Challenged (11 page)

“I met him at the tavern, papa. He’s a good werewolf.”

Her sire grunted. “Take him his plate and then go help your mother.”

Her mother didn’t need any help. And Ali had no desire to hang out with the

bitches, listening to them chatter about cubs and their mates. She wouldn’t argue with

her sire though. It would get her nowhere.

She balanced the two plates, grabbed silverware, and then took a deep breath. Stone

had turned his attention back to the group of werewolves around him. Darkness offered

some protection, although she knew more than one curious set of eyes watched her as

she took the plate to him.

Someone announced a group run, grabbing everyone’s attention in the yard just as

she reached Stone.

“Just the way you like it,” she whispered, nudging his arm as the others

surrounding him turned to holler back in agreement that a run sounded perfect.

“Yes. It is,” he said, looking down at her as he took the plate. “Did you lose the

prick?”

Ali smiled, enjoying how he didn’t want other werewolves around her. “He’d get

lost chasing his tail,” she told him, which brought out that crooked smile that she’d

dreamed about way too many times.

“He seems to know you fairly well. Obviously he doesn’t get lost following you

around.” Stone’s brooding stare bored right though her.

Heat swarmed through her so that she could hardly breathe. When she gulped in a

breath of air, it tasted like Stone.

“I was born in this pack. We grew up together. You have nothing to worry about.”

“Do I look worried?”

No. He looked anything but worried.

“Then you’ll run with me tonight?” Her stomach twisted in knots at her boldness.

She had to be with him though. And just thinking about stripping under the stars

with him at her side brought her insides to a boiling point. Her pussy throbbed as her

gaze dropped, taking him in. More Cariboo than should be legal.

Stone laughed. “Your sire isn’t going to let you run with me.”

Her heart started pounding in her chest. Need rushed through her with enough

fierceness that she couldn’t think. One thing mattered. She had to be with him—and

soon.

“Meet me behind the tavern at one.” She bit her lip until it hurt, not daring to look

away as he stared down at her.

“The run won’t be over by one,” he told her, although she smelled lust begin to

swarm around him.

She drank in his scent like a starving werewolf. Not even the smell of the steaks

between them drowned out the thick, rich smell of his sexuality. If the yard weren’t so

full of werewolves, she would dare to reach out, run her hand over his shaft. It had to

be hard as a rock.

“Meet me there,” she repeated, gripping her plate with both hands.

Her palms were so damp she couldn’t have managed to tear a piece of the meat off

with her fork if she’d tried. Not to mention the nervous flip-flops in her stomach would

make eating a task she had no desire to take on at the moment.

“You’re biting off more than you can chew, little bitch,” he growled, and then

gracefully managed to pull his own steak apart with his fork.

Holding the meat up on the fork, he brought it to her lips. Her mouth opened in

spite of the fact that steak was the last thing she wanted right now. She watched him as

he fed her.

“I wonder how much you can take,” he added, and tiny slivers of silver appeared

around his pupils.

Somehow she managed to chew and swallow the meat. A growl escaped him when

she licked the spices from the meat off her lips. Her breasts swelled, the ache that

throbbed throughout her responding to him.

It took her a minute to realize her mother called for her. More than likely warned by

her sire that she played with fire. And damn it, she was definitely in the heat. Stone

McAllister would burn her alive. And her need for him might take her out just waiting

for one in the morning to arrive.

At quarter ‘til one, she walked around the quiet building. Most of her pack

members raced through the mountains, enjoying the cold night air. Her mother and sire

hadn’t gone, much to her disappointment. And she thought she’d die waiting for them

to go to sleep. If they’d heard her leave the den, they hadn’t said anything.

Her heart pounded in her chest so hard it hurt when she walked around to the back

of the building. Sucking in the cold night air didn’t help any. She stared up at the sky,

so black and full of stars. All alone behind the building, nervous anticipation seeped

through her. What would she do if he didn’t show up?

“Feel like a fucking fool,” she grumbled to her self.

Slow, deep breaths did nothing to calm her racing heart. And the lump growing in

her throat made it hard to swallow.

“If he doesn’t show, you’re going to quit thinking about him.” She wouldn’t be able

to handle the humiliation of being stood up.

But damn it. She needed him so bad. Every fiber in her body ached for him. She

looked away from the stars. They were hardly distraction enough to keep her from

mentally calculating each second, every minute that she stood in the cold, waiting.

Maybe changing, hiding in the bushes and trees, and watching for him that way

would be better. A shiver rushed through her as she acknowledged how cold it was.

She jumped when a hand grabbed the back of her neck. Her instincts kicked in and

she tried to turn quickly, make her aggressor let go.

He was stronger than she was. “And what have you been taught about running by

yourself, little bitch?”

Stone’s breath sent heat rushing down her body. His deep baritone made every

muscle in her body shiver so that her legs suddenly were too weak. Adrenaline

pumped through her from being snuck up on, and at the same time relief washed over

her that he hadn’t stood her up. Suddenly she was a whirlwind of emotions. They

consumed her, making it hard to regain composure now that he was here.

Stone wrapped one hand around the back of her neck and the other hand covered

her mouth. He pulled her backwards, pressing his hard body against her backside, his

cock raging with hardness and pulsating against her ass.

Now she would surely die from need and being taken off-guard.

“You want something you can’t handle,” he told her, his tone sharp, almost

sounding angry.

As her senses cleared she could smell the wild still on him. The musty smell of his

beast mixed with alcohol and the aromas from the outdoors swarmed around her. She

tried to turn around, but he wouldn’t let her.

“I can fuck bitch after bitch. But you continue to torture my insides.” He definitely

sounded angry.

Ali struggled, not liking this. Just the thought of him pleasuring another bitch made

her insides roar with fury. Putting on a little muscle of her own, she struggled harder

under his grasp until he almost pushed her forward.

“And have you?” she snapped as soon as his hand was off her mouth.

“No.” His expression was a war of emotions, many that she smelled in the air

between them. “And that’s probably the problem,” he added, his brooding stare dark

and predatory.

She straightened her sweater, ready to take him on. Maybe she was a fool, but he

should be nicer to her. She hadn’t done a damn thing wrong.

“So if I went out and fucked other werewolves, I would quit thinking about you?”

She put her hands on her hips, watching as he grew in front of her.

He didn’t wear a shirt, and in spite of the cold night air, sweat clung to his body,

making it glow under the moonlight. His blond hair had some curl to it, damp from a

hard run. Corded muscles rippled under tanned smooth skin. Just staring at him made

her mouth go dry. He was right about one thing. She’d taken on more werewolf than

she could handle. And the thought of it excited her so much she throbbed with need,

with an ache so incredible it made it hard to think straight.

Stone let out a growl, pouncing toward her, grabbing her before she could turn

away. Although part of her didn’t want to move. She wanted his hands on her, rough or

otherwise, she needed him touching her.

“You liked what I gave you so much you’re going to turn into a slut, go fuck every

werewolf who howls after you?” He lifted her off the ground, giving her a quick shake

as he brought their faces close together.

She reached out, grabbing his hair, tugging against his roots as she tried to pull his

mouth to hers. “I liked what you gave me so much that I want you to give it to me

again.”

His arms snaked around her, pulling her against him with such fierceness that all

air left her lungs. Stone devoured her mouth. There was nothing gentle about him. His

actions, like his body, were hard and rough. And it ignited a fire in her that had

simmered for over a week now.

Raw. Hungry. Needy. She took him on with the same aggression he gave her.

Her fingers combed through his hair, tangling in it, feeling the softness of it, which

countered the roughness of his actions.

When he let go of her mouth, it took a minute to catch her breath. Panting as she

stared into his eyes, seeing the wild Cariboo that pulsed through his veins, her heart

pattered against his chest.

She brought her legs up, wrapping them around his hips, and rested her arms on

his shoulders, staring deep into the soul that had tormented her since she met him.

“What is it about you, Stone McAllister?” she asked.

“You got a taste of something you like.” His voice garbled, his teeth pressing

against his lips.

“That explains me then. But why did you come?”

She saw the emotions that she had smelled on him since he’d arrived war inside

him.

Stone pushed her away. She hit the ground hard, but stabilized quickly. He turned,

running his hand through his hair. There was no way he was walking away from her.

He’d come to her. She’d seen the need in his eyes. Emotions tore through him that he

might not wish to address, but he would, damn it.