat-ripping-inducing comments. I think I can manage that.”

* * * * *

“Yes, Fort, yes…right there.” Rosa bit her lip, strangling the cries tightening her throat. She writhed, bucking under the intense shards of pleasure burning in her clit as he lapped and licked the slick bundle of nerves. Clenching a double fistful of her husband’s hair, mashing his head against her pussy, she moaned, “Don’t you dare stop licking me right there!”

“How can I fuck your brains out if I can’t stop licking you right there?” His mental voice held a teasing whine.

Her slap said she wasn’t amused.

“Ah, darling, you make my head reel. Let me return the favor.”

He lifted his dripping mouth from between her thighs and moved up the bed, up her body, bringing her legs up with him, hooked over his elbows. Rolling her body up under his, Fort notched his cock in the red, swollen entry of Rosa’s juicy cunt, rubbing against her clit before sliding in past the clinging tissue of her sex.

“Aye, mi amor! Aye! Give me more…” Rosa’s nails dug into his back as she curled her legs around his hips, squeezing her heels against the small of his hips, meeting his thrusts with her own fierce power.

Body shuddering, Fort balanced his weight on one hand and used the other to curl his mate closer, big palm cupping both cheeks of her trim ass as he slammed the full length of his cock in and out of her stuffed pussy.

Her sobbing cries and moans fueled his passion, drove him to make her scream louder and higher as he fucked her harder and harder, fighting off the urge to take his hulking midform for fear of splitting her human vagina to shreds.

The sweet aroma of their mingled juices rose to flood his nostrils, and Fort threw back his head and howled, hips powering inhumanly into the thrashing body of his wailing mate. Seed spouting in a thick, hot fountain, Fort came forever, filling the womb of his woman with every drop of essence she’d drawn from his convulsing body.

Collapsing onto the tiny woman beneath him, Fort gathered her into his arms and rolled. Ending with her on top.

The Wedding Day! Early Morning Revelations
 

Melody’s toes curled as a grinding, twisting orgasm shuddered through her body, jarring her awake in time enough to enjoy the last of the rippling, flowing sensation.

Ungluing her sleep-pasted eyes, she peered down the hills and valleys of her full-figured form to find Hunter’s muzzle between her legs, his wulfen tongue still lapping at her throbbing pussy. His big furred body held her thighs apart, and one weighty paw rested low on her abdomen, as if daring her to move.

Languidly rubbing one foot along his furred back, she cleared her throat before she could manage a husky drawl. “What have I told you about starting without me?”

“I was horny, but you looked so fucking beautiful sleeping, I couldn’t bear to wake you up. Don’t I get points for waiting to fuck you?”

She laughed. “You do not. And don’t use those puppy eyes on me. I happen to know you ain’t nothing but a hound puppy.”

“You insult me. I’m a big bad wulf. I eat puppies for breakfast.”

Melody rolled her head on the pillows, luxuriating in the lush sensations her husband was lavishing upon her. “Oh, really, and here I thought you confined yourself to eating me for breakfast.” She held her arms out. “Are you going to brag or fuck? Get up here and give me some love.”

Morphing as he kissed his way up her body, Hunter fell on her lips, thrusting his tongue far into her mouth. The blunt head of his cock thudded against her vagina, nudging her swollen lips apart. The thick barrel pushed in, stretching her so sweetly as he sank into her depths a decadent inch at a time.

“My sweet bitch, so tight, so welcoming…so mine! This ride will be quick and rough.”

“Bring it!” She groaned, closing her arms about his wide shoulders as she locked her legs about his hips, clutching him to her, accepting his domination, savoring his taking. Thanks to his earlier loving she was almost there, her body already tingling as she rose toward a second beckoning climax. “Hunter! In! Yes!”

“Let me feel you come on my cock, baby. Squeeze me tight. Milk your wulf with that honey-sweet cunt of mine.”

Pure carnal sensation rolled over her. Hot, glittering sparks of fire filled her veins. Melody flung her head back and screamed, plus-sized body bowing and jerking as she came in hard, unending flows, intimate muscles pulsing around Hunter’s long, thick cock. “Oh God, Hunter, I’m coming! Baby, I love you…so much…so much!”

And he was right there with her, driving her up, guiding her over the jagged edge. Melody looked up to see Hunter’s glowing eyes trained on her, his beloved face contorted in the throes of passion, furred hips blurring between her thighs. Together, they went nova, lighting up the room with their passion and love.

Afterward, they cuddled for a few rare moments of married peace before the day began for their babies. Melody rested her head on Hunter’s chest, idly running her fingers through the dense hair covering his flat male nipples. “That was turbulent, not that I’m complaining, but what set your rockets off this morning?”

Hunter tightened both arms around her and tucked her closer to his body. Already, his cock was firming, pressing into the soft swell of her belly. “A mating always gets my motor humming, you big chocolate parfait of a woman, you.” He bumped her with his cock. “I’m still revving. Jack me off or give me some head. Otherwise, I’m going to fuck you again and again, and you’ll be too sore to participate in the wedding.”

“Whoa! Buford really is up and raring to go again.” Melody reached down and fisted the thick length, barely able to encircle it. She shuddered, loving the heft of the hot, hard, silken flesh against her palm. The broad, blunt head seeped precum, and she smeared it over the helmeted crown and up the barrel, fingers gliding through the viscous discharge. He reared up under her handling, and she smiled. “Like that, honey?”

“Love it, but I’d like your mouth on me better. Please, Mel, please suck my cock. Do that thing with your tongue”—a spurt of cum shot from the tip into Melody’s palm—“fuck, just thinking about it is making me spew.”

A husky laugh left her as she rubbed his seed all over the crowned head, slicked it down the rampant shaft. “You mean that thing I do when I push my tongue in your tight little slit?”

Teasing, she slithered down the bed until her head was close enough to engulf his erection. She licked all around the head and down the vein-roped barrel, avoiding the spot in question. A tongue flick over the sensitive opening had her smacking her lips. “Mhmmm…that’s tangy.”

Hunter’s hips bucked. His hands became a vise around her skull. “By the Moon, yes. That’s what I mean. Do it, my Melody. Do me.”

“Well, since you ask so nicely.” She stretched her lips around the mushroomed helmet, used her teeth to compress the ridge as she fluttered her tongue over and over the little slit in the tip.

Growling, Hunter anchored her head to his groin. “Fuck it, stop playing me, or I’m going to spank your round ass!”

Mouth full of cock, Melody answered along their private mental link. “Make me promises like that and we’ll be here all day!” She pressed her tongue flat against the opening, pushed, and held there for a moment until she could no longer stand not to take him. Sucking hard on the knob between her teeth, she pointed her tongue and spiked it into the mouth of his slit, forcing the small hole to give around her tongue. Pulling back she pressed back in, using one hand to pump his shaft near his base, forcing his cock deeper into her mouth. With the other, she caressed and rolled his balls.

Hips rolling and bucking, Hunter roared. “I’m coming!”

“Not yet, you’re not.”

He couldn’t spew as long as her tongue was a finger in his dike. She was acting like a dam to his flow. Hunter’s hips thrashed, twisted as he tried to dislodge his mate’s tongue, but the pleasure made him weak, made his muscles twitch and spasm. His fists twisted in her curly ’fro. “Goddess Moon, Melody, I’m fucking on fire!”

“Ooh, and your poor balls are hard as rocks too. I bet they’re tender. Are they tender, baby? How does it feel when I do this?” She squeezed gently, ran a finger upward toward the crease in his buttocks.

Hunter’s body curled into an almost fetal position as he sobbed his answer along their link. “So good…so Night’s shadow good, I want to scream.”

“Scream all you want, Hunter, but when I release you, you are not to come.”

“Have to. Can’t hold it.”

“No! You will hold it so you can use your cum as a lubricant while you take my ass.”

Hunter stilled. “My Melody, have I told you lately I adore you? You’re the light that dispels my darkness. I am yours forever.”

Melody smiled around his cock. “I thought that would change your mind. You think you can hold on, then?”

“For that, I damn well will. At least for the minute it’ll take me to get my cock up your ass.”

“Hold that thought…and that sperm, then.”

Melody waited to withdraw until Hunter replaced her tongue’s pressure with a firm grip on the spot above his balls that kept his flow constricted. Then, with a quick backward suck, she pulled out of his cock. A sharp spurt of cum exited with her, and she slurped that up with relish. “Yum!”

Hunter’s claws on her drew blood as he frantically flipped her over onto her hands and knees, forcing her thighs wide apart. It was a measure of how out of control he was, for her mate would never hurt her intentionally. Melody hummed, circling her hips, aroused by the minute pain. It turned her on seeing how much her loving affected this powerful wulf.

Scrambling to his knees, Hunter made room for his large body, pulling her cheeks open. One hand on her upper back alternately pressuring her shoulders down and plucking at her nipples, he grasped his cock with the other, circled her puckered hole, smearing ejaculate over and into the tight ring of muscle guarding her anus.

He played with her, teasing the opening relentlessly until Melody was crying for him to take her, claim her. He was a hot, hard weight at the tiny aperture, and when he began powering in, parting her flesh, the pain was fierce.

Panting, Melody grit her teeth and pushed out, trying to ease his entry, knowing the pleasure was only seconds away. As large as Hunter was, he always hurt before he made her head spin with the lush sensations only he could give her.

“Stay with me, sweet bitch. I’m almost there.” Hunter’s voice soothed her, as did the hot, viscous spray entering before him, easing the way as he sank deep, deeper. Another gush of heat slicked her dark, tight channel, and Hunter’s cock entered new territory, lighting every nerve along the way.

Melody moaned and laughed, giddy with the power flowing through their link as she accepted him, rocked back to take more of him. And then he began to fuck her, shafting deep in her bowels, big cock scouring the walls of her anus. It was so good, so damn good.

She was screaming now, clawing the sheets and clenching around him as he pistoned inside her, one large palm on her belly, supporting her as his hips whipped back and forth, sending his cock into her with sharp, deep digs.

Guttural cries and groans were all Hunter was capable of now. Big body covered with fur, hands and feet tipped with deadly claws, his mouth filled with a predator’s fangs. He was a killing machine, but for now, for Melody, he was a fucking marvel. She didn’t have the slightest fear he would harm her for all he couldn’t communicate it in words. Melody knew there was only one thing on her wulf’s mind right now: fucking her into the bedding.

He was bringing it so good. Her large breasts shook and swayed with each powerful thud of his hips against hers, the nipples tight and sore from his vigorous thumbing. The flesh of her swollen clit pounded in rhythm with her pulse, the wild beat throbbing in her wet heat. She was almost there. Al…most. There! She needed to come so badly.

“Yes…oooh…fuck me, fuck my ass good, baby!” she begged, the words broken and disjointed. She reached a hand back and circled her clit, desperate to come.

With a bestial snarl, Hunter yanked her head back and sank his fangs in her neck. Holding her immobile, he went wild in her ass, throwing his hips at her rounded butt, digging his cock deep in her bowels as he dug in his clawed hands at her waist to drag her back into his frenzied thrusts.

She reveled in his wildness, loved the untamed animal he became when they loved. “Oh yes, going to—oh God!—wanna come, Hunter!”

“Come then, my sweet bitch. Come with my cock ramming this luscious, cushiony ass.”

Another snarling groan and a slap on her jiggling buttocks sent her over. One large hand dropped to thumb her clit, pushing hers out of the way as he shoved several fingers plunging into her pussy.

“Feel me thumbing this fat, juicy clit, pumping my sweet, sopping pussy. Let me hear you sing my name.”

She couldn’t help but obey as this last orgasm snatched her up and slammed her against a glittering diamond wall of sensation. Her shrill screams split the air as rapture burst around her into a shower of lust, love, and passion. Over and over she screamed her lover’s name, crying out the most loving word she knew as she flew apart. “Hunter!”

Hunter opened their link completely, flooding her with his emotions, the looped flow ratcheting the heat to feverish levels. “Take that! And that!” he cried, cock plunging in and out of her puckered sphincter, the stinging friction bordering the pleasure with shards of ice as he sent shot after shot of seed to slick and loosen the tight channel.

“Don’t knot!” she hollered at the last minute, yanked out of her euphoria by memories of the last time they’d gotten carried away. That knot was huge and hurt like the fires of hell, trapped in her anus. Not enjoyable.

With a curse and a spike of remorse through the link, Hunter wrenched himself away from her, out of her, coming up on his knees to finish. A few hard, squeezing pumps and he was coming, ejaculating over her lower back and the rounded curve of her ass and shouting, “My bitch, my good, good bitch, I love you so much.” And then, picking up something in their link, something she’d hidden from him until their orgasms linked their minds completely, he chortled. “You’ve been a bad, bad girl!”

* * * * *

Dried and fresh from a shared shower but still naked, Hunter strolled back into their bedroom, a well-satisfied Buford swinging lazily between his thighs. Crossing over to their closet, he went to the far back and took down a wide leather belt hanging in solitary pride of place on Melody’s side.

He came back into their bedroom, belt swinging loose at his side to find Melody sitting on the side of the mattress. She hadn’t dressed, knowing what was coming. Instead, she’d chosen to leave her big brown body boldly on display, having overcome her shyness around him years ago. Her double-D breasts sagged a bit; they were too full not to, but Hunter adored their fullness. His gaze roved over the soft mounds of breasts, belly, and thighs, sighing as Buford—that greedy dog—perked up. That was all it took, one look at his beautiful, bountiful bitch, and he was ready and randy. He suspected he always would be horny for his Mel. It was the way of the beast.

Melody barely glanced at the belt, eyes watching the rising of his cock. “I figured you’d see my little secret.”

Hunter grunted. That was what she was calling it? “Not so little. You knew better than to interfere. If this backfires, the fan the shit hits could blow big-time trouble over all of us.”

“She was afraid. She asked for my help.”

With a resigned sigh, Hunter sat down beside his mate. He, better than anyone, knew her tender heart. There was no way Andrea—a member of her family—could have asked something of her and been turned down. “Melody, we just fucked. Twice. And here Buford is hard and raring to go again.” They both glanced down at his penis. No longer limp, the long, stiff cock hugged his belly, ready for action. “Chase has been mated yet celibate for over three years. You have no idea the physical and mental agony that entailed. Plotting to take away his mate after he’s only gotten one taste is just plain…cruel.”

She cocked her head at him. “Tell me, Hunter. Is it as cruel as sending worn panties to someone with a sense of smell as advanced as a wulf’s?”

Hunter raised an eyebrow. “That was vengeance. What was your excuse?”

She ignored the question. “So I get spanked because Chase hasn’t gotten any tail?”

Hunter hid his amusement at her antics. His sweet bitch always tried to bully her way out of her punishments. It was all part of the game. “You know better. According to the rules we both laid down, you are not to interfere in Pack business unless it pertains to your role of Pack Prima-in-waiting. In addition, when you do interfere, it is to be our Pack you meddle in, not someone else’s.”

Melody worried her bottom lip. “All right, I’ll admit I deserve this spanking, but can’t you wait until after the wedding? I have to do a lot of sitting.”

Laughing aloud, Hunter shook his head. “Good try, sweet bitch, but it ain’t flying. While we’re sitting through the ceremony and reception, I want your ass to feel truly contrite.” He touched his wife’s full, pouty bottom lip, smoothing a finger along the damp curve. “But I’ll give you this. Since you will undergo punishment for your crime, it’s only fair that said crime actually be committed. I’ll say nothing to Chase. Call it my last revenge.”

Melody flung her arms around his neck, showering him with pecks of kisses. “You are such a lovely, lovely wulf. Have I told you lately that I love you?”

He wrapped his arms about his plus-sized bundle of love, growing harder as his body melded with her cushiony flesh. “You have. And you’ll be singing it with every stroke of the belt, as per our agreement. Now climb aboard.”

Melody stood up and waited while Hunter swung his legs around and scooted up to the top of the bed. Resting his back against the headboard, he patted his thighs in invitation. Reaching his hand out, he steadied his mate as she faced away from him and straddled his thighs, squatting over his cock. Before Melody sank down she turned her head and caught his eyes. “How many do I get?”

He looked up from curling the belt around his fist, leaving only the last third free. It was enough length to cover both ass cheeks, but not enough to whip around and hit her thighs. “I’ll tell you once you’re situated. Now stop stalling and sit on my cock.”

With a little hum of anticipation, Melody eased down, slowly engulfing Hunter’s upstanding cock. Her tight pussy was a hot, slick sheath gloving his straining flesh. He sucked in a sharp breath, gritted his teeth, and held still, waiting for her to take him all the way.

“How many?”

Amused at her impatience, Hunter’s eyes crinkled, but he refrained from outright laughter, trying to stay in character. Mel loved these little scenes, and he’d grown to enjoy them also. “However many there are, you’ve just added five to them for your unseemly persistence.”

Her entire body gave a little shimmer of happiness as she settled completely. “God, you’re so hot when you’re masterful!”

“That’s better. Now, as this was a serious crime, we’ll set the punishment at fifty swats, plus your extras, of course. Start counting.” His voice hardened. “And you’d better not come until the count is over.”

A rush of cream bathed Hunter’s cock as Melody moaned in anticipation.

“One, I love you!”

Smack!

“Ah God! Two, I love you!”

Breakfast of Champions
 

“Buenos días, niña! Qué usted desea para el desayuno?”

A bleary-eyed Andrea blinked at her mother, trying to figure out when the woman had totally flipped. “Good morning to you too, Mom, but what do you mean, ‘What do I want for breakfast?’” Waving her hand, she asked, “Have you lost your mind? Hello, Mama, nervous bride present!” She pressed a hand to her tummy. “Feels like a mob of jitterbugs are dancing in here. If I try to put anything in my stomach, I swear I’ll puke it right back up.”

Over at the breakfast bar, Shelley made a disgusted noise, wadded up the napkin she’d been wiping her mouth with, and threw it at her. “Okay, that was a picture I wouldn’t want to trade a thousand words for. Yep, I sure could’ve passed on that little speech. Look, Ms. Bridezilla, you may be getting married and nervous as hell, but the rest of us humans still have to maintain our more-than-womanly figures. Seeing how I’ve already put something in my tummy, I’d like to keep it there. So no more talk about puking and stuff.” She raised her hand, grinning at Rosa. “I vote for more pancakes, Mrs. M.”

Andrea gagged. Trudging over to the coffeepot, she grabbed an oversize cup and filled it over half-full of the freshly brewed decaf. “What are you doing here so early? It’s only seven thirty.” Dumping in a boatload of sugar and creamer, she eyed her so-called best friend as she stirred the concoction.

Rosa frowned and popped Andrea with the towel. “You just wrecked a perfectly good cup of coffee.” She opened the refrigerator and pulled out a carton of eggs, a tomato, some shredded cheese, half an onion, and some cubed ham. “I’m about to cook for Fort so if you change your mind and want something later, it’ll be here.”

“Mom, please stop. Thank you, but I’m not going to want anything. Take my word for it.” She sat at the table and, using her spoon, took a fortifying sip. Dipping the spoon again, she brought it to her lips and grinned. “And there is nothing wrong with the way I fixed this.”

Her mother gave her that “stop messing with me ’cause I’m the mama” look. “If you’re going to mess it up like that, mija, you might as well stick to Ovaltine.”

Andrea’s eyes narrowed. “Okay, I’m just going to ignore that mean comment. Ovaltine is for babies.” She blew on her cup to cool the still-too-hot coffee and went on verbal attack. “I guess I’m not the only one with wedding-day jitters. What’s the matter, Mom? Papa Fort didn’t give you enough loving last night? I’m surprised. I heard y’all hitting it all up into the wee hours of the morning.”

While a red-cheeked Rosa was still sputtering in dismayed embarrassment, she turned to Shelley. “Come to think of it, Shell, you usually sleep later than this. Not that I mind, but what’s up?”

As if validating her observations, Shelley gave vent to a huge, sighing yawn. “Ordinarily, I wouldn’t be up for another hour at least, but Mama had…company. It got loud and abusive and I couldn’t stand to stay in that house a minute more.” She shrugged. “I knew Mrs. M would be cooking this morning so I decided to kill two birds with one stone. I brought my dress with me. This way, I get pampered with a gourmet-class breakfast and you get the added bonus of my company.” She snagged Andrea’s coffee cup and guzzled half the contents. “By dressing over here, you won’t have to worry about me being late.”

“Hey! Get your own.” Andrea snatched her cup back, scowling down into her cup and then back up at her best friend. “How can you drink hot coffee like that? Girl, your tongue ought to be sizzling. Why doesn’t it burn you like it does me?”

“You white folk just can’t handle the heat, that’s all.”

“Mija, we’re not white, we’re Hispanic.”

Shelley yawned again, sauntered over, and poured a cup of coffee for herself, adding a large dollop of cream and plenty of sugar. Taking it to the table, she sagged onto a chair opposite Andrea. “You all look alike to me.”

Rosa’s confused look tickled Andrea and she laughed, knowing Shelley knew darned good and well what they were. She was picking a fight, trying to take Andrea’s mind off the looming ceremony. “You are such a fake, Shelley Moore. Mom, don’t pay this joker a bit of attention. She’s playing us, just trying to ease the tension.”

“I never pay her any mind,” Rosa said. “I’m going to get Fort and Drew up. We only have four and a half more hours until the wedding. We all need to get ready. Melody will be over to help us get organized an hour before the ceremony.”

As her mother turned and went up the hallway, Shelley reached for a banana. Quick as lightning, Andrea grabbed the other woman’s cup, upended it, and reclaimed what Shelley had drunk from hers. Grinning, she passed the half-empty cup back. Taking a cautious sip, Andrea sighed, relaxing as the heat of the coffee curled its winding way through her chest down to her stomach. “Yum! I see you like to ruin a cup of coffee too.”

“Hey! No fair!” The larger girl reached for Andrea’s cup, pretending an anger she couldn’t hold on to. A smile blossomed on her dark face. “I didn’t drink that much of yours, you greedy coffee thief.”

“Back off, or you’re going to be wearing what’s left,” Andrea warned as she held her cup out of her friend’s reach.

Shelley subsided. Eyes narrowed, she picked up her half-empty cup and tossed off the remainder of her coffee. “You’d do it too, you rabid wench. Damn you’re stubborn.” She shook a finger at her friend. “And before you start bugging me about what I owe the mutual fund, I’m calling a twenty-four-hour moratorium on cussing debts. I’m losing my sister today. I have the right to cuss.”

Her expression sobered. The teasing glamour she’d been sporting dissolved, allowing Andrea to see how much her best friend dreaded the separation her coming wedding heralded. She’d hidden her fears well.

“Shell, you’re not losing me. As if! You’re my BFF, my blood sister. We’re tight. No marriage or bonding is going to shake our friendship.” She reached across the table for Shelley’s hand. Shelley shrugged, squeezing back. Her face twisted, expressive eyes revealing the fear and pain she struggled with.

“I know you believe that right now. You won’t mean to draw apart, but hey, you’ll be living on the other side of the freaking country, married to Richie Rich’s richer cousin. It won’t be long before you forget about the welfare chick back on the block.”

Andrea sat her cup down so hard the liquid sloshed over the edge and stained the white linen tablecloth. Snatching her hand back, she came to her feet, snarled down at Shelley’s woebegone face. “Good thing we’re not counting today, because I sure the heck don’t want to ever hear that kind of…of…shyte coming out your mouth again!”

Shelley smirked. “Couldn’t bring yourself to say it without the accent, huh?”

Andrea fumed. Throwing her arms around the larger woman, she hugged her as hard as she could. “Oh! You! You just shut up, Shell. I could never forget you, and no amount of money or time or distance will change that. Okay?”

A sigh wafted through the black girl. “Okay.” She ducked her head, averting her gaze. “I was just checking, ’cause I’m just saying”—she glanced up under lowered lashes—“what we have, I treasure it. I don’t wanna lose your friendship.”

That easily deflated Andrea. “Please don’t think like that, Shell. I’m not like that. I couldn’t bear not having you in my life.”

Shelley nodded. “Ditto.” She cleared her throat. “Damn girl, I’m going to be so lonely without you.”

Andrea put her hands on her hips, huffed in exasperation. “You don’t have to be. Who says you can’t move to that side of the country with me? What’s holding you here?”

“Don’t tempt me, girl. You know the situation at home.” Shelley dragged in a deep, shaky breath. “The other thing is our new jobs. Josh and I are supposed to start at Napa State Hospital next month, remember?”

“What are they starting the techs at?”

“Forty-eight thousand.” Shelley shook her head. “Man, that kinda money sounds sweet. I’ll be able to help Mom with the kids’ clothing and food and still put some away for our savings. And it’s close enough for me to commute.”

Andrea bit her lip, running a proposal through her head. She so wanted to offer her friend an alternative, but she was afraid Shelley would turn her down. Man, hindsight sucked big ones. She remembered taunting Josh about his cowardly evasion, his fear of confronting Shelley with his love for her. His answer to her accusation had been something along the lines of, “as long as I don’t ask, she can’t turn me down.”

Finding herself in the same predicament, worrying over a similar situation, she understood where Josh had been coming from. “Shelley, what if I could offer you the same or better? Would you be interested in coming with me? I mean, you could still send money home to help your younger brothers and sister. You don’t have to live in the same house to do that, do you?”

The black woman stilled. “What are you talking about, ’Drea?”

A loud knock on the front door interrupted them. Closest to the door, Shelley stood up and started up the front hall, calling, “Since I’m the only one dressed, I’ll get the door, Ms. M,” raising her voice to let Rosa know she didn’t have to come out of her bedroom.

She opened the door to find the tall, black-skinned enforcer in charge of running Chase McCallum’s personal security on the doorstep, fisted hand poised to knock again. Jerking back to avoid a rap in the face, Shelley blinked. “Holy shit, take it easy. You ’bout put my eye out.”

“The Alpha desires to see his mate.”

Looking beyond the hulking wulf, she spied Andrea’s fiancé. “Damn it, you’re not supposed to be here! Get the hell outta here before she sees you. Bad luck, much?” She slammed the door in the guard’s face.

Or tried to, anyway.

Taylor stopped the door from shutting by placing his foot in it. The heavy panel bounced off his shiny loafer, rebounding against the wall. Chase stepped around him to address the irate defender of Fortrayn’s den.

“Good morning, Ms. Moore.” He eyed the scantily clad woman, absently cataloging her full figure, able to appreciate her lush appeal without feeling any attendant heat. All his heat was reserved for his mate. “Intriguing door-opening outfit you have on. I’d like to speak with Andi.”

“Don’t step a foot in this house!” Shelley held her arms out, warding him off. Doing a visible double take, she let her wide-eyed gaze wander over his body. Dragging her eyes back up, she gave a little grunt, shimmying her plump body before taking a firmer stance. “Nope, I don’t care if you are the hotness, the groom isn’t supposed to see the bride until the wedding. Now, git away from here and wait for us at the church.”

He smiled, amused at the little dark beauty. Wondering what she’d found so hot, Chase glanced down at his comfortable Truzzi cotton twill long-sleeved shirt and his formfitting, Nat Nast peach finished pants, failing to find anything out of the ordinary, as there wasn’t a smidgen of dirt or a wrinkle on either item.

He stepped forward, intent on having his way. “Taylor, remain on the porch. This shouldn’t take long.”

“As you wish, Alpha.” He lifted a hand to the earpiece in his ear, speaking quickly into the powerful, noise-canceling microphone. He turned his back to the door and took up position.

“I said back the fuck up!” Shelley shouted, insistent on keeping him out.

Chase slipped his hands into his pants pockets. Andi’s friend was quite fierce. She actually tried to shoo him off. Too bad for her, he wasn’t so easily intimidated. He cocked an eyebrow. “Tell me, little bite, does that belligerence serve you well? Does your man Jace allow you to have your way whenever you howl so?”

Shelley bristled. “Yes, he does. And the name’s Shelley, not ‘little bit.’ His name is Josh—Mr. Tate to you and people who don’t know him well enough to get it right.”

“I said ‘bite,’ not ‘bit,’ and you once gave me permission to call you Shell.”

“The invitation’s rescinded, vampo. Now get the hell outta here.”

Throwing back his head, Chase laughed out loud. “I do like you, Shelley.” He cut off the laughter midchuckle, getting back to business. There wasn’t much time. “I will ask you a second time. Please fetch my mate. I need to speak with her.”

She was shaking her head before he finished. “You don’t get it. I’m the guardian of tradition, and you’re not coming up in here.”

Chase eyed her, a golden heat igniting in his pupils. Holding on to his temper, he blew out a deep breath. “Traditionally, standing between a wulf and his mate is punishable by death. Ordinarily, your words would get your throat ripped out. I’m willing to discard tradition this morning. How about you do the same?”

“Are you threatening me?”

“Warning you.”

“Tsk!” She sucked her teeth and flicked her fingers at him. “You call that threatening when I didn’t even see a hint of fangs?”

He smiled at her naïveté. “By the time you saw fangs it would be too late.”

“What for?”

“Any defense.”

“No, I mean, what do you need to talk with ’Drea for?”

He stiffened. No way would he share that information with this human, likable as she was. “Mate’s privacy.”

“Well, hell!” The black woman stepped back, unbarring the door. Not that she’d really held him back. He could have moved her bodily or simply stepped by her too fast for her human reflexes to respond.

Chase walked over the threshold and was stopped by a hand held chest high. “Wait right here. Don’t move.”

He nodded, prepared to let her bring Andrea to him. Instead, Shelley screeched from right beside him, her shrill human voice probably bursting his sensitive eardrums. “’Drea, your hunkalicious cut of prime loin is in the living room demanding preempted time!”

Chase just barely resisted the urge to paw at his ears. Snapping shut the jaw that had dropped at her audacity, he fought the surge of howling laughter. Damn but the human bitch would have made a perfect breed. He was pleased at his mate’s good taste in friends. “Why did you tell me to wait here if you weren’t leaving?”

She eyed him askance. “Are you kidding? I’ve noted your type don’t listen to instruction. Soon as I left, you’d have been trailing behind me, figuring you could get to Andrea faster by cutting out the middlegirl—me.” She brightened, gave him a hopeful look out of those innocuous-seeming eyes of hers. “Say, maybe you’d like to try going down the hall, anyway. It will give me a chance to jump that fine, tight bod of yours. Course, ’Drea wouldn’t likely appreciate having to peel me off her man, and my man prolly wouldn’t like it, either, but we could handle that.” She batted her eyelashes.

Chase was shocked. Was she saying what he thought she was saying? His brows scrunched together in disapproval. “You are supposed to be her closest companion, a blood sister. Am I to believe you would make a play for your best friend’s mate?”

“Damn straight I would if I thought you’d let me get away with it.”

It pained Chase to hear her say that. His heart hurt for Andi, who hadn’t chosen her friends well after all. He didn’t look forward to confronting her with Shelley’s perfidy, but no way would he allow the faithless woman near his mate in the future. He narrowed his eyes. “It will devastate Andi to find out what you are really like. What kind of friend does such a thing to one who trusts her?”

“One who watches ’Drea’s back, is who. Listen up…” She beckoned him closer and when he stepped up to her, she reached up and grabbed his earlobe, tugged on it to bring his head down to her level. Still too tall for her, she went up on tiptoe to whisper conspiratorially, “See, if you were playable, you wouldn’t deserve my sister, so I’d play your skank ass royally until ’Drea had all the proof she needed of your unfaithfulness. Then we’d both kick your sorry hide to the curb.” She released him with a curt nod. “’Cause that’s how we roll.”

Chase couldn’t believe her audacity. If this human was bold enough to speak to him as she just had, what wouldn’t she say? Most would see her bold words and attitude as a come-on and an invitation. Gracious Moon, he’d have to warn every wulf in residence that his wife’s BFF was off-limits. Otherwise, her mouth was sure to get her raped or beaten within the first week of her appearance in Pack lands. Unlike most humans, wulves were turned on by aggressive women.

He cleared his throat. “You know, Shelley, you might want to remember that wulves don’t react the same way humans do. A few of us would take what you just said as a serious insult, but worse yet, the majority would see your boldness as an invitation to carnality. Trust me, those are the ones you should fear more.”

She ran up an eyebrow, propped a balled fist on her hip, and gave him a mean look out of squinty eyes. “Hunk of man candy, are you threatening me?”

That right there was what he was talking about. Chase stared her down, refusing to cave. Damn it, he wondered if Joshua Tate knew the full extent of what he was taking on. By Moon’s light, that human was going to have his hands full. He didn’t envy the boy one iota. “I believe we’ve already had this conversation.”

“Uncle Chase, what are you doing here?”

With a long-suffering sigh, Chase turned to address Fortrayn, who’d come up the hall from the bedroom area. “I am here to speak with Andi.”

Looking concerned, Fort jerked his head toward the kitchen and shooed Shelley off with a curt, “I’ll take care of this.”

Chase watched narrowly as the girl/woman rushed to do Fort’s bidding without giving him any of her sass. Interesting, he mused. She’d responded to Fortrayn’s orders as would a daughter of the den, proof and further revelation of how closely she was tied to his mate. This last served to convince Chase of her standing. He automatically shifted his thinking to include the black woman and those in her care in all his future considerations. She was, for all intents and purposes, littermate to his true-bond mate, thus part of his extended family.

Fort ran a hand through his unruly hair, leaving the strands spiked on top of his head. He looked like the veritable puppy, nothing like the image he normally tried to project of a staid mated wulf. “What really brings you here this morning, Chase? Is something wrong?”

“No wulf business, if that’s what you’re thinking. Besides, as of today, Andi is as privileged as I to have access to any information. I simply need to discuss something with my mate.”

“Does it have to be now? Here? I mean, what is so important it couldn’t wait a couple more hours? We’re all trying to get dressed. We have a wedding to go to.”

Chase eyed his cousin, raking his gaze up and down the wulf’s half-clad figure. “I can see that. I prefer to speak with her here and now, and I claim mate’s privacy.”

Sighing dejectedly, Fort glanced back toward the hallway and the master bedroom, head cocked as if listening to something no one else could hear. Chase didn’t doubt his cousin’s mate was bending his mental ear about his untimely presence. His woman’s mother surely didn’t like him.

“Rosa isn’t happy you’re here.” Fortrayn confirmed his suppositions. “She doesn’t want Andrea to come out and speak with you.” The wulf turned a worried face toward him. “It would be a whole lot easier on me if you’d consider doing this later. Are you going to push this?”

“I am.”

Fort swallowed. His eyes went vague, and Chase knew he was again in mental communication with his irate mate.

Chase bit back a curse, refusing to lose his temper. Fortrayn was still a pup, maturing at a fast rate, but the boy had barely attained sexual maturity and had only recently been granted the status of full adult. He was beta, always would be. He preferred giving way whenever possible, and his bitch was a strong personality that loved having her way.

Chase, on the other hand, was pure Alpha, and he’d been commanding inferiors for years. He had no intention of allowing Rosa’s prejudice to interfere with his plans. Imbuing his voice with the compulsion that all Alphas had to one degree or another, he snapped, “Fortrayn, listen to me, for a moment, not Rosa.”

The younger wulf’s body jerked, primordial instinct to obey overriding the newer sense of autonomy. Hazel eyes eerily like his own focused on Chase and fell before the iron will of a stronger personality. He gulped. “Sir?”

“Do you recall the last warning I gave you the night of the prom?”

Chase waited while Fort rifled through his memories, watched the expression on the youth’s face tighten into wariness as the pertinent scene replayed behind those closed eyelids. “I see you do. I have come for Andi, for my mate. You no longer have the right to stand between her and me.”

Fort’s chin dropped in submission. His head jerked in a nod of reluctant assent. Lips tight, he spun on his heel and started back toward the hall. As Chase watched, Fort slowed and stopped, turned to look over his shoulder. The gleam in his eyes screamed amused payback.

“In response to your formal request, I shall send my daughter right out to you”—he winked and grinned—“son.”

Somebody Had Their Wheaties!
 

Chase was still growling in disgruntlement over Fortrayn’s teasing when Andrea walked into the living room. Instantly, he was assailed by her fresh scent. Cinnamon and orange blossom twined with the heady fragrance of tart feminine arousal. The delicate aroma, uniquely hers, wafted about his head to sink into his very pores. His growls faded, giving way to a lusty groan. His sex grew heavy, the muscles in his groin pulling taut as his gaze slowly dropped down the flimsy nightgown she barely wore.

Her brown nipples, large, firm berries atop her surprisingly lush breasts, peeked at him through the thin, silky material. Chase knew their shape, could close his eyes and draw those perky, tip-tilted, fleshy thimbles from memory. His mouth watered, recalling how he’d cupped them, fondled those lush mounds. He’d licked and sucked her perfect nipples in the dark seclusion of the limo and again amid the childish clutter of her juvenile bedroom. Though her breasts were by no means large, they were a nice lush palmful given her slight body build, and her nipples were extraordinarily long and firm, perfectly shaped and sized for piercing. If he had his way, he’d spear them with a platinum bar adorned with strings of diamonds and fire opals.

Muscles shifting and clenching, Chase’s jaw locked as he called on the last of his waning control. Moon willing, he’d have those engorged nipples in his mouth before nightfall. This time, there’d be no pulling back in deference to her youth. This time, he’d take and claim her completely. Tonight, in his arms, she’d finally become his woman. But before he could do that, there was something he needed to make right.

“Andi, I sent you the laptop so we could see each other when we…talked. Instead, you stopped taking my phone calls altogether.”

She flitted about the room, never lingering in one place too long, her unease evident in her inability to be still. She’d never been one who fidgeted. “I live a hectic life, Chase. These last few weeks have been filled to overflowing. I never had time to return your calls.”

“Did you even listen to my voice mails?”

She paused infinitesimally before resuming her pacing. “Sorry, no. Like I said, I didn’t have the time.”

He could smell her lie, and despite the pain lancing through him at her deliberate withdrawal, fierce joy inundated him. She’d listened to them, all right. He’d bet his soul on it.

“The messages were my way of trying to keep a channel open between us. I wanted us to get to know one another better without all the heavy sex. You threw my overtures back in my face.”

She very carefully didn’t meet his gaze as she lifted one shoulder in a nonchalant shrug. “I didn’t see them as overtures. I’m sorry.”

He kept his musings to himself…just barely. No, you aren’t. You simply decided to punish me by ignoring me. Pretty much what you felt I’d done to you for years. What the fuck had happened between those halcyon days in February and now? Something had, and he was determined to uncover the trouble, no matter how far he had to dig.

“I thought you hadn’t listened to any of them.”

Andi refused to meet his gaze. “I may have caught a bit of one or two before I deleted them.” She took another turn about the living room. “At any rate, I doubt my actions—or lack of them—hurt your feelings.” She tilted her head up and stared at him, the expression in her treacle irises willfully blank. The minx actually thought to hide her emotions from him.

“What did you expect when you wouldn’t even speak with me?”

“Certainly not what you’re suggesting,” she retorted, sidling closer to him. He didn’t think she realized how loudly her body language was signaling her true feelings. “Are you telling me I managed to hurt your feelings?”

Why did she sound hopeful? Chase tossed his head, deliberately kept his answer tart, his voice steady. “Of course you didn’t.” Yes, you did. Your lack of response ripped my guts out, made me doubly sorry for all the times I ignored your pleas for attention.

Her expression cooled at his words. Her shoulders slumped. “Why am I not surprised?” She sighed. “Of course I didn’t. I never supposed I did.”

What have I done now? Frowning, he wondered at her reaction. She’d recovered so quickly, only someone as attuned to her moods as he would have caught it, but it helped that he could smell the pain he’d somehow caused her. Should he have answered differently? Damn it, Chase, open mouth and insert foot!

He was tempted to open their link and read her mind, find out what the fuck he’d stepped in, but knowing his Andi, he figured she’d take it as the ultimate insult. No, he’d do better waiting till after the ceremony to reveal the intricacies of their true-mate bond. He didn’t want to do anything to spook her before the wedding and mating ceremonies were behind them.

Changing the subject, he held up a tattered business card. “This was waiting for me when I arrived at Hunter’s house. Care to explain, Andrea?”

Her eyes widened, mouth thinned. Her chest rose as she sucked in a quick, deep breath. “What’s to explain, Chase? It’s the gynecological appointment reminder card you sent.”

“I take it you didn’t keep the appointment.”

“No, but then, I didn’t make the appointment, so I figured I didn’t have to keep it. In case you haven’t heard…my body, my choice!”

The ruff at Chase’s neck stood up as he huffed in anger, pissed at her irreverent attitude. This put a major wrinkle in his plans for them. “Don’t pretend you think I’m the sort of male who believes women don’t have brains. We’re not talking abortion, Andrea”—his eyes narrowed in rising temper—“though thanks to your juvenile behavior, we now must talk babies. The appointment wasn’t just for having your hymen breached. It was to fit you with a contraceptive device or administer an injection to prevent you becoming pregnant right away.”

She lifted her small chin in that pugnacious way she had when getting ready to spout something outrageous. “If you don’t want my children, I guess you’ll just have to wear a condom when you fuck this juvenile pussy.”

A bark of frustrated laughter escaped Chase, though his brows were already bunching in annoyance. What was he to do with this defiant woman teetering on the brink of rebellion? Despite her show of bravado and bold words, she didn’t fool him in the least. Her breathing had escalated. She was throwing off pheromones so hard, her fear and anxiety were a swirl of bitter, acrid fumes in his nostrils. His poor baby wasn’t near as cool as she was letting on. The knowledge helped him keep his temper under control.

“Of course I want your children. That goes without saying. But you’re barely eighteen years old. I thought to hold off on parenting until we’d both had a chance to live a little. Have some fun traveling and getting to know one another better.”

“Gee, you are so thoughtful. I would have appreciated the chance to get in on all that planning, though. You’re right about my not wanting to be burdened down with puppies right away. What you’re wrong about is thinking I’ll let you make all my decisions for me. As I said before, you better get in a good supply of condoms.”

She had the nerve to sneer at him—sneer!—as if he’d committed a crime by looking out for her well-being. “For your information, condoms—if they made ones big enough to contain me—do not work on wulves. We secrete an enzyme that dissolves the latex. The device was only to be temporary, because ordinarily, avoiding conception wouldn’t be a problem. I’d simply never mate you in my fur form. However, the Pack binding ceremony requires I mate you in all three forms. I’m potent in my fur form, and you’re a breed, designed to be fertile. Pregnancy is inevitable.” He shrugged, pretending an unconcern he was nowhere near feeling. “However, like you said, your body, your choice. I hope you are satisfied with the one you made.”

Her eyes widened even as her face fell. “Why didn’t you just talk to me, tell me all this instead of just sending that card? Why did you have to be all high-handed and not ask me what I wanted? I thought things would be different after Valentine’s Day. Instead, you sent a computer full of porn.”

Chase blew out a frustrated breath, scrubbing his face with both palms before curling them into fists at his sides. “Gracious Moon, Andrea, you’re being unreasonable.” He barely resisted the urge to grab her and shake her for her stubbornness. “We got carried away with the phone sex. That’s all we did for six days straight. I was trying to give you a chance to communicate with me without the added confusion of lust clouding our minds. I wanted you to have the space you needed to—”

“I never asked for space. You were the one who never had time for me. Then all of a sudden, there you were trying to take over my life. And just so you know, those videos are gross.”

Her words grew louder and louder until she was yelling at the top of her voice, brown eyes flashing. “Watching some big-tittied whore sucking your huge dick wasn’t the way I planned to learn how to give you a blowjob. You were supposed to teach me that yourself!”

A spate of furious Spanish wafted up the hallway, interspersed with menacing bestial growls before a distant door slammed shut.

From the kitchen came a shocked, shrill, “oh my fucking gawd, no you didn’t go there with your mom and dad in da house!”

So much for privacy, Chase growled to himself, disgusted at having his and Andrea’s personal business on display. Trying to ignore their nonsilent, invisible audience, he snarled a defense. “My hands were tied. Hunter and Lachlann made certain I would do nothing more than I did by threatening me with denying my access to you totally. Tell me honestly. Did it seem as if I didn’t want you?”

“All I know is how badly I wanted you. I was more than willing to learn everything you had to teach me on prom night. I begged you to touch me, and you refused me.” A tear dropped down her cheek as Andrea finished forlornly. “And before you mention it, phone sex doesn’t count.”

If she’d ripped out his heart and stomped on it, Chase couldn’t have felt any worse than he did at that moment. Seeing her hurting tore something inside him, fueled an ache deep in his heart. Once again it seemed he’d managed to savage her when the Moon knew he’d rather lie down and die than see her shed one tear.

Taking a deep breath, Chase walked over and put one arm over her shoulder, hugged her close. He cleared his throat, uncertain how to respond, afraid of fucking up more than he already had. “The…uh… I can see how the videos may have been a bit of overkill. I’m sorry about that.”

Andrea pulled away, glared at him through her tears. “That’s it? You’re sorry? Come on, Chase, you can do better than that. What you did was mean. I may be young, but I’m not stupid. You wanted to shock me, maybe to scare me.” Her voice dropped. “And you sure did that.”

“I’ll admit that my original intent was to get back at you. Months of enduring the Panty Express can do that to a celibate wulf.” Chase tugged her back into his arms, kept her pressed to his chest, easily overcoming her halfhearted struggles. “I have no excuse for hurting you that way. The truth is, I wasn’t thinking straight, and as an Alpha, I know better than to act on impulse like I did.”

She stilled in his arms, lifted her tear-blotched face to peer up at him. “You must have really been angry with me to send those things to me. When the computer came, I pretended like I wasn’t, but I was so excited at first, so happy that you wanted to stay in contact with me. Then I opened that folder and…” She reburied her head in his chest, pressed in, hiding the shame coloring her voice. “Josh and Shelley were with me. I was so embarrassed.”

Chase let her hide, wishing he had a way of concealing his own chagrin. He patted her back in a clumsy attempt at conveying his penitence. “I must have been suffering from distemper, because that was doggish of me. I shouldn’t have taken my frustration out on you. I crossed a line with you, but remembering you in that damned beautiful dress, looking all grown-up and practically edible about did me in.”

She hiccupped. “You never mentioned my dress before.”

“Yeah, well, it was beautiful. You were beautiful in it, but I kept imagining you out of it.”

“I picked it out the afternoon I asked you to be my escort. I wanted you to like it.”

“I loved it, and I wish now I’d accepted your invitation from the start. I was short and abrupt and fucking rude to you because even talking with you over the phone made me hard as stone, with no relief in sight. Then you sent those panties, letting me know finally that, not only was your body ripe and ready for me, so was your mind.”

He felt her body stiffen in his embrace and knew his words were making her uncomfortable. Some of her reaction was his fault. He’d mismanaged her. Now was the time to work at overcoming her reticence, because no way was he going to go another night without being inside her. “I’m not usually so vindictive, but I wasn’t feeling too friendly toward you back then. Finding you with that boy, then afterward, in your bedroom…”

Chase’s fists clenched in frustration. When she yelped, he released her, staring at his hands in horror. What the hell was the matter with him? He was usually more in control, supremely articulate; yet now, here he was manhandling his mate and seemingly unable to get a single fucking word out right. “Fuck, Andi, I left there almost doubled over with pain, I wanted you so badly. Our Valentine’s Day conversation should have shown you how much you moved me. How in the hell could you believe I didn’t want you?”

“Did you, did you really?” Her voice came out breathless, and she looked up at him, the hopeful expression on her pixieish face painful in its intensity. A wobbly smile pulled the corners of her wide mouth seconds before the light went out of her bright eyes. “But I thought…you said I was—” She broke off, face and shoulders coloring up hotly. “You could pretend on the phone, but when you were lying next to me on the bed, I thought my body hadn’t pleased you. You said…”

He didn’t like seeing her doubts resurface. Chase cursed his runaway temper on that long-ago night, when he’d railed at her youth and innocence. Dragging his fingers through his hair, he determined to set the record straight. “Shit, Andrea, fuck whatever nonsense I spouted back then. It wasn’t true. I was pissed and damned hungry for you, and you should know by now never to fucking believe anything a horny wulf might say. Especially when he hasn’t gotten what he’s hungry for,” he finished ruefully.

Closing the small space between them, he placed two fingers under her chin and raised it, lifting her face. When she finally opened her eyes and met his gaze, her cinnamon brown pupils shimmered with a haze of moisture. Leaning down, he carefully brushed his closed lips over hers. “My ego was crushed. Earlier that evening, you’d chosen another male over me”—he waved away her choked objection—“I thought it for a moment, okay?”

At her nod, he went on. “I’d just come in my pants like a wet-behind-the-ears cub, for fuck’s sake. Being alone in the same room with you was all it had taken to push me over the edge, set me off like a rocket. I wasn’t too proud of the fact that my control had withered and died so easily.”

Andrea met his hot gaze, hers shyly soft. “I remember. The way you howled while humping my leg sort of gave you away. I figured that was the wetness spreading along my thigh after you howled.” She sighed, dared to hold his gaze as she asked, “Why wouldn’t you let me touch you?”

A deeper sigh lifted Chase’s chest. He stared down at his young mate, inundated with memories of that long-ago night. Mouth thinning as his libido flared, he closed his eyes on the temptation to do more than cradle her in his arms. If he started loving on her now, he’d never let her go, wedding and mating ceremonies be damned. “If I’d felt your hands on me, I’d have ended up fucking you through the damned mattress of that teenage bed of yours. Damn it, Andi, I’m still wondering how I managed to drag my tortured ass away from you that night.”

She sighed. “I’ve been angry with you since that night. Not even what happened on Valentine’s Day could stop the resentment coming back. You made me feel things…want things I’ve never wanted with anyone else. Then you tied me up as if you didn’t want my hands touching you, dirtying you—”

“Goddess Moon above, sweetheart!” Chase rasped, flabbergasted at the lame-assed conclusions she’d drawn. “That was the last thing on my mind! The reverse was more likely. I feared I’d be too rough, soiling our first encounter with my anger and selfish haste.”

Her small fists thudded against his chest. “Better that then being subjected to those obscene videos. How could you let some overblown bitch suck on your penis and then send the files to me?”

Chase stumbled back, hands dropping away from Andi as his body shuddered in an all-body rejection of her shocking accusations. No self-respecting wulf, once bonded, would ever touch a female not his mate. Mouth working, his mind screamed with the ugly realization that Andi distrusted his loyalty. Chase choked. It took him two tries to unlock his voice and respond. “That was not me!”

He bit back a growl as she gave him a disbelieving glare. “Of course it wasn’t,” she snarled, clearly sarcastic. “Because you want me looking at other men’s penises.” She narrowed her eyes. “Was it because Josh kissed me? Neither one of us liked it. It was too much like kissing a sibling.”

Chase snorted. She was right about him not liking her seeing another wulf’s package. In fact, he’d had to swallow his gorge, but at the time, he’d felt the need outweighed his disinclinations. “I hated seeing you with that boy’s tongue down your throat, but that wasn’t why I sent the videos. I told you that wasn’t me, and I meant it. I’ve never lied to you. I never will. The wulf is a friend of mine named Ruff.” He glared at her, feeling stupid. “And you weren’t supposed to be noticing his cock. You were supposed to be watching the woman servicing him.”

Andi tilted her head and observed him through flooded eyes. “Is that all you want from me, Chase? A relationship based on mechanical servicing of your cock?”

“Hell, no!” Clawed fingers swept through his disheveled hair. His chest rose and fell on a heavy sigh. “You know it’s not, Andi. That’s not remotely the kind of relationship I want with you. I’ve already admitted I was wrong to send the videos. I guess what’s important here is finding out what you want. So tell me, Andrea, what do you want from me?”

She stared up at him wordlessly, small teeth worrying her bottom lip, leaving it reddened and damp. Damn, she sidetracked him with that little gesture. He wanted to be the one nibbling on that plump flesh. The sight made his gut clench, made the skin of his balls taut as his filling sac drew up to hug the base of his heavy erection. His voice had dropped an octave when he dragged his mind back to the conversation at hand. “Go ahead, tell me what you want, and I’ll give it to you.”

“I want proof.”

He blinked. “What?”

“You asked what I wanted from you. I want proof that isn’t you in those videos.”

Chase did some staring of his own. His little mate was bolder than even he’d thought her, daring in her pretense of calling him to task about his admittedly wrongful actions. He knew she was angling for a glimpse of his cock—what she’d begged for that night in the limo.

“Not that I’m not willing, but how do you propose I prove that to you, Andi?”

She threw back her head, met his gaze full-on, her cinnamon irises sparkling with growing excitement. “You say I should have concentrated on the female, but I didn’t. I know what that cock looks like. Show me yours is different.”

The little minx! Chase felt a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. More than willing to give her what she was asking for, his hands went to his belt, undoing the simple clasp. Without pause, he unbuttoned his slacks and engaged the zipper. He sucked in his stomach as he tugged the tab down, careful not to catch his short hairs in the descending teeth.

Chase paused before spreading the plackets wide, glancing up to find her staring wide-eyed at his groin. “I should warn you, I’m commando.”

She drew her gaze slowly up his body, stalling on strategic spots along the way to his face. An absent frown twisted her features before a dawning awareness widened her eyes. She wasn’t paying a bit of attention to his words. No, she was focused on something else entirely. “C-commando?”

“No underwear.” Widening his stance, he let the slacks drop to his knees. His cock sprang free in all its erect fury.

Her hands flew up to cover her eyes. “Oh my freaking gosh!”

After ogling his rampant flesh for a long, ball-tightening moment, she cried, “Cover that up!”

“No.”

“Mom will have a conniption fit about naked cock in the living room.”

Fisting his hands at his hips, Chase waited for her to get over her initial reaction. “You said you wanted to see, and I’m not interested in your mom’s fit, only in how we’ll fit.”

Andi moaned, looking delicious with her cheeks radiating a hot red color. When she made no sign of lowering her hands quickly enough, he chided her. “I can see you peeking through your fingers, Andi. Be brave. Drop your hands and take a good long look at your mate. You need to verify this isn’t the cock you saw that woman taking into her mouth.”

“And down her throat,” she mumbled under her breath.

“And down her throat,” he repeated, nodding, trying not to laugh at her chagrined expression. “Yes, I heard that. We wulves have exceptional hearing.”

With a shrug, she finally dropped her hands. “I remember…now.” Her gaze dropped down and widened, but she didn’t turn away or replay the shy maiden. Under her steady, curious gaze, his cock stiffened, rose to curve along his lower belly, hooded, blunt head bobbing in close proximity to his navel. In seconds, he was harder than granite.

Feeling not a bit of shame, Chase fisted his cock. Running his cupped hand up the thick length to his ridged tip, he pulled, stretching the chunky length taut. “Well?”

She sucked in a quick breath. He watched her pulse spike, heard her respiration quicken. The sweet, heady scent of her arousal perfumed the air. “All right! You win. I can see it’s not the same. Yours is much thicker.”

“And longer.” He couldn’t help smiling, feeling quite smug about it. He’d pointed out the same to Ruff, who hadn’t appreciated the unfavorable comparison.

She swallowed audibly, averting her gaze. “Okay, it’s longer too. Way too long and thick! Now cover it up before someone comes in here and mistakes it for a nuclear missile.”

“Like me!” came the giddy shout from the kitchen. “I’m feeling the heat from here!”

“Shelley, shut up!” Andi buried her flaming face in her hands.

And here he’d almost managed to forget the nosy sister. Chase shook his head. He couldn’t care less. Den members had skin privileges. “Why are you bothered by her teasing? We wulves are not prudes among family.”

Her face slowly reemerged, but her palms still rode her cheeks, hiding the hot blush staining her skin. “I am so not used to having an audience while being intimate.”

He felt his mouth widening in an anticipatory grin. “Baby, this isn’t intimate. That you could mistake it for such tells me I have a lot to teach you.”

Her eyes flared at his arrogant words, and he chuckled. A little judicious prodding helped keep her mind off her uncertainties. Chase wondered how far he could push her this morning.

“While I didn’t intend to exchange intimacies this morning, now that I’m out, so to speak, I won’t be putting it away before you put your hands on me.”

Her head jerked back on her neck, and she looked up at him, meeting his eyes, hers grown huge, whites showing all around the dense brown. “Are you crazy? We can’t do that here!”

Chase lifted an eyebrow at her. “Yes, Andi, we can, but the fact you don’t believe so proves you’ve been done a grave disservice. It also vindicates my arguments against Fortrayn and Hunter’s insistence that we not interact as a bonded pair until you’d matured by human standards. For three years, they’ve kept me from you, kept you from learning to interact with me as befits the mate in a true-bond pairing. We should be comfortable with each other, at ease with our sexuality. Instead, I’ve merely been a distant suitor, and you’re too shy to even look at me without blushing. You can see how erroneous their choice was.”

“I only recently learned it wasn’t your call all along.”

A harsh laugh broke from him and he snorted. “My call? Not hardly, babe. More like punishment for having broken Pack law. The only way I could have protested Hunter’s ultimatum was to challenge him. We both know if I’d given that wulf an excuse to put his hands on me at the time, he’da killed me.”

Andi nodded stiffly. “I asked him not to, not to fight you. I knew he wouldn’t have been able to stop if he fought you. Back then, I didn’t want you dead, but I did want you hurting, aching like I was.”

He’d known as much, but hearing her verbalizing it…hurt. “So these three years we spent apart was your fault.”

That riled her up. “How do you figure that? I’m the innocent person here.”

Chase’s nostrils quivered at the acrid scent of her ire. He could almost taste her anger. He held his hands up in surrender. “Andi, you misunderstand me. I merely meant to say that your choice of words set the parameters of my punishment. The worst thing that can happen to a wulf is being separated from his or her true-bond mate. You didn’t know that, but Hunter did.”

A thoughtful frown pulled at her features. “You’re telling me it really hurt you to be away from me? You felt physical pain?”

He nodded. “Every single day.”

A sheen of moisture made her brown eyes sparkle. Her voice quavered. “I didn’t know. I’m sorry.”

This time, her words had the ring of truth. “I believe you. Now touch me, damn it, so I can cover my ass.”

“Chase…” She licked her lips, that little pink tongue looking good enough to slurp on. Her gaze darted to the hallway and over to the doorway of the kitchen.

“Everyone in this house is an adult. They can withstand the trauma of knowing we’re making out in the living room.”

“Drew—”

“Is a puppy right now, and not the least interested in bipedal sexuality. Stop stalling and get your ass over here. If I come to you with my pants half-mast, I can guarantee we’ll be anticipating this frou-frou wedding of yours.”

The thought proved an apt motivator. She skittered over to him, standing close enough for him to breathe in her nervousness. Impatient at her unaccustomed meekness, he grabbed her hands and planted them on his cock. “Just touch it, for fuck’s sake! It’s not going to bite you, Andi.”

He sucked air when her small fingers curled about his shaft, soft hands warm and snug about his suddenly aching flesh. Her grip started out tentative but quickly grew firm, and Chase hissed, speaking through clenched teeth. “Moon and stars, Andrea, your hands feel so damned good on me…beyond good!”

He rocked his hips into her hands, sending his cock sliding through the tunnel of her two-handed fist. She tightened the circle, letting the long, thick barrel scrap along her palms, and he shuddered. Reaching for her hands again, Chase drew them to his crown, to the drooling slit in the tip of his cock. Guiding her, he showed her how to push the foreskin down, gather his precum, and smear it up and down the shaft, making the glide smoother, hotter, wilder.

She flashed a worried smile at him, little pink tongue caught between her darker pink lips. “Am I doing it right?”

He groaned, fighting laughter, fighting the rising heat that was escalating his need to shift. Biting his own lip, he covered her hands with his. Even swollen so tight he grimaced with pain, Chase savored the physical closeness, having literally been dying from the lack of her touch. Closing his eyes on the dark ecstasy wooing his senses, he whimpered. “If you do it any righter, you’ll be a widow before you’re a bride.”

The sweet smile she gave him had him moaning. “Ah, Andrea…I needed this, needed you… I was barely hanging on.”

She leaned against him, peeking up from under her lashes. “Are you…are you about to come?” Her hands tightened convulsively on his steely erection.

Forcing his breathing to slow, easing her hands off him, and bringing them to his lips, he closed his eyes and leaned his forehead on her knuckles, deliberately slowing the runaway train of his impending orgasm. Regretfully, he pulled back, pulled away, dropping her hands. “No. But I was about to go insane.”

Chase matter-of-factly tugged his slacks back up and gingerly tucked his still-rampant penis away. As he zipped and buttoned his pants, he noted the fine tremor in his hands. Mouth firming, he controlled that, fastening his belt by feel, keeping his gaze trained on his fidgety mate. Lips quirked in a halfhearted smile, he teased, “What’s the matter, Andi? Now that you’re not pumping my cock you’re nervous of me again? I thought better of your courage.”

She blushed, her honey-toned skin darkening with the wash of color, but as he’d come to expect, she refused to back down. “I just wanted to know if you were going to use me to get your rocks off while I get left at the gate, hungry a second time.”

“Ooh-hoo, aren’t you the snippy thing this morning!” He laughed, enjoying the sexy interplay. His cock remained hard, but he’d grown used to the constant ache, and he had tonight to look forward to. He could wait. Reassuring his mate could not. “I promise you, baby bitch, never again will I come without first assuring your complete satisfaction and involvement. You have my word on that.”

She gasped and then, obviously running the ramifications of his declaration through her mind, frowned at the information. “You can’t be serious.”

“But I am, sweetheart, deadly serious.” He smiled at her, enjoying the look of consternation on her pretty face.

“Th-that would mean…” She didn’t finish the sentence, staring up into his face with wide eyes.

“That I don’t come unless and until you do,” he finished, meaning every word. Not giving her time to recover from that verbal firebomb, he lobbed his nuclear warhead. “We got sidetracked. Let me move on to the real reason I came here this morning.”

She shot him a questioning look.

Going down on one knee, Chase took Andrea’s left hand in his. “Andrea Montalvo McCallum, will you do me the singular honor of becoming my bride? Marry me?”

Questions and Answers
 

Tears welled up in Andrea’s eyes, spilled over as she stared at the wulf humbling himself before her. Her throat closed up, pressing against the ball of emotion clogging her breathing passage. Chest heaving, she swiped at the tears clouding her vision with her right hand. “What are you doing?”

Chase’s hazel eyes gazed into hers, the look earnest and sincere. “I’m asking for your hand in marriage, Andrea. Will you give it?”

“Why now? Why this morning? You already know I’m marrying you today.”

Bringing her hand up to press an openmouthed kiss on her knuckles, Chase turned her hand over and nuzzled her palm before answering. “It occurred to me last evening that no one—including myself—had ever officially asked what you wanted.” He heaved a sigh. “You have the right to have a say in your life. I need a breed, but you don’t need a wulf. Not really.” Chase glanced up from under his long, thick fan of lashes, managing to look sexy and insecure all at the same time. “I don’t want to wake up someday with you resenting me because you were never given a choice, a voice in all this. So I’m asking: will you marry me?”

Andi’s body shook, every muscle quivering as she took the time to examine the emotions seething within her at his unexpected question. Looking back, she realized it had never crossed her mind to protest her lack of choice. Why had she just gone along with everyone else’s agenda without once bothering to make her own demands, when she’d never been docile? Yes, she’d whined and complained, mostly to herself, about the strictures imposed on her because of the betrothal, but she’d never once considered not being engaged to Chase.

Today, this moment, she knew why, knew her acceptance had been the only response she could give, because he’d always belonged to her. Chase had been hers even before she’d skidded around the corner of Tío Hunter’s kitchen and found him preparing to mount Tía Melody in wulf form. The overwhelming emotion that had flooded over her had been sheer, unmitigated rage at his perfidy, at his unfaithful behavior. She’d tried to brain him in punishment. How childish her reactionary anger had been, but today, she was a woman. Chase may have waited three years for her, but she’d waited the same amount of time for him. It was impossible to hold back her tears.

“You’re so silent.”

He shifted on his knees and attempted a smile. It came out sickly and strained. She wasn’t buying his act. “I’m thinking.”

“Why was I stupid enough to do this? I should have left well enough alone.” His grip tightened on her hands. “I could kick myself. Quick, Andi, answer me. All you have to say is yes.”

She laughed through her tears at his blatant attempt at coercion. “What happened to having a choice?”

“Who said anything about a choice? I just said I wanted to ask you to marry me. I didn’t say you could say no.”

Andi opened her mouth to speak, intent on giving Chase his answer, when she found her lips barred by his long pointer finger.

“Before you answer, I want you to consider well. There’ll be no going back…ever. And I won’t pretend to be politically correct. I’m the Alpha and the male, head of the den. I’ll never harm you, but I will rule my den—and you—with a will of iron. Obedience to your Alpha at all times.”

She opened her lips and brought her teeth down on the tip of his finger, nipping it and drawing blood.

“Ouch! Bitch, that stung!” His gaze burned with approbation. Instead of pulling his finger back, he pressed it more firmly against her bottom lip, pushing the full curve against her teeth, almost but not quite forcing the sharp edges into her giving flesh.

She pushed his hand away from her face. “I meant it to sting. Are you trying to get a ‘no’ answer?”

He frowned, eyes kindling with heat at her rebuff. She placed a hand on each masculine cheek to short-circuit his reaction. Staring into his eyes, focusing all her attention on him, Andi tried to see into his soul.

Kneeling at her feet was a prime male, an Alpha among alphas who placed the needs of his Pack above his own. He was a conscientious ruler, and he would be a good father to any future children. She still didn’t know if what he felt for her qualified as love under her definition of the word, but she did know that once bonded, Chase would willingly dedicate his life to her pleasure, and she wasn’t willing to pass that up.

Andrea had no doubts there’d be days she’d want to kill him, frustrated as he asserted his need to protect and coddle. But those days would be outnumbered by the many days and nights he’d give her. Days filled with thrilling adventure and excitement. Nights filled with lush, decadent pleasure served up with a tantalizing bite of dark carnal pain as he commandeered her sexual obedience to his every demand. Every wulf, she knew, had a smidgeon of sadistic Dom in them. But she’d been bred to meet that sadistic need. Surrender tamed the beast, and she’d learned through their phone encounters that she had a submissive streak a mile wide.

Looking ahead, Andi was eager to both taste and challenge his mastery, knowing she wouldn’t let him have it all his way. She’d test his limits and her own, all the while attempting to assert her feminine wants and needs. And he’d kindled plenty.

Andi’s mouth watered. She swallowed, wayward thoughts flying back to the feel of his hard, hot length lying across her palm. That firm erection had been velvety soft over an inner core of steel, and she squirmed now, growing wet, wanting the knowledge of how his penis would feel stuffed inside her, overfilling her hungry vagina.

Between her legs, vaginal muscles bunched, clenched on emptiness. She shifted, rocking her legs, squeezing her thighs to compress her clit. Bottom line, she wanted Chase, needed him—had loved him for three long years. And today, come hell or high water, she was finally going to have him.

“You have some nerve, dude, trying to boss me before we even get married.”

“I know.” He smirked.

She frowned at him. “Don’t worry, I’m gonna marry you, Chase McCallum. I will not, however, let you bully me. I don’t need a father. Papa Fort has been a wonderful fill-in dad, and I’m not looking to replace him.”

This time it was Andi laying a finger against Chase’s lips, hushing his retort. “You waited three years to make sure I was a grown woman, not a child. Now that I am, I won’t let you treat me otherwise.”

Under her hands, Chase growled low and long. She released him and danced back out of range, she hoped, of retaliation, unsure if her words had angered him. But Chase surprised her by chuckling as he reeled her back in.

“What’s so funny?”

“Damn, Andi, but you’ve made me hard as stone. You know how perverse we wulves are. We love an aggressive woman.” He hugged her. “I’m so proud of your strength, your readiness to challenge, and your refusal to back down from one. You’ll make a fine Pack Prima, my Alphine, head of all females and second only to me. However, right now all I can think about is pulling you to the floor and then fucking you into the carpet.”

She glanced down his body before she could stop herself, flustered at his words. It was true. His penis had hardened and was pushing his zipper up, tenting his pants. She snatched her gaze up and looked everywhere but at his face, not willing to meet his knowing eyes. Heat burned in her cheeks, and she knew she was blushing to beat the band. It pissed her off that these bouts of shyness still overcame her when he teased her about sexual things. She wanted him to think of her as a mature woman, not an embarrassed teen. “You say things like that to fluster me.” She knew the accusation was dead-on when he laughed.

“True, but you’ll get used to it. You’d better, since I have no intentions of changing the way I talk to you. Like you just said, we’re both adults. We’re mates. Wanting to fuck each other is the most normal thing in the world, and I don’t plan to hide my desire for you. In fact, I have very few rules where you’re concerned, but the most important one is you don’t ever refuse me when I come to you in need.”

She drew back, hackles rising at his overbearing command. “You’re so arrogant and high-handed! What am I supposed to be…your sex slave?”

“Not my slave, but my mate. And I’m not acting arrogant, just honestly admitting my need of you. It works both ways, Andi. I’ll always meet your needs, whatever they are.”

His quiet answer diffused her anger. Still on his knees, Chase leaned closer, large hands framing her hips, bringing his nose closer to her crotch. Eyes closed, he weaved his head back and forth, nostrils wide, dragging in her scent. “So fucking sweet, the heady aroma of your arousal.”

When he blew out a long breath, bathing her belly and lower regions in damp heat, her knees went weak. His hands held her up, palms rubbing circles on her flanks, the rough pads catching on the slippery silk of her thin nightgown. The fingers of one hand curled about the hem to ease her gown up until he was touching naked flesh.

“Moon shards, Andrea, I think I’ve come in my pants!”

Andi swayed, gasping, body clenching as his breath continually swept her thighs. Desperate, she twined her fingers in the thick swatch of hair at the nape of his neck, trying to pull his head away. “Chase.”

“My own?” His languid voice drifted up from where his mouth lay half-buried in the damp material over her mons.

“What’s wrong? Why did you stop?” Her low-voiced query, reedy and curt, betrayed her breathless anxiety. Her nerves jumped and twanged. That couldn’t be anticipation, could it? Did he plan to start something here in the living room? With her parents and friend avidly listening in? She didn’t think even Chase could get her to respond under those circumstances.

His next actions proved her wrong. “Oh my God, what are you doing?”

“Trying to follow up on a promise,” he murmured, one big hand holding up her gown, the other playing under the edge of her panties, “but this smooth, bare pussy threw me off track.”

She couldn’t help preening a little. She knew she was pretty down there. “I had it done yesterday. I thought you’d like it.”

Mouth nuzzling her belly, Chase sent his fingers on a bold search, sweeping up and down the slick crease between her swollen lips, over the gentle swell of her naked sex. “Hell, yes, I like it. I love it.” His hands tightened on her. “Fuck, but this flesh is so satiny smooth and sleek, like fine, hot silk. You’re trying to give me a heart attack, aren’t you?”

It was more like he was determined to do that to her. Rooting between her labia, his thumb and forefinger came together over the tight pearl of her clit, pinching sharply and tugging. The resultant sensations, so piercingly strong, so electrifying, caught her unawares.

“Ahhhhhh!” Andi cried out, body shaking so hard her knees gave way, upper torso folding down over Chase’s broad shoulders. She keened loudly as her body jerked through the throes of an orgasm so strong, her sight dimmed.

“Yes, my precious bitch, yowl for me. I’ve longed to watch as well as hear your sweet cries as you come for me!” Chase growled his approval, shifting off one knee so she rested upright against his chest, one leg slung over his bracing knee, holding her open to his exploring fingers. “Again…”

Lost in the glow of her first orgasm induced by other than her own hand, Andi didn’t realize he wasn’t finished with her until she felt a thick protrusion pushing past the mouth of her vagina.

Chase drove his finger up her clinging slit, and her body seemed to suck it in, intimate muscles clamping down as the claw-tipped digit forged its way inward along the slick, narrow fissure of her vagina. That one hot finger was rougher and wider in diameter than her vibrator. The thrilling sensation of fullness, the friction rasping against her intimate walls, flung her into another cycle of grinding completion. Fluid poured from her, soaking the finger Chase held embedded in her throbbing flesh. She rocked on his palm, working against the protrusion of his finger, barely aware of the pain as his lethally sharp claw made a careful incision. Copious moisture gushed out to drench his hand and her upper thighs. She was shocked to see a mixture of her body’s natural lubricant and her virgin’s blood.

Noticing her alarm, he rushed to reassure her. “I breached your hymen so it will go easier for you this afternoon.”

Holding her gaze, Chase withdrew his finger and brought his palm to his mouth, lapping at her moisture, eyes flashing ambient gold. “I can’t wait to feel you gloving my cock, coming hard, and bathing me with these hot, honeyed juices. And you taste plenty sweet to me.” He reinserted the finger, this time without the claw, churning up more cream.

Her skin flushed as she recalled telling him she’d tasted herself and hadn’t found it sweet. Andi’s pulse sped out of control, the ripples from his stroking spreading clear to the heart of her womb. She tipped her head back, mouth falling open as she panted breathlessly. Another spurt of her lubricant released, and she gripped his shoulders, needing the support to hold her body upright as climaxes continued to blast through her. “Oh my freaking God, Chase!”

Beneath her hands, fur rippled and spread, and she curled her fingers into Chase’s thick nap, not at all discomfited by his partial shifting. Actually, his morphing made her hotter. His pelt was dense and slightly rough in contrast to the slick, taut skin stretched over his bulging muscles, and gave her hands the purchase she needed to maintain her grasp.

“Shall I make you come again?” Chase’s voice—guttural as his partial shift rendered him more animalistic—raised goose bumps along her skin.

Shameless with greed, she nodded, whispered a breathless, “God, yes!”

Cupping her mons, pressing the heel of his palm hard against her clit, he slowly pumped his finger in and out of her slit, intent on coaxing another rise from her. His other hand drew patterns in the flesh of her upper thighs, coming to rest at the top of her inner leg.

“Open your legs wider for me, baby. Let me get my mouth on you.” He accompanied the arrogant request with a nudging pressure, easing her legs apart before she’d realized what he was doing. A swipe of his claw destroyed her panties, bared her to his whims. He sat back, eyes gone golden as he stared at her exposed pussy. “Now, isn’t that the most beautiful sight in the world!”

When his mouth latched on to her clit, her body went up in flames. Her earlier orgasms paled in comparison to the one that slammed into her under the carnal lashing of his long, facile tongue.

Forgetful of her listening audience, uncaring of everything but the wild sensations caused by the wulf buried mouth deep in her crotch, Andrea threw back her head and keened. “Uhnnnnnnn! Oh God…oooohhhhhh…Ch-Chase!”

Hips undulating uncontrollably, she ground her pussy roughly against Chase’s working mouth. Sobbing and panting, she melted on his tongue as the last of her adolescence was burned away by the firestorm he ignited.

She came to herself flat on her back, spread-eagled on the living room rug, dazed and exhausted, body still twitching with the residual aftershocks of that last culmination. Her nightgown was still bunched at her waist, the robe twisted about her upper body.

Chase’s face hung over hers, a self-satisfied grin curling his lips. His eyes were hazel again, not the hot, molten gold of midchange, his body sleek with skin and muscle, not fur. “That should hold you until after the ceremony. I give you fair warning”—he tossed that errant lock of hair back off his forehead—“as soon as our vows are said, I’ll have you in a room with your skirts up and your ass bared. No way am I waiting until tonight to fuck you.” Dropping a surprisingly chaste kiss on her mouth, he did a reverse push-up and nimbly gained his footing, reaching out a hand to help her up. We’ll get to that as soon as we get your spanking out of the way.”

Wide grin splitting her lips, Andi accepted his hand and let him pull her to her feet. He had to hold her until her knees firmed. Limp as a noodle from those phenomenal orgasms, she leaned against him while he smoothed her gown and robe down, restoring her to a semblance of order.

Feeling energized and relaxed enough to flirt, Andi glanced up from under the fans of her lowered lashes. She deliberately rocked her hips into the still-rampant bar of his cock. “I’m not worried about you trying to spank me at the church.”

Chase winked at her. “You keep believing that fairy tale as long as you can.”

Andi’s chin went up. “You’ll be outnumbered by my protectors. As for the rest of your plans…sounds like a date to me, Alpha.”

A flash of white off her peripheral vision had her head turning. Seconds later, Andi was holding on to Chase as the two of them laughed, shaking their heads over Shelley’s bodacious behavior.

A plump black arm languidly waved a dish towel from the doorway of the kitchen. “Is it safe to come out now?” Shelley’s voice held a distinct wobble. “Are y’all done? ’Cause I know I am!”

Here Comes the Bride!
 

As far as Shelley was concerned, the day had started out on a happy note and simply gotten better as it went along. After Chase left, she’d managed to coax Andrea into eating a small amount of breakfast and hadn’t felt a bit guilty teasing her when she scarfed down a full plate of omelets, toast, and hash browns. Guess all those screaming orgasms had loosened her girl’s tension and calmed her nerves to the point she could keep something down.

Breakfast over, they’d taken turns showering and then leisurely painting each other’s nails and toes. Shelley had chosen a metallic bronze color that would perfectly accent the russet and autumn tones of her bridesmaid gown, while Andrea had chosen a shimmering opalescent over a base of see-through plum. Dainty and ultrafeminine, the color wouldn’t have worked for her, but Shelley had to admit ’Drea was rocking that polish. The shade was dead-on with the bride’s elaborate wedding gown.

Now, as she waited to be handed into the limo by a cheery Bender, Shelley hugged her good fortune to herself. She ducked her head and climbed into the stretch limo, taking the seat facing Andrea and Fortrayn. Smiling her thanks at the jovial wulf, she settled her slim skirts about her.

Rosa and Melody, with Drew in tow, were already at the church coordinating the last preparations for the wedding. Fortrayn, Andrea, and she had followed orders and waited until two hours before the wedding was scheduled to begin to set off.

Man, she was so jazzed to be here, with her best friend, sharing her special day. Shelley caught Andrea’s eye and exchanged an excited gaze with the regal-looking bride. “Gee, Andrea, I can’t get over how beautiful you look today. You could be a European empress!”

Andrea laughed at that, her eyes sparkling with happiness. “Thanks, I think, though I think I smell an insult somewhere in there.”

“No way would I do that today, woman.” Shelley placed her hand on her heart. “I swear to goodness, you got it going on!”

Andrea patted the foamy skirts of her dress. “Well, I’m glad for that. I’d hate to be the ugly sister today.” Her approving gaze swept up and down before she smiled into Shelley’s face. “You look beautiful and regal yourself, Shelley. Like a Nubian queen. If I’m not careful, you might upstage me.”

“Both my girls look fine,” Fortrayn interrupted, bragging. “Every human and wulf there will be salivating over you.”

Smoothing the rich material of her gown with careful hands, Shelley lifted her head and smiled into Fortrayn’s face. The stepfather of the bride sat next to Andrea, looking good enough to eat in a white Jean Yves wedding tux with black brocade vest and bow tie. “That’s not possible, but if I do look nice, it’s thanks to you, Papa Fort, and Mama Rosa.” She dropped her eyes in embarrassment. “I’ve never had an outfit like this before.”

“Well, duh! Neither have I,” Andrea replied, snorting. The soft expression belied her gentle teasing.

Fortrayn’s smiling gaze rested on her before he spoke. “You are like a daughter in my den, Shelley. It’s our right and privilege to provide things like this for you. Rosa and I expect to foot the bill for your marriage when you tie the knot with Josh.”

That shocked her totally. “Oh, sir, I couldn’t possibly allow you—”

His quick hand chop cut her off. “No arguments, young lady. You’re not too old to go across my knee.” He eyed her hefty size. “Not too big either. Of course we’re sponsoring your marriage.” His voice firmed, and a frown drew his brows together. “We know the Tate family well, which is why we don’t choose to socialize in their circle. Despite money and what humans call class, you are far above them. Your Josh seems not to be tarred with the Tate brush, and that’s the only reason I’ve allowed you and Andrea to associate with him. However, there’s no way we would let that hoity-toity family look down on you just because your birth family could not afford to send you off with a bang. I won’t hear a word against it.”

“Uh…yes, sir? I mean…thank you, sir!”

She wasn’t exactly sure what she meant. Her eyes felt like they were going to fall out of her head, they strained so much in amazement. Gulping, Shelley turned a wondering gaze toward Andrea, who was sitting across from her with a shit-eating grin plastered over her face.

Shelley sighed happily. Her friend looked splendidly rested and eager. A far cry from the frantic, weepy woman she’d dealt with last night. For that, she had to give some props to that bold-assed Chase. Today, Andrea couldn’t stop smiling. Going by what she’d heard earlier, that wulf knew how to worship some pussy.

 

With another happy sigh, Andrea settled back in her seat and stared out the window, enjoying the ride. Excitement sent shivers rippling through her, kept the knot of nerves between her legs throbbing and swollen. God, she was so ready for this part to be over. If only they could already be past the ceremony and on to the sexing. Chase had primed her body well. Thank goodness the ride to the church was a short one, only twenty minutes or so in length.

Andrea watched the passing landscape morph from run-down inner-city areas to the more upscale renovated oases sprouting fast as kudzu in the older parts of the city proper. A weight landed in her belly, heavy as a stone, and her heart skipped a beat, sending her tummy into weightless flight beneath her breastbone. They were almost there.

Half a mile later, the car eased left onto O’Farrell Street, coasted along for sixty-two feet before swinging left to enter the parking lot of the church.

St. Mark’s Lutheran Church was over a hundred and thirty years old and had been the hub of zealous religious activity throughout. It had aged well, gaining in height and stature as each succeeding generation added to the original building until now the ancient matriarch of human faith rose above a large city block, surrounded on all sides by old trees and parklike lawns. Andrea sighed dreamily, gazing up in awe at the spires through the limo windows. Mama couldn’t have picked a prettier church.

The weather was pretty too, Mother Nature having cooperated by supplying a perfect March day. Her wedding day was one of those rare mild, sunny days San Francisco was known for. No wind blew to chill the sheltered, shadowy garden walks, and the sky was that clear light blue that bled white around the edges. A robin’s egg blue so beautiful it made the surrounding grass seem greener, the flowers brighter.

Papa Fort’s extended hand appeared in the open door, waiting to assist her out of the limo. Andrea gave a startled gasp when she noticed it. She’d been so wrapped up in the scenery and her daydreams, she hadn’t realized the limo had come to a complete stop, let alone that Fortrayn and Shelley had already exited.

“Let’s do this, honey.”

This was it!

Taking in a fortifying breath, Andrea filled her lungs and held it as she placed her hand in Fortrayn’s.

He steadied Andrea, palm strategically held under her left arm, while she ordered and fluffed her gown until the travel wrinkles were shaken out.

Shelley stepped up to hold the train off the dirty macadam of the parking lot, fussing and muttering about the absence of rugs and how rich folk didn’t have no damned sense when it came to keeping clean.

For once, Andi couldn’t argue. Her wedding gown was an original and deserved the best of care. The exclusive confection boasted a breast-hugging satin camisole under a long-sleeved, heart-shaped lace bodice with fitted waist. The skirts were constructed with miles and miles of shimmering layers of the lightest pale ecru chiffon, over filmy champagne silk, the chiffon layers dotted with swirls of diamond dusted Bavarian crystals and gleaming miniature pearls.

The sheer trailing veil was tossed back over the wreath of mixed wild flowers, with a predominant amount of the pale yellow wolfsbane flower interspersed among the more bland offerings anchoring the fragile cloth.

A mountain of frothy petticoats upheld the cloud of shifting, swaying material and gave the illusion that unlike the rest of the mortals surrounding her, Andrea wasn’t confined to walking. Truly, she could barely keep her feet on the ground, convinced she could float. Happiness welled up in her, and she wanted to dance.

Instead, tummy fluttering with the drumming beat of butterfly wings, Andrea placed her hand in her stepfather’s and allowed him to sedately lead her toward the church.

At the double doors, he halted. Turning to face her, careful not to rumple her dress, Fort enfolded her in a quick loving hug.

“You look bright enough to light up the world, my darling. Keep shining. And if that wulf ever extinguishes your glow, he’ll answer to your Uncle Hunter and me.”

Andrea leaned up and planted a soft kiss on Fortrayn’s cheek. “Papa, you’ve been everything I could wish for in a dad.”

His hand tightened on hers, and a huge sigh lifted his chest. “Speaking of dads, yours is here, baby. Rosa felt it was only fair to send him an invitation, and he answered, asked if he could come. We told him yes.”

More butterflies let loose in her gut, but she sucked in a slow, fortifying breath of crisp March air and kept her nerves under control. “It’s okay. It wasn’t like he was an abusive father. He never hurt me. He just couldn’t protect me. To give him his due, when he realized I was in danger, he made plans to send me home to Mom.”

“Well, I hope Chase is as forbearing as you. Uncle Rann showed up with Uncle Lachlann this morning. Hunter called to warn me just before we stepped into the limo. Brace yourself for all hell to break loose.”

Andrea tightened her lips. If Rann thought he was going to ruin her wedding with a repeat of the crap he’d pulled at her mom’s wedding, he had another think coming. She wouldn’t tolerate his rabid behavior.

“If hell breaks loose around here, Papa, it’ll be me raising it. Dad will act nice, or I’ll have Bender and Taylor bounce his butt to the curb. As for Rann, I’ll sic Great-Uncle Lachlann on him. Now come on, I want to see how Mom and Tía Melody decorated the church.”

Since they hadn’t been able to practice the wedding ceremony due to Chase being unable to fly in early enough, Andrea had no idea what the sanctuary looked like. She wasn’t one bit worried, though, because she had full confidence in her mom and Tía Mel. She expected to be pleasantly surprised.

Fortrayn escorted Andrea and Shelley to Rosa and Melody, and she found Grandma Sophie had arrived to help. After handing his charges off with an overdone sigh of relief, Papa Fort hugged and kissed his mom and then bent to kiss his petite wife. The randy wulf gave her a swipe of tongue and a furtive grope while Andrea dutifully pretended she’d missed that bit of parental grossness. “I’m going to speak with my sire before the wedding, and get my earful of gossip,” he quipped, winking at his mate. Mom always said wulves were worse than women about passing juicy tidbits.

Rosa shooed him away, threatening to lock the door against him. The pastor’s office was a small room off the main vestibule. The three women had commandeered it as wedding headquarters, and it overflowed with the paraphernalia needed to handle every aspect of the ceremony.

Before Andrea arrived, the elder females had been putting the finishing touches to the wedding party flowers, checking the lists to be sure there was a boutonniere for each groomsman and a corsage for each bridal attendant. They went back to it once Fortrayn left.

“What can I do to help?” Andrea fingered a corsage, antsy with nothing to do. There was still almost an hour to go.

“Get somewhere and stay clean,” Tía Melody said, plucking the beribboned posy out of her hands, and gave her a quick hug. “You do not want to smirch your beautiful dress.”

Gran Sophie beckoned Andrea over. “Come here, child. I just remembered I have something for you.”

Curious, Andrea drifted over to the beautiful older wulf bitch. Sophie was only in her eighties, still youngish for a wulf. Buxom and full-hipped, long-legged and broad-shouldered, Papa Fort’s mama was a statuesque female still in her prime. Her tawny hair was coiled and coiffed atop her head, and her flowing gown made her look like a queen.

“Louisa, Chase’s dam, asked me to see you received this.” She held out a sealed envelope. Looking closer, Andrea saw it was literally sealed, the flaps of the envelope held together by a dollop of hardened wax bearing the deep imprint of a convoluted crest.

Andrea took the letter, staring at the embossed emblem, fingers tracing over the soft woven texture of the heavy stationery. It had the feel of handmade decadence, too rich to be the result of mass production, and certainly way too formal for run-of-the-mill communication.

She quirked her lips, hiding her amusement as she fancifully envisioned similar missives bearing invitations to a jousting tourney or some other medieval event. “Why didn’t she come? I would think she’d want to be present at her only son’s wedding ceremony.”

“Rann is here. It’s too painful for Louisa to be in such proximity to Rann, but the point is moot, in any case.” Gran Sophie’s lips thinned. “My rabid brother has banned Louisa from his presence, and until my equally hardheaded brother Lachlann listens to reason and takes that maniac’s power away, she has to abide by the word of her Alpha.”

Andrea hated that Chase’s mom was prohibited from attending their wedding because a male who scorned her had decreed such restrictions simply to cause her more pain. “It doesn’t seem fair, does it?”

“No, dear, it doesn’t. Feel proud of the fact your marriage will help bring about needed change. I believe Chase will prove to be a more progressive ruler than his sire.” Sophie’s shoulders rose in a gesture reminiscent of a Gallic c’est la vie. She glanced around at the expressions on the faces of the women watching her with bemusement. Her laughter brightened the room. “My dears, I’m not blind. Nor am I an imbecile. Everyone knows Rann is insane, a rabid dog. Lachlann has taken family loyalty too far. He needs to act, to put Rann down before his actions escalate into trouble enough to engulf both the human world and our own.” She stopped on a quick sigh and waved a hand at the letter. “But enough of our woes…this is your wedding day. Read your note while we finish the last preparations for your human ceremony.”

Obediently, Andrea slipped her finger under the edge of the flap and ran it slowly along the seam until it reached the vicinity of the solidified wax. A determined tug loosened the seal, and with a flick of her finger, the wax cracked, releasing its hold on the paper.

She lifted the flap, nostrils widening as an elusive scent rose from the thick vellum. Femininely fragrant yet not a bit flowery, the evocative aroma told Andrea a whole lot about her fiancée’s mother. Louisa might be obedient to Rann, but she was no weak reed easily subdued. Like her signature scent, she would be a strong female yet not overwhelmingly sweet, feminine but not clinging; like the underlying earth tones in the subtle perfume, she would have layers worth exploring, depths of character she’d passed to her son. Andrea couldn’t wait to get to know her.

The note was short and succinct:

To the true-bond mate of my son, Chase-the-Prey, I offer honor to your sire’s den, and welcome you to our den. I promise you, you are most welcome. I regret not being present for either of the ceremonies. Once you and Chase are bonded, I will be able to visit with you. I look forward to that time.

Yours,

Louisa

Andrea looked up from reading. “She sounds nice, but what I don’t understand is why Rann can dictate to her when they aren’t on Pack lands. I hadn’t known of an Alpha’s control extending past their boundaries.”

Sophia tsked. “It is a personal ban. She is not to be within one hundred feet of him.”

The calm answer aggravated Andrea. “Chase told me Rann repudiated his mom, banished her from the Pack. Doesn’t that negate any claim he might have of obedience from her?”

A laugh rolled out of Gran Sophia. “It doesn’t quite work like that, little one. At any rate, it hardly matters today. Moon willing, you’ll never have to learn the intricacies of that particular situation.”

Andrea didn’t join in the laughter. One thing she was sure of—Chase would never abandon her. Lucky for her, though he might not love her, he did believe he owned her. If nothing else, Chase was a very possessive wulf. What he had, he held.

Something’s Old, Something’s New
 

Shelley finished straightening Josh’s bronze tie and matching cummerbund, going up on tiptoe to give him a giddy kiss. His arms slid up her back and tugged her closer, turning it into something more, something hotter.

Giggling, she broke away, putting needed space between them. Shaking her finger at his leering face, she warned him off. “Stop that! You’ll mess up my dress.” She smoothed her hands down the light, fluttering material, its floating hem swaying gently an inch above the ground. The sleeveless confection with its understated lines was an elegant showcase for her deep and abundant curves. “What is it about a wedding that gets you men horny?”

Josh shrugged, but the lusty glint in his eyes belied his studied nonchalance. “Probably knowing at least one of us dudes is getting lucky and fucked tonight.”

Shelley gaped at her man. He never used language like that. Not even around her, when he knew what a foul mouth she had. “Josh, what’s gotten into you? Talk about a potty mouth.”

“You must be rubbing off on me,” he muttered teasingly, stalking her retreating figure. He caught her and easily reeled her in, ignoring her laughing protests. Holding her close, he rocked his body against her, pressing his steel-hard erection into her soft belly. “Come rub something else off for me.”

She melted against him. “Josh, you’re mussing me. It’s almost time for the ceremony to begin. They’ll be calling for us soon.”

“I’d like to do more than muss you, woman.” He sighed, eased his hold on her full curves. Leaning his forehead against hers, he gave her a closemouthed kiss, lingering on her plump bottom lip, brushing his lips back and forth until her mouth opened under his.

He took the opportunity to dip his tongue in her mouth, and she shimmied under his masterful mouth, pussy clutching on thin air, shocked and turned on by his new behavior. She tore her mouth away to pant. “Damn, Josh, if I knew weddings affected you this way, I’d have dragged you to one way before now!”

“Shell, don’t you ever get tired of waiting?”

His words were below a whisper, more a whimsical thought than a question, but Shelley could hear how desperate his need was, could feel it in the fine tremors coursing through the muscles of his rangy body. They’d been abstinent for almost a year, and despite their banter about weddings and horny men, she had no idea what had served to spike this sudden rash desire. His need triggered hers.

“I… Josh, do you want us to stop waiting? Because I’ll gladly give you whatever you want, you know that. I’m not the one holding out here.”

Another sigh gusted through him. He kissed her again, a short, quick peck, before stepping back. “I know.” He closed his eyes, ran his hands down the outsides of her arms, and caught her hands in his. “We said we’d wait until after we met under our wedding chuppah, and I’ll stick to that. It’s just…” He swallowed and averted his gaze. With another deep breath, he seemed to shake off his introspection and flashed a halfhearted smile her way.

“Don’t worry about my temporary case of the hornies. Let’s get back to our places.”

Bullshit.

His behavior was so unlike Josh that it disturbed and frightened Shelley. She knew when something was bothering her man, and she wasn’t waiting for the wedding to be over before she got to the bottom of his—and therefore, their—problem.

“Uh-uh! You come with me, mister!” Grabbing his hand and hauling him along in her wake, she took off at top speed, ruthlessly weaving her way between late-arriving guests and frantic caterers.

Leaving the public rooms of the church behind, she ripped a page out of her book from the night before and commandeered a bathroom. Snatching Josh in behind her, she locked the door against all comers.

“Shell, this is the women’s bathroom! What if someone comes in? I do not wanna be caught in here.”

“Hush, baby, I locked the door.”

Josh propped one hip against the sink and crossed his arms over his chest. “You really expect me to stand here and hold a conversation with you while women pile up outside waiting to get to the toilets?”

Shelley crossed her arms, squeezing her hefty breasts until they were in danger of spilling out of her bodice. Skimpy damned thing. She narrowed her eyes. “There are plenty more bathrooms on this floor. Now stop stalling and tell me what the hell is the matter, and don’t bother to lie, ’cause I’ll know if you do.”

Josh huffed, looking sheepish. “I wish you would stop making such a big deal of this. I just had a momentary bout of impatience. If I can deal with it, why can’t you?”

Shelley shook her head no. Stalking over to him, she got up in his face, bullying herself into his personal space. “Not gonna work, white boy. I’m the mistress of misdirection, not you. Last warning, Josh Tate…talk!”

She captured his hands and pulled them together behind her back. When she let go, his hands clung to her lower back, pressing her closer to his hardening body. She noted his instinctive behavior with an inward smile. “Besides, I know you too well. Now give.”

When Josh leaned his forehead against her upturned one and sighed heavily, her heart dropped to her stomach. Her big baby was seriously worried about something, and this was the first time he’d hesitated sharing with her. She hated not being in the know. How could she help him if he wouldn’t be open with her?

Shelley leaned back and stared up at Josh’s beloved face. Wriggling, she freed her arms and cradled his cheeks between her palms. “Joshua, please…if you really don’t want to tell me, I’ll abide by your decision, but please, don’t shut me out. We’re supposed to be a team: us against the world.”

Josh’s hands came up and covered hers. His clear blue eyes stared down into hers, the love he felt for her shining naked and pure, evident to her wondering gaze. “I made a decision for us without first checking with you, and now I’m not sure how you’ll take it.”

She pulled her hands out from underneath his, feeling a chill all along her satin-encased body. Something was seriously bogus. “What decision? What are you talking about?”

“Chase asked me to join his security team to help protect Andrea. I’ll have to take some courses under Taylor, but the offer was too good to pass up.”

“Andrea is going to be living clear on the East Coast, Josh. How can you work for her when we’re supposed to be starting at Napa in under a month?”

His mouth opened, and she held up a hand. “Wait! Have you even told Napa you weren’t going to be showing up to work?”

“I sent them a letter.”

“You sent them a letter?” She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Just when did you get the offer? Why did you wait until now to tell me?”

“Chase offered it to me last night. I wrote the letter this morning. I’m telling you now.”

“Only because I bugged you about it. When did you plan on telling me?”

“I was going to tell you after the ceremony tonight. I thought it would be a nice surprise for you.”

Shelley wasn’t sure how to take that. She couldn’t believe his insouciance. “A nice surprise? You thought I’d be happy about you living on the other side of the fucking world? I know we’re not screwing, but damn it, Josh, I figured we’d at least get to hold hands once a week or so, maybe sneak in a kiss or two. I don’t want to live with three thousand miles between us. I’ll shrivel up and die”—she glanced down at her abundant body—“which won’t be too bad, to an extent.”

Josh’s lips tightened. “I don’t like you talking down about yourself. What does it say about how you think about me if I could love someone you don’t think is worthy?”

She dipped her head, taking a quick breath. “Sorry. Old habits, but I’m trying to stop.”

He smiled, face lit up with that eager glow he wore when he was excited about something. “I think this is a good move for us, Shell.”

“I don’t. I think you should stay here with me. We can tell Chase you changed your mind and get in touch with Napa to disregard your letter.”

The glow faded. “I want this job, Shelley. I thought you’d jump at this chance.”

“Well, you’re wrong. You don’t get to make decisions for both of us, Josh. We’re not married yet! And even when we are, you won’t go there.”

Josh’s face stiffened. “Don’t cheapen this with sarcasm, Shelley. I suppose you’re hurt that I didn’t talk this over with you first.”

“Hurt? I’m not hurt, Joshua Tate. I’m pissed.” She came away from the sink, pacing angrily.

“Just a minute,” Josh barked. His hands came up and grabbed at her, but she beat them off. “You brought me in here to talk. Let’s talk.”

“Get your fucking hands off me and back the shit up!”

He ignored her demands, staying up close and personal. “What is the matter with you?”

She slit her eyes and glared up at him. “You fucking ruin my life, and you want to know what’s the matter with me? Everything, okay?”

He flung his hands out, a beleaguered look on his thin face. “What’s so wrong about trying to better our situation?” He was agitated, color running high across his sharp cheekbones, cobalt blue eyes glittering brightly.

“Shell, what Chase is offering is more than double both our salaries combined. You won’t need to save. You can even quit if you want to! And Chase says there’s a house we can have.”

“Hold it! Wait a minute.” Shelley put her palm over Josh’s mouth, effectively shushing him. “We had a two-year plan, Josh. You sound like you’re expecting me to pack up and follow you to the East Coast.”

“Well, yeah…” His expression fell. “Shelley, I thought you’d love being close to ’Drea, being able to see her and spend time with her just like now. I-I thought… Don’t you want to push our agenda up, Shell? Get married? Make love?”

He looked so dejected, so disappointed his surprise had fizzled. Shelley wanted to hug him and offer him the world. Instead, she held her hand out, took his chilled one, and rubbed it. “Yeah, baby, I wanna do all those things. But Josh, we had a two-year plan for a reason. You know I can’t leave until Shaquia turns eighteen.”

The ever-present anger she felt for her mother’s behavior roared to life. Lips tight, she reiterated her family’s situation. “My drug whore of a mom would have her turning tricks the minute I’m gone for good. The boys can fend for themselves, but Shaquia is helpless.”

She shook her head, running all her short options through her head and coming up empty…as always. “If it wasn’t for Shaquia, I’d be up out of that house yesterday.”

Josh ran agitated fingers through his wheat-straight hair. “Can’t you do something about that? Turn her in or something? Why do we have to put our lives on hold because your mother can’t get it together?”

She knew she was breathing, because her chest was rising and falling, but shock stilled every other movement. Shelley stared at Joshua, at the man she loved, and didn’t recognize him. “Who are you? This is not the Josh I know. What have you done with my Josh?”

She started shaking; her body shivered so hard, she was surprised she didn’t lose her footing. It took her several tries to speak, and when she did manage it, her voice came out low and quivering. “I’ve always known you had no family feelings, that there is very little love between you and your mother. You never speak of your father or your sisters. It’s bothered me sometimes, because I was afraid you couldn’t help me raise a family if you didn’t know what having a family was like. I’ve tried lots of times to discuss it with you, but every time I’ve brought up family, you’ve skirted the issue. Now I see why.”

Josh stared at her, blue eyes wild, face stiff and desperate. “My family is cold and unfeeling. I want to love them, but they make it hard. That’s why I love you so much, Shell. I want something different, something more in my life. I know your mother’s track record. She’s like mine, in that she doesn’t want to change. She’ll never give you what you need, so I don’t see why you keep trying to save her. All I’m asking is that you cut her loose so we can move on with our lives.”

She could see his mind was set, and he would never understand. How could she have made such an error in judgment? The man she wanted to live her life with had to espouse the same ideals that she did. There’d be no peace in her home otherwise.

“My mother is a lousy caregiver, yes. She’s not what I want her to be, but she’s still my mother. She may have failed me, but I have more integrity than that. I will not measure my behavior by hers, and her failures aren’t excuses for me to fail my brothers and sister.”

She straightened her shoulders and lifted her head, met his wide eyes dead-on. “That’s what you’re asking me to do, Josh, and I won’t do that. Being part of a family isn’t something you do only if it works for you. How dare you ask me to abandon children who would be helpless without me?”

Josh rushed her, had her wrapped in his arms before she registered his intention. “Shelley, I’m sorry! You know I didn’t mean it like that. Please…”

She fought him off. “Get off me, Joshua, get back!”

“Shell! For God’s sake…I’m sorry!”

“Just…” She held both hands up, shaking her head frantically. “Just leave me be, Josh! I can’t deal with this right now.” Shelley sucked in a deep breath, holding it until her head spun. Reaching behind her, she unlocked the door, pulled it open, and sidled halfway through it.

“Don’t. Don’t leave with this between us, Shell. Stay until we talk it through. Please don’t let this ruin us.”

He had no clue of the bigger picture, the disastrous course they’d skidded onto, and she couldn’t think how to clarify it for him. She wondered if her eyes looked as dead as her emotions felt. “I have to go help my friend get married. That’s all I can deal with right now.”

“But we’ll talk later? Shelley! Will you talk with me later?”

He sounded so desperate, almost as frantic as the pace her heart was beating. She pressed a hand against her chest, trying to contain her panic and slow her heartbeat. If she softened up an iota, she’d be falling into his arms, sobbing.

“For what, Josh? I don’t want to hear anything else you have to say.” She choked out the next. “You’ve already said too much!”

Josh went pale, clutched his stomach, and sank to his haunches, groaning. “Oh, ga-ga-god, Shelley, pl-please don’t s-s-say y-y-you’re g-gonna br-br-break up with m-me. You c-cu-can’t! I-I-I’m s-sorry…G-god, Shell, I’m s-s-sorry!” He dropped to his knees as if all the strength had gone out of his body. “I’ll die if you d-don’t f-f-forgive me.”

Somewhere deep inside, Shelley was sobbing, screaming hysterically as she watched Josh regress to the stuttering and cowering Andrea and she had worked so hard to help him overcome. An hour ago, she’d have teased and bullied him out of that behavior, chiding him and reminding him how long it had been since he’d last done that. Now, she drank in one last glance of him, debonair in a swank tux and cummerbund, even though his tall, lean body was bent in seeming agony.

He looked like she felt. Miserable.

“I don’t know who you are, Joshua Tate.”

Josh held out his hand in supplication. “Don’t say that, please, Shelley. You’re the only one who really knows me. Shell, I’m lost without you!”

She lowered her lashes, shuttering her eyes against his pleading. The door closed between them. Turning away, Shelley wiped at the tears running down her cheeks. Thank goodness for nonrunning mascara.

By the time she made it up the long hallway, back to the public areas, she’d managed to wrestle her tears under control. She damn sure wasn’t going to let Andrea down on her day of days. After the ceremony, she’d take the time to indulge in a true breakdown, but right now, she was the maid of honor at her best friend’s wedding.

It was a good thing she’d decided to suck it up, because fast on the heels of that decision, a strident voice calling her name snagged her attention.

Bearing down on her, a militant glint in her eye, Rosa steamrolled up, determined to herd Shelley into position. Sounding harried, Rosa asked, “Mija, where have you been? Never mind, just come! Andale! It is time to take your place. Andale, andale!”

Thrusting puppy Drew into Shelley’s arms with a last firm command for him to obey, the mother of the bride hustled away as abruptly as she’d appeared, making her hectic bustling appear unhurried and calm. Shelley shook her head, admiring gaze watching Rosa’s compact form swaying genteelly in a svelte cream sheath accessorized with chunky gold jewelry at neck, ears, and waist.

Lifting Drew to eye height, Shelley touched noses and then hugged him tight. “Boy, your mama should be on the Florida coast. Isn’t that where hurricanes usually hang out? Whew! She’s moving at the speed of light!”

The puppy agreed with a series of high-pitched yips, wriggling with excitement. “You don’t have to water the bushes, do you?” she asked, eyeing him askance. “You better give me warning. If you mess on my dress, I’ll take a newspaper roll to your cute hide,” she warned, knowing she’d do no such thing. Drew knew it too. He whimpered, proceeding to lick every spot of flesh he could reach, tail wagging like a manic metronome. His antics made her smile, momentarily lifting her spirits.

Andrew was cuter than a basket of kittens. He was the ring bearer; the only part he could play in his sister’s wedding in the form he currently wore. The ring resided in a small basket suspended around his neck by a wide chocolate-hued satin ribbon. Only family and Pack members knew the small wulf pup was in fact Andrea’s brother. The majority of the wedding guests thought it was precious that she’d incorporated her pet in her nuptials.

* * * * *

Still feeling numb and distant, Shelley shored up her composure and tightened her grip on flowers and puppy. Waiting for her cue, she took a deep, calming breath. When the time came, she would set Andrew down and wait until he reached Chase before starting her unescorted walk down the aisle, as all the males were already ranged beside Chase at the altar. Except for Josh, who stumbled in and took his place, face pale and wan. He glanced her way, lips moved in a message for her alone. I’m sorry. I love you.

Hurting more than she ever imagined possible, cringing away from the pain that furrowed acid lines of agony across her bleeding heart whenever she looked at him, Shelley averted her gaze. Busying herself with her armful of lively pup that was Andrew McCallum, she forced herself to focus, to take one moment at a time.

After the ceremony she would have to pair up with Joshua and exit the church in the wake of the bride and groom. They’d be together through the reception and dinner, but after that, she’d refuse to travel with him to the later ceremony as they’d earlier planned. She couldn’t bear that. Shelley kept her eyes glued to the platform where the priest stood waiting for the bride to march in. Soon everything would be over, and she could crawl away somewhere to lick the wounds Josh’s betrayal had opened up in her soul.

Something Borrowed, Something Blue
 

Pachelbel’s “Canon in D Major ” played softly in the background as the long line of guests streamed into the church from the nave, filling it from the front to the back. State dignitaries, notables and quotables, mingled unknowingly with high-up wulfen Alphas and their entourages, come to honor and support one of their own.

Throats were bared and necks offered using the camouflage of a casual sideways nod to Lachlann and Rann as the wulfen guests passed by the Alphas seated on either side of the aisle.

Already ensconced in the second row on the bride’s side, Hunter received his own share of homage. He responded with curt civility, preoccupied with the tightness of his bow tie.

“This thing is strangling me, Mel.” He tugged at the damned twist of cloth, swallowing convulsively as it seemed to tighten around his neck. “I’m taking it off.”

“Don’t you dare! And for God’s sake, keep your voice down.”

He dropped his hand and shot her a fulminating glare. “How do you do that?”

“Do what?” The question was asked absently as she nodded regally, responding to a guest who’d caught her eye and bowed slightly.

“Shout at me without raising your voice.”

Her dimple flashed. “It’s called snarling, dear, and I learned it from you.”

He grunted, rolling his shoulders against the back of the pew. “I’m a damned good teacher then. You do it way better than me.”

“Guess I’ve had to practice it more than you.” She laughed. The low, throaty sound stirred his always-present lust for her. “Oh, babe, I think they’re getting ready to start.”

Hunter ceased playing with the tie to glance along Melody’s pointing finger. “It’s about time they got started.”

From a door off to the side, Chase and his entourage entered the sanctuary behind the officiating priest, to take their places before the altar. The music continued to play softly as the men shuffled into the correct lineup.

Everyone in the groom’s party but one was a wulf. In what Hunter considered a lame-assed attempt to appease Andrea, Chase had asked the boy Joshua to stand with him rather than simply escort Shelley up the aisle. Each groomsman was dressed in black formal wear with amber cummerbunds cinching their waists. Not a one of them looked comfortable, which brought Hunter’s mind back to his own problems.

“I hope you realize I’ve been in this damned tux for two hours already.” Hunter fidgeted beside Melody, still unsure how she’d tricked him into climbing back in a monkey suit when it wasn’t his wedding. Hell, he wasn’t even in the wedding party, because his status in the Pack was higher than Chase’s. Among wulves, it was considered an affront for any male participating to overshadow the groom.

“Hush, Hunter!” Melody cast a quick frown at Hunter. Her face smoothed back out as she returned her attention to what was happening at the front of the church. “I’m trying to listen.”

He tugged on his collar, trying to loosen the constriction at his neck. “I’m trying to avoid asphyxiation by tie.”

He didn’t bother to lower his voice, and several heads turned at the minor commotion. He lowered his brows and glared at them, daring them to say something. “What are you looking at? Pay attention to the wedding!”

Eyes wide, the guests promptly followed his barked instructions.

“Behave!” Melody’s hissed command was accompanied by the punishing slap she landed on his hand. Spicy-hot frustration seared his nostrils, adding a sharp bite to her words. “You act more like a child than Blair. I can’t take you anywhere.”

Hunter snagged her hand and brought it to his crotch, curling her fingers around his rousing cock. “Bet you can’t do this with Blair!”

She gave his cock a squeeze and muttered, “Bet you’ll feel just like Blair when you’re curled up in his room tonight.”

“You’re an evil bitch!” With a disgruntled sigh, Hunter resigned himself to behaving. He sat up and shut up, the note in his mate’s voice a clear indication she meant what she said. If she’d threatened him with the couch he might have continued teasing, which was all he’d been doing. But when she mentioned him sleeping in the cub’s room, she meant no sex for four nights. Not even a whiff of a blowjob.

Blair’s room was Melody’s code for “I’m on my period (or mad as hell). Don’t touch me.” She didn’t actually have to be on her period, but he did actually have to not touch her. She’d only had to administer that punishment once. Hunter was a quick study. He’d learned his lesson well. He couldn’t go four days without having her and remain sane.

His good behavior didn’t last long. All it took was Melody’s body stiffening in shock beside him. They were sitting close enough for him to feel any move she made, and that one didn’t escape his attention. He was instantly on the alert.

“What is it? What startled you?”

She shushed him again, furtively pointing out the two men belatedly entering the sanctuary. “Who is that with Kevin? Doesn’t he look like—”

Hunter couldn’t help the smirk that curved his upper lip. “Hush yourself, Melody Ann, and don’t point. It’s not polite!”

“But, Hunter, it’s—”

“The Governator. I know. He leaned on Kevin for an invitation, so I asked Chase to send him one.”

Melody looked awed. “Why did the governor of California want to come to Andrea’s wedding?”

Hunter shrugged, not the least interested in Arnie when he was snuggled close to an armful of soft, sweet-smelling Melody. “Probably wants to ask the NHP to continue working for the state, pro bono. They’re broke, you know.”

She turned to gaze up at him. “The NHP?”

“No, silly. The state.”

“Of course you’ll say yes.”

He smiled down at her, knowing her curiosity was eating her up. “You think so?”

Before she answered, the organ music segued, swelling into a majestic rendering of the “Wedding March.” Distracted, Hunter stood with everyone else to watch the bride enter the church. The sight made him catch his breath. On either side of the aisle—and particularly on the podium—the attending wulves caught scent of the bride.

His little Andrea looked ethereal, as light as thistledown with her dress billowing about her like faerie wings. She floated down the aisle on the arms of both her fathers, a happy smile stretching her beautiful mouth.

Hunter couldn’t help wondering how the fuck that came to pass. He’d had no idea the father was keeping abreast of Andrea to such an extent. He took a moment to exchange questioning glances with Melody, who shrugged her shoulders in an I-don’t-know-don’t-ask-me gesture.

Deciding to find out later, he turned back as Andrea swept past them, trailing the heady aroma of fuckable woman.

The admiring murmurs of the gathered witnesses hid the low moans and growls of the wulves interspersed throughout the crowd. This near Chase, Andrea was shedding pheromones like a motherfucker, playing havoc with even those mated wulves exposed to her concentrated sexual aura.

Hunter felt Buford jerk to attention and unconsciously crowded closer to Melody’s back, pressing his cock into the swell of her ass. She twitched away from him with an admonishing sideways glance, and he shrugged, grinning. Putting an arm about her waist, he tucked her back against his hard loins. When she protested under her breath, he nipped her ear in warning. “I can either snuggle with you or chase Andrea down the aisle. Your call, sweet bitch.”

“Stay your ass put,” she ordered, the words spat from between gritted teeth. She kept her eyes on the approaching bride, but Hunter knew she’d bristled at even the thought of him interested in some other bitch. As if!

His grin widened when her arm came up and gripped his hand anchored over her tummy, intertwining their fingers. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m right where I want to be.”

Since the Bride Comes, the Groom Comes, Too
“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today, in the presence of family,
 friends, and loved ones, to join these two in lawful wedlock…”
 

Finally! Chase stared over the back of the shorter prelate, eyes glued on the figure floating up the aisle to him. He swallowed sickly, throat gone dry at the realization that in a very few minutes, he’d be joined by human law to the mate of his heart.

Suddenly frantic, he shifted his gaze left and right, seeing a thousand possibilities of catastrophe. There were too many damned wulves in here. What if one of them went feral from the pheromones his Andi was throwing off? With his father in attendance, there was no telling what could ensue. Who would he have to kill to keep his Andi safe…keep her his? If Rann’s wulves attacked, he couldn’t hope to take them all, but he’d die trying, because he loved Andrea more than life.

That truth burst upon him with the flash of an atomic explosion, blinding and deafening him to his surroundings. He was floored at the emotions flooding through him. How could he have denied loving the young breed coming toward him, her wide gaze locked to his in utter trust and open affection? He and Andrea were probably the only ones he’d managed to fool.

Chase trembled, the muscles in his arms and thighs tightening in the age-old response to adrenaline rush. He wanted to run from the inevitable pain loving her would cause. He’d seen close up what happened when a mate was unevenly matched. His mother, Louisa, suffered the deepest cut a wulf could endure: to be rejected by a mate when Rann, in his effort to gain a more widespread powerbase, had repudiated his mating, leaving Chase’s mother to live outcast in her own Pack.

Louisa had never gotten over the humiliation and pain. Chase couldn’t understand why she wasn’t bitter. He was. On her behalf, he hated Rann with an acidic intensity that would flay the flesh off the wulf. His mother, though, constantly counseled him on forgiveness. He believed she would take the old rogue back today. All Rann would have to do is say the word.

That, more than anything, was what had Chase running scared. He was bound to Andrea in the same way his mother was bound to Rann. If she should ever abandon him, toss him over for some other, he didn’t know how he would handle it. It would kill him inside, and being a wulf not given to suffering alone, he knew he’d want to take others into that hell along with him.

Not Andrea, though. Even thinking she might one day offer him the deepest cut, he could not bring himself to envision harming her. Paddling her butt, perhaps, or fucking her so hard and long she’d forget any thought of leaving, definitely. But he’d kill to protect her…even from himself.

He’d spent three years trying to keep his heart separate. Now, when it was too late, he realized he should have been knitting her heart with his, making her fall in love with him. He should have been creating ties of emotions and memories that would make it impossible for her to breathe without his essence sustaining her. Instead, he now faced the troubling worry that, though her body would belong to him, he’d never be able to capture her heart.

Chase’s mouth firmed. He’d take that chance. Not claiming her would destroy him. She’d become his sole reason for getting up each morning. More than the looming threat facing an unknowing Earth, the possibility Andrea might find him unworthy unmanned him, because he knew it was true. There was no way he was good enough for her.

* * * * *

“For richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, cleave only to her till death do you part?”

 

Andrea waited with bated breath for Chase’s answer, heart thundering in her chest as his silence went on and on.

The guests began stirring uneasily, quiet titters growing into a groundswell of hushed whispers. The susurration buzzed like the frantic wing beats of angry bees against her ears as a burst of shamed heat flooded her cheeks. Now she wished she hadn’t said, “I do” so eagerly.

Oh please, God, don’t let him shame me like this. Not here in front of all these people. Why change his mind now? What is he waiting for? Andrea searched Chase’s face, frantic to find a reason for his silence.

What could have changed since this morning when he’d been so eager to claim her? He’d asked her to marry him. He hadn’t had to, so why do it if he was only going to repudiate her at the altar?

She had always known Chase didn’t love her, but she’d never dreamed he could do this to her, reject her in front of a massive crowd. Feeling less than two feet tall, Andrea bit her lip, struggling to keep her shoulders up and her head high. Tears filming her eyes, making it hard to see, she took a step back and prepared to turn away.

From the back of the hall, a gruff voice called out, “If you don’t want her, I sure the hell do!” She couldn’t stop the tear that escaped the torrent dammed behind her eyes. That wulf’s frantic need, betrayed by his intemperate cry, beat at her, exposing how little Chase valued her. Placed in juxtaposition, the two wulves’ reactions were telling, at least to her.

Chancing a glance up into his stony face, Andrea saw no change in Chase’s detached mien. She marveled at his calm, remembering how rabid he’d been when he’d thought Josh had overstepped his bounds. Now he was willing to allow another wulf, a stranger, to challenge him?

This behavior was the exact opposite of what she’d expect from Chase. Something was wrong, or at least, something wasn’t right. Hope slowly unfurled its wings and stretched, filling her heart as Andrea’s lips turned up in a tentative smile. Tremulous and low, she whispered, “Chase, what the hell is wrong with you?”

“Stop grabbing me, Melody Ann. I’m not going to kill him, just jump-start his ass. The idiot’s in shock!”

She thought Hunter’s angry comments must have ripped Chase out of whatever held him in stasis. Shaking his head as if awakening from a deep sleep, he came abruptly alive. Reaching across the short distance she’d put between them, he yanked Andrea off her feet and into his arms. Her crown of flowers was knocked askew as his arm tightened about her, and she grinned fiercely, pulse jumping erratically as her filmy veil—no longer held in place beneath the fragrant circlet—fluttered to the floor.

Eyes kindling, he swept a hand across the bodice of her dress, palm curving about one thrusting breast. The other arm held Andrea up in an unbreakable hold as he roared his claim of possession to the filled church. “MINE!”

His voice shook the rafters.

“Chase!” Andrea gasped, mouth falling open to suck in air as her lungs seemed to shut down in shock.

He stared blankly down into her face, blinking a few times. She watched his eyes clear and then fill with lust and a softer emotion she didn’t dare hope was love. Chase gazed down at her, running a gentle finger down the side of her face before shifting to place his body between her and the people in the crowded pews. Snapping his head back up and around to glare a challenge at the spectators, and that one particular wulf with the obvious death wish, he snarled a repeated, “mine!”

Clutching the lapels of his tux, Andrea buried her face in Chase’s chest, somehow knowing it was the safest place to be while he roared above her head. His voice, so gruff it vibrated her bones, was enough to kindle fear in the stoutest brave heart.

“Not want her? This is my mate. There is no other to forsake for she is all I see. If she is sick, I will heal her. If she dies, I will follow her. I will lay the world at her feet in tribute, but I will never give her up. Cleave to her? I’ll cleave apart any who tries to come between us!”

Andrea tilted her head up, twisting her neck to rest her adoring gaze on his face, awed by the implacable determination visible in his open expression. Sighting down the path of his gaze, she realized he was glaring at his sire. “Nothing is more important than our bond. I will never turn her away or push her aside.”

And then he bent his head and was savaging her, eating at her mouth like a wulf gone wild. She opened under his demanding lips, melting into his embrace, losing herself to place and time, arms snaking up to encircle his neck, holding on for dear life…as long as they both should live.

The kiss went on and on and on. When Chase finally released her mouth, Andrea reached out and latched onto his forearm, grateful for the strong muscles that bunched under her hand, taking her weight. They were the only things holding her up. After a stunned moment of silence, the audience broke out in thunderous applause.

The pastor calmly closed his prayer book, mouth curved in a gentle smile. “I’ll take that as an ‘I do.’”

Placing a hand on each on their shoulders, he turned them to face the audience. Raising his arms, he gestured for everyone to stand, asked them to bow their heads while he pronounced a blessing on the newlyweds.

The congregation obediently stood, and the pastor led them in a short prayer. Andrea bowed her head with the rest, her heart skipping in her chest, soul rejoicing at the freedom to express the emotions she’d kept hidden for years. At last she could openly admit she desired the strong, handsome wulf who stood so proudly at her side. More than that heady freedom, she had the right to act upon her desires.

She glanced up at Chase to find him gazing down at her, his eyes ablaze with lust and something more, something her spirit quaked at seeing. She swallowed thickly, adding her own prayers to the congregational one.

Please God or Goddess, whichever one is listening in…please let Chase love me as I love him, with all my heart. Amen.

Andrea felt better, hopeful, when she opened her eyes. She couldn’t help smiling as she swept the crowd gathered to witness the human portion of her bonding to Chase-the-Prey. So many people wishing her well had to influence good karma, right? And what about her wulf’s fancy name, wasn’t that the bomb? Louisa’s note had been highly informative in that she hadn’t known there was more to Chase’s name than a one-syllable word. Only after learning Chase’s full name had Tía Melody come clean about Tío Hunter’s. He had a ritual Pack name too: Mighty Hunter of Winds. Seems they go with the territory of being firstborn to ruling Alphas.

“Therefore, by the powers vested in me by God above and the state of California, I now pronounce you husband and wife.”

Chagrined to have missed the ending of the prayer, and almost the end of her wedding ceremony, Andrea colored up, peeking sideways at Chase. His indulgent smirk told her not only had he noticed her vacant stare during the prayer, but he intended to rib her about it for the foreseeable future. She turned her face to make sure no one else could see her make a face at him. She forgot the prelate.

The man of God surprised Andrea by giving her and Chase a playful wink as he brought the holy festival to a close. “Seeing as you’ve already kissed the bride, we’ll get right to the introduction.” Arms wide as if he would embrace the entire audience, the pastor smiled, his gamine grin sincere and infectious. “Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to be the first to introduce you to Mr. and Mrs. Chase McCallum.”

After the Ceremony: First Contact
Andrea’s responses: #2—Panties… “I have an uncle, and I’m not afraid to call him!”
 

Standing on a makeshift platform with an insincere smile frozen in place on her numb lips, Andrea offered her cheek and her hand to yet another guest in the unending reception line.

Her face smiled while her thoughts seethed with anger. How dare they pull her groom away and leave her to deal with everything on her own? If she’d been a woman who cursed, she’d have let a few rip right about now. She wanted to slap Tío Hunter and the other Pack Alphas for using her wedding reception as an impromptu venue for dealing with Pack business.

“Congrawtulashuns!”

Her fulminating thoughts were abruptly halted as the governor of California—obviously having no idea how firm his grip was—engulfed her small hand in his and gave it a hearty shake. Biting back a groan, she extricated it gingerly, retrieving that fake smile. Dang, he’d about terminated her hand.

Glancing over his broad shoulders from her vantage point above him, she caught sight of Shelley bouncing in place, making frantic hand motions, doing everything she could to get Andrea to ask for an autograph.

It was hard, but Andrea managed to swallow her laughter at her friend’s antics, grateful for the humorous incident. Deciding Shell deserved a reward, she laid a gentle hand on Arnie’s arm. “Governor, would you mind autographing something for my friend, Shelley, there?” She pointed to a suddenly wide-eyed bridesmaid, whose usually chocolaty burnished cheeks had gone ashen.

“Auf course, I’d loff to!”

“Thank you. We’re big fans of yours, you know.” The smile she gave him this time was the real thing. With a sigh, she turned back to welcoming each attendee.

Greeting the long line of reception guests made up of high society mavens and their power broker husbands was like running a never-ending gauntlet. It felt like she’d been shaking hands for hours, but had only made it halfway through the grueling task. Andrea was relieved and thankful when Chase finally reappeared.

Standing framed in the doorway with the other powerful, overwhelmingly alpha Alphas, her Chase outshone all the others. His personally tailored white on white tux lovingly detailed his physical perfection. From the smooth cap of shining blond hair to the long, firm muscled legs, he radiated maleness…and he was all hers.

Enthralled, Andrea watched as he scanned the room, obviously searching for her. The moment their eyes met, her pulse ratcheted up, pounded frantically. The heat in his gaze seared her as he began to make his way toward her, moving like the predator she knew him to be. At this moment, she was more than willing to be his prey.

Andrea wet her lips, growing wetter between her legs the closer he drew. Determined gaze remaining glued to hers, Chase came to a stop at her side. Claiming her by the simple act of placing his hand on the upper curve of her arm, he drew her away from greeting a well-wishing senator. With an absent, “gonna fuck my mate, go find yours,” he pulled her behind him.

Glancing back, Andrea saw the poor senator gaping after them, her face frozen in an expression of shock.

Chase hadn’t really said that, had he? Andrea sucked in a quick, indignant breath even as those pesky butterflies started up again. Chase might only need to touch her to have her heart pounding, but his behavior was unacceptable.

Trying to keep her calm as her new husband towed her through the room at breakneck speed, she murmured, “That was gross and uncouth, even for you, Chase. Why would you say something like that? The poor woman didn’t know what to think.”

Not deigning to answer, Chase tugged at her, increasing his already impossible speed. Having slipped off her shoes while standing in the assembly line, Andrea’s stocking-clad feet slipped, causing her to trip over the trailing hem of her wedding dress. Clutching at Chase to keep from falling, she yanked at her arm, anger beginning to rise. “What’s the matter with you?”

“Hungry.” His voice sounded strange, guttural. Andrea chanced a glance up at his face to determine the problem and recoiled at his fierce expression. Between the instant she’d spied him standing in the doorway, and when he’d arrived at her side, something must have set him off. “Then we’ll go to the buffet table. There’s plenty to eat over there.” She tried to direct him toward the laden tables at the back of the room. Chase wasn’t having any.

“Don’t want food. Want you.” The sharp, short sentences…the stormy expression—turbulent and wild—unsettled her. She’d never seen him like this.

The hazel color of Chase’s eyes—an intense green with flecks and swirls of earth brown—was disappearing, being swallowed up by the burning gold of change. They stared out at her from a face strained and stark, cheekbones prominent above his clenched jaw, nostrils wide open as he sniffed the air, head lifting in little jerks to catch…her scent. His full lips were drawn tight over the growth of his fangs, and while she looked on, the muscles of his wide shoulders bunched and rolled beneath his skin. Under the cloth of his designer suit, fur flowed golden and thick, adding bulk to his already impressive frame. She gasped as realization dawned. My God, he’s shifting. In public.

Okay, that so wasn’t going to be good. Andrea knew she had to do something. This was San Francisco, for God’s sake, not New Orleans. The public here wasn’t used to dealing with weird stuff like this. New Orleans folk rubbed elbows with the occult on a regular basis, but while the City by the Bay had its own flavor of weird and unusual, they were nowhere near as blasé about it.

“Chase, you’re changing. You can’t do that here. There are too many humans around!”

“Want you. Mine!” He repeated the last, tightening his grip on her, continued pulling her behind him.

She decided she’d better allow Chase to drag her off, as it was the fastest way to get him away from the unsuspecting humans. But she hadn’t expected to have to deal with his beast until later tonight.

Anticipation and fear combined to create turmoil in her innards. Acid burned as the bottom dropped out of Andrea’s belly, and she thanked goodness she hadn’t yet managed a bite to eat. She’d have thrown it up for sure.

Content to go with him, she still wasn’t okay with him dragging her like some darned caveman. Locking her muscles, she leaned back and tried to come to an abrupt stop. He barely slowed, so she increased her tug against the firm hold on her arm. “Chase, please wait.”

Wherever his head was, he heard her and spun around. Dipping his head down, he stared at her, sparks of lust flickering in his glowing eyes. “No. More. Waiting!”

“No one’s disputing that I’m yours now, just like you’re mine. But we can’t…we don’t have time to do anything here. We still have to cut the cake, dance, toss the bouquet. You’ll mess up my dress!”

“No. Careful. Promise.”

She gulped. Battling those pesky, steel-winged moths using her tummy as their nesting ground, Andrea did a quick computation of how much damage control would be needed if she gave in to Chase’s demand. Mama and Tía Melody had warned about this, about the possibility of Chase’s need to mark her, establish his ownership in the face of all the other wulves surrounding them. Smelling the males in such close proximity to her must be driving him crazy.

Okay, he wanted to make love, but really, a blowjob was more appropriate, more doable. She offered that option. “Look, how about we find somewhere private and I give you a blowjob?”

Her answer was a scornfully raised eyebrow.

Ignoring her suggestion, Chase swung his head from side to side, quickly scanning the corridor they’d emerged into. After trying several doors, he came to a room halfway down the hall. He gave a satisfied grunt when the doorknob turned under his hand. Pushing the door open, Chase stepped through, pulling Andrea in his wake. She noticed he wasn’t too far gone to make sure it locked behind him.

A Queen Anne chair and ottoman grouping done up in tufted brocade was tucked away in a corner of what looked like a retiring room. He liberated the ottoman, carried it to the middle of the room, and plopped it down before her. Pointing his finger at her, he ordered, “Hike dress.”

His finger jabbed next at the oversize footstool. “Bend over.”

Finally, his hand thumped the cushion. “Belly here.”

“Me bend over? H-how would that help? Shouldn’t you sit in the stool while I—” She cleared her throat, finding it more difficult than she’d thought it would be getting the words out.

Andrea glanced at the long, hard ridge pressing against the zipper of his dress pants, licked her dry lips, and swallowed. She could do this. She wanted to do this. God, she’d fantasized enough about doing just that, of taking him in her mouth and discovering his taste, learning his textures. She forged on.

“The plan was for me to…uh…suck you off.”

“No.”

“But I thought…” She was confused. Somewhere deep inside, she was disappointed.

“You touch me, I burn. Lose control.” Chase ran his tongue along his bottom lip, glowing eyes so intent on her lower body, she felt the weight of his gaze like a brand on her belly and thighs.

His breathing was loud in the quiet room, shuddering sighs accompanying his outward breaths. His jacket fit too tight across his shoulders, having been fitted when Chase’s body was skin form trim, not in the midst of achieving his hulking battle form. Down the length of his legs, on both sides, red smeared his pants where he’d transferred the blood from his hands, shredded by embedding his claws in his clenched palms.

“Owe you…spanking. Then fuck you. At last!” She heard nothing humorous about his bark of harsh laughter. And she didn’t feel much like laughing herself once she’d lifted her brooding gaze to meet his hazel eyes.

His belabored speech, added to the other indications, revealed how close to the edge he was. Each measured word emerged a victory of sorts. In battle, or midform, the wulfen throat was not really designed for human conversation. He fought to get them out. That he struggled to communicate endeared him to her.

Not that she was happy about the looming spanking, but Chase had promised he’d administer one and there was no use fighting against it. Besides, she’d done what he suggested and spoken to both Tía Melody and her mother.

She’d been flabbergasted at the enthusiastic instructions her aunt had given. Melody loved it when Tío Hunter went caveman on her, as she put it. She claimed the sex was hotter, the loving harder, after he’d displayed his mastery sexually. Tía’s answers had made Andrea’s cheeks burn.

But the bright color blooming in her mother’s cheeks as she answered made her giggle. Rosa was no breed, and yet she admitted enjoying an arousing erotic spanking. After that, there was no doubt in Andrea’s mind—fully aware her breed genetics predisposed her to being a sub—that she’d also relish the experience. So the spanking was something she would get through, and truthfully, she sort of looked forward to it.

Of tantamount importance to Andrea right now was making sure Chase didn’t lose control to the extent of shifting before their wedding guests. That he’d come close was gratifying in a way, made her feel as powerful as a sexy femme fatale. She, Andrea McCallum, had made this wulf, this Alpha, tremble.

Having to control her own shaking hands, she crushed her voluminous skirts between her fists, slowly raising the silky material until it bunched at her waist. Heat liquefied and pooled between her legs, pearling the lips of her sex and soaking through her panties to slick the flesh of her upper thighs. Even she could smell the burst of fragrant need that flooded her as she carefully bent and placed her belly on the chair’s cushion, resting facedown. Her feet rested on the balls of her toes, her hands stretched over her head, barely reaching the floor. The awkward stance left her feeling vulnerable and needy. It was times like this Andrea wished for a few inches more height. She felt like a naughty child waiting for punishment, but then she turned her head to the side and watched him approach, and the last thing she felt like was a child. She lusted after her mate with a mature woman’s desire that simmered like molten lava along in the conduits of her blood.

Chase’s eyes burned hot as he gazed down at her. His nostrils flared, head lifting as he drew in her scent. “Ah! De-li-cious. Smell you. Taste you, Andi. Now.”

His words emerged more rumbling growl than speech. Andrea felt that bass vibrato in the pit of her stomach, and when he went to his knees beside her, she shuddered, wanting his mouth at her sex. She was dying to feel him, his mouth and hands and cock, in all the places she’d imagined so many, many times.

His hands, dancing between her legs, froze when his clawed fingers found the soaked crotch of her panties. His head jerked up and he growled. “Andrea. Panties…? I said no.”

Andrea’s knees would have buckled if she’d been standing on them. Despite that, she managed to challenge him with sarcasm. “Yeah, like I was going to prance around church with my butt hanging out. You must be smoking something.”

“Naughty!” Chase retaliated for her sarcasm by applying hand to bottom. Fire exploded on her ass.

Andrea screamed in protest, kicking up her legs as her ass throbbed.

He ignored her struggles, subduing her legs and holding her still by tightening a brawny forearm over her thighs.

“I said no panties!”

She reared up, rocking her upper torso against his constraining arm. “Let me up, Chase. I’ll scream for Uncle Hunter.”

His face went demonic. “You dare mention another wulf’s name while I have you half-naked before me? I’ll teach you to threaten me with Hunter. I love him dearly, but even he does not belong here, between us.”

Holding her gaze, Chase pushed her legs apart and began rubbing over the puffy lips of her sex through her panties. After a while he switched, smoothing the heat of his swat into the hot flesh of her bottom, setting off a different blaze.

“Oh, you’ll scream, Andi,” he agreed. As if the saturated cloth weren’t present, Chase pressed one thick digit into her cleft, stuffing her full with finger and sodden material. Locating her clit, he rotated his thumb around the stiffening nub, rasping the crotch against her sensitive bundle of nerves. “Not for Hunter, though. Scream for me.”

She cried out again, this time in response to the pleasure. “I’m sorry, Chase! I was kidding!”

Her submissive answer must have calmed him. She felt the magic in the air as Chase shifted to regain full skin form. Certainly, his vocabulary increased.

“I was not. Nor was I kidding about you not wearing panties around me.”

Oh, great, Andrea could hear that implacable note in his voice. The last thing she needed to do was get him angry just as he was about to spank her. “Chase, that’s not always convenient.”

“Why?”

Exasperation fueled her tart answer. “Since my wulf DNA kicked in, I’ve been…uh…horny. A lot. You can’t possibly imagine how buggish it is to have cream dribbling down your legs.”

“I can’t imagine it’s any worse than having a cockstand twenty-five days out of thirty.” His big hand swept over her buttocks. “Andrea, it’s my job to make sure you’re taken care of. I promise you’ll be too satisfied to spill cream. Every drop you produce will be in my mouth or slicking my cock. So the panties are out. Think of it as a treat meant only for the two of us. I’m the only one who will ever know you’re not wearing panties.” Another soul-destroying swipe of his deft finger played over her cloth-covered sex. “I want my secret treat, and you will not deny me. Will you?”

She groaned. “And if the wind blows right while you’re lifting my skirts to toss my garter?”

“Then it would be a mighty powerful wind, since that event takes place inside.” As he finished speaking, Chase hooked his claw over the crotch of her panties and pulled. The riiiip sounded loud in the quiet room. A second later, he tossed the scraps over his shoulder, baring her to his intent gaze.

Andrea squirmed, feeling his eyes on her naked sex and bottom. “We should be home when you spank me. I’m warning you now, I…I can’t be quiet, Chase. You’re going to embarrass me before our guests.”

“Stop making excuses and be still. You know what you’re saying isn’t true. I’d never shame you. If you hadn’t been wearing panties, you wouldn’t be getting your ass peppered with extra swats. These first five are for your disobedience, not for those vengeful Panty Expresses.”

“But—”

“There’s only one butt here, and I’m about to get to it. Now stop all this squirming. If you rouse me too much, I’ll go furry on you, and there’s too many humans around to risk that.”

She twisted her neck around to eye him askance. “But I only wore the panties because they’re blue. I needed something blue.”

“Well, I’m going to give you something red to complement them.”

She pouted and repeated, “I don’t want you to spank me,” and immediately cringed at the whine in her voice.

His big hands palmed her butt cheeks, rubbing and plumping them with rhythmic swirls of his hands. “You’re going to love it.” A throaty laugh floated above her as his hands continued to prepare her bottom. “This is going to hurt so good you’ll soon be thinking up ways to be naughty so I’m forced to discipline you on a regular basis.”

Andrea didn’t agree but didn’t bother contradicting him. She just wanted it done and over with. “Then just do it, okay, Chase? If you take this long getting started, we’ll miss our own reception.”

“Oh, never doubt I’m going to do it. I’m going to fuck you too. I might even let you come.” This time, his laugh was accompanied by another sharp slap on her naked cheeks.

“Ouch!” Andrea tried to rear up off the cushion, startled at the hot pain searing her flesh, but Chase’s firm hand held her down. It stung like a vicious bite. How could anyone like this? It hurt! She squeezed the globes of her butt tight, fighting off tears.

“Relax your ass, Andi. You’re offering me rebellion, and I won’t stand for it.” Chase gently massaged where he’d struck her. “It hurts more when you clench like that, and causes bruising. I won’t have a single discolored mark on your beautiful body.”

Taking a couple of sobbing breaths, she managed to relax the muscles, only to clench again when Chase’s hand lowered like the fall of doom, palm slapping three times across both cheeks.

The burn spread, encompassing her entire butt, and she moaned, rocking as she absorbed the shocks. Stunned at the level of pain Chase was subjecting her to, Andrea was more amazed to find that at some point during the course of the punishment she’d ceased clenching her buttocks and begun clenching the muscles of her vagina. The pain had turned to a different sort of heat, and it was burning her from the inside out. To her dismay, she realized she was wet and growing wetter!

“Good girl, you’re taking your spanking much better. Your sweet bottom is rising for my swats, glowing nice and red.”

For some reason, Chase’s praise made her heart soar. Dying for something more, something stronger, Andrea deliberately raised her bottom and opened her legs, putting her sex on display.

“That’s my good mate. Keep those legs open so I can see that pretty pink pussy.” Chase applauded her behavior and rewarded her by sinking a finger in her dripping slit and easing it in and out. “Fuck, this tight pussy is streaming. You’re loving your punishment, aren’t you, baby?”

“Yes!” She panted, fighting his hold to bear down on his finger. Her hands pressing on the carpet, Andrea reared back, arching her spine as his finger rubbed against a spot high up in her slit, making sweat break out in a fine mist over the surface of her skin.

Chase crooned low in his throat and added another digit, forcing wide the mouth of her slit. His thick fingers stroked inside her a few more times before pulling out abruptly. Without warning, he brought his hand down twice in quick succession and then again, the flurries coming thick and furious.

Stunned with the pleasure, Andrea couldn’t answer, too intent on holding off the sensations tormenting her entire body. Her nipples were so tight they ached. Each time the swat landed on her butt, jarring her body, her diamond-hard tips, still encased in the material of her sheer bodice, rasped against the rough covering of the cushion, wringing a deeper, harsher response, sending it zinging down her body to twang in her clit. “Oh God, it’s too much!”

“No talking!” He punished her for the insurrection with five licks that made her eyes tear and her juices gush.

“You don’t cry out unless I give you permission. And you better not come until I’m inside you.”

Andrea’s entire body shook and jerked as she fought coming with all her might. “Chase, please, it…it’s too much, too strong! I can’t hold back. I don’t know how!”

“You want to come?” He smoothed the heat throughout her bottom, working the globes with just enough strength to keep the feelings rolling between pain and pleasure.

“God, yes! Yes, I want to come. Please make me come!”

One hand slipped between her thighs, two fingers stretching the tight opening. He twisted his wrist, rotating the fingers inside her. “You’ve seen my cock. You think you’re ready for me to stuff it in this tiny pussy?”

“Yes, please…let me take you…every inch. I’ll squeeze you so tight!”

“By the Moon, I believe you will!”

Afternoon Delight
Andrea’s responses: #3—Anything entering my mouth 
without an invitation will exit inches shorter.
 

“Goddess Moon, I love the smell of you, my Andi.”

Chase pulled free from his mate’s clinging pussy and brought his dripping fingers to his lips. Holding her gaze, he sucked them deep into his mouth, running his tongue along the V between his fingers. “And you taste as divinely as I remembered from this morning.”

Heart pounding with a mixture of emotions he wasn’t going to bother attempting to put a name to, Chase stared down at Andrea’s body, his cock thrumming at the lust-invoking sight.

She was bare to his lingering gaze below the waist, her pert ass rosy from the recent spanking. Her plump cheeks radiated a uniform warmth, beckoning his palms again and again. But it was her pussy lips, swollen from the attention he’d paid them and glowing a healthy, welcoming deep pink, that drew his hungry gaze.

Not the least interested in resisting, Chase rubbed and stroked the resilient flesh, dipped within, and plunged deep with stiffly held fingers until she was again writhing beneath his manipulating hands.

“God, Chase that feels so good…”

“I wish I had the time to do everything I wanted to this lush little cunt, but for now, lie still and let me prepare you for my cock.”

She twisted beneath his plucking fingers, body flushing from nipples to nape, belly convulsing as he pinched down on her protruding clit.

“Oh God, Chase, I’m going out of my mind! You’ve never touched me like this before.”

Chase bit back a groan. “I’ve never planned to actually fuck you before. Today, no human laws, no fucking edicts from my Alphas stand between us. You’re mine, Andrea McCallum, and I’m about to stake my claim in no uncertain terms!”

It was hard, but he managed to fit three fingers up in her resistant pussy, imagining the unbreached mouth was almost as tight as her virgin rosette. He knew her for a breed, knew her body could take him, but still, watching the minuscule portal stretch around his fingers almost had him coming in his dress pants.

Andrea hissed, sucking in a long pull of air through her clenched teeth. “Tight…hurts…so good! Please, Chase, don’t make me wait anymore. I need you so badly.”

“Tell me what you want me to do, my Andi. Talk to me.” He wanted to hear her husky voice saying the raunchy words, giving him sexy orders he had every intention of obeying. “Tell me what you want, and I’ll give it to you.”

Her hands reached across the mountain of material to grasp his forearms. There wasn’t an ounce of reticence or embarrassment evident when she made her demands, just heated, lusty need. “Fuck my pussy with your cock, not your fingers. I need to feel you thick and hard inside me, please! Hurry, Chase, hurry.”

Mother Moon the sight of her…of his woman, his mate, pushing her hips up, fucking his fingers. Chase dropped his jaw, letting his fangs come in. It was all the change he could allow since his suit had been tailor-made for his skin form, and the guests would notice ripped seams and torn cloth.

“I’m hurrying as slowly as I can, baby. I want you to enjoy this first time, and you won’t if I can’t keep control. First, let’s get you situated for me.”

Reluctantly, Chase withdrew his hand, pausing to lap up the juices coating the three fingers he’d had submerged in her clinging pussy. Aware she watched him with dazed, wild eyes, he hummed his enjoyment. “Mmmm…tasty!”

She giggled, the low, husky laugh tightening the skin over his balls.

“Damn, baby, I love that sexy laugh of yours.”

“I’m not going to be laughing long if you don’t hurry up and fuck me.”

Chase had to lower his head to hide the amusement he knew was stamped on his face. Hunter always said he needed to stay away from the poker tables since he didn’t have a poker face. His open expression gave him away every time. Right now, he was tickled pink over Andrea’s cursing. He’d bet dollars to doughnuts his prim-mouthed little mate wasn’t even aware of the raunchy words pouring from her.

“Up!” Hands sliding under her tummy for support, Chase lifted Andrea off the footstool and stood her on her feet, hugging her close while she got her legs under her and stiffened her knees. “Little wobbly there, sweetheart.”

She took a swipe at him that he easily ducked, chuckling. “You’re gloating. You’re the one who made me weak-kneed.”

Chase nuzzled his mark, loving that her entire body shook as his lips brushed over the mating scar. Tonight, he’d be renewing it, setting it in her flesh before the mingled witnesses from both of the American Packs. “Much as I’d love to improve upon my handiwork, we have a reception to return to and a dress to protect.”

He dropped a quick kiss on her brow before taking two steps away from her. “You don’t want to get any body fluids on the dress, so it’ll have to go up over your head.”

“What? That’s bogus.” She crossed her arms over her chest, pushing her breasts together, a frown drawing her brows together in a thunderous line. “How am I supposed to kiss you, hold you…see you while we’re making love?”

“You’re not going to be able to do that. Not this time.”

A gasp opened those luscious lips. “That’s not fair!”

“Life isn’t. You’ll get over it.”

That didn’t sit well with her. “Let me have what I want first, then.”

Oh, this should be interesting. “What do you want, my Andi?”

“You.”

“I was trying to give you that.”

“No, I mean I want you…in my mouth.”

Damn it, more than his fangs threatened to spring out when she said that. “Gracious Moon, my Andi! I’ve warned you about saying things like that without a warning.”

She plopped her hands on her hips. “I thought guys were dying to get their snake charmed. I offer to do you, and you turn me down.”

Chase shook his head over her truculent expression. Andrea really didn’t like not having her way, but her pouting lips only made him want to ravish them with a hard, deep kiss. Suiting action to notion, he grabbed her up into his arms and slashed his mouth across hers, sealing her complaints behind a long, slow taking that left them both breathless.

He came up for air, stared down at the swollen lips he’d just left, and wanted more. Shadows and starlight, what he wouldn’t give to have those full, wet lips wrapped around his cock. But he knew he’d never last if he allowed her mouth anywhere near him as aroused as he was. He’d be in fur fast as a tick on a blood blister.

Barely able to force the words of his refusal out, he resorted to growling. “Damn it, Andi, much as I want to fuck this pretty mouth of yours, it has to wait. No!” He cut her off when she started to say something, gave her dangling body a token shake. “No arguing. Just go with the flow for right now, baby. I promise we’ll both get what we want later tonight. For now, I need inside you.”

Setting her back down, Chase gave her a hard warning look to stay still as he gathered up the full skirts of her dress, ignoring her muttered, “Maybe I won’t want it later. You act like I threatened to bite the thing off. See if I offer again.”

The soft, silken voile of her wedding dress condensed down to almost nothingness in his big, callused hands, making the gathering a lot easier. He brought the massive pile up over her head until she looked like an inverted onion. He secured the whole with a curtain tie he ripped off one of the frilly window ensembles.

“Can you breathe in there?”

A muffled affirmative sounded through the mounds of cloth, and Chase nodded to himself, glad he wouldn’t have to worry about her suffering from shortness of breath—at least, not one he hadn’t inflicted purposely. “Good. This is a vastly different example of a blindfold, but I’ll use it for my ends.”

“I feel…strange.”

Chase patted Andrea’s flank, his touch meant to reassure and calm. “Of course you do. You can’t see, your hands are bound, and you’re forced to rely on trust. Do you trust me, my Andi?”

After a moment, in which his heart stumbled at her delay, she gave a short nod. “I…you know, I believe I do.”

He didn’t like that she hadn’t answered in a more definitive way. “You sound surprised about it.”

“And now you sound disgruntled. What’s the matter, big bad wulf? Upset because I hesitated to answer?”

His eyes narrowed. Though he knew she couldn’t see, he still gave her back the same short nod. “You know…I believe I am.”

“Good. Think about how I felt when you took five years to say ‘I do!’”

“What are you talking about, Andrea? I didn’t hesitate over our wedding vows.”

He wasn’t too pleased when she went off in a peal of laughter so boisterous she almost lost her footing. In fact, he was so ticked, he debated letting her fall, but in the end, he couldn’t carry through on the little payback. She trusted him to protect her, and that meant keeping her from all threat of harm while she was voluntarily helpless in submission to him.

Setting her straight, he growled, reminding her who was boss. “I don’t see the humor.”

His bride’s entire body radiated ease. “You will once you talk to some of the wedding guests. For now, don’t worry about it. I’m still waiting to get fucked.”

Chase hadn’t needed her reminder, not when he could both see and smell how ready she was. Ripe and juicy was the only way to describe the scents inundating his nostrils. Her bare, silky-smooth mound was slick with her spilled juices, and her clit—poking free of its protective hood—reared up from between her puffy, swollen nether lips, beckoning his mouth and hands.

“Oh, babe, you are so going to get fucked.” He picked her up and carried her over to the Queen Anne chair, kicking the ottoman along as he went. Aligning the two, he carefully laid her on the resulting chaise with her head resting in the seat of the chair. He displayed her lower body with legs splayed on either side of the fat stool, the open stance spreading her wide, revealing the folds and inner meat of her pussy.

Dragging her scent into distended nostrils had Chase hardening to steely firmness. Andi’s fresh, spicy aroma sent him out of his head, made him lose the last of his objectivity. He had to taste her. Now.

Dropping to his knees, he dug his fingers in the flesh of her upper thighs, yanked them apart to lunge headfirst at her crotch, tongue lashing wildly over the fluttering lips of her sex. He reared back only long enough to groan, “Moonlight, you are delicious! More, Andi! Feed me from your luscious cunt, baby,” before returning his mouth to the succulent pussy he’d been dreaming of for three years.

Chase’s emotions threatened to overflow when Andi’s legs opened wider, the action telling him without words that she accepted him, wanted him in this way. He rewarded her by working a finger and then two more into her grasping vagina, fucking her with them, opening and widening her narrow channel for his cock. All the while he ate at her, nibbling and sucking on her lips and the tiny little female cock thrusting up at him, taunting him with its miniature hardness.

Mouth drifting over the smooth flesh of her waxed sex, Chase unbuttoned and unzipped his pants with one hand, continuing to work the middle three fingers of his other hand in her sloshing cunt. His baby was sopping wet for him, but he was so large he feared her copious juices wouldn’t be enough for this initial coming together.

At last he succeeded in getting his zipper past the barrel of his steely erection. Once the teeth no longer posed a danger, his unruly cock bounced out from between the opening of his pants, the ruddy crown of his jutting organ already grown bulbous enough to push foreskin back and down.

Gritting his teeth, Chase fisted his meat and pumped until the helmeted tip began oozing precum, the slick, pearlescent flow a necessary aid in getting his huge cock stuffed inside her tiny folds. Desperate to get inside her now, he pulled his fingers from the tight suction of her pussy and pulled her down the cushion until her ass rested on the edge, bracketing his thighs.

Every last inch of her was exposed to him in this position, and he felt the heat pouring from his changed eyes as he stared down at the riveting sight. Moon above, she was beautiful.

Going up on one knee, he held Andi’s folds parted with one hand while he brought his cock to the mouth of her cunt, rubbed the dripping head around and around the vulnerable opening, smearing his spunk over the area. He thumbed her clit, his grin more a grimace when her body jerked. Oh yeah, she liked that.

Slowly pushing in, forcing just the wide head through her constricted opening, he lazily circled her button, keeping her preoccupied with pleasure, because he knew his entry had to hurt.

One inch, two, and there he held, halting when she let out a warbled cry. Inner muscles locking down on him, working the head of his cock and the sensitive rim right beneath, Andrea clenched and shook, clenched and shook and cried out, “Oh God, Chase! Oh fuck, it hurts…so good!”

She rocked her hips up at him.

“Fuck!”

She did it again, and Chase knew he was in trouble. Chase groaned deep in his chest, fangs bared as he threw back his head and howled. Gripping Andi’s hips, careful with his claw-tipped fingers, he pulled her up his shaft, forging steadily into the volcanic heat, aiming at the heart of her womb. “Damn it, Andi! Hold still.”

“Can’t! Can’t…too much…too fucking good! Oh my freaking gawd, how much more, Chase? How much until you’re all the way in?”

Chase glanced down at where they were connected, stomach muscles rippling at the sight. Her little pussy lips were stretched around his barrel, clit riding the prominent vein that ran down the top of his cock. He’d worked maybe three inches inside her, but at least seven more waited to be engulfed by her hot slit. “I’m barely inside you. Just the tip.”

She moaned, hips twisting beneath his weight. “Just the tip, Chase?” Her voice went sharp at the end. “I can’t…can’t take that much more! You’re too big, too thick!”

Chase groaned, fighting his change as well as battling the urge to thrust full bore into her tight sheath. “I’m trying to go slow, baby. I’m trying, but you have to stop tightening on me. You’re destroying my good intentions.”

“You’re destroying me!”

Andi heaved under him, and Chase despaired she was trying to buck him off until her muffled voice came through the yards of dress surrounding her upper body. “Please, Chase! Please…stop torturing me and fuck me! I’m burning up waiting for you!”

“Why you little tease!” Chase wished he could kiss her saucy lips. Just when he thought his baby couldn’t handle an inch more, she astounded him with her resilience. “By Moon’s light, my Andi, I’m the one being tortured, but I swear by my claws, though you burn me to cinders, I’m not stopping until every inch of my cock is squeezed inside this hot, wet vise.”’

“Just do it…” she whimpered, squirming under him. “It hurts more when you go slowly.”

Chase gritted his teeth so hard his fangs tore into his bottom lip. He was beyond feeling any pain, all his attention focused on the vise of flesh holding his cock captive. Bending over, he slid his arms under her material-shrouded shoulders, gripped her tightly and braced. “Try to relax for me. I’m coming all the way in.”

Every muscle in his body tensed as he curled his hips, powered his cock up her untried passage. Concentrating, he ejaculated in her, adding his naturally lubricating fluid to hers. The infusion eased his entry and soon her fleshy corridor was stretching around his thick shaft, accepting his rigid length. Her sticky membranous sheath grew slick as he sawed in and out, working their mingled fluids into a silky concoction.

Andrea arched her hips up at him, shoulders pressing against hands. “Ah God, Chase…yes! Mother of God, you’re so big!”

Teeth gnawing his lip as he fought for control, Chase moaned, “All the better to fuck you with, m’dear.”

Her groaning laugh rippled the muscles in her belly. “Be glad I can’t get my hands on you!”

Chase contorted himself to place a string of kisses over her upstanding nipples. “Baby,” he spoke between each touch, “I long to have your hands on me. I hate that we don’t have the time and you want your dress clean.”

He was shafting her easily now, his cock thudding the entrance to her cervix, scraping along the front wall of her cunt with every inward thrust. He knew he was hitting her sweet spot, because every time he circled his hips before withdrawing, she whimpered and moaned. Hell, she squealed, the high-pitched keening telling him she was feeling every inch and loving it. “Is it good for you, baby? You want some more of this?”

Her body stilled in shock. “There’s more? Oh my freaking gawd!” Her legs snapped around his hips, her heels digging in as she warbled, “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme whatchu got!”

Chase laughed, his chest heaving as he sucked in air like a drowning man, obeying her command as he moved his hands down and grabbed her ass, sinking his fingers in the soft mounds. Lifting her hips, he pumped into her pussy, his rapid, deep jabs sending his blunt head thudding against her womb.

Moonshine, she felt wondrous around him. Her heat, her tightness, was driving him insane. Her scent was rich and heady, the earthy blend of woman and orange and cinnamon making his mouth water and his cock grow even harder. This was it. His stomach muscles flexed as he felt the sperm in his balls churning, boiling up in readiness. “Baby, mine, if you don’t come in a hurry, I’m gonna break my promise to you.”

“Tell me, then!”

Chase breathed through his wide-flared nostrils, trying to slow his roll. “Tell you what, baby?”

“Tell me to come. You haven’t given me permission.”

“Ah…fuck, you know how to weaken me!” Chase couldn’t believe the powerful rush of pride and satisfaction he felt at her words. His bitch was no weakling, never had been. It was in his nature to master, but he could only truly rule her with her willing consent. That she’d given it to him humbled him and thrilled him and sent him hurtling toward the edge of control. He slipped a hand between them to thumb her clit, give her an added jump start. “Come! Come, Andrea! Come now…come now!”

He was growling and groaning and shooting jets of sperm into her by the time he felt the walls of her pussy milking him in sweet flutters, heard her full-throated cries, and felt her body bucking almost hard enough to unseat him. One last convulsion and he fell over her, spent and thankful he’d managed to keep his word to never come without her. “By Moon’s shadow, that was close.”

A tired grunt answered him, and he chuckled weakly. His mate’s body was sprawled slackly, her legs splayed where they’d fallen when he’d pulled out. Their mingled juices spilled out of her well-used cunt, and recalled to his duty, Chase rolled over and cleaned her with his mouth. Thrusting his tongue as far as it would go, he lapped inside and out, soothing her sore, red vagina with his healing saliva. When he finished, she was still puffy and swollen, but with an hour or so of rest, she’d be healed enough for their Pack mating ceremony.

Bold as brass, he used a corner of the ostentatious draperies to wipe his penis before tucking it back in his slacks and buttoning up. Once he got himself in order, he reached down and stood Andrea on her feet. She swayed and he laughed, catching her to his chest. “Too much for you, babe?”

“In your dreams, wulfman. I can handle whatever you dish out.”

But she continued to lean against him without pushing away and demanding to stand on her own two feet. Mighty telling to Chase. He proceeded to untangle her from her dress and set her to rights, hiding a well-satisfied grin.

Shall We Dance?
 

“You’re walking funny.”

“You’d walk funny too if you’d just had twelve thick inches rammed up you…repeatedly.” Andrea sighed dreamily. “Shell, I do believe I’m going to love married life.”

Shelley’s dark face was alight with curiosity, her black eyes glittering with excitement. “’Drea, girl, you know you gotta share! I been dying with curiosity ever since you and Chase came back from that long-assed absence. I ’bout swallowed my tongue when that man swaggered in the room and announced there’d now be no possibility of annulling your human marriage.”

The memory heated Andrea’s cheeks again. “Yeah, I wanted to swallow mine too. Actually, I just wanted to sink through the floor. If people weren’t sure what we’d been doing before that, they certainly knew it then.”

“You know? Okay, give! I want all the lowdown, so start talking and don’t leave anything out!”

“Pass me another wad of paper towels, and I’ll think about it.”

“The hell you say!” Shell’s indignant response was tossed over her shoulder as she yanked sheet after sheet from the dispenser. “Girlfriend, you’ll be the first bride in history to suffer the beat-down from her maid of honor before the bouquet is tossed. Keep it up and see if I don’t dust you.”

Andrea laughed, taking the towels and arranging six of them into a makeshift pad. “Help me with these skirts.”

The black girl grabbed two hands full of material and rolled. “Good thing this material doesn’t wrinkle. And while it looks like a mile of cloth, it’s so fine, it condenses to nothing when you compress it.”

“Tell me about it.” Andrea chuckled. “And it’s breathable too.” An image of lying with her skirts covering her head, lower body exposed to Chase’s handling, made her vagina clench in on itself. The resultant twinge of discomfort brought her back to the present. Thank goodness she’d heal quickly. The Pack ceremony was only a few hours away, when Chase would take her again, this time in battle form and fur.

Dabbing her impromptu washcloth with enough water to dampen it, she squeezed a small amount of liquid soap on the pile and applied it gingerly to her sore, abraded sex.

Shelley tilted her head and looked beyond the heap of clothing she held. “Dayum, girl, you are fiery red and swollen down there.”

Andrea shrugged, coloring up. “I was a virgin. Of course I’m going to be sore for a while.”

She could feel the heat of embarrassment rising from chest to forehead, could actually see the advancing wave in her mirrored image reflected in the bathroom glass. “He’s big, Shell”—she gave her sister-friend a significant glance—“bigger than that guy in video number two.”

Shelley’s eyes widened. “Ooh, my freaking gawd! How’d he get something that fucking huge into a pussy that small?” She pointed to Andrea’s well-used sex.

The shocked query had Andrea laughing even as she bit down on her bottom lip, wincing when the paper washcloth hit a particularly tender spot. “With much determination,” she crooned, eyes falling to half-mast as memories played out on her mind’s screen. “And a whole lot of pleasure.”

Shelley’s dark chocolate face was tight with worry. “Andrea, did it…uh, did he…was it too…?” Her words trailed off.

Andrea threw the used towels into the trash and wet fresh ones, then used them to rinse the soap off her upper thighs and the surrounding area. More than her vagina was reddened and sore. After her spanking, Chase had been like a wild man, or rather, like the wild wulf he was in truth.

Chase’d had his mouth on every part of her. Her breasts and nipples were as sore and tender as the flesh between her thighs, because once the actual lovemaking was done, he’d righted her dress only to undo the bodice for what he called a quick hello to his gals.

Andrea took a deep breath in and held it, shivering as physical aftershocks of pleasure created eddies, lapping at her inner core. Even the lingering twinges of pain felt delicious.

“He didn’t harm me, Shell, if that’s what you’re having difficulty asking. Forget about how Ms. Thang looks—she’s deliriously happy, by the way—and look at my face.”

The other girl met her gaze, worry evident in her expressive face. Andrea smiled, knowing Shelley couldn’t miss the glow she’d been sporting since Chase had come inside her after driving her through that screaming (and she meant SCREAMING!) orgasm. “Does this look like the face of a traumatized woman?”

A slow smile tugged at Shell’s cushy lips. “Naw, it sure don’t. You look like the backstreet ho on payday!”

“K’ching!”

They both giggled and gave each other high fives, singsonging, “She been laid and paid!”

“I’ll tell you what”—Andrea tossed the last of the towels in the trash and patted her dress down around her, feeling a lot fresher—“Chase has to travel with Uncle Lachlann to the Pack lands, so you can ride with me and I’ll fill you in then.”

“You know I’m gonna hold you to that, chick.”

Andrea nodded. “Oh, Shell, I can hardly walk straight, and I already want him again. I complained all those months about Chase not touching me, but if he had given me this pleasure and then withheld it from me, I’d have gone mad.”

“So he really must care for you to take your abuse just to make sure you didn’t suffer.” Shelley brightened up. “Does this mean you’ve changed your mind about skipping out in the morning?”

“Hah! You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Andrea eyed her friend with a smile. “You just don’t want to spend your time with Josh babysitting me.”

The flash of pain that twisted Shelley’s face didn’t escape her. A ribbon of dread uncoiled in her belly. “Shelley, what’s wrong?”

“Josh and I had a fight. I-I think I broke up with him. We’re quits.”

She heard the words, but Andrea couldn’t make sense of them. Shelley couldn’t be serious. Shell and Josh were like black and white, milk and cookies…they went together. Andrea couldn’t say one name without finishing with the other. “You’re kidding. You don’t mean it.”

“I mean it.” Shelley’s face stiffened. Her eyes flashed. “He took a job with Chase and wanted me to move east with him. He didn’t even ask my opinion before he did it.”

“A job with Chase? But Chase can’t stand him, and he’s afraid of Chase.” Andrea didn’t understand. “He wants you to move…but what about your sister?”

Shelley clapped her hands once. “See! That’s what I said. And you know what that shit said?” She didn’t give Andrea a chance to reply. “He said, ‘How come our lives have to be on hold because your mother keeps fucking up?’ and I said the equivalent of ‘Fuck you!’ and now we’re through!”

Tears sprang to Andrea’s eyes. She knew how devastated Shelley was, though she was struggling to hide her hurt behind sharp words. “Oh, Shell!” She held her arms out, and the taller woman fell into them, sobbing heartbrokenly.

“Oh, Andrea, I loved him more than my life. I feel like someone reached in and ripped my heart out…and it hurts! It hur-hurts so bad!”

“He didn’t mean it, Shell.”

“He did! That’s the problem. He did mean it. And he couldn’t see why I should be upset.” Shelley pulled away. She reached behind Andrea and yanked a paper towel from the dispenser and blew her nose. Sniffing, she met Andrea’s eyes, hers still tearing. “Tell me what’s wrong with this picture, ’Drea. Tell me why I’m upset.”

Stomach rolling, Andrea took a shaky breath. She knew what bothered Shelley about Josh’s statement, but she didn’t want to say it out loud. Once she did, it would become real, and her two best friends in the world would be…

She shook her head, refusing to go there even in her thoughts. “He’s a man, Shelley. They’re all stupid until we train them.”

Shelley’s chest heaved on one tremulous breath. “He couldn’t see it. I couldn’t make him understand. I have to know if you understand, so say it, ’Drea. Just…please say it.”

Throat tight, full of tears, Andrea gripped Shelley’s hand while she whispered, “Family. How can you take the chance of building a family with a man who will not protect the weak, the helpless?”

Tears falling again, Shelley asked, “What if I fuck up sometime in the future? What if I become like my mother—an addict who needs the drug so badly I’ll sell my children for it? Who’ll guard my children? Who’ll be there to see to their safety if I fail them?” Voice breaking up, she sobbed, “How can I ever trust Joshua when he can urge me to abandon my family when they need me?” Black eyes awash in liquid, Shelley made her strongest defense. “What would Chase do?”

Andrea’s lip trembled as her own tears fell. “Chase would never leave Shaquia unprotected. He’d find a way, a solution, but he’d never even think about simply abandoning her.”

A sad smile came and went. “You see.”

Heart hurting, Andrea did. She caught her breath on a broken inhale. “I don’t want to. I feel like someone’s died.”

Eyes overflowing, Shelley curled a hand over her breast. “It’s me! My ha-heart…my heart has died.” She whirled around, facing away. “Oh ’Drea, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to burden you with this. I tried so hard to keep it to myself, to pretend that everything was okay so your day wouldn’t be ruined.”

Andrea dashed the tears off her face and reached for her friend, needing to be in contact, wanting to show with more than words that she was there for her. Wrapping her arms around her, she hugged her back, went up on tiptoe to snuggle her chin on the top of her shoulder. “Shell, I’m here for you.”

Today she’d gained her heart’s desire, and perhaps because of that, she could more easily imagine how she’d feel if she lost Chase. The agony that gripped her stalled her breath and tripped her pulse. Just the idea had her gasping for air.

“Can’t you forgive him?”

Shelley tilted her head, gazed toward the ceiling. Andrea got the impression the other woman wasn’t seeing the decorative tile.

“Oh, Andrea, that’s what’s so horrible. He hasn’t done anything wrong. There’s nothing to forgive, and I love him too much to take the easy way out by pretending to be angry at him.”

She lowered her eyes finally and shared a dulled gaze with Andrea. “But unless I choose to live my life without children, I can never marry him.”

Behind the shine of tears Andrea saw a dark, aching emptiness yawning in Shelley’s eyes. Her shoulders slumped as she admitted to herself she could see no easy way of solving her friend’s problem. “That would kill you.”

Her friend gave a jerky bob of her head. “I’ve endured all the hell in my life by holding tight to the promise that one day I’d have a true family. I want a loving husband, but I also want the average two-point-five kids, the dog, and the picket fence. I don’t think I could give up that dream without losing myself.”

“Shelley,” Andrea moaned in sympathy, “what are you going to do?”

“I suppose I’ll live, or at least, I’ll keep breathing.”

“Oh, Shell—” She left the name hanging because she simply couldn’t think of a single thing to add.

Shelley shook her head, lifted a shaking hand to dash away the last of her tears. “You know what”—she sniffed—“we have to stop this. Any minute, Chase will come hunting for you, and if he finds you red-eyed and teary, the shit will hit the fan. I so don’t need him ripping a strip off my black hide. So mop your eyes, and let’s get you back to your party. You’re the guest of honor, and between Chase and my selfishness, you’ve barely been seen.”

Andrea grabbed one of Shelley’s hands and squeezed encouragingly. “You’re far from selfish. When this reception ends, stay close. We’ll be going directly to the San Francisco Pack lands from here, and I’ll make sure you ride in the limo with me. We’ll talk more then.”

* * * * *

Andrea didn’t have the heart or the time to dwell on the looming problem of Josh and Shelley’s unraveling romance. She had a reception to return to and a new husband to placate.

He’d intercepted her before she could reach the huddle of female guests waiting for her to open the piles of gifts heaped on several tables. Gentle fingers brushed the puffy skin beneath her eyes while he stared down at her, noting other signs she’d been weeping.

“My Andi, you smell like rain and damp dirt.” His mouth touched hers without passion. “You taste of sadness. Who’s made you cry?”

Chase’s anger was palpable, a living entity kept barely leashed. Andrea wanted nothing more than to curl up in his lap and let him soothe her hurt. Instead, she hurried to defuse his volatile temper. “Shelley and I were having a little one-on-one girl talk. We’re already missing each other, is all.”

She endured Chase’s close study, maintained her stoic expression when his bent knuckle lifted her chin so he could scrutinize her face. “As long as that is all it is, Andi,” he rumbled at last. A lopsided grin softened his usually stern expression. “I don’t want you out of sorts later on. We have unfinished business between us.”

His reminder chased the last of her blues away. Looking around and making sure they were out of the public eye, she waggled her eyebrows while she cupped and lightly squeezed her mate’s growing package. “Yeah, I can feel what’s between us now. And I want it again.”

Chase threw back his head and laughed, making no effort to pull away from her. Instead, he covered her hand and pressed it harder into his groin. Nudging his hips closer, he dug his erection into the soft give of her belly. “I’m glad you have a big appetite for me. You’re going to need it.”

Eyes kindling gold, hidden beneath half-lowered lids, he bent his head, brushed his lips against the lobe of her ear as he spoke. “I can still feel your sweet cunt gripping me, so tight and moist, a heated glove cupped around me. I can’t wait to have you again, my Andi.”

His whispered words fanned the embers of her banked passions, renewing the flames he’d ignited earlier. He used those words, his closeness, to seduce her, and that was quite all right with Andrea, basking in the low rumble of his voice. The thrill of having Chase dancing attendance on her put the finishing touches to a miraculous day. Andrea floated through the rest of the party, laughing and tearing up at times as friends and relatives came forward with gifts and good wishes.

Uncle Hunter had her fighting tears of hilarity when he presented the cast-iron skillet she’d beaned Chase with, gaudily bound in a sloppy silk ribbon. On the bottom had been etched his private number, “For,” he assured her, “the times when a whack doesn’t take care of the problem. You have an uncle. Don’t be afraid to call him!”

She’d exchanged a laughing, heated glance with Chase, who’d licked his lips suggestively and, just that easily, turned her internal heat up.

It lurked there, simmering in her blood as they opened gift after gift, most of them risqué. She fielded innuendos and ribald jokes until her cheeks were flushed, her body ripe with heat. Grateful for Chase’s acumen, for his watchful eye where her comfort level was involved, Andrea gladly allowed him to whisk her away for their formal first dance.

She melted when he placed his arms around her and swept her into a sedate waltz. At least, the dance started out sedate and decorous until Chase turned it into a masterful choreography of lust.

Aware of their audience, he made no overtly sexual moves but held her respectfully, not a finger touching an inappropriate place. Yet the promise in his eyes, the pressure of his body crowding hers, made her hands tremble.

Her insides quaked, pulse pounded as he swirled her about the dance floor, muscled thighs brushing against her voluminous skirts, occasionally connecting to slide along her primed flesh.

She looked up into Chase’s smiling face, reveling at the sight of his teeth flashing in a carefree grin that made him look years younger. Andrea’s body swayed as he held her close, dipping and twirling her about the polished wood floor. Being with Chase surpassed her wildest dreams. He made her feel as cosseted as a princess. He made her head spin.

In the past, Andrea had read many Regency novels, intrigued with the romances showcasing an earlier age. Before now, though, she’d never understood why so many authors had their waltzing heroines swooning in the arms of their partners. Now that she’d danced with Chase, the mystery was solved. If those hapless females of old had felt the same magic her mate awakened within her, it was no wonder they’d swooned.

“Are you ready to leave?”

The rumble under her cheek roused her from her daydreams. Andrea tipped her neck back to look up into Chase’s concerned face. “Could we? I’ve enjoyed everything, but I have to admit I’m wilting.”

His arms tightened around her for a moment before returning her to the properly ascribed distance. “We’re the guests of honor. If we don’t make a move, these people will still be here a week from now.”

Her tired chuckle barely shook her body. “We’d better leave then.”

“Good. I’ll signal Rosa and Melody to wrap this up and then order the limo around.”

Interlude
 

“First of all, you’d both better realize what a privilege your being here is. I’ve put my personal honor on the line for you, so you better plan to follow the rules I laid out to you.”

Shelley nodded, heart pounding as her excitement rose. “I realize, sir, and I do. I mean, I will obey the rules, that is.” Beside her, she heard Joshua echoing her fervent assurances.

Hunter stomped over their stumbling words. “Second, before you enter Pack land, you must leave your human sensibilities behind. Insults are returned with violence, and if an inadvertent action of yours or an unthinking word causes me to intervene, I will take the appropriate payment out of your hides. Am I clear?”

“We’re clear,” Josh said.

Man, Mr. McCallum sounded so serious. Shelley’d never had that scary tone of voice directed toward her before, and it made her nervous. For a moment, she forgot she and Josh weren’t talking. Leaning close to him, she brought her fingers up and murmured out the side of her half-covered mouth, “I didn’t think I had sensibilities…human or not.”

“Another thing, we wulves have extremely sharp hearing. Watch what you say, because you will be overheard.”

That wiped the smile from Shelley’s face. Sobering up, she again nodded, this time with a more serious mien. “Sorry, sir, I’ll watch that, sir.”

Hunter gave her a sharp look, his thick brows coming together in a frown fierce enough to make her pulse pound. She wasn’t frightened of much, but Shelley admitted the head wulf of the NHP easily scared her spitless. Just when she’d about decided to pass and sit out the ceremony here, in Lachlann’s den, Andrea’s uncle slapped his thighs and broke out with a big-assed laugh.

“You should see your face! Ouch, Melody Ann”—he shook a long finger in Mrs. McCallum’s face—“you are going to have to stop pinching me every time I pull a con on someone.”

“You were being mean, Hunter. Stop teasing Andrea’s friends, and let me take Shelley so we can get ready. The ceremony is about to begin, and you need to be in place.”

Pretending to be chastised, the big wulf turned to Joshua and shared one of those male-bonding grins women hated so much. “Man, you’d better think again about shackling yourself to one of these.” He pointed to Shelley and Melody, who had crossed her arms over her impressive chest and was now tapping her foot impatiently. “You’ll wind up following at their heels like a whiny lapdog, panting for their favor.”

Mrs. Hunter uncrossed her arms to plant her fists on her hips. “Hunter! You play too much. Stop messing around with these two’s heads, and finish filling them in on the protocol for this festival. All we need is for Josh to do something that’ll get him killed. Your ‘oops, my bad!’ won’t be much help then, will it?”

Hunter stopped laughing. His nostrils flared and his massive chest heaved on a long, indrawn breath. Mouth opening to reveal an impressive set of fangs, he grinned at his wife. “Bitch, you know you just made me spring a boner. I love it when you get aggressive. And your smell”—he stopped and sniffed the air, head tilted back on the strong column of his corded neck. A growl trickled from his lips—“de-li-cious!”

Intercepting the heated glance he exchanged with his wife, Shelley felt her own insides melting. It was that hot. Damn, she was on the outskirts of the glance. It wasn’t even meant for her, but it had her melting down to a puddle of lust. Mr. Wulf had his nonverbal communication going on!

“Excuse me, but what protocol are you talking about? I thought we were just part of the audience, not participants.”

Mr. McCallum blinked and broke off staring at his wife. Shelley heard his whispered, “To be continued,” before he sighed and turned to address her and Joshua. “There is one thing I forgot to brief you on. Chase has requested a private ceremony for ’Drea’s bonding.”

Shelley perked up. “Does that mean we don’t have to get naked?”

Hunter chuckled. “No.”

“Drat!” said Josh.

“Under the circumstances, even you should be able to do better than that, white boy.” Shelley couldn’t help poking fun at Josh’s use of the mild expletive, but to herself, she acknowledged how much she honored him for never befouling his mouth with the more raunchy language she’d grown up hearing and later using.

“Shell…” Josh held out a hand, and Shelley turned her head away from the pleading in his wide-eyed gaze, not wanting to see the light go out, the hope fade when he realized she couldn’t give him what he wanted. She quickly asked Hunter, “Then what does it mean?”

“It means only family can witness the moment where he goes furry and mates his bitch. Only den members will face inward at that time. Everyone else will turn and face away from the center of the circle.

“Now, let’s deal with how you behave while here. As blood brother and sister to ’Drea, your actions will reflect on the den sponsoring you. That means my family. So you are not to wander off, especially you, Shelley. I’ve heard your mouth.”

“Hey, that’s not fair!”

“You speak before you think, woman. Hell, you’re almost as bad as me. Difference is, I’m big enough to kick the ass of anyone I insult. You not so much.”

Shelley crossed her arms over her chest. “Gee, tell me what you really think about me.”

“If only I had the time,” Hunter shot back.

Shelley wrinkled her nose at him. Someone back in the day must have taught him to play the dozens. Damned wulf was good at it too. “Whatever!”

“Are you finished interrupting me?”

Shelley nodded, folding her lips over her teeth to stop the harangue she wanted to hurl at him.

“Good. So, you two will sound off twice during the ceremony. Before Lachlann asks if any finds fault in Andrea, he’ll call off her lineage. When you hear your names, cough. Like this.” He demonstrated, making a hoarse, hacking noise that reminded Shelley of the sounds she made when trying to clear a plug of mucus. She didn’t think she could do that voluntarily, without that plug stuck in her throat, and said so.

“Don’t worry about it right now. No wulf is really going to expect you to wrap your human throats around our vowels. Just try to get close. Now, the other place you’ll have to speak up is at the moment Chase claims ’Drea. You’ll both join in the family howl. Make sure you rise on the second syllable, like this: Aaaar-hoo! Aaar-hoo! Cut it off cleanly. Dragging it on gives it an entirely different meaning. You’ll be standing beside Rosa, Melody, and Blair. Follow their lead.”

About that time, reality started bending and Shelley decided to relax and go with the flow, even if it washed her down a rabbit hole. She managed to hold on to her aplomb while undressing. Melody made it easy for her, keeping a desultory conversation running while she unbuttoned Shelley’s dress, and then turned and presented her back for the younger black woman to do the same for her.

Shelley watched as Melody, calm in her nakedness, walked over to the bed and picked up two lengths of colorful Kente cloth. The full-figured black woman came back and handed one length to Shelley, showed her how to drape it over her forearm. “This is for afterward. Once the bonding takes place, all the wulves will shift to fur form. Since we can’t shift, it is permissible for us to cover ourselves.”

“That’s a relief.”

Melody slanted a mysterious glance at Shelley, and the younger woman wondered at it. “What?”

Melody shook her head, eyeing Shelley up and down. She flushed from forehead to toes, causing the older female to chuckle. “I see why Hunter enjoys baiting you youngsters. It’s fun.” She laughed again. “I’m sorry, honey, ignore me. You look fine. You’re a bit embarrassed now, but you should have seen me when I had to be the centerpiece. Believe me, I know how you feel. I also know you won’t feel the same way once you see how these wulves treasure females built on our scale.”

Shelley scrunched her face up in a disparaging grimace. “Okay, now I know you’ve been nibbling on the funny mushrooms.”

Melody McCallum’s guffaws were full throated and infectious, jouncing her breasts and belly as she expressed her amusement with her entire body. Shelley found herself laughing along with the relaxed matron, wondering how she could find the aplomb to face the next hour or two.

“You don’t believe me, but I’ll revisit this conversation with you after this is over. We’ll see if you say the same thing to me, later.”

Tying the Knot
 

Rosa leaned over and whispered in Shelley’s ear, “Just pretend you’re an undercover spy infiltrating a nudist colony.”

She sputtered with laughter and squeezed the tiny woman’s hand, grateful to have her worrying interrupted, which, of course, was why Andrea’s mother made the outrageous comment. “Thanks, Mom McCallum.”

“Mija, you’re doing good. Look, I think they’re starting now. Is that Andrea coming out with Helena?” She faced the center of the circle, rising on tiptoe to catch a glimpse of her daughter.

It wasn’t. With a sigh, they went back to waiting. Shelley found plenty to distract her. Catching sight of a pair of adolescent cubs wrestling in the grass, she smiled, following them as they played chase, bodies flickering back and forth between their different shapes.

All around males were shifting from full wulf form into what they called their skin form, rising to stand on two feet when seconds earlier they’d walked on four.

This was one time Shelley was grateful to be black. She knew her cheeks were hot with embarrassment, but few people would be able to detect that. She was surrounded by buff, built, mouthwatering naked hunks, and it was all she could do to keep her eyes above waist level.

Muscles rippled everywhere, drawing her eyes and moistening her pussy. She couldn’t help responding to all the heated gleams and lip-licking smiles coming her way. In all her life, she’d never been the recipient of so many gazes.

Interested gazes.

Hot gazes.

Speculative gazes.

Ones that promised paradise and ones that threatened death by sex.

Everywhere she turned, there were wulves whispering and pointing, nodding, drooling, and staring. Not to mention the ones who made excuses to rub against her in passing, their hard cocks bobbing heavily, balls plump and rich with seed nestling the long lengths.

Oh gracious goodness, each and every wulf was a swoon-worthy specimen of maleness, calling to the inner female she’d buried deep and kept hidden, fearful of rejection. No danger of that here. If she wanted, she could have five, ten, a hundred beaus courting her favors, fighting over her, in fact. Every wulf knew she was there under the joint protection of Hunter and Chase. Supposedly, that meant she had been vetted and passed all tests. Which meant the ban against disclosing their true antecedents was rendered null and void.

Not a one was disrespectful. Not really. The queries were circumspect, quietly voiced.

“Would you be interested in a tryst later?”

“I’d love to get my mouth on all those luscious curves. Care to share a gentle fuck? I know you’re human. I’d be careful.”

“Don’t listen to that one, ma’am. He’s a separatist. If you let him get his mouth on you, you’d soon learn what he truly meant. Now me, I’d just nibble a bit. I love chocolaty treats.”

A hand came out of nowhere to touch the back of her wrist. “Do you like it Ruff, pretty lady? Then you’ll love me, ’cause that’s how I roll…rough and hard.”

Shelley stared up into a face that could have graced a statue of Adonis. The wulf towering over her had a shock of dark, silky hair, dark brown eyes large and expressive. Broad forehead, long, aquiline nose, and wide, muscled shoulders and torso slimmed down to lean hips, large cock, and firm thighs. Even his feet were handsome. “Oh my gawd, you’re video number two!” She’d recognized the voice and the…ah…equipment.

The wulf rocked back on his heels at her outburst. “Fuck! You must be sister to the bride.” He jerked his hand away. “I wouldn’t have approached you had I known.”

Shelley bristled at his pretense of ignorance. “Come on, there aren’t that many humans here. Admit you knew who I was.”

Ruff shrugged, face going blank. “I didn’t. Not until you made mention of the video I agreed to make for Chase. And there are a few mates or den members to mates milling about…enough to make your identity obscure.” His eyes kindled. “You’ve wandered away from your keepers.”

“I’m no animal!” She looked him up and down. “Speak for yourself.”

Canines flashed. “Little girl, if you were mine, or under my hand, your full ass would be fire hot in recompense for that. Furthermore, I don’t lie, and I don’t appreciate the accusation being tossed in my face.”

“She’s not yours, neither is she under your hand.”

Shelley breathed a sigh of relief when Fortrayn’s soft-spoken words sounded at her side. She eased under the hand he rested firmly on her right shoulder. She started to turn, to say thank you, but a squeeze held her in place.

“Fortrayn.” The wulf’s eyes went golden. His stance stiffened.

“Ruff.”

“You’re mated, albeit to a human. What’s your interest?”

“You forget. This woman is as a daughter in my den.”

The wulf’s jaw clenched. Down at his sides, his fists bunched. For a moment, Shelley feared…what, she wasn’t sure. She just knew the three of them teetered on the edge of a cliff, toes already over the side of the sheer drop-off. Finally, Ruff gave Fortrayn a jerky bow. While bent, he lifted his right hand over his head to sweep the hair away from the left side of his neck, bending his head to expose the lighter flesh. “No offense was meant.”

Fortrayn kept his right hand on Shelley, placed his left at Ruff’s throat. “None taken.”

Without another word, Ruff straightened up and strode away, his angry strides quickly carrying him to the other side of the forming circle.

“Whew!” Shelley wiped her brow, unsurprised to find moisture sheening her palm. “That was intense. What in the world got into that guy? One moment we were talking nicely, the next—”

“Ouch! What the fuck!” Shelley screamed at the top of her voice, her shout of pain ricocheting across the clearing. “What did you do that for?”

“That” was Fortrayn’s hand landing forcibly on her naked behind three quick times in succession. “Hunter told you there are only two times you need to speak tonight. Talking to a lone wulf wasn’t on the menu.”

“But Papa Fort—”

Fort placed his hand on Shelley’s nape and quick-marched her over to a spot in the circle. “Stay. Put.”

Battling anger and confusion, she watched him stomp off. A commiserating pat on the back had her turning to Melody, tears threatening. “What did I do?”

“Look around, Shelley. Do you see any females milling about?”

“No…well, yeah, but they…” She paused, realizing the females not latched onto a male’s hand or standing close to clearly protective elders were comporting themselves like…nymphs. Not water nymphs or tree nymphs, but like sex-crazed nymphs.

“Yeah, they are, aren’t they?” Melody used her forefinger to gently lift Shelley’s fallen jaw. “Shelley, you’re not mated, and you’re not standing beside an older female or sire, therefore you must be actively looking for either a mate or a casual pairing. Honey, you have to understand, there are so few females among the wulf population that the males are desperate for any chance of female…companionship.”

“Only you would call it companionship, my Mel.” Hunter came up and planted a quick kiss on his mate’s lips. When he turned to gaze down on Shelley, she shivered from the cold. The wulf was chillingly angry.

“Be glad it was Fort who got to you first. If I’d been the one administering the needed reminder, your ass would be swollen twice its size, young woman. You humans can’t hold a polite conversation. That’s why I told you to keep your trap shut.”

“Hunter, you’re being too hard on her.”

“Not as hard as that separatist would have been! She thinks this is a walk in the park when it’s a dead heat through the forest.” He turned his fuming attention on Shelley, and she tensed up again. “You, young lady, have gotten used to how we act when mingling in the human world. This is our world, and we are NOT tame.” He swept the fingers of both hands through his thick black hair. “Fuck! I should have let Ruff have her for a night. He’d have whipped and fucked some sense into her.”

Shelley felt her eyes growing huge. Okay, now she was scared. “Un-uncle Hunter…would you really give me to him?”

The glow in Hunter’s eyes went out like an extinguished match. He grabbed Shelley and hugged her gently. “I’d rip his entrails out if he touched you, honey. You know I was just spouting off anger ’cause you worried me.”

Behind his back, Melody winked.

* * * * *

“Does any here find fault with him?”

“No!”

“There is no fault!”

Standing at the right hand of Lachlann McCallum, Prime Alpha of the two American Packs and head chancellor of the World Wulf Confederation, Andrea listened to the ground-shaking swell of voices shouting their support of her mate.

She closed her eyes, breath easing as one more hurdle was leaped without incident. Turning her head, she sneaked a fortifying glance over at Chase, standing on the other side of the McCallum Pack patriarch. As if aware of how much she needed to touch base with him, Chase’s head turned enough for him to exchange a fleeting smile and furtive wink, before he was once again facing forward.

That one look was all she needed to regain her calm. As long as Chase looked at her with that gleam in his eyes, she could stand before the world, naked and exposed.

“Chase-the-Prey McCallum, where is the bitch you would claim, bond, and mate? Bring her to the Pack that she might be judged.”

Chase reached his hand out to Andrea, beckoning her around to stand in front of Lachlann. “Uncle, I have claimed and would now bond and mate Andrea Montalvo McCallum, stepdaughter of Fortrayn McCallum out of the bitch Rosa. Andrea, come to my hand.”

That was her cue. Excitement speeding her pulse, Andrea stepped up and touched fingertips with Chase before slowly sinking to her knees. This was what she’d been waiting for. Ever since they’d started having phone sex, Andrea had begun sneaking surreptitious glances at Chase’s instruction videos. The more she’d watched, the more she’d wanted to explore Chase, fondle his cock, and lick the taste of his lust straight off his skin.

Grinning, she looked up from under her lashes at her waiting husband as she took his cock in hand. “I’ve been waiting for this!”

Chase groaned. “So have I.”

Still smiling, Andrea opened her mouth and slid her tongue around the rounded head of Chase’s cock, savoring the tangy, wild flavor of the silky drops of precum welling from the tiny slit. One hand circling the thick stalk, she engulfed the first few inches, compressing her lips around the hard length.

Settling in to real enjoyment, Andrea played with her new toy, sucking and slurping to her heart’s intent. Using her teeth, she dragged shallow furrows along the vein-corded barrel, swirling her tongue around and around and then nibbling on the bulbous head.

Chase buried his hands in her hair, tugging on the strands, and swallowed thickly. “Moonshine, my Andi! Stars and Moonbeams! Yes!”

The slight pain energized her, made her insides twist and melt. Seeing Chase’s surrender made her hungry, ravenous. She wanted to drive him to spending, wanted to catch every drop in her mouth and drink him down. “Come for me, love. Let me taste you.”

She glanced up, evaluating her handiwork, to find Chase staring down at her, hazel swallowed up in the gold of change. His eyes glowed with the feral light denoting mating fever, and she loved that it was her actions turning that light on.

Desperate to give him this joy, determined to have his seed spurting across her tongue, Andrea redoubled her efforts to make Chase come. Pumping his cock near its base, she tried to deep throat the length above her fist. She didn’t get much of it down, but she willingly filled her mouth with all she could stuff in.

Above her, Chase howled, grabbed bunches of her hair, and pulled her head forward onto his jutting erection. Swaying his hips to and fro, he fed his cock into her mouth and down her throat, forcing it past her gag reflex.

Andrea found she could relax her muscles and breathe through her nostrils, take more of her lover’s organ than she could have imagined. Wanting to howl herself, she swallowed over and over as her mate groaned and cursed and howled through the first pulses of his orgasm.

Proud as punch to have made Chase come, she tightened her lips on the fat shaft pistoning in and out her mouth, still shooting powerful jets of semen.

“Good girl!” Chase praised her. “Such a perfect, talented mouth.”

Chase pulled her off his cock, and only then did reality crash back into being. In the background, she heard the anguished howls and whimpers of the unmated wulves surrounding them. All around the oval, cocks spilled as the males fisted their erections to completion.

“Andi.” The word was guttural, barked not spoken. The hand that reached down to pull her up was tipped with deadly claws. And the face that met her gaze was bestial at first glance, but could never be monstrous in her adoring eyes.

He’d changed. It was in this hulking battle form that Chase would take her now. Taller now than his usual six feet five inches, his shoulders seemed wide as a football field, his torso whipcord hard and ripped. Six-pack washboard stomach muscles led down to narrow hips cradling an impressive erection nestled in a bed of bushy gold fur. His beautiful body was covered with a thick blanket of fur. The silky pelt blurred the line of his shoulders and softened the contours of his back, thickening around the stump of his vestigial tail.

He was big. And he hadn’t taken her this way before. For a frozen moment, Andrea recalled how big he’d felt in her pussy earlier that afternoon and grew afraid. In battle form, he was much larger. How was she to accommodate his huge cock without being ripped apart?

“Andrea…”

The fear faded into nothingness under the command of that outstretched hand, at the fading glow in those pleading hazel eyes. He’d noticed her hesitation. Her heart turned over in her chest as Andrea saw the sorrow stealing the smile from her beloved’s face.

What was she thinking? She was a breed, darn it, a female whose biology had been designed for just this: mating with a wulf in all his guises. She could do this! Moreover, she wanted to do this. A smile turning up the corners of her lips, Andrea reached out and took Chase’s hand, letting him pull her up.

He stared down into her eyes, his glowing irises hot with lust and more. It was the more that would get her through the last of the ceremony. “Mate you. Now.”

She gave her will over for the moment, allowing Chase to position her, to prepare her for his entry. Fanged kisses and clawed caresses drove her up, drove her wild as he readied her body to accept him. Long fingers scissored and pumped inside, stretching her tight cleft and drawing her juices down. He wet her clit, circled it with a thick, blunt finger. Fire lanced through her as her womb tightened.

The crowd disappeared from her thoughts as Chase created a private paradise populated solely by the two of them. He plunged into her and began pumping his hips immediately, loving her like a brigand on a pirate ship, boldly and on display. He took her reticence and shred it like so much chaff, tossing it from the battlements of the airy castle built of her fondest dreams. He fucked her senseless, until she hung from his arms barely conscious, mind focused on nothing but the tumultuous white water of emotion he guided her through. Before God and the Pack, Chase took her and made her his for all eternity.

She never knew when he changed, shifted into fur form and mated her fiercely, claws digging in at waist and hip, holding her down, holding her still as he sank his fangs in the curve of her neck and marked her. She did hear the distant cries of wulves applauding, felt, rather than saw, wave after wave of those watching turn their backs and begin their own change as they joined in the ceremony by pairing and fucking in a Pack-wide mating that would last throughout the rest of the night.

Dropping to all fours, the wulves wove in and out among the ones still standing, their liquid voices calling and cajoling, urging their kin to change and join them. Andrea felt the pull as her blood seethed and roiled. Chase’s semen was the catalyst for bringing the last of her breed biology to screaming life, and it raced through her bloodstream, a volatile agent for change, stopping just shy of twisting her bones and flesh into the shape her soul had taken.

Through it all, Chase was there, a shadow in her mind, the echo of her heart. As he pulled his fangs from her flesh, his mind flooded over her, blended and mingled with her thoughts as if they’d been doing so forever.

“Welcome! Welcome heart of my heart, soul of my soul!”

“My God! I didn’t know it would be like this! How could I have known?”

“My Andi…my mate…mine!” He repeated the claim verbally, shifting back to battle form to cry, “My mate! Mine!”

“Yes, yours!” she screamed, admitting his claim. And then, in that huge, powerful form, he fucked her hard and deep and long, sending them both falling over the jagged waterfall edge of climax into a cataclysmic river of churning ecstasy. Holding on to Chase, she drifted in the lake of satiation, buffeted by eddies of peace until she finally floated to rest surrounded by the fur-covered arms of the wulf she loved.

Drawing the Battle Line Between the Sheets
Andrea’s responses: #4—Hair length is a personal choice.
You fuck me like a boy, you’ll sing like a girl!
 

Andrea came awake instantly, eyes flying open to survey the unfamiliar room. After saying good-bye to her parents and Andrew, Chase had bundled her into his limo and had them driven to a five-star hotel. They’d spent the rest of the night celebrating Chase’s victory over Rann.

Andrea raised her torso and pushed up to rest against the headboard, groaning a little as she flexed her sore muscles, finding the resulting aches bittersweet. God above, she was tender in places she hadn’t known she had. Chase had worked her over, fucking her so many times she lost count.

There were a few she’d never forget, though, like that first time against the door of the hotel suite, where he’d banged her so hard hotel security had come busting in to see what was causing the gawd-awful ruckus. She wouldn’t be living that embarrassment down anytime soon. The second memorable session had been Chase sexing her up in the huge double whirlpool bath, going under the water to work his nasty way up her body. There’d barely been water left standing in the tub when he’d hauled her out and taken her from behind while she stared into the mirror and lost her damn mind. But her favorite had been near the end of the night, when she’d woken up from a short nap and found Chase stretched out on his back, arms and legs flung wide, taking up most of the bed. His cock, long and thick even when flaccid, had flowed over his thigh, just begging to be brought to life by her mouth. She’d taken the matter in hand, used her mouth and tongue and teeth to play with her new favorite toy. As he’d risen, she’d found it harder to fit him in her mouth and so retreated to the bulbous head where she sucked and slurped and nibbled until his balls had tightened.

Andrea chuckled as she stretched languidly. She couldn’t help grinning, recalling how animalistic he’d been, and she took full credit for driving him out of his mind and out of control. No matter how insulted she’d felt when Chase sent those porn videos, she’d paid attention and learned all she could.

Lifting her arms and lacing her fingers behind her head, she wriggled her body against the silky material of the bed linens, toes curling as more of last night’s scenes came to mind. Chase hadn’t expected her to plunge a finger up his rectum and fuck his tight hole while she sucked on his cock, but she’d surmised by the dazed, half-crazed look he’d given her just before grabbing the back of her head and fucking her mouth like he’d never stop, that he’d been well and truly shocked.

His claws had dug into her scalp as he reared back, howling and groaning, coming so hard he’d shot gust after gust of hot, creamy seed down her throat, filling her belly and coating her tongue until she was still tasting sperm this morning.

After letting his limp cock fall from her mouth, Andrea had flopped onto the mattress. Eyes golden, and covered in fur, Chase had risen over her, taken over the lovemaking, his kisses and caresses wild and frantic as he gave back tenfold every rich, carnal sensation she’d showered on him. He’d parted her legs and kissed his way down to her clenching sex, intent on devouring her pussy before stretching her wide across the king-size pillow-topped mattress and riding her into oblivion.

Remembering that, Andrea’s nipples beaded into hard little knots and her womb heated, sending a gush of hot syrup to coat the empty place between her thighs. She sighed, wishing he hadn’t left her sleeping this morning, wished he was with her now so she could shock him again. She received such wonderful returns on her efforts when she did.

Still, on the whole, Andrea decided, stretching her limbs in another lazy-morning, all-body yawn, she was satisfied with the way her wedding and bonding day had gone. Of course, the trouble between Josh and Shelley was a bummer, and she’d look into seeing what she could do about helping them overcome their momentary spat in a day or so.

Truth be known, there was no denying she’d resented being separated from Chase while he subdued his rabid father, seeing they’d just finished orgasming when the butthole had started his crap, but on the whole, it had been a day worth remembering.

What there hadn’t been—and what she’d missed the most—was time to be just Chase and Andrea, without hordes of guests or family members watching and evaluating, speculating or signifying…no time to begin learning who they really were. Granted, the sex they’d shared had been off the chain, but basically, Andrea still found she faced the same quandary she’d feared before her wedding. She needed to know if she meant more to him than just a convenient fixture, an available body in Chase’s life. She had to know. Did he even think about her outside the times they were involved in a heated clench? Had their marriage and bonding served only as a means to his ends?

With a sigh of resignation, Andrea threw back the covers and leaped from the bed, growing flushed when a sprinkling of red against the matte cream of the sheets caught her eye. She must have bled a little that last time, her body unaccustomed to being stretched by anything bigger than her slim Plenty Good vibrator. A hot, soaking bath was just what she needed.

* * * * *

Chase quietly eased into the stateroom, nostrils wide open, searching for a whiff of Andrea’s scent. Hoping to conceal his presence until he could ascertain just how put out with him his new mate might be, he tiptoed through the obviously empty salon into the main bedroom. She wasn’t there either, but before his fear she’d deserted him could engulf him, Chase caught wind of her aroma, tinged with that of the expensive bath oils he’d poured into her bath last night.

Collapsing against the jamb of the bathroom doorway, Chase bowed his head in thanks to Mother Moon. She hadn’t left him, not that he could have blamed her one bit if she had. He’d treated Andi unfairly. She deserved his unwavering attention, especially on the only wedding day she was ever going to have. Instead, he’d had to leave her right after the human wedding and again after their bonding ceremony to deal with his sire’s unreasonable demands.

Yeah, the fucking had been great later that evening. At least, he’d thought so. He could only hope she’d felt the same way. She seemed to have, anyway. Chase vaguely recalled she’d come at least five times.

He’d been high on beating his old man, gaining control of the East American Pack, with all the duties and troubles that entailed, and finally being able to lift the ban on his dam, too damned high, perhaps.

To his shame, thinking back on it, Chase worried he’d been too rough with his little Andi. They’d barely made it inside the door before he’d slammed her up against it and ripped at her clothes to get to her, taking her in a frenzy of relieved lust and jubilant victory. It was a wonder her back wasn’t shredded and filled with splinters; he’d been that intemperate with her.

Moon shards, Andi might be a breed, bred to take a battle-ready horny wulf, but he’d had no business taking her so harshly, without the proper preparation and foreplay. And he hadn’t done it just the once, but three times.

Before his cum from the entry door fuck had dribbled from her cunt, he’d been in her again. He couldn’t resist her water-flushed skin, slick and silky from the bath oils. Settling her on his lap so he could suck on her nipples while shafting her, he’d fucked her so hard they’d splashed the bathtub half-empty.

But that last time, he’d carried her back to the bedroom and laid her out like a four-course meal. Starting at her dainty toes, he’d licked and nibbled his way up her body, pausing to feast on the succulent meat of her tasty cunt. She’d been delicious, and he must have lost his damned mind.

Chase swallowed, feeling the muscles in his groin tighten as his cock filled and rose in response to the memories of Andrea spread out on the bed beneath him, her dark, tanned skin glowing in the moonlight pouring in from the open window. Her long dark brown hair had rippled around her, the silky strands a perfect foil for the delicate lines of her body. Breasts rosy and swollen from his mouth and her bath, her nipples stood up stiff as pencil erasers, beckoning his fingers and he’d played them, pinching and tugging as he buried his head between her legs. Climbing up her.

Now, watching her twist that lithe yet curvy body under the shower’s spray, unaware of his presence, Chase’s body hardened. Breathing deep, he pulled in lungfuls of her sweet essence, drew in heady draughts of his mate’s signature scent until it became part of him, forever familiar. Andi was in his blood, his sinew. He could find her blindfolded across a bustling city in a crowd of thousands.

Peeling off his clothes where he stood, Chase smiled to himself. She’d probably want to beat him away with a cudgel, but he was going to have her again, this time in a slow, easy taking that would leave them both so limp they’d be nothing but a heap of melted flesh and bone welded together by the heat of their passion.

“Is there room for me, mate?”

Andi’s head snapped up, face blank and eyes wide and startled. She twisted, body jerkily shifting under the water’s spray as her hands came up to shield her body from his gaze. He saw her realize what she’d done. Spots of red riding bright on her flushed cheeks, Andi laughingly excused her actions. “I don’t know why I did that, other than you startled me,” she murmured, letting her arms drop and meeting his gaze head-on. “You’ve seen everything I have.”

Chase winked. “And tasted it too,” he finished. “Mind if I join you?”

Her reply was to move back, making room for his larger body. Chase carefully stepped over the raised lip of the stall and faced her, placing his hands on her shoulders. He wanted no misunderstanding of what he intended. “I want you, my Andi. I know I rode you hard last night. Are you too sore to take me?”

Her skin flushed pink, but she didn’t drop her gaze. Rimming her full bottom lip with that tiny pink tongue that could drive him insane, she wet her mouth, made it glisten. Despite her attempt at projecting a cool mien, her voice shook when she spoke, making him hope she was as needy as he. “I didn’t like waking up alone. It made me feel like a high-priced hooker. I want you, Chase, but I want to be more than just a hump session between the other events in your life. I want quality time with you, and if you can’t give me that, you need to keep your hands to yourself.”

The thought of being denied had his inner wulf bristling and snarling. His bitch was highly mistaken if she thought keeping his hands off her was an option. Battling his baser instincts, Chase backed her into the fall of water, lowered his head to string a line of kisses down the side of her cheek and neck. Moving back up, lips brushing the small lobe of her ear, he made her another promise. “Bear with me, baby. I just took control of a populous Pack. On top of the other business concerns I run, it’ll be difficult to juggle all the different entities, but I’ll manage it somehow in order to convince you, you’re more than a convenient fuck to me.”

She stirred in his hold, lifting her slumberous gaze to stare into his burning eyes. “I can help you, Chase. I want to help.”

Capturing one of her hands, he placed it over the hard protrusion of his cock. “Help me with this.”

“Chase!” She recoiled, yanking her hand off his thick erection. Placing her hands on his chest, she tried to push away from him. It was ridiculously easy to keep her nestled against him, right where he wanted her.

“What?” He cringed at the plaintive note in his voice. Alpha wulves shouldn’t whine.

“Didn’t I just say I don’t want you coming to me just to get your rocks off?”

Chase huffed. Being a wulf, he did it again, huffed and puffed in exasperation. “No, actually you said you wanted to be more than a hump session. You are, but you’re also my mate, Andi, and right now my cock is so hard I can’t fucking think straight.”

She sucked her teeth at Chase, turning into the water and giving him her shoulder. “Give me a break!”

He spun her back around. “I gave you a break. It about killed me to leave you sleeping peacefully this morning, but I did it. I haven’t fucked you since last night, and now I’m burning up wanting you.”

Cradling the back of her head in one palm, he dragged her up on her tiptoes to meet his open mouth, tongue immediately engaging hers in a heated exchange of moist passion. She tasted heavenly, her cinnamon and orange flavor a burst of sweetness in his mouth. Diving for more, Chase devoured her mouth, sucked at her puffy lower lip before nipping the full curve.

Her moans brought him back to his senses…barely. Moon shards, he hadn’t hurt her, had he? Chase pulled back, sucking air into his deprived lungs, to stare down at her, his fear dissipating, a sense of gratification rising as he took in the dazed expression in her heavy-lidded brown eyes. His sense of smell didn’t lie. That wasn’t fear or anguish sluicing over her skin, but arousal, pure and musky.

Groaning, Chase crowded Andi up against the shower wall, lifted her in his arms, and held her suspended while he rubbed his body up and down the sleek, wet contours of her writhing form. Between hectic kisses and sharp, quick nips of her skin, he panted into her open mouth. “I can smell you creaming for me. Moon’s light, Andi, you have no idea how much I need to feel your pussy taking me deep and squeezing me to death.”

Andi bit her lip, her needy whimpers scalding him, driving his mating frenzy to heights not even the last Panty Express had managed. Her blunt nails dug in the taut flesh of his shoulders, scoring shallow grooves in the almost impervious skin. Bringing up her fingers to sink into the ruff at his nape, she guided his head down to her upthrust breasts, feeding him her turgid nipple. “Please, Chase!”

Quick to make the most of her offer, he latched onto the hard button, hollowing his cheeks with the force of his suctioning. He insinuated a knee between her legs, pressing up until she was riding his bent leg, her body creaming his thigh as she rubbed her clit on the firm flesh he offered her. Clenching the rounded globes of her ass in both hands, Chase bounced her on his knee. “That’s right, baby. Ride my thigh. Get nice and wet for me.”

He buried his nose in her shoulder, seeking his mark, but she grabbed both fists full of his hair and dragged his face back to her mouth, thrusting her tongue between his lips with a bold challenge he couldn’t resist. They battled, tongues dueling as he shared breath with his mate, familiarizing himself with her taste.

Chase shuddered as he fought to hold back his change, fighting to maintain skin form. He didn’t want to breed his new mate, wanted to have her to himself for a while. More, he wanted her to have a chance at freedom, to live unencumbered with pups as she grew accustomed to what her role as his Alphine and Pack Prima entailed. All his good wishes were going to go up in smoke if he didn’t get inside her shortly. He tore his mouth away to gasp, “Open up, sweetheart; let me fuck you. I promise to make you howl with pleasure.”

Small hands touching him everywhere, Andi tightened her arms around his neck and heaved, hitching her body higher up his torso. Legs clamped around his sides, she curled her hips in, seeking his cock.

Biting back a roar of lust, Chase leaned his upper body into her, using his weight to pin her to the wall as he groped for his cock with one shaking hand and fed the fat head into the tiny mouth of her sex. The blunt tip snagged in the resistant tissue, and he pressed in, shooting small bursts of cum in her clinging chamber to lubricate his entry, pushing past the elastic ring of flesh to sink in and in, until his entire length was embedded to the hilt. Once in, he waited, letting her stretched tissues adjust to the strain.

She wasn’t having any of that. Digging her heels in, she pushed off and dropped back down on his organ, jolting his balls for good measure. “God’s sake, Chase, don’t tease me…not now. Fuck me!”

Grabbing her hips, Chase obeyed, rocking his hips in and out as he thrust into the tight, clasping hold of her steamy vagina, shuddering as she squeezed and massaged his cock over and over. Balls churning, he gritted his teeth, holding back the urge to come. He’d promised his mate never to come without first seeing to her needs, and he’d keep his word even if he had to pull out and bring her by his mouth first.

Andi’s soft and desperate moans and sighs, her fluttering muscles gripping his hard cock, told him it wouldn’t be necessary this time, and releasing his pent-up breath, Chase gave himself over to the pure enjoyment to be found in his lover’s lush little body.

He held her hips steady as he fucked her with deep, probing thrusts, kissed her mouth before he nuzzled her neck, licking over and over his mark. Her warbling cries fell from a mouth gasping for air, and Chase thrilled at her tremulous response. Biting down, he deliberately broke the skin, lapping the minuscule amount of blood that trickled from the neat wound. Her taste exploded on his tongue, a dark spur goading him to desperate movement. Latching onto a nipple, he groaned around the stiff button. Voice gruff, he pleaded, “Please, baby, come for me. Come hard on my cock. Let me feel your sweet muscles squeezing me to death.”

Bowing her back, she clawed at his shoulders, riding him like a wild thing. “Chase! Oh God, mijo, what are you doing to me?”

His laughter was dark and prideful. She’d never before lost herself in their loving so far her Hispanic roots showed. Chase grinned. He liked knowing he affected her so strongly.

* * * * *

Chase hummed as he poured a dollop of shampoo on his palm and worked it up into lather before applying it to her wet hair. “I love your long hair, my own. Never cut it.”

Well, at least he was happy. Andrea forced herself to stand passively, letting her mate groom and bathe her. Fighting the reawakening warmth his hands were spreading in their wake, she spread her legs at his command and let him wash his cum and her sticky juices from her.

“Do you think you can find something to occupy your time while I deal with this meeting? I shouldn’t be more than an hour or two.”

“I thought we were going to lunch?”

“We’ll have to make it dinner, sweet. Grab something on your own for now, and I’ll make it up to you.”

She didn’t say anything, but she narrowed her eyes and firmed her chin, throwing up mental shields to keep her aggravating mate out of her head. No matter what he said, right now certainly felt like “between” to her. No fucking, no attention.

As he dried her off and then quickly dried and dressed himself, Andrea was busy reviving her plans. Though the plan remained the same, the motive was not. She wouldn’t be leaving to try and make Chase admit he loved her. She simply wanted him to recognize the way he took her for granted.

As soon as Chase left the suite, she picked up the phone and dialed Shelley.

“Yo, married girl, whazzup?”

“The Freedom Train is rolling.”

“So we’re going after all?”

“Definitely.” Andrea’s lips tightened. “I have to pick something up, so meet me at Papa Fort’s. They’re not there. They decided to stay on Pack ground for a while. If you get there before me, use the key under the stone in the side yard.”

“You okay? You sound funny. Did something in particular set this in motion?”

Andrea fingered her ’do. “I believe I need a haircut.”

Mauling as Opposed to Malling
 

“I knew there was something wrong with that slimy Jedin the first time I laid eyes on him. I just knew it! I swear to God, if I live through this, I’m going to pay closer attention to my instincts!” Andrea berated herself out loud as she ran down the alley between the mall shops. She tried every door along the way, hoping to find one unlocked, knowing they couldn’t outrun the wulf on their trail. She might have if she’d been alone, but Shelley was already winded, and there was no way Andrea would leave her behind. She had a bad feeling Shelley wouldn’t survive long on her own.

She couldn’t believe the assassin had waited all this time to make his move. Then again, this was the first time he’d managed to get her alone. Andrea really wanted to cuss. She’d brought the present circumstances upon herself by being hardheaded and slipping free of the guards Chase had assigned to her. Now her life and the life of her friend were in danger.

She still didn’t know why this particular wulf was after her, but she was pretty sure it wasn’t something she’d done personally. In the end, it didn’t matter if the hit man was after payback or notoriety. Death by political statement was just as permanent as death by revenge.

“Try to keep up, Shell. We let him herd us when we should have stayed where there was a crowd. The wulf won’t attack where there are a lot of humans. They have strict laws against that.”

Huffing, thick legs churning, the heavier woman gasped, “I…thought they…had…strict laws…about killing…each other…too.”

The sinking feeling Andrea felt at her friend’s words was hard to shake off. She had to, though. They couldn’t afford the lassitude of despair to slow them down. “Save your breath, Shelley. Talk less, run more!”

Andrea tried to relax her mind and access the personal link she shared with Chase. She knew it should have been fully activated during the Pack ceremony, but she’d been so busy shielding her plans to run, she’d blocked off all hint of communication. Now, when she needed it, the muscle was so cramped, she was having difficulty flexing it.

Battling tears, Andrea called herself every name she could think of. If her stubbornness got her friend killed, she’d never forgive herself. How dare she play juvenile games when so much was at stake? All these years she’d bemoaned being treated like a child, and first chance she got, what did she do?

Act like one.

Enough was enough, though. Andrea was through. She refused to let this scene go down the way the fake Jedin wanted. She wasn’t too proud to call for help. Focusing with all her might, she sent broadcasts of need blasting along every channel she knew—to Uncle Hunter, Papa Fort, to Uncle Lachlann, to every Pack member that had sworn fealty to her after Chase won the Pack leadership by victory over his father, and especially—to Chase…especially to Chase.

“Chase! Chase! I need you!”

Responses started pouring in, but she feared help would be too late.

* * * * *

Chase was frantic. Andi’s desperate mental cries were beating at his brain, driving him like an arcing electro prod. He’d never been so frightened and determined in his life. One minute he’d been sitting in that boring meeting, impatiently counting the minutes until he could rejoin his mate, the next she was screaming inside his head, her terror icing his blood.

Following her vague bursts of information, he’d gathered a cadre of wulves and headed out to find her. Taylor had stopped him in the lobby with the report from Kylor, adding another layer to his horrifying day. At least Ky’s report had given them a jumping-off point.

The human, Joshua, having been with Taylor when Chase sent for his guard, joined them at the curb and flung himself into the front seat. Frantic, demanding to tag along since his woman was in Andrea’s company, he refused to get out the car. Chase allowed him to stay simply because he refused to delay long enough to argue about it.

The three of them—Taylor, Joshua, and he—arrived at Fortrayn’s too late to save Bender, but they still had a chance to save Andi and Shelley. The two females had been there, but the faintness of their lingering scent proclaimed them long gone.

Every curse he knew repeating in a mindless litany, Chase stared down at Bender’s lifeless body for one endless moment, seeing the vision of Andrea’s mangled body juxtaposed over that of the grizzled wulf’s. The faithful guard had given his life buying Andi and Shelley time to escape. Chase hoped the girls had made good use of their head start.

The signs of the battle were all around. No matter how much time his death had bought them, Chase reasoned, they couldn’t be that far ahead of them. Bender hadn’t taken long to die, and his blood was still warm, still fluid. That meant the other wulf—the Jedin imposter—had to be close on his female’s trail, and they in turn were close on his.

Chase nodded his head. He and Taylor still had a chance of catching up with the killer before he carried out whatever he had planned for his mate and her friend.

Blessed Moon, don’t let me be too late to save my mate.

Taylor dropped a tablecloth over the deceased. Chase shuddered, saying a silent good-bye to his old mentor and friend before turning away. Seconds later he was firing off orders as he, Taylor, and Joshua raced back through Fortrayn’s empty house to the car they’d left parked out front. “Joshua, stay here so you can report to Hunter and Fortrayn when they arrive.”

Surprisingly, the human had managed to keep pace with the wulves. “The hell you say. I’m not staying behind when Shelley is in danger. Would you wait for someone else to save Andrea?”

Chase didn’t slow down, but he flashed an annoyed glare the boy’s way. “No. Fine, but you stay with Taylor. You aren’t trained in arms yet, and there’s no way you can stand up to a wulf in battle form. I don’t have time to babysit you.”

“I won’t hinder you.”

Taylor had the door open, and Chase dived into the backseat, Joshua scrambling in directly behind him. The motor was already revving when the boy got the door shut. Chase started throwing off his clothes as the car spit gravel pulling away from the curb. Taking on fur was the easiest way to follow scent, as the wulf’s nose was keener. “See that you don’t. If you do, if you delay me or cause Andrea to be harmed, I’ll kill you without a qualm.”

He went back to shedding clothes. “Open the damned window, Ty! When we get close enough, I’ll be able to smell Andi. Tell me the rest of what Kylor reported.”

Taylor kept his eyes on the road, skillfully directing the big car through snarls of traffic, barely skimming past slower cars blocking their way.

“Jedin’s mate complained he hadn’t been home since going on this assignment. When Kylor called Bender to ask him to send Jedin home, he said he’d take care of it, but when Jedin’s mate called a week later, angry he hadn’t arrived, Ky called again. This time, when there was no answer, he contacted the NHP.

“They requested an article of Jedin’s clothing, and yesterday that precog shifter, Indigo, reported they’d found Jedin’s partially decomposed body stuffed in a sewer pipe just beyond the edges of our Atlanta Pack lands. He’d been dead from the first day. He never made it to California.”

Chase shivered, furious in hindsight that his mate had been in danger through his own actions. He’d sent a stranger to Fortrayn’s home with only a letter of introduction. He’d never do it again. He’d make sure in the future that any guards were deployed with full dossiers and picture identification. Only, Goddess Moon, don’t let this be the time that…

Josh spoke up. “It sounds like someone in your Atlanta office had to tip an outsider off. How else would anyone know when and how to waylay this guy? How did they know he was heading to San Francisco?”

Chase’s mouth tightened. “Good point. One, believe me, I’ve been considering. We have a traitor to flush out when we get home. For now, we concentrate on getting our women back.”

Joshua chimed in. “Andrea wouldn’t just go off with this guy. She never could stand him. I remember her saying he gave her the heebie-jeebies. She never allowed him to come into the house.”

Taylor spoke from the front seat, his comment calm and matter-of-fact. “This wulf must be a separatist operative. If so, Andrea might not be in terminal danger. That might buy us some time.”

Josh perked up. “Really? Why do you say that?”

Chase answered carefully, refraining from bursting his hopeful bubble. “Breeds are considered wulves, though of a lower rank. Wulves don’t murder female wulves. They’re too much of a rarity.”

“That’s a good thing then, right?”

Chase disabused him of that erroneous opinion. “Not for the breeds. They may admit breeds are wulves, but just barely. The separatists consider them nothing more than sexual slaves, breeders like a broodmare.”

Josh paled. “They’d use a married female like that? I thought all wulves respected the mating bond. You telling me there are wulves who would break a sanctioned mating?”

Chase nodded, tight-lipped and grim. “No bond is sustained in a broken mind. If they can secure her, secrete her away for long enough, they’ll torture her, try to destroy her sanity. We learned the hard way during the first breeding program that a female doesn’t have to think or be sentient to carry pups.”

Taylor’s eyes held a dour expression when he met Chase’s gaze in the rearview mirror. Neither wulf mentioned aloud that Shelley wouldn’t have even that slim possibility. She was a human privy to wulf secrets. In the separatists’ bible, that knowledge was deserving of death.

“My God, what about Shelley?”

The heavy, almost guilty silence was telling.

Josh wasn’t having it. “Mr. McCallum, what will they do to Shelley?”

“Eat her.”

The human’s skin prickled into gooseflesh. His freckles stood out like neon spots on his white skin, and the sickly sweet stench of fear flooded the vehicle. He twisted about, facing front, and slapped his hand on the back of Taylor’s seat. “Damn it, drive faster!”

* * * * *

Hunter pulled up to the curb outside his house, spun the wheel sharply, and stomped on the brakes. “Everybody get out and into the house!”

Melody and Rosa spilled out, Drew tumbling out behind his mother as Blair worked his seat belt and climbed out more sedately.

Hunter gave his mate a hard-eyed stare, making sure she knew he was dead serious. “Keep everyone together. Don’t separate or wander until I or Fortrayn contacts you.”

Rosa leaned down and peered into the front passenger window. “Mijo, bring my baby back safe. Both of them.”

Tight-lipped, Fort exchanged a speaking glance with his wife. “I won’t come back without them.”

Hunter cut his nephew an exasperated glare. “Wrong thing to say, dumbass!”

Rosa paled and started, wringing her hands in distress. “Mi esposo, por favor, no matter what, you…vuelto a mi. Come back to me.” She turned her worried gaze on Hunter. “Please, Hunter, Tío…don’t let anything happen to him!”

Hunter’s smile was intense and full of determination. “Count on it, sugar.”

Melody’s narrowed topaz eyes glared at him. “Ditto for you, buddy,” she warned him. “Joy and Blair need their daddy.”

Hunter dipped his chin. “I love my pups, bitch, but it’s you I’ll be coming back for. Believe it.”

Nightmares of a Fallen Hero
 

With a deep, shuddering sigh, Andrea finally awakened. Slowly, gradually, she came out of the comalike sleep, clinging to the last dregs of the foggy realm.

Her eyes, still swollen from all the tears she’d shed, were gritty and dry, burning behind tight, puffy lids glued shut with the sticky residue of too much weeping. Her body, stiff and sluggish, had healed enough that she no longer needed the restorative balm of unconsciousness.

She’d been dreaming…of something horrific, something so devastating her retreat into nothingness could not banish it.

A flash of red splashing the street…blue eyes dimming…Josh!

The moment her mind went there she stilled, battling a new surge of pain. Her heart clenched, squeezed, shut off her breath as she reluctantly admitted her nightmare had followed her into the real world. Her dear friend was dead, murdered before her disbelieving gaze.

Fresh tears leaked out the corners of her eyes, dripping down the curves of her cheeks as she lay silently, too worn down to try to stem the flow. She was exhausted, almost too tired to breathe. Why, then, did her body find the energy to convulse in agonized sobs as she relived once again, the moment Josh collapsed to his knees, face wearing that shocked, incredulous expression, his blood gushing bright red against the bright blue of his shirt? Why couldn’t she stop replaying the moment his beautiful blue eyes went dark?

* * * * *

They ran until the street ran out. Taking a chance, Andrea veered off, beckoning Shelley behind her. Their luck ran out, and they found themselves on a dead-end street bounded with sheer walls. No escape.

They turned and hurried back the way they came, making headway until Shelley fell, twisting her ankle. Choking back a cry, she regained her footing and took a few steps toward Andrea, trying to walk on the injured foot. With a muffled shout, she stopped and swayed, face paling as only a black person’s can.

Andrea took one look at her ashen face and went cold. That was it then. She couldn’t leave Shelley, wouldn’t, which meant they were done for.

It didn’t make sense to have her Shell as frightened as she was. “We have to keep going, Shell! We need to stay out ahead of this guy until Chase can get to us.”

“Just leave me. There’s no need of us both dying.”

“Hell no, and don’t dare wrap your lips around that again.” Throwing her arm around her friend’s waist, she edged her shoulder under her arm as a support. “Lean on me.”

Voice hoarse with pain, Shelley laughed. “You gonna sing?”

Andrea couldn’t find a drop of laughter inside. “Save your breath and move!”

Half dragging the heavier girl, Andrea was feeling the strain. Casting frantic glances up the alley and back along their path, she knew they’d never outrun the wulf on their trail at this pace. She had no choice but to try to find a way to conceal them. It would be useless. The wulf had their scent. It wasn’t likely they’d be able to avoid discovery, not with the way Shelley’s hoarse breathing echoed off the walls of the brick alleyway.

They were almost to the mouth of the street when the wulf came around the corner on four legs, tongue lolling from a laughing muzzle.

Screaming at it, Andrea jumped and knocked it to the ground, hollering at Shelley to run. The animal rolled with her, slapped her away with a casual strength that was terrifying. Terrifying because she knew it was playing with her.

The wulf had them cornered. It capered about, cavorting and teasing them because it believed no help was coming, and it had all the time in the world to kill them at its leisure.

Taking skin form, the wulf spoke. “I am Ravin, proud to be a separatist jihadist, dedicated to restoring our great species to the purity it deserves. You have been raised above your mud heritage, made like one of us, and yet you associate with these dirt monkeys, even sharing with them the secrets of our race. For that you will both die.”

“Yeah? Well, my mate is on to you. You won’t get away with this.”

Shelley spoke up from the sidelines, her mouth as inventive as ever. “So why don’t you save yourself some trouble and get out of here, you hulkish motherfucking alien rebel-with-a-lame-cause wannabe. I know you don’t think you can stand up to Chase McCallum!”

Eyes—the dark yellow caused by inbreeding—flashed with anger and change. “Just for that, you filthy, dirt-side bit of galactic sewage, I’ll kill you first. I’m going to rip your throat out so you can’t talk to your betters again.”

She flung her head back, daring him. “Better men than you have tried that, shithead, but if you do manage to get a piece of me, it’ll be the best dark meat you’ve ever tasted.”

Shelley was right about one thing: the assassin was lumbering big. His massive form lived up to what Andrea had imagined he might look like. It wasn’t his skin form she feared, though.

Unfortunately, her taunting words had angered the wulf beyond his control, and he stopped taunting them with what he planned to do and took battle form, advancing first on Shelley.

At the last moment, Andrea leaped in front of her downed friend, taking the hit he’d meant for human. Breed flesh bruised but didn’t break, and she had reason to be thankful for that when she felt the impact of that backhanded blow. It hurt, but she’d been designed to take a lot in the way of pain and hard usage. She’d heal. If the wulf had connected with Shelley, the sheer force of the blow would have broken her neck.

Her pain resonated down the open links she held, and all over the city, howls of fury echoed, some of them closer than others. She almost convinced herself she recognized Chase’s frantic call in the cacophony.

The cries alerted the slavering beast he didn’t have as much time as he’d imagined. He panicked, ears flicking back and forth, glowing eyes feral and anxious. It advanced again, and once more, Andrea dragged herself into position between Shelley and the being intent upon causing her death.

This time, the animal used its claws, slashing at her, ripping through her flesh as easily as tissue paper. Andrea screamed, reeling away. It would heal, but God above, she hurt!

Her screams were echoed by others, and for a moment, hope welled. It died with the first words of the newcomers.

“Finish them. They have reinforcements coming.”

“Catch and hold the breed while I take care of the human.”

Pain flared, bright and sharp as she fought them, knowing what would happen if they succeeded in tearing her away from Shelley. Claws caught in her hair, yanking her head back as a wulfen muzzle sniffed at her mark, pulling back in shock. “This one belongs to a McCallum Alpha, and she’s not carrying. Don’t kill her, and make sure not to damage her womb! We can use her, replace one of our worn-out breeders.”

She didn’t have the time to ponder the irony of starring in a similar situation to the one Chase had once engineered. He’d tried to steal Melody from Hunter using the same tactic. She sure the hell didn’t appreciate being the one left holding the cosmic price tag for that, though. As Andrea prepared to battle harder, desperate to protect Shelley, the last hope she had of someone coming to wield a skillet on her behalf died.

And then the sounds of conflict in the mouth of the alley drifted to her…shouts ringing out accompanied by the sounds of heavy thudding as blows landed on nearly impervious flesh.

Four-footed wulves poured into the alley, attacking with a viciousness she’d never witnessed before. Heart lifting, Andrea made out the silver-tipped black pelt of Uncle Hunter’s giant wulf form as he leaped on the back of an opponent and, fangs ripping and tearing, broke the other wulf’s neck and opened his throat.

The golden fur of Papa Fort flashed in the fading light as the slighter wulf danced among the fleeing enemy, hamstringing them and rendering them prey to the wulves arriving in droves behind him, hungry for blood and eager for revenge.

Lachlann and Rann, both wulves’ pelts liberally threaded with white, moved with the lithe, deadly precision of their sons, their white hair the only indication of their advanced years. Enemies fell before their coordinated onslaught, lying with throats torn out and bowels exposed, left for the younger wulves to finish off.

Andrea wrestled to get Shelley farther from the carnage of wulves in full battle, fearful for her. She knew how easily Shell’s fragile human skin could be shredded.

Jedin—no, he wasn’t Jedin—the wulf who’d stolen Jedin’s life stood before her, his glowing eyes filled with hatred and a deadly intent. He’d taken fur form when the fight broke out, but now rose on his hind legs and took battle form.

Andrea braced for impact, her injuries from their last encounter already healing, but her body was in no condition to take further punishment. Swaying, she looked about for aid and saw all her saviors engaged in heated conflict.

The only one near her, Taylor, met her eyes, his black, fathomless gaze unreadable as he hesitated, head swinging toward where she guarded a downed Shelley. He started toward her, and she relaxed, only to tense back up when he suddenly froze in place, great muzzle snapping to the left, toward the Alpha he was sworn to protect.

Chase was engaged in a heated exchange with a huge, shaggy wulf while another crept up on him from behind. Andrea gasped, suspended between terror for Shelley and her worries for Chase; she wavered, trying to decide which to help. She didn’t think she could reach Chase in time and, being a breed, doubted she’d be much help, though she longed to go to him.

Unlike her, Taylor made his decision in a nanosecond. Abandoning her and Shelley to become a streak of black racing to his master’s aid, he intercepted the wulf creeping up on the unaware Chase. Hitting the wulf broadside, he bowled him over and over before sinking fangs in the wulf’s throat. Biting deep, he reared back. Red lifeblood sprayed in a wide arc, splashing gore on the already blood-spattered walls of the buildings lining the alleyway.

In front of her, the huge behemoth, Ravin, advanced, gaze unwavering. Andrea bared her teeth in a wild smile, daring him closer. She’d seen Hunter and Fortrayn break off their fights to head her way, their paws flying across the chaotic battlefield.

Behind her, a sobbing Shelley placed both hands against the grimy wall and pushed her body up until she leaned upright, her injured ankle held off the ground.

Mouth opened to show a row of sharp, jagged teeth meant to shred and tear, the wulf spoke, the effort of pushing human sounds out that bestial throat underlining just how determined he was. “Can’t…gut…you.” His massive head swung to focus on Shelley. “But this…hoo-man…will…not…live!”

He sprang on the last word, his body a blur, hairy arm a bludgeon that swept Andrea off her feet and more than five feet across the alley. She screamed as she landed, rolling to her feet to lurch drunkenly back toward her friend.

With a howl that rivaled a maddened wulf, Josh came out of nowhere to throw his body between the hulking wulf and the cowering Shelley. With nothing in his hands, no weapon but love, he hurtled into the wulf, knocking him off balance and away from his intended target.

With a snarl of rage, the wulf swiped out, catching the gangly teenager across the chest, slicing deep. Red blossomed and spread across the light blue of Josh’s shirt. It flapped in the wind, torn and tattered, revealing the white and pink of exposed bone and flesh.

And somehow, Josh still stood, body interposed between Shelley and the beast. The next blow rocked his body back, the huge, open-clawed fist impacting with lethal force, spinning him around to collapse, a puppet with cut strings, boneless and limp.

But Hunter, Chase, and Fortrayn were there then, taking the brute down as a Pack, harrying the monster with savage fury.

Andrea didn’t see them. Her eyes swam, staring at the tableau taking place before her.

Shelley sank to the ground and, ignoring her bad leg, crawled to the fallen youth. She gathered him up, cradled Josh’s head in her lap, rocking his bloody form as she whispered fiercely, “Hey, white boy! What the fuck was that, huh?” Her face twisted as tears fell from her wide, shocked eyes. Her hands danced from wound to wound, lost, unable to choose which fount of blood to stem. Each wound was as fatal as the next.

Josh reached up and captured one hovering hand, hugging it against his chest. His blood stained the backs of her fingers, but his fingertips were white from the pressure with which he gripped hers.

Andrea bit her lip and crawled up to them, not even knowing when she’d fallen. Ignoring her own hurts, not even feeling them in comparison to the pain piercing her heart, she smiled down at Josh. “Josh, you were so brave, hermano. You saved us!”

He shook his head, blinked slowly. “Not that…just…too scared to live…without her.”

Sobs shook her as Andrea leaned back, giving her place to Shelley, recognizing death when she saw it. This time was for them, a sacred, private moment to say good-bye.

Voice shaking so much she could barely get the words out, Shelley smoothed the red-tinged hair off Josh’s pale face. “Don’t play me like that, boy. You know I couldn’t stay mad at you, junior freak.”

Josh tried to speak through the blood bubbling at his mouth. “You…weren’t mad. That’s…what scared me.” A confused frown pulled his sandy brows together. “I said…something wrong…don’t know what…”

“It wasn’t you, baby. It was me…and I’m so sorry! Oh God, help me, I’m sorry, Josh. Don’t die and leave me alone, Yeshua. You promised me a Chuppah, remember? Please, Josh, stay…”

“Shh…’sokay…’sokay, my choc…late candy…girl…it’s not…hard.” That death rattle sounded again; more ominous because of the long silence between breaths it left behind. Then he spoke once more, his voice full of wonder. “Love you…dying’s…easy. Living…without you…that woulda been…too hard.”

One hard shudder went through him. The light went out of his eyes, and his hand fell away.

Andrea bowed her head and let the tears fall, making no effort to wipe them away. Her nose clogged, ran, and she put her head down on the ground and sobbed, finding it hard to breathe over the razors slicing up her lungs and heart.

Beside her, Shelley rocked and rocked, holding a body that no longer housed the laughing boy they’d known and loved.

Tears raining down her own face, Andrea turned her head to look at Shelley and thought how tragically majestic she seemed in her grief. So like a young Cleopatra mourning Marc Antony.

Until the facade gave way to screaming rage as Shelley shook Josh’s body, yelling at the top of her hoarse voice, “Joshua Tate, do you know how mad I am at you? How dare you do this! How dare you die and le-leave me a-a-alone?” She sniffed. “I’m so mad, I’m stuttering!”

And then the wails rose, bursting out of her throat, with a power so raw with pain and anguish, the wulves surrounding her lifted their muzzles and howled in concert.

Her cries were primal yells of naked agony, the wrenching manifestations of a soul lost in anguish so deep it was insurmountable, and they went on and on.

Andrea closed her eyes, unable to bear watching Shelley screaming until her voice went hoarse, fingers digging in the tattered remains of Josh’s shirt, holding on as if by keeping him close, she could reverse the flow of time and restore his life. Lost to the futility of it, she clung tenaciously, refusing to let any of the wulves take his body from her.

Her cries were so furious, her pain so transcendent, her loss so wrenching, it seemed elemental, a force of nature gone cataclysmic, more destructive than Katrina had been to the dikes of New Orleans.

In the end, Taylor tore the body from Shelley’s arms while she cursed and spat at him, kicked and beat at all the others until Papa Fort wrapped her in his arms and carried her away as she sobbed like a broken child.

* * * * *

The memories were too fresh, too immediate. Andrea’s pain built until the pressure broke, turned the agony fluid, and released it to overflow the battered windows of her soul. She was shocked she still had such a store of tears, having cried enough to fill a small sea. A dull ache throbbed at her temples, a stress headache stiffening the cords in her neck and radiating down her shoulders.

Andrea berated herself for being such a coward, but she just couldn’t face getting up and facing the world, dealing with the aftermath of the tragedy. Wanting only to retreat from reality, she curled over on her side and came face-to-face with a sleeping Shelley. Her poor friend looked a wreck, looked worse than Andrea felt, which was saying a lot.

Shelley sprawled half on her back, her dark-complexioned face slack in the throes of a deep, hopefully healing sleep. Even while asleep, her heartache took liquid form and bled from under closed lids, pooling in the bruised depressions beneath her eyes before spilling over the plump curves of her dusky cheeks. Right now her mouth was slightly open, cheek resting in a small circle of half-dried spittle. Her erratic breathing hitched, interspersed every now and then by broken whimpers as she moaned restlessly.

Before crying herself into a stupor the night—days?—before, Andrea vaguely remembered murmuring something about how worried she was that Shelley had no one to mourn with. Chase must have had Shelley brought here and tucked her in beside Andrea while she was sleeping. If she hadn’t already been in love with him, this act of kindness would have tumbled her over.

A slight sound of rustling impinged on her attention, and she craned her head around to find Chase watching her from across the room. His lips moved without sound. “You okay? Need anything?”

She heard him in her heart, answered the same way. “I’m…okay. Still tired.”

“Sleep then. It’s only been two days. Your body requires more rest to heal completely. I’ll guard you both.”

Not questioning his resolve, knowing she could trust his word, Andrea dropped a soft kiss on Shelley’s cheek before cuddling close to her. With a sigh, she closed her eyes and drifted back to sleep.

* * * * *

The sharp rapping of knuckles on the suite door woke her up.

Squinting one eye open, Andrea watched as Chase went to the door, moving in that silent, predatory way she loved. If she hadn’t been watching him through slitted eyelids, she wouldn’t have heard him move.

When the door opened, she caught a glimpse of Taylor taking up too much space as usual. She really didn’t like that wulf. Probably because she knew there was no love lost between them, she’d never bothered trying to cultivate him, but since the day he chose Chase over Shelley, she hated him, blamed him for Josh’s death. Chase was a grown wulf. He could take care of himself. Shelley and Josh were humans, caught up in a war they hadn’t started and didn’t belong in. Taylor should have guarded her friends.

The two wulves were holding a terse, whispered conversation, and she strained to overhear it, suspicious the bodyguard might be trying to keep something from her. Chase’s harsh comment was easy to decipher. Taylor’s quieter voice required more concentration.

“I told you I didn’t want to be disturbed.”

“Sorry, Alpha, but I have the report you ordered compiled. Ky just faxed the last of the list over.”

“Oh. Thanks, Taylor. Did you tell Kylor we’ll be delayed returning?”

“Yes, sir. He said to tell you he’s got everything under control for the next week. He rescheduled all your meetings and signed off on a couple of construction projects you’d already given the go-ahead for.”

“Good.”

Silence reigned for a few moments. When the black wulf broke it, his question startled Andrea.

“How are they holding up? How is Shelley, I mean…Ms. Moore?”

Chase shrugged, dragged his fingers through his hair. His manner was so dejected Andrea’s heart went out to him. She hadn’t realized how hard all this was on him. “She’s devastated. If humans are capable of having true-bond mates, she’s just lost hers.” He shrugged again, heaved a deep sigh. “This is one time all our vaunted wulfen strength can’t help. I can’t flex my muscles and make this all go away. The sister of my mate is dying inside, and I don’t know how to help her. More, I’m afraid she’ll drag my mate down with her into the pit of despair she’s fallen into.”

“Alpha…”

Chase growled. “Spare me your empty platitudes, Ty. I know you don’t like her and couldn’t care less if she fell off the face of the earth, but Andrea is my true-bond mate. My life force is bound to hers. Even if it wasn’t, it wouldn’t matter. You see, I love her. I totally understand what the boy meant when he told Shelley he’d rather die saving her than live without her. The same goes for me. I’d willingly die for Andrea, and it’s tearing me up that I can’t do anything more to help her. I feel so fucking useless.”

Taylor’s voice was even quieter than it had been before. “I only meant to say I’d be glad to help wherever I can. The Alphine and I got off on the wrong foot.” He paused and drew in a deep breath. “Let me rephrase that. I started off on the wrong foot with her. She was in the right. What we tried to do that day was wrong. I’ve blamed her all this time because I was shamed by her courage in defending her aunt’s den. And now I feel guilty for the boy’s death. He should never have been the one to go up against a mature wulf. I sent that human knowingly to his death when I chose to protect you.”

His words shocked her. To hear him admit to the guilt she mentally tarred him with threw her off balance. Andrea resented that too, that he made her rethink her conclusions about him.

“You did your job, Taylor. We told him not to come along. It was his choice.”

“He’s paid with his life, but he’s not the only one still paying. And my choice has to be taken into account. If you like, I could—”

Chase raised his hand, halting the guard’s words midsentence. He cocked his head, and Andrea knew he’d become alert to the change in her breathing. When he spoke again, his voice was harsh and curt. “We’ve wakened Andrea. Go.”

Taylor didn’t argue. Bowing, he backed away from the door. “My lord.”

Not bothering to pull on a robe, Andrea slid out of the bed and padded into the bathroom. She used the facilities, washing her hands and brushed her teeth and finished by splashing some cool water on her face before toweling off.

A sobbing sigh shattered her breathing, but she controlled the urge to break into more tears. The time for grieving would linger, but her desolation had eased. Unlike her dear, poor Shelley, Andrea had a mate who needed her, who loved her.

The irony of the situation didn’t escape her. Chase had just declared his love for her in no uncertain terms—though she’d received it secondhand—just when she’d decided to act the mature female she was supposed to be and accept what he could give her. She’d planned to love him enough for the both of them, and if he never told her he loved her, she’d settle for the nonverbal ways he said it daily.

When she emerged from the bathroom, she went into the main room, gently closing the door of the bedroom behind her. Shelley was still sleeping, and Andrea wanted her to stay that way as long as possible.

Chase was seated at the in-suite desk, going over some papers. He looked up when she came toward him, his hazel eyes lighting up. His voice was hushed when he greeted her. “I heard you stirring. How are you feeling, babe?”

His gentle concern had her eyes tearing up again. Andrea held her breath, gathered her control, and battled back the tears. Coming right up to him, she pushed his arms apart and climbed up into his lap, placing one hand over his heart where the steady thud of his pulse reassured her he lived. “Phenomenally blessed,” she whispered, placing her lips over that beating in his chest, rubbing her forehead over the hair-dusted expanse. “What are you working on?”

Chase leaned back in the chair, shifting to make her more comfortable. “I’m not working on anything. This is for you.” He passed the papers he’d been going over to her, spinning them so they were upright for her reading pleasure.

The top paper was titled “Available Breeds,” and held a long list of names. The ones beneath it were single-page dossiers corresponding to the list of names on the first paper.

She let the papers flutter to the desk and turned her confused gaze to her mate. “What are you showing this to me for?”

“You keep saying I only courted you, claimed you, because you were a breed and the only one available.” He tapped the papers. “Sweetie, when a man offers a quarter-million dollars bounty for a viable breed, he’s bound to get a few responses. I’ve had this list since right after the first year I found and marked you. See the dates?”

Heart pounding, Andrea followed his finger down the page, eyes filling with happy tears. He hadn’t been stuck with her. He’d chosen her. And more importantly, he’d waited for her! She choked up. “Chase!”

His lips curved up in the teasing grin she loved. “I guess you knocked some sense into me with that cast-iron skillet, huh?”

She took his beloved face in both hands, framing his cheeks with her palms. “All the time I’ve spent trying to find out if you loved me, I neglected to tell you how I feel. Of course, you have to know, but I’ve never come right out and told you, and that’s the pot calling the kettle black.”

Chase kissed her. When they came up for air, he tucked her back against his chest and just held her, rocking slightly as if to gentle her. “You’re right. I knew you loved me back when we were dealing with the troll on the bridge and you told Hunter not to kill me. But like you, I’d love to hear the words.”

Gazing at him through a veil of shimmering moisture, she placed a trembling kiss on his lips. “I love you, Chase-the-Prey McCallum. Don’t you ever die on me, because I swear my heart would just stop beating.”

Chase covered her hands with his larger ones, the warmth of his palms seeping through her chilled flesh. “I’m not going anywhere, baby. I love you too, and if you leave here before me, I’m following right behind you. Because the last few days have taught me dying is easy. It’s living without you that would be impossible.”

For a moment, the echo of Josh’s last words pierced her heart with new pain, and Andrea realized she would always miss and cherish her dear friend. She wasn’t through mourning, but for now she had other things to do, namely, celebrate life with her lover and mate.

Andrea pushed against Chase’s chest and slid off his lap. Holding out her hand, she smiled. “Isn’t there another room in this suite besides the one Shelley is sleeping in?”

Chase looked up at her, his hazel eyes more green than brown, examining her. He took her hand but didn’t allow her to pull him up from the chair. “I’m not sure you’re up to that right now, sweet.”

She noticed the whites were tinged a slight red, and the rims were damp as if he’d been… She brushed her fingers along the bottoms of his eyes, ruffling his lashes. Wonder moving through her, she asked, “Have you been crying?”

As she watched, a tear dropped from each eye. “There’s no shame in it. I hurt when you hurt, my Andi, and you have been so broken.” He bit his lip and closed his eyes a second, the action more like a long blink. “Joshua Tate was a worthy friend. Your human Bible says, ‘Greater love has no man, than that he lay down his life for a friend.’ He proved the truth of that statement.”

She leaned forward and rested her forehead against the upper curve of his shoulder. “I am so in love with you right this moment. There is nothing else you could have done that says ‘I love you’ more than crying with me over my friend. Thank you.”

When he bent his head to press a closemouthed kiss on her upturned lips, she pushed his apart with her tongue. “Please, I want to make love with you.”

Chase stood without prompting and, placing an arm under her knees, swept her off her feet. “You have only to ask…”

The room he carried her to had the curtains drawn against the light. Shadows reigned, darkening Andrea’s spirits. “Open the curtains. Please,” she added when he hesitated. “I want to see you this time. I need to see your skin healthy and unbroken. I want to watch you entering me.”

Chase nodded. Setting her gently on the bed, he went to the windows and pulled the curtains open, flooding the room with the brilliant burnt amber rays of the late-afternoon sun. His golden hair was haloed by the light, the highlights glinting with molten gold shimmers. Andrea smiled. “Strip.”

White teeth flashed as he threw off his clothes without a thought to the expensive materials. Naked, he stood tall and proud, his long, thick cock rising between his corded thighs in monolithic proportions. Licking her lips, Andrea shrugged off her robe and held her hands out. “I need to hold you, Chase.”

He almost ran into her arms. Going to his knees beside the bed, he pushed his body between her knees, crowding close as she slid her arms about him and hugged as far as she could reach. Chase buried his head in her breasts as he shuddered, shoulders shaking as sobs racked his big body, holding on to her with desperation she could feel screaming at her through the tips of the fingers he had digging into her flesh.

“Oh, Chase,” she crooned, rocking him gently. “Honey, what’s wrong? Are these tears for Josh or some other cause? Please tell me why you’re crying, and what I can do to help you stop.”

He mastered his sobs enough to whisper, “I’m crying because there was a moment—long moments, actually—when I feared I’d never do this again, hold you like this. I’m crying because I’ve stared into a future without you and found I was staring into the face of hell. I’m crying because there’s a sweet girl down the hall who will never have this comfort with the love of her life, her soul mate. I pray to the Moon she’ll one day find another love, but…”

“Hush.”

He rushed over her command to stop. “But I feel like shit because I can’t help being glad it was him and not you, because she’ll live, Andi. Shelley will go on without Josh, but I couldn’t live without you. If that makes me a horrible person in your eyes—”

“It makes you mine, Chase. And I’m yours.”

“I don’t deserve you, but fuck if I’ll ever give you up.”

Andrea lifted her head as Chase edged her up the mattress and followed her progress with soft kisses. He scattered them across her belly and up the slopes of her breasts, peppering her nipples with gentle snacking sucks that brought them strictly to attention.

“I love you.” He groaned the words into the cusp of her belly.

Her fingers tangled in his hair, tugging to lead him where she wanted him to go. The warmth of his shoulders under her hands, his hard body splayed over hers, centered her, made her feel secure and protected. He started back down her body, and her fingers tightened, stopping his foray before it began. “Do you mind? I don’t want sexual calisthenics, your mouth on my sex, not today. I just want you, Chase—unadulterated cock in my pussy, connecting us as close as we can get.”

He lifted his head and gazed at her. “I need to make you wet, sweet mine. I don’t want to hurt you going in.”

Andrea snorted. “When are you going to take your own words to heart? I’m a breed. That stupid assassin tried to kill me like I was a weak, fragile human and look at me. I heal, Chase. You can hurt me, but you can’t harm me with sex. I’m built to take anything you can dish out, even when you’re in battle form. So get over yourself and fuck me already!”

The arrested look in his changeable hazel eyes—more green than brown and reflecting his gentle emotions—made her chuckle. Sitting up, she dragged him down for a kiss and tried her best to blow his socks off.

“Oh babe, I’m always blown away by your wisdom. I should have retired to Pack land and claimed you years ago.”

Andrea spread her legs to make room for her husband and mate, lifting her hips as he carefully lined up his penis and began pushing into her. “I’m glad you didn’t. I never would have met Josh and Shelley if you had. Even with the tragedy of his death so new, I’ll always be glad I knew him.”

Chase pulled out to push back in a little farther, his face frozen in a rictus of impending climax. “This is the strangest bed talk,” he gasped, beginning to pump in a womb-stirring cadence, “but I find the more you talk about death, the more I want to fill you with life.”

She rose to meet his thrusts, circling her hips and wrapping her legs about his waist. “That’s what I want, Chase. I want you to flood me with your life, push out all the death in my spirit. Make me come so hard I buck off all sorrow. I need you to love me, to see me, Chase.” She was almost crying when she finished speaking. She was crying when she came in gently rocking waves of ecstasy that were still—for all their quietness—beyond any pleasure she’d ever known before loving Chase.

“I do.” He got it right that time, without a single stammer or stutter. “I always will.”

Two Months Later
 

She met him at the door of his home office. “We’re going to be late.”

“I know. I’m sorry, Andi, love.” Chase dropped a kiss on the top of his petite mate’s head on his way to the small fridge. He cracked a bottle of Evian and guzzled the water down. “We had to deal with the damned group of fucking bureaucrats presiding over our new Inter-Packlands Security program. Fuckers can’t find their asses with both hands, let alone a leashed tracker. Sometimes I don’t know why the hell Hunter and I put up with them.”

“Could it be because the IPS was your creation in the first place?”

“Like I said…I don’t know what the fuck we were thinking of.”

Out the corner of his eye, he’d caught her slight winces and cursed again, this time silently. His mate really didn’t care for foul language. He hid a smile as she rose and went to the mantel. She still had no clue she cursed like a drunken sailor when they made love.

Taking down a cut crystal vase, Andi turned and walked back toward him, lithe hips swaying in unconscious temptation. Stopping in front of him, she held the vessel up like she was offering him a damned libation and said, “That will be a dollar a word for five cuss words. Pay up!”

“Hell shouldn’t count. It’s too bland to be a true cuss word. Besides, didn’t Shelley say it’s in the Bible? I don’t know what made me agree to this in the first place. It’s not like I’m going to stop anytime soon.”

“You said it, again so that’s another dollar.” Andi smiled, looking pleased. “And I’m counting on you not stopping soon.” She shook the glass so the bills inside the half-filled container swirled silently. “The way you cuss, you’ll have this filled in no time. And just because the words are there don’t mean you have to use them out of context. Pay up.”

Chase pretended to scowl as he stuffed the requisite amount plus a bit more into the mouth of the expensive urn, itself proof she didn’t need to hoard money. Plus, she was totally clueless to the fact he’d ordered Taylor to keep him supplied with dollar bills just for this purpose. He was a multibillionaire. Before he’d mated Andi, he’d never carried less than a fifty on him.

Not that he actually minded trying to clean up his language for her, but curiosity made him ask, “What are you saving for, anyway? I’ve given you a black credit card with no limit. You can buy whatever the hell catches your fancy. Buy a damn country if you want to.”

Her eyes danced, lips tipped up in that damned nuts-tightening grin he loved, accompanied by an expression he was coming to learn meant she was intent on mischief. Andrea swished the jar around, making the bills swirl, smiling at the patterns they made. “You’ve given me several cards, but they’re all funded with your money.”

“It’s our money. Everything I have is yours.”

She shrugged. “Whatever. When I get you a present, I insist on paying for it with my money. So this jar is filling up with money I’m saving toward buying you gifts.”

Just like that, Chase’s heart melted. Her words, like all the other signs of Andrea’s love and thoughtfulness moved him almost to tears. He gave thanks to the Moon for the girl—now woman—who’d claimed and tamed him with one swing of a cast-iron skillet. The three years he’d waited for her had been worth every one of those million, five hundred seventy-six thousand, eight hundred minutes—yeah, he’d counted them—of loneliness. While waiting, he’d thought the time long, but Chase knew now, he’d have waited a lifetime for the privilege of sharing his future with this woman. She owned his heart.

Just wanting to hear the sound of her voice, he asked, “What kind of presents are we talking about?”

Andrea McCallum met his eyes, her own filled with an almost tangible love for him. Her mouth widened in a gamine grin. “While she was here visiting, I took Shelley to Outré Couture. We saw this killer bra and panty outfit. Skimpy little sheer red lace things with tiny cutouts here”—pointer fingers circled her nipples then down lower—“and here.”

Chase’s cock surged, scraping along his zipper, and he reached down to adjust it, biting back a whimper. Body gone hard, immediately starving for her, he dug in his jacket pocket, fumbling out his money clip. Detaching the fat roll of bills, he snatched the jar from her and stuffed the whole wad inside. “Fuck cursing. Put this on my account. I’m sure you’ll keep track. Now get your sweet ass up on the desk, and get those legs up and spread wide. If you like that blouse, lose it, because I want to see those luscious nipples that belong to me, and I won’t wait long to do it.”

She pinched her lips and shimmied her shoulders, teasing him. “Why should I? What do you think you’re going to do?”

He edged closer to her, needing to be near her. She was his lodestone, his safe den. She was his peace and comfort, his port in life’s storm. Her body was home to him. “I’m going to suck the shit out of those tight, hard nuggets until you holler for mercy and beg me to fuck you. Then I’m going to clamp down on them so you feel every tight inch of nipple pinched and held while I eat your sweet, juicy cunt.”

“You can’t do that,” she taunted, that challenging, lust-maddening grin growing wider. Her words electrified him, made him crazy to show her how wrong she was.

“And you believe that…why?”

She looped her arms around his neck. “Ha! The answer is so elementary, my dear wulf. You can’t eat my sweet, juicy cunt, because what’s between my legs belongs to you, not me.”

Damn if her precious explanation didn’t bring the wulf roaring out of hiding. Fur erupted, covering his bulking body. Fangs extended and claws sprang from the tips of his curled fingers. “Good answer,” he growled, releasing her only long enough to shred his clothes out of the way. “Now get up on the desk before I bend you over the couch.”

He didn’t wait for her to obey him, but ruthlessly cleared a space and scooped her up on the desktop, crowding between her legs. Burying his extending muzzle in the curve of her neck, he rumbled, “If that’s not enough to cover the outfits, I’ll curse some more. Have the store put at least two sets in every color on revolving charge, because I’ll probably keep ripping them off to open my true gift!” He shifted her skirt out of the way and cupped her between her legs, palm setting her belled clit charms tinkling. Entering her with one claw, careful as always not to slash her soft, tender skin, he pumped her, priming her for his entry. “And I’m not talking about this honeyed morsel here.” His clawed fingers tender, he cupped her dripping slit.

Andrea gasped as he lifted his face and let her see the tears in his glowing eyes. His voice was husky, clogged with emotion, and Chase had to clear his throat several times. “I’m talking about the gift of being mated to the sweetest, most giving and loving woman to ever walk beneath the Moon.” He interspersed the heartfelt declarations with moist, openmouthed kisses. “I don’t deserve you, Andrea, but I love you too much to ever let you go.”

“Oh, Chase, I’ll never grow tired of hearing you say that. I’ve loved you forever. Right before I hit you with Tía Melody’s skillet.”

“Thank the Moon you did.” He didn’t even want to contemplate what his life would have been if he’d succeeded in claiming Melody. Moonlight and shadow, but that would have been a tragedy. “Baby, Hunter’s bitch is lovely and lovable, but in my estimation, she can’t hold a candle up against you, my true-bond mate.”

“Now that’s what I like to hear. Talk like that will get you rewarded.” She ran her dainty nails down his chest, scraped over his flat nipples. Leaning up, she lapped at one, giving him a flirty glance from under lowered lashes. “What reward will you demand of me, lover?”

Chase shuddered. Damn it, she knew how to bring out the beast in him. When he found his voice, it emerged guttural, thick with animalistic lust. “Everything. I want everything you have, but for now, I’ll settle for your breasts in my mouth.”

Going after what he wanted, Chase opened her blouse using the simple expedient of slicing through the filmy material with his claws. Good thing he was rich as Croesus and could replace the clothing he tore in his haste to get to skin. He did it often.

Now, eyes burning, he stared down at her creamy breasts, cock jerking fully erect at the mouthwatering sight of the delicate, diamond-crusted platinum bars piercing her dark brown nipples—another selfless gift to him from his Andi. Those slender bars screamed “owned” like nobody’s business. And he was the lucky bastard she called “Master.”

With a needy groan, he lowered his mouth and took her left nipple in, bar and all, sucking it against the roof of his mouth. Reaching down, he pushed her panties aside—noted he’d have to spank her later for the infraction—and eased a thick digit into her streaming pussy.

Her back bowed, head falling back as he drew on her. Her hands fisted in his hair. “Yes, oh…God, yes, Chase…I love it when you do that.”

She did, indeed, he knew. And he loved the way she always responded to him, instantly and totally. Like now with her pussy gushing wetly around the thick forefinger pumping in and out of her clinging channel. Loved the way her nipples unfurled and stiffened against his tongue. Chase sucked harder, taking in more of her resilient mound before he switched to the other breast and gave it the same treatment.

She whimpered, squeezing his waist with her legs. The power of the embrace belied her fragile looks. His bitch was strong and resilient, thank the Moon. She’d had to be to withstand the ferocity with which he often took her. The way he was about to take her now. “Damn Andi, I have to get in you, have to fuck you now.”

“Yes, please, Chase!” Her dainty hands gripped his arms, slid up to circle his neck, and pull him tighter against her. “Please!”

“You don’t have to beg, sweetness. You never have to beg me to fuck you. I live for it, for you.” He tore his mouth away from her breast only long enough to rip out of his shirt and undershirt. Almost sobbing, certainly panting with lust, he released his pants one-handed, needing to keep one in contact with her soft, sweet flesh. He toed his shoes off, then kicked the pants out of the way while his cock sprang free. Fully erect and dripping, he pushed aggressively against the soft skin of her belly.

Grasping the barrel, fingers wide on the shaft, Andi squeezed and pumped the way he’d taught her, working the loose foreskin down his shaft. Moaning, she spread her legs, making room for his big hand. He inserted a second finger and then a third into her, loving how her elastic breed pussy shrank between fucking. It contracted in waves, gripping and sucking strongly on the three buried digits. Rivers of fragrant cream poured from her as she undulated against his hand. “Hurry! Need you!”

“What did I warn you about this?” He ripped at the panties barring his way. “Gonna beat your sweet ass for wearing this fucking barrier,” he warned, tossing the shreds aside. “I could have been inside you ages ago!”

“Sorry!” she sobbed, writhing hard, almost jackknifing as he slapped her pussy, setting her bells jingling and her clit swelling before sending two fingers tunneling back up her tight sheath.

“Come in me now, now, now!” she keened, tugging on his shaft, trying to manually stuff it inside. “Fuck me hard!”

“Oughta make you wait, like you made me.” His threat was bogus. Chase was already pressing his broad, blunt head in the weeping entrance of her sex. There was no way he could delay longer than the time it would take to ram home.

Nothing turned him on more than to hear her sweet mouth using the dirty, sexy words that only spilled out of her when he was fucking her. It was the cutest thing. He didn’t think she even recalled using the words once she calmed down. “Who am I?”

She opened her eyes, and cinnamon brown pupils gazed up at him in dazed wonder. “Mine. My mate, my wulf.” She leaned up, brought both hands up to caress his puckering nipples. “My only ever lover.”

“Damn straight!” Holding her loving gaze, Chase slid his hands under the globes of her butt and lifted her cheeks off the desk. Her legs fell open as he pulled her close, canted his hips, and sank his cock in her clasping pussy, sealing them together. He didn’t stop surging forward until every hard, aching inch was gloved in liquid, lava-hot tightness.

“Ah damn it! Ah fuck! Aaaahhhhhoo-o-o!”

The impromptu howl erupted from his throat as his change crashed over him. In a metamorphosis too fast for the eye to track, he shifted into battle form, fur-covered body hulking up between her thighs. Buried deep in her pussy, his cock stretched inhumanly, filling even her specially bred elastic channel overfull. Her legs and arms clenched around his body, heels digging into the stub of the vestigial tail he sported in this form, triggering a staggering cavalcade of lust.

Chase threw back his head and howled again; he was distantly aware she was doing some warbling of her own. He scrambled mentally, opened their channel to ensure her moans were ones of pleasure, not pain. Thank the Moon it was the former, since he wasn’t sure he could regain control of his movements.

Without conscious volition, Chase fucked into Andi, pistoning his hips back and forth. Each hard thrust embedded his cock in the mouth of her womb. Focused with carnal intent, his body dominated her slighter figure, determined to imprint his very signature in her flesh. She was his. He’d make sure she knew it in every atom of her being.

He stared down at her from between her splayed legs, fangs exposed in instinctual warning that other males would approach at their own risk while he mated his bitch. His avid gaze soaked her in from the damp wisps of hair clinging to her flushed face to stiff little nipples licked a nice reddened hue…all the way down to where the bells of her delicate clit ornament tinkled wildly as they were jolted each time he slammed into the stretched pussy wrapped around his huge organ. “Mine!”

“Yes…oh, God, Chase, yes!”

He couldn’t stop fucking her, couldn’t stop thrusting into her snug, welcoming pussy. It was so good, she was so damned tight and steaming hot around him, Chase thought he’d combust.

“Oh! Oh! Oh!” She panted after each thrust, body jolting, breasts jiggling with each hard impact. Her scent rose all about them as his hips flexed repeatedly, cock churning in and out of her enveloping heat. His nostrils flared, drinking in her essence, becoming more aroused as the intimate scent of his bitch inundated the room. His balls drew up, swelling and firming as his seed began a slow boil, temperature rising each time the heavy sacs slapped against her smooth, taut ass.

Determined to make her come with him, he sent one hand questing between her legs, tugging gently on the tiny piercing in her clit, making her bells ring.

Together, they played a lovely duet.

THE END



 

 

 

 

Camille Anthony

 

Camille Anthony, a sunny California transplant, is quick to say her fertile imagination and a love of romance fuels her writing, which she has been doing since grade school. Her favorite stories are those of strong, honorable people—whatever the race, or planet of origin—who are driven by love and lust to find and hold that one special someone. She likes her heroines feisty, her heroes dominant and her passion red hot!

She loves to hear from her readers. Your comments and suggestions are appreciated. 

Visit Camille on the Web at www.camilleanthony.com or send an e-mail to her at camilleanthony@camilleanthony.com.