Hidden Destiny (Redwood Pack) (23 page)

North held her close, her back arching against his chest as he murmured sweet words that she couldn’t decipher over the pain radiating through her body. She pushed against him, not knowing if she needed space or him closer, and he just held on tighter.

“Pull that thread,” North repeated.

She nodded, or at least that’s what she thought she did. She wasn’t quite sure because she felt as though she wasn’t inside her body at all, but outside looking in. Lexi tugged on the tread, the energy piercing through her as she closed her eyes even tighter, praying that it would be over soon.

Come on, wolf, come out and play. Please
.

It was a soft echo, like a train off in the distance rushing toward her at full speed. She screamed as it crashed into her, the full impact making her body buck against North. His answering yell made her remember she wasn’t alone.

Dear goddess, it hurt.

She could feel her bones breaking, the tendons and ligaments stretching and tearing. She could feel her muscles reforming. The bones in her face crushed then shaped into another form. Fur sprouted from beneath her skin, receded, then game back fuller.

She threw her head back against North’s shoulder and screamed until she didn’t hear herself anymore. Instead, an anguished howl erupted from her throat.

Her
throat.

Lexi panted and looked down at her paws and fell to the ground.

Her paws.

“I’ve been waiting to meet you,”
a voice said within her mind, and she froze.

Was that her wolf?

“Yes, I’m your wolf. I can’t wait to get to know you even more,”
the soft voice said.
“Go hunt with your mate, and we can talk more soon. Run on four paws, Lexi, feel the ground beneath them and have the moon dance along our fur.”

She could feel her wolf step away, as if the other soul sharing her body knew Lexi needed to get ahold of herself first.

So. Freaking. Cool.

“Lexi?”

Lexi looked up at her mate and tried to smile. As a wolf, though, she wasn’t sure how that looked.

North threw his head back and laughed. “Oh, baby, you’re smiling in wolf form. I love it. You are so beautiful.”

She tried to ask what she looked like and realized she couldn’t speak. How on earth did wolves communicate in this form? She tilted her head at her mate, and he grinned.

“Your fur is blonde like your hair and your eyes are the same hazel. It’s as if your wolf was so close to you but hidden for so long, that you have the same features. It’s pretty cool, actually.”

He ran a hand through her fur, and she nuzzled into his palm. Her wolf guided the motion, showing her how to move like the canine rather than the human. She looked down at herself as best she could and saw the blonde fur he was talking about.

She was a wolf.

Finally.

She yipped up at her mate, surprising herself with the sound.

“Okay, okay. We’ll go hunting. Let me shift.” He stood then and shifted, faster than her by far, faster than most wolves.

Her mate was strong, amazing, and her wolf liked that.

His fur was a mixture of gray and tan, identical to Maddox’s. He was also bigger than she was in wolf form, but that wasn’t surprising.

He nudged along her neck then circled her body before moving, locking his jaws around her neck. Instinctively, she lowered her head, submitting to him.

This was her mate, her other half. Even without the bond, she would want this man and wolf in the age-old dance of mates and the hunt.

He moved backward, his gaze on hers. She looked down at her paws then up to him and took a step toward him. Or at least tried. She stumbled on four paws and hit the ground. North came to her, nudging and licking along her muzzle.

“Let me take care of the walking and running,”
her wolf said on a gentle laugh.

That sounded like a better idea. Lexi did what came naturally—something that surprised her—and let her wolf take over. Lexi, the human, was still there, in control, but her wolf led the movements, as if showing her how to walk.

Lexi took a few steps then sped up, running around her mate, who looked as pleased as a wolf could be. She went to his side and burrowed into his body. She felt the happiness of her wolf being able to feel North’s wolf, at least in body.

The bond would come once Corbin was gone.

No, she wasn’t going to think about that now.

North nuzzled her one more time then tilted his head up before taking off in a run. She yipped and took off behind him, letting her wolf lead the action so she wouldn’t fall on her face. Again.

She rushed around the trees as she followed her mate, knowing and trusting that he’d lead the way and keep them safe. That reminded her that she’d have to learn to fight in wolf form now.

Oh my God, I’m a wolf
!

She squealed inside like a teenager at a boy band concert and ran after her mate, wanting to play, to hunt, to just…be.

North jumped over a fallen log, and Lexi let her wolf take more control to show her how to jump as well. When she landed on four paws, North stood in front of her, gazing.

She yipped at him, wanting to tell him how much she loved him, loved this moment, but didn’t know how to communicate it.

She could have sworn he winked at her, and then his ears perked. Hers did the same a second later.

Padded steps along the soil.

A jump and a hop over a fallen branch.

North tilted his head, as if asking her if this is what she wanted.

Her wolf nudged her, and she sprang, the hunt already in play. She followed the sound of the rabbit, its scent changing to fear of a predator.

She pounced quickly, ensuring its death would be painless. As she ate her reward, North padded toward her, a rabbit of his own dangling from his mouth. They ate together in silence then took off again on another run. Moonlight shone from between the tall trees, bringing her closer to the moon goddess and her Pack.

She sensed the others around her, their hunt almost over as they moved off into pairs and groups to finish hunting…or change back and enjoy the other things that came with the hunt. North stopped then, his ears perked, and then he started to change back to his human form. Lexi pulled on that thread again, this time, allowing her human self to come out.

The change back was just as painful as the first one, but this time, she was a little bit quicker, the transformation becoming something she could get used to, rather than something that would make her scream each time.

In human form, she looked up at her mate and smiled. He growled then pounced on her. Their mouths collided, their tongues fighting for dominance as he pinned her to the ground, his body settled between her legs.

“You’re a fucking beautiful wolf, my Lexi, but right now, I want to fuck my human hard.”

She licked and nipped along his jaw, the scruff of his beard sending shivers down her spine.

“In me, now.”

He grinned a feral grin, positioned himself, and then thrust into her hot channel in one movement. They both gasped at the feeling, but he didn’t stop moving. She was already wet just from the adrenaline and fact that she’d wanted him since before they’d changed.

He fucked her hard, and she lifted her hips, meeting him stroke for stroke.

“Rise with me, Lexi. I’m too close,” he grunted then moved his hand between them, flicking her clit with his thumb.

She came on his cock, the scream ripping from her throat matching his own growl as he came with her. Their bodies slid against each other, sweat from their exertions only making her want him more.

“I want your ass, my Lexi.”

She gasped as his hand reached around, sliding between her cheeks, teasing her hole. “I’m ready for you, but we don’t have any lube.”

He lowered his face and nipped her lip. “I’m pretty sure between the two of us, we can take care of that.” He grinned then kissed her hard.

She moaned as he slid out of her then turned on her stomach so she could get on her hands and knees. This would be an easier position for both of them, plus she liked when he took her this way since he could go deeper.

Over her shoulder, she saw North kneeling behind her, the gold in his eyes flowing from arousal. She wiggled her ass, and he grinned.

“Damn, I love you.”

“Back at‘cha. Now, are you going to fuck me or what?”

He raised a brow. “I’m pretty sure I just did that. You have a dirty mouth now, my little wolf.”

“I’ve always had one, and you like it.”

“True.” He slapped her ass hard, and she yelped, the pain and pleasure seeping through her, entwining as one.

She wiggled again then sighed as he prepared her with one finger then two. Soon she was panting, needing to come, but not wanting to without him.

She felt him move behind her and then the head of his cock at her entrance. Her back stiffened, and he ran a hand down her.

“Shh, baby, just relax.”

She forced herself to, even though she wanted him in her right then. She felt him enter her slowly, past the tight ring of muscles, and she pushed out against him. The action made him slide in farther, and she felt him gather up her own juices to make it easier for them. He slowly worked his way inside her until she felt his thighs flat against hers.

“You feel so fucking good, Lexi,” he grunted, and she moaned, unable to speak.

“Ready for me to move?” he asked, his voice strained.

She nodded quickly, needing something, anything. “Please,” she rasped out.

He pulled out partly then thrust back in slowly, doing it over and over again as he picked up the tempo. She lowered her head, the feel of him so freaking good, so full, that she could barely breathe.

He squeezed her hips, and he slammed into her, and she screamed, the sensation a fiery pleasure that she wanted more of.

“Touch your clit, Lexi. Come for me. I’ll hold you up.”

She nodded then moved so she could rub circles over her clit. The feeling of his cock in her ass and her hand on herself was too much.

She came on a yell and felt North jerk behind her then growl her name. His seed filled her up, and they both fell to the ground, a pile of limbs, sweat, and heat.

“I think you killed me,” North grunted.

“Ditto,” she whispered, too tired to say more than one thing at a time.

North ran a hand over her hair, his chest to her back, their bodies still connected. “You’re a wolf, baby,” he said then kissed behind her ear.

She smiled then and felt her wolf settle down for a nap.

Yes, she was a wolf.

Finally.

Something is coming
, North thought to himself.
Something bad
.

He ran a hand over his arms, that feeling of something…off… not quite going away.

It had been two weeks since he’d woken up in bed and found his father and Lexi talking beside him. He’d known his father loved him, believed in him, but he hadn’t quite known the extent of it.

Apparently, North hadn’t been as good at hiding his wolf as he’d thought.

The Alpha had always known and always felt safe with North by his side. North never should have doubted that.

Now, though, now something was off, and he didn’t know what.

For a moment, he thought it could be his mate, but he wasn’t sure what about her would be wrong. Lexi was flourishing as a wolf and was even, right then, in her wolf form with Logan learning some fighting maneuvers. Parker was also in wolf from, learning a little bit as well.

North would have joined them but had to patch up a couple scrapes from a fight between a couple of adolescent boys. Ever since the circle where Patrick had tried to mutiny, those boys and parents who had acted against North’s new family had started to warm.

He wasn’t quite sure he was ready to forgive and forget.

Nor was he sure Lexi was.

Parker, however, was as soothing as ever and wanted to be done with it.

That, though, North thought, wasn’t the problem either.

His cell buzzed, and he picked it up off the counter.

“Yeah?”

“Get over to the circle,” Kade ordered. “Bring the Andersons. The Talons are here, and they said that they are only the first.”

The Heir hung up, leaving North with that sickly feeling of dread slashing through him. Shit, if the Talons were here again so quickly, that meant something was up. Kade hadn’t told him which Talons were there or
why
they were there, only that North and his new family were needed.

He ran out to the back yard, where Lexi was just pulling on clothes behind a bush. Logan and Parker were doing the same behind the trees.

“What’s wrong?” his mate asked as she buttoned up her jeans and walked over to him.

“We need to go to the circle. Now. The Talons are here, and I don’t know what else is going on, but we need to go.”

“We?” she asked as she put on her shoes.

“Kade said all of us. I think that means Parker too. I’m not sure.”

Alarm spread over Lexi’s face before she schooled her features. She leaned forward and kissed his jaw. He held still, knowing if he caved and touched her now, he’d either take her and hide her from danger or pull her close enough that he’d never let her go.

Logan came out from behind the trees fully dressed with Parker in tow. The other man looked ready to brawl, and North was glad he was there.

“I have to come too?” Parker asked.

North held out his arm, and Parker went straight to him, holding him around the waist. His heart tightened at the action, and he held back a sigh. He didn’t think he’d ever get used to the easy way Parker had fit into his life, but now wasn’t the time to focus on it.

“You too,” North said. “I want you to stay by Logan’s side the whole time though. Okay?” North wanted Lexi by his side, and Logan would be sure to keep Parker out of trouble with whatever was coming.

They made their way to the circle, tension knotting between North’s shoulders. He held on to Lexi’s hand like a lifeline, needing her, needing her wolf…just needing.