Her Alpha Protector (6 page)

Fangs bared, Seth leaped into the air and came down on Hunter’s back, his claws tearing into his side where a glaring wound already lay. Angel gasped and it was only the heavy press of the other wolf that kept her back where she belonged. They didn’t understand—this was not Hunter’s fight! It was hers, and the cold fear that Hunter might just lose settled into her gut. She couldn’t go back with Seth—
wouldn’t
—and she knew that if Hunter lost, her life would be forfeited as well. There was no way she could just sit back and watch Seth kill him.

Paws dancing against the ground, she shifted back and forth, clouds of dust rising from her movements. Anxious, afraid, there were only so many emotions she could suffer.

Hunter shook clear of Seth and turned, his massive paw striking against Seth’s jaw. Her former alpha collapsed to the ground, his dark eyes spearing her once before he jumped back to his feet and struck out with his own attack.

Blow for blow, she watched, each strike landing against Hunter met with her own soft whine. It was unbearable. That they expected her to just stand back and watch them throttle and pound on each other was ridiculous. But every time she moved, Hunter’s wolves were there, pushing her back with a hardened glitter to their eyes that had turned threatening.

Something in the air shifted and Angel tensed. Hunter shirked to the side, feinting when Seth struck next. Lightning quick, Hunter turned and lunged, his score flawless. Whetted teeth sank into Seth’s throat, claws digging into his back. A sharp cry fell from Seth’s lips a moment before he crumpled, a scarlet mess now where his throat had once been. Prancing back, she stared down at the dark blood pooling in the grass. A low whine leaked from her lips, the image of Seth thrashing on the ground all she could see, his leg twitching in an attempt to fight off the final throes. Angel couldn’t tear her gaze from his voided eyes, the life within already fading. How many times had she dreamed of this moment, pictured his lifeless form sprawled before her feet? Seth had lost. She had won—her freedom, her life,
everything.

Her chest heaved with unrestrained excitement, her heart soaring in her chest. She found Hunter standing in the clearing, watching her carefully, as though waiting to see what she would do. Time seemed to stop as they gazed across the bloodied field at one another. Her first steps toward him were awkward, her rubbery knees struggling to keep her upright. It was all so overwhelming, she needed a moment to sit and think about all that was about to change.

Had she not been watching him, she might not have noticed the small shift in structure at Hunter’s back. One of Seth’s wolves—Jordan, if she remembered correctly—lowered toward the ground, his muscles coiling beneath him as he prepared to spring.

There was no hesitation in either Jordan or Angel, no thought that he was surrounded by Hunter’s entire pack and that this was a futile move on Jordan’s part. All she could taste was her fear as she watched him vault toward Hunter. Angel’s heart clenched and without a second wasted, she sprinted forward and leaped over Hunter’s back, her paws striking Jordan down. She let her instincts guide her and sank her teeth into the familiar neck. Before this night, she’d never lifted a paw against any of Seth’s wolves, knowing what punishment would await her. It was strange to feel fur in her mouth as she shook him furiously. He bucked against her and sent her flying, his claws cutting into her shoulder as she fell, but the pain was nothing compared to the fear of what
might
have happened. She braced, waiting for his return attack, when the wolf suddenly went sailing through the air, slamming to the ground with a shuddering breath.

Between her and Jordan stood a towering inferno of midnight fur, eyes snapping with a fury that hadn’t been present when he’d fought Seth. His possessive growl awoke something within her, something she found she
liked.
Lost to these new feelings, she hardly took notice of Hunter stalking across the clearing, his powerful jaws snapping Jordan’s neck.

Hunter turned in a circle, his deadly stare narrowing on each of Seth’s remaining wolves until one stepped forward. Angel recognized William the moment he shifted back to human. He was one of the few that had always let her be; she knew he meant no harm to Hunter.

“Peace,” William rumbled in a voice deeper than she remembered.

He cast Hunter a wary look before finally turning to Angel and taking a knee before her. Gentle fingers fell to her shoulder, and when a small gasp rose from her lips, Hunter was there, butting William back—her guardian standing before her.

With a small nod, William’s hands fell away from her. “We all witnessed what transpired here tonight,” he began, looking to each of his wolves with a watchful eye. “I will take
my
wolves and leave your territory.”

Hunter’s head dropped in his own nod.

“Angelica,” William murmured with an extended hand. “You can return with us, should you like.”

All eyes swiveled to her, Hunter’s included. A subdued pain chased over his face, but eventually he nodded and stepped away. Not once did those eyes leave hers and she could see the silent plea within for her to remain with him. But for once, the decision was hers alone.

“I’m sure your family would enjoy hearing that you are alive and...well.” William forced out the last word, a hint of a questioning lingering on it.

Her family.
It had been so long since she had seen or spoken with them. A warm nose brushed hers and Angel jerked her gaze away from William, meeting Hunter’s verdant eyes, lit with worry. His head cocked and he silently regarded her, his nose lifted into the air as he scented her emotions. Angel could hardly think past the layer of confusion twining in her stomach. This was what she had always wanted and finally the time had come.

But did she want to return to her old life? Or did she want the new one presented before her? Hunter was her mate, she knew that now. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind. And with that realization came the knowledge that she could never leave him and that he would never let her go. It was different than with Seth—Hunter would never force her, but he would
die
for her, and she him—as she’d just proved. What more could either of them ask? As far as she was concerned, it was the easiest decision she’d ever had to make. Burying her head beneath his chin, she brushed against his side. Stress poured off his body in waves as he wound around her, rubbing his cheek against hers.

William’s chuckle was soft and forgiving. “I thought not,” he whispered as he backed away and directed his wolves toward the gates. “Be well, Angelica,” was the last thing he murmured before he vanished with his pack.

She hardly heard a word William said as Hunter bowed over her and swiped his tongue across her paw. The feel of his hot breath threading through her fur dragged her attention down where she watched him lick the blood from her foot.

The movement of his own wolves brought both their heads up and with a quick look back at her, Hunter stepped forward and unfolded from his wolf.

Chapter Eight

His hands were on her shoulder before she could stop him, touching and prodding the wound carefully. Anger controlled his every movement and so she held perfectly still. Even kneeling, he was larger than she and her eyes kept falling to the long, hardened length standing tall and proud from between his legs. It was normal to see such a thing—he’d just won a challenge and Angel had shown both packs that she would be his mate.

“Brody,” Hunter growled, snapping his fingers at the wolf next to her.

Both she and his second jerked their eyes to Hunter.

“Take the others and leave. I have some...unfinished business to attend to.”

The look he gave Angel lit her stomach with desire. She knew what business he meant and her memories flitted to their morning escapade.

Brody’s head dropped and with a short bark he turned and left the clearing, a couple dozen wolves following in his wake. Only when they left did Angel dare shift back to her human form, stepping into it with a grace she’d never possessed before.

Pain twisted Hunter’s face and the tips of his fingers met the trio of gashes cut into her shoulder. She couldn’t help but shiver, the warmth of his digits successfully renewing her desire.

“I told you to stay inside,” he murmured as he studied the wound.

“I couldn’t,” she whispered. “I couldn’t just sit there and wait to see who came to find me. I had to know that you won.”

Something dark shifted behind his eyes and he turned to her. “To know that you were free,” he muttered in a tight voice.

Her breath caught as she cupped his cheek, her thumb tracing his jaw as he’d done to her. “No. To know you were safe. I couldn’t—” She paused.

“Couldn’t what?” Hunter asked, stepping into her until they were flush against one another. The feel of him throbbing against her was almost too much and her lashes fluttered as she struggled to rein in her thoughts. “Couldn’t what, love?”

She broke right there, hearing such an endearing term fall from his lips so easily. For a moment she wanted to sob with relief and happiness that the nightmare was finally over. She wanted to rejoice in the fact that she’d awakened, and with it came a new life.

“Angel,” he murmured in a soft voice that did odd things to her heart. What anger he’d felt before this was gone and was now replaced with an adoration that filled his eyes. “Couldn’t what?”

“Couldn’t lose you,” she bit out.

Pleasure smoothed his face. Without pause he swept down and stole her mouth, kissing her with such passion that it left her breathless. His arms curved around her and a moment later he took her to the ground.

“What are you doing?” She laughed against his lips.

Breaking from the kiss, he leaned back and eyed her with amusement. “I think you know, love.”

Excitement hung in the air—the thought of being with him again rekindling the fires from earlier. Only this time she’d acknowledged that he was her mate. Somehow it made the connection stronger, brought them together in a way that neither had understood before this moment. There was closeness, a desire to join completely with one another. And if that was to be this moment, Angel couldn’t wait.

With a shuddering breath he lowered over her, his lips falling upon hers and tongue sweeping through her mouth with the utmost determination.

There was no hesitation; desire took hold and Angel met him in equal abandon, her own need stealing away her ability to think. The only capable thought she had was to have him, and his want—the way he fed at her, the way his hands gripped her tightly—seemed just as desperate. All she knew was it wasn’t enough; it would never be enough.

Bare to the chill of the elements, Hunter guided her to her knees, settling behind her. His mouth dropped down to the milky skin of her neck, palm smoothing down her back as his hips ground against hers. Heat spread through her limbs, her temperature spiking beneath him, and the erotic aroma of their desire thickened in the clearing. Her entire body ignited in one long lick of ecstasy, his teasing fragrance thinning her already waning control. The hot press of his mouth was deliciously spicy, and she found herself praying for more.

On all fours, Angel crooked a glance back over her shoulder, and the rippling muscles of Hunter’s chest stole her breath. His fingers found her opening, parting her, preparing her for what was about to come. Oh, but she wanted—
needed
—him, and he was taking his sweet time, relishing in her. How she wanted to tell him she was ready, that the passion of their earlier moments had long prepared her, but she couldn’t make her lips work when his fingers found their way to her center, exploring the sensitive area that brought her into an instant squirm, a shameless pleasure that had her writhing into his hand.

His mouth swept down her neck, dragging over her back, the fingers of his other hand finding her hardened nipples. Aching, her head dropped forward as she offered as much of herself as she could before she reached back, her fingers closing around his steeled length. The groan that rumbled behind her drew a moan from her as she stroked him.

Releasing her, he straightened and Angel looked back over her shoulder, lost to the sight of his parted mouth and shining eyes. Before she could calm her jittering nerves, his strong hands curved around her hips and guided her back, pressing her against him. A silent question filled his face and when Angel’s chin dipped, he pushed into her, the thick feel of him almost enough to shatter her control. She shuddered against him in that moment of togetherness, to feel them joined together in this most carnal of dances.

“Angel,” he whispered, the gruff tone of his voice bringing her back to reality. Chest heaving, she continued to watch him, his face flushed with need, eyes glittering with lust.

His gaze locked with hers, he set a much slower pace as he began to move within her. They needed this, this heartfelt moment, to show just what they meant to one another. Her breath caught in her throat, Angel’s knees deepened into the earth and she permitted him this guilty pleasure, to do with her as he wished, his hips sinuously rocking against her.

Not a moment earlier, she’d wanted him to simply take her, lost to the desperate emotions that had flooded them both, but now, as he moved with grace and purpose, she wanted
this.

His eyes held hers as his hand swept up her back, fingers sliding through her long hair. Cupping her hips, he turned her around, bringing their mouths together before slowly easing her down onto the ground. A chill from the damp earth raced up her spine, but as he started to move within her again, the world around her faded until only he remained.

The heat of his mouth trailed over her neck, his tongue tasting his way back down to her breast. How arduously he fed from her, savoring each and every moment, even as he continued to fill her, spearing her on his length, over and over.

Angel’s head pressed into the earth as her fingers dragged through his silken curls, kneading at the roots. The sensations were overwhelming—his fingers working her center as he pumped into her, his mouth tasting every last inch of her tender flesh.

A cry built in her throat, her stomach heating with his skilled touch until finally an explosion of colors burst behind her eyes and she arched toward him. When the cry spilled from her lips, his mouth was there, devouring it as she moaned around him. Her body trembled as he continued to thrust, her fingers gripping at the strong line of his shoulders.

She could feel him thickening inside her, pulsing against her walls as pleasure overtook her. A brusque groan fell into her mouth, his chest rumbling beneath her palms.
Now
—she knew it the moment he broke from the kiss and his head fell back. Satisfaction wound through her limbs when his heat settled between her thighs, a different sort of pleasure filling her as she watched the strength of this moment carve his face in rapture.

An eternity they hung in that small drop of time, committing to memory the feel of themselves wrapped around one another. As their climaxes subsided, Hunter wound an arm around her waist and slowly withdrew from her, lowering down into the grass next to her.

“Thank you,” Angel whispered.

Laughing, Hunter pushed up onto his elbow and gazed down at her with felicity lighting his face. “No, trust me, thank
you.
”

She joined in his laughter, reveling in the sound of it. “No, I mean thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”

“Angel,” he murmured, spearing her with a bright glance. “For ten years, you’ve haunted me. No one ever came close to the memory of you I carried with me. I would have done so much more for you.”

Her mouth dried with the realization—she’d already figured out that he would die for her, and that was a frightening notion. The frightening part being that she felt the same way for him.

“Maybe I should have said this sooner, but I—” His voice broke and he swallowed. “I love you. I have since the first moment I laid eyes on you.”

Her heart swelled in her chest until it became difficult to breathe. Nodding, she twined her fingers with his and lifted them to her mouth, caressing her lips along each knuckle. “It was the same for me. I just...I was scared.”

His arm wound around her waist and drew her against his side as he buried his lips into her hair. “There’s no reason to be scared anymore.”

A true smile lit her face and she buried herself into his chest. “I know.”

With the scent of his skin so close and the heat of his body keeping her warm, she rose up and stole his mouth. This was what she’d dreamed of, and now that she had it, she never intended to let it—
him
—go. Love had found a way through the paths haunted by wolves, and now that she was finally in his arms, she knew she’d never look back. There was nowhere else she’d rather be than with the hunter that had finally caught his prey.

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