“Chelsea.”
Hayden’s voice made her jump, and she whirled around to find him right behind her. How had he gotten there? He didn’t seem out of breath at all, and she’d not heard a sound at his approach.
“You’re bleeding.” He took her arm in his. “We can’t have this. Let’s get back to the house. I’ll treat your wounds.”
She cleared her throat. “I ran from you.” Speaking the obvious seemed the only choice.
“Yes.” He nodded.
She searched his dark eyes for any sign of anger or hurt and didn’t find any. “Doesn’t that piss you off?”
Hayden raised one eyebrow. “I’m surprised it took you so long.”
“Ugh.” She closed her eyes and ripped her arm from his embrace. “I’m so far out of my depth here I don’t know how I’ll ever find my way again. What the hell am I supposed to do? How are you any different than the True Believers? Don’t you also want to lock me up and keep me? Just like they did. Am I trading one destiny where I had no control for another one?”
“No.”
She opened her eyes at the forlorn sound he made. Deep sorrow surfaced in his gaze. His eyebrows furrowed, and he ran a hand through his hair.
“I don’t want you to feel that way at all.”
“Well I do.” Sort of.
“Let me get you back home. I have to stop you from bleeding. It’s all I can think about. Okay? Then we’ll find you some place to live away from here.”
“Oh. Okay. Wait. What? You’re agreeing with me?”
He shook his head. “No. I don’t agree with you. Not even a little. I want you here. With me, for always. But I’ve just met you, and you’re human. You aren’t going to instantly want to move in. I get it.” Small lines appeared next to his eyes. “So we’ll get you something that’s yours, and we’ll figure it out.”
That wasn’t what she wanted, and she had no idea why since it suited her needs perfectly. But his words also made her skin crawl, and she wasn’t a woman who liked to be agitated. It was hard enough living with the fugues. The rest of her life had to be pleasant.
Knowing she lashed out at him unreasonably, she didn’t even try to stop herself from doing so. “Then I can be your kept woman. That’s great. Put me in a place like some kind of doll or, I don’t know, a child you can control.”
She jumped at him, her hands outstretched as if she might claw out his face. As far as she could remember, she’d never been violent before, but all she wanted to do in that moment was inflict pain. Even if doing so made her unreasonable. Deep inside, she knew Hayden had done nothing to warrant her behavior, and yet all she could do was react.
He caught her in his arms, and rather than restrain her, he tugged her up against him, pulling her tight until her head was tucked against his chest, and he held her still. “Shh. Now. It’s okay. You don’t have to be afraid.”
His voice felt like warm boon on her frozen soul. “I’m not afraid. I’m angry with you.” She shook against him, and he rubbed her back in a circular motion that felt surprisingly calming considering that before he’d started doing it she’d wanted to claw out his eyes.
“You’re not angry.” He rubbed his nose against her head, and she closed her eyes. “You’re tense, frightened, overwhelmed. And you have every right to be all of that. You’re here less than twenty-four hours, so, for now, let’s shelve the idea of where you’re going to go to next. You’ll stay here, for now. And you’ll let me take care of you because that is what I do.”
She raised her head to look at him. “I shouldn’t let you or want you to take care of me. I’ve been letting people do that for a long time. Or at least pretending that was what the True Believers were doing.”
“We’re not the True Believers. I’m an Alpha, and I know you’re not a werewolf, so you don’t exactly understand what that means…”
She laughed. “It means you’re in charge.”
“Yes, it does. But also that I am responsible for the well-being of everyone in my pack. Like it or not, human or not, you’re part of my pack. Even beyond that, you’re mine. For now, why don’t you just think of it as you being safe? I’m not much of an Alpha, other Alphas, like my brother, they just have inherent belief in themselves that I will never possess, they know what to do at all times. I’m damaged. I did horrible things. I’ll never be worthy the way the others are. But I will keep you safe.”
Listening to the strong beat of his heart, she could believe him. “Are you sure you’re a werewolf? Maybe you’re just crazy and think you shift at a Full Moon.”
He snorted. “If I set you down, can I trust you not to run again? I’ll always be able to catch you, but I won’t have your injuries made worse.”
“I’m not running.” She shook her head. “I kicked off my shoes a while back, and I have no idea what happened to them.”
“We’ll get them. They’re about a mile back.” He knew where her shoes were? Had he seen them, or was this some kind of werewolf smell thing? After a minute, he set her down.
“So what are you doing that I needed to get down?” Her heart had quit racing. It might be that Hayden had a weird werewolf mojo thing going on, but whatever it was, she appreciated that he’d calmed her and not freaked out when she had.
“Only Alphas of a pack can shift into their wolf form during a non-Full Moon.” He took a deep breath. “I’m going to prove to you that I’m a werewolf so we can cross that off the list of things you’re not one hundred percent certain you believe in. You’ll know it’s a for-sure thing. You’ll know that neither I nor the True Believers were nuts. Well, the True Believers are only not about there being werewolves. But before I do that, I want you to keep in mind that I’m also a man.”
She let her eyes roam his toned form. “I’m not likely to forget it.”
“Well, just in case.” He tugged her against him. In the time between one breath and another, he kissed her. She gasped as his mouth met hers. Hayden was all heat, and his lips were soft but firm. She closed her eyes.
After a moment, he pulled back and exhaled loudly. “You’re still bleeding. I need to get you home, and since I don’t want to take you on the ground like some kind of fucking animal, I have to remember restraint.” He cracked his neck. “Not the easiest thing for me right now.”
Chelsea lowered her gaze and could see the bulge in his pants that evidenced his statement. Wow. If the tenting was any indication, Hayden would prove to be huge, and he really, really wanted her.
Hayden smirked. “Like what you see?”
Her mouth watered. “I don’t have all that much experience with this. I mean I haven’t been with anyone since I was fifteen. I don’t want you to, you know, get your expectations up.”
“Do you think your lack of partners is something that’s going to bother me? It’s a big giant plus, honey.” He shook his head. “Wait, I need to show you the wolf.”
“Right.” She tried to breathe slower. “Okay, don’t kiss me if you want me to stay focused because you’re really good at it.”
“Just remember that I’m also a man.”
She nodded. They’d covered this. “Do it if you can do it, and if not, then you and I can go visit a mental health facility together. Maybe they’ll have a two-for-one sale.”
Hayden grinned, and some of the lines by his eyes eased. “It’s a deal.”
One second he stood before her as a man, and in another, his body began to shift. His muscles tore, his bones cracked, and she cried out while she stumbled back two steps. Holy shit. It was really happening. Hayden was becoming a werewolf.
All of it what had been, at best, odd in theory was now strikingly real. Goosebumps appeared on her skin. There, in front of her, stood Hayden, now fully covered in black fur. He stared up at her with golden eyes.
She grabbed her throat before she could stop, her old compulsive habit from childhood rearing back to life. If Hayden wanted to eat her, grabbing her neck wasn’t going to save her.
“Hi
.” Her voice sounded hoarse. “You’re still you, right? You aren’t going to suddenly want to feast on my pale human flesh?”
Hayden the wolf made a sound that had to be the equivalent of a canine laugh. Amusement sparkled in his eyes. The same tearing sound filled the air again, and seconds later, Hayden returned to his human form, clothes and all. She blinked as her mind tried to digest what she’d just seen. “Your wardrobe makes the shift with you?”
He shrugged. “Gift of the Moon I guess.”
“Right.” She reached out to touch his cotton shirt. “Okay. I believe you. You’re a werewolf.”
“You’re touching me. That’s a good sign.” He held out his hand and then placed her fingers in it. “Indulge me. I need to get your wounds taken care of. I can’t think about anything else.”
She nodded. “My cuts are nothing. But I won’t object to a little TLC.” She was just going to go with it. What other choice did she have?
****
Four days had passed, and Chelsea had fallen into a routine with the pack. She knew all twelve of them by name, and the idea that they were all werewolves had officially stopped freaking her out. She sipped the Chardonnay and tried to decide if she could actually discern the oaky flavor the people who had come to taste the wine could fathom. She didn’t seem to have much of a palate.
Hayden smiled and never criticized. Part farmer, part chemist, part salesman, and all hot male werewolf, he looked like he’d stepped out of a painting entitled virile man. The way he walked, the way he narrowed his gaze when he concentrated, the way she could see the wolf in his eyes when he said goodnight and left her in his room, alone, every evening made her heart flutter.
He wanted to claim her.
And he told her so right before he closed the door nightly.
She leaned against the wall in the modernly decorated tasting room. So what if she’d never remember what brought her to him? Why did it matter? Couldn’t she simply decide it didn’t?
Hayden caught her eye and crossed the room. “Penny for your thoughts?”
She smiled. “Not worth a penny.”
“Oh, I doubt that.”
“I was wondering if it was time for me to embrace this new part of my life. Do something remarkable with it, like graduate from high school. I haven’t had a vision since I got here.”
Hayden pulled her into a tight embrace. Getting her used to the touching was how he’d described his constant desire to caress some part of her body.
“Anything you want.”
She nodded. “Well then, what I want is for you to take a mid-afternoon break and come upstairs. Let’s see if we really are as compatible as you claim we will be. Why don’t you show me what a true mating entails?”
He sucked in a loud breath, and she grinned. She’d shocked him, and that ruled.
Chapter Five
Hayden tried to keep his hands steady. His mate wanted to go upstairs to the bedroom with him. He cleared his throat. “You sure?” The last thing he needed was to get up there and find out he’d misread the situation. Maybe she just wanted him to change a light bulb or something.
The whisper of her arousal added cinnamon to her honey scent and made him slightly dizzy. He closed his eyes for a quick second to enjoy the smell. When he looked at her again, she leaned closer. “I’m completely sure.”
“Good.” He hauled her into his arms and carried her from the room. She squealed before she covered her mouth with her hand. Behind them several of his pack members started to clap. He grinned. The humans doing the tastings had no idea what had just occurred, and that was okay. If his pack wanted to celebrate his finally getting his mate into bed they could do that. A happy Alpha meant a healthy pack.
Or maybe it didn’t. He was still new to the whole thing…
It took him half the time it usually would to get to the privacy of his rooms, and yet the seconds dragged as if they were hours.
He closed the door behind them with a bang and carried her over to the bed before setting her down. She weighed nothing, and he was extra careful—all too aware of her humanity and the ease with which he could harm her.
She stared up at him with hooded eyes. “What would happen now if I was a werewolf lady?”
He smiled. She said the cutest things. “I think we discussed this. The compatibility thing. We’ll work just fine in the bedroom.”
Better than fine. He couldn’t wait to lick her all over. Once he had her taste deep within his soul, he’d feel more content, less edgy. Or at least he hoped he would. It might put him over the edge and he’d never feel calm again because he’d want to kill anyone who even looked at her.
“I mean, if I was a werewolf, would there be something I could do for you that you would like? Something a female who was raised a werewolf would know you wanted that I don’t know?”
He laughed, tracing the gentle slope of her nose with his finger. “No. Actually, it tends to be the other way around. Females go into heat. They need a lot of sex, and they decide which man they want to provide it. For all of the male’s dominance in the werewolf world, the females rule the bedroom.”
“Is that so?” She raised her voice slightly higher when she asked that question, and he wasn’t sure what it was about. His honey human confused him.
“Yes.” He nodded. “That’s how it is.”
She pushed at his chest, and he moved. If his mate had changed her mind and wanted out, he would give it to her. Hayden would not pressure Chelsea.
“Then maybe it’s time someone took care of you.” She grinned, and he wished he could read her mind, understand what she was thinking. He could smell her arousal, that much was clear, but beyond that it was all confusing. His world had turned upside. Why hadn’t he spent more time learning to understand human women?
“How do you mean?”
She stood and stretched her arms over her head. “Scoot on down here to the edge of the bed.”
He did what she asked, still not entirely certain what his human had in mind. His interactions with the humans had never been of this nature. Maybe he should have been asking her what she would want if he’d been a human male so he could have followed what she…
His thoughts trailed off as she caressed his cock through his pants. He hissed in his breath. What was she doing? No one touched him there except himself, and since he’d met her, he’d found it relatively useless to even stroke himself.
He grabbed her hand. “What are you doing?”
Hayden wanted to bring her pleasure, wanted to see her face soften when she came—multiple times.
“I’m giving you pleasure, silly man.” She sank to her knees and tugged on his slacks after undoing his zipper. They pooled at his feet.
Did she mean what he thought she did? “Um. You don’t have to do that.” Female werewolves didn’t do that. Why would they?
“I like to. Most women do. It’s a power thing.” She grinned, raising her eyes to look at him. “It would make me happy to do this. You wouldn’t deny me a little joy, would you, Alpha-boy?”
He shook his head, suddenly unable to form words. Chelsea discarded his briefs and moved until she was on top of him. With one long movement, she stroked him from balls to the tip of his cock. Hayden jerked, his muscles spasming from the sudden sensation of pleasure surging through his body.
“I’d never stop you from doing anything you desired.” His mouth watered. He wanted her naked. Big time. “But could you do it with fewer clothes on?”
She raised an eyebrow. “You want me to go down on you naked?”
Had he really just blown it? “Too much?”
“No.” She stood up. “Kind of hot actually. Sit back there and watch me take them off for you.”
She started with her shirt. Rocking her hips from side-to-side, she made a dance of removing her clothing, as though she’d learned it in some erotic club. Maybe she had. He didn’t care where she’d picked up the skill. From this moment on, she could move like this for him anytime she wan
ted to, but for his eyes alone.
“Damn it.” He rubbed at his forehead. “You are so hot.”
She shrugged. “Maybe I am, maybe I’m not. I don’t really care. I just like how you look at me.”
Chelsea tugged her pants off and kicked them aside. She didn’t wear a bra. Was she always without one, or had they neglected to get her one when he’d acquired her clothes? He liked the thought of her bare breasts right under her shirt. He’d buy her silk and satin…
Her panties, which were pink—she tossed them aside. She stood before him totally nude, and his chest tightened. She was a sight to behold, perfection in his eyes, and he silently swore that he would never fail her. She’d been gifted to him either by an accident of fate or some special design. He really didn’t care which. Chelsea would be protected in his love for the rest of her life.
She walked toward him, and he ran his hand down her side. When she broke out in goose bumps, he grinned, glad to see he had an effect on her. His feelings had to be clear as dawn with his cock ever hardening.
Chelsea raised an eyebrow. “Your clothes now, hot stuff.”
He would have snorted at the nickname if he could have formed a response. All he could manage was to nod at her direction. He stood up and as fast as he could, removed his clothing.
“Sit back down,” she ordered. He liked this side of her. In the bedroom, she could do whatever she liked, even be in charge.
He did as she commanded, and she moved over him until she knelt in front of him again. With one hand, she lifted his cock. He sucked in his breath. How was he going to survive this? Chelsea had barely touched him, and he was all ready to come in her hand. She bent over, taking the tip of him into her warm, wet mouth.
Hayden sucked in his breath as she bent farther forward, taking him all the way into her throat. He cursed before grabbing onto the bed to restrain himself. No. He bit down on his bottom lip. The first time he came with Chelsea needed to be deep inside her pussy. As much as he loved her mouth…