Dangerously Red (A Dark and Dirty Tale) (4 page)

I hadn’t planned on coming back to Castle Arcana. Not until this ceremony. I want nothing more than to continue my hunt and avenge my parents’ deaths, but how could I turn my back on the pack now, when they need me more than ever? I can’t leave my grandmother in this state. And Ivy—
damn, that woman
—needs me. No,
I need her.
More than I previously thought. But after hearing her call out my name in front of everyone, the name pounding loud and true in her heart, how can I turn away?

I can’t.

That’s the simple answer. Nothing can drag me away now.

You think your fucking homecoming is a problem? You underestimate me.
Lukas pushes the thoughts through his mind as he paws at the ground, promising an attack.
You’ll be easy to get rid of. Like flicking a half-dead fly.

You think so?
I taunt.

He throws his head back and growls, turning it into a snorting kind of laugh.
You can’t be any harder to kill than your father.

Pure fury lurches through my veins. I see nothing but red and black and Lukas’s marred face in my shrinking field of vision.

He wouldn’t go down at first,
Lukas projects.
He was a fighter, I’ll give him that. I had to get crafty and use your mother to distract him. As for you, I didn’t think I’d have to take you out. Not after I sent you around the world on that wild goose chase. But you came back, and I’ll admit I was worried. Until now. You attacked me before the Omega has formally accepted your return. Once you’re properly punished for the dissension you displayed today, I’ll finally be free to rule the pack the way I see fit…with Ivy at my side.

With a battle cry ripped from the deepest part of my soul, I dive toward his face and scrape both my paws over his head. He bounds to the right, striking back with deadly heavy paws of his own. His claws pierce my flesh and tear through my fur as they drag along my ribs. He’s leaner than I am, and lethally fast, deflecting each move I make. Blocking my assault. Dodging my blows. I search for an opening, any slipup that would give me the chance I need.

From out of nowhere, a flash of gray appears and leaps onto Lukas’s back. Before my eyes can even interpret the blur of gray on black, before my brain can wrap around what’s happening, the largest wolf I’ve ever seen sinks its enormous fangs into Lukas’s neck and twists.

The move is clean. Quick. His furry body goes limp and drops to the hardwood with a dull thud. The faint sound of his heartbeat emitting from his chest warns Lukas is still alive. Barely, but still. He’s been overpowered, shamed, and painfully defeated. All publicly. He’ll recover, I’m sure, but he’ll never rule the pack again.

As the gray wolf lifts its massive head and dismounts, I finally get a good look at it. Razor sharp ridge over its back. Thick haunches. Protruding muscles. Wide muzzle. Lethal fangs dripping with blood. Beady eyes. Definitely the largest, most menacing wolf I’ve seen in my entire life.

Wait—
Grandmother?

In the fur,
she says, pushing her thoughts back to me.

As waves of wonder roll through the pack, the wolves bow obediently, once again pledging their loyalty to their one true Omega—the biggest and strongest of any of us.

I didn’t think you could shift anymore,
I project, lowering my muzzle to the stage.

I’m sure there are many here who shared your doubts.
She pads around Lukas, and nudges her chin at her guards. They clamber over and drag him away.
But I have never felt the need to make a public show of my incomparable strength. Not when I can rule perfectly fine without it. But I tell you honestly, Reaper, if I had known what happened to your parents—what Lukas had done—I would have cleaned house a long time ago.

I know.

I am sorry for your loss, and for your cousin’s deceit,
she says.
But I am glad this means your hunt has finally ceased, and you can return to the pack. We’ve missed you, dear boy. You are reinstated as Alpha immediately.

The pack erupts in a symphony of howls that is music to my ears. Elation floods my middle as I realize what this means. I’m home, finished with the search. My hunt is finally over. A great sense of relief washes over me as I realize I can stay and grow old here with werewolves who are more family than friends. And Ivy. She’s been the greatest surprise of all.

As I was about to say before Lukas interrupted, you two are a perfect match.
The Omega steps aside so I can get a good look at Ivy.
You are hers, and she is yours.

Standing in front of the throne, Ivy crosses her arms in front of her to cinch her crimson cloak closed. Her eyebrows pinch together in confusion as she watches us. She can’t understand what we’re saying until she shifts for the first time. Her cheeks are flushed pink, but it seems as if the rest of the color has drained from her porcelain-pale face. I search her eyes for signs of fear, but come up blank. She’s cautious, her gaze flickering from Lukas to the Omega and back to me, but she appears relieved. Her shoulders have dropped slightly, and a calm, comforted smile curves her luscious lips.

Continue forward with Ivy tonight,
the Omega projects,
and complete your bond. She is your match in every way…and I believe some part of you might have known it from the first moment you met her. Go back to that place where you first set eyes on her, let your intention be known, and you will be blessed all the days of your life.

I exhale heavily, letting happiness rumble through me. It’s over. All of it. Whatever mess Lukas made is going to be straightened out. The final papers for the merger will remain unsigned. My grandmother will go down in history as the most badass Omega wolf—I’m sure legends will be told about her strength and reserve for years to come. We’ll be a peaceful pack. A close-knit family. The way a wolf pack should be.

And Ivy will be at my side through all of it.

As long as I can successfully guide her through her first transition.

Chapter Four

Ivy

It’s finally over.

I thought this moment would never come.

Pushing out the French doors and stepping into the night, I raise my hands and face to the sky. It’s freezing cold, the expansive garden covered in a lush blanket of white, but the snowstorm has moved on. Diamond clusters of stars pierce the inky black sky, and directly overhead, the full moon shines large and bright like a freshly minted silver dollar.

“It’s done,” I think aloud, brushing my hands up and down my arms. “I can’t believe it.”

Reaper steals behind me, wrapping me up in his strong embrace, and nuzzles into my neck. “I’ve had my head down for years, been so focused on my hunt…I don’t think I tried once to envision what my life would look like when it was finally over. I knew instinctively that the pack would welcome me back, but I never thought, not for one second, that I’d be bonded at the end of it. It’s definitely a surprise.”

Heat rises to my cheeks as I stare out over the garden, to the bench where we first met. “A good surprise?”

“The best,” he says, spinning me around so I can gaze up into his midnight-black eyes. “Six hours ago, I was prepared to storm into the castle, do some work for my grandmother, and leave before morning. But you—you changed all that. You’ve changed everything.”

As he brushes the back of his hand down my cheek, I let my eyes flutter closed and replay everything that happened over the last few hours. I’ve been trapped in a maelstrom of emotions that flipped from lust to anger to happiness and fear and then whiplashed back again. I was intrigued and enticed by Lukas, and satisfied beyond anything I could’ve imagined. But Reaper was there through it all, the echo in the back of my head and the murmur in my heart.

Some part of me always knew Reaper was going to be in my life.

“And now there’s only one thing left.” His voice rumbles over my skin, illuminating something inside me. “Are you ready?”

“To turn into a wolf?”

“You’ve been putting it off for a long time. Did your parents give you any insight on the process before they passed away?”

“Not much.” Keeping my steps slow so I don’t trip over my cloak, I tiptoe down the snow-covered stairs that lead to the garden. I can feel Reaper at my side, his pace effortlessly in tune with mine. His presence alone soothes the nerves rattling in my belly. “Since my father’s health was declining fast, my mother put all her energy into getting him healthy again. And then when we lost him, we thought we’d have all the time in the world to go over my shifting. I wasn’t ready for her death to come on the heels of his.”

“We’re never ready. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from the tragedy of losing my parents, it’s that you have to live in the moment. If you spend too much time analyzing your past or planning your future, you could royally fuck up your present.”

“Poetic,” I tease.

He shrugs. “I try.”

Resting his hand on the small of my back, he guides me through the garden full of shrubs and trees and blossoming winter flowers. “I’m glad I can be with you for your first shift tonight. I don’t want you to worry. I’ll make sure you transition smoothly.”

Anxiety ratchets up my arms. “Have you guided anyone through this before?”

“No, but you’re in good hands.”

Actually, “good” is such a bland word to describe them. His hands are capable, strong, and protective. And with a single touch, he can bring me to my knees.

As the trail bends beneath a flowering arch, he leads me through first. And then the bench—
our bench
—comes into view. It is where he pleasured me for the first time. The place where he touched me, scorching my skin with the skill of his hand. He pinned me against him, trapped me in his arms, and assaulted me with the wet heat of his mouth.

It was there, right then, that he changed me.

And now that change was going to sear all the way through me. Blood to bone. Skin to fur. Teeth to fang. Will it hurt? What happens if I can’t shift all the way and I’m stuck halfway between the two forms? I’ve never heard of it happening, but leave it to me to be the first freakish wolf-woman of the pack.

“Your mind is racing about the details of the shift.” He coils his arms around my waist and pulls me against him, but this time, I’m a bundle of nerves and unable to calm down. “I can nearly hear your wheels turning. But the more anxious you are, the more painful it will be.”

“What?” I blow out a shaky breath. “No one told me that.”

He strokes his hands up and down my arms. “Once you’re more practiced at shifting, it won’t be painful at all, even if you’re nervous or distracted. You won’t have to spend any brainpower on it because you’ll instinctively know what to do. It’s like riding a bike.”

“Yeah, but riding and transforming are two different things. If you had to turn into a Schwinn, I’m sure you’d be concerned about where those handlebars were going to end up at the end of it. What if I can’t do this?”

“You can do anything, Ivy.”

“I don’t know about that.”

He lowers his mouth to mine and brushes my lips with the softest of touches. “You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for. We’re going to take this slow, okay? And I’m going to be here the whole time. Now close your eyes and try to relax.”

Taking a deep breath, I do as I’m told, though, not thinking about being nervous makes it worse. It’s like someone telling you not to think about elephants, and then suddenly all you can think about are big gray elephants with floppy ears and wagging tales and the way baby elephants look on those YouTube videos when they’re—

“Ivy,” Reaper snaps.

I chance a glance at him with one eye. “Yeah?”

“Focus.”

“Right.” I pinch my eyes closed with a sigh. “Wolves, not elephants.”

“What?”

Shaking my head, I giggle nervously. “Nothing.”

Reaper’s hands cover my shoulders, and as he starts to massage them, I almost forget we’re standing on a snow-covered path in the middle of Castle Arcana’s garden. My body is warm and tingly, and as long as he’s here, touching me this way, holding me against him, I could be anywhere.

“That’s better,” he whispers.

Oh, he’s close.
His mouth hovers over mine with the promise of a blistering kiss. He holds my hands in his and grazes his thumbs over my knuckles.

I get to be with him for the rest of my life?

Score.

“Now listen to my voice and tune out everything else.” The huskiness in his tone rumbles through the air like thunder. “Think about something that makes you blissfully happy.”

You.

“Got it,” I say softly, picturing the ruggedly-handsome features of his face. Strong jaw, full lips, wide eyes. “What’s next?”

“Concentrate on that thought and the way it makes you feel.”

As an image of Reaper bracing himself over me, and driving into my depths, sweeps into my mind, fluttery sensations scatter across my skin. I can picture the blazing heat in his onyx eyes, feel the protectiveness of his hands as they grip me around the waist. Flashes of his bulging muscles flexing over me invade my thoughts, and before I know it, I’m nearly panting from the mental image.

“Hold that thought,” he says as his fingers tunnel into my hair. “That’s it. Now take all those feelings swirling inside you and force them into a hard knot in your stomach. Push them all down. Condense them into one pulsing image.”

Pulsing.

The word makes my knees quake and my stomach tumble. My mind searches the time we’ve spent together for memories, snapshots of moments when Reaper had me convulsing and screaming out his name, and gathers them into a kind of mental slideshow. The fragments of pleasure blend into one erotic image. It’s sex and passion and delicious sensation, and I can barely stand the pressure as the memories assault my mind and threaten to take me over completely.

“That’s it, Ivy.” Reaper’s voice enters my consciousness, though it sounds distant. “Focus on those feelings, on that one image, and then, with a hard exhale, let it go. Feel the sensations blast through your entire body.”

On his command, I focus hard, and when I think about the heat behind Reaper’s kiss, I can’t see anything but the blaze of desire in his dark eyes. Can’t feel anything but the skill of his hands as they possess my body. When the pressure building inside me rises to a fierce peak, I explode outward, rippling with my own release. It’s orgasmic and volatile and beautiful, and I’m so filled with light that I’m temporarily blinded by its brilliance.

For the first time in my life, I feel unbelievably, vibrantly
alive.

Good God, Ivy.
It’s Reaper. He’s standing back from me now. His voice is further away, but his tone is insanely clear. It’s almost as if he’s in my head.
You’re fucking magnificent.

As electric currents buzz through my veins, I open my eyes. Reaper is in wolf form, sitting back on his haunches a few feet away from me. His black eyes are round and wide, but I see
him
in them. As if I’ve known him my whole life.

How do you feel?
he asks, though his lips don’t move.

I feel my face scrunch in confusion.
I didn’t think I could hear you unless I was a wolf.

Ivy, you are. You did it.
He pads over and nudges me with his furry neck.
And you’re absolutely transcendent.

It’s only when I don’t feel his fur brush against my skin that I glance down. I don’t have skin at all. Sleek golden fur covers my body, from my back to my belly and down my narrow legs. My paws are small and dainty, and as I shake my head, I feel a set of pointy ears flop around.

This is the strangest feeling.
I project the thought without knowing exactly how.
I feel like me, but not like me at the same time. I don’t know how to explain it.

You don’t have to try and put anything into words right now,
he says.
Just be in this moment and let yourself experience it fully.

Excitement bursts through me as I spring off my back legs and circle him. The snow feels soft against my feet—
paws,
I mean—and my legs are strong, bounding me over the ground with little effort. I’m powerful, yet graceful, as each steps lands softly in a pillow of white.

No one could have described this to me,
I push out as I ram playfully into his side.
Words could never do it justice.

And that’s why no one tries. You have to go through it yourself.

I’m in tune with every part of nature on a level I never thought possible. When I strode through the garden before, I could appreciate the trees and flowers and lushness of the garden, but now I’m an integral part of it. I’m the breeze ruffling the leaves on the dogwood trees, and the sweet scent of a Camellia flower. I’m the wind rustling my fur, and the frigid air in my lungs, and the twinkling stars overhead.

I’m all of those things, no longer experiencing them from the outside. I’m a part of nature: an animal and beast, yet completely myself.

I can’t believe we get to be this way every full moon for the rest of our lives,
I say, shaking my head.
It’s the most magical thing that’s ever happened to me.

I couldn’t agree more.

The tenderness in his voice has me turning around to face him. He’s staring at
me
, as if I’m magical to him. Swooning inside, I take him in, from his wide snout to the fangs protruding from his black gums. There’s no doubt he’s a lethal predator, but his eyes illuminate a kindness in his soul that grips me.

Are you ready to be bonded to the Alpha?
he asks.

Swallowing hard, I brush my nose against his.
How do I shift back?

That’s the easy part.
He shuffles back a few paces.
Close your eyes. Picture yourself standing right where you are, but in human form. You’ll feel heat and a zinging in your arms and legs, but it’ll end a few seconds later. When you open your eyes, you’ll be your old self again.

But that’s not true. Now that I’ve unleashed my wolf form, I’m forever transformed. My eyes are open, my future brighter than I ever dreamed.

And I know, unequivocally, I’ve made the right choice. The
only
choice my heart could ever make.

I replay his words in my head and close my eyes. Waves of heat roll through me, flooding my chest and sending prickles of awareness through my arms and legs. When I open my eyes, I’m standing before Reaper as I was before. Except now I’m naked. And he is, too.

“You’re majestic as a wolf,” he says, wrapping me up and hauling me against him. “But this is my favorite form on you.”

“Nude?” I tease, pressing my breasts against his chest.

“Fuck, yeah.” And then he kisses me, unwinding any tension that might’ve been lingering from before the shift. “Are you sure you’re ready to be bonded with me for the rest of your life? We’re kind of hitting the point-of-no-return mark here.”

As my chest flutters with happiness, I grind my hips against his erection. “I’m sure.” And then I take his hands and lead him to the wrought-iron bench where we first met. Guiding him to sitting, I straddle his thighs and situate myself over his hips. I hover over him, my breasts in his face. “But I should ask you the same thing. Are you ready to be mine tonight?”

“No, not tonight,” he says on a hiss. “Forever.”

And then, gripping my hips, he sheaths his thick length inside me. I gasp at the rawness of the contact, at the blast of heat that shoots through my core. Rolling my hips over him, working his cock against the walls of my most sensitive flesh, I lean forward, thrusting my breasts into his face. He groans as he licks a hot line through my cleavage, and then sucks my right nipple into his mouth. Kneading my rear, he guides me in a slow rhythm, but it’s not long before passion rises and I’m bucking and writhing and coming apart from the bliss of it all.

“Ivy,” he purrs, giving attention to my left breast by sucking hard. “My Red.”