Scent of a Wolf's Mate (5 page)

She began to respond to his kiss, sighing
beneath his mouth, arching her hips in sync with his. Connor felt
her hands move over his body, tentatively at first, until passion
ignited inside her and her touch became firmer. Her hunger and the
sensuous movements of her body drove him into a lustful craze.

His mate!
Connor began to thrust
harder and faster, tearing away from their kiss to lock his mouth
onto her nipple. He rolled the taut nub around in his mouth,
feeling the shudder that traveled through her body in response. Her
hands tangled in his hair as she held him to her, eagerly offering
him her pliable flesh.

His mate!
Connor withdrew his cock and
began kissing his way down Serena’s twisting body. He needed
another taste of the sweet essence between her thighs. Her sighs
and moans told him that she liked what he was doing. It thrilled
him to know that he was the first man to have her, and that he
would also be the last.

“Oh!” Serena cried softly, “Connor!”

The sound of his name said with hoarse
excitement sent a rush of intense heat through Connor. Reaching her
loins, he took hold of her hips and pulled her pelvis sharply to
his mouth. His mouth covered her pussy while his tongue delved deep
into the waiting nectar. Her scent and the taste of her innocence
was suddenly all too much for Connor, and he found himself in a
physical struggle with his wolf.

As he lapped up her potent juices, he felt
his fangs drop.
Christ!
He trembled with trying to hold off,
crawling up Serena’s body and penetrating her with his cock. Their
gazes met and clung as he moved, and Connor lowered his head
against her shoulder so she wouldn’t see the changes he couldn’t
control. That turned out to be a big mistake.

Her scent was overpowering and his nostrils
flared, the softness of her flesh inviting him to taste her. The
tightness of her body squeezed his cock into an orgasm that had him
losing control. Without meaning to his wolf’s growl escaped him,
and he clamped his teeth into her shoulder to prevent another one
from sounding. Serena cried out, her body convulsing beneath his as
she climaxed around his knotted shaft.

Connor lay against her, afraid to move. He
kissed the tiny wound his fangs had left, lapping up the beads of
blood. Then, rolling to his side, he brought her with him so that
they were facing one another. Serena’s eyes were closed, but he
knew that she wasn’t sleeping, though he had no doubt that she was
probably exhausted. He gave her the time that she needed to catch
her breath and bring her body under control.

“Did you just bite me?” she asked after a
little while.

Since she’d opened her eyes and was looking
at him Connor nodded. “I’m sorry. Sometimes I can’t control the
wolf in me from wanting to leave his mark.” It was the truth,
though she was the only one he’d ever marked before.

When he was able to he slipped out of her
body and lay on his back. He had to get ready for the meeting that
afternoon, and he wondered if he’d have the strength to leave her
side. He’d been warned that his mate being in heat would affect him
strongly, but nothing had prepared him for the impact of taking her
virginity.

Serena was quiet. Connor wasn’t surprised to
find when he glanced at her that she’d fallen asleep. He reached
down for the covers when his hand encountered something wet.
Raising his head, he saw the blood staining the sheet Serena was
resting on. She didn’t stir when he covered her and left the
bed.

He stood looking down at her. He had a lot of
explaining to do, and he wondered how he could convince Serena that
what he said about being a wolf, short of changing before her eyes,
was the truth.

First, he needed to take care of the
situation with Clive.

****

Serena opened her eyes, wincing as she
stretched her aching body against the rumpled bedding. Moaning, she
began to run her hands down her body, causing a flashback of
another’s hands moving over her, leaving in its wake more pleasure
than she’d ever known. The distant memory of Connor’s possession
renewed her hunger, and she knew she had to get out of there
fast.

The mild confusion that came with waking in a
strange place was gradually replaced with bits and pieces of
realization until the puzzle was complete. Serena got up, bringing
the sheet around her body. Her gaze landed on the brownish spots
staining the bottom sheet. She looked away, recalling how eager and
willing she’d been in Connor’s arms, how brazenly she’d given him
her virginity. Well, it had been bound to happen sometime.

Bright sunlight streamed through the open
windows, as well as a cool breeze that carried the alluring scent
of fresh pine and springtime. She went to the window and inhaled
deeply, filling her lungs with the crisp freshness of mountain
air.

“Good, you’re up.”

She swung from the window with a start.
Connor was standing in the doorway, dressed in faded jeans and a
brown pullover sweater with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows. As
Serena let her gaze move over him, she took note of the defined
power in his forearms and hands. His hair was damp, indicating he’d
probably just come from taking a shower.

“Where am I?” she asked, clutching the sheet
over her breasts.

“You’re at the Savage Hills Wolf Sanctuary,”
he replied. “We offer protection and medical treatment to the
wolves in the area.”

Her eyes widened. The very place she’d been
heading! “I was on my way here, for a job.” As a wildlife
veterinarian, Serena had jumped at the opportunity to work in a
heavily populated area of wolves, bears, and mountain lions. Even
though the Savage Hills Wolf Sanctuary mainly took care of wolves,
she knew her expertise with other wildlife would come in handy,
too.

“I know.” His gaze moved over Serena, in a
way that had her wondering if he could see right through the sheet
covering her. She fought down the instant awareness warming her
blood. “I have to go out for a while. Max will be here to keep you
company. Grab a shower if you like, your suitcase is there.”

Serena’s gaze followed his, noticing the
suitcase tucked away in the corner. “How—“

“I had your car towed down the mountain, to
the mechanic’s garage. We’ll talk when I return.”

He turned and left before Serena could say
anything. “Wait a minute!” She hurried after him, surprised to see
he’d already made it to the front door by the time she’d exited the
bedroom.

“Don’t come any closer, Serena.” His harsh
tone caused her to halt with surprise. “Unless you want to spend
the rest of the day on your back, beneath me.” His nostrils flared
and his mouth was tight. It was clear that he was in some kind of
state and trying to remain calm and in control.

Serena caught her breath, but instead of fear
his threat caused a rush of desire in her blood. She was sure
that’s not what he’d intended, but remembering his caresses made
her nipples stiffen and created a warm throb in her lower body.

Connor’s gaze narrowed as if he sensed the
changes in her body. “I’ll be back.”

Before Serena knew it Connor was gone,
slamming the door behind him. She released a breath of relief,
willing her body under control.

She decided to take Connor up on the shower,
and then she’d call a cab and get the heck out of there.

When Connor entered Savage Hills Hall the
heated argument he’d heard outside while parking his vehicle had
escalated into some kind of a physical altercation. He picked up
his step, opening the door to the conference room in time to see
Clive hurl a chair across the room in a rage.

A hush fell upon the room when Connor
entered. He stood there a moment, assessing the situation. The
elders were already in their seats at the head of the hall, their
expressions revealing their disgust at something that had
apparently already happened. It didn’t take a genius to know that
it had something to do with his half-brother, who had lately been a
topic of discussion.

“There’s no way you can exile me, brother,”
Clive said with rage the second his gaze landed on Connor. “Nothing
happened to your precious mate.”

Connor’s gaze moved around the room to the
few townsfolk who’d decided to attend the weekly meeting, most
likely because they had an issue to bring before the elders, before
settling on his mother. She was the only one who knew what his
intentions were. “You should have thought about that before you
attacked Serena,
brother
.” He moved to his chair.

“Is she hurt?” Clive questioned
sarcastically, anger glinting in his snapping brown eyes. When
there wasn’t rage twisting his features he was a handsome man with
sandy blond hair. He was tall like Connor, but on the thin side,
and had inherited none of their mother’s fairness or kindness.

“Be glad you didn’t get to her before I
showed up,” Connor said, feeling his anger rise. “If you’d touched
her I would have killed you.”

The smile that came over Clive’s face was
pure sinister intent, warning Connor that no matter what happened
there today, Serena was still in danger. Clive didn’t have to say
what he’d do to her if he got the chance, and as far as Connor was
concerned, banishment was the only solution. Until then, he’d make
sure that Serena was protected and never alone.

“You can’t banish me for something that
didn’t happen.” He directed his comment to the elders. “There’s no
proving I would have hurt Serena. Maybe I just wanted to, ah, play
with her a little.”

His meaning wasn’t lost on Connor and it was
all he could do not to jump for Clive’s throat for the threat
toward Serena and for the way he’d treated the Wallace girl the
night before. His rough, disrespectful treatment of Trina only
proved that he was losing control.

“I hate to say it, but he has a point.” John
Costa was the oldest of the elders, and someone whose opinion
Connor usually weighed heavily upon before making any decision that
would affect the pack.

“How many chances are we supposed to give?”
Another elder commented, drawing everyone’s attention toward the
furthest end of the table. “It seems that lately Clive’s name comes
up at every meeting.”

“He’s always been trouble,” said Shawn
Waters. “He wanders out of Savage Hills in wolf’s form, and you
know the dangers of that.”

“Still not a crime,” reminded John, his mouth
turned down. “I know it sounds like I’m defending him, but I’m just
reminding all of us that he hasn’t broken any serious rules–”

“Yet!” someone cut in. “He knows how far he
can go.” Marcus Duponte was right behind John Costa when it came to
longevity as an elder.

“That may be. But we have these rules for a
reason,” another elder stated.

For everyone who spoke against Clive, Clive
glared at them with an unspoken threat in his narrowed eyes. This
discussion was nothing new. Connor knew that his stepbrother’s
attempt at intimidating the elders wouldn’t go very far. They were
all werewolves, and in spite of their advanced ages they were still
lethal in wolf form. You didn’t live to be as old as they were by
being weak.

“Some rules are meant to be broken,” Connor
began, hearing enough. “However, not the rules my brother has
broken. As alpha my decision is final. I want Clive gone from
here.”

Briefly, he met his mother’s tearful gaze.
Connor didn’t blame her for telling Clive that he’d intended to
banish him. She was in the middle and always had been. At
twenty-three Clive was the youngest of her four sons, and the only
one born of her second marriage. He’d been babied and given his way
all of his life, turning him into the spoiled, reckless man that he
was now.

“You think exiling me will keep me away from
her?” Clive asked scathingly.

“You know the consequences if you’re caught
back here,” Connor said coldly, hoping for his mother’s sake that
it never came to that. “I won’t hesitate to protect Serena at any
cost. I suggest that if you don’t want our mother’s heart broken,
you think of her before you continue your recklessness.”

“And what about our mother,
brother
?”
Clive all but sneered. “You think this decision won’t break her
heart?”

Connor knew he had to remain firm.
“Arrangements can be made for her to meet you outside of Savage
Hills’ boundaries when you want to visit.”

“You have everything figured out, don’t you?”
Connor stood when Clive began to walk toward him. “Well, the day
will come when you’ll be at my mercy.” Connor knew the importance
of standing his ground when Clive leaned in threateningly. “I will
take everything you love from you,” he lowered his voice so that
only Connor could hear, “Including your mate. I will fuck her and
then shred her to ribbons.”

Connor clenched his teeth, aware that if
their mother weren’t sitting there watching he’d tear Clive’s
throat out. He felt his wolf rise at the threat, but fought down
the urge to change. They were just words, and as alpha, he above
everyone else, was scrutinized carefully and held to higher
standards. Giving in to the need to turn and kill Clive now would
reveal his weakness.

“You have two days to leave Savage
Hills.”

****

Serena took Connor up on the shower, changed
into clean clothes, and made her way to the kitchen for something
to eat. She was a vegetarian, and she wondered if she’d find
anything suitable in his fridge. She was pleasantly surprised to
find that the man actually had a couple of yogurts to choose from.
After finding a spoon, she went to the front entrance. Connor had
left the main door open, and she peered through the screen at
Max.

He’d refused her invitation to come inside,
preferring to stay outside sitting on the porch steps. Serena had
to wonder if he was there to keep her company or to keep her from
leaving.