A Wolf’s Deception (Novella) (8 page)

Jesus.
Gabe felt nauseous. All the time he’d been seeing her, fuck, her whole damn life, she’d been suffering at the hands of some asshole, and he hadn’t had a clue.

Her fists clenched at her sides.

‘The bastard wouldn’t speak to me after he sent me away, but still he knew my every move. I was stuck…then he passed away and I knew it was only a matter of time before I got my chance. I started saving money…a little here and there. Small amounts, nothing that Dan would notice.’

She planned on coming back to him?
A million questions filled his mind, but he kept his mouth shut. She wanted him to hear her out, and he would. The Q and A portion would come afterwards. He’d make sure of it.

She paced around in front of him.

‘I knew Sawyer was close to shifting and when he did the truth would came out.’ Her eyes flicked to his. ‘My father knew of course, but he didn’t care about that, what might happen to my son…our son, when it was found out. By the time Sawyer was old enough to change, it wouldn’t matter, not to him. I’d be mated and far enough away I wouldn’t cause him shame.’

What the fuck was she saying?

She stared out the window, no longer with him, somewhere else. Somewhere ugly. ‘Then Dan died and I knew I had to make a move, and soon. I took my chance. I stole Colt’s car and ran. Lance, his pack, they didn’t know Sawyer wasn’t Dan’s. That was part of the agreement my father made with him.’ She shook her head. ‘But I couldn’t tell them the truth, risk them finding out my baby was a hybrid. They’d kill him.’

She looked up again, pleading with her eyes for him to understand.

‘That’s why I was coming to you, so he had protection, someone else to look out for him…if they found me…if I wasn’t around for him anymore.’

He couldn’t keep his mouth shut any longer. ‘Dan knew you were having another man’s cub?’ His voice was raw, no more than a growl. ‘How did he feel about that?’

There it was again, that look of pain. ‘He was paid well to put up with it.’

‘You did too, right? He made you pay for it over and over again with his fists?’ He settled Sawyer on the couch and stood, unable to sit still another minute.

‘It was a price I was willing to pay,’ she whispered.

Her words were a fucking knife to the heart. He didn’t think she could hurt him anymore, thought she’d taken his heart with her when she went away. He’d been wrong. ‘You were that desperate to get away from me? I disgusted you that much that you’d rather live with an abusive asshole than stay with me?’ He chuckled, the sound dark, bitter. ‘You’re a fucking good actress, I’ll grant you that. Or is that what turned you on, the danger of getting caught with a filthy hybrid in your bed?’

She was biting her lip again, but she came to him, and fuck, he couldn’t move away. ‘No.’ She held his gaze and her heart shone from her dark, beautiful eyes.

‘I loved you, Gabe. With all my heart. I thought I’d die after I left you that day, but I had no choice. None. I loved you enough to let you go.’

‘That’s bullshit.’

Rage swamped him, tore through his blood stream. He crowded her, backed her up until her back met the wall. He didn’t want to hear it, didn’t want to believe her, not again, not when he wanted her so badly.

‘All you had to do was tell me and none of this would have happened.’ He pressed into her, hands on the wall either side of her head, caging her, trapping her with his body.

‘Why the fuck didn’t you tell me? Why did you keep this from me? Things could have been so different, Tress, so damn different.’

He wrapped his hands around her upper arms, the grip bruising, but he couldn’t stop, too angry, too afraid to back up, to let go.

She didn’t fight him and met his furious gaze.

‘Yes, it would have been different. You and Sawyer would both be dead.’

Chapter 7

Gabe’s fingers flexed involuntarily around her upper arms.

‘What are you talking about?’

Her gaze didn’t falter. ‘I’d done a pregnancy test that morning, and I hid it, waiting for him to leave the house so I could go to you, tell you I was carrying your cub. I was happy, really happy.’

She shook her head. ‘I mean, I was scared. I knew my father would be furious, but I stupidly thought he’d be so angry, he’d kick me out and I’d finally be free of him.’

She returned his tight grip, nails digging into his forearms.

‘We could finally be together.’

‘What happened?’ He kept his voice even when all he wanted to do was roar his frustration.

‘He found the test before I had a chance to tell him, before I had a chance to go to you.’

She swallowed hard. ‘He knew you were the father of my baby. He was a bastard, my father, full of anger and hate. The idea that I would accept a mate who wasn’t a pure blood wolf wasn’t something he would allow. Ever.’

A tear streaked down her cheek and she dashed it away. ‘So no, he didn’t throw me out like I’d hoped. He threatened a forced abortion or to send Sawyer to one of the hybrid camps. And I knew, I knew how much you’d suffered at those camps. I couldn’t do that to our cub. He needed me.’

The pain of her words spread from his chest, hitting every nerve ending until he felt it in every limb, shit, even the surface of his skin ached. He leaned in, ran his nose along the column of her throat, taking in her scent, offering his support and encouragement, his comfort. Taking it in return.

‘Go on, Tressa. Tell me the rest. I deserve to know.’

‘He locked me in my room that night. There was no way for me to get out without smashing the windows. He had guards watching our cabin. I was stuck. He came to me the next morning. Told me he’d found me a mate, a male willing to take me in my disgraced state. He thought when Sawyer shifted for the first time, my new pack would either put him to death or send him away. He didn’t care what happened to either of us, as long as he saved face, as long as he retained his respected place in the pack.’

She squeezed her eyes shut for a few seconds and he felt her pain. ‘He sent me to end things with you. He said he’d kill you if I didn’t. I didn’t doubt him, how could I?’

She flinched, like she could see it playing in her head. ‘So I did it, I did what he asked…for you…for our unborn cub. I…I…’

A sob broke past her full lips, swollen from biting at them.

He didn’t know what to say, couldn’t speak, the lump in his throat made sure of that. He felt numb, the emotions coursing through him too strong to process all at once. Loosening his grip on her, he eased her in close, wrapped his arms around her and held her as she cried. Cried enough tears for both of them.

‘I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,’ she whispered against his throat. ‘I didn’t know what else to do…I…I…’

‘You never wanted to leave?’ He held her close, tight enough to bruise, afraid to let her go again. ‘You never wanted to leave me?’

She stilled in his arms and looked up at him, shook her head. ‘No. I never wanted to leave you. You were everything to me.’

He couldn’t think, didn’t want to do anything but feel, hold the female in his arms and lose himself.

Her hands rested on his shoulders, moving up to the sides of his throat. He sucked in a shuddery breath, close to losing his goddamn mind. Rage over what had happened to her, to them, fought with the relief he felt at having her back.

‘Why didn’t you contact me over the last four years?’

‘I was afraid. I knew you’d come for us. The Harlow pack follows their own rules. If they’d caught you, they would have killed you.’

She’d tried to protect him. The beast in him fucking hated it. That was his job. He was supposed to protect her, not the other way around.

‘I’m a Guardian now, Tressa. Shit…if you’d only trusted me. If you told me the truth sooner.’ He sounded pissed, he knew he did. He didn’t want to make her feel worse, but they’d been cheated. All three of them. Cheated out of four years together. He’d missed his son being born. His son had missed having his father around…and another male had claimed Tressa, had claimed his female.

The scar Dan had given her, peeking out from the neck of her shirt, should have been made by him. Instead some other male had stolen that right, had marked her.

He tried to pull away from her, rage and lust firing his blood. He wanted her too badly, he’d hurt her if took her now.

He needed a minute to get his shit together. But she wouldn’t let him go, and he didn’t have the strength to push her away.

She cupped his face, tears dampening her cheeks. ‘I’m so sorry. I should have trusted you. What do you want? It’s yours. I’ll give you anything. Please, just don’t hate me. I couldn’t bear it…I couldn’t bear it.’

The animal inside clawed to the surface, desperate to get close to the female in front of him. His female. The beast hated that she was sad, wanted to fix it, make her better. Her scent surrounded him, overwhelmed him, and the grip he had on his control crumpled.

He lost it.

Lifting her, he spun around, taking her through the open door to the bedroom and pushed her up against the wall.

‘I need inside you, Tressa, need to fuck you, hard. Have to make you forget any other male laid his fucking hands on you.’ Thighs spread, wrapped around his waist, he ground his cock against her, showing her how much he craved her. Her lids drifted shut, but he cupped her jaw.

‘Look at me.’

Her eyes blinked open, glazed, her need front and centre. He had to make her understand, hoped like fuck she could see it in his eyes, because right then he was only capable of grunting demands.

‘I need to dominate you, Tressa. Need you under me, at my mercy.’

She panted, hot puffs against his chin then a small moan slipped past and she reached up, nipped at his lower lip. ‘Take it. Take anything you want.’

He stepped back, taking her with him and dropped to the bed, covering her with his body. She wrapped around him instantly, sexy little whimpers and moans against his ear as she rubbed against him almost frantically. He kissed her again, devoured her, chased her tongue into her mouth. Fuck, she tasted amazing.

She clawed at his back, yanking his shirt up and over his head.

‘Please, I need you.’ She gasped when he bit down on a nipple through her shirt.

‘I can’t go slow, Tressa. I can’t be gentle,’ he choked.

Her eyes glowed in the dim light of the bedroom, yellow exploding through her usually dark irises, her wolf coming to the surface, showing how hot she was for him.

‘I don’t want gentle.’

He growled, lips pulled back in a snarl, his beast hating that another male had seen the same change in her eyes, seen her hot and wanting. Rearing up, he gripped the front of her jeans and ripped them open, all but shredding them from her body. Her shirt came next, and then she was lying on the bed, naked, spread wide and so fucking beautiful it hurt to look at her.

He smoothed his hands over her smooth skin, traced the few faint, silvery marks on her lower belly, proof of how her body had changed, grown swollen and round with his cub. Jesus, he wanted to howl with the injustice of it. Her asshole father had taken that from him. Another male had laid his hand on her belly, had felt Sawyer’s first kicks.

He leaned in, kissed the marks. ‘So beautiful.’

His need to claim became stronger, every instinct in him, screamed to take her, to mark her. Gripping her knees, he held her spread wide, exposed her to his hungry gaze. She was swollen and wet, more than ready for him.

‘Fuck.’

‘Now, please.’ She clawed at the sheets,

Tearing at the front of his own jeans he shoved them down, releasing his painfully hard cock, hips thrusting forward of their own accord.

But first he had to…

Dipping his head, he dragged his tongue through the centre of her pussy, groaning at the exquisite taste of her. She was so wet, so hot. Her fingers threaded through his hair, holding him to her, grinding against his mouth, his face. He held her hips, pinning her flat to the bed then toyed with her clit until she begged him to let her come.

Thrusting a finger inside her, he sucked the tight little bud and she came apart against his mouth.

He reared up, covered her body, hissed when the heat of her skin branded him. Past control, his claws extended. He dug them into the mattress, so he didn’t accidentally scratch her and tried to calm his breathing, to pull it back.

‘Wrap your legs around me.’ She did as he asked instantly. ‘Guide my cock inside you.’

He was so damn hard, when her fingers wrapped around him, guiding the tip to the slick opening of her pussy, he almost came there and then.

‘Oh God.’

She undulated beneath him, tried to take him all the way inside. Just like the first time, all those years ago.

‘Brace your arms against the headboard,’ he gritted out.

As soon as her arms lifted and she gripped the wooden slats above her head, he slammed into her. Tressa cried out, but her legs tightened around his hips, heels digging into his ass, and he knew he hadn’t hurt her.

‘Fuck.’

Gabe, buried his face against her throat, letting her scent, her warmth wash over him, fill him. He didn’t hold back, pounded into her, gave her everything he had, powerless to do anything else. He fucked her without mercy, stroke after powerful stroke, owning her, like he needed to. The sound of flesh meeting flesh filled the room along with their moans and gasps for breath. Then Tressa tensed, her hands coming down on his shoulders, nails digging in, her inner walls squeezing powerfully around his cock.

He covered her mouth to smother her cries, until she stopped clawing at his back and began to quiet beneath him.

His balls drew up tight, shot after shot of pleasure snaking down his spine, nailing him in the ass. He couldn’t sink his fangs into her, not yet, not the way he wanted to anyway. Beast and man growled, needing to mark her, needing to stake his claim over the female beneath him.

He pulled out of her quickly, and gripping his dick, jerked himself off hard and fast. He watched her, heavy-lidded and sated from her orgasms, and bit his lip to stop from shouting as he shot all over her tits and stomach. The sight of his come on her skin helped to ease the beast some, for now anyway.