Alyssa's Wolves (Wolf Masters, Book 4) (20 page)

Amy shook her head. “He’s fine. I moved him into a nursing home about six weeks ago. He’s eighty-seven now. His health was failing, and I couldn’t keep track of him anymore.

“He spent a great deal of time wandering the woods around the farm trying to see a wolf. Naturally, he did see you folks from time to time. I always considered it rather harmless. Just an old man on a Don Quixote quest for werewolves.” Amy chuckled but then sobered. “I’ll bet anything he’s responsible for the trap. Probably dug it years ago when he was still in perfect health, physically at least. I’m so sorry. It’s my fault for not paying better attention. I had no idea he was hiking so far from home. Is it possible the trap had been there for some time?”

Richard turned to Michael. “What do you think?” He glanced at Tyler next.

Tyler spoke. “It was very well disguised. Could have been there for years I suppose with leaves and debris camouflaging it more each season.”

“My dad isn’t well, but I’m going to see him this afternoon. I’ll see if I can get anything out of him. Maybe he can shed some light and confirm our suspicion.”

Richard stood. “That would be excellent. Amy, thank you so much for all your help. We really appreciate it. We’ll all sleep better knowing this isn’t some madman out to capture one of us.”

“Well, that wouldn’t be far from the truth.” Amy smiled as she stood. “My father certainly fits the description, but he didn’t have a harmful bone in his body. He just wanted vindication for his suspicions. I believe he was already suffering from dementia before the incident twelve years ago.”

Amy turned to Charles. “I’m so sorry for your mate’s tragic loss.”

“If it’s any consolation, ma’am, Jessica holds your father in very high regard. If it hadn’t been for him happening by at that precise moment, she truly believes those men would have killed her. His presence scared them off and saved her life. I’m just sorry the incident left him so scarred.”

Amy took Charles’ arm in her hand. “I’m glad he was at the right place at the right time. And don’t worry for a minute about his mental health. He was always rather strange, even when I was small. That event just gave him something new to focus on.” Amy grinned.

Chapter 14

“Alyssa?”
Tyler reached out for his mate as they drove back to the Masters’ farm.

“In the barn. Are you coming back soon?”

“On our way now.”
Tyler leaned back and glanced at Michael, relieved just to make contact with her.

“I’ll meet you at the house,”
Alyssa communicated.

Just her voice alone in his head made Tyler’s cock hard. He held himself rigid and turned to look at Michael. One crisis seemed to have been averted, but what about all the unanswered questions? He still couldn’t visualize living on this farm. He was an educated man with an advanced degree and no intention of throwing it away. Could he convince Michael and Alyssa to move to Denver? Should he turn that job down when the time came and look for something closer, like Portland? Turning down a good job in the current economy wasn’t exactly wise. Not to mention the pile of student loans Tyler needed to start paying back next month.

He’d only been in town a little over a day, and already he’d learned to block Michael from his thoughts. He could tell by looking at the man’s narrow gaze that Michael was straining to get into his head, unsuccessfully.

Michael smiled.
“You’re learning.”

Tyler raised his eyebrows.
“That’s a blessing.”

Charles turned the truck onto the gravel driveway, and Tyler looked out the window to see Alyssa standing on the front porch. She looked even younger than her twenty years the way she leaned against the railing waiting for them, a huge grin on her face.

As soon as they approached, she bounded down the stairs and headed toward the truck.

In his peripheral vision, Tyler noticed Charles and Richard disappearing toward the barn as soon as the engine stopped. He and Michael were left in front of the house with a sexy little pixie sauntering their way.

“Well?” She cocked a hip and leaned against it when she got within about a foot of Tyler.

Michael stepped around Tyler and pulled Alyssa into his embrace. He planted a long kiss on her lips, leaving Tyler beside them filled with a mixture of jealousy and desire. It was still weird thinking of sharing this woman with another man for his entire life, but on the flip side, his cock jumped to attention in his jeans whenever he saw her in action with Michael. Nature must have precisely perfected the plan for them. And who was Tyler to deny nature?

Watching Michael pleasure her was titillating. The moan that escaped her mouth as Michael broke free nearly made Tyler groan himself.

Alyssa squirmed to turn around in Michael’s arms and reached for Tyler. He didn’t hesitate. Making a sandwich out of her, Tyler grasped her hips under Michael’s arms and took her mouth in a kiss that rivaled Michael’s. He swallowed her second moan, and Tyler arched forward to press his erection into her stomach.

“Hmm.” Alyssa opened her eyes as she pulled back about an inch. “You didn’t answer my question. How’d it go? What happened?” Her pale blue eyes bore into Tyler.

Michael spoke from her back, nibbling a path across her neck between every few words. “It seems the trap was easily blamed on our neighbor’s aging father and his quest to ‘catch’ a werewolf.”

Alyssa’s eyes shot open wider.

Tyler smiled at her. “I don’t think we have to worry. He’s old and in a nursing home now. But he always suspected he was surrounded by wolves and hoped to prove it. Perhaps he thought if he caught one, he could see one of us shift.”

“Let’s go inside.” Michael nudged the trio forward with his hips. “Newly mated trios were not meant to be separated like that. I need you.” His last words were whispered into Alyssa’s ear, making her shiver beneath Tyler’s fingertips.

Alyssa leaned her head back against Michael’s shoulder, exposing her neck to Tyler’s view. He leaned forward, intent on setting his mouth over the corded muscles reaching from her shoulders to her chin.

“We have a lot of unanswered problems to discuss.” Her words stopped Tyler in his tracks.

“I know.” Michael ran his hands up her arms and held her shoulders. “And I’m sure we’ll have many more in the future, but can we worry about some of that later?”

Tyler stared at the lines extending from the corners of her eyes as she narrowed her gaze. He reached with one hand and rubbed them away with a finger. “Please know that Michael and I are one hundred percent committed to our future with you. No matter what. Sure, there’s a lot to discuss, but we’ll figure it out and make whatever choices are most beneficial to us as a unit.”

Her face softened as she gazed into his eyes. A smile slowly spread that made Tyler’s heart beat faster.

“Is anyone home?” Michael’s question broke the momentary silence.

“No. Your mom went to Tessa’s. It looks like your dad and Charles headed to the barn.”

“I have the biggest bedroom, and a bed that we can actually all lie in without falling off the edge.” Michael released Alyssa and grabbed her hand, dragging her toward the house.

Tyler followed on their heels. He smelled her arousal even though she glanced around as if making sure no one was watching.

“Babe,” Michael began as he turned back toward her, “we are newly mated. The last of my family. My parents are well aware of the hormones that rage through newly mated couples. That’s why they’re scarce. They understand.” He kept walking backward toward the house.

“It’s still embarrassing … thinking that everyone knows what we’re doing all the time.”

Michael stopped moving. A grin lit up his face. “There are other places on the property we could go. Why don’t we take a few days and head for the cabin to the north?” He glanced at Alyssa and then Tyler.

It wasn’t as though Tyler had someplace else to be, so he just shrugged.

“Just leave?” Alyssa twisted to look at Tyler.

Michael continued. “Why not? Surely no one will miss us. Until this week neither Tyler nor I were even here. Are you currently indispensable?”

“Ha ha. That’s not funny. I do as much as I can to help out.”

Michael pulled her in close. “I was just teasing you. I’m sure my parents can live without you for a few days while we get away. It’ll give us time to get to know each other better and make plans for the future.”

“Let’s do it.” Tyler kissed Alyssa on the neck, just a short peck that made him long for more. She smelled so sweet, a combination of some citrus shampoo and body wash.

Alyssa smiled up at them both and shook herself free of their clutches. “All right.” Ass swinging provocatively, she headed for the house. “You comin’, or what?”

*

The idea was crazy. Other than the one time in her life when she’d run away from Oklahoma to avoid an arranged marriage, Alyssa had never been particularly spontaneous. But this was important, and she couldn’t think of a single argument against the plan.

Each of them headed for their own rooms to pack a quick bag. She thought she’d been rather quick, but when she returned, she found both men already at the front door.

“Ready?” Michael reached for her bag.

“You two are fast.” Alyssa glanced around at the various packs and even a cooler. “How long did you say we were staying?”
Did I pack enough clothes?

“Trust me.” Tyler cupped her cheek. “You won’t need much in the way of clothes.” His smile made her tingle all over. His fingers sent warmth traveling from her face all the way down her body, as though a blanket had been laid over her. In fact, she even felt the heavy pressure of that blanket soothing her.

“I packed plenty of food and let my parents know where we were headed. Let’s go.” Michael stooped to grab several items.

In no time at all they were loaded up. Alyssa intended to climb into the seat behind the driver in the cab, but both men shook their heads and pushed her into the middle of the front bench between them. They took up too much space and crowded her as Michael drove away.

Alyssa squirmed in her seat. She couldn’t escape their touch. A shoulder would brush her and then a thigh. She felt overheated. For the first time in her life, her wolf hovered beneath the surface, waiting to shift. The tingly sensation just beneath her skin heightened her awareness of both her mates. She needed them. Now. “How far is it to the cabin?”

Michael grasped her fingers and pulled them to his lips, keeping his eyes on the road. “It’s only a few miles, but the road isn’t paved, so we can’t go too fast.” He glanced at her with a wink. “Will you make it?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Could they tell how much she wanted them?

Tyler chuckled. “We can smell your arousal, Ali. It’s like ambrosia.”

Alyssa started bouncing her legs up and down in a nervous twitch. In synchronization, both men grasped her thighs at once, each squeezing a leg and holding her still. Alyssa sucked in a breath and held it. The scent of her mates was filling the truck, and she couldn’t breathe without inhaling their essence. Maybe if she held her breath.

“Think I could talk her into an orgasm without touching her?” Tyler leaned over Alyssa to look at Michael as though she weren’t there.

“I’d sure like to watch
her
do it,” Michael responded.

Alyssa gasped. Was he talking about watching her masturbate? She shook her head without thinking.

“Oh yeah.” Tyler rubbed his hand up and down her thigh until his fingers were grazing over her sex with each pass. She couldn’t concentrate on his words. “I think we should demand a show first chance we get.”

What? A show?
The men continued to ignore the subtle shake of her head. Alyssa hadn’t even touched herself before she’d met them, alone, in the privacy of her room. No way would she be able to masturbate for an audience.

Tyler released her leg and grasped her fingers. She hadn’t realized her hand was resting on his thigh or that she held on to him with a death grip. “You’re cutting off the circulation to my foot,” he teased.

Luckily the trip was short. As soon as the truck rolled to a stop, Tyler opened his door and climbed out. Thank God because Alyssa didn’t think she could stay one more second in that vehicle without moaning.

She turned toward the cabin. True to its name, it was a quaint little dwelling made out of logs. It was not neglected however. For a structure she’d never known existed, it was incredibly well maintained. The front was postcard perfect with manicured bushes and wild flowers that appeared to be strategically placed around the front steps.

“It’s lovely.” Alyssa wandered toward the front door. “Who uses it? Why is it way out here in the middle of nowhere?” She turned to Michael.

“Groundskeepers maintain the outside once a week. Any of us use it, most often when we just need to get away for a few days or even a few hours. There’re a lot of people in my family. Sometimes someone needs a break.”

“It’s perfect. Isolated but close to the main house.”

“Exactly. But far enough away that you can scream as loud as you want while we make you orgasm, and no one will hear you.” Michael’s words were gentle, even, as though he were merely mentioning the weather forecast. When Alyssa turned around to face him, he was right on her heels. He leaned in and took her mouth while his hands landed on her forearms.

Alyssa’s eyes fluttered shut, blocking out the blinding sun high in the sky. It was a chilly day, but she suddenly felt much warmer than she should. She angled her head to one side to encourage Michael to deepen the kiss and was rewarded when he slipped his tongue into her mouth and explored every crevice.

Alyssa melted a little more when Tyler’s hands landed on her waist and inched around to meet in the center. He pressed his front to her lower back, his rock-hard length impossible to ignore.

Alyssa leaned back and broke the suction Michael had on her mouth. “I’m betting there’s a bed inside this place.”

“There’re a lot of surfaces inside the cabin. Wanna see?”

The word
surfaces
sent a shiver down her arms where Michael held them. Images of what might happen on those surfaces raced through her mind. When would this fevered sexual frenzy end?