Filed to story: Mated to the Alpha and His Beta Novel Free >>???
“…1 don’t want to kiss you, Rhiannon.”
Her expression went dark. “Listen, wolf, I don’t want to kiss you, either, but that’s how this s hit works. Ancient magic has rituals and rules.”
“Fine,” I ground out.
I kissed her. Hard. She parted my lips with her tongue, and nipped mine hard enough to draw blood. I drew back at the coppery flavor.
“Rituals and rules,” the witch breathed. “One of them is blood.”
I yanked my shirt off over my head and tossed it to the ground. I toed off my boots. Shoved down my jeans and stepped out of them.
“Get on the bed,” I said. “Let’s get this over with.”
4
Mason–
I’d been ready to wait all night, but after an hour, the door to the room opened, and Zane appeared in the doorway. He stood there for a few minutes, talking to someone I assumed was Rhiannon, still inside. Then, he hurried to the car and got in.
“Let’s get the f uck out of here,” he said.
I didn’t ask him how it had gone. I could smell sex on him, and a faint perfume. A hint of magic. Some blood We drove in silence broken only by the occasional hitch of Zane’s breath in and out. Right before we got to the drive to Lanie’s cottage, he muttered, “Pull over.”
I did. He got out to be sick alongside the road. I gave him a few minutes before I turned off the car and got out to make sure he was okay.
“I’ll be fine.” Zane assured me. “The taste of puke is better than tasting the witch.”
I had a bottle of water in the car, so I got it out and handed it to him. He swished it in his mouth and it out, then drank some. Spit again. He finished the bottle.
“Thanks, man.”
“You ready?”
“Yeah. I don’t want to face them. I’m not sure I can face them.” He shuddered, his voice cracking. “They’re my mates. And I was just with someone else.
“They understand. You should go straight into the shower as soon as you get back, though. That’ll help.” I hesitated, then rubbed his shoulder. I wasn’t sure what else to do for him.
Facing Xander and Lanie was going to be hard for all of them.
“What’s done is done,” I said, adding, “Did you…l mean, you got her to vow?”
“Yes. Tonight only. And she was guaranteed to conceive tonight. She didn’t tell me how she could be so sure, but I could tell she was.” Zane shuddered again. When he looked up at me, his pupils were dilated. “I can’t face them, man. I just f ucking can’t.”
I put my arms around him for a strong hug, the strongest I could give. Zane clutched me, his face pressed to my shoulder while he fought his so bs. It was the best I could do, and it didn’t feel like enough.
“Sorry” he said when he pulled away.
“Don’t be sorry. We’re family I got your back.” I looked at the car. “You ready?”
“No. But they’ll be worrying. Let’s go.”
Zane–
Mason hustled me into the bathroom as soon as we got back, running interference between me and my mates. I’d be grateful to him for that for the rest of our lives.
The hot water scalded me, but I wasn’t sure I would ever feel clean. The memories of the sex were already thankfully fading into black, but the horrible feeling in my stomach wasn’t going away.
As soon as I’d finished, I made sure to get dressed right away. I knew why I was there, but the urge to get out was stronger than anything. Now, I couldn’t stop thinking about the sight of the witch, naked on the bed. When I pulled on my boots, she’d jumped up to put her hand on my arm.
“What’s the rush? You could stay for a drink,” she’d said in a breathy voice.
“One night only, Rhiannon. You vowed.”
“It’s still the same night,” she’d wheedled. “You could stay.”
“I don’t want to stay.”
I expected her to look angry, but she’d only looked…sad?
Her voice even shook when she said, “I guess you really do love her.”
“More than anything,” I’d told her, and made haste to get the f uck out of that room.
She’d called me back when I was in the doorway.”If you change your mind…”
“The vow, Rhiannon!”
“A vow can be broken if both parties agree to it,” she’d said.
I was never going to change my mind. I made sure to slam the door behind me in case she tried to follow.
Why had she been so clingy? Rhiannon had made no secret about not liking wolves. Loathing them, even. The sex had been fast and hard, but I hadn’t done anything to make it good for her. If anything, I’d done my best to feel the bare minimum, myself, even though there’d been a hateful pleasure at the end of it.
i got out of the shower and toweled off. Physically, I felt better. M entally, it was going to take some time.
There was no point in trying to put it off any longer. I had to face my mates. I steeled myself for the look of disappointment in their eyes. Even if they’d agreed I’d had to do it, there was no way they weren’t going to be hurt.
Yet when I went into the bedroom where they were waiting, all I saw was love and acceptance.
Lanie opened her arms to me. “Come to bed, love. You’ve had a long night.”
Thank the Goddess it was over.
Lanie–
With the California King bed set up in my bedroom, there wasn’t much space for anything else. It gave us all room to sleep together, though. Mason on one side, Xander and Zane taking turns snuggling up to me on the other. I held back a giant grin at the memories of the first night we’d all had plenty of room.
Life was good.
So good that I had to pinch myself.
We didn’t talk about Zane spending the night with Rhiannon, but since then, we’d all fallen into a great little domestic routine.
Night time snuggles and delicious sex. Morning coffee and taking care of our babies. Meals around our big table with laughter and most of all love.
I couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad was coming, no matter how many times I told myself i was only because things were so wonderful that I was being paranoid. I didn’t know what was on the h orizo only that it felt dangerous.
There was no denying that any one of a hundred dangers could be heading toward us.
We had our twins back with us, but that didn’t change the fact they’d been stolen in the first place, or that the people who’d taken them had others locked away in the hybrid facility.
The thought of other pups being subject to whatever the f uck was going on in there… made my stomach tense and twist.
I smoothed the new comforter and plumped the pillows on the giant bed. From outside the room, I could hear Zane and Xander–
both ribbing Mason. One of the babies laughed along with them. My heart swelled, and I sank onto the edge of the bed.
The Council had to know where we were. They had spies everywhere, and it wasn’t like me having a cottage in Stillwood had ever been any kind of secret.
What were they waiting for?
It was too much to hope that they were simply intending to leave us alone. I was a hybrid, and so was my daughter. Even if they didn’t want me for some reason, they would probably want to do something with Stella.
I put my hand over my heart as it seized, imagining my precious daughter being taken from me. I knew if I called my mates in to comfort me, they would, but for the moment I wanted to bear this burden alone. I didn’t want to destroy the peace we’d found over the past few days.
Instead, I opened myself to the Goddess, hoping she’d guide me. I waited, steadying my breathing and doing my best to focus.
Nothing came. No words of comfort or assistance. I didn’t feel abandoned… just felt nothing.
Frustrated, I let out a heavy sigh.
going on. I knew it was Xander’s job, not mine, to check in, but we still hadn’t figure out exactly Mason as co-Alpha would mean.
We couldn’t avoid that forever.
Just like we couldn’t avoid the fact that Malachi had killed Orion.
Avampire killing a wolf broke the treaty.
War was coming. Was that the bad thing I kept sensing whenever I tried to let myself relax and lean into our happy little family?
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?