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The Warder’s Wolf - Book 3: The Warders Series 

Copyright © 2006 Viola Grace 

ISBN: 1-55410-630-3 

Cover art and design by Martine Jardin 

 

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, 
the reproduction or utilization of this work in 
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hereafter invented, is forbidden without the 
written permission of the publisher. 

 

Published by eXtasy Books 

Look for us online at: 

www.extasybooks.com 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To my sister, who didn’t freak out when she 
learned what I was writing. 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter One 

 

 

uana’s hands shook as she finished smoothing 
her dress over her hips. Her friends were 
meeting her at the Howl and would no doubt give 
her a hard time for her choice of clothing. They 
tended to wear short leather skirts and even 
shorter tops. She had opted for a spring dress of 
cotton. It covered everything and fell to her knees. 
R 

Those knees buckled as another bolt of lust 
flared through her and left her panting. Over the 
last two days she had gone into heat, and her clit 
was trying to kill her. Never in her memory had 
she been this aroused and no amount of 
masturbation was taking the edge off. Her clit was 
sore and sensitive to the lightest touch, and yet she 
still couldn’t cum. No. Not couldn’t, wouldn’t. 
Her body refused to obey her demands. 

Well, if she could catch the attention of one of 
them tonight, then her little problem would be 
over. 

Her friends had already arrived and taken root 


at the bar when she showed up. Ruana wandered 
over to them, letting her senses catch a glimpse of 
her prey. Good. There were at least four wolves in 
the crowd, if all went well, this might even be 
easy. 

Keena introduced her to the bartender. Ruana 
extended her hand to shake his. Zan took her hand 
in his and raised it to his lips. As she waited to get 
her hand back, she felt his tongue flick across her 
skin and her legs nearly buckled under her. Her 
teeth bit her lip to stifle the moan that the tiny 
gesture had brought on. Meeting his eyes over her 
hand, she could see his wicked grin. Lord he was 
good looking. It was no wonder that her friends 
talked about him constantly. 

“May I have my hand back now?” Her fingers 
wiggled to draw attention to their captivity, and 
he reluctantly let his prize be snatched away to its 
owner. 

“This is your first time here.” The low rumble 
of his speech carried through the higher pitched 
voices of all the women swarming the bar. 

“Yes.” It was all that needed to be said. She 
would have been here sooner, naked, if she had 
known that he smelled as good as he looked. His 
scent clung to the hand that he had touched, and 
she could still feel the warmth of his skin against 
hers. 

“Make sure and tell me before you leave, 


wouldn’t want to start a stampede.” He gave her a 
serious look, then a wink. 

She flashed him a small smile, and turned back 
to the flamboyant humans who had invited her. 
He watched her for a few moments and then got 
James to take over the bar. He had a few calls to 
make. 

Three hours later, Ruana was beyond bored. 
Her friends were off dancing with the guys that 
they had picked up, but not one of the candidates 
she spotted had come anywhere near her. Six 
perfectly good werewolves scented a female in 
heat, and not one of them made a move. Her dress 
must be uglier than she thought. 

She walked up to the bar and spoke to the 
bartender. He was blonde and attractive enough, 
but not her type. “Is Zan still here?” 

He turned to her with a bored look, “I know 
you must be one of his many fans, but I am not 
going to tell you where he is sweetie.” He took a 
close look at her, “And besides, a librarian isn’t 
really his type.” 

She blushed furiously, and cursed the damned 
dress again. “Its ok, he just told me to let him 
know when I was leaving. Since he’s the only guy 
who spoke to me tonight, I wanted to say thanks 
and goodnight.” She gave him a short smile and 
headed for the door, and the cab that was always 
out front. 


But when she got outside, the cab was gone. 
She turned to go back into the club, but her way 
was barred by three of the six possibilities she had 
identified. 

She turned to run and found that the other 
three had taken up a flanking position. “Oh shit.” 

 

* * * * 

 

Inside the Howl, Zan finished his queries in the 
back room and came out, his eyes scanning the 
establishment for any signs of Ruana. The calls 
had taken longer than he had thought. 

“Hey James, did a girl come up here looking for 
me?” 

“Can you narrow it down? About five from 
your fan club have been by- one to say that she 
was leaving without waiting to see your beautiful 
face again.” James grimaced and loaded glasses 
onto a tray for a run through the dishwasher. All 
of his attention was on it, ignoring the women 
clamoring at the sight of Zan behind the bar once 
more. 

“Mousy, in a plain cotton dress?” 

“Yep, that’s the one.” James turned to look at 
his employer and took a step back at the fury in 
his eyes. 

“How long ago?” 

“Five minutes, maybe less? A few guys 


followed her out, but who could be that 
desperate?” James was talking to air as Zan 
vaulted over the bar and headed for the door at a 
breakneck pace. 

 

* * * * 

 

“Uh, guys. I just want to take a cab home. No 
trouble.” She spread her hands to her sides, and 
prepared to fire a defense spell. She was a little 
rusty and could probably only hit two of them, but 
she hoped it would slow them down. 

“Choose, bitch.” The three flanking her moved 
closer. 

“Uh, choose what? What exactly are my options 
here?” Slowly she turned her head, and looked for 
another way out. 

“You have to choose one of us to fuck, or we 
will choose for you. And we won’t limit the 
number.” This growl came from in front of her. 
One of the three blocking the entrance to the club. 
She saw a movement behind them and then, as 
she was thinking on how she could talk her way 
out of this one, she heard a howl. 

All of her suitors froze. They shared frustrated 
glances between them and disappeared into the 
night. A minute after the howl, there was no hint 
of any danger left in the area. But Ruana couldn’t 
move. She slowly backed toward the door of the 


club. 

Fear at what had almost happened shook her to 
the core. This was why she had just stayed home 
the last five times that the heat had struck. 

It was damned dangerous. 

Out of the shadows Zan appeared. He walked 
casually up to her and asked, “So are you willing 
to take me on? It might beat the alternative.” 

“At this point, I would go with Satan if he said 
he had a place for me.” Ruana noticed that she 
was actually shaking where she stood. 

“Not too complimentary, but follow me.” His 
easy saunter led them around to the back of the 
bar and a small employee parking lot. He 
wandered up to a small sporty car and opened the 
passenger door. 

“Get in,” He held open the door for her, and 
she slid into the embrace of the leather in the small 
black sports car. 

Once he had gotten into the driver’s seat, he 
locked the doors again. “No sense taking 
chances.” 

They drove for over an hour until they reached 
a whitewashed farmhouse on an enormous yard. 
The way he drove the car, Ruana wouldn’t have 
been surprised to find that he and the machine 
were bonded on a genetic level. 

“Here we are.” He slid out from under the 
wheel and came around to her side of the car, 


holding the door for her once again. “C’mon out, I 
won’t hurt you.” 

She forced herself out of her shock and surprise 
at what had occurred at the Howl, and sluggishly 
began to make her way out of the car. “I noticed 
that you didn’t say that you don’t bite.” 

He grinned at her, relieved that she seemed to 
be coming back to reality. “I don’t make promises 
that I can’t keep.” 

“Good to know.” 

“Come inside. I’ll get you a glass of wine. 
You’re way too tense.” 

He led the way into the farmhouse, and to her 
relief, turned on the lights as he entered each 
room. 

The rooms were tidy, and lived in. The oak 
furnishings were gleaming in the light cast by the 
floor lamps. The couches were lightly scuffed and 
the drapes a soothing blue. The fading scent of 
sunlight was still in the room, the heat of the day 
combined with Zan’s light musk to make a heady 
blend. This was his territory and she was a little 
nervous to be invited. 

“So, um. Do you rescue a lot of girls like me?” 
She was wandering into the kitchen behind him 
and watching him open a bottle of wine. 

“Nah, most know what they want, and who 
they want it from. As you know, the fact that you 
have no pack affiliation makes you an easy 


target.” The cork came free with a soft ‘pop’ and 
he reached up to get a wine glass from the 
cupboard. 

“How did you know that I don’t belong to a 
pack?” She was wary once again, the throbbing in 
her lower body at the sight of him reaching for the 
glass, pushed aside for the moment. 

“Easy.” He turned and handed her the glass of 
wine. It was a delicate pink and smelled of flowers 
and berries. “I checked.” 

She thanked him and took a cautious sip. The 
flavors exploded on her tongue. The only thing 
that she could think that it tasted like was wild 
summer. Her breath came out in a shuddering 
sigh and she took another delicate sip. Wow. 

As she met his gray eyes, she felt she had to 
ask, “Ok, I am new at this. Where exactly does that 
leave me? My not having a pack, I mean.” 

“Prey to any and all who want to take 
advantage of you. With no recourse and no one to 
protect you. Basically raw meat.” He was matter 
of fact, but still watching her closely. 

“Ah, I thought as much. If it hadn’t gotten so 
bad, I would never have broken cover.” She 
looked down and was surprised to find that she 
was at the bottom of her glass. 

“If what hadn’t gotten so bad?” His voice was 
distant, even though he was sitting across from 
her. 


“If I hadn’t gone into heat again.” She shook 
her head to clear it. “The pounding in my blood is 
unbearable. My thighs are slick with my own 
juices, I want to touch myself, but it does no good, 
the fire only climbs higher.” 

His head cocked to one side. “How often has 
this happened? It doesn’t seem like this is the first 
time you have gone into heat.” 

She blushed scarlet. “May I have some more 
wine? Thank you.” She sipped again.” Naw, this is 
the fifth or sixth time it’s happened. The other 
times it started to go away after a few days, but 
this time, it just keeps getting stronger.” 

“What did you do the other times?” His voice 
seemed to be coming from another room, but he 
was still there in front of her. 

“Oh, I masturbated until it felt like my fingers 
were going to fall off. Burned out a few pairs of 
batteries, that kind of thing.” The wine was gone 
again. She giggled. 

“Can I have some more wine? It tastes really 
good.” She was incredibly relaxed right now, no 
cares in the world. And when Zan got up from the 
table she smiled at him. Not a grin, but a slow 
smile that started in her eyes and slowly drew her 
full lips away from her teeth. Her tongue darted 
out to wet her lips and she was amazed at the 
effect that it had on him. 

One moment he was standing next to the table, 


and the next moment, she was on it. “Oh.” 

His eyes met hers as he slowly slid his hands 
under her skirt, and up her thighs. When he 
reached the molten heat between them, he let out 
a lurid curse and pulled her legs apart to stand 
between her knees. 

Her panties tore away in his hands, and then 
she felt his fingers stroking the flesh and parting 
the lips of her sex. He returned one hand to his 
jeans and unsnapped and unzipped them while 
keeping his eyes on hers. 

A furious blush had spread over Ruana- this 
was what she wanted, what she craved, but not 
something that she was used to. The last time she 
had felt a man’s hard length moving inside her, it 
was just after high school and not all that pleasant. 
She sensed that this time, things would be 
different. 

With a few small movements of his hand, he 
was free of the confining fabric. Ruana looked 
down and watched the angry purple head of his 
cock move toward her. Her weight was resting on 
her hands, and her thighs were spread wide on the 
table. Now, based on the determined look in his 
eyes, she was going to be seriously fucked. 

Two fingers slid inside her and began to move, 
then he added a third. They slid in and out, hard 
and fast, and she squealed and arched against 
them. Just as her body was letting her find her 


rhythm, the fingers withdrew. 

“No! More!” Her only coherent thoughts came 
out in a wail. Her hands fisted on the table and she 
whimpered. 

Zan did not even respond to her, but pulled her 
hips to the edge of the table and set the head of his 
cock against her. Her slick heat embraced the head 
of his member with a relieved flutter. Slowly he 
moved deeper and deeper within her, until he was 
buried to the balls. 

“Oh, god yes!” She groaned in relief. Then he 
began to thrust. 

He was very slow and extremely thorough. 
Each thrust rubbed the sensitive tissues within her 
pussy and caused her to arch toward him. He was 
taking her weight with his hands on her lower 
back and working her against his thrusts as he 
pushed and slid through her slick channel. 

Without knowing it, her hands had moved to 
his shoulders, and her fingers were twisting in his 
hair. He began to pick up speed, and was 
beginning to pound her against his cock with each 
inward thrust. 

She felt the spiral of tension build within her, 
and dropped one of her hands off of his shoulder 
to rub circles around her clit. The wetness that had 
spread out of her from their fucking had made it 
easy. In only a few passes, she felt the tension 
grow and heard him growl from above her. Her 


eyes flew up to meet his and one of his hands 
pulled hers aside, just when she was almost there! 

“What?” No other words passed through the 
haze of pleasure as his wicked fingers took over 
from where she had left off. 

“Mine.” More of a grunt than a word, but its 
meaning was unmistakable. 

His fingers circled, pinched and flicked at her 
clit as his cock slammed into her with renewed 
effort. 

“Oh, hell!” She screamed and clutched at him 
as her back arched and her legs wrapped around 
his waist to hold him within her as she came. He 
continued to pound into her, against the tension 
surrounding his shaft, trying to hold him within 
her. Her orgasm went on and on, a fresh pulse of 
sensation with every plunge and withdrawal over 
her sensitive tissues. 

When her release had run its course, she fell 
limply onto the table, feeling the mad rush of 
energy that now filled Zan’s body. Every thrust 
took him to the hilt. Pounding away at her in a 
burst of motion that soon had him howling as his 
own orgasm claimed him. 

Ruana felt his climax within her, and felt the 
wetness of his seed as it released in the depths of 
her belly. If she had had the energy, she might 
have held him when he collapsed on her, but she 
didn’t. She lay on the heavy oak table and 


struggled to catch her breath, wondering if this 
was it, and she could go now. 

She closed her eyes and took stock of her body. 
Beneath the throbbing satisfaction was the hunger 
for more. As if woken by her thoughts, the hunger 
began to grow again. The rest of her was ready for 
round two as well. She only had one tiny injury on 
her ass where Zan’s fingers had bruised her. 

Between her thighs she felt him stirring again 
and shuddered in response to the bolt of heat that 
went through her. Zan’s head rested against her 
breast, and the nipple near his mouth came to 
swift attention as his breath blew over it through 
the thin layers of clothing. She squirmed gently 
under him, wanting more, but not sure how to ask 
for it. One of her hands slid through the dark silk 
of his hair, and caressed the back of his neck. 

He raised his head. “Care for another round?” 
He kissed the tip of her nose and then kissed her 
lips for the first time. His hips rocked gently 
against her as his tongue slid into her mouth. 

It seemed that they kissed and slowly moved 
together for hours, bodies sighing and clothing 
rustling against each other, but abruptly it was too 
much for Ruana. Her legs locked at the base of his 
spine and pulled him into her with all the force 
she possessed. He grunted in reaction and flipped, 
so that his back was now against the table and she 
was kneeling over him. Her hands braced against 


his stomach and she rode him like a wild thing, 
moving up and down on his bursting erection as 
he howled and arched under her. She continued to 
fuck herself on his arching body as she felt his 
balls empty within her. Her hands came up and 
clawed at her breasts through her dress and she 
pinched her nipples with a vicious grip. 

The pain blended with the pleasure, she gasped 
and fell forward as another wave of extasy 
claimed her. 

Zan wrapped his arms around her and 
smoothed her auburn hair off of her face. His heart 
was slowing under her and she started to laugh as 
she realized that they were both still fully clothed. 
It started as a little hiccup of giggles and when she 
felt him slip from her sore and soaked cunt, it 
turned into a howl of laughter. 

He started to sit up, and as he did, she fell to 
one side. Then off of the table and onto the floor. 
Ruana landed with a thump. For a moment she 
was silent- then the hilarity gripped her once 
again. Tears streamed down her face as she 
gripped her ribs and curled into a ball of hysterics. 
Zan went over to the sink and tidied himself up, 
then came over to her with a washcloth in his 
hand. 

The room smelled of heat and sex, with the 
unmistakable muskiness that the wer had as their 
own. 


He turned her onto her back and forced her 
thighs apart with one hand while cleaning off the 
sticky evidence of their coupling with the other. 
When he was through he asked, “Are you ever 
going to stop laughing?” He was hunkered down 
next to her and looking at her with great attention 
to every detail of her writhing anatomy. 

Her convulsive laughter must be the result of 
too long an abstinence. There was no other reason 
that she could think of to have collapsed with 
hilarity after the hottest sex of her life. 

Still giggling, she tugged her skirt down once 
again and sat up. 

“Dare I ask what was funny?” He gave her his 
hand and tugged her to her feet. Somewhere along 
the way she had lost her shoes. Her toes wiggled 
against the hardwood floor. 

She grinned at him, “Well, aside from the 
messed up hair, you and I look like we just spent 
an evening playing scrabble.” A giggle broke free 
once again. “Do you know where my shoes 
went?” 

“Somewhere under the table. Hey, get back 
here.” He was left talking to air as everything but 
her backside disappeared under the table. It was a 
very nice backside, but he would have to see it 
without clothing on to be sure. 

“Aha! Got ‘em.” Brandishing the strappy 
sandals triumphantly she appeared on the other 


side of the table from him. Hopping from foot to 
foot she put the sandals back on. 

“Ruana, we need to talk.” Zan was serious, he 
knew what was coming, and was dreading it. The 
truth was, they were far from finished. 

“No Zan, we don’t need to talk. Can I call a cab 
from here, or will you give me a ride back into 
town?” She brushed the front of her dress straight- 
then frowned. She could feel the evidence of his 
climax slowly making its way down her thighs. 
Her nose wrinkled at the scent and she turned 
back to him with an expectant look on her face. 

“Oh, so now that you have what you need, you 
don’t want me anymore. Very nice.” He sat back 
at the table and crossed his arms over his chest, 
while crossing his legs at the ankle. 

“So, can I get a ride or what?” She really had no 
frame of reference for this type of activity, but he 
looked offended. “I thought that you would be 
happy that I didn’t want to stick around.” 

“Not really, we still need to talk. Have a seat.” 
He gestured to the chair that she had previously 
occupied. 

“Um, how about we talk another time, I really 
want to get home.” She shifted from foot to foot. 

“Well, be off with you then. You can’t get a cab 
from here, but about an hour’s walk down the 
road you should find a gas station, you can get a 
cab from there. If you make it.” His eyes were hot, 


and she felt a frisson of fear as she noticed 
something rising behind his eyes that had not 
been there before. 

“Oh crud.” A trickle of sensation ran down her 
spine. Part of it was fear, but she was ashamed to 
admit that the heat was riding again. “How long 
are you going to give me?” She quickly flipped her 
shoes off and started to back out the door. 

“You have ten minutes. I would go now if I 
were you.” The wildness was rising in his eyes, 
and there was a flush to his skin that had not been 
there before. He seemed alive with energy, and it 
was barely contained. In a few moments, he was 
not going to bother containing his hunger at all. 

She ran. 


 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Two 

 

 

he left her shoes in the kitchen and bolted out 
the door as if all the hounds of hell were on her 
heels. Down the driveway and into the woods, she 
ran. She tried to mask her scent as best as she 
could, but having quizzed her mother on the 
mating habits of werewolves, she knew that he 
could probably find her anywhere she went. 
Thanks to their earlier mating, she reeked of his 
musk. 
S 

She stumbled blindly in the dark, trees and 
branches snagging and tearing at her clothing. A 
branch whipped across her face and she flinched 
with pain, her heart pounding in her ears. 

In the distance, she heard a howl, and ran 
faster. She tripped and fell into a stream. She got 
up, her hands bleeding from the rocks and moved 
down the stream as quickly as she could. As much 
as fear was riding her hard, arousal had started to 
creep into her flesh as well. Through the damp of 
her dress, she felt her nipples pushing at the 


confines of her bra. The wetness between her 
thighs was scalding hot, a sharp contrast to the icy 
cold of the water swirling around her ankles. 

She heard another howl and froze in place. It 
seemed close. Really close. She held her breath 
and listened with everything in her. The wind 
shifted and she could smell him. He had not 
transformed completely, there was man mixed in 
with the wolf, and she shuddered with arousal 
once again. It meant that he intended to fuck her 
when he found her- that was not even a question. 
It was the only reason that he would not have 
changed all the way. In wolf form, he may have 
tormented her, bit her and chased her, perhaps 
even killed her. The partial form was only good 
for being able to move and act as a man, at the 
same time that he took on the most effective 
tracking abilities given to him by the wolf within. 

She was in serious trouble. 

Ruana left the stream and ran on numb feet 
through the woods once again, stumbling, 
crashing into trees and brambles. She fell. Her 
arms moved under her to push her up and she 
heard him. She listened to the careful steps 
coming toward her. Her body shook with panic as 
she thought of what she could do next. 

Desperate for cover, she rolled under a nearby 
bush and tried to tuck her arms and legs against 
her body. She could hear his footsteps coming 


closer and tried to hold her breath and quiet her 
heartbeat. Her eyes closed and she listened to his 
steps pass her hiding place, she could hear him 
scenting the air, snuffling through his extended 
muzzle. She kept herself completely still, and did 
not even breathe the sigh of relief that she felt 
burning within her when he kept going. 

Her breath blasted out of her when a clawed, 
furred hand, wrapped around one ankle and 
dragged her out from under the bush. She 
screamed in panic and flipped to her back, to find 
a grey muzzle and burning amber eyes boring into 
her own. 

With casual brutality his claws tore through her 
dress and shredded her bra. She was left sitting in 
scraps of fabric where her dress used to be, her 
breasts heaving as her lungs fought for air through 
the constriction of panic. 

She slowly edged back from her suitor, 
stopping when he growled in protest. His eyes 
roamed over her body slowly and his hands took 
hold of her hips to bring her under him. She kept 
as still as possible as the muzzle went over her 
from head to toe, pausing to carefully inspect the 
scent of their earlier mating. Her body was 
shaking, partially due to her fear. There was also 
the animal part of her that was awakening with 
lust at his presence. 

He lifted her off of the dirt and bracken 


covering the forest floor, and turned her onto her 
knees. His hands stroked her from neck to hips in 
a soothing motion, only occasionally drawing 
blood with his claws. When her shaking had 
stilled, he began to lick her. First at the back of her 
neck, then across her shoulders. His hot tongue 
constantly moving and tasting her flesh. The wet 
expanse of his tongue triggered an answering 
warm wetness between her thighs. She clenched 
them together as if to deny her response. 

His snarl and his hand separating her thighs let 
her know in no uncertain terms that she was not to 
deny him. Her head fell forward and she let him 
have free reign of her body. 

He tasted every portion of her flesh, his muzzle 
and tongue lapping between her buttocks, across 
her anus and down to her weeping flesh. A shiver 
started in her core and her muscles tensed for 
battle. She felt his teeth on the inside of her thigh 
and she snapped. 

Naked and aroused she leapt to her feet and 
tried to escape. She had no chance. She had only 
managed to run a few yards when the warm, 
furred body slammed into her and bore her to the 
ground. She whimpered and fought him, pushing 
away from the ground and lifting them both with 
strength that she didn’t know she possessed. He 
forced her down once again with his weight and 
closed his teeth on her neck. She stilled. 


Giving in to the inevitable, she relaxed against 
him. He loosened his jaws and she rolled to her 
back and then offered her neck to him. 

The golden eyes above his muzzle gleamed in 
the darkness, reflecting all available light. His 
teeth gently closed against her throat as she 
arched her neck into his jaws, and he bit her hard 
enough to break the skin. A pleased rumble left 
his throat and he released her neck to lick at her 
chin. 

Her hands found his shoulders and she 
caressed the fur and muscle, reminding herself of 
the man behind the monster. His teeth found her 
nipples and she shivered again. Then, almost came 
as the darts of sensation ran through her. His 
muzzle nipped, licked and tormented her breasts. 
Pain and pleasure drawing together. On her own, 
playing with her nipples had always gotten her 
wet, but what he was doing now was almost 
criminal. She sobbed, twisting against him, and he 
moved on. 

His lapping tongue found the hollow of her 
belly, and delved lower, between the thighs that 
she spread for him as he made his way to her core. 

When he discovered her flowing honey he 
snarled his approval and once again flipped her to 
her belly, then drew her up to her knees. This time 
he acted immediately, the large stiff head of his 
erection prodding at her entrance. He rubbed 


himself against her from her clitoris to her open 
warmth- then thrust his hips forward. 

She grunted at the first impact on her delicate 
flesh, the bulbous head moved into her an inch, 
then withdrew and moved forward again. In this 
form he was quite a bit larger than as a human. 
She hissed her discomfort, then moaned her 
pleasure as he continued to work his way into her. 

Inch by inch, he buried himself in her, then 
began a rapid fire piston-like of thrusts. Drawing 
out, then hammering forward, throwing her onto 
her elbows just to maintain her balance. His 
clawed hands dug into her hips and pulled her 
onto him. Fucking her with savage ferocity that 
left her breathless as the spiral of tension in her 
body drew tight, then snapped. 

She screamed, her voice transforming to a howl 
of satisfaction as his voice joined hers. Distantly, 
she heard his howl of triumph as it echoed 
through the trees. His body pumped violently into 
hers and she heard his final grunt of satisfaction as 
he shoved himself into her one last time, then 
withdrew to drip the last of his cum onto the 
woodland carpet of moss. For the first time in her 
life, Ruana fainted. 

 

* * * * 

 

She dreamed. Dreamed of being hunted through 


the forest, being chased by a wolf. Her heart was 
pounding, and she couldn’t see. He was right 
behind her. He would be on her any second. 

Ruana woke, gasping for air, her heart beating 
like a drum. 

“Oh, thank god.” She fell back into her sheets 
and stretched under her comforter. It had all been 
a dream. The whole thing. Probably brought on by 
her going into heat again. She laughed at herself, 
like she would ever be desperate enough to go to a 
bar, to pick up a werewolf to satisfy her cravings. 
This morning though, the heat seemed to be over. 
She felt rested, relaxed and the pounding arousal 
was finally gone. Maybe the dream had done it for 
her. 

She checked her alarm. “Damn.” She had 
overslept. Seriously overslept. She was due to 
meet her parents for Sunday dinner at four, and it 
was almost two. 

She flipped the blankets and sheets aside, 
swung her legs out of bed and stood up. And 
promptly collapsed. Her legs would not hold her, 
the muscles were sore and unprepared to bear her 
weight. 

 “What the hell?” Then she froze. Coating 
the insides of her thighs were evidence of her 
nocturnal activities, a strong musky scent came to 
her as she examined herself. 

Pushing herself upright with the bed, she 


wobbled to the bathroom and surveyed her 
devastation for herself. Claw marks covered her 
skin, tracing red over the pale flesh. Welts had 
formed on her neck from the bite, and her hands 
were covered with dirt. “Oh, shit.” 

She jumped into the shower and started to 
scrub. As much to remove the dirt as to banish the 
memories of the night. 

She finished her ablutions and got dressed, 
choosing a high necked shirt to camouflage the 
marks on her neck. She tried to put on a pair of 
jeans, but found the fabric too abrasive on her sore 
flesh. She opted for a denim skirt instead. 

Her face seemed a little flushed, so she applied 
her ‘five-minute makeover’ then was out the door 
and off to meet her parents for dinner. 

Her mom was gracious as always, but her 
father was a little stilted when he hugged her. She 
sighed. He could smell Zan on her. She didn’t 
even question it. 

When her mother left them alone to get some 
dessert from the kitchen he pulled her into the 
other room and asked her, “Ok. Ruana, who was 
it? I need to know.” 

“His name was Zan, Dad. That’s all I know.” 
She kept her voice to a whisper, so that her mother 
wouldn’t hear. Her mom never wanted to listen to 
Ruana’s comments on being a half werewolf. She 
liked to pretend that her little girl was completely 


normal, and the only supernatural items that she 
had inherited came from the witch blood on her 
own side of the family. 

“I can’t believe this. Did you get a last name?” 
His whisper was just as urgent as hers. 

“No, you see, there were these six other 
werewolves who had kind of cornered me…” 
Ruana’s mother came back in and that was the end 
of that discussion for now, but the way her dad’s 
eyes had bugged out, she knew she was in for a 
phone call. 

Just because he had left the pack to marry her 
mother, didn’t mean that he had given up on their 
traditions. Some male messing with his daughter 
would not be tolerated. He still had his family to 
call on if he needed it. Ruana was hoping that he 
didn’t. 

She left her parents’ house after she washed the 
dinner dishes. She had been home for three whole 
minutes before the phone rang, and she filled her 
father in on the pertinent details. No, she didn’t 
get his last name. Yes, six other wolves had 
cornered her. Yes, Zan had come to her rescue. 
No, she didn’t know where he lived. Yes, she was 
fine and her heat seemed to be over. Yes, she 
loved him too. Goodbye. 

Slowly and methodically she thumped her head 
against the wall next to the phone. She could not 
believe the chain of events that had led her to that 


discussion with her father. Wasn’t sex with 
strangers supposed to be all the rage? Her dad 
was raging alright. So much for hoping for a quiet 
solution. 

Ah well. There was always tomorrow. A whole 
new chance to humiliate herself awaited. 


 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Three 

 

 

he carefully laid out her clothing for the next 
day at work, watched a movie, and then went 
to bed after changing the sheets. Dirt and cum had 
crusted on the bedding, She could not bear to 
climb into that mess. She carefully set her alarm 
and went to sleep. 
S 

She had the same dream, but this time when 
she woke up there was no pressure on her legs, no 
twinges in her thighs and no strange musky scents 
on her body. 

She got dressed in slacks and a long-sleeved, 
button down shirt, and went to work. Keena met 
her at her desk. “So, where did you get off to on 
Saturday? Find a hot guy?” 

Her friend was relentless, so Ruana 
compromised. “Yeah, I found a hot stud on 
Saturday, got laid and here I am.” It was true, 
lacking in details, but true. 

“Wow, you’re so lucky. All of the good looking 
guys disappeared around eleven, and after that it 


was just poor guys whose wives had kicked them 
out for the night.” Keena did not seem upset by 
the circumstance and Ruana got the feeling that 
one of those ‘poor guys’ had gotten lucky as well. 

“The boss wants to see you at ten. His wife is in 
as well. Must be some kind of internal audit.” 
Keena walked away, sashaying for the benefit of 
the guy from the mail room who had wandered 
onto their floor. 

Paperwork of the endless variety that piled up 
on the average clerks’ desk kept her busy until ten, 
at which point she stood, walked down to the 
CEO’s door and knocked. The door said Maxwell 
Masters, but everyone called him Max. 

“Come in, Ruana.” Max’s voice was 
unmistakable. It was a bass rumble that usually 
held a trace of amusement, but could occasionally 
rise to a cold roar that sent employees scurrying 
for cover. His wife had a gentling effect on him, 
but that was when the cold intelligence rose to the 
surface. 

“Hey Max, you wanted to see me?” She 
sauntered into the room. Arissa was there as 
expected, but the second guest in the room caused 
her to stumble and almost fall. 

As Zan’s steadying arm came around her, she 
looked wildly at her boss. “Oh, god.” The signs of 
the werewolf were easy to see, now that she was 
looking for them. Arissa as well. Damn. 


“It was a setup. The whole thing was a setup.” 
Zan helped her into a chair and she buried her 
face in her hands. She was not upset, she was 
mortified. Humiliated. 

Her voice was muffled behind her hands, “Max, 
you were the one who told Keena to take me to the 
Howl.” It was a statement. She had finally put two 
and two together. 

“Actually, it was me.” Arissa’s smooth and low 
voice was gentle. “You were in heat, Ruana. If we 
didn’t send you into a controlled situation, you 
could have been hurt.” 

“You didn’t tell them about my fan club?” She 
looked at Zan, her voice almost hysterical. She 
knew that the whites of her eyes were showing, 
like a panicked deer. Ruana had never felt more 
like herded prey in her life. 

“How many?” Max’s voice was grim. Ruana 
was afraid to look up, but she could feel the hunter 
rising behind that desk. Now that she had 
physically contacted with a werewolf, her senses 
were going on overdrive. 

“Six. They followed her out of the club. Despite 
the ugly dress.” Her head lifted, and a startled 
laugh left her before she could stop it. Zan was 
watching for her reaction and tried to send her a 
soothing smile. It was more of a grimace, but he 
did try. 

Max tapped his hand against the desk to regain 


their attention. “Any clan members among them?” 

“All of them. I scared them off, but they’re 
going to petition for her.” Zan was just as grim as 
his brother. 

His brother‘s eyes closed in resignation. “Ah 
hell. Are you ready for the challenges? Will you 
take them or let them have her?” 

She was indignant, “Hey!” 

“I will take them.” Zan’s voice was implacable. 

“Arissa, what the hell are they talking about?” 
She knew she sounded shrill, but this was not the 
kind of meeting she had been braced for. She had 
spent her morning memorizing inventory 
questions that he might ask. 

Arissa sighed and looked at her husband. At his 
nod, she began to fill Ruana in. “Ok, now you 
know your father left the clans when he married 
your mother. Right?” At Ru’s nod she kept going. 

“You were born of mixed blood, this usually 
results in a girl being born without any attributes 
of a werewolf at all.” Arissa smiled kindly, “ Not 
so with you. You may not be able to change shape, 
but you have the strength, the reflexes and the 
intelligence of the highest werewolf families. You 
also do something that only one in twenty full 
blood wer female’s do. You go into heat. 
Frequently, and obviously. The long and short of 
it is that you can have fully powered sons and 
daughters, who are just about guaranteed to be 


Alphas, the highest ranking in the clans.” 

“Offspring of a female in heat are stronger, 
faster, and more intelligent than that of the 
average werewolf female. This makes you a 
valuable bargaining chip. The various clans are 
bidding on any female with this particular trait. 
Once discovered, you have nowhere to hide.” 

“I am only sorry that our little plan to get you 
to Zan at that time caused you to become exposed 
to the rest of the clans. The bidding war has 
already started. Zan will be challenged for the 
right to be your lover until you conceive. Then the 
next clan will be in line, after that first child is 
born.” 

“…And on and on, until I die in childbirth. Not 
a very pleasant future.” Tears seeped from he eyes 
as she contemplated her fate. Endless mating with 
strangers to produce children that could literally 
bite your head off. “Is there any way out of this? 
Anywhere I can hide?” 

“No. Once you were spotted, an alarm went out 
trying to find your identity. Your erstwhile suitors 
were very excited to come across one of your type 
with no clan protection. But there is something 
that you can do.” Arissa’s voice was soft, and she 
looked like she wanted to cry herself. 

Ruana was desperate- tears were slowly 
tracking down her cheeks. The only outlet for 
emotions that made her want to scream in anger. 


“What? Anything. You name it and I am there.” 

Zan took over the conversation. “What Max 
wants us to try is a little complicated. You become 
my mate. Permanently. We marry and register it 
with the state. Not one clan can challenge our 
relationship after that. You will belong to me, and 
I to you. And hey! You can stop working for this 
tyrant.” Across the room, Max smiled at that. 
Well, she thought it was a smile, he bared his 
teeth. 

“Wait a minute- we still have your clan to 
contend with. Don’t we?” She was finally coming 
around into the planning stages. 

“I’ll start making calls. Zan, you get her out of 
here. Anyone of those who saw you could identify 
you and come to find her here. They all know 
where I am and that you are my brother.” 

Zan tugged her to her feet and was halfway out 
the door with Ruana before she added “Hey, you 
still have to pay me for working today.” 

The door closed on their laughter, and she took 
Zan’s arm as he led her out of the office and to his 
car. The secretaries giggled and pointed at them as 
they walked the halls. It was an occasion of 
monumental proportions that the ‘little librarian‘ 
had a man. And the boss’s brother, wow. The 
sports car was a devastating blue in the daylight. 
She was amazed. Last night it had looked black. 

She had always been a sucker for blue. “Your 


car is wonderful.” 

“Thanks.” He opened the passenger door for 
her. 

She nervously drew her shaking hands across 
the seats. “Mm, leather interior. Nice.” 

He slid into the driver‘s seat and started the car. 
“You are chatty today. On Saturday you hardly 
said a word.” 

“On Saturday I was scared out of my wits. I 
hadn’t ever done that before.” 

“What, picked up a guy in a bar and fucked 
him senseless? You were very good at it.” He 
smiled over at her as he headed for the highway. 

“Thanks. You know I never thought that what 
came afterward would be so, pleasant.” Her face 
was completely bland, but she knew that that 
would get a rise out of him. 

“You enjoyed being chased through the woods, 
almost torn apart and mauled by a wild beast?” 

“It had its moments.” She glanced over at his 
crotch and noticed the bulge that seemed to be 
growing behind the fabric. “Like when you 
pinned me to the ground with your body, and I 
felt your enormous cock pressing into my ass as I 
lay helpless.” 

A few beads of sweat had formed on his brow, 
and the bulge in his trousers was no longer small. 

“While I am driving, could we please talk about 
the weather?” It was a barely human snarl, but she 


understood it. 

“Ok, new topic. How did you get me into my 
house?” 

He gave her a sardonic look. “You left your 
purse in my kitchen. I can read a drivers license, 
and use a key.” 

She felt her face heat. “Why did you take me 
home then?” 

“So you would have familiar things around you 
when you woke up. I knew what would happen 
on Monday. Max had invited me to the meeting 
when Arissa had them bring you to me.” 

Ruana was silent. She carefully watched the 
route that he took into the farming areas around 
the city. They passed the Howl, the bar lying 
dormant in the sun, and she averted her gaze. She 
watched the countryside fly by the window once 
again. 

“Why did you let them convince you to go to 
the Howl on Saturday? You really don’t seem the 
type.” He broke the silence after a few miles had 
passed. 

She turned her face toward the window and 
kept her mouth shut. She had been kicking herself 
since the moment she had walked into the bar, 
and she wasn’t about to let him know that. He was 
nice enough for a werewolf, but she could not 
forget her father’s admonishing words about wer. 
Basic instinct was valued over intellect, and the 


most cruel and violent of behaviors were 
applauded if they helped you move through the 
ranks of the clan. 

Zan may have helped her out by separating her 
from the others, but he was just as capable as they 
were of taking what he wanted, should she 
protest. 

She sighed and broke the silence. “So what is 
the type that frequents the Howl?” 

“Usually women in short skirts and tops slit 
down to the navel so that their tits hang out. They 
come in, get hammered, drool over the wolves 
that are in the bar, pick one up, and get hammered 
all over again.” He grinned and winked at her as 
she turned to stare at him in appalled amazement. 

“So, what you are saying is that I stuck out the 
second that I walked through the door.” She sank 
further into the embrace of the leather and 
squirmed uncomfortably. 

He let out a harsh bark of laughter. “No, I stuck 
out the second that you walked through the door. 
Damned uncomfortable in those jeans, I will have 
you know.” 

“You know, I never expected Max’s brother to 
be so…crude. He’s so polite at the office.” She was 
trying hard not to smile, and failing miserably. 

She smiled at his wicked chuckle. “Most men 
are fairly crude given the opportunity. It’s only the 
formal bonds of normal society that keep us from 


making all kinds of unfortunate statements and 
noises in public.” He smiled. “And some of us do 
it anyway, but Max has his business to run. He 
had higher priorities the whole time we were 
growing up.” 

“Is he the older brother?” 

“Naw, my younger by about three years. I 
taught him everything he knows, including how 
to run a business. We are both of alpha standing, 
but have no urge to run the clan. Too much 
politics.” 

His hands were steady on the wheel, his eyes 
distant. He was obviously lost in some kind of 
memory. The grim set of his mouth was an 
indication that it was not a pleasant scene that he 
was recalling. 

Silence fell again. 

“Is there going to be trouble because of me? 
Because if there is, can I make a few calls?” 

“By the time we get you safely stashed at my 
farmhouse, half of the clans will know that there is 
a breeding female available, and the smart ones 
will know that you have no protection.” He 
sounded as if he were talking to a child. 
Explaining the facts to her in simple terms. 

“Fine. But can I call someone that can help? Yes 
or no?” She waited. And waited. 

From inside his coat pocket, he brought out a 
cell phone. “Fine, call anyone you want. But the 


clans will handle this.” 

Ruana flipped open the tiny phone and dialed 
her mother’s number at work. When she was put 
through she told her mother everything as quickly 
as she could. Her mother sat in stony silence on 
the other end of the call. 

Finally, “Mom, do you think you can call out 
some of the cousins for this? Does it fall within 
Warder jurisdiction? Great Mom. Thanks. And can 
you make the call to Anryn? I think she would 
really get a kick out of this.” 

Zan had been listening carefully. “What is a 
Warder? And who all is coming?” 

“Long story on the clan, but currently it is a 
network of witches and warlocks related by blood 
who specialize in defensive magic. There is a clan 
that I belong to, The Warders.” 

“And the Warders will use all means to defend 
my choice of mate, but only once. So you had 
better have a detailed stock portfolio ready for my 
mom and the elders to go over, or kiss your ass 
goodbye.” For the first time in days, Ruana felt 
confidant. 

Her mother had been surprised, but not 
shocked, and had swiftly realized the peril that 
her daughter was in. Calling in the clan was 
standard procedure, and would surprise the hell 
out of the werewolves coming after her. 

“Mom is going to call me back in a few minutes. 


I gave her your cell number. The clan should start 
arriving this afternoon, I think you have enough 
room for them to camp out.” 

“What clan? I thought that your father had left 
his clan associations behind.” Zan was a little 
confused by the conversation that he had 
overheard. 

Ruana started to snicker. “Not my father’s clan. 
They won’t have anything to do with us.” She 
paused for a few moments, then dropped the 
bomb. “My mother’s.” 

“Your mom is a wer?” 

A short bark of laughter answered him. “No. 
My mom is a witch. Of the Warder clan. We are 
the largest and least respected of all of the magical 
clans in Realm.” She looked perversely smug as 
she described her family. 

“Realm? There are clan legends and histories, 
but none of us have been there.” He was looking a 
little white around the eyes. “So, your mom is a 
witch?” 

“One of the best Warders of the last 
generation.” Her chest puffed up with pride. 
“That was how my parents met. She laid a trap for 
him, and caught him.” 

“What kind of a trap?” 

“Nothing invasive. Just a set of standing stones. 
She needed his help tracking down a rogue wer 
from his clan. He refused to participate willingly, 


so she trapped him.” Then seduced him, but she 
was not about to tell Zan that. The slightly trampy 
behavior of her relatives was not something she 
was particularly proud of. 

Mind you, last weekend hadn’t been all bad. 
Perhaps she could see the attraction in jumping 
guys after all. Well, Zan anyway. 

The car turned into the farmhouse’s drive. She 
smiled at the whitewashed porch and expansive 
lawn. There was serenity in the expanse of 
greenery surrounding the house in the woods. She 
felt part of her relax. It was the same part of her 
that hated the congestion of the city, longed for 
the hunt, the chase and bringing down her prey. 

Ruana shook her head. She had never hunted. 
She looked over at Zan and noted the relaxed, 
blissful look on his face as he took in the sight of 
his home. Her mind probed at the emotions that 
were rising within her, and she noted the 
distinctly masculine tone that they were taking on. 

Aw, hell. They were bonding. 


 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Four 

 

 

an’s cell phone rang. Ruana grabbed at it and 
checked the caller ID. It was her mom. Thank 
god. 
Z 

“Hi Mom. What’s the verdict?” She listened 
carefully and looked over at Zan’s attentive 
expression. He was obviously puzzled at the turn 
of events that she was pulling on him, and slightly 
off balance. 

Her mother’s voice came through clearly. “We 
can have Anryn there as soon as you get a four 
foot reflective surface ready. The rest of the 
available clan members will be there by nightfall.” 

Ruana covered the lower portion of the phone 
with her hand and asked him, “Do you have a 
large mirror in the house?” 

“How large?” He placed one of his hands on 
her lower back and steered her to the front door. 

“About four feet.” She turned back to the 
phone. “Four feet. Right, Mom?” 

“Yes, dear. Just lay your hand on it, and she 


will come through. She’s waiting for you.” Her 
voice dropped to a hushed level. “Are you sure 
that he’s the one, sweetie? It isn’t too late to have 
you pulled out of there.” 

“Mom, he’s willing to take on the rest of the 
clan champions to keep me. So, yeah. He’s the 
one.” Saying it out loud made it final. No matter 
what happened later this evening, she wanted 
Zan. 

“Well, Ru, as long as he’s the one you want. I 
am sure that your father and I will get along fine 
with him. We should be there after your dad gets 
off work. Anryn will bring us through Realm for 
the engagement ceremony.” Victoria paused for a 
moment. “Be careful, Ruana. I love you.” 

“Love you too Mom. Goodbye.” With a punch 
of her thumb, she disconnected the call and then 
turned to the mirror that Zan had led her to. 

Zan had grinned when she said that he was the 
one, but now he sobered. “So, how is your mother 
taking this?” His concern was obvious. 

“Pretty well, considering that this is something 
she has always dreaded actually happening.” 
Ruana shrugged and looked around her. 

It was obviously his bedroom. The king-sized 
bed gave it away. The room had the same lived-in 
feeling as the parts of his house that she had 
already seen. It was also spotless. 

Great, he was a neat freak. This was boding ill 


for the future. 

“Ruana, the mirror?” He stood aside. “What are 
you going to do with it?” 

“Me. Nothing. My cousin Anryn however is 
going to use it as a gateway. Better stand a little 
further to one side. She tends to come through 
running.” She held her hand over the mirror’s 
surface, a tingling warmth jumping from the glass 
to her skin. 

“Ok, I am going to give you the short course 
here.” Ruana drew her hand back and took his to 
drag him over to have a seat on the bed. “If you 
don’t want to be involved with me after you see 
my family, you can just let me go. My family is 
magic. My mother is a descendent of one of the 
oldest bloodlines of magical humans.” 

She drew a deep breath and continued. “We 
have a family curse that keeps us from being 
accepted in the regular society of Realm. Realm is 
an alternate dimension that acts as a haven and a 
training ground for those of magical families. And 
all the non-human races, of course.” 

“Because of my family’s stigma, we are not 
usually welcomed as in-laws by the other families, 
so we find mates elsewhere. Usually in the non-
human races. My cousin Anryn is half-dryad. I 
myself have more mixed blood in me than human. 
Our talents are varied, but one thing is certain. We 
can all cast wards. Magical barriers that keep out 


whatever we tell them to. Kinda like your 
computer’s firewall.” 

“Anryn is coming for two reasons. One is that 
she is currently the most powerful Warder that we 
have. Two is because her husband will be hot on 
her heels, and he will probably give an entire 
werewolf clan a run for it’s money.” She smiled 
brightly at his stunned face. “Ready?” 

“As I could ever be. Invite your cousin.” He sat 
still, watching carefully as her hand hovered over 
the surface of the glass once more. 

“Here we go.” Ruana’s hand plunged into the 
glass, with only the briefest of hesitation. It 
rippled, and in the movement Zan could make out 
a figure, getting larger. 

Seconds later, two hands plunged free of the 
mirror with the rest of the body soon following. 
The female figure tucked and rolled to a stop 
against the bed. “Close the mirror!” 

Startled, Ruana began to pull her hand away 
from the rippled surface. It was stuck. She looked 
into the mirror and saw burning golden eyes 
glaring at her. They belonged to the clawed hand 
that was wrapped around her wrist, holding her 
in place. 

“Ruana!” Zan was on his feet the second that 
Anryn had tumbled through, he grabbed the hand 
that was holding her, and wrenched it off. His 
arms swiftly wrapped around her and drew her 


from the mirror’s surface as the golden eyes faded 
away. 

“Are you ok, Ruana? Sorry, he was really close 
behind me.” Anryn stood and stretched. Her olive 
skin pulling over her smooth muscles. 

“Yeah, I’m fine. What is up with Decklyn?” 
Ruana relaxed into his grip and leaned against the 
strong wall of his chest. “He looked mad.” 

“Well, we kind of had an argument about me 
coming here. He has gotten really paranoid lately 
about my safety.” She flipped her hair over one 
nude shoulder, and twisted. 

“Why just lately?” 

“Ah, something to do with the pregnancy. He 
thinks I might put myself in danger.” Anryn 
finished stretching. “Introductions please?” She 
wandered over to where Zan still had Ruana in his 
grip, still unabashedly naked after her trip 
through the mirror. The only thing she was 
wearing was a tattoo and a choker of dark blue 
opal. It pulsed gently, glowing from within. 

“My name is Anryn Warder. You would be the 
werewolf who slept with my cousin?” Anryn’s 
brow arched over her bright green eyes. At first 
glance her skin appeared to be an olive tone, but 
upon closer inspection, she was actually green. A 
deep blue tattoo with an intricate pattern ran 
across her neck and collar bone. The tone set off 
her midnight hair which was he only thing she 


was wearing over her form. 

He set Ruana off to the side and bowed. 
“Aleczander Masters, please to meet you. May I 
offer you some clothing?” 

“Gentlemanly conduct. Oh, he’s a keeper. Yeah, 
a shirt or something would be great.” She crossed 
her arms over her breasts and waited while he 
rummaged through the closet behind the mirror. 

She caught the white dress shirt that he threw 
at her. A delicate sniff told her that it had just 
come back from the cleaners. Great, one less thing 
for Decklyn to get upset over. The less she irritated 
her husband the better. The last time she had been 
grounded for a week. That was when he had 
discovered her ticklish spots. 

“Thanks.” She shrugged into it and then 
straightened her shoulders. “Ok, shall we go 
downstairs and plan the defense, or do you want 
to have some private time together?” 

Both of them looked longingly over at the bed, 
then at each other. Zan made the decision. 
“Downstairs. I think it’s time for lunch anyway.” 
He ushered them out of the room and down the 
stairway to the kitchen. 

The ladies sat on the kitchen stools and 
watched him prepare a selection of sandwiches. 
There had been at least four minutes of silence 
when it finally clicked. Ruana jumped to her feet 
and shrieked in delight as she embraced her 


cousin. “You’re pregnant! Congratulations! How 
long? When are you due?” 

“Enough, enough. I am just ending my first 
month. Hopefully, the little one will keep to 
mommy’s biology and not daddy’s.” She patted 
her softly curved belly gently. There was no hint 
of her pregnancy in her body yet, but the glow 
surrounding her proved it. 

“Do you know if it’s a boy or girl?” 

“It’s a boy. But I saw that one coming even 
before I met Decklyn, remember?” She was 
referring of course to a bunch of the cousins 
sneaking into Realm to go to the Vision Falls. It 
was to find out if they would fall for humans, or 
something else. Decklyn definitely qualified in the 
second category. 

“Oh, of course. You know, I had forgotten all 
about that.” She looked over at Zan where he was 
still busy pursuing the last of the mayonnaise. A 
brilliant smile broke over her features. 

She crouched down to whisper. “So, if Zan 
agrees, can you do it? The hand-fasting I mean.” 

Anryn whispered back, “As soon as I get 
Albina and her Djinn here. Just let me have lunch 
first.” 

“Lunch is ready. You might want to eat it now.” 
Zan’s whisper caused Anryn to blink then laugh 
out loud. He had leaned in over the table and was 
only inches from their hushed conversation. 


“Right, let’s eat.” Without further ado, she 
grabbed one of the sandwiches and began to 
devour it in a manner most disturbing to the 
couple watching her. 

With a muffled “Sorry.” she kept stuffing her 
face until the sandwich, a plate of pickles, and half 
of a back of chips had been demolished. 

Ruana carefully kept her food out of her 
cousin’s reach. She ate slowly, knowing that a 
second meal that day would not be likely. Zan 
followed her example, hoarding his food away 
from the remorseless eating machine that was 
sharing the table with them. 

Finally, brushing crumbs and debris from her 
lips, Anryn faced them. “Ok. Now I need to know 
before we go any further, are you two willing to 
spend the rest of your lives together? Divorce 
won’t kill this bond. You will in effect become one 
soul.” She burped delicately. “Zan, I know that 
this is coming on you kinda fast, but you’re going 
to have to keep up.” 

“You agreed to marry Ruana to protect her 
from the werewolf clans that are bidding on her. 
There is no need for that. Her clan can protect her 
and you for that matter. But if you truly want to 
have her in your care for the rest of your life, we 
can hand-fast you today. It is a legally binding 
ceremony, and will let you call on the Warder clan 
as you need it.” 


“You can think it over, but don’t take too long. 
There are delegations from three of the werewolf 
clans on their way here at this moment, and they 
will be here in three hours. Fortunately, my 
husband will arrive here in two.” 

“Oh, and just so you are clear on this. The 
hand-fasting is only temporary. You’ll need to 
suffer through an official Realm wedding before 
you can get her pregnant. But have fun 
practicing.” She gave Zan a brilliant smile and he 
actually blushed in response to her frank 
appraisal. 

She stopped to take a deep breath. “I’m going 
to set a few wards around your property. I’ll be 
back in about an hour and a half. Talk it over.” 
Giving Ruana a peck on the cheek, and Zan a clap 
on the shoulder, she left the farmhouse to give 
them some privacy. 

Idly she walked through the yard and picked 
up pebbles. With a flick of her mind she charged 
them with warding power and then padded 
barefoot into the woods. 

 

* * * * 

 

Zan looked over at Ruana, “Whew. Your cousin is 
a little, hmm… focused. And green. She is 
definitely green.” 

Ruana was tidying up the lunch dishes. “I told 


you that she was half dryad. Didn’t you believe 
me?” 

“Well, she was more than I expected. What 
exactly is her husband? He didn’t look human 
either.” Zan moved to help her, drying and 
putting the dishes away as she washed them. 

Amusement crossed her face. “Oh, I don’t want 
to spoil the surprise. Besides, you’ll meet him soon 
enough. He should be here this afternoon.” She 
paused for a moment. “I hope that he remembers 
to shield his presence. He might scare your 
neighbors.” 

With hands dripping with foam and water she 
turned to him, “Zan, are you sure about me? I 
mean, we only just met.” 

“Yes, I am sure. I was prepared to fight the 
other wer clans to keep you, remember?” His 
hands gripped her hips and pulled her to him. He 
drew his head down to her neck and inhaled 
deeply. “Are you sure that your family will be 
able to convince them to leave you with me?” 

Her head fell back, her wet hands grabbing his 
shoulders for support. “Trust me, they won’t be 
able to touch me once we’ve been hand-fasted.” 
Her actions exposed the bite marks on her neck. 
He snarled his approval at the marks of his 
possession on her body. 

Ravenous, his eyes burning with heat, he took 
her mouth with his. Her fingers slid up to twine in 


his hair and hold his mouth against hers as he 
ravaged her. She lifted her legs to wrap around his 
waist and, using the counter at her back to brace 
herself, rubbed herself slowly against him. 

The air came out of him in a shuddering groan. 
His hands held her hips against him, taking her 
weight, and began to walk to his bedroom with 
her twined around him. 

Ruana began to shake in his grasp. Lust fired 
along every nerve. This was far different than the 
uncontrollable heat of the week before. This was 
deliberate arousal, surrendering to her desires for 
the first time by her own choice. As he took her 
to his bed, she hoped that she wasn’t making the 
biggest mistake of her life. 


 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Five 

 

 

uana very swiftly found the difference 
between last week and now. Then it was sex, a 
violent drive to release and satisfaction. Now, it 
was making love. Forging a bond between them, 
as Zan slowly peeled her clothing from her to 
place it neatly on a nearby chair. Neat freak. As he 
uncovered each inch of delicate flesh, he tasted it. 
Pressing his mouth against her in a kiss that had 
her sighing in enjoyment. 
R 

She tried to return the favor, reaching for the 
buttons on his shirt and undoing two of them 
before his hands drew hers aside. 

“Next time, I promise. This time, let me.” His 
kiss found the sensitive spot on the side of her 
neck, and her head tilted to allow him to make use 
of his discovery. 

As he progressed with his unveiling, she 
moaned, panted and whimpered in turn. At last 
she stood before him, clad only in quivering 
eagerness. This too, was far different from the last 


time. She had not been unclothed to his human 
eyes. Nor he to hers. 

His eyes devoured her from head to toe. 
Pausing at her neck, breasts, hips and caressing 
her legs in a burning path that raised goose bumps 
on her. “I had no idea,” was all that he said. 

They would be the last words spoken for an 
hour. 

With impatient movements he pulled his own 
clothing off. Sparing none of the care that he had 
shown while undressing her. His shirt flew off in 
one direction, his pants in another. His shoes 
disappeared and his socks evaporated. When his 
hands began to draw off his briefs, Ruana flushed 
and looked away. She had not seen him nude 
before, only felt him. 

With a smile and eager hands he reached for 
her, drawing her against him. She felt the hard 
length of his cock against her belly, and shifted her 
hips to rub her soft skin against him. He grunted 
in response to the caress and lifted her onto the 
bed. Laying her out on her back and hovering over 
her on raised arms. His body completely shielded 
hers from the daylight, and she could only make 
out the shadows of his face above her, surrounded 
as he was by the afternoon sun. 

Deliberately, he lowered his body onto hers. 
Murmuring in pleasure at the contact of her soft 
flesh, the slide of her thighs parting to 


accommodate him. She felt the liquid heat leaking 
from her, wetting the curls at the juncture of her 
thighs. As his weight settled on her, her hips 
arched against him, seeking more thorough 
contact. Her thighs lifted high against his hips 
opening her body wide in invitation to the fiery 
shaft that waited just outside her reach. 

He moved to lodge his cock within her 
entrance, then waited. Her body squirmed, unable 
to impale herself without his assistance. She met 
his eyes, finally opening her eyes after closing 
them to sensation. As her eyes locked with his, he 
slowly drove his flesh into hers. Every time she 
closed her eyes, he stopped until she opened them 
again. 

She bit her lip and moaned as he was finally, 
fully within her. She kept her gaze on him as he 
began to thrust gently, and experimentally closed 
her eyes to have him stop once again. 

She laughed gently, then focused on his face as 
he made love to her, her hands moving into his 
hair and stroking his shoulders. Time slowed. All 
to soon she felt the shivers of her release 
beginning within her. Breathy cries flew out of her 
throat, her hands turned to claws, digging into 
Zan’s flesh as he buried himself within hers. 

She began to buck against him with every 
thrust, keeping her gaze on his face, though her 
eyes had gone blind with pleasure. A howl burst 


from her throat as she lifted them both off the bed 
with her orgasm. Her back arched, all of their 
weight borne on her shoulders as her channel 
pulsed around him, until she slumped with 
boneless exhaustion back onto the sheets. 

He stopped again. She lifted heavy lashes to see 
the satisfaction and masculine pleasure on his face 
at her obvious exhaustion. Once she had opened 
her eyes, he began to thrust again. In less than a 
dozen strokes, she felt him shudder and his own 
howl of release rent the air. The sticky pearls of 
semen broadcasted into their new home. Zan’s 
eyes had gone blind during his orgasm as well, his 
body and mind focused on the divine release of 
pleasure. Her aftershocks milked him as he slowly 
collapsed against her, burying his face in the 
pillow, resting his weight on her warm, sated 
body. 

Minutes passed, Ruana lay fighting to regain 
her breath. His weight on her was not helping. He 
seemed to figure it out though, and shifted to the 
side, pulling free of her body with a sigh of regret. 

Still not speaking, he cuddled her against him, 
and breathed deeply of their combined scents. The 
silence stretched between them. Finally, he spoke 
again. “Yes, Ruana. I am sure.” 

Tilting her head back, she saw the truth in his 
eyes. She moved and kissed his lips gently, “So am 
I, Zan. So am I.” 


Slow and rhythmic applause broke out. Zan 
flipped quickly to put himself between Ru and the 
intruder. Anryn stood in the doorway, leaning 
against the frame of the open door, her hands 
making a loud noise in the empty hallway. 

“Very impressive cousin.” Anryn walked into 
the room, the borrowed shirt as pristine as when 
she had first put it on. It did not look at all like she 
had been wandering in the woods. Unless of 
course, one looked at her feet, which were stained 
with dirt and leaves. 

“Is he as good as he looks?” Unabashed, she 
perched on the side of the bed and looked at her 
satisfied and blushing cousin. 

“Anryn, could you give us some privacy. 
Please.” Ruana’s voice was husky from her 
screams, she tried to tug the sheets up to cover 
herself, but Zan was sitting on them. 

“Already did, Ru. Two hours worth. Albina 
and Imaran are downstairs.” She got off the bed 
and sauntered to the door. “Decklyn is only ten 
minutes away, you might want to be dressed 
when he arrives.” With a short laugh, she 
disappeared. “It wouldn’t do to look like prey.” 

Ruana looked over at Zan. “Two hours?” Her 
voice was weak. 

“It only seemed like a few minutes to me as 
well.” He shook off his bemusement. By nature he 
was territorial, but now his territory was being 


invaded by his new mate’s family. The sacrifices 
he was willing to make. He rose to his feet and 
scooped her off the tangled sheets. 

Moving swiftly, he herded her into the en suite 
bathroom and shoved them both into the shower. 
As his hands moved over her curves, he promised 
himself that the next time that they were together, 
they would take their time. 

He soaped and rinsed them both, then wrapped 
a towel around his hips, where a tent belied his 
interest in her naked form, and dried her swiftly 
with another. 

She looked longingly at the erection that had so 
obviously been caused by the close contact in the 
shower. “You know, sometimes, I hate my 
family.” 

Zan just laughed. A strained sound that echoed 
off of the bathroom tiles. “Let’s just get dressed, 
and get this over with.” He looked over at the 
devastation in the bedroom and shook his head. 
Wandering over to the dresser, he opened a 
drawer and pulled out some briefs for himself. 

“I can’t wait to see how you get into those.” 
Ruana took a longing look once more at his 
erection as he attempted to wedge it behind the 
cotton fabric. Her own clothes were all located on 
the chair where he had put them. Her dressing 
was quick and painless, but she caught him 
grimacing out of the corner of her eye as he zipped 


his jeans up over his briefs. 

“Am I decent?” She checked the mirror once 
more, to make sure that everything was tucked 
into it’s proper place. His arms wrapped around 
her and murmured into her ear. “I would say that 
you were fantastic. Not just decent.” 

He had pulled on a shirt, but not done up the 
buttons. His skin radiated heat and she snuggled 
into his embrace, reveling in the contact. She 
inhaled deeply and the scent of their coupling was 
still hanging in the air. 

“Do me a favor, Zan?” 

“Sure Ruana. What do you need?” 

“Don’t go too far, ok? I don‘t want Decklyn to 
eat you.” A tiny laugh escaped her lips, but he 
gave her a startled squeeze as her reflection told 
him that she wasn’t kidding. 

Heavy wing beats filled the air. “He’s here. Stay 
close.” 

“What the hell?” But he was talking to air as 
she slipped from his grasp to make her way to the 
door. 

“Coming? Time to meet the in-laws.” Ruana 
skipped out of the room and made her way down 
the stairs to the front door, Zan hard on her heels. 

“Holy shit!” There was no other word that 
sprang to mind as he watched a dragon land in the 
yard outside the door. 

Over forty-five feet long, Decklyn had navy 


scales and golden eyes. Zan was soon to learn that 
those eyes followed him in all forms. 

Anryn wandered out of the house and straight 
up to the ferocious beast that was snorting smoke 
in agitation. 

“Hey honey! You made good time.” She 
reached up and stroked her hand down his scaled, 
reptilian neck. He let out a snort and pulled away 
from the caress. “Why don’t you shift forms and I 
can introduce you to Ruana’s choice.” 

Her hand reached out once again, this time to 
scratch him under his chin. “C’mon honey. Let’s 
be civil about this. The baby is fine, and I’m not 
going to spend the next nine months chained to 
your bed.” An evil leer lit her face, “As much fun 
as that has been.” 

A resigned huff flew out of the dragon’s mouth 
and he shook his enormous head in frustration. 
Slowly he began to shrink, taking the shape of a 
man, but retaining the wings and claws that he 
had possessed in his earlier form. He was 
handsome enough. His features hewn by a rough 
hand, his scales almost imperceptible in the 
human form. He was also naked. 

“Don’t ever run from me again Anryn.” His 
hands grabbed her arms and he lifted her 
effortlessly to hold her eye to eye with him. His 
golden slitted eyes burning into her green and 
black gaze. She dangled in the air unconcerned, 


waiting. Finally he sighed and brought her in for a 
gentle kiss. Her hands came up to cup his face and 
soon she was sliding down to stand on her own 
two feet once again. 

“You know that when the clan needs me, I’m 
there. It would be best in the future if you put 
aside your anti-social behavior patterns and just 
came with me.” Her hands restlessly stroked his 
shoulders and chest. Petting and soothing him. 

His arms wrapped around her and held her 
close. Breathing in her scent, resigning himself to a 
lifetime of chasing this woman around the globe. 
Not the worst fate he could have imagined. At 
least the view from behind was pleasant. 

Decklyn grinned then, exposing his teeth, 
causing Zan to flinch. Those were some serious 
fangs. 

“Decklyn, I would like to introduce you to 
Ruana’s wolf, Zan. Zan, this is Decklyn.” How she 
could make herself understood while mashed 
against the enormous chest was beyond Zan, but 
her voice chimed out clearly. 

“Please to meet you.” Decklyn reluctantly 
released his mate and extended his hand to Zan. 
He took it in a handshake that was polite and 
controlled on both their parts. 

Ruana hovered nervously nearby. She did 
know that Decklyn had, at some point in the past, 
hunted members of wer clans for sport. She hoped 


that he would be polite. 

“You as well, please come inside. I’ll see if I can 
find you something to wear.” 

“Wear? Oh, right.” He shrugged and followed 
Zan into the house. Each male keeping his female 
within his embrace as they entered the house. 

Zan was brought up short as he saw the other 
members of the Warder clan that Anryn had 
mentioned earlier. 

“Albina and Imaran I presume?” The pale 
woman with white hair stood next to a man with 
obvious exotic ancestors. He sighed and shook his 
head, then walked forward to take their hands. He 
would have to ask Ruana about warding his house 
to keep out her family after this was all over. The 
intrusions to his territory were setting his nerves 
on edge. 

“I’m sorry, we would have introduced 
ourselves when we arrived, but you 
were…occupied.” Albina’s voice was quiet. 
Everything about her was so serene it was 
unnerving. The only spot of color in her face were 
her blue eyes and the red flower of her mouth. 

In contrast her companion was a study in the 
harsh colors of the desert. Mahogany skin, black 
hair and deep black eyes took Zan’s measure as he 
approached them. 

Satisfied with what he saw, Imaran offered his 
assistance. “I see that Anryn and Decklyn have 


been traveling without clothing again.” He 
clapped his hands together, and where an afghan 
had lain against the couch, clothing for the couple 
appeared. 

“I think I need a cup of coffee.” Zan walked 
swiftly to the kitchen, still keeping Ruana in tow. 

“Zan, could you let go now? I promise not to 
take off.” She spoke to him in low tones, knowing 
that his nerves had had enough of a jolt for the 
moment. 

“Huh? Oh sure.” He filled the carafe with water 
and began the mundane activity of making coffee 
for the oddest group of beings that he had ever 
imagined. 

And he had just signed on to join the family. 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Six 

 

 

he coffee maker chugged away, the dripping 
and chirping of the mechanism the only noise 
in the silence surrounding Zan. The smell crept 
through the kitchen with the insidious insistence 
endemic to the beverage. 
T 

“A little overwhelming aren’t they? You are 
regretting your decision now aren’t you?” Ruana 
was miserable, tears welling in her eyes. Her 
fingers picked at the tabletop, shaking slightly. 

“Ruana, just give me a moment, ok?” His hand 
reached out to grasp hers across the table, his 
thumb began to rub against her palm, giving her 
what comfort he could. His mind was still 
grappling with dragons, djinn, dryads and 
witches. Well, he was a werewolf, so why not? 

Seeking comfort, Ru moved over to sit in his 
lap, cuddling against him. She could feel his 
confusion battering at her mind. The bonding was 
something that she was not going to tell him about 
until…well, maybe in ten years. She figured that 


he might have come out of his shock by then. She 
dug deeper into the emotions that were leaking 
into her mind, and she found his resolve to have 
her. He still hadn’t changed his mind. She sighed 
in relief and snuggled closer as she let his mind 
work through the new information that 
challenged everything he had ever believed. 

 

* * * * 

 

“So, how do you think he’s taking it?” Imaran 
conjured drinks for them all. 

“Fairly well, I think.” Anryn frowned at 
Decklyn as he took her wine away. “I can 
occasionally have a glass you know.” 

“Best to abstain until the baby arrives. I read it 
in a women’s magazine.” Albina started laughing. 
The air of authority that the dragon assumed was 
almost ridiculous, until Anryn added her two 
cents. 

“He’s not kidding. He has read every damned 
book on modern pregnancy and the appropriate 
diet for me that it’s no wonder I ran.” Despite her 
acerbic comments, she snuggled against her mate 
and pulled his arm around her. The clothing that 
Imaran had provided was comfortable, but 
covered less than Zan’s shirt. The halter top and 
sarong were made of a gossamer fabric. 

Fortunately Decklyn gave off a lot of heat. He 


was wearing a similar outfit, a loose vest that left 
his wings free, with a wrap kilt. The fabric was 
nice and soft. She breathed deeply and slowly, 
nodding into one of the naps that she had become 
infamous for since she had become pregnant. 

“Imaran, may I complement you on your choice 
of clothing?” Decklyn’s voice was deep and soft, 
carefully not waking Anryn. “She hasn’t cuddled 
with me like this since the first week we were 
together.” 

Imaran dropped his own voice to a whisper. 
“You mean the week when you used your talents 
to knock her out, then seduced her?” A dark 
chuckle rolled over the sleeping dryad and she 
stirred and shifted restlessly. 

Decklyn resettled her quickly, stroking her 
arms and thigh to calm her. “Yes, that week.” 

 

* * * * 

 

Twisting in his chair, Zan filled the coffee cup he 
had put on the counter. He slowly sipped the 
dark, bracing brew. Ruana kept her head clear of 
the mug. He seemed to really need that coffee. 

“So, you take your coffee black?” Idle chitchat 
seemed the way to go. 

He seemed willing to play along. “Yes, how do 
you take yours?” 

“Three cream, three sugars, more like syrup 


than coffee.” She paused for a moment. “Do you 
think that we could rejoin the others in the living 
room? We need to make some plans.” 

“Are there any more of your clan joining us 
today?” 

“Only my mom and dad, possibly one other. 
Are you expecting yours?” 

“Max and Arissa. Our pack Alpha, Merlin. Oh, 
and his bodyguards. Anyone else will be an 
uninvited guest.” 

“Ok. My troops are ready.” Ruana thought for a 
moment. “Oh, hell.” In an instant she was out of 
his lap and heading for the living room. Entering 
the room to find Anryn snoring gently in 
Decklyn’s arms, she stopped short, Zan right 
behind her. 

Whispering, “When is she going to wake up?” 
she crept closer to the couples making themselves 
at home. 

“In about ten minutes, what’s up?” It was not the 
first time that she had heard Albina’s inner voice, 
but the strength of it always surprised her. It was 
at such odds with her delicate appearance. 

“Zan has some relatives coming to the house today. I 
am afraid that the wards will hurt them, or leave them 
vulnerable. A rough start with his pack is not what I 
need right now.” 

“I’ll have Decklyn wake her then. She can nap 
later.” A smile lit Albina’s face. “Actually, now that 
she’s pregnant, she can nap right after she alters the 


wards.” 

Decklyn frowned for a moment and then slowly 
began to rub Anryn’s back. Less than a minute 
later, she was sitting up and rubbing her eyes. 

Ruana explained the situation, Zan standing 
behind her, his alarm creeping into her mind. 
Anryn yawned, rose and stumbled for the door. 
She missed. 

Decklyn rose up off the couch and sighed as he 
steered her out the door and down the driveway. 

The rest of them sat in silence after Ruana had 
fetched coffee and cream for them. Ten minutes 
later, looking considerably more alert, Anryn 
walked through the door, Decklyn on her heels. 

“Well, I’m glad you woke me up. Not only was 
your family on their way, but there were three 
werewolves snagged in the outer ward. Decklyn 
scared them off.” She didn’t go into detail, but 
resumed her seat on the couch, then scooted over 
as her husband sat next to her, carefully settling 
his wings over the back of the couch once again. 

Albina perked up, “Perfect timing. Ruana, your 
parents are here.” As she finished speaking, the 
door shuddered under the knocking of David’s 
fist. 

Zan went to the door, to meet his soon-to-be 
father-in-law. The two wolves sized each other up. 
Each glaring at the other to assert their superiority. 

“Mom! Call him off!” Ruana went to Zan’s side, 


and Victoria went to David’s. Each female broke 
the eye contact that the males had going by the 
simple expedience of stepping between them. 

With no respect for the traditions of the 
werewolf way of life, the women dragged the men 
into the living room. 

“Sit down David! Behave or I’ll send you 
home.” Victoria was much more aggressive than 
usual, but after all, her baby’s happiness was at 
stake. Stupid macho posturing was not going to 
wreck it. 

He sat. The sullen expression on his face would 
have made her laugh, if Zan had not been wearing 
its twin. 

“Dad, this is Aleczander Masters. Brother to 
Maxwell Masters, of the Silverfang clan. Zan this 
is my father David Weldon, and my mother 
Victoria.” 

“Call me Vicky, dear.” 

“Pleased to meet you both. Be welcome in my 
house.” 

David relaxed into the couch and smiled 
ruefully at Zan, then glanced over to his daughter. 
“Well, at least you had the sense to choose 
someone who could protect you.” 

He didn’t get the chance to elaborate on that 
point as the door swung open to admit Max, 
Arissa and a man whom she could only guess was 
Merlin. It was rather funny, as Merlin bore a 


startling resemblance to both Max and Zan. Only 
he was an older version. 

Zan jumped to attention and hastened to make 
the introductions. “Ruana Weldon, this is the 
Alpha of the Silverfang clan, Merlin Masters. My 
father.” 


 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Seven 

 

“ 
am pleased to welcome you to our clan, 
Ruana. Max has spoken well of you.” Merlin 
was as handsome as his sons, the silver streaks 
running through his hair the only indicator of 
greater age. 
I 

“I am honored to meet you as well.” She went 
up to him and placed her forehead in the center of 
his chest, neck bent in submission. His hand came 
up to close on the back of her neck, and she felt the 
pressure of his grip. She didn’t move. She kept her 
breathing even, despite the pain that was 
beginning to radiate from her neck. Minutes flew 
by in silence as he applied sufficient pressure to 
crush the neck of a regular human. Finally, she 
reached her threshold and her legs buckled under 
her. 

Merlin caught her and raised her back to a 
standing position and held her at arms length 
until her legs would once again hold her weight. 

Zan was right behind her to take her from 


Merlin as he handed her over. 

“You have a strong one there Zan. Take care of 
her.” Merlin looked extremely pleased. 

“My turn.” Victoria stood and addressed the 
members of the Warder clan that were in 
attendance. “Do any of you have reservations 
about welcoming Zan into our clan?” 

Silence. The werewolves looked vaguely 
puzzled. None of the Warder clan members who 
had arrived had any objections to the match. They 
had all discretely tested and probed him with 
magic as soon as they had arrived. He passed the 
tests. With the added bonus of his not running 
screaming from the farmhouse when he met them. 

“Will you defend Ruana’s choice?” 

“Aye.” Five voices spoke as one, David adding 
to the crowd. 

“Will you witness the hand-fasting? Right 
here…right now?” 

“Aye.” 

A grin broke over Victoria’s face. “Anryn, open 
a gateway to Realm. I think we have a final guest.” 

The rest of the Warder clan burst into laughter. 
They knew what was coming, or more to the point 
who. 

Anryn wandered out the door once again, 
completely oblivious to the admiring looks from 
Merlin and Max. Decklyn was not. His fangs came 
out, gleaming and vicious. The two wolves took a 


good look at the dragon following his wife out the 
door and kept their eyes to themselves. 

The rest of the crowd trailed them out, the 
wolves puzzled and the Warders laughing. Anryn 
took up a position between two trees and 
stretched her arms out from her sides. 

Ruana took Zan’s hand and whispered, “Watch 
this.” 

A shimmering light surrounded Anryn, 
building swiftly to a blinding glow that had the 
wolves yelping in confusion. A circle of light shot 
from her to the two trees she had selected. It 
formed a web between them, thickening in width 
until a shimmering doorway was visible. 

From the doorway, a figure emerged. Graceful, 
tall and garbed in flowing robes, it was impossible 
to determine the sex of the figure. As it cleared the 
gateway, Anryn closed it. Decklyn moved in and 
caught her in his arms as she slumped forward. 
“You’re done for today.” 

“Eylonwy!” Ruana rushed forward and threw 
her arms around the figure. 

As the light faded behind it, the figure was 
shown to be female. With extremely pointy ears. 
She hugged Ruana in return and walked forward 
to greet the rest of the clan members. After a 
round of hugs all around she turned to be 
introduced to the others. 

“Eylonwy Warder, this is the Alpha of the 


Silverfang clan, Merlin Masters, his daughter-in-
law Arissa Masters, and his sons Maxwell and 
Aleczander.” Victoria made the introductions. 
“Members of the Silverfang clan, this is our elder 
Eylonwy Warder. She oversees all unions of our 
clan members. She also has the ability to bind 
magic into the union, defending both members 
against all attacks.” 

Eylonwy smiled graciously and shook the 
hands of the Masters family, one by one. At Zan 
she stopped. “Are you ready to join our little 
circus?” Her full lips parted in a grin. 

He took a deep breath and looked at the 
expectant faces around him, “I am.” 

“Then shall we?” A graceful hand swept 
forward and flowers bloomed around the two 
trees that had housed the gateway. In a matter of 
moments that corner of the yard was covered in a 
riot of color that created a beautiful and natural 
setting for the ceremony. 

“Zan, Ruana, will you step forward? Anryn, 
Merlin. You as well.” Eylonwy backed into 
position, her rainbow robes flowing around her 
graceful form as she moved. “Sorry for the hurry 
people, but we are under the gun here. I can feel 
them coming.” 

From the air, it seemed, she drew a length of 
red silk cord between her fingers. She gestured for 
Ruana and Zan to take each other’s hands. Silently 


she bound their hands together. 

“Bride, do you give yourself of your own free 
will?” 

With a long look at Zan, “I do.” 

“Groom, do you give yourself of your own free 
will?” 

Zan looked to their joined hands, around at her 
family and his, then, “I do.” 

Another cord appeared in her hand and 
Eylonwy wrapped it around the first. “I call upon 
the Air to witness.” A gentle wind blew through 
the bower, ruffling the petals of the flowers and 
scenting the area with perfume. 

“I call upon the Earth to witness.” Another cord 
tied into place, as a rose bush sprang up between 
the couple. 

“I call upon Fire to witness.” Another cord 
appeared, and a rock near the couple burst into 
flame. 

“I call upon Water to witness.” Dew formed on 
the roses as the next cord went on. 

“Warders, please surround the couple. Join 
hands. I call upon the Warders to bind, witness 
and protect.” As she finished speaking, power 
flared between the joined hands of the women 
surrounding the couple. The bindings 
disappeared, becoming one with the two who had 
just sworn their joining. Eylonwy smiled as the 
hand-fasting completed. It was her specialty, and 


her natural magic lent itself well to the joining of 
lives. After five hundred years, she still loved her 
job. 

Zan and Ruana staggered back as the flash 
faded. They stood blinking in the rush of power 
that was flowing through them. “It is finished. 
They are bound as one for a year and a day. Let no 
one try to put the union asunder.” Eylonwy raised 
her hands in the air, and then released them all 
with a gesture. 

The husbands came forward to collect their 
wives, and Eylonwy wandered over to Anryn. 
Placing glowing hands on her shoulders, 
improving her color and earning a look of thanks 
from Decklyn. She transferred her power to her 
cousin in a few seconds, then stood with a grim 
look on her elegant face. 

“Alright Anryn, drop the wards. Let them 
come.” 

 

* * * * 

 

The wolves did not know what was holding them 
at bay. The three of the Yellowpaw clan that had 
attacked earlier had run back to their clans with 
tales of monsters. 

If the Silverfangs had been willing to bargain 
for the bitch, this would not have happened. But 
even allowing them the first child from the bitch 


had not been enough. They wanted to keep her. 
That was not going to happen. They wanted that 
bitch for their clans, and they were willing to kill 
the Silverfangs to get her. There were only three 
there, after all. 

They felt the instant that the barrier melted and 
surged forward in a wave. Sixteen members of the 
Goldeneye clan were involved in the attack, eight 
members of the Fightinghart clan were with them. 

As one they rushed through the woods, never 
questioning that they were all taking the same 
path to the farmhouse. They could hear voices in 
the light of the farmhouse ahead and moved 
faster. 


 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Eight 

 

 

he Warders faced the attacking wolves. Several 
of the werewolves had transferred into the 
half-change form that would give them the most 
power during an attack. The others figured that 
they had the Silverfangs outnumbered. 
T 

The Warders took up flanking position on 
Ruana and Zan. The newly bonded couple was 
front and center when the attackers broke through 
the cover of the trees. Hitting the wall of power, 
that Anryn had laid down earlier on Ruana’s 
behalf, caused some of them to flip through the air 
at the impact. 

Ruana heard a few bones break as they hit the 
ground and took a deep breath then asked the 
question that they had to answer. “What do you 
want here?” 

“We have come for you bitch. The next time 
you go into heat, one of us will fuck you until you 
pop pregnant. Then we will wait for the next time. 
The same thing will happen again. Hey, we might 


even have a lottery to see who plows you 
next…maybe a raffle?” His voice dissolved into 
twisted laughter. 

“You may not have her. By the decrees of her 
clan and mine. She and I are married in front of 
witnesses.” Zan’s voice was strong, but he edged 
her back behind him. She stepped aside, then 
moved around him. 

Decklyn was suddenly behind Zan, restraining 
him. “Let her do this. It’s what she does best.” 

With an inviting smile on her lips, Ruana 
walked forward swinging her hips. “If you want 
me, try to take me.” Her arms raised, palms up 
and she waited. 

It didn’t take long. The first wer to grab her 
wrist and tug with a leer in his eyes, screamed as a 
lightning bolt of power went through him. His 
body flipped backward and he lay moaning and 
smoking gently. The second went the way of the 
first. 

The third came up behind her and had to be 
peeled off of her as the shock had locked his 
muscles into rigor. 

“Are you getting the hint yet? I am not up for 
grabs. I can destroy anyone who dares to touch 
me. I belong only to Zan, only to the Silverfang 
clan, and only to the Warder clan. You can take 
that back to your Alpha’s and let them know that 
hunting season is over.” 


Shocked and confused, they only paused a 
moment before dragging their wounded off of the 
yard and down the road. 

“You mean, you could have done that at any 
time?” Zan’s voice was a gentle whisper as he held 
her close, trying to stop her shaking. 

“No, the hand-fasting gave me the extra power 
I needed. No one can touch me with lust now but 
you.” She turned into his arms and started to cry. 
At first it was a gentle sobbing, but soon it grew 
into uncontrollable wrenching hysterics. He lifted 
her into his arms and began to walk back into the 
house. 

Eylonwy stepped in front of him, “I will see 
everyone safely home.” She leaned forward and 
gave him a gentle kiss on his forehead. “Don’t 
worry, she always cries at weddings.” He smiled 
at her and took his sobbing bride into the house 
one more time. Only to be thwarted by his brother, 
“What the hell just happened here?” 

“I’ll explain tomorrow, now get out of my way 
or I’ll go through you.” He was no longer smiling 
as Ruana’s crying seemed to get weaker with 
every passing moment. 

Hurriedly he carried her up the stairs and into 
his bedroom once again. Carefully turning the 
mirror against the wall as soon as he laid her 
down on the bed. 

She looked up at him with eyes red and 


swollen, “I hurt them. I never meant to hurt them. 
I only used to stun them enough to make them 
back off.” 

Oh, so that was the problem. He removed his 
clothes, then started on hers. She was limp in his 
arms as he peeled off her shirt and pants. Her 
white bra and panties glowed in the dim light of 
the tiny lamp next to the bed. It was wired to the 
light switch, he usually did not need a lot of light 
in the dark, but tonight he wanted the light of a 
thousand candles. 

Her bra closed in back so he had to release the 
clasp by reaching around her and she quickly 
grabbed him and held him close. She wanted 
comfort, and was willing to tackle him to get it. 

She had been so passive in his arms that her 
sudden movement caught him off guard, and off 
balance. He fell to his back and a second later she 
had discarded both her bra and the matching prim 
panties. 

“My turn.” She braced her hands next to his 
shoulders and slowly drew her body against his. 
Over and over she repeated the caress of her flesh 
against him. Her nipples had hardened to points 
and she shivered in response as they dragged 
through his chest hair. Her knees were astride his 
hips rubbing her pelvis against his hardening 
erection with every twisted push-up she did. She 
moved forward a few inches more, to let his hard 


hot cock rest against the sopping wetness of her 
open cunt. 

She continued to rock against him, driving the 
flames in her loins higher and higher. He started 
to groan with every stroke. On shaking arms, she 
pushed herself astride him. Pulling her knees in 
beside his hips, his engorged cock brushed against 
the weeping channel between her thighs. Taking a 
deep and shuddering breath, she began to slowly 
and cautiously lower herself onto him. 

As he slid home she drew a sighing breath of 
relief. Oh god, it felt good. She inhaled his scent as 
she began to move on him. Her head tilted back 
and her eyes closed as she rose and fell on him, 
reveling in the slow slide of his pulsing flesh 
within her slick walls. She moved faster and faster, 
driving for her own release, taking Zan along for 
the ride. 

She felt her orgasm approaching, and felt his 
hands on her breasts as her hips began to stutter in 
their rhythm. Ruana’s eyes opened, she moved her 
head to meet his gaze as his devilish fingers 
twisted and kneaded the flushed mounds of her 
breasts. Their eyes remained locked as he trailed 
one hand down to twist his middle finger against 
her clit in a short circular motion. Her breath 
rushed out of her and she froze as she came with 
the twist of his hand. 

As her back arched, she felt him begin to come 


within her, his eyes glowing into hers in the 
darkness. Ruana’s body shook as it milked Zan’s 
cock of its payload, the delicate palpitations of her 
flesh caressing him with gentle insistence. She 
dropped forward, crawling onto his chest as he 
slipped from within her welcoming heat. 

“Mmm. Nice.” She burrowed her nose the join 
between his neck and shoulder. She inhaled 
deeply, enjoying their scents twined together. 

It seemed eons before Zan commented as well, 
but perhaps it took him that long to recover. “I 
heartily agree.” 

A sudden realization made her raise her head. 
“Hey, wait a minute. Did I just do all the work?” 

Her comfortable resting spot was suddenly 
undergoing an earthquake. He stopped laughing 
for a moment. “Yep. And I look forward to you 
doing it again. Soon.” 

She groaned and put her face into the pillow 
next to him. “Mf, tngt m dmt.” 

“What?” He tugged at her hair, lifting her face 
away from her muffler. 

She glared at him, well as well as she could 
with the sated pulse flowing through her veins. 
“Not tonight you don’t. I need a nap.” 

He chuckled again and then cuddled her 
against him. He flipped a sheet over them both, 
and lay back, breathing deeply. “This has been a 
very eventful day. I think we both need our rest.” 


He pressed a sweet kiss against her forehead and 
held her close as her breathing slowed into the 
even rhythm of sleep. 

As he drifted off to his own rest, his voice 
issued a thin wave of sound. “Ruana, thanks for 
wearing that damned ugly dress.” 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

 

iola is a proud Winnipeger living in Manitoba, 
Canada. A compulsive crafter and sucker for a 
‘happily ever after’, she spends her time avoiding 
anything related to housework. Her hobbies have 
included needlework, metalwork, henna tattoos 
and costume design. Oh yeah, and writing. She 
loves to write. A rabid sci-fi buff and nerd to the 
core. www.violagrace.com 
V