Enemy Red (8 page)

“Red.”

“Fenris.”

They spoke at the same time.

He paused. “You first.”

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Her nipples pebbled under the long-sleeved pullover she wore. When she opened her eyes, they gleamed like topaz. “You’re free to go.”

He took a step towards her and stopped. “What?”

“I said, you’re free to go. You’re not a prisoner here. You have our thanks,” she said stiffly.

The glassy sheen gathering in her eyes alarmed him.

“Are you okay, Red?”

She coughed. “Just go, okay? Go back to the
Great
Forest
and your Silver Clan.
Jericho
will guide you safely through the woods. Know that we owe you a great debt—”

“Bullshit. What’s wrong with you?” He grabbed her by the arms and yanked her close. “This is because of my uncle, isn’t it? Well, I can’t help it. I am who I am.”

“What do you want from me?” she yelled, startling him with the depth of her anger. “I’m letting you go, giving you exactly what you want. Do you want an apology in blood, is that it?”

“What I want is you naked and in the middle of that bed,” he snarled and shifted into his werewolf, slicing through his clothes as he transformed. “I want to make the final claim on you I should have made days ago. And then I want to fuck you until you can’t walk. Until our pup grows in your belly. I want to stand by you and protect you for the rest of your life.”

She stared at him in awe and blinked away the tears streaming down her face. The scent of her fear receded, replaced by a mouth-watering arousal. “You do?”

He ran a claw over her cheek, mesmerized by her scent and by the glow of love in her gaze. “I love you, Red. But I can’t lie. I can’t go against my clan for you. I’ll do anything else you want. But I can’t turn against the family who raised me.”

“I should never have asked you to.” She sighed and nuzzled her cheek across his chest, mixing their scents. “You’re strong and big and mine. And though we’ve been dancing around it, you know you claimed me weeks ago. I haven’t forgotten waking up to find a wolf behind me, either.”

“Hmm. Yes, I remember that.” He ground against her belly, digging his cock into the hard plane of her abdomen. “Still, you’re not fully mine, yet.”

“But I want to be,” she said softly and took his furry face in her hands. “I love you, Fenris.”

“By the Wolf, it’s about time.” He nuzzled her cheek and stood back, letting her look her fill. “I’m so hard, it’s not going to take long to do this. And I promise, I’ll do my best not to hurt you.”

She didn’t flinch, his perfect mate. Red walked toward him and cupped his thick erection. Her touch made him groan.

“I happened to find an unguent in my father’s stash. It should help me take this monster up my ass.” She rubbed her hand over the head of his shaft, taking the milky evidence of his excitement and spreading it over him.

“Strip and get on the bed,” he growled, beside himself. Finally. The female would belong to him, and everyone would know it.

She took her sweet time shedding her clothing. Then she grabbed a small jar off her dresser and took it with her to the bed. Bent over, she dipped her finger in the container and proceeded to slick it between her ass cheeks.

So hard he could split wood, Fenris hurried to her and spread her wide. “Do it again,” he said hoarsely, fighting the urge to push deep inside her. He watched her work her slender finger around and inside her tight hole. “Good?”

“Not yet, but it will be. When are you going to stick it inside me?” she challenged and glanced over her shoulder at him.

He did what he’d been dying to do. He pushed her hand aside and mounted her. Shoving his large cock inside her pussy, he worked her, coating himself with her body’s natural lube. He rammed her so hard he thought she’d cry out for him to stop, but his mate only begged for more.

She screamed his name and clenched so hard around him, he almost spewed. But knowing this to be the moment, he pulled out and pushed into her tight ass. Working slowly but steadily, he finally breached her anus and sphincter and continued. Deeper and deeper, he slid into a frenzy, not helped by her continued moans.

With one hand, she reached down between her legs and cupped his balls. Unable to stop himself, he surged inside her.

“Fuck,” he roared and began taking her like the beast he was. The need to coat her and keep her ate at him until his need burst. Coming hard, he jetted inside her ass and continued to come. Like before, he pulled out and covered her back in semen. A large mess thanks to his werewolf genes, the fluid seeped into her skin and turned his pretty wolf into a warrior’s mate.

She screamed as she came again, the sensation of his magic merging with hers a pleasure he didn’t want to waste. Still hard, he surged back into her ass and began pumping. But not wanting to fill her there again, he withdrew.

“I need a spell to clean us up,” he rasped. When she didn’t do more than shudder, he tugged her hair to get her attention. “Dammit, Red. Clean my dick so I can stick it in your pussy, where it belongs.”

She waved a hand and cleaned him, then he was there. Heaven. Thrusting in and out of her wet channel, stretching her and filling her. She spasmed, sending shockwaves of desire through him.

On a groan, he swore and came one more time. Bending low, he gently nipped the mark he’d left the first time they’d joined, conscious of his sharp teeth, and continued to shoot, loving their mingled scent. No longer two wolves, but one heart. And one soul, he thought lazily as he shifted into a man’s form while inside her.

“Oh! Do that again.”

“Not yet, love. First, I need a moment to-- Fuck, Red,” he groaned as she made him come again. He tensed and cried out as she took everything he had left. Magical or not, only Red’s touch aroused him to such a pitch.

“Oh, no, Goldie. We’re just getting started,” she promised.

* * * *

Hours later, when Fenris had enough energy to rise, he made use of the facilities and returned to find his mate staring at him with a pleased expression on her face.

“Uh oh. What are you up to now?” he asked.

“Just loving the way you’re made. Who knew I had a thing for blonds?”

He chuckled and lay down on top of her, not surprised to find himself finally too tired to fuck her. “So, you taking it up the ass. I liked that.”

She snorted and toyed with his hair. “You would.”

“I think we should try it again later, maybe when I’m not so big. You know, in this form.” He leaned down to plant a kiss on her lips, not expecting to grow aroused from it. He groaned. “Have mercy, witch. You’re killing me.”

“Fenris,” she protested. “I’m too worn out. By the Wolf, you’re horny.”

“It’s not me, it’s you.” Settling between her firm thighs, he kept his hard dick right there. “You know, we have a lot to talk about, still.”

“But not yet. Not now.” Rudra brought his head down to hers and gave him a kiss that took his breath away. “For now, you’re mine.”

“You mean, you’re mine.”

“Who’s alpha here, pup?” she muttered and grinned when he frowned. “Now, why don’t you tell me about this Living Box I’ve been hearing about. Because it’s funny, but I woke up on the morning you arrived missing a hank of hair.”

He stared wide-eyed. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah. And my mother just happened to be strolling by the house when I felt it missing.”

“Your mother… I thought the sacrifice only worked on males.” Fenris grinned, feeling his heart lift.
Thank you, Wolf in the
Forest
. For all my blessings.
“Have I told you about my twin, Anson? I left him with my uncle at the ceremony. For all I know, he’s mated now as well. You have to meet him. You’ll love him.”

“Not as much as I love you.”

“I should hope not.”

* * * *

Two weeks later, Fenris walked into the middle of the Silver Clan’s village in the
Great
Forest
, surrounded by friends and family. With his tense mate by his side and several of his new clan behind him, he knew much rested on this careful introduction. He was placing a large amount of faith in his uncle, despite all that Red thought about him. But an interesting conversation with Rena and Rurik had convinced him to take the first step.

Now that the curse had been lifted from the Pavtek family with a simple spell, Red wanted to embrace their future. And what better way than bringing the Red Clan back where they belonged? To the
Great
Forest
of their birth.

“Fenris.” Uncle Mike stood with his arms crossed over his broach chest in the centre of the courtyard. Aunt Emily and Fenris’ three other uncles and cousins stood behind him. All around them, Silver Clan wolves gathered to stare at history in the making.

Red clasped his hand tighter, and he squeezed it to let her know not to panic—not that his alpha ever would. “Uncle Mike. I’d like you to meet my mate and new alpha, Rudra Pavtek.”

The silver wolves rumbled with surprise and shock. A female alpha? One that commanded one of their own? Then, too, Rurik’s presence had been detected, as had the bears and foxes with them. That they’d been allowed entry into the
Great
Forest
at all spoke of the wonder of this day.

Michael Barton stepped away from his wife and family until he stood directly in front of Fenris. Those closest to them looked away, but not Red, and not Fenris. Alphas didn’t bow to other alphas, nor did they feel the fear an alpha commanded over those he led.

“Hmm, she’s pretty enough.”

Fenris rolled his eyes when Red bared her teeth. His uncle bit his lip as if to cover a smile.

“As pretty as her mother, another great pain in my ass,” Mike said in a gruff voice. He nodded at Rena over Fenris’ shoulder. “Nice to see you again, Rena. And Rurik. Looking spry as always. For a human.”

Rurik told him to go to hell, and Mike grinned. Then he looked back at Fenris and frowned. “Still turning your back on your heritage, pup?”

The rumbling of the Red Clan behind him grew louder.

“He’s not a pup,” Red growled. “He’s my mate and the rightful alpha of this damn clan.”

“Actually, he’s not.” Mike handed them two locks of hair. One was hers, the other blond. “Your father showed up and gave me this a few weeks ago, about the same time I snuck a few strands from my hot-headed nephew. The Wolf in the
Forest
hasn’t been happy with me for a while now,” he said gruffly. “I did what I thought was right at the time. My golden brother barely survived his birthing, and we hit hard times. But Fenris, your father loved your mother, and he made me promise to find the same for you and your idiot twin the year you turned twenty-five. Don’t ask me how he knew, but he did.”

“So he was never a part of the Golden Clan?”Fenris had to ask.

“Hell, no. We put that rumour out there to protect the strength and memory of the great golden wolves. But after Lycos defeated the humans, he was the last. One or two are born every generation, and they’re male. Your father was golden, as are you and your brother. And if we’re so blessed, you’ll make more golden wolves with this one, here,” Mike said with a nod at Rudra.

He continued. “I put yours and Anson’s offerings, and Rudra’s, into the Living Box. And I prayed. And now here you are, the answer to my prayers.” Uncle Mike had tears in his eyes.

“Uncle Mike?” Fenris asked, worried.

His uncle turned and walked back to his family then addressed the gathering. “One and all, take note of this historic occasion. Blessed by the Wolf in the
Forest
, we rejoin clans and families long denied. As it was shown to me by the Great Wolf, we will know a time of peace ruled by a pair of alphas stronger than any we’ve ever seen. The heir of Lycos himself, Fenris Barton, and his mate, Rudra Pavtek, will rule jointly over our clan. No longer Red or Silver, we will henceforth be the Great Wolf Clan of the
Great
Forest
. And those who were once banished may return, wolf, bear, fox and more.”

“Except the cats,” someone called out from the crowd, causing a roar of laughter.

“Unfortunately, even them,” Uncle Mike grudgingly admitted. “From this day until the Wolf in the
Forest
declares otherwise.” He knelt and bowed his head to Fenris and Red.

A sudden stillness came over the air, and then the musical notes of wolf song filled the forest. The whisper of power sent a rainbow of light over the gathering, a single golden beam lighting Fenris and his mate, a sure blessing from the Wolf.

The congregation joined in song, and a terrific love flowed through the crowd.

“My mate, my heart,” Fenris whispered. “My enemy, no longer.”

“As if you ever were,” Red whispered back and kissed his cheek. “We love you, Fenris. Both of us.” She put his hand over her belly and smiled.

Fenris had finally come home.